February 27, 2008

Hello to all:

Here's hoping you've had a good winter, without too much
frostbite. I'm sure that everyone is just as anxious as I
am to get back on the roads in our pride and joy. I look
forward to hearing about all the projects undertaken during
the winter. I know that Chris Dexter has been busy on his
MG, and puzzling over a cam problem. My own job of the year
was to redo the EFI wiring in my Cobra, and to address the
noisy rear end. Those and a few other details (painting,
trim, different shifter, etc.) have made for a busy winter
that seems to have gone by very quickly. Judy and I were
down to Phoenix for a couple of weeks and met up with Ross
and Lynne Noble. Read all about our Barrett-Jackson
experience on our website -- I posted a "blog" type
description a few weeks back.

I want to postpone our first meeting; which would normally
be next week. Neither Irene nor I can make it, and both of
us would like to be there, as we need to hold our
elections. Irene's tenure as Secretary expires; as well as
the President's position.

Irene has indicated her willingness to stand again, but it
is time for a new President. I have spent 6 years on the
executive now, and I feel we need someone with fresh ideas.
Please consider either running or approaching whomever you
think would make a good leader. It is exciting to think
that this will be the first peaceful and happy handover in
my memory of the club. We've come a long way as a group,
and I look forward to congratulating my successor!

The club has built up to about 40 members now; most of whom
are active partipants. 6 years ago, we had far fewer
members, and far less fun. This did not happen by accident
-- it took the combined effort of us all. I sincerely hope
to see the same club spirit carry on.

The first meeting will be on Thursday, March 13, Comfort
Inn, 7:00 PM. See you there!

Rick

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March 14, 2008

The first meeting of 2008 took place last night, and was
very well attended. I don't have the exact number, but I
estimate 25 people there. Everyone is excited at the
prospect of spring, and most seemed quite tired of winter.
It was nice to see each other after the hibernation period!

We started late (7:15 PM) as we got right into membership
renewals and general catchup as people arrived. First on
the agenda was elections; and the two positions renewing
were for Treasurer and President, not Secretary, as I said
in my first notice. I am pleased to say that Chris Dexter
was re-elected by acclamation.

The former President (me) tried to weasel out by suggesting
we elect directors instead of the traditional President / VP
/ Sec / Treas line-up, but the members weren't having it. As
a result, the President was also re-elected by default -
strike that -- I mean acclamation. Now that the dust has
settled a little, I want to say "Thank You!" for your
approval. I had hoped that someone else would accept the
position, but here we are.

I am looking forward to the summer, and all the club
events. I will continue to encourage anyone who wants to
help out, and will continue to try and grow the membership.
When you reflect on the last few years, it becomes evident
that our growth has taken place since we started our
Wednesday night cruises under the direction of John
Karwacki. Obviously, this and other fun events are the way
to go.

The trend has been to not hold formal meetings during the
summer  rather to go with "tailgate" meetings as required;
and I like that idea. Our finances will not stand up to room
rentals every month. Someone suggested that we go with
garage meetings, and I will volunteer mine for April. This
will push me to finish my projects, and actually clean up.
Don't worry -- it's heated... More on that later.

Another suggestion was to hold meetings at A & W. This is a
good idea, but could maybe happen as a taligater when the
weather is decent.

'nuf for now,

Rick