DRIVERS EDUCATION

I suspect I was really excited about taking Driver's Education, weren't you? There was no class room studies for us, only actual driving. Was it two weeks or four? How many kids were in the car? Do you remember? Do you remember your instructor? I had Mr. Adams.

What kind of car did you drive? We had a Chevrolet with a stick and a blue Ford with an automatic. Mr. Edlund was involved, I don't remember how.

We were to drive around town and a little way on the highway going toward Goodridge. Neither of the cars were marked STUDENT DRIVER like they are in Fargo now. I would think the cars were leased from Tunberg's and Northern Chevorlet.

Out of the blue, we were supposed to just know to stop for walkers even if they jaywalked. We were all supposed to see the imaginary center of the intersection at the light at Main and Third Street. We were supposed to know that going into the light on yellow was considered an accident just as well as if we bumped a flag while parallel parking. My children learned all that in the class room.

My previous driving experience was limited. My country friend and I took her cousin's Oldsmobile out on a back road when her parent's weren't home, (and you know they knew we had because we didn't park it in the same spot). I also tried to drive the Daddy's truck but I didn't understand the stick shift. Oh, and a few rounds on the tractor.

You can see that I was a good candidate for driving with someone else. And what I remember most was the day of the white Chevy with the stick and Mr. Adams, who had controls on the passenger side. We were driving on Second Street going west. Over by where the nuns lived. Are you with me? Mr. Adams told me to go in the alley behind the dormitory. There was a huge lilac bush covered with blossoms. I turned too short and Mr. Adams, although he was stomping on the floor, failed to stop the car before it came to rest in the bushes. Do you know that hitting a bush is considered an accident?

Granted, the pictures offered are not the standard 1960 Ford and Chevy BUT aren't they fun memories?

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