The Quest continues....

Friday night at VA BBQ and did the cars come out! I think over 60 cars were there during the night. Some came and stayed a couple hours and left.. ..some came and stayed till it closed. There were a lot of cars we usually don’t see at VA BBQ. Like the red ’61 Studebaker Lark TT VIII, convertible? It had 2x4s on the Studebaker V-8 motor and was neat as a pin, where did it come from? The Orange Studebaker with the trick air cleaner.. ..In fact that’s not all that’s trick about that car, you need to look it over real close if it is at a show/cruise with you. I wouldn’t have picked the body style but there is so much attention to detail and expert craftsmanship in the car that it almost overwhelms the body style, check it out! There was a white ’49-’51 Ford custom that was real different.. ..I couldn’t tell if it was a work in progress or a finished traditional hot rod.. ..either way it was kooool! Hoppy’s rowdy yellow ’55 Ford came in too, we don’t see it too often this far away from Orange.. ..if you haven’t looked at the graphics closely you need to do that, especially if you drive a bow tie! There was a black ’60 Ford Starliner with a very big block that was done just right. Everything was tidy and well thought out, the nicest ’60 that I’ve seen. And Claude brought his noisy blue ’34 Chevy.. ..I think every time he brings it he wins people’s choice, way to go Claude! Tony V. brought his gunmetal grey Super Bee to the party.. ..we haven’t seen it for a while, it’s as nice as I remember. And the car-of-the-week guy got rid of the Pro-Street Jeep and is driving a white Vette!? To be continued! A green/blue ’32 5wc came in late, check out the air cleaner! A lot of usual suspects where there too.. ..A very busy cruise, I would expect nothing less at VA BBQ as the year unfolds.

Saturday we all gathered at WAWA and headed to the Masaponax Cracker Barrel for breakfast. After the obligatory lard load up we left for the North Anna Power Plant’s annual show at Louisa school. The proceeds for this event help the power plant’s charity, Habitat for Humanity.. ..a very worthwhile endeavor! We have been trying to make this show for a few years but weather kept us away a couple times and other commitments did us in twice too.. ..so this year we were determined to attend the event no matter if it rained or not! The rain was forecasted all day but we didn’t get any rain all day. In fact it was windy and sunny, how wrong do you have to be as a weather guesser before you get fired? Inquiring minds want to know. I’m unemployed (happily) and those guys/gals get to keep their jobs.. ..what’s up with that?

The venue is a school parking lot so it has plenty of room, we got to choose where we wanted to park which was nice.. ..the Queen & Princess told me I should have parked up the hill a little farther so we could have been near a tree.. ..silly me.. ..that’s why they are the Royalty and I’m the minion! The lot is on a hill but I don’t think there was a ‘bad’ parking place in the lot. The Princess also brought more “healthy” food.. ..do you know you can hide those little carrots inside the tubing of the fold up chairs? And that ants are attracted to squished grapes! ..Don’t ask me how I know.. The restrooms were permanent and well cleaned although the Princess had to use her trusty maglite when the time controlled lights went out, you have to ask her. The onsite food was typical and good. There were a couple vendors but not much else to do except look at the cars and meet new old friends!

The Shriners brought their Beverly Hillbillies car and wheeled it around the event all day, what a hoot.. ..you have to check out the pictures and a short movie clip I shot. Of the 60 or so cars in the event we had seen only three at other shows. Please check the pictures to see variety of the cars/trucks at the show and see why the Princess is so ornery, check out the “curl in the middle of her forehead” and remember that old nursery rhyme.. ..hehehehe Our youngest daughter and her youngest daughter has “the curl” too! The first vehicle that caught my attention was the black/green ’31 Ford Pick Up. That is the nicest ’31 Ford I have seen and Jim the owner will talk about it as long as you want to listen.. ..you have to check it out. The yellow S-10 custom was very trick as was the black Chevy PU rat rod. The brown & teal Chevy delivery was very different and the mural on the side was special. The blue ’32 Chevy sedan very nice and Ernie’s silver Charger was as neat as I remember it. DJ Ron cranked out the tunes and kept things rolling along.. ..like he always does. Someone had the Princess arrested for having a pink sign in front of her car but before she got put in jail the Queen bailed her out, the Princess says she has friends in high places.. .. grin The show ran like a watch showing what so many years putting on this show will do for planning and executing.. ..then it promptly ended at 2:30 when the awards were given out. I like the shows ending early, around 2 pm.. If the judging is done by then the show should end. Most people get all their socializing done in 5 hours so leaving around 2 is usually welcome, something to think about. Ernie won a top 25 and best Mopar, Dan & Ramona won a top 25 and best GM.. .. .. ..the Princess won an event T-shirt! The orange & white Z28 Camaro won a top 25 and Best of Show, it was a very nice Camaro. It was a nice show that deserves more participation from cars farther away from Louisa.. ..next year put this one on your calendar.

We followed DJ Ron to the cruise at the Orange BK but when I got out of my car I realized how much my ankle was messed up. I could hardly walk! I set up the car and we walked to the food place but I couldn’t get ahead of the pain. We decided to leave for home early so I could get some pain relief and maybe beat the rain that was coming. I only took a couple pictures at BK, of the two Broncos doing a dance!? We drove about 150 miles and had a great time at the North Anna show and the Orange BK is always a time to remember, I’m sorry we had to leave early. It started to rain about an hour after we got home! And the show at Kate Waller Barrett MS was rained out on Sunday.. ..

Mothers Day....Out

Friday morning I was stressing over the weather guessers premonitions about rain and didn’t make my decision till 10Am on if I would go to Locust Grove MS to share my “hot rod” heritage and the RedRat with Rick Schafer’s students. I had been dodging rain for a few weeks now and had been lucky I thought I could make it between rain cells so I called Rick and told him I would be there at 1:30. After I parked and set up the RedRat like I was at a show or cruise I waited for the students to come out. I had been working on a script to make sure I didn’t forget anything this time. I was glad when I saw the students coming out and one of them had a stool for me to use, I have my “Chester” imitation down pretty good by now! grin! Before I got to go into my rehearsed presentation Rick started by telling them how hot rodding got started and more. I was ticking off the things on my list that I was going to say and figuring how/when I was going to jump into my deal.. .. Soooo I think I got everything said that I wanted to but I’m not sure. Next time I’ll go over my script with Rick first. We also need to pick a different place to hold the event as there is a generator for the whole school right next to where I parked, and given my poor hearing and some of the students soft voices I was having trouble hearing the questions. Kaizen, always improving.. ..next time will be better. The students seemed to enjoy our time together and they liked the RedRat. As before the students were very respectful of the car and of me. At least I could answer all the questions.. ..I felt good! A few of the students wanted me to do some burnouts.. ..I declined. Then one said how about the sign inside my trunk? He would buy me a hamburger if I did a burn out.. ..it was tempting! But since I wanted to be invited back I thought it was better if I declined and besides my clutch ankle is not healed yet and I really don’t have the clutch control I need to be safe. The weather was cooperating but the sky was beginning to look blacker so I left around 2:30 and just knew I was going to get wet before I got home.. ..I didn’t though! Next time I need to get more people to go with me.. ..it is a neat experience for the students AND me. I know other hot rodders would like to assist too.. ..I’ll have to work on that.

Friday evening The Princess and I braved the ominous clouds and got to VA BBQ in time to get our “preferred” parking spot! The Princess so likes “her” parking spot. And since it was our 44th wedding anniversary on that day I thought I would treat her to a gastronomicalextravaganza with dinner at VA BBQ! I know I know whatta guy, it’s just who I am! There was a nice 55/56 red T-bird that left early and Jim brought the Rotten Peach out to share. I don’t know what the Princess did to Pete and his orange Camaro but those two were jabbing each other all night. While we were dinning, Jim with the black/blue Malibu caught up with us and he shared how the guys at A1 had been helping him with the bling improvements to his Chevy.. ..He doesn’t even have to use a hood stick now! hehehehe Check out the electronics in his car as well as the new Underwood interior.. ..it’s first class! Jim wants to start a cruise on Sunday afternoon, more about this next time. Special Ed and Carolyn showed up with their orange ’39 and as usual the folks were wowed with it! They won peoples choice but they had left early so they didn’t get it, too bad, grin Most of the usual suspects were there too but as the sky started to look bad Ron called the evening before everyone left. A good evening cruise.

Saturday morning and the weather looked good so we drove to Bob Evans for breakfast and met Andrew and Dan & Ramona who were going to the Falls Church show with us. We left around 8:15 and made the trek to Falls Church.. ..I really don’t like to go up north for anything.. ..I worked up there for over 30 years and I can’t seem to go anywhere there without remembering some bad customers or something else negative.. ..it’s like going back to prison! Yeah I’ll take some more beatings.. ..Oh yeah!
We arrive at the Falls Church HS show and parked under the trees.. ..so we would be in the shade all day and wouldn’t have to put up the canopies. Andrew parked in the wrong place and the Princess & the Queen scutched him about it till he agreed that he could have parked in a different place.. ..but he didn’t move.. ..Way to go Andrew!
There were about 50 cars in total and this year the “tuners” parked up front with the rest of the cars.. ..which I liked. I never liked the two different generations separated.. ..they are the new “hot rods” and we should all be displayed together.. ..heck even the jeeps were displayed with the rest of the normal cars.. ..grin! The orange Lotus was a unique piece and the dual turbo Z car was special too. I liked the Ford Econoline PU, you don’t see many of them anymore. There were four Vettes there but I liked the black 60’s on the best. The old motorcycle, a BSA I think, was chopped and looked like fun. Pete brought his 428 Mustang to represent the blue oval and the Stangs and Fangs Car Club. The Cosworth Vega is a very unusual piece, check out the pictures. And the Jeeps could never quite get up on the roll back; they always almost fell of the right side.. ..what’s up with that? The Princess got a plaque.. ..first place in hot rod class.. ..and she won’t let me forget that I got second place in hot rod.. ..she is going to very hard to live with for a while I think.. .. .. Les & Peggy, Pete and Andrew got plaques too with Dan & Ramona getting best of show, what a deal! The show is usually supported by a local car club but 50 cars isn’t bad without their support! And the show proceeds go to augment the HS auto shop, a very worthwhile cause.

We saddled up and drove south, hooray, and headed for the Foster’s Grille on Rt. 17 with the VA Stockers cruise that was in progress. Jerry’s very special green/black Willys was there along with Ed’s special orange ’39. Ed showed us his new trunk prop, nice Ed.. ..very special !!!! JV came in his car with no doors and Jim & Linda finally came out to play with their blue ’08 Vette. Bad-to-the-bone Bill was there along with Dave and the rest of the VA Stockers. I really like the black ’57 Ford, in fact some pictures I took last year have been viewed literally all over the world, and I have received favorable comments about it from Sweden and other countries in Europe and Asia! We ate dinner at Foster’s and went back outside to visit a while till the pollen overcame some of us and we headed for home and a two hour shower! It was a long day but friends make it fun! Memories!

Sunday we met at Bob Evans again and after some saturated fat encrusted food we left for the Fredericksburg Street Rods annual Mothers Day show at Walker Grant MS. This event benefits the Special Needs department at that school. In this time of budget cuts all the additional assistance any school can get will be much appreciated and needed! Help when you can. Some of the past shows here have been plagued with bad weather.. .. Not today! The weather was as perfect as anyone could ask for. Sunny, breezy and temps in the 70’s.. ..perfect!
There were over 170 cars entered this year and they ran from Jerry’s black/green Willys to some traditional machines and everything in between. Please review the pictures I posted on the Webshots site; http://rides.webshots.com/album/571958663UCFCla
I liked the orange ’57 Ford, the red ’32 Ford Vicky, Tooties white ’57 Olds, the red ’59 Impala and, and, and.. ..It’s a good thing I don’t have J. Leno’s money.. ..hmmmmmmm He does own a Shotwell car.. ..maybe.. .. There are always cars that I don’t see anywhere else so it’s a show that I like to attend. Chuck and Cindy came up from Mechanicsville with some of their friends to attend, yeah the red car looked lonely Chuck. Tom and his ’55 Vicky won a trophy along with fellow Culpeper Cruisers, Tony and Beth in their Vettes. Dan & Ramona won with the Piggy Express, again! Ed won again again again again..hehehehe. Dave with his red Ford PU won a trophy and fellow VA Stocker, Jerry won best of show with his green/black Willys. Mark won a trophy with his orange ’73 Camaro.. ..now if he could just find someone to help with his paint.. ..grin DJ Ron won a trophy with his Camaro and I thought he might lift the front wheels during his victory lap, watch the video. The Princess says she doesn’t understand why she can’t win every year.. ..she is THE Princess after all? Stafford Classics won the club participation award, I think we had 12 club members.. ..out of 160 registered members, at a local show? What’s up with that? The show had adult games, kids games, Flowers for Mothers and really good BBQ. There were other vendors too like funnel cones! yum

This show is one of the best organized and executed shows that the Princess and I attend during the year. The Fredericksburg Street Rodders work all year to make this show what it has become in 19 years and their efforts culminate in this show. If you had the misfortune of missing it this year you need to fix that for next year. Bring MOM to the show! Buy MOM a hot rod to drive too! grin Memories are made of this!

And the rains came

Rain? Friday it looked like rain most of the day, in fact it did rain in places around here. We really wanted to visit Colonial Beach and the CB Cruisers cruise so we watched the weather closely. Around 4:30pm I called my son-in-law that lives in King George and talked about the rain I saw on the radar. He said the storm was bad but moved through quickly. I watched the storm cell moving just south of the Rappahannock River in an easterly direction. When the Princess came home we decided to make a run for Colonial Beach. I called Dale and he and his son Caleb met us at the WAWA a little after 5PM. I guess we chased the storm cell all the way to the Potomac River because when we arrived at Colonial Beach we were told that a storm had just passed through….but the roads were dry by the time we got there.

I think because of the bad weather a few of the Stafford Classics that wanted to come with us like Special Ed and JV stayed home.. ..could have been a smart move! I think the rain kept a lot of CB Cruisers home too. There were about 15 cars when we arrived but after we ate and came out of the restaurant some had left! Most of the cars were new to us.... except the red Charger, we saw that at VA BBQ last year and my favorite, the black ’65 Dodge, looked familiar. The black Chevy convertible with the 396 was very nice as was the red ’70 El Camino. The food at Fat Freda’s was very good and the service was prompt too. I had something that I can’t remember what is was called but it looked like French toast wrapped around turkey with Swiss cheese melted on it…I thought it was superb, I have to find out what it was called! We talked with Mrs. Pearson about blue crabs at length and I found out that there is always something to learn. The CB Cruisers were friendly and thanked us for visiting them, we will return another time. It was getting dark so we saddled up and headed for home and a nice evening drive.

The Saturday event was looking iffy, rain all around. While we met at the WAWA it started to sprinkle a little, oh nooooo! Steve Shifflet of PW Cruisers had invited Dan & Ramona and the Princess & I to their event highlighting the Riverfront Condominium in Occoquan, VA. The staff from Rivergate was very helpful and accommodating of our noisy cars and we got to park in the front of their sales center. If you are interested in exploring this lifestyle just call Carlo Baietti at 703-499-8460 and he can assist you. We do 2-3 of these kinds of events a year where the builders use the cars to piqué interest in their communities. I don’t know if it helps but it is always a very low stress deal and usually a lot of fun, sometimes they even feed us!

We got rained on twice during the show but we finally had sunshine for 3-4 hours. Since it was an “Invitational” deal most of the cars were primo cars. I like the green & black 4dr Willys with the V-6, I saw it at Richmond a couple years ago and at a few shows around since.. ..Check it out, the V-6 just works in that car! The red ’34 Ford in a Ford is always pleasant to look at as is the ’40 Ford convertible. The purple ’32 5w was way noisy as was the blue Chevelle of Billy Blanton. We met the Blantons at the restaurant; we had not seen them since the early 80’s.. ..that was a nice time catching up. I also liked the Cobra Coupe and the 30’s purple Dodge/Plymouth sedan.. ..you just don’t see many of them around either.
The PW Cruisers gave very nice plaques to some, the Princess got one so I don’t have to listen to; it’s all about the companionship and blah blah blah blah.. ..it’s always better if she wins something! grin She also won the drawing at the restaurant, I hope we don’t have to buy a boat or something? The food at the restaurant was very good and they had a live band! Arnold got best of show for his ’64 red Chevy. The car is very nice and what a “driver” should be like in my mind.. .. It is not as over the top as some of Arnold’s cars and that is what makes this car so nice to me. It is just a plain car, simple but perfect.. ..he even said he blacked it out underneath so he didn’t have to clean it underneath like his other cars. Less time spent cleaning, more time spent driving.. ...works for me!

We gathered up our stuff and headed for A1 and the valve cover races. On the way home the clouds began looking blacker and more ominous so we decided to not push our luck and just go home. We drove through Bruster’s and it looked like the threat of rain was keeping the people away there too. There were only four cars in the lot and there is usually many more on a rain free night.

We got up at 4:30 Sunday morning and it was raining.. ..so back to bed and we passed on the Bull Run show. I know the event is a “rain or shine” event but we just don’t bring out the coupes in the rain. If we are at a show or cruise and it starts raining then that’s different, that’s part of the deal. But we just don’t like to begin in the rain.. ..The Princess so hates to clean the cars when they get road film/slime all over them. And I really don’t like to crawl under them doing the same thing. Maybe one day we will have a “road” car….we’ll see.

Moonshine and hot cars

We started out the weekend with the cruise to VA BVQ in Fredericksburg and had to go in the back way through Ferry Farm because I95 & Rt.1 were backed up from an accident but with the summer here I guess every Friday night will be bad when traveling I95 & Rt.1! So we have to begin to use the less traveled roads to get around. We arrived late and “our” parking places were taken, if ya snooze ya loose and we were snoozing in traffic. grin So we took Wild Man’s places since he wasn’t there.. .. bad choice. While dusting off the cars the next day we had tree sap spots all over the cars from the trees where Wild Man and his friends usually park.. ..Hey Wild Man, you can have your parking spots back next week.. hehehehe

About half of the cars were new to us or majorly redone during the winter. Roger’s truck was painted over the winter and he had completed more motor work on it too, it’s a real nice ’72 Chevy PU you have to check it out. The Sunbeam Tiger was very nice and it reminded me of a customer I had in the 60’s that had one. I hated to work on the engine, no room.. ..look at the picture.. ..imagine changing spark plugs.. ..hmmmmmm And check out the black/flamed pro-street Jeep.. .. Yeah a Jeep, it sounded baaad and I bet it is a real handful herding it down the road!? Then the ’32 high boy roadster, the guy talked like it was his daily driver? It looked to nice to be a daily driver but whatever floats your boat. I’m glad Sue is still driving her red Plymouth, girls rule! Did you catch JV driving his bucket in? He looks the part; you need to check him out next time he is driving! John also made his fixed top a folding top, it did not originally fold up.. ..It was either up or off, now he can fold it up, neat job JV.

Saturday morning we met Andrew & Jose’, Fred & Debie and Dan at Bob Evans and after breakfast Fred & Debie led us to the Belmont Distillery and the Field of Wheels show. Since Fred led I was able to be the vulture in back and took some in route pictures. Please remember that the pictures are not that good because I have to take them one handed while driving the RedRat.. ..no excuses just the reality of why they are not as crisp as they could be, just enjoy the trip. hehehe The show was nice, it was on grass and a little uneven and muddy in places but grass is always better than asphalt or concrete. Unless you’re the Princess.. ..Andrew helped her back up into her parking place and when she got out.. ..I think they have cows running loose on the grass during the week! She had to clean her shoes and the car floor mat.. ..she just whines too much! There was about 85 cars and 20 motorcycles, not bad for a first show. There were many nice cars but the dark blue 33 Ford 2 dr sedan was very nice, I love those body styles. The blue ’37 Chevy PU was back, we missed it most of last year. There were 8 or so 30’s antiques, originals from Richmond I think. They traveled together like a parade.. ..what a sight. Most of the old pickups are Chevy’s but most of the new pickups are Ford’s or Dodges? I wonder what that means? It was the first hot show of the year, and it was hot. The pollen was thick and I gave up on keeping my car pollen free but the Princess kept cleaning off her car.... The Princess also brought some "healthier" food for us, she is trying to make me live longer which is a good thing, I think. So we had cauliflower, broccoli, fresh fruit, sandwiches made on healthy nut bread, you get the picture....I was really glad Dale's wife and Andrew & Jose' helped make some of the rabbit food disappear! Promptly at 2:15 the awards were given out and Lou and Dan won trophies but the rest of us had to go home empty handed, the Princess is bleating.. ..! She wants to know where the guy that got the three trophies by mistake lives, so she can go get hers that he got by mistake? grin I need to send her for lessons on how to lose graciously, like a Princess!

The people in the gift shop and the man who led the distillery tour was helpful and informative, the Princess said she learned a lot about making whiskey? She bought some samples, she said we have to try it and see if we need more? The event has a long gravel access road but the Distillery had it graded right before the event and was running a water truck on it before we got there.. ..so if you go real slowly it was ok. I think I can get away with just a few hours underneath cleaning the dust off .. ..except where the Princess ran over some cow droppings, yuck.. ..

We left the show and traveled to the Arby’s in Culpeper for the Culpeper Cruisers bi-monthly cruise. We arrived at 3:30 which was real early.. ..the event was going to begin about 5:30 or so. We met Tom who came early too and we all just sat under the shade trees and talked.. ..no pressure, no stress, just chillin out and talking! About 5pm or so the cars and club members started arriving. They set up music and a free ice tea stand (which was very good, thank you very much!) and more cars came in or drove by. A gorgeous lime green ’73 Roadrunner drove through but didn’t stay. The Princess was continuing to make me eat healthier when we are on the road so out came the veggies? So I was real glad that Debie, Andrew and Jose' helped her eat all the rabbit food she had left so I didn't have to endure it. When I took the overall pictures it was too early, the lot filled up, I mean really filled up later in the afternoon! Cars were parked in the spaces and in the drive lanes, something different. About 6PM the Princess and I had a salad for dinner (more health food) and one of the Culpeper Cruisers told us to be sure and tell Arby’s that we get the Cruiser discount! That was cool! The Princess won two door prizes (one for her car and one for mine) so she was happy....it doesn't really matter what she wins just as long as she wins something! The door prizes were great....things that we will actually use and not throw away when we get home!

As with all cruises they each have a unique “personality” of their own, and this one was no different. The Culpeper Cruisers went out of their way to make us feel ‘at home’ and they accomplished it! They exhibit stereotypical southern hospitality.. ..they were genuinely happy we were there! When we had to leave because my foot was giving me trouble they called their 50/50 early so we could still have a chance.. ..which was a good thing because Andrew won it! They also had to move a lot of cars so we could get out and they still waved and thanked us for coming to their cruise. They have their cruise every second and fourth Saturday of the month if you want to see some different cars and meet some nice people just cruise on out to Arby’s in Culpeper.. ..they are ready for you!

We had a good time with good friends driving cars around giving people something to wave at.. ..it’s like living a dream! And Fred & Debie led almost all day which gave me a rest from leading all the time! The Princess is whining that all her hard work last week of cleaning the cars was wasted because they are now covered with pollen, bugs, dust and cow droppings! Once a Princess always a Princess.. ..As always please check out the Chucks Photos and Dans Photos link to enjoy the events a little more. And you may want to see Mike's blog on the same show... http://www.bigsecz.blogspot.com/

A Down weekend

Hi all....our kids came into town to celebrate their birthdays this weekend so we didn't do anything with the hot rods....next week will be very different!

Dan & Ramona did attend the show in Sperryville and they report that other than having to park too close to each other is was a very nice show. We are looking for some American made pick ups for our Fourth of July invitational in Fredericksburg and Dan made contact some with trucks that would qualify to be displayed. On the way to the Orange BK cruise DJ Ron got to use his trailer jack, you have to ask him! Please visit Dan's photo site for pictures of the two events. http://rides.webshots.com/album/571216589EPRMik

We should be back in the saddle next weekend and we look forward to seeing some of you on the road.

The Inaugural Country Road Rally

Saturday morning, bleak and dreary, rain and wind.. .. Lets go on a Road Rally! Yeah right! Andrew, another of our almost adopted children, met us at our home at 9:30 in the morning and helped us load our truck then we all left for the Burger King in Manassas to begin the Inaugural Country Road Rally. Dan & Ramona left about the same time from their home and because of the rain and wind we all took our “everyday” cars! We arrived at BK and the wind and rain had actually picked up so we decided to try and set up inside the restaurant. We talked to the manager who was very helpful and said they were a “car friendly establishment” and it would be fine if we set up inside the restaurant to get out of the weather. The first car that showed up to register was Wyatt and his brother in their DeLorean then John and Tim of the Stangs & Fangs Mustang club and then it was kind of a blur after that during the registration. I think we found out why Andrew wanted to help us and went with us.. .. He wanted to be first, he got the #1 Rally card! Some left as soon as they had registered and some stayed and had lunch but as the activity slowed down I realized it was 1:15! WOW We had registered just 17 cars but had sold 35 rally cards! We had planned on 300+ cars but the weather nixed that! Maybe next time….

We left BK at 1:45 and drove to the second stop at Culpepper Airport and the Commemorative Air Force hanger. When we arrived the airplanes were still in the hanger because of the rain and wind but the Rally cars were parked all around. The Rallyers (new word I just invented) were going over the airplanes and talking to the CAF people there. The CAF was very accommodating to all including the stop workers, Lou & Arlene, and had set them up in the CAF office area so they could manage the stop effectively. The CAF also set up a barbeque lunch, I don’t know if it was for us but it was a great idea! The CAF people shared their hobby with us like we share our hobby with those that ask.. .. I could hang around airplanes all day but we had to keep moving so at 3PM we all left the CAF hanger and headed to the next stop.

When we arrived at Tony’s Body Shop there were many people still there that had left BK early, there seemed to be a lot of interest in the stop. Henry was set up in the “toy shop” part of the complex and helped keep the Rallyers moving. Tony and Beth did a wonderful job of accommodating the Rallyers, I had heard about their hospitality from others in the past and they did not disappoint. They opened their shop and complex so we could see their cars, shop and use the restroom facilities which helped make the Rally more comfortable. .. . The toy store was like being in the winner’s circle at a Goodguys meet. Please check the pictures of those that were there, Dan & Peggy & Chuck for a view of their collection and shop. 4PM arrived and the rain seemed to be stopping so we left Tony & Beth and headed for the next stop.

As we traveled to the Classic Car Center in Fredericksburg the roads were drying up and it would have been ok for the hot rods. JV was the stop worker at the Classic Car Center and had everything organized and executed his job with precision and verve, it must have been his mustache! Marty was being his usual gracious self and hosting those Rallyers around his shop. I have been there a few times but saw a Corvair truck that was new, very interesting.. .. And I always like the green Camaro. We were rushed and should have left at 5:00 but didn’t get out till 5:30. We need to build a little more time in the next Rally.

We arrived at the last stop, Foster’s Grille, and the VA Stockers had their monthly cruise in progress. They had about 15 cars set up and more came in during the evening. Foster’s Grille accommodated us as they always do and helped us with room for the Rally .. .. and the food and service was great too, what’s not to like! At 6PM, with Ramona’s help we announced that we would determined who had the winning hand for the Rally. It was Tim & Jacob, they won the $350 pot.. .. I think Jacob was really excited about the deal. In fact after I took their pictures by Tim’s car with Jacob holding the money, I’m not sure Tim got the money back from Jacob! grin Tim decided to give $150 of his winnings to our charity, Wounded Warrior Project. Some wanted us to have the $10 rally fee split, ½ for charity and ½ for the winner, which was a good idea and what most events do to ensure the charity gets a contribution too. I had hoped that whoever won would do the right thing and donate a large portion of their winnings to Wounded Warrior Project.. .. They did! Thank you Tim! We stayed till 9PM talking and eating.. .. I love the car culture, if I had known it was going to be this much fun I would have started years ago!

I want to thank the stop workers who helped move the event along smoothly; Lou & Arlene, Henry, JV and Dan & Ramona. Dan is kind of quiet and just gets things done and usually no one notices his effort.. .. But I want to thank Dan for his tireless work and the advice & encouragement he gives me as we work on these projects, he is another of our almost adopted children.. .. grin And Andrew was always helping us carry things and making sure we didn’t get lost and end up in Richmond or somewhere else!

I asked Ted if he was happy with the outcome of the Rally, he was.. .. So all is good! And maybe Steve would win next time if he didn’t make Sally do all the Rally card work! Dan and I have a few things to change as we go along but I think we proved the format and will make it a little better the next time, we just have to find someone that is in charge of the weather! Does anyone want to go on another Rally.. .. maybe in September/October?

The Madness Begins....

The Princess drove and I rode with her in her coupe to the Q....(VA BBQ) on Friday evening. It was very windy and cool but about 30 or so cars came out anyway. I didn't take any pictures but most of the cars were the usual suspects, it will start to fill up next week. When we left we cruised over to Central Park to see where the Stangs & Fangs were hanging out. We found them at the Circuit City parking lot and they had about 10 cars lined up....next time I want to take some pictures.

We descended on North Stafford High School early on Saturday, April 4, 2009, to be part of the annual show there. Since I cannot drive the RedRat yet, the Princess drove her coupe to the show and I followed her in my truck. I took her back home and she took the RedRat to the show with me following in my truck again, she did real well with the Rat, only squeaking the tires a few times! We set up with Dan & Ramona, Les & Peggy, Lou and Chuck & Margret. It was very cool in the morning till the sun got up around 9AM.. .. But the wind blew a lot all day, no time for canopies!

Susan and her Skills USA team always runs a class show and this year was no exception. From the classy invitations to the first class trophies, this show is one of the best planned and executed shows around. And it is fast becoming known for the most unique and sought after trophies at any show; the trophies themselves make it a must attend show. Be sure to check out the photos on the webshots site.

There were cars from Prince William Cruisers, Stangs & Fangs, Stafford Classics, Culpepper Cruisers, Stafford County Sherriff and a few other clubs and organizations that chose to support this show. It is usually the first big show of the season around here and if the weather allows it is well attended. There were over 170 cars in attendance Saturday and many that were new to us. Sue drove her red Plymouth....you go girl! We reestablished some friendships from last year and made some new friends.. .. That’s what the car shows/cruises should do!

The award ceremony was begun with the presentation of the Colors by the Air Force JROTC and singing the National Anthem…That was special! Stafford Classics won the car club attendance award and many in the club won Top 30 plaques. The Princess didn’t win anything but like she always says (when she loses) it’s not about winning or losing it’s about the social interaction and esoteric bonding that takes place in an atmosphere of likeminded sojourners that always trumps materialistic bling blings… I think she is not being honest with me…

We left the show and drove to Chili’s to meet with Jim & Linda for a late lunch. Then off to the A1 Speed Shop & The Late Night Cruisers cruise and the Valve Cover races. We set our racers with the ones already there and we decided to make the first race the one we have been waiting for.. .. Me and Dave----Mano A Mano---- A retired, gimpy, fixed income, half bald, can’t see or hear well old geezer against the young, in shape, hairy owner of a speed shop with a master valve cover mechanic as a partner and owner of the only valve cover racetrack around! Six months of pent up anxiety.. .. just waiting to explode! The testosterone was choking us, so without any test and tune runs, eliminations or any other distractions we raced. The Rebel Ford against the Chicken Express. I was soundly spanked by the red/white and blue Ford.. .. This is becoming monotonous.. .. Maybe old age and treachery will win next month.. .. Come and see.. .. I now have a month to try to win some respect for old people.. .. Any help? And the Princesses racer kept going to the left.. ..back to the frame shop!

The Princess was getting cold, Wah Wah Wah and my ankle was swelling a little so we called it a day. The cruise at A1 had about 30 cars in attendance and should get better as the season unfolds.
Next week is the Inaugural Country Road Rally.. .. Be part of this historic event.. .. Don’t miss it!