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Porsche Club of America
The Northeast Region

Upshifting

By Bruce Hauben, Bruce993@PorscheNet.com
NOR'EASTER Online - August 2006
Northeast Region Logo
  • Many NER DE drivers have recently returned from a great 3 day event at Le Circuit Mont Tremblant (LCMT). Not only was the track in great condition, and a fun track to drive, but the Blues Festival seems to be getting better and better every year.

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    It was one of those rare DE events where we had many more instructors than were needed for our Green and Yellow Run Group drivers. When this occurs it allows our Chief Instructors (CI) to assign instructors to ride with signed off drivers, continuing the mission of drivers’ education. It also allows ample time and mentors (instructors) to work with NER’s instructor candidates. I’m very pleased to be able to welcome four new instructors to NER’s corps; David Goodman, Rick Betterly, Andrzej Brezjinski, and Tom Buckingham. Maybe they’ll become known as the ‘3Bs and a G’ instructor class. Congratulations to the four, we look forward to seeing you at many of our events.
      
    Back to the Blues Festival, which for the record is free. For 9 days there is non-stop music on 4 different stages from 1:00 in the afternoon til 10:00 at night. and then some groups move inside to a rotating list of clubs for several more hours of free music. Among the great groups from the US were James Cotton, though getting long in the tooth can still belt out the harp and his band was right up there with the best, one of my favorites at the event. Grammy award winner John Lee Hooker Jr. and W.C.Handy award winner Joe Louis Walker were on their game, and Newton’s own Monster Mike Welch and his band were fantastic. Fifteen year Ricky Paquette from QC was dynamic on the guitar, far better than Monster Mike at the same age, and one of my favorites who has been there every year was Angel Forest…close your eyes and you’re listening to Janis Joplin. There were 58 different groups and soloists during the festival.
      
    Frankly, it was impossible not to OD on the music, so Joyce and hiked to the top of mountain one day, riding the tram to the top on another. Mt. Tremblant is the tallest spot in that area of the Laurentians and the view from there, over the other mountains is great, very peaceful and reflective when you park yourself away from the crowd and veg out. Another afternoon we rented a little pontoon boat with friends and went for a cruise on the lake, stopping in the middle for a swim on a beautiful, sunny very hot day.
      
    We’re not golfers but there are many courses very near by, and one of these trips we’ll go white water rafting, or horseback riding and there are many other activities appropriate for all preferences and skill levels.
    If you think I’m sounding like an aluminum siding salesman, you’re right. We took and extra few days before the track to enjoy the facilities and music and hope that many more of you drivers out there will give it a try next year. In fact, several of our event drivers had driven the prior 3 days with the QC BMW club (talk about gluttons for punishment) and there were cars from Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, and elsewhere. Of all the tracks Joyce and I drive, LCMT is hands down the best combination of a great track to drive along with a great place for your accompanying people to enjoy themselves while you’re on the track. And I haven’t even mentioned the many, many restaurants from which to select, Sushi to Italian to Mexican to Steak to French and many of gourmet caliber.  
      
    Give it a try next year, you won’t be sorry.
       
    So what’s left on NER’s DE calendar for this season? By the time you read this our Watkins Glen and 2nd LCMT events will have finished. You still have time to register for NHIS on August 32 and again on September 11. They’re both Mondays, an easy 90 minutes from Boston so you take a single vacation day and can be home in time for dinner. Finally, we’re again joining NNJR in jointly putting on another Watkins Glen DE on Sept. 25 & 26. It’s a great time of the year at The Glen, and the Monday/Tuesday dates mean only 2 vacation days from work and you get home to sleep in your bed Tuesday night.
       
    NNJR is handling the register so simply go to their site http://www.nnjr-pca.com/site/ and click on the Drivers Ed link and you’ll find all the info you need. Registration opened on July 31, so get your registration in now and join many of your NER friends for a final two days at Thunder Road.
    ALL these websites actually exist and are work-safe:

    Straight From the Catskills 
     

    * There was a beautiful young woman knocking on my hotel room door all night! I finally had to let her out.
    * A car hit an elderly Jewish man. The paramedic says, "Are you comfortable?" The man says, "I make a good living."
    * I just got back from a pleasure trip. I took my mother-in-law to the airport.
    * I've been in love with the same woman for 49 years. If my wife ever finds out, she'll kill me!
    * What are three words a woman never wants to hear when she's making love? "Honey, I'm home!"
    * Someone stole all my credit cards, but I won't be reporting it. The thief spends less than my wife did.
    * We always hold hands. If I let go, she shops.
    * My wife and I went to the hotel where we got a waterbed. My wife called it the Dead Sea.
    * She was at the beauty shop for two hours. That was only for the estimate. She got a mudpack and looked great for two days. Then the mud fell off.
    * The doctor gave a man six months to live. The man couldn't pay his bill, so the doctor gave him another six months.
    * The Doctor called Mrs. Cohen saying, "Mrs. Cohen, your check came back." Mrs. Cohen answered, "So did my arthritis!"
    * Doctor: "You'll live to be 60!" Patient: "I AM 60!" Doctor:  "See! What did I tell you?"
     * A drunk was in front of a judge. The judge says, "You've been brought here for drinking." The drunk says "Okay, let's get started."
    * Why do Jewish divorces cost so much? They're worth it.
    * Why do Jewish men die before their wives? They want to.
    * I wish my brother-in-law would learn a trade, so I would know what kind of work he's out of.


     
     
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