general ncrg ‘07 round-up membership sacramento may 31 … · concord mafca 2006 certificate of...

Volume 40 Issue Number 6 June 2007

Special Attractions

• Yosemite Tour Photos

• Mustangs Plus Tour photos

• NCRG Tour

• Very, Very Last Laugh

Johnny’s Journey 3

Sunshine Report 4

Upcoming Events 4

Classified 4

Caught in the Headlights 5

The Garage 6

Technical Seminar 6

Era Notes 8

Upcoming Tours 9

Calendar 11

Inside Insights

General Membership

Friday,

June 22, 2007 8:00 p.m.

1st Lutheran Church Hall,

Concord

MAFCA 2006 CERTIFICATE OF MERIT

NCRG ‘07 Round-up Sacramento May 31-June 3

It was the best of times. We had a wonderful drive up the river road, lunch in South Sacramento and then on to the host hotel (Holiday Inn, I80 & Madison Ave) for this years Roundup. We all enjoyed each others company with adjoining rooms. We even had custom signage and special travel treats provided by Jan & Dave Granquist. Friday morning started with seminars on hot topics (including “how to” wood graining by Alex). Then we were off for a fun tour to Sacramento “backorder” Vintage Ford. Randy & Lea Stegman chauffeured Paul & Geneva Chiabotti there in the Stegman Model A stretch limo, what a sight and air condi-tioned too. While there, Les Andrews presented his unique and abstract perspec-tive on Model A cooling issues and that was followed by a tour of the store opera-tions. Interesting sidebar, Les included information about the benefits of cooling system thermostats for Model A’s while coincidentally, Bill & Deb Pugh along with Dave & Jan Granquist were tour testing brand new bolt on thermostat housings being developed by Bill Pugh. This was the first tour with the new product in place, no problems reported throughout the entire tour, very promising and posi-tive results. Fast warm up, stable temps and no overheating – ask Dave or Bill for details if you’re interested. Dinner followed at Logan's Roadhouse where (Pres & First lady) John & Claire Bailey were surrounded (and showered with peanut shells) by all the other Diablo A's participants, 28 members in all. Even Bill & Donna Truesdell and How-ard & Elsie Goines were observed pitching some shells. Afterward, Bob & Rose

www.diabloas.com

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One of the seminars was how to remake a thrift store hat Our detour thru Old Sacramento on the way to the Towe museum had tourists snapping photos of our “parade”

Some members enjoyed a brunch aboard the Delta King All 28 Diablo A’s enjoyed dinner at Logan’s Friday evening

This was the very clever speakers podium at the banquet

Numbers were drawn for the table decorations, all of which were made by the Capitol A’s. See some of the lucky winners:

The three winning couples: John & Jackie Dickson, Alex & Ruth Janke, Ed & Jeane James

Johnny’s Journey Moto-Meter Elected Officials 2007

Board of Directors President

John Bailey (707) 745-8251 Vice-President

Ron Accornero (510) 521-4846 Secretary

Cheryl Pierce (925) 798-9132 Treasurer

Ruth Janke (925) 689-0859 Tour Coordinator

Mariyln Neumann (925) 687-4691 Past President

Marianne Goodson (707) 745-8051 Editor

Peggy English (925) 682-3759

[email protected] Appointed Services ACCC Representative

Herb Neumann Historian

Barbara Sharman Membership Services

Marianne Goodson Refreshments Co-Coordinator

Donna Staggs NCRG Representative

Alex Janke Photographers

Wayne English & Bob Rigor Public Relations

Bob Rigor Sunshine Reporter

Elsie Boarman Club Vests Marge Tait Video Czar

Bill Truesdell WebCzar Steve Mick

The Moto-Meter: The Moto-Meter is the official publi-cation of the Diablo A’s Chapter of the Model A Ford Club of America. The Moto-Meter is published once a month and is mailed to each member in good standing and other Model A Ford Clubs in exchange for their publication. The Moto-Meter takes no responsibility for the accuracy of materials, dates, places, etc. of its con-tents. Permission to reproduce items in The Moto-Meter is hereby granted provided credit is given to The Moto-Meter. The Moto-Meter welcomes any article, artwork or suggestions. Please submit all materials by the Tuesday following the Board Meeting. Meetings: Meetings are held on the third Friday of the month at 8:00 PM at First Lutheran Church LCMS at 4000 Concord Blvd., in Concord unless otherwise indi-cated in the Calendar of Events. GUESTS ARE AL-WAYS WELCOME. Membership: Membership in the Model A Ford Club is not a prerequisite to join The Diablo A’s. Both MAFCA and The Diablo A’s membership commence on January 1st, and expire on December 31st. MAFCA dues are $30.00 (MAFCA, 250 Cypress Ave., La Habra, CA 90631). The Diablo A’s dues of $45.00 per family is payable to the treasurer. Subscriptions to the Moto-Meter are $15.00 per year. We thank the various clubs for the use of the many articles, jokes, fashion and technical advice that we have used. We are glad to share any articles that would be of interest to other clubs providing proper credit is given.

First I would like to thank Ron Accornero our ever ready Vice President for standing in for me at the May meeting. I also want to thank Paul Chiabotti for being my co-pilot on the drive to and from the NCRG Roundup. Claire and Geneva backed us up with modern iron. We had a nice ride in Mollie-O with just one minor hiccup on the way up. We had a great time at the NCRG Roundup in Sacramento. Bill and Debbie Pugh did a terrific job leading the tour. The planning and preparation really showed. Our club took home three awards. Alex and Ruthie’s roadster received a first place and award of excellence in the blue ribbon category; Ed and Jeannie James’ Midnight took a first place and award of excellence in the touring, and John and Jackie Dickson’s sport coupe took a first place in the modified class. After the awards banquet Alex reflected on how much the awards are really a club award as much as an individual accomplishment. He went on to go down the list of people that helped him with his car. That’s what I really love about this club, help is always there. Congratulations to all of our award winners and those that helped. A whale of a time…. On Sunday, May 27th our usual morning Shell-bucks routine was disrupted by the news that the wayward whales, Delta and Dawn, were at the Benicia bridge and headed for the ocean. I called Claire to let her know that I was coming home early and bring-ing company with me. You see our back yard has a view of the Car-quinez Strait so what better excuse to you need for a party? Claire, ever the good sport and supportive spouse welcomed the opportunity. By 9:30 we were in place ready for Delta and Dawn to come swimming by. Well the whales had other plans. They decided to stay under the bridge for the next 24 hours. Undeterred we sat with our telescopes, binoculars, cameras, etc. After a few hours hunger set in and the whale watching turned into an impromptu barbeque. Al Filarski finally had enough and went to the bridge to take in the whales. Al provided very graphic cell phone updates via cell phone. His calls went some-thing like this… “You should have seen it, the whales were jumping out of the water over and over! Then just as he was describing it over the phone I could hear the excited voices in the background and Al yelling, THERE THEY GO AGAIN THEY’RE JUMPING OUT OF THE WA-TER!!! Well the whales finally made passage through the Strait the fol-lowing morning and for a time put on quite a show. Claire saw the whales breach several times and I saw them surface and spout twice. All and all it was two days of fun and excitement. On a recent drive I found myself on the back roads of Solano County when I passed by an old wrecking yard that I vaguely recognized. Turns out it had been there for a long time and I got an axle for a 1940 Ford there about 40 years ago. I stopped in and was immediately con-fronted by the vicious growl of three very large dogs contained by a somewhat rickety pen. About that time a fourth dog appeared and the only thing holding him back was air. Unlike the nasty dogs, the dog


Continued on page 5

Upcoming Events Sunshine Report Elsie Boarman

On Memorial Day I went to Oakmont Memorial Park. Their Memorial Day service was so meaningful. It was such a beautiful day. It was also nice to see my Model A friends Evelyn Wilson and her son Steve and Peggy and Wayne English. Flowers were available to those that wanted to remember loved ones. Our deepest sympathy is extended to Ron Ac-cornero and his family for the loss of his mother. Rose Accornero was 101 years old and lived with Ron. Jerry Hendrickson has been diagnosed with lung cancer. Keep him in your thoughts and let him know his Model A family is thinking about him. I know cards would be appreciated. I went to visit Nita Kissinger. She is coming along very well with her hip surgery therapy. She sends best wishes to all her friends and says she enjoys com-pany. Bring a book just in case she is having her therapy so you can wait for her. Good news! Cheryl Pierce was back doing her secretary thing and looking good after her fall on her face. Richard Anderson looked good after recovering from his shoulder surgery. Jan Granquist brought an album of absolutely beautiful pictures of the tour to Yosemite! I think she is Diablo A’s “Ansel Adams”. I hope the Round-Up in Sacramento was a good tour and time for all. I always enjoyed meeting people from other clubs. Don’t forget meeting change, 4th Friday, June 22—Not the 15th. HAPPY DAD’S DAY TO ALL YOU GREAT FATHERS ON DAD’S DAY. Be sure to wear your name badge at our next meeting. Happy A’ing Elsie

For Sale

Friday, June 22, 2007 — General Membership The doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the meeting begins at 8:00 p.m. at First Lutheran Church, 4000 Concord Blvd., Concord. Guests are welcome. June 23—Filoli Gardens July 3—Benicia Torchlight Parade July 4—Concord July 4 Parade August 18—Anniversary Tour—location TBD September 1,2,3—Stuck in Lodi Tuesday, July 3, 2007—Board Meeting — The Board Meet ing will be held before the Benicia Torchlight Parade at the Pizza Pirate.


1 set of four 19 inch wheels, powder coated orange with tubes and tires—balanced. Ready to roll—$700 Contact Charlie Piazza—925-933-9214 1929 Standard Roadster — $8000 Older restora-tion, runs well, needs TLC and top. Good driver, solid body. Contact Stan Massie at (925) 284-9152 or Dan Dan-zig at (925) 216-8153 New Items Donated to the Club by Lady A Parts: ♦ Les Andrews’ Mechanics Handbook, the basic

guide to the maintenance and repair of the car - $35

♦ Les Andrews’ Mechanics Handbook II a wonder-ful guide to all the touring improvements that can be made to the Model A - $30

♦ Les Andrews’ Trouble Shooting a great book to isolate and fix all the troubles that happen in a 75 year old car - $27

♦ Air Maze filter - $25 ♦ Timing Gear – the good one - $26 ♦ Muffler clamps as original - $8.50 ♦ Ring gear - $29 Contact Alex Janke at (925) 689-0859


After my interview with June Gentry last month I decided to switch our headlights from 6 volt bulbs to 6 volt halogen. This, coupled with my propensity for procrastination, caused a problem for the June column. Seems that when I de-cided to finally turn on the headlights again, the battery (aka my brain) was dead and time had run out to catch someone new for June “headlights.” I sincerely apologize to you all. I promise that when Marianne and I return from Yellowstone my battery will be charged and I will immediately get the lights working to catch an-other friendly club member in plenty of time to make the July MotoMeter.

Caught in the Headlights By Pete Goodson

Father

Who's the stranger Mother Dear? Look, he knows us, ain’t that queer?

Hush my love, don't make fun- He's your father, little one.

He's my father? No such thing: Father died way last spring. Father didn’t die, you dub

He joined the MODEL A FORD CLUB. He's been scrounging near and far,

looking for another car. So kiss him, he won't bite my child

Old car nuts ALL look that wild.

by Don Jennings

A father is someone who carries pictures in his wallet where money used to be.

running loose didn’t seem interested in me. A guy (Brian) with a long beard came around the corner and said “well lunch is over what can I do for you” without missing a beat he said “hey that looks like a 30 Model A” pointing to Mollie-O. I said “close enough it’s a 31”. “I must have scrapped at least 20 just like it over the years”. With that I spent the next hour and a half walking around the “junk yard”. Lots and lots of very old, very rusty stuff. For me it was an “E-ticket” adventure and well worth the time spent. Hope to see you all at the June meeting. Don’t for-get it’s June 22nd, the fourth Friday. John

Johnny’s Journey...Continued from page 3

skinny dipping) by providing their personal supply of Courvoisier for libation. We were busy on Saturday, a tour to Old Town Sacramento and the Towe Museum. Bob & Lynn Grady, Herb & Marilyn Neumann and Wayne & Peggy English received a special tour of the Towe Museum from docent Jim Appel, avid Model A enthu-siast and family friend of the Pughs. Later that night we had the closing banquet dinner. The banquet high-light for us was the presentation of three first place awards for judging, Alex & Ruth Janke (Blue ribbon class - award of excellence), Ed & Jeane James (touring class - award of excellence), and John & Jackie Dixon (modified class – they could of received an award of excellence but the judges don’t offer one, darn) – three beautiful cars and well deserved recog-nitions. The best thing of all was the opportunity for some veteran tourists to get to know and spend time with some of the newer touring participants. Everyone shared positive thoughts about the great time had at the 45th NCRG Roundup and are looking forward to the 46th tour to Auburn CA. Tour Leaders, Bill & Debbie Pugh

NCRG Round-up...Continued from page 1

I usually write about such things as the care and feeding of the Model A car and its separate components. However please bear with me as something happened on our last tour that brought to focus why we work so hard on keeping up and showing our cars at various facilities around the area. Our May 19 tour to the independent living facility in Clayton is a classic example of why we do what we do. There are those who remember when our cars were new and we all have some memories of long ago times that can flood back into focus in an instant given the right stimulus. Last Saturday was a perfect example. We had barely parked our cars when resi-dents started coming out of the facility and a man and his wife soon were looking intently at our coupe. It seems that they had owned a new one, same year, same colour, so when they asked if they could sit inside our car for a bit it was impos-sible to decline. 45 minutes later they were still there just soaking in the ambience, their minds and thoughts somewhere back in yesteryear and not wanting to be disturbed. I left them alone as a little lady ap-peared with a pint sized dog. She was 92 years old, from Nebraska and had some long harbored memories of riding in the rumble seat of some ones car. A little arithmetic would put her age at 13 to 15 and at the present time not much bigger than she could have been back then. Well it was Herb and Marilyn’s car so I soon found Herb and got permission to help our young friend into the rumble seat. Doug was handy and between the two of us we soon had her in memory land, little dog on her lap and the sweetest smile on her face as she, too, returned to a moment in time well remembered, but filed away into the re-cesses of the mind and brought forward a bit at a time. She sat there for 30 minutes or so when suddenly it was over and Doug and I soon had her back safely on the ground, little dog in hand and she disappeared into the facility. Sooo that's Model A’ing. Take care and have fun.

Cal


The Garage ….… by Cal TECHNICAL SEMINARS

2007

Transmission Seminar coming

We are taking the summer off!

RSVP Alex Janke (689-0859) or Bob Grady (933-1154)

Never criticize your wife’s judgment… Recall first whom she married.


Diamond Terrace Visit a Success On Saturday, May 19, 2007, 33 members of the Diablo A's and 17 of their vintage cars left Pleasant Hill for a nice 45-minute drive across the valley to Clayton's Diamond Terrace Retirement Center. We were welcomed with open arms and offers of coffee by the staff. Some of the residents were already out-side waiting for us as the Model A's drove up and parked for display. During the morning, many visitors came from the local community as well. We enjoyed a box lunch provided by Diamond Terrace after listening to a performance by Charlie Piazza and his group of Harmonica Harmoneers. We want to thank each of the following families who gave of their time to help others relive some experiences of their past, and to give new experiences to some who had never before had the opportunity to see vehicles such as ours. Participants included: Rich & Eileen Anderson, Denny & Dee Desmond, Wayne & Peggy English, Doug & Reyanne Freeman (and their guests), Pete & Marianne Goodson, Bob & Lynn Grady, Hal Granquist, Steve Mick & Alicia Watson, Herb & Marilyn Neumann, Charlie Piazza, Calvin & Cheryl Pierce, Cal & Florence Rose, Al Simoni, Roger & Donna Staggs, John & Marge Tait, and Troy & Loretta Whitehurst. Thank you all for your contribution. Bill & Donna Truesdell

8 VOLUME 40 ISSUE NUMBER 6

june

1928

The residents of Diamond Terrace enjoyed viewing the cars and sharing memories of similar cars from their youth.

Charlie Piazza and the Harmonica Harmoneers entertained the residents and Diablo A’s members in the Diamond Ter-race great room

The Diablo A’s enjoyed a box lunch provided by Diamond Terrace in several beautifully landscaped areas on the facility grounds.

UPCOMING TOURS IN 2007

June 23, 2007 Filoli Gardens Ron Accornero July 3, 2007 Torchlight Parade-Benicia Pete & Marianne Goodson July 4, 2007 Concord Parade Bob & Sandi Rigor August 18, 2007 President’s Anniversary Tr John & Claire Bailey Sept. 1,2,3, 2007 Stuck in Lodi Bob Reed


Tour to Filoli Wayne and Peggy English will lead the first half of the tour to Filoli. Gather at Best Buy early that morning at 7:10 am, leaving at 7:25 am. The trip will take as many back roads as possible but while allowing us to reach the Jackson Square Mall in Hayward by 8:40 am. There will be a brief stop there with restroom and coffee at Safeway, Taco Bell and Starbucks. The second half of the tour led by Melinda Hayes and Ron Accornero will leave Hayward no later than 9:00 am. It is then over the Hayward-San Mateo Bridge, con-tinuing west on Hwy 92 and then south on Hwy 280 a short distance tithe turnoff to Filoli. Our do-cent-led tour begin at 10:00 am and will last till noon. ?We will then go back Hwy 280 a short dis-tance for our picnic lunch at two rest stops along the highway. If you did not order a box lunch from Filoli, remember to bring a picnic lunch and a blanket to sit on at the rest stops. After lunch we will return home as a group. Please call Ron or Melinda with any questions.

July 3rd Torchlight Parade Benicia

Let’s see if we can do a three-peat! Join us for the 3rd of July Torchlight in Benicia. We have won the Sweepstakes Award 2 out of the last 3 years. They love us in Benicia. The southern contingent of the Diablo A’s will meet at the new Harbor Freight (the old JoAnn’s) on Contra Costa Blvd at 2:30 p.m. and depart at 2:45, sharp! (If you are in Har-bor Freight at 2:45 you will be left behind) Bob Grady has graciously agreed to lead the group over the Benicia Bridge. The northern contingent will be waiting for you at the Pizza Pirate. We have the same room reserved from 3:00-4:30. (Sorry, that’s their time frame.) We will decorate the cars at our assigned staging site. We’re expecting 12+ cars again – so get in on the fun. It really is a blast. Marianne and Pete

If you have photos from tours, please provide prints to Historian, Barbara

Sharman

Mystery Tour Clue #1: Where the sun don’t shine


The Betsy Ross Flag: Since there was no official flag during the first year of the United States, there were a great number of homespun flag designs. This flag is without question the most well known of those. Called the Stars and Stripes, this was formally approved by the Continen-tal Congress on June 14, 1777. The blue canton was to contain 13 stars, but the layout of the stars was left undefined, and several patterns are known.

National Flag Day—June 14th The Fourth of July was traditionally celebrated as America’s birthday, but the idea of an annual day specifi-cally celebrating the Flag is believed to have first originated in 1885 when a schoolteacher in Fredonia, Wis-consin, arranged to observe June 14th (the 108th anniversary of the adoption of The Stars and Stripes) as “Flag Birthday”. Inspired by three decades of state and local celebrations, Flag Day—the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777—was officially established by the proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916. While Flag day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson’s proclamation, it was not until August 3rd, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.

DIABLO A’s Membership Meeting Date May 18, 2007 Called to Order: 8:00 p.m. by John Daily Secretary’s Report: read by Cheryl Pierce. Treasure’s Report: Presented by Ruth Janke Check book balance $6722.27 Money Market Fund $6332.81 Guests: Melinda’s sister, Sharon Kent from Idaho Club Correspondence: Read by Alex Janke. Newsletters from other clubs Appointed Services and Committee Reports: Sunshine Report: Nita is doing fine and she is walking .Richard is recovering well from his surgery. . Membership Report: no new members Refreshments: provided by June Gentry and Florence Rose PR and Advertising: No report Technical Coordinator: Transmissions: No Report NCRG: 15 couples touring .There are 2 rooms available ACCC: No Report Editor: Peggy asked if there were any problems with delivery to let her know. A new Roster was also available at the meeting. Tour Coordinator: Fioli Tour: Room for two and possibly three The Torch Light Parade on July 3rd. The Goodson’s will be hosting this event. Executive meeting will be held at the Pizza Pirate. Old Business: None New Business: Mystery tour First Clue” Where the sun don’t shine” Meeting adjourned with: The story of the 20th Million Ford was presented at the close of the meeting along with a video from Bill Truesdell of Yosemite. Raffle Winners: Eileen Anderson and Jan Granquist. Reminder: June Meeting will be held June 22nd Adjournment: 8:35


Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2

3 4 5 6 D Day 1944

7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 Flag Day

15 16

17 Father’s Day

18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

JUNE 2007 Birthdays

June 3 Ken Matheson 5 Barbara Colson 9 Michelle Wallach 11 Richard Overmyer 14 June Gentry 15 Mary Bentley 17 Bob Grady Harold Hall 20 Reyanne Freeman 21 Alvin Filarski Tish Perry 22 Marge Tait 25 Perry Ragusa 26 Loretta Whitehurst 29 Sharon Martorella 30 Robert Reed

Anniversaries

June 22 Ron and Michelle Wallach 23 Hal and Margaret Granquist 24 Bob and Sandi Rigor

To Any Little Boy’s Father There are little eyes upon you, and they’re watching night and day. There are little ears that quickly take in everything you say. There are little hands all eager to do everything you do. And a little boy who’s dreaming of the day he’ll be like you. You’re the little fellow’s idol, you’re the wisest of the wise, In his little mind, about you no suspicions ever rise. He believes in you devoutly, holds that all you say and do, He will say and do in your way, when he’s grown up, just like you. There’s a wide-eyed little fellow who believes you’re always right, And his ears are always open and he watches day and night. You are setting an example every day in all you do, For the little boy who’s waiting to grow up and be just like you.

Thank You

We wanted to say thank you to all the

Diablo A’s members who either sent cards, called or attended Mom’s visitation. Your support to us has made it easier to make it

through these past weeks.

Melinda Hayes and the Accornero Family

General Meeting June 22, 2007 8:00 p.m. First Lutheran Church, Concord Tour: NCRG May 31-June 3, 2007

Lest We Forget — 9/11/01

THE VERY, VERY, VERY, LAST LAUGH

WWW.DIABLOAS.COM

Happy Father’s Day

There may be several opinions, but Dad’s is the only one that counts.

When your father gets quiet, he is planning—if he is snoring, the plan worked.

If you can’t remember the last time you hugged your dad, maybe he can’t either.

If you have your father’s complete approval, he is probably making a big mistake.

You may fool mother but you can’t fool dad—he pulled the same stunts when he was a kid.

There are always exceptions to dad’s rules, but he is the one that decides what they are.

Experience is something your father will always have more of, and you can’t get enough of.

Your father will forgive your mistakes, but that doesn’t mean you should repeat them.

Father’s are the only judges that can convict without evidence.

No matter what is broken, dad has a tool that can fix it or render it unfixable.

If dad does not have the answer, he will pretend not to hear the question.

Father’s memory is always better than yours, especially when you borrow money.

Dad owns he remote control but you are welcome to borrow the lawn mower.

A father’s gratitude is priceless, but a big screen TV is not.

Father’s don’t get paid for a job well done—unless you count satisfaction.

general ncrg ‘07 round-up membership sacramento may 31 … · concord mafca 2006 certificate of...

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