WITH 14 ATTENDEES, AND 10 CLASSIC VOLVOS in the Auto Museum parking lot, our April 13th SDVSA General Meeting really looked like a car club meeting! We were happy to see Doug Gagliardi paying us a return visit, as well as Dave Hunt, both representing our members from the northernmost territories. Other members we haven’t seen for awhile were Bob Brassard and Gary Stromfeld. The cars were one P1800, three 1800S coupes, one ES, one 122, one 122 wagon, a PV444, and a 1961 P210. Quite a collection!

     According to Kurt Sievert, our well-organized Membership Coordinator, SDVSA currently has 62 members. Unfortunately, 11 of those members are behind in their dues. If you are among those who need to catch up, Kurt has indicated that fact on the address label of your last copy of 1800 NEWS.  Please remit your $20 dues to Kurt at his address in “The Box” on page 5. We also have ten honorary members, who receive our newsletter, so that only leaves 41paid up members! At this point, the membership fees collected just barely pay for 1800 NEWS and other services provided by the club, such as membership at the San Diego Auto Museum, maintaining our website, providing free refreshments at SDVSA events and the major entrees at the Holiday Party, etc.

     We had so many attendees at the meeting that we decided to revive Bob Skoog’s 50/50 Raffle, which has been dormant since July of 2004! To win, you must be present at the meeting and contribute $1 to the pot. John Hubbs of Rancho Cucamo was selected, but was not present. Had he been so, $22 would have been his—barely enough to cover his cost of gas for a round trip to San Diego! So the money stays in the pot for some other lucky attendee to win.

     As in years past, Mark Jankowski’s San Diego East County Tour for 2005 was a resounding success! On Saturday, April 23, twelve cars and twenty members of SDVSA and OCVC, plus friends and spouses, took part in the “Cars to the Stars” trek. The forecast threat of rain did not materialize, and the weather was perfect for a nature drive. Half a dozen miles from the bustle of North County Fair, though many stop lights, we struggled to keep our “charavan” of eleven cars togther. In the confusion, Richard Pattee and Darcy zigged instead of zagging, but eventually caught up with our long line cars as we started to ascend Mount Palomar. What a great road! Mark set a brisk clip in his 240 wagon, and we enjoyed putting our Volvos’ suspensions to the test.

The altitude of the observatory is 5,618 feet, and the wind and overcast sky encouraged us to don additional clothing. The nearly empty parking lot at the observatory allowed us to park our chariots side-by-side in a long, unbroken line. Quite impressive!

     Mark had arranged for a special tour of the 200 inch (5.08 m) Hale reflector telescope, led by one of the observatory’s docents. We learned the history of the telescope, from the first “glint” in George Hale’s eye in the early 1930s, to the time the mirror caught its first glint of star light in 1949.

     The observatory dome is kept at a constant nighttime temperature to prevent thermal distortion of the image when the dome is opened for observations. Our additional sweaters and jackets came in very handy!

     But we weren’t through with the tour yet. Backtracking down the mountain to Mother’s Kitchen Restaurant, we indulged in a sumptuous vegetarian lunch and spirited conversation. Tourers with prior commitments, or a long drive home, left us after the meal. Five cars completed the outing, pulling up at Dudley’s Bakery in Santa Ysabel for treats and final farewells. Look on page 6 for more coverage. Thank you, Mark and Diane!

We are combining our annual trip to the Menghini Winery this year with the 2nd Annual Julian Motoring Show, which takes place on Sunday, May 29, at the winery! Bob Engberg, chairman of the show, is looking forward to seeing some Volvos enter the show. Page 3 has more information and an entry form. The Show is going to provide food (around $5.00 per meal, see page 3) and drinks for purchase. All proceeds go to the community of Julian and its Firefighters. If you plan to attend, even if you don’t enter your car in the show, please call Bud Hartwell at (619) 666-6666 or Dave Hunt at (714) 666-6666 before May 22, so we can get a headcount for the size of the Volvo corral! Turn the page for more details, times, and meeting places!

     Remember, the SDAM CCC “Greatest ShowonTurf” will be on Saturday, June 4, at 10:00 a.m. along Park Blvd, behind the Hall of Champions in Balboa Park. The SDVSA and OCVC will participate. Also, Pizza ’n’ Videos at next General Meeting, 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 8.