‘Our Beloved Hurdy Gurdy’

Make & Model Unknown – Anyone know?

Name: Joy Reis, Liberty Lake. (That’s Joy, the girl on the far left!)

Purchased: Not long after World War II ended.

Why I love it: World War II was over and my father began looking for a car. Although he rode his bicycle to work, we were a family of six and Dad wanted a vehicle we could use for traveling. The Army was selling off many of its vehicles, and one day I came home from school to see a green Army ambulance, with a large red cross emblazoned on both sides, sitting in our driveway!

Within a few months, our “Hurdy Gurdy” had been painted a beautiful two-tone cream and tan, with bucket seats in front and two bench seats behind. After one or two camping trips in the Redwoods of Northern California, Dad added a wood drop-down storage box to the rear for our pots, pans, camp stove and nonperishables.

Our beloved Hurdy Gurdy (we never called it anything else) hauled Bluebird girls on outings, cousins to birthday parties in Golden Gate Park, and my high school friends to swim days at Lake Anza.

In 1954, my folks decided to “upgrade” to a Dodge station wagon, and travel never seemed quite the same.