Ode to the Great Bambino

On Tuesday, I got into a car accident. I'm totally fine, and so were the other people involved, but my car is not so fine, and I think it's safe to say she's officially pronounced dead. So, in honor of my deceased vehicle, here's a little post to pay homage to her.

My car's name was Bambi, but I had a few other nicknames for her too, mostly from the movie The Sandlot, such as The Great Bambino, The Sultan of Swat and the Colossus of Clout. She was my very first car, and she came to be in my possession in a rather unconventional way. My father runs a dumpster business, and she was sitting in the yard of one of his clients. She hadn't been touched in years and the client just wanted rid of her, but my Dad had a hunch that she wasn't in as bad shape as her previous owner thought her to be. My dad bought her from the lady for just a couple hundred dollars.

I was in Cape May New Jersey at the time all this was happening, so while I was off at the beach, my grandparents were working on fixing the car up, cleaning it thoroughly, and getting it ready for me to drive. By the time I got back, she was in ship shape. I never even got to see her when she was all gross and dirty, so my grandma printed off a picture of part of the car floor before it was cleaned up so I could see just how bad it was and how much progress they'd made.

In choosing a name for my car, I suggested it should be a stripper name since we got the car cheap and easy, LOL, perhaps a bit crude but hey. I settled on Bambi not only because it sounds like a stripper name, but also because my car was a Chevy Impala, and an Impala is sort of a type of deer, like Bambi.

Me and SE posing against Bambi's hood

Anyway, I've had Bambi for four years and she's been a good old gal. Her dash lights don't always work and her air conditioning never worked, but she always got me where I needed to go. I've had some good times with her, despite the fact that she always said "Low Tire Pressure" even though the tires were fine and that when it rained she leaked through the passenger side window.

I drove her to and from Messiah for a year, left her sunroof open in the pouring rain, took her all the way up the mountain and braved the washed out cabin lane. I bumped her into the carport column the first month I had my license, and backed into a lady in the Martin's grocery store parking lot without getting a scratch. She fried two cassette player aux cords, lost multiple bumper stickers and magnets, and always smelled like Cucumber Melons or Christmas trees, or cinnamon rolls, depending on my preference at the time.

Anyway, four years, lots of miles, and a couple of points on my license later, it's been a good run for me and old Bambi.

Surprisingly, most of the pictures I have of Bambi are actually from the last two weeks! Strange how that worked out.

Model posing behind Bambi

Um, more model posing behind Bambi...

Using Bambi as a buffet. 

Alex learning to "floss" with Bambi silently judging her in the background

One of the last views of SE's old house from inside Bambi

SE and me dancing in the rain behind Bambi and MF's old Buick. 

Don't really remember the context of this picture but it's cute.

We three bloggers, I think on our way to Sam's Club for AB's birthday last year. 

Bambi in the field I got pushed into, airbags deployed, mirror dangling, hood all crumpled. 

Lookin' a little rough there Bambi. 

As much as the whole thing sucked, there's something oddly pretty about these pictures from last night's accident.

Bambi was towed away after I retrieved all my belongings from her. Eventually my Dad will pick her up and take her back to the scrap yard at my uncle's farm and take her apart for parts. Hopefully he can salvage those brand new wiper blades I put on literally yesterday (grrrrr).

I'll miss you old gal. You were a lovely first car and you'll always hold a special place in my heart. Sorry I had to go and pulverize you. 

Love, 

VaughnDL