Re: Nationals

[tsm1@domain.elided (Tom Mandera)]

> Careful, I was almost forced to share my couch with Mark Korsten after 
> Kathy got tired of hearing about how Jerry's so lucky to have a wife 
> that's SOOOO nice as Stacey to buy JERRY a Scout...  >>
>
>We convoyed with the Korstens and Bill and Jamie until our exit (#23) off
>I-70, so I know they at least made it that far with no problems....which would
>be about the first time all weekend for Bill.

For those that haven't heard, as I understand it....

Background:  2 years ago, Rochelle Comer drove Bill Thebert's red '71 Cabtop
to Nationals for him.  Somewhere in Indiana (I believe) Bill's Scout started
billowing white smoke due to Bill's oversight using the wrong head gasket
(improved 392 vs. non-improved).  Thus Bill's Scout was named, "Puff".

Last year, towing Puff behind Bill's Dodge Dakota, he smoked a tranny...
this year, with a new tranny, and a fresh fluid change, the trans acted up
again, somewhere near Bloomington Illinois.

After much thinking and discussing, Bill left his Dakota on the trailer in
Bloomington for Eldon McFarling to pick up with his Travelette.  Bill and
Jamie (S.O.) climbed into Puff and headed for Nats... no A/C, and lots of
stuff piled in the cab.... 

Jim Shepard was called in to haul the Dakota behind his S1700 custom
motor-home back to Colorado... while Bill and Mark Korsten made some quick
maintenance updates to Puff on Sunday.  Puff's expected drive was to be off
the trailer, to the show area, maybe the parade, then back onto the
trailer... NOT 1300+ miles!  Oops.

You shoulda seen Bill eyeballing the Travelettes "FOR SALE" at the show...

>were giving the digesters all the updates, which is actually something I would
>have expected out of Tom. ;-)  We enjoyed hanging out with Mike and 

Hey now, I was going to... but the cabin we were staying in had everything
BUT a phone... we had a fridge, oven, stove, dishes, microwave, TV, lights,
beds, couches.... but no phone.  :-(  So the laptop saw little service this
weekend, except when Epp & I were looking for the Springfield Inn... pull
the laptop out with StreetWise, and voila, Springfield in is datta-way.

>It was a really good time, and it was nice for Jerry to get to be with his own
>kind.  Actually it was nice for me to be with my own kind too.  I don't
>generally have a lot in common with other women, but this was a damn fine
>crowd of down-to-earth truck-loving women.  Gotta love that.

Got any sisters or cousins?  I'm sure they'd go fast if you brought 'em to
Nationals or RMIHR.. :-)  Women like you are in high demand and short
supply!  And most of the ones at Nats were all spoken for!

>Looking forward to next year.

Me too... though I'm not convinced I'm going yet... but mebbe...(I can see
it's going to be hard to say no again....)

Great meeting you Stacey.  I'll give Paul some grief for battering Hotstuff
like he did... 

-Tom Mandera, Helena MT - back from thoroughly enjoying Nats, and Dan's
cookies & brownies!... not to mention the opportunity to pilot Banshee a few
times
http://www.tmcom.com/~tsm1/scout
'72 and '77 Scout IIs - none of which made it to Nationals this year...