Sad parting from and old friend.

Several times I have advertised the crawler for sale, some lookers but no buyers UNTIL, last week. A guy who said he grew up on an OC3, learned how to handle it when he was six years old. Suddenly, smitten not with just old iron fever but with that "gotta get in touch with my childhood" kind of longing, he wanted to look. From the sound of his voice on the phone I knew about 9.5 chances out of 10 he was going to buy.

When he came to look and finally took the controls, he was like a kid with a new toy on Christmas morning!! I didn't get as much for it as I really wanted but I have the satisfaction of knowing the old girl is in the hands of someone would will really appreciate her, come to love her as much as I did ( but didn't realize it!)

His patient and clearly supportive wife wrote the check on Friday. Yesterday the buyer and son-in-law came to load and haul the old girl away on the deck of a big flatbed. As I watched her disappear down the driveway, front end and blade facing backward toward me, I felt a tear drop and a little pain in the heart...so to speak.

As they went out of sight I knew I would never have that kind of experience with a crawler or tractor again. However, the pain is eased knowing she is in the hands of another who will enjoy, maintain, repair and love her as much, if not more, than I did. Life sure gets interesting sometimes.

Now about that OC46 out in the shed...I will never have the kind of relationship with that one that I did with the OC3. Said a sad goodby to an old friend, down the road, away and out of my life but still in my heart. ( SNiffle!!)

PC