Showing posts with label old cars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label old cars. Show all posts

Friday, August 16, 2013

Best Bib and a Tucker

Thought for the day:  Put on your best bib and tucker.

I LOVE MOMMY bib
 Here's a picture of one of my favorite bibs. (Of course, it'd be even better if it said, I love grandmommy.) That cute little fella wearing it is our grandson Aaron, and the picture was taken almost three years ago, so he doesn't need to wear a bib any more.

Know what a tucker is? It's a lacy piece of cloth worn by modest women in the 18th and 19th centuries to cover their cleavage decorate their neck area. The cloths tucked into a woman's dress and extended to the top of her neck. (And wearing your best bib and tucker means to dress in your finest clothes.)

But that's not the kind of tucker I was hoping to see last weekend. (Nope, that was just a silly lead-in.)

I know a lot about cars, man. I can look at a car's headlights and tell you exactly which way it's coming. [Mitch Hedberg]

Do you know enough about cars to recognize this one? It's a 1948 (ta- DA!) Tucker, courtesy of Wikipedia. Alas, the one I was hoping to see in person was gone. Sold right out from under me. So to speak.

But fear not. There were plenty of other beauties to see.



Okay, so maybe not this one. This one, um, needs a little work. A fixer-upper. (But it has lots of potential, dontcha think? )





A close-up of one of the fixer-upper's wheels. In case you can't tell, the spokes are made of wood.


So where did we go to see both fixer-uppers and beauties? The annual Model A swap meet. This was the third year we attended, and the second time we drove there in my hubby's 1930 Model A rat rod. Unfortunately, in spite of the sign indicating reserved parking for Model As only, so many interlopers were allowed to park there, we had to park elsewhere. Bummer.


This Model A was there last year, too, and it's still one of my favorites. I LOVE the colors. Very classy-looking.



What was kinda neat about this one is how the flags are mounted on front. With springs as holders. Clever, huh?



The real show-stopper vehicles were inside. The annual Model A swap meet, held outside the warehouse, marks one of the few times of the year when the public is invited inside to see the Cofer family's stable of award-winning vehicles.


Rows and rows of gorgeous vehicles, shiny, immaculate, and better-looking than when they were new. If you're interested, a simple Google search should take you to a site where you can take a gander at all of them. The collection is world-renown.





This sign would fit right in at a brothel, wouldn't it?



Of course, this is the kinda Woody the sign was actually referring to.







Here's a slightly closer shot of the wood paneling, but not close enough to do it justice. Rich wood with a mellow glow... and the pieces are joined together beautifully with dovetail joints.


Yeah, I posted a pic of this last year, too, but it's still one of my favorites. An Indian motorcycle... with a sidecar. And it's RED! (What's not to like?)



Any of you guys remember this? A Whizzer. (If you had one, I wanta hear about it!)







Anybody recognize this one? (Hint: the flux capacitor isn't included.)







Time to head home. This is a rear view of the rat rod. Smarticus made the cedar bed out of our old hot tub. Pretty neat, huh?

A side view.  What she may lack in aesthetic beauty, she more than makes up for in good old-fashioned fun. And I'm proud to say, Smarticus did all the work himself. All he started with was an original 1930 rusted cab. Yeah, it was a major fixer-upper.

A lot of the pristine vehicles we see at various car shows have signs on them saying, "Do not touch." The owners are forever spraying and wiping, lest a dust mote or fingerprint dare mess up their perfect paint jobs. That's all well and good, but not exactly our style. We once had a "Do not touch" sign on her at one of the shows, too, just for a laugh. We told people we didn't want THEM to get dirty.

And so we come to the end of another fine adventure on another hot summer day in Georgia. Well, almost the end. We still had the drive home... and believe you me, a ride in the rat rod is always an adventure in itself. And we were both... tuckered out.


Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Better Than a Three-Ring Circus

Thought for the day:  Life is a ticket to the greatest show on earth.  [Martin H. Fischer]
No, we didn't go to a circus when we were in Florida, but we did go to what has to be one of the greatest car shows on earth. Wait, wait! Don't run away. This wasn't just another car show...



What's this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare? [W.H. Davies]

Believe me, the show at Mirror Lake provided LOTS of things worthy of standing and and staring. [Sincere thanks to the loverly Mr. Charleston for writing about this cool show on his blog last year, and to the equally loverly Pixel Peeper for telling me it's a show well worth attending.]

First off, the location for this show is absolutely gorgeous... a picturesque lake with walking paths, green spaces and gardens all around it, and a pretty little town nearby. And the CARS!!! Just about any kind of car you can imagine... and some you can't imagine. They were all around the perimeter of the lake, as well as along the streets. If it had just been Smarticus and me there, I'm sure we would have seen every single one of them, but we had to consider the kids and grandkids, too, so we only saw about a quarter of them. There was also a bunch of beautiful wooden boats there. You know, like the old Chris Crafts? Lots of maintenance, but truly beautiful vessels. Throw in arts and crafts booths, a farmer's market, food booths, and swans, and what can I say? There was something there for everyone. Even balloons, which is what our granddaughters wanted more than any-thing. Natch, grandma got one for each of them, and natch, I tied them to the girls' wrists. The girls decided they were big girls and didn't need to have them tied onto their wrists. And natch, they wailed like banshees as they watched said balloons sail off into the ether. Oh well, they enjoyed 'em while they had 'em.

                                                    Okay, ready for some pics?


Bizarre-looking, huh? (Oh, and check out that clear Chamber of Commerce sunny day, wouldja?)




Yep, it looks just as weird from the front.




Now, that's more like it.





And THAT...



Yeah, this car show was so much fun, it was ...downright  scary.

But you don't just wanta see cars, right?

How's about a boat?

Here's a classic Chris Craft. She's a beauty, isn't she?

The other beauty in the shot is granddaughter Persephone, who was already begging for a balloon, like fifteen minutes after we'd arrived. (Well, she did see some other kid with one ...)

A bunch of the wooden boats did slow laps around the lake. What a sight! A couple boaters were more into speed, so they lapped the other boats, but for the most part, it was a stately parade of sorts.


I TOLD you there were swans there. Here's granddaughter Persephone again, taking a rest in front of this one. Yep, she's smiling now... she has her balloon.


There were real swans there, too. Black ones. Aren't they beautiful? I must admit, I spent a good bit of time standing and staring at them. At one point, a foolish egret tried to invade their space. Wow, I had no idea swans could be so feisty! Alas, the fight was all over with before I even got my trusty camera out.

So, there ya have it. The annual Mirror Lake Classic. Not just a car show... a three-ring circus of fun. I can hardly wait to go back!

The healthiest response to life is joy. [Deepak Chopra]

                          Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.

WAIT! Don't go yet! Two more things: First, I changed my mind about doing two Friday posts for the rest of the month. I'm thrilled so many people read and commented on last week's False Start, but alas, the other "regular" post didn't get much love. So, time to cut my losses. One post is obviously enough.

Talking about cutting my losses, is anybody interested in reading my long-suffering WIP? I've arrived at a fork in the road, and it's time to decide whether to keep pushing this thing for publication, (maybe with Outskirts Press?) or whether it's time to simply stuff it into the drawer under the old socks and underwear and move on to something new. I have edited and rewritten this book so many times, it's approaching idiocy. To this point, all my readers (except the agents!) have been cheerleaders, but what I really need is constructive criticism. I need people who are willing to crush my dreams  stomp on my ego spit on my so-called writing ability provide an honest evaluation. Hot Flashes and Cold Lemonade isn't a horror story, fantasy, or fast-moving thriller. It's more of a cozy book you can wrap around yourself and get all comfortable with. Might make you laugh a time or two; might even make you cry. Anyhow, if you're interested, you can use that nifty "email me" button in the sidebar to let me know. If you have a kindle, that'd be perfect. I could ship it right to ya.

Okay, NOW you can go. Thanks. Until next time, yadda yadda yadda.





Friday, October 5, 2012

A Niche in Time

Thought for the day:  Time travel used to be thought of as just science fiction, but Einstein's general theory of relativity allows for the possibility that we could warp space-time so much that you could go off in a rocket and return before you set out.  [Stephen Hawking]

If you could step into a time machine and zip through time and space to anywhere you wanted to go, would you venture fearlessly  into the future... or would you blast into the past? Is there a moment in history you'd like to experience, an historical figure you'd like to meet... or would you rather have the unique opportunity of talking face-to-face with your great great great great grandchild?

I don't suppose I'm as fearless as I used to be, because I'm not too psyched at the idea of zipping into the unknown future. Lord knows, time is already zooming in that direction way too fast, so why rush it? I'll get there when I get there. And I don't want some buttinsky fortune teller telling me what to expect, either. That'd be like peeking at a book's last page before reading its first. Thanks, but no thanks. I'd rather enjoy life's mystery as it unfolds.

On the other hand, going back... for a brief, a VERY brief visit...  might not be so bad. Just think: you could relive some of the greatest moments in history. Find your special niche. Where would you want to go?   Maybe you could meet your own grandparents and parents when they were children. Meet some of your heroes. Observe some of the brightest minds and greatest humanitarians of all time in action. That would be pretty darned exciting, don't you think?


 So, come on. Climb in. Where's it gonna be? Where would you like to go? Um, would you mind driving? I have a tendency to get lost.










Just kidding. Sorry.

Alas, I can't actually transport you through time, but this video comes pretty darned close. Better yet? This is a come-as-you-are trip. Whatever you have on right now is just dandy, and you don't have to worry about the silly flux capacitor going belly up and stranding you somewhere, either. So, ready? Grab your favorite beverage, and get good and comfy, because this virtual time machine is ready to take off, baby. Destination: the good old days. How well I remember them ... do you?


                                   Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Pass the Chips, Please

Thought for the day:  If you think the Twister ride at Universal Studios isn't nearly windy enough, you might be from Oklahoma.


It should come as no surprise that the movie Twister was filmed in Oklahoma, because those folks are blown around by more tornadoes than any other state in the country. But while researching this blustery state, I came across a most peculiar story. Not just once or twice, but many times. I'll leave it to you to judge its veracity:

In Ponco City, Oklahoma, a tornado allegedly picked up a house with a man and his wife inside. The walls and roof blew away, but the floor remained intact. It eventually glided downward...  and set the couple, safe and sound, on the ground.

I'm not so sure about that, either, but it's an interesting tale, anyway. Really gets the imagination a-whirling, and twists it all outta shape.

Okay, how's about some interesting tidbits before we move on to look at some pictures?

  • Boise City is the only city in the United States that was bombed during WWII. On July 5, at about 12:30 AM, a B-17 bomber based at Dalhart Army Air Base (~50 miles south of Boise City) dropped six practice bombs on the sleeping city. (Pity the terrified schnook who picked that moment to get out of bed to go pee.)
  • Originally, the area now known as Oklahoma was simply called the Indian Territory. In 1889,  in what later came to be known as the Oklahoma Land Rush, the territory was opened to settlers for the first time, and on opening day, April 22, fifty thousand people swarmed into the area. To beat the crowd, some people jumped the gun on the noon starting time, and got there sooner. Ergo, the state nickname of the Sooner State.
  • Lots of states have official state songs, trees, birds, flowers, etc. But Oklahoma is the first I've come across with an official state meal: chicken fried steak, fried okra, squash, cornbread, BBQ pork, biscuits, sausage and gravy, grits, corn, strawberries, black-eyed peas, and pecan pie. (I wonder if they also have an official state antacid.)
  • Omulgee, which held an annual Pecan Festival at Dripping Springs Park up until a few years ago, holds world records for the largest pecan pie, largest pecan cookie, largest pecan brownie, and the biggest ice cream and cookie party. (Sweet!)
Ready for some pictures now?

Familiar with the Trail of Tears? This is one of the plaques marking that trail. The words in the center read: In honor of one who endured the forced removal of the Cherokees in 1838-39. In a shameful chapter of our country's history, the Indian Removal Act of 1830 forced the relocation of all Indians from the Southeastern U.S. to the Indian Territory. (present-day Oklahoma) Many were mistreated on this forced trek, and many died. Today, Oklahoma still has the largest Native American population in the country, approximately 250,000, representing sixty-seven different tribes.

The Oklahoma Centennial Monument was built in Oklahoma City to commemorate its hundredth anniversary of statehood. All forty-six massive bronze sculptures were created by Oklahoman Paul Moore. (The cowboy on horseback at the top of this post is another piece of this monumental monument.)







The 101 Ranch Historic District, the birthplace of the 101 Ranch Wild West Show,  was founded in 1893 by Colonel George Washington Miller, a Confederate war veteran. It was the largest diversified farm and ranch in America at the time.







You might be surprised to know that the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame is located in Oklahoma. 

There's also a Toy & Action Figure Museum, a Seaba Station Motorcycle Museum, a Will Rogers Museum, and the National Rod & Custom Car Hall of Fame. Owned by custom car guru Darryl Starbird, this car museum has over 50 eye-popping custom-built, exotic vehicles. Hey! Wanta see them?



Ever hear of Red Dirt music? I've gotta admit, it's a new one on me. It supposedly got its name from the distinctive red soil found in Oklahoma, but I think they called it that because it's easier than calling it bluegrass-country-rock-folk-and-field-hollers. The sound is supposed to be a combo of all those things. Care to listen to a snippet?



Just when ya think you've got the state all figured out for being about all things cowboy, you come across something like this: Prague, Oklahoma holds an annual Kolache Festival. As the town's name suggests, a lot of the people in the area have a Czech heritage, and this festival celebrates it with polka music, dancing, parades, costumes, booths, a carnival, and of course, LOTS of kolaches. They sell approximately 50,000 of  'em every year at this gathering. Oh, not sure what a kolache is? It's a baked good made of sweet dough and various kinds of fillings. Mostly fruit, but some other goodies, as well. (Oh yeah, and since this IS Oklahoma, there are also some rodeo activities at this festival. Natch.) So, if you're ever in the area, go czech 'em out.



painting by Fredric Remington, 1905

Oklahoma City is home to the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. (Surprise!) There, you'll find a massive collection of Western art, a bunch of firearms, displays depicting the history of cowboys, ranching, and rodeos, and Prosperity Junction, a turn-of-the-century Western prairie town. 





If you don't get your fill of looking at firearms at the Cowboy Hall of Fame, you can always visit the J.M. Davis Arms & Historical Museum. Located in Claremore, this museum houses the largest private gun collection in the world. But it isn't ALL about guns. It's historical, too. You'll also find collections of spurs, saddles, local ranch brands, beer steins, WWI posters, military weapons, statues, and Western heritage artifacts. (And a LOT of guns.)

Ever hear of cow chips? Um, no, it isn't something you serve at a party with a bowl of onion dip. It's...  how shall I put this? Cow poop. Dried cow poop. And for some reason or another, once upon a time, somebody decided it would be fun to play with it. To throw it. To compete by throwing it.  Beaver, Oklahoma promotes itself as the Cow Chip Throwing Capital of the World, and every April, the city holds the World Championship Cow Chip Throw. How 'bout that? How'd you like to see some folks throw cow poop? I'm sorry... chips. (Sounds much better.)



Ted Ballard never smoked, but somewhere along the line, he evidently got all fired up about lighters. He and his wife Pat own the National Lighter Museum, located in Guthrie, and not surprisingly, it's the only museum in the country devoted to lighters. With over 20,000 lighters and various antique fire starters on display, it's probably a good thing it's located right next door to the fire station.



The Oklahoma City National Memorial is in remembrance of the 168 men, women, and children who lost their lives in the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Murrah Federal Building. The memorial is comprised of multiple elements,  including: the Gates of Time, which frame the 9:02 time of the bombing, and mark the entrance to the memorial; a reflecting pool; a field of 168 chairs; the Survivor's Wall, which is the only remaining section of the original Murrah building, and is engraved with the names of survivors; and the Survivor Tree, a 100-year-old American elm, whose leaves were ripped off by the blast, but in spite of dire predictions, miraculously grew back the following year. Life goes on.


The Pensacola Dam, built in 1940, is the world's longest multiple arch dam. It's 6565 feet long, and sits on the southern shores of Grand Lake o' the Cherokees between Langley and Disney.










Showing you a static photo of a tornado couldn't possibly give you an accurate idea of what it's really like to be in close proximity to one, just as showing you the aftermath of one can't impress upon you how devastating it is to see all those destroyed homes and ubiquitous blue tarps up-close and personal. So I found an awesome video.

Before I show it to you, a little background. Heidi, of tornado videos, who most kindly granted me permission to use this video, and called it their most extreme video, wrote: The vehicle was occupied by a team of university-backed researchers, driven by someone who was new to storm chasing; the passenger/videographer is a veteran chaser and meteorologist who had seen over 100 tornadoes to that point and was/is quite accustomed to observing tornadoes from very close range. The road they were driving on appeared to lead them due south, while the tornado was traveling generally northeast. Two very bad things happened as the meteorologist navigating instructed the driver to 'go south right now'. First, the tornado made a slight shift in direction, taking a more east-northeasterly path, rather than traveling directly northeast; this made the tornado head more directly toward the road on which they were traveling, cutting down on their time to safely pass in front. The second problem was that the road was not a straight shot south, and actually drifted to the west, cutting down on their time window even more. They absolutely realize how fortunate they were to escape unharmed, and would, of course, have done a number of things differently given the gift of hindsight. Incidentally, later the same afternoon, they found themselves in search and rescue mode from another violent tornado that occurred in Newcastle, OK.

   So, show the video already, you say? Okeydoke. Hang onto your hat...


That delivers quite a pucker factor, doesn't it? YOWZA! Okay, now that we've finished with our whirlwind tour, let's twist on over and take a gander at some of the crazy laws still languishing on the books in the fine state of Oklahoma.


  • It's illegal for a bar owner to permit anyone in his bar to pretend to have sex with a buffalo. (I guess they don't take too kindly to make-believe, huh?)
  • Females are forbidden from doing their own hair without being licensed by the state.
  • Dogs must have a permit signed by the mayor in order to congregate on private property in groups of three or more. 
  • It's against the law to take a bite out of somebody else's hamburger. (How about their fries?)
  • It's illegal to read a comic book while operating a motor vehicle. (Moby Dick it is...)
  • Whaling is illegal. 
  • It's against the law to have the hind legs of farm animals in your boots. (Um, with or without the animal attached to them?)
  • People who make ugly faces at dogs may be fined and/or jailed. (Their faces might freeze, too.)
  • Cars must be tethered outside of public buildings. (Especially Mustangs.)
  • It's illegal to wear your boots to bed. 
  • Fish may not be contained in fishbowls while on a public bus. (So ya put 'em on a leash?)
  • It's against the law to promote a horse tripping event or bear wrestling exhibition. (Okeydoke to have one...  just can't promote it?)
  • In Ada, you can be put in jail if you wear New York Jets clothing. (HA! Now, that's funny!)
  • In Bartlesville, no one may own more than two adult cats, and it's also illegal to cause annoying vibrations within city limits. (If that means no hopped-up leaf blowers, I'm all for this one.)
  • In Bristow, it's illegal to serve water to a restaurant customer unless one peanut in a shell is also served. Failure to comply can lead up to a five dollar fine.
  • In Clinton, it's against the law to molest cars or to lean against a public building. (But can you pretend to molest a car?)
  • In Hawthorne, it's illegal to put hypnotized people in a display window. (I'd love to know the story behind this law.)
  • In Oklahoma City, it's against the law to tip over a casket at a funeral, or to walk backwards downtown while eating a hamburger.
  • In Schulter, women may not gamble in the nude, in lingerie, or while wearing a towel. (Sheesh. Picky, picky, picky.)
  • In Tulsa, you may not open a soda bottle without the supervision of a licensed engineer, and you can't take your elephant into the downtown area. 
  • And finally, in Wynona, birds aren't allowed to drink out of birdbaths, and people aren't permitted to wash their clothes in them, either. 
****

The time has come for (ta-DA!)

The Weirdest News Stories of the Week


***  It isn't raining rain, you know; it's raining ... seafood??? Sound a little fishy? The truth is, no violets dropped from the skies onto Lazurnaya Bay, Russia this week, but plenty of clams, oysters, crabs, scallops, and fish did. The surprise windfall, courtesy of Typhoon Bolaven, had local residents licking their chops and scurrying around the beach to gather the delicacies. And what do you do when the heavens suddenly dump more seafood than you've ever seen in one place before? PAR-TY! As in, the biggest seafood BBQ of all time. This picture was taken by a local woman named Svetlana. Wanta see more of her pictures?

the current shed, donated by Tuff
***  When Bredo Morstoel's life ended in Norway in 1989,  his unusual journey was just beginning. His grandson, Tryve Bauge, who was living in Nederland, Colorado at the time, had gramps frozen and shipped to a cryonics facility in California. Then Bauge and his mother decided to start their own facility a bit closer to home, and moved the cold Pop-pop to Colorado. How close to home, you ask? Um, in their own back yard... in a storage shed. All was well, or as well as can be expected with a frozen body lounging  in the back yard next to the petunia patch, until Bauge was deported because of an expired visa. Before he left the country, he arranged for a monthly 1700-pound delivery of dry ice to keep the stiff ... er... stiff. Then, uh-oh! Bauge's mother received an eviction notice, and quickly expressed her concerns about the welfare of dear old dad. Turns out, the town didn't know about said frigid father or the DIY backyard mausoleum, and gave the whole idea a big cold shoulder. At first. Then they kinda warmed to the idea, and since 2002, the town has been holding a festival called Frozen Dead Guy Days, where the thousands of attendees enjoy such events as coffin racing, a hearse parade, a frozen salmon toss, snow beach volleyball, and a dance ... Grandpa's Blue Ball. (HA!) So, why am I writing about this now? Bo Shaffer, the fella who's been the official caretaker of the body, and deliverer of all that dry ice, says Bauge isn't paying him enough money to cover his expenses. Hopefully their relationship will thaw before grandpa does, but in case attitudes remain frozen, Bauge is planning to move his grand-popsicle to a cryonics facility in Massachusetts. The town, with or without their most famous, albeit deceased, resident, plans to continue with the annual festivals.

                                            Pssst. Care to take a peek inside of that backyard shed???




*** One last story, and it's about an incredible 102-year old woman named Margaret Dunning, who still drives the 1930 Packard Roadster she bought back in 1949. This car enthusiast first started driving at the age of eight, and got her first driver's license when she was twelve, so she's been driving for ninety years... and, she still changes her own oil and spark plugs! Just last week, she took her beloved (and gorgeous) Packard to a classic car show in Canton, Ohio. I couldn't find any video from that show, but I did find footage from another car show that was taken earlier this year. I hope seeing this amazing woman leaves you with a smile on your face. (I wanta be like her when I grow up.)





Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

All's Fayre

Thought for the day:  Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died.  [Erma Bombeck]
Trust me. I'm your doctor.

Once, I made the foolish mistake of letting my husband talk to the doctor by himself. Yeah, I know. Dumb, huh? Weeks later...  after he'd painted our entire fence, gone bowling with his pals, and shot innumerable games of pool in our basement... I heard the doctor tell him it was okay to get out of bed now.

Doggone it, I let it happen again.

This past Friday, Smarticus had a minor in-office procedure done, and rather than sitting around waiting for him, he suggested I get a flu shot. You guessed it. He was in and out long before I got the darned shot. He ended up talking to the doctor by himself, and then strolling over to wait for me.

Told me he was supposed to take it easy over the weekend. Said he could take Tylenol or drink adult beverages if he experienced any pain.

The next day, he only worked in his garage for ... a little while. And he only ran ... a couple errands. Said he felt great, and we should go spend a...  little time at the British Car Fayre. No point in arguing with him. I grabbed my camera, and off we went.


The British Car Fayre, held in our little town every year, features just about every kind of British-made vehicle you can imagine, and plenty of them. Plenty of people to see them, too. There were some four-legged visitors, too. The owner of these little guys assured me that they aren't at all spoiled.






There were a number of the expected motorcycles there, as well as this rather unusual one. Best we could figure, it was like a rat rod of the two-wheeled variety.












One area was filled with Land Rovers, but this was the only one with a tent on top. Looks like a pretty neat way to go camping, doesn't it?













I say... does anyone recognize this dapper fellow?













The old MGs are nice, but dontcha LOVE the old house?














The show isn't ALL about cars, ya know. There's gotta be music, too











Lots of people seemed to enjoy the fish and chips prepared out front of the pub, but I couldn't get past the overpowering smell of cooking oil. (The malt vinegar sure smelled good, though.)









A Morgan, my favorite. These things absolutely ooze class.














Would you believe this little three-wheeler is a Morgan, too? Not sure, but I think it's called a Triking.














Did you realize the ultra-sleek Lotus is a British-made car? I must admit, I didn't.














This is a very early model Lotus race car.














Alas, the flux capacitor was missing.













This is a 1928 Riley Brooklands. (I never heard of them before, either.)












We were just starting to look at the Roll Royces when the sky opened up. I am talking RAIN. Serious rain. We had a big umbrella. In the car, of course. And a couple ponchos. Also in the car. So, like a lot of other people, we slipped into one of the shops until the worst of it passed.






When it rains, I let it.  [113-year old man, when asked for the secret to his longevity.]

After we got home, Smarticus started talking trash about maybe going out to his garage to do a little more work.

So, what can I say?  I had little choice.

Doggone it, it was time for me to take action, people! I decided right there and then the only way I was gonna make his butt take it easy was to ... have a party! That's right. Trip the light fantastic, baby. Invite some friends, fill the cooler with beer and ice, and put the cooler right there beside his spot on the love seat...

                                                  He agreed. Enthusiastically, too.

                                                And we invited a hand-picked thirty-six.


I'm not sure how much fun they had, but it's fayre to say we had a fine time. And he... took it easy.

                               Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.