After three weeks in England, I returned home long enough to spray some
Right Guard, get some clean clothes, and take Pam in tow for a trip to
the races at Blackhawk Farms where I put some faces to previously
faceless names on these Spridgets lists. For Pam, it was a first
tenuous trip since her accident six years ago.
Peter C. had made reservations for us at the local hostelry, and
fortunately Ron Soave had earlier mentioned that it had been undergoing
a remodeling. After checking in at 2 a.m., the desk clerk sheepishly
admitted that the room was not one of the remodeled rooms. Only after
being urged would he reassign us a room in the remodeled "Executive Wing".
Since we arrived a day before practice,. I took the opportunity to drive
up to Madison WI to see Peter's World Wide Auto Parts operation, and
particularly how five of his employees were kept busy completely
rebuilding shock absorbers. Needless to say, I was truly impressed by
the extent to which they went and their pride in eturning quality shocks.
Race days were a fantastic experience for Pam, and brought back some
very nostalgic memories for me. I was amazed at the safety changes that
the sport had undergone since the SCCA/club races of 40-odd years ago.
Camping in Ron's pit was great, especially since so many other Sprite
and Midget drivers came by to swap tales or needed parts. Of course not
being able to put a face with a name with a face proved a little
embarrassing when a couple of guys moved in to the best spectating spots
at the back of Ron's pit. I asked them to move so Peter and Ron's
family could get the spots back after accompanying Ron to the starting
grid. About 15 minutes later, I was a little red-faced when Larry
Daniels was introduced to me! Pam in particular was enthralled by the
races, and disppointed that rain on Sunday pretty well brought racing to
a halt, although some brave (?) souls ventured out on the track.
For some reason, what I now believe to be a purely mythical Flounder
never appeared. Many people offered what seemed to be a "legitimate"
reason. Still.......
On Monday, we headed west to Mason City and Clear Lake, Iowa, to meet
with a couple of elderly aunts and several cousins.
All in all, the Midwest was a breath of fresh air before having to
return to the land of cars, concrete, people, and smog. And to the Land
of the Illegal! Now I face the world of reality that includes a long
list of e-mails and about an 8 inch pile of bills and junk mail! Not
fun. I think I will put it off until tomorrow!
Buster Evans
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