Brando and Joanne Pistorius
1930 Packard
By way of an introduction...this is my first entry into "blog" world, and I am excited
to share the experiences of our journey!
I am Joanne Pistorius, and my husband, Brando, and I have set off on an adventure
driving our 1930 Packard from Tampa, Florida, USA to Montreal, Quebec Canada,
over 1700 miles one way. We are doing this to gain awareness for our Rotary Club
(Tampa-Hyde Park), our Rotary Fellowship (Antique, Classic
and Historic Automobile Fellowship of Rotarians- ACHAFR)
and the charity we support, the Kids Wish Network.
Along the way we wanted to give other local Rotary Clubs the opportunity to get a
little publicity, so that more of the community
neighbors would gain awareness of how many
wonderful community service activities the
Rotary Clubs participate in, and how vital the
community service organization is to all of our
hometowns. So many people do not know what
Rotary International does around the world, even
though there are over 2 million Rotarians, and it
is over 105 years old. We hope that our tour
helps people ask more questions about what
Rotary is, what it stands for, and maybe even
how others can get involved.
We also hope more people see this grand old
1930 Packard, and how sturdy and dependable
an old car can be. More generations need to stay
interested in these cars, or we will have no one
left to preserve this important part of our history
and culture.
I have been a Rotarian for over 20 years, and I love it. The members of my club are
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friends, colleagues, and actually more like family. I helped charter the Hyde Park
Club in Tampa in 1993, and have served as President twice. We are a small club, but
we get a lot of excellent charity work done. We also chartered the first all girls
Interact Club at the Girls Academy of the Holy Names High School. Since Rotary was
an all male club until the 1980's, I think that was a pretty interesting milestone too.
Originally my vocation classification was "Computers" as I owned my own business
selling computers from 1989-1999, then 10 years later I changed to "Real Estate"
when I married Brando in 2000, and we started our own Real Estate Company,
Transflor Realty. A couple of years ago, when Florida real estate became the kind of
business you really could not make a living in, we changed our hobby into a fulltime
experience, and I changed my classification to "Antique Cars".
Brando has worked on antique cars since he was a young man in
South Africa. He was a member of the Pretoria Olde Motor Cars
Club, which hosted a “Cars in the Park” Rally that had over a
thousand classic cars in attendance. He has restored dozens of
cars, doing most of the labor himself. When we married, pretty
much every year he would buy a "project" car, restore it, play with
it for awhile, then sell it for another "project" car. We even took our
daughter Amanda to her high school prom in a 1929 Packard.
When the real estate business evaporated a couple of years ago,
we decided to step up the process from one project car every year,
to maybe one every few months. We are not dealers, and have no aspirations of
becoming dealers. We just like pursuing our pleasures on a full time basis, which is
travel and antique cars.
I was surprised to hear about Rotary Fellowships only a couple of years ago. Having
been a Rotarian for so long, I had no idea that they had groups of folks who shared
like interests and hobbies around the world within the Rotary International
membership. I soon found out there are over 54 different Fellowships within Rotary
that have been active for 25+ years, and one specifically for classic cars!
I contacted the President of the Antique, Classic and Historic Automobile world
Fellowship of Rotarians (ACHAFR), Colin Weeks, in the United Kingdom, and quickly
thereafter was recruited to organize the North American Chapter of the ACHAFR.
Suddenly now I am President! I wanted to gain awareness of the car fellowship with
more Rotarians, and so began the planning for our "Ride-Along Tour".
The Antique, Classic and Historic Automobile Fellowship of Rotarians (ACHAFR) -
North American Chapter, inaugural rally was to be a fantastic 6 day "Ride-Along
Tour" from Tampa, Florida, USA to Montreal, Quebec, Canada ending at the 2010
Rotary International Convention. We stopped at a Rotary Club each day along the
route for a meal (and a "make-up") at the meetings, show off the car, and talk a
little about our ACHAFR-NA fellowship. We invited other car enthusiasts to join along,
whether they were Rotarians or not, hence the term "Ride Along". Unfortunately
many who had good intentions to join in and ride along, also saw the journey as a
very long and potentially difficult trip. Luckily my husband has a "no guts - no glory"
attitude, and we persevered!
We saw some of the most beautiful parts of America, traveling a route that you could
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not find with the standard interstate drive. We encountered our share of challenges,
and we met some of the friendliest people on earth. I started a daily blog on our club
website, www.achafr.com but the space required for all the photos was making the
site overloaded, so I transferred much of the information onto this separate blog site
www.mytb.org/JPistorius. I hope you enjoy it!
Brando and Joanne
1930 LaSalle in South Dakota. So many cars, so many stories, we have seen the best of the USA
through our olde car experiences.
Brando and Joanne Pistorius
at the Auburn Auction with the featured car, our 1933 Buick
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1923 Cadillac
a few of our recent projects, this one was an Opera Coupe that we could not find another in
existence.
1904 Olds
although this is a replica, it was built in 1958, and was on display at Disney's Epcot World of Motion
Pavilion
1938 Packard
another grand ole Packard
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1915 Model T Tourer
we drove this brass beauty over 500 miles throughout the Tennessee Mountains for the
International Model T Convention
1933 Buick Bronkhorst Limo
in the Las Vegas Imperial Palace Museum for 15 years as being formerly owned by Queen
Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, we authenticated the real story, found it to be one of only 5 built
and 2 left in existence.
1940 Buick
the gentleman who sold this to us drove to WWII induction with his best friend in 1942, they
married best friend girls, the 4 stayed close for 40 years, when one man died and the other woman
died two weeks later, the 2 remaining friends married and are living happily ever after.
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Day One- June 14, 2010 Tampa to
Montreal Tour Begins
Alicia Argiz-Lyons, Executive Director
for Kids Wish Network, gives us a
wonderful send-off in downtown
Tampa at the Tampa Bay History
Center. Proceeds from the donations
on this tour benefit Kids Wish Network,
and we are proud to have partnered
with them on this adventure. Alicia
arranged for the news helicopter to
film our departure out of Tampa with the Packard weaving her way out of downtown
traffic!
We had some friends from the Hyde Park Rotary Club come to see us off- Harry
Heuman, Bill Moline, District Governor Ed Odom, Alicia Argiz-Lyons, Kelly Lyons,
President Ruth VanDyke.
A big THANK YOU to Tampa Bay History Center for
hosting our send-off, and the Columbia Cafe for
supplying the Cuban guava pastries and coffee. Thanks
again to Alicia and her husband Kelly for the send off and
the cooler full of bottled water!
DG Ed Odom pitched in for the car magnets that say
"Tampa to Montreal, etc." Thank you Ed!
190 miles/ 4 hours
About 3 hours into the trip we lost the generator,
the hot interstate driving was too much for it and it
basically melted down. So now we are running on
battery alone! Brando has great foresight and
brought a spare battery and a power pack.
215 miles/ 5 hours
We are so blessed on our travels. We rarely go a day on the road without seeing an
accident, and today we saw two. But luckily nothing that delayed us too much, but
we pray for those interstate accident victims. These were a couple of big collisions.
It is oppressively hot driving out of Florida in mid-June. We have frozen bottles of
water to hold close to us, and Brando has rigged up a fan blowing over the small ice
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chest…it looks like a prototype air conditioner from the Flintstones!
My laptop woke up with the worst possible virus, nothing but black screen. So many
itinerary plans I need from this computer, not to mention the blog, I must get it
fixed. So when we take it to the Staples in Hilton Head South Carolina, we are hit by
a Hummer in the parking lot! Nothing serious, small fender bend, Brando can work
with it. But the manager and security guards came out to tell us that they saw the
video of the hit, and we were standing still when the Hummer backed into us. The
clash of the Titans... Hummer vs Packard. No casualties.
Arrive 6:00pm at the home of Charles and Sharilynn Dolab, Hilton Head, SC. Lovely
folks, beautiful home, and a welcomed ice cold bedroom and fantastic shower to cool
off.
Rotary Club of Hilton Head Island
Cafe St. Tropez, 841 Hwy. 278 S. Island Sq., Hilton
Head Island 6:30 pm
One of the nicest dinner meetings ever, and the club
was as friendly as can be. We even had one member
talk the police into NOT giving us a ticket for parking
in the “no parking” zone!
We got the chance to meet one of our ACHAFR members, Geoff Wheatley in person!
Cheers Geoff!
Day Two- June 15, 2010 Tampa to Montreal Tour
Rotary Club of Hilton Head, SC- VanLandingham
Sea Pines Country Club, Governors Rd., Hilton Head Island
08:00am
Brando is up at 6am to wash the car. Mostly he needed to
wash the right rear wheel, as they over-filled the differential oil
before we left and we have been spewing oil for 3 states. On to
the Rotary meeting...What a wonderful breakfast meeting it
was, with a picture perfect view from the country clubhouse
windows overlooking the famous South Carolina savannah
grass and bayou rivers they are so well known for. The
VanLandingham Rotary Club is warm, friendly, and very
interested in seeing the car.
105 miles/ 2 1/2 hours
We asked some friends to go to our house and pick up our "spare" generator for the
Packard and overnight it to our next destination. One must always have a plan A,
plan B and plan C when driving antique cars!
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Rotary Club of Georgetown, SC- Maryville Social Hall
Interesting journey, when you ask someone from Georgetown how to get to the
meeting, they don't use street numbers in their
description. It is generally just before this or before you
pass that. Yep, the meeting is just down a bit and across
from the Food Lion. Well we found it, so I guess they
were right! Good old fashion southern fried chicken and
sweet tea lunch and a full house. District Governor Alan
Walters even joined us. A big THANK YOU to Rotarian/
Judge Robert O'Donnell who forwarded on our generator
when the shipper took an extra day to get it there.
After lunch we continued up US17 and stopped at the Jiffy Lube to dump some extra
oil that made the giant mess on our wheel. Nice fellows who would not even charge
us for their work.
Next gas stop was the best so far. The old lady has been
improving her gas mileage from 8 mpg to now 9-10 mpg. Who
knew that the cheapest gas would be in South Carolina at $2.43!
OK, it is not just hot...it is very hot. We
topped out the days ride at 98 degrees
and 100 percent humidity, and the only
thing that keeps us going are the ice
water bottles that I keep on the back of
our necks while we carry on. Next, we
stop at the NAPA Auto Parts store for some cleaner for that
dirty rear wheel that really annoys Brando. They have been closed for 20 minutes,
but see the Packard and unlock the doors for us. When checking out, we see an
antique Packard parts container and ask if it is for sale. The nice fellow at the
counter actually gave it to us! His name is Jason and is his own expert in restoration,
having built a Corvair for a friend not so long ago. He has his
own 1936 Ford and we had a great time talking old cars with
him.
225 miles / 5 hours
Myrtle Beach, SC
We had hoped to stop and visit the club in Myrtle Beach, but
could not get there in time. We enjoyed passing through the
beautiful stretch of beach, but my
goodness...23 miles of beach
community equals a lot of traffic!
The Packard really does not enjoy
that much idol time in 98 + degrees
weather.
Scheduled to Arrive 6:00pm, destination- New Bern, NC
We did not make it to New Bern. The traffic and heat stopped us at Topsail Beach in
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North Carolina, about an hour short of the destination. No scheduled Rotary Club
stop, so it could have been worse. Although we discovered that after talking car talk
with Jason at NAPA, the reason we stopped, the cleaner for the wheel, was left
behind on the counter. We still got the Packard box though!
Day Three- June 16, 2010 Tampa to Montreal Tour
We left Topsail NC at 6am with many stops along the way,
as we are overheating. We see a newspaper headline that
says yesterday was over 102 degrees. They should try it
sitting on a warm engine like the Packard!
Passed through New Bern, the birthplace of Pepsi-Cola
1989, and Washington NC, the original "Washington"
founded in 1776.
Beautiful drive up US Hwy 17 but we are travelling slow and worry about making the
lunch meeting on time!
206 miles/5.5 hours
Rotary Club of Princess Anne
McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Rest., Town Center, Virginia Beach 12:30pm
Once again we just make it on time! Virginia Beach is
beautiful, with a lovely metropolitan downtown center.
The club is a wonderful group of professionals and a
delicious meal at a fine restaurant. It is very tough to
come out of a 5+ hour drive in the heat and look fresh
as a daisy to speak to a Rotary Club, but we do the best
we can!
We are parked in front of the restaurant on a brick
paved sidewalk on display, and who should walk up but
the President of the AACA (Antique Automobile Club of
America) Terry Bond. Apparently he works in the area,
and happened to be walking by and saw our car outside.
He invites us to visit Louisville KY in July for the 75th
Anniversary of AACA with the Packard after the Montreal
trip. That should make the total mileage for the Packard
in one month well over 3000!
Now we drive through a 23 mile system of
underwater tunnels and bridges that cross
the Chesapeake Bay. Really interesting, but
with no emergency lanes in much of this
stretch, we are hoping for the best with the
Packard, and she delivers a reliable and safe
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passage---thank heavens!
190 miles/ 4 hours Arrive 6:00pm
Rotary Club of Camden- Wyoming, DE
Wild Quail Country Club, Rt. 52
We arrive just in time for cocktail hour! This
is another beautiful country club with a
gorgeous evening view. This is a lively group
of friendly Rotarians who have a lot of fun
and games at their meetings! Thanks Bob for
bringing your 1963 Pontiac Convertible to the
meeting, it was immaculate! And one
owner...impressive!
Day Four- June 17, 2010 Tampa to Montreal Tour
Rotary Club of Smyrna, DE
Wayside Inn 7:30 am. 17 miles from Camden
A friendly greeting by Capt Wil Bordley with an early
breakfast before we head on to New York.
260 miles/ 6 hours
I fall a day behind on the blog, because all the work I did last night would not save
and was lost. Could have used those hours for sleep! Another technical difficulty to
resolve...
The best driving day anyone could ask for. The cold front has
blown in, and it may feel like gale force winds, but the
temperature is cool and we are very grateful for that. A little
tough driving the New Jersey Turnpike and then the Garden
State Parkway, but the only good
thing about the traffic is the amount
of attention, thumbs up, and truckers' horns signaling their
approval of the grand old lady cruising amongst all the
youngster cars. Eventually we get to US17 again and it
becomes a beautiful drive into the Catskill Mountains. We
made a side trip to see the infamous "Woodstock" from the
Hippie years of Rock-N-Roll. We should have remembered the movie better, because
of course Woodstock the Festival did not actually happen in Woodstock! We met
some great folks at the Woodstock Art District though, and it was another beautiful
drive.
We don't stop for lunch, because truthfully, we eat far more than we exercise on this
trip, and can afford to skip a meal!
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We are driving through some very historic areas with homes and churches dating in
the 1700's. Lovely small communities in the Catskill Mountains with manicured
flower and vegetable gardens.
However...wow the gas is expensive. Our first stop in NY we
paid $2.80. We thought that was a lot until we later paid $2.85!
Arrive 5:30pm
Rotary Club of Middleburgh, NY
Mrs. K's Kitchen, Main St., Middleburgh, NY 6:05pm
The last stop on our Rotary speaking tour, and it was the
most friendly welcome yet! We pull up to the restaurant to
see a special parking place coned off in the street in front,
with a welcome sign made just for us. As soon as they
spot us drive by and begin to make our u-turn (a tradition
in our family) the whole club came outside to wave and
clap. Now that is a warm welcome! We come inside to a
healthy dinner of homemade vegetable soup, crab salads,
desert and take-away chocolate gift bags. Did I say take-
away chocolates?! Yummm. So many folks stayed late afterwards, we really felt like
we have to come by again very soon to visit our new
friends.
Welcome to our newest member of the ACHAFR,
Matthew Coltrain! Matt drove his 1926 Model T to the
meeting, and joined the fellowship straight away. He
then took us after the meeting to see a very unique
"Westmobile" he brought back to life. This car is a
replica built by a son whose father built the original
"Westmobile" in 1901 in Middleburgh NY. Matts other
claim to fame, he is the youngest Coroner in the
state of New York!
Day Five- June 18, 2010 Tampa to Montreal Tour
Middleburgh- We left by 10am. This was the first day this
week that we don't wake up at 5:30am to rush out. A
leisurely drive, we stopped at the Old Stone Fort Museums
in Schoharie NY established 1772, where we saw an
original 1903 Rambler. We
had a delicious lunch in
Saratoga Springs at Gaffneys.
67 miles/ 2 hours
The Packard is driving like a dream, and the weather is so cool that I was actually
cold!
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Lake Luzerne, NY- We arrived at
the home of longtime friends,
Devnet & William Chandler. I
have known Devnet since we
were both 11 years old at the Girls Academy of the Holy
Names in Tampa. William has been a great car buddy, and they both meet us every
year in Hershey Pennsylvania for our annual pilgrimage to the greatest car parts flea
market in America. Brando and William get a little quality guy time there, hunting for
the next great project car, while Devnet and I hunt for the most unusual Hershey
chocolate the new season has to offer.
William and Devnet
have an award winning
1986 Nissan 300ZX.
Their lovely home
overlooks the lake and
they really treat you
like you are sleeping in
a fine B&B, except they
add a great steak
dinner cookout as well!
Day Six- June 19, 2010 Tampa to Montreal Tour
Lake Luzerne- left at 12:15pm hoping for a swift trip across the border! My daughter
Amanda gave me a "Travel Angel" necklace before our journey began and it seems
to be working like a charm!
164 miles/4 hours
Arrive 5:30pm Montreal! The car is on display at
Residence Inn/ Marriott…Bonjour! We take a quick
bus ride to the convention center to register, and run
in to Colin and Judith Weeks, our ACHAFR world
fellowship President.
Day Seven- June 20, 2010 Tampa to Montreal Tour
RGHF (Rotarian Global History Fellowship) Meeting Sunday June 20 7:00-8:30am
Palais des Congres de Montreal #525
Important Note: the buses don't start to run until
7:30am and then are often late, so we basically arrived
at the breakfast just as it ended. They were very
gracious and still had the kitchen bring up hot
breakfasts for us both. Unfortunately we missed the
tribute to us for becoming the 500th members of RGHF.
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We get to the House of Friendship and are amazed at how
many service groups and fellowship booths there are. There is
so much about Rotary we Rotarians do not know!
Shelter Box is an international disaster relief charity that has delivered over 500,000
emergency shelters to people affected by disasters worldwide. My club, Rotary Club
of Tampa- Hyde Park, has bought many of these Shelter Boxes over the years.
Colin, Judith and Jan are fantastic recruiters and stay busy with the ACHAFR booth.
Brando and I do our best to keep up with them, and take a few opportunities to
relieve them so they can go to see some of the opening and closing ceremonies.
At opening ceremonies the entertainment includes Cirque Du Soleil. The vocal group
Celtic Thunder is the featured entertainment during the open plenary session.
Day Eight- June 21, 2010 Tampa to Montreal Tour
It is not all work and no play, and Colin and Judith mind
the booth while Brando and I take some time to look
around the convention and see what the other
Fellowships are doing.
After the convention, some sightseeing took us
throughout Montreal, visiting the St. Joseph Cathedral,
the Notre-Dame Basilica where Celine Dion had her
famous wedding, the Formula 1 Racetrack, and many
more sights.
We had lunch at a Portuguese Restaurant called
Ferreira, owned by well known chef Carlos Ferreira. It
was fantastic, with fried sardines, octopus for Brando
and carrot/sweet potato soup for me.
Day Nine- June 22, 2010 Tampa to Montreal Tour
President Colin Weeks opens the ACHAFR meeting
President of the World Fellowship
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The ACHAFR breakfast meeting held Tuesday, June 22, from 7:00am-9:00am, in the
Palais des Congres de Montreal Room #521.
We discuss with the new and existing members what
we have planned for the future of ACHAFR. We hope to
grow the North American Chapter so that we can
further develop sub chapters within the local
geographies, and support their efforts for individual
car shows and rallies.
We had a busy booth, and
our own District Governor from Riverview Florida, Ed
Odom, came by to visit.
Dinner for ACHAFR members at Dundee's in Montreal.
Another example of those friendly Canadians... when
someone saw the police near the car, they found us
inside the restaurant and suggested we move the car
away from the fire hydrant. Once Brando went outside,
the police actually saved another spot, even closer to the front door of our restaurant
while Brando relocated the Packard!
Day Ten- June 23, 2010 Tampa to Montreal Tour
Farewell dinner with Colin Weeks, President of ACHAFR International, wife Judith, Jan
den Hartog, President of Netherlands Chapter ACHAFR, Brando and myself.
Dinner was at the Newtown Restaurant, owned by Formula One Race Driver Jacques
Villeneuve. We had a fabulous meal- Cold Québec asparagus soup, Beef tartar, Duck
foie gras terrine, and many fantastic deserts.
A great trip, we have signed plenty of new members, and have plenty more leads to
follow up on later. A successful trip, a great time to meet members, and make new
friends! It was so nice to put the faces with the names when we met Colin, Judith
and Jan. We also had the opportunity to meet in person some ACHAFR members who
had joined online our North American Chapter- Vivien Adams, Bob Wolfenden, Brian
Monroe, Peter Hughes.
The convention was awesome. Attendees were also dazzled by Dolly Parton singing
her hit song "9 to 5," who thanked Rotary for partnering with her foundation's
Imagination Library to promote children’s literacy.
More than 18,000 Rotarians from 154 countries and geographical areas left the 2010
RI Convention in Montréal, Québec, Canada, on 23 June after being challenged to
finish the job of eradicating polio and reminded that their efforts are making a
difference, even when the results aren’t immediately apparent.
Bob Mazzuca, chief scout executive of the Boy Scouts of America, noted the long
relationship between the Boy Scouts and Rotary, and stressed the importance of
giving children viable and healthy alternatives amid the array of choices -- many
unhealthy and downright dangerous -- facing young people and families today. He
noted the many similarities between The Four-Way Test and the Scout Law.
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Queen Noor of Jordan praised Rotarians for their work in promoting world peace and
building global coalitions, and said Rotarians have pioneered the type of
collaborations necessary to make a difference in the world. She said that the
environment and nuclear weapons pose the biggest threats to world peace, and
shared the work of her foundations in promoting international understanding and
goodwill.
Incoming RI President, Ray Klinginsmith, asks Rotarians to
apply "cowboy logic" and make Rotary clubs "bigger,
better, and bolder."
Rotary International is the world's first service club
organization, with more than 1.2 million members in
33,000 clubs worldwide. Rotary club members are
volunteers who work locally,
regionally, and
internationally to combat
hunger, improve health and
sanitation, provide education and job training,
promote peace, and eradicate polio under the motto
Service Above Self.
President Klinginsmith also gives us a preview of the
2011 RI Convention in New Orleans.
Day Eleven- June 24, 2010 Tampa to Montreal Tour
The RI Convention is over and we now plan our next move, a slight detour from the
original plan.
We planned to come home via Washington DC, and take the Autotrain back to
Orlando. From there we would drive home to Tampa arriving June 30. Well, while
visiting the Rotary Club in Virginia Beach we ran into Terry Bond, President of AACA
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(Antique Automobile Club of America) and he asked if we were going to attend the
75th Anniversary Jubilee and Car Show in Louisville Kentucky the following week. So
we decided to change our plans, and a 2 week trip has now been extended to 3
weeks, and we have more time to explore Canada. We also have to break the news
to Brando's mother that she will be "babysitting the kids" Jax, our silky terrier and
Kitty for an additional week!
So now we head west towards Toronto. We hear that the G8 and G20 Summits are
going to be very hectic and traffic terrible, so we will avoid downtown Toronto
sightseeing and take the bypass.
But our first stop is before then. As we drive west, we
see some absolutely beautiful countryside. Our first stop
was along the St. Lawrence River, where we pulled over
to take a short cruise to see the Thousand Islands at
Gananoque. These small islands are rocky, and many of
them have a house built that nearly encompasses the
entire property. Some homes are small, others large,
but all impressive summer places you can only reach by
boat!
I later receive an email from Colin Weeks, our World ACHAFR President that he and
his wife Judith could see our car parked with plenty of admirers taking photos while
we are on the cruise down the river. Colin and Judith have taken extra time after the
RI Convention to tour Canada, and it is such a coincidence that our paths cross so
often. They come from the UK and are the most adventurous couple I have met. We
will have to tour in Europe one day with them, if we can keep up!
Day Twelve- June 25, 2010 Tampa to Montreal Tour After
the river cruise, we stop on the side of the road for a badly
needed French-fry break! Brando is great about asking the
locals for their recommendations, and as usual we have no
idea where we are going to stop next to sleep. So this
fellow tells us about a
gentleman who was a Former
Chef to Her Majesty the Queen of England for 18 years,
who has a Bed & Breakfast in Brockville, just up the
road. That suits us just perfectly, so off we go to find
the Pine Street Inn, and Michael and Francine Dunn. It
is a charming B&B, and the host was so gracious. A
graceful 1870's Victorian brick home with a great
balcony view of the St Lawrence River, located in the
heart of The 1000 Islands.
We had a proper tea, then off to more sightseeing. We also had a "sun-setter"
cocktail at "Buds on the Bay". Waiter Nick advised that we make our next destination
to Niagara-on-the Lake to visit the wine country. Our daily itinerary is now set by the
last chap’s advice, and it works out great.
Needless to say, the breakfast the next morning was indeed "fit for a Queen".
We stopped in town to see the first railroad tunnel in Canada.
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Off we go west again towards Toronto. We drive along beautiful country roads along
the St. Lawrence River all day. One curiosity turn took us down a dead-end that
happened to have a ferry stop. So we waited for the ferry, and off we go to Howe
Island. There are some very beautiful homes on the Island, and we stop at a lovely
vineyard, and meet a friendly fellow who is actually from Australia. The owner of
Howe Island Winery and B&B, David Jones, explains to us the process of making Ice
Wine. Brando and he swap New Zealand stories (they both have children living
there), rugby and "football" (aka soccer) memories, and off we go again.
Each time we take a ferry we seem to need to remind the ferry captains that we are
quickly approaching land, as they are busy asking questions about the car, and
taking photos. They are a great source of more information though. They sent us for
a lovely tour to Prince Edward Island and the town of Picton.
And so when we completed a full circle around Prince Edward Island we eventually
pulled over to ask for directions at a huge farm. Out popped a nice gentleman who of
course asked more questions about the car then I could for directions. Then his
brother and elderly father came out, and we were sent to the back barn to see there
prized possession a 1930 Model A. This car was in Concourse condition, did not have
a spec of dust, or any imperfection on it!
When the elderly father asked me pointedly why we were lost
when I was holding the map, I truthfully said "I told him he
should have turned back there!" and the gentleman laughed
and said, yes, you should have turned back there! Now we
change direction slightly and head off to Lake-on-the-
Mountain near Picton. We stay at The Lake-on-the-Mountain
Resort & Inn which has a fantastic outdoor cafe. The owner,
Danielle Chretien, comes to speak with us for awhile, as he has his Model T on
display outside of the Inn. We sleep in a very rustic and
original cabin, but it is all part of the fun. From our cabin you
can see the lake on your right, and then Lake Ontario on your
left. The smaller lake on the mountain is actually higher than
Lake Ontario, which leaves you with a very odd visual affect.
There are many theories on how it came about, many of
which are Indian folklore and scientific theories.
Day Thirteen- June 26, 2010 Tampa to Montreal Tour
Next stop is Niagara-on-the-Lakes, by way of Toronto. I mentioned the G8 and G20
Summits being conducted in Toronto at this time. Well, apparently as we were
driving the bypass, there were some major riots going on in downtown Toronto.
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Once again we are very fortunate to take the road less travelled and stay on the
peaceful side of the streets.
All roads are not without some challenges. As we drove
towards Niagara, we had cars passing us, honking, and
yelling that our wheel looked loose. We pulled over, and saw
that the rim was bent; the tire tube developed a bubble, and
the illusion of a wobble. We pull over to a funeral home, and
they generously offer the use of their garage to change the
tire. In less than an hour we are off and running again.
Thank you Paul Chatson and Walas Funeral Home in Brighton
Ontario!
Once we arrive in the historic village of Niagara-on-the-Lakes
we are amazed at how busy the
town is, and how many vineyards
there are to visit. Many close at
6:00 pm, and it is now around 5:00pm, and we don't
have a hotel reservation yet. We go downtown and stop
at the Chamber of Commerce for help. They take care
of everything, letting us know that it is a holiday
weekend and no reservations to be found. And yet luck
is always on our side, and we found one Bed &
Breakfast next door to the only all organic vineyard in
town.
We had a wonderful visit, and managed to squeeze in wine tastings at 5 vineyards!
When you drive up in a 1930 Packard, people open their doors! Thank you to Neil
Holden at Pillitteri Estates Winery for the excellent
recommendations for dinner!
I highly recommend visiting these vineyards, and taste the
wines we bought from each:
Frogpond Farm – All organic wine!
Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate Winery
Hillebrand Winery
Pillitteri Estates Winery
Stratus Vineyards
Peller Estates Winery
We came away with some great wines that I am sure you would enjoy. And all
vineyards ship to your door!
Day Fourteen- June 27, 2010 Tampa to Montreal Tour
After the lovely night at the best B&B of the whole trip, we
carry on to Niagara Falls. But a few words about the
Country Willows Bed & Breakfast in Niagara-on-the-Lakes.
The biggest, best room, big screen TV, fresh baked cookies
and a filled cold water pitcher on the bedside. The breakfast
was huge, delicious, and lasted us all day. Lovely hosts, we
truly enjoyed our stay and highly recommend it. Our hosts
Bill Devolin & Beverley Epp-Devolin were excellent.
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We did awaken to what we thought was rifle shots, but later found out that they
have propane "booms" every few minutes to scare away the birds from the
vineyards. Rise and shine!
Day Fifteen- June 28, 2010 Tampa to Montreal Tour3 Photo(s): 21 Displayed : Extra
Photos
We finally make it to the most amazing wonder of the world, Niagara Falls. This is a
must see to believe sight. As they all say, the Canada side has a better view. I have
to tell you, that the pictures say it all.
We drive along the Niagara River, see in the distance the enormous Brock Monument
commemorating the War of 1812, and a huge "Flower Clock" that Niagara Park is
famous for.
Stats on Niagara Falls:
length of brink: 2600 feet
height: 167 feet
volume of water: 600,000 U.S. gallons per second
Interesting fact: According to the U.S.G.S. (United States
Geological Survey) of Niagara Falls, it appears that almost 1/3 of the Canadian Falls
lies within US Territory.
Straddling the Canadian-United States International Border and both in the Province
of Ontario and the State of New York, Niagara Falls attracts some 12 Million tourists
to her majestic awesome beauty each year.
The Niagara is a fairly young river, only 12,000 years old!, a microsecond in
geological time. The Niagara Escarpment, which was created by erosion is much
older. The glaciers pressed down on the land during the last ice age and laid down
layers of sediment, then the slow process of erosion of ice and water ate at the
surface of the escarpment.
While visiting the Falls you will get wet, as the overspray is unavoidable. We also
toured the tunnels carved out underneath the Falls for an excellent view of the
rushing water overhead.
There are thousands of people from all over the world lining the streets, where you
can see the Niagara Falls easily. Lots of Casinos, and plenty of hotels. It is a little too
commercial for our tastes, but not far away you can see some very beautiful,
peaceful countryside as well. They have a falls view restaurant with the best views of
all, good food, local wines and beers, very friendly service!
Day Sixteen- June 29, 2010 Tampa to Montreal Tour
After Niagara, we make a stop in Buffalo and as per
strict instructions from my brother, Andy (whom I
can still call Bubba, because I am the baby sister!).
We have to stop at the Anchor Bar for the founders
of the original Buffalo Wings. Now as we leave
Canada, and while the dutiful border patrol question
Brando seriously about the contents of our car, on
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my side of the car approaches more border patrol cops. Only mine are much easier
to talk with, because they are clearly looking at what a cool car the Packard is. They
also gave me the directions to the Anchor Bar!
The wings are outstanding, and the Beef on Weck (that is a type of roll with caraway
seeds) is also delicious. The restaurant was initially established in 1935. Teressa
Bellissimo is credited with the creation of the dish when she deep-fried some wings
and covered them in a hot sauce and margarine based sauce (wings were previously
used for soup or simply thrown away before this use came about). She served them
with blue cheese dip as hors d'oeuvres at the bar. They were initially offered for free.
On a Friday night in 1964, Dominic Bellissimo was tending bar at the now famous
Anchor Bar Restaurant in Buffalo, NY. Late that evening, a group of Dominic's friends
arrived at the bar with ravenous appetites. Dominic asked his mother, Teressa, to
prepare something for his friends to eat.
Off and running again, we carry on towards Ohio. We stop for the night in Conneaut
Ohio. Before we stopped we drove through a horrendous rainstorm, lightning, wind,
and virtually no visibility. When we checked in to the first hotel we saw, the Days
Inn, the storm had taken out the cable, the power for most of the town, and the
news was all about the local storm damages. Good review for the Days Inn, it was
clean, friendly, and had a nice complimentary breakfast.
The next morning we are off again, and we make a thankfully uneventful day trip
ending up just outside of Cincinnati (Mason) Ohio, for the night. We did hear one
unfortunate fellow get rear ended, after he turned the corner and hesitated too log
while he was looking at our Packard. We really felt bad for him!
Back in the great USA, we find a familiar dinner favorite, Outback Steakhouse. You
can always trust you are going to get a good steak there, and Brando is always on
the hunt for a good steak.
Rise and shine, we are off to our final destination, Louisville. Only a few miles to go,
and guess what..... that sounds like....sputter...slowing down...quiet....are we out of
gas!? Less than a minute later, a nice young man named Tony Cook who was on his
way to the gym stops to help us out. He lets us know that he will go fetch his gas
can from his home, fill it, and be right back. He was back in less than 20 minutes,
and would not take an extra dollar beyond the cost of the gas. Wow, are we always
so blessed to meet such great people or what!! And
he is a car guy of course, so Brando and he get to
talk a little about common interests. Everywhere we
travel we run into young men talking about their
interest in the old cars, but they feel like it is too
expensive of a hobby to get into. This is something
we all, in the various car clubs, have to change. The
hobby will die out if young people do not get
engaged in restoration of antique cars. We must
make it an accessible and affordable sport!
On our way again, we finally get to the Crowne Plaza Hotel and I am grateful to be at
a stopping point for a few days in a row.
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Day Seventeen- June 30, 2010 Tampa to Montreal Tour
We stop to give the car a well deserved washing!
Now, we are ready for the start of the 75th Anniversary
AACA Jubilee in Louisville, Kentucky. This is a very well
organized group, and we have been to a lot of car shows,
tours, and car related events. They welcome us, despite
the fact that we had not registered on time. Their
organized packets are generous with goodies, and the
itineraries are filled with very detailed maps and fun spots to visit. The first afternoon
we visit a private collector’s museum of great cars, then
that night is an ice cream social on the side of the Ohio
River. We have met up with some new friends from our
Hillsborough AACA Club, Jim and Judy Briley. They are so
much fun, and we have a delicious traditional southern
dinner of fried green tomatoes, meatloaf, chicken pot pie,
macaroni & cheese, mashed potatoes. We don't lack food
on this trip!
Day Eighteen- July 1, 2010 Tampa to Montreal Tour
A beautiful day for a drive to tour the countryside of Kentucky
and Indiana. We head off for the resort town of French Lick.
First we hop aboard the tourist railroad and see the scenery.
Then off to the grand hotels.
The area called French Lick, Indiana, site of the French Lick
Springs Resort and one of the earliest outposts in the middle
- Western wilderness, was first settled more than 200 years ago by French traders.
After the discovery of rich mineral springs, which attracted animals that flocked to
lick the waters and wet rocks, this valley became known among
the settlers as “The Lick”.
A rich colorful history included such famous names as John
Barrymore, Clark Gable, Bing Crosby, President Roosevelt, the
Truman’s, the Reagan’s and Joe and Rose Kennedy. It was
there in 1931 that Franklin Roosevelt rounded up support at a
Democratic governor’s conference for his party’s presidential
nomination. In 1832, all the lands surrounding the accrual
mineral springs, which has been reserved for production of salt,
was offered for public sale.
About 1,500 acres - including all the large springs - were
purchased and within several years opened the first French Lick Springs Hotel in
1845.
Rumor has it that gangsters such as Al Capone frequented the hotels and casinos
here, and that the direct railway from French Lick to Chicago supplied an excellent
express trip for so many of the Chicago gangs, that if they were to meet up in French
Lick, they would call a truce to their wars, and rest in peace until back in Chicago.
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It now has a fantastic golf course with PGA Tournaments, excellent steakhouse, and
views to die for!
Day Nineteen- July 2, 2010 Tampa to Montreal Tour
We have another lovely day of touring. The weather is cool, low humidity, just the
kind of day anyone takes their old pride and joy out for a spin! We have our good
friends from the Hillsborough Region AACA Club, Jim and Judy Briley with us, as we
take off for the General George Patton Museum in Fort Knox, KY. The drive is country
cute as usual. And the museum is fascinating, with plenty of memorials to the "war
to end all wars". I was touched by the irony of General Patton's death. After serving
in so many military conflicts, General George S. Patton, Jr. used a 1938 Cadillac in
Europe in which he was involved in an accident, ultimately resulting in his death in
1945.
The banquet dinner for the AACA 75th Jubilee was very well organized, with over a
thousand people in attendance. We happened to be seated at table number 75 (we
thought ironic for the 75th anniversary!) next to the doors, which was quite lucky.
First in, first out, and the waiters serve you first while the food is hot as well!
The presentation honored the past presidents of
the AACA, and we happened to
have one at our table. It was a good evening
topped off with a fantastic presentation by Jeff
Mahl, great grandson of George Schuster, the
driver and chief mechanic of the Thomas Flyer,
the winner of the first Great Auto Race NY to
Paris in 1908.
This truly world class event included National
Teams from France, Italy, Germany and the
United States. The New York to Paris Automobile Race was to be driven across the
frozen Bering Straits in the dead of winter 1908. All this at a time when horses were
considered more reliable than automobiles!
The Race was sponsored by the NEW YORK TIMES and the LA MATIN (a Paris
newspaper). The torturous New York to Paris Race route: NYC, Albany, Chicago, San
Francisco, Seattle, Valdez Alaska, Japan, Vladivostok, Omsk, Moscow, St.
Petersburg, Berlin and finally Paris. The Thomas Flyer Team covered three continents
and over 22,000 miles in 169 days. The Race was ultimately won by the American
Thomas Flyer driven by George Schuster Sr. of Buffalo, NY. The feat has never been
equaled. They still hold the world record nearly 100 years later!
There is another Great Auto Race " The World Auto
Race" planned for 2011, and Jeff Mahl plans on driving another Thomas Flyer replica
in it. If it were not for the $27,000 entry fee, Brando and I would love to drive a car
in that race!
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Brando with the Cadillac General Patton was fatally injured in.
Judy Briley at the Patton Museum
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Day Twenty- July 3, 2010 Tampa to Montreal Tour
The big day has arrived, and the 75th Anniversary Jubilee Car Event has begun. This
is one of the finest collections of cars we have seen, including the Concourse
D'Elegance Shows we have visited. And it is in a great venue, the Kentucky State
Fairground Expo Center, known as "Freedom Hall". As an indoor arena, no rain, dust,
sun, or any other natural element interferes with your show. In fact, the air
conditioning is so cold we have to wear sweaters in summertime.
As a side note, this is not my first time in this arena. In 1976, I rode my American
Saddlebred Horse to a National Championship win in Freedom Hall! I believe this was
the proudest day in my, and especially my mother's life. Mom (Sue Lynagh Grim)
was a horseback rider from childhood, and she taught me everything I knew. When a
trainer by the name of Jimmie Glidewell decided to hire me at the age of 14 years
old to exercise the horses at the Tampa Yacht Club Stables, he saw me grow as a
competitor, and made sure that I could ride some of the best horses he had available
when it came my turn to enter the show ring. That year I gained my 15 minutes of
fame by winning the world championship for Saddle Seat Equitation. I wish mom was
alive today to reminisce with me here in Louisville.
Back to the car show! There are over 800 cars at the
event. They are judging many, but others are here for
display, as are we. I believe the oldest one here is
1903, and they have show cars representing every year
forward. I would be surprised to find out there was a car
manufacturer not represented at this event.
Big thanks to Joe Gagliano, Chairman of the AACA
Planning Subcommittee, for squeezing us in at the last
minute to participate in this show.
We end the day with a quick visit to Churchill Downs, home of the famous Kentucky
Derby. I even come away with an authentic "Derby Hat".
Once we return to the hotel we start to pack, and have dinner in the bar, where they
serve the most delicious "Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich". This is an open faced
sandwich with thin sliced turkey, tomatoes, cheddar cheese mornay sauce and
bacon. Yummmy!
Day Twenty One- July 4, 2010 Tampa to Montreal Tour
We have taken a lovely route home, US 31E, and passed through Elizabethtown to
see Swope’s Cars of Yesteryear Museum, but it is closed on Sundays. On to
Bardstown KY for our next stop. This is a historic town with a very cute downtown
square. Brando and I have stayed at the Talbott Tavern and Inn on past trips
through this area. This tavern has very good food, and five rooms upstairs all named
after famous people who have stayed in their Inn. Its history dates back to the
1700's. Talbott Tavern is said to be the oldest western stagecoach stop in America as
the westward expansion brought explorers from the east into Kentucky.
According to legend, figures straight from the history books sought lodging here
during their travels; as a young boy Abraham Lincoln and his family stayed here,
Gen. George Rogers Clark, Daniel Boone, and exiled French King Louis Philippe and
his entourage stayed here, even painting murals on the upstairs walls. There are
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noticeable bullet holes in the now faded paintings and Jesse James is said to be
responsible for them.
Built in 1779, people have for many years claimed to see ghosts here. One ghost in
particular has been seen by many guests: the ghost of Mrs. Talbott, wife of the
original owner. She is said to float about in a white dress with long, brown wavy hair.
A recent guest wrote the Inn and stated that while staying there she had dreamed of
a woman with that exact description coming to her bedside. This guest stated she
had no idea who the woman was until she got home and looked up the history of the
Inn on the internet. When she read the description of the woman, she claims a chill
ran up her spine.
On another occasion three women were sharing a room at the inn. They were all
awakened at the same time in the middle of the night and saw a thick mist hovering
over their beds. These women could not move from their beds until the mist
gathered together and went under the door of the room. The terrified women spent
the rest of the night in the lobby.
We stayed in the "haunted" room named the "Heinrich Suite" after a royal visit from
King Heinrich. We chose this room because Brando's middle name is Heinrich. At
around 9:00pm our bed began to shake vigorously. It did not take long for me to
realize that our particular ghost appeared at the very moment "Ladies Night" in the
bar below started up with a country band. I may have told Brando that I will never
be able to sleep under those conditions, but the bourbon miniatures we brought from
the earlier tour of the Jim Beam Distillery changed my mind.
Our first breakdown on the journey home involves a
distributor cap and the need for a soldering iron.
Brando has left with one of the locals who
volunteered to take him back to their shop, and I am
waiting with the car, answering the questions of
every fellow who comes up and wants to know what
the heck that car is! Did I mention that I am on
US31E in Hardeeville, KY? Just in case anyone needs
to find us!
Back online, and Brando has returned, only to find that he has to leave again to buy
some JB Weld. Apparently when just checking the distributor cap, a joint snapped.
His escort, Ronny, was so kind as to take Brando again to fetch the needed supplies.
Thanks Ronny!
Thank you to the fine folks of Hardeeville for letting me camp out in their gas station
and cafe. It was actually the best country ham biscuit breakfast I have had in a long
time, and the folks were very friendly.
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Day Twenty Two- July 5, 2010 Tampa to Montreal Tour
The family we miss so much!
Grandma Joanne, Lorelei, Amanda, Kristin, Daniel, Leah, Oupa Brando, Morgan
Well, I should not complain, because we have had a phenomenal trip for over 3
weeks, but last night was the first bad experience in a hotel on this trip. The Best
Western in Athens Alabama is a true roach motel, with 1/3 of the shower covered in
black mold and little critters crawling about. It was gross. Unfortunately, after such a
long day of driving, there was absolutely no way I was going to get Brando to move
out and find another hotel. Even though we have done a lot of camping in our lives, I
was struggling to equate the lack of cleanliness to the great outdoors, because I
would have preferred the fresh air and clean dirt over this place.
Needless to say I woke up at 5:00am ready to go. Brando thought I was insane, but
we finally got back on the road by 6:00am and Brando treated me to a Starbucks
Carmel Macchiato Coffee to sweeten the mood.
Now I am really anxious to get home. I miss seeing my family, my daughters
Amanda, Kristin and her husband Daniel, and my granddaughters Lorelei, Morgan
and Leah.
What a great day of driving. We managed to find cool air all the way south, when the
rest of the southern states are going through a heat wave and rain. Once we left
Alabama, we swung by Cairo Georgia (home of baseball great Jackie Robinson) to
say hello to some car friends we met on a past Glidden Tour in South Dakota, Wayne
and Rosa Ann Hadden. Unfortunately, we drove up to their restaurant, Mr. Chick's,
and found that it was closed for the Independence Day holiday. They also have an
awesome Antique Auto Museum right behind the restaurant. See you next trip
Wayne and Rosa Ann!
The drive from there to Tallahassee finally caught us in the rain. Serious rain, we
can't see the car in front of us with the flashers on, and our 6 volt battery does not
put out enough illumination for my comfort, so I am really worried for safety.
Brando, realizing my apprehension, and my anguish from the night before, took me
to the first Marriot he saw. As I type now, I am sipping a rum & coke in a lovely
suite....ahhhhhh :-) We should ask for sponsorship from Outback Steakhouse, as we
are dining there again tonight and it is great as always!
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We should make home tomorrow, and I am really anxious to get there. I am missing
our dog (Jax) and cat (Kitty) very much! Nothing like their smiling faces at the end
of a busy day.
Day Twenty Three- July 6, 2010 Tampa to Montreal Tour
On our way to home sweet home. Of course we had to pull over
to see the Tallahassee Auto Museum while we were here.
Unfortunately they are not open yet, so we will continue on.
They have about a hundred of the finest automobiles, including
an 1894 Duryea, the oldest known surviving fully manufactured
pre-production Duryea.
The last 100 miles is always the longest, and
we make one last stop at Chili’s Restaurant for a
late lunch, knowing that there is no food at
home, and going to the grocery store today is
not in my immediate future!
Home sweet home. Thank you Lord for bringing
us home safely. And thank you all for following
us on our journey by way of this blog. We hope
you enjoyed it! I know it was a trip we won't
forget.
A few extra statistics:
Miles travelled in total- 3966
Gas consumed- 387 gallon
Average gas mileage- 10.25 miles per gallon
States visited- 13: Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia,
Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee,
Alabama. Canada- 2: Quebec, Ontario
Delays in travel- 4: generator melt down, tire change, fuel pump bypass, gas
misjudgment :-).
Rotary Clubs visited- 7: Hilton Head Island, SC, Sunset; Hilton Head Island
VanLandingham breakfast; Georgetown, SC, lunch; Princess Ann at Town Center,
Virginia Beach, VA, lunch; Camden-Wyoming, DE, dinner; Smyrna-Clayton, DE,
breakfast; Middleburgh, NY, dinner.
Major Events- 2: Rotary International Convention, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; 75th
Anniversary Jubilee AACA (Antique Automobile Club of America), Louisville,
Kentucky, USA.
Supporters/ Partners- Rotary Club of Tampa- Hyde Park; Kids Wish Network;
Laseresque- Rotary Authorized Vendor; Heacock Classic Car Insurance; Perry's
Creative Promotion- Rotary Authorized Vendor
As I stare out at the 3 weeks of growth in the yard, mountains of mail and laundry, I
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think about how great it is to be home. Thank you again to all my friends, family and
supporters. Brando and I love and appreciate each and every one of you!
Until the next adventure.....CHEERS!
P.S. Please contact me if you wish to participate in a 2011 Ride Along Tour from your
area to New Orleans with your classic car and we will see you at the 2011 Rotary
International Convention in New Orleans!
Home Sweet Home
I want to take a moment to talk about
the charity we are supporting on this Tour, the Kids Wish Network. Since 1997, Kids
Wish Network has been making dreams come true for thousands of children all over
the country. The charity started out with the single purpose of granting wishes to
children suffering with life-threatening conditions. It is a 501c3 organization that we
support enthusiastically and can vouch for their authentic work for the needy
children they serve.
One specific fundraiser that we wish to support is the Corvette Dream Giveaway to
benefit Kids Wish Network’s Hero program. It is a sweepstakes to win two Corvettes
(1967 427/435 HP Classic Restored Roadster & 2010 Brad Paisley Hero Edition ZR1).
KWN will provide a special promotional code for ACHAFR members, Rotarians, and
Car Club members who are interested in purchasing tickets online for the Corvettes.
If you purchase 10 tickets you will get one free. The website is:
www.winthevettes.com and the phone # is 866-WIN-BOTH (866-946-2684). The
promotional code is EM1KWN and enter the promo code in the first box on the entry
form (labeled enter promo or affiliate code here). The drawing for the 2 Corvettes
will take place on New Year’s Day 2011.
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Support the Kids Wish Network and win a pair of Corvettes !
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