Well its valentines day. the day we used to waste money on flowers, candy and all sorts of clap-trap just to get laid. Ancient history. If anyone remembers valentines day now its a friggin' miracle.

Jay was really down today. probably because all the snow is gone and i dont think its coming back. So i figured it was time to show him what i had been working on. Hes been depressed enough he hasnt asked me about it at all. Bad sign. I told him this afternoon i had something ot show him. He seemed rather lethargic but i drug him out of his chair and we drove over to G&R.

It isnt done yet, but i got almost all the heavy work done. I had found a 1979 Ford bronco in a garage across town that had been modified for heavy off road service. extended suspension, beefed frame and hopped up engine. I took a chop saw and cut back all the body except the firewall and floor pan. I then built a steel cage around the remainder, elimnating all the side doors and adding a hatch in the rear like a Merkeva IFV. The is a hand rotated turret ont he top with a mount for a M-60 and a ports the our FPWs all around. i took the armaglass from the 7-11 and cut it to make bullet reistant viewports for the driver passenger and turret gunner. there were also sliding ports on the sides. it could seat 4 plus driver, co pilot and gunner. there was also cargo room. I beefed the front with an extra leaf in the front springs, and added a heavy front bumper make from 4" pipe just right for smashing dead heads. I needed help to weld on all the side plating and the composite armor i had come up with.

I knew it wouldnt stnad up to big calibers but i had tested it and it would keep anyhting up to about a 308 out. i took mild 1/8 steel plate and laid it oerlapping like fish scales first. then i layered in thick 10 mil plastic to help make it waterproof. Then i put on a 3/4" layer of fiberglass matting and resin. i planned to weld 1/4 inch steel plate over the outside but the pieces were too heavy for me to lift on my own. i needed help with them, that part of why i showed it to Jay. I had all the fiberglas work done, and the struts to weld the plates on were ready.

He had a grin on his face like i handt seen on months. "Son of a bitch. Armored transport." I had also mapped out a potential route around our roadblocks and craters.

"I think we'll need about a week to finish and test it. then we can head east." I said. Then Jay did something completely out of chrater for him. He hugged me. I swear i saw a tear in his eye but i couldnt say for sure. He clapped me on the back and said

"Sounds good."

we headed back to the house with our heads full of plans and a new kind of hope for the future.