Driving in southeast Utah desert country was interesting, given the hordes of deer that bounded across the roads, but more so because almost every driver we passed waved. I don't think it was a Mormon derogatory gesture because there were a lot of smiles thrown in.
We don't have that kind of friendly driver interaction where we live. Of course, when Stacey first got the white VW Beetle with the black "The Who" sticker on the back bumper, there was camaraderie with other VW drivers. We would wave to each other. But that has not lasted. People who had no history with the VW bought Beetles for their kids or because they had more money than they knew what to do with and wanted to add a car to their collection.
Not many VW drivers wave anymore. It is very discouraging.
Imagine my surprise this afternoon as I turned off Prospect onto Bolivar toward Ninth Street, right near Jacobs Field when the drivers of two cars were waving at me. I waved back, smiling. Then a big-ass, maroon Hummer came toward me, and both the driver and the passenger were waving. How refreshing. Spring was in the air; after all, the temperature was in the mid-40’s. The lights at Jacobs Field were being tested.
I stopped at the intersection of East Ninth Street, eight lanes wide. The lights were green for traffic on Ninth. Across the intersection, there were two green arrows and a red “x” over lanes that led to one of the Jacobs Field parking garages. I checked the traffic light. There was no traffic light on the other side of the intersection, just those green arrows, showing me the way to the parking garage.
I looked up through the sunroof. Maybe I pulled up too far toward the intersection. No light.
What the fuck. No fucking light. One-way street.
Posted by Bill at March 28, 2005 07:51 PMWoops. In this day and age, I guess it's lucky that's all they were wavin' at you. Glad you are safe, Bill.
Posted by: Keri at March 29, 2005 12:16 AMIt is a mandatory part of Driver's Ed in Smalltown, Texas to learn the intricacies of the two-finger wave while still holding onto the steering wheel. When passing another Bubba or Bubbette, it is downright rude to ignore this rule of the road. If you see it in MegaPlex City, Texas, you know you have encountered a lost or misplaced citizen of Smalltown.
To explain the wave:
Place both hands firmly on the upper part of the steering wheel rim. Keeping your grip, lift the index and middle fingers of the right hand up and away from the wheel high enough to look like you are ordering two more Shiner beers from the bar. Tilt your head ever so slightly in a tip forward and wait until the other driver has cleared your back bumper before returning to the start position ( if there are multiple cars approaching, you can maintain the wave fairly comfortably for long periods of time. Just don't tilt your head up and down too much, will cause blurred vision and a possible false arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence of too many Shiner's.)
Posted by: Cowtown Pattie at March 29, 2005 10:14 PM