New Pix

We have some new pix available. Ralph & Ulla Stowell ('40 Ford Coupe) submitted some great pix of the show at New Gloucester this past Saturday, which have been added to the New Gloucester page. These new pix include shots of some of the winners. Sorry, folks - we did not get shots of everyone, as Ralph (age 72) is not yet proficient with digital stuff. But the pix he did get were pretty good!

At the Oxy/Metalworks Smoke Show page, there are some additional pix provided by Monica Bragdon. These pix are of very good quality - I'm sure you will enjoy them (if you like smoke shows).

We at HotKarz want to extend our warmest thanx to these contributing shutter-bugs. Their participation is greatly appreciated, and provides entertainment for all.

It is so nice when our visitors take part. Thank you.

Profiles

Well, the "poll" is over, and 100% of those who voted like the idea of incorporating PROFILES on the HotKarz site next season. So, that is what we will do :o)

I have been getting a lot of positive feedback about HotKarz, and it looks like we're here for the long run. It's a lot of work, but it is a labor of love. The big challenge right now lies in getting "visitor participation" to keep things interesting over the long winter months. C'mon, folks - I could really use some stories, personal "car" project pix and/or just about anything else you would like to contribute.

This website is for you! Don't be shy about standing up to be counted, and making it your own, personal forum.

Now, about "gatherings" - it seems that the bunch of car nuts that frequent Two Trails Fabulous '50's Diner will be having a Christmas party (presumably sometime around Christmas), to be held at and hosted by the Diner. Good going, folks! Maybe this will catch on.

If you are interested in being part of this Xmas party, let me know - send me your name and phone number to ptwoodycrew@aol.com , and I will pass it on to the host at the Diner. They will call everyone when arrangements are made. We always have a fun time at the Diner, and you will find yourself welcome to join 'em. No need to be a member of any club, but if you are, that's just fine, too.

Later!

BJ

New Gloucester

We were unable to go to the show in New Gloucester on Saturday, but we can thank Dale Chasse for sending us pix to post on Hotkarz. This is exactly the sort of participation we encourage, and it is the sort of thing that will make HotKarz more fun and of greater value to all. Thanx, Dale. Would like to meet you someday :o)

I do recognize many of the cars in the pictures, so it would seem that the show went off fairly well. And it appears the weather held - at least, according to the pix I have seen.

The little woman and I were in Pittsburg, NH over the weekend. We thought it was time we got to know each other again - our daughter Criss was born 16 years ago, and the wife and I have not had any time alone since. So, this was a nice, well-earned getaway. We planned on doing a lot of nothing, and succeeded in getting most of it done.

We did see several moose, including a cow with two calves (almost as big as herself). We saw them twice, in fact. Since it was the first day of moose season, we were happy to see them all still together as the sun set on 1st Connecticut Lake.

We met a great guy in Pittsburg, through mutual friends who have a store on Lake Francis. This fellow came to Pittsburg to "keep a low profile", and live anonymously. He's building a log home, straight off the land. However, life being what it is (unpredictable), his desire for anonymity has resulted in his becoming a local "character" that everyone knows. He has become almost a legend. I suspect kids will be singing songs about him 'round the campfires for generations to come.

So much for keeping a "low profile."

Well, it's gettin' late and I now have a lot of work to catch up on. Hope you all are well.

BJ

"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

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.

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.

Tuna!

Surprize! A PT Cruiser won the "Best Tuner" award at Shaw's Ridge today. The PT has dolphins etched on the windows, so I can only assume the voters thought they were tuna, and figured "Best Tuna" was close enough. Oh, well. No accounting for taste, I guess. (I can afford to poke fun at this, 'cuz the PT is my car :o)

OK, so here goes - at least 30 people approached me today to get my take on this show, and each of them offered their own comments. So, I will offer up what appears to be the general consensus. But it seemed most folks were in agreement about most things.

On the upside, the place was roomy - lotsa space for a lotta of cars. The hosts were super, friendly and fun. The food was good, with many amenities - including bathrooms that were actually hooked up to a septic system. A bakery, a restaurant, a DJ - all in all, a great place for a car show. And, of course, they did enough promotion, because a lot of cars showed up, which is always helpful when hosting a car show.

The consensus thu far was: This show, at this location, has huge potential. If they can iron out a few shortcomings, this could easily be one of the biggest and best shows in the region.

Which brings us to those shortcomings I mentioned. And I certainly hope no one takes offense, because I call 'em like I see 'em 'cuz honest criticism can be help something good to evolve into something better.

The Biggee: classifications. The few classes for this show were not distinct - such a generality as "Best Stock", or "Best Custom" is confusing, and makes it very difficult to judge. Since almost every vehicle on the field is competing in several categories, and the vehicles are all spread out, most voters had a tough time deciding what class this or that would be in, and had to walk the field numerous times in order to compare vehicles for a class. The stock '50's were over there. Stock trucks were over there. Stock antiques were somewhere else. In short, the categories were much too vague, and lent themselves to duplication - too many folks winning too many of the awards. It's like what happened at the Oxy show, where the classes were extremely general, and one person took home exactly half the trophies. Of course, he earned them, but that is not the point. The point is that classes should be distinct enough to avoid any one person taking home a bunch of awards. If there is an award for Best Mustang, then you can be sure a Chevelle will not take home that trophy.

So, if the hosts of this show were to revamp their classification system, it would not only be more fair to all, but would encourage more people to return the next year.

Next: Parking. I heard far too many people comment about how there was no system to the parking, and no one seemed to know who should park where. One fellow was directed to park in a certain area, after having asked someone else who said to "park anywhere". When he got there, someone else told him he needed to move to another area. He left the show, a bit steamed. Of course, the simple cure for this haphazard parking system is to have more distinct classes, and assign areas of the field to each class. Then there is no question as to where a car should spend the day. So, by reclassification, both of these problems would be solved.

Finally: The only other complaints I heard more than once revolved around 1) half the trophies going to three people (again, this can easily be cured by a better system of classes for the cars) and 2) the length of the day - most car shows do the awards by around 2 pm, because many entrants have a long drive home, and like to get there for dinner. Most agreed that 8-4 made for a LONG day, and a lot of cars left before the awards. Fortunately, the hosts pushed up the clock a bit and everything was over by around 3-ish. But by then, many had long since left, with the impression it would go on until 4 or after.

Shaw's Ridge, as I stated earlier, has the potential to be a top show. And most of the folks I talked to agreed. But they also agreed it can only get there by offering a more structured environment (classes/parking) and understanding that many folks just cannot stay so late.

Tomorrow I am off to Stratham NH for the Boy Scout Show. Perhaps I will try to etch the word DOLPHIN on the windows, so they don't confuse them with tuna.