The Impala Family

Out here in Golden Mountain live my neighbors, The Impala Family. The male species of this kinship group possess five of these circa late 1970s-early 1980s Chevy babies (similar to the orangey-salmon model my dad owned during this same decade), in a rainbow of colors, including white, light blue, brown, and this particular standout, a DIY white-maroon hybrid. When parked on our street, they stretch out to take up almost half the block. Let me repeat: Five Chevy Impalas. During chillier mornings, when we leave for work at about the same time, I observe the ritual of one of the Impala Sons: he'll start up one the five (but how does he choose?), leave the keys in the ignition with the engine humming, and return indoors for an entended period of time. Many car fanatics say that Chevy introduced the first muscle car when it rolled out the early-era, powerfully-endowed Impala model. And nothing beats the classic 1970s Impala cop car--a la Hill Street Blues--a ubiquitous sight throughout the streets of urban America. This conversation is just getting started...Stay tuned for some classic Impala Family bumper sticker messages!