Happy Halloween from Vampy!

Vampirella is alive and well and riding motorcycles!


Have an safe and sane Halloween this weekend!

More images and news about Vampirella at her web site.

[Vampirella - Copyright © 2003, Harris Publications, Inc.]

Our Lady of Monster Trucks

Oh, Queen of Monster Trucks! Holy Mother of Big Wheels!
Thou who from the beginning hast the power and mission to
crush the cars of Satan, we humbly beseech thee to use thy
high-hopping, free-styling, soul-saving command and power,
that thy may pursue the evil vehicles, encounter them on every
side, and drive them hence into the abyss of eternal woe. Amen.



Her Glorious Son drives a mean monster truck, too!

Watch as Jesus crushes and destroys all of his enemies then finishes them off with the Stigmata Blaster©

If you're not feeling particularly faithful or religious, check out The Hell Express.

Catch the rest of the vehicles at the Jesus The Monster Truck web site.

[Photos and text quotes: Copyright © 1999-2003 Monster Truck Ministries]

Pimp My Van?

[Photo: Robin Nelson for The New York Times]

You just can't keep the Age of Aquarius generation down. I wonder if any of the new van drivers have that venerable, Sixties bumper sticker Don't Laugh, You're Daughter May Be Inside on their rear end?

Pimp My Van? Even Some Parents Want to Stand Out

Say this for the Firedragon: it doesn't look like your mother's minivan. With dragons and flames running down the sides, a flame-embellished steering-wheel cover, dragon-embroidered seats, even dragon-shaped screws on the license plates, it's worthy of MTV's hit car-makeover show, "Pimp My Ride."

But this tricked-out 2001 Chevrolet Venture is, in fact, driven by a mother, 46-year-old Teresa Prange, who shepherds her two children, ages 10 and 5, around in it. "People can get into a rut," said Mrs. Prange, who lives in Bremerton, Wash. "And I wasn't going to get into the rut."

From tummy tucks to remodeled dens, the makeover has become an American cultural obsession these days, and even the owners of Dodge Caravans and Honda Odysseys aren't exempt.

-- Marek Fuchs, NYT, 10.22.04

Read the complete New York Times Driving article.

[Photo and text quote: Copyright ©2004 The New York Times Company]

Car hoppin'

[Copyright © 2002 by Link to the Future]

Don't get your hopes up. There isn't a restaurant with three car hops anywhere to be found. These three are models for the Cruisin' Brea car show.


[Copyright © 1960 CBS Television]

So did car hops really hop on your car when taking your order? Only in the classic TV show Route 66.


[Copyright © 1996 Chronicle Books]

Once upon a time in the United States, before the ubiquitous yellow arches of a certain hamburger chain spread like chicken pox, eating on the go was an occasion. Those long-gone days when customer service was number one--and meals were dished up by enthusiastic young women costumed to resemble drum majorettes--are captured in this compilation of vintage photographs and memorabilia, crammed to overflowing with nostalgia.
-- Amazon Review

View excerpts and purchase the book Car Hops and Curb Service: A History of American Drive-In Restaurants 1920-1960 by Jim Heimann at Amazon.com.

[Text quote: © 1996-2004, Amazon.com]