[alfa] Interesting Times...(Long and rambling)

["P Hood" <phood56@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Esteemed Digesti:Well, the autos in my stable have changed a bit since
last I posted here...been a busy couple of weeks...and the events that
have transpired have got me to thinking about the nature of men. (And
women), at least the Alfisti type.  A bit of background-  If you
remember, Andrew Watry posted a thread here last month about a Berlina
for sale in Sacramento...no financial interest, YMMV, etc. Well, since
Damian has gotten me hooked on sedans, I've been jonesing for one, and
Supers, while being the ultimate goal, are just too rare and expensive
for my white trash pocketbook. SO, I bought the Sacramento Berlina  (the
Yellow Peril)  from Mike at Barber's Shop...great guy. Thanks for a great
transaction, and "Hi" to LaurieAnne, Mike, if you do the Digest. Anyway,
there was a fairly lively discussion here about the relative merits of
driving/shipping unknown cars across large Western states. I, being the
penultimate chicken-hearted worry-wart, felt it would be better to have
the car shipped if possible. (There's a bit of history that supports this
decision, but I won't bore you all with that here.)Far and away, the poll
ran towards driving the thing up here, but I put out a plea to Digestives
for a fairy godmother type deliverance, (pun intended) and, lo and
behold, Steve F. steps up and offers to put me in touch with a gent who
may be coming north with some space on his trailer. Said Gent is John C,
who did indeed have a bit of space, but was currently in Australia, doing
a Mille Miglia of the outback in his very cherry RHD Super. At any rate,
once John's feet touched US soil again, John and Steve picked up the
Berlina at Barber's and delivered it right to my doorstep, arriving
Thursday afternoon, then sped off to points even further north to pick up
another car for John.  In the meantime, I was able to browbeat another
fantastic Alfista of the highest degree into swapping my '78 Spider for a
pair of '67 Guilia Supers, both with bad motors. One is exceptionally
restorable, the other has a 2 liter and some suspension upgrades. (But it
is fairly ugly, and has some rocker rust.)  SO...as I said, I've been
thinking a bit about human nature, especially Alfisti Human nature, and
I've come to the conclusion that owning an Alfa changes you somehow.
Every person mentioned in this post has been exceptionally kind and
generous to me in my quest for bankruptcy-by-car. Every one of these
folks has gone above and beyond, letting themselves in for more work,
inconvenience and trouble, and all for no good reason other than Alfas.
In fact, as I think back over my short history of Alfa ownership, (less
than 2 years) virtually EVERY Alfista I've come in contact with has been
of this same ilk. I have done International transactions on little more
than a handshake, sending Berlina parts across the US, as well as to
Japan, Israel, Canada...and every transaction thus far has been without a
hitch.It is my contention that Alfas either attract good people, or
change people for the better, somehow. Just think about it...   So, I
have definitely got my work cut out for me. AND, I'm sure there will be
times when I think to myself  "What am I doing under this boxy sedan,
when I could be cruising around with the top down in a roadster". But I
will bust my knuckles and restore faithfully with a small warm glow in my
heart forall the great Alfisti that have made the beginning of this
journey a reality.                                        Sign me-                                                 
Pat Hood, Amazed in Seattle                                                 
-twin rusty '74 Berlina hulks (parts available)                                                 
-73 Berlina (the Yellow Peril)                                                 
-67 Giulia Super (Cinderella?)                                                
-67 Giulia Super (Tiger Lily?) 

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