Yo chaps!
The event continues.....I slept in this morning (I am on vacation you know),
but then, we were merely kicking tyres this morning. Major repairs of the
week has included a broken valve spring on a newly installed Rover in an MGB,
and Jim Stuart mucking with his V8 to get it started, including the
installation of a new starter, pushing the MG, jumping the MG....and finally
remembering to turn on the electrical shut off to the fuel pump (a minor
senior moment).
We had a police escort into historic downtown Sebring this afternoon for a
car display for some VERY enthusiastic locals....Sebring actually has a
roundabout...first one I've ever seen where the traffic in the circle yields
to the traffic in the spokes! Displayed our MGs on a side street for a couple
of hours and had a lot of locals talk with us as well as some great press
exposure.
This evening's activity was a banquet at the Chateau Elan with keynote
speaker Bob Tullius of Group 44. I talked with Bob for about 20 minutes
before the banquet..primarily about his warbirds...found that he was friends
with one of my locals..Rudy Frasca. Also had a gentleman ask where I was from
in Illinois...turns out he lives in Sidney (about 10 miles from my home town
of St.Joseph)...and was questioned from a gentleman from Indianapolis who
needed to know where he could get his daughter's Tri*#ph Spitfire
repaired...(sorry Bob Connell....I referred him to you).
I actually won one of the doorprizes tonight....an auto compass...seems that
the organizers felt I needed one since I actually got lost in Sebring last
Sunday morning.....best part of this gift was that I was AWOL from the
banquet (actually in the bar talking with our bartender, Bea) when this prize
was awarded....just call me the "Wanderer"!
The Spurious group spoofed fellow member Dave Deerson by donning vinyl exam
gloves prior to eating....it was also announced that Ian Pender's V 8
(Eight-Up) would be offered for spares with a maximuj price of $2.00 per part
being accepted. (Ian plans on storing his V8 temporarily at Bob McClain's
abode for the spring.....hope he's still got a car left upon his
return....I've already put a bid in on several pieces I need!) ;-)
Vendor Dan and Karen LeGrou from Michigan generously bought the entire group
(including the Tri*#mph people) a round of drinks. Thank you!
Tomorrow will find us up early in order to observe the launch of the most
recent flight of the space shuttle (6:42am EST)....I understand that with
clear skies we should be able to see it quite clearly! Then it will be boots
and saddle as Ian Pender, Dave Deerson, Gene and Donna Fox and I hed off to
Universal Studios for the day before making the trek home on Friday..
It's been a GREAT week in Sebring....I found a lot of great deals for the
V8...reacquatined myseld with old friends and made a lot of new friends, and
drove some great conversions!!!!
YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN HERE!
More upon my return to home.....
Rick Ingram
1969 MGC
"Two cylinders short of a full load....this week."
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