The "Richmond" weekend

Friday morning Dan & Ramona and the Princess & I head for the Richmond NSRA event. We stopped at Cracker Barrel for breakfast then on down I95 to the Host hotel. The roads from about Ashland somewhere started to get bad....in fact a couple of times the RedRat was bouncing around so bad it was difficult to keep on the road! The condition of the roads deteriorated and when we merged onto I64W they got terrible! I slowed down to 40-45 and kept trying to miss the "big" bad places, it was very much like playing a video game, so intense. Finally we got to our exit and checked in at the hotel and registered for the event. Then the trip to the event on the surface street was bad too....I don't think my tax dollars are doing much for the roads around there! We arrived at the raceway complex around 10:30 and picked out a spot we liked to set up camp and noticed how many empty spaces there were! It looked like a couple hundred cars....at a National event! But it was Friday so we were going to hold judgement on the event participation till Sat. The Princesses car had not taken the road beating very well....all her remote controls were now not working, her passenger window would not work and there was a clutch smell coming from her car, somewhere. But she didn't have a clutch!? We wandered around taking pictures and met some friends from Mechanicsville, VA. These friends had invited us to the local cruise they attend on Sat night....more about this later. We finished the day at the event and cruised to the hotel....we were all tired but the Princess said she couldn't sleep because she couldn't secure her car (the window wouldn't roll up). She parked it next to a concrete column in the underground parking lot so it would be difficult to get into her coupe. The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel, overpriced, and left for the event. On the way over, while on I64, the Princess was bouncing around from the holes/bumps and found that her window would roll up! The Princess so does not like to muss up her hair in the morning so out of habit she pushed the up button for the window....and it went up! I was bouncing around so much I couldn't see my gauges and she was yelling over the radio about her window going up, but I thought she was having more trouble....it took a mile or so to sort things out but at least she was happy because her window was up! We got to the same spot from the day before and set up camp. Some old friends, Paul & Sharon, came over to visit with us and we chased the shade spot from the canopy the rest of the day. There were a lot of cars on Sat....I think over 900 at final count. The quality of the cars was very high and the diversity of the cars was perfect. From the Camaro's and Mustangs, the traditional hot rods, street rods....everything was represented. There was a 67 Camaro that was the best Camaro I have seen....it won a category so look at it on the last day's pictures, it's intense! The event was going well, Wings Callahan kept the announcements and music balanced....he is always a treat to listen to. The restroom facilities were great inside the building but the ones outside were marginal. The food inside was OK but something else needs to be done to make the food part of the event experience more exciting! The vendor participation seemed to be down. The Princess won a Super Prize, again! We have won one every one of the 4 years we have attended! Anyway this year we won an MSD billet distributor from Yearwood Speed & Custom. The Princess wanted to know what a billet distributor was? I showed her the HEI unit in her coupe and she said she already has a nice red one! She wanted to know if the MSD one was prettier that hers? I said lets wait and see, she then asked if the MSD one would make her car faster than mine....hmmmmm I said no it wouldn't be faster but if we put a World 454 mouse motor her car it might be as fast as mine....but of course I would then have to put one of those blower thingies on mine to compensate, she just looked at me? I guess it's really difficult to be the Princess? Dan & Ramona won a SuperPrize too, a 32 Ford grille shell, I don't know how that will work on their '55 Chevy? Can you say Edsel? We'll wait and see! Please check out the pictures. There was some traditional rods, one was bare metal deal, that deserves a lot of praise....and those DeSoto motors, love 'em. I guess the most unique car was the Rolls Royce pro street, you have to check out the pics. Around 4PM we decided to pick up and meet Paul & Sharon at our hotel and go cruising to Brunetti's....the place Chuck & Cindy told us about. Paul doesn't have his car done yet (only 363 more days till next year's Richmond....Paul) so he rode with me and Sharon rode with the Princess.

When we got to Bruneti's the cruise was in progress with about 50 cars already there. We were all hungry so we decided to try out Bruneti's....Cindy had warned me about the portion size but I guess I didn't believe her....I should have listened! The food was excellent and they served mammoth portions....I don't think anyone could finish the whole meal....do you hear me Andrew? The service was quick, the meals were fairly priced and the food tasted great....If you are near the corner of Atlee and Rt 301 check it out....I think you will be pleased! The DJ thanked the Stafford Classics for attending and all the people we met were very friendly....like most hot rodders are! That's why I like the hot rod culture much more than the motorcycle culture....a whole lot less testosterone is involved and you can be happy....happy is good! I tried to photograph all the cars that were there but they kept coming and going it was difficult to keep track. I know there were a lot of Mustangs....I would guess at least a third of the cars were Mustangs! Maybe the 'Stangs and Fangs' Mustang Club of Fredericksburg should visit Brunetti's some Saturday....if those Mustangs could make it there and back....grin....If they had trouble I'm sure some of the Camaro guys would be glad to help! I think I better shut up now and not say anything about the Mopar guys.... We said thanks and goodbye and as we were leaving a 72 black RR was pulling in....I didn't get a picture and I wanted to talk with him/her....next time. This is a open, loose cruise, no structure, no stress....good music, good fellowship and my favorite thing is that non-car people wander through and let you talk about your car, this is the part I like the most....sharing my hobby with someone that doesn't know anything about it. We all had a real good time at Brunetti's and will return! Thanks Chuck & Cindy for your recommendation!

Sunday we left for the NSRA event's final day. It was as usual, very hot. There was a strong breeze that helped. I stayed in the amphitheater and listened to the church service and the rock & roll music. The Princess and Ramona & Dan visited with Paul & Anita....they were in the winners circle and very excited about the whole deal! And Paul got to take one of his famous exercise walks! We left right after the last SuperPrize winner was drawn and headed north. I95 was crowded and stop and go so we got off at Rt3 and drove the back was to home. Next year I think we will drive Rt 301 all the way....I95 is so hard on cars! So now I have to figure out what's wrong with the Princesses car....I have to fix it quickly or else she has to ride with me....I'll start tomorrow first thing, or the next day, or sometime soon....us retired people have to pace ourselves....and if the Princesses car is at home broken, then I have a better shot at a trophy! hehehe

Homogeneous Sojourners

Wow Friday night at VA BBQ and a lot new cars came through. The first thing was a nice full size silver & blue Blazer owned by one of the guys in the Late Night Cruisers who makes music at A1 for us on the first Sat of the month. Then a late 80's Camaro, this white with red stripes car has a 383 motor, so says the emblem on the hood, it's a very straight and pleasing car....and another Camaro....the black 69, the car with the 'to die for' interior! You must check out this bow tie when it is where you are! Then a 'General Lee' Charger....I have see many of these cars over the years but I think this is the best one yet....eeeehaaa! Then a shiny black 24 Ford Model T, this car is as nice as Dom's....except for the brass radiator and natural wood wheels on Dom's! But if Patty wasn't around to keep the brass clean....who knows! grin Check out the simplicity of the early cars, it's amazing. Then a 1930 Chevy 2 dr sedan, it is so refreshing to see these old cars in near original condition. A bronze 69-70 Cougar came in, it had a brown vinyl top and hideaway headlights, very cool. A 62-63 Buick with the little aluminum motor....that motor is a survivor! Buick only used it a few years then it went to sleep but awoke in the new Land Rovers! I'm sure they have updated it to modern specs but basically it is the old aluminum Buick motor. As a side note....in the late 60's there was a cam grinder in SoCal by the name of Chet Herbert. The company I worked for, Presley Development Co., built a home for Chet in Capistraino Beach, CA. At that point Chet was in a wheelchair but still making....different engines. I think he had an outboard that he welded together to make a 8cyl out of two 4 cyls....anyway my friend, Lee, and I poured a concrete patio for him in his new home, I remember doing that patio to this day because we had to hump the concrete by wheelbarrow from the street, up the driveway, around the side of the home and then to the center back, just the two of us. Oh to be young again! Chet seemed like an alright guy, just a little out there, which is what made him a leader in his field....which brings me back to the little Buick motors. In the mid 60's I was at Fontana Drag City, drag strip one night and Chet had his new twice motored rail there....it had two of the little Buick/Olds motors in line, I think they were injected because they were just barely higher than the frame rails....It was very long for the time and as it came down the fire up road it was flexing the frame real good! That might have been the frame that was made from bambouim! hehehe I don't remember how fast it went but I didn't see it any more after that night....he was always trying different things, as we all were during that time! Anyway, back at VA BBQ, this guy in a roll back drove by with a Chevy Monte Carlo on the back, he was shouting over his PA that he would race any of the cars in the lot! He came in the lot and continues challenging everyone, it was weird.... Then T bucket John went over to the roll back driver....I thought that would be an interesting race, a Monte and a T bucket! As it turned out the guy with the roll back was an old friend of John's and they had a lot to catch up on....no race....good thing, we street rodders don't street race....no sir....no sirree....not me....I leave that to the Mustangs and Tuners....grin When you drive a car like the RedRat you can be very choosy who you push the right pedal down with! I don't know how many cars came in, the lot seemed to not be full all the time but cars were coming and going all night, which is what a 'cruise' is all about! We were going to cruise by the Mustang's at 5NDiner but we didn't leave VA BBQ till 10:30 or so! People kept coming by and talking....I love to talk about my hobby and our cars!

Saturday a few of us left Bob Evans for the Classic Car Center in Fredericksburg. We left around 11AM and took the back way to avoid the Saturday traffic and all was OK till I had to count the traffic lights on Rt 2 from Rt 3. If a person was coming from Rt 1, like the directions on their website says, then you would turn off Rt 3 onto Rt 2 and go three traffic lights and turn right on Lee Hill Dr and the place is at the end of the street. BUT if you are coming from Ferry Farm area on Rt 3 when you turn onto Rt 2 and go 3 traffic lights you turn right on Lansdowne Rd....do you know how far you can go on Lansdowne Rd? Why were all those cars on the road at that time of day? Do you know how uptight people get when you do a U turn at a 3 way stop? Don't ask me how I know....

Anyway....we arrived at the Classic Car Center, secured the cars and went inside to look for the owners, Marty or Garland. We met Marty who showed us around the lounge, snack bar and meeting area. He explained how the facility was designed to be a multi use facility for meetings, events, training and most "car" things. It was designed to be informal and inviting for car buffs. All the memorabilia is fascinating and Marty will help you understand about anything in their facility! He then took us out to the storage area and talked about the cars that were there. Please check out the pictures of this tour, they explain a lot more than I can! Some of the cars are customer cars that are stored inside, waiting for the customer to pick up their car and drive it. No rain, no snow, no hail, no sun, no acid rain fallout, no coolers falling on them, no rakes banging against them, no bicycles or skateboards crashing into them....just their own special parking place among other special cars. Some of the cars in this area are for sale too and if you are in the market for a wonderful classic car this place should be on your list! A little green car caught my attention...a Morgan! These cars were a contemporary of the MG and TR but have a story all their own....ask Marty or Garland about the Morgan! There is a green Camaro that I really like....I'm not a 'Camaro' guy but this car piqued my interest a lot! And I think a 6.1 Hemi would work in the '48 Plymouth Woodie....I didn't say that Marty! grin Then Garland appeared and invited us into the part of the building where all the fun happens, the shop!

The first thing I saw was the '32 Packard....Garland says it going to be their shop gofer....picking up and delivering people, picking up parts....you know the kind of vehicle most places use a '81 Ford Pick up with rusted fenders and different colored doors to do the same job! I could get used to being picked up in a '32 Packard....or going to get a case of oil in it....or picking up some mulch....hehehe Then the Princess began whining about all the confusing car stuff but nothing for a Princess to do....so Garland said she could sit in the Packard while Dave was in the rumble seat....just to see what a magnificent old American Icon was like behind the wheel....I think she was impressed, it's hard to tell, she is so cranky lately....she gets so little sleep with that nasty little pea under her mattress.... Then we saw a little blue car, it looked vaguely familiar, like a 'kit car' (I hate that term!) Almost reverently Garland began explaining what it was....a 1955 AC Ace! Huh? I'm not going to go into the details of this car but if; Carroll Shelby, one of one, $1.8+ mil-value, Cobra, Buick V-8 mean anything to you then you need to visit Classic Car Center in Fredericksburg, VA! Garland will explain everything! The car's original owner is having it restored to race again! He's older than me, yeah, old guys rule! You have to hear the whole story! This is the caliber of work they do at Classic Car Center. In the picture of the two stacks of tires, the stack on the right show the original tires that came on the car from the factory! We could have stayed all day but Garland had to get back to what he does, making the dreams come true! So we went back to the lobby and snack bar where we met Franklin the wonder dog....he keeps the Healey from rolling around! A few more pictures and many thanks to Marty and Garland for their gracious hospitality then we were on the road again!

Andrew was hungry, SURPRISE? And the Princess wanted something 'special' to drink, a diet cherry coke-stirred not shaken!....So we cruised to the Sonic out on Rt 3. I was startled by some sport bikers passing me on the 95 bridge and those rear tires on the RedRat just started spinning, how did that happen?.... When we arrived at Sonic those that wanted to eat or drink took care of their needs and then we were on the road again. We arrived at the Sheetz on Rt 3 & Rt 20. A bunch of Fredericksburg Classic and Muscle Car Club members were there waiting for us. (see the pics!) We all saddled up (about 20 cars) and left for the Orange BK....again!

We arrived early, as we planned, and were rewarded with primo parking! Gary put up his canopy and we all spread out and got ready to enjoy an afternoon and evening of cars and car people! What a deal! There were so many cars, over 200 by the end! All kinds from original to wild, from old to new 2008 Challengers. Every kind of street rod you could imagine. DJ Ron was there playing music and mingling with the crowd. Ask him how he turns on the fog lights in his new RV.... Chuck & Cindy and their friends from Mechanicsville were there....the red '34 Ford PU came, I really like that ride and it won the "truck" pick from BK later that night! Steve and his group from PW Cruisers brought a bunch of cars too....In fact Steve won the "car" pick from BK that night with his '40! I think the nasty little '34 open wheeled coupe came with Steve too, that car must be a handful! Dave's '48 Ford drop top is so smooth, I bet that car is so nice to cruise in! There was a restored Army truck, a very large truck! Ask Tom what all the transmission handles are for in his '69 Camaro.... We just hung around and talked with everyone....and before we knew it Ron was drawing for the 50/50 and giving out the awards. The Princess got to feel special when Ron asked her to pick out one of the 50/50 tickets, she has to feel so important! Then the cruise was over! WOW We gathered up all the cars that were going the 'back way' to Stafford and Dan volunteered to be the vulture. I led till we got to Rt 29 then Gary took over. We cruised back to Stafford without incident and it was actually a little cold, I had to close one window in the RedRat....I was getting cold? OH NO That's going to be here sooner that we think....COLD....

Sunday and the nostalgia event at ODS....We met everyone at Bob Evans (no one!) and drove to Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, VA. We turned off Rt. 234 bypass and the traffic was stopped....not moving slowly but stopped! I think we were about 2-3 miles away from the road into ODS! We turned around and headed for home! Too bad, maybe next year we will start much earlier. Some that did get there said that cars were being turned away, they were filled up! That's pretty cool but disappointing at the same time!

We called up Dan & Ramona to see if they wanted to cruise somewhere. We decided to cruise to Lowery's in Tapahannock again. I didn't want to take 2 cars so the Princess reluctantly agreed to ride with me again. She is having trouble deciding on the reaction assist device (oh s**t handle) that she AND I think is suitable. Something pink will not work in the RedRat, something soft and squishy will not work in the RedRat....I tried to explain to her that something large enough to be grabbed without a lot of effort on her part would thrash her to a fair-thee-well if we got into an accident....so the discussion continues....I offered to have a velcro suit made for her so when she sits down in the tweed seat she would have to be peeled out of the seat when she gets out! I thought it was funny! She said some awful things about the RedRat. As a compromise I agreed to not exceed 3000 rpm when she is in the RedRat. Unless of course I have to get out of the way of a falling invisible satellite or something else real quick and don't have the time to explain to her....hehehe While cruising back I was returning the waves and thumbs up of people in other cars....some were stock and some were old cars like ours. And it struck me how most 'car' people will wave at other 'car' people even though we are very diverse in what we drive. We are all exposed to the same elements, the same dangers, the same joy and experience....we are all in the same boat....so to speak. I remember when we rode the Harley you weren't supposed to return the wave of anything but another Harley! You don't wave at Jap Crap we were told! But the Wingers wave at anything, they understand the universality of everyone's experience on two wheels.... I guess that's what I'm trying to say that we all should be glad to see another 'car' person on the road....we are all together in a homogeneous mixture of travelers....sojourners....We're all bozos on this bus....Wave at the other guy....even if he drives a Buick! grin

Awful Awful

Thursday night at Summerduck Raceway, August 14, 2008. An old business friend, Steve Bruce, told me that he and his brother are involved with a drag race car and that I should come out and see them. It had been over 35 years since I had seen an actual organized drag race! I wanted to go but knew it would not be the same as I remembered. First the course was 1/8 mile, not the 1/4 mile I am used to. Most of the cars looked like what I would call Pro Stock....but were called Outlaw or Big Dog cars? Very different. And the eliminations were different and confusing....especially since we couldn't hear the announcements clearly, we didn't know what was going on. In fact the final run happened and we didn't know the show was over till everyone else started to leave the track! Very different. There seemed to be the same intensity in the participants but that's what racing is all about....intensity! There were two back motored diggers and a street roadster kinda thing and a lot of motorcycles. Then, while we were sitting on the spectator side, I saw a familiar shape backing out of a trailer. It looked like a Fiat Topolino (loosely translated means little mouse in Italian). It was a Fiat and as I talked to the owner I found out it has the frame of a funny car, which is why the wheels are about 2' out in front of where they should be, and the Fiat body and Chrysler motor. This is like some of the old AA/FA cars I saw back in the day in SoCal! Cars like Mondello, Bradford and others....we called them Awful Awfuls....You talk to the driver of any Awful Awful about the ride they get and they will tell you the only thing consistent about the car is you never know what to expect! Sometime the car took a 1/2 mile to go 1/4 mile! Sometime it went as straight as a string....you just never lifted....you just steered through everything....what a ride! Anyway since my hero car was there I was very happy. The sounds and smells of the drag strip brought back many good memories! We may go back to Summerduck when we can and it doesn't conflict with our show schedule....maybe we can learn how things are now! We are going to a nostalgic deal this Sunday, hope more Awful Awfuls are there too!

Quiet weekend

Friday the 8th and it's our grandson's birthday, which will be THE event on Saturday, our younger daughter and her family came from PA to be with the rest of the family to celebrate the deal! Anyway we were able to sneak away to the VA BBQ cruise Friday night. It was a neat deal, we had 9 hot rods parked in a row....usually some other cars park amongst the hot rods but tonight it was special! The lot filled up quickly....Jim & Linda and Dan & Ramona came in and had to hunt a parking place! There was a very nice 65 Dodge, I don't remember many Dodges back in the day that were black, most of them were white or red, black is nice! Razor was walking through the cars....some of the cars probably had his work on them! The Mopar boys, Tony & Pat, brought their cars in....Tony's is nice but I really like Pat's blue HEMI Cuda convertible and the motor sounds so BAD! The graphic on the hood sides of the black hi-boy was trick....also check out the trailer hitch on Paul's 34 lakester.... Al brought out his 72 Chevy long car, so long it could be in two zip codes at the same time, it's a survivor and a very nice one, check it out when he brings it out. Dan & Ramona debuted their show board.... It's done by an artist, Barry Sholder, in GA, he does caricatures and custom boards and a lot of other artwork....I have one of his boards and a couple pieces of art he did for us. They are really different and unique....check out his website! It took a long time for Dan to get their board because of the changes they made and the artists attention to detail, we thought Dan was just saying he had one ordered, you know just to keep us thinking he had ordered one but he didn't....kinda like Andrew's girlfriend, Angela! Anyway Dan & Ramona's board is awesome....the Pigster....hehehe Our daughter brought the grand children to the cruise later and they were a hit too. Sylvia and the Princess doted over the kids.... I have the Princesses 33 apart in the garage doing some needed maintenance and would not have it back together till next week. Sooooo the Princess had to ride with me....She gave me orders to install an 'oh s**t handle' for her to hang on to or she won't go with me anymore....and the problem with that is?....I didn't say that.... Ron did his normal great job running the cruise and Sue and company kept things humming too. This is a cruise you have to check out when you can!

Saturday we were at the above mentioned Birthday Party for my favorite(and only) Grandson, he's 16 now! Look out world! So we didn't attend any shows or cruises the rest of the weekend. We have reports from Dan & Ramona about the FC&MCC show on Sat....It rocked! There were over 110 cars and many new cars, check out Dan's Photo's link, he took pictures. I'll have to find out more about some of the entertainment like the canopy flying! I guess there was a micro burst that took a canopy up and crashed it into the ground....away from the cars!....whew.... Anyway it seemed to be a good reminder to always secure your canopy because you never know when the wind will come up! And most of us get so excited when a canopy crashes on our cars....can you say postal? At least only a few people were injured but those were just a little shaken up! Where is Mary Poppins when you need her? And I understand it, John convinced Ed not to buy his lunch from the BBQ vendor at the show but rather go to a local establishment because it was cheaper and better....after much convincing by John, Ed took his advice....But then John bought his lunch from the show vendor and found out how great it was....Ed came back after paying too much at the local establishment and was not happy, everything was an option, like buying a home....you gotta watch those guys that drive cars with no fenders....they have a special sense of humor! I hope Ed doesn't fall for the waterfront property John has for sale in Fla! hehehe Anyway it was a quiet weekend for us and our cars....next weekend we will be on the road with the hot rods a lot....more in my email notice Tuesday.

To cruise or not to cruise?

Saturday the 2nd....it's raining in the morning so we don't go to Brandy Station for the car show. It clears up later in the morning but it's too late, and we have to get ready for the circuit cruise at 4PM.

Everyone met at BB&T parking lot at 4PM to begin the days adventure.... Dan & Ramona, Linda and Chuck! The rain clouds were threatening again so we waited in the drive through lanes of the bank, under the roof and didn't get wet when it rained a little! It cleared up at 4:30 so the three cars left. We drove to Sonic on Rt3 and cruised through to give people something to wave at! Then on to Fosters Grille in Southpoint where the Fredericksburg Classic and Muscle Car Club were in progress with their monthly cruise. We visited with friends and had a hamburger and fries, except Dan....he's a chicken sandwich guy! We checked out the cars that were there....Kim has an attack dog in the bed of her truck, funny. The Princess was whining that it was getting hot and she wanted to race her valve cover....so off we went to A1 Speed & Custom. The Late Night Cruisers had their cruise in progress so we visited with some of our friends that were there. Then....

The Valve Cover Races

Dave, from A1, had built an awesome race track....you have to see the pictures. A few of the racers were testing and tuning....but the Princess was ready to race. On her first run her racer made a sharp left turn and slowed down....we adjusted the toe in of the front suspension and tried again. It ran straighter but still slowed.... The Princess was not happy, she was glaring at her builder! The builder knew that things would not go well if her racer didn't start working right! Dave noticed that things were going down hill fast with the Princesses attitude....in a flash of true sportsmanship he offered his shop facilities to the builder to make repairs on the Princesses racer. He even helped, which is a true racer trait! We used to do that years ago, after we broke or were eliminated we would hang around our friends, who were our competition, and offer help to them. Anyway we thought we had the Princesses racer fixed, the builder gave it to the Princess and she was ready to race....Dave lined up the two racers and dropped the lever....The Princesses racer went left into the guard rail and slowed....Dave's racer beat her by 5 lengths! The Princess was not happy! I heard her say that she needs another builder! Like she could get anybody else to work for her....I didn't say that! So....Dave Won....he has the superior racer....this month! I think September may be different, hehehe There were 5-6 other racers that were running some kind of round robin race, but the clear winner was Dave....I'll be putting up a video on webshots of some of the racing this week. We hung around awhile after the racing but the Princess was clearly agitated....she is such a poor looser....I'm afraid the whining will not stop all month! We cruised over to Bruster's next and Ron and Gary were packing up to leave. There were a few friends left in the parking lot so we stayed and talked with them awhile then cruised home....a neat day. The Princess is complaining more about the heat than loosing with her racer....life might be good again soon!

In an effort to improve the Princesses attitude I decided to take her to lunch at Lowery's in Tappahannock, about 65 miles one way. We took both coupes and headed out. When we left I95 and transitioned to Rt 1 we had an unusual car pull up next to me.... When we got to Rt 17 & Rt 301 the Princess had to have a pit stop. There were a bunch of people on bikes that had the same idea....I talked to them about he cars and when we left something made the motor of the RedRat go faster and those big old tires were spinning around, must have hit some water....grin The drive was magnificent, check out he pictures. The food and service at Lowerys' was outstanding as usual....it's always a good destination for food! We drove back to Stafford and met Jim & Linda at BB&T....we were hiding in he drive through lanes again....the Princess said it was hot and she wasn't going to sit in the sun! We all cruised to Carl's Ice Cream in Fredericksburg for, what else, ice cream! A great weekend with them cars driving about 280 miles. I think the interest is waining for cruising but I think I'm beginning to like cruising better than shows....we'll see!

Time flies when....

Friday night at VA BBQ....We rolled in around 5PM and there were 7 cars already there! We parked and set up but decided to go into VA BBQ and get some vittles....and take advantage of the A/C! It was so very hot and humid! More people drifted inside and soon the place was filling up with people eating and talking....and not sweating! The Princess whines so much when she sweats! She even has a battery powered fan she takes with her everywhere, she says Princesses are not supposed to sweat! We stayed inside for 1 1/2 hrs! When we went back out to the cars the sun was down enough that we could feel a difference in the heat! Nice! Anyway I sat down behind the RedRat and people started coming over and talking with me....at one point I was talking to one person and two were waiting in line! Gee I feel popular, maybe I owe them money?....hehehe The conversations were sometimes intense and mostly about cars and family. Two of my favorite 3 subjects! The conversations kept coming and I lost track of time and space and kinda snapped out of the conversations when I noticed Jim & Linda packing up! Huh....I missed the whole cruise deal, I didn't take one picture, the whole night happened without me! All I did was sit and talk about cars! I thought I missed everything....but maybe I was part of the most important part of the evening....the personal connection of friends relating their life's experiences with each other? It was different!

After we packed up we did a little cruising. We had heard of a 'Mustang deal' at the old 5Ndiner in Central Park....so we cruised over there to check it out. Sure enough part of the old 5Ndiner parking lot was blocked off with little cones and 'Mustangs only' signs and there were about 20 or so Mustangs there! I liked the 5Ndiner cruise on Sat that we used to attend....the venue is just right. Maybe the Mustangs will be successful enough on Friday and maybe we could do a Sunday afternoon/evening cruise with hot rods?....could be? We'll see....