Meeting new old friends.

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....

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

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....

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