Not Ranked
Hal, the Jag, & the Foggy Bottom
Being methodical, and yet capable of being crafty when necessary, i told The Wife Friday morning that son Chris and i were going to look at some used Defender 90's up in Charlottte; he is about to graduate from Clemson U, and really wants to replace his very reliable Pathfinder. I have properly raised him to be a Car Guy, and he would get a Lotus if he could afford it.
The scheme concocted was for me to leave early, visit the Olthoff's up in NC, then come back down to Charlotte, link up with Chris, and then visit the Jaguar dealer. Much of the purpose for the clandestine operation was the latter, as i have posted. I was a Special Forces A team leader 30 years ago, so i am accustomed to planning and carrying out subterfuge.
Fooling the enemy is a piece of cake compared to fooling a Wife withwhom you have lived for 25 years.
Lady Luck spoke up Fri evening; Stu, a new SPF buyer, with whom i have spoken and met, called and said he and his son were coming up from GA to pick up his Titanium SPF, and would be going right by my little town, so we planned on a Link-up at the Interstate, at 0730 Sat AM.
Got up at 0615 Sat, pulled on the Long Johns (i am an experienced cold weather driver in the Great Stroker!), shoved the Red/White stripe SPF out the door, gloved up, zipped the GI's Moulton collar up snuggly, pre-lubed the 396, hit the Holley PRO HP, and in a second i had the revs up high enough to ease on down the driveway, and rolled down the hill, and headed towards the Coordination Site.
I couldn't but barely see!!! The temp was 31 degrees, and the fog was so thick i could scarcely make out the white center line!!
Picked up a sausage biscuit, only really done well in the South by the way, and crawled over to a parking lot by the Insterstate on-ramp. Called Stu, and he was right on time, just as perfect as when the Tom lamphier and his P-38 buddies rondevoused with Yamomoto flying in his Betty, losing Ray Hines as a cost of the success.
I am a student of military history, by the way.
Tossed the scraps to the ants, and gently and carefully accelerated down the on-ramp, rolled across the Catawba river bridge, then up the hill, thru dense fog, then out the next exit, and back down the onramp, pulled over, looked back to see Stu and Son traveling by with their new trailer in tow. It was perfect!
We both pulled over, and Stu IV climbed into my car for the trip; we were both all bundled up, as cold, damp weather penetrates to the marrow. The fog began to clear, but then about 15 miles out from the Olthoff's, it got so thick on a rural road i went thru a stop sign, never even saw it, and i could not tell exactly where i was on that familiar road.
But eventually we covered the 77 miles to the Olthoff's, my hands were frozen to the MotoLita, such that when we pulled up, Bob O. came out, and told me to move slowly, so i did not crack into a thousand pieces! It was good to see Bob and Baby, his wife, as they have been back in SA overseeing the operation's American products (unbelieveable what is in the pipeline!!). It was a wonderful morning as the sun came out, and chased the remnants of the fog away.
Late morning, a number of men arrived, from all points, to look at the cars; i took one chap out in mine for a test.
Then back to Charlotte, meeting Chris for lunch at a BBQ place; their other branch BBQ restaurant down in my town burned down a year ago, and i have sorely missed their style of "fixin's" .
Then we both test drove an X Jaguar, and started working on the details, then i came home in Chris' truck, and he returned later in the Great Stroker. At dinner, talking about Defenders and the like, Lynne mentioined again that the Jag was a beatiful car.
Now only three people in the world know about my plans, Chris, Becky, and I, so there is no way Lynne could be aware of my Jag plans, unless i talk in my sleep. She tells me all the time i snore, but hopefully i don't keep murmuring about a Jaguar.
Today dawns warm and sunny, and Chris wants to take our SPF out for some pictures for his photograpy class. He says the other students and this teacher go nuts when he develops and prints his pictures of our car!
So all the best to ya'all, and i will let you all know as this Mission comes to conclusion.
__________________
Hal Copple
Stroked SPF
"Daily Driver"
IV Corps 71-72, Gulf War
|
Linear Mode
