Corollations...

A year ago we spent a week in October at Corolla Beach on the Outer Banks (OBX) of North Carolina with five of Eden's sisters and their families and some friends. Together they'd rented a big 3-storey 8-bedroom house 100m from the beach and we managed to get in on the deal after another sister and her family had to pull out late. We had a superb 7hr roadtrip east and south to the OBX with several of the sisterhood.

 I'd insisted we take the one hour longer route that had us scooting past Anapolis to cross the big Cheaspeake Bay Bridge.

Then south of Salisbury, sometime after a hot-fudge-sundae stop, the very long cool Lucius J. Kellam Jr. bridge-tunnel spanning over/under the massive maw of the Cheaspeake. The toll was pricey but well worth the experience of crossing all that water. Even better there were distant rainstorms darkening the horizon dramatically.

Diving under the Cheaspeake!

 

Seth sticking around

Corolla was a super time catching up with special people
while swimming, sunning, sunrise & sunset spotting, spa-pooling, snookering, Steeler supporting sports watching and just the simple scoffing of great food together - I especially remember the crab feast shout one night by friends Ben & Amy. Nigh on a hundred big Chesapeake crabs to crack and consume :)

Atlantic Sunrise, Corolla, OBX.

That was over a year ago and due to it's success this year most of Eden's immediate family made it there for a week long family-only escape that was a blast. Albeit without us :( Thankfully they beat Hurricane Sandy to it and my wondering how Corolla fared the storm is what got me thinking of other Corolla relations. A story relating to my Heavenly Father comes to mind...

...It's 9.30am on a sunny spring Friday, October 2003. Dad's faithful Toyota Hilux ute (pickup) is transporting me along Boundary Road toward Turners weekly cheap car auction in Hamilton. I need a cheap but reliable car to get me around NZ over the next 4mths before I return to work in Tanzania. Only been in NZ a few days but want my own wheels sorted fast as borrowing Dad's ute isn't gonna work given the plans I have for summer. But so far I've seen nothing suitable for the $3K I'm willing to spend. Car yards are asking silly money and online 'TradeMe' has nothing except a couple dubious runners and anyway those auctions don't close for at least a week.

Really nothing coming up at Turners today except for a 1000cc Toyota Starlet I'd rather not cram my long bones into for the next few months...but perhaps there'll be a late entry or they may know of something decent coming down the pipeline? Sitting around won't get me a car so I'm out and about on a scout after having prayed the last 2 days asking God to get me something suitable asap.

“Oh well, guess I'm humble enough to drive a Starlet if it comes to that Lord” I tell Him as I approach the Heaphy Terrace roundabout fixing to head straight through. But just then the Holy Spirit whispered gently to mine “go see Terry, he has a car for you”. I respond “of course! Why didn't I think of him!” Most likely because I hadn't seen or heard of him for 4yrs! I hang a right towards Grimmer Motors gas station, workshop and small carsales yard a few hundred metres north along Heaphy. Ten minutes later I've found nothing in the yard except a Legnum wagon but the salesman won't drop under $4K for cash and I really don't want a high-mileage turbo despite the fun factor. I've also learnt that Terry sold the car yard business to this guy a couple years ago. Telling myself I can still make Turners Auction in time I hop back in the ute when suddenly I recall God had told me to “see Terry” – not this guy! So I get out, wander into Grimmer Motors workshop and quickly spot him at work.

After greetings he says no, he doesn't keep up with what's around for sale since selling the yard. But after a slight pause for thought he says actually yes; he does have a car to sell. He could sell me the Corolla his wife's been driving the last 3yrs for some quick cash he needs towards a really mint Corolla an elderly customer, no longer driving, wants to sell him. Alison's car has highish mileage but is tidy, reliable and been serviced as it should. I could have it for...mmm,..lets see now, ok...$2K. I arrange to see it later in the day, it checks out great, the deal is done and I'm driving a grey 1993 Toyota Corolla 2L diesel sedan with 252,000km's on the clock. Mint inside but getting a tad shabby, through faded paintwork, on the outside.

I praise God for providing me a car worth over $3000 at the time which was, over the following six years, driven over 100,000kms by me and/or family members costing only diesel, oil & filters and tyres. It was perfect running up to my classes in South Auckland from 2005-2007 and, although a couple of confident(???) he-man friends stated they wouldn't feel like a man driving such a little slow boring grey diesel, I never suffered that anxiety but rather loved driving it because my Father in Heaven chose it for me Himself. I made many fun memories given it handled superbly and, as it wasn't worth much, it got fanged down beautiful Ninety-Mile beach and other fun places. Abba Father provides!