BMWs

And The Incomparable BMW 2002...

I took this at on a recent Fourth of July.

All photos by/of Muffy Aldrich

My older brother, and his affinity for European cars, was a strong influence on me growing up. He was surprisingly generous with his cars (for an older brother) and let me drive them regularly. Even better, he was also generous in teaching me now to drive. And when I say how to drive, I mean how to drive more like a race car driver.

I had already learned to drive on a stick, so he would pepper me with tips, like the virtues of low profile tires, or how best to take a corner and when to accelerate. Or how to get myself out of the tightest parking situations, a skill I still use today. Just a couple of weeks ago I apparently dazzled the local nursery worker when I was quickly and decisively able to extricate my older Volvo wagon out of a tight spot and position it to be loaded with shrubbery.

My white wagon being washed at our local Volunteer Fire Department car wash.