Michael was having a blast! He had a chance to catch up with some friends he made at the Charlotte Parade the previous year, was up and ready for the continental breakfast in the Hospitality suite each day, and had a great time helping some friends with last minute preparations on their 356 Roadster. On the day of the Concours he helped babysit the Roadster for Jim and Leann Huestess while I judged, and managed to fall asleep in a chair on the field. When he woke up, he said he was pretty sure he could feel the skin on his face frying in the sun, and had the sunburn to prove it!

After the judging was over, he took the camera to the historic display and took some photos of cars that he liked. He settled on a nicely restored 550 Spyder and an original 906 that Jim Perrin has owned since Nixon was president, I think, but the Abarth Carrera really caught his attention with its louvered Italian body and classic shape. On the judging field he found a beautiful Blue Cayman with the Aero Kit and one of the Orange special edition Boxsters that stood out in a field of gorgeous cars. We were called back to our friends with the Roadster, it turned out they were chosen to participate in final judging so we helped Jim and Leann arrange the car on the field for a few last minute details. They were so excited to have won the Preservation Award trophy in the 356 class, while the overall award went to a very nice 928.

Each day we managed to feed ourselves lunch by making sandwiches from some goodies purchased at a local store, with no girls around that meant white bread with mayo and turkey, and an occasional beef jerky stick with a side of cheese ball and a Dr. Pepper to wash it all down. I wasn’t sure if we were having lunch or getting ready for a Super Bowl party! One day we decided after our gourmet guy lunch that a trip to the Continental Divide was in order, and although the rental car protested we made it to the top in only a half hour or so. We managed a short walk up some stairs to take in some beautiful scenery, but had to stand there for a minute to catch our breath at that altitude. It was amazing how quickly you became winded and had to pace yourself physically for just a few stairs. On the way back down we took another break and were getting our breath when we saw one of the riders on the US Cycling team come pedaling to the top. Pretty embarrassing…they were getting a final test in before the Tour de’France began, and we could barely make it back to the car.