One last fling before Nicolas leaves . . . and of course it involves cars!

LOTS and LOTS of cars!  So many to choose from!

At some point, while looking for things to do in the area, I came across the Blue Suede Cruise at Summit Motorsports Park, in Norwalk, Ohio.  This is the same racetrack where Tom and Nicolas had gone for the NHRA Drag Races a few weeks back, but this weekend, the track was being invaded by classic dragsters (pre 1972) and a huge car show and auction.

Nicolas thought it sounded fun, and since he was leaving the next morning, we made plans to go.  We arrived after lunch and started walking through the rows and rows of old, restored cars . . . we had no idea there were going to be so many there!

There were so many beautiful cars and trucks – Nicolas said he couldn’t pick his favorite . . . but it definitely made him want one!  He was definitely in his element, amongst all those old cars!

Tom found several that he liked, too!

We’d be ready for the beach with this one . . .

or ready for the dunes in this old Bronco!

Or maybe this old Jeep,

A beautiful Ford,

and a Lincoln that Tom just loved!

Not everybody left their cars parked, though . . . there were plenty driving around, too!  These guys looked like they were ready for the drive-in!

This little Fiat just kept cruising around the track,

but these were definitely the most original vehicles we saw driving around!  They looked like were really having fun – and it sure beat walking!

We walked by the auction tent later, and I told Nicolas he could get his own bumper car!

Walking through the auction field, I think there were as many vehicles there to be sold as there were on show!

We even found a few Bugs that Bryce could buy and fix up . . . he told me that even though he has a car now, he still hasn’t given up on getting a VW Bug.

But maybe he should get one that’s ready to drive!

We continued walking around (there was so much more to see!), and working our way toward the Grandstands where we could hear the roar of engines as the dragsters raced the 1/4 mile track.

Dragsters like this one . . .

More cars . . .

a fully restored motorhome,

and there was even a tent for the women to sell crafts and stuff . . . I never did get in there, though!

We made our way up to the Grandstands in time to catch the end of qualifying runs (for some class of cars, not sure what!),

and then got to watch some “fun runs”, too . . . where anybody could take their car out on the track and race against somebody else.  These were interesting to watch . . . some drivers were more experienced than others!

We had a lot of fun, and Nicolas said it was a good way to spend his last day!

Early the next morning we had to say good-bye to Nicolas, as his leave was up and he had to get to Norfolk.  It was tough to let him go, but he’s exciting to finally get started in his career.

He sent me a picture when he arrived at his ship – the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, CVN69.

Now, a week later, he’s out to sea for the first time . . . a new and exciting experience . . . I’m sure he’s enjoying it!

A Few Days Back in Michigan

We’d been wanting to plan a dinner with the family while Nicolas was in town, and my Mom had a little project she wanted help with, so as soon as Bryce had an afternoon scheduled off, we all headed over to my Mom’s house.

We had picked up the supplies we needed to seal the cracks in her driveway and reseal it, so the three of them got started on filling the cracks that afternoon, before we went to meet everybody for dinner at Inkys – a family favorite.

We had a big group for dinner – 20 of us – and it was delicious, as usual.  Jaxon was excited to see a couple of his favorite people!

I had made an ice cream cake for Nicolas’ birthday, and everybody came back to my Mom’s for dessert.  Nick was glad to see everybody, especially since he doesn’t know how many opportunities he’ll get to come back to Michigan once he reports in Norfolk.

The next morning, the guys sealed the driveway,

while Grandma and Casey supervised!

Bryce had to work that afternoon, so after a couple hours he headed back to Sandusky by himself.  The rest of us were staying for another night.

Tom and Nick put the finishing touches on the driveway.

It looked pretty good when they were done!

After getting cleaned up and having some lunch, we headed up to the Milan Dragstrip for an evening of drag racing.

Tom’s brother, Dave, and our niece, Kathleen, joined us there, and we all enjoyed watching the races.  After a couple hours sitting on metal bleachers, Tom and I needed to stretch our legs, so we took a walk over to the “Pit” side of the track.  Walking around, we ran into our friend, Ed, from work.

He was there helping some friends of his who had a couple of cars in the action.  While we were talking, it was time for them to go to the starting line for their next run.  Tom and I hopped onto the back of the gold cart and rode up to the starting line with them.

This was my first time towing a race car!

We watched from behind the starting line while they waited for their turn.

It was quite a few from back there!

Lots of smoke as the cars do the customary burn-out!

It had been a beautiful evening, but it looked like storm clouds were brewing! 

Tom and I went back to the spectator side to get something to eat with Nick, Dave and Kathleen, and then back up to the bleachers to watch the elimination rounds.  They didn’t get too far into them, though, before we suddenly found ourselves in a downpour!

We gathered under the bleachers in an attempt to stay dry while waiting out the rain,

but it didn’t appear to be ending anytime soon, and we doubted if they’d get the track dried off to be able to continue the races.  We decided to make a run for the cars, and got completely drenched!  Just a few miles south at my Mom’s house, though . . . completely dry!  She was shocked to see us walk into the house looking like drowned rats!

On Saturday, we headed back to Sandusky for Nicolas’ last week of his leave.  It’s been cozy in the motorhome with 4 adults and a dog,

but I’ve loved having the boys both here with us!  Bryce had a couple more evenings off, and we managed to have dinner together a couple more times!

The signs of his impending departure were around me though, as I sewed his new patches on his uniforms and he got his sea bag packed up.

I’m going to be so sad when he leaves!  At least I’ve got Bryce here for a little longer!