We are disappointed to announce that we will need to postpone the President's Social that was scheduled for August 28th.  We are working to reschedule the event in October.  More details will follow when they are available.  

British Automobile Owners Association

31st Annual

Rio Grande Valley Regional Rendezvous

 

Ruidoso, New Mexico

September 17 - September 19, 2021

This 31^st Rendezvous will be in Ruidoso, nestled high (7000 ft) in the cool, Sierra Blanca Mountains of southeastern New Mexico. Events begin on Friday, but come early for hiking forested mountain trails, golf (located at the resort hotel), the high pines, and winding roads. Please visit the BAOA website at www.baoa.org for the schedule of events, registration, and accommodations.

Please note, this is not an official club event and is being posted as a courtesy to the organizers.

The pictures in this article were supplied by David Dodd, and we are publishing them with our appreciation. The commentary is mine alone. While David actually attended the event, I was not able to do so, therefore my commentary may or may not reflect the reality of the day. But these days, with reality being abused daily, who is to say that my account is wrong? -Scott

The annual Houston MG Car Club picnic was held at Meyer Park in Spring, TX on a partly sunny, warm and mostly dry July 10. The much-anticipated event was hosted by club members Gordon and Angie Bard, who are notorious for dressing up for any reason at all and making any mundane occasion seem extraordinary. Club members thereby braced themselves for the sight of lunch being served by a giant woodland animal (beaver? squirrel? grizzly?) and were relieved to find that Gord elected to present himself only as a teenage girl. In the photo to the right, Gord (the cute one in the dress) takes a break from roasting cicadas spiced with his homemade habanero garlic rub.

Foregoing the traditional “blanket on the ground” approach, the rather more gentrified club members elected to enjoy their gourmet picnic meal on sturdy benches in a shaded pavilion. What better place to enjoy the culinary delights from the fertile imagination of Chef Gordon, including Texas specialties such as Armadillo Poppers, Roast Palestine Possum, Sauteed Brenham Wild Boar Tails, and Longhorn Skirt Steak braised in Dr. Pepper?

An MG is almost the perfect vehicle with which to drive oneself to a picnic. A cheap and cheerful motor is the ultimate conveyance for anyone who can’t afford to actually eat at a restaurant and therefore finds throwing a blanket on the ground with cheap cold cuts scrounged from home an acceptable alternative gustatory experience. And that blanket can be found in most of our cars, because it is a ubiquitous MG accessory, protecting the occupants from either the malfunctioning heater or the ill fitting side curtains / soft top. Picnics attract annoying insects and small rodents; ditto, the interior and wiring of just about any project MG. The following cars found the lure of the great outdoors irresistible, and even managed to start on demand and make it to Meyer Park. The big question – did they all make it home?

Another highlight of any HMGCC event is an address by our Beloved Leader, Mr. Michael Woodward. And the picnic was no exception. In the photo to the right, Chairman Mike regales the adoring throngs with an amusing anecdote from his upcoming book, “Minor Miracles: How to Keep a Morris Running Using Only Articles Purchased from a Dollar Store (Part 3)”.

And the main attraction – fun and games! After that embarrassing incident during Duck, Duck, Goose when Joe tore off his shirt, sprinted to the duck pond and dove in headfirst, our Beloved Leader led the assembly in the intricacies of Blindfolded Reverse Gear Slalom races. In this photo, you can see the fear on his face as his time is about to be bettered by Larry in his race tuned B-GT. Fortunately, Larry’s car lost power just before the finish, leaving victory befittingly in our Beloved Leader’s hands.

All in all, an excellent time was had by all, and tales aplenty will be told at future gatherings. Until next time – Safety Fast!

Once again thanks to Greg for maintaining the records.

What a week the club has planned to celebrate our 50th Anniversary! Experience everything that our club stands for in one exciting week – cars, parts, drives, British fare, drink and most importantly, great friends to share the excitement! Here is a list of all of the great events planned with links to the event details and registration.

The week begins with the Free For All Swap Meet hosted by John Boyer on Sunday, September 5th, 2:00pm – 4:00pm. Remember one person’s junk is another person’s treasure. Free For All-Parts Swap, Sept. 5

On Tuesday, September 8th we will have a free showing of Inside The Octagon II (MG 1946-1980) at the Alamo Drafthouse at LaCentara (Katy). Show time will be 7:00pm. It is pretty cool that we are able to see classic MG’s on the big screen. We will be showing Inside The Octagon I on August 14th as well; don’t miss either of these great features created by our own Gary Watson. And remember, you can’t see these films anywhere else. They are not on YouTube or Netflix. Alamo Drafthouse-INSIDE THE OCTAGON II (MG 1946-1980), Sept 8

One of the favorite food of our friends in the UK is curry. To honor their passion for this spicy delight we will be hosting Curry Night – A Symphony of Flavors on Wednesday, September 9th, 5:00pm – 8:00pm at Noon Mirch in Webster, TX. Curry Night-A Symphony of Flavors, Webster, TX Sept. 9

The celebration wouldn’t be complete if we did not visit one of our favorite British establishments, the Richmond Arms. Join us for lunch on September 10th, 11:30am to 2:00pm to enjoy your favorite British fare and a pint of Old Speckled Hen. 50th Anniversary Week Luncheon, Richmond Arms, Sept. 10

The 50th Anniversary Party will be held on Saturday, September 11th, beginning at noon, at the Falcon Point Golf Club in Katy. There will be great food, friends and a few surprises. This event has limited capacity, so reserve your spot early. For those of you who are traveling from afar or who would prefer to stay locally we have reserved a block of rooms at the Holiday Inn & Suites near Katy Mills Mall. 50th Anniversary Party, Sept. 11  

Following the 50th Anniversary party we will wrap up the week’s celebration with a drive to the Baker’s Street Pub. It is a short distance from Falcon Point, but we know some of you will want to exercise your cars a bit, so we will be laying out both a direct route and a more winding route to the pub. We will have a reserved area for us to enjoy one another’s company, swap stories and kick the tires a bit. 

This is going to be a great week! Make sure you are registering for all of these great events!

We joined the Austin MG Club on a Drive to Drippin’!

The second CCMGC drive of 2021 featured a tour of wineries around Dripping Springs, connected by the scenic back roads of the hill country. The muster point for the drive was on the southwest corner of Austin where everyone gathered and enjoyed some shade while they could. A total of eight cars (seven MGs and one GM!), sixteen people and four members of the Houston club showed up for the drive in what promised to be beautiful summer weather. We left for our first destination shortly after 10:30.

The first leg of the drive introduced the drivers to the turns and twists of hill country driving as we left the weekend shopping traffic behind and headed toward Dripping Springs. This leg of the drive featured the first two river fords, one of which enhanced the experience by having water flowing over the road. Splashing through the stream, we motored on to our first winery, Parmeson Wines, which opened early to offer the club a private tasting.

We gathered our cars in front of the tasting room to get the obligatory scenic shot together and moved into the air-conditioned comfort of the winery to make our drink selections. Trish Hardy pleased everyone’s pallet by providing a cheese and cracker tray to accompany our beverages. We enjoyed resting and chatting in the shade as we tasted the Californian cuvee.

The second leg of the drive was the longest and wound through the countryside between Dripping Springs and Wimberley. This segment featured several more river fords, including another wet one, as well as numerous cattle guards designed to test the compliance of our antique lever shock absorbers. Our cars were in their natural element in these narrow country lanes, and we had the roads pretty much to ourselves. After an hour of driving, we turned into the Wimberley Valley winery, where we again gathered under the shade of giant live oaks. This winery featured a fabulous food truck and drinks served from a double decker London bus. Several of our more parched and adventurous participants cooled off with the wine slushies they served.

After everyone ate and drank their fill, we headed off to our final destination, the Driftwood Estate winery. En route, we followed a heavily decaled 1960’s VW bug, which we figured was part of the Great Race 2021 that had stopped in San Marcos for lunch. Our hunch was confirmed when we saw a timing station further up the road. They shouted that we should join the race!

We parked in the shade and headed into the air-conditioned tasting room to cool down and choose a selection from their all-Texas wines. Gathering our drinks, we headed out to the shaded porch and enjoyed a final few laughs together. All agreed that it was a successful drive, combining great roads with good drinks, excellent food, and even better companions. To top it off, we had no mechanical failures despite the temperatures. As we drove home, we all looked forward to returning to Dripping Springs and our next club drive.

- Contributed by Scott Hardy. Photos by Scott Hardy and Gord Bard

Rick South, Carrie South and Trish Hardy
enjoy the views at Driftwood Estate Winery

Ray Holtzapple takes first in class at MG 2021 in Atlantic City

Ray with Flat Bernard and his 1974 1/2 MGB GT Jubilee

The HMGCC monthly meeting in June was only our second face-to-face meeting since Covid restrictions started, but we made the most of it by taking the meeting on the road to Montgomery. Our meeting site, Ransoms Steakhouse and Saloon, was suggested and vetted by Bob Schroeder, who also generously agreed to be the guest speaker.

Club members started arriving around 11:00, and six members took advantage of the warm May sunshine to exercise their MGs for the drive. Smiles and chatting were first on the agenda as members greeted each other and embraced the new experience of seeing old friends in person. When the restaurant had re-arranged the tables for our use, we moved inside and ordered drinks and food while fearless leader Mike Woodward set up the microphone and audio.

The official agenda started at noon when Mike banged the gavel and the serious business began. We all quietly imbibed and enjoyed our meals while we approved the previous meeting minutes and engaged in a hearty discussion regarding plans for the 50th anniversary celebrations coming up in September. The conviviality (and the drinks) encouraged great ideas and volunteers for organizing future events.

One highlight of our monthly meetings is always the presentation of the guest speaker, and Bob Schroeder did not disappoint. He entertained the assembly with a mix of history and automobile trivia, such as the City of Montgomery being the birthplace of the Texas flag, the story behind various monikers given to convertible cars, how to bid at an auto auction, and the reason why later model MGBs have three miniature windscreen wipers.

Dwight Dawson reported that club membership has reached a record high of 179, and we were joined at the meeting by new members Charles and Cindy Still (1948 MG TC) and Delila Carlock (1960 MGA).

As always, we ended the meeting with giveaways and sharing our names and cars. Laughs, smiles and handshakes between the members accompanied our exit as we completed a fun filled day at Ransoms. We left with full stomachs and good memories as we looked forward to the next time we can get together.

- Contributed by Bob Schroeder. Photos by Bob Schroeder and Dwight Dawson

Dear All,

Please see current standings of the driver's award. As always many thanks to Greg for keeping up with this.

Safety fast!

Mike.