Masters Miata Club

The Miata Club goes Boweling

Saturday morning we meet with the MMC for our monthly breakfast run that would then be followed with a few frames of bowling.

[English Majors, is the first sentence in this paragraph an example of irony?] We meet 2 other cars in the parking lot of Cracker Barrel for the drive to breakfast at Kegler’s Cafe at Gordon Lanes Bowling Center. The group consisted of the Rally Masters who are Wii bowlers extraordinaire, another couple who own their own bowling balls and us, whose parents bowled.

Gordon Lanes is located on Fort Gordon, an Army base located south and west of Augusta. Civilians are allowed on the base and can make use of the recreation facilities, you just have to stop at the gate, show a picture ID, car registration and proof of insurance. Since 9/11 everyone has to do that, including the military folks stationed on the Fort, us civilians then get directed to the visitor area where we again show those same documents to another set of guards who fill out our daily vehicle pass.

It used to be when you were entering a military base you were “greeted” by the respective service’s police force. Now a days, it is cheaper to contract that function out. And if you check out the full size version of the thumbnail above, it is apparently done on the lowest bidder method. Officer Jackson had a little trouble spelling my first name, but you have to give him credit for the missing A at the end of MAZD because that is how it is listed on the registration. Now, the listed destination, that right there made up for any disappointment caused by the closed Gordon Lanes and cold French Toast at the Huddle House.

Three For Three

We ate for the Trifecta. Breakfast at Autens where we were too early to for the annual pancake eating contest. Lunch at Chick-fil-A where the parking lot was full, the drive-up window line was long, but inside the service was surprisingly fast. Dinner was at Zorbas Pizza and Grill where the food was spectacularly mediocre for the price they charged for it.

Dinner with the MMC at Zorbas was a prelude to the Annual Bug Splat Rally and for only the second time in its 13 year history no one went home with the Biggest Bug trophy. I skipped 2002 for some reason and this year, as I alluded to in Friday’s post, no one hit a bug, let alone a big one. In an effort to make sure he didn’t take home the trophy, one member wrote the word bug on the green Avery dot on another car and another member, a past winner, said even if he did actually win the trophy, his wife would not let him back in the house with it. So, awaiting next year’s run, the trophy sits in a place of honor at our house; on top of the water heater in the laundry room at the back of the garage.

Started down, went up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 1052

Peach Parade

The Miata got a sponge bath in the garage last night in preparation for the MMC’s participation in the Ridge Peach Festival in Trenton today. I send out an email to the Club stating that Donna and I wouldn’t do the parade without at least 6 cars and that is exactly how many showed up at the meeting spot for our drive to Edgefield for breakfast.

After breakfast we lost a car that wasn’t doing the parade thing, but fortunately there was one car waiting at the intermediate meeting point to bring it back to the required minimum. Donna had originally planned to walk up to the main viewing area and be a spectator because creeping along at 3 miles an hour in the hot sun is not something she cares to do, but the weather was unseasonably cool enough (upper 80’s) that she ended up riding along and throwing candy to the crowds.

The picture above is my favorite of the dozen or so photos I snapped today on the event. I captured a float behind us setting up before the start of the parade in the outside rearview mirror of the Emperor. I could tell they were a church group because the shirts the adults were wearing said on the front “Do you know Jesus?” The back read in big letters, “R U SUR”. I couldn’t make out the fine print, but hopefully it explained the missing E at the end of SUR or maybe the Bible book or passage demonstrated by the Wizard of Oz. It was an off the hip shot and I didn’t realize that I had captured the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion checking the Miatas out until I got home and downloaded the pictures. You can see the all the photos taken over on the MMC Website.

Started up, went down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Tran?si?tions since 10/24/08: 1039

Happy Father’s Day

I certainly hope that all you fathers out there had half as nice a day as I did. While I’m not a father myself, so I didn’t get a hand drawn card or burnt toast in bed, I did have a nice leisurely day. This morning was spent reading (The Genesis Code by John Case) on the screened porch listening to Radio Paradise. With both the humidity and temperatures lower than normal for around here, the screened porch was the place to be. So much so that after lunch with friends I headed back out there to read some more and listen to the Red Sox trounce the Pirates.

Excuse me while I go finish the book and then it is back to reality. Tomorrow starts a new work week and I really need to get going on a Master’s Miata Club newsletter…

Started down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/05: 191