A while back, if you recall, the little black Jeep that had been my first car was totaled. My brother and nephew were off adventuring in it across the US in it at the time — neither were hurt, thank God — and the trusty little Jeep limped them back all the way to Florida where it was determined that the vehicle had to be scrapped.

Let’s remember Jeepy when he was looking good with new paint, like this:

RIP, my Jeep bro.

Anyway, where was I going with this. Oh yeah! So when this all happened, Anton was still attending college hours from Orlando and needed a vehicle, our dentist dad and his random mechanic buddies rallied to come up with something that could drive–the bare minimum requirement for a college kid to get to classes.

One mechanic dragged a defunct Jeep Laredo from from his stash of junk cars that he uses for parts and everybody got in on the action and, man, they Frankenstein-ed that thing.

One guy salvaged engine parts from one of his own scrap cars and from the junkyard, another contributed a new ceiling/headliner, another cleaned the interior, I think there was yet another guy who had to hunt down a part or two, until it was good enough to give a college kid and then they transferred the title.

I got to see the Laredo when it was almost done:

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The reason the roof/headliner and some interior needed to be replaced was because there was a bullet hole in the roof that had allowed leakage and water damage. You read that correctly – a bullet hole. You can’t see the hole it unless you climb on top.

A few days ago, Anton was cleaning the Laredo in the car wash station in our apartment complex and began to vacuum the inside. Since he takes that car on hiking and camping trips (just like the old Cherokee, sniffle), it acquires its fair share of dirt and nature, so it took some work. While vacuuming, there was something rattling around in a crevice that was too heavy for the vacuum to pick up and it was annoying him. No matter what he did, he couldn’t get it. SO he stuck his hand in there to fish out the thing.

Dude…

He found it.