Reply to "My new Garage Art"

Man, that's really nice. The wall art and the helping of a fellow PIer.

In 1973, I was also in high school, had never heard of a Pantera. Seriously, though I called myself a car fan, somehow the car just missed me.

One day I got into a little trouble for something - it involved a ceramic kiln and a raw onion, so draw your own conclusions - and had to serve my time in the library under the horribly flawed conclusion that I'd 'study' in detention.

A fellow cellmate who was WAY more familiar with 'the system' took pity on this first-time offender, finding some humor in why I'd been nabbed. He gave me the inside scoop on where the car magazines were.

That helped. It was like knowing the guy in the joint who could get you smokes and pinup posters.

I complied, nesting a Road & Track inside something thrilling like Homer. Or Jonathan Livingston Seagull for gods sake. In THAT magazine, on THAT day, I spied THIS article on the Pantera.

My cell mate knew all about them, surprised I didn't. He referenced their performance and design, though suffering a bruised reputation by those who didn't understand the potential.

Considering our circumstances, we had a silent moment of parallel recognition. "Cool," we both agreed.

I spent the next hour, two, maybe more, reading, I mean 'studying' like a good boy... about Panteras first, then a host of other fine rides, ably journalled in the slick pages of R&T.

That day when I got home, I donated my grass cutting money to a subscription. Jail had transformed me; I rehabilitated with horsepower.

Funny to see this here, taking me back to that time too. What an awesome tribute. Thanks for the memories, enjoy yours and making new ones.