wherewereyouin62

Got Toys....Hmmmmmm?

2011-12-19T15:53:00.011-05:00

Dan started planning this year’s Toys For Tots event on September 11 while we attended the Herndon show. He called it the 2nd Annual Santa’s Helpers Run….a clever pseudonym for Toys For Tots. Last year it worked out well by using the Toys For Tots drop off point inside the USMC Museum as the destination for the run. The restaurant we began the event at last year was not available this year so we decided to begin at the Bob Evans restaurant in Stafford, VA. Saturday morning around 10:30 the special vehicles started to congregate in Stafford Marketplace. We found that the Saturday staff at Bob Evans had not been alerted to our arrival and we would have to wait….this wouldn’t work. The manager of the Chili’s next door came out and admired the cars and said he would be glad to accommodate us! So all but 4 people started the day at Chili’s! Some other people were eating in Fredericksburg and would hook up with our group at 12:30 to cruise up the road.

Since our new ride came Friday evening about 7PM this would be the first time out for the Chebby. As you know I name most of my vehicles….Christine, Mr. Smoothe, RedRat, Princessmobile….but what should we name the new ride we bought on HotRodHotLine? A rodder emailed me about the articles I write for HorRodHotLine and said the truck looked like a torpedo….hmmmm. So thanks to Gary in the yonder place of the Pacific Northwest (you know who you are, grin) I have named our ’49 Chebby…. The Cruise Missile. It will be our cruiser…. large enough to haul all the support stuff we seem to need and still have room for the Princess to bring home stuff that she finds during our travels. She always manages to find something that she has been looking for all her life and can’t exist another day without it! She also said that now she didn’t have to ask Garland or Jim to haul mulch or gravel if I she needs to! hehehehe It will eventually be a missile too….that will evolve….stay tuned. We had a good mix of cruisers that joined the day’s festivities from new Camaros, Mustangs, and Challengers to a Model T and most everything in between. Dom & Patty had the Model T Christmas camouflaged, I think all that foliage messed up the aerodynamics of the Ford and it would only travel about 36 mph. And Ron & Jean had their 28 Dodge dressed up like a reindeer (during hunting season?) And to keep us on the straight and narrow, three Stafford County Sherriff’s deputies had volunteered to herd our group to the destination….they didn’t know what they were in for. Bill (one of the previously mentioned uniformed officers) had a drivers meeting with the group then formed everyone up and headed north. The group from the south arrived just in time to run with us!

I left the restaurant about a half hour before they did to get to the museum in time to set up for the video shot as the group came in. I set up by the flagpole to get the sun where I wanted it; even though it was a cloudy day I learned from last year’s event that position would be critical. So I waited….and waited….outside in the blustery cold. I think it was about minus 328 degrees. ….I think I saw little tongue prints on the flagpole…. And the frigid wind was relentlessly blowing but I found shelter behind the flag pole….yeah right. The Ford Lightning’s of Steve and his son, Stevie, were the second cruisers to park at the museum along with the red Mustang that came first. My hands were so cold from waiting about 45 min. that I couldn’t feel the camera shutter release and I didn’t press the button down all the way while taking the Lightning’s….bummer. The rest of the video worked out.

We all parked and milled around a little then Dom called us together for the ‘group’ picture….with Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus! This couple lives in our area and they ARE Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus….check the pictures. The Princess was talking with Santa about something….I think it was about his naughty list….I heard her say something that sounded like, ‘Oh that was another Princess, not her!? Then I think I heard something like…. WHATEVER, she said that she had her own jolly round man anyway? I hope she doesn’t get coal again this year….

We all moseyed inside the Museum to deposit the toys. The Toys For Tots people had to make three trips from the drop off point inside to the waiting truck outside with the toys we brought! I think Dave had to make two trips to his Goat to get all the toys in the trunk. Check out the pictures. They said we would make Christmas better for a lot of kids this year….that’s what it is about! Some of the less harmonically challenged in the group performed some impromptu Christmas caroling….like a flash mob….it was too cool. They caught me off guard and I only got to video the last song….I’ll be ready next year. Some had never been to the museum before so they toured the exhibits. I love places like this….but the USMC Museum just reeks of the history of the Corps. I think every American needs to take a walk through this place….they just might be a little more appreciative of our Country and those that have committed to defend it for us.

Some had to leave and some lingered for a while but eventually all 35 vehicles disappeared from the parking lot….another event done…. another year done….a fitting end to a great year for us and for the hobby. We are planning more cruises for next year; we hope you can find time to join us for some of the adventures.

Don't forget to check out the video at;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX-mQ1dIkOc

Merry Christmas and a better New Year
Chuck & Linda
The Slacker & The Princess

Come ride with me....

2011-11-27T15:18:00.006-05:00

Hmmmm that Queen song “Another one bites the dust” comes to mind as I craft this report. Some of you know that when I’m responsible for an event I rarely enjoy the event itself….I’m too focused on execution to be distracted with enjoying the deal….I just want it to go smoothly and as advertised! When an event like the third annual Over The River And Through The Woods Run is unfolding so many things can go awry…..and I have to be ready with ‘plan B, C, D, E….' The Princess and I fret over the deal for a couple months; we have run the route twice to make sure of the turns and condition of the road. We have to inspect the pit stop and make sure the ingress and egress is adequate for 10 or 60 cars. We have to contact the stops a few times after the initial contact to ‘make sure everything is still OK?’ But the payoff is the acknowledgements we get from the participants that they enjoyed their day driving around the Virginia countryside in their special cars. To me the stops are a bonus...I just like to drive….

Saturday we gathered at WAWA around 7AM to stage for the run. I want to acknowledge a couple cruisers that left the WAWA along with the usual suspects; Ron Clark cruised about 70 miles in his red Ford 5 window coupe from Richmond to Stafford to run with us….and Mac & Carolyn cruised 25 miles from Spotsylvania, VA in their red early Mustang to run with us….hard core! The red cars don’t mind traveling….is there something to that? Hmmmm…. Our little group of 6 special cars left WAWA at 7:30 and cruised the 31 miles to the event starting point, Burger King in Manassas, by the Regional Airport.

Some of the Bull Run Cruisers were already waiting for us at BK when we arrived and other cruisers started showing up quickly including Wyatt and his DeLorean….running 75 miles from Annapolis, MD! A few from Prince William Cruisers arrived and at 9AM we formed up to leave. But….but….the Princess. The Princess is so needy; she had locked herself in the bathroom stall inside BK! You know she is so not mechanically inclined. You should hear the unPrincess language she uses when the TV remote won’t do her bidding! She was wailing for help (or attention, you have to ask me!) and the other ladies that were in the restroom with her were unable to render assistance quick enough….they were all laughing too much to see clearly. They know…. So they finally released the Princess from her powder room prison and we all had to hear the recount of her misery till she got to the Princessmobile….you have no idea.

Twenty three special cars rumbled out toward Gainesville, VA….where we picked up a group of Culpeper Cruisers that cruised the rest of the way with us. We cruised on many lesser used roads to include Rt. 601, Blue Ridge Mountain Rd. This road was a favorite haunt of the Princess and I when we rode the Harley….it is on a mountain ridge and the trees are very mature which translates to a very cool (temperature wise) ride in the scorching summer heat. It is also where Mt. Weather is….a very secret Government place, now taken over by Homeland Security….shhhhh….if you stop near the gate, sometimes very unhappy people with guns start walking towards you….not a friendly place! So we just slow down and tickle the loud pedal a little and keep motoring on. We are not normally ornery like that….maybe that's why the black helicopters hover around our home? hehehehe

We arrived at Sheets gas station near Boyce, VA which was the appointed pit stop. Some other cruisers were waiting there for us to add to our group that was to travel on to White Post….they missed some very nice country cruising. After we emptied bladders and filled tanks we cruised on to the first destination of the day….White Post Restorations in, where else, White Post, VA!

The Princess and I had visited the shop in the summer to see if we could make it our fall cruise destination. The gentleman I talked to, Billy, said it was ok with him but he would leave a message for his son, Billy Ray. He said something about he would like to help us but he would be climbing down a tree stand about the time we arrived so his son would have be the one to herd us around. For those of you that live somewhere else this response might seem unusual but around here deer season is treated like a national holiday that demands near complete participation by all that know which end of a rifle the noise comes out of. I learned that many years ago. When we moved from SoCal in ’73, I was working for a home builder that was from the left coast and after Thanksgiving all of our framers and trim carpenters were gone….all of them! They would come back in a week and would not understand why we didn’t understand about deer season! The job would grind to a stop every year…. So knowing that, I fully understood Billy’s response and just asked him to please pass the message on to his son Billy Ray….which he did.

White Post Restorations is a 3rd generation family owned and operated, world renowned, premier restoration shop. They do everything for a restoration, everything! Their specialty is brake systems and they can remanufacture any system, check out the machine shop in the pictures. Billy Ray was our gracious and knowledgeable host as he led two tours; of about 30 people each, through his shop. He explained some of their processes and gave us a little history of each project they were working on. The whole shop reeked of the nostalgic history of this establishment. The newspaper articles, magazine clippings and pictures pinned to the walls, the old tools and parts displayed on the walls and shelves. This is and has been a no nonsense ‘working’ shop….the kind you would want to make a car for you! Traditional working values are in place here so you won’t be disappointed with their results. Check them out!

So after the tours were over and we thanked our host for spending their Saturday with us, some started to mill around and the Princess started chanting FOOD, FOOD, FOOD and I knew we had to motor on to the next stop before things turned ugly! So we woke up the beasts and 41 vehicles motored out of White Post, most went with us to the Butcher Block Buffet in Stephens City.

We have dined at Butcher Block in the past and have never been disappointed with the quality of the food or service. The manager, Craig, and his staff ensured that we had a sequestered area so we all could be together but separate from the other customers. He also arranged that we could use the neighboring Comfort Inn’s contiguous parking lot if we needed it….we did! It worked out great….and since we had visited Craig in the summer to set up the event; he gave all the cruisers a discount on the meal….what a deal. You have to try Butcher Block Buffet if you are ever near Stephens City, VA. Or make it a destination on one of your cruises. You do drive your vehicle don’t you? We cruised back home and logged 181, fun filled, wave back at the people miles for the day!

So….the event is now in the rear view mirror of The Princess & The Slacker’s memory archive….next year you really need to come out and play with us….that’s what those car keys are for….make your own memories.

Falling Leaves and doughnuts....

2011-11-06T14:38:00.007-05:00

Saturday our small group met at WAWA in N. Stafford and cruised 31 miles to the BK in Manassas, VA to attend the Sometimes Annual, Bull Run Street Rods, Lake Anna Fall Cruise. The club manages this run when their schedule permits and this year it was a welcome diversion from the many shows that are filling up the schedule right before the white stuff starts falling from the sky. We are attending more cruises than we have in past years and that trend may continue for us. I am growing weary that most of the shows are nothing more than events to fill the need of some to have constant praise of their rides in the form of trophies. When I had the RedRat the only trophy I needed/wanted was the key to the ignition! My car is/was my trophy. Just living in a Country that allows me to enjoy this frivolous hobby makes me happy. The shows do fill a social need for me though….the Princess says I am very needy in that area….so we attend a few shows. But I really like to cruise around….taking in God’s wondrous land that he has given us to enjoy and care for. Each season has it’s splendor but fall is the best. It finalizes the hot sweaty summer and the beginning of cool weather and the gift of snow. It also adds a level of excitement when driving with the leaves on the road. Look out….is that a large leaf laying on the road or something else….like a car part or road kill or cinder block or the top of a large hole….it’s all very exciting and requires your attention. But the scenery rolling by the windows is magnificent to behold and now since I have a co-driver, I don’t miss much of the scenery unfolding outside. She is helping me slow down a little and actually see what I’m looking at. I also really don’t need a speedometer, the Princess always reminds me how fast I am going….and….I now have a redheaded cup holder too! It’s all good!

After the second stop, which was for fuel at Dickinson’s store, I got a little befuddled. I wanted to take a video of the group leaving and because of that we were the last ones out. Being last in the lineup is a good thing for us because it gives us a photo opportunity of all the cars while we cruise around. But when we left, the cruisers in front of us, turned left! In the confusion of me folding up into the Princessmobile, strapping in, double locking the door and waking up the mouse….we didn’t know that everyone else turned right! We hadn’t read the route sheet before because we were following the people in front of us. When we realized we were going the wrong way we U turned and headed up the road….those that were in front of us also turned around but didn’t keep up….you know how that Ford of Jimmy’s is. hehehe So we just cruised alone following the map taking in the countryside. Since we were falling way behind, Fred the Pathfinder called to check on us but we told them we were enroute and would be there soon. Then we got a call from Jimmy telling us he and the Olds were lost! I don’t think Jimmy actually said they were lost but he didn’t know where he was or how to get where he wanted to be! Hehehehehe We went back to find them and when we hooked up I took us all on a direct route to the next stop, Ally’s restaurant. I think Jimmy wanted to get lost….he put something under the tonneau cover of his Ranchero at Dickinson’s that looked suspiciously like a box of doughnuts….and I think he doesn’t like to share much. What happens when you’re lost stays lost!....grin When we cruised into Ally’s parking lot everyone else was there, including the Olds? It was the lunch stop so there was much conversation about the route we took to get there and why Jimmy had what looked like glazed doughnut parts in his moustache! I learned a good lesson….always take my own map & GPS and carry doughnuts….always!

After the meal & fellowship some continued the cruise around lake, some went to a local winery and some of us decided to call it a day….we cruised 46 miles home. A truly magnificent day on the road, driving around for 165 miles while giving people something to wave at….I love this hobby.

Check the video link; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUtohT-Bfzc

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

2011-10-25T17:42:00.013-04:00

Our little band of cruisers left Stafford, VA on Saturday to attend the annual Hoppers Auto Club, Fall Halloween Auto Show in Stephens City, VA. It’s an 83 mile cruise so we decided to run up the day before the show and motel overnight so we would not be so tired the day of the show. Dan & Ramona did that last year and it seemed to work out just fine. Dan reserved rooms about ½ a block away from the event….a really cool idea. We checked in then walked to one of the nearby restaurants for dinner….then back to the motel’s front porch and a few hours of conversation while we enjoyed the cool evening.

Sunday morning, after breakfast we started to leave and found that the hot rods had developed a glacial crust on them….frost! That was weird since they all usually live inside a garage! After scraping off the frost (yeah right!), we moseyed over to the event where Dan picked out a primo spot with grass adjacent to the asphalt parking lot. That’s one of the downsides of staying in a motel, you carry a lot of support stuff that can’t be left in the car during the show….we needed a lot of extra room and Dan found it! We have attended this show three times but family conflicts prevented us from attending last year’s event. Those pesky grandchildren….I mean how many times do we have to have a birthday party for the munchkins anyway. I figure one sometime before they are 18 and that ought to do it….I know I know, Hallmark has my picture with a red slash mark across it by their cash register…. As soon as we were about set up Fred & Debie and Tony drove in….we scrunched our cars together a little closer so they could fit in with us. It’s good to see others from Stafford venture out to other events….especially these cruisers….they make the banter a lot more fun!

The Hoppers Auto Club has been around since 1959 and they do know how to run a show like an atomic clock! The registration process was a little tense for me….till I was directed to a door with the very large red sign that said “REGISTRATION”….who would have thought of a sign? I always go to the canopy near the DJ and give them my money….not here….it was way too sophisticated for me….grin And the fee was $10….when was the last time you attended a show for $10? The DJ, Fred C., took care of the announcements and music all day….always playing genre appropriate tunes. Usually the food at car shows is not….too….fancy. Some is just shy of a science project but still mostly edible. But the vendor at this show had really good food. You can always tell because so many people revisited the vendor for seconds and beyond….even the Princess went up twice!

Let’s get in my way-back machine and see what’s going on at Fontana Drag City in the early 60’s when J&M Speed Center was racing their red '62 Chevy. We could usually always find a little more horsepower but getting it on the strip was the dilemma. The rear tire selection was limited to about 7” wide recap slicks and when we found the HP it went up in smoke! So some started setting up the cars with the front up in the air….a lot up in the air. The theory was that more weight would be on the back tires when they launched the car. Some physics magic about moment arms times thrust conversion over the reticulated dingle arm would propel the car like a moon rocket!? This is where the Altered Wheel Base cars came from that morphed into Funny Cars. Anyway some racers got the bright idea that since it was the amount of weight transferring to the back tires if you had more weight to begin with it would be better. So….a station wagon or panel delivery had lots more weight over the back half of the car….hmmm So we started seeing the large, boxy race cars actually doing well. It’s rare to see one of the old wagon race cars complete with the fender well headers, straight front axle with 10 spokes, white wall cheater slicks with spun aluminum discs and the front jacked up to the nosebleed seats….but here we were treated to two of the dinosaurs that wouldn’t die! AND both of them ’57 Chevys to boot. There were many other throwbacks from our drag racing roots on display.... which is always something good to see. Another unusal car was the stock blue '64 Studebaker Daytona R2, with the Paxton blower! You have to check out the pictures.

The judging is by participant voting. This usually ends up with whoever brings the most friends wins….not here! You had to vote for your favorite 30 vehicles out of the 156 registered entrants….yes 30. That evens out the friends deal….unless you bring 30 friends….hmmmm….that could work! This event is always attended by a high percent of Mopars, so if you worship at the Pentstar you will like this event. This is another one of the 5 shows each year that we try to attend….and so should you!

Since it’s a Halloween show a lot of the entrants decorated their vehicles….which was different. Most of the time owners go apoplectic if anyone gets near their vehicle but Sunday they draped all manner of things across their rides….and gave away treats to anyone that got near their vehicle! You have to check out the pictures. The club wound up the event around 3:30….the Princess won a top 30 plaque….I hope that satisfies her till March!? It was fun watching the cars leave on Rt. 11….I always liked to tickle the loud pedal on the RedRat when I left….the Princessmobile just makes little mouse noises….chuckle The cruise back home was uneventful, the day was superb and all enjoyed running the Virginia roads…. giving people something to wave at. I love this hobby!

Cookies 1, Slacker 0

2011-10-16T20:09:00.008-04:00

Friday evening we cruised to the BK in N. Stafford and about 5 cars showed up! I think that ends the season for us….it’s just too cold to sit in the parking lot….we’ll wait for spring to start enjoying that cruise again.

Saturday we met with Ron and cruised 37 miles to Bowling Green, VA and their 17th Annual Harvest Festival, Car & Truck Show. This was to be the 6th time we have attended the event and we have always enjoyed ourselves. The event draws participants from Maryland and Virginia so the mix of vehicles is always diverse. This year there were about 170 cars registered and of those about 160 were very high quality cars. And most of the entrants drove their vehicles from home….not many trailers except for the few race cars! There were too many very nice cars to pick from and I’m sure the judges had their hands full trying to decide which ones were the best! There were 8 ’55 Chevys that ranged from bone stock to highly modified….I liked the black over red one the best! Then the red ‘32 Ford stake body PU and the red flip front early 50’s Ford PU was perfect. And the red ’33 Ford highboy tub with the rumble seat….how many of those have you seen around? There were two ’54 Chevys….a near bone stock black & white and a custom two tone green one….you choose! I also liked the blue ’34 Ford PU and Mr. O’Neale’s ’30 Sedan Delivery. I don’t usually comment on the Best of Show winners but the green ’69 Plymouth Road Runner seems to be running the board at shows around here! If the owner wasn’t such a nice guy I would say it’s getting monotonous….but this car is the best example of a ’69 RR I have seen, check it out. The event also had a display of antique farm tractors and stationary engines that always attracts a lot of attention. I could give almost all the cars a shout out but you have to check out the pictures of the event and decide for yourself.

This is a “Town” event….the Main Street is secured for show vehicles and all kinds of vendors, especially food vendors. Like cookies, crab cakes, cookies, cotton candy, cookies, BBQ, cookies, curly fries, cookies, Oriental food, cookies, kettle corn and the Church Ladies were selling homemade pies, cakes, candy and believe it or not cookies too! Everyone within 50 miles knows this event is like a carnival without the rides! A lot of spectators walk through the display, sometimes it’s shoulder to shoulder! Which makes it difficult to get clear, sun in the correct position, people free pictures of each vehicle….I had to wait a while at each vehicle for a clear shot….it took me about 4 hrs to take the pictures of 170 vehicles! Way too long….but that is what these kinds of events are….it’s all good.

The event is run with the precision of an English subway (tube) and everything happens on time….which is good for those that want to move on after the show is over. I don’t attend the award ceremonies but the Princess usually does….but this time she was sitting in her “Princess” chair enjoying a homemade peach pie and missed the award announcement while she was munching out! Luckily Ron was near the award ceremony and he picked up the Princesses top 21 award! Thanks Ron….there would be wailing and gnashing of teeth if she ever found out she missed a trophy….you have no idea!

We packed up and headed for the last cruise of the year in Orange, VA at the BK on Rt. 15. It was 65 miles of scenic Virginia country roads to take in but along the way I started feeling a little queasy…. It couldn’t be the 73 oatmeal cookies I ate at Bowling Green…..could it? The closer we got to Orange the sicker I became. I didn’t know what was going to happen but I knew it wouldn’t’ end well! So when we arrived we sat awhile in the Princessmobile but my condition was going downhill….I told DJ Ron we had to go home. I knew the Orange County Cruisers had planned a great evening of games for all….I really wanted to stay for the event. A lot of people were dressing up themselves and their rides in their Halloween best….it was going to be a night to remember but we decided it was better if we leave. So we cruised 58 miles home…. It was a wimpy end for a great day driving Mrs. Daisy around in the Princessmobile.

Hot Wire Man and other Heros....

2011-10-10T19:50:00.006-04:00

Friday evening we met some friends at the Burger King in N. Stafford, VA for the weekly cruise. We had 16 special cars show up and a number of spectators walking through the mix asking questions about the cars. The Princess and I left about 8:30 because we had a long day in the morning….very long.

Saturday Andrew met us at our home and our two cars began the trek to the Culpeper Regional Airport’s, 12th annual AirFest….in the dark, 5:40AM Along the way we met Dan & Ramona then we all cruised on….in the dark….in the fog….in deer mating season….did I mention it was dark & foggy? The headlights on the Princessmobile are 10” ’34 Ford Commercial units. They are larger than the standard 7” headlights but they don’t throw much of a beam….they are really bright but the brightness ends about 25’ in front of the car. When I drove the RedRat the headlights were like laser beams and since she always followed me I never worried about the headlights on her car….now I need to worry! The country roads we travel don’t always have centerlines ….or ….sidelines. So when it’s dark and foggy I almost have to drive by feel letting the bumpiness of the car as it goes off the edge of the road tell me to turn left a little….not a friendly feeling. We started seeing dead deer carcasses on the side of the road too, about 438 of them. But we have to preserver on to the event; we are in charge so we can’t let a little thing like not being able to see the road slow us down!? And besides dodging the deer is like playing a video game….except for the Princess screaming things like “where are the hunters when you need them?” and “Bambi had it coming”. Then she muttered something about why the deer didn’t use their crossings, the yellow signs with the running deer silhouette, that way we would know where to watch out for them? I need my own car! About the time we were half way to the event another group left N. Stafford for the same destination….in the dark, fog, deer mating season and all that previously detailed excitement. That group was led by Fred and assisted by Ron. They put the original Ford Model T between them so the group was paced to the speed of the Model T. Like anyone could go fast in the dark, fog, deer mating season and it was cold for an open car too!

Our group arrived at the airport before sunup and Matt’s sinister black 38 Pontiac was already waiting in the parking lot! We worked out some details of the display while we waited for the rest of the thundering herds to descend upon us. Andrew would be out on Beverly Ford Rd. to sort out the display vehicles from the spectator vehicles then direct the display vehicles to me in the parking lot. I would explain to the owners how we wanted them parked then direct them to Dan who was in the display field. Dan would park the vehicles to get the most exposure for the vehicles and at the same time ensure there was adequate distance between vehicles so the spectators could maneuver without impacting the display vehicles. He wanted to also have enough room for those that may want to erect a canopy. This year we had a treat for the spectators in Ron’s Alcohol dragster. This vehicle was very popular with the spectators all day! Soon the rest of the display group started rolling in and we ran around, waving our arms and somehow got everyone in their place by 8:30….whew. Some of the ladies huddled under Fred & Debie’s canopy most of the day….talking and laughing to the point that Fred had to leave the area before his head exploded….with that many ladies all talking at the same time it gets real scary….and I think they have mastered talking while they breathe? It’s like 5 chain saws running at the same time! It’s nonstop….it’s amazing….it’s other worldly….us mere men do not stand a chance.

Our display is meant to be an addition to the total day’s event and not to be a distraction from the airshow. The participants are picked so we have a diverse group of vehicles to show the spectators and that the owners enjoy talking about their vehicles. We feel that aviation and automobile interests are intertwined and can be enjoyed together….so the airport has allowed us to set up this display for three years now! We also use this event for Prince William Cruisers to present Ray & Terry with the donations they have collected during the year for Wounded Warrior Project. This year the Cruisers gave Ray & Terry a check for $5100! There was also another $600 collected for WWP at the event….what a day for WWP!

The day was perfect, weather wise, and program unfolded with mechanical certainty. Tanya, the Airport manager, and her staff made the day seem to roll along perfectly. The vendors were varied and numerous. The restroom facilities were first rate for an event like this. And the flying was superb!

I am a recovering pilot wannabe and washed myself out after 9 hrs. of flight time a long long time ago. My Dad was a fighter pilot in the big war and was intent on helping me follow in his flying shoes…. So when I was 16 he said it was time I quit talking about it and start learning how to fly….so my short introduction to the majestic discipline of flying started. Since I was an Air Force brat, he was going to teach me at the aero club at Minot AFB where he was stationed. He was one of the instructors in the aero club and had a gazillion hours in a lot of different airplanes, (P-51, F-80, F-84, F-86 to name a few). So after many hrs. of ground school, at home, it was time to learn how to be a birdman. It was winter and the airplane we used was a Cesena 140. We had to have two Herman Nelson heaters to go flying, one to heat up the engine and one to heat up the cockpit! And I had to prop the engine to start it….on PSP….in the snow & ice….yeah flying was going to be fun!? So off we went but I soon discovered that I couldn’t keep from looking at the ground as we flew around, it was so interesting to me to investigate the different perspective of our earthbound environs. Dad had to keep telling me to watch out for other airplanes and watch the horizon and the gauges and our location over the ground and too many other things more important than looking at the wondrous landscape unfolding under me. I wasn’t a good student…. This was in 1960 and I guess not much was really understood about Clear Air Turbulence…. The runway we used was the active runway for the base….which had B-52G’s and F-106’s using the same runway. I guess they are great generators of CAT? After I had about 9hrs of instruction my Dad was nudging me to think about soloing soon. I was set up for landing and we were on final, about 100’ in the air and all of a sudden the airplane shook and jumped around and when the disturbance was over the airplane was pointing almost perpendicular to the runway and we were still losing altitude. My Dad kicked the little 140 around and landed….I was frozen….I got out and told him that was enough for me…..and I have been a ground grabber ever since. I still love airplanes but I have no interest in flying them myself but I do have a great appreciation and respect for those that embrace all the nuances of flight, they are truly masters of their realm.

The flying demonstrations of the day were perfect and the formation flying was very impressive. But most of the spectators, including us, were waiting for Art Nall and his flight demonstration in the only civilian owned Harrier in the world! If you have never seen a Harrier fly you are truly missing something in your life. The first time I saw a Harrier was in the early ‘60s at Edwards AFB. It was called the P-1127 Kestrel then and was being tested to see if it would fit our Country’s needs. The announcer told everyone that off in the distance was the new VTOL airplane being tested at Edwards and that it was going to give us a demonstration of its flying prowess to include a vertical takeoff. It was a hot day in the desert and the little airplane whistled and moaned then bounced from one wheel to another but couldn’t get airborne! It made a lot of noise and black smoke but just taxied around a while then went back into a hanger…. But now the little screamer is a proven piece of battle hardware that in the capable hands of its pilots is a force to be reckoned with. And this is the only time anyone gets to see one outside of a Military airshow….it’s a real treat. After the Harrier flew the crowd started to leave….a fitting end of a really great day at the airport.

We all broke camp and started to cruise to N. Stafford but one of our group had a little problem firing up his ride….but have no fear….hot wire man is here! It took one guy to figure out how to start it, one guy to corroborate the fix, one guy to donate the wire and the rest of us walking around looking serious with deeply furrowed brow and pointing authoritatively to the engine compartment while we muttered things like….12v, 7 1/16, terminal end, ballast resistor, flooded, linkage lockage, secondary wire and other phrases better left out of a family dissertation. But the beast finally relinquished its stubborn grip on silence and roared to life….so with one of hot rodding’s little annoyances behind us we all jumped in our cars to leave only to find out another vehicle was being stubborn….but hot wire man to the rescue again and that one was fixed too….THEN we really did begin our cruise back home.

When we arrived at Bruster’s in N. Stafford the year end “Blow Out” show was in progress so we parked out on the outer perimeter parking area then walked to Sam’s Restaurant for dinner. We met with Steve & Sally from the Prince William Cruisers who joined our group to share a meal. We all enjoyed each other’s company while time marched on and by the time we got back to the show it was almost over! Oh well….another fun filled day with friends and hot rods….what’s not to like?

Be sure to check out the pictures and video at;
http://rides.webshots.com/album/581454841Bdxmvj
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaLtqbIf8cQ

Here comes winter

2011-10-03T14:54:00.005-04:00

Friday we cruised to BK in N. Stafford and enjoyed a pleasant evening with friends. There were about 12 cars in the parking lot when we went inside to grab a burger. This year the seasons around here changed from summer to fall on September 23rd at 5:05AM EDT then to winter on September 23rd at 7:15AM EDT. It now gets in the high 40’s when the sun goes down. That makes sitting outside in lawn chairs not really relaxing and fun but rather a test of controlling your trembling body parts while you try to talk normally. Your hand gets so cold that when someone gives you a cup of coffee you don’t know it’s burning your hand until you start asking if someone is barbequing close by! So….the Princess informed me that unless the temperature was more to her liking, she would not need her chair taken out of the coupe for a while!? I told her to be careful because she would have a lot of trouble getting up and down from the curb….I thought it was funny….apparently the correct comment was that I would find a heated chair for her….and the beat goes on….

Saturday I got up and checked the weather outside at 5:00 AM….a little cool but no rain….so I began getting everything ready to go to the tenth annual Christ Episcopal Church show in Spotsylvania, VA. At 6:15 the driveway was wet! The weatherguessers were showing rain around us and more coming from the south west. So I called the cruisers that expressed an interest in going with us at the Friday night cruise and we decided to wait till 9 AM to cruise to the event. The ground might still be wet but the show was still “on” so we would see how the morning unfolded.

Ron met us at WAWA and we all cruised the 35 miles to the event. We parked on asphalt and set up for the day. There were about 75 cars in attendance which is less than previous years…..no doubt because of the rain. But there were still some nice cars that did venture out. An unusual vehicle was the red ’58 GMC coe….not many of these around. The yellow ’56 Chevy pickup was a nice ride too. Almost all the rest are vehicles were ones that we see at most shows and cruises so no surprises to write about.

When I have written about this show in the past I always mention the raucous cannon firing. The noise is very loud and never at any consistent interval….and it is rarely announced when it will be fired. So to say that it startles everyone within a mile or so is being way too kind. I guess I have gotten a little numb to the concussion it makes as it really wasn’t bothering me like it has done before. But I decided to wander around and find out what was making everyone jumpy. The noise came from a Civil War re-enactment group that had set up a Confederate “camp” next to the show. They had a ‘Mountain’ cannon that they shot, without a projectile, every so often….the man I talked to said they shot it at regular intervals but I don’t think so. I was going to enlighten him about what “regular intervals” meant to the rest of the world but then thought better of my emotional response….after all he did have a bigger gun! And off in the distance four of his friends were coming back to their camp! So I told him to have a nice day and strolled back to the safety of the cars….

This show is a collaborative endeavor in that the Prince William Cruisers assist with part of the workforce behind the scenes. Roger guides the church members that assist. They have quilt raffles, food sales, vendor items and generally make the execution of this show very seamless. The judging was done quickly and they began giving the awards out a little early. Since this is the last show the church is putting on….it made it special just to be there. We packed up and cruised back to N. Stafford and home. We were going to attend the Bruster’s cruise after the show but the cold had taken a toll on us….we would need the warmth of our fireplace and much rest for the next day. We are to leave at O dark thirty for PA to visit our youngest daughter and her family, and then return home the same day!

A good day for the troops

2011-09-20T09:51:00.009-04:00

As I have written before, Friday afternoon/evening traffic around here is tedious at best and becoming impassable as a norm. We had always tried to work our way to Fredericksburg and the cruise at VA BBQ. Sometimes we would have to go over 22 miles to get to the cruise that was 15 miles away! We have enjoyed that cruise for 7 years and encourage anyone living south of Stafford to continue patronizing that cruise. The host club, Fredericksburg Classic and Muscle Car Club, does a lot of good for the surrounding community through the various charities they support. They usually have at least 50 cars every Friday night and sometimes it climbs to 90+.

But for us we will be supporting the cruise at Burger King in N. Stafford, VA. This cruise began sometime earlier this year by Jim & Garland. They have fewer than 10 cars attending most of the time although last Friday there was 16 vehicles and 2 very old Triumph motorcycles! The event is low key, laid back and very friendly. No music or trophies….just socializing with people of like interests. There are some spectators that wander through the cruise and we get to share our hobby with them. And the food at BK is more to my liking. The personality of the cruise is like a flashback….some people cruise in and stay and some cruise in, walk around and talk a while then they leave to cruise somewhere else! That’s the way cruising was back in the day….I know….I was there! I think this can grow into something cool for N. Stafford. There are about 35 parking spaces so if you are interested try to get there early….around 4PM.

Saturday we were planning on cruising to Mechanicsville, VA and the weekly cruise at Brunetti’s….but there was that wet stuff falling out of the sky at the destination so we opted to attend the cruise at Bruster’s in N. Stafford. I think the turnout was at Bruster’s because of the rain that was all around but not here. There were about 30 cars in attendance and the one I liked the best is Bill’s ’23 Ford Model T Speedster. Now there is a contradiction in terms….Model T & Speedster! The car is very cool and looks like a blast to ride/drive….I know the puppies seem to think so! I don’t remember seeing the red & black late model Mustang before, it’s a distinctive look that is not to be ignored. Then one of Stafford’s finest cruised through with their new Dodge Charger….some said he came from the Mopar show in Culpeper where he won a trophy for the most effective use of external lighting!? OH YEAH those flashing blue lights will get your attention …. don’t ask me how I know. I have been working on the Princessmobile II, her red ’94 Mustang GT, and when we attend shows or cruises that are close to home we take both cars….something about doubling her odds for a trophy with two cars!? HUH? The car is OK but it is a 5’ car….it is showing its age as a daily driver for 17 years and 80K miles. But it is a good representative of the evolution to the “new” body style Mustang from the Fox body. The evening was cold but we endured till 8:30….the Princess gets so animated when she starts whining about things….like the cold. I have found after 46 years of marriage it is always much better and quieter to just do what she wants….you have no idea.

Sunday, Dan & Ramona and the Princess & I cruised to Occoquan, VA and the Prince William Cruisers show at the Occoquan Regional Park. This is the second show that PWC put on this year at this venue and the proceeds are to go to Wounded Warrior Project. The four of us like to ‘work’ the show….the Princess & Ramona sell T-Shirts, Dan collects money at the entrance and I help with registration. We feel that our time is well spent for WWP.

This venue always attracts a varied mix of the vehicles and we were not let down on Sunday with the 140 vehicles that registered. This year’s ‘Best of Show’ was also my favorite pick….the orange ’53 Ford PU….it truly was the pick of the litter! I also liked the silver ’70 Ford PU and the ’62 “Old Reliable” clone….imagine 30-35 of these nasty SS & FX cars growling around the pits….nirvana! But the coolest car of the day was Lou & Arlene’s red ’53 Ford ragtop. They came to the show fashionably late and drove right in front of the band & registration booth….what an entrance! They power parked in the front row and set up their display. We all liked their previous ride but this one is over the top! It so looks like them….sometimes the vehicle just fits the owners and this combo nails it….

The food was better at the park and the employees were more cheerful and helpful than previous visits but the bathrooms still have water all over the floor….all the time! The Prince William Cruisers raised $5,160 for Wounded Warrior Project! $5,100 to help our returning warriors. This is the reason we support this club and their efforts.... There are two shows a year at this venue and are both put on by Prince William Cruisers….you need to try to attend one or both, you won’t be disappointed. Check out the video; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvmzuJuczgU

Catching Up

2011-09-12T11:54:00.008-04:00

Friday, August 19th, a few of us gathered for the cruise to Ashland, VA. Dale, Fred and the Princess & I left WAWA and picked up Bill & Linda on Rt. 2 in Fredericksburg then proceeded to Bowling Green and Rt.207. The weatherguessers had forecasted that we might get some rain..And the sky looked ominous but we were still dry after traveling about 25 miles. When we were on Rt. 207, running toward Rt. 1, we ran into some minor sprinkles, nothing to get excited about but by the time we reached Rt. 1 and turned south for Ashland it started to rain….a lot! Dale drives a MG/VW and is topless....so when it rains he gets very wet. He turned around and headed back north, we slowed down….tried to come to a decision about the rain but pressed on for a mile or so. Then the rain started coming down like the monsoons in Arizona! We made a hasty U turn and when we got about 2 miles north the rain stopped….and we met Dale coming south, looking for us! We all decided that to venture south that night would be a really dumb thing to do….so….we decided to do what any self respecting hot rodder would do….we started looking for somewhere to eat! Food always makes the soggy shoes feel a little better…I read that on the internet so it must be true! So we found a really nice Mexican restaurant called The Mexican Restaurant in Cosner’s Corner, VA and ate enough Mexican food to last all weekend….yeah I feel drier now….burp.

So after dinner we all said our goodbyes and each headed home in a little different direction. Fred was following us all the way up I 95. I decelerated for the Rt. 610 off ramp and when I got back on the throttle I heard a loud explosion…really loud, and we were going under an overpass and it seemed to get lighter outside? As we went around the off ramp the car was constantly shuddering and popping? I nursed it around on Rt 610 then to the Target parking lot, popping out the exhaust and shuddering all the way. Each time it popped fire would shoot out the side pipes! Fred, who was following us, said the fire shot out a few feet each side….that must have been something to see! I remember a long, long time ago in a place far far away (Newport Beach, Ca) I would be driving a little English Ford with the near stock 4cyl motor. I had a ‘special’ exhaust system with four zoomies out the passenger side in front of the rear wheels. And if I got over 25-30 mph and turned off the ignition key, coasted a little, then turned the key back on….KABOOM. And fire would shoot out the pipes about 2-3 feet….sometimes setting fire to the acuminated debris by the curb! That sturdy little motor accepted the abuse for a while but eventually it would cost me many quarts of oil to make the trip to the beach and back!

Back to the Target parking lot….Fred and I were trying to determine what was going wrong with the Princessmobile but nothing looked out of place. I had trouble with the HEI module before and thought that might be the problem, but there were a few miles between the parts, my tools and where we were now. And I was still wet, full of Mexican food that was rapidly aerosolizing and tired…So for the first time in 7 years and 35,000 miles I called AAA. Yeah we were going home on a roll back tonight. This is why I like to run with friends, Fred stayed with us through the ordeal and let the Princess ride with him to our home as I rode in the Eddie’s Repair roll back.

I worked on the car for a week, changing the module, cap, rotor, plugs, cleaned the carb, fuel filter, tested the ignition switch and the problem still persisted. A few years ago the Princess had won an MSD billet distributor at the Richmond NSRA event but I didn’t want to use it since the stock HEI unit was working just fine. But now, after all the troubleshooting I had done proved to be hopeless, I decided to change out the old unit with the new unit. So after I changed the unit Dan came over to help me index the distributor and the car now runs better than it did before! A side note that the “new” unit had a bad vacuum can and we had to use the ‘old’ can on the ‘new’ unit….it works just fine!

The next few weeks were tedious for us….The RedRat was taken to Canada, we had an earthquake, hurricane Irene paid us a visit and is seemed to rain almost every weekend but we did venture out a couple times to the Burger King in N. Stafford. We have decided to support the cruise every Friday night we are in town. It is a lot closer to us and the traffic is a breeze to get there. We have about 10-12 cars showing up and we have taken a page out of the PWC Glory Days Friday cruise in that we are setting up our chairs in a circle in one of the parking places. If/when the cruise gets bigger we may have to do something else but for now this works. We have also been attending the Bruster’s cruise more on Saturday evening….but we need to “fix” the meal options in the future and the parking lot lights are not being turned on….it gets really dark….maybe some small bonfires to illuminate the parking lot would work?

Fast forward to Sunday, September 11, 2011. The weather guessers said late afternoon showers….when I opened the garage at 5:15AM the ground was still wet from overnight showers! But we launched anyway and met Jim at WAWA then headed out the back way from Stafford to Herndon, VA and the 10th annual Classic Car Show sponsored by AARP. Along the way we met Dan & Ramona who took the lead to the event since they both attended Herndon HS a long long time ago and knew their way around up in yuppieville….grin

We had attended this event a couple years ago and had decided then that if we were ever going to attend the event again, we would have to park on the street and not in one of the lots. But to ensure that location we would have to get there very early….7AM early after cruising for about an hour from Stafford! After a little friendly persuasion from Dan, the gatekeeper let us park where we wanted to park. We set up and got ready to enjoy a day in the sun.

This event is in the “Town” area of Herndon and the vehicles are parked on the street and in lots all around the area. It is a spectator intense event which means a lot of “non-car” people mingle around and ask questions about your vehicle, we like that concept much better than a car people only event. It is sponsored by Wiygul Automotive Clinic and managed & sponsored by the Dulles Area Chapter of AARP. AARP does a great job with the event. This year they had some roller derby ladies that took the food orders and delivered it to us at the cars! Kinda cool! The Chorus of the Old Dominion was strolling around singing at some of the cars and the beneficiary of the event, GMU School of Nursing, provided blood pressure and sugar level testing. Music was provided by Retro Sounds and there was a group of Swing Dancers giving us demonstrations of their craft.

Since it was the anniversary of the tragedy of 9/11, the event was stopped at 10AM to reflect on and commemorate the date. They had first responders on stage and the Color Guard. They invited Veterans and active duty members of our Military to join the First Responders and one of our group, Jim, joined with the group. There is usually someone in our group that has served our Country….we must never take their service for granted and always acknowledge their service to a grateful Nation. They are the ones that keep the wolves from our door. The ceremony was ended with a long moment of silence while taps was played….very reflective.

The event cranked up again with the music, dancers, roller girls, strolling singers and a hula hoop girl. This girl did things with the hula hoop, while keeping time with the music that was playing, which defied physics….at least MY physics. We ran into many old friends from our past sojourn through this hot rod adventure we are living that we don’t see often enough. The Porta Potties were kept clean and for the more sensitive among us (I don’t know who that would be?) you could go to the Dairy Queen and use their restroom facilities, we always bought something from them anyway.

And we saw many very nice vehicles. One of the early Mustang’s radiator hose blew off as soon as he got parked, see the pictures, but he went on to win an award in the end! There was a 1989 Chrysler TC Maserati…the owner said it was one of three produced in that color! Then I saw a ’57 Merc with factory installed ’58 headlight group, very unusual. The antique Kenworth from the Smoky and the Bandits movie took up a large part of one lot but it was very special and fit in just fine. Then Tim and his friend brought some vintage Army Jeeps to share with us, complete with machine guns! The red ’59 Caddy was long enough to be in two zip codes at the same time and the white ’57 bathtub Porsche was just squeaky clean and tidy. But of the 114 vehicles attending the event, I liked the red & white ’60 Corvette the best….the Princess says she would like one like that….so now she has a hot rod, Mustang GT and she wants a Vette….but Hey, I have my KIA. Is there something wrong with that picture? Like I said those Princesses are very high maintenance, you have no idea….grin

The roller girls and the Swing dancers all seemed to flock around Jim’s PU….is it the color of the truck? Or is it the owner? I’ll let you decide…. We had a great day and will return next year….this is one of the top 3 “must attend” shows around here….if you want to have a day enjoying your vehicle with hundreds of other people you have to put this show on your event calendar.

Deep Breath

2011-09-05T19:28:00.003-04:00

I have been remiss with my story writing….I am distracted.

This blog is not meant to have a political overtone….but…. While this administration has been trying to destroy our Country, it has also been steadily draining our personal resources as well as my motivation to keep going. When I loaded the RedRat on the transport bound for Canada a couple weeks ago it pushed me over the edge. Doing most anything with a hot rod is now a chore. I really have to force myself to endure what has been such a blessing to us for the last 7 years. I am not trolling for sympathy or advice….I just wanted you to know where I’m currently at.

I should be up to my new normal in a couple weeks....

Thanks, chuck

To infinity and beyond....or was that Maine and beyond....

2011-08-18T14:45:00.002-04:00

The Princess and I were sitting around, like old people do, and I asked the Princess where she would like to go for a vacation this year….she said “I want to see a lighthouse”….huh…. A lighthouse? Yes, I never saw one and I want to do that, she said. So I started planning a lighthouse vacation. The following is a brief outline of our weeks adventures….please take the time to look at the pictures we took along the way. But be warned, it will be like looking at “family movies”….you may get bored….just take it in sessions, there are 551 pictures! A lot….we both like to take pictures, most are “documentary” but some are artsy fartsy. The link is; http://family.webshots.com/album/580685325Uhrrfg

I had wanted to visit Maine for years since I thought it should be similar to Newfoundland where I had good memories of living there for a while in the 50’s. After some preliminary planning we decided to visit AAA in Fredericksburg to take advantage of their travel planning expertise. We were in luck because Ben Bell was available to assist us. He made some good suggestions about the route we wanted to take. Then he made the reservations and got the best prices for the accommodations. We had some surprises the last time we used AAA in ’07 but this time everything worked out as advertised, Thanks Ben. After we locked in how we were going to get there I decided to check out what was going on around there when we were there…. The annual Lobster Fest was going to start that Wednesday! WOW! Now the Princess really likes to eat the little crawly sea creatures like crabs & lobster. So this was going to be a great week for eating….burp! I didn’t believe it but by Friday I was tired of eating lobster….really.

We launched Monday, August 1, at 0430 and headed to the Cracker Barrel in Winchester, VA. We then drove via the “northern route” and the Tappan/Zee bridge to Strubridge, MA for overnight. The next day we left for Rockport, ME and The Country Inn on Rt. 1. We stayed here for three days and it was a great place to come home to each night. The staff was helpful, the rooms were perfect and the breakfast was just what we wanted.

We arrived on Tuesday around 2PM and had time to check in, unload then do some local exploring. We tried some of the local fare at the Elm Street Grille for dinner. We had Lobster (what else?) and Maine baked potato. I didn’t know Maine was famous for potatoes? The other two nights we had dinner at The Offshore Restaurant, very good food and fun waitresses. We also “found” one of the local ice cream establishments, Dorman’s Dairy-Dream on Rt. 1 in Thomaston.

Wednesday we struck out to visit some lighthouses and the first one was Owl’s head lighthouse. This was a fun place….a long walk but very rewarding with the scenery. Check the pictures. After we took in this we drove to the Owl’s Head Transportation Museum. Many interesting things there and 80% of the vehicles run including the airplanes! Have you ever seen a 4dr MG or a Model T snowmobile? Check out the pictures.

We left the museum and decided to try a lobster roll at Miller’s Lobster Co for lunch. This place sells lobster to area seafood houses and has a snack area near their wharf, the food was great! Check the pictures please.

The next lighthouse was the Marshall Point Lighthouse. It too was a neat experience, the water is so clear….almost mesmerizing. There was a gentleman inside the home that could answer any questions about the lighthouse and Maine in general. And the lighthouse is famous….remember Forrest Gump? I did and we had to watch the movie again when we got back…. We made our way back to the Offshore Restaurant for dinner then went back to the room for the evening….to plan for the next day.

Thursday we left for Rockland and the annual Lobster festival but first we stopped in at the Maine Lighthouse Museum, it was right outside the entrance to Lobster festival. After cruising the museum we finally entered the Lobster festival….it was a hoot. Like a carnival only nicer. They had crafters, artists, fish vendors, cheese vendors and many other kinds of things to eat. The Princess bought a lobster hat!? Huh….? And walked around the rest of the day with it on….about 10 steps behind me….I do have some standards! Grin After we left the festival we tried to visit one last lighthouse, the Rockland Breakwater lighthouse. But the path out to it was way too long and dangerous looking so we opted to take some pictures instead.

Friday we left in the fog and drove to our room for the night in Newark, DE….a nice stay at the Country Inn & Suites with dinner at Michaels Bar & Grille….great food and just across the street.

Saturday we cranked up the KIA and headed to Richmond….yes Richmond. We wanted to attend the KIA Soul gathering at Pearson KIA in Richmond. This is the first long trip we have taken with the Soul and have found it to be comfortable and fun to make an over the road trek with.

When we arrived at the dealership there were already 7 of the little beasts parked and a few more came later. The dealership was a great host feeding us burgers & hot dogs then mingling with us to talk about our experience with the Soul. I think the service manager, Bobby, drew the short straw because he was the cook….on a very hot day….thanks Bobby! They also acquired a 40’ blow up hamster! Check the pictures. http://rides.webshots.com/album/580693667sMblMp
They also had a 2012 Soul so we could check out what was changed on the new model. We wandered around and checked out the modifications some had made to their Souls and one had made a bigger than life hamster costume….check it out! Since this gathering was an internet based exercise the attendees came from all over….NJ, DE, MD, VA, NY were all represented. It was a hoot and we hope to attend more in the future.

We finally got back home Saturday in the rain….home….our castle in Stafford. It’s always good to be back.

Cranking back up!

2011-08-14T21:58:00.005-04:00

We got back from our Maine vacation last week and finally got the hot rod out this weekend. Going anywhere around here on Friday night is problematic at best….But we met some cruisers in Stafford and snaked around the back roads to Dale City, VA and the Prince William Cruisers weekly cruise near Glory Days. When we arrived there were already some cars parked and the ubiquitous ring of folding chairs near Steve’s ’40 Ford. We unpacked our gear and set up with the group. But before we got settled in Steve started whining about when were we going to eat….so….we trekked to Glory Days and got reacquainted with their menu for the evening. When we rejoined the talking group another 15 cars had come to visit. This cruise is always fun for us because we enjoy the conversation and conversationalists! We stayed till after 11PM….we totally lost track of time catching up with the others….a very pleasant evening.

The black ’66 Chevy Impala with the big block was so very squeaky clean and Bill’s orange Willys is always fun to look over, yeah it’s got a HEMI. Jimmy’s blue ’71 Ranchero is the nastiest sounding Ford around….and it is no stranger to massive amounts of torque either. This is a nice friendly cruise on the back side of Potomac Mills in Dale City, VA so if you are near there on Friday night….stop in and say hey….they always have room for another new friend.

As I said earlier, we just got back from our vacation and were anxious to get back into playing with the hot rod. So Saturday we met some cruisers from Stafford at Bob Evans for breakfast then cruised 22 miles to Spotsylvania and the annual show put on by the Fredericksburg Classic & Muscle Car Club. I never considered checking with the weatherguesser….maybe I should have!? As we were leaving Bob Evans, the rain started….just a little….then when we got on I95 it poured. I figured that we couldn’t get any wetter so we pressed on south. The rain stopped before we got to Fredericksburg so maybe the day was going to unfold well….maybe not.

We have attended this show for a few years and it always is a show that we recommend. I think they had about 150 cars in attendance this year which is about 35 more than last year! WOW….they must be doing something right!? They always have a lot of vendors and this year I think they had about 13. Of course that meant the Princess had a lot of choices to get rid of some of that nasty old money she totes around in her bag that’s the size of Vermont. I had to remind her that since we were both riding in the Princessmobile now, she had to keep her treasure purchases to a minimum. She said that if she wanted something she would just have the vendor UPS it to our home….I’m doomed!

This show always attracts a lot of VW’s because of Pop & Sue’s Baja Bug and I think there were 8 of the little wheezers present. There were some cars we had not seen before like the slammed, peach ’61 big block Chevy and the very cool pearl ’65 Riv….I always like these cars. There were 3 little Cobras among the cars which is unusual for a show of this size. The little white and yellow Metro was very nicely done as was the two tone green ’50 Chevy coupe. There were many “regular” cars that didn’t attend….I guess we know who watches the weather channel!

But the coolest deal at the show was the blue ’54 Chevy PU that belonged to Terri and her husband. It was given to Terri by her dad as a graduation gift and has since been driven all over the Country by Terri & her husband….he is a Marine and travels a little….grin. It was Terri’s 54th birthday on the 13th so they brought their ’54 Chevy and had a birthday party at the show….check out the cake….very cool! That’s what makes this hobby fun and interesting.

Coach did the DJ/announcer deal when the live band, Rt. 66, wasn’t playing. This group plays at most of the shows put on by Prince William Cruisers and they also play other places around Northern Virginia. They are the best….I’m going to shoot some video of them at their next gig during the show in Occoquan on 9-18-2011. Some people come just to watch them and don’t know that cars are here too!

It sprinkled a little right after we got there then cleared up….but around1PM it started to rain….and rain….like Ramona said it was coming down in Biblical proportions! I think there was 459 people huddled under two leaking 8’ canopies. Its funny how many people will come over to talk when the rain starts….chuckle. So we waited for the rain to slow down then broke camp and ran for home. We usually don’t leave a show early but we thought it best to get going before the “real” rain started. Of course when we got 10 miles from the show it stopped. We don’t know how the awards went but the judges had their hands full with the rain. This is a nice show and the proceeds go to needy families in the area….which in our present economy is something that I’m sure is way underfunded.

Be sure to check out the pictures;

http://rides.webshots.com/album/580719920QwhugG
http://rides.webshots.com/album/580716588qBOaNo

A Full Saturday

2011-07-17T23:28:00.005-04:00

Friday evening we met at WAWA and cruised 50 miles to Colonial Beach, VA and the bi monthly cruise hosted by Colonial Beach Cruisers. We have attended this cruise a few times and always had a good experience but Friday was a little different. We arrived around 6PM and parked among the cars already there. Fat Freda’s restaurant is part of the cruise and as always we had dinner there. In the past the food and service was great but Friday the service was very poor. We waited about 1 ½ hrs to get our food! We waited so long for everyone in our group to eat that when we came out of the restaurant it was too dark to photograph the cars! The restaurant sold us our food for ½ off….but it can’t replace a missed opportunity to photograph the cars of Colonial Beach! We had brought a couple new cruisers with us and I don’t think they will be back. And I think we will eat before we get to the cruise next time.

Saturday we met at WAWA then cruised 14 miles to Fredericksburg, VA and Big Daddy Leather’s shop. This motorcycle accessory and biker meeting place is well known around these parts. The store is about ¼ mile from the MOST well know ice cream joint on the planet….Carl’s Ice Cream….but that ‘s a story for another time.

Today we were to participate in the first annual Dawgs for Paws poker run. The Lost Dawgs MC group had set up a poker run primarily for motorcycles but Mike, one of the insiders, had invited hot rodders to join in with the bikers. I liked the concept of riding with kindred spirits again….we sold our last Harley in ’05 after riding for 44 years….so the sound of shifters clunking and the squeak of leather was nothing new to us. I have always said that most bikers are a very intimidating bunch by design and that persona is nurtured by the bikers for the benefit of those not in the “group”. But if you bother to get to know most of them you will find that they are normal people doing something they are very passionate about. The Lost Dawgs MC is no exception. I know some in our group expressed a little apprehension when I floated the idea about running with a group of “bikers” on a poker run. But after spending an afternoon with a great bunch of kindred souls I think their mind has changed. We love our cars like they love their bikes and we all face the same hazards and uncertainties on the road. And we certainly enjoy the same freedom to run. Like I said, Kindred Spirits. And another reason I like to associate with bikers is that most of them have done their time in service to our Country and they are usually very Patriotic and their love of Country is conspicuous.

So our group decided that since Jim & Linda had the GPS we would ask them to lead us on our adventure for the day. The run was about 80 miles, start to finish, which was a nice length. Since the run was to benifit the regional SPCA shelters it made a lot of sense to make the run stops at one of the shelters! What a concept!? The first one was in Caroline County and was open so we could see/hear some of the dogs they had. The second one was in Fredericksburg and was nice new looking building but it was closed so we didn’t get to see any puppies. The third one was in Stafford but the shelter road was impassable for us so we never saw the shelter. The run ended up at Barefoot’s Seafood restaurant in Fredericksburg. The club had stop workers that were very helpful and informative to talk to….you could tell that they were well prepared for the participants. We checked in at the last stop early, around 1PM, so we ate while we waited for the winners to be announced around 3PM. They ran a 50/50 and various silent auctions. They gave out many door prizes….I was hoping I would win one of the bike helmets….so I could use it when I was the rider in the Princessmobile….I didn’t say that! They had music while we waited and free snack bar….have you ever eaten alligator sausage? It’s not bad, no bones but the gator teeth get stuck under my denture! grin One of the highpoints that made the afternoon much more fun was the Emcee….Mike Omeara from the Kirk and Mike Morning Show on 105.9. The guy is a hoot….I didn’t know it was him or I would have asked him to autograph Dan’s Speedo or something….

The club ran a well organized event and in the end they were able to donate $4,451 to the Fredericksburg SPCA shelter….a pretty good day by anyone’s standards! They had 74 vehicles (cars & bikes) with 97 registered participants….not bad for the first time! Of that 74 vehicles only 5 “special” vehicles….5! Not a very good showing for the hot rod community around here….when this event comes around again next year be sure to put it on your calendar, you won’t be disappointed.

After the main part of the event was over for us we cruised 39 miles to Orange, VA and the Orange County Cruisers monthly cruise event at the Burger King on Rt. 15. We have been attending the event for a few years now and it is always a fun and interesting event. DJ Ron keeps the music hopping and the event moving along all night. Yes Ron, I knew it was Marty Robbins singing White Sports Coat….I have most of his tunes on my mp3 player! I’m old remember?

This night the cars kept coming in….it’s difficult to tell exactly how many cars attend because some stay for an hour or so then leave. I think there were about 260 cars by the time we left at 8:30, not a bad night!? Sometimes this cruise has a lot full of pro streets but tonight that was not to be the case….just mostly road cars came to visit. It seemed like the Barracuda owners go the memo, I counted 7 of the little Plymouths. There was a line of 4 traditionally hot rodded 30’s Ford pickups that was very cool; I have seen them grow to 4 during the last 3 years. A white ’55 Chevy Cameo came and parked in the line to add some rarity to the night. But the star was the ’64 Olds Jetfire with the very intricate paint…some of the details hearken back to the ‘60s design schemes but the rest is refreshingly new….kinda new & old at the same time! The choice of the Jetfire is unusual as it was only built for a few years before morphing into the Delmont…. a very interesting car.

About 8:30 we pulled the plug on the cruise and motored home. It was a cool evening and the Princess let me drive! Whoopee….

Batman Returns....kinda

2011-07-10T16:37:00.012-04:00

Saturday our small group left the WAWA in N. Stafford and cruised 32 miles to the Burger King on Rt. 28 in Manassas VA. The Bull Run Street Rods Club has managed a weekly cruise at this location for a lot of years. Years ago this cruise started at Jerry’s Pizza on the corner of Rt. 28 & Manassas Dr. in Manassas Park. Then they moved to Chubby’s restaurant on Rt. 234 across from Prince William Hospital. From there they moved to the present location right off the end of the Manassas Regional Airport’s runway! We have cruised all the locations but years ago it was with our Harley. This cruise always attracts a large crowd and in that crowd we usually find a rarely seen vehicle. This afternoon was to be a real surprise.

We were all sitting behind our cars with the umbrellas blocking the sun, it was hot. The sun was beginning to set so the umbrellas were down low, which meant we couldn’t see the cars as they came into the cruise. We were talking and almost oblivious to the vehicle traffic coming in when the ground shook! It was the black Model A sedan with the killer, 540 inch blown Rat motor. That car is a piece of work and about the neatest, meanest car around. It was almost 5PM and since we were going to leave around 5:30 I decided to get up and take some pictures of the noisy beast! But….when I got out in front of our cars I noticed a crowd gathered around something but it wasn’t the noisy beast? Something had attracted people so thick that I couldn’t see the vehicle. Holy flashback Batman whatever could it be?

The Batmobile! I had seen this car about 4 years ago at a cruise in Centerville, VA….I just noticed it as it was leaving! But now….in all it’s tricky Batmanness here it was again. Robin must have cloaked the owner, I waited a while to talk to him/her and no one knew where they went!? So I just fought my way close enough to take a lot of pictures and had to be satisfied with that. WOW, you have to check out the pics. Then wandering around the lot, I came across a traditionally hot rodded ’40 Ford PU….with a blown flathead! It had a lot of soldered copper in the engine compartment….and a very kool cutout setup. There was a green ’49 MGTC, very sophisticated in a snobbish sort of way. This cruise attracts a lot of blower cars and they started coming in as we were leaving, I guess as the weather got a little cooler they came out on the prowl. Just as we left a neat flat head Harley showed up…. another seldom seen vehicle!

We had picked up a new cruiser, Aaron & his daughter, with a black ’69 Chevy PU at WAWA when we left Stafford earlier in the day. The truck belongs to his buddy, who asked him to drive it around a little before he got back, from Afghanistan. Aaron’s wife, Anita, and their other daughter met him at the cruise in Manassas, then they followed us back to Stafford and the cruise at Bruster’s. We parked the cars way out in the end of the lot and walked to Sam’s Pizza for dinner….when we came back we were surrounded by other cruisers and their cars, and a very large dog! This cruise usually gets 70-90 cars. It’s not like some cruises in that they play music and give out trophies. The winners are picked by the other participants voting…. We stayed till the bitter end to watch the awards then wrapped up the evening. This is a friendly, dependable cruise that should not be missed when you are in N. Stafford, VA on any Saturday evening from April to October.

Birthday for the USA....

2011-07-06T17:20:00.008-04:00

Friday evening our small group; Ron & Jean, Fred, the Princess & I left Stafford, VA and cruised to Fredericksburg to meet up with Bill, another cruiser. We all motored our way the 68 miles to Central Garage in King William, VA and the weekly cruise at the King William High School. We have never attended this cruise and our friend, Larry talked us into checking it out….a good decision.

It was a nice cruise through the rural Virginia countryside to the HS and when we arrived the cruise was in process. I counted 82 cars in the lot with a high percentage of Mopars….why? Maybe it didn’t help that we brought three with us! The only cars we had seen before was Chuck & Cindy’s Chevelles and Bob’s Ford 5w….the rest were new to us! That’s one of the reasons we like to go to out of the way cruises….different cars and people. A car you don’t see much was the red ’60 Edsel but a really rare car was the red ’60 Ford Starliner, with the SB Chevy motor! I had to do a double take then scratch my head….why? I guess that’s what makes hot rodding so neat….everyone has a different idea on what they like to drive….choices. There was also a tricked out blue Chevy Van….Far Out! A couple of copper Corvettes and a very slick dune buggy. But the car that was the best in the lot for me was the black ’34 Ford Sedan, with 5.0 Ford power….a very nice ride.

Jean and the Princess started whining about dinner? Yeah they are high maintenance; we have to feed them now and then. So we asked Chuck & Linda if there was a good eatery close by and they directed us to a Vinny’s about a block away….a great choice. The food was good and the service was fun….our waitress was just as ornery as me and we had a good back and forth all during the meal….fun, ever heard of it? So after the meal we cruised home and put the Princessmobile in the garage about 11:30….it was a long day!

Since I have the RedRat up for sale the Princess and I are sharing her ’33 now. We both drove it years ago but we have had our own cars for the last six years and getting used to one car again is tedious and fun at the same time. We have taken a queue from one of our friends with the blue Vette that cruises with us in that I drive to the event and the Princess drives home….I think it will work? The Princess was a little under the weather Friday so I drove both ways this time. Her car is so different from the RedRat but in some ways better….it has A/C and is much quieter, we don’t have to yell at each other to be heard when we are both in the car! And I can hear her much better….I think that’s a good thing?

Monday, the Fourth of July, we met Fred & Debie at the WAWA in Stafford, VA and cruised 37 miles to the ice cream store in Bealeton then we hooked up with Steve & Sally, Dennis, Tommy and Jimmy & Cindy to cruise to Culpeper, VA and the Renaissance Fourth of July celebration. This is the 12th annual event and we have attended the last two. This event is hosted by the town of Culpeper and is a really big event around here.

This year there was 220 cars registered which was a record. The featured vehicle this year was the air cooled VW….which is near and dear to my heart. I had a ’57 bug that I raced in D/A when we first got married in ‘65. I never won anything but it was a fun car to race….that translates to cheap to race! grin There was a high quality and much varied collection of the little wheezers including the one on a lazy susan that I shot a quick video clip of….a very good representation of the “Peoples Car”. There was a Drum & Fife Corps that marched up Davis St. that I shot a short clip of too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZjiWvde37I

There was a nice collection of motorcycles but I liked the Honda CB750 the best….we bought a new one in 1970 when we lived in Riverside, CA and it was very fast for the time….I think the only stock bike that was faster was the Kawasaki 3cyl 500, that two wheeler was a rocket.

The cars varied from the black ’29 Lincoln original to the near new red, white and blue Corvette. The little red Angila was a killer as was the pink ’59 T-Bird. Donnie’s orange ’62 Chevy wagon had the best graphics in my opinion…. he is a local pinstriper…. ya think!? The red’ 61 Chevy PU with the Cadillac motor was special along with Jim’s black ’31 Ford Delivery. There was a whole bunch of blower cars/trucks and a soap box derby race car….truly something for everyone to enjoy. When I take photos at a car show or cruise I usually take like a documentary deal. I try to take the very best photo I can given the sun conditions and the way the vehicle sets and the position of the crowd or owners. I will wait for as long as five minutes or so to have the people move on so I can get a clear shot…. but…. sometimes the owner will lean against his/her vehicle and will not move away from it. And sometime the crowd will not leave the car quick enough so I can get a shot before the next wave of people get in the picture. This is what happened in Culpeper. The crowd was so massive and the “Best of Show” winner always had a crowd around it. The green ’69 RoadRunner deserved a better photo but I couldn’t get it! Fortunately the car is a regular around here and it can be seen in other shows I have photographed. Please take the time to look at the pictures there were many very nice representations of the car culture in our corner of the world. http://rides.webshots.com/album/580469703ZbeDka

The weather was in and out sunny and very hot….we were glad when it was over. It was a show not to be missed next year! Did I mention that the Princessmobile has A/C?

Riding around in my automobile....

2011-06-28T20:42:00.008-04:00

Friday evening Fred and the Princess & I cruised 62 miles to the Chick-fil-A cruise in Ashland, VA. The cruise is well attended but the bulk of the cars came in a little late because of the heat. The neat black AH 3000 with the small block Chevy was very nicely done and the Hennesy Camaro was intimidating, it looked like it was all business! But the coolest thing I saw was the senior couple playing cards out in front of their ’54 Chevy. I mean they got a table and chairs out (her chair was a rocker!) and sat there playing cards for a few hours while FayRay cranked out the music. Very folksy! One of the organizer hot rodders was wearing a T-shirt that said “WHAT HAPPENS IN THE PARKING LOT STAYS IN THE PARKING LOT!” Too funny! Chick-fil-A gives all the drivers a free sandwich ticket so when our small group from Stafford got hungry we used them for yard bird sandwiches. The Princess and the hostess (another redhead) started talking Princess stuff, like how hard it was to keep us lesser minions in line and other things like that so Fred & I knew it was time to get back in the parking lot! Like Forest’s Mama said,” when someone is hitting you with a stick you need to move your head somewhere else!” This is a very nice cruise, laid back, friendly and easy access right off Rt. 1 in Ashland, VA. Come out and visit when you can….just drive your special car and bring your table, chairs & cards and sit a spell….

Saturday there were a few car deals going on but we decided to stay home. The Princess was going to try and kill some of the plants we bought during the week, did I say that? I really mean that she was going to improve our landscaping around the Shotwell abode….grin And since I didn’t want to help her because the sound of the screaming rhododendrons make me cry, I decided to finish detailing the RedRat’s underneath. I want to get it as perfect as possible before I list it for sale at the end of the month. So after working on it all week, I wanted to check it out to make sure that after all that rubbing everything still worked like it should…. hehehehe So after the Princess hid all the tortured little green bodies in the big plastic trash can, we decided to take both cars out for a little spin to Bruster’s in North Stafford.

This cruise is managed by a small group of dedicated local car enthusiasts that provide an outlet for those of us in the car culture around here. We usually park the cars in the cruise lot then walk across the street to Sam’s Pizza and see how badly we can stretch our stomachs with food….what fun!? Tonight the “we” included Jim & Linda….since Linda is recovering from shoulder surgery and had the use of only one arm….the entertainment level of the meal went up a couple notches. grin The attendance is usually anywhere from 40 to 90 vehicles with a good mix of old and new vehicles. There is always something different that shows up. Tonight there was a white ’39 Olds custom coupe….a very nice build. A very purple ’39 Ford 2dr cruised in and the very much modified black ’38 Pontiac 4dr came by again….this car is so unusual, you have to talk to the owner about the build! Then right near the end of the cruse a black & white ’54 Chevy lead sled came sneaking in….very quiet and very cooool, check out the pictures. We all cruised home very gently when we say some of Stafford’s finest cruising the adjoining streets….like sharks circling around a herd of seals.

Sunday Dan and the Princess & I cruised 24 miles to Occoquan, VA and the Occoquan Regional Park to help work in the Prince William Cruisers, Good Ol’ Days show. This show is one of the “must attend” shows around these parts. It has always attracted a varied mix of vehicles in the four years we have attended and this year was no exception. The club had put up all the tents the day before and when they started to arrive around 7AM they rapidly set up for business because there were 5 cars in line that early!

It is difficult to get a perfect count on the attendees but I think there were 213 registered with 30 more that paid but didn’t register and at least two that didn’t pay or register! By any count it was a good day for all! This show has the potential for 400 vehicles, maybe next year.

The types of vehicles ranged from original antiques, traditional hot rods, rat rods, lowriders, race cars, street rods, muscle cars and trucks. In fact my favorite vehicle was the orange Ford ‘85 F-150. There was a primer grey ‘48 Fiat Topolino sedan delivery, the only one I have ever seen. One rarely sees a Fiat Topolino with fenders; they are usually sitting on multi thousand HP fire breathing fuel motors going very fast. In the 60’s they were fodder for the only real drag racing class…. AA/FA ….a man’s hot rod! ARRRGGH If you have never seen and felt an Awful Awful run, you are missing one of life’s memorable experiences. Donnie brought out his blue ’57 Chevy with the matching travel trailer and Craig displayed his orange, mouse motored Camaro race car that can hold his own at a show or a race track. I also liked the original pink ’62 Studebaker Gran Turismo coupe. A group of lowriders joined the event and added another very complicated discipline to the day’s collection. The paint work on some of these vehicles is very complicated and difficult to execute to the high level that some of the cars exhibited. I thought the most appropriate license plate was on a blue, old Toyota Land Cruiser that was restored….it read “YEN PIT”! I also liked the restored C&P Telephone service truck and the gunmetal grey ’64 Buick Riviera. Do you know that the ’63-’65 Riviera is the only car I know of that has removable door skins? Don’t ask me how I know. There were many other very nice examples of hot rodding in Virginia that made up the collection of vehicles for the day. And another thing I see more is whole families are attending the events....not just the guys or gals but kids too. You can't start too young to appreciate the car culture!

The music group, Route 66, played all day….they are the best group I have heard at a car show for a long time and they play at this show every year. You might consider attending the event just to hear them! The 50/50 was over a thousand dollars so the winner took home a good chunk of change! I think most of the attendees enjoyed the day….some money was made for the clubs charities and the weather was gorgeous all day. If you missed this show you will have another chance to attend an event at this venue on September 18, 2011. The show in September is dedicated to Wounded Warrior Project so try to attend if you can. And just remember if you don’t come out and play in September we will talk about you! grin

The links below are for a movie of most of the entrants leaving and my still pictures….enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/user/502SizeMatters#p/u/3/5Bwp2b5HFxU

http://rides.webshots.com/album/580396364wnTAYY

Watermen Hospitality

2011-06-19T13:27:00.002-04:00

Saturday a small group of hot rodders left the WAWA in Stafford, VA and cruised to Tappahannock, VA for the 8th annual RivahFest. This is another event that we have wanted to attend for a couple years now but something always seemed to come up as more important so we never attended.

Tappahannock is one of the very old communities in Virginia having been established in 1608. The RivahFest event pretty much takes over the town for a day. They have over 300 vendors with everything from candied pecans, carved wooden frogs and most anything else you could imagine. They had games for all ages, two bands playing all the time and over 107 special cars in attendance. And the food….I know most of it wasn’t on the new USDA food plate but in spite of that, or maybe because of that….it was very good. The Princess says the crab cakes are to die for. She says it’s the same vendor that she buys from in October at Thurmont, MD during the ColorFest (another dollar draining event). She took way too much money when Debie & Ramona went shopping shopping with her? I reminded her that we were both in her coupe and we could not carry anything too big (=$) She said not to worry that our friends that came with us were driving a big 4dr sedan and another had a panel truck and Fred & Debie’s ’57 Dodge had a 6 body trunk….so size won’t be a consideration….silly me….

We had planned to join up with Larry from Richmond right before we got to the event so we could drive in with his group. He brought up 50 or so cars so we folded in and parked with them. We got on the shady side of the St. Margaret’s School hockey field, so we were under trees till noon and on grass….what’s not to like, thanks Larry! Larry had attended the event before and knew where to be with our cars and what was going on everywhere and how to walk to it….it always helps to “know” someone! grin

The event is a display….no contest….no stress. We just set up and talked to the thousands of people that wandered through the event. The event visitors were respectful of the cars except for one herd of marauding middle school aged kids….but the Princess got up and gave them one of her “Don’t even think about it” school bus driver looks and they walked way around our cars! I couldn’t even look at her for a while….very scary.

There were 107 cars and I think only one came in on a trailer, drivers, road cars, what the hobby is all about. I liked the 1953 Willys Overland the best; it had SB Ford power and Mustang running gear, a nice driver. Chuck & Cindy brought their Chevelles out to play and many other very nice vehicles came up from the south. The Colonial Beach Cruisers were very well represented considering their beloved president, John Conaty, had passed away a week ago. But the day was getting way too hot so some started leaving around 1:30 and we packed up shortly after and cruised home. We took a little detour to Kinsale, VA so Debie could catch up with a friend she found on Facebook! She hadn’t seen her for 42 years and was this close….I love the internet! We drove through a rain shower going home but just like when we rode the Harley, you just keep going and in a few miles everything is dry again! We had another great day sharing our passion for our hobby with others.

Waugh Country Hospitality

2011-06-13T09:56:00.003-04:00

Saturday we left Stafford at 6:30 and cruised to the Cracker Barrel in Fredericksburg, VA for breakfast and to hook up with some more hot rodders. We all sampled too much good southern comfort food, that thanks to the USDA I now know how bad it is for us. I just can’t believe how we mere mortals were so confused by the food triangle for so many years and now we have been led to the light with the one eared Mickey Mouse plate, it only cost 2M….can I get an OH YEAH? Anyway….we left the restaurant and cruised 38 miles to Orange, VA and the 19th annual car show put on by Orange County Cruisers. This year the event is hosted by Waugh HD in their Legend Park. When we rode our last Harley we belonged to the Waugh HOG and attended the inaugural opening of the park years ago. The park has narrow paved roads winding through shaded grassed areas; it is a perfect venue for a car or bike show. It has permanent restroom facilities and food was being served all day. Cewinn Graphics and a few other vendors were in attendance as was DJ Ron. Old music and cars seem to go together…. like cherry & coke, American & Graffiti or Chevy & Fast! They just fit!

As I have said before….DJ Ron always adds to an event with his music and announcements. This day he had a special recognition of the Veterans that were present at the event, right before we respected our flag and listened to the National Anthem being sung. It reminded everyone to remember the sacrifices of the past and those that are still going on today so we can enjoy our Freedom. Without these special people we would not have the freedom to enjoy our hobby among many other things. How many hot rods have you seen in Bagdad?

The event went off very methodically and efficiently thanks to the Orange County Cruisers…they have done this 19 times before! grin We parked and set up to enjoy the day with friends then we noticed it was getting hot. Really hot….I mean at least 316 degrees Kelvin. I think the sun’s solar flare last week had something to do with it. We kept hydrating but we were still very uncomfortable. There were many nice cars but I liked the purple ’32 Ford 3wc with the rumble seat and the red ’32 Vicky with the little trailer….these iconic representations of the hot rod culture always catch my eye!

The show was scheduled to end around 3PM but the clouds started to look ominous in the western sky so the event was shortened a little. We packed up and Steve led us back by a new route….I always like to cruise a new way to or from a familiar location. We missed the rain but we must have been threading a needle because it rained after we left Orange and before we reached Stafford. And it would rain in Stafford about an hour after we got home….whew….! Be sure to check out the pictures at;

http://rides.webshots.com/album/580329906qIjHkN

Molets and Mopars....

2011-06-06T13:50:00.005-04:00

Friday evening we cruised to VA BBQ in Fredericksburg, VA and the weekly cruise put on by Fredericksburg Classic and Muscle Car Club. This was the first time this year that we have been able to attend because of weather or other commitments. I think it was the first time this year for a lot of other people too….there were over 50 cars in the lot! We set up near some friends and enjoyed the evening talking and reconnecting with people we only see at VA BBQ….that’s what cruises are for. The cars ranged from traditional to….different. The 76 Nova next to Fred’s ’57 Dodge was in the different category but Pete’s orange Camaro was very nice, as always and the red Austin Healy added some class to the event. I think the Redskin decorated H2 would be in the different group too….it was nice but I’m a Lakers fan….grin

Saturday we met another three car loads of people (this will be important later) at the WAWA and cruised to the show in Wilderness, VA. This is the 4th show for this group and since the proceeds go to Wounded Warrior Project we usually try to support it. If it doesn’t rain within a few days of the event they have it on the grass, which is very cool. This year there were about 38 cars attending on the grass which is more than last year when they were going against two very popular shows. This year their were two shows again that made attendance down, one was the ACCA show in Fredericksburg, about 16 miles away the other was the ODS show in Manassas, about 48 miles away. I know the Wilderness show was advertised first but others scheduled their shows anyway….I think everyone loses a little that way.

The restroom facilities are good and the food is good but this year they just had some kind of chicken and French fries….no hot dogs or hamburgers, I guess we just have to eat healthy or nothing? grin They had my favorite radio station at the event, WGRQ 95.9, and they added much to the day’s festivities. As I have often said that good music is the lubricant to any event and WGRQ helped us slide through the day! The entrance fee is $15 for the car and ONE person. One person, the driver, is all that is expected to be there? Since our hobby lends itself to being a “family” exercise it is curious why the organizers would penalize the entrants if they bring their spouse or kids or grandkids? If they want more money for WWP just charge more for the entry fee….many events are $20 this year. I think this cheapens the event to nickel & dime the entrants because they happened to bring their spouse! We have attended many events on the right side of the USA and have never had to pay extra for a spouse….even the National events expect you to have two people per vehicle….a family idea? The awards were given out around 3PM, the Princess won a very nice red, white and blue trophy….yea and verily there will be peace and tranquility in the Shotwell realm this week!

We all packed up and we cruised back to Stafford to rest up a little at home then we cruised to the Bruster’s Cruise in N. Stafford. I think the positive fallout of having three shows in the same vicinity is that the cruise would be very well attended by cars that would not normally come out on Saturday night for a cruise….It was! We parked then walked to Sam’s Pizza and had dinner with three other couples then returned to the cruise later. There were many cars we had not seen before like the champagne ’62 406 Ford, the red ’37 Plymouth 5 wc, and the 20 something Buick coupe. Bobby brought out his purple Ford PU with the dry sump NASCAR motor….very nice! But the coolest thing was the six couples gathered around in between the cars sitting in our chairs just talking….about cars, kids and most everything else….we were sitting far enough away from the PA speakers that we could hear ourselves talk and not be distracted by the music and announcements. Some people go to shows/cruises to get trophies, some go to show off their cars, some go to intimidate others, some go to have something to whine about later, some go to network for an advantage in some arena and some go to be with friends and talk about things that life is unfolding for them. I like the latter best and the older I get the less important the other stuff is…. It’s the way a cruise should be….like Edd Burns would say…. Baby it’s the ginchiest.

Yes it's hot again.

2011-05-31T20:22:00.003-04:00

After being rained out Friday and Saturday Ron & Jean met us at Bob Evans for breakfast then we cruised to Bealeton, VA to meet up with Steve & Sally and some other Prince William Cruisers. Then we all cruised to the Culpeper Cruisers yearly show at the Culpeper Skating Rink. Tommy was saving some really good places at the show for us....thanks to Steve. We unpacked and set up canopies because of the heat then watched the day unfold.

This is a yearly show and has always been one of the must attend shows around these parts. The Culpeper Cruisers always run a well oiled show and DJ Ron always does a superb job spinning the tunes and making the announcements.... This show is always well attended and Sunday was no exception as I think I counted 113 cars! There were many very nice cars like Arnold's purple '57 Chevy convertible, Steve's green '51 Ford convertible and the yellow Model A roadster. But the one I liked the best was the white '37 International pickup. It was trimmed in red, white and blue....and had SB Ford power! This is a WV car and was very cool and holiday appropriate! Be sure to check out the pictures.

After the show was over we cruised back home instead of attending the cruise at Bruster's....the heat just took everything out of us so we stayed inside the rest of the day and tried to cool down!

Monday, Memorial Day, we met at Perkins in S. Stafford for breakfast then cruised to Goldvein, VA and the annual VFD show. This show is on grass and is usually hot for some reason. Monday was a little warm, I think it hit 473 degrees under the canopy....nothing us car show junkies couldn't handle. I think there was around 70 cars in the field and I liked the black '59 Chevy pickup with the "real" flames. There also seems to be a flat black '55 Chevy set up with solid front axle like the old gassers at a lot of shows....and they are not the same cars! That would be neat to get a gaggle of them at one venue.... The show ran to the bitter end of 3PM when we broke camp and cruised home....running away from the heat.

I think Goldvein might turn out to be the last show I will drive the RedRat to....you will see it on HotRodHotLine soon. It has been and is a great car but since there is no recovery in sight with this economy I can't afford to keep running two cars.... So we will revert to a one hot rod family again and run around in the Princess mobile....hmmmmm No I will not be wearing the tiara or waving the wand.... Hmmmmm her car has A/C....hmmmm

Meeting new old friends.

2011-05-24T15:37:00.004-04:00

Dan & Ramona and the Princess & I left Stafford, VA at O-Dark thirty to cruise to Williamsburg, VA and the Tidewater Street Rod Association’s 39th annual Rod Run. We had planned to attend this event for a few years now but something always came up that prevented us from going. It had been raining all week but the weather guessers had promised dry weather on the weekend….for once they were right….almost!

There are a few different ways to drive from Stafford to Williamsburg and they all are within 3 miles of the same distance of 118 miles. But we took the “quicker” route on Saturday morning; I-95S>I-295S>I-64E, then into Williamsburg on surface roads. VDOT has been resurfacing the Interstates for a while now and the most of the “roads” were OK. But….the interchange from I-295 to I-64E was horrible! As I approached the transition the holes in the road became very large very quickly….I think I saw alligators swimming in one of them. I had to steer the RedRat around them and the surface was so uneven that the car started bouncing up and down and side to side! It was bouncing so violently that my head was slamming into the cab roof trying to make the little button on the top of my hat become a permanent part of my skull!!!! I was hanging on the steering wheel, squinting my eyes from the pain, downshifting and lane checking for cars….yeah distracted driving came to mind! I missed the turn! Just like that! So now where were we going? The Geepus Creepus (GPS) said I could turn around about 5 miles down the road…. What a bummer! We made the U turn and the rest of the drive was uneventful…. Tell me again why we can’t use the crossovers that the Troopers use?

We arrived at the event a little early so we cruised around the lot checking out the parking. I usually let the Princess pick the parking spot after we arrive at an event, it reduces the whine factor during the day when the sun moves and her delicate self starts heating up and I get blamed for picking out such a stupid parking spot. I am trainable! She picked a primo spot by some trees so we didn’t have to erect the canopies to stay in the shade….always a good thing. And the Princesses chair was up on a little mulch mound….which gave her a little elevation so she could look down on her subjects….she always likes that!

So what were you doing in 1972? I was still in SoCal working for Presley Co., servicing new homes with my friend Lee. The Princess and I would move to Virginia about a year later. Going across country with her new ’72 440 4spd Road Runner GTX and my new ‘73 Dodge PU pulling a boat. My weird younger brother, which had the personality of an ADHD chimp on crack, was driving the Ryder truck with all our worldly possessions….getting chased by a tornado in Oklahoma…. but that’s a story for another time. ? But in Williamsburg, 1972 found a bunch of guys/gals having their first Rod Run! 39 years ago….wow.

This event is a “Rod Run”….like a cruise. No judging, no trophies just drive in and share your car with other car people AND some visitors to the Colonial Williamsburg area that day. We had many “spectators” stop by and talk about our hobby, I like to do that. We got to meet another intrepid HotRodHotLine reporter, Bing Gatewood. He brought his new ride, a drop dead gorgeous red Chevelle ….his ’55 was very nice but his Chevelle is over the top! TSRA ran the event like a Swiss watch….yeah they have done it a few time before….grin They had a 50/50 and a really neat, event made quilt they raffled off. They had games for the kids AND the adults….with prizes for game winners at the end of the event. Since they don’t have trophies they have really nice door prizes….like welders, mini vacations and more. The door prizes were nice, the Princess won $100 from ProFinishes Plus ….she said that’s better than a trophy and now I can add some bling to her car? OK….?

As I was walking around taking pictures and talking to people I asked some of the staff people where our motel was in relationship to the event lot. I was told I could see it through the woods! I asked, OK, I see it but how do I drive there….right, left, straight out of the lot or wait for the mother ship to transport us to the motel? No one had the answer! So after the last door prize numbers were drawn and we packed up and left….we began our trek to the motel. We drove for 30 minutes, around in circles, past the event lot, around many buildings. We couldn’t find the entrance to the motel! Dan & I were getting really stressed out….Dan was using some words I hadn’t heard for a long time….it was really stupid to hide the entrance from us….I know it’s eco friendly with all the trees and shrubbery but it was like a treasure hunt gone wrong just to find out where to get into the motel! When we finally found the entrance and registered we found out our rooms were at the extreme opposite end of the motel from the registration desk….and we were on the second floor….and there was no elevator! Poor Dan…. Ramona has to have a lot of “stuff” when she travels….since we rode Harleys for 40 years we are used to traveling light. The gated parking held maybe 20 cars for over 100 rooms! I had to drive the RedRat up to the box to swipe my room card to raise the crossing gate arm so I could access the lot. Of course I couldn’t reach the scan box so I had to unfold myself to get out of the car, not an easy thing for me….scan the card, the gate arm went up and by the time I got back in the car I just knew the gate arm was going to come down on the coupe! The Princess saw my dilemma and jumped out of her coupe and held the gate arm open. Once inside the lot there were no parking places! So I parked illegally as we unloaded all three cars.

After we got unloaded we left to cruise to the main reason Ramona came with us….Capt. Georges Seafood Restaurant! Whenever we get within 50 miles of this place Ramona always lobbies us to go there. When the Princess and I started eating there, many years ago, the buffet was $18, now its $31 each! It’s pricey but very good and you cannot find a restaurant with a better buffet. We all ate too much then waddled back to the motel for the evening. But we had to park in an overflow, gravel parking lot and walk to the motel. The rooms were very nice at $148 a night but access to the place is tedious at best….I don’t think we will go back to that place. There are too many better choices within 5 miles to be subjected to that kind of frustration again.

Sunday morning we had the continental breakfast at the motel, which was ok, then left for home. We took the “back” way home that would take us through very rural parts of Virginia….the roads were practically deserted….much better than the Interstates. We put the hot rods in the garage and while we were unloading them it started to rain….whew. A great weekend driving our hot rods around giving people something to wave at….what’s not to like?

A Four Letter Word....

2011-05-15T08:07:00.002-04:00

RAIN.... The rain has been falling for three days now and the weather guessers say we should expect another four days of the wet stuff....that's all I'm going to say about that....

Lofty Times

2011-05-10T10:38:00.003-04:00

Saturday morning at 6:30 sharp six cars left the WAWA in Stafford, VA and cruised 31 miles to the Burger King in Manassas, VA. We met three other cars at the BK and then at 8:15 we cruised to the airport which is right around the corner from the BK. We had been invited to participate in the first Wings, Wheels and Warriors event benefiting the Wounded Warrior Aviation group. The event was held at the Manassas Regional Airport and promised to be a very special day.

Since we arrived as a group we were easy to guide to our parking area by the ramp master. We were to share that corner of the ramp with some “exotic” cars, a few of which were already parked. We all set up our cars and prepared for the day to unfold. The exotic cars kept arriving in single units. All nine of them very nice cars and all of Italian manufacture, except for one Cobra roadster. Our rowdy American made hot rods did look a little unsophisticated in comparison but I think all of the “car” people enjoyed sharing their personal automotive passion with the great masses that were to walk by during the day. One of the things that made it a little difficult for us was that some of the exotic car owners allowed and sometime encouraged the spectators to climb into their cars and to handle them. Then when they came to our cars with the very custom paint that included painted running boards, and the non replaceable parts used on some of the cars they didn’t understand why we asked them to not step on the running boards and not to climb inside the hot rods. I guess the door props that some of us use when we display our cars were understood as us holding the door open so they could get inside!? So the laid back, enjoyable day that all of us were anticipating didn’t work out for some. The Princess started to lose her voice by the end of the day! While we did enjoy the day some of us had a very stressful time and I’m sure they will not attend another event like that, we will be back though! We were also parked near the pickup and drop off area for the helicopter rides….so there was always an engine noise in the background while we were near the cars.

The event coordinators went to great length to provide something to keep the spectators engaged all day….and they succeeded. There were many static airplanes and other vehicles to see and great food vendors. There was a motorcycle stunt group that put on 3 shows during the day. Watching them made me feel really old….sometimes I have trouble just walking around and they were doing things that defied the laws of physics. There were also airplanes available that offered rides around the area for a small charge. Also a band was playing swing music most of the day and when the air display began everyone was watching the Mustang fly. Since my Dad was a fighter pilot and flew the Mustang in WWII, every time I have the privilege to see one, especially in the air, I always take the time to watch it’s graceful, powerful and purposeful flight and it always reminds me of the “High Flight” poem.

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air. . . .
Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
— John Gillespie Magee, Jr

My Dad lived to fly….he was at home and where he belonged when he was in a cockpit. He loved his Mustang and often told me how it would do anything he would ask it to do but that it was also an evil mistress and would not tolerate any laziness or inattention. Kinda reminds me of the RedRat! It will do anything you want but you must manage the beast in the machine. The big difference is when the RedRat misbehaves I can get out, stand on the ground and talk to it in an uncomplimentary way…. but airplanes are very different as then never left one up there…. they always come back ….one way or another!

Around 2:30 the sky started getting black and Ron’s really smart phone said the red & yellow rain (?) was coming our way….so we packed up and left. It was a great day for us and I hope Wounded Warrior Aviation raised a pile of money for their cause. I know they raised the awareness of some of our Warriors needs. Thanks for putting on this event.

We were going to BK and the cruise that afternoon but because the rain was eminent and some of us were tired from guarding the cars all day, we decided to run on home….we had to drive in light rain about half way home and got to dry the hot rods off before we could rest!

Sunday the weather guessers said rain later in the day….so….we arrived at the WAWA in Stafford, VA at 6:15. I filled up the hot rods with fuel (I feel so good providing the Saudi’s with more of my money so they can thumb their noses at me while I fuel up my cars….NOT! Please tell me again why we can’t drill for oil here at home….hmmmm….louder please, I can’t hear you very good while I’m eating my spotted owl sandwich….) Anyway….while we were waiting for the others to arrive I noticed the gorgeous red sunrise and told the Princess about the Sailor’s limerick that goes; Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning….red sky at night, sailor’s delight. She commented with some Princess term like….that’s stupid….then it started raining! We were going to meet at the WAWA and go to Cracker Barrel in Fredericksburg for breakfast then on to the Fredericksburg Street Rods show at Walker Grant MS. But while we were droving the hot rods home in the rain we met Dan & Ramona coming to meet us at WAWA. We all decided to take the hot rods home, dry them off and ride the silver bullet (Dan & Ramona’s silver mini-van) to Cracker Barrel and see how the morning unfolded. The rain stopped before we were finished with breakfast and the roads were dry….we mobilized again and cruised 18 miles to the show.

We have attended this show many times and always enjoy the day. It is unfortunate in that about half the events we have attended there have had rain at some point during the day! The show had 110 cars registered and the quality of the cars was very high. The restrooms are inside the school so that is never a problem. The food vendors were kept busy selling their great food and there were other vendors to visit too. The music is the best….very good play list and great announcements. The club always has some fun games for all to participate in, both old and young! This show is this club’s only event all year and the preparation they do for it shows. It always runs like a machine and they have all the winners drive their cars up to the front to receive their trophy. This is a cool deal and would work at other shows too….nice touch. The judging is by participant ballot….the contestants pick the winners. My favorites were the green ’58 Chevy post and the orange ’68 Mustang. There were nicer cars but these two woke me up!

Susan & Larry Rao acknowledged that the Princess & I were celebrating our 46th wedding anniversary with them at the show and Larry made a really neat miniature love seat with stuffed bears for us. He made it out of horseshoes from his Uncle’s farm…. it’s a really neat deal! The Princess said it’s like getting a trophy so she is happy! Thanks again.

After the show a few of us ended up at Carlos O’Kelly’s in Stafford to end the day’s festivities and to keep celebrating our Anniversary. The Princess and I exchanged gifts, I got her a magnificent cosmic reusable bag for her vaccuume cleaner….I thought it was just what she was hinting about when she kept saying the carpet needs vacuuming? That women code talk is very confusing. I also got her a Sudoku book and neat mechanical pencil….I told her it would help keep her mind sharp….I thought it would be helpful! She told me that she enrolled me in a refresher course for sensitivity training for retired people at URINBIGTROUBLE University. I hope I pass this time….

This is the Youtube link to the movie I shot at the show….enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IfEa5S-70A

This is one on the net that Fred found for us;
http://manassas.patch.com/articles/airshow-helps-wounded-warriors-take-flight?ncid=M255#video-5979640

If you don't cruise you lose....

2011-05-02T11:42:00.004-04:00

Friday afternoon and the Princess and I met Fred at WAWA to leave for the cruise at Ashland, VA. The cruise officially begins at 6PM but as I have written before the traffic around here is really hateful and Friday night….forget about it! So to make sure we made the 55 mile run without being late we gave ourselves plenty of time, we left at 2:30. Naturally we encountered very little traffic on the trip? We got there at 4PM! Chick-fil-a had roped off the parking lot but no one else was there including Fayraysounds, the manager of the cruise! So much for anticipating the traffic…. At least we got to pick our parking spot. After a few lame attempts by me of choosing the “best” parking place I decided it would be much better to let the Princess choose….hmm You think I would have learned my lesson about letting her pick the parking place, I guess I’m not very trainable?

Around 5PM the regulars started cruising in….this cruise always has a high percentage of traditional hot rods, it’s really cool to see them rumbling in one after another. There must be something in the water down there that ignites the imagination of those guys/gals. The first to come in was a rat rod tow truck….maybe he knew something? Jim showed up with his Rotten Peach ’46 Ford PU, this hot rod is always a source of interest….and Jim loves to talk about his ride to anyone, especially if the questioner is a girl, a nice looking girl, a single nice looking girl….I’m just saying. Some of the couples have discovered what fun it is to have two hot rods in the family….it was really cool to see the lady cruising in driving her T-Bucket….goggles and all! We experienced the same evolution of lady drivers while we rode motorcycles. When we started riding in the 60’s women never rode their own bikes but about 15 years ago we started seeing more and more lady bikers. And now we are seeing a similar evolution with the hot rods…. I like it when the Princess and I ride in the same car but when she drives her hot rod and I’m alone in the RedRat it’s somehow quieter …. I didn’t say that! Be sure to check out the “Studebaker” hot rod and the ’51 Mercury pick up. The black ’63 Chevy was flawless, like something out of a time capsule. And then….the white Citroen 2CV….I’m not saying anything else about that. The host of the cruise is Chick-fil-A and they give free sandwiches, drinks and refills to all the drivers which keeps us eating healthy….love those french fries….grin Around 8:30 it started getting cooler so the Princess said it was time to head home so we cruised north to Stafford and put the hot rods away for the day.

Saturday we decided to do some things around the house and just attend the local cruise at Bruster’s for the evening. We arrived around 4PM and the Princess got to have the pick of the lot again!
This cruise usually has a high percentage of post 1960 cars and Saturday was no exception. There were only about 8 old cars to represent traditional hot rodding. We visited with some friends and at 8PM we decided to go home.

Sunday the weather guessers were all over the place with their forecasts but at 7AM we left Stafford and cruised 31 miles to Manassas, VA and the 30th annual Bull Run Street Rods hot rod show. The rain was supposed to begin in the afternoon and be cloudy all day….and a little cool around 65-70. But it would be a great day for me to take pictures and the Princess wanted to win something, anything….so we started winding our way to Manassas.

This show always runs like a watch and Sunday was no exception. I think this show only allowed pre something cars at one time but has recently opened it up to anything, I think that reflects the reality of the times. This show always has a lot of primo cars and some not seen before. The “Best of Show” winner was a black, flamed Model A 2dr Sedan with the blown, zoomied, 540 Rat motored noise maker! A really cool looking and sounding ride. Notice….no radiator in front! And the radiator hoses go to the frame rails! Very cool…. Henry’s green ’55 Handyman wagon was just perfect and the nicest shoebox Ford I’ve seen in a while is Steve’s very dark green drop top. One of the advantages of opening up a show to all, is that it will eventually attract the young people….and their “tuners”. I like to see their cars at shows with us old folk….one day we won’t be here and they will be carrying on the “hot rod” tradition….I just hope they change their taste in music! Hot rodding is hot rodding whether it’s a ’34 Willys or a ’96 S-10 or Neon. They are all an expression of the owner’s idea of a better ride. It’s all good.

I have been enduring a personal problem at home….we have a flock of robins that have taken to using my daily drivers for target practice….every morning I come out to a river of poop on my Sport Trac and the Princess’s Mustang. We have tried a few things to keep them away but to no avail. So I was trolling the net for “bird repellent” and came across balloons with big bird eyes on them and pictures of owls and since it was on the internet it must be true! So Saturday I visited the local party store and picked up a couple Elmo balloons (big eyes) and some party tinsel (bling bling) to hang on the cars. That seems to be working for now except the neighbors keep knocking on our door asking about the party! But at the show I was the only one out of 140 cars to be bombed by birds! Why me! Maybe I’m on the bird Facebook or something….I think it’s the result of global warming? So when the Princess wasn’t flitting around picking up her door prizes and winning her Chinese auction stuff or doing other Princess things, she would keep an eye out for birds for me while I roamed around taking pictures….

The show had a few vendors, a Chinese auction, and the DJ played the GREATEST song list I’ve heard in a long time. There were too many very nice cars to pick out more….you have to look at the pictures. And maybe next year why don’t you attend the event and see for yourself!? The host club, Bull Run Street Rods always puts on a great show and the host, Burger King, is always gracious in allowing the show on their lot….a great symbiotic relationship.

Parts is Parts

2011-04-18T06:59:00.008-04:00

Classic Car Center of Fredericksburg, VA has hosted a Swap Meet for car enthuasists for a couple years now but I have never attended. Dan wanted to try to clean out some of his accumulated "car" stuff at home ....I guess so he could get more "stuff"? I had some parts that I didn't want to mess with the shipping on ebay so I thought I'd try the swap meet with Dan. The Princess said that if Dan and I went to sell "junk", she and Ramona would go shopping shopping....never a good thing! I tried to explain to her that we were trying to downsize and save a little here and there. She said that it was her Patriotic duty to stimulate the economy by buying stuff....I'm doomed. My only hope was that I would sell more stuff than she bought! Marty and Garland have graciouslly provided car people a venue to sell and/or swap cars & car parts in the Fredericksburg area. They do not charge for this service and they usually have it on a Saturday. This year it rained on Saturday so they decided to open it up on Sunday too! They also provide meeting space for car clubs and will give tours of their vast collection of very special cars with little notice. They store special cars for people as well as perform restorations and sell consigned cars. If you are in the market for a "special" car you should put their shop on you list to check out. http://www.classiccarcenter.net/ Dan, Jim & Linda and I left the WAWA at 8AM and arrived at the swap meet about 30 min later. We set up and began a day of selling and in the case of JV, buying! The weather was great, the fellowship was solid and the dollars were good. Dan sold a lot of things and I got rid of a couple things that were too large to send in the mail....so it was a productive day for us. Some friends came to browse the wares and talk for a while. Bill brought his new aquisition, a '65 Valiant, to see if he could find a new home for it. We had never done anything like this so we know what to expect the next time. When the Princess got home she was whining about she couldn't find just the right thing she was shopping for and that those shops just need to have more stuff and and and.....so she said I had to take her out to eat because she was soooo tired having shopped for so long!? So I get to pay if she is succesful shopping and I get to pay if she isn't? I don't remember agreeing to that 46 years ago? Next week we will be attending our grandson's wedding and won't be playing with hot rods....but....the next week we start cruising in earnest.

A little pain....a lot of gain!

2011-04-11T17:06:00.017-04:00

Dan & I have been planning the 3rd Annual Country Roads Rally from the day after the last one, July 10, 2010. Dan & I started doing the Rallies to raise awareness of Wounded Warrior Project and help our returning Veterans. I envisioned that people would be tripping over themselves to give us money for the WWP cause…. It didn’t work out that way for the first two years. And this year’s gloomy beginning didn’t raise my hopes that this was not going to be another mediocre Rally. Since both of the previous Rallies have been in mid July, and had been rained out, we decided to try scheduling it for the spring. The weather guessers were forecasting rain on Saturday but it was a rain or shine event so we still had to follow through. We got lucky because the rain stopped Friday evening but the temps & clouds would be very low all day Saturday. We began the day at WAWA to top off the hot rods with fuel and purchase our morning allotment of coffee…. we met Fred & Debie then at 9 AM sharp we leapt off on our adventure of the day! The Princess and I were the stop workers at the first stop, Burger King in Manassas, VA…. by the airport. The owner of this establishment is very “car” friendly and always welcomes us…. the location is also geographically centralized for N. VA so many like to use it as a jumping off point for events. I was focused on managing the event all day so the Princess took most of the pictures. I knew she could do it…. after all her camera is nice and shiny…. she likes shiny things…. chuckle We had 30 vehicles register but most bought multiple rally cards so we sold $680 worth of Rally cards! Not bad for the beginning of a gloomy day? We left the BK at 12:30 and ran to the next stop at Culpeper airport and the Commemorative Air Force, National Capital Squadron’s hanger. The second Saturday is “Open House” for the Squadron and they always have food and other things of interest going on. This Saturday we found the Civil Air Patrol on site having a meeting of some sort. I was in CAP in the late 50’s….we met at Flabob airport in Rubidoux, CA….so I was glad to see them. It’s a neat organization …. something to consider for air minded teenagers. That might be the reason I never found the need to get high on drugs…. I was high on airplanes, hot rods & guns back then and none of those interests would tolerate the fuzzy/hazy inattention that a drug induced attitude would provide. Tommy Madison of Culpeper Cruisers had agreed to be the stop worker at the airport and I think he had a good time while he was there checking in the Rally participants, I’m glad his club helped with the event. The people at the Squadron are always very helpful to us and it’s a pleasure to have them as one of our stops. They have their “Open House” every second Saturday of every month….so you can visit them any one of those Saturday’s. We thanked the Squadron rep and Tommy for their help then at 1:30 we drove to the next stop in Orange, VA.

Waugh Harley Davidson is an icon in the Motorcycle world. His store is truly known Nationwide. If fact the last Harley we rode we bought from Palmer Waugh. It was a ’98 Wide Glide, Violet Pearl. It was during a time when you could wait months for “special” colors…. Palmer called me a couple weeks into my wait and told me that he had my bike! We also rode with Waugh HOG for a couple years and attended many poker runs with them…. they are a great bunch of people. If you are in the market for a Harley you need to see them first. The owner, Don Waugh, is very civic minded and a friend of Veterans so I knew he would embrace the Rally we were running for WWP. He and his group are the cause of many dollars being raised during the year for needy families in the area. They set up our stop workers in the showroom and they provided everything we needed to do our job, thanks. The dealership also has a lot of transportation memorabilia as well as the motorcycles, a lot to look at. The stop workers were Vince and Billy & Millie, all of Orange County Cruisers…. another well respected car club in the area. When I first contacted Vince and asked if they would cover the Waugh stop he said YES…. and would we need any more people for the other stops! Great attitude…. but then they are hot rodders…. I’m beginning to expect that from most of our fraternity of hot rodders. We visited with Vince and Billy till the stop was closed at 3PM then we ran to our next stop in Louisa, VA.

We arrived at American Classic Auto Restoration and Collision Center where Tony was the stop worker. Tony was representing the Rappahannock Region Mopar Club and since this shop was very Mopar friendly it was a natural fit. This shop is one of the nicest restoration shops I’ve seen. The owners, Bo & Karen, made the stop very comfortable for us and their hospitality was much appreciated. Karen ensures that everything is in its place and ready to be used. She provided tours and a history of their enterprise. I would not hesitate to use this shop for work on my vehicles…. and you all know what a nitpicker I am. One of the neat vehicles they are working on is the Powell pickup. Yes…. a Powell. What!, you never heard of a Powell? They are a very unique vehicle made between 1955-1957. They were built using used 1941 Plymouth chassis and running gear. For me, they redefine what an ugly truck should look like….I owned one when I lived in SoCal! It was the March AFB aero club’s mechanic’s truck. When he transferred out I bought it from him….it must have been the dry heat that made me do that….it was U-gly….but dependable. After visiting with Bo & Karen for a few minutes a beautiful red Ford monster truck drove in and we decided it was time to leave! Our little hot rods looked so small…. At 4:30 we thanked Bo & Karen and Tony then the Princess and I left for Culpeper. Dan and I had driven the route prior to the event day…. just to check on the condition of the roads. Everything was ok a couple weeks before…. until the week before the event. The County had decided that the road between Louisa and Rt. 522 was to be resurfaced, milling, paving…. the whole deal….bummer. We had to drive real slowly so the gravel wouldn’t be thrown up under the cars too hard….whew!

We arrived at Buffalo Wild Wings in Culpeper, VA and the ongoing cruise hosted by Culpeper Cruisers. Steve S. from Prince William Cruisers & Tommy put together the sound system so we had tunes and Aaron stepped in as the DJ for the deal. Ray & Terry had their race car and trailer set up as the representatives of WWP. We had a vendor, Garage Hero, set up and display their wares. We may see more of this vendor in the future. I think there were around 35 cars at the cruise and then the Rally vehicles in addition to that…. remember some of the Rally cars were daily drivers, a rain or shine event! At 6PM we got down to what the whole deal was about….money! The Rally is like a poker run with half the sold card money being given out to the person with the highest poker hand. Since we had collected $680 at the beginning that meant the winner would win $340! Not too bad of a payoff for coming out on a cool, dreary day and playing with cars. This events winner was Sally who won with a straight; you can see her in the pictures….she so hates publicity…. hehhehehe In the spirit of the event Sally gave back $200 to WWP! What-a-gal!!!! So next was the real real reason for the Rally….raising awareness and money for Wounded Warrior Project. So we had the $340 check from the Rally, Sally’s $200, Prince William Cruisers made a donation of $200, an undisclosed family donation of $500, proceeds from the donation jar on site of $31, which meant WWP received $1271 for the day! A good start to our goal of 20K for the year. This added 4-14-2011....I received another donation in the mail today....it was for $500....so our total for the excercise was $1771. I don't care who you are, that's a good day for WWP!

We were able to make this event happen because of the assistance of people representing car clubs and businesses that believed in our cause…. we thank you! WE….the WE is Dan & me….Dan is my sounding board, complaint department, priest and cheerleader….he made the sign we used for the Rally, he helps me work through the process, he helps with the execution of the event. Dan was at the airport around 9AM….to help set up that stop and drove to each subsequent stop to make sure everything was set up correctly and that everyone knew what to do. He set up the display at the last stop for WWP & Garage Hero. As you know I’m a retired slacker so I have a lot of time to do that kind of thing!? But Dan is still working every day as an automobile mechanic and yet he continues to come through on anything we agree to do…. He isn’t out in front much but when you see him please thank him for what he does….he will probably say something like “ I didn’t do anything” or something like that….don’t believe it….I couldn’t do what I do without his assistance. Thanks Dan….

So it was another great day playing with hot rods and the Princess had fun playing with shiny things all day….

Was it cold?

2011-03-28T11:22:00.008-04:00

The first show of the season for us is the North Stafford High School show that benefits the Skills USA team from a couple High Schools in our area. Susan & Kennard manage the students and direct them as they do everything for the event. I mean everything, except the car judging. This is what impressed us the first time we attended, the direct involvement of the students with the event….from start to finish. They plan the event, secure the sponsors, do all the advertising, design and fabricate the awards, secure vendors, perform the registration process, collect the money, park the cars, answer questions, ensure participant contentment, make the award announcements and presentation of the awards….and much more. We really like this program and would support it even if we didn’t have a car to show. These programs give students real life problem solving opportunities that will serve them well. It also teaches them that positive self esteem is obtained by facing life’s challenges and beating them rather than participating in a “no one looses, everyone is a winner” exercise that will be irrelevant to their future sojourn through life.

The weather guessers said it was going to be sunny with temps in the high 40’s….I think they only missed it by 118 degrees. It was so cold I could see my breath and my fingers were sticking to my camera! And when the wind blew it drove the temp down to near absolute zero…. It was so cold I thought some of the people sitting in the chairs were mannequins. They were stiff and kinda pasty white with blue lips. I know I know….it was a dry cold? Like that helps….

This is a show that brings most people out of winter hibernation with their cars for the first time of the year. I heard many people say they hoped nothing happened to their cars over the winter because this was the first time they had it on the road in 4 months! It was the same for us. In years past I tried to work on the hot rods during the winter and never seemed to get enough time to do everything I had put on my “list”. I would feel guilty every time I went into the garage all winter. This year, right after our Toys For Tots run in December, I changed the oil, put some fuel stabilizer in the tanks then hooked up the trickle chargers and covered up both hot rods. I didn’t do any work on them all winter and because they were covered up I didn’t feel guilty about it. Last Monday I unwrapped both hot rods and fired them up for the first time in months….the both roared to life and the noise reminded me why I like this sport. After driving my daily driver all winter the sweet sound of real cars was music to my ears. The RedRat sound is especially good for me….

The show was well attended by 147 entrants….I’m sure it would have been many more except that it was cold. We brought one of our neighbors, Linda, with us so she could experience the “car scene” around here….I think she just wanted a ride in the RedRat! One of the things that this show is getting a reputation for is the quality of their awards and this year it’s no exception. As I explained before the students design and build the awards and it is so very cool to see the expression of their ideas in the awards. This year some of the awards were built by a professional artist….and they were very neat and well received….but….I prefer to have the student built awards rather than a professional item. The professional item may be worth more but the student built award means much more to me….just my opinion. The Princess and I sponsored an award again this year….the longest distance driven, no trailered cars! It was won by a guy in a 300Z that had driven over 200 miles to be at the show! Hard core!

This event has good parking, shade trees, indoor restrooms, good food vendors and something going on most of the day. Because of the extreme cold they cut the show short by about an hour….which was welcome by all. The Princess won a plaque so there will be harmony and tranquility in the Shotwell home….for a while….grin.

Was it cold? We woke up the next morning to find 2 inches of snow on the ground….I hate this global warming stuff…. Be sure to check the photos I took at; http://rides.webshots.com/album/579969036FSgdKx

HO HO HO

2010-12-13T12:04:00.007-05:00

Saturday at high noon 15 ‘special’ cars, one minivan, one blazer and two motorcycles met at County Fare restaurant in Stafford, VA to begin our first Toys For Tots run. Dan came up with the idea a few months ago then he and I put something together that should be fun and meaningful for the participants AND the recipients. Little did we know that a local car club, Stangs and Fangs of Fredericksburg, had a Toys For Tots run planned for the same time. Their run was a little different than ours but the net result of more toys for kids and an opportunity to enjoy our cars was the same. I understand they had 87+ Mustangs come out to support their run…. very impressive! It’s no surprise to me that the Ford guys lead the way in things like this….hehehehe No Camaro or Mopar runs? Hmmmmmm Oh well us Ford guys are glad to lead the way! HO HO HO

Eric, the owner of County Fare, had agreed to let us gather in his restaurant to form up for the run while we had lunch. It was a no brainer for us because the food at County Fare is the best and the service can't be beat ….you have to try it sometime. Promptly at 1PM we all started our beasts and headed north to the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, VA. The cruise is only about 12 miles long on Rt. 1 with a few traffic lights but we didn’t want to tie up a lot of time by having a longer run with just two shopping Saturday’s left before Christmas. At about 8 miles up the road I had pre-arranged to leave the group to get to the museum before the rest of the group….so I could shoot a video of the procession arriving. I knew that would leave the Princess leading the group which is never a good thing. I hoped she would not get lost or confused and keep going till she reached Washington D. C.! Since we pre-drove the route the day before I had a high confidence level that she could do it….and she did….whew. We also had Dom and his Model T which has special driving parameters which we are glad to accommodate so we could have his icon of the American automobile represented in our group. Some of us brought our children or grandchildren to experience the deal with us which was special in many ways. The Princess led the group into the parking lot like we planned and it was awesome. I shot the video from the wrong sun angle so some of the clip is very dark….I’m still learning to make the sun my friend when I take pictures! I’ll do better next time….I promise.

After everyone was parked the group moseyed into the museum and placed the gifts we brought near the Jeep that was the Toys For Tots drop off area. We took pictures around the toy drop area then we wandered through the museum. The museum can have a very visceral impact on people so some wandered individually and some in small groups. The museum helps you understand what the Marines are all about….their history, their honor and their sacrifice to a grateful Nation. If you haven’t visited the museum lately you need to do that….it will be an experience you will not forget. Whatever your views on war are doesn’t matter when you consider what our Military does for us. They do what the civilian leadership directs them to do. It’s about Duty, Honor and Selflessness….they are our warriors….they do what we cannot or will not do to protect our Country. We need to honor them and respect them always. It has always struck me odd that our most fierce warriors, The Marines, are the ones that are responsible for the most compassionate task of bringing some hope and cheer to those children that would otherwise have a bleak Christmas season?

Around 3PM Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus arrived for the children, of all ages, and the day was complete. Some stayed to absorb the ambiance and message of the museum and others left for their previous commitments, Dom left so he could get home before dark. grin It was a great day for many kids and the people that ventured out with their special cars.
Please check out the pictures at; http://rides.webshots.com/album/579300994agcrPj

You can also view my less than stellar video here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv_jqGIPpKk

This will be the close of the season for us but you may still see us driving around Stafford on a warm day….giving old people a bad name! Our first scheduled show in 2011 is the North Stafford High School Skills show on March 26, 2011. We are planning next year’s schedule now and it will include fewer shows and more cruises. We are evolving to more driving and less sitting! We hope to see you on the road next year. Merry Christmas and a noisy New Year!

It was cold....and very cool....

2010-11-29T17:48:00.009-05:00

The Princess & I met with Ron & Jean, Jim & Linda, Fred & Debie and Bill B. at the WAWA in Stafford, VA and that made up our five car convoy heading to Warrenton, VA. And so began our second annual Over the River and Through the Woods Run. Dan & I hatched this idea in the summer of ‘09 and we had so many questions about the one we did last November that we decided to do it again! We left WAWA at 7:30 and picked up Dan & Ramona then Ken & Carmen along the way so when we arrived at the Liberty gas station in Warrenton, VA we had 7 cars to add to the 17 cars that would find their way there. Some of the people at the Liberty gas station were Lou & Arlene, Steve & Sally, Dave H., Wyatt R., Ted & Donna, Mike & Shirley, Tommy & Sheila, Terry B., Tommy C., Charlie B. and others. We departed at precisely 9AM and cruised on Rt. 17 to the Mother Road (Rt. 66) then to Rt. 55 and into Front Royal, VA. When we ran into Rt. 340 we stopped at the 7-11 and picked up more cars, Jack & Joyce, Roy & Fran and others. Then there were 28 crazy cars motoring along on Rt. 340 the rest of the way to Luray, VA and the Car and Carriage Caravan Museum. I don’t know if you have ever participated in a run with a lot of cars traveling on public roads but it is a rush. The Princess and I like to travel by ourselves or in a small groups but the large groups of special cars have a certain personality that is fun too. I was leading the herd so we cruised at or a little under the speed limit….so we wouldn’t have to keep looking over our shoulder and so we would be a good example of how to enjoy this hobby. We wouldn’t want people to think that car people were rowdy or out of control or anything….

When we arrived at the Museum parking lot I fell into my normal state of confusion about where to park….but once again the Princess picked out a primo spot along the parking lot perimeter fence where most of the 28 cars could park and not worry about door damage. A few of the cars had to park in the “normal” lot near us but used the end of the rows to lessen their exposure to damage.

We had arranged to have the entry fee to the Car and Carriage Museum waived for those that traveled with us but some found the shopping more to their taste. Shopping shopping is what they call it….looks like gathering stuff for eBay to me! Although there were some nice carved wooden cars in the gift shop….and a neat red-white and blue wooden airplane. And did I mention they make cookies and fudge….it’s so nice to be able to enjoy consuming one of the seven major food groups….my dietitian will be happy! We stayed at the Museum till 12:30 then cruised to Sonny’s Place for lunch.

Sonny’s has been a must visit restaurant when we are in the area and we were not disappointed Saturday. Their portions are large so I constrained myself from getting an appetizer and salad and entrée and dessert and bucket of ice tea and and and. Just a nicely done brisket platter and water please….just enough so I had to ask for a little box for the leftovers….to be enjoyed another time. I’m told that men rarely ask for a doggy bag as compared to women who always do….but….men are more likely to use it later while women usually let them turn into science projects in the refrigerator, to be thrown out eventually….when the tentacles from the mystery goo reach out for the other food nearby. Hehehehe

After lunch most of us took separate routes home but 9 of us cruised to Culpeper, VA where we gave up two cars that headed south then near Bealeton we lost Steve & Sally going east but the remaining 6 of us wound around on the lesser traveled roads back to Stafford and home. It was so cold in my car that my right leg started to charley horse and get very painful so I was stretching it out on the passenger side to relive the pain….while pushing the throttle with my left foot….this made for some very interesting clutch/brake/throttle contortions but it was the only way I could stop the pain. I think I’ll get a 12V temporary heater next time we go a long way when it’s cold.

It was a great day for driving around the Virginia countryside and most of us came home with the same amount of parts we left with so what’s not to like about that? We have a Toys for Tots run scheduled for December 11, 2010 and that will end our scheduled adventures for the year. I will be taking the coupes apart to make improvements as well as perform normal maintenance so we can be ready for next season. I may chronicle the things I do to the cars during the winter….maybe not….we’ll see.

Be sure to visit here for many more pictures of the adventure;
http://rides.webshots.com/album/579182781IWPbnU

Hibernate....

2010-10-31T15:51:00.003-04:00

Well it's Halloween eve and we just put the hot rods in the garage after a little run around town with Dan & Ramona. We have a run November 27th and one in December but for the most part the hot rods will be garage dwellers till March. We will take them out on warm days....just to drive around and give old people a bad name but no more organized deals for the year.

We attended 67 events this year....one less than last year....I don't know what that means? We have made some new friends and deepened some relationships during the year and generally enjoyed ourselves while playing with hot rods. The two hot rods ran fine most of the year and I'll be upgrading and maintaining them during the winter.

The next post will be after Thanksgiving and one more in mid December then silence till March.

Fun with aiplanes and cars....part deaux

2010-10-25T08:36:00.006-04:00

Saturday, October 23, 6AM….Dan & Ramona, the Princess and I begin our dark and dreary 63 mile cruise from Stafford to the Leesburg Airport in Leesburg, VA. We took I-95 to Rt. 234N to the Mother Road (I-66) then Rt. 15 to Leesburg and the airport. Rt. 15 is a nice rural road to cruise except for the traffic circles. These little heart stoppers do add a level of excitement to the trip. I know the traffic planners think they do a better job with the traffic flow than stop signs….and I know they are in use all over the world….and I know Gordonsville has had one for many years….but I think they are a cruel joke on old people. You can’t read and understand the signage in time to make sensible decisions about what you are going to commit to before you enter the maelstrom of head lights, tail lights, break lights, turn signals, horns and people telling me that they think I’m number 1….? Stop signs or traffic signals take most of the conflict out of intersections. I think traffic circles are a product of some twisted traffic engineer’s desperate attempt at humor….I don’t like traffic circles. You will not find any in the Slacker’s perfect world. After surviving two circles I was more than a little shaken and started to feel lost. I had pre-driven the route on MapQuest and Google Earth during the week to familiarize myself with the surroundings but Saturday morning in the dark all I could see was the road in front of me! I contacted Ramona in the back of the troupe because they always run with a GPS….I hoped she could keep us from ending up in Florida! She told me we were on track and the next turn was 6 miles ahead…. whew. Isn’t technology wonderful?! I had thought about taking a GPS with me in the RedRat but it just wouldn’t work with the “Hot Rod” persona of that car….getting lost is better? It’s a “man” thing.

We arrived early and had to line up on the ramp to wait till all the airplanes were moved so we could drive to our parking spaces among the airplanes. The display was designed to raise awareness of Wounded Warrior Project and add some additional interest to the air show. We were the only “Hot Rods” in the display of exotic cars. It was neat to be in the company of so many special cars. Some of which you only read about but never actually see. There were many Ferrari’s and a couple Lamborghinis with various other “exotic” cars in the mix. The original Mini Cooper was special and the Renault was….as I remembered them. Bob's yellow and blue hand built Jag was off the chart cool but I liked the Porsche racer from iMA Motorsport the best….the Gulf Oil colors made it work for me! I remember the same colors on the Ford GT-40’s but they look better on the Porsche. Wyatt was there with his DeLorean and kept a crowd of spectators around his car all day. It was interesting that when some of the cars were lined up in the morning the RedRat was the tallest of the bunch! It looked weird….but it really stood out.

The spectators were, for the most part, respectful of the cars but some of the other participants were encouraging people to sit in their cars. So when they got to our cars they didn’t understand why we wouldn’t let them crawl onto and into the hot rods. The little ones especially just didn’t understand….so we had to enlighten them about scratches in the paint on the running boards from their shoes and how that is not something we are happy about! The Princess is real good about conveying that message ….being a school bus driver for 26 years!

The day was perfect and as the airshow wound down the spectators surrounded the cars again as they left the venue and we had some lengthy conversations until the crowds started thinning out. This was the first try by Ray and Bruce at one of these display deals and I think they pulled it off just fine. I know the Princess liked the donuts…hint hint! The spectators appreciated the cars being there and I know it added to their enjoyment of the day. I think the cars will be an attraction that needs to be advertised next year to help with the attendance at the airshow. It was also a good day for WWP as they raised $665 and the public awareness up a notch or two.

Dan & Ramona cruised to Winchester and overnighted there then attended the Hoppers show the next day. We cruised home to get ready for the bonsai trip to PA and back the next day to see our newest granddaughter. I kept humming ‘on the road again’ as I drove….

Playing with cars, trucks and airplanes....again!

2010-10-12T17:16:00.005-04:00

Saturday October 9, 2010 and its SHOWTIME! It’s time for the 11th Annual AirFest at Culpeper Regional Airport in Brandy Station, VA. Dan and I have been planning this event since the day after last year’s event! The parking staff of Andrew on the road, Speedo Dan, Princess Whinesalot and me, started the parking process at 0630….in the morning! It began in the dark but the morning broke perfect and the blue sky, puffy clouds and light breeze would stay all day. The temperature even stayed out of the hateful range!

Our event is a display, not a show, and as such after the parking is complete the bulk of our work on show day should be done. But what we all agreed to do was to stay near our vehicles and be readily available to answer questions when the spectators ask them about our vehicles. Most of the participants stayed with their vehicles all day and answered any questions the spectators had about their rides. Some, like the Model T, had a steady stream of curious visitors ….whole families….not just the dad or mom. The visitors would generally stay in the vehicle compound going from one vehicle to the next for 15-20 minutes then proceed through the main gate to the Air Show. Dan & I only invited 22 vehicles because we didn’t want to overpower the air show. We just wanted to be one of the many displays….a complement to the air show not competition to it….I think it worked!

One of the vehicles we invited was Ray & Terry with their Wounded Warrior Project race car. This vehicle is privately sponsored so no money given to WWP goes to sponsor the race car. Ray & Terry bring the car to shows when their race schedule allows and accept donations to WWP. But most importantly they raise awareness about WWP and how that group assists our returning Heroes. Saturday they collected $400 in donations which was a good day for WWP. But since Ray & Terry were there representing WWP and since the Prince William Cruisers were present at our display because they sponsored us….it seemed like a great opportunity for PWC to give Ray & Terry the WWP donation checks that they had received from their last show. The checks totaled $2600!...a great day for WWP.

Those of you that know me, know when I get “focused” on a project I start suffering from tunnel vision….that happened Saturday and consequently I didn’t get any pictures of the airplanes and vendors. I was so intense in making sure everything went well for our display that I forgot to step back and see what else was around us. In fact I didn’t know when the show was over till people started coming back out the gate! I know there was some magnificent flying that I missed, especially by Dan McCue in his Corsair. Oh well maybe next year I’ll delegate more car stuff and watch the airplanes more….we’ll see.

P.S. Dan and Andrew DID take a bunch of pictures….whew, thanks guys….be sure to check them out.

http://rides.webshots.com/album/578757281MuAMna

http://rides.webshots.com/album/578759531gfhuRd

And my video is parked at;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4-NppwJ_d0

Crazy Crazy Weekend

2010-10-04T16:29:00.007-04:00

Friday evening and the Princess and I cruised to VA BBQ in Fredericksburg, VA to attend the weekly cruise. Some people we rarely see came out like Dan & Ramona with their black ’55 Chevy and Tony & Janice and their grey ’71 Super Bee and Wesley brought out his black & white ’56 Chevy panel, nice. I liked the little yellow English Ford with the small block and tube frame….the yellow ’35 Chevy sedan was new to us as was the red ’57 Chevy drop top. There were about 60 cars through the course of the evening and the event was special because they were raising money for one of our wounded warriors, Sgt. Lyon. I can tell fall is here because the Princess started whining about the cold before the event was over so we left early.

Saturday morning we met at Bob Evans for breakfast then cruised 25 miles to the ninth annual Christ Episcopal Church show in Spotsylvania, VA. The show had many crafty vendors and a Chinese auction….why is it called a Chinese auction, why not a Canadian auction or Australian auction….I worry about that. They had a quilt auction and good food cooking most of the day. The restrooms were inside the church and kept tidy by the church staff. The venue for this show is varied; you can park on level grass under trees or on a grassy hill in the sun or in a parking lot next to grass where you can erect your canopy. We chose to park on the grass right off the parking lot….it was a great spot.

There was a good variety of the 80 cars I saw and many of them were very nicely done cars. We had seen most of them at the various shows and cruises we attend, that is the down side of attending so many local shows. But we always see something new and this show was no exception. The yellow & black suede ’68 Chevelle was very different….and the little red MG-Jeepster-thingy was too far out for me. I did like the purple ’40 Ford coupe and Arnold’s purple ’57 Chevy convertible the best….but there were many other very nice cars too. The only negative thing about this show is the cannon! Yes a cannon that is fired from the back of the parking lot at various times during the day….the loudness is near paralyzing….I think it would be like getting tazzed….every so often….for no apparent reason….you are just having a conversation with an old friend and wham, it scrambled my senses like I just took 45 million volts through my ear lobes….I think some people were getting ready to pay the cannoneer an unfriendly visit! But fortunately the show ended before that happened….that should be deleted from the entertainment committee’s choices next year.

We left the show and followed Steve and some other friends to the cruise in Locust Grove. We had heard rumors of a cruise on Rt. 20 that was getting 50+ cars on the first Saturday of the month. The cruise started this year in June/July and seemed like it was a hit! We arrived a little early and the isolation/caution tape had not been put us so we parked where we thought would be allowed….then Mike decided to move where there were no lines on the pavement and be closer to the shade….so we all moved too, like lemmings! Mike is a very independent guy….he has a V-6 in his red ’29 2 door so he is going against the grain a little just by showing up! We decided to check out one of the local eateries and hid inside Mama’s Pizza restaurant for an hour or so. There are three food choices and the next time we will check out one of the others. Mama’s Pizza was great….the Princess says that the Lasagna was done just right for a Princess? I guess that means we lowly bottom dwellers should be happy with the food too! It was good, fairly priced and the service was fun.

As with any cruise they take on their own personality and this one was definitely a local country cruise. The live Gospel singing and bluegrass music set the tone for the evening and I kinda liked it. There were about 55 cars by the end of the evening but I like the yellow ’49 Jeepster….you never see these cars around and the one at the cruise was flawless. The only negative thing about the cruise was where the cars came into and left the cruise compound. They should have a person at the end of the lot lifting up the caution tape to allow ingress and egress, not through the canopies with the musicians and all the people gathered around listening. The kids were running around and after dark it was dangerous to drive in that area. We stayed till it got cold then cruised on home….I actually had to roll up both windows because of the cool weather….I love it!

Sunday since we were going to work in the show that got rained out last week so we took our mule, ’07 Sport Trac, up the road so we could haul more stuff for Wounded Warrior Project. The show is put on for Wounded Warrior Project and Jill’s House, two worthy causes. Last week we had 34 cars show up in the rain and we were hoping for many more this week. The weather guesser’s forcasted rain for the afternoon, they just didn’t agree when it would be here. So we pressed on with the show. Steve and the rest of the Prince William Cruisers had set up everything. The Princess and Ramona were going to be selling the event T shirts, Dan was going to help take the money and I was going to help Jo with the registration.

As I have said before the venue is great but we had received almost 6” of rain during the last week….so the grassed area was a little soft, not muddy, just soft. We got there before 8AM and the cars started coming in shortly after that. One of the main drawbacks of this show is the food. The park had permanent food facilities which should be good….but the food is subpar and the service is minimal to laughable. I shudder to think that those young people are the future of our Country….they can’t even make change for a hamburger! And the bathrooms were really bad this year….they were dirty and not adequately stocked.

But on the good side it didn’t rain till after the show, the band was kickin out awesome music and the event ran like a Rolex. The success of the event was due in part to the generous contributions of Mr. Devine, Mr. Morissette, Mr. Phillips and Mr. Brown. Those contributions allowed the Prince William Cruisers to raise $5200 for the two charities….a real good day by any measure! All of the Prince William Cruisers that came out to make the day successful should be thanked for their dedication and unselfish volunteering.

100 cars were registered but the field was flooded by Camaros, 15 of them entered the event before it was over! The “rest” of the field was varied and included some very nice cars. The one I liked the best was the blue “65 Buick Special, with the V-6. Between the one barrel carburetor, the V-6 crank throws, the convertible top and standard transmission those evil little cars would never idle nice like the V-8 would….I worked on a few of them when I was a mechanic in Riverside, CA and tried to make the car run like a “Buick” but usually failed. It was very interesting to see one again. To say I’m glad I was not asked to help with the judging is an understatement….the cars were very nice and the judges job was tedious at best.

The award ceremony was completed a little early and the Prince William Cruisers struck the camp quickly….by 4PM you couldn’t tell anything had happened at the park! WOW The rain started about 5PM!

Meteorological misfortunes

2010-09-27T13:54:00.008-04:00

Saturday morning we met at Bob Evans for breakfast then cruised to the Zoan Baptist Church show in Fredericksburg, VA. This is the fourth annual deal for the church and their major sponsor, Big Foot Speed & Custom. The show always has a nice mix of new and old vehicles and Saturday they had 76 vehicles registered and a few that didn’t! The event has always been attendee centric….they want the entrants to have a good time, what a concept! They have crafty things for sale that the Princess says she needed. They sold tickets for a cake walk? And she “won” a large box of homemade brownies and another one with white chocolate chip & nut cookies. The Princess brought me the container of cookies….she is always looking out for me….making sure I consume the correct nourishment ….cookies are one of the 7 major food groups….right? The only thing was that my cookie container was broke, all the cookies just leaked out before I got home! The Princess says I’m not being truthful about where the cookies went….I think that little short curly blonde person told on me, he was giving me a real slow look over, I don’t think I trust him! There was also good food for sale and clean restrooms. The show would have been perfect except for the heat….the weather guessers said it was going to be 85 degrees….I think we set another heat record, I think I could hear the grass crackle as it was going from green to dried out brown! Yes it was a 6 bottles of water and two bottles of Gatorade day!

The organizers gave out the awards then we packed up and headed for the cruise at Bruster’s in N. Stafford. We decided to eat at a nearby restaurant after we arrived so by the time we got back to the cars it was dark! It looked like it was going to be a normal evening at Bruster’s with about 50-60 cars coming and going. The Princess and I passed out some flyers then left. The heat had drained us and we needed to be up early Sunday to help at a show up north….

Sunday we got up at 5Am and started to get ready for the day….I loaded the hot rods with all the Wounded Warrior Project stuff and drinks and ice and a little table and way too much stuff for two coupes to carry then went inside to consult my weather sites. We knew it was forcasted to rain on Sunday but the timing was a mystery. As I tried to get a consensus from the different sites it became clear to me that the rain was going to go around us and not be a problem till 5PM or so. So about 6:30 Ramona called me to check on which vehicles we were going to take to the show and I said….The hot rods of course! After the conversation I thought maybe I should check outside….it was raining so hard it was running down the driveway! So much for the weather guesser’s prognostication! I switched all the stuff into my truck and we headed out with our mule! We were to help with registration at the PWC show in Occoquan, VA. The show was to benefit Wounded Warrior Project so we were going to be there one way or the other! You can check out the pictures and see us standing around, under the canopies, watching the rain run off the edge of the canopy…. Steve, the show organizer and decision maker, was struggling with what to do. Some people started lining up at the entrance with show cars….in the rain. Some people had come from 155 miles away! Around10 AM it started looking like we may get a reprieve from the rain so Steve didn’t want to call the show….we waited…. We started registering cars and they were setting up their deal….in the rain. At noon Steve decided to call the show….we had 34 cars registered….this show usually has 200+. He had a rain date for the following Sunday so he gave all the participants the choice of coming back next Sunday and get free admission with their registration or if they couldn’t come back they could get a Top 50 trophy, about half took the trophies!

Having put on a few deals myself I know what a frustrating thing it is to call a show after you start it….it never works very well and some people are always unhappy with the outcome. The venue owners are disappointed because they didn’t get the income they were expecting for that day. The sponsors didn’t get the exposure they wanted, the food vendors had to take the food they bought back somewhere! Where does that food go? The other vendors spent money to be there and didn’t have any customers. The participants cleaned and polished for this show and got rained on. The club mustered their members, with their many and varied conflicting personal schedules, to be there and help manage the event. They still had to go through most of their work, setting up tents, setting out the door prizes and trophies….but they didn’t get to complete the cycle. I think that all things considered, Steve made the correct and fair decision for as many of the entities as possible. So next Sunday we go back to Occoquan Park to do it again and see what happens! Oh yeah….around 1:30 the sky cleared and the sun came out….for the rest of the day! Go figure!

Cooler is better

2010-09-20T16:40:00.012-04:00

Friday evening and the Fredericksburg Classic & Muscle Car Club orchestrates their weekly cruise event at VA BBQ in Fredericksburg, Virginia. About half of the cars were regulars but the other half was new to us. The deep maroon ’63 Vette with the 502 was real nice and the light blue ’50 Chevy was special too. There were 65-70 cars that gave the event a crowded feel….which was a good thing! While stumbling around taking pictures I got to meet Brad, the owner of the black Willys B/G pick up, Willard…. He is making a statement with his ride, check it out when you can. I am seeing the National trend of more suede painted cars at shows and cruises and they were well represented Friday night at the BBQ. The ’54 Ford with the flames is a great representation of that discipline as was the radical black & silver pick up. Tooties white ’57 Olds added to the nostalgic feel of the event too.

I was also introduced to Steve, from Homes for our Troops by Tony the owner of VA BBQ. I think Steve & I can work together on some projects in the future. Please remember our Troops that are doing our Country’s bidding and especially the ones that don’t come back whole. They all deserve our respect and thanks but some of them need our help. One of the ways this can happen is to support groups like Wounded Warrior Project and Homes for our Troops.
http://www.homesforourtroops.org http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/
We cruised home in the cool evening air….the RedRat likes cold air….it was a good trip….grin!

Saturday we met Fred at WAWA in Stafford, VA and the three of us took off on our 87 mile cruise to Winchester, VA and the 3rd Annual Cruise-in For a CURE event at the Backseat Bar & Grille. This is the first time we have attended this event and we were pleasantly surprised. The event is run by Valley Cruisers of Winchester and as most of their events do it ran flawlessly….they had us out on time and I heard no grumbling about anything! The Food at Backseat grille is very tasty and fairly priced. They have clean restrooms and the staff is helpful. The Valley Cruisers provided the music and DJ for the event. The event had many activities to keep the participants as busy as they wanted, it was a good time. The event is part of the Relay For Life of the American Cancer Society….a good thing to support. There were many very nice cars but the one I liked best was the black ’56 Ford post with the 427 FE motor. When this car rumbled in with its staccato exhaust note I thought someone had unloaded an alcohol funny car or something like that….it was not to be ignored! It even had cheater slicks! The orange ’51 Ford was way cool too, Ford in a Ford….nice. The Princess “won” a Barbie doll in the Chinese auction….I think it only cost $20 worth of tickets…. But it was so special….and it was a “Princess” Barbie!? O…K…. that makes it better!? I know one of the granddaughters will like it.

After the event we cruised about 12 miles to McCoy’s Ice Cream in Stephens City, VA, to attend the cruise there. We waited till about 5:30 and no other cars showed up? So much for that….we returned to Stafford and the cruise at Bruster’s. The cruise was way too busy for us and the parking lot was overflowing so we stayed an hour then left for home….a great day.

Sunday the Princess and I cruised 60 miles to Sperryville, VA and hooked up with Steve and friends. We then cruised 23 more miles over the mountain to Luray, VA and the Susan G Komen, 3 Day walk for the Cure, car show. The event was held in the Tractor Supply Company’s parking lot in Luray. The event was organized by Betty Topley with the assistance of her husband and daughter plus J.B. at Tractor Supply. Rob Vollten, a local D.J., provided the music and announcements. Tony’s Body Shop, in Culpeper, provided the awards and Chris Hetzer helped where needed. The event was Betty’s first try at putting an event together and we think it worked out great! She may be planning another for next year….stay tuned….she will want you to be part of the event.

There were about 70 cars at the event and many very nice examples of what hot rodding is all about. The coolest one was the Ford shoebox of Tommy’s. The orange flake smoothie was definitely a hit with everyone to the point it won “Best of Show”…. Caddy taillights, wide whites and lakers….what’s not to like? Shoot I was looking for some cigarettes to roll up in my shirt sleeve, I wish I had hair to comb in a DA….oh well….I guess I’m almost a smoothie too, like my friend Lee in AZ! Grin

Most of you know that I don’t compete in the shows anymore because I don’t want to compromise my objectiveness when I report on the events. I also don’t want the distraction of competition to ruin the day for me so I always put a sticker on my registration in the windshield that says “DO NOT JUDGE”. I pay to support the cause for the event but I just don’t want to play. While we were packing up to cruise to Sonny’s, a couple of ladies came over to me with a prayer ribbon….to give to me. They said that they liked my car the best but since it said do not judge it they didn’t know what to do….They were the ladies that participated in the walk for the cure so they were going to give me the award anyway! I have received many awards in my life but this is one of the best….all the bling bling trophies will be gone someday but I’ll treasure this one always ….thanks.

After the show a bunch of us cruised another 5 miles west to Sonny’s Place on the side of Waterfall Mountain and had dinner. The food at Sonny’s is always great and the portions are really large….I mean way too much for a normal human to finish, but I tried….grin The staff is attentive and helpful plus the Lady of the café always makes sure we are well taken care of when stop by…. If you are near Luray or New Market I highly recommend this eatery….yes it has the Slacker’s seal of approval! hehehe

We cruised back to Stafford and I guess I was reflecting on how the day unfolded, while listening to 502 inches of GM’s best, turning gasoline into music….and almost ran out of fuel! OPPS….a quick stop on the outskirts of Culpeper for gas then continue on home….living a dream….I love this hobby….

Cool weekend

2010-09-13T07:05:00.004-04:00

Friday evening at VA BBQ in Fredericksburg, VA and most of the 70 or so cars were regulars….except for the copper ’65 Cyclone pro-street. I don’t know what is going on but I have seen a number of these cars recently, they are getting very popular. We had been going to other cruises on Friday night during the summer and had not attended this one for a couple of months….we feel comfortable here and Wes makes sure everything always runs well. I’m glad the weather is getting cooler….the RedRat runs so much better with cool air.

Saturday we left the WAWA in Stafford, VA and cruised 50 miles to the Reva FD south of Culpeper, VA. This is a nice show with great food cooked inside the building and permanent clean restroom facilities. DJ Ron and Anita keep the music and announcements going and is one of the factors that help us decide which show to attend. The day was brilliantly clear & crisp which added to the enjoyment of the event but it reminded me of the same day 9 years ago. We arrived a little late but found that Lou had saved some parking spots so we could all sit together.

I think there were 90 cars registered which is less than last year but still a good number. We got to see the results of Jim playing deer tag on the way to the event….sorry about your Olds Jim but the important thing is that you are OK….whew! I liked Sam’s gold Merc and the purple shoebox the best for the day. But the red ’56 T-Bird was impeccable and would be allowed to park in my garage anytime! The show was let out around 2PM and some of us cruised to Lou & Arlene’s for lunch….the potatoe salad is to die for!

After our picnic we cruised to Forster’s Grille in S. Stafford, VA and the monthly cruise there that is hosted by VA Stockers. The cruise was in progress and not many cars showed up by the time we left. I don’t know why this cruise won’t attract many consistent cruisers….the venue is good, the cruisers are pleasant and the food & restaurant is good but for some reason this cruise never took off. It will probably not return next year. We were going to cruise to Bruster’s but the Princess was waaaay to tired, she said we needed to get home and get ready for the show in Herndon the next day. It rained during the night and into the morning….no Herndon show!

Cruisers 1--Earl 0

2010-09-06T13:52:00.010-04:00

Friday we worked our way south to Ashland, VA….since it was the beginning of the 4 day, Labor Day weekend we had to use the less traveled roads which was actually nicer but does go a few miles out of our way. We were also counting on the weather guessers being correct on hurricane Earl’s track and except for some wind it would miss us altogether. The cruise is at the Chick-fil-A across from Virginia Center Commons Mall on Rt. 1 in Ashland and is hosted by the Weekend Cruisers and Fre-Ray Sounds. If you don’t like to talk to people or walk around and look at cars but just want to sit and listen to the music….you will be happy at the cruise! But if you like to look at cars and talk to friendly people it will be an evening you will remember.

The cars came out and in the end there were about 80 of them sharing the event with us….which is a good number of cars to see at any cruise. There were representations of hi-riders, lo-riders, antique, hot rod, pro-street, muscle car, rat rod and a funny little 3 wheeler. I liked the little yellow MGB with the 215ci nailhead. Yes a Buick nailhead first made in 1961 and was all aluminum and a beast to keep together at the time. I was a Buick mechanic at Helgeson Buick in Riverside, CA from ’62-’66 and saw a few of those little motors. Oldsmobile had one too at the same time but I think it had different heads. Noted cam grinder, Chet Herbert, built a twice motored rail that I saw run at Fontana once with the little aluminum motors in it….I think it was injected. Land Rover is now putting the nearly 50 year old Buick motors in their new cars!?

They say that ugly is in the eye of the beholder but I think I saw it sitting on three wheels that night….a tri-wheeled deal that looked like it had a BMW motorcycle motor for power….you decide! And speaking of ugly….the rat rod pick up was….very….special too. I love the console! On the other end of the ugly/pretty scale was the yellow pro-street Camaro, the Red ’58 Cameo PU, the stately grey ’48 Packard, the blue ’66 Impala with some neat, seldom seen options and the mauve ’34 Ford….but my favorite was the grey ’67 Olds 442 post….a really nice car. About 8:30 or so, Jean started to whine about stopping at Carl’s ice cream in Fredericksburg on the way home….and that they closed at 11PM….and would we have enough time to make it there….and she really wanted some ice cream….so we packed up and headed for Carl’s to end the evening. Since traffic had thinned out we decided to take I95 back to Carl’s, it was to be much faster….big mistake….the road was bumpy enough to shake loose parts of the car! During the day you can see the bad spots and usually have enough time to avoid them….but at night you just hit them, the RedRat was bouncing around I was almost changing lanes during the bouncing….I will avoid I95 in the future till they get it fixed. We made it to Carl’s in time so Jean was happy….and the Princess was happy….life is good now because of some chilled, congealed milk fat…how weird is that?

After traveling so much last weekend we decided to stay closer to home this weekend so Saturday we attended the local cruise at Bruster’s ice cream in Stafford, VA. We got there about 5PM and there were 10 cars there already. About 90 cars arrived during the cruise which included 24+ Mustangs! There was a good mix of the Mustangs from 1964 to 2011….I liked the red ’72 GT350. Everything else was pretty much the usual suspects except for the New York State Police cruiser….the ’74 cruiser is the same type of car used in the Blues Brothers movie! We cruised the 1.4 miles home….whew….those long trips are taking a toll….grin

Sunday we met at the WAWA in Stafford, VA to begin our cruise to Colonial Beach, VA and the Colonial Beach Cruisers & Jim Still 1954 Ford Museum, annual picnic. We were really cranked up to go this year because we had so much fun last year at the event and it was so hot last year and this Sunday was to be perfect, weather wise. We were going to leave a little early to make sure our slowest car could keep up….it was a very original 1919 Model T with a supposed top speed of 42mph! We took the scenic route to Colonial Beach as I thought since it was less traveled there would be fewer people upset because of the slow speed we were traveling….but then the speed limit was 45mph most of the way so no one should really get upset and it would be a fun trip. Watching the T in the rear view mirror reminded me when I drove a stock ’57 VW and every hill was a challenge….we would try to make it up Rt.60 from Riverside, CA to Sunnymead without shifting down. I could see the T slowing on every hill but for the most part he kept up OK. It was fun driving the 50 miles with such an important piece of history accompanying us.

There were about 15 cars already parked when we arrived so we chose the yard next to Jim’s, Potomac Alternator & Starter building, it was on grass and right across from the museum. As I have written before the hospitality of this group is great….they always greet us and make us feel comfortable….they really are glad we are there! Jim’s 1954 Ford museum is not a public enterprise, in fact he rarely opens it up for public visiting….but once a year he and the Colonial Beach Cruisers throw a picnic at the museum so anyone that wants to have a fun day can visit and experience the collection of cars and memorabilia.

The Cruisers set up all the food & drinks and provide some games to test our skills…or embarrass us….I’m not sure….grin. Jim & JV dreamed up and built the games of skill for all to enjoy but I know the Princess would have some opinions about their motivation even though she appeared to be enjoying the contests. The pushrod drop was monitored by a crusty guy that didn’t give the Princess any slack, she whined anyway! The flywheel wheel was run by the famous Von Paulie….the lug nut stack was troublesome for the Princess because they were not using Princess Time? The lifter lob and piston throw was fun too but she said the buckets were way too far for a Princess to reach! But the event everyone was waiting for was the blind driving contest. You started at one end of the field at a line between two cones and drove to the other end of the field where another line was between two cones. Whoever went the closest to the second line without crossing it was the winner….you could try twice. Oh yeah….you were blindfolded at the start! It really is more difficult than it seems….some had trouble staying between the cones….I won’t mention who she was but she drives a red ’33 coupe and she was so mad the second time she tried because people had to run for their life while she ran over the cone! I think everyone had a great time again this year which is a testament to the planning and hard work of all involved in putting this event on. We look forward to next year….maybe they will have some Princess friendly games to do….like sitting or waving? If you would like to share some time with a good group of car nuts you should attend next year….If you are a Ford person you should attend next year so you can see anything you may want to see about a 1954 Ford….

We thanked Jim & JV for another outstanding event then left for Fredericksburg, VA….and Carl’s ice cream….again. This happens every time Jean goes with us although I didn’t hear much complaining about having to go for ice cream again from the others! I think a pattern is emerging here….I’ll have to study this phenomenon; it may take a lot of research. On the way back the Model T actually exceeded its aerodynamic design load and started to shed upholstery parts when it reached 51mph….you have to ask him! We throttled back and continued on with no further incidents….hehehehe

Are we there yet?

2010-08-30T19:08:00.010-04:00

Friday morning and our little group met at the WAWA in Stafford, VA to begin our 238 mile trek to Macungie, PA. We are going to be part of the 32nd Annual Wheels of Time Rod & Custom Jamboree. We left the WAWA at 4:30 in the morning….before the sun came up….in the dark! What are people doing that are driving around that early. Shouldn’t they be home in bed? We stopped in Springfield, VA and joined 4 other cars and continued north to PA. We stopped in Thurmont, MD for breakfast & fuel and picked up 2 more cars. Since no one had any vehicle problems we arrived in Macungie around 9:30 and the place looked filled up! We picked our way through the parked cars and people walking around till we got to the rear of the event where we found enough room for 9 cars to park together….it turned out to be a good place as the weekend unfolded. We set up and began to check out the event.

The location of the event is the Macungie Memorial Park and there are 42 acres of rolling grass fields which was needed for the 1,750 cars that were registered. The event is on grass and normally that would be a good thing but with all the foot traffic and vehicular traffic by Saturday afternoon the dusty dirt was floating everywhere. Some of the bathrooms were porta potties and some were permanent facilities….but they had an attendant that told you which one was empty (I guess that’s for the people that couldn’t tell if the green or red was showing by the handle!?). It was customary to “tip” the attendant after you were done? Although I never saw him do it, I was told he also kept the units clean…. There were many vendors from pin stripers to car builders. Many food vendors were there and the variety and quality of the food was great….PA always has good food. There was a live band playing all the time, many different bands but someone was playing all the time for the 3 days we attended! Women’s World and the craft section was very special too. Usually after the Princess goes to those places I get to have a showing of the treasures she has liberated from a vendor….and she tells me that the vendor clearly didn’t know the value of what they were selling….hmmm, yeah right! Usually I just nod and think….yard sale fodder or more stuff I’m going to sell on eBay this winter. But this time the Princess and Sally actually got some good stuff and they had a good time doing their touchy/feely/talkie thing in and around all the stuff for a few hours while they trolled for treasure. I’m so happy that we now have an antique, hand operated corn creamer! You can’t imagine how long I have been waiting to cream corn, I was actually waiting for a steam powered one but the antique implement will help improve my eye/hand coordination, what a deal! As more Ladies attend the events, the organizers would do well to cater to them more….some are driving their own cars too so “car” things, that they would be interested in, would be a good idea too! Are you listening organizers? Cha-ching?

The organizers had something going on all the time, if you got bored it was your fault, they kept you busy if you wanted to be….kinda like a cruise ship! There was a race car area that was cool and they lit up the big twice motored Chrysler rail while I was visiting that area….it was neat to hear the old motors run. They had games for kids and adults to keep you occupied as if trying to look at 1,700 cars wouldn’t keep you busy. Sunday they had a pro street cruise and burn out….that was special….can you imagine how quick a 66 year old, old guy can move when a crossed up, out of control Ford PU is coming at you with the motor screaming and tires smoking? I have video! And speaking of video....be sure to check out my one handed, over the shoulder camera shoot, out the rear window of the RedRat while I looked at the LCD screen of the camera by looking at my rear view mirror....while driving 60+....notice how smooth the RedRat goes over a bridge transition....grin

The cars….there was every kind of pre-1969 vehicle you could imagine….and some you could not imagine unless you were abducted by aliens or something. I guess it’s the long winters that generate the ideas for some of the vehicles. A couple of them were very….creative. Although there were many out of state cars most of them were native PA cars. Pennsylvania has a rich history of hot rodding and I think along with California and Ohio it has to be in the top 5 states of hot rodding activity. The venue is sprawling and I couldn’t cover everywhere so the pictures I took only represent a small selection of what was there. There were many more “custom” cars than I had seen anywhere in a long time….that type of car showcases the talent, skill and imagination of a builder better than traditional hot rods do and there was no shortage of customs at the show. Although I do like cars built after 1969, a limited year event does have a special feel….everything there has someone’s dream on display….not just something that was in a showroom the day before. And with the attendance they had, it proves they don’t have to bend to the “you have to invite everyone” syndrome to have a successful event. The spectators paid $5 a person to get in and the stream of people didn’t stop, even as we left for the day! Also as we left the town of Macungie each day the local people sat in chairs along the street to watch/hear us cruise out! That was cool! I think this is a must attend show at least once….maybe twice? Get your motel room early, they go pretty fast and the Starlight Diner has great food!

We left for home on Sunday about 11:30 and one of the cars had to stop for repairs before we got to the halfway point near Gettysburg on Rt. 15 & Rt. 30. In fact we were making the repairs on a narrow country road, in the middle of a corn field, in the flight path of a barnstormers airport, how cool is that? We ate lunch at Hoss restaurant then filled up the hot rods and continued south….why does it always seem longer going home than going to an event? It seemed like I was in the RedRat for days till we got home, the steady drone of the big block at 2800 rpm can take a toll. Did I say that? We did get home finally but I don’t think I want to look at the cars for a few days. But by Wednesday I’ll start to get them ready for next weekend and the adventure continues….

Got Bugs?

2010-08-22T18:29:00.010-04:00

After many emails, a few phone calls and a schedule change, the day was finally here to go south and visit Larry and his friends at the Iron Bridge Sports Park cruise in Chesterfield, VA. We gathered up some friends and left Stafford at 2PM to make the 106 mile trip to the cruise. We had six cars traveling to the cruise, Ron-’28 Dodge, Bill-’70 Chevy PU, Fred-’66 Barracuda, Jim & Linda-’08 Vette and the Princess and me in our coupes. The trip took about 2 ½ hours with one pit stop near Mechanicsville. The road was great most of the way but I-295, as usual, was horrible….the “repairs” that were made left a lot to be desired and the transition on & off most bridges was a header scraper for some of us….at 55+ mph! We arrived around 4:30 and all of us still had our parts that we left Stafford with….except maybe Fred?

The cruise had about 50 cars parked when we arrived so we knew it was going to be a busy night! Larry and the owner of Iron Bridge Sports Park have put together a very comfortable cruise and it seems to serve the needs of the local cruisers just fine. The parking is on asphalt but if you are on the perimeter you can set up your camp on grass, which is always nicer. There is only one way in and out so vehicle control can be effectively achieved. Access from Rt. 10, a main thoroughfare, is uncomplicated and the event can be seen from Rt. 10 as well….which no doubt helps the participation. The restroom facilities are top notch and the onsite grille is great. I like this kind of food when we are running the cars, it adds to the nostalgic feel of the event. When your only choice is the upscale food chains it takes something away from the feel of the event for me. And the food was great and the food order taker/cashier/server was a hoot….she fit right in with our “car” humor….she helped make the experience fun!

Oh yeah….and they had cars! As with any cruise some cars came and visited a while then cruised out….and another one came in! So getting a hard attendance number is difficult but I think if everyone was counted it would be between 140-160 cars….not bad for Friday. And the cars were all types and conditions. I had only seen 4 of the cars previously….the Munster car, Chuck & Cindy’s Chevelles and Ron’s ’32 5w coupe….the rest were new to me! I was having a sensory overload of sorts because of all the very nice cars….and there were so many Mustangs….isn’t that what Larry drives? I like the red & black ’57 Ford convertible, the green Chevy PU that squeeked his tires when he turned a corner while parking, the red ’59 DeSoto was very cool too. I think the car I liked best was the copper Anglia panel with the turbocharged 2.3L four banger! A very courageous idea and masterful execution…. This cruise is every Friday and is advertised on the Car Club Council of Central Virginia’s website. I highly recommend this cruise and plan on returning when we can.

We decided to pack up and make our return trip around 9PM….Fred, our pathfinder in the group, said he had a different way back that would save some miles….so after a long day, a few miles shorter on the way home was greeted enthusiastically by all….especially me as I wouldn’t have to lead back. The route turned out to be a little shorter but it was much quicker and we should consider it both ways next time. I think it was a little longer for Fred though as he got temporally bewildered and thought he would go South for a few miles before resuming his Northward trek….grin! (No we didn’t follow him!) Fred can always be counted on to add a little excitement to our trips!

Saturday the Princess and I had been invited to attend the Prince William Cruisers annual picnic. It was being held at Roger & Mary’s home and was a hoot….the club members have accepted us as friends, it must be the Princesses strawberry pies that she brings!? We ate too much and then decided to cruise to Orange, VA and check out the monthly cruise at the Burger King on Rt. 15.

We arrived at 4:30 and there were already 70 cars parked….another good night!? Steve was amazed that the area was filling up that early but he found some good parking places to set up anyway. Sally was driving her very orange ’70 Mustang and parked next to the Princess….so they can discuss “Princess” things I guess? DJ Ron & Anita provided the audio ambiance for the event and was much appreciated. The music is the lubricant that keeps the event going along….think about it….when the sound stops, what happens? Anyway Ron always makes an event memorable and that night was no exception. About 180 cars cruised the event and a lot of them were the usual suspects but some were new to us….like the black ’62 Chevy deuce with a 572! And there were about 4 Cyclone’s at the cruise but the one that stopped my clock was the very dark green ’66 pro-street….a very nice ride! My favorite was the red ’63 Plymouth 426 SS car….one of my top 10 favorite cars.

The Princess and I walked around taking pictures and talking to friends when we spotted Bill doing what he does….a nice pearl ’39 Buick rolled in and Bill was on him like a politician on a pile of money. He was asking questions, writing everything down in his memo pad and taking pictures….he must have a database of cars that would rival a Madam’s little black book. He will sometimes attend 3 shows and a couple cruises….a day! Just getting info that he compiles in neat photo albums. You have to talk to him when you see him at the next show….he will be there!

After Ron gave out the awards the Princess said it was time to go since she didn’t get one….tell me again how you spell brat? So we gathered up and started home. Since the others didn’t know how to get into Stafford the back way I was elected to lead, a real bummer for me. The cruise home was uneventful except for the bugs. The bugs swarmed me between Orange and Culpeper to the point it was difficult to see out my windshield….they were blowing into the car with me but it was way too hot to roll up the windows so I just shared the cockpit with untold numbers of little wiggly things for the next 60 miles home….in the dark. When we got out of the cars in the garage at home they looked like they were flocked with some kind of flakey fish food! The Princess spent the next two hours cleaning off the bugs before she called it a day….sometimes the Princess can be very helpful….grin That’s our deal, I keep them running and she keeps them pretty….it works for us!

What is that wet stuff all over my car?

2010-08-16T12:38:00.003-04:00

Friday’s cruise was literally a wash out (rain) but Saturday the morning broke with that big light in the East sky cranking up what would become a Chamber of Commerce, picture perfect day for the Fredericksburg Classic & Muscle Car Club’s annual car show. The show is held at the Chancellor Baptist Church in Chancellor, VA and offers a paved parking lot for the cars but the perimeter grassed areas can be used for setting up canopies and chairs…. The club has always run a great show and this day was no exception. The restroom facility was only 500 miles through the woods from the show area but when you finally got to them they were inside the church and very welcome. I think I saw little benches to rest on before you walked back. The food was catered by VA BBQ and was OK….I just wished they would have advertised that they had hot dogs….no one knew they were selling them and near the end of the show they had so many left that they started selling them for $1 each! This show always has a few vendors and Saturday I think they had 4-5 of them set up. Some thought the entry fee of $20 was a little pricey but I have to remember that this club, like most other “real” clubs, contributes greatly to charitable organizations because of their efforts. This club specializes on local families that have missed the normal government safety nets and need a hand….$20 doesn’t seem like too much….

This show almost exclusively represents local road driven cars…. But this year someone brought their trophy car in a trailer….does this car ever see a road? Those that know me know I don’t compete in the shows so I don’t have a dog in this race but although that car was very nice and it won best of show, I thought it was tasteless to drag it to a small local show and impress the lesser country bumpkins with this national caliber trophy car! I don’t see the payback for spending 200K on a car to get a $30 trophy? It seems it is more about flaunting the owner’s wealth than sharing his passion of the hobby with everyone. I have no problem bringing a trophy car to a local show so those that are not able to attend a “trophy car show” can see it….but the car should not compete, it should be displayed. I’ll get off my soapbox now.

I think there were 115 cars which included some club cars. The club cars were not allowed to compete for the trophies, which is as it should be. There were a few “special club recognition” awards presented to their members for their service to the club and community. The car I liked the best was the silver ’34 Chevy 4 dr. Master….a very nice ride and the burgundy/black ’31 Ford 4dr Sedan was cool too. There was a good mix of new and old cars which is also a good thing when you are trying to maximize the amount of $’s you raise for your charity. I think it will be a very long time, if ever, before we go back to narrowly restricting the year of the cars that can participate in local shows.

The award ceremony was long….some complained about the length….some rudely left as soon as they received their trophy. I liked the way Gary ran the award ceremony….he took the time to announce the name of the sponsor for each trophy, the name of the winner, the car the trophy was for and any other pertinent information. He allowed each winner their 1 minute of time in the spotlight….sometimes this is the only time a person gets recognition for their labor of love….Most of us appreciated the way Gary presented the awards. The trophies were very nice and worth competing for! After the ceremony we packed up and cruised to Bruster’s in Stafford, VA

We arrived at Bruster’s while Ron was setting up so we parked and walked to the nearest restaurant for linner (lunch/dinner). When we came back the lot was almost full of cars! It’s amazing how many cars will come to this cruise, that night I think there was 60-65 cars that parked….some just cruised through but didn’t stop!? JV brought his orange BBC powered speed boat….he says it goes over 100mph! He says he is going to become a psychiatrist because he knows what crazy is! He also drives a T-Bucket….yeah, crazy pretty much describes it. This cruise is heavily attended by new cars and muscle cars so we try to attend when we can….to balance out the year mix a little, grin. Most of the cars were the usual suspects but there was this black ’39 Pontiac. This car was not easy to walk by, it’s so interesting. It has many modifications to the body and the interior is handmade. After talking with the owner a little I found out it was made by his dad and has the running gear from a ’74 Lincoln…. This is a great example of true hot rodding….making something out of different cars….not just buying parts from a catalog and assembling a car. This car was built by one man….he did everything on the car except balancing the drive shaft! This car is not my cup of tea but you have to admire the ingenuity and execution of this man’s ideas and skill….you have to look closely when you see it, check it out. I am going to try to do an article on it this winter. We left the cruise about 8:30 so we could get ready for tomorrows show.

I consulted the weather guessers early in the morning and they said if we got rain it wouldn’t get here till 3-5PM. I had spent a lot of hours during the last two weeks cleaning underneath the hot rods so I was not looking forward to rain and the road spray that would get all over and under the cars. It was cloudy when we left but I thought we would be able to attend the show and return without getting wet. We arrived at the Water’s Edge Round Up show in Woodbridge, VA around 8:30 and parked under the pine trees at the end of the lot. About 10:00 it started to rain! Then it stopped, we dried off the cars and it started to rain again and wouldn’t stop till about 3PM. So the cars got wet, the underneath got road spray that I’m not going to try to clean off until we return from our 3 day car show in PA later this month. I think there were 40 cars registered and when he realized the rain wasen’t going to stop raining, Steve called the show around1PM. We gathered inside the restaurant and the club gave everyone (but me-my choice) a plaque for their diehard participation in the event. So we now have a rain date to make up this show on October 10, 2010. This was a difficult exercise for the PW Cruisers and the sponsor, Water’s Edge but they worked through it and we hope for better weather on the 10th! It was a wild ride home in the RedRat but I think I like it that way….maybe JV and I can open a practice together….grin

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Cruisin around Virginia

2010-08-09T11:17:00.007-04:00

Friday evening and we worked our way for 50 miles to Colonial Beach, VA and the bi-monthly cruise hosted by the Colonial Beach Cruisers. As I mentioned before in my blog….this is the place to be on the first or third Friday evening of the month. The food and service at Fat Freda’s Restaurant never disappoints and as always the CB Cruisers make you feel welcome. This night we spent time listening to the live music which is provided at Fat Freda’s and talking to the regulars. Benny & Susan, a couple that we have know for many years but seldom see, dropped by and we spent some time catching up. I hope they have time to sit with us in the future. The ’37 Plymouth sedan delivery was very cool….and it has Mopar power….are you listening Ron? There were 15 or so cars but the one that I liked the best was the orange/purple ’68 Chevy PU, it was very special. I had seen it at a cruise months ago in S. Stafford but they left before I was able to really look it over. The interior is the nicest I’ve seen for a while with the alligator inserts and the paint & graphics are stunning too. The tubbed chassis supports a much modified BBC. The engine compartment is….Spartan to the max. But the most impressive thing is the mural on the tailgate….it depicts a man that worked for the owner and was killed protecting our freedom. It matters not what you think about the wars we are engaged in to these Warriors. They do our bidding and some pay the ultimate price for doing their duty. We must NEVER forget them…. Whenever you see a Military person take the time to shake their hand and thank them for their service keeping us free….it makes a difference to them.

We cruised home together in the RedRat because the Princess had been under a spell during the week….something about getting dizzy and running into door jambs and stuff. I think she was really dizzy because her doctor prescribed some dizzy medication….I always suspected she took medicine to make her that way….no person could be that way without some chemical help! I didn’t say that….hehehe Anyway she doesn’t like the RedRat…it’s too noisy and jerky….it rides harder than hers….the seats are not leather like hers….she can’t use the CD because she can’t hear it….and she has no room for all her support stuff and the wind coming in the windows messes up her hair?! I hope she gets better soon.

Saturday we meet up at the WAWA at 4PM and began the 76 mile cruise to Mechanicsville, VA and Brunetti’s Italian Restaurant cruise that is held there every Saturday evening. We had visited this cruise whenever we attended the Richmond NSRA Nationals…. but since this event has been cancelled we decided to cruise down to visit anyway. It is a nice easy cruise on less traveled roads through the country side of the tidewater area of Virginia.

Fre-Ray Sounds provided the music for the event and it’s always music we like with very little announcing to disrupt it. Brunetti’s restaurant has the best Italian food around, and the portions are large….I MEAN large….this time the Princess told me what she would share with me so I didn’t have to order a child’s plate because of all the food I couldn’t eat on the regular size plate! You know they really serve oversize portions when Dan gets filled up….no ice cream tonight! Burp…. After the dinner we checked out all the cars that came and parked and those that just cruised through real slow.

One of my favorite cars is the ’59 Pontiac and there was a very clean red drop top that parked next to the Rat. If I had the room and money for 10 cars the ’59 Poncho would be one of them! They had a good mix of years from a new paper tag Camaro to the ’30 Ford sedan and most everything in between. The blue ’37 Ford track racer was imposing with the large front & rear tires….and there were two of those little beasts! I liked the green ’49 Chevy 2dr with the modified straight 6 cyl motor and the pearl gold VW was tidy too. There were many nice drivers but I liked the blue & white ’50 Ford PU the best. There were 6, ’55 Chevys present just to confuse Dan. After we had been there for a while Mr. & Mrs. Scottie from Manassas cruised in with their pretty, purple and powerful ’30 Ford PU….he said they just wanted to check out what Chuck was doing? Hmmmm somebody actually reads this stuff!? Just to complete the mix of cars a couple of pro streets rumbled in with their funny smelling exhaust? It was a magnificent evening of absorbing the car culture in this area but it was time to begin our return home. We try to leave before dark whenever we can to lessen the chance of arguing with a deer for road space while we travel the back roads….the big critters are everywhere it seems. We had an uneventful trip back and I put 135 miles on the RedRat and used 10.2 gallons of 93 octane which gave me 13.2 mpg! The Princess says she has a calming influence on me and I didn’t spin the tires and make the exhaust get loud one time while she was with me? She said she should ride with me all the time and I would get better gas mileage….I’m doomed. I hope she gets her medication balanced soon....this might become a permanent condition….grin

Sunday three of us cruised near Remington, VA and the Moo Thru ice cream deal. We had passed it by a few times and Dan wanted to try the ice cream so today was the day! The ice cream was good and the prices were a little high but hey the ambiance is what we came for. Where else could you sit in sweltering heat within mere inches of Hwy 29 and the traffic going by at the speed of light? If the heat didn’t melt the ice cream then the wind from the traffic would! The parking was a chore; the lot needs to be bigger. It was an ok experience but I think Carl’s is better. Not that I would know anything about eating ice cream….not me….

The long and noisy road....

2010-08-02T14:13:00.007-04:00

Friday evening we found our way to Glory Days in Woodbridge, VA and the weekly cruise hosted by Prince William Cruisers. There were about 20 cars that came out and the nicest one was the dark green ’55 Chevy post…I had see that car at a show a year ago but not since. Bill’s Willys is always a crowd pleaser with the Hemi! We stayed till 11PM talking with friends and when we left the Princesses battery was dead….it’s not her fault that the key was on ACC, she kept whining! She said they shouldn’t make a lock that the key can be removed and still be on ACC. Steve called his son that lived nearby and brought jumper cables and we drove it home on the alternator. I took the Optima battery to Advance Auto the next morning and replaced it with a better, side post only Optima….we’ll see if this one lasts 3 ½ years like the old one.

Saturday we gathered up everyone at the WAWA in Stafford, VA and cruised 76 miles Purcellville, VA and the Summer Thunder Cruise-in. This event has been going on for many years and it never disappoints. Last year we left around 4PM because of the rain that was coming down in Biblical proportions. This year the weather looked much better. There was a glitch in the start time of the event on the website I always consult to plan my activities….so I thought it started at 9AM and the day before I found out it started at 2PM! It’s too late to change the start time so we left Stafford at 7:30. Did we arrive too early? Does a Pete Jackson gear drive make a lot of noise? On the plus side we could pick anywhere in the event to park! So we parked by the entrance to the ball diamond, near the fence. We had a great view and began to settle in….then the vendors started arriving and began parking on the other side of the fence….there went our view and they effectively blocked the breeze too….oh well so much for planning!? Since we were starting early we had planned another cruise for the evening in Stafford, so we were planning on leaving Purcellville at 3PM. But now they were starting at 2PM. Needless to say that while we were leaving many others were just arriving. You can see in the pictures that the field was not full but I’m told that by 5PM parking was scarce! Next year we will be there around Noon and plan to stay till the end!

This event is billed as a cruise….no trophies, no competition….my kind of event! The event has a good mix of new vs old cars. I would guess that when we left it was about 70% pre 1970 vehicles. There were so many cars that I started taking group photos instead of individual ones. I liked the orange ’57 Chevy post and the black & fuchsia ’57 Chevy sedan delivery. I also liked the black ’54 Buick Skylark. But the most impressive car there was the Stone, Woods and Cook Swindler II. This car was run by SWC in the early 60’s as a B/GS then in ’62 they put in a bigger Olds motor and moved up to A/GS and began running under 10 seconds. The same year saw Doug Cook debut the Swindler A which was also an Olds powered ride but built much lighter….it’s said it was 1000 lbs lighter! It took the team a while to get it dialed in but when they did they made the Swindler II move back to B/GS (more weight) and ran the Swindler A in A/GS. It kept the team busy! Remember that this was a time when the cars were not paid to race….they got paid ONLY if they won and then they got $100-$300 for a win. And the cars were in the “Gas” classes….they had working headlights, taillights, wipers, windows, doors, passenger seats, complete interiors, generating systems, mufflers and very restrictive engine setback and height rules. They could have been driven on the street! The big guys; SWC, K.S. Pittman, Big John M and the like would sometimes get a pass on some of the rules but we had to have all that stuff or we couldn’t run! This was a class that hot rodders and spectators could relate to because it was like something they could drive on the street, it was a very popular class of racers. But it died out in the early 70’s when the late model bodied gas classes began to blur with the emerging funny cars….and the funnies made piles more money than a gasser. Anyway the car at the event brought back many memories….

When we left at 3PM I decided to take a less traveled route back home and went on Rt. 601 by Mr. Weather. This is a super secret government installation that is used for emergencies or something….did I say that? Now I have to watch out for the black helicopters.... They have a lot of very sophisticated gear at the gate to check you out and the guards are not your generic gate guards but very unhappy looking people carrying M4’s. We drove by and waved….grin Then on back to Stafford and the Cruise in progress at Bruster’s Ice Cream. We parked separated from the people already there so we would not infect the ambiance of the cruise. The attendance seemed a little off as they only had about 50 cars for the night. The usual suspects were there but the car that caught my attention was the yellow ‘68 Camaro with the hot rodded 6 cyl motor! The Clifford Research parts make the motor bark just a little better. I had a ’70 AMC Gremlin that I hot rodded the inline 6 the same way….it’s never a V-8 but a 6 cyl you can respect….nice car! And another very black Camaro with nice flames and a motor taller than the roof! I bet the State Troopers love him. Hehehe Someone said their weatherberry showed a bad storm cell moving toward Stafford so we packed up and cruised home.

Sunday we again gathered at the WAWA in Stafford, VA and then began the 114 mile cruise to Capt. Georges Seafood Restaurant in Williamsburg, VA. It’s a nice cruise on back roads and we leave the Interstates for the vacationers. The uneventful trip took about 2 ½ hours and when we arrived I don’t think I could hear, the RedRat is very noisy. The food was as I remembered, which is very good and plentiful. And thankfully the service is still impeccable. We waited for Dan to eat way too much food then we began our trek home. We stopped about half way home for fuel and a potty break. A few miles after we left the pit stop, the Princessmobile began to run rough? She kept whining, I didn’t do anything, not me! Anyway we all got around the front of the car with the motor running and the consensus was it was not real bad broke and that we should be able to drive it home. I gave the Princess the option of driving the RedRat and I would drive her car but she said she would rather drive her broken car than put up with the RedRat!? I think she is way too picky and I told her she is way too hard on her equipment…. She said she may have to get a better mechanic because the one she has can’t keep her car running more than a week at a time? She also said some things I can’t find on my keyboard. We got back OK and I checked out her car…. #4 intake spring broken! I know what I’ll be doing this week….I didn’t want to do yard work anyway….hehehehe Another fun filled weekend driving 500 miles on Virginia roads.

A Weekend to Remember

2010-07-26T22:54:00.008-04:00

Friday evening at VA BBQ, Fredericksburg, VA and it’s hot. Around here this time of year we usually have temperatures in the high 80’s maybe low 90’s once in a while but we have been stuck in a heat wave that seems to be of historic proportions. Its 99-101 degrees hot plus the humidity makes the heat index 110+! I do not ever remember it being this hot, this early, this long since ’73 when we came to Virginia. And the turnout at VA BBQ reflects that uncomfortable weather in the numbers of people that come out to play. There were 29 cars total for the evening which has to be frustrating to Wesley the President of the Fredericksburg Classic & Muscle Car Club as they are the host of the cruise. Tonight the car that stuck out for me was the red ’63 Ford Falcon convertible with the 260 V-8. It was a nice clean tidy little ride. We stayed till 9:00 and gasped back home in the heat that was still mid 80’s at 9PM!

Saturday we met Steve and some of his friends on Rt. 29 then cruised to Culpeper. Tommy, from Culpeper Cruisers, had set up a new cruise at the Chick-fill-A and we wanted to check it out. The parking lot is small but the grass area, trees and berm make the location great. There are other restaurants within easy walking distance if chicken is not on your menu but the Chick-fill-A has always been acceptable to us. Chicken is a nice change from burgers and one of the core values of the parent company goes against the normal retail business paradigm that says the business should be open 7 days a week. They are not open on Sunday…. they want to allow all their employees time off to be with their families, which is a neat conflict to modern business models.

When we arrived, there were a few cars already there and we slid in the parking spaces then set up camp for an evening of conversation.
There were about 15 cars total for the night and my favorite for the evening was Arnold’s red Chevy pickup…nice and straight and very red! Most of the people left around 9PM or so but some of us stayed and talked till 10PM. We gathered up and cruised for home…I think it was just as hot at 10PM as it was at 4PM….this heat has to stop!

Sunday we began our next odyssey….a parade! We were going to Washington D. C. to be in the parade that will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. We were sent applications for this parade in January by Under The Sun Productions, Inc. After we returned the forms the selection process took 4 months before we knew if we had been accepted or not! After we were told we were in, the stress started for me. Since it is a rain or shine event we had to be there baring a personal or vehicular catastrophe. I knew the RedRat would not survive that much slow driving in a hot parade and just forget if it was a very hot day. Since the Princessmobile would survive….the Princess decided to allow me to ride with her in HER car during the parade. So I started worrying about the condition and reliability her ‘33 even more. Last week’s ignition problem with her little beast didn’t help ease my trepidation about the whole deal but we had committed to the organizers to attend and I knew we would unless we got beamed up to the mother ship. I started checking everything….over and over. We stopped using her car after last weekend just in case she crashed it or someone ran into her. It was turning me into a bundle of nerves and the heat didn’t help much either.

This parade is very special on different levels…one being that only a small number of parades are allowed in D.C. each year (I think its 4) and 2010 already had the schedule filled with parades. But someone prevailed and the parade was allowed to happen. And now Sunday was here and our little convoy to D.C. started to form up at the WAWA in Stafford, VA. Ron & Jean, gunmetal ’28 Dodge; Fred & Debie, red ’57 Dodge; Dan & Ramona, black ’55 Chevy and the Princess and I in her red ’33 Ford. We left at 8:30 for the trek north. Along the way we picked up Lou & Louise and their silver Firebird and continued up the road. Fred led us to the event and we met Tony, gunmetal ’71 Super Bee and Wyatt, silver (what else) DeLorean, during the staging of the parade. We were in the staging lanes at 9:30 and the parade would step off at 1PM….we had some time to mingle with the munchkins. We walked around and took pictures of the floats and other parade items….to include the Lone Ranger and his horse….silver! I wonder how a masked man with a gun on each hip was allowed about ½ mile from the White House? It must have been his really cool horse? The Princess and I were both taking pictures so there are some things that have seemingly too many pictures of them….like minds I guess! The floats were very well done and appropriate to the event and the parade was divided unto decade sections. Each decade section had some vehicles of that decade period….we were in the 30’s section.

There are some cooling areas that I think are part of the Metro subway ventilation system that have ground level steel grates. People could stand on them and about 70 degree air would blow out and cool you. It was neat to stand out in the sun and feel cool from the blowing air! There was a moving sea of khaki and OD green! I mean the scouts were everywhere! Most of them carried water and their leaders were herding them around the grounds trying to keep them hydrated…. the heat index was over 105! Some of the younger Cub Scouts were having a tough time staying compliant to their leaders…. we kept hearing “stay focused” being told to the marauding herds of little blue hats….grin They were excited and didn’t really understand the once in a lifetime experience they were involved in….something they will all remember.

The Boy Scouts are taught many things one of which is respect. Respect of others and themselves….and….respect of property. We witnessed more than a few times when a Scout picked up something another Scout or other visitor had accidentally dropped as trash and then they deposited it in the proper receptacle…. without being told…. they just knew to do it! One of the most striking things that happened would probably be best appreciated by car people the most. Many thousands of Scouts and other people were milling around the cars before the parade, taking pictures of the car and of their friends standing near it and that activity will always give car owners much stress…. Will they lean against the car to take a picture? Will they step on the running boards? Will they try to open the door? We hung around the Princessmobile for a while to guard it but we noticed that the Scouts were being VERY careful with her car and all the others; they went out of their way to NOT touch it! They took pictures very carefully and respectfully. The closest shade from the sun was on a bench about 80 yds away and while we sat on the bench to get some relief from the sun/heat, we watched the car…. and all the Scouts around it…. no one, not one even came close to hurting it. Respect for property…. something that is way too lacking in our society these days but these Scouts have been taught the right way…. there might be hope?

So at 12:30 we were lined up and the parade stepped off promptly at 1PM. The Princess was happy….she said she felt like she had a “looser boy” in the car with her that day!? It’s what she calls those unfortunate guys that have accumulated way too many traffic tickets and lose their drivers license. Then they have to be chauffeured around by their girl friends/wives till they get their license back…. I don’t know if I like the comparison…. The parade was fun with the Princess smiling and waving, it's what a Princess does. When people yelled "nice car" to her, she told them that the car was HERS! Read the license plate she said to them, including a cop that was being very helpful! I dutifully sat on the right side and did the “prom wave” I had been practicing for 3 months…. wrist wrist, elbow elbow…. repeat till arm goes numb!

Some people had “special” riders with them in their cars. These people were dignitaries and famous people in Scouting, Dan & Ramona, Ron & Jean, Lou & Louise, Wyatt and Tony had one! The Princess said maybe I should just walk along beside her car so she could have a “special” person too…. I told her that losers were special people too? I don’t know if she was agreeing with me or saying something bad while she was mumbling?

After the parade was over we gathered near the end of Constitution Ave. with Ron & Jean and waited for the rest of our troupe. After everyone was there we got out of town via Rt. 66W. After we cleared the beltway I felt like a large weight had been lifted from me….whew. We cruised to Fair Lakes and had a late lunch at Malibu Grille and Steakhouse. The food was great and while we were eating it rained….very hard….for about 20 min. But by the time we were ready to leave the ground was dry! We cruised home and reflected on and talked about the day’s happenings…. over the next few days/weeks we will try to remember all that happened and relate it to others. We had been part of a truly historic day! I love this hobby!

A wild and crazy weekend.

2010-07-19T18:35:00.012-04:00

Friday evening and the Princess & I embarked on our 40 mile trek to Culpeper, VA to visit their weekly cruise at Buffalo Wild Wings. We left at 4PM and I think the temperature was still a million degrees…. I got that old Arrow soca song Hot Hot Hot in my mind and couldn’t shake it all weekend! The RedRat doesn’t like the heat but as long as we keep moving its ok…. but each long light is very stressful for me. We got hung up on the light where Rt. 28 runs into Rt. 29…. 4 light changes…. I had to shut off the motor the last two times! We finally pulled into the cruise parking lot and there were 7 cars already there and a few more came later. This was to be a portent of things to come this weekend. I’m told the cruise usually has 20-25 cars but tonight only about 12 came out to play….the heat? The aqua/white ’30 Ford with tunnel ram big block Ford power was neat but he only stayed for an hour or so? We ate at Buffalo Wild Wings then sat around a while longer in the parking lot. Lou & Arlene talked with us about how to raise kids and as always Tommy & Terry made us feel welcome and the rest of the local people are friendly and helpful too….if you are near Culpeper on a Friday evening stop by and say HI. We stayed till the black clouds started coming over the horizon then we headed for home….no rain please. And I got to race a yellow Smart car on the way back home....they have no respect for real horsepower.

Saturday morning and its still Hot Hot Hot! We stopped at the WAWA for fuel and to wait for the rest of the group. After I fueled the Princessmobile it wouldn’t start. It has been touchy for a few weeks now but after I tell the Princess that she has flooded it and we wait a while it will usually finely start….but today it was not going to cooperate. I called Dan incase I couldn’t get it going and after he showed up we determined that no spark was the culprit….Chevy HEI unit. So we decided to change everything and took off in Dan’s ’55 to the Advance Auto Parts nearby. Anyone that has had hot rod trouble knows how much fun it is when you go to an auto parts store…. the first thing they ask is what year/ make/model/ engine/trans/air/4x4/color/ tire make/air freshener type/ blood type of the original owner….. and it goes on and on. So I tried to prevent all that and just told the young man none of that mattered, let’s just look at the pictures of some 70-80’s Chevy distributors and we will pick out the parts I want. I also told the guy it was a hot rod and his chronological parts book would not help….he listened to me and didn’t treat me like I was Capt Gorkanon from the planet Luna! He was actually very helpful and they had an Accel coil as well as a Borg Warner cap/rotor/module. We were going to eliminate any electrical distributor component that might be causing the trouble. As a point of interest the cost was below what I thought it would be, just $108 for everything, a pleasant surprise! We got back to WAWA and continued with our parking lot mechanics even though we still had no beer or cinder blocks…. check the pictures! The Princess and Ramona got tired of waiting for us mortals working on the little beast so they set up their chairs on the grass under the trees of the WAWA parking lot so they could better direct our efforts? I hate it when they do that with their pointy finger! We got the little beast making growling noises so we decided it was time to go. That is part of what makes hot rodding great, people helping each other…. Dan said I was making this a habit every week and maybe I should get a smart car or something…. naw I don’t think so.

We leaped off on our 87 mile journey to Stephens City, VA and the 21st annual Valley Cruisers show across from Clem’s Garage. Since we got such a late start, I called the Valley Cruiser representative on the way when we were about 60 minutes out to make sure we could still register….they said just keep coming and we would be OK….whew….I didn’t want to have to drive 100 mph to make it on time….grin.

The town park venue is great, rolling grassy hills, large shade trees, good sound system with cool music, GREAT indoor bathrooms, above average food at very reasonable prices provided by the local Boy Scout troop….one thing though….not many cars? I think there were 56 registered cars! This show usually had 300-400 cars in years past but now the lot was almost vacant….why? Most people said it was the heat keeping people away and it was Hot Hot Hot. I talked to our friend Bill and he said the other two shows he attended that day also had very low attendance….maybe it was the heat….we’ll see when it gets cooler how the attendance is. This is the first event we have attended that was managed by Valley Cruisers of Winchester and it went smoothly. The only awards that were given out were the longest distance and club participation awards…. Dan & Ramona got the longest distance one because we used their ’55 to go get parts for the Princessmobile earlier in the day…. so they went further than we did…. I have to think about that, Ramona always figures out an angle, I wondered why she kept saying that we should use the ’55 to get parts?! They also had neat dash plaques and gave every participant a cool commemorative matchbox car, this year was a yellow ’70 340 six pack Challenger! There were some nice cars like the champagne ’34 Chevy sedan, the black ’49 Ford and many others but my nicest one was the yellow ’71 Ford Torino GT….it was really nice….till I saw the rear license plate frame! The Cruisers called the show at 1:30 because of the heat and most of the people left but we stayed under the trees and just talked and enjoyed the day. Later someone from the Cruisers came over and asked us if we needed the restrooms because they were going to lock them up, a nice thoughtful gesture!

We cruised to a local restaurant and ate too much but since it was air conditioned I think we would have eaten tree bark as long as it was inside where it was cool! After we were all swelled up from eating too much we cruised to McCoy’s Dairy Bar a little further down the road to eat more? What is wrong with that picture? The McCoy menu has hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches and almost anything made with ice cream….how can you not like this place? McCoy’s has a cruise on Friday & Saturday night and the owner, Jeff McCoy, told us Friday was the best. Sometimes he has over 100 cars! But since it was Hot Hot Hot and it was Saturday he doubted there would be anywhere near that number tonight. We set up in the parking lot and Jeff came out twice to talk to us. He told of the charity events he puts on like the Rolling Thunder bike show he held for a local wounded warrior and many other things he does in his community. This is what the mainstream media needs to talk about…. normal small businessmen doing what they have always done…. support their local community by helping others while being profitable and employing local people to help provide a product or service that people want to purchase….hello? This is a long way for a Friday night cruise but we may try to make it when it gets cooler, the ice cream is worth it….we’ll see. Be sure to check out his website at; www.mccoysdairybar.com

THEN we left and cruised to the local drive in theater. The Princess and I had spent way too much time at drive-ins around Riverside, CA when we were much younger and we had been to this theater a few years ago with a car club. We had a good experience then and wanted to share it with others this weekend. But the management had changed the parking around to accommodate two screens and the grade just didn’t work for us. The Pickups, SUVs and Vans were so big that we had to watch what we could between the larger vehicles in front of us. There was suspicious activity with the people next to me and in front of us….as the night droned on their walking between the three cars took on a decidedly comical gait. And people were sitting on their hoods, roofs and any other horizontal surface of their vehicle so I wasn’t too surprised when we left that someone threw something at my car as we drove out during the intermission. I don’t know what it was and it didn’t leave a big mark in the door but suffice it to say we won’t be back. We cruised home and had the hot rods tucked away at 1AM! A very long experience filled day…. Oh yeah did I mention that it was HOT HOT HOT?

Be sure to check here for more pictures; http://community.webshots.com/user/33coupe
And click on the pictures in this blog for larger ones! Enjoy

Rain in the forcast!?

2010-07-11T21:56:00.012-04:00

Thursday and the weather guessers were trying to mess up our weekend….calling for 30% rain on Thursday & Friday afternoon/evening and 80% on Saturday. Dan and I have been planning the 2nd Country Road Rally since last April and the thought of having another one washed out because of rain was more than I could stand….but here it was. The Princess and I decided to take the hot rods no matter what rain came on Saturday since it was a rain or shine event.

Friday evening we snuck out of Stafford using the back roads and arrived at the Glory Days Cruise in Dale City, VA early, in fact we were the first ones there. Prince William Cruisers hosts this event and they usually have 30 or more cars….tonight thanks to the weather guessers about 15 cars took a chance and came out. This is advertised as the Glory Days Cruise and even though you can see the Glory Days restaurant, the cruise is way off on the other end of the parking lot. If you go to Arby’s in the same parking lot you will be closer to the cruise. The cruise is almost like a family picnic without the grille….they take up a couple parking spaces to put the chairs in a circle and one couple puts a boom box on their Ranchero for all to hear 50/60’s music then we talk….and talk….and talk! About 6:30 half of us decided to mosey over to Glory Days….it was a very long mosey and I noticed it was downhill….hmmmm, later I would be full of food and walking uphill to the hot rods….I didn’t want to think about that right now…. The food was good and the service was good too but they didn’t have a table for us as Steve had requested when he called, which makes it…. interesting for me because I’m not a skinny kid and the booths usually just don’t cut it for me since they are made for undersized people and tonight was no exception. I wedged myself in and thought I would be there for the duration; I may need help to extricate myself from the booth later! After the meal we moseyed back up the hill that now looked like going up the side of Mt. Everest! We finally reached the hot rods and sat and talked again…till 11PM! And no rain!? I wonder what the weather guessers have been smoking lately? We cruised home and the Princess cleaned off all the bugs and we loaded up the cars for the Rally in the morning.

Saturday broke and it was raining at 6AM….I got on my weather site and checked out the radar. It looked like we would have rain till 10AM and then it would be clearing from West to East and we would be going West so we decided to wait it out till around 10AM to venture fourth. At 9:45 we left for the Manassas, VA BK to set up the start stop for the Rally. It rained for the first 4 miles then stopped….nothing else but dodging rain puddles all the way to Manassas.

As I said before, Dan & I have been planning this Rally since the end of the last one in April of ’09. Last year got rained out and it was nearly a bust but we did collect over $300. This year was looking to be a repeat of last year. Dan & Ramona left at 10Am to make their rounds and Ron, the first stop worker, left around 9AM to be at Culpeper Airport on time and set up his stop. The other 4 stop workers would be leaving an hour apart from their home beginning around11AM….the day was unfolding under cloudy skies and intermittent rain.

The Princess and I set up at BK and waited….and looked out the window at the hot rods getting wet and dirty….bummer. People started arriving….some in special cars/trucks and some in their daily drivers. Most of them hung around till 11:30 before departing and we waited till 1PM to give everyone a chance that wanted to participate. Nine cars showed up! The Princess and I also had the job of shutting down each stop so we would stay at each stop till the last car out time then release the stop worker and drive to the next stop.

The first stop was 26.6 miles to the Culpeper Regional Airport in Brandy Station, VA. The stop was provided by the host group, the National Capitol Squadron of the Commemorative Air Force. Every second Saturday they have an open house so the public can come out and see what they are doing. They usually provide breakfast for the visitors and are more than happy to show you around their hanger and airplanes and answer any questions you may have about what they do. They always have many vintage aircraft displayed and some flying. They have a British Ferret scout car and they sometimes give rides in it which is a cool deal! This Saturday they had invited the Ferrari Club of America to bring some of their cars out and share them with the visitors. These cars are way above my pay grade and they are not my cup of tea but they are magnificent nonetheless. The black one near the DH Chipmunk was especially sinister looking and I’m told the nastiest sounding one there! The engineering and workmanship in these factory cars is impeccable…. something to see. We visited with Ron, our stop worker, for a few minutes then thanked the host and had to move on to the next stop.

The next stop was Tony’s Body Shop, 15.2 miles away in Culpeper, VA. This stop is hosted by the owners, Tony & Beth, who always go out of their way to make the visitors feel welcome. They displayed their toys for all to see and talked about what they do…. they both are an icon of our hobby. Les & Peggy, our stop workers, had done a good job again and we thanked our gracious hosts and started for the next stop.

The next stop was the Classic Car Center of Fredericksburg, VA and since it was 51.4 miles away I decided a pit stop was in order. While fueling I noticed the RedRat was sneezing some oil out the right valve cover breather grommet. I had been messing around with the breather the week before and must have nicked the grommet somewhere so now it was leaking out a little oil. More about this later. On the way to the next stop I called Sue, the stop worker, and we determined that the last car had left her stop so she could go home early. It was about 3:45 and the stop was supposed to shut down at 4PM! So….Sue left and Steve and his group showed up around 3:50! Opps! Steve called me to find out what was going on? I said it was my fault and that we were en route and would be there shortly…. We got there about 4:10 and checked in all the people….I thanked the stop host, Marty and beat feet to the next stop while saying gesundheit to the RedRat.

The next stop was 4 miles away at A1 Speed & Custom, also in Fredericksburg, VA. We arrived and one of the owners, Ben, was handling the check in chores for us. He processed the group while I purchased a breather grommet for the RedRat. Even though I didn’t have a cinderblock or beer I had to perform some driveway mechanics….it worked! Whew…. I thanked Ben for his hospitality and we all split for the last stop.

Foster’s is about another 4 miles away in S. Stafford and when we arrived the monthly cruise hosted by VA Stockers was in progress. As advertised at 6PM we determined who had the winning poker hand and awarded him $100. The winner was Tommy from Culpeper, VA….he is an active member of the Culpeper Cruisers and he returned his winning back as a donation to Wounded Warrior Project. What can I say? This is what “car” people do….I love this hobby/addiction.

So we had fifteen people buying nineteen Rally cards! We had the commitment of five stop workers; Ron from Aquia Harbor, VA, Les & Peggy from Falls Church, VA, Sue from Fredericksburg, VA, Ben from Stafford, to use up their Saturday for Wounded Warrior Project. We had five businesses; Commemorative Air Force, Tony’s Body Shop, Car Center of Fredericksburg, A1 Speed & Custom and Foster’s Grille that committed to host us in the Rally for Wounded Warrior Project….and Dan & Ramona helped with the planning, cost, ensuring everything went smoothly with the stop workers and were the stop workers at the end….their help and encouragement was/is critical for me. Many others helped to make this what could have been the premier road event for Virginia….but….fifteen people showed they cared enough about our wounded warriors to support them with their presence at the Rally. We sold nineteen Rally cards which made $190…. We had another $60 donated at the end of the Rally and the winner of the Rally donated back his $100 prize! So for the day we were able to donate $250 to WWP. Not a bad thing but it could have & should have been so much more. I think about how the wounded warriors didn’t choose not to go to work the day they got wounded….it might have been raining, hot, windy…. whatever it was, they went….we should do no less when the opportunity to support them is presented. If you feel guilty you may help at; http://wwpproudsupporter.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=308932&lis=1&kntae308932=9CBE299E32E24E5C94E59BCFA1D34B5A&supId=201519000

I’ll get off my soapbox now.

We hung out at Foster’s and talked with some friends till around 9PM. Our daughter from PA was visiting and came to Foster’s to be with us and our car crazy friends….she’s crazy too but with a Tea Party, you have to ask me about it. Al told us about the nostalgic racing he is doing with his black ’62 Chevy 409….no electronic, bottle fed, gooey tire tricked out stuff….just heads up honest old time 4 speed racing….it gives me goose bumps talking to him! I wonder if I could fit a ’63 413 Dodge in the garage….hmmmmmmm The Princess was getting whiney so we thought for the mental health of everyone there I should take her home….so off we went. I had to run up the RedRat on the 17 N, I-95 on ramp….just to make sure the leak was fixed….that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

Busy Busy Busy

2010-07-05T15:01:00.011-04:00

Friday we took off on our 50 mile cruise to Colonial Beach, VA and their bi-monthly cruise at Fat Freda’s. Friday afternoon on a holiday weekend and the traffic around here is horrid; sometimes the I-95 traffic is backed up for 40 miles and Rt. 1 is not much better! Then the surface streets become clogged too, it’s a real mess. BUT since the Princess has been a school bus driver for 25 years she knows a lot of ways to get around while avoiding the main roads….whew. The Colonial Beach Cruisers host the event and it reflects the personality of Colonial Beach in general….friendly, casual and laid back….an ambiance all its own. We have only been going to Colonial Beach for a couple years but their hospitality makes us feel like we grew up there! A neat place to visit! But beware….the town limits sign says Colonial Beach, Golf Cart Town! And yes they are everywhere; some of them are much modified and with drivers that have the same attitude as Kathy bates in Fried Green Tomatoes….look out!

Our little group left Stafford early in case we had problems with the above mentioned traffic but the way-back roads gave us clear running all the way and we got there early….we were actually the first ones but within 20 minutes the local crowd started to trickle in. A lot of the CB Cruisers drive ‘original’ cars so hot rods really stand out! I like the Willys B/G clone, fender well headers and all! The Hudson Hornet with the firewall mounted, cable operated windshield wipers. But the coolest car was the black ’41 Chevy….it started out as a 4dr and was converted to 2dr suicide swingers and a 4” top chop. It’s tubbed and has BBC power….and the interior looks real comfortable and luxurious. I shot a short video of it as they were leaving, nothing to radical but very substantial.

The cruise also has live entertainment on a porch beside the restaurant with three guys grinning & picking. They sing country & rock n roll all evening and are very good. The local people drive their golf carts up in the parking lot and line up like at an old fashioned drive-in theater and enjoy the music….like I said….laid back, casual and friendly….a great place to visit/live. The restaurant has great food, the crab cakes are to die for but the Monte Cristo sandwich is my favorite! But one of the waitresses has been watching too many old TV episodes with Flo the waitress. She is a little rowdy and the Princess said we should lock the front door when she was waiting on customers outside on porch….grin. She makes the dining experience fun! If you would like to have a nice easy cruise on the first or third Friday each month then try a visit to Colonial Beach, VA.

Saturday we cruised 31 miles to the Burger King in Manassas, VA and the weekly cruise hosted by Bull Run Street Rods. As I have said before this is the most attended cruise in our area of Virginia and is a year around deal. Even in the winter some people gather to keep connected….we just don’t sit outside by the cars when it gets too cold! We were going to do our two-cruises-a-night deal so we would only stay till 5:30 at BK but by then there were nearly a hundred cars gathered, with everything from a stock 1928-30 original Ford to the new muscle cars like the silver Camaro with the glass insert in the hood to show off the supercharger….you decide if that’s cool….or not? My favorite is the red ’40 Ford coupe with the special Ford motor. The cross ram motor came from a 289 HiPo setup and uses Carter/Eldebrock carbs….with ’57 Ford hubcap air cleaner housings….very different.

We left BK and cruised 34 miles to the Bruster’s cruise in Stafford, VA. The weekly cruise is hosted by Ron Phillips and his group of volunteers. The deal is more like a show than a cruise….with prizes, trophies and way too much talking instead of music playing. In spite of or because of that, they usually have 60-70 cars show up and it’s a tense time for us but we do get to see some old friends and make some new ones too. There is a good mix of new and old cars and most of the cars are drivers, no trailer queens thank you! The nicest car there was a brown Cobra parked in the lot away from the rest of the crowd, where we used to park a few years ago. The paint and graphics was done very nicely….a classy deal. I think we will begin parking over there too, I don’t think it would be as stressful as parking in the middle. We’ll see…. We left right before the trophies were handed out and cruised home….I love that car.

Sunday, five cars left the WAWA and cruised 40 miles for the Fourth of July show in Culpeper, VA. Jim & Linda, Fred & Debie, Ron, The Princess and me made up the starting convoy. We picked up Dan & Ramona on the way out of Stafford. When we got between Bealeton & Remington we folded in with Steve & Sally, Jimmy & Cindy, Dave and another PW Cruiser….then we picked up Lou and his red ’51 Ford convertible in Culpeper on our way to the show…. Ten cars took up spots and settled in for an enjoyable day in old town Culpeper. This is the first time we have attended this show as we have been busy with the Fredericksburg Heritage Festival for the last 5 years on the Fourth. Dan & I have been managing the event in Fredericksburg the last two years and I needed a break….plus I had heard really good things about the Culpeper show and wanted to check it out. The event is on the streets of downtown Culpeper….they park us at a diagonal to the curb which is better that parallel like Bowling Green, VA. Some of the shops were open but mostly the food establishments were selling that day. After we set up, Jimmy led us to Culpeper Diner for breakfast….a good choice. The food was great, the service was very attentive and the prices reasonable, what more can you ask for? The center of the event is the old railroad depot which is a gathering place in old town and was where the highlighted car for this year’s event, the Corvette, was showcased. The motorcycles were also there near the Corvettes but I didn’t get to that area for pictures before I zoned out from the heat. The depot had great indoor air conditioned restrooms that were maintained well. The variety and quality of food available to us was more than adequate. The event was run well with judging starting early so we could be released early because of the heat, a good idea!

There were nearly 200 cars registered from top of the line cars like Tony’s two Vettes and Arnold’s red drop-top to some rat rods, “traditional” hot rods and everything in between. One of the neat ones for me was the black 1942….1942 Ford coupe….one of the last cars made by Ford before turning all their efforts to help winning WWII! I liked the blown red Anglia and the silver VW Karman Ghia was just perfect….the red blown bug eyed Sprite brought back some memories too. A very nice yellow ’32 Ford roadster was hiding under one of the too scarce shade trees near the teal ’26 T sedan. The local TV channel 16 was interviewing some of the participants, asking about their cars and our hobby in general….Sally had the opportunity to share with them about their ’40 Ford. The show was over about 2:30 so we packed up and bid our friends goodbye including Lou & Arlene as they drove off in their ’51 Ford, that car has just the right amount of “elegance” for me, it fits them perfectly! Then we cruised home with a couple other friends and put the hot rods to bed for the weekend. The Culpeper show is going to be one of our “must attend” shows going forward, don’t miss it if you are close….you will enjoy it!

HOT HOT HOT

2010-06-30T11:35:00.004-04:00

Since the Princess isn’t herding her big yellow school bus around this summer we decided to leave a little early for VA BBQ on Friday afternoon, we were the first ones there! The Princess and I had gone to the Dr. on Thursday to have an upper respiratory thingy treated and we were both on antibiotics and not feeling to chipper…. The instructions for the meds said we should stay out of the sun….yeah right…but it did give us a chance to try out my new multi angle, multi metal, industrial strength cosmic steam powered umbrella….they worked just fine keeping the Princess and me in the shade.

The intense heat was going to keep the sane people home but the crazy people started trickling in. The green ’39 Chevy coupe got a big block over the winter and it sounded very menacing. A lot of new to us cars spent the evening at VA BBQ. The red ’54 Chevy convertible, the blue ’67 Chevy PU, the orange Chevelle race car that came in on a trailer and the green ’49 Plymouth 2dr. And the newest was Andrew’s blue ’10 Camaro with the paper tag! I see why there are more new Camaros than Challengers or Mustangs….I’m glad the manufactures are competing for the “performance” people’s dollars again, it will raise the bar on what is considered a performance vehicle for the masses. We left about 9PM and had a cool cruise back home.

Saturday we met at the WAWA and cruised to Burger King in Manassas, VA a little early to get better spots (that’s code for making sure we got a parking place in the limited shade, because of the heat). Bill came with us driving his very nice orange ’70 Chevy PU. We set up around 3PM and there were about 10 cars already present! And it was hot! The attendance when we left at 5:30 was ok for such a hot day, many Mopars from the Mopar show up the road were lining up and taking whole rows of parking space….a neat deal. One of the Mopars was Fred and his red/white ’57 Dodge, who went with us to Bruster’s later. An old friend came in with his red C-6 Vette, there is something to be said for not driving a temperamental hot rod….sometimes new is better! A blue & white 789 parked and I got to take a closer look at this one. It’s kinda cool, made on a Vette C-6 chassis and all….it’s not my cup of tea but it sure is an attention getter. Steve and Sally came in around 4:30 and after a little schmoozing 5 cars left for Bruster’s in Stafford. We had a nice lunch/dinner at Sam’s Pizza then mingled with the people at Bruster’s before cruising home, I was too sick to walk around and take pictures.

Sunday we met Dan & Ramona at WAWA and headed north to Occoquan, VA and the Prince William Cruisers Good Ol’ Days car show. The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) representative, Ray Phillips, was not available that day and he asked us to fill in for him. WWP is our favorite charity so the answer was swift and affirmative. The meds I was taking for my sickness were not working and I was hacking up things I could put a saddle on and ride home….so I was not relishing sitting in heat that was forcasted to be in high 90’s all day. Oh well, ya do what ya gotta do. We set up our camp to focus on WWP and waited to share with anyone who asked about WWP.

The show was down on participants but still had over 170 registered cars, which was not bad considering that the temps were oppressive. The PW Cruisers always manage a great show. One of the things they do is start the judging as soon as you are set up and ready. This means that when registration is over the judging will be done shortly after that because they have been judging for 4 hours already. This allowed them to let us out a little earlier which was very welcome because of the heat. The food was much better this year and the band was like last year….great! Did I mention that it was hot? We collected $100 from $1 & $5 donations and one $50! The Prince William Cruisers donated $600 to WWP too so it was a very good day for WWP. During the award presentations the Princess found out that one of the award winners was a recipient of WWP’s assistance. He came over to her and thanked her for the work we do to raise awareness for WWP. He said that he was wounded and was having complications with transportation until WWP stepped in and helped. That was a great thing for us to talk to someone like him, it made the heat of the day not seem so important.

I was getting sicker by the minute and could not muster the strength to walk around and take individual pictures of all the cars….so I decided to shoot a movie of most of the cars leaving since there was only two ways to access the event. I have a posted the video on YouTube at; http://www.youtube.com/user/502SizeMatters#p/u/2/7suznwNDx4c I have new meds now and they seem to be making me better even though I have lost Monday and Tuesday?

The birds revenge

2010-06-21T12:23:00.005-04:00

We arrived at Colonial Beach for their Father’s Day show before 8AM and the lot had 20 cars already parked. I picked out a neat place on the hill under some trees….but I misjudged the size of the space and Dan’s 55 wouldn’t have enough room and the Princess was whining about her car is too low and the headers hang on the grass and she couldn’t see real good because of the shade the trees were providing made it dark and the path in front of her was gravel and we were too close to it and the dust would get all over the cars and and and….I give up! I shut down the RedRat and told them to park where they wanted and when they were settled I would park next to them. Dan parked his ’55 about mid way down the hill near a telephone pole….so the Princess parked next to him on the other side of the pole and I parked next to her….all was well. We had put up our canopies and set out the chairs when Ramona let out a shriek and Dan started using some bad words…. I guess we were acting like deer, we didn’t look up. The pole wasn’t a telephone pole….it was an Osprey nesting site….with an adult Osprey in the nest, screeching and looking at us with a very menacing glare. I guess the bird didn’t like Dan’s nice, shiny, clean, spotless car under her nest. So she did the only thing she could, she bombed the car….really bad….the stuff was all over the car….I mean ALL OVER the car and the sun was out and the heat was up and the stuff was cooking on the black paint, I think I saw smoke rising off some of the stuff. Now those of you that have seen Dan’s ’55 know it looks like a black mirror, nearly flawless….but now most of it looked like that speckle paint on the inside of trunks! Dan & Ramona got busy and cleaned off the mess although some cleaning would have to wait till next week when the door panel could come off and some molding removed to clean behind it, a real mess. We moved away from the pole/bird!

The venue is a town hill, right in the middle of town, what a concept! It has a permanent stage so the DJ worked out well. The bathrooms were porta potties and were new and clean and there is always a little breeze blowing off the Potomac River. The few trees scattered around the site offer some respite from the sun and heat. The event is managed nicelly with no hiccups in the program all day....

There were almost 60 cars registered in the event with some coming across the Potomac from Maryland. This show is usually attended heavily by original cars and this day was no exception. From the 1914 Jeffery Rambler to the ’57 Ford retractable to the Hudson Hornet and the ’60 Chrysler 300….the “original” cars were well represented. There were some late model cars as well as muscle cars and street rods. My ‘Best of Show’ was the copper ’34 Plymouth with the early 392 Hemi. That car had so many hand built custom touches and everywhere I looked I saw more handy work of Dan Costello, the owner. I liked the zoomies and the tilt front group….the car was clearly the coolest car on the lot for me. The judges had their hands full picking the winners and some grumbling was heard about the outcome but that happens at most shows. Dan & Ramona won the best Chevy trophy and the Princess won best street rod….some cars won multiple trophies….I think that takes awards away from other “worthy” cars when that happens. The ’34 Plymouth didn’t win anything!

This show has a very high number of “non car” people that wander in and ask questions and generally make the day more interesting for us. We like to share our hobby with anyone that will listen and Sunday we had a lot of egger listeners…. especially the Princess with her non-stop style of communication …. I didn’t say that. It was very hot and when we left I did my best impersonation of Fred the pathfinder and got us to the Crabby Oyster for a late lunch. We cruised home and collapsed from the heat. We may rethink our priority of going to shows verses cruises during the summer months.

2010-06-01T07:56:00.002-04:00

I lost my Mom yesterday to advanced heart disease and a broken femur....she was 88 years old....I will be absent for a couple weeks.

Staying close to home.

2010-05-23T13:01:00.009-04:00

Friday evening and the usual suspects started rolling in to the VA BBQ in Fredericksburg, VA. As always there are some cars that we have not seen before. The blue ’71 Buick GS with the 455 was cool as was the beautiful dark green ’69 Road Runner with the redline tires. The green ’54 Packard was smooth and the black ’39 Chevy sedan that came in late was a driver like us, he even had a GPS on the dash! But the best car on the lot was the red ’62 Austin Healy 3000II….this car was done better than new, the owner should be very proud of this fine example of a British sports car of the early 60’s. The attention to detail was perfect….I hope he “fixed” the Lucas electrics so it is reliable now. There is a dark green AH 3000 I have seen around here that has been updated with modern running gear and suspension….I wonder if they know each other? The evening was perfect and we stayed visiting with people till we were almost the last ones to leave….nice.

The weather guessers were forecasting rain in our area by 2-3PM but it was coming from the S. W. and would get to the southern areas first. We had planned a run to Ruckersville, VA (S.W. from us) and their cruise but it was 70 miles away and didn’t start till 3PM. So we decided to go to something close so at least if we started to see dark clouds we could pack up and run for home, maybe before the rain got to us. So the Berea Baptist Church was having a small show and they were about 11 miles from home AND we could get back using country roads so the road spray would be minimized if we did have to run in the rain.

We left the WAWA a little after 8AM and Fred led us to the show….you remember Fred from our little excursion a couple weeks ago. We arrived and set up our camp and as I settled down was when I noticed trouble. Real trouble. The church was having an inside yard sale as well as a car show! There is something in a woman’s psyche that when she reads or hears the word “sale” the neurological pathway from the eye to the purse suddenly bypasses the “reason” stop for evaluation….it’s just a straight shot from I see to I buy….big trouble. And the Princess had an ally in Debie; we were in real trouble now. As soon as the Princess got a little settled down she got up, looked at me and in a voice that sounded like Linda Blair in the exorcist she said “give me money”! WOW I did the only thing any man could do in that situation….I emptied my wallet into her cupped hands and watched while they both scurried off to the “sale”. I’m doomed.

While they were gone I walked around the cars and took some pictures. There was only about 17 cars that showed up which is sad because it was a nice venue and part of the entry fee was a free lunch….except for the above mentioned “sale” it was a neat deal. The outside restroom was a fully equipped porta potty, the music was good and the fellowship was relaxing. As long as you didn’t get too close to Jim while he was reading and sounding out the big words you could enjoy the music just fine. It is interesting how at a small show I take more time to actually look at the cars and think about what I’m seeing….like the blue ’69 Chevelle. I have seen that car for a while now and never noticed the wood carb spacers! Yeah, wood! I asked him how long he had run the wood and he said 3-4 years! Very interesting….I hope someone doesn’t try to whittle a tunnel ram out of oak now….weird. I actually made a wood adapter in the last VW I built. I don’t remember why I did it but I ran it for a year or so with the wood between the carb and intake manifold. The green ’50 Chrysler was very clean and it’s flathead 6 reminded me of the Powell P.U. I had in the early 60’s that used a Chrysler flathead 6….a good strong motor. A red Cobra came to the party but just stayed for a short while….evidentially he was having trouble with the starter fighting with the F.I. computer for distributor advance….the computer was calling for too much advance while starting and killing the starters when they kicked back!? So he left it running while he walked around and talked! Finally he and his son buckled up and drove off. The orange ’70 Chevy P.U. of Bill’s is the kind of vehicle you can see and think, nice pick up, and keep walking on. Bill has done many detailed improvements to this truck that requires a second/third look. The interior, the bed, the engine compartment, the antenna and especially the exhaust termination through the rear fenders! This is a truck that will stand out when you really look at it.

The weather was nice and changing from overcast to bright sun but about 1PM the sky started to look consistently dark. The event organizers called the show around 2PM so we could get home before any rain started to fall. The two girls decided to go back to the “sale” and do some shopping shopping….it’s code for REALLY shopping, I think!? It’s part of their secret communication that keeps us mortal men guessing. So off they went to spend more money money (my code) to save money? HUH I guess we need more stuff so our kids will be able to have a really big yard sale when we are gone! So while the girls were gone the awards were given out….and the Princess won best of show! And I had to accept it for her since she was shopping shopping….I did my best “Princess” interpretation, I squealed and giggled while saying mine mine way too many times but I don’t think they thought I was really the Princess. grin We decided to hide her trophy inside her car under the first “sale” stuff she bought so we wouldn’t have to endure an acceptance ceremony….but she found it. After listening to way to many reasons why she deserved the award, we packed up and ran for home. About an hour later it started to rain, whew.

Wow....what a weekend!

2010-05-17T22:10:00.014-04:00

For the last few weeks I have been a little stressed because the guy that built the RedRat was going to visit us with his wife Anne and another couple, Sam & Carol. Those of you that have grown kids will understand a little better what I was going through….especially if you had girls. You spend 18 years of your life working on doing the best for your kids and taking care of them, listening to their sorrows and their triumphs and then you give them to someone else to take care of and the other “kid” says he will take care of her!? Oh yeah? Riiight! So off they go and for a while you don’t know how well or bad he is taking care of one of the most valuable things in your life. Don had spent 5 years of his life crafting the RedRat then enjoyed it for another 10 years….then I came along and took it away from him. I knew I took some of his life with me in that car. I never thought much about it till Don emailed me a few months ago and told me they were going to plan a road trip to Virginia sometime this summer! Whoa…. Now some of you also know about not selling your cars to people that live near you….that way you never see what they are doing to the car you were so attached to, good or bad, mostly bad! So now the builder of the RedRat was coming to Virginia….to see his kid after being gone for 3 years!? I thought since Don lived in Michigan and we live in Virginia he would never actually see the RedRat again….oooooooooh nooooooo When we finalized a date for their visit I started to stress a little and began to think about what I have done to his kid/car! Hmmmmmm mirrors, breather, floor skid mat, rear end, shifter handle…. Hmmmm, they should be ok? The closer the date came the higher my stress level went….I started driving the RedRat very cautiously….I thought maybe I should email Don and explain that the Princess had contracted a communicable disease….like Ebola or something and he shouldn’t come down because we couldn’t meet them. I couldn’t sleep very well Friday night….kind of like the night before Christmas when I was a kid. Oh well it’s too late now, they’re on the way.

Our three cars arrived at the All American Street Rod car show in Gainesville, VA around 7AM….to make sure we got a good spot for 5 cars. We unpacked and set up the canopies and I waited for the Dad to come and visit his kid! The fact that he brought one of his friends also caused a little trepidation for me….then I remembered that they brought their wives so it couldn’t get to rowdy if he/they were upset with the Rat. They finally got to the event and parked….they got out and we shook hands and talked for about….18 seconds then Don & Sam swarmed over the RedRat…. pointing…. nodding…. looking at it very closely with that stern, all knowing look….then I thought I saw a little smirk on Sam’s face! Hmmmm maybe…. Then they both smiled and seemed to agree that I had indeed taken care of their kid OK. Whew….now I just had to refrain from patting their kid on the behind while they were looking and I would be ok…. So no raucous demonstrations of speed & power for 2 days! I can do that? Did I say that? We’ll see….
Don’s copper ‘34 Chevy sedan was nicer than the RedRat….it has A/C and leather seats! It also has many nice details like the engine breathing system, the tail lights and many others, you have to look close! And Sam’s very red ’49 Chevy….It looks and sounds like it would have in the 50’s or very early 60’s. The car looks like a very comfortable road car and since I learned to drive in a '52 Chevy, it brings back many memories…. and what’s not to like about a smooth very red car with the right stance? Who knows what kind of car the hood vents came from? A clue, it doesn’t start with a B. Ya gotta love the sound of the open lakers too….check out the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR4i5Ao2yFI The show was on asphalt with some of the spaces having grass behind the curb to sit on, a nice deal. The bathrooms were very well covered with some porta potties in the parking lot and the indoor facilities at the host business. There were a few vendors and a killer DJ. The weather was perfect….no really it was perfect except for the wind. The wind was blowing 20-25 mph but gusting up to a million mph when it blew over a couple canopies that were not secured adequately. Three cars were damaged; one black ’67 Nova was very seriously damaged. This is always a danger one has to consider when erecting a canopy around cars; you are responsible for what the canopy does.

The quality of most the cars was on par with a National event…. what we call “high dollar”…. much power, much chrome/billet and knock out paint. I think there were over 85 cars registered which is a good turnout of these kinds of cars. The judges had their hands full picking the winners but I think it was done fairly and efficiently. The Princess won an award so life will be good in Stafford this week! I liked the black ’37 Chevy humpy the best, I have seen the car once at BK and it is very straight and has an intimidating look & sound….a car that would be welcome in my garage! I also liked the red BBC T-Bucket. This was a fun show and an opportunity to see some very nice cars and bikes….oh yeah the bikes, you have to check out the pictures….the bikes were also first class. I like the psydelic one and the one that was styled like a ’95 1200 Sportster I had, the black and silver….neat!

We packed up and I led six cars to the cruise in Orange, VA at the Burger King on Highway 15. The cruise to get there was through 55 miles of Virginia countryside and is always a treat. The cruise is held every third Saturday during the season and DJ Ron takes care of the music and always provides a fun ambiance. The personality of this cruise is always a little different, tonight it seemed to be all about horsepower. I think there were 20 pro-streets growling around the parking lot. The red Caddy that’s long enough to be in two time zones at the same time was there as well as the “Shortcut High” school bus. The red blown ’70 AMC Javelin was unique and the yellow Maverick was easy to look at.

Right before dusk Sam started getting a little….distant. Don had warned me about Sam’s affliction with butter pecan ice cream but I thought he was exaggerating…. Sam and Carol disappeared for about half an hour then re-appeared walking down the grass toward our chairs with some grocery bags in hand….he had two half gallons of ice cream….he bought dishes, spoons, dipper and ice cream! Sam made sure we all had some before he began to devour most of one of the containers of butter pecan! I think that’s an addiction I could support….hmmmmm So after Sam’s ice cream was gone his shaking and mumbling stopped….it was the same Sam as earlier….WOW….spooky. The manager of the Burger King at the cruise picked Don’s ’34 for the monthly “car” award so now Don could go back to MI with two trophies….did I mention that he got one at the show too? Now the Princess was beginning to whine a little….she didn’t get two….I knew we had to leave so she would get that out of her system. So we all cruised back to our homes/motels….the weather was cooler and the return ride was just as much fun as the earlier one getting there. But the bugs….the bugs were terrible at night, I have never seen so many bugs on our cars when we got home and checked them out in the garage light. The Princess will have her work cut out for her in the morning! Hehehehe That’s our deal, she keeps them shiny and I keep them noisy.

Sunday we cruised to the Cracker Barrel in Dumfries, VA then after breakfast we cruised to the Hundred Car Pile Up show in Woodbridge, VA. This show is put on by the Prince William Cruisers and is at a boat marina restaurant, the Water’s Edge. It’s a nice restaurant and the parking lot is asphalt. After the canopy accident yesterday we didn’t want to erect a canopy on the pavement so we sat in the sun, not a fun thing. The restroom facilities were good and the music was the best. The song mix was dead on, a little of everything but constant….Ramona says he played songs she actually remembered!?

As advertised there were over a hundred cars registered so the event was a success. I liked the green ’66 T-5 Mustang; it’s very unique and nicely done. I also liked the silver & black ’34 Chevy 4dr sedan restorod and the red ’48 Chevy Fleetline. As with anything the PW Cruisers is involved with it’s a pleasure to attend one of their events, everything runs like clockwork and everything happens like it’s supposed to. They just need to find someone with a little more enthusiasm to sell the 50/50 tickets, grin Check out Sally in one of the pics with the tickets! And she does all that with a broken suspension that’s on the mend. What else can you ask for? The Princess also got a trophy so now she is happy; she and Don got two each for the weekend. Congrats Steve and the PW Cruisers on another job well done!

Don & Anne and Sam & Carol had to get ahead of their trip back to Michigan so they left early. We said out goodbyes and wished them a safe journey and they cruised out with that noisy red Chevy leading the adventure. That’s what hot rodding should be about….friendships that endure the test of geographic separation and the respect of other’s interests. Driving from Allen Park, Michigan to Virginia just to hang out for a couple days with kindred spirits is a special thing…. I love this hobby!

Colder than a ......?

2010-05-10T10:53:00.013-04:00

Friday evening and we congregate at VA BBQ in Fredericksburg, VA for the weekly cruise. The usual suspects are in attendance and a guy etching glass is plying his trade. Wesley and Ken tried him out on their car; Wesley had a pair of dice done on his vent window and Ken had “55” put on his ’55 Chevy….what a concept! It looks cool but I don’t have enough glass surfaces on the RedRat…. maybe…. we’ll see. We haven’t seen Steve and his rowdy blue supercharged Maverick for a while and the yellow gigandious Dodge PU with more chrome than a parking lot of Harleys was there. Claude’s noisy very dark blue ’34 Chevy coupe came to sit a spell and we were treated to a twofer rarity! You don’t often see a ’35 Chevy 4 dr. sedan….but two on the same night, at a little local cruise? Paul drives Anita’s red & black ’35 and he visits often but the other mauve & dark purple one was special too. Gary called the evening around 9PM and we cruised home, another fun & restful cruise at VA BBQ.

Saturday we wanted to go on a nice leisurely cruise for lunch and end up at the Foster’s cruise in S. Stafford. It was cold and very windy but we knew it would be a nice adventure. We left at noon and headed for Lowrys seafood restaurant in Tappahannock, VA. It’s about 70 miles to the restaurant from Stafford, VA and it’s a nice easy cruise through the flat lands near the Rappahannock river. We usually take Rt. 17 down and back but today someone thought it would be more fun to go home a different route! So after eating enough food to feed the crowds at a Beach Boys concert we left for home….by a different route. Sometimes I ask if someone else will lead our little excursions and allow me to relax a little and not have to deal with the stress of keeping everyone together (like herding cats!) and navigating for the group. It also gives me the opportunity to try to take some pictures from the back of the group while we are cruising. I asked Fred to lead and as usual he stepped up to help. Fred drives a red & white ’57 Dodge so challenges are no stranger to him. hehehehe And I think during one of his trips in the mother ship Fred had a GPS implanted somewhere on/in his body….you’ll have to ask Debie where it is!? After an inauspicious start when half our group went straight instead of following Fred at a critical intersection we got back together (cat herding) and headed home via Rt. 3. This road is smaller than Rt. 17 but it gives us a different look to our trip. Did I mention it was windy? I think it was blowing about 117 mph and gusting up to Cat5 hurricane strength! We had been meandering up Rt. 3 for about 25 miles when we spotted some smoke over the road! After stopping and evaluating the situation we realized that the wind had blown a very large tree into a power line and set the woods on fire! At first we didn’t realize how dangerous it was where we stopped or how long it would take to clear the problem. During a conversation with the firemen they told us it would be a while before we could pass through so we decided to turn around and seek another way home. Fred talked to the firemen and got instructions on how to go around the area without going back to Tappahannock so off we went. Now this part of Virginia is very rural and sparsely populated….as the roads get narrower and the side lines go away then the center line disappears it starts to feel….different. We now have to put our faith in Fred and his biological GPS and hope he remembered what the fireman told him! The Princess was getting low on fuel and I had less than ½ a tank. The trees started growing over the road like a tunnel and the road got narrower…. I thought I heard banjo music…. This is not the way I wanted to remember our 45th wedding anniversary! After many turns and watching the sun change directions way too many times we popped out on Rt. 3 again! Whew….now I wouldn’t have to hear any squealing piggy noises…. Fred found some fuel for us and we cruised on to Foster’s cruise….uneventfully! By the time we got there the cruise was in progress but only about 15 cars showed up! I’m sure the cold and wind had a lot to do with people’s decision to stay home. I guess some people just can’t take it….sitting outside in lawn chairs, in 45-50 degree weather, with a wind chill of -87 degrees….can you say don't be a sissy!? We stayed about 2 hours and then headed home. The Princess was just a little cranky because as I mentioned earlier it was our 45th wedding anniversary on Saturday and she was still not understanding our card exchange earlier in the day. You all know I'm retired and like to save a penny when I can....I bought her a nice Mother's Day card and wrote something gushy & sensitive inside and thought since our anniversary was the day before Mother's Day why buy two cards? I mean I could buy a gallon of gas for the price of another card! So I wrote a nice verse inside the Mother's Day card wishing her a happy anniversary and told her she got a twofer card! I thought it was funny....the Princess says she wants to see the report card from that sensitivity training class I have been taking? She says I need to be retrained? I guess it didn't help much when I told her that when she talks to me through her clinched teeth it makes the lines on her face appear deeper....I'm not sure what she said after that, she was muttering and stuttering as she walked away....I hope her birthday goes better!? The Princess and I had to spend 3 hrs getting the coupes ready for the show on Sunday when we got home but we were glad to be back home with our dignity intact, thanks Fred!

Sunday and we left the Bob Evans in Stafford, VA at 8AM. It was very cold and the wind was still blowing briskly. One of the cars that was going up with us was JV & CJ….in a T-Bucket! When I saw them come in it reminded me of our years on the Harley. They looked way too cold to be having much fun. At 8:10 our little convoy of 4 cars headed up I-95 for the 30 mile trip to the Mothers Day show at the Coast Guard Station in Alexandria, VA. This show is 33 years old and the club that hosts it, Cruisin Company, is 33 years old too!? We have never been to this deal because on Mother’s Day we always go to the show in Fredericksburg at the Walker Grant School and have been more than happy with it. But since some of our friends have been talking about the Coast Guard show for a while we decided to try it this year.

The show is on rolling grass and under mature trees….a perfect venue. The bathrooms are permanent and were easily accessible from where we parked. The cost of the event was $20 but included a very tasty lunch, something other clubs might want to consider. I think Dan had 19 hot dogs! I’m told that the show is something of a reunion for a lot of folks; in fact Steve told me that some of the cars only come out for this event!

There were about 195 cars in attendance and many very nice examples of Virginia craftsmanship. The first thing I saw was a black ’37 Chevy built like a gasser of the late 50’s. You do remember that the vehicle of choice back then was the 36-39 Chevy and the 33-34 Fords…. Right? These Chevys were the scourge of the ¼ mile till I think ’62 when guys started using the Willys more. The Willys was lighter and could go faster with the engines of the time, Caddie & Olds. There were a few vehicles that were there to increase the awareness of POW/MIA issues, which is always a good thing. There were vehicles of every type from antique, custom, low-rider, hot rod, traditional hot rod, street rod, new stock, pick up, race car, motorcycle, muscle car, super car and heavily weighted in the pre-60’s genre. The Princess liked the 58-59 Corvettes; she says if she ever gives up her coupe it will be for one of those Corvettes! Another thing I liked was that almost all the vehicles were drivers, bugs in the radiator and chips in the paint drivers. You all know how I feel about trailered hot rods. I think that if they are “special” enough to come in a trailer to play they should be “special” enough to be classed separately and judged separately. I liked the orange & black ’64, 454 Chevy PU and the black ’32 high boy with flames and zoomies.

The above mentioned “free lunch” was a really welcome thing since no food vendors were present at the event. Sometimes the event food vendors are terrible because they have you trapped and they know you have few other choices except their food and they don’t care about the quality of their food. This was the case here as far as being trapped but the food was very good, if fact the line for food stretched from the concession area to the restrooms….about 75 yds! And I think Dan went back so many times they began telling him he couldn’t have any more food….it’s so sad to watch Dan pout…. so we had to promise him we would go to dinner later after the show…. Dan was happy again! I liked the band too….they played music I knew and I saw a lot of foot taping and head nodding while the music was being played so I knew others liked it too! Please check out the pictures I took this weekend at; http://community.webshots.com/user/33coupe

As with most established shows this one ran like a machine and ended on time. You could tell the club members knew what each one had to do and they executed like they had done it many times before. The Cruisin Company was helpful and assisted the participants when needed. This is one of the best shows we have attended in the last 6 years….you need to put it on your calendar for next year….Mothers Day 2011….be there or be square!

Where did the weekend go?

2010-05-04T08:41:00.013-04:00

Friday evening and we weave our way through the Friday get-out-of-town traffic to Fredericksburg, VA and the cruise at VA BBQ on Rt. 1. This cruise has been hosted by Fredericksburg Classic & Muscle Car Club for many years and never disappoints. It is a comfortable cruise with 50-90 cars each week….not like the MD cruises with 400-500 cars each week but a nice mix of local cars and some from the surrounding environs. About half the cars come out every week and the other half are infrequent visitors.

The car that spun my tires was the little yellow ’61 English Ford panel….I had one of these cars in ’63-’64 and drove the wheels off it! I had the original 4 cyl motor with four individual pipes coming out one side, like a funny car. I had a lot of fun cruising the beach cities in SoCal with that car….I can’t imagine how much trouble I could have found if I had a small block Chevy in it like the yellow one at the cruise. Jim brought out his ’46 Ford PU, “The Rotten Peach”, to share with us….he had it repainted and added a new fuel tank….ya gotta see this. Hoppy brought out his yellow ’55 Ford, the Chevy killer!? We had a great time talking to friends and making new ones….please check out the pictures at; http://rides.webshots.com/album/577539128XeTJKa

Saturday morning and we attend the 2nd Kate Waller Barrett MS show in Stafford, VA. The school opens its doors for the show so the restroom facilities are great and there was a good food vendor which helped since there were no restaurants close by. It was hot for this time of year, I think it went up to 274 degrees, which wasn’t welcome but we dealt with it. The heat crept up on me as I didn’t hydrate properly….I have to remember to do that better. The music was a victim to the many announcements and talking. After a while we just tuned out the “noise” since little music was being played and as a consequence we didn’t hear when the 50/50 was called and we probably missed other things we may have wanted to hear.

There were about 70 cars of all types from Sam’s original Model T to a 2010 Camaro….that why I like open car shows….everyone comes out! I have a few favorites….first is Brian’s red ’88 Fiero GT with the 3800SC motor! Brian had done all the work himself on this beast and it worked out just right. This type of car is often overlooked by hot rodders and I don’t know why. With its inherent great handling and killer motor possibilities this is a super street car if there ever was one! I also liked the dune buggy. I saw many of them in SoCal when I lived there in the 60’s….in fact I think the Meyers Manx was invented there. The one at the show was done flawlessly. And then there was the Noble….this is a rare car and you need to talk to the owner when it is at a show with you. It is so unique, and it’s 2000 lb weight and over 500 hp should make it a fun car on the street.

There was confusion at the award ceremony and some frayed nerves that could have been avoided but in the end most were happy with the outcome. The Princess got a plaque so she is all giggly and happy. Please check out my pictures at; http://rides.webshots.com/album/577537128IgfZZH

We left the show and cruised to the show at Foster’s Grille in S. Stafford, VA. The VA Stockers are the host club and Foster’s had gone all out to promote their show that kicks off the cruise season for them. It had been on the radio and internet for a couple of months. They had two moon bounces and radio station WZRQ 99.9. Foster also gave the participants a discount on their food AND the show was free! That’s right, no cost to enter! They had nice prizes and trophies and gave $50 cash with each trophy! I think they really wanted to support the show/cruise!? Foster’s has always encouraged participation at their cruises but this was special. They really don’t have to pay people to come to Foster’s….it’s a nice place, the food is great and they always take care of us like they want us there.

There were around 90 cars when it was done and because they threw a large net of advertising many of the cars that showed up were new to us. The yellow blown T-Bucket, the red ’49 Ford custom, the white & blue ’54 Merc and the red ’57 Chevy panel were all new. Then Richard’s immaculate blue & white ’60 Chevy and many of the usual suspects rounded out the field. My favorite was the orange & purple ‘60’s Chevy PU. This truck was perfect and had a 600 + cu. in. motor that if you close your eyes when it was running you thought you might be listening to John Force’s car! And Jerry’s yellow Willys is never hard to look at…. another classy local car. Check the pictures at; http://rides.webshots.com/album/577546273yBcVDi

It was a very long day for us so after most of the cars left we were glad to be on the road home. We had a very busy day doing what old people do with their hot rods on the weekend when they don’t have proper supervision. On the way home the RedRat wanted to stretch it’s legs so I let it go on the Rt. 17 on ramp….it’s very long (about ¾ mile), straight, flat….hmmmmm. That wasn’t me turning gasoline into noise and filling the air with tire smoke, no sir, not me….hehehehe I love that car!

Sunday cruised to the Manassas, VA Burger King near the airport to attend the Bull Run Street Rods annual show. We like this show because it’s on grass and it is always well attended by pre 60’s cars. The show's main sponsor is Burger King and it always run well, everything happens when it should and no grumbling is heard about the show. This club is another one of Virginia’s premier car clubs….they are well respected and their show is one of the “can’t miss” shows of the year around here. Some years it has rained on show day which makes the venue a real challenge but this year the weather was near perfect. A short little shower around 10:30 helped dust off the pollen then sunshine the rest of the day. I think there were around 170 cars which is near what the show can handle comfortably and the parking was more organized than years before.

Many very nice cars….please check out the pictures at; http://rides.webshots.com/album/577536407ZCbaai The one I liked best was the pearl ’32 Ford PU with the Boss 429 Shotgun motor. I took a picture of the car and walked to the next one then went back and did a double take….I could see through the grille….no radiator? The radiator was in the truck bed….nice! The owner told me the motor was from a drag boat and its 1800hp had to be detuned to around 800hp for the street! This was one cool truck! I also liked the orange & black Camaro with the neat engine compartment housing the 427….cool. The Princess liked the way the black ’34 small block sounded….the one driven by another lady! She says the Princessmobile should sound like that too….I said all it takes is money!? The look she gave me told me I should not worry about what I will be doing this winter! Hehehe We met many old friends at the show and made some new ones too. I had a couple people walk up to me and ask….”Are you Chuck the Slacker?” After I said yes they told me how they like to read my stuff and how they follow us on HotRodHotLine. That helps when you write this stuff and wonder if people read it and if they like it….a little feedback is good!

We cruised home and our old bodies crashed in the A/C so we got a few hours of rest before our adopted children (Dan & Ramona) drove us to dinner. Now to rest up for next weekend….I love this hobby!

A frustrating weekend

2010-04-26T10:54:00.002-04:00

The weekend looks ominous, weather wise but Friday evening at VA BBQ is what we need to get our hot rod fix….the Princess and I love to drive the hot rods so when they are parked, some of the fun stops for us. Most of the 40-45 cars that came through were the usual suspects but I liked the pink & black ’55 Ford convertible. It has a factory built sensing device that detects rain and will raise the top by itself, if the vehicle was stationary…. remember this was in 1955! I also liked the two tone green ’59 Ford convertible, a classy ride.

Those of you who know me also know I have some friends that are….a little out there….it might be you! Anyway as I was getting up to take pictures Fred came over and sheepishly said he had something to show me in his car? Fred drives a green & silver ’66
Plymouth Barracuda, not that his choice in cars has anything to do with he showed me….grin. You will have to ask Fred what it was that he showed then gave me….I will never look at a frog the same, ever again….I now have a terminal case of eye trauma and the doctor says the flashbacks should lessen over time if I stay on the meds….we’ll see.

Saturday the weather guessers say the rain is north and we won’t get any till evening….I checked the radar and saw rain all around us but nothing hitting the ground so we took the hot rods to breakfast. We arrived at Bob Evans for breakfast was planning on organizing the cars to go to the show in Thornburg with us. We were about half way through breakfast when we began to watch it rain on the hot rods….not a lot, just enough to make a mess. Since no one else had showed up, we finished eating and slowly drove home to garage the cars and dry them off…. Since it seemed like it was not going to quit raining the rest of the day we decided to stay home and watch a movie.

The weather guessers said that Sunday would be worse? We would have severe thunderstorms, large hail, lightning, wind, tsunami, hurricanes, tornadoes and the four horsemen of the apocalypse descending on our little part of the planet. So we planned on doing something else with the hot rods….like waxing them in the garage! Finally Sunday morning and with the dawn came a light sprinkle that quickly stopped. I re-checked the house generator, filled the bathtubs with water and secured all the porch furniture so the storm wouldn’t blow the furniture to Bermuda! And we waited for the impending deluge….the sky started turning blue? Little white puffy clouds started appearing? The wind stopped? Were we in the eye of the cataclysmic event that was to befall us? No….the weather guessers were wrong….again! We thought maybe their forecast was just a little late but the nice weather stayed till after dark! So we didn’t go to Crabby Oyster because of the storm that never came! So I’ll never understand why everyone believes what those bozos say about climate change for years down the road when they haven’t been able to predict the weather 24 hours out! Maybe it’s just me but when I worked, had I been wrong so often like they are I would have been unemployed long long ago!
Anyway….a very frustrating weekend for all the car people around here, I guess we should find solace in not having to deal with the weather that Mississippi and Alabama got. Next weekend we have three shows and one cruise scheduled….let’s see what the weather guessers can cook up.

Best laid plains....

2010-04-18T17:15:00.002-04:00

The Princess got sick Monday and was off work and dealing with pain in her back all week so we cancelled all our hot rod plans for the weekend. Saturday she thought she was getting better so I took her in the RedRat to BK in Manassas, VA. We arrived a little early but the wind was blowing and it was cold so we sat in the car for about an hour before we decided to leave.

We decided to attend the Bruster's cruise in Stafford, VA and see how her pain did.... She started getting cold after we were there a couple hours and I could tell she was uncomfortable so we left early from there too.

I don't know if she is really sick or she just likes to ring that little bell she uses to get my attention! grin We will see how she mends this week and that will determine what we do next weekend.

Nothing but cruisin

2010-04-04T19:26:00.011-04:00

Friday evening and we try to get to the first cruise of the year at VA BBQ in Fredericksburg, VA. I say “try” because it’s 16 miles from home but sometimes it takes a while to get there because of Friday night traffic on Interstate 95. Some of that traffic boils over onto Rt. 1 then gridlocks the traffic everywhere. It was worse than usual tonight because of the Easter weekend and people are traveling. The Princess didn’t get home till 5:30 so we got a late start. In spite of that we slithered out of Stafford to travel about 25 miles on meandering less traveled back roads and arrived at the cruise about 6:30. Some friends told us of taking over 3 hours to make the trip on the main roads….

As the night unfolded it was becoming obvious that we were going to have overflow attendance tonight! There were about 90+ cars visiting throughout the evening. The youngest visitor was in a purple car of unknown manufacture with a questionable roll bar….she looked a little distracted but was nevertheless enjoying her cruise. There was a nice blue ’49 Chevy panel truck with a nifty graphic on the rear door and Allen brought his green Corvair convertible with the old California tag to share with us. Larry drove his Ford Model T tub with the Model T 4 cyl engine that has been hot rodded! Check out the pictures of this, I will be doing an individual article on this car sometime soon so look for it on my blog; http://autoessentials.blogspot.com/ I also liked the black ’38 Chevy flat bed truck and the green ’69 Roadrunner but my favorite was the green ’52 Hudson Commodore. It was the last year for the big luxurious Hudsons….after that they just built the Hornet, Wasp and Jet. We cruised home around the traffic that was still gridlocked at 9:30; I hope this is not a portent of things to come with the traffic on Friday.

Saturday we left the Stafford WAWA at 2PM sharp and headed to Manassas, VA and the cruise at BK on Rt. 28 by the airport. We arrived about 2:45 and the place was filling up! A year ago at the same time there might be 10 cars there, now people start coming earlier and earlier….if this trend keeps up it may turn into an all day deal?! The parking filled up and overflowed to the grass behind the parking lot on two sides! I have seen more cars there but I estimate when we left there were at least 160 cars, and we left at 5:30! I guess the warm weather brings everyone out.

There was a very nice blue & white ’55 Chevy big block, just neat as a pin along with the green & white ‘52 Buick that looked just right. There were three Willys, Bill’s Orange one with the blown early Hemi, Jason’s brown one with the blown Chevy big block and the green one with the 2-4V Chevy big block. I also liked the red ’41 Chevy PU, it too was near perfect….but the coolest car for me was the red ’69 Camaro with the dark blue flames….the big block & engine bay was very trick, you have to check it out!

We left BK about 5:30 with Steve, Jimmy, Dan, Dale, The Princess & me and headed back to Stafford for the weekly Bruster’s cruise in progress. When we arrived there were about 60-70 cars parked with Gary announcing and playing music. We unpacked and set up under the awning of the emergency care place (closed) and settled in to complete our evening of fun with hot rods….but Steve was hungry! Now Steve is usually a nice guy but since he has been on that tofu, bean sprout and cooked yard bird diet he sometimes gets a little cranky when it’s time for him to eat! So Jimmy and I thought it would be better for all the people attending the event if we just took Steve to Sam’s for dinner….real quick….we had to quell the demons in Steve’s tummy. After we ate Steve was a happy camper again and the world was once again in balance. I didn’t begin taking pictures till it was almost too late….so I only got about ½ of the cars recorded….next time bring the flash & monopod!

There was the black ’59 Ford retractable from Colonial Beach and JV, our friend who drives a car with no doors, T-Bucket! Al drove his black ’62 409 post to remind us what SS cars looked and sounded like back in the day. The red ’54 Ford with the 5.4 motor was really special but my favorite was the two tone green ’64 Plymouth….one of the cars I wouldn’t mind cruising in!

Gary Sullivan recognized Ron Phillips for his hard work and dedication to this cruise for the last many years. Ron is the reason the cruise enjoys the success that it does and attracts people from miles around. He is diligent every week ensuring sponsorship and setup for the event. Thanks Ron, for providing a place for vehicle enthusiasts around Stafford to hang out and enjoy our cars. The event closed down around 9:30 but a few of us hung around and talked till 11:30! It’s what we old people do since we have no life and we are not supervised well enough! Hehehehe -3=93

The 2010 season is underway....and it's cold!

2010-03-29T13:51:00.014-04:00

Saturday, March 27, 2010 and we attend the 4th annual Skills USA show at North Stafford High School in Stafford, VA. This is usually the first show of the season around here so everyone looks forward to it and in fact it is the target completion date for some that work on their cars over the winter (don’t ask me how I know that). The show has been improving every year and the trend continues. The weather was sunny but very cold; a major change from last weekend where temps were in the 70’s and this weekend I think it was -265 degrees.

One of the nice touches at this show are the awards….they are mostly made by the students at NSHS in Susan’s graphic arts class and they have never been a disappointment….this year they were a knockout! The students also run most of the show with the major sponsor, Herlong Associates Inc., assisting with MC duties. The students were selling hot coffee and food all day, the Princess says it was very good and the coffee helped dull the cold. There were a couple vendors and the Stafford County Sheriff Deputies with their Bustang, a seized vehicle from a drug bust that they have put into service to educate and illustrate one of the down sides of drug involvement…. you lose your stuff! And speaking about losing your stuff, the students set up a “jail” to raise money for Skills USA. The guy with the Model T and his crew had me arrested for something, I don’t remember what it was for but you know how those Model T guys always exaggerate everything….grin So I bought my way out of jail before I got time to sit down….I don’t know what kind of message it sends when the perp gets to buy his way out of jail? And how come it cost me $20 and everyone else it was $5-$10? I think the Princess had something to do with that!? Anyway it’s all in fun and for a good cause and If I didn’t give the $20 to Skills I would probably just bought something silly with it….like headlight fluid. The Air Force JROTC presented the Colors and we all saluted the Flag while the National Anthem was played….It gives me chills every time we do that!

Last year’s attendance was 170 vehicles and this year’s 158 registered vehicles may have something to do with the weather…. did I mention it was cold?

The vehicles were varied from the Model T to new Camaros and Mustangs. By far the most represented car was the Mustang…. there were plenty of old ones like Ray’s blue ’66 to Pete’s white 428R….it’s interesting to see all the different engine mods that can be done to the late model Mustang in the interest of lower emissions and fuel economy….yeah right! The Corvettes were well represented too including the yellow flamed one that I’ve seen for a few years now and it’s always a crowd pleaser. There were many “older” cars too….street rods and customs. The early Falcon with the killer Ford motor and the yellow ’32 5 window coupe but the coolest street rod wasn’t a car at all….it was a ’34 Dodge school bus! Buddy & Cathy are from New Market, VA and we saw the school bus last year at their 3 day event in New Market. They hadn’t finished the interior at that time but now it’s complete and deserved the best of show it won Sat. They were on their way back from Myrtle Beach, SC where they attended the Run to the Sun event there last weekend. The bus is cool in every way; you have to check it out when it’s at a show with you. Another cool vehicle was Allen’s ’64 Corvair Greenbrier camper, I have never seen one before and his is in magnificent shape! And there were a couple tribute bikes for our fallen Heroes that were done nicely and much appreciated.

The awards were given out around 3:30 and I think the judging was done well. There was a good balance between new & old cars. Sometimes when there are so many “new” cars the old ones get overlooked but when you have the level of professionalism these judges displayed no one gets overlooked….it’s the way to do car shows if you are going to have judged classes. After the awards were given out the winners were asked to cruise to the award table to have their picture taken and some did burn outs after that…. Too bad I didn’t get an award….the RedRat likes to do burn outs…. Hehehehehe The best burn out was done by the dually pick up hauling the “Somegaveall.com” car on a trailer….it went from one end of the parking lot to the other with the smoke so dense you couldn’t see the car on the trailer! I took some video of some of the cars leaving and uploaded it to youtube..enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/user/502SizeMatters#p/u/2/BbogtpuOxjc

After the show we cruised to Bruster’s for their first cruise in of the season. A bunch of us had and early dinner at Sam’s Restaurant but when we came back to the cars it was really cold….so we decided to call it a day! Ron & Gary had a lot of cars at their cruise but it was just too cold for us. Maybe next weekend will be better…. Be sure to check out the 'Auto Essentials' blog to the left and the 'Chucks Photos' link. -2=96

Local Hero

2010-03-24T11:17:00.002-04:00

I don’t apologize for posting this blog entry that isn’t about cars….sometimes you must go outside the lines.

Monday, March 22, 2010 we attended a fundraiser for a wounded warrior by the name of Steven Kierman. Sgt. Kierman is now retired from the USMC and located in the Fredericksburg, VA area. The fundraiser was at a local restaurant, County Fare, located near the Stafford Courthouse on the corner of Hope Rd. & Rt. 1. The restaurant is owned by a retired Marine which gives the place a neat atmosphere and the food is simple but very tasty and the service is always prompt and attentive….the Princess and I eat there often. http://www.countyfarestafford.com/ The restaurant is usually busy but not crowded, except on Sunday morning, and then sometimes you have to wait a few minutes to be seated. Monday evening we got there about 4:45 and the place was beginning to fill up! After we were seated Jim & Linda came in and shared our table so they wouldn’t have to wait in line. We left around 5:45 and the line was almost around the side of the building! During that brief 3 hours they collected $13,000 for the Homes for our Troops organization that is assisting Steven with housing. The waitresses even donated their tips to the effort!

Regardless of your opinion of the wars we are engaged in you must support the men & women that are doing the bidding of our Country by putting themselves in harms way. Yes, they chose to be in the Military….but they did not choose to return to us injured. We must always hold all our Heroes in our prayers….in our hearts….and in our arms. And for the ones that come back to us with needs that they cannot attain themselves we need to support them whenever the opportunity presents itself, like this fundraiser for Steven. Separate yourself from some of that money you have been saving for a rainy day….these Heroes are having a really rainy day right now and need your help.

The link below is for the ‘Homes for our Troops’ site and it lists the needs to help build Steven a home….help if you can….it’s the right thing to do!

http://www.homesforourtroops.org/site/PageServer?pagename=StevenKiernan

The Madness Begins....

2010-03-21T11:46:00.004-04:00

March 20, 2010….the weather is exceptionally nice, sunny in the 70’s….perfect! I planned to have our hot rods ready enough to go to the first cruise next Friday but the urge to get out of the garage was too great to ignore, so off we went to BK in Manassas, VA. This cruise is year around but I think the “official” new season kicks off today.

I think the most unusual car was the white 1919 Ford center door, I tried to catch up with the owner but could not find him/her; I need to find out more about that car. Mike brought his red Anglia in then another red one showed up. There was a Chevy 789 which is kind of weird, in a nice way. Larry & Shirley’s new silver ’32 roadster was very nice. A lot of old & new muscle cars rounded out the crowd. We left a little early but there were about 160 cars….as with most cruises some came and stayed and some came in, walked around a little then left. It was a great beginning to this season. One down….99 to go!

I will be sending out our show/cruise itinerary again this year every week, if you want to be on my “list” of email recipients of this mailing please let me know. Wherewereyouin62@comcast.net