The four letter "R" word....again

I suppose we should be happy with the little rain that we get.... Other parts of our Country are having hurricanes, flooding, fires and more! So the little rain that we occasionally receive should not be a problem. However it sure puts the brakes on hot rod activities around here when it does rain! The Friday evening cruise to VA BBQ--rained out. Sat shows at Reva & MVHS--rain.

Dan & Ramona and the Princess & I took the hot rods out Sat afternoon.... there was a new cruise at the new Foster's Grille on Rt. 17. We arrived about 3:30 and soon a few more hot rods came in. Dave & Mary with their red '36 Ford PU and red '67 Goat showed up, Dave put out the direction signs. Then others started dropping by, Starchy and his orange/black '40 Ford, Paul and his noisy '34 lakester, Bad to the Bone Bill, Sam & Nancy, and a few more. We talked awhile and had a burger & fries. The place is perfect....the parking lot is new and there is a 10'+ strip of grass around the whole lot! The lighting is more than adequate. Foster's Grille has a patio that is in the shade and in clear view of the cars....and Foster's gives the rodders a 20% discount on any food, and the food is great, especially the fries & milkshakes! What's not to like? Foster's is also enthusiastic to the rodding scene and has always provided assistance with our activities. The surrounding buildings are all commercial which means any noise won't be a factor, so you will be OK Paul! And the access road near the lot is private, so if you happen to hit a wet spot when you leave and the tires loose traction it shouldn't be a problem either! hehehehe I think this place will be a great spot to cruise to.... I hope it remains a place for rodders to congregate and share about their cars and life in general.... and not turn into an "event" every Sat. BK in Manassas has worked just fine for years without music, door prizes, trophies, etc. Lets keep this a place for rodders to network.... share memories.... make new friends.... lie about how fast they were back in the day.... This could be fun....Thanks Dave, Mary, Starchy, Paul and all you guys for trying to make this a neat destination! Around 4:30 the dark clouds started rolling over so we picked up and headed home. The Princess and I stopped at Bruster's to check out how Ron's deal was going but because of the rain looming only a few cars were there. Dom brought out the Model T rolling chassis....and his Model T Police Car. I shot some pics of the chassis....it's kinda neat to see what is underneath the car like that. Do you know what that thingy on the top of the bellhousing is? Hmmmmm! Thanks Dom for setting it up, I'm sorry it got rained out! We were at Bruster's about 30 min and it started to rain, the Princess started to yell and wave her arms around....some of the words she was using didn't sound very Princesslly, she gets so uptight when she has to clean the cars. By the time we got home the cars were really wet so we BOTH cleaned them off to be ready for next weekend! Since I helped her clean the cars, the Princess was happier....life is good!

If we don't get rain next weekend it will be busy.... a cruise, a circuit cruise, the valve cover races, a show in Spotsylvania, a show in Stafford, the club picnic....whew....I need a nap!

A very busy weekend!

Friday night at VA BBQ....It's getting cooler very quickly, as soon as the sun starts setting the temperature starts to drop. Let's see, last week we were complaining about how hot it was! Stewart brought his '63 Ford PU, this is a very special PU, you need to check it out when it is at a cruise/show with you. Then a new black Pro Street Chevy PU came in....it was a '72 with a '67 front end? It was chopped, channeled and very nice, It had a blown SB but it didn't sound too rowdy? A yellow Lamborghini Countach....they have so many scoops and lumpy thingies on them and they are really cut edgy in the design, but they are cool nonetheless? There was a black Chevelle with blue graphics and a mirror under the hood....different! And a nice black 37 Chevy 4dr. Sedans with 4 drs are becoming popular now....why? It was getting very cold so we left around 8:30.....I can't believe I said that-getting cold!

Steve Shifflett invited Dan & Ramona and the Princess & I to the Prince William Cruisers picnic on Saturday....Roger and his wife hosted the event at their home, we had a wonderful time talking with the club members and eating too much food. I don't know who made the potato salad but I need to know if they want to adopt me! Steve did a good job cooking the burgers, he said he had a lot of practice....cooking that is! The Princess said I should take some lessons from Steve....whatever that means? We left the picnic and convoyed to the BK in Orange....a long strange trip!

Bill trailered his orange 41 Willys with the early hemi....check the video clip on it. DJ Ron was there playing the music and making announcements, he does keep a cruise or show moving along....the Princess is still upset with Ron for arresting her at the Salem show....she remembers everything! I think I heard her bleating something about taking his name off her Christmas card list....Princesses are so whiny.... We stayed till 8:30 and said our good buys then left for home....it was cold....do you see a pattern here? All in all a great day driving them cars and visiting with friends....is this stuff great or what?

Ron Phillips & Gary Ingoglia put on a show at Bruster's in North Stafford, Sat evening....Gary Sullivan sent me the following about the show;
The cruise-in at North Stafford’s Brusters Ice Cream on September 20 had over 85 cars, trucks and motorcycles were registered, filling the parking lot with vehicles from 1915 to 2008. Ron and Gary spun the tunes and gave away door prizes for the right answers to trivia questions. The Stangs and Fangs Mustang Club showed up at 4:30pm with about 20 Mustangs and Cobras. What a sight and what a sound! All in all, about 30 members of the club were in attendance with their pony cars. A full blown Camaro race car rolled off the trailer and rumbled through the parking lot to it’s parking place for the evening. It looked like it was going 200 m.p.h. while is was sitting still. The 50/50 drawing attracted over $350 in donations. At the end of the evening after the 50/50 drawing, and after the random drawing trophies were passed out, the top three were left. All three winners were first time visitors to Brusters! Third place went to an incredibly detailed and tricked out 1989 Toyota 4x4 pickup. (Go Cubbies!) The second place trophy went to a very neat and clean original 1950 Ford. The First Place trophy went to a 1971 Plymouth GTX, sporting a gold paint job, typical for that year, and a 426 Hemi with cross-ram intake and dual 4 bbl carbs. By the end of the evening, it was clear that Fall is not too far away, as there was a nip in the air as all of the cruisers headed home.

Sunday we got a late start and headed to the show at the GM plant in Fredericksburg. We were going to help Ray and Terry set up their deal....by the time we got there they were done! We set up camp and prepared for a good time at the show. Rich had brought his Cheetah which is one of my top 5 favorite cars of all time! I had seen one in the 60's at Riverside Raceway when I was driving a tow truck for the Buick dealer but hadn't seen one since! I read about them but their history is a little smoky so I was unable to follow it and lost interest in the car. Then Ray said he had driven one and that one would be at the GM-UAW show, I knew it was going to be a good day! The car is as I remembered it, so cool and edgy, so smooth and with a classy attitude. It was a contemporary of the Chaparral and Hussein.....It was hand built as were most of the Can-Am cars of the time. It is a piece of American Automobile History that should be better known. Please check the pictures of it on the link at the left. Bruce brought his blue Ferrari race car and the red street Ferrari, they are very nice cars. The technical engineering that is in those cars is staggering, check them out when you get a chance. There was an orange '48 Studebaker that was very different....those cars are out there anyway but this one was waaay out there, so many hand built things on that car, check out the air cleaner for a starter! I saw a couple 409 powered Chevys....both black, one a '62 the other a '64 and of course Richards red PU with the 409 motor! And the blue '61 Impala with the 409! I wonder just how many 409's were there? One of my favorite cars was the yellow '32 Ford roadster PU.... sometimes making a roadster on a PU doesn't work for me but this one rang my chimes! I really liked the '54 Merc woody wagon, a real unusual car! Claude and Silvia's blue 34 Chevy coupe was as intimidating as it always is! I also liked the orange and cream '57 Vette....can you say Dreamsicle? I think the most unusual piece was the red '41 Olds, you just don't see many of those around! Chuck & Cindy brought their Chevelles and some of their friends that run with them....they come up from Mechanicsville, near Richmond. Steve, Roger and 4 others in their club brought some cars from Brandywine, MD. There were many bikes and vendors there too, the GM display was top notch and Smoots BBQ wasn't bad either! That is part of what makes this show a must attend deal, people come from all around to attend, I think the 'long distance' award was for over 400 miles! Melvin did a superb job putting on this show, as he always does! He had over 270 cars in attendance which is a good number for this year. The Princess won the 50/50....this is the second one in 2 weeks! After she gave half back for the charity she bought dinner for those that followed us back to Stafford....she is so benevolent when she has money! I hope she gets over her knee injury from the pea under the mattress last week! She is so sensitive about some things....but then she told me I had 3 days to get better from my ankle surgery in December or I could just sit in the corner and drool....I think she needs to go back to sensitivity training....I told her I would get a little bell to ring when I needed help....she told me what I could do with that bell and it wasn't very Princess like! We'll see how it goes....maybe Loretta will talk to her before December.... Some in our group got a top 60 award---Marla, Tony, Brent, Slacker, Princess, Dan & Ramona, Lou and Ed....Ed also won a 'Best of" trophy, I don't remember what it was, it doesn't matter, Ed is winning way too much, I think I'll take him off my email list so he won't know where/when the shows are....you think after all the big trophies he wins that he could buy a chair to sit in while at the shows, or he could go to rent-a-chair and rent one but no....he waits like a vulture under the canopy for someone to get up then swoops down and takes over the vacant chair....whataguy! As I was leaving the RedRat must have hit some water or something, the tires kept spinning till I realized what was happening and lifted the right pedal....grin A great day with friends and cars....life is good!

Over the river and through the woods....

5AM Sat morning, I have the cars ready to go….it’s raining on our driveway! Steve Padgett calls at 6AM from MD and says it’s clear and dry over there! We decide to go eat breakfast and wait till 7:30 to see what the weather does. I emailed the club and told them I’ll have an update around 9AM. Ed, Dan & Ramona and the Princess & I meet at Bob Evans for breakfast and decide around 8:30 to run to MD and attend Steve’s show! I emailed the club and we headed east. The drive to and from Maryland is so picturesque and rural; it’s always an eye adventure to go there! We got to go over the 301 bridge….again….I really don’t like that bridge….check the pics! We stayed on Rt 301 till we got to the Lions Park in Brandywine, MD.

We were directed where to park and set up for a nice day at Lions Park. We parked on grass and felt welcome the moment we arrived. Those Maryland people know how to treat visitors, can you say hospitality! Jim & Maria were already there, they left at 7:30 from BB&T, their computer is broken so they didn’t know the change in plans…. There were about 80 cars and there was an excellent mix of antiques, customs, hot rods, muscle cars…. everything was represented. Please check the pics and be sure to click on the magnifying glass icon below the first pic and check it out real close! The Willys was real special and the red ‘54 Ford convertible is a really neat custom! There were a lot of 50’s street customs and nice muscle cars but what was surprising to me was the antiques. The trucks especially….I have never seen a dump truck Model T! I liked the yellow ‘37 Ford and the tall white Model T. The red and black Camaro with the big block was the nicest Camaro I’ve seen in a while! The blown orange Camaro was nice too. The bright red ‘61 Chevy was way too cool, maybe one day I’ll end up with a nice ’61 too! We’ll see…. A couple of nice Challengers then the yellow T-Bucket. This was as nice a bucket as I’ve seen in a long time. The 12 spoke Haldibrand’s set it off for me….the only way a T-Bucket looks ‘right’ to me is with those wheels in front. The side curtains, vents and mirrors mark this bucket as a driver! And check out the little fenders….just enough to do some good but not too much to take away from ‘the look’…. very nicely done! The ’31 Ford roadster with the rumble seat was very clean, love those white walls! I don’t think Ford had a Ranchero in ‘56 but if they did the blue and white one is what it would look like! And when was the last time you saw a ’47 Caddy with a flathead V-8? Very classy! The green ‘38 Chevy sedan with the unusual air cleaner was trick? I wasn’t able to find out why the valve covers and air cleaner were on backwards on the yellow and pink ’39 Chevy? The blue and silver MercAlliac is always easy to look at, there is so much custom work done to that car!

Steve, Roger and the rest of their club, Tri-County Cruisers, put on a well run, efficient show, they kept things moving and before we realized it Steve was calling us all to come up for the award ceremony! There was about 80 cars present and when the awards were given out the Stafford Classics were well represented. Jim & Maria got a top 25, Dan & Ramona got best engine, the Princess got best interior….no doubt due to her new pillow….thanks Mom!, I got best kit car & best paint. The best paint award was in memory of Clyde Hamilton, a club member that was arguably the best painter around and good friend to all that knew him. That makes the award even more special to me! The Stafford Classics got the best club participation award. And Ed, the trophy hog, got Best of Show…. The princess says we need to loose Ed the next time we go to a show because he makes it too difficult for her to win Best of Show and because he is always talking about his rear end! Huh!? I guess the Princess got even though because she won the 50/50, it was for $230! I bought the tickets and she won the money….now exactly how does that work? She says that it’s what Princesses do!? Anyway she gave ½ of it back because it was for the American Cancer Society….she says that’s also what Princesses do, I agree! We packed up and headed back home…. Over the bridge….again.

Then in a flash of Royal benevolence the Princess said if we stopped at the Crabby Oyster near Dahlgren she would buy dinner for us all! No doubt using the money she won from the tickets I bought….How does that work again? Anyway we stopped and had a nice dinner then the Princess pulled out a prize she had won at a previous car show last year, it was a gift certificate for the Crabby Oyster! I knew there was a reason for eating at this particular restaurant…. the Princess is always looking for an edge! Ed had to go and do that ‘work’ thing so we dined without him.

On the way home we decided to visit Bruster’s and see what was going on but when we turned onto Rt 1 it started to sprinkle….just a little. It wasn’t getting the road wet just the windshield. But rain was forecasted for the afternoon so we decided that it was better to run home instead of Bruster’s….I don’t like to clean underneath those cars!

We had a great day on the road making a nuisance out of ourselves….attended a great show that we will return to next year….had a good, near free meal and got home with all the car parts we left with….what a deal. I love that car!

Where is a McD's when you need one?

Hurricane Hanna messed up our car weekend....we are thankful that all we had was a lot of rain and some high wind, nothing bad! But the plans we had for the weekend car activities were washed out! HA

So a few of us decided to go for a run on Sunday and have lunch somewhere we hadn't been for a long time....I suggested our kitchen....I thought it was funny....the Princess gets so uptight sometime.... My Mom had given the Princess a new Princess pillow for her coupe, I thought she was mellowing out a little....I guess not. We will be dining out for a while.

Anyway we met at the 610 Bloom's and headed for Ben & Mary's restaurant between Warranton and I-66. I had driven by it for many years, the parking lot was always full and I had read glowing recommendations from food critiques in the paper about the place. We had some friends that raved about it too. So since the run was on the spur of the moment anyway we decided to try the place. There was one separate room full of people inside and was only one other couple in the whole restaurant, it seats over 100! The wait staff had to apologize for most everything; no straws, no baked potato, no soft butter, burned cornbread, forgotten salad. She couldn't make three separate checks because the food would not come out together? The prime rib was so cold that it was coagulating before it could be eaten! My steak was so tough I couldn't eat it....I had to slather it with catsup to get it down, and the steak was over $20. This was one of the worst dinners I have had! It is very pricey for the quality of the food....I am going to avoid this place forever!

We left the place and headed for Carl's Ice Cream in Fredericksburg, at least there we would get food we could eat! When we arrived Dom was there waiting for us! He told us how Rt. 1 was messed up and advised an alternate route home, we agreed. We talked for an hour and then decided to run home.... Dom left in the Model T and the rest of us headed back over the Chatam bridge and out Cool Springs Rd. I love that car!

A cool time on a hot day

Saturday afternoon 7 cars met at the Bloom's parking lot and headed for the Burger King in Manassas, by the airport on Rt. 28. Jim & Linda in their 08 blue Vette that growls now, Dan & Ramona in their black 55 Chevie, King Ed & Carolyn in their orange 39 Ford chariot, Allen, Wendy & Lauren in their blue 66 Grand Prix, Ken & Kathy in their very blue 70 Mach I, The Princess & the slacker in our red coupes went the 'back' way to Manassas. We had a brief stop while a Life Flight helicopter took a motorcycle accident victim, that had crashed on Aden Rd., to the hospital. That corner will hold a Harley Sportster up to about 85 mph but I don't know about the Kawaski that crashed....don't ask me how I know about the Harley! We arrived at the BK and went inside to grab a burger....in the A/C. King Edward wouldn't sit with us minions but he was close enough to make sure we knew he was there! A lot of nice cars were there and as usual there is a good mix of hot rods and muscle cars. There was a 33-34 Willys with a Hemi motor, the message on the side was 'Bad Attitude'....I'll bet it has one! A funny black & red VW conv, check out the pics. The lot was not as filled up as I remember from last year but since this is the first time we have visited since the ice cream stand was built this year, I don't know if the attendance we saw Sat. is 'normal'? And there was a special friend of Allen's that brought his 69 Corvair convertible out....the car is very nice and the owner is very special. We didn't want to sit there all night and since the 'race cars' were starting to trickle in we decided to leave for Bruster's in Stafford. On the way I got a nice pic of King Edward and Carolyn in their orange chariot. When we arrived the cruise was in full swing with Ron and Gary playing music, asking trivia questions....I think there were about 50-60 cars, Jennette with the blue lights under her Mustang and Paul with the blue lights under his Studebaker, normal stuff? This cruise is very different from the BK in Manassas. Most of the cars at Bruster's are post 1950, I think we were the only 'old' cars there! The people were milling around and the guy with the red 54 Ford PU told us he used over $50 of fuel getting to Bruster's....he lives in N. Stafford! I'm glad the RedRat uses pump gas! When Ron called the cruise over we left for home, tomorrow was a big day!

I had forgotten how far out on Rt. 522 the Salem Fire Department was from Culpeper, I thought I was lost, I need to get out more! When we arrived we discovered the FD had built a new building....with a very large parking lot! We parked and tried to decide weather or not to put up the canopy since it was overcast. Dan & Ramona wanted to park somewhere else so they could secure the canopy, they didn't want it to fly around and crash into cars.... they're no fun at all sometimes! grin Dan figured out how to compromise and use weights to hold down the canopy down, it worked! The food was good and the restrooms were inside the A/C building, a greatly appreciated benefit! DJ Ron was MC-ing the show and playing the music, which he always does just right! He also had a 'jail'! You pay to have someone arrested and they have to raise money to get out....the money goes to the FD so it was for a good cause....and it was going to be fun! So I had the Princess arrested for not having a real job so she could support my car hobby like I wanted! I thought it was funny.... So I paid Ron to arrest her and she had a real problem finding someone to buy her out! Check out the pictures, she is begging people to buy her out and only one person, Evelyn, finally got tired of the incessant whining and decided to stop the tears and offered to buy the Princess out of jail....I guess I'm just a sucker because the whining and pinch-faced looks usually work on me! Then in a very typical, selfish, incharacter move the Princess had me arrested for wearing socks that made my butt look big!? Huh....ALL my socks make my butt look big.... Linda & Jim bought me out so I wouldn't have to be embarrassed....too long....or maybe they don't think the socks make my butt look big?

As usual any show that the Culpeper Cruisers and DJ Ron have anything to do with turns out great. Those guys/gals have their act together, it's like a machine. They are so organize and efficient that the show just moves along, it's a pleasure to attend one of their events. They are fairly judged and always have a 'better' level of cars present! They bring their club cars out for display and that also lends a higher level of interest to their shows. They also have a balanced mix of hot rods/muscle cars/street machines. You must visit my webshots site and look at the pictures, I can't describe adequately. The silver/blue/grey 29 Ford roadster with the blown flattie was really cool....Tony's blue Vette is always a show stopper....The black 51 Ford original....The full sized Ford Bronco was very special....The orange 70 Super Bee....The blue blown 66-67 Chevy II with the 'special' air cleaner....The pickups, Richard's red 60, the blue and yellow 51 Chevy, the red flamed 55-56, the blue 51 Ford, the yellow and white Chevy and many other Pick ups. The military Jeep with the M2 mounted in it, just give him a trophy and nobody gets hurt! I really like the two 33 Fords, the 2 dr sedan and the sedan delivery, check out the licence plates! Ed Rollins and his ever present 57 Pontiac and many many more, please check out the pics. DJ Ron keeps things moving with his drag strip reaction contest and the 50/50 was over $500! Ron kept things going so well that I didn't realize the show was wrapping up until I heard him say for everyone to come on up to the front because the awards were being given out soon! Some shows you just sit and sweat waiting for it to be over....at this show the time crept up on me and it was over before I knew it! We met some new friends and reestablished some old friendships, Paul visited so he could measure Dan's steering collum (only 354 days till Richmond, Paul)....a good day. This show was great anyway you look at it.... I would recommend it or any other show that the Culpeper Cruisers and DJ Ron have anything to do with....always a class act, a good cause and fun to have been there!

The "Richmond" weekend

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

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

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

Homogeneous Sojourners

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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