October 2016

Issue 152

Fall Colors Glow – Rain or Shine --- By Marta Rynearson Please join us for the 2016 Fall Color Tour. We’ll be exploring some new roads and visiting old favorites. Even if skies are grey and rainy, the colors will shine, so dress appropriately for whatever weather occurs. Due to some ongoing issues with the Midget we may have to drive our boring car, but we’ll be taking a leisurely pace with time to enjoy the color and the roads. We hope for a large turnout. Meeting at the Meijer parking lot (behind the gas station) at 1:00 on Saturday October 15th on Gull Road. We look forward to seeing you there.

The President Speaks By Bruce Buxton It’s the end of September; our 26th Auto Faire is in the history books. A great success it was. Rain and cool temps seem to be the norm for the end of this summer. As are driving season continues, our next stop was a BBQ at Linda and Michael Burkes House in Quincy Mi. October 2nd. As a bonus we got to inspect their huge collection of vintage cars. After that, our famous color tour on the 15th of October. I’m sure Rod and Marta will have something special for us again this year. The trip to the Air Force Museum is coming up November 3rd. Make your reservations now and let me know you are going. It will be a trip worth taking.

Bruce

Mad Dogs & Englishmen Chicago trip September 8, 2016

By Betty Young

On a rather overcast, hint of rain, typically British kind of day, Mad Doggers Terri and Rick Dennehy, Gayle and Alan Cope, Diane Dezoete and Jerry, Bob Morrow, Marna Prine, my daughter Tracy and myself, met to caravan to Michigan City to catch the South Shore Line at Carroll Avenue. There we met Michiana Brits, Ruth and Roger Deacon, Mary and Keith Wishmeier and Bev Glanders. We all purchased our tickets, boarded the train and were on our way to Chicago. My daughter, Carla met us at Millennium Station and we set off walking down Randolph Street headed for Lake Shore Drive and our lunch destination, the Columbia Yacht Club. The club is housed aboard the MV Abegweit, an ice breaking, railway, vehicle and passenger ferry. She began service in the Abegweit Passage of the Northumberland Strait in 1947. The Abby, as she is known, is 372 feet long and displaces 7000 tons. She carried 950 passengers, 60 cars or one complete passenger train of 19 railway cars. In the winter of 1982-83 the club purchased the Abby as their new club ship. April, 1983 she left the Northumberland Strait for the last time. Since then she has been moored at the foot of Randolph Street in downtown Chicago. Boarding the ship you get a feel for her immense size. We enjoyed a great lunch in the dining room and Nick Philp, manager of the Columbia Yacht Club, told us a bit about the ship's early history and answered our questions. We were then free to roam about the ship. There is a beautiful staircase, many pictures of the ship, lots of brass, small passageways and huge decks. I hope everyone made it to the bridge to see the ship's wheel and instruments. Also the view back towards Chicago. Unfortunately, we didn't have time for Nick to give us the organized tour. We had to hurry to meet two docents from the Chicago Architectural Foundation, scheduled to give us a tour of Millennium Park. We divided into two groups and set off with our docent. Our docent's name was Kathleen, and she was great. Following is a brief description of the art and architecture we saw. The Boeing Galleries An outdoor space for modern and contemporary art by living artists. We saw six sculptures by Chakaia Booker. These were made from discarded rubber tires and stainless steel. They ranged from 8 to 16 feet tall and weighed up to a ton. They wil be on display through April 2018. Cloud Gate or as it is popularly known "The Bean" by Anish Kapoor. This is a 110 ton elliptical sculpture of highly polished stainless steel. The world's largest outdoor structure, it reflects the activity in the park, the city skyline and clouds above. The sculpture is 33 feet high, 42 feet wide and 66 feet long. A 12 foot high arch provides a gate to the concave chamber beneath the sculpture. You can walk under it, touch the mirror like surface and see yourself from a variety of perspectives. Crown Fountain. Artist Jaume Plensa The fountain consists of two 50 foot high glass block towers at each end of a shallow reflecting pool. Water cascades down the sides of the towers. The wonderful thing about the towers is that close up faces of actual Chicagoans are projected onto LED screens. Each face is shown for about five minutes, ending when the face purses its lips and water spouts from its mouth. Luriie Gardens An urban oasis offers a four season experience and provides a healthy habitat for a variety of plants and wild life. A 15 foot high "shoulder" hedge encloses the garden on two sides and protects the delicate perennial garden. A wooden footbridge over shallow water divides the garden diagonally between "light" and "dark" areas. Modern Wing of the Chicago Art Institute. Architect Renzo Piano From the park we saw only the towering glass and steel facade. Slender steel columns with what seemed like a floating roof. Pritzker Music Pavilion. Architect Frank Gehry A band shell standing 120 feet high with billowing ribbons of stainless steel that frame the stage opening and connect to an overhead steel trellis. The trellis spans the 4000 seats and lawn that accommodates 7000 more. The trellis supports a state of the art sound system. This is a revolutionary outdoor concert venue and hosts many free concerts and events. McDonalds Cycle Center An indoor bike station serving bicycle commuters. It provides lockers, showers, snack bar with outdoor seating, bike repair, bike rental and 300 parking spaces. After our tour of Millennium Park, we went below "The Bean" for a cold drink. In the summer this area serves food and drink in winter it is flooded and becomes an ice rink. Skating is free and open to the public.

Carla walked with us back to the train /station and we boarded our train for home. All probably a little tired, but I hope everyone enjoyed their day in Chicago. I know I did! (Ed Note: This editor took the trip to Chicago and it was truly a wonderful, interesting trip. I did not know the story behind the creation of Millennium Park until the Club took this trip . See our article in the October Issue of The British Marque to get those details.) The “Young” ladies…Tracy, Betty & Carla

Some photos from the September Chicago Train Trip….

Some of the Group posing in front of “The Bean”

All Aboard!!

And then boarding The Abegweit for lunch

Chicago Skyline from “The Abby”

This is Crown Fountain located in Millennium Park & the sculptures by Chakaia Booker mentioned in Betty’s article

Gilmore Car Museum

The TR3A along with Marna & the Fam!

Hickory Corner, MI – Thursday, October 30th The Gilmore Car Museum hosted a reception to mark the beginning of a special exhibit they call “The Golden Age of Sports Cars 1949-1967.” Our very own Marna Prine was asked to include her 1960 TR3A in the months’ long exhibit beginning in October running through April. Marna’s car is among 24 of the rarest and most sought-after sports cars in the world. Also, member, Dick Harms’ 1957 Jaguar XKSS is part of the exhibit also. Plus included in this exhibit is the most wellknown Porsche 356s of the time. And that was Janis Joplin’s psychedelic Porsche 356. Gilmore was able to track it down, and now it’s there in the exhibit, but only for a very limited time.

Member Tim Rosin admiring Janis’ Porsche Dick Harms’ 1957 Jaguar XKSS Fun facts about Dick’s Jag…On the evening of February 12, 1957, a fire broke out at the Coventry plant destroying 9 of the 25 XKSS vehicles that had already been completed, or were semi-complete. Most of the surviving cars were sold in the U.S. It wasn’t until 1989 that Jaguar decided to produce 5 of the remaining set of lost vehicles. Dick ordered this car on May 30, 1989 and it was delivered to him on November 13, 1991. Also, American actor Steve McQueen owned a Jaguar XKSS for personal use, painted British racing green. He referred to the car as the “Green Rat”

Go visit the museum this winter! Home of MD&E Auto Faires! So you know where it is! Corner of M-43 and Hickory Road.

Quincy, MI - A big Thank You to Linda and Michael Burke for hosting a group of Mad Dogs on Sunday at their home. Linda cooks up a wicked brisket and everybody brought truly wonderful dishes to share. Betty Young, Jane and Bob Morrow, Bruce and Liz Buxton, Rick and Terri Dennehy along with Marna Prine met in Vicksburg to caravan to Quincy to meet up with Tom and Sandy Chambers, TW and Sue Lane and Dave and Mary Clark. Michael gave a tour of all his many buildings that are full to the brim with parts for many Chrysler, Dodge, MG, and Triumph marques. Bodies, chassis and parts. It is always fun to hunt through his barns to see all the treasures he has amassed over 50 years! Below is a couple of recipes for the two dishes that Mary Clark brought along. Everyone enjoyed them so much it was decided they should be shared with the Club! Searching for treasure….. #1

Scotch Eggs 1 qt oil for frying 4 eggs (hard boiled) 2 lbs pork sausage (Mary suggests using Bob Evans Sage, for the flavor) 1 cup all purpose flour 2 eggs beaten 4 cups dried bread crumbs, seasons (or use panko bread crumbs) Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in fryer. Flatten the sausage and make and a patty to surround each egg. Very lightly flour the sausage and coat with beaten egg. Roll in bread crumbs to cover evenly. Deep fry until golden brown or panfry while making sure each side is well cooked. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. (Instead of frying, you can bake at 325 degree for 45 minutes.) Cut in half and serve over a bed of lettuce and sliced tomatos for garnish. Mary served it up to us with a garnish of a mayo, mustard curry sauce and another sauce of garlic butter for dipping. YUMM!

And for dessert…Recipe #2

Macaroons 2 (14 oz.) bags sweetened flaked coconut 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk 2 Tbsp sour cream 1 Tbsp heavy cream 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract ¼ lb (12 oz.) bittersweet chocolate, melted Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients until thoroughly combined. Press dough into a soup spoon or small ice cream scoop and release onto the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool. Dip one side of macaroon in melted chocolate and place on a tray lined with wax paper. Refrigerate for 20 minutes before serving.

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AIR FORCE – Dayton, Ohio Last 2016 MD&E gathering before Christmas Party!! If you are planning on taking this trip on November 3rd through the 5th, please take the time to check out their web site, www.nationalmuseum.af.mil. We will be taking the Behind the Scenes Tour on Friday November the 4th at 12:15. Because it is an active military base we will need to have credentials made for each one to be able to enter the premises. The tours fill up quickly so please get on the site and register as soon as you can. So on that web site is a Registration Form for the Behind the Scenes Tour. It must be filled out and submitted before the date. Tab under Groups and Tours, then click on BEHIND THE SCENES TOURS. Click on the date of November 4 and you will get information and on Page 2 will be the Registration Form you need to fill out and submit. A separate form must be filled out for each person. And Then…if you would please then call Bruce to let him know you are going! (269) 501-7257. And Speaking of the November 3rd Trip… We will meet on Thursday November 3rd at 9:00 am in the parking lot of Meijer gas station on South Westnedge Avenue in Kalamazoo to caravan to Dayton. We will be arriving in town around midafternoon to check in to hotel. Friday we will explore the Museum in the morning and then at noon take the bus to the Restoration area. After the tour we can continue to explore the Museum until closing, Saturday morning again at the Museum until we leave for home. For those who want to stay over Saturday night and continue to tour the Museum, reservations can be made to include Saturday night at the hotel. The Behind the Scenes Tour is optional. But if you want to participate you must fill out the registration form on their web site. There is no admission charge for any part of the museum or the special tours. Bruce Buxton is planning this event and really needs to know how many are planning on joining. Please contact him either by phone (269)501-7257 or an email will work…[email protected] He would like to hear from you. We will meet to caravan on Thursday, November 3rd behind Meijer Gas Station on S. Westnedge north of I-94 at 9 am.

And here is the hotel information…..Call to make your reservations today!! LaQuinta Inn 2540 University Blvd. Fairborn, Ohio 45324 (937) 490-2000 Rooms are being held under Mad Dogs & Englishmen - Bruce Buxton’s name. Rate is $69.00/night + taxes

Last opportunity for members to check personal information we have on file. After 4 years, MD&E has decided to offer a printed directory for all current members. Even though this info is always available on our web site in the Members Only section, the board decided it is nice to have a hard copy to hold in your hand!! The Directory is slated to be printed mid-October, so please check out maddogsandenglishmen.org, Members Only Section, Members List to see if we have it right! If not send a quick email to [email protected] with corrections. Thanks! Terri Ed.

(Revised)

Mad Dogs & Englishmen 2016 Schedule of Events October 2-Sunday

Garage Tour – Michael & Linda Burkes home in Quincy, MI. for Potluck. Meet at Vicksburg’s Main Street Pub to caravan at 9:30 am

October 15-Saturday

Color Tour – Meet at Gull Road Meijer at 1:00

November 3-5-Thurs/Sat National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton OH- Daily Drivers – Meet at S. Westnedge Meijer gas station at 9 am to caravan. More details to follow. Call Bruce Buxton at (269)501-7257 to confirm. December 2-Friday

Mad Dogs & Englishmen Christmas Party – John E. Fetzer Center on WMU Campus, Kalamazoo, MI

Note: Monthly Board Meetings are held every 2nd Tuesday throughout the year at 6:30 pm at TW and Sue Lane’s home-1819 Helen, Portage, MI

Membership Report – Given by Co-Chairs Bob & Jane Morrow New Puppies: No new ones this month

Returning Old Dogs: None to report this month

Submissions, Advertising and Deadlines: Newsletter Contributions: We solicit all members of Mad Dogs to contribute to the Hydrant by sending us relevant stories and activities photos. Advertising: Non-Commercial Classifieds are free to members: $5.00 to non-members per issue. Ads will appear one time unless longer duration is requested. Deadlines: Submissions (subject both to editing and space) & ads received by the 15th of the month will appear in the next issue.

2016 MD&E Board Members and Officers President: Bruce Buxton 269-501-7257 [email protected] Vice President: Marna Prine 269-327-0740 [email protected] Treasurer: Sue Lane (269) 344-5555 [email protected] Secretary: Chuck Benner (269) 385-3160 [email protected]

2016 Board Members: Bruce Buxton, Chuck Benner, Marna Prine, Rick Dennehy, Alan Cope, Tom Clemons Hydrant Editor: Terri Dennehy (269) 664-4954 [email protected] Membership Co-Chairs: Bob & Jane Morrow (269) 343- 2833 [email protected] Club Historian: T.W. Lane (269) 344-5555 [email protected]

Barkley says… Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower…. Sigh…