Donna Leads, 2-0

When the judging was over at the Auto Ranch Show yesterday, Donna's 66 Mustang won the "Best 60's Car" plaque.

LAST year at the Spring show in Carl Miller, her little 62 VW convertible won "Best Import"

Now.......MY cars have never won ANYTHING, so it's neat that at least SOMEBODY in this family is doing well in this game!

Competition is always tough and the criteria often varies from one show to the next, different cities, different states. You never really know what the different judges are looking for.

But the main thing is to have fun.......and that's what the old car hobby is all about. If you didn't get up there yesterday, you missed a REAL nice show. Cars came from all around.

The guy who was parked to my immediate right, had the best car there, in my opinion. It was a MINT 57 two-seat Thunderbird, red with a white top (and "porthole" roof of course). He didn't win "Best of Show", but that T-Bird certainly would have been MY pick!

At the other end of the great showroom, was a Cadillac....a REAL one.....a gorgeous 2-tone blue 1952 Coupe DeVille, that an elderly couple drove up here from Twin Falls.

There were a lot of great cars there. I didn't do a count, but there had to be 40 or 50, plus some more that showed up OUTSIDE the building, including 4 beautiful Studebakers and a 56 Ford Crown Victoria.

(I took a lot of pictures and would post them on here if I knew how).

One of the "classic musclecars" that really got MY attention was a very clean 65 Plymouth Belvedere with a huge "413" Hemi & twin 4-barrel Holleys on that famous cross-ram intake manifold. You'd never be late for work in THAT!...........although feeding 8 barrels of carburetion at 4 bucks a gallon isn't too inviting right now---------but.......it's not a 'daily-driver" anyway!

There were rods, customs, motorcycles and even a super clean old VW bus. The Auto Ranch also provided free hamburgers & hot-dogs---until they finally ran out, and there was live music for a little while.

Holding the show INDOORS in the big showroom was a great gesture on THEIR part, especially in this "iffy" weather we've been having. I wouldn't want to be out there TODAY (look out your window).

There is a point that some collectors reach, where their cherished rides become "showpieces".....and STOP being cars. Although every car there yesterday was DRIVEN to the show, I've been to shows where they had to be hauled in enclosed trailers to avoid road nicks from passing semi-trucks on the freeway.

At the 2005 Boise Roadster Show at the Fairgrounds, a guy eased a virtually STERILE 57 Chevy out of an enclosed trailer and even his TIRES wrapped in plastic until he got the car on his special display mat, so he'd have no dust or dirt on the tire treads! He wins "Best of Show" almost everywhere he goes........lots of trophies on the mantle, but can he truly enjoy his car?

I have a few "road nicks" on my Olds.........and it could stand to be re-painted after 55 years.....but I enjoy getting it out and driving it.

I was talking to the guy with the T-Bird yesterday. Like the elderly couple in the old Cadillac, he TOO drove up here from Twin. There wasn't a mark or a blemish on that 'Bird, and due to the way Idaho highways are "maintained", plus all of the big-rig traffic-----I'd have been scared to death to drive that thing out on the open road out there!

I think that's why I had a particular fondness for a 60 Chevy Impala that was there. It's a daily driver I see every so often around Mountain Home. Nothing fancy, just a white 4-door, family car. He brings his car just to participate and rub shoulders with other "old car people." He probably never expects to win anything, but you can bet he enjoys every mile he drives that old Chevrolet around here.

I can identify with that. My old red 64 Ford Fairlane is nothing special either.....just a 4-door sedan, paint is faded, a few little dings here and there, old 3-speed "on the tree" (column shift), radio works when it feels like it------------I LOVE it! Man.....I LEARNED TO DRIVE in cars like that!

To ME, that's what it's all about. Oh.....it WOULD be nice if my Olds, or my 54 VW "Oval Window" won something, ("Herbie" is a PARADE car that many of you have seen, and IT has never won anything!)........but that's ok.......Donna's "made statements" two years in a row now with a couple of HERS.

When your spouse shares your hobby, that's great.

When she BEATS you at it.......well.......that's great TOO!