Bill's 1964 Galaxie 500
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Bill's 1964 Galaxie 500
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On Sunday, August 31 (Labor Day weekend 2008), Deb and I took a little road trip in the Galaxie. We originally planned on driving up Skyline Drive if we got up early enough. Instead we went to Middleburg, VA and drove the back roads around US 50. We had a very nice brunch at Salvia Ristorante Italiano in town. The we wondered around town for a bit before heading west on US 50. After we crossed over the Shenandoah River, we took Old Rt 50 through Millwood and Boyce. Along the way we stop to watch a horse show and took some photos. At Boyce, we turned south on US 340 and drove down to White Post where we took some photos in town and at world famous White Post Restorations. From White Post we headed back east on US 50 and turned on Mt Weather road. It has another name, but it is where FEMA is located. This took us to a short stretch on US 7 where we turned onto Snickersville Pike back to US 50. Before heading home, we stopped at the Jaguar/Land Rover dealer in Chantilly for a little day dreaming. After that, it was back to reality and home. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> My sister, Marion and her husband, Clayton Visited over the July 4th week. Our Uncle Joe (one of our Mom's brothers) died and was buried at Arlington Cemetery. Uncle Joe was a Navy Ace from World War II (He flew an F6F Hellcat off the USS Lexington in the Pacific) and was buried with full military honors. I was allowed to photograph the funeral and got some great photos. Our Uncle John (our Mom's and Uncle Joe's other brother) wrote a great story about Uncle Joe. On a lighter note, my wife, Deb, Marion and Clayton, rode with me in the RED 1964 Galaxie in the City of Fairfax's 4th of July Parade. Photos of the parade can be found here. A video of the parade can be found here. On July 5th, we all visited the National Air & Space Museum in Chantilly, VA. A lot of really neat old planes can be found there along with an F6F Hellcat like my Uncle Joe flew. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> In addition to being the primary influence for my interest in cars, my older brother, Raymond is also an avid model airplane builder. Starting when he was nine (that was a loooong time ago, folks) Raymond built small scale model airplanes that he hung from the ceiling in his bedroom. Our Dad would get real mad at him because of the holes he put in the ceiling to attach the string for hanging the models. I wasn't born yet, but I can imagine our Dad's reaction! When Raymond retired, his interest in model planes expanded, literally, to Large and Giant scale radio-remote controlled planes. So far, he has built four 1/5 scale and one 1/4 scale model planes over the last sixteen years. Their wing spans range from 86 in. to 108 in. and they weigh 8 lbs. to 20 lbs. each. All of them carry enough fuel to stay aloft for about 10 minutes. They can fly to a maximum altitude of 1000 ft. and have a horizontal range of almost a mile while under Radio Control. Raymond's latest model, a 1/4 scale Piper Cub even has a small TV camera mounted in the instrument panel that transmits to his remote control unit and enables him to see everything the plane sees. Pretty cool, huh? Raymond belongs to a model airplane flying club that has their own private model airplane field about a mile from his home. Airspace around the field is restricted to model airplanes only and all other aircraft are prohibited from entering. For photos of some of Raymond's planes, including the new Piper Cub, click here. Hope you enjoy them <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> I spent almost all of December '07 and January '08 on business travel to Los Angeles, California. Though I was working 10-12 hours a day, six days a week, I was able to see some interesting sights. I managed to make it to a number of automobile museums in the L.A. area, as well as the 59th Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona. Photos from these places can be found on the Car Shows page. I also managed to drive down the Pacific Coast Highway, passing through Malibu. I saw so many Rolls, Bentleys, Maseratis, and Ferraris, I had to reach the conclusion that only the poor people in Malibu drove BMWs and Mercedes. Although the day I drove down the PCH was gorgeous, over the next few days the Malibu area and all along the coast had up to 8 inches of rain. On another day, I was able to visit the San Diego Air & Space Museum. Not quite up to the caliber of the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, but pretty cool none-the-less. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> At about 4:00 am on Sunday September 30, 2007, we were awakened by the sound of breaking glass and people yelling. We thought someone was breaking into the house behind us, or worse yet, into our house. When we looked out our bedroom window, we saw to our horror that the house diagonally behind us was on fire! We quickly got dressed and went downstairs in case any of the many trees around our house caught fire and we had to evacuate. Fortunately, the fire department got the fire under control and no trees burned. There were about 10 fire trucks of various types and sizes pumping water from the hydrants on our street and the street behind us. It took the fire department several hours to put the fire out. Although the house was totally gutted, the husband and wife that lived in the house were able to escape. Talk about a scary way to wake up! <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> On Sunday September 23, 2007, Pete, Annie, and their friend Rocky attended the annual Caring Hands Veterinary Hospital Open House. Pete and Annie both got baths and were very good. Pete usually is, but Annie can get a little cranky when we try to bathe her. I guess since it was hot, the cool water felt good to her. All three Pups took part in the "Bobbing for Biscuits" game. Yep. They have to try and grab dog biscuits that have been tossed in a large tub of water. Annie jumped the gun when she grabbed a biscuit in mid-air as the biscuits were being tossed into the tub. Rocky was very good about waiting for the biscuits to hit the water before he started dunking. Poor Pete just did not get the concept and we ended up giving him his biscuits on dry land. Annie had none of this foolishness and just waded into the tub to collect her biscuits. Rocky took part in the "Cake Walk" which is kind of like musical chairs but without the chairs. He won a nice gift for his Mom, Julia. After the games the Pups all enjoyed Frosty Paws and then went inside to have their fortunes told. They had a great time. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Over the 2007 Labor Day weekend, Deb and I took a little road trip up through the Shenandoah Valley in the Galaxie. It was a beautiful day with just a few puffy clouds in the sky. We headed out US 29 to Warrenton where we topped off the Galaxie's gas tank and then took US 211 over the mountains to Luray, Virginia. On the way we stopped and had lunch at the Brookside Restaurant where I had an honest-to-goodness homemade hamburger and Deb had the Reuben. After dessert we stopped in Luray at an art gallery we like and picked up a few things. We then headed north on US 340 to Front Royal, stopping at Skyline Caverns. As we neared the end of 340, we just had to stop at Dinosaur Land! This is a great place for the kids to visit (and adults too). The dinosaurs are getting a little shabby, but it is a lot of fun. Keep your eye out for Deb's traveling purse in the dinosaur photos. From there we drove up to the village of White Post where we picked up US 50 east, stopping at the old grist mill in the town of Millwood. We toured the mill and the grounds and then headed home through Ashby Gap, Upperville, Middleburg, and Aldie. The Galaxie never missed a beat going over the mountains and even got about 15 mpg! <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> On Sunday May 27, 2007 Deb and our friend Sarah attended the Hunt Country Stable Tour. The Tour is a benefit to raise money for Trinity Episcopal Church in Upperville, Virginia. It encompasses several of the larger horse farms around Middleburg and Upperville and includes a small crafts fair and lunch at the church. Several of the farms are quite spectacular and it is easy to see why the horses enjoy living on them! <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Recently, Deb, The Pups, and I went to the open house at the new Leesburg Canine Country Club. This is a new facility for dogs to go to play and be boarded. While there we ran into our friends Richard and Julia and their Golden (Pete and Annie's best friend), Rocky. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> I sometime's travel a fair amount in my job. Probably my favorite place to travel to is California. Sun, cool cars, and California Girls! When I'm there I try to visit Huntington Beach and Newport Beach on nice evenings after work. There are several good restaurants there, and lots of scenery! <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Our niece, Nora is a student at St. Mary's College in Maryland. We drove out to see her one weekend (NOT in The Gal!) and tour around the area. We went to Solomon's Island for dinner (neat town) and visited old St. Mary's City. Here are a few photos of our visit. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> When we are not out cruising around in The Gal, Deb and I can usually be found playing with our "children," Pete and Annie, aka, "The Pups." Well, as you may have guessed, Pete and Annie are Golden Retrievers that we adopted from Golden Retriever Rescue, Education, and Training (GRREAT). The Pups go everywhere with us (well, they don't get to ride in The Gal) and love to go on vacation (they have such a rough life). Their favorite place to visit is Ashwood Hill Cottage outside of Lexington, Virginia. On our last trip there, they really had a rough time of it playing farm dogs. Speaking of Lexington, here are some photos of our trip from last December 2006. Just recently, Pete and Annie went in for their Spring "Day of Beauty" where they got all spiffed up for warm weather. Before Pete and Annie, there was Betsy and Oliver. Betsy and Oliver were our first Goldens and were known as "The Fourwheeling Puppies" for their off-road adventures in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. Betsy was adopted from the Fairfax County Animal Shelter, and Oliver came from GRREAT. Both of them are now waiting at the Rainbow Bridge for the time when we will all be back together again.
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