JUNKYARD DAWGS.

By now you all know one of my favorite words is ADVENTURE and by now you've heard me say, "In the dark and dreary months, you have to be creative about finding adventure!" Every year, on New Year's Day, Mom, Dad and I write an adventure list. For some reason, GO TO JUNKYARD ended up, scrawled in Dad's distinctive handwriting, on that list. So, on a day when Mom had a hair appointment, she suggested Dad and I go get that adventure crossed off our infamous list. Dad had managed to come up with a parts list so, with that in hand, we were JALOPY JUNGLE bound!

ALL PAID UP AND READY FOR ADVENTURE!

THE LARGEST ITEM ON THE LIST, A HEATER MOTOR FOR THE OLD DODGE TRUCK.

THERE WAS ONE DODGE TRUCK IN THE LOT! JUST ONE!!!

AND ONCE WE FOUND IT, WE FOUND THAT IT WAS PICKED CLEAN!

NO NEW-USED PARTS FOR OLD WHITEY! :(

SO WE WERE OFF TO FIND A WINDOW WASHER PUMP FOR MOM'S CAR!

ALONG THE WAY, DAD SPOTTED THIS!

WE PRIED IT OFF AND GAVE IT TO UNCLE JIMMY!

THE JUNKYARD GIVES YOU A PRINTED LIST OF THE CARS IN THE LOT THAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE THE PARTS YOU ARE LOOKING FOR. WHILE THERE WAS ONE DODGE TRUCK IN THE LOT, THERE WERE ABOUT FORTY OF MOM'S CAR! DAD WAS ABLE TO QUICKLY FIND AND REMOVE A PUMP FROM THE VERY FIRST CAR WE LOCATED!

BUT THEN WE FOUND A RED STRATUS ON THE WAY OUT!

AND DECIDED THAT ONE MATCHED BETTER! :)

AT THE END OF OUR ADVENTURE, WE HAD A GIFT FOR UNCLE JIMMY AND THE WASHER FLUID PUMP. AND WE HADN'T EVEN NEEDED TO CRACK THE TOOL KIT OPEN!

HOWEVER . . .

DAD DECIDED WE NEEDED ANOTHER JUNKYARD ADVENTURE!

HE SORT OF SNUCK THIS ONE IN ON ME! I WASN'T EVEN ARMED WITH A REAL CAMERA--JUST MY CAMERA PHONE! MOM WAS MYSTERIOUSLY OFF AT ANOTHER HAIR APPOINTMENT AGAIN. HMMMM . . . I'M SEEING A TREND HERE!

THIS TIME WE GOT TO BREAK OUT THE TOOLS!

AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET, DAD DECIDED HE NEEDED A MUFFLER FOR HIS GENERATOR!

SINCE THERE WAS SO GRUNTING AND SWEARING HAPPENING AT THE MUFFLER SITE, I DECIDED TO SNOOP THROUGH THE CARS! I FOUND TRASHY NOVELS . . .

LOTS OF KEYS TO NOTHING!

ANOTHER JIMMY EMBLEM!

I COULDN'T GET THIS ONE TO PRY OFF FOR UNCLE JIM'S COLLECTION THOUGH!

LOTS OF TACKY BUMPER STICKERS!

I EVEN FOUND A MUFFLER--IN A BACKSEAT!

DAD FINALLY MANAGED TO WIGGLE HIS MUFFLER LOOSE AND OUR JUNKYARD ADVENTURES WERE OVER! WELL . . . FOR NOW! DAD SEEMS TO LIKE THESE LITTLE FATHER/DAUGHTER JAUNTS. I'M SORT OF SUSPECTING THAT HE'LL SNEAK ANOTHER ONE IN ON ME! AND MOM WILL MYSTERIOUSLY HAVE ANOTHER HAIR APPOINTMENT!