[Hal Copple]

a few days ago, got a call from an old friend, way up in NC, about 70 miles away. His visiting granchild was ill, and he called to ask for advice. So i told him i would make a "house call" when i got off work. Met the wife and daughter up at nice fancy new Italian place in Charlotte for dinner, then well after dark, put on all my warm stuff, it being cold out (well, what passes for cold in South Carolina anyway), and headed north. It was a beautiful night's drive. I worried constantly about wayward, lovesick deer, but hoping my thundering exhaust would give them pause, crisscrossed rural NC, looking upward with awe at the stars and the upcoming moon.

Checked out the ill toddler, and headed back home. As i entered my neighborhood, mindfull of the late hour, i refrained from any blipped downshifts, and just eased along the edge of the small lake, and pulled into the garage a few minutes later.

When i crawled icecold into bed, my wife muttered "that car is unbelievably loud, hope the neighbors don't call."

Truth of it is, my Stroked Windsor, with over 60,000 miles on the sidepipes, really is loud. The ceramic coated headers (inside coated too), have a harsh, discreete crack with each exhaust pulsation, not very muted by the no doubt matted and packed stainless steel packing in the "mufflers." The Great Stroker really is a loud nasty sounding beast.

Was invited to watch the Panthers dismantle the Cowboys a day later, and one of the other wives came up to me, laughing, and said that about midnight, she had awakened to the sound of a helicopter which was apparantly landing nearby. Being concerned that a Medivac 'chopper was landing at a neighbors, she got up to look out the window, and realized it was just Hal, in his little red sports car just on the other side of small lake, easing along under a full moon. So she went back to bed.

I guess next time, if i want the neighborhood to think the Russians have invaded, I'll just have to blip a few thundering downshifts, and run to redline a few times.

I wonder if the sound of my car has something to with the fact that dogs never ever chase me. Perhaps in their dog minds they think to themselves "that thing probably bites back.!!"

If dogs think, anyway.