THE PACKARD

NAPA
Mary called and asked me if I would like to take a ride to Napa? We could go to Target, and I could get my Christmas cards while she shopped. Then, we could have lunch. Now, that’s an offer I couldn’t refuse.
She picked me up at 10, and we were off to the beautiful Napa Valley. It was a cool (probably in the 60’s), overcast and dreary day. Rain wasn’t forecast, but being a pessimist, I carried my “brollie”.
After we finished at Target, Mary still had a few things to get at nearby Trader Joe’s. Then, we headed up the Napa Valley. She left
Highway 29 and exited at Yountville. Besides the “Vintage 1870” shopping complex, there are many interesting shops, hotels and restaurants along the frontage road. Then, back on 29 heading north.
Mary stopped between Yountville and St. Helena at the Brix restaurant. There were only a few diners, at noon, when we entered. It was packed when we left the restaurant, an hour and a half later, after having a very tasty lunch. We noticed this beautiful vintage car in the parking lot. Mary asked me what make it was and I told her I thought it was a Rolls Royce (the head lamps- mountings flowed into the front fenders. This was my clue.) Mary drove up next to it, so we could get a closer look, and identify it. A man was sitting in the driver’s seat. (Would you believe that he was on his cell phone?) We didn’t know whether he was the owner, “car sitter”, the chauffeur, a by-stander or a car thief. The man rolled down his window and Mary asked him about the make and vintage (this is a good word to use in the middle of the Napa Valley!). He said that it was a 1947 Packard. I don’t remember ever having seen one just like it. It certainly was a beauty, and worth far more than it cost new, over 60 years ago!
I was reading the Wall Street Journal last night. I came across a front page -story about a dump truck, being pushed out the fourth floor window of an abandoned Packard auto plant- building in Detroit, by a bunch of idiots! I was startled! I had been in that very same building, a few times, seventy years ago! It was located on East Grand Boulevard. It was an old plant when I visited it in 1939. (The brick plant was constructed in 1907, Packard closed it in 1956.) I was in the plant, to trouble -shoot, and repair, some convertible-top assemblies that didn’t properly fit the Packard convertibles. In Ypsilanti, I worked for Motor State Products Company. We assembled the slat-iron frameworks for automatic tops for many different makes of convertibles. These assemblies included the header bars and the hydraulic cylinder, lines and control units. When I started to work there in 1939, I was earning 25 cents an hour. A little later, the UAW organized the plant, and my wage doubled to 50 cents an hour. The owner was a German engineer, who designed the automatic convertible top system. I can’t recall his name, but I think it started with a “G” or a “K”.
Of course, I had to have a convertible. I bought a maroon Chevrolet - red leather seats; black top; white sidewalls and rear-fender skirts. It was a beauty, too. Price $995!
Well back to reality. We returned to Fairfield. It was a routine trip to end a very nice outing.
RCL - 11/07/09.