The photo seen in this weeks story is of the area where the "Stampede" and "Just Your Style Hair" are now located. The car in the photo is receiving its gasoline in the rear. This indicates to me this was not a Ford, as their tanks were located just above the dash and under the windshield in both the Model A and Model T.

I do not recall seeing this building in my childhood, but think it remained till the early thirties. The foundation and floor still exist where the old Aubrey Garage building was. The picture shows a second floor upstairs, possibly a residence.

Look closely and you will see a railroad rail buried in the ground in front of the boy on the far right who has his hands in his pockets. I believe the rail iron was placed there for the protection of the hand operated gas pump. There was a glass light globe on top of the pump, as well as a glass tank filled with gasoline under the light. The glass tank was marked in gallons to show the amount pumped. These decorative pumps were very dangerous when tipped over by cars. The resulting fires could consume car and driver, not to mention the entire gas station.

The boy in the photo filling the gas tank was Garland Housden who grew up to be an auto racing enthusiast. He later possessed the racer called "The Aubrey Spirit".

The garage pictured was owned by Olen Burk. The gas pump was operated by a hand lever that pumped about a quart of gasoline per stroke. Also note these were full service days at the Aubrey Garage. One employee is taking the hot cap off to add water to the radiator. The unknown driver is patiently waiting to have his oil checked, windscreen wiped and tires examined.

When I was four or five years old, one special treat was to accompany mother on her weekly Wednesday shopping excursions to Denton. Our good friend and neighbor, Mr. Henry Langford, was the proud possessor of a Buick, which he drove a safe and sane ten to fifteen miles an hour on the narrow old road to Denton. Mother always appreciated his kindness in taking us to the Farmer’s Market and stores on the square in Denton. We kids loved the adventure, which took over an hour each way.

Riding in a car was a real treat. Grandad Goin never owned an automobile, nor did many of the family during the depression. Riding in a buggy wasn’t bad, but you went at a horse’s walk. Riding in a flat bed wagon over the washboard dirt roads left you with loose teeth and sore arms – from hanging on for dear life. But riding in a lovely touring car with the wind ruffling your hair was glorious fun.

One particular thrill of the ride with Mr. Langford was that his Buick with the rear gas tank was gravity fed -–no carburetor. This meant it did not do hills in a forward position. So, we went up the long, narrow road to the Clear Creek Bridge between Green Valley and Denton backwards. This was the high point of the grand drive for us kids. Backing up and over the bridge seemed to give us a new perspective. It was certainly something old Snip couldn’t do in the buggy!