I clearly remember a good friend showing me her family’s new purchase at around 1985: a Dodge Caravan. It wasn’t quite a van, higher and squarer than a station wagon, and had an adaptable 3-row interior. My immediate thought (although I tried to tone it down for her benefit) was, “Well, it’s obviously useful but… boxy… and boring…”

Some three years later, Larry and I obviously thought otherwise and considered it the perfect vehicle for our family of three children, then 9, 7, and 1. The passenger-side sliding door allowed easy access to the kids in whichever row they sat, and the ability to remove or fold down those same seats gave ample storage space when we needed it – plus easy access through the hatchback.

Seat belts were required by law at that time but head rests were not. We balked at the extra $2000 so went without them. It was to become a decision we’d regret, given that we kept our cars for so long that we went without that safety measure for several years.

The Caravan was an incredibly practical family vehicle when we moved to Morrisburg in 1988. Among other things I used it for daily renovation dump runs with our small utility trailer, lovingly referring to it as the Barf-Mobile since car sickness and throwing up were regular events for wee Jeremy on those highway trips.

It wasn’t our only vehicle; Larry’s well-used Mazda station wagon hung on for a while, then changed to a second-hand Chevy Cavalier, then a second-hand Chevy Lumina when we wanted something non-sporty and well-used for Peter and Jeff to drive.

However the aging Caravan was the vehicle of choice for their first big road trip with friends; they nicknamed it the Red Rocket for the event. Jeff is in the grey T-shirt; Peter is beside him with the long hair. Savoury looking bunch!

I can’t think of a negative thing about that minivan. It was so useful in so many respects that, even after it was gone and the two older boys no longer at home, we replaced it with, yes, another (larger and finer) one.