FABAC draws blood! (Hey, this goes along with "Seeing red" posted earlier)

     Despite predictions of pounding rain, Sunday the 14th was almost too gorgeous.  It hovered at just being a little too hot and sunny....a perfect excuse to don wide brimmed hats, slather on the sun screen and go for a drive with the top down in a car with character!
     We met a dozen cars as they passed us by the Burton Bridge headed south and joined in.  The drive, led by the lovely and talented John Bowles, meandered down the Kingston peninsula through Norton and other quaint towns.  We only got a little lost on two occasions and a small group in the rear decided to play the "Lets-stop-at-some-random-spot-for-no-apparent-reason-and-see-if-anyone-notices" game. The game quickly became boring and was swapped for that other popular pastime "I'd-take-the-the-lead-but-I-have-no-idea-where-we-are-or-where-we're-going". Thankfully Gary-n-Barb showed up to lead us out of our dilemma. (Note to self: in the future, bring my own map and mark out the route ahead of time.)
     The first scheduled stop at a museum in Kingston turned out to be closed (maybe they heard we were coming?) leaving us no choice but to continue on to the home of Tony Rickett.
     Once at Tony's place, we parked by the river next to a copse of trees to enjoy the shade, eat our picnic lunches, and bask in the cool breeze coming off the river.  Our host was introduced by John who also presented Tony with a mounted historical article from an old newspaper detailing the restoration of one of his Triumphs.  Tony gave us a brief introduction to the winery and invited us to spend the afternoon strolling around.  He had a Jaguar E-Type and a Healey 100-4 parked in the middle of the grape fields and two very nice Triumphs down by the water.
     The gang ate and whiled away the early afternoon.  A rousing game of horse shoes was played and as the time to leave approached, John introduced us to several new games to which prizes of wine were offered.  The first involved a short footrace together with stabbing at random switches in one's own car.  The action was heated with several competitors going down on the slippery grass.  Larry H. left some skin on the passenger side mirror of his new Triumph (note to self: carry a REAL first aid kit from now on.) and ruined his pants in the doing.  The second contest saw us driving over some of John's tools blindfolded.  Thankfully there were no sharp items in the small collection and no one drove into the river.
      With the contests over, we headed back towards Evandale and (of course) got lost twice.  The two ferry rides were short, pleasant, and a bit of a break from driving.  At the Evandale Inn we settled in for a dinner that I, for one, didn't need.
     After dinner, we drifted into the parking lot and headed home in small groups.  It was now into early evening and noticeably cooler heading up the 102 towards Freddy.  The day had been terrific despite the heat and getting a bit lost on occassion only added to the merriment.   Thanks to the Bowles for planning and implementing this fine outing for the second year and thanks to Tony Rickett for allowing us to drip oil on his lawn.
     Hopefully Larry will heal from his injuries quickly and scrub the unsightly hair and skin from the mirror.  I was disappointed that the passengers didn't have to partake in the games and am planning revenge for next year.
-  Bob E.
(Click here for lots more photos from Bob E.)