Being that Tuesday is my regular day off, it worked out that we could visit a friend whose father had passed away recently. Kurt and I grew up together at Calvary Bible Church in the Columbus area. We were part of the notorious crew who used to cruise up and down High Street and the French Market when we were teens. It’s been a few years since those eventful years, but when I heard of his father’s passing, it seemed like the right thing to do. So, we got the kids out of school and headed down to visit early this morning.
The trip to Columbus takes about three hours (or seven depending on potty breaks). Thankfully, I recently switched over to a 2005 Volvo XC90 V8 AWD from the dealership, so the trip was comfortable for all. This is quite the vehicle with 311 hp and 325 ft/lbs of torque. In other words, it moves when you tell it to. The fuel economy is rated at 15 mpg city and 20 mpg hwy. But the trip computer reported an average of 20.7 mpg including some city driving. That’s not too bad for such a powerful vehicle. And with the third row and a ceiling mounted DVD player, it kept the kids both separated and entertained. That’s always good.
Toward evening, we were able to catch up with Kurt and his family. It was nice to see him again and meet his family after almost twenty years. We talked about some of the humorous memories we had way back when. He also told us about his father’s last days. I knew him as a quiet man who faithfully attended the worship services at Calvary over the years. Thankfully, he knew the Lord Jesus and we have the assurance from the Bible that we will see him again in heaven some day. That has to be the biggest comfort when a loved on passes on. And I think that just being there for a friend helps as well.
After the viewing, my dad took us out for a tasty meal of pizza at (are you ready for this?) Kmart. The Kmart on Bethel Road has a built in Little Caesar’s at the back of their store. But while they were ordering, we sneaked out for a few Jalapeno cheese burgers from White Castle (if I’m sick tomorrow you’ll know why.) We ate with my folks, my sister, and John, a high school student from Korea. During the meal, John told us that there is no used car market in Korea. I’m not sure if it’s just the city dwellers or what, but he says that nobody buys used cars over there. That seems a bit odd. What happens to all the used cars? Interesting thought nonetheless. But even with his preconceived notion about used cars, he was happy to pose with the Volvo.
