Did you see that?
“Did you see that? “
So would have said my friend Art Dana (“DAY-nuh”), who passed away about a year ago.
Dana was a retired bus-driver for Regional Transit Service (RTS) in Rochester, NY, a public employer, the supplier of transit bus service in Rochester and its environs.
For 16&1/2 years (1977-1993) I drove transit bus for RTS. My stroke in late October 1993 ended that.
Art drove bus over 30 years.
Art had fairly severe Parkinson’s Disease in his final years, and it made him weak.
Yet his interests remained constant, hotrod cars and motorcycles, and model trains.
They’re pretty much the same interests as me, although I prefer the real thing over model trains.
So I drove him around some, taking him to car-shows and Transit retiree gigs.
One day we were returning from a Transit retiree gig, and a guy cut me off.
“Did you see that? “ Art cried.
“Ever get the feeling all we were doing driving bus was cutting slack for idiots?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said; “and befuddled grannies and NASCAR wannabees.
‘Oh look Dora, a bus. Pull out! Pull out!’
I’m supposed to stop nine tons of hurtling steel on a dime without throwing my passengers outta their seats.”
I’m motoring quietly back from Victor, NY, where I had done various errands across from Eastview Mall.
I’m on Strong Road, and approach the intersection where it ends in Ionia (“eye-OWN-yah”) with State Route 64.
I came to a stop because traffic was approaching on Route 64.
I had time to pull in front of them, but the old bus-driver jones kicked in: “don’t pull in front of someone no matter how far away they are. They’re liable to be frightened and do something stupid, thereby involving you in an accident.”
I also noticed a black GMC Denali in my inside rear-view mirror, hurtling toward me at a frantic pace.
I hope he’s cutting around me, otherwise he’ll clobber me.
Yep, he threaded the narrow space to my right and then charged out onto 64 without stopping, making the approaching traffic slam on their brakes.
“Did you see that? “ Art woulda said.
• “Victor” is an old farm-town southeast of Rochester, now a suburb. A large shopping-mall, Eastview Mall, is nearby.
• “Ionia” is just north of where we live.
So would have said my friend Art Dana (“DAY-nuh”), who passed away about a year ago.
Dana was a retired bus-driver for Regional Transit Service (RTS) in Rochester, NY, a public employer, the supplier of transit bus service in Rochester and its environs.
For 16&1/2 years (1977-1993) I drove transit bus for RTS. My stroke in late October 1993 ended that.
Art drove bus over 30 years.
Art had fairly severe Parkinson’s Disease in his final years, and it made him weak.
Yet his interests remained constant, hotrod cars and motorcycles, and model trains.
They’re pretty much the same interests as me, although I prefer the real thing over model trains.
So I drove him around some, taking him to car-shows and Transit retiree gigs.
One day we were returning from a Transit retiree gig, and a guy cut me off.
“Did you see that? “ Art cried.
“Ever get the feeling all we were doing driving bus was cutting slack for idiots?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said; “and befuddled grannies and NASCAR wannabees.
‘Oh look Dora, a bus. Pull out! Pull out!’
I’m supposed to stop nine tons of hurtling steel on a dime without throwing my passengers outta their seats.”
I’m motoring quietly back from Victor, NY, where I had done various errands across from Eastview Mall.
I’m on Strong Road, and approach the intersection where it ends in Ionia (“eye-OWN-yah”) with State Route 64.
I came to a stop because traffic was approaching on Route 64.
I had time to pull in front of them, but the old bus-driver jones kicked in: “don’t pull in front of someone no matter how far away they are. They’re liable to be frightened and do something stupid, thereby involving you in an accident.”
I also noticed a black GMC Denali in my inside rear-view mirror, hurtling toward me at a frantic pace.
I hope he’s cutting around me, otherwise he’ll clobber me.
Yep, he threaded the narrow space to my right and then charged out onto 64 without stopping, making the approaching traffic slam on their brakes.
“Did you see that? “ Art woulda said.
• “Victor” is an old farm-town southeast of Rochester, now a suburb. A large shopping-mall, Eastview Mall, is nearby.
• “Ionia” is just north of where we live.
posted by BobbaLew at 11:00 AM
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