I've always wanted my own fire engine. Not the kiddie car type, but a full size red fire engine with sirens, hoses, ladders...the whole works. So when I heard that there was a 1936 Maxim fire engine for sale in North Georgia, I hesitated only a short time before I gave into temptation and made it mine.
Now as all of you who have acquired fire engines know, the next big question is: what on earth am I going to do with it? Fortunately, I own a real estate company that will take any good publicity it can get. Suddenly my 1936 Maxim Fire Engine was slated to become a drawing card for Mike Kelly Realty.
Getting the fire engine ready to meet the public took a lot of work. The brakes didn't work, the choke had to be set just right before the engine would start and plumes of black smoke poured out of the exhaust. I and my riders - hesitant ones at that - jolted around and bounced up and down until I figured out how to work the clutch. And, since the fire engine, after all, was built in 1936, there was no power steering! Do you know how hard it is to get a fire engine to go where you want it to go without power steering?
Eventually, though, we took care of all the problems, polished up the brass and chrome, added a CD player and we were good to go.
Our debut onto the Blairsville scene took place at the Blairsville Memorial Day Parade a few years back. I drove the fire engine and members of our company sat in the back wearing fire hats and waving flags. It all went very smoothly, except for some overheating of the engine at the end of the parade.
Since then the fire engine has been a big hit in our town. On nice days, it sits in our parking lot, where passersby stop to examine it, sit in it, pretend to drive it, take pictures and even come into our office to ask if they can have a ride (generally, the answer is yes). I've been invited to take the fire engine to church festivals, grand openings, fund raisers and car rallies. I've even transported a whole birthday party to the local ice cream store!
The moral of this story is: if there is something you really want but can't justify getting it, figure out a way to make it work for you. That way you'll avoid the guilt!
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