Pic-of-the-Week for July 22, 2014

Harriet is making me write Pic-of-the-Week this week because she says that I should have something to write about this past week.  I just checked and she has been sloughing off on the job!!  She has not written a Pic-of-the-Week for a month!

We just arrived in Salem Sunday afternoon, and it will be a busy week.  In our last report we were in Bend where we went to the Sisters’ Rodeo, and had our Model A Ford engine rebuilt.  After the engine was done we drove it around Bend quite a bit testing it out and making sure that everything was working OK.  We even took it to the small community of Culver (by trailer) to a small car show there.

Also at this car show was an antique Pierce-Arrow trailer.  This pickup and trailer are owned by the fellow that also worked on my Model A adjusting the brakes and fixing the rear axle.

The primary event controlling our schedule this summer was to take the Model A Ford to the national Model A Ford Club of America (MAFCA) meet being held in Puyallup, Washington this past week.  There were about 450 families signed up for the meet which meant about 400 cars!  We arrived there Monday evening and got registered.  This was the view out our hotel window.  (Do you see our woody in the middle row to the left?)

Tuesday was hurry up and get the car cleaned up and enter it in the Restorer’s Class judging.  They did not reveal the judging score until the last evening (Friday) at the awards banquet.

Later that day we went to the “LeMay - America’s Car Museum” in Tacoma.  Wow, what a place to visit for anyone that likes cars of all kinds.  This is a new museum that opened in 2012, and can hold up to about 350 cars.  For their web site go to:  http://www.lemaymuseum.org/

Maybe you would like the Duesenberg...

Or, a 1926 Rolls Royce

How do you do justice to a museum that holds 350 cars?  I guess it is impossible, so you will just have to go see it for yourself.  Right now, they have a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Mustang, and especially the Mustang Shelby.   It is located very near the Tacoma Dome.

Wednesday was a tour to “Fred’s Garage” which I thought would be about a 15 mile drive.  Well, when we received our driving instructions we learned that this would be a 50 mile tour each direction!!  The most I had driven the car prior to this was just short trips around Bend.  The route was on slower speed roads except that we had to cross the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, which is part of a freeway.

We survived the freeway travel and the 50 mile drive to Fred’s Garage without incident. 

Here are some of the vehicles that made the trip.  Notice how one stands head and shoulders above the others even when it is parked near the back of the row.

 

Fred’s Garage has a number of antique cars and tractors, (maybe 30 cars, and about that many tractors) and it is a working farm as well.

Here is a photo of a 1951 Ford for my brother Ken, who had a 1951 Ford at one time also, but his was not a convertible.

And a 1937 Cadillac.

This was our view of Mt. Rainier from our picnic table where we had a catered lunch.

Then it was another 40 mile drive back to our hotel because we skipped part of the scenic route that we took on the way there.

Ok, that is enough for one Pic-of-the-Week!  I will try to get the rest of the MAFCA meet in the next Pic-of-the-Week.

Pictures from July are posted in our 2014 July Picasa album, except for the MAFCA meet... those photos are in 2014 July MAFCA Meet.   At least some of them are!  Harriet is working on uploading and doing some captions so you know what is what!  Keep checking back on that album for updates.

Your friends, currently in Salem for doctor visits and catching up with folks...

Ben, Harriet, Sam & Zoey