The "Land Yacht"

"Ahoy there, Mr. Sintay" says one of my students with a mock salute "permission to board the 'Land Yacht'?"


"Permission denied." I reply "You're not cool enough to step inside this beauty."


"Oh, come on Mr. Sintay!" begs another student. "Take us for a spin around the school."

"Sorry, class starts in few minutes, and we don't have time to cruise the school" I say.


It's been called a "Land Yacht", a "Beached Whale" and the "Grocery Getter". People sometimes point and laugh because it bears a striking resemblance to the "Griswold-Mobile" of National Lampoon's Vacation fame.

 It has a long snout, a rounded butt, and gets a whopping 12 miles to the gallon. It drives like a boat and sometimes is awkward to park in those small parking spaces. Our kids confess that it is a little embarrassing to ride in, and I have a niece that refuses to be seen in it.

And it's all mine!


My '92 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon won't win many beauty contests, but it's my favorite of all the cars we've owned over the years. It's a "big mans" car sporting large leather covered seats with lots of head and leg room. It glides down the road and has a surprising amount of power under the hood.


There's a two lane road by our house that turns into a one lane road. One of my favorite things to do is make use of the powerful engine when someone pulls up alongside me with the intent to cut in front of me when the road narrows to a single lane. I don't always win, but I make the other car work very hard for pole position. And there has been more than one angry person who underestimated the Roadmaster and ended up pulling in behind me at the last second.


The old girl is starting to show her age a bit. She has a tendency to overheat during the summer, and the defrost doesn't clear the windows during the winter. But when I'm in the driver's seat, I'm no longer Mr. Sintay, or Bakery Manager Dave. I'm Captain Sintay of the USS "Land Yacht".