license to ill

Tell everyone! Nick got his driver's license this morning. This is a monumental development in our future vacationing procedures. It will be very weird having him drive, because the last time he got behind the wheel, it took him only about four seconds to put the car into a ditch.

This was a few years ago, during the worst rainstorm since El Nino. We were en route to a groom's dinner in Carmel, and we were doing the catering. Our car was loaded down with a tent so we could grill in the rain, sandbags to hold the tent down, 50 pillar candles, and food for 35 people.

We were only a few blocks from the vacation rental house, but since we had no map, just a list that said to turn left here, turn right there, we had no way of knowing whether we missed a street, or went too far, or what. I was looking for the ocean to be my guide, since the house we were going to was on the water. Using the ocean as a map is not a very good way to navigate.

That car was so shiny and new when I got it that the rental place pointed out that it had only 7 miles on it. It left the lot spanking new, but it was returned via tow truck. We got out of the ditch by having our friends car get right behind us and shove it, bumper to bumper, back onto the road. There was more mud than car, but I did take a hose to it as best as I could.

Thank you, insurance company. We got through it swimmingly with no pain of any kind. Somebody up there likes us.

Many adventures are sure to come now that Nick will be behind the wheel. I'm up for it!