The July 2020 newsletter - Text Version
Updated 29-Jun-2020 ==== Copyright (c) 2020 Corvairs of New Mexico
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July 2020 / VOLUME 46 / NUMBER 7 / ISSUE 538
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First Place, Tony Fiore Memorial Chapter Newsletter Award, 2005 & 2012
Third Place, Tony Fiore Memorial Chapter Newsletter Award, 2010
EDITOR Jim Pittman
NEXT MEETING Regular Meeting: July 4th at 9:00 AM
Mariposa Basin Park - Taylor Ranch Rd. at Kachina St.
THIS MONTH
President's Message ................................ Dave Allin
Dues Due Dates ........................... Membership Committee
June Regular Meeting at Mariposa Basin Park .......... Kay Sutt
Old Route 66 Cleanup, June 8th .................. David Huntoon
Fathers' Day Car Show, Edgewood ................. David Huntoon
Birthdays & Anniversaries ................ Membership Committee
What to do during a Pandemic Stay-at-Home? ......... Tarmo Sutt
A new/used 2006 Rousch Mustang .................. David Huntoon
Coronavirus / Covic-19 Pandemic Timeline ....... New York Times
(Fifty years ago) I'm Glad I've Got Positraction .. Jim Pittman
Coins (Not Much Corvair Content) .................. Jim Pittman
Treasury Report ................................. Steve Gongora
Calendar of Coming Events .................. Board of Directors
July Issues, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42 Years Ago ... Club Historian
COVER: April 1968: From San Antonio, NM to Carrizozo on U.S. 380
May 1967: From Anchorage to Fairbanks via Alaska Hwy One
OFFICERS and VOLUNTEERS
President Dave Allin 505-410-9668 dnjallin @ comcast.net
Vice President David Huntoon 505-281-9616 corvair66 @ aol.com
Co-secretary Linda Soukup 763-226-0707 studeboytony @ gmail.com
Co-secretary Kay Sutt 505-471-1153 tarmo @ juno.com
Treasurer Steve Gongora 505-220-7401 stevegongora @ msn.com
Car Council Dave Allin 505-410-9668 dnjallin @ comcast.net
Membership David Huntoon 505-281-9616 corvair66 @ aol.com
Merchandise Vickie Hall 505-865-5574 patandvickiehall @ q.com
Sunshine Heula Pittman 505-275-2195 heula @ q.com
Newsletter Jim Pittman 505-275-2195 jimp @ unm.edu
Old Route 66 David Huntoon 505-281-9616 corvair66 @ aol.com
Past President Ray Trujillo 505-814-8373 rtrujilloabq505 @ gmail.com
Past President Pat Hall 505-620-5574 patandvickiehall @ q.com
Past Vice-Pres Tarmo Sutt 505-690-2046 tarmo @ juno.com
MEETINGS: First Saturday of each Month at 10:00 AM
Highland Senior Center at 131 Monroe NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108
INTERNET CORSA's home page www.corvair.org/
CNM's newsletters www.unm.edu/~jimp/
New Mexico Council of Car Clubs www.nmcarcouncil.com/
SCHEDULE CNM: 12 months = $25.00 or 26 months = $ 50.00
OF CORSA: 12 months = $45.00 or 26 months = $ 90.00
DUES CNM & CORSA: 12 months = $70.00 or 26 months = $140.00
DUES DUE DATES JULY 2020
DUE LAST MONTH ====================== INACTIVE DATE
2020.06 Lloyd Piatt 25-JUL-2020
2020.06 Art Gold 25-JUL-2020
DUE THIS MONTH ====================== INACTIVE DATE
2020.07 Maggie & Bob Kitts 25-AUG-2020
2020.07 Sarah & Terry Price 25-AUG-2020
DUE NEXT MONTH ====================== INACTIVE DATE
2020.08 NONE 25-JUN-2020
DUE SEP 2020 ======================== INACTIVE DATE
2020.09 Anne Wiker 25-JUL-2020
INACTIVE ============================ INACTIVE DATE
2020.02 Larry Yoffee 25-MAR-2020
2020.03 Natalie Robison 25-APR-2020
2020.04 Conner Siddell 25-MAY-2020
2020.04 William Darcy 25-MAY-2020
Send your Dues to:
CNM Treasurer -- Steve Gongora
c/o House of Covers -- 115 Richmond NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106
Past due memberships become inactive after a one-month grace period.
The Club will mail in your National Dues if you send us the renewal
form from your Communique.
As of 27-Jun-2020 we have 38 active family memberships.
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PRESIDENT'S LETTER
Dave Allin
I am truly sorry, but this is probably my last letter as President of Corvairs
of New Mexico. My wife and I are moving back to Oklahoma this summer, as soon as
we can find a house there. We have enjoyed our stay here in New Mexico, but the
environment has not been good for Jan's health.
I have thoroughly enjoyed being in this club, and was honored when I was elected
President. I have tried to do my best to lead the club from one success to the
next, and I am very disappointed that we were not able to have our Tri-State
event this year as planned. It is all set up for next year, however, although I
will not be directly involved with it. If possible I will return for the event
as a participant.
In the short term, we will still have our monthly meeting on July 4. As with the
June meeting, we will meet at Mariposa Basin Park, but the meeting will begin an
hour earlier, at 9:00 am, to ensure we can lay claim to a nice shady spot on
what will probably be a day with lots of park visitors. Bring a lawn chair and a
mask, and anything you would like to eat. I will bring sodas and donuts. At that
meeting we can discuss the transition to a new president.
Again, thank you all for your support. I will miss you. -- Dave Allin
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General Meeting, 06/06/2020
Kay Sutt
The meeting was called to order by President Dave Allin at 10:10 at the Mariposa
Basin Park, located on the corner of Taylor Ranch Road and Kachina Street NW.
Twenty-two members were present at the meeting. The group was good at practicing
social distancing with their lawn chairs and masks. No guests were present at
the meeting.
Vice President's Report: David Huntoon reported the next highway cleanup is
scheduled for Monday June 8 at 9:00 A.M. He needs 4 or 5 people for about an
hour to complete the task. David also anticipated having similar events in July
or August, September or October. He also indicated he and David Neale, the
gentleman from England who bought Bill Reider's car, are developing a good, if
long-distance, relationship via email.
Secretary's Report: Kay Sutt had nothing to report.
Treasurer's Report: Steve Gongora reported the balance in the club's account at
meeting time was $6,762.93. One refund from the postponed Tri-State meet remains
to be deducted.
Sunshine Committee Report: Vickie Hall had nothing to report.
Newsletter Committee: Jim Pittman was not present, but the deadline for the next
newsletter is 9 P.M. on Friday, June 26.
Old Business:
The postponed Tri-state Meet has been rescheduled for May 15-17, 2021 in the
same location, and the contract for the facility has been signed. Most details
will remain the same.
Harrison Schmitt is still scheduled to speak, and events are anticipated to
remain the same.
Larry Blair and several club members met to acknowledge placement of the
memorial plaque honoring Bill Reider and John Wiker on Memorial Day weekend.
New Business:
Steve has updated the webpage that is accessible through the CORSA website. It
is a simple, one-page site with a link to Jim Pittman's extensive CNM website.
Thanks, Steve and Jim, for keeping us all up to date!
The next meeting will be held on the regular date, July 4, but at 9:00 A.M. in
the Mariposa Basin Park. It's being held earlier in the morning because it will
likely be a busy day in the park, and we want to ensure we can secure our place
in the shade. This meeting will be primarily social. Bring your own lawn chair,
mask, breakfast and drinks in order to meet the sanitation needs of the
pandemic.
Announcements:
Dave Allin got a call from a woman with two Corvairs for sale, a 1963 turbo
Spyder coupe and a 1964 Monza convertible. Both cars are rough and have been
sitting for some 15 years. Dave asked a couple of questions, and the woman said
she would get back with him, but he hasn't heard back yet. If you are
interested, contact Dave for updates.
Dave also reported there will be a sale and a silent auction at Misty Thompson's
in Mimbres, New Mexico. If you need details, contact Dave Alllin.
It was reported that an article appeared in Haggerty's regarding a Corvair which
needed engine work. After extensive trials and errors, the coil condenser was
replaced and the car finally ran great. Check out the article if you get the
chance.
Tarmo reported he happened on Al Schroeder's old car. It now belongs to a fellow
in Truchas who has replaced the wheels with large 5-lug wheels. Good to see Al's
car still living on.
Lupe brought some masks she has been sewing and several members took one or two
home with them.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:05 A.M. After that folks spent quite a bit of
time catching up with one another and kicking tires in the parking lot. We all
agreed we are looking forward to seeing one another again and starting to get
back to some semblance of normal.
So, see you all on Saturday July 4 at 9:00 A.M. at Mariposa Basin Park!
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Old Route 66 Cleanup -- David Huntoon
The Monday June 8th Old Route 66 cleanup was accomplished by seven people and 14
bags of trash plus assorted lumber, lawn chairs, etc. were collected. Tony
Berbig & Linda Soukup, Robert Gold, Dave Allin, Leroy & Josie Alderete and David
Huntoon. Went well. We will try again next month. Monday, July 6.
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Father's Day Car Show -- David Huntoon
Edgewood. Tony and Linda won Best Muscle Car. Hundreds of cars.
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Happy July Birthday Wishes to:
Debra Anderson - Larry Blair - Mark Domzalski - Terry Hall
Kelli Pogue Morgan -- Kay Sutt - Tarmo Sutt -- Valerie Nye
Happy July Anniversary Wishes to:
Linda & Dick Cochran -- Maggie & Bob Kitts
Kelli Pogue & Mark Morgan
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What do you do during a Covid-19 stay-at-home period? If you are Tarmo Sutt you
find a Corvair to get running again.
1964 Monza had fuel problems. Ed installed an electric fuel pump after having
installed several mechanical pumps. They would not work. The thinking was that
the eccentric on the crankcase had flattened out. Both carbs were plugged. Turns
out there were no gas filters in them, just one inline fuel filter. That filter
was plugged and was letting crap through into the carbs. I have never seen such
blockage at the needle and seat area. With two new carbs kits plus good filters
and some tweaking around, I soon had this 1964 Monza 110 auto convertible
running good again.
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David Huntoon says: My new/used car as of two weeks ago. A 2006 Roush Mustang.
Maybe we'll see it soon?
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PANDEMIC TIMELINE: https://www.nytimes.com/article/coronavirus-timeline.html
0 DEC 31 Wuhan, China: Treating dozens of cases of a new virus disease
11 JAN 11 China: First known death from an illness caused by the virus
20 JAN 20 Japan, South Korea, Thailand: First cases outside China
21 JAN 21 Washington State: First confirmed case in the United States
23 JAN 23 Wuhan, China: City is cut off from all travel
30 JAN 30 World Health Organization: Declares a global health emergency
31 JAN 31 USA: Restrictions on travel from China
33 FEB 02 Philippines: First Coronavirus death outside China
36 FEB 05 Japan: Thousands are quarantined on cruise ship
38 FEB 07 China: Doctor who tried to raise the alarm died of coronavirus
42 FEB 11 World Health Organization: The disease is named "Covid-19"
45 FEB 14 France: First death in Europe
50 FEB 19 Japan: Hundreds leave the quarantined cruise ship
52 FEB 21 South Korea: Shincheonji Church is linked to surge of infections
54 FEB 23 Italy: Major surge in number of cases
55 FEB 24 Iran: A second major focus of cases
57 FEB 26 Brazil: First Latin American case reported
59 FEB 28 Nigeria: First African sub-saharan case reported
60 FEB 29 Seattle: First U.S. death reported
63 MAR 03 USA: All federal restrictions on testing are lifted
67 MAR 07 CNM: At anniversary party many are worried about the coronavirus
71 MAR 11 New Mexico: Four cases of Covid-19 are confirmed
71 MAR 11 New Mexico: Governor evokes the Public Health Emergency Act
71 MAR 11 USA: Blocks most travel from Europe
73 MAR 13 USA: Declaration of a national emergency
75 MAR 15 USA: The C.D.C. recommends no gatherings of 50 or more people
77 MAR 17 France: The government imposes a national lockdown
83 MAR 23 New Mexico: Governor issues a statewide stay-at-home order
83 MAR 23 Britain: The government announces a national lockdown
84 MAR 24 Japan: The Tokyo Olympics are postponed until 2021
84 MAR 24 India: The government imposes a 24-day lockdown
86 MAR 26 USA: Now leads the world with 81,321 confirmed cases
87 MAR 27 USA: A stimulus bill of $2 trillion is signed
88 MAR 28 USA: The C.D.C. imposes a travel advisory for New York
93 APR 02 World: Cases are now over a million with at least 51,000 dead
95 APR 04 CNM: We cancel regular meeting due to the Covid-19 pandemic
99 APR 08 World: At least 24 companies announce vaccine programs
101 APR 10 Russia: Reports 12,000 cases, two-thirds in Moscow
105 APR 14 International Monetary Fund predicts another Great Depression
108 APR 17 USA: President encourages protests against state restrictions
115 APR 24 European Union: Tones down criticism against China
115 APR 24 Makers of Lysol and Clorox warn against ingesting their products
123 MAY 02 CNM: We cancel our regular meeting due to the Covid-19 pandemic
136 MAY 15 New Mexico: Easing of restrictions, some openings at 25% capacity
138 MAY 17 Japan and Germany officially declare economic recessions
140 MAY 19 Britain: Cambridge University moves all student lectures online
148 MAY 27 USA: Covid-19 deaths now over 100,000 in the United States
150 MAY 29 USA: President says USA will leave the World Health Organization
152 MAY 31 USA: Protests in 75 cities drive concerns about new infections
156 JUN 04 World: Number of known cases increasing by 100,000 new cases per day
158 JUN 06 CNM: First meeting since March, at a park, with "social distancing"
168 JUN 16 Britain: Scientists say dexamethasone reduces Covid-19 deaths by 30%
186 JUL 04 CNM: We plan second "social distancing" meeting at a park
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An Adventure from July, 1970 -- Originally Published by CNM in January 2004
I'm Glad I've Got Positraction
Jim Pittman
It was 1970 and I was a not-quite-starving graduate student. My 1966 Corsa coupe
and I were a one-car family. My rebuilt 1968 140-HP engine was running great and
I'd think nothing of jumping in the car and driving hundreds of miles whenever I
felt like it. It was a rare weekend when I wasn't out somewhere touring another
part of New Mexico or Colorado.
One day my medical student friend Gaither asked if I'd like to go on a week-end
trip to Taos. As part of his medical school training he was scheduled to visit a
clinic in Taos run by the UNM School of Medicine. He wanted me to provide
transportation for a couple of other medical students. I hadn't spent much time
in that part of New Mexico and expected to see a lot of nice mountain scenery as
well as the historic and exotic town. Visiting "hippie" communes with the
clinic's student staff promised to be a unique experience. When Gaither told me
that one of the medical students was Renee, a beautiful Californian, I was even
more pleased. My other student passenger was Randy, a tall, easy-going
Oklahoman. Gaither had three other students who'd be going up with him in his
Datsun 510 sedan after classes on Friday.
Randy, Renee and I were able to take Friday off, so we left Albuquerque early
and had a pleasant and uneventful trip up the Rio Grande valley: Santa Fe,
Espanola and Pilar to Ranchos de Taos where we stopped to see the famous church.
Arriving in Taos, we found the clinic and met the students there and learned
where we'd be able to sleep for two nights. We had sleeping bags and we were all
welcome to crash in the students' apartment.
Our visits to the local communes with the clinic staff were set for Saturday, so
we were free for the rest of the day to be tourists and take in the sights. We
were driving through town looking at the adobe buildings and art shops when
Randy, who had been here before, suggested that since the weather was perfect
and we had plenty of time, we should go out to a place he knew where we could
hike down into the Rio Grande gorge. The plan was satisfactory to Renee and me,
so we headed north on the highway to Questa. We stopped for gasoline and then
drove to the area looking for the right spot.
Randy peered uncertainly at the dirt side roads on the west side of the highway.
Eventually he pointed out a road that looked like the one he'd taken before. We
turned onto the road. It soon degenerated into nothing but a couple of deep ruts
winding through the dirt and rocks.
No problem, I just drove slowly and kept the wheels up on top of the middle
ridge and the right shoulder of the trail. We wound along the meandering dirt
track for what seemed like miles, getting closer and closer to the big crack in
the desert that was the Rio Grande gorge.
Eventually the ruts began to fade away until we were just driving on flat dirt
and rocks. We parked some distance from where the ground started to slope down
into the gorge, grabbed our canteens, locked the car, and headed for the lip of
the gorge.
The Rio Grande gorge at this location is a magnificent sight. The desert extends
flatly in every direction. Snow-covered Colorado mountains loom to the north and
Wheeler Peak towers to the east. We saw the gorge as a narrow and deep gouge in
the earth. The sides were rocky and precipitous. The little river winding along
hundreds of feet below looked like a far-away creek. There did not seem to be
any way to get to the bottom without risking life and limb.
No problem, Randy said, we'll just walk along the rim until we find the trail.
So we turned south and, sure enough, before long there was a nice, well-defined
trail heading into the gorge. Down we went. Pretty soon we were surrounded by
cliffs and the sky seemed to be receding to a narrow band above us. No signs of
civilization were to be seen.
As we approached the river (it was looking wide and deep and fast now) we came
to some ancient ruins made of stone blocks or perhaps broken concrete. That
looks like a building down by the river, said Renee. Yes, said Randy, I think
this used to be a resort of some kind, you know, like a warm spring. Sure
enough, down at the river's edge near the ruins there was a pool of nice warm
water.
(You can see this place for yourself easily enough without driving to Taos and
finding that dirt road. Just rent a DVD or stream the 1969 movie "Easy Rider"
and watch the New Mexico part of the road trip. It's one of the places where the
motorcycle trio Hopper, Fonda and Nicholson stopped to contemplate the
wilderness and philosophize on the meaning of life.)
We were in no hurry. We played in the warm water awhile, then wandered along the
river bank to see what else we could find. Other than the river and the rocks,
there wasn't really much. The remains of the stone building were pretty much the
only sign of civilization we encountered. We eventually grew bored and started
back up the trail toward the upper world. Now and then we'd find a particular
spectacular vantage point and sit down to rest and admire the view. Eventually
at one of these stops we were high enough to see more of the sky and we could
see a big blue-gray cloud over the desert toward the west.
A few minutes later and a few hundred feet higher, we could see that the cloud
was a lot bigger and blacker than we thought and it was exhibiting all the
appearances of a true desert thunderstorm. By now we could see lightning and the
wind was picking up.
We'd better get out of here and get back to the car before it rains on us, we
said.
We hurried. But the trail didn't go right up the side of the gorge, it went up
at a shallow angle, and there was a long way to go before reaching the top where
we could get to the car. Meanwhile the clouds were building, getting blacker,
starting to cross the gorge north of us! Could we get to the top before it
arrived? We couldn't. Just about the time we got to where we were able to see
the car, it started to rain on us.
The word "rain" is too puny a word to describe this desert thunderstorm. The
wind howled and big hard drops pounded our backs and we were quickly soaked.
Lightning threatened to fry us in our tracks. We could hardly see where we were
trying to walk!
Randy yelled, Give me the keys and I'll run ahead and unlock the car! I tossed
him the keys and he took off. Renee and I were more cautious. The desert was now
wet and slippery and within two seconds Randy slipped and fell. No damage, he
said, but now he was muddy from head to toe. The rain quickly washed a lot of
the mud off. We carefully made our way to the car and jumped in.
Now we were relatively safe from the rain and lightning, but the inside of the
car instantly fogged up. I started the engine and put the defroster on high. We
had some towels so I could dry my glasses and have a fair chance to see the road
through the slapping wipers. We headed for the highway.
Soon we were at the ruts of the primitive road. I tried driving on top of the
ruts as I had done when we drove in. No way! The wheels slid down into the ruts
and the belly pan scraped over the rocks in the middle. The ruts guided the
wheels and steered the car! I could not do anything but go or stop! And I did
not dare stop.
As the grinding sounds under the car continued, Randy gave me an alarmed look
and I said, I'm sure glad I have positraction! Maybe we won't get stuck! Yeah,
right! said Randy.
Slowly we scraped along, the wheels spinning and sliding as the ruts twisted
this way and that, the rain pounding on the roof. Randy kept swiping the damp
towel over the windshield to get rid of some of the fog. Finally we could see
the highway ahead and we gratefully pulled out onto the pavement. The storm,
having lost us from its clutches, went tearing across the desert toward the east
as if it wanted to get to the mountains before it ran out of water.
The car slung mud from its wheels and seemed to run fine after its ordeal. The
fog gradually faded from the inside glass. We began to feel as if we might get
dry someday soon.
Boy, that road sure turned into mud in a hurry! Randy said. Yes, and it's a good
thing I've got positraction, I said. Otherwise we might have hung up on the ruts
and got stuck. Yeah, right, Randy said.
A few minutes later we are driving along the highway thinking about our
adventure.
Uh, Jim, Randy says, just what is positraction, anyway?!
The rest of the weekend was much less exciting although it proved to be an
educational experience. We joined the medical students for a night on the town
in exotic restaurants and bars and the next morning set out on visits to four or
five communes. Some were within the town of Taos and some were far out in the
desert. One required driving though a creek. Another required driving past signs
warning us to Keep Out, but no problem, the clinic staff students were welcome.
At one commune we met a person in a white robe who had an air of Christ-like
serenity and who patiently answered our questions. A small adobe building served
the community for meditation and he invited us to try it. At his suggestion we
all sat in a circle holding hands so as to "concentrate our life force" and
thereby communicate silently. We closed our eyes and tried to concentrate on
having no thoughts whatever and seeing and hearing nothing. As the minutes went
by I found that was very hard to have no thoughts whatever! Finally the figure
in white suggested we try the "oom" mantra before we opened our eyes and came
back to earth. We were quiet and thoughtful as we drove away from that place.
Finally one of the students asked how we felt about the meditation. Several
spoke up, telling what they thought. We all seemed to have quite different
reactions to the experience.
In the afternoon several of us went to see the Taos "hot springs" where the
water was rather muddy and uninviting. We went to visit Taos Pueblo and saw the
herd of buffalo belonging to the pueblo. On Sunday we drove back to Albuquerque.
I didn't see any of the clinic students again and never again visited a "hippie
commune" but I never forgot that weekend.
A historic note: in July 1970 my 1966 Corsa coupe had just over 85,500 miles.
Its "new" 140 engine was well broken in at about 34,300 miles. The trip to Taos
and back was 426 miles, gasoline cost 37 cents per gallon and I got about 21
miles per gallon. The scraping of rocks against the bottom of the car left no
serious damage that I could detect, other than a series of scratches along the
belly pan.
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TREASURY REPORT FOR 05-31-2020 to 06-27-2020
DATE CHECK# AMOUNT PAYEE DESCRIPTION BALANCE = $6,762.93
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2020.07.01 JUL NEWSLETTER ===================================================== $6,762.93
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COINS (NO CORVAIR CONTENT)
Jim Pittman
In grade school we kids collected and traded things and I remember colorful
pieces of petrified wood, arrowheads, marbles and old coins as favorite trade
items. In the late 1940s in rural Louisiana there were plenty of Buffalo nickels
and Mercury dimes in circulation and occasionally you'd see Liberty "V-nickels"
or Indian head pennies or Barber quarters. We used coins a lot in those days.
Coffee was a nickel and that was the cost of a coke from a vending machine. You
could actually buy things with one or a few penny coins in those days.
The first time I went to a foreign country I was primed to pay attention to
coins, and before I went I recorded in my notebook the US equivalents of pounds,
francs, shillings, lira and marks for quick reference. When I crossed a border
to a new country I exchanged currency from the previous one or cashed traveler's
checks. As I recall, Holland, France and Germany had serious, businesslike
coins. Five silver franc coins made a dollar as did five guilders or four
deutschmarks. I don't remember Belgian or Swiss francs because I spent little
time in those countries.
Pretty soon I found that, instead of doing the arithmetic to translate the local
currency to dollar equivalents, I developed a feel for what things cost by
judging the weight and size of the coins it would take to buy them. A handful of
francs or marks would be worth about "that much" and sure enough, if I bought a
common item, that was about how many coins of that size it would take. This
system worked fine for some countries but not so well for others. A few
countries had modern-looking coins made of aluminum. I could never get a feel
for the value of those lightweight, odd-sized coins.
In England I found it was much harder to get a "feel" for coin values. In 1964
British coinage was still the very complex system of pounds-shillings-pence
which made little sense to me, and there were many different coins in
circulation so it was that much harder to keep track. All the coins I saw had a
serious, businesslike and British Empire "imperial" feel and appearance. But
there was one coin that just did not fit my expectations. That was the penny.
At that time British pennies were huge thick discs of copper that seemed (to me)
to weigh as much as an American half dollar coin. I found this out when I
prepared to make telephone calls from a phone booth. As I recall, a local phone
call only cost about four pennies, but if you made two or three calls, it felt
like you were feeding your week's budget into the telephone slot! Another thing
that demanded coins was the gas (or was it electric?) heater in your hotel room.
Yes, the heaters in hotel rooms had some kind of timer mechanism and to get heat
you had to feed in a fortune in shilling coins -- I no longer remember how many,
or how much time they bought. I never developed a very good "feel" for British
money, paper or metal, and I'd usually just proffer a handful of cash and let
the shopkeeper take what they needed.
How the British managed to transition over to a decimal money system after
hundreds of years of pounds-shilling-pence-florins-ha'pennies-farthings I have
no idea. I suppose it was as hard for them as it would be for them to change
their driving to staying on the "right" side of the road. But they made the
change in February 1971, making all those museum-quality imperial coins obsolete
overnight.
I remember in 1985 when the U.S. Mint changed our silver coins to the "sandwich"
or "clad" coins made with two layers of nickel with copper in between. At first
coins made of nickel with no silver seemed a radical change but over time we all
got used to them. It does seem apparent that the nickel-clad coins wear much
better than silver coins. The copper-clad zinc one-cent pennies, though, have a
distinctly cheap feel, especially since the mint got rid of the Lincoln Memorial
and made the back side of the penny look like a bus token. I still haven't
forgiven the U. S. Mint for that.
As a person interested in American coins as historical objects that represent
our country, I have deplored the "cheapening" of our coinage in recent decades.
It seems to me that the artistic quality of modern coins is distinctly inferior
to that of the early twentieth century. The fad for putting the fifty states on
the backs of quarters was interesting, but now quarters seem to have every park,
scenic landmark and battlefield in the country on the reverse side. Some are,
sorry to say, just gaudy and of only local interest.
But, maybe that's just me..... Say, maybe someday the mint will make a quarter
with a Corvair or two, early model and late model, on the back?
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| July 2020 | August 2020 | September 2020 |
| Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa | Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa | Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa |
| 1 2 3 4 | 1 | 1 2 3 4 5 |
| 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 | 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 | 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 |
| 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 | 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 | 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 |
| 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 | 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 | 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 |
| 26 27 28 29 30 31 | 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 | 27 28 29 30 |
| | 30 31 | |
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SAT 04 JUL 9:00 AM MEETING AT MARIPOSA PARK, TAYLOR RANCH == EARLY ===
Mariposa Park, Taylor Ranch, 4900 Kachina Street NW
MON 06 JUL 9:00 AM Old Route 66 Cleanup -- The I-40 / NM 333 Triangle.
SAT 11 JUL 5:30 PM -- Collector Car Appreciation Day Cruise -- All Cool Cars
to 8:30 PM -- LOS RANCHOS DE ALBUQUERQUE ------ PART OF OLD ROUTE 66
-- Between Osuna and EL Pueblo NW - SPEED LIMIT IS 25 MPH
>>> INTERNATIONAL CORSA CONVENTION CANCELLED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS <<<
>>> RESCHEDULE TO JULY 27-31, 2021 IN SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA <<<
WED 15 JUL 5:00 PM Board Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED
FRI 24 JUL 9:00 PM Deadline for items for August 2020 newsletter
MON 27 JUL >> TARGET FOR PRINTING AND MAILING AUGUST NEWSLETTER <<
============================================================================
SAT 01 AUG 10:00 AM Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED
WED 19 AUG 5:00 PM Board Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED
WED 26 AUG 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED
FRI 28 AUG 9:00 PM Deadline for items for September 2020 newsletter
MON 31 AUG >> TARGET FOR PRINTING AND MAILING SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER <<
============================================================================
SAT 05 SEP 10:00 AM Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED
WED 16 SEP 5:00 PM Board Meeting: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED
WED 23 SEP 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING: >>>>>>>> TO BE DETERMINED
FRI 25 SEP 9:00 PM Deadline for items for October 2020 newsletter
MON 28 SEP >> TARGET FOR PRINTING AND MAILING OCTOBER NEWSLETTER <<
============================================================================
SAT 03 OCT 10:00 AM Meeting: Highland Senior Center at 131 Monroe NE
WED 21 OCT 5:00 PM Board Meeting: Highland Senior Center at 131 Monroe NE
WED 28 OCT 7:30 PM NEW MEXICO CAR COUNCIL MEETING OLD CAR GARAGE 3232 GIRARD NE
FRI 30 OCT 9:00 PM Deadline for items for November 2020 newsletter
MON 02 NOV >> TARGET FOR PRINTING AND MAILING NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER <<
============================================================================
See the New Mexico Council of Car Clubs Web Site for more "NMCCC" activities
======================== http://www.nmcarcouncil.com/ ======================
SUGGESTION: A visit to the Telephone Museum on Fourth Street
SUGGESTION: A visit to the new WEATHER LAB at the Balloon Museum
SUGGESTION: A visit to the Soaring Museum in Moriarty
SUGGESTION: Activities with other clubs such as VMCCA.
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SEVEN YEARS AGO [ JULY 2020 VOL 46 Nr 7 ISSUE 538 ]
Jim Pittman
2013 V.39 Nr 7 #454
On the cover, Corvairs at the Cripple Creek, Colorado Tri-State, hosted by the
Pikes Peak club. John Wiker reported on the Los Lunas Summerfest. Heula
congratulated Jon Anderson on his winning the Boydston Award. Curt Shimp, Vickie
Hall and a "fly-on-the-wall reported on the Cripple Creek Tri-State, another
fabulous one. Many photos by Steve Gongora and others adorned this issue. Jim
provided a map showing all Tri-State locations, 1976-2014, and a table of
attendance at most of these events.
2006 V.32 Nr 7 #370
On the cover, the Motel at Montrose, Colorado for the Tri-State Event which was
a resounding success. Most of the preparation work was done by LeRoy Rogers and
Bill Reider. Heula said we cleared $30 on the Jelly Bean count, we sold one
cookbook and the silent auction cleared $19. Ray Trujillo reported in detail on
his experiences on the way to, and at, Montrose. An unscheduled stop along the
way due to a bad fuel pump (or was it just vapor-lock?) was a highlight. Mary Jo
Jeans of Baton Rouge (Heula's daughter) reported on attending the Tri-State
including a side trip to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Wendell reported
$3,870.72 in our accounts. Robert got tickets to the Isotopes ball game for 25
club members. We planned to visit the Unser Racing Museum in August. We had 12
club vehicles in the Museum car show. After our June meeting Hurley gave a
presentation on his motorcycle racing days. A CNM group attended the world
premier of the movie "Cars" at the Kimo Theater. Many color photos decorated
this issue.
1999 V.25 Nr 7 #286
Cover: winning vehicles and owners at the Salida, Colorado Tri-State meet.
Billiken recalled that the Corvair was still going strong, 30 years after it
went out of production. Dennis ran our meeting at Casa Chevrolet. We welcomed
new member Bruce Carlin. Our bank held $6,215.37. Bill said the Museum car show
was a big success with 488 vehicles. An "All Clubs" picnic was planned for the
Elk's Club campground on South 14. Some of us planned to watch as the Great
American Race passed through town. Robert was working on the State Fair car
show. Hurley agreed to serve as vice-president since Paul Campbell had left us
for Oklahoma. Dennis reported that at Salida the officers of CNM, Pikes Peak and
Rocky Mountain agreed that CNM should go out of turn to host the 2000 Tri-State
in Albuquerque in conjunction with the Albuquerque Museum's recognition of the
Corvair's 40th anniversary. An article from the Denver club's newsletter
reported on the Salida Tri-State, with several nice photos. A tech-non-tip by
Sylvan asked what kind of block he had, given its peculiar characteristics. An
article by CORSA officer Bryan Blackwell told us what a typical day working for
CORSA was like. And lastly, we remembered former member and owner of many nice
Corvairs, Doug Morgan, who recently passed away.
1992 V.18 Nr 7 #202
Full coverage of our Tri-State in Las Vegas, New Mexico started with a cover
photo of the hotel headquarters, "Montezuma's Castle" and a passel of Corvairs.
President Steve ran the meeting. Guests were Oliver Scheflow and Brian Major.
Wendell reported $941 in the bank. Del was prepared to sell patches, name tags
and front license plates. LeRoy previewed the Great American Race, soon to pass
through our city. This was our last meeting at Ed Black's Chevrolet. Milton told
us about the sale of Ed Black's to Casa Chevrolet. We had a successful Museum
car show with 430 cars. Tarmo briefed us on the Fourth of July Santa Fe
breakfast, car show and general fiesta on the plaza. LeRoy went over the
upcoming State Fair car show. Larry previewed a trip to Tinkertown, Madrid and
Bella Vista. Mark Martinek previewed our trip to Ojo Caliente. We were having a
busy summer! Dennis provided a detailed report on the Las Vegas Tri-State and
LeRoy provided many photos. Wayne traveled the farthest to get to the Tri-State:
1,200 miles from Iowa. We had participants from San Diego, Texas, Oklahoma and
Florida. I remember Sylvan's great econo-run and a visit to Fort Union, away out
on the treeless plains.
1985 V.11 Nr 7 #118
The cover was a sharp drawing of a 1966 Corsa stolen, err, borrowed from another
newsletter. Francis ran our meeting and Bill Hector reported on it. Sylvan
counted pennies up to $507. We planned to meet in July in Santa Fe. A new member
was Jerry Kendall. Topics: a raffle, an econo-run to Elephant Butte, the Great
American Road Race, a picnic and a swap meet. We toured the Ed Black showroom.
There were no new Corvairs, but lots of Corvettes, Chevettes, Caprices,
Eurosports, Impalas, Camaros and a Cavalier. (Who remembers Cavaliers, Chevettes
and Eurosports these days?) Sylvan reported the results of the econo-run: Norm
Brand in a Powerglide convertible swept the field at 36.3 MPG. The average for
all nine vehicles was 30.7, not bad. A clipping from the Albuquerque Tribune
told how Howard Bryan, a long-time Albuquerque newspaper columnist, contributed
to a 1960 Chevrolet commercial with his Corvair station wagon in the New Mexico
ghost town of Cabezon.
Bill McClellan continued his series on gas welding. Tech tips told about
adjusting wheel bearings, replacing throttle linkage bushings, and watching out
for bad gas that caused symptoms of fuel pump failure.
1978 V.4 Nr 6 #34
The July 1978 cover had a photo of a 1960 Corvair owned by a dear lady who
bought it new and never drove it over forty. Meeting minutes said that we needed
more participants and volunteers. Jim wrote about influential cars, concluding
that the Mustang had far more effect on American car design than the Corvair,
but reminding us that the Mustang was inspired by the Monza convertible! Tech
tips: Getting good quality brake shoes. Modifying your glove box latch to work
smoother. Getting a high-performance oil filter. A quick repair for a broken
clutch cable. The purpose of the uneven spacing of fan blades on the cooling fan
and the alternator fan. A fine article by Ike Meissner told about diagnosing and
fixing problems with your fuel gauge.
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Enchanted Corvairs Newsletter is published monthly by Corvairs of New Mexico,
chartered Chapter 871 of CORSA, the Corvair Society of America. Copyright by
the Authors and by Corvairs of New Mexico. Articles may be reprinted in any
CORSA publication as a service to CORSA members, provided credit to the Author
and this Newsletter is clearly stated. All opinions are those of the Author or
Editor and are not necessarily endorsed by Corvairs of New Mexico or CORSA.
Material for publication should reach the Editor by the 15th of the month. Send
material via e-mail ( jimp @ unm.edu ) or submit a readable manuscript. I prefer
ASCII TEXT, but MS Word or RTF are fine. Photographs are welcome. When I'm 64,
I'll get by with a little help from my friends.
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=END=