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

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

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!

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?

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

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....

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....

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.