The Yankee

Josh put an incredible amount of work (and $) into creating this beautiful monstrosity worthy of a zombie apocalypse. With every addition, I felt slightly more Southern, riding around in sleek yet tough-looking machine. Surprisingly, I love it. It’s pretty darn fun.

Josh brought home this Nissan Xterra in New Hampshire years ago along with its belly of rust from the New England salt air. Hence, its name: The Yankee. He replaced everything–EVERYTHING. Many Sunday late nights this winter he still was working away in the garage, trying to get as much done as possible. I would occasionally wander in to pretend I am a mechanic’s assistant. I now know what a ratchet and a socket are. The concept of torque came up frequently. I learned many thick screws that need to be put in important places, can barely be reached, let alone seen, and this is something that someone who suffers anxiety like myself, should probably not know. I observed a number of frightening-looking and important items coated in iron oxide being removed and discarded. Josh replaced them with their smooth, stealthy, contemporary counterparts. Very quickly, seemingly overnight, the truck which I felt safe and protected in to begin with, became a truck which I know I’m safe and protected in in very extreme circumstances.

Josh became a tire connoisseur. He researched them day and night, determined to find tires that would do well on the road and in snow, without affecting the gas mileage drastically. We’d be out running errands and Josh would roll down the window to chat with our neighbor, also waiting at a stop light, to ask about how their specialized tires affected the gas mileage. I would estimate that 90% of the time, the dude in the other truck made up the answer. Most people don’t think about as many details they way that Josh does–he never obsesses, he just does the research and pays attention–it’s an easy quality to love.

To those worried about our carbon footprint (Hi Mom!), it gets the equivalent of what the Xterra had with its factory-grade before-the-makeover tires.

Maybe Josh should tell you exactly what he did… [Josh to list stuff here. He has quite a lot of driving to do, folks…]