What kind of gas mileage do you think a '64 Chevy Nova Wagon
gets? This is one of those questions that I would forgive people for not
knowing the answer to. The good thing is that I know the answer (thanks to
Google). It's a robust 16.1 miles per gallon. At least that's the case if one
is referring to the real deal. If it's a 1/64 scale toy car being pushed around
the room by a three-year-old, that changes things quite a bit.
Just in case it's not clear where I'm going with this, as of
today, Ellie is the proud owner of a 1/64 scale replica of a 1964 Chevy Nova
Wagon. I realize this may be a bit unusual of a toy for a little girl to play
with so I'll explain a little further.
Back in September when we were on our trek to Illinois to
see Uncle Ryan, we stopped off in Hannibal for a bite to eat at McDonald's.
There, Ellie was lucky enough to get to choose her Happy Meal toy all by
herself. She could have gone with a Barbie toy or a Hot Wheels car. It didn't
take much convincing by me for her to go with the Hot Wheels. I honestly
couldn't have been more proud.
Of course, it wasn't quite perfect. Rather than being
constructed of metal with painted-on graphics, it was plastic with stickers.
For the record, it didn't take Ellie long at all to begin systematically
removing
the stickers. What was evident though, was just how much fun Ellie had playing
with that small, red F1-style car. In fact, it was enough fun that I stored
away the idea of letting her pick out a much nicer Hot Wheels car all on her
very own. Lucky for Ellie, today marked that day.
This morning, Ellie, Ethan, and I decided to make a quick
Walmart run this morning in order to pick up some prints of our family pictures
and a gallon of milk. Since we hadn't really been out of the house much this
week, I chose to take the opportunity to make at least a couple of rounds throughout
the store. Obviously, it goes without saying that part of those rounds included
perusing the toy aisles.
Ellie, for her part, was absolutely ecstatic to be looking
at toys. Each aisle we went down resulted in more and more things that struck
her fancy. As we walked by a large Hot Wheels display, I had a flashback to my
idea. In fact, once I saw the list price of $.94, I knew the time had come. As
soon as I asked Ellie if she wanted to pick one out for herself, she jumped at
the opportunity. Little did I know just how difficult that task could be for a
three-year-old.
Once of the first ones to catch her eye was a purple
Indy-style race car. Normally, I wouldn't have an issue with that choice.
However, the enormous chrome skull on the front of it made me think we could do
a little better. Next, she latched onto a white Ford Mustang with orange racing
stripes. As a racing enthusiast, I personally adored that option. However,
Ellie wasn't quite ready to make her final decision.
She dug into the bin one more time to find exactly what she
was looking for, the aforementioned '64 Chevy Nova Wagon. However, this wasn't
just any old Hot Wheels model though. This model sported possibly the most
unique paint job in the history of toy cars. The base model is hot rod red with
yellow-tinted windows. From there, I want to point out the yellow front wheels AND the blue rear wheels. Of course, I
would be remiss if I did not mention the tie-dye graphics covering the roof and
sides of the vehicle. There's one more thing. The massive 'E' adorning the roof
of the wagon.
I honestly wish I had taken a picture of the sheer joy
erupting across my daughter's face upon finding her prize. However, the memory
will just have to do. As soon as we reached the car, Ellie had me tear open the
packaging so that she could play with it all the way home. The playing didn't
cease when we got home as the Nova actually was at the dinner table for lunch
time. Imagine if you will, Ellie eating a PBJ with one hand while pushing her
new car back and forth across the dinner table. It was quite a sight if I do
say so myself.
This brings me back to my original point. Yes, a real Chevy
Nova Wagon isn't going to get the greatest gas mileage. However, in seeing the
miles Ellie has already put on that little car this afternoon, I can tell the
"gas gauge" isn't going to hit empty any time soon. #DaddyWrite
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