Hey guys, I can’t believe another summer is almost in the books. I’ve started what most of you probably have too … packing! The pile of boxes and bags to load into the van for the road trip is starting to get taller as the days go on. This weekend I am going to load my Mustang into the transporter/tractor trailer so it can be dropped off down at my apartment once I arrive next week. Then am going to head for Daytona on Tuesday (23nd) … 12 hours later I should be pulling into my apartment parking spot if all goes as planned. I am glad to have moved in to my new place after the spring semester… allows me to just relax down at the beach before classes start for the fall.

So, since I last checked in with you all I’ve been back on the road traveling the east coast. Earlier this month we traveled up to York, PA to pick up some vintage Buicks and bring them back down to Maryland. I always have a blast traveling up to the restoration shops to either drop off or load up cars because of the history I learn from the guys/gals at the shops. The shop we visited in Glen Rock, PA – Prueitt Auto Restorations, had vehicles ranging from the early ‘20’s up to the 60’s and 70’s and with each car came the history behind each. He had plenty of neat cars sitting inside the restoration area but a 1925 Buick that they are doing a stellar restoration on. From the paint to the immaculate interior the car is going to clean up at car shows once it is finished. Like I said, it was a great trip… we loaded up the 1931 and 1941 Buick’s and headed home.

The local Buick/Olds car club hosted an All GM show and we took the 1987 Buick GNX. Some friends also showed vehicles including a 1949 Buick and a 1976 Trans Am both of which are amazing examples. The weather was hit-and-miss all day but we had a great time showing the car and talking with others in the hobby that had never seen a GNX before. It is still amazing the reaction that car brings when we pull it out of the trailer. People were coming up to us all day saying how they had gone 25 years without seeing a real GNX. Towards the end of the day the weather had deteriorated to the point that we loaded the cars in the trailers and waited for the awards. We showed our 1991 Camaro last year and took second place, this year we took first place in our class and in total our friends had also taken “Best Buick” and a second place award.

Well, this is the last journal entry for summer break … I hope to see you all down in Daytona for the fall semester. Remember to make the best of the year and get involved. There are plenty of clubs and activities to get in involved with – myself I am Vice President of ERMCA – Embry Riddle Muscle Car Association. We are planning on hosting another car show or 2 this year on campus so come on out and join us. Oh! I finally finished editing some of my Oshkosh photos… took about 3,500 so here is a link to my Flickr Collection showing all weeks events.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdingell/collections/72157627372577958/

Best of luck in the fall,
James Dingell