Car Wash

Ruth, Eric and I decide to go on down to Sonic Burgers for dinner. If you've never been to one of these places, you ain't missing much. It has a drive-in like McDonnell's but they also have drive-ups, like the old days. You drive up to a parking spot and there to the your left is a screen with all the food items on it and a red button. The red button is for ordering.

Eventually, after you order, someone will come out with a tray that hooks to your car window. I guess they call these people "carhops." Anyway the carhop will give you the food, take your money, and make change. She has strapped to her waist an old fashioned money dispenser. You remember these things. The are silver and have four reservoirs of coins. When you pay, she'll dispense your change from this gizmo.. It's kind of a throw back. The only thing that would make the picture complete is roller skates.

Anyway, after the meal, we went to Barnes and Nobel in search of next year's journals. They keep the place pretty cold so we couldn't stay in there much longer than 30 minutes. Why is this? If feels like a morgue. Do they set the thermostat for the workers who are running around filling the shelves? Who knows? I usually have to get a cup of coffee to keep warm if I'm in there much longer than 30 minutes.

On the way back, Ruth says: "Hey does anyone mind if I run through the car wash? It'll only take 10 minutes." She likes to run through these car wash stalls. For some reason Georgia only has stalls, where you wash your own car, or "touch-less" drive through car washes at the gas stations. Which aren't any good because it's just water spray. How do they expect your car to get clean using just a hose? That's why we never get the car wash with the fill up of gas. In California, the car washes had brushes, they were usually free with a fill up, and were quick. Optionally, you could come back later, when it was less crowded, and punch a number into the machine from your receipt. This is a much better system.

Anyway, the only quick car wash here is these car stalls. You've got to have a roll of quarters for the machine. This machine has eight settings (wash, rinse, wheels, etc.) , and even a sudsing brush.

So while Eric and I sat idly by, Ruth jumped out to wash the car. (Well, It is HER car!) As she was washing the car Eric says he always views with suspicion people washing their car late at night. He supposes that they are washing homicidal evidence (blood) off their car. It would be a good scene in a mystery movie. He says normal people wash their cars in the day. I guess I've never made that connection. I'll never be able to look at someone washing their car in a stall late at night the same again.

Later Eric jumped out to help with the wash. After that, there were far too many people in the car stall for me too. So I let it slide. They were done after just six minutes. (Her record is four.)

Yep, we'll miss Eric when/if he moves away. Of corse, I could have done without the image of the murderer washing the blood off his car.

...dave
I can't wash my car. The dirt is the only thing holding it together!