Thoughts While Shaving

What ever happened to the Ford Country Squire station wagon? What is it about today’s Mini Van that makes it better? We had a 10 passenger station wagon that fit the 8 of us very nicely, including 4 little ones way way in back, 2 on each side facing each other, and the littlest one in the front seat squished between mom and dad. The back door opened sideways or it dropped down, allowing the kids to jump out quickly, sometimes before the driver. I remember packing the car for our annual vacation trip to New Hampshire, including my disabled sister-in-law on her redwood lounge with all the car seats down, the kids stuffed in around her with 2 weeks of clothes, provisions on the roof rack and something in every nook and cranny. On the last few hundred yards on the dirt road going into the cottage, the kids looked forward to sitting on the dropped down rear door dangling their feet. If we did that today, we would be cited for child abuse. Those were the days without seat belts and if you had them they weren’t mandatory. The advent of the Mini Van changed all that. With mandatory seat belts all passengers have to stay put and the kids no longer are bouncing off the roof when you hit a bump along the way, and you have a lot less storage space. Shouldn’t they have changed the name station wagon? Having several station wagons over the years, I don’t ever remember ever driving it to the station
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