Thursday, October 18, 2007

"The Gathering"

By the title, you might think this would be about Duncan McLeod, of the Clan McLeod on the TV show HIGHLANDER. Well, it ain't.

We all have a rather long winter to look forward to. And while some of y'all are snowmobilers, ice fishermen, skiers and other cold-weather nuts, it will still be a long time before we all come together again. But does it have to be that way?

Here's what I'm thinking - I'm thinking that we should arrange a gathering once in awhile over the winter months. Nothing outlandish. Nothing formal. Just getting together at a certain time and place, to shoot the bull, make plans for next season, and just socialize in general.

Of course, there are just too darned many of us, separated by a lotta miles, for us to all get together in a lump. But there is no reason why the folks in one local area cannot get together at one place, while the folks in another area gather elsewhere.

So I guess I am suggesting that, if you are interested, that you contact others in your area and arrange a gathering. Maybe around Christmas, and maybe again in February.

I realize that you may not have contact info for others in your area, but therein lies the beauty of the Internet. If you would like to arrange a gathering in your area, just let me know. I will create a page where all of you can go and get in touch. For example, let's Say John Doe would like to arrange a gathering in the Biddeford area around Christmas. I could post his contact info on that page, and anyone else in that area could contact him, and a gathering could be put together.

So, if you would like to organize a get-together with others of our kind, just let me know, and we will see if we can make it happen. If anyone contacts me to get on that contact page with info on a gathering they want to put together, I will post the page on HotKarz.com. Note that we have already had nearly 2300 visits in the short 4 weeks we have had this site up. We're growing, and reaching car buffs. So make the most of it. Remember, this is your website.

BJ

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

The "Party"

Now that the cruise season has come to an end, the wonderful folks at Two Trails Fabulous '50's Diner in Standish threw us "car folk" a party last Saturday. There was plenty of free chow, free music, and even a trophy (went to Mike for his cherry, original Dodge SWINGER).

The place was full! There was chatter, laughter, and a general feeling of "the family is together". And a good time was had by all. Here's a sample.

It is truly nice when we feel appreciated, and the crew at TT Fab '50's Diner certainly did show they appreciated us car folks. And we would like them to know that we appreciate them, as well. That's the reason we are loyal to Gibby and his diner - it's a lot like "home".

Thanks, dear friend! We hope that next year a lot more of us "car folk" come and discover for themselves the warmth of your welcome, and the good food you offer. And I take this opportunity to encourage all to do just that.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Puttin' the Woody Away

Today's show in Stratham NH is the last one for me this year - I know there is a show on the 20th in New Gloucester, but the little woman and self are running away from home that weekend to a private place on 1st Connecticut Lake in Pittsburg NH. This will be our first real "alone time" in the 16 years of our daughter's life. So, it's time to put the Woody in the garage (no jokes, Ken) 'til spring. Kinda sad, in a way.

Stratham had a good show - about 200+ cars, and so many of them were near perfect. If this were a "points" show, it would have been extremely difficult to choose winners. And all of today's winners were exactly that - real winners.

The weather was OK, though the wind was rather chilly - a portent of things to come. A lot of our friends from Maine were there, and gave a good accounting. They represented our state rather well.

As you may have noticed, the HotKarz homepage has a new feature - links to a few special "candid camera" pix. Though this season is over, you can expect to see more of this when the new season arrives. A light-hearted look at this wonderful hobby. And when the camera catches you off-guard, don't say you were not warned :o)

We will be adding yet another new feature next year called "Profiles". With each car show or cruise we attend, we will attempt to interview a car buff, and feature him/her on the HotKarz site for that week. In this way, we will all have a chance to get to know others of "our kind". I would like to hear if you think this is a good idea. vote in our "poll" on this page, yet another new feature I figured out how to use. There will be new polls periodically, so HotKarz can truly represent what you, the folks, want.

My wife Robin, daughter Criss and myself want to take a moment to thank each and every person we have met this year, and with whom we have shared some fine moments. We thank you, we appreciate you, and if we do not see you again until next year, we will truly miss you. But we can, and will, try to keep in touch via this blog and the HotKarz site.

Until then, do take care, and God bless you.