EScanlon

I can summarize in a few words: Performing the PERIODIC maintenance that had NOT been done for the past 30 years, and repairing the ensuing problems. E

Actually, I also agree with Tomohawk, so no need to quibble about good singers and their individual personalizations. You'll often find that a really good singer can mimic the style of the song as it is remembered as being original and STILL render a "personal" interpretation. And you're right on about the poor singers, unfortunately we can't have them shot. Booing them would lead others to think you were booing the anthem and not the singer. So, the trick to try to meliorate this is to write the concert halls, the newspapers and the arena/stadium management and tell them exactly that....keep the personalizations out of the anthem. E

Are you referencing the "cute" video cuts on the news? Or are you referencing televised games/events where they don't jump away to commercial every chance they get? Television, unfortunately, as a business relies on the "sensationalism" of it's message to garner viewers. As Don Henley's song "Dirty Laundry" points out, people aren't interested in the clean story, they want the nitty gritty dirty story behind it. The "cute" video clip on the news is exactly that, something for you to roll your eyes about, groan about people's "dumbness" and mistakes. It's even used as a "teaser" to draw viewers to stay tuned for the 11 o'clock news and then they drag it out on every commercial break until just 2 minutes before they wrap up the newscast....they present it. All 15 seconds of it. But you stayed glued to the show just to see....someone screw up. The games/events that are televised with few commercial interruptions are either part of a station's commitment to bring you EVERY game of the local team....regardless of how poorly they're doing, and therefore that kind of sets the stage for poor talent to come forth and sing the National Anthem. You won't see the likes of Pavarotti singing it at a simple game, he'll be at the World Series. You won't catch Penny Whatshername at the Super Bowl, you'll find Beyoncé or some such. You're noting the poor ones while ignoring the good ones. And forget the "personalizations". Everyone wants to be remembered "forever", enshrined in a link such as Jimi Hendrix's rendition of the anthem. As a result, we end up with every sort of "emotional" interpretation of the anthem that somehow ignores the words and message of the anthem. I don't mind that they personalize, but I wish they wouldn't make "the twilight's last gleaming" sound as if THAT were the reason for the emotion and not "that our flag was still there". But all that aside. At least the anthem gets sung at MANY events. Now the real p!sser? The idiots who can't take a minute of their time to SHUT UP, address the Flag, and pay Respect. Now, that's a real pisser. E

See there you go again....your mind isn't going to change. You got the car for YOU and not for your wife.... You might try to get her to believe that, but amongst all of us here, many of whom have tried and bluntly, failed with that line, it won't hide the truth. Face it, you've been bitten by the Z bug. Denial will only lead to even further explanations that are as clear as mud but do cover the ground and later you'll have the big mess to clean up.:paranoid: Sometimes being bluntly truthful about something is exactly the way to go. Here's a story to illustrate: I recall one time I walked into a lingerie store and was walking around the aisles. One of the saleswomen, a very pretty and shapely young lady, asked me " May I help you find something?" To which I answered, "I'll know what I want when I see it", as I held up a very filmy piece of clothing. Her eyes squinted a bit, and then she asked in a whisper "Is this for your wife or ....?" and didn't finish the sentence. I presume that she was asking if it was for my wife or girlfriend, but I said "Oh, it's for me!" :cheeky: Her eyebrows jumped :eek: , but very calmly and professionally she mentioned that the piece I was holding up might be a ~bit~ small for me, and proceeded to pull up something in what she gauged to be "my" size. :tapemouth That's when I stopped her hand reaching into the bin and said "It is for ME to ENJOY, and for my WIFE to WEAR.":classic: The look on her face was priceless:nervous: , and she then proceeded to show me those items that she considered to be exceptionately alluring, even to the extent of draping them over her body for me to admire. At the checkout, when I handed her my credit card I asked what she would have done if it HAD been something for me. That's when she replied with a very obvious conspiratorial wink, "We can ~always~ find something to please!":devious: Which will no doubt lead to howls of inane comments, but not only did I find something that really .... titillated ... the shopping experience, it also proved quite ... profitable ... at home. So, the point of this story is simple. Don't try to BS your wife that the car is "for her". You'd sooner get her to believe a full set of Metric Sockets / Rachets and Wrenches was her anniversary present. (And be careful with that one, or you might find that she starts buying YOU Bra's and High-Heel Shoes....in her size.) Instead, show her what a fun and enjoyable car this is. Show her that this is something you plan to sincerely, methodically and systematically plan to complete and you won't need to "fool" her into believing the car is hers. Trust me on this. the LAST thing your wife wants for you to bring home is yet another project that is going to ....DIE.... in the middle of it's being completed. The last two Z's I bought were ...Dead Projects. Something someone started and just never followed through to completion. Remember, if she is what one would consider a "stereotypical" female, (and apologies to the female members of this forum who have risen above the stereotypes), she is, flatly and bluntly, as interested in your new car as you are in how the lingerie you bought for her last Valentine's Day fit her. That is, you bought the lingerie for what YOU imagined it would do FOR YOU, and not for HER comfort. The same with the car, you got it for YOU, and not for her. If you try to fool her, she'll see right through your plot and sink your dreams before you can even THINK of getting started. To those that would protest my use of allegorical similitudes, I would ask that you examine the message and not the medium. FWIW E

Curtis: Update your location in your profile, that way you'll get better responses to this type of question. E

It may also have been that that row hadn't yet been filled up at the time I took the photo. This isn't a static event, by the time you've gone from one end to the other, enough cars have arrived and some have left that you can almost start all over again. As busy as this was, it's not the busiest I've seen it. E

Oh Carl, be sure to tell us all what you find! :cheeky: Sorry Curtis, I just couldn't resist. E

Then there are some that just make you smile!

This bad boy deserves his own post! Check out the "Bumper" Sticker!

Even the Police get involved....

A broader panoramic view from the return track to try to get the large part of the field in a few shots that could be cropped together into one wide shot.

More panoramic views And the only other Z there, a 280 that snuck in (hehe ), but never found the owner to say hello or find out who it was. Anyone here?

A quick sampling of the cars in that area behind the Band Stand.

And the first pic shows those that were facing the Band Stand. The others are pics from what you could see behind the Band stand, and the view as you enter "Main Street", or the main road into the heart of this.

This week the Porsche Club of America (?) was being featured since they were holding their National Porsche Parade in Portland this week. This is the view of the "front row" as seen from the concession stand area. E

Pictures from the 8-9-06 Beaches Cruise In at Portland International Raceway. This is the view from the concession stand / snack-bar area. The Cruise-In intends to raise $130,000 in funds this year alone for underpriviledged children in the Vancouver / Portland area. Beaches is a restaurant located on the bank of the Columbia river which used to hold a Cruise-In on Wednesdays (all pre 73 cars) and Thursdays (Vettes, Vipers and other High-End Exotics). As the years went by it grew bigger and bigger. When it got too big for their parking lot, they moved it to Pearson Air Field (just east of Fort Vancouver). Then it got too big for that area, they moved it to PIR where it was held today. Although the ruling is for pre-73 cars, you still find a lot of cars that for their uniqueness, interest value, or eye-appeal make it in. Cost is a reasonable $5 per car, or $5 per person for those parking outside. It starts at 4:30pm and proceeds all summer long until close to nightfall. E

You could go to: http://www3.sears.com/ and get some of the items they list there as part of their "Service Kits" Here's the picture for your pump I got from there. E

Ah, the mystery suddenly unfolds!! Have your Dad ask them about it. That will give him an opportunity to get a better evaluation and will let the shop know that they have a long-time customer who's checking on them. 2¢ E

Good catch Stephen, I missed that part. But I agree with you, where were they putting the nuts they were removing that they didn't notice one missing....and further, why did they just go get another without questioning the missing part. Then to top it off, No test drive? Or did that problem arise AFTER it had been picked up and driven a bit. E

Well, consider it a standing invitation. :cheeky: Uh-huh, go ahead, and if she believes that one (like none of us have ~ever~ tried that line), I can get you a real good deal on some exclusive beach front property in Arizona. E

My question involves why there would be a loose nut floating about the engine compartment when all they did was tighten down a fuel line clamp and ball joints. Would replacing the ball joints involve removing the strut? And if that is the case, when they went to put it back and they discovered that they were shy one nut they just....what? Blew it off? Found another and disregarded where the original disappeared to? And, most importantly, after having done work on the car's steering they did not take it out for a test drive or even start it up to move it out of the bay? Hmmm, I would definitely have some quetions about their procedures. Not to lambaste your mechanic, but something is fishy in the state of Kansas....and it's not a coastal state. 2¢ E

As soon as my lottery ticket wins the big one, you got it. That's pretty good, I thought it would take you and others a bit longer. Not sure of the years, the owners weren't by them, but they were two beautiful automobiles. Did you see the Gull Wing Mercedes? Believe me when I say that this is but a mere ~handful~ of dozens of really REALLY beautiful cars. I didn't take pictures of every one, just the really outstanding, unusual and RARE ones. Tomorrow, I'll post you a few showing as much of the cruise-in as I can get into them. Remember, this is a WEEKLY cruise-in, not just a regular once a year show. Not to take away from the yearly ones, but some of these cars come back week after week. These are DRIVEN and not trailered (ok, a FEW get trailered, but only a very small few). You should see the highway when the end of the show arrives and they start rolling off for home. Well, I'll post after tomorrow's meet. Enrique

Last but by no means least.... That last picture is of a pair of EXHAUST WHISTLES! I wish I had had a recorder, they were WILD!! Wait till tomorrow.....

And a pair of classics.....

And now, for something completely different....