fleet [noun]

: a large group of ships, airplanes, trucks, etc., operated by the same company or under the same ownership

Today, I realized that this is precisely what we have!
A fleet of our own.
How did that happen?!

I think it went something like this...
Andy bought a 1957 Chevy pickup waaaay back before I knew he existed. He was ready for his first Classic Trucks project! He has a very cool vision for it and had made good progress on the frame and suspension when I first saw it. I was going to post a picture of it in its current condition, but it is rather depressing. It resides in the dog run...in many, many pieces. Here it is when we were last working on it 3 years ago (Use your imagination!):
Then...right before we met (Spring '05), Andy fell for a beautiful boat of a car known as The Buick. This one is our summer ride, and we've taken her for drives on beautiful days and to car shows from Palouse Days to Tacoma's Hotrodama. She's been a driver from day 1, but we've spent plenty of hours making her look better and run smoother. She's a keeper!Fast-forward to November '06....Andy had been eyeing this '53 trailer for awhile and his birthday was coming up. I thought it would be a great addition to his collection and would look awesome pulled behind The Buick, so when he opened his birthday card, the title to this Terry Rambler was inside. We will be spending lots of hours on this little project...
Spring '07 found us working on yet another project! The cab and bed of a 1937 Dodge pickup. This one was put on hold for awhile, but as you know, it has made it into the lime light and captured the coveted "in-progress" spot in the shop. This truck will be going places before you know it!
Also that Spring, Andy was looking in the classifieds for a cheap, drivable Honda from the same era as his dad's that he had been driving for the past couple of years. We were engaged at this point and planning to live in one of the small towns outside of Moscow. Since we would be commuting every day to get to work and school, we would need a car with good mpg. This little hatchback fit the criteria! We dubbed it White n' Nerdy. The previous owner left a CD in the player and the number 1 track was none other than Weird Al's White and Nerdy, so every time we started the car - there it was "...Think I'm just too white n' nerdy. Can't you see I'm white n' nerdy. Look at me I'm white n' nerdy!"
Then...May '07. Andy graduated with his Bachelor Degree in civil engineering (whoohoo!) and his dad gave him the car he had been driving. The Honda is still our very reliable daily driver, and has taken us all over the northwest. And...I relearned how to 'drive a stick' with it. White n' Nerdy turned into a backup, and hasn't been needed yet!
But, what has been needed is a truck that's in one piece and has the ability to haul firewood, car parts, furniture, and big game carcasses. Well...today we got a new addition to our fleet!!
Introducing...The Truck:
Watch out backyards, junkyards, and all abandoned "cool" vehicles....here he comes!!
...in approximately 5 years, Andy has purchased, built, or been gifted 7 vehicles....
Did I know what I was getting into when I married this fellow?
'fraid so!
4 of the 7 are more 'project' than 'vehicle', and we have performed some kind of maintenance on all but this newest addition. It's been so fun to learn about them and work on them together over the years!

However....I can say this. When I look out at our backyard, I am very happy that (for the time being) it continues to look more like this....
...than this!!