~ We stayed with SOLer George Haynes' upstate NY MG club. A row of MG's,
~ with one lime green frogeye in the middle. But the group was most
~ accepting.
This is simply the Law of Conservation of Out-of-place LBCs at work. For
years, I drove my M.G. Midget to Austin-Healey Club meets. I hosted events
and ran the newsletter, and I didn't even *own* a Healey. Someone finally
made me a deal I couldn't refuse on a "complete but..." Frogeye just so I
could say I *had* one that I was "restoring," even though the restoration
consisted of little more than knocking the dirt out of the rear fender
wells one afternoon. But yes, I've got fond memories and pictures to
prove them, of my little orange Midget parked at the end of a row of
Big (and little) Healeys -- at glider ports, at car shows, at a range
of events. Sometimes I wonder whether I'll *ever* have the right car
for a given club meet (having just recently driven the ZX to a British
car tour and the M.G. to a Volvo club picnic).
~ Increasingly, my companion and I began to recognize that Kermit is a *real
~ car.* Tiny, cute, sure. But basically also a functional car. Everything
~ crucial works, and works pretty well.
My wife and I toured several times in our Midget, which after all is
nothing more than a Sprite with a conventional grille, an opening
boot, and sissy door handles. The best thing about Spridgets is that
you can really tear around in them; they feel immediate, invincible,
and *mechanical* in a way that few other cars do, changing direction
with a whim and a little pressure -- hardly even motion -- on the
steering wheel.
We're now in the final preparation for our anniversary trip in the M.G.
and all those happy memories are returning. This'll be even better, as
we'll be tooling around the redwoods, stopping by secluded beaches, and
parking at the crest of the Santa Cruz mountains to see the bay and the
Pacific from the same spot...
~ I think Kermit has a permanent home and increasingly will be used. Why
~ not? He works well, the Stage IV 948 pulls like a train, and I can always
~ rebuild whatever breaks.
One day soon I'll have to write the article on Permanent Cars that I've
been mulling over for the past few months. But that's the gist of it;
if something breaks or wears, you take it off, clean it up, put in new
bushings or brushes or seals or contact breakers or whatever it takes,
and you put it back and drive for another 30 years.
~ Also, long drives in Kermit have a considerable side benefit. The 7 yr
~ old Prelude now feels so luxurious and so *new* that I wonder why on earth
~ I was thinking of trading it in.
Indeed... I'm a lot more content with my white Zed Ex now that the MGB is
running. I can appreciate the Zed for what it is -- fast, quiet, snug and
comfortable -- rather than for what it isn't -- basically, a green MGB.
And it was rewarding, in our two successive 100-plus degree days last week,
to note that the MGB's temperature gauge and the Datsun's got to the same
point at lunch. (Yes, I wimped out and drove the car with A/C the second
day... I'd rather drive with the top down in a rainstorm than in 100-
degree heat.)
~ Look there! Push that and the air gets cold and dry. What will they
~ think of next?
You think *that's* special? When you open the door of my car, there's
a little light that comes on! Amazing! :-)
--Scott "That's why it's white, it thinks it's a refrigerator" Fisher
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