Speaking of cars....Vicky also owned a green Gremlin. And it was just as weird looking then as it is today! And also perfect for my unconventional sister.
Back when Vicky lived in Key West, she worked at a restaurant named "Lums." For those of you old enough to recall, Lums was a "gourmet hot dog" restaurant and gained some amount of fame for cooking all of their dogs in beer. They also had a chili-dog that was to die for and served what was, for its day, a large menu of imported beer. Anyway...as a portly young man who appreciated a good dog, I thought it was pretty cool that I had a sis who worked at Lums! Vicky was ahead of her time back then in that she was very eco-friendly, often riding her bike to work. While in the keys she also learned to speak Spanish quite well. Some of her fondest memories of the keys involved going to the beach often and going snorkeling, and even seeing her first water spout. Years later when I saw my first water spout I recalled what Vicky said about them being very short-lived due to the weight and coolness of the water they were picking up. And sure enough, the water spout I observed lasted less than a minute.
As Vicky's family grew, so did her VW! She stepped up from the 2-door wagon into an orange bus. A VERY cool car! Whether her kids remember it or not, they spent a lot of time riding around in one of these cars, which are now very collectible.
One of Vicky's first new cars that I can recall was a reddish-orange VW 412, 2-door wagon (a tough car to find these days on the used market)! It was a cute car, not too powerful, but was reliable (as all VW's were back then) and she loved it. It was also perfect for her new and growing family. A pic of a car just like Vicky's is attached.
Some things Vicky loved (other than her family, friends and dog):
Books: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and the Hobbit (she even had a pet rabbit named Bilbo once), Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, When Elephants Weep. I am sure there are more but these are just some she told me about.
Movies: The Lord of the Rings (of course), Phantom of the Opera, White Nights and What Dreams May Come. Again, I am sure there are many, many more.
Theater: Phantom, Les Mis, West Side Story
Ballet/Dance: The Nutcracker and many more.
Food: Lobster Bisque, Boston Cream Pie
Places: Savannah, GA, the Grand Canyon and basically anywhere with a nice tropical beach!
