I could write a damned book about a pickup I owned

 for a while. It was a '62 Dodge half-ton stepside with a Slant-6 engine and from the time I first got it until it wound up at Smokey's dump my life was chaos.

I won it in a poker game one night and collecting it was a hash. I was the out of towner and when it was time to settle up the loser tried to back out.

It was a strange game as I was trying to lose the last $20 I had to my name because I always seemed to land in the gravy when I went broke. Instead of losing I came out 250 dollars, a banjo and the pickup ahead.

I had played it smart when the owner of the pickup went bust and offered the truck. He lived a couple of blocks away and I told him to get the title. Then I loaned him $100 on it and inside two or three hands the truck was mine. 

That's when I quit the game. I got up, pocketed the cash, picked up the banjo, and held out my hand.

"Keys....Thanks...Bye." I left instantly, fired up the truck and left the area quickly. I was gone before they knew it and headed north to a girlfriend of sorts I was welcome with at the time.

I wanted to get out of the area and away from possible sore losers.

When I arrived at her place she greeted me with a smile and told me that someone was looking for me and when I got inside her place I picked up the phone and dialed the number on the message she had taken and on the spot I had a job framing an apartment building going up nearby.

From there I took the truck to a wreckers and built the wrecking yard owner a new counter and did some repairs in trade for a gently used Slant-6 engine. One of his regulars custmers saw me work, checked out the job I was doing and hired me to do a couple of things for him.

I was paid in cash and he beefed up my rear springs. As I was finishing up, one of HIS customers saw me and hired me to do some work. I got more cash and a camper that fit the pickup so now I had a portable place to live.

For the next 4 or 5 years that truck took me on some of the most whacked out adventures of my life. It went up up the Alaska Highway twince and down it once. 

I might post an episode of these adventures from time to time.

I think I did post about taking it to Las Vegas and the three ring circus that was.

As for the banjo, I found out it was worth something a few months later. I wound up selling it for about $375 and a couple of carbide circular saw blades to some hillbilly that sure could play it.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html