Yup, more weather-related content (hey, I used to fly with the Navy; weather was always something you monitored). As of this moment there’s another line of storms coming in…

BUT, yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day and yr fthfl ed took the opportunity to head out on the road with members of the Gateway Volvos. A gaggle of them motored south from Columbia right about mid-day, bound for the annual Rendezvous at Fort des Chartres. Great bunch of people, fun drive with one section in the twisties above Bluff Rd (and that’s where YFE perched with the duty camera, natch) and yes, there must’ve been a thousand reenactors camped out at the fort. Great fun!

As for exotic and/or entertaining vehicles, two, both seen on Bluff during the return drive: an immaculate 1966 Chevy Impala convertible in bright red, and a 1920-something T-bucket hotrod. Talk about top-down motoring.

Finally, this evening on the drive down I-44 from work, I managed to pass a semi and trailer, all done in flat black (!), marked for Competent Motorsport LLC. Looked the organization up; in partnership with Porsche Motorsports North America it runs the Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy. Interesting…The truck was heading west, apparently on its way from this last weekend’s event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Next race takes place the weekend of 28-29 June at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, which is most decidedly west of here.

Two weeks from tomorrow, the annual SLTOA picnic, this year at Kirkwood Park. Be there! (and if you’re not an SLTOA member reading this, by all means you’re invited. Just bring a side dish of some sort).

Bit of a layoff here at the SLTOA blog, primarily a function of long hours at work and a few other issues, slings and arrow but nothing particularly intense. As YFE sits here a line of those classic Midwestern thunderstorms have arrived over the rancho de la familia and it looks like this could be a good weekend to stay inside, get caught up on things (like the long-ignored basement cleanup and completing the June “Exhaust Notes”) while mulling over a possible drive to Fort de Chartres tomorrow.

Lest you haven’t heard, the annual Rendezvous is going on at the state historic site  down on the river near Prairie du Rocher right now.  Something like 1000 reenactors portraying French fur trappers, mountain men, Colonials, French and Brit soldiers, Indians, settlers, merchants…although at the moment, I suspect right now they’re rather wet fur trappers, mountain men, etc. One local group is planning a drive down tomorrow, our friends with the Gateway Chapter of the Volvo Club of America (hence my consideration of making a run to the fort and the event; never turn down an opportunity to get photos of neat cars on the road!). Guess we’ll have to wait and see if they pull it off, weather-wise.  They plan to meet at the “red roof” Shell station at the north end of Columbia on IL 3 at 1100, but will make the go/no-go weather determination at 9 AM.

Fortunately, last weekend the weather was great and, in and around looking for/test driving a possible replacement for my wife’s Honda, I actually saw two LBCs out running around: a great looking MGA DHC and a TR6 convertible in light blue, a color I haven’t seen too often on 6s and a car that I didn’t recognize. Regrettably, I didn’t get a good look at the driver, so I couldn’t confirm the owner was one of the SLTOA faithful. Hopefully we’ll see the car and its owner show up in the future TR events.

Finally, YFE is setting up for at least two additional family-medical-related runs to the DC-Baltimore area, the first starting on 24 June (figures…same day as the annual SLTOA picnic). Due to the scheduling of the excursion, I’ll also miss 22 June’s annual “Brits by the Bay” LBC car and motorcycle show in Westminster, MD sponsored by Triumphs Around the Chesapeake (TRAC) (rats!).  But, sometime this weekend I’ll check out TRAC’s web page, as well as the pages of the Capital Triumph Register and Delaware Valley Triumphs up in Pennsylvania. Who knows, between the three clubs and the watch schedule at the hospital, I might just be able to take in some east coast action.