Last summer, my friend Jason (above) towed a 1968 Chevy truck from a field in Montana, where it had been sitting for 12 years, through blizzards and drought. He was bringing the truck back to Bainbridge Island, where we both live.
The truck is from the island as well.
Jason, an architect, bought the truck from his friend Bob, a builder, who bought the truck in 1970 (Jason was born in 1982). It was Bob's work truck from 1970 until 2000, when it retired into the Montana field.
A new battery and a little starting fluid had the truck once again at work on Bainbridge. There were more than a few local tradesmen surprised to see "Bob's Truck" rolling around the island again. Now, when Jason drives the truck onto a work site, odds are close to 50/50 that some guy is going to say something about knowing "Bob's truck"
The truck is legend.
"I know it's not a Land Rover," he said, smiling, "but I want you to shoot my truck." He wanted me to take photos for two reasons. First, he plans to restore the truck next year and wants good "before" pictures. Second, Bob's birthday was coming up and he wanted to give him some nice photographs of his old truck.
I started asking Jason lots of questions about Bob and the truck. The moment I learned that Bob likes redheads, it hit me: this should be a pin-up.
It took approximately 7 seconds for Jason to agree with the concept.
Bob's birthday was last week.
He likes the present Jason got him the best.