Suncoast Mustang Club

 

                                                                                                                                     Volume 29  Issue 9

                                                                                                                                                                                  September 2007        

A Word From Wayne

Text Box:   Hello again! For those of you who missed last month’s meeting on August 13, it was held at Golden Corral at 7:00. We all ate and socialized. Then we had a brief meeting. It was good to see our friends Sandy and Jim Hand, all the way from Tucson, Arizona. We didn’t have a game, but we had a good time talking about funny automobile acronyms (FORD- Found on Road Dead. MOPAR- Mostly Old Parts and Rust). We also talked about how Restomod Plus had a great turn out at the “hands-on” car clinic held on July 14th. We had over 50 people come out with their cars and I hope everyone had a good time.   Also, we reminded everyone to sign up for the upcoming Mustang Club of Tampa car show on October 13th. It will be at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) located in North Tampa, 4801 E. Fowler Avenue. Flyers  

 

Text Box:   can be printed off of our website. There is always an outstanding turn out, and there is always something interesting to see at MOSI. Registration for the show gets you two free tickets to MOSI. I hope to see you there.   This month’s meeting will be held back at AutoWay Ford on Monday, September 10th at 7:30 p.m. Our guest speakers for this month’s meeting will be Jim and Lucy Carroll. They have a slide show presentation from their recent trip to England where they attended several car shows and racing events.   Looking forward to seeing you there.     Wayne Farnham   President

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SMC Pony Tales                                                                                                                                                                                     Page 2

 

Up to the Minutes         

 

 

Suncoast Mustang Club

Meeting Minutes: August 13, 2007

 

 

The Suncoast Mustang Club meeting was held at the Golden Corral Restaurant in Largo.  We had a turnout of about 30 people for the dinner meeting.  Everyone had a great time with plenty of food for all.   Jim and Sandy Hand were there. They are members of our club, as well as the Southern Arizona Mustang Club.  They own a Mustang art gallery named the Red Horse Gallery.  Check it out on the web at www.redhorsegallery.org.

 

The meeting for September will be at AutoWay Ford in St. Pete at 7:30 p.m.  Don’t miss this meeting as Jim and Lucy Carroll will be presenting a slide show of their European vacation.  It should prove to be a very interesting show.

 

October meeting will be at Quaker Steak and Lube, so make plans to attend.

 

Christmas party will be on December 8, 2007.  Time still to be determined. 

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

Steve Hansen

Secretary

 

 

SMC Pony Tales                                                                                                                                                                                         Page 3

   Globe-trotting “Mustangers”

 

 

 

During the month of June, Jim and Lucy Carroll traveled to Great Britain for a tour of the country.  Their journey included parts of England, Scotland and Ireland.  They took many pictures and will have a presentation of their travels at the club meeting on September 10, 2007.  Be sure to mark your calendar and join us for this interesting slideshow.

 

 

Happy birthday

                                                       

Jim Carroll                           September 9th

Steve Carre                         September 20th

Lauren Dellert                    September 20th

Karen Frank                        September 20th

Taylor Higinbotham          September 29th

John Stockowski                 September 29th

 

Happy Anniversary

 

Steve & Marie DiCenso

September 6th

 

Brian & Debbie Johnson

September 24th

 

 

 

 

SMC Pony Tales                                                                                                                                        Page 4

 

                                                                                                                                                                      

        AUTO-biography

 

 

MY LONG TIME LOVE AFFAIR

By Roland R. Martens

 

    Only people who thoroughly enjoy their vehicles will understand the sentiments expressed in this story – so if that includes you, read on and enjoy the experience!

 

    In the fall of 1972  I began shopping for a truck. That is the type of vehicle that I had been wanting for several years to serve as alternative transportation with the 1969 Ford Country Squire that was ideal for our four-person family.  But could I justify spending my hard-earned money on a second vehicle?  Maybe, if it were a truck.  (To be perfectly honest, I had always wanted a truck ever since learning to drive using my dad’s cut-down 1928 Model A Ford truck.).  So being near the end of the model year, I convinced my family to go shopping for a good deal in a brand new “left over”.  After considerable looking and finding nothing just right because of the dwindling number of new trucks available, finally at Walker Ford in Clearwater, Florida, we found just the right truck for us.  It was a beautiful metallic brown with two-tone white top cab.  It was an F-100 Sport Custom complete with 302 V-8 engine, 3 speed automatic transmission, air conditioning and other accessories.  Most of the trucks we had passed over were end-of-year “plain Janes” that were hard to fall in love with.  But not this truck.  It was love at first sight.  After the usual dickering, we purchased the truck on October 25, 1972. We were a very excited family to have a different and versatile vehicle as our second “car”.  Because the kids were little, we could all pack into the roomy cab with the comfortable crème-colored perforated vinyl interior.  Pretty sharp!

 

    Did this love at first sight result in a long-lasting relationship?  That is the rest of the story.  I was a counselor employed at St. Petersburg Junior College.  In those days nobody employed as a college educator drove a truck to work.  But I proudly drove it most of the time.  One of our librarians who always drove Cadillacs used to good-naturedly tease me about what he called my “Country Cadillac”  (I suspect he was just envious.)  I have always been the home handy-man and as my “honey-do” list kept growing, there was no end to the uses that this reliable and fun vehicle could be utilitzed for.  My son was, and in adulthood, still is a truck nut.  When our daughter got the horse craze we also found a light truck to be a must to haul hay and other horse-related cargo.

 

    Now am I getting too practical with this story?  How long did this love affair last?  As you may suspect, it’s not over yet.  But I did succumb to the lure of a “younger  model” in 2004 when I was attracted to a brand new Ford F-150 Lariat Super Crew with all of the bells and whistles.  I rationalized that with the kids grown we needed a large comfortable cab for adults with all of the amenities of a fine, high quality automobile.  So this was the vehicle.  However I didn’t trade-in my beloved 1972 F-100.  I eventually found a car buff who appreciated a lovingly cared for truck and who himself vowed to give my true love a good home.  And I knew it could withstand the transition because it was indeed “Built Ford Tough”.  So, you see, that love affair lasted for 32 years and it “ain’t over yet!”   

 

 

(Thanks Roland for contributing to the newsletter  and thanks to Helen Watjen who sent a cartoon that will appear in an upcoming newsletter.  Members, we welcome any and all contributions, remember it’s your newsletter. – Editors)

 

 

 

 

It All Began At the Flushing World’s Fair

                               By Sandy Hand

 

            “Oh, wow! Look at THAT!” I exclaimed as I pulled on my Dad’s arm. I had just seen my first Mustang - and I was in love. I was absolutely smitten. It was April 1964, and we were visiting the Ford Pavilion at the Flushing World’s Fair. I never forgot that day and soon all of the magazines at home were missing all the Mustang ads. I collected them all and kept them in a folder. About once a week, I would take them out and dream about the day when I could have my own Mustang.

            Well, life got in the way, you know how it is. The years came and went and still no Mustang came to live at our house. We got close in 1994 when Jim and I bought a Cougar which we had for about 10 years. Then the day came when I could retire and I was finally going to be able to choose a car that I wanted, not that I needed. I’m sure that you all can appreciate the difference.

            In July of 2003, Jim and I visited with our friend, Mark Hernandez at Jim Click Ford, who sold us our other vehicles and he took us out to the lot where the Ponies were. There was one there waiting for us! It was silver with grey and black interior and I fell in love all over again. This Pony went home with us that night and we had it for a little more than 1 ½ years.

            In 2005, we got serious Mustang fever and traded in the silver one for our Red Horse. The first thing we did was blast out the stereo system with a Steppenwolf CD. It was great fun and I felt like I was 20 again! Then at Christmas time, a white ‘98 Cobra SVT came to live at our house and shares the garage with the Red Horse. Our latest addition to the stable is a metallic dark blue 2002 GT coupe.

            The magazines and catalogs started arriving by the box load, it seemed. The guys at the car wash see me almost every Saturday and always ask when the next show is going to be. We’ve learned all kinds of new words, and made some really great new friends, too, when we joined SAMC in Arizona and the Suncoast Mustang Club in Largo/Clearwater, Florida.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUNCOAST MUSTANG CLUB

6705 Cardinal Drive South

St. Petersburg, FL 33707-3803

 

We’re on the Web!

www.restomodplus.com

 

 

DATES TO REMEMBER

Sept. 10 - SMC Meeting at Auto Way, 7:30 pm with

Jim & Lucy's Travel Slideshow Presentation

 

October 8 - SMC Meeting at Quaker Steak & Lube

 

October 13 - MOSI Car Show, Tampa

 

December 8 - SMC Holiday Dinner Meeting, Mainlands Clubhouse

 

 

 

 

 FOR SALE:  1983 - 302 long block engine.
               $300 obo, contact Marc Jacobson

               at 813-927-1893

 

Members who wish to advertise a car or parts can do so at no cost.  Contact the newsletter editor with your ad.  Ads will be placed in the newsletter for the following month.  If you wish to continue the ad, let us know at least one week before the next meeting

 

“AUTO” BIOGRAPHIES NEEDED

 

There are so many great cars owned by SMC members with an interesting story waiting to be told.  Submit your “auto”-biography and let your car get the attention it deserves. Stories may be sent to jdellert121@hotmail.com to be published in Pony Tales.