Nothing like a truck

There is really nothing like a pick up truck.  A new pick up truck brought out the guys in the neighborhood. 

You might have guessed it, but we got a new pick-up truck yesterday.  This morning, as I was trying to get my cell phone to synch with the truck's system, neighbors (all male) walked up and we started talking.  "Great looking truck."  "Can it tow?"  "What's the mileage?"  "Did you get a good deal?"  Spring boarding from these questions, we talked about all manner of things male.

There's nothing like a truck.

The testosterone was flowing in earnest. 

Sports, off-roading, politics, fishing, sports (again), etc.  Guy talk.  It was like a magnet had drawn us together to bond in the quintessentially male way.  If a cave had been nearby, we surely would have started a fire, squatted down, cooked something over an open spit, and broke out a beer or two.  Well, maybe not the beer at 0730.  Perhaps a tall mug of coffee.  But you get the idea.

There's nothing like a truck.

I can't think of any other American symbol so iconic to the male sector of society and history.  A truck brings to mind images of cowboys, farmers, and ranchers.  Male characters all.  When on active duty in the Marine Corps, more of my young Marines owned pick-up trucks than any other type of vehicle.  Even in this semi-suburban area in which we live, in southern California no less, the image the pick-up creates is overwhelmingly male.  Dang.  I even remarked that I feel far more manly after selling my sports car and getting the truck.  Riding along, listening to country music, my red neck roots showing.  Hard working.  Levi blue jeans and a ball cap.  Dedicated to family, faith, and country.  The American flag.  A Marine Corps decal in the back window. 

There's nothing like a truck.

A lot of country music songs are either about or include reference to the pick-up truck.  Even many of those written and sung by female artists.

There's nothing like a truck.

So, as I wash and wax the truck, I'll revel in it's unique place in American history and society.  It's place is iconic, representing values and beliefs I hold as crucial.  In a way, having a truck makes a statement I enjoy communicating to those around me.

(Foot note:  I got a Ford truck, in large part because Ford Motor Company didn't take money from the Federal government, as did Chevrolet and Chrysler (maker of Dode Ram pick-up).  GM stock went down and Chrysler didn't pay back all of the "loan." Ford business is booming, their products are more than competitive, and its decisions are supportable.)