Gary's Truck

It's a 1996 Ford F-250 with a V plow. It's also a memento of history from this rural corner of York County, and a reminder of a local legend with a sweet connection to Allegro Winery here in The Brogue.

This blue-striped heavy-duty white pickup used to belong to our neighbor here on Sechrist Road, Gary Wolford. Gary was well known in this region, partly for his excavation/septic business and partly for his storied career as a dirt-track auto racer. We knew him as a good neighbor and guardian of the road, always in the know about local comings and goings, always willing to lend a hand when one was needed, especially when heavy machinery could be involved.

Carl and Gary forged a good relationship, one which even had a playful side, as I found out one day as I was driving home. On this particular day, I happened to be driving Allegro's black Dodge pickup truck, which was unusual. I hardly ever drive it, and it is as synonymous with Carl as Gary's Ford was with him. I drove down the hill toward the winery and saw Gary's pickup coming my way...directly at me, on my side of the road. I was rather alarmed, but Gary's truck swerved out of the way just in time. I saw Gary's surprised and apologetic wave has we passed each other, and then it dawned on me: He'd thought I was Carl, and had engaged in a friendly neighborhood game of "chicken" with him/me. Most excellent.

Gary passed away in the summer of 2016, and the road sure hasn't been the same without him. We still enjoy friendly waves with all our other neighbors, but certainly haven't had any Sechrist Road driving games since he passed away.

When Gary's wife Pat contacted Carl to ask if he would like to buy Gary's truck, Carl's answer was an enthusiastic yes. It's nice to have a heavier-duty truck around, and both Carl and Dwayne look much more forward to heavy snows, knowing that the driveways can now be plowed in a forward direction, with the front plow, rather than backwards for hours on end, as one has to do with our tractors. 

Watching Carl plow us out of the drifts today, I can't help but think of Gary. Frankly, I think of him every time I see the truck here on our property. It will always be his. And we will always be grateful for the friendship and safety we felt, knowing the warmth which comes from good machines and good neighbors.