The End of an Era

For me anyhow. My mum and dad got rid of their car yesterday. Normally, this doesn't affect most people, however, in my case, it is an end to an era. Since I can remember, my parents have always driven a Lincoln Town car. Yesterday, they traded in their last one for, get this, a Yeeeeeee Ha Kia Sportage. My father still drives a huge customized van (he has a toy store) that fits his size (he is 6 foot and maybe 300lbs). He always looked right in a Lincoln. I have so many memories of these cars, some moments are just unforgettable. Our first one, around 1977 was gigantic. You could easily put four adults in the back seat and be comfy. We had it for about 6 months or a year when coming home from the cottage early on a Monday morning (like 6:30 am) it caught fire and eventually blew up. We were on one of Canada's busiest highways, the 400, when it happened. I saw the windshield blow out and the little oval opera windows flew across the highway. Quite spectacular when you are 10 years old! We had several more after that, each one getting a wee bit smaller than the last but oh the memories. We used to drive down to Florida almost every year in one. And of course would load it til the rear was almost dragging the pavement when we would go to the cottage. There's a picture of the Burgundy one at my wedding with my italian brother-in-law standing beside it, looking very cool in tux and sunglasses, with me getting in. Very Godfather-ish. Back to the Kia. I am having a difficult time picturing my father occasionally driving this thing. It seems almost cartoonish. My mother will look great in it. She is 5 foot nothing so it suits her much better than a Lincoln (she had a hard time seeing over the dashboard). I guess change is in the air. Where the heck is my Lysol?