Re: Oil drips and gas leaks,more than the Exxon Valdez

In 1936 my grandfather opened a Texaco station... in his front yard!  Yup, home & gas station in one building, you don't see that too much anymore.

Back then drivers would bring their car in for an oil change, and ask that the drain oil be slopped up into the undercarriage to keep the car from squeeking & rusting.

This was before the time of pneumatic lifts, so the oil change area was a pit in the side of the lot, sure the hot oil was drained into a pan, but then the cold stuff was slopped on car with a mop head.

In the 50's dad had a lift installed in the garage and everything was paved over.  As a child I spent time there in the 60's into early 70's, but even all those years later, the sweet smell of petroleum still wafted out of the ground in that particular corner of the yard.

Today the entire property is some 40 feet under a bridge foundation where the new road goes over the railroad tracks... and the garden where my grandparents grew tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, pears, apples, fava, corn, strawberries, carrots, radishes, peas, beets, zucchini, parsley, basil, lupini, spinach, lettuce, onions, potatoes, and even a little wheat is gone.

Nothing quite like an aroma to bring back memories...