Oct 1, 2019 3 min read

Because my husband is working on an antique car, he goes to a few car swaps every year. Car swaps are where other car guys and girls go to sell extra parts that they have lying around after completing their own antique cars. Prices are generally good, making swaps good places to find parts for his project.

I don’t enjoy going with him very frequently because I get bored with it quickly. You see, all of the parts on the seeming miles of tables look to me like hunks of metal that could never come together to make the simplest of machines, much less a high-powered, fine-tuned automobile capable of traveling faster than I think is necessary or fun.

My husband is exactly the opposite. Not only does he enjoy the idea of unleashing the horses under the car’s hood, but he also looks at the same hunks of metal as I do, seeing instead the exact doodad he needs to make the thingamajig work.

It’s about balance, our marriage.

I do go with him when I can, despite my obvious boredom, because I love him and spending time with him. I enjoy seeing him relax and work on a hobby. I like to see his excitement at finding just the thing he was looking for, or scoring a deal on a part he’ll need down the line.

Plus, there’s usually lunch involved.

Alas, this weekend, I wasn’t available, so he made the trip with a friend. He came home with quite a few finds. (How many parts go on this car, anyway?)

Sometimes, some of the vendors have offerings other than car parts, though usually there are not enough to keep my attention engaged for the duration of the day. However, he almost always comes home with gifts for the family. My middle girl is into odd T-shirts and patches for her backpack, so sometimes she gets a few of them. My son loves our farm equipment and all things train, so sometimes he finds something for him as well.

My husband is an out-of-the-box thinker, and this weekend he arrived home with a plug-in beacon with a cigarette lighter adapter. For what possible reason, I couldn’t imagine. That is, until he said that our son would love it. Just like he loved the plug-in fire bell my husband bought him a few years ago.

There’s a story for another column.

My son was equally ecstatic about the beacon. He immediately went around to all of the farm equipment to see where it may plug in, and was very happy to discover several power ports available to him. I was delighted to find out that the riding lawn mower had such a port, and that my son was inclined to mow the grass so that he could use the beacon right away.

I’ve decided that maybe car swaps aren’t all bad after all. If there’s another one coming up, I’ll probably go.

All that walking around will give me ample time to research nearby restaurants.