Here I sit in the Minneapolis airport (even though I won't be able to send this until I get home) waiting for my connection back home to Winnipeg. It was an early morning, waking up at 4 AM central time to get my flight out of Raleigh, NC but I didn't mind at all. This message explains why. About a month ago, I received a message from a man, Henry Blair, whom I had never met before. Henry is a member of the list and I recall giving him some info a couple of times that helped him with his beautiful black 1978 New Yorker Brougham. Henry's message included an invitation to fly to Raleigh, North Carolina and visit him for the weekend (plus Friday). Henry made all the arrangements and got me there without a hitch. There were a couple of travel delays but nothing unusual for the world of flight travel. I must say, I was a little nervous. I'd never been to that part of the world nor had I ever met this man before. I did have no reason to believe anything bad was in the cards...much to the contrary. I arrived in Raleigh and Henry collected me in his black 78 and took me away to Pittsboro, NC where he grew up and where his Mother and Brother still live. He put me up in a nice hotel in a neighboring town and drove me back and forth each day before and after that day's events.

Friday we started the day off by having cheeseburgers at Johnson's.

These are legendary burgers in the area and for good reason. They are cooked fresh before your eyes and the taste is second to none. The place has been making burgers since 1946 and you have to wait in line at the door to get the opportunity to taste them. After that, we headed off to see the largest personal car collection that I have ever seen. We drove over to Pittsboro , to the home of a childhood friend of Henry's, Billy Eubanks. Unfortunately Billy was not home but I'd meet him on Sunday. This collection contains everything from cars that are nearly indistinguishable because they have rusted into the forest floor to a high end Corvette with 9 miles on it . All makes and models from a Borg Ward to a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud ! I saw three Dodge Daytonas and a Plymouth Superbird and at least a half dozen Lincoln Zephyrs . The crown jewel for me was the 1938 Imperial Airflow . After the car collection, we picked up Henry's mother and headed out to another local spot to savour another Southern delicacy, Bar-B-Q. For those (like me) who don't know what this dish is, it is basically slow cooked and chopped up pork with a thin vinegar and pepper sauce mixed in. I loved it! I couldn't get enough of it (even though the portions are more than generous)

Saturday Henry picked me up and we headed off yarding . There were two yards that he wanted to show be that happened to be on the highway between Pittsboro and Charlotte, NC. We saw a number of interesting cars, including another old Imperial (1939) that was in beautiful condition. We only found one New Yorker, a black one that would make an excellent parts car but I am limited to two pieces of checked baggage and one carry-on so I had to pass. After visiting the two yards, we headed on down to Concord. NC to the Lowe's Charlotte Motor Speedway . Unfortunately there wasn't a race on nor were they running tours but we went in and sat in the stands for a while, got some pictures and I went to the gift shop so I could make my contribution to the NASCAR gods. This was very cool for me to see. After we were done there, we drove down the road to another local drive-in spot and ate more Bar-B-Q. We also met Roger Cooper there and got to know him a little. Roger's a fun kinda guy! I drove his 74 Imperial down the highway a few miles to listen to the rear end vibration he has, I think it is a U-Joint but I am not master mechanic. I hope he can get it repaired soon, its a very nice car! When we were done there, we drove back to Pittsboro and called it a night. Roger picked up a pair of U-Joints later that day and had them installed on Monday and the vibration was gone. Glad I could help!)

Sunday Henry and I went to Church with his Mother and then headed back over to Billy Eubanks' place to take some parts off his 75 Imperial parts car . This car is rough! There were a number of items we got removed though and we filled Henry's trunk for the ride home. We drove back over to Raleigh where Henry and I parted ways and I stayed in a different hotel, near the airport because I had an early flight.

I'd heard of legendary Southern hospitality but I'd never experienced it like this before. I wanted to publicly thank Henry and his family for the warm welcome and reception they extended to me while I was there. It's nice to get home but except for the heat, I would love to have stayed, and I think I'd get accustom to the heat.

THANKS HENRY!

You can see ALL the pictures I took on my trip here:
Henry and his beautiful 1978 New Yorker.
Car collection belonging to Billy Eubanks.
Johnsons Burger Joint.
Henry's 1975 Imperial parts car.
Meeting Roger Cooper, and his beautiful 1974 Imperial.
Lowe's Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Yarding in NC.