Christmas in the Village 2009

     On  November 28th, David and Margo R. led a flotilla of FABACians along a rain-soaked route to Gagetown for the annual "Christmas In the Village" event. No LBCs though! 

     Following the backroads route along the river, it wasn't long before the group joined the many hundreds of visitors to the village. All the stores were doing a brisk business as was the Boot Pub, a favourite with some club members.

     Later, the group of 12 moved on to Evandale Resort restaurant for an early evening meal. Conviviality and excellent food combined for a thoroughly good time, a precursor to the Christmas season. 

John B.

Thanks to Ellie for the photo record of this event.
Click here for more photos.

More on Miata Hard Tops, or, Truth really is stranger than fiction.....

Replying to the question of "Why people would drive their Miata on a beautiful day with the top raised?", Greg Burkhart suggested that perhaps they "Didn't know the hard top (or convertible top) was removable."
Believe it or not, it's not an urban legend. It actually happened! Gary Fischman got the story from Jim Rothschild at West German Mazda in Fort Washington, PA and printed it in the Del-Val newsletter. The story goes like this:

Jim got a call from a man who owned a Miata and was considering trading it in. He wanted to know about how much it would be worth. after given the approximate value, the man asked how much it would have been worth if it were a convertible. Jim explained to the man that ALL Miatas were convertibles. The man then confidently told Jim that, no, that wasn't true. He bought his Miata used three years ago and it's definitely a hardtop. Jim finally convinced the man and was met with a long silence. Finally the man exclaimed "You mean to tell me that I've been driving this car for three years and didn't know it was a convertible?

Christmas in the Village and Dinner at Evandale Resort

Date:  Saturday, November 28th

Departure:  Leave the Ramada at 12:00 and drive directly to the Village of Gagetown.  Those that wish can grab a bite to eat while in Gagetown on their own.

We will rendezvous at the Irving in Gagetown at approximately 4:00 then head to Evandale with dinner reservations for 5pm.
NOTE: Reservations are definitely required so confirmation of attendance should be made either with a comment on the website or by contacting Margot & David Russell directly at 450-3966 or jboat@nbnet.nb.ca before Thursday Nov. 26th.

Looking to Borrow a Hardtop for a Miata

Does anyone know someone who has a 1998 to 2004 Miata that has a hardtop they would lend for a weekend? I know someone who needs one to use on a second-hand Miata he bought down in the States that doesn't have any top. November has been good weather, but one can't count on it staying that way forever.
BTW, this guy is very particular about things so misuse or damage would definitely not be an issue.
Let me know.

Beautiful Art Images of Beautiful Autos

www.yeeeeee.com
(Thanks to Phil O.)

If you ever owned a VW, watch this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcB5-jSqdH0
Thanks to Vic for sending it along.

Report on FABAC Meeting Nov. 18/09 by Bob E.

     You all know what I'm going to mention first so if you don't want your face rubbed in it, please skip to the second paragraph. Ha!...a world's first!  Jaguars actually outnumbered all other LBCs at the November dinner.  All of two of us brought our cars, with one having the top down.  Only two you say!?  Everyone else has put their cars away for the winter so this wasn't much of a feat.  Until the salt trucks are out, we'll be driving 'em!
     A whopping 40 folks crowded into the Swiss Chalet on Prospect Wednesday evening.  We had people from half the province...Saint John to Woodstock.  Several small scuffles broke out over tables and Gary had to take charge by shouting everyone down.  Dave and Carolyn bragged about their recent trip to Greece.  They had great flights, great weather, and LOTS of great food.
     The hot topic was the impending Christmas party.  Heather-n-Vic Dunphy have offered us their house to trash on the 11th of December. It will be pot luck with a Yankee swap.  Please contact Heather at 459-7702 with your intended dish so that we don't wind up with 24 pots of stew.

I have tried!

I have tried to keep this FABAC website(blog) just about our club, cars, eating, and related topics. With Robbie H's last e-mail to me, I have broken down and have added the following fab url for any Beatle fans out there. Just about every song they ever sang is there with music and lyrics so you can sing along. Plenty of other stuff too. So, forgive me, and please do not tempt me with any other great sites--I already know of a few dozen hundred thousand million, and really don't want any more.
http://www.beatlestube.net/

Robbie also sent along a car (even British!) site for you on-line Christmas shoppers:
Holden Vintage and Classic Ltd.

This might tickle your funny bone. :-)

LONDON LAWYER V GLASGOW COP
A London lawyer runs a stop sign and gets pulled over by a Glasgow copper.
He thinks that he is smarter than the cop because he is a lawyer from LONDON and is certain that he has a better education then any Jock cop. He decides to prove this to himself and have some fun at the Glasgow cops expense!!
Glasgow cop says, 'Licence and registration, please.'
London Lawyer says, 'What for?'
Glasgow cop says, 'Ye didnae come to a complete stop at the stop sign.'
London Lawyer says, 'I slowed down, and no one was coming.'
Glasgow cop says, 'Ye still didnae come to a complete stop. Licence and registration, please.'

A fascinating old documentary from MG

Thanks to Joe H. for finding this one.

FABAC Meeting

Our next meeting will be held Wednesday, November 18th at 6:00 p.m. at the Swiss Chalet on Prospect Street. This will be an important meeting for finalizing details for our Christmas party since no decisions have been made at this point.

Need brake cylinder work?

These guys seem to know what they are doing.
(submitted by Earl S.)

Busy Bs

   After months of searching, Robert Hoag finally located a rare left hand threaded fibble-flabble for his MGB.  The seller, a clever gent, insisted that the rest of not one but two cars, accompany the sale. This was of course, a cheap shot at getting his yard cleared of the decades old car clutter.  Not one to say no to a friend in need, I went along to help on Saturday.  The first car was in a garage and was little trouble to move.  The two trailers full of parts was another story as was the separate engine and gearbox (complete with overdrive!).  These where all manhandled into (then out of) the trailer.  Sunday was a beautiful day and under blue skies with balmy temperatures we pushed, pulled, ratcheted (and kicked) the other car from its hole in the ground.  Astute viewers will note the strap around the middle of the car.  This was to keep the doors closed as they were structurally integral to the car.  We had discovered that while jacking the car up, only the front part moved.  We also found a rear wheel with seized brakes.  Eventually both cars where deposited in the Hoag's garage where they will be stripped.  After all this, we still had time to take our respective LBCs for a drive in the unusually warm November sunshine.
  Bob Earl


Photos are here

Very interesting

Who's going to be the first in the club to get one?
Powder coating just got easier and cheaper!
http://www.amazon.com/Craftsman-17288-Powder-Coating-System/dp/B001TEW8SS
- Bob E.