It's In The Genes

After reading Julie's comment on my bus post, I wanted to respond appropriately. With such a huge, rich story behind it, I'm not sure it's possible but I'll do my best. Bus love IS in Maggie's genes.

My dad was the first family member to meet Maggie just a day or two after her birth. Why? Because he was driving a bunch of Catholic high schoolers to Denver in a bus. Another story for another day.

My dad (a.k.a. Grampy) is as bus obsessed as any one person could be. When I was young he bought a fleet (?) of old UTA buses and stored them in a marshy old field full of horses where they promptly sank up to their axles. I'm not sure where he got the school bus but that is what he used for his commute to and from work. He painted it silver. He actually got paid to drive coworkers as well. Oh, the stories I could tell about those years--like the time he accepted a couple of GOATS in place of payment for a carpooling customer.

In his retirement years he's picked up driving buses for others--school routes, tour routes, etc. He shows up at all family functions in some form of bus--did you know there were many? The grandkids LOVE to play in the empty buses. It keeps them entertained the whole time. Come to think of it, I spent oodles of time in my dads bus when it was parked in front of our house. Yes, yes it was. And we wondered why the neighbors had issues with us...


I couldn't track down any old photos of the buses. This one of the family traveling to Salt Lake City airport is as close as I could get. That's me with the white headband and big glasses on the right. hehe

More current photos:

As a young, overly emotional child I was terribly embarrased by the whole darn thing. How COULD this be MY life?? Funny how as you grow the things that bothered you most (parents, siblings, anything and everything that made you even slightly different from anyone else) become the things you hold most dear. I'm oddly, ferociously proud of my background.

My name is Diana Beck McCarty...and I'm bus people.