Recently, I spotted a calendar at the store called Nuns Having Fun. Its August month features nuns in habits and helmets posing alongside a scooter and moped. Seeing it reminded me of Sister Mary Vespa. Who's Sister Mary Vespa you ask?
Well....a couple years ago, I was at PDX airport waiting on a delayed Christmas flight home to Dee-tway when a fellow traveler and I struck up a conversation. She had noticed a Kickstart sticking out of my bag and wanted to know all about it. When I mentioned it was about scooters, she preceded to share some wonderful stories of her neighbor, "the Vespa-riding ex-nun and Pussy, her cat! The neighbor chuckled recalling Sister Mary Vespa yelling for her Pussy to come in for the night. “Pussssy.....Pussssy. Where’s my Pusssy?,” the Sister would yell for all the neighbors to hear.
Her neighbor was the freaking Singing Nun! Well, I didn’t know if she could sing, but I knew that she loved her Vespa and rode it every day, rain or shine! I wanted to know all about her and why she was an ex-nun now worshiping at the altar of Vespa. I passed on some Kickstarts for her to give to Sister Mary Vespa and in return I got her address.
I wrote to the good Sister, but never heard from her. When I mentioned this to my own sister Sandy, she said the centerfolds might have turned the nun off and that knowing me, I’d try and get Sister Mary Vespa to pose for one. I reminded Sandy that I had more tact than that. But, hey what a good idea! AND Sister Mary Vespa was an EX-nun, it’s not like she’s married to the church anymore. She didn’t need their blessing. I'm kidding. I'm kidding.
People from all walks of life and religions ride scooters and that’s just a small part of what makes our shared hobby so great! I'm bummed that I never got to speak to her, but knowing that she is out there somewhere happily scootin’ along makes me smile. Godspeed Sister Mary Vespa!
From Life Magazine 1957:
Nuns in an auto-rickshaw!
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