A bridge close enough

PENSACOLA, Fla., Apr. 26-27 -- The weather offered to be perfect -- warm enough with just a touch of refreshing coolness in the early morn -- for the Friday events and Saturday car show at our 27th "Annual Brits on the Bay."

Due to the careful planning of our Friday Events Coordinators, Cameron Leonard and Fred Veenshoten, those events turned out to be stellar. Cameron took a crowd of about three dozen to visit sites where air traffic control worked its wonders, and Fred shepherded a gaggle of Morgan owners of all stripes (the largest turnout of Morgans ever) to visit that Pensacola wonder, the Naval Air Museum. But wait, there's more! (As they say on TV.)

Friday night's Welcoming Party, directed by Bob Manske and his band of stalwarts, laid out a wonderful spread of food and libations, while Jeff Olive gave away his signature handcrafted stirring spoons, made from exotic woods. Lots of friendly talk and lies helped make it a good night for everyone, with the largest attendance ever of satisfied car folks. The official count was 201.

Saturday morning continued the delightful weather, warm enough, but with that hint of coolness, as Your Loyal Correspondent (YLC) showed up bright and early, anxious to correct his reputation of slacker by his good works. After getting ready to assist Mike Japp with all the picture-taking, YLC walked over to re-position one of the road barricades. Having done so, he walked away, leaving his foot entangled in the leg of the barricade, resulting in his becoming better acquainted with the roadbed than is wise.

Marc Cherry, taking charge of a ragtag band of would-be medical assistants, first with their help staunched the more obvious wounds with paper towels and duct tape and then called an ambulance (thanks, Marc). The resulting visit to the emergency room saw YLC's head (and other parts) bloody but unbowed. So much for his participation in the day’s festivities, but he did earn an award for the day. Yes, the "Hard Luck Award."

His absence hardly noticed, the events rolled on, and they were spectacular, he has been told. With 141 cars registered, there was barely enough room at Seville Square, but Mark Cherry and Rich Willows overcame all obstacles, with even enough room to move about.

Door prizes, the raffle and the 50/50 captured lots of attention, and by the time the awards ceremony was over, there were lots of tired, but happy participants. See the list of winners. Hope you were one of them.

Recent activities

All our recent activities have been show-oriented, even our April 15th monthly meeting and May 4th "wrapup" critique of the show. They paid off!

Other events in May included the May 20th monthly meeting at Sonny's, with the usual companionship, business, door prizes, and 50/50, and "Fancy Friday on the Town" at the Wash House on Scenic Hwy. 98 in Fairhope, Ala., on May 31st -- a bit of a drive but well worth it.

Upcoming events

June 4 - Breakfast at the Grand, 10 a.m., followed by the Executive Board Meeting. All are welcome.

June 17 - Monthly meeting at Sonny's BBQ, 7 p.m.

Hope to see you there.

Till next time, look where you're going.

'Brits on the Bay' honorees: Click here for the 2019 Winner's List