We are having a great time here at our daughter's place in NC, spoiling our little granddaughter of course. The cross country drive went well -- zipped from CA to NC in 2 days, including a 2 hour tour of the Lane Auto Museum in Nashville, TN, where the new Fiat 500 from last year's fame ended up after its double cross country travels.
Saturday at the Moonshine Ralley was a real treat! We arrived at Denise's place early in the morning, to see a shiney X1-9 parked in the front lawn waiting for us. Denise (and her navigotor Robert McNabb) in her Maroon 71 spider, and we (Maureen was my navigator) in the X caravanned over to Elkin, NC to meet about 110 other cars for the Rally. I think there were about 7 or 8 Fiats represented. The drive was astounding -- I think the best drive I've ever been on. Nice twisty roads, springtime all around with all the dogwood and azaleas still blooming, hilly roads, mountain roads, farmland and farm animals galore. Scenic vistas from thousands of feet up. We came around one corner to see a wild turkey running down the road and take flight as we neared, and another curve had a beaver crossing the road with his big flat tail waving in the air. All the cars ended up at a winery, secluded in the mountain foothills, and there we had our choice of eats and wine tasting while they tallied the results.
Denise was ecstatic when they announce her 8th place finish, which she promptly showed her big rivals Robert and Tracy McNabb. Lordy, she had to eat crow a few minutes later when Robert and Tracy were announced to have bagged the 1st place trophy! Maureen and I were 61st, mainly because D had prerigged our speedometer to read 8 mph too high (just kidding
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It was a super day. I can't thank Denise enough for setting it up for us. We've got to plan a Rally drive for So Cal one of these days!
OK, headed to Germany in a few hours to visit our other daughter, and expecting to see Philip over in Belgium this weekend. Philip, please be sure to send your contact directions to Ashley, so we can find you!
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I've got the X19 ready for ya!
