Ed Cooley is a man of his word! *UPDATED!*

*scroll down thread for update!*

Recently Arkansas Ed Cooley posted some pics from a recent trip to Colorado I was fortunate enough to join him on. He mentioned in his post that I had a white, fully loaded Jeep Rubicon heading my way.

The genesis of this was that, a few years ago when Ed and his lovely wife Faith were here, we were tooling around in his vehicle and I happened to comment about how much I liked the Garmin Nuvi GPS unit in their SUV. Lo and behold, a few weeks later, one showed up on my doorstep, a gift from Ed.

On their most recent trip I reminded Ed of this, and followed it up with, "So let me just say, I really like this Jeep Rubicon you're driving." Ha ha, very funny. So when Ed posted that he had ordered me one and it was on its way, I thought, okay, fine, I'll play along. I insisted that I couldn't keep it and would send it back when it arrived, because I just couldn't do a white Jeep. We went back and forth on this for a few days. Hardy har-har.

Well, well, well. What shows up a few days ago, but a white Jeep Rubicon, with MY freakin' name on the title! I was/am flabbergasted! Here I thought this was all a big joke, and then a hauler unloads a brand spankin' new Jeep in front of my house! I was, and still am, speechless, which, as most of you know, is not my natural state! Suddenly a white Jeep was looking mighty fine!

So I sold my Nissan Frontier on the cheap to my brother (what do I care, I've got a new Jeep!) and got the plates transferred over to the new ride today. Ed, thank you very, very much! Next time you come out, we're taking MY ride! I even promise to get it dirty.

Looks sweet! What about my bumper sticker? Did u get that transferred???

Hopefully Faith and I will get to see you wheeling this baby later in month.

Dang! Does Ed want to adopt me?!! Very nice and extremely generous Ed!

Ed, I couldn't get the "I NEVER THOUGHT I'D MISS NIXON" or the "STOP GLOBAL WHINING" bumper stickers off the old ride intact, so now they're my brother's concern.

Dang is right...
Hey Ed, i really like that 500 mm f/4L IS you shoot with (and if you don't, just pretend that you do...and pretend you're my best friend too! )

Pretty cool story! Fun.

I know you'll enjoy the ride, dude.

Nice toy!

What a guy to have for a friend! Enjoy the new toy.

What an awesome story Todd! (Ed...that is SUPER cool and I bet you got a kick out of Todd thinking it was a joke.)

Todd- You are going to love that Rubicon with the electric lockers front and rear. Now you need to get a teraflex 2 1/2" lift kit etc. etc. I have a 2008 Rubicon extended version that I love. Any questions about tricking out the Rubicon, send them my way. Happy motoring!

Toooooo, cool! What a story!!

Ed, that is simply awesome.

Nice new toy, Todd!

Unfreakin believable.

RichieV

LOL. Great story.

Congrats on the new toy. Be sure to get outside and play hard in the sand!

Wow ! super Coool ...
Great new toy Todd, have fun

That is one sweet story! Put a little lift and a little bigger tires and there won't be too many roads in CO you can't take.

Looking forward to seeing you in this sweet little set of wheels!
Now that's a true friend!

I obviously need new friends

When your're done playing with it I am sure my son would love a new jeep.

It's always inspiring to see that kind of generosity! I've been the recipient of such myself. Good on ya, Ed!

Did I mention I also found some magic beans in the glove box, and after my dog Riley got into them, he grew into a GIANT TERRIER?!

I totally understand being speechless and flabbergasted. What a super cool thing to do for a friend!

Do I get a prize for being the first to remember that Todd is a joker?

Kinda knew a punchline was coming ...

Those Arkansas boys are pretty nice alright....but Ed must be REALLY nice! Incidently, Ed took a nasty fall off a slick waterfall a year or so ago, fell twenty feet or more and laid in a cold stream with broken bones for many hours.....Being the outdoorsman he is, he used a SPOT and it probably saved his life.....spent months recuperating....oh yeah, and he is a great photographer, too. Kudos to Ed.
Joe Rogers

This is a great story. Ed, what an amazing thing to do.

Too funny! I thought the first shot looked a little too much like it was taken with a Lensbaby.....

.... and I was just beginning to think that poor Ed was still traumitized after his fall.

I had a stinkin suspicion! That was flippin' hilarious Todd! I actually thought that for a minute...that looks kind of like a miniature...then thought...no...he wouldn't do that....LOL! Boy I feel like a sucker falling for that!

It was too good to be true. And I was just about to tell Ed that he was the pre-eminent photographer in the nation to see what that might bring me.

Given the source, I knew there was something fishy about this ... From the reviews I've read, this particular Jeep gets unbelievable gas mileage but has limited payload...

...unbelievable gas mileage...

Especially when rolled down a hill. Uphill, and even flat surfaces, are problematic.

@Jack - Sure I'll get you another jeep too!!

@Todd - Dammit - and I knew better!!

RichieV

So, what some of you guys (you know who you are) are saying, is that I should think about getting into the field of miniatures photography?

Friends with benefits!! That's a great gift and nice story.

I don't know how you would replicate the clouds you get, so maybe not. Or maybe you could just blend them in.

I thought that Jeep looked a bit weird...Ok Todd, for making me feel like a complete donkey--i will have my revenge!

Doh! And it wasn't even April 1st....

Guess I'm a little late to this thread. My first impression of the post pic was that Todd was playing with selective focus and that the Jeep looked like a model... what a jokester!

Hahaha. That's funny. I thought that first pic looked like a model. Had me going with the "Damn, I need new friends" too.

You should still lift it. :)

@ Jack: You were the first to post with a hint it was a toy, but probably not the first to know it had to be a toy. If that wins you a toyyoda, then I offer you my congrats.

@Todd: To be more convincing next time try putting dirt on the treads of the tires and reducing the gloss of the seats and make those headlights and reflectors look more realistic in PS. To me, it was obviously a toy at first glance. I think others picked-up on it right away as well given all the comments to enjoy your toy. Plus your reputation precedes you.

LOL - that was pretty good. I thought the jeep looked a little funny.

Yep, too shiny.
I thought it was a little bit larger scale model though.