In the Studio

Yesterday, while I was working in my studio with one of my art students, I experienced one of those momentous times in a parent’s life.

I watched my son pull out of the driveway in our minivan, with my hubby in the passenger seat, on their way into the city. Our driveway was full at the moment too because my student’s vehicle was parked in it, so it was a bit of a challenge for him to get out of there, backing out onto the highway that fronts our yard. But he did it just fine, and I watched as he pulled away.

While a part of me was confident that my son would do just fine, a small part of me was worried for him not so much because of the fact he’s a 15yr old boy, but moreso that he just hasn’t had a whole lot of experience yet and it is November which here in Saskatchewan usually means for treacherous road conditions. Although this November has been unseasonably warm, instead of snow, I was more concerned about the potential of freezing rain forecast for the day. How slippery were the roads, I wondered. It was overcast. Granted, the van is front wheel drive and well maintained with brand new winter grip tires on it, so it handles well even on slippery surfaces, but still. There’s always that lack of experience factor that can do in pretty much anybody. (Thinking back to my hubby’s stories of his first day with his driver’s license, totalling off his parent’s car because of a run in with a sheet of ice.

But they made it there, and they made it home again. Whew!!!

Not only that, but afterwards, we had some shuffling of cars to do in our backyard. (My Phoenix in winter storage, Scott’s Cougar, another parts car, and a car in storage out here from the shop.) The car in storage from the shop, a beautiful ‘94 T-bird, had to be brought out front so Scott could take it in to the shop today to be claimed. (Long story story, deadbeat customer abandoned it there back in January, so they needed a place to store it until the legal things could be sorted out. It was taking up valuable space in an already overbooked automotive shop.)

ANYHOO, this T-bird was parked very tightly with the other cars in a nice neat row. I looked out my back window to see it was being moved very carefully, but not realizing at the time that it was my son who was driving it. I walked to the front door and looked outside and here’s my hubby out with the van. Took me a second to realize it and then hollered out to him “Where’s James???” (our son) He said he was bringing the T-bird around up front. I was like, eeeeek!!! You let HIM drive the car out of that tight confinement and bring it around front? It’s not even our car!

But my motherly worries turned out to be for nothing as James brought the car around safely to the front driveway, no problems at all.

So now I’m left wondering, just where did he learn to drive so well??