I was on a road trip with my son Poverty Flats Jr. and we were on a mission to buy some engines in Tennessee. I knew I was going to be passing near the hometown of one of my favorite buddies on the HAMB message board for hot rodders Dads 53 so I called up Don to see if he was going to be home and he told me to stop by. His place was on a nice corner acreage in a suburban area about 20 miles from Kansas City and overlooks a beautiful pond.
I pictured the great man himself pulling big fish from this pristine body of water as I drove into his driveway where I saw him waiting for us near his shop.
He told me where to park and when I got out I saw this painted on the ground in front of my truck.
We had a good laugh and went into his shop to look around. It was large and neatly arranged and I liked it.
Don is retired from the paint industry and still dabbles in paint and body work when he wants to and has a nice paint storage room with a nice collection of paint guns too.
He also has alot of cool old signs and I enjoyed looking them over.
We walked past his well known 53 Chevy that is a veteran of many car shows in the Mid West.
I also liked his late model pickup truck that is lowered to a very tasteful stance.
We walked into his nice ranch style home where he made us some fresh coffee and I took this photo while passing thru the garage.
Don wanted to show us his finished basement so we headed down there next...
I really liked his foot rail on the soda fountain counter that was made from chrome lake pipes (custom side pipes for hot rods and kustoms) that were welded together for one long length. Way cool and a nice touch for any car guy to enjoy.
And I really liked the guest bedroom in the basement that was made to look like an old country store. Very clever.
Along about this time, his lovely wife Carol came home and we decided to go eat some supper on this Friday evening and we followed them to their local favorite joint named "Sandy's."
Once inside I could see it was a friendly place where everyone seemed to know each other. The waitresses were hugging the regular customers and the owner, Sandy herself got in on the action as well.
Everyone was in a jolly mood and the food was fantastic. This was my own meal of chicken fried steak. It came with a tossed salad too.
Sadly I was too busy eating like a hog to get a photo of the pretty girl walking around handing out free designer cupcakes which was a nice touch and not something I normally see.
As we left the employees and the owner told us goodbye and invited us to come back and see them. As simple as that sounds it is not often a common practice at most places anymore and in my opinion is one of the reasons this place is so successful.
I took a photo of Carol and Don outside by their car.
And of course I wanted to get in on the action and horned into the next photo myself.
Sadly it was time for us to get back on the road and continue on our all night trip. It was fun to see my friends again and listen to his stories. Never a dull moment is a good way to describe a friend like this....
Thanks for taking the time to visit with us and show us around your world Don and Carol and I will see you again soon I hope.
