Nashville 1975

Rex Garth and I parked on the second level of the Nashville Hilton parking tower. I said, "Hilliest parking lot I ever saw, you?" Funny look from Rex, eye-rolling. Well, his name actually wasn't really Garth, it was Gath. This was a new name to me, and in my attention deficit his name became Garth. And while we're on the subject, his first name wasn't Rex, it was Ken. From inattention, I had abused poor Ken's name so much that he began to accept the new names. Rex Garth stuck. Practically everyone at work called him that. He eventually had to change employers to get his name back.

He was a patient man trying to get used to southern ways. Perhaps I shouldn't self-designate myself as a representative of the South, some may not like that. Rex was getting used to my mistakes, and he was forgiving. Rex was from New York City. He was most likely familiar with parking towers. Southern accents and North Carolina, he was just getting to know. He was tolerant and patient, as if contemplating whether I was for real this cornball, or if I was just joshing him. It can be confusing, eh?

So we parked my '74 International Scout in the Hilton parking tower, just like the sign said, "Registering guests use courtesy parking on second level parking tower." Now this was no ordinary Scout. This was customized, rolled and welded metal flare wheel wells. (I had tried the rubber screw-mounts, they looked trashy and screamed out - 'Rust me, rust me!'.) Man, that Scout had a cassette player with auto reverse and an aftermarket 100-watt powerhouse amplifier. I needed this because, with the external weatherproof loudspeakers mounted on the roof, I could play a tape of foxhounds running and call up my lost dogs. It was highly effective and turned a lot of heads. Although, many people thought I was running for office, and when I explained the real purpose of the speakers, their eyes would glaze over in boredom as if to say "Can you believe this guy, is he for real or just joshing?" Then, they would notice the tall wide tires and my mannerisms and they would begin to understand me. The suit and tie just temporarily confused them. A hick in uptown clothing.