The story you are about to read took place at The Point, a restaurant on Bomber Road, just west of Lockheed Martin. If you are not familiar with The Point on Lake Worth, let me introduce you to one of the best places for fried catfish on the west side of Fort Worth.
Of course, the joint serves other good down-home favorites, but the catfish is outstanding. Also, the place has been there in one form or another since I was a kid.
Every time I go there, I look out over the lake and smile. I spent a lot of time on Lake Worth, fishing, water skiing, and just hanging out. Looking down from The Point’s patio lets me revisit some of those memories, but this time it was not the view that made me smile.
This time, my smile, probably more of a grin, broke out on the parking lot. Sitting right there on the end of a row of parked cars was a beat-up old thing that might have been waiting for the wrecker. I mean, it was rough looking.
Thankfully, it was not a junker when I took a closer look. It was just partway through restoration. Even if it had been a clunker that was waiting for the tow truck, it would have gotten my attention. It was a Hudson!
I know a lot of folks reading this will read that last sentence with a puzzled look on their face. They’ll be thinking, “What the heck is a Hudson? I would be in that group, except we owned a Hudson when I was in grade school.
Sadly, the brand disappeared when the Hudson Motor Car Company merged with Nash Motors in the late 1950s. Still, in the picture below, the one we owned was a legend in our family. It was a great car, and we used it for one of our more memorable road trips. That trip and the stories told for years afterward are what made me grin when I recognized the Hudson on the parking lot.
The road trip was in the summer, with no coats required, unlike the picture above. Also, it was a combination business and pleasure trip. Dad was an engineer and helped develop an after-market air conditioner for automobiles. The trip was primarily to test the A/C unit, but since he wanted to test it over a long haul, he made a road trip to Arizona out of it.
Most of my memories from that trip come from stories and photos. We took a lot of road trips during that period, remembering all the sights, adventures, and what have you was difficult as a kid. Today, only bits and pieces stand out, and only a couple are from the trip in the Hudson.
Still, finding the old Hudson parked at the Point was an unexpected delight. My only regret is I did not know who owned the thing until I saw him and his family drive off in it later. I believe he is a regular, so I hope to see him and the Hudson again soon.
I restored a car or two in my younger days and would love to visit with him about the car and swap stories about cars, trips, and hanging out at the lake and The Point.
© oneoldcop.com – 2022
Pingback: Toss Me Another One! | An Old Cop's Place
Eric, An excellent story for those of us interested in things mechanical, including older cars. I say “older cars” as my first car was bought when I was just out of high school in California in 1958, and it was a 49 Plymouth coupe. I changed the engine to a larger Chrysler 6 cylinder and then flogged it around the San Francisco Bay area. While it was certainly not a new car, it did not seem old to me, at that time anyway. I could tell you a few stories about driving that car, but I won’t, as many were rather foolish. My next car was a 1955 Studebaker coupe, but that is another story. The things we did when we were young and bullet proof!
Thanks for reminding me of my early days, and my first car,
Regards, Phil
Phil, Glad you enjoyed the story. You hit the streets a few years before I did, but I can identify with the time frame, cars, and likely foolish activities involving our first few cars and things we did with them. I don’t know about you, but it’s a miracle I am still walking and have all my limbs.
Around 56 or 57 my father brought home a Nash Rambler station wagon, with AC. Fort Worth wa as hot a city as anywhere and an air conditioned car was a rarity. Pink and black with a fold down rear seat producing enough room for a family of 4 to sleep. Many nights, when the heat was unbearable in our home we spent a few hours in the back of that Nash keeping cool. We took many road trips also, just to enjoy the cool of the car. Don’t let any boomers tell you attic fans keep you cool, they don’t.
We lived in one place with an attic fan. It was not great when it was really hot, but it was better than a swamp cooler most of the time. Cooling off in the car was a good idea. I remember our first window unit A/C, but I don’t remember the date. Just remember it was great great.