One Down, Three to Go

This is a little out of order, but I hadn't downloaded my pictures from the camera for awhile. Duncan graduated from Apex High School on June 11, 2006. From here on in it's Cameron in 2007, Kelsey in 2008 and Christopher in 2009!




Melissa (friend), Kelsey, Cameron and Frank at Duncan's Graduation.

The Quest, part 2

So, the next morning we drive over to the ferry. I have to say that it was quite comfortable waiting. They had a snack bar, gift shop [which you know that I hit], indoor seating and outdoor seating. As it was a pleasant morning we spent some time walking around the dock while we waited for the ferry.














Once the ferry arrived we pulled the Porsche on and then we went to explore a little. This was the front observation deck area which really reminded both of us of "Titanic":




It took about 45 minutes for the ferry to make it's journey and we checked out the cafeteria, gift shop(!), bar and observation decks while we waited. We sat outside on one of the decks for quite awhile,just enjoying the scenery.



We finally made it to New Jersey and only really got lost right before we got to the marina where the owner lived...but we got to see a lot of the East Coast (literally) on this trip! The ride home was uneventful except for a traffic jam near the Del-Mar Bridge that had the Porsche overheating (the Corvair did fine). By taking the less scenic route home, we made it home before 10pm that night.

The Quest for the Corvair

You've already seen the picture of the Corvair...so now let's hear the saga of going to get it. It was living up in New Jersey...near Atlantic City. The owners actually live in a floating house across the bay from Atlantic City:


It was pretty cool...but I digress.

We decided to take two days to go up to New Jersey and decided to take the scenic route. We went up through Virginia and took the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel from Virginia to Maryland and then drive up into Delaware.



We decided to take the Porsche and it was a wonderful day...not too hot, not too cold, so we were able to take the top off of the car.



We took the require tourist pictures at the bridge and then went under the bay. I've got to say it's kind of freaky to think that you are actually under the water.















(Tracking the path of the tunnel):


After driving through the Eastern Shore of Virginia (just why did Virginia get that little piece of land that isn't connected to anything else Virginian?), Maryland and Delaware we decided to stay the night in the Lewes area so we could catch the Lewes/Cape May ferry to New Jersey the next morning. Unfortunately we had not realized that Lewes is a "shore" town and this was August. Everything was either full or $220 a night. We finally found an old 50's motor inn that had seen better days. And even though we had to pay cash up front, it actually ended up being more than adequate...though I'm sure the Porsche being parked out front looked a little odd.

Now It's My Turn

So, what with David getting his Porsche and Kelsey getting her del Sol and Cam getting his VW, I was feeling a little left out. (Duncan doesn't really care about cars and Chris doesn't drive yet). Forget the part that I bought a Honda Element two years ago...I felt the need for a "fun" car. So, I had been looking on eBay for a VW beetle in order to relive my youth (since my first car was a 1971 SuperBeetle). Well, after actually sitting in a Beetle I decided that they felt a lot smaller than they did when I was 22 (!) and perhaps I should look at something else. David is a big fan of the air-cooled engine and I knew that he could help me out with repairs so we started looking at other aircooled cars...and there's not that many! But, the American car manufacturers did make a rear-engine, air-cooled car in the 60s...the Corvair. I found an 1964 4-door Monza sedan that had been in storage for 26 years. The person that had gotten it out of storage had replaced just about everything that needed to be replaced and it was in really nice condition...and it was green!

So here is my "toy"

I'm not sure what its name is yet. I think it needs a name besides "Karin's Korvair" (mispelling intentional). I joined the national Corvair club (http://www.corvair.org/) and will probably join the local chapter (http://www.capitalcitycorvairs.org/index.html) once I check out their meetings. The car is a 3 speed so I had to master that (though I still have a tendency to put it into Reverse [where 1st gear would be in a 4 speed] rather than 1st). Honestly, I didn't really need another distraction in my life...but it is fun.

Cam's Camper

Cam's Camper
Originally uploaded by KwanYin.

Well, Cam finally got his VW camper. I think my dad would be please as he owned 2 campers and one bus himself. This is a 1976 Deluxe Campmobile. It's got a little more rust then we thought when we bought it (eBay!) but Cam likes it. He's got plans to restore it but he's still deciding on a "theme".