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Happy Holidays!
Please join your fellow Alfisti for our always enjoyable Holiday Party, Saturday December 8, at 7:30 p.m.
John and Kathleen Kay open their lovely home to us all; please note the directions and details on the back page. Drinks are provided; food is potluck -- mighty fine potluck at that!
The event is also when the Club's officers are elected for the following year.
Old and new members are heartily encouraged to attend and enjoy!!!
Well folks, it's that time of year again. Already. It seems like just a short while ago that I was elected president. All in all, it has been a great experience. You get all kinds of calls from people regarding Alfa issues. It gives me a chance to elucidate on this most intriguing marque. But best of all, I get to invite those who are thinking of joining the Alfa fraternity to our various events; from autocrosses to picnics to dinner meetings. I sum it up with this phrase: we are a good group of people and we always have fun when we get together. I think that's what it's really all about.
I want to thank everybody for their support during the past year. Rather than name names and (inevitably!) risk leaving somebody out, just know that if you added something to the benefit of the club, it is greatly appreciated by all of us. It's truly the members that make the organization.
Get ready for a grand time at the annual Holiday party at the Kays' (many thanks AGAIN John and Kathleen!!) Main courses will be ham, turkey, and leg of lamb. Italian wines will be featured; Pete Van der Vate has again generously offered to pick up the tab for the libations (many thanks again, Pete!!) Desserts will include cannoli and cheesecake. Door prizes will be coordinated by Sherry Thackeray. In between, you fill in the blanks! Call me and let me know what side dishes you could provide. As usual, we will also have our annual election of officers after the dinner.
On Monday, January 7, we will convene at Pulcinella's for a working dinner where we will plan the activities for the ensuing year. Note that this is a change of venue (Pulcinella's is a great place to do this sort of thing). If you plan on participating in the events of the upcoming year, please make this meeting a priority. Your input is valuable and will help give the club what it wants.
Please have a safe and happy holiday season; see you all at the party, the January meeting, or hopefully, both!
Ciao fo' now,
Charlie Drake
We've moved! Please note the new address. E-mail is unchanged.
When a veteran club member, John Scott, approached me about buying my '91 Spider Veloce Automatic in October, I very reluctantly sold my "bambino" to him, realizing that cash in hand is a good thing when moving, and that Cerissa would have a fine home.
John gave me his '82 Spider Veloce in partial trade (right). Rusty, as I nicknamed the car due to it's Pininfarina red paint (an orangish color) as much as for its aging rocker panels, was delightful to drive and served Sherry and me well as it led the Backroads Ramble, but as his name suggested he needed a little cosmetic work that the move wouldn't allow me the time to do justice to. I connected online with Jeffrey DiMagestris of North Carolina, who was looking for just such a project, and he came up with a truck and hauled Rusty off to a warmer clime. Jeffrey was the perfect person to take this light restoration project on, which John's well-loved car deserved.
So for the first time in five years, I am "between Alfas." If I can break from my current furniture-buying addiction, the new year will bring Sherry and me the opportunity to hunt down our next one. Wags say the name stands for "Always Looking for Another." Compared to the jibes other brands get-"Fix or Repair Daily" (Ford), "Fix it again tomorrow" (Fiat), or "I'm Really Only a Camaro" (Chevy Iroc), not so bad. Alfa-hunting can be great fun. Whether we find we have $5,000 or twice that available, I'm looking forward to it!
But there are pitfalls out there... I found online a stunning looking yellow '91 Spider, complete with roll bar and other goodies, and made arrangements to buy it for the bargain price of $7500. Three hours of driving North later, I met the seller in York, PA, sans the Alfa. It was in the yard of the local Pep Boys, having just blown its water pump. That's nothing fatal, of course, but a cursory glance told me the car had been heavily rear ended and improperly repaired. The rear wheel arch on the driver's side was peaked (photo), the trunk sloped to the left, and the taillights did not match. The seller seemed to be an honest fellow; he'd bought the car from another gent who had receipts for a $4500 paint job. On top of a totally shoddy repair job. I felt bad for the guy but I couldn't afford to bail him out of his problem, so we drove home sans Spider. Cerissa was a great car (automatic notwithstanding), and she's not getting replaced until we find her equal!
So finding that worthy replacement will be my Alfa new year's resolution.
What's yours?
Brewster Thackeray
PS-My sincere apologies that this newsletter, with the critical directions to the Holiday Party, hasn't reached you sooner. Moving wrecked my production schedule!
It's been a fast year! Both driving Alfas and otherwise. I'm amazed to realize that it's time for the holiday party already, this coming Saturday!
Have you ever been to this party? Don't feel bad if you haven't to date; and definitely don't let that keep you from coming to this year's.
I attended my first just two years ago. Although Brewster and I had two Alfas at the time, we had not gotten heavily involved with the Club. In fact, when we heard the party was at the home of John Kay, we wondered if the lead singer of 60s supergroup Steppenwolf, who bears that name, would answer the door. Instead we found a most delightful British couple with a charming red GT Junior parked on their lawn.
For someone who's never been to a club function at all, this is a great place to meet new friends. We were glad to make the acquaintance of a number of interesting folks, including Brad and Maggie Mellor, who lived with their one son Austin and several Alfas just a few blocks from us. There were a wide variety of people at the affair, ranging in age from 24 to 84, and representing many professions and backgrounds. One thing we all had in common: an appreciation for fun-to-drive, beautiful Italian cars.
Precision Import Service had donated the drinks for the affair, as they will again this year. Various members had made potluck dishes. Not surprisingly in a Club where many people are of Italian descent or at least worship Italian culture, there was much tasty food to be had!
Then there were the door prizes. Beth Bishop is famous not only for bringing the finest homemade cheesecake you'll encounter, but also the gorgeous orchids she has donated from her nursery. At the other end of the spectrum, one may find random Alfa books or car care products among the door prizes. This year I will donate a great little model of the 166, the successor to the 164 that has taken Europe by storm. If you have something you can donate for a door prize--please call me right away! 703/807-0798.
There used to be a joke in the Alfa Club: Come to the Holiday Party, or risk being elected an officer in absentia. That is no longer the case. Last year, I was honored to be nominated to serve as Secretary, a post that I have enjoyed this past year as it has given me insight into the running of the Club and motivation to help it grow.
Alfantics is the official publication of the Capital Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC). Local membership and a subscription to this newsletter is included in the annual AROC membership fee of $45.
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last updated: Aug 2001