Roxanne's Birthday Cruise

On March 7th, our friends Roxanne and Scott came up from Tucson for the weekend. Roxanne's birthday was the next day, so we decided to take her to the local KMart Cruise-in to hang out together and celebrate. We even convinced Scott to drive LuLu (she drives well with others!). Tracy and the kids led the way with George, Scott and Roxanne followed along with LuLu, and John brought up the end of the caravan with the truck. The best part was when we were stopped at a stop light and a man in the truck next to us asked if we were a Studebaker club! We drove into the parking lot at KMart and found it to be packed. We drove up and down the aisles until voila! Three spaces right next to each other! With a little careful maneuvering and some sweet-talking to the guy who was "saving" one of the spots for his friend, we settled in for some good times.

Three Studes on the way to the cruise-in. (John got tired of being third and decided to move around to the front of the pack!)

A beautiful Avanti and a gorgeous '55 President were also present. Studebaker was well represented!

John and his truck on the road (George's door handle, too!). Tracy likes to randomly take pictures out the window while driving...

...or randomly out George's rear window. Here you can see Roxanne and Scott driving LuLu (and the top of Thayer's head!)

Who wouldn't enjoy spending some time in a '60 Lark wagon?

When the kids get tired, they jump in the back of the truck and play.

George had quite a few admirers! (Truly, what's there not to like?)

Scott, Roxanne, and the Studebaker Three.

Tracy talking to the owner of the '55 President. He had a great sense of humor (Tracy told him that she liked her President better than his, even through his is worth more!) and they shared some laughs together. We learned that he drives his President to and from Canada (his permanent residence) each year. That car is in amazing condition and Tracy has been admiring it for years. Hey, so it has leather seats...what's wrong with vinyl? (George can do no wrong in her eyes!)

We were so glad that Roxanne and Scott came up to spend the weekend with us and share in some Studebaker fun. Happy Birthday, Roxanne!!! Hope you had as much fun as we did!

Basha High School Math Club Car Show

For the first time ever, we decided to take all three Sudebakers to a car show. Luckily for us, the Basha High School Math Club had planned an event not far from our house. After careful planning and a few trips back and forth, we got all three cars in position for the show.

Also at this event were a few oddball cars and trucks we don't see every day. These historic Kenworth trucks were awesome!

John went to the snack bar really quickly once this peace officer started to check out the cars. Not sure why...maybe a phobia from his youth?

This Bronco sat next to us and was owned by a local farmer.

Unfortunately, those clouds in the background didn't stay pretty for long, and before long were were dealing with a fairly major wind and rain storm. The show was cancelled for the day and will be rescheduled at a later date. At this point, we ran into a slight problem...we still had to get all three cars back home! With only two drivers, we were playing rock-paper-scissors for which car had to be left behind when a very nice gentleman offered to drive one of our cars home for us. It turns out that he manages the website http://www.cruisinarizona.com/, the site we utilize to find out what car cruises and shows are going on around town! He didn't have any cars of his own in town and was eager to get in a little classic car driving time. John heroically handed over the keys to LuLu and we headed out in a caravan. John went first with the truck, Tracy followed with George, LuLu was next in line, and the gentleman's friend brought up the rear in his classic Chevy truck. It was rainy and only some of us had working windshield wipers, but we got home safely and were very grateful that we didn't have to make another trip out to get the third car. Sometimes the simple kindness of a stranger can really make your day...especially when that someone highly praises your new Studebaker and how well she drives!

Another car from the show...obviously taken before it started to rain. All of the "shiny cars" hightailed it pretty quickly once the first drops fell!

After the Studebakers were safely home, we headed out to have some lunch and drive around town a bit. A sign on the side of the road directed us to the newest showroom of Steel Dreamz, a dealership offering collector cars and car memorabilia. This sleek Hawk welcomed us at the entrance.

When the owner, Scott Cawley, heard that we are into Studebakers, he took us back and showed us his truck, a modified driver. The pictures really don't do this truck justice. It's absolutely gorgeous! We enjoyed our tour of the place and Scott's hospitality. You can learn more about this unique showroom at http://www.steeldreamz.com/. It's definitely worth a visit!

Meet LuLu

Sometimes you come across a car that just really sparks your interest. You have to decide whether to take a chance...to purchase or to simply walk away. We took a chance and drove to California to pick up this little wagon and could not believe our good luck with what we found. Not a day has gone by that we haven't found something about this car that simply delights us!

Stay tuned for a new addition!

Silly G.D....Studebakers are for kids!

We always love it when people ask us about our Studebakers, but it's especially fun to see kids enjoying them as much as we do. Our friend Scott brought his little girl down to visit with us at the Santa Cruz Valley Car Nuts' 16th Annual Car Show in Tubac on Saturday and she had a blast running around and looking at the cars with her daddy.

Our daughter, Jilly, loves Daddy's truck and plays an active role in getting it ready for shows. She would scrub on our Studebakers all day long if we let her and enjoys climbing up in the truck bed every chance that she gets.

It's fun to have vehicles that are truly "family Studebakers." The kids love to go for a ride in George and Thayer thinks he's cool like Fonzie leaning up against his favorite '57 President! Our kids are fortunate enough to be able to experience classic cars in the way they were meant to be enjoyed and without the fear of scratching the paint or scuffing a white-walled tire (well, we TRY not to worry about these things any more than the average parent does! John IS a little obsessed with the truck's tires, though...) We can't help wishing that all kids got to experience car shows in the same way. We're sure it would do wonders for the future of these vehicles!

Saturday Night Cruise

This past Saturday, we were looking to shake off the Christmas tinsel and took the family and the Studebakers out for a night on the town. There weren't many cars at the local cruise-in, but there were plently of people to talk to and even a Silver Hawk that showed up.

One of our daughter's favorite things to do when the cars are parked is to hang out the windows and wave to people passing by. We really should enter a parade some day...

Oh, Christmas Tree!

It's that time of year again, and this year we decided to turn going to get the Christmas tree into a new Studebaker tradition. With John in the truck and Tracy and the kids in the President, we headed down to the tree lot to find that perfect Christmas tree.

Thayer and Jillian were proud to pick out this beauty and "help" get it loaded into the truck.

John safely got the tree home, even though the kids were convinced that it was somehow going to fly out the back of the truck! Now we just have to work on getting all of those pine needles out of the truck bed...

Buckets, Blowers & Bombers Car Show

This past October, we registered the truck for the Buckets, Blowers, and Bombers Show & Shine car show at the Commemorative Air Force Museum. This show was a benefit car show for the museum and was hosted by Hot Rod Planet Promotions. Although we hoped for cooler weather, it ended up a toasty 100+ degrees.

The show was a great mixture of all types of vehicles, including a '50 bulletnose and a '63 Lark. One of the most awesome opportunities, though, was the chance to have our truck's picture taken with the B25 Maid in the Shade. To learn more about this plane and the museum, you can visit www.azcag.org. What an awesome opportunity!

The Old Man's Back On The Road! (and he's driving his Studebaker!)

It's been 3 1/2 weeks since John's surgery. After three previous attempts to try to drive the truck since then (OUCH! The clutch was not his friend!), he was finally able to get back on the road today and take a trip to the grocery store. The weather has cooled just a bit this week, making it perfect for early morning drives. What more could a man ask for?

One More Step

Now that John's able to drive the truck again, he wasn't about to limit himself to one little drive to the grocery store. As soon as the sun went down, he hopped on in and drove the truck to his guitar lesson.

Dash In, Dash Out!

What do you do when you have a credit with Studebaker International? Why, order that black dash pad you've been thinking of adding! Originally offered as an option on our truck, the dash pad was supposed to add a level of safety to driver and passengers. We just like the way it brings the elements in our cab together.

This is what the dash looked like before we added the black pad. The red screws across the dash show where the pad is meant to be attached. The weather is starting to cool in the evenings, which means we are gearing up to get to work more on our Studebakers. Stay tuned for weekly updates on our projects!

I Wish I Was An Oscar Meyer Wiener

While driving a Studebaker in August in Arizona may be a bit warm, it's more than worth it! And who could pass up the opportunity to see the Wienermobile up close and in person? While Tracy waited in line with the kids so they could get their picture taken with this little bit of Americana, she also didn't have any qualms about pulling George on up for his photo opportunity, as well. A Studebaker and the Wienermobile...now that's life in the good old United States of America!

"His and Hers" Studebakers

John and his dad had the pleasure of meeting Johna and Rick Pierce (from Sacramento) at this year's Zone Meet. Not only were they very welcoming and helpful, but they also DRIVE THEIR STUDEBAKERS!

Here are a few fun pictures of some of the places they have driven their Studebakers.

These folks are excellent ambassadors for the Studedebaker Drivers Club. Thanks, Johna and Rick, for helping to keep the "D" in the SDC!

This Is The Way To Keep Studebakers Going!

A Studebaker friend of ours, Dave Arnold, recently shared these great pictures with us of his daughter "growing up with Studebakers." The monumental time recently arrived for her to receive her temporary license and actually get the opportunity to drive her dad's '60 convertible Lark. The video that follows shows this momentous occasion and leaves us wondering...will our kids want to drive the truck or the President? Or will we have more options available for them to choose from by then?
Thanks again, Dave for sharing these awesome pictures and video. We are pleased to note that no Studebakers were harmed in the making of this film... :)

Push It, Pull It, Drag It, Or Push It Out Of An Airplane...I Don't Care! Just Get It There!

There have been a lot of rumblings in the Studebaker world whether certain vehicles would be considered "Trailer Queens." The question then arises: What qualifies a vehicle as a Trailer Queen? Is it the owner who has a lot of time and money invested in his vehicle who trailers it across three states to get to the show (in order to protect his investment), but then drives it all over once he reaches his destination? Is it the driver who trailers his vehicle to every show, parks it, dusts it, and shows it, all while shining up his "Do Not Touch" placard? Personally, I ran into both cases at the International Meet in Cedar Rapids, but by no means would I consider the first example to be a Trailer Queen. As for the second example, all I can say is that they wear their crowns proudly and it is pretty easy to differentiate between the two.
The bottom line is that owners spend different amounts of time and money on their vehicles and for many different reasons. I don't really care how they get their vehicles out there as long as they do.
The '60 Lark convertible pictured above is owned by Dave Arnold and won first place in its division at the 2009 International Studebaker Meet in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. While in Cedar Rapids, Dave logged over 400 miles in this car and was giving rides to anyone who asked. You can understand my disappointment that I DIDN'T ASK! While this car may have arrived to the meet on a trailer, it is by no means a Trailer Queen. Instead, the car and driver are great ambassadors for what our club stands for....the Studebaker DRIVERS Club.

Please Park It Next To The Shiny Red One

John found this truck at the meet in Cedar Rapids, sitting by its lonesome self, away from the other trucks being exhibited. He never found out who owned it, but sure wished that it had been sitting over next to the other trucks where he felt it belonged. Shiny or not, this Stude has character! We want to make sure to encourage everyone to bring all their Studes in all their stages with them next year to the International Meet in Glendale, Arizona. We'll have our truck there and he likes to hang out with a mixed crowd!

So, THIS Is What It's Supposed to Look Like!

Last week, John was fortunate enough to attend a few days of the International Studebaker Meet in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. One of the highlights of his journey was having the opportunity to see Les Hole's '55 truck.

Although we enjoy and appreciate our truck for what it is, we have nothing but admiration and awe for this stock version of the same year and model.

John even got to see the engine compartment as it was meant to be...Studebaker engine and all!

Perhaps the best part of the whole encounter was meeting this truck's owner and hearing his passion for his Stude. He was even so generous as to give John a past copy of Turning Wheels that featured '55 trucks. Thanks, Les! It was a pleasure meeting you and seeing your truck!

The Smith Family Celebrates the First Annual International Drive Your Studebaker Day

Tracy started the day off by taking George to the grocery store to pick up some food for our family picnic. Although it's a tad warm driving in 105 degree weather with no air conditioning, the President's working radio (gotta love the AM choices!) and super-large trunk space more than made up for the heat.

Later in the day, after driving the car and truck around and taking some photos along the way, we stopped in at McDonald's to cool off with some ice cream and more than a few cups of water! Believe it or not, more people talked to us about our Studebakers here than any other place we visited today.

George posing during his photo shoot.

Horse looks right at home in the pecan grove.

Jilly waiting for her turn to drive on Drive Your Studebaker Day...

"I'll just move it right over here for you, Dad..." You can almost hear Thayer starting to negotiate his drive time. You've got a few years yet, buddy!