New Bern Nicer Still

New Bern, NC
35 05.91 N 077 01.95 W

Even though we liked New Bern before, this weekend we discovered other local delights.

One was the New Bern Artwalk.  All the local art stores had open house.  There are lots of them.  We were amazed at the quantity and quality of art from local artists.  This really is a haven for artists.  One cool place was the Amateur Artist.  Customers paint their own art on unfinished pottery.  The store than fires them for you.  Lots of families, like the one in the picture, came as a group and everyone in the family did their own.  Neat idea.

The next day they had an antique car show.  Of course we have seen lots of those.  But this show had extra fine cars, some really exquisite.

Foreigners laugh at Americans about how involved we are with our cars.  It's true.  We associate cars with strong memories, like the ones in the pictures below from yesterday's New Bern Antique Car Show.   I put a caption on each to explain what memory each triggered.  Boy what a buzz I got from seeing those cars.

Libby and I first dated in a 1956 DeSoto.  Here is a 1954 DeSoto.

The front seat of a DeSoto is where Libby and I made out.

We had  a Dodge like this; same color.  Used it to drive to Sacandaga Lake to sail.

A Chrysler like one of the many cars my Dad brought home.

   

An exquisite Ford.  All brass plated parts, even a carbide generator to make gas for the lights.

George & Carol have a Porsche, but not like this one.

What happened to good old fashioned shotgun weddings?

This Ford 150 pickup was exquisite.  Note the mirrors on the ground.

In the 1960s, the coolest show on TV was called Route 66.  It featured a Corvette like this.

More of the Ford 150

An Imperial like one of the many cars my Dad brought home.

Libby and I went on a Mustang Road Rally in a car like this with our friend Harry.

My Dad & Mom had a 31 roadster with a rumble seat like this one.

I once owned a 1958 Chevy, this one is a 1956.

The 1957 Chevy is the classicalest of classic cars.

I also owned a 1951 Ford that looked like this.
The steering was so bad I had a hard time keeping it on the road.

My Dad ran away from home at 17, got a job selling new Model A Fords like this one.
They sold for $65 each.

Look at the engine in this 1912 Rambler.

I guess I must explain something.  My Dad was a factory representative for Chrysler Corporation.  Part of his job was to let dealers see every variation of every model Chrysler made.  Therefore, he brought home a brand new car every week, sometimes twice per week.  When I was 16 he let me borrow a 1960 Plymouth Sport Fury Convertible; red and white; white leather seats; a 413 cubic inch Hemi engine with two 4-barrel carbs, and automatic push-button transmission. It was a lot like the one in the picture below. I drove it at 60 mph, then stomped on the gas, it burned rubber starting from 60.  I chickened out at 120.  Remember that sucker must have weighed 6000 pounds.  It was a monster.  Even today, it is my concept of the best car ever.

1960 Plymouth Sport Fury

My Dad also took the Chrysler turbine-powered concept car to New York City.  He drove to Rockerfeller Plaza where there were news cameras,  poured a quart of Chanel Number 5 in as fuel (at $3000 per quart), took off one wheel (to demonstrate torsion bar suspension) and drove around NYC for the rest of the day on three wheels.

The Chrysler Turbine Car