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Newcomers Recap at Archive Framingham

Hi everyone,


If you couldn’t make it to our Newcomers Event on March 15th in Framingham, you definitely missed out on more than baked tasty treats and Ferraris in the back corner .
We had an incredible turnout of new and longtime members who came together to connect, share stories, and celebrate what makes our club so special. From the moment people arrived, the energy was high—great conversations, new friendships forming, and plenty of Porsche passion in the room. It was exactly the kind of welcoming, engaging atmosphere we want every member to experience.
What stood out most was how quickly strangers became part of the community. That’s what this club is all about—not just the cars, but the people behind them.
If you weren’t there, consider this your official nudge: you don’t want to miss the next one.

 

We have more events coming up, and they’re only getting better. Make sure you’re staying in the loop:

  • Check out our new website for event updates and announcements

  • Follow us on social media to stay connected between events

  • And most importantly, come introduce yourself in person next time

As Membership Chair, I’m here to help you get the most out of the club. Think of me as your concierge—whether you’re new, returning, or just looking to get more involved, I’d love to connect and help you plug in.

Feel free to reach out anytime, and I hope to see you at our next event.

 

Best regards,
Kevin Moran
Membership Chair
Porsche Club of America – Northeast Region
[email protected]

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PCA Announces 70th Anniversary Club Coupe!

PCA National has taken the wraps off of the 70th Anniversary Club Coupe, a special edition of the 992.2 Carrera T designed to commemorate 70 years of Porsche Club of America.

70 lucky PCA members will be chosen from a raffle drawing to purchase this exclusive 911, and one of those members could be you!

For full details and raffle entry instructions, check out the advertisement from PCA National below, or click the link here!

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The Forgotten Porsche

Normally on this web site we expect to see the latest adventures of Tom Tate.  This article is a little different.  Instead of a story by Tom, this is a story about Tom.   This past Thursday Tom presented his latest adventure to a packed house at the Lars Andersen Museum entitled “The Forgotten Porsche”. 

This was the story of the restoration of the “Puddle Jumper”.   Tom’s black 356A sunroof coupe.   If you are a regular reader of Tom’s work, you have read of this car before as Tom went thru the tribulations of the restoration process and wondered just how did it get that name?   I’d assumed it probably had something to do with the water filled pothole riddled streets of New England combined with the rust prone floor pans of an old 356.   But no, the “Puddle” referred to is rather larger than that.  There is a placard on the dash installed by the original owner’s son that explains the origin of the name.   Look for the car at the next Concours or Cars and Coffee where Tom brings the car.   ( Tom has a number of Porsches to select from so it’s always a surprise which one he shows up with.)  I guess you’ll just have to attend some  upcoming events to learn more of the origin story.

The physical restoration of the car from the engineless non-drivable car with front end body damage to show ready condition that was done over a period of 15 years is only half the story.  As with any classic car or antique, a large part of the value is in “The Provenance” – The history and the story of the car.   As only the second owner of the Car, Tom had the advantage of talking with the family of the original owner  so, over time he was able to document the entire history of the car,  right down to a photo of the original hand written in German Porsche Factory  “Cardex”   ( Build sheet) .     

Another element of the story was the effort to find parts for a 60 year old car that had a total world wide yearly production was only 600 + examples,   Parts for the original optional hand windup clock that was part of the Glove Box door or the 2nd cable drive for the Halda SpeedPilot Rally clock that was added by the first owner.   The number of 356’s  built that were Black Sunroof Coupes  (an unpopular color and expensive  option in the period)  dwindles the total examples down to just a handful.   Tom’s car is remarkably complete with the original engine back in it’s place, missing only the electric auto-retractable radio antenna that still is on the “needed to find” list.   If you know of one, I’m sure Tom wants to hear from you.    

Ted Shaw

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Random Thoughts and Other Musings

Ok   —  I get it  – Print Media is dead.  Things that were required back then, or at least expected,  when I first Joined PCA  in 1971 are just no longer available,  Everyone had a subscription to Road and Track and Car and Driver.   ( and a  dozen others depending on your various passions)    Those of us who followed racing and wanted our news that was only 10 days or less  old  subscribed to a weekly newspaper,  Competition Press  / Autoweek.    On Sundays Cameron Dewer  (  yes – as in the Scotch ) had an automotive column in the Boston Globe Automotive section.    Most of it is now gone.   Who needs 6 week old reports on races like the 24 hours of Le Mans when you can watch them live on TV with things like in car cameras and see more than if you actually attended the race in person.  I can personally attest that being a Crew Member for a 935 Team at 3 AM at a cold rainy 24 Hours of Daytona is not really quite as much fun as you might imagine. 

But there is Print Media that is still hanging on.    Panorama for one,  Not quite the same as when Betty-Jo ran it with Len doing the principal Photography, but Pano is now a much more refined and Professional publication that deserves your full attention every month. 

All of which brings me to the point of this column.     At this years Winter Warmer I picked up a copy of Christophorus.    For those of you unfamiliar with Christophorus ,  It is the official Porsche Publication published quarterly.  In ten different Languages.    It’s available by subscription.   24 Euros a year payable by credit card  on the Porsche web site.      Subscription | Porsche Christophorus

……   which is a whole lot easier than when I first subscribed.   Then you sent a check payable in Deutschmarks in one those thin Blue overseas airmail envelopes to an address written in German, hopefully spelled and formatted correctly.   Somewhere along the line I allowed My subscription to lapse.  I just resubscribed. 

The current issue  ( # 413  Q4 2024)   includes a driving report of a trip from Vietnam to Mongolia in a 911 Dakar,   a story on 25 years of GT3’s, a fascinating and candid  interview with  Oliver Blume   the Chairman of the Board of Porsche AG.  Another road trip  story  driving 4 difference  Taycans  2,700 miles  Stuttgart to Istanbul  with details on charging times, energy use using the Porsche charging Planner   

If you’re not quite ready for the full Christophorus experience  in glorious print on premium paper you  just go to the web site Porsche Christophorus for the web version of the same content.  But, trust me.  the print version is the better choice.  

  

 More random Things

Here a link to t an interesting You Tube Porsche adventure  I Bought a Half Price Used Porsche Taycan and Drove it 2,300 Miles Home In Winter! – TheSmokingTIre .   Matt purchases a used Taycan Cross Turismo  –  a 2 year old –  under 20,000 Porsche for 50% off the Original MSRP!  In Detroit And then proceeses to immediately drive it home to LA in the middle of Winter.  What could possibly Go wrong with that plan as the old saying goes.   Well  — amazingly nothing did.  Instead he spends most of the time  praiseing the performance of the  Built-in Travel Planner app to minimize recharging times.   

 

And here’s another You Tube series along the Same lines.    Racing From Seattle To Boston In The Best Road Tripping EVs! The Cross Country I-90 Surge – Pt. 1/4     A four part series of 8 different EV’s on a cross country Trip.  You can probably guess which one came out as the best of the bunch. 

Ted Shaw  

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Four Speeds and Drum Brakes: New Cars and New Prices

                     Back in the early ’70’s I worked at a Porsche dealership in Boston and watched as the price of German cars was headed north due to the rising value of the German mark against the US dollar and changes required by the EPA. Big bumpers, door guards and emission requirements added to the costs of every car everywhere. The new 914 quickly went from a starting price of $3995 to $6995 in just 5 years. New 911’s that had a base price of $8600 in 1970 but started at $15,000 by 1977.
                     Compare  those numbers with Pony cars that started the period with Mustangs at $3800 and Camaros at $3500. By 1977 they were only higher by about 15% ($4300 and $4000 respectively). For a driver looking for a sporty car it was a tough sell unless they could be educated in a hurry. 
                     I remember when the first new 911 arrived that had a MSRP (base price before shipping and any options) of $9995, we thought the game was over. A Z-28 was half that amount and the goal of most buyers was to keep their car payment under $100, tough to do using those numbers.  
                     Cars have never been cheap but over the years while we haven’t been paying attention they have really become a major expense for every family, not just rich single guys looking for a super car.  
                   A recent article in the Wall Street Journal prompted the above review.  Edmunds.com, as quoted,  reported that the average monthly car payment in the US is a record $754 per month. The report went on to say that 18.9% of all buyers pay over $1000 per month to put that car in the driveway, plus the cost of insurance and various taxes. What happened? 
                  Data shows that the average auto loan today is $42,113 compared to $39,977 a year ago and that’s just the average, some are higher. Interest rates on auto loans have declined in the last year from 7.4% to 6.8% but those zero interest loans from a few years ago are long gone. Used car loans start at 11% so it looks like cash is king nowadays. 
                  Six year loans are common now, while we couldn’t go beyond 48 months back in the day. Most cars then wouldn’t last that long. 
          Those kinds of numbers are causing drivers to keep their cars longer than ever before with the average age of cars on the road at 12.6 years. Even with high parts and higher labor rates, $700 per month will cover a lot of repair bills, so used cars look like great value. Just keep throwing money at it and keep it on the road.
                  With the higher costs of cars everyone needs more insurance to cover the risk of accidents. As I reported last year a slight bumper cover scuff is no longer $1000, it’s $10k and four weeks to repair.  Insurance rates are up over 32% in the last two years and that’s if you haven’t crashed or been caught speeding.  Do I have to mention the annual car excise tax in Mass?
                  Excise taxes are based upon the original cost of each car without any options. The tax is $25 per $1000 of value but that value is reduced in the first 5 years to 10%of original base price. For old cars like a couple in my garage I pay the $5 minimum. For newer cars like the Audi RS4 (2001) the bill is less than $70 per year. When I get those bills I can’t get the check mailed fast enough. 
                  A new Porsche, like a 992 ,even after the 5 year depreciation window, would carry a $330 per year excise tax bill into the future. No wonder there are so many expensive cars driving around with NH plates on them.
                 The price to play has never been cheap but it’s always been worth it. As they say, ” you can’t take it with you”. We made it this far, now’s the time to drive fast and take chances.
           

-KTF 

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Southern Roads & Museums: Part 4

 

Thursday, April 14 is to be a day of finally driving real southern roads. 

Up to now it has been all interstates and connecting local roads. Linda and I (well I much more than Linda) have been looking forward to these mountain roads for some time. 

Skyline Drive is about 105 miles long and snakes along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park.  It begins just south of Front Royal and ends at Afton, Virginia.         

Long before I met Linda, I was into motorcycle touring big time.  One of my dreams was to drive Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway on my Yamaha touring bike.  Now that dream would be fulfilled …. but on 4 wheels not 2.  Driving this ribbon of asphalt should be a real joy in our 911 Porsche. 

Skyline Drive is part of the National Parks System.  Thus, there is a modest $30 charge for admission.  BUT… if you have a National Parks Pass (we have had one for about 10 years) you can just show your card and off you go. 

Since we are driving on a Thursday in April, there was practically NO traffic on the road.  The speed limit is a modest 35 MPH and I need to keep an eye on the speedometer as occasionally I would look down and be hitting 60.  The road is all black top, double yellow line and is in GREAT condition.  You are constantly climbing and then dropping down, negotiating gentle curves and some tight switchbacks.  This is a perfect road for a Porsche.  But I have to remember it is a road for touring, not racing.  We are here for the scenery and by golly there is some great scenery. 

Every couple of miles there are scenic overlooks where you can pull over and take in the view.  Some overlooks will have a marker with a bit of history of the area and/or the spectacle you are gazing at.  Linda and I had planned to spend all day on this section of road.  Since it is 105 miles long and the speed is 35 MPH, we reasoned that it would take us most of the day to complete the task.  We were certainly correct in this calculation.

One fact we discovered the hard way was is that traveling in mid-April has certain disadvantages.  Due to the time of the year many of the rest areas along the drive were closed and locked.  For people of a certain age this can be discouraging.       

Fortunately, about half way along at Mile Marker 53 the Harry F. Bird 

Visitor Center was open.  A bonus for us is that there was a great little museum (no charge) that explained the history of Skyline Drive and how/why it was built.  We spent perhaps 90 minutes here and I personally was struck with the “stories” of the local people who had to sell their land to the government so that the road could be built. 

What was really fascinating (to me at least) is the fact that MANY families lived out here in the mountains of Virginia and the Carolina’s.

Their homes could best be described as rustic.  Local roads were in name only being mostly just cart tracks for horse drawn wagons.  Yet families had existed this way for many generations, living off the land and somehow managing to survive.  When the decision was made to construct Skyline Drive and The Blue Ridge Parkway all this land had to be surveyed.  A price for the land and buildings had to be determined, then eventually sold to the Federal Government so that work could begin.   Just the logistical complications of this boggled my rather feeble mind. 

Sometimes a museum can really open your eyes to a fact of life that you had never considered.  This modest but well thought out space was certainly one that gave my brain a nudge. 

Refreshed after our stop we were back in Miss P and touring the second half of Skyline drive.  The weather was gorgeous if a bit chilly and the road was pretty much our own.  We’d pull off at an overlook and gaze for a while and all this time no other car would pass by either north or southbound.  Truly we had this place to ourselves and I must say we and Miss P really enjoyed the trip.  I can’t believe it is like this in the summer time, or especially in Autumn during foliage season.  But April seems to be an ideal time for traversing these southern roads

By 4:30 we had finished our Skyline Drive journey and it was time to call it a day.  

Afton is the first town one encounters after the southern exit from Skyline Drive.  Linda had booked a room at the Afton Mountain Bed & Breakfast located the Afton / Waynesboro area.  This was our first B&B in many years.  The house was built about 1855 and had great local history.  It was clean as a whistle, the bed was comfortable, the owners were friendly and the breakfast in the morning was top notch. 

 

During breakfast we were seated with a nice couple from the Michigan Upper Peninsula.  Linda and I were traveling Skyline / Blue Ridge from north to south.   William and Susan were traveling the same roads but from south to north.  They had been to the Biltmore in Ashville North Carolina (our eventual destination) and gave us some good tips on the what to look for on the house tour. They even suggested we take the “back stairs tour” which they highly recommended.  Unfortunately, when Linda tried to book this section of the tour later that morning it was sold out.  Bummer.

William gave me a heads up, noting that certain sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway were closed and that we should be aware of this.   He commented that they had driven north about 15 miles along one section of the Parkway and came upon a ROAD CLOSED sign.  They could go no further and had to turn around and retrace their steps.  William was NOT impressed. 

As a side note, for our Porsche Taycan drivers, the Afton B&B has an electric charging station for your EV.  I asked and there is no extra cost for this feature.  Like the morning breakfast it is all included in the rather modest nightly fee.

As we depart our overnight abode, we are set to begin our first section of The Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway.  What new experiences will be on tap for today?  Only time … and miles… will tell.

Next Time

The Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway…

-Ray Boyer

                                                                                                                                

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Southern Roads & Museums: Part 2

With the rain pelting down we head out from our Bellingham, MA home just after 9am on the first part of our multi-day southern tour.  The itinerary will include all of the 105-mile Skyline Drive (just south of Washington, DC) and 3 portions (about 325 miles) of the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway.  Hopes are high that we will have fun… but first we have to get there.

As most of us who live in this area know, unless you are going north to Canada, there are really only two logical ways to get OUT of the general greater Boston metropolitan area if you are heading south.  You go due west on the Pike past Worcester, then to Route 84 and down around Hartford.  The alternative is our choice.  Since we live almost on the Rhode Island line we travel through my home state, picking up Route 295 South in RI and merging into Route 95 South and head on into Connecticut along the BORING 95 corridor.  Yes, it’s boring, but it is pretty fast and on a Tuesday morning traffic is somewhat light.

Unlike the rain which is NOT light at all.  My baby is getting wet.

Since we have never really driven Miss P in a long recurring rain storm, we made an interesting discovery.  The windshield wiper system on this P-car is really rather neat… and SMART.  I never noticed this before.  Yet driving in steady rain, with the wipers set at a moderate speed the frequency of the blade’s swipe change with the intensity of the rain.

“Hey Linda, look at this” I mention to our trusty navigator.  She always has a map on her lap and many times she is looking down, tracking our path on the old school paper display.  “Watch the wipers… they speed up or slow down depending upon how hard it is raining or how fast we are going”. 

We observe this phenomenon for several minutes and several speed changes before either one of us speaks.  Linda is the first one to break the spell.  “Wow, that is pretty neat.  I’m not sure how it works… but it’s a good idea.  I’m glad you bought this car.  It certainly amuses you”. 

She is right.  Amuse is perhaps not the exact word I’d use.  Intrigue or inspire, or perhaps aspire is probably a better word.  I have always “aspired” to own a Porsche but it was not until I was almost 70 years old that I took the plunge and actually bought one.  Now after 2 plus years of ownership Linda and I are still learning new things about our P car. 

One feature we really like is the Navigation system.  Now remember our car is a 2011 model, so things have probably improved in 10 plus years.  FYI, we own a 29-foot motor home and tow a 20-foot race car trailer to various SCCA event.  In 2018 we bought a new state of the art Garmin GPS for the motorhome.  For this southern trip with took the Garmin along as a “backup”.   In 12 days of traveling, we never took the Garmin out its case. 

Linda does all of the navigation and we have used the P-car Nav system many times in the past.  Yet for this trip we REALLY used the Navigation.  Only once in the multiple days we were on the road did the system fail us.   We were looking for an “odd address” in Asheville North Carolina and the Porsche Nav system could not find it.  So Linda, needing never to be lost, pulls out her trusty I Phone.  She puts in the mysterious address and guides us in to our destination.  Kind of like an air traffic control operator at an airport. “You are clear to land Miss P.  Use Runway 32 Left…. You have reached your destination.  Your destination will be on the Right.”

One of the nice features of the Porsche Navigation system that I like is that the big center screen display can come up (in condensed form) on the instrument cluster right in front of me.  Thus, when we would get close to some destination, or turning point on a highway, I would bring the Nav up on the center display.   Then once the command had past, I would switch back to my preferred display which is usually “Miles to Empty and Miles per Gallon’. 

On our first day out, as we worked our way south to Wilmington, Delaware, the Nav system really came into its own.  Things were going well on 95 South until we hit New Haven.  Traffic is stopped and appears to be backed up for miles.  It’s still raining, the uniqueness of the magic windshield wipers is wearing off and it’s time to get off the road.

I find the first available exit and make our escape.  

“What are you doing” asks Linda, rather surprised we are not sticking to our agreed upon route.

“We’re not going to sit here all day waiting for the tow trucks to come and clear the obvious accident up ahead.  I know the Merritt Parkway is over that way somewhere.  Let’s see if we can find it.”

This is one of the advantages of old school paper maps.  Linda always has a general idea of where we are on the map. 

“Ok, fine.  What’s the route number for the Merritt Parkway” she asks.

Racking my brain for a moment I blurt out “Either 32 or 15.  I’m not sure.  But I think it’s either 32 or 15”.  We are in city traffic now and I’m beginning to tense up. 

The map reader takes a few moment (Recalculating… Please wait) and says “Ok… here it is.  Let’s figure out how to get there.”

Ah… the beauty of having a calm navigator at your side.  “Don’t worry captain… we’ll get this plane on the ground just as soon as we find a suitable airport and runway to land on.  It should not be too hard to find in all this rain.” 

With a combination of the Porsche Navigation system (find Merritt Parkway… it does) plus a dedicated human navigator, we work our way along New Haven city streets (Hey look, that’s Yale University) and get on the Merritt Parkway, heading south naturally.

Once on the Merritt things decidedly take a turn for the better. 

“Linda, look at the sky up ahead, I think is getting lighter.  Plus the rain seems to be tapering off now. 

Linda looks at the map.  “What way are you going to go now that we have altered our course?”

Without hesitation comes the answer.

“Merritt Parkway south and cross into New York.

Pick up 287 west and cross the Hudson on the Tappan Zee Bridge.

They now call it the Mario Cuomo bridge by the way, if you can’t find the Tappan Zee on your map. 

Then pick up the Garden State Parkway once we get into New Jersey.”

I’ve been this way many times (haven’t we all)… so I know the roads rather well.

“Got it” says the map lady.  She finds a spot in New York and pulls out her trusty I Phone and consults the oracle. 

 “What’s the weather now in Nyack New York” she types.   

Within seconds she has the answer. 

“Right now, in Nyack it is not raining and it is expected to be sunny and about 55 degrees by 2pm.  I think we are driving out of the rain.”

Slowly I begin to relax and enjoy driving Miss P.  The rain abates and the roads dry.  The wipers are off and now it’s head down and full speed ahead as we motor on to Willimgton, Delaware.          

We easily make the Managers Special at 5:30pm at the Embassy Suits Hilton.  One dollar a drink and free cheese and crackers till 7pm.

Plus a day of driving Miss P.

What’s not to like? 

Next Time

Air & Space Museum plus Skyline Drive

-Ray Boyer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Southern Roads & Museums: Pt 1

“You realize don’t you, that if we take this trip, Miss P is going to get wet.  If we are on the road for 10 or 12 or 14 days, EVENTUALLY it is going to rain.  And Miss P will get wet.  You realize what you are saying… right ?”

That is my wife Linda talking and she is telling me the facts of life.

Facts which sometimes I fail to recognize or refuse to acknowledge. 

Miss P is our first Porsche, a 2011 Carrera model 911.  Basic car, two wheel drive, PDK.  We have owned her since August of 2019.  She had just passed 41 thousand miles when we (well I really) claimed her.  Now she had just over 59 K, so in only slightly more than 2 full years we had clocked up about 18 thousand miles.  Miss P is certainly not a garage queen but she definitely is pampered. 

Linda and I like to go for “rides”.  During the early days of Covid Miss P was our lifeboat.  If it was a nice sunny day we’d get out of the house and go for a ride.  It did not matter where… just getting out for 2 or 3 or 4 hours was an escape from being house bound due to the pandemic. 

Notice the phrase “a nice sunny day”.  The Porsche NEVER started out on a “ride” if it was raining, or even threatening to rain.  I would consult with Linda and she would check the forecast on her phone and if things looked clear we would take off.  Once on the road, if it happened to turn dark and threating to rain, and if we were close to home (say 40 miles or less) often times we would turn around and head for the barn before the rain drops fell.  If we were beyond the range of a safe return, we would tough it out.  Linda would say “she’s just a car…she’s tough.  She can take it”.  But I would think “My baby’s getting wet … and DIRTY.”

God forbid !

Thus my proposal to take a road trip down south to drive the Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway sparked a bit of surprise from my better half.  That many days away would certainly entail some risk.  Yet the lure of mountain switch backs and interesting museums (Linda and I love museums) eventually overcame the desire to keep Miss P clean and dry.

We began planning for this trip just after Christmas time.  The Porsche was safe (and clean) in the garage.  She had no inkling of what we were cooking up.   At first we thought about traveling in Mid-March.  But that seemed a bit optimistic because we reasoned that there could be SNOW in the mountains down south.  Miss P had never even SEEN snow and was not about to on my watch.  So, we altered our initial thoughts and moved the departure date to April 12.

Linda began planning her wardrobe well before our start date.  Twelve or more days on the road requires her to give a lot of thought as to what to bring and how to fit it all into a 911.  At first Linda was thinking she was only going to bring a small overnight bag, like you would carry onto an airplane.  I heard what she was saying but felt she was being unrealistic.  She would NEVER be able to get by with a small overnight bag, not for so many days on the road. “But there is not much room in the Porsche” she lamented.  “I will just have to make it work”. 

For long trips Linda has a good-sized piece of travel luggage that is about 28” wide, 10” high and about 12” deep.  I took the bag (along with Linda) and brought them both into the garage.  I open the front trunk and slipped the big piece of luggage into the space.  It fit like a glove (a tight glove for sure) and there was a little space remaining for a set of Jumper cables and a few hand tools.  Now Linda had many more options for clothes and alternative paring of outfits.  She was a happy camper. 

Besides the “big bag” in front we also each brought a small overnight bag.  These fit nicely side by side on the shelf where the rear seats fold down.  For myself I have a decent sized soft sided luggage bag that I have used for year.  This conveniently slide into the remaining space right behind the driver on the new “shelf” we had made with the smaller overnight bags.            

 

Linda had one smaller portable bag that fit on the new “shelf” behind her seat.   Add in some full winter coats (a good decision on our part) some maps and other nick knacks and the rear portion of Miss P was rather full.   Yet I could still see out the rear window… so from a driving perspective everything would work out.

We planned the route with great care.  About 350 miles per day, or slightly less, is a comfortable mileage goal for us.  So, day 1 would get us from the Metro West area of Boston to Wilmington, Delaware.   Linda is a “Hilton Girl”.  We like to stay at Hilton locations and Linda finds a Hilton unit whenever she can.   For Wilmington it was the Embassy Suites and our objective was to be checked in with plenty of time to make the Managers Special which begins at 5:30pm.  Free wine and cheese … what’s not to like. 

Tuesday the 12th arrives and we are up and packed and ready to go by 9am.  I look out the window and guess what?    It’s RAINING !  We have not even gotten out of the garage and it’s raining.  And not just a light rain either.  “It’s raining really HARD Linda” was my lament. 

Linda can tell I’m thinking about alternatives, like maybe waiting a day before starting out.  She can see the doubt in my eyes and hear the hesitation in my voice.  “You know it’s raining out” I say again. 

Her reply is soothing but somewhat forceful.

“Look, we discussed this.  It had to rain sometime.  Today’s its raining.  So what?? She’s just a car. She even has heated seats if it gets cold.  She can take it. She’s tough.  So, let’s stop hemming and hawing and get on the road.”

So, with dread in my heart and rain on the windshield we hit the road.

The adventure has begun.

-Ray Boyer


NEXT TIME

Driving in the rain, new Porsche discoveries and museums to explore.

 

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