John was helping his friend, Linda, across the street with her rummage sale when he saw Plum Crazy. Being the car guy that he is, he walked over, knocked on my door, and asked to take a closer look.

“You don’t see many of these anymore,” he said while gazing at the Cuda and then asked the usual questions. What year? What size engine? When did you buy it? Where did you find it? Did you restore it or buy it restored?

The same questions for me, new answers for him. 

I asked what he drove.

“A 2011 Camaro, a.k.a. The Silver Bullet, and a VW Beetle, a.k.a. Buttercup, mostly. I have a 1972 VW Bus a.k.a. The Money Pit (I feel your pain, John), but the engine is torn apart at the moment.”

“How many cars do you have?” I asked.

“Ummm….nine or ten, I think. I don’t remember,” he said with a chuckle.

I suppose once you have a car for each day of the week, you no longer have to keep track 😊

John, 75, lived in southern California for 55 years, where he owned a company that made truck accessories and welded night deposit boxes from Mexico to San Bernardino. He said he liked that job but got sick of all the travel over the years and just wanted to be in the shop.

He launched the biz right out of high school and sold it in 2003 after his heart attack.

He then decided he wanted a less stressful life and got into real estate, which is how he ended up in Leeds, UT.

He bought a “bunch of houses in California,” rented them for years, sold a few of them later, and started traveling with his wife.

They stayed in Leeds while sightseeing around Zion, fell in love with the area, and put a lowball bid on a house. The offer was accepted, and they quickly had to go back to California to sell their home, pack up and move.

That was 20 years ago, and they’ve been in Leeds, UT ever since.

He’s a mover and a shaker.

You’ll see him driving his cars around town, visiting with the neighbors, and walking his dog, Zippy, every single day. He never sits still.

He’s thoughtful, happy, and kind; a genuine soul with dancing eyes.