Cruising Canada in a Classic

Curry A. brought this article to my attention along with this message:
"A good article on a very interesting cross country trip. Robin Hine looks very much like our good friend Joe Hine. Could there be a family connection?"
Read about it here.

For Jaguar Fans

This one from Phil O. Check it out here.

Photos from Sunday's Picnic At Oak Point and Bob's Report

Photos are in from the successful and rain-free picnic. Click here to see Ellie's photos.

     Our first attempt of the season to have a club picnic was hampered by another weekend of rain.  Luckily, it held off on Sunday allowing us to enjoy a pretty nice drive to Oak Point Park on the lower St John river for an afternoon of eating.  We had a dozen or so cars show up with two from Saint John coming all the way to Freddy to drive with us down along the river road (hwy 102). Although the clouds threatened all day and even sent a few sprinkles our way, it stayed warm and dry for our outing.  We enjoyed a pleasant drive and greatly appreciated the fact that the road has been considerably improved over the past few years.
      At the picnic site I watched as everyone hauled a cornucopia of food from their hampers.  I thought I'd overdone it a bit with my fancy sandwiches and eccles cakes but I was clearly outdone by the fare that others had brought.  There was even a cake and table decorations. Kelvin had taken the 'family' moniker to heart and brought along a van with kids, grandkids, inlaws and his dog.  This livened up the group considerably.
       Dennis presented the group with a license plate puzzle.  He asked what car he'd seen sporting a custom plate reading "nosun2c".  We batted it around for quite some time until he relented and told us that it had been on a Mitsubishi Eclipse.  This elicited a round of groans from the picnickers.
      After eating too much (yet again) we passed some time chatting and wandering around the grounds. We decided that next time we go there we'll be further down the road and picnic by the small pavilion on the beach.
       The return trip was much the same save for stop in Gagetown for ice cream.

       During the afternoon a few of us wondered when the next series of Top Gear would be starting.  It
started this evening (Sunday) and it's already available.  Anyone who wants it is asked to send an email to me at bentbobb@gmail.com
  Bob E.

The "English Picnic" is On for Today

The weather looks like its going to hold, so what better to do then to have a picnic?

As planned we will meet at Tim Hortons Exhibition Park at 9:30 AM and depart promptly at 10:00 AM.

We will stop at the Burton Court House for Oromocto members and join up with our Saint John members enroute.

Thanks,
 Gary A

Updated Info on the "English Picnic" (Sunday, June 26)

  After consultation and much help from Barry Green, one of our Saint John members, we have decided to hold our English picnic at the Oak Point Park near Westfield. This is a full park with picnic facilities with an entrance fee per person. Barry was able to negotiate a cost of only $3.50 per car, a good deal owing the location and facilities.

Here are the details:
  • weather pending the picnic is scheduled for Sunday June 26
  • this is a picnic lunch so please bring whatever it is you wish to eat/drink.
  • suggest bringing insect repellent
  • on the Sunday, we will meet at Tim Hortons Exhibition Grounds at 9:30 AM and depart promptly at 10:00 AM.
  • we will drive to the Burton Court House and meet there any "down river" folk. We will then take
  • Route 102 to Oak Point where we will meet up with our Saint John contingent. I'll try to build in a bio break along the way.
  • for the Saint John group we will meet you at the park entrance unless otherwise advised.
 Please call me 454-4546 or email (GarArsenault@gmail.com) should you have any questions.

 Thanks,
  Gary A and Jim B

Some excellent info on the McAdam Train Runs

Thanks to Dennis W. for doing this detailed background work:

I took it on myself to make contact with the 2 groups involved in the train trips out of McAdam.

I spoke with Frank Carroll, and learned that they do not yet have a date approved by the owners of the rail lines, so I am on their phone list. It is difficult for anyone to make a commitment without a date, so I will contact you as soon as they phone me, so we can determine, and send in, a group reservation.

The plan is for the train to start in Harvey for the one hour trip to McAdam. The train is emptied and the first 110 people to reserve a seat can enjoy a roast beef dinner (about $20) while the rest tour the station and look around. Then the train loads up and heads back to Harvey. The round trip ticket will be about $40, with the proceeds going to the restoration of the station in McAdam. Snacks and drinks will have to be planned ahead for the trip, as there are no vendors on the train.

Plans have been approved for the St. Stephen run (today, actually), for a Friday, September 30 trip. The train will leave McAdam at 11:00 AM, and return to McAdam for 5:00 PM (there is a very short stop in St. Stephen to place the engine at the other end of the train). It is 33 miles each way, and somewhat slower than the Harvey trip, as the tracks are getting old. Again, there will be a Roast Beef dinner for the first 110 to make reservations. The cost will be about $50, with the dinner ticket being another $20. Proceeds are going to UNICEF. There will be not be any vendors on this train, either, so snacks, lunch and beverages will have to be pre-planned. And, again, Bill Young (466-4557) will call me once things have been finalized.

Some thought should be given in regard to attendance now, as the window of opportunity for reservations upon my receiving a phone call, will be small, I am sure. Perhaps a decision on which trip to build into a FABAC run.

There are no "Children" prices, as seats are in high demand, and it is a fundraiser; infants 2 and under are free, but in your lap.

Dennis.

SUNDAY AUGUST 14TH SPECIAL TOUR CONFIRMED

FABACIANs, make a date for a return visit to Tony Rickett’s vineyard estate and classic British car collection as part of a day long tour with Fredericton and Saint John starting points.

Tony has invited us back to enjoy the beauty of the estate on the banks of the Saint John River near Kingston where we can display our cars, eat our picnic lunches and have some contest fun. This will be a rain or shine event.

Full details later on the website, but in the meantime please contact me soonest as tour organizer I will need to know numbers.

John B.

"English Picnic" Sunday, June 26

     At our last meeting we agreed it was time to have an English Picnic. So here are the details of a picnic lunch that Jim Bleakney and I have worked out.
      We will picnic somewhere on Route 102.  That's on the old river road somewhere between Gagetown and Westfield. It could be the rest area overlooking the Saint John River near Queensbury or another suggestion is the picnic grounds at Oak Point closer to Westfield. We are still working out that detail with our Saint John friends hoping that they too can all make it to this event.
     That said we will meet next Sunday June 26 at Tim Hortons Exhibition Grounds at 9:30 AM and depart promptly at 10:00 AM.
     Please bring whatever it is you feel is necessary to enjoy your picnic. There is no Subway or food stop enroute that I'm aware of so please bring your picnic lunch with you before we leave. I would suggest, owing the time of year and the locations we are looking at, that a good insect repellent might be in order. You may also want to bring a few foldable chairs as I'm not sure how well these picnic sites are provisioned.
     I'll send another note once we finalize the specific picnic location and other details. 
  Thanks,
   Gary A

A good chuckle

Dennis W. told this one at our table at the Moonlight Inn dinner. Love it!

     "Our community had recently installed intersection cameras, and as I passed through an intersection, I saw the flash of the camera go off. I figured that my picture had been taken for speeding, even though I knew I wasn't.
     Just to be sure, I went around the block, and passed the same spot, driving even more slowly. But again, the camera flashed!!
     Thinking this was pretty funny, I drove past even slower three more times, laughing as the camera snapped away each time I drove by at a snail's pace.

Two weeks later, I got five tickets in the mail for driving without a seat belt!!"

A tale of two coils by Robert E.

Today (Saturday) as I was returning from the Boyce Farmers Market in the morning I was in the middle of the Burton bridge when the engine in the Jag cut-out. There was no sputtering or stumbling, it just died as if I'd turned off the ignition.  I hit the clutch and let her coast down the downside of the grade still doing a pretty good clip.  Because of how she'd suddenly died I assumed it was ignition.  As the Burton road approached I quickly considered my options and checking for traffic, swung right on the off ramp.  There was almost no traffic and still doing a good 60KPH I made the decision to try for Ian's garage.  We coasted the several hundred metres slowing as we went and I cut the corner into Ian's parking lot at a running pace.  A gentle jab at the brakes brought us to a halt and I lifted the bonnet for a quick inspection.

Report on the June Meeting at Moonlite Inn

     Our irregular monthly meeting took place at the Moonlight Hotel out in Dumfries with a good sized gathering showing up.  Kelvin handed out tickets to all in attendance with the winner (David N.) recieving a car care kit.
    Coming events discussed were:
  • Windsor show in NS on the 9-10th of July.  A sizable contingent will be attending.
  • That same weekend will see the Ernie McLean fly-in.  Folks who don't attend the Windsor show might like to a drop by the fly-in.
  • The club's July meeting will be at McGinnis landing.
  • A picnic at the Queensbury picnic spot on the 102 towards Saint John will be held in the 25-26th weekend.
  • Rexton is the 18th to 21st of August.
  • John Bowles mentioned that he would arrange another run to Ricketts.
   Bob and Anne McNally announced that they are the proud grandparents of twins and a TR7 coupe with sunroof.
- Bob E.

June 15th FABAC Meet and Eat

Our Wednesday evening get together is to be held at the Moonlight Motel and Restaurant at 7192 Dumfries - on the old Woodstock Rd.
Because of after-work traffic leaving Fredericton, I suggest we gather at the Riverside Inn and Resort parking lot, 35 Mactaquac Rd.
We will meet at 5:00 PM and leave for Dumfries as a group at 5:30 via Route 102 North.
Rain or shine.
- Jim B.

The Petrol Can Story—from the Earl of Burton

      A story?...of course there's a story.  It's difficult to say where it started since it's more a chain of events...or lack of events; the event where a driver decides to pull into a gas station and fill his tank.  For whatever reason, this event was postponed with embarrassing consequences.
     The main story started at our regular rendezvous at the Timmies by the Exhibition grounds.  The rain had actually stopped for a few days encouraging everyone to make their cars all clean and shiny.
A whole bunch of folks showed up and Gary, on a tight schedule, hurriedly introduced some new folks then herded us off on time (for once).

Official Dinner Report

   All told we had 31 members who made it out for the McAdam event and they were not to be disappointed. While the trip there was a bit rushed as yours truly underestimated the overall time to the station putting us there with little time for unwinding before the meal was served. That said I think I can say with all confidence that everyone thoroughly enjoyed the meal, the wonderful and most interesting historical narratives that were presented and the informative and personalized tours of the station. It's obvious that the volunteers who made the meals, served us and presented these fine historic facilities to us did so with a pride and passion that is rare to find these days in similar funded facilities having paid staff. We applaud them all for their work!

Update on the McAdam Train Station Dinner

The details are now finalized for this event. We now have 36 confirmed names and the reservations are finalized.

We will meet at Tim Hortons at the Exhibition Park at 4:15 PM and leave there promptly at 4:30 PM as our dinner reservation is for 5:30 PM. The train station and facilities tour will follow dinner at 7:00 PM.

We will travel Hanwell Road to McAdam and stop enroute at Blacks Restaurant in Harvey to pick up those traveling from that direction. This will not be a pit stop per say but only to allow joining cars to meet up with us.

As previously noted, the group overwhelmingly chose the Turkey Dinner as the main course for all of us.

We will also have 2-3 newer members showing up as well. In our usual friendly way please make them welcome.

One of our members was asking if there was anyone traveling with an empty passenger seat in which he might be able to get a lift? If so please let me know and I'll provide the details.

Call (454-4546) or email me with any questions.

See you Saturday,
Thanks
 Gary

Carolyn and David's Trip to St. Andrews

It was a FINE day indeed! Blue skies and calm. Good food. Fine driver (a bit fast but a TR6 is a 'sports' car). Good food: C with her lobster melt and me with my lobster club sandwich; Chocolate Confusion for dessert—two forks!  :-)

A "Too-nice-a-day-to-miss" Run

Carolyn and I are going to St. Andrew's on Sunday afternoon at 2:00pm. Carolyn has a choral rehearsal there at 4:00 so we won't be stopping on the way. If you would like to join us for this little outing, we do plan to have supper at a favourite place downtown around 6:30 and be back home before it's too dark. Join us if you can. We'll hit the highway off the Mactaquac Dam at 2:00 or very shortly after.
- David

Here’s an interesting ride—a 1975 Citroen 2CV Racecar!

From Phil O
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280688326969+&viewitem=&clk_rvr_id=237173992415

Update on Fine Dining at McAdam Train Station

      I can now confirm that we have the numbers (25 minimum) to proceed with the McAdam Train Station event scheduled for Saturday June 11 at 5:30 PM. Participating FABAC members elected by a significant majority to go for the Turkey dinner. So that is the main course that I have requested.

      The event will include the dinner in the period dining room, a tour of this historic railway station including this years restored areas as well as the possibility of some local entertainment. I believe this could be a historical narration about the station. 

      The cost as stated previously is $25.00 per person taxes included.

      Now that we have this firm reservation we are committed to the event. For those who have not signed up, there is still time left.  Please let me know by noon June 8. 

     We will meet at Tim Hortons at Exhibition Grounds the day of the event and leave there promptly at 4:30 P.M.. We will head out the Hanwell Road, stop at Blacks restaurant in Harvey for others joining us and then proceed directly to McAdam.
Call (454-4546) or email me with any questions.

  Thanks,
     Gary

What to do on Thursday Evenings

A reminder from Bob E:

The Thursday evening gathering of special interest cars at the Queen St. Legion parking lot (Downtown Freddy) has started again. Folks normally start showing up around 6:30 or so.  We've gotten in the habit of going for ice cream as the evening wanes.

Fine Dining at the McAdam Train Station Dining Room

    During our last get together (Dumfries Lobster Dinner) we decided it was time again to visit the old train station in McAdam for an evening dinner event preferably on a Saturday.

     I've done some preliminary work and on putting this together and here's what I have.

     The first availability for a Saturday sit down meal in the large dining room would be June 11. This would include a main course, dessert and coffee/tea as well as a full tour of this historic station including the just finished restored areas. We as a group would have to pick one main course from the following full course dinners: Turkey, Roast Beef, or Baked Ham. We would have the main dining room which is wonderfully finished and full of atmosphere and color of the bygone rail and steam era. They will, as Frank Carol (the Town Mayor) says, will do it all up in proper decor with linens, a well decorated era dining room and possibly some local entertainment if available. This would truly be a wonderful evening out and one to certainly be part of. The cost is $25.00 per person tax included.

     So in order to book this we need a minimum of 25 people! I also need which of the 3 main course selections you prefer understanding the majority vote will determine which main course that will be served to all of us. If you have a food allergy they are prepared to put something together. I need to know that as well.

     I would suggest dinner for 5:30pm which would mean leaving Fredericton at 4:30pm. I'll finalize this detail upon confirmation.

     So in order to confirm I need to book this by Thursday of this week so please RSVP the site or call (454-4546) or email me with your main course preference right away.

 Thanks,
  Gary
FABAC at McAdam June 2009