56 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer

In the  1950's car makers changed model ever year . This was very exciting for 'car nuts' like myself . We looked forward to the new models with great anticipation. It was in fact a waste of money to spend so much capital changing the look each year. That money could have been better spent developing better cars,engines, and safely features.

That aside it was still exciting to see the new models. Chevrolet hit the bulls eye with the '55' model. They missed a little in '56' but hit again in '57'.  These were best sellers when they were new and have become the desirable collector cars today. They are more valuable because they were only made for one year.

For Dodge it was the '56' Dodge Custom Royal Lancer. This car looked good from all angles and was a breakthrough for Dodge.. Dad bought one. Ours was a four door with three three tone paint--[black,white, and yellow].

I was allowed to drive this car on a limited basis even before I had a driver's license. It was the car I drove when I started dating.

In those times upholstery was beautiful but it did not last like today. By 50,000 miles most cars had seams coming apart and holes at least where the driver sat. To the rescue came Fingerhut Manufacturing. They made a clear plastic seat cover custom fitted for each car model. We put these plastic seat covers on this Dodge and they lasted for over 100.000 miles till it was traded. These seat covers were hot and sticky in the summer [no AC] and cold in the winter. The upholstery though, looked just like new for the duration. 

This Dodge had a push button transmission gear selector located to the left of the steering column. Several car makers experimented with the push button gear selector but it never caught on. Americans seem to need a stick of some kind to make driving feel right.

Until this time we had  driven only Chevy's Fords and Plymouth's.  Dodge was a step up. It wasn't a Buick like Uncle Gene drove , nor was it a Packard like Uncle Lester drove. It was however a step up in car hierarchy  for those who were counting.

It did looked good from all angles......................................................

 

When Old Painters Don't Have a Truck

For that past five years the construction trade in Arizona has been dead. There is a pulse coming back and even retired painters who don't want to paint are getting calls. I had to put my HHR into service as my paint truck. Did I mention I was retired?  EB

 

 

 

My Testimony January 6, 2013 Sacrament Meeting Centennial Ward‏

My name is Errol Bagley. This past month it has been our privilege to clean our church building each Saturday. Several weeks ago as part of the cleaning crew I noticed that the majority of the cleaners that day were the four former bishops of this ward, Bishops Stapley, Severtson, Moore and myself. As I observed this group of happy cleaners I thought to myself  'This church must be true'. Were in the world would you find a group  who that had sat at the head of the congregation with some honor and were now happily washing windows and cleaning bathrooms in the same church. About the same week my wife was asked to come in for an appointment with young Brother Curt Severtson to receive a call to work in the primary. It occurred to me that in times past Elaine may have wiped 'this' boys nose in a primary class and now she was sitting before him to take counsel. It is interesting to watch the ebb and flow of the of the assignments in the church. If someday we are privileged to have audience with our Heavenly Father  I don't think He is going to ask us what positions we held in the church. I think He is more likely to ask us if we knew His Son.

Today there will be those who stand at this podium and use words such as: I believe.........I know..........I know with every fiber of my being.............and some young ones will just stand on the box and say that they love their Mom and Dad. It is not for us to  judge the depth of each others testimony. The standard for me of all the testimonies that I have ever heard was given by Bruce R. McConkie in 1985. It was the last time he spoke in conference. Part of that testimony included these words: And in a coming day I will feel the wounds in His hands and feet and I will wet His feet with my tears but I will not know better then than I know now that He is my Savior and Redeemer. I would hope someday to be able to bare such a testimony. In the mean time I will just be content to say that I believe from everything that I know about this church and gospel and perhaps more importantly from everything that I feel in my heart that this is Christ's true church. In His name Amen. 

FW: Haircut

Sent from my iPhone

 

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This morning Jarom was out leaning over the trampoline giving himself a haircut. This cut does not require great skill as it is just a buzz job. If you do it out on the lawn one does not even need to sweep up afterwards. After church I asked him to give me one. Having been folically challenged for some years I knew he could not do much damage. I was a little disappointed in that I thought I would be as handsome as he was after the cut. As it turned out I was still just a bald man with no hair around his ears. Dad
 

Subject: Haircut
From: andrewtbagley@gmail.com
Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2012 14:25:29 -0700
To: eebagley@gmail.com

Sent from my iPhone

Sent from my iPhone

FW: Another Day in Paridise

 

John called me the other day complaining that it was in the 90's in Idaho. I listened to him politely and tried to sympathize .
 
The last two days it has been 116 degrees in my town but it cools down to 96 by five in the morning when the sun comes up again.
 
The AC compressor in my bus is as big as a basketball and takes as much horsepower as two VW bug engines.
 
This AC on full blast brings the temperature in the bus down into the mid 90's. One third of the drivers don't have AC on their buses.
 
Not sure what the point of all this is but there must be one somewhere. When I get my brain cooled down I'm sure I'll think of it.

FW: The Redemption of My Chrysler 300

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Subject: The Redemption of My Chrysler 300
Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2012 21:06:39 -0700

Saturday morning a young lady called me and wanted to see my 02 Chrysler 300 that I was selling. By the time I noticed her in the driveway she was standing next to the car transfixed with joy on here face. As I approached her she said " This is the most beautiful car ever. My sister is going to be so jealous". Clearly she needed some work on here negotiation skills. We hadn't even stared talking price yet and she was indicating she could not live without this car. She was 20 years old, white ,LDS. , waiting for a missionary and and worked at Banner Hospital. Now I had always thought my Chrysler was a beautiful car but my daughters thought it looked like a cockroach. I was taking some perverse satisfaction in the fact that a semi attractive young lady was seeing the same beauty  in these 17 inch chrome rims that I had seen. I rewarded her with $200 off of the asking price on the spot. If she had kept talking I probably would have given her a new set of tires. How often do you find this much wisdom and appreciation of beauty in those so young.

 

This car was a full sized American made luxury car. This segment of cars are on life support today. They represent less than 5% of the cars sold in the U.S.  and they are increasingly bought by the aging affluent. For my generation it was, in a way a coming of age to be able to drive such a car. You deserved and could afford something a little nicer than your first 20 years of marriage. I have had my share of Buicks, Pontiacs, and Chryslers and enjoyed each one of them. It was part of the order of life. We knew our age and we drove inappropriately.  Now, in this upside down world I had bought a sub-compact car and a twenty year old nurse was driving away in my Chrysler with a smile on her face. What can possibly be next? My button down shirt collar?  EB

FW: Wyoming License P;ate

Subject: FW: Wyoming License plate
Date: Sun, 8 Apr 2012 09:03:49 -0700

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Subject: FW: Wyoming License plate
Date: Sun, 8 Apr 2012 09:02:48 -0700

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From: eebagley@hotmail.com
To: patsyqbagley@hotmail.com; gracechristy@sbcglobal.net; oleyeller@oleyeller.com; lbwdesigns@silverstar.com; scarlet@mckellars.net; tractorman@cableone.net
Subject: Wyoming License plate
Date: Sun, 8 Apr 2012 08:59:46 -0700

Over the years I have not been bashful about telling my Arizona friends that I grew up on a Wyoming cattle ranch. I think it had a mystic ring to these cactus cowboys in the Arizona Southwest. I left out the part that we were mostly farmer/cowboys and that none of us actually wore cowboy boots. When I was a regular speaker in our stake I liberally laced my talks with homey storys about cowboys and clotheslines. Well I am proud to say that after some 40 years I again sport a Wyoming plate on my car. We bought the car in Rock Springs [The sales tax in half that of Arizona]. We registered it in Fremont county [where I still have a illegitimate address]. What do you think about that Mom? [plate last registered in 81] Thanks for all that you did for me 68 years ago today. I still don't have any cowboy boots but I do have a bucking bronco on my car. EB