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Rusted Ford Trucks (a short story waiting to be written)

June 18, 2016 By Talya Tate Boerner 10 Comments

rusted Ford truck collection, Florida

This rusted Ford truck collection on the side of the road just south of Crawfordville, Florida (Highway 319), is exactly the sort of thing that causes me to stop and spend some time exploring.  THIS is what makes a road trip a road trip. Seeing those things you wouldn’t normally see if you, say, hopped on a plane and bypassed the drive itself. Unexpected and out of the way marvels.

Writer friends: need a writing prompt?
Talk about a short story waiting to be written… Apocalyptic farm lit or doomsday swamp tale?

a short story waiting to happen

I knew nothing about these Ford trucks when I stopped to take pictures, but I knew a collection like this had to involve a story. Or lots of stories. I’ve since learned these trucks were used on the Harvey Farm, first as working vehicles and later for parts. Pat Harvey lined them up in date order from early 1900s to mid-1970s. They’ve become a roadside stop for folks driving to the coast from Tallahassee.

Folks like me.

old rusted ford

It’s a Ford truck graveyard of sorts, back off the road in the woods. Easy to miss if you aren’t paying attention.

rusty Ford, Florida

The vandals have stopped by, too, praying for surf and all.

pray for surf

Beneath the rusted surface, I see so many lessons, lessons about nature claiming whatever is left idle, and maybe a deeper reminder that we all end up in the same place, worn out and gifted back to the soil.

Rusted ford truck collection

I love to imagine the history behind these rusted Ford trucks. Maybe next time through, I can meet Pat Harvey and hear some of his tales. A man who showcases old trucks has lots of stories. This much I know.

ford.

In the meantime, may they rust in peace.

lots of Ford history on the side of the road

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

[tweetthis]Rusted @Ford trucks outside #Tallahassee = fascinating roadside stop especially for a writer! @VISITFLORIDA #LoveFL[/tweetthis]

Musical Pairing:

Luke Bryan, We Rode in Trucks

Filed Under: Farm, Travel Tagged With: Florida, Florida Panhandle, Ford, off the beaten path, Pat Harvey Trucks, Roadtrip

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Comments

  1. Colene says

    June 18, 2016 at 9:11 am

    Love it! I’ll bet there were a few driving lessons given on a farm in these trucks.

    Reply
    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      June 18, 2016 at 9:37 am

      I bet so!

      Reply
  2. Barbara Tate says

    June 18, 2016 at 2:47 pm

    Loved this. Great song selection. It brought back lots of memories. I always rode with my daddy when he bailed hay. Thomas never had a truck when he was growing up. He bought a used car in the 11th grade. I think he was the only one in our class who had a car. Then, as a farmer he rode in lots of trucks. He never owed a Ford though.

    Reply
  3. Barbara thompson says

    June 19, 2016 at 9:24 am

    My three sisters and I learned to drive in an old stick shift Chevy truck.
    A Reliable necessity on the farm.
    Thanks for fun memories.

    Reply
    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      June 21, 2016 at 7:28 am

      Thanks, Barbara!

      Reply
  4. Fay Guinn says

    June 19, 2016 at 9:51 pm

    Yes we rust. Yes our bodies return to dust. Yet our souls remain.

    Reply
    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      June 21, 2016 at 7:27 am

      Sounds like a poem:)

      Reply
  5. Crescent Dragonwagon says

    June 29, 2016 at 10:21 pm

    My next door neighbors (sort of — 1/8 mile or so away) run a maple syruping operation. Sugaring as they say in these parts, and sugar-maples are sugarbush. They always have a fantastic collection of old vehicles. It is one of my great regrets that I did not photograph an old rusted away but once blue chevy pick-up that had the following spray-painted on it: SPARKLE TRUCK.

    What?

    The pix are so evocative, esp the windshield with the holes in it.

    Reply
    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      July 2, 2016 at 7:41 am

      Sparkle Truck – that’s a writing prompt for sure! Thanks, Crescent.

      Reply
      • http://www./ says

        November 14, 2016 at 1:44 pm

        ยังไม่มาอีกหรอค่ะงั้นว่าเป็นวันที่19ดูแต่เช้าแล้วยังไม่เห็นมีเลยพอดูอีกตอนเย็นยังไม่มีอีกเลยนะแล้วจะมาบอกวัน19ได้ไง

        Reply

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Hi! I'm Talya Tate Boerner. Writer, Reader, Arkansas Master Naturalist / Master Gardener, Author of

THE ACCIDENTAL SALVATION OF GRACIE LEE (2016)

GENE, EVERYWHERE: a life-changing visit from my father-in-law (2020)

BERNICE RUNS AWAY (Now Available!)

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