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MiataTudes SACRAMENTO AREA MIATA OWNERS ASSOCIATION Novermber 2010

Robin’s Nest By Robin George Welcome to our November Newsletter. WOW, talk about a successful celebration of our twentieth Birthday. First we had the overwhelming success of our birthday at the Bear Valley Lodge. Then we had our local celebration on October 17th at the Carmichael Clubhouse. This area was the site of the first gathering of the club. Yes, we went back to the sacred ground and with 90+ people we

celebrated our 20th birthday. We had lots of prizes and it was great to see everyone enjoy the time. The Elk Grove Mazda dealership even brought two new cars to fawn over. One of their employees recently bought a Miata and also became a member. We continue to grow. Now we move onward to the next 20 years. Thank you for your time and efforts. Also thank you for your donations to the troops. Don’t forget the upcoming Teddy Bear Run and our Christmas Party. See you on November 11th at the General Meeting. Which happens to be Veterans Day. How many can get in their old uniforms? Additionally, we will have special guests from the various charities we designated for receiving the monies from our huge birthday raffle.

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HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY THANKSGIVINGTHANKSGIVINGTHANKSGIVINGTHANKSGIVING Treasure Trove News By Jeanne George

We welcome our Newest Members

James Spratt Rico Estrada Memberships renewed in October Frosch, Ellen Cutler, Mark and Ellen Tyer, Tom and Cameron Hahn, JR and Susie Parker, Jack and Sally Kelly, Richard and Carolyn Layfield Dunne, Gary Memberships Expiring November 1st Brooks, Mark Correia, Denise Gingrich, Michael and Kristen Jurach, Tom and Anne Noble, Staven Overholt, Kevin and Alison Martschins

SAMOA stats: 148 Memberships, 240 members, 156 Miatas

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Holiday Hat Sale $6Holiday Hat Sale $6Holiday Hat Sale $6Holiday Hat Sale $6

After receiving discounts from our supplier, I was able to make a special purchase of SAMOA hats in various colors and they just arrived.

Colors available: Black with white (3)

Khaki with hunter green (2) Khaki with navy (2) Navy with red (1)

Red with black (3) Navy with cream (2)

They will be available at the November 11th meeting. You can reserve yours now

and I will set it aside for you. Call Jeanne at 916 359-2627 or jeanne@winfirst.com

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Volunteering By Mike DeLaurentis SAMOANs, I just ran across a very timely article – timely because it is about volunteering and right now we are asking you to volunteer to run for a SAMOA office. I wrote to the author to ask permission to use parts of her article but she never wrote back. I assume that means “go ahead” so with appreciation to Vera Wilson here are some things to consider about volunteering. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the 63.4 million people who volunteered in the U.S. in September 2009, about 19 million were 55 and older. That means about 1 in 4 older Americans is an active volunteer. Why do so many seniors volunteer? Fundamentally, seniors are no different than other volunteers; they do it for the personal satisfaction of helping others. For retirees in particular, volunteering also can become a real lifeline. While many are more than happy to have left the rat race, their loss of identity as wage-earner or full-time parent can be challenging. Volunteering allows them to fill their lives with meaningful work, interact with people and keep their minds and bodies active. Volunteering offers retirees more than what’s commonly known as a “helper’s high.” A bevy of scientific research shows volunteering produces measureable health benefits. Recent studies show a direct correlation between volunteering and improved cognitive function and greater longevity, as well as lower rates of depression and heart disease. Many of these research studies specifically targeted seniors. A study conducted at Johns Hopkins University showed older adults who participated in youth-mentoring programs delayed or even reversed declining brain function. Before you sign up, here are some guidelines to help make your volunteer experience a success. Don’t spread yourself too thin. No experience is necessary. Don’t be discouraged by your physical limitations. Take it seriously. Making the decision to volunteer your time and service can be a tremendously rewarding experience that can give your life new meaning as well as the added bonus of significantly improving your health.

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Sacramento Area Miata Owners Association 10th Annual Teddy Bear and Toy Run November 6

By Jack Parker

This will mark the tenth year of the Sacramento Children's Receiving Home Teddy Bear/Toy Run organized by Jack and Sally Parker. The Home is always grateful for our support. This year we will again be starting at the Starbucks Coffee House located at 4332 Watt Avenue, Sacramento 95821, and driving directly to the Home to drop off our toys and bears. We plan to meet at 9:00 with a 9:30 departure for the Childrens home. We will then proceed to the Starbucks located at 2155 Town Center Plaza,West Sacramento 95691 for a little break and regroup. Once all the cars are reunited, we will make our way to Rio Vista along Delta back roads with some twists and a few turns, for lunch along the waterfront of the Sacramento River. Please let us know if you are participating in the event by November 1st. You may email Jack and Sally at culdad@svics.com or call (916) 718-1545.

The home has been a bit remiss in getting the toy wish list to us so we can get toys the kids want...But...any currently popular toy would be appropriate...We went to Frys today and bought three remote control cars...the boys love those and they are always on the list...basketballs...footballs...soccer balls...those always appropriate as well...older kids love passes to MacDonalds or any fast food place as well as movie passes...use your imagination or ask a niece or nephew son or daughter about what is currently the IT toy... Please help us support the Home and join us on this run... and remember to RSVP by November 1... Thanks Jack and Sally Parker

NAMEAGESE

X SIZE WISH LISTS NAMEAGES

EX SIZE WISH LISTS

GARRICK R. 1/M 12m SOFT BLOCKS, POOH DOLL, SING AND SAY TOY, TODDLER TRUCK, SPONGE BOB DVD, MCDONALDS GIFT CARD

DIEGO T. 8/M (H)

Boys7-8

BEY BLADES, MAGNETICS, RACE TRACK, BASKETBALL, WILD CAT STARTER SET, BURGER KING GIFT CARD

JACE F. 1/F (AA) 18m ELMO DOLL, SOFT BABY, PLAY PHONE,

MUSICAL TOY, PLAY PURSE, MCDONALDS GIFT CARD

EYNCE I. 8/F Girls7-8

ROCK AND ROLL BRATZ DOLL, FUZZY POSTER, CARE BEAR, BRATZ KID FASHION HEAD, FLASH ART, MCDONALD GIFT CARD

ELLA S. 2/F 3TGROCERY CART, SWEET DREAMS UNIQUA, CARE BEAR, PLAY FOOD, DORA DOLL, BURGER KING GIFT CARD

BELLA L. 8/F Girls 9-10

BABY ANA, DORA ART AND CRAFT SET, CARE BEAR, BABY BRATZ DOLL, RESCUE PET, MCDONALDS GIFT CARD

SAIGE M. 2/M 2TSTUFFED SPIDER MAN, SHAKE AND GO CAR, SOFT BALL, TRUCK, BUBBLES, PIZZA HUT GIFT CARDS

JACK H 9/M BoysMed

PHLAT BALL, DIEGO ART SET, TECK DECK RAMP SET, R/C TRUCK, NERF HOOP, MOVIE PASSES

LARS D. 3/M (AI) 4/TSINGING COWBOY TYRONE, COWBOY PLAY SET, MEGA BLOCKS, CAR SET, BOUNCY BALL, BURGER KING GIFT CARD

SLADE W. 9/M BoysMed

YU-GI-OH CARDS, HOT WHEELS RACE TRACK, ART SET, HIGH ROLLER FIRE TRUCK, BIONACLES, HOLLYWOOD GIFT CARD

GABRIELA L. 3/F 4TBRATZ PONIES, STROLLER, HELLO KITTY VIEW MASTER, PLAY-DOH SET, BABY DOLL, MCDONALDS GIFT CARD

HELEN P. 9/F Girls10 CARE BEARS, BARBIE CAR, BARBIE, FUZZY

POSTER, FASHION HEAD, MOVIE PASSES

SCOTT G. 4M(AA) 5T SCRIBBLE DUDE, GROW TO PROS

BASKETBALL SET, BASKET BALL, WIGGLES DVD, PHLAT BALL, MCDONALD GIFT CARD

DONITA J. 10/F(AA)

Girls12 PRINCESS AND THE FROG, BARBIE ELECTRIC

PURSE SET, WATCH, HAIR SET, AM/FM DISCMAN, WAL-MART GIFT CARD

BELINDA V. 4/F 5T DORA (CORAL) DOLL, TEA SET, BABY, DRESS UP SET, STROLLER, MCDONALD GIFT CARD

MONTY Z. 10/M(AI)

Boys12

R/C TRUCK, FRISBEE GOLF SET, BEY BLADES, BIONICLES, TURBO BLASTERS, BURGER KING GIFT CARD

STORMY Y. 4/F 6XPARTY PIZZA ELMO, CARE BEAR, PLAY CASH REGISTER, STROLLER, BARBIE PLAY SET, PIZZA HUT GIFT CARD

RANDY S. 11/M Boys14

AM/FM DISCMAN, BOW WOW CD, FOOTBALL, YU-GI-OH CARDS, BATTLE DICE, WAL-MART CERT.

CHASE N. 5/M 6XCUSHY CRUISING FIRE ENGINE, WRESTLER ACTION FIGURE, BATMAN CAR, BATMAN DRESS UP SET, BASKETBALL, BURGER KING GIFT CARD

GILBERT O. 11/M Boys14

FLY WHEELS, FUZZY POSTER, R/C CAR, PHLAT BALL, BOOMBOX, MOVIE PASSES

KATHY B. 5/F 6XPLAY PURSE, BARBIE KITCHEN SET, BABY ANNA, DORA ART SET SKY DANCER DOLL, BURGER KING GIFT CARD

BETH F. 11/F Girls14 HAIR SET, FLAT IRON, BOOMBOX, LIP GLOSS,

BATH AND BODY SET, HOLLYWOOD CERT.

LYLE C. 6/M Boys 8HUMMER, PHLAT BALL, SPIDER SPUD, RACE TRACK, BEY BLADES, MCDONALDS GIFT CARD

LINNAE R. 12/F Girls 14 FASHION HEAD, AM/FM DISCMAN, CAMERA,

JOURNAL, BEAD SET, MOVIE PASSES

LONNIE A. 6/M Boys 8 BEY BLADES, NERF HOOP, TRANSFORMER, ART SET, TURBO BASHERS, PIZZA HUT GIFT CARD

PERRY G. 12/M BoysMed BOP IT BLAST GAME, BIONICLES SET, WATCH,

BODY SPRAY, R/C CAR, BURGER KING CERT.

REMI P. 7/M (H) BOYS 8

SPIDERMAN BUG VACUUM, AIR HOGS, OPEN SEASON DVD, FUZZY POSTER, R/C CAR, MCDONALD GIFT CARD

GUY M. 12/M Boys 14 BOOMBOX, AIR HOG, R/C TRUCK, AXE BODY

WASH, DRAWING SET, WAL-MART CERT.

CLARK N. 7/M BOYS 10

HOT WHEELS RACE TRACK, GROW TO PROS BASKETBALL, HOT WHEEL CARS, BEY BLADE, FUZZY POSTER, BURGER KING GIFT CARD

JANELLE Q. 12/F(AA)

Girls16 BEAD SET, ART SET, PASSWORD JOURNAL,

CARE BEAR, NECKLACE SET, WAL-MART CERT.

Great Stocking Stuffers: *Tower, Wal-Mart, Target, Fast Food Certificates - Century, United Artists, Movie PassesAI=ASIAN, AA=AFRICAN AMERICAN, H= HISPANIC, (RC)Remote Controls, F/P=Fisher-Price Questions Call Kelly Bradfield at 349-7530 x39

CHILDREN'S RECEIVING HOME OF SACRAMENTOCHILDREN 1 YEARS THRU 12 YEARS

CHRISTMAS WISH LISTS

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SAMOA’s 20th

Birthday Celebration By Jeanne George On Sunday October 17th, the picnic/meeting at Carmichael Park Clubhouse drew 90 attendees to join in the celebration. Although the day was cloudy and later rained, it did not dampen the enthusiasm of the group. Members of the 20th Anniversary Committee began arriving at 10:30 to start setting up tables, chairs, decorating, and sorting the many raffle prizes for the members. Several members who arrived early began to help with inflating balloons.

Mike DeLaurentis, 20th Anniversary Chairman & VP with Robin George, President

Jenn and Mike Sipe ordered the above cakes at the Elk Grove Bel Air. When they went to pick them up, the Store Manager donated the Support Our Troops cake for the SAMOA function. Members brought many gift items for the packages to be sent to the Troops and others generously donated cash. There is enough for several packages for upcoming months.

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SAMOA’s newest Life Time Members JoAnne and Ralph Gingrich were presented with an award for 17 years of membership. They joined SAMOA in February 1993.

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When it was announced time to eat lunch, the abundance of Subway Sandwiches was amazing. It seems that many people took advantage of stopping for their food there. At the various tables people were calling out their sandwich orders, to the laughter of the group and the next shout out of sandwich type. Others brought their Bear Valley cooler bags full of wine and food.

The smiles on these folks were the result of the six bottles of wine, not Robin’s jokes!

At the end of the meeting, a large giveaway of prizes resulted in everyone being a winner. Once through all the tickets, they threw them back in the jar and started over. Many SAMOA cooler bags, car products, Mazda books, Mazda T-shirts, and other items were presented.

Left to right, Robin George, Jack Parker, Adi Damania, Ron Petrich, and Parvin Damania

The grand prize, was a one-week stay at a luxury time share resort of the winner’s choice, anywhere in the forty-eight states, Mexico or Canada donated by Jack and Sally Parker. The winners of the Grand Prize were Parvin and Adi Damania.

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Thank you SAMOANs

By Mike DeLaurentis The “entrance fee” to our October 17 picnic was a material or cash donation for the care packages we send to the troops. Some of you brought needed items and some donated cash totaling $428 which will be used to purchase items. Each month the club sends care packages to two servicemen and women who are deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan or other lesser known, but equally dangerous, combat areas. We occasionally receive thank you notes from the recipients and it is obvious that these care packages are very much appreciated. This is part of a letter we received last week from a hero in Afghanistan: Dear Mike and Helen and all of your car club members. Sgt. Birdsong received your package and asked me to write to say thank you very much. I work for him as a missile systems repairman and also help him out during our praise and worship service. I am 28, from Albuquerque, NM and have been in the Army for 6 1/2 years. This is a pretty awful place but it is nice to know that good folks back home think of us. God Bless you all. SPC Martin Marquez. Helen found a great website, anysoldier.com, where GIs register for packages and sometimes ask for particular items. Some of the special requests were; beanies, anything with peanut putter on or in it, car magazines, pickles, special shampoo, motorcycle magazines, and a slingshot to kill mice. While this website has plenty of names and addresses we want you to tell us if you have a friend or relative serving in harms way whom you would like to receive a package and we’ll cue that up for the next month. Thanks again for your generosity and support for this worthwhile program. Mike & Helen DeLaurentis

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SAMOA History Part 10: Cruising the 2001-2002 SAMOA Miatatudes By Jeanne George This is the next article in the History review of SAMOA. Parts 1-9 can be found on the web site under newsletters February through October. Reminder: people in bold are members in 2010. ***A point I would like to mention. While reviewing the newsletters, I found that some years Secretary Minutes were printed and other years they weren’t. That is where I got much of the information for my articles. New Members were listed some years and other years not. If I have missed your name in this series of articles, it is because the information wasn’t printed. In addition, many events occurred each year but often no one wrote about them, as a result there are no details and no photos are available. *** January 2001: The newly elected President, Mike DeLaurentis decided to reach out to members monthly by way of The President’s Perch in the Miatatudes. Club meetings continued to be at Sudwerk’s Bar & Grill. **Drive and Skate had 12 Miatas and 20 participants led by Genny (Osborn) Paauwe. **SAMOA E-group bulletin board went online. **Delta Miata Club was formed for those who live between Sacramento and San Francisco. **Ron Petrich introduces the Super Bowl Run. He led 20 Miatas on an early morning drive to Napa then to Winters for pizza. Everyone was home in time for the coin toss and kickoff. February 2001: Mike DeLaurentis continued his predecessor’s tradition of a President’s Run. 9 Miatas with 13 people ventured to Lake Berryessa for a picnic. Afterwards they traveled to the State Capitol for a private tour. Some areas were blocked off and being protected due to the recent suicidal truck driver crash. March 2001: Treasurer Ron Petrich resigned because of a new job and President Mike was looking for a replacement Treasurer. **New members: Gary & Gundi Bechthold. [Gundi served as Co-secretary in 2003 and Secretary in 2004 and Gary served as Treasurer in 2003] Spring 2001 events: ** Single Leaf Winery **Vaca Hills run **Cinco De Mayo Drive **St. George Hotel in Volcano **Impromptu Kirkwood Run **Reno car Museum **Run for the Gold

May 2001: Word came from Mazda North American Operations to the SAMOA President that the defunct Miata Club of America was now replaced by MOC (Miata Owners Club).

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**A Miatas Only Autocross had 40 members bring their Miatas to find out how to drive a closed course, learn skid pad techniques, and become one with their car. June 2001: Events Mike Wilson resigned his position because of work demands. Robin George was called back into service and volunteered to take over Events. **New members: Jim & Jackie McClure and Gene & Jan Leininger [Gene served as Media Director in 2003. Following illness, Gene passed away May 28, 2007] **Genny (Osborn) Paauwe led the group on another Historical Hide and Seek Rally. Teams of 2 Miatas were paired together, given a map, photo clue, and headed for hills. July 2001: Member Bob Paauwe set up a poll system on the SAMOA web page. He posted questions and hoped to receive responses. It seemed that the most popular event was driving and ending at a winery or restaurant. Poker runs, rallies, and gimmick runs weren’t very popular. Bob developed and set up an easy fill-in-the-blank Event form for people to use for planning events. [In 2010 the forms are still used and posted on the web page] Summer events 2001: **American River Run & Coloma Picnic **Jack Russell Brewery **Ladies Playing Hooky **Empire Mine Tour **Ice Cream Run **Bodega Bay Bash August 2001: SAMOA had 112 memberships consisting of 184 members. **Media Director resigned. [2001 was hard on the Officers; this was the 3rd position Mike had that became vacant and had to try to fill quickly.] September 30, 2001: 130 members gathered at Loomis Park to celebrate the 11th Birthday of SAMOA. Following a BBQ, Miata photos were taken, and then a raffle which generate $1,300 for the Sacramento Children’s Receiving Home. October 2001: Fran Rowell agreed to Chair the Nominating Committee and was working to get a slate of candidates for 2002. {By December’s Election Day, 12 names were on the ballot} October 6, 2001: Wedding Bells rang for SAMOA members Genny Osborn and Bob Paauwe. [One day Genny was driving her Red Miata and saw a Silver Miata stopped at the side of the road with car trouble. She couldn’t resist inquiring what the problem was, so she stopped and asked. She met Bob and introduced him to SAMOA and that was the beginning of their journey] October 20, 2001: Love is in the Air: A Wedding Reception. SAMOA members were invited to join Genny and Bob on a drive through the foothills and eat cake {Wedding of course} December 1, 2001: The Holiday Party was at Frank Fats in Old Sacramento, again organized by Mike and Marlaina Wilson and another couple. December 9, 2001: 2nd Annual Children’s Toy Run led by Jack Parker benefiting the Sacramento Children’s Receiving Home. January 2002: President Mike DeLaurentis was elected for a 2nd term. He continued the precedent set by the 1999 SAMOA Officers and recognized 71 members who led events and served on Committees during 2001. [There was no mention of what the recognition item was] February 17, 2002: President’s Day Run brought 20 people in 13 Miatas out of their warm homes and into the cold damp day for a drive to Bridgeport.

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March 2002: The Tech Guy was fighting the war in Afghanistan. There had been no Tech newsletter articles, so President Mike decided to fill in space with a few hints. (1) Clean your headlights, (2) Keep the hood down, especially when driving over 5 mph. April 2002: Mike reported that he often received email inquiries. But his most puzzling was sent to President at samoa.org [the old Samoa email system] asking “Are you still president?” April 11, 2002: Ron Petrich and another member organized a SAMOA day at Thunderhill Race Track. 46 cars went on the track after receiving top-notch training. Ron donated the event proceeds of $800 to the Sacramento Children’s Receiving Home. Spring 2002 events: Single Leaf Winery had 25 Miatas **May Day Poker Run had 20 cars **Jelly Belly Tour had 30 cars **Old Car & River Run was hosted by a couple that had built 5 airplanes, one that currently was in progress. In addition they restored antique cars, and had several depression-era vehicles. All the vehicles were painted some shade of green. **Genny and Bob Paauwe’s Historical Hide & Seek Rally had 30 Miatas. Divided into teams of 3 they looked for 12 Historical Post Offices, often passing a Miata going a different route. June 2002: there were 164 memberships with 275 members. The Club Swap Meet was held in the Sudwerk’s parking lot after the meeting. It was reported the SAMOA email system was hit by a virus which sent inappropriate emails to all members on the list. **New members: Clay and Barbara Cowen [Clay served as Media Director in 2005] July 2002: What a confusing time! President Mike was contacted in late June and told that Sudwerk’s might be closing. About a week before the July meeting he was contacted and told to disregard the closing notice. On meeting night, Mike and the members were shocked when they arrived to find the restaurant closed and out of business. Thinking on his feet [no place to sit], he gathered the troops and held a shortened meeting. He managed to find a few chairs in a near-by dumpster for those unable to stand for the meeting. The next day the Board of Officers began looking for another meeting location. Summer 2002 events: July 4th Roseville Parade had 16 Miatas decked out with red, white & blue **Baddtaz Run had 19 Miatas **Hot August Night Ice Cream Run **Columbia State Park.

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August 2002: Monthly meeting location was changed to Bleachers’ Sports Bar across from Cal Expo. Unfortunately it didn’t meet the group’s needs. The search would continue. September 15, 2002: SAMOA celebrated its 12th Birthday with a picnic at Loomis Park. The hard work of many members brought in numerous raffle prizes, which resulted in a $2,100 donation to the Sacramento Children’s receiving Home. September 21, 2002: Takin’ Pictures Rally was organized by Genny and Bob Paauwe. The adventure required identifying 12 photos along a predetermined route and recording the mileage of the photo. 8 Miatas with owners headed out, however only 7 completed the run. [The article didn’t say what happened to the missing Miata!] Winners of the contest were Genny’s parents, with a score of 36 points, 2nd place was Clay and Barbara Cowan with 226 points, and 3rd was Gene and Jan Leininger with 255. There was a possible 2400 points if you got it all wrong. Fall 2002 events: Sugar Pine Run **Ghosts of Bridgeport **End of Summer Celebration **Return to Wright’s Lake had 6 Miatas **Chili cook-off **Christmas lights tour October 2002: Monthly meeting was moved to the Golden Tee on Auburn Blvd. **New member is Susan Wilett. November 2002: President Mike, reports the Club is “on the road again”. Last month’s meeting at Golden Tee didn’t work out very well and November’s meeting will be held at Ace’s Restaurant at I-80 and Madison Ave. {Circumstances were challenging the Officers this year; this was their 4th meeting location.} November 9-11, 2002: Ft. Bragg Trip had heavy rain, poor driving conditions, and only 6 Miatas on the group run. One driver chose to pass a “slow local” and was rewarded with a speeding ticket. Fran Rowell decided to de-stress with a walk on the beach and was surprised by a freak wave. Those that attended had a good time but agreed the event needed to be moved to an earlier date to avoid the poor weather. December 2002: Elections were held at the Annual Business Meeting. President Mike crawled off the President’s Perch and handed over the reins to the new incoming group of Officers for 2003. Mike thanked his Board members for supporting him over the year and their hard work.

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SAMOA History Part 11: Zipping Through the 2003 & 2004 Miatatudes By Jeanne George During the 12 years of SAMOA’s existence over 600 hundred memberships joined and left the club. Now In 2010, only 28 of those memberships remain. As a reminder, the names listed in bold are current members in 2010. If you missed past articles, you can find parts 1-10 in the newsletter section of the web page, February-November. January 2003: The incoming President, Margaret McConnell was off to a rough start. Before the New Year began, the December elected Events Officer resigned. Called back into service were Ralph Gingrich {Events 1997} and Robin George {Events replacement July-Dec 2001}. January 2003: Newly elected Officers were: Gary Bechthold-Treasurer, Gundi Bechthold & Margaret Counter Co-Secretary, and Ray Chermack-Technical. The new Media Director, Gene Leininger, decided to streamline the Miatatudes and got rid of the repetitious information which could be found on the web site. “There are some people who aren’t happy unless they can find fault. Since I want everyone to be happy, I’ve included an error in Miatatudes just for them.” [Gene, who passed away May 28, 2007, was the spouse of Jan Leininger.] January 2003 events: Cultured Cabernet Run **Cross-Delta & Vaca Hills Run **Mosquito Ridge Run **Super Bowl Run January 26, 2003: BOO shuffle. Vice-president, Kevin Chapnick was in the military and called back to the Gulf. Robin George was shuffled to Vice-president and Rod Gonzalez volunteered to help Ralph Gingrich with Events duties. February 2003: The BOO decided to purchase 4 CB radios and detachable antennas for events. **The President announced a plan for Dinner Socials to be held for members that couldn’t attend the monthly meetings. The locations would be Elk Grove, Auburn, Winters, and Placerville. **New members: Bob & Donna Carlson and Ken Johnson. [Bob served as Treasurer in 2005 & 2006; Ken served as Technical in 2005] **The Columbia Memorial Run by Genny and Bob Paauwe led a group of 9 Miatas to the town of Columbia. Participants at the event donated $295 for the Sacramento Challenger Learning Center. The donation was made by the SAMOA members in the names of the seven astronauts who were aboard the space shuttle Columbia that perished last year. March 2003: Media Director resigned his position due to his job. The President put her past newsletter skills back into action, while looking for a replacement. In order to cut newsletter costs, the BOO was researching options to produce an online version. **Rod Gonzalez, Co-Events Officer adds a new Event category to the M I A T A code. S will now refer to Sporting events and include track driving and autocross. **Socials: The February Auburn Social drew 15 individuals for dinner at Marie Callender’s. The March Placerville Social met at Mel’s and had 10 individuals. A group of 10 gathered at the Buckhorn Steak & Grill for the March Winters Social.

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April 5, 2003: Calaveras Big Trees was not only a snow road driving adventure for the group of 5 Miatas, but they faced a foot of snow on the picnic tables. The ranger took pity on them and opened a meeting hall so they could eat their lunch out of the cold. Spring 2003 events: **Miatas at Thunderhill **Stewart’s Point **Jelly Belly **Sierra Nevada Brewery **St. George Hotel in Volcano **Ryde Hotel Brunch and Golf and Kite Flying May 2003: President was still doing the newsletter herself and announces that the current $24 dues are no longer covering the cost of printing and mailing the monthly newsletter. Rather than raise the dues, the SAMOA Board has decided that it is time to join the 21st century and the June Miatatudes will be posted online. **There are 130 memberships with 213 members. May 4, 2003: SAMOA Tech Day was hosted by member Rene Green, an automotive technology teacher at American River College. 36 Miatas were seen in and around the 15 bays and lifts. June 2003: First SAMOA Miatatudes goes online. President Margaret managed to organize and post the new online version of the club newsletter. The first issue was 26 pages. Vince Weis & Kathi Bell submitted 3 pages of story and photos of their recent trip to “Miatas in Moab”. **Davis Social hosted 8 SAMOA members for dinner. **SAMOA Merit Badge introduced. The magnetic car badge was earned by leading a Fun Run. **President announces another BOO switch. A Vice-president has been found to replace Robin George (whose Post Office case load was now requiring extensive travel). Robin had been filling in since February for Kevin whose military assignment would not allow him to serve out his remaining term. Two new Board members: Rene Green will become VP and Mari Green will take over Media Director in July. July 2003: Last minute notice required the monthly meeting to be moved from Aces to Denny’s in Roseville. **New members: Bob & Dee Jensen **Full Moon run: 20 Miatas cruised in the glow of the bright harvest moon August 2003: Monthly meeting was again moved and held at Mimi’s Café off Arden Way. **Monthly socials were still held but attendance was low. **New member: James Stewart September 2003: 13th Birthday picnic was celebrated at Loomis Park with a BBQ. Raffle sales generated $1200 which was donated to the Children’s Receiving Home. **SAMOA hosted the first Scrabble Scramble, which brought out 88 people in 44 Miatas. Organizers were Genny & Bob Paauwe, Helen & Mike DeLaurentis, and Fran Rowell. October 2003: Annual Ft. Bragg trip had 4 Miatas on the group drive. Although a small group they stopped at several wineries for a picnic and tastings and enjoyed the nice weather. November 2003: Jack Parker hosted his annual Children’s Toy run. 50 members and 23 Miatas loaded with toys and bears arrived at the meeting place and overwhelmed him. They made the short drive to Jack’s home to drop off the items and left for a drive to Apple Hill area. December 2003: Elections were held and a new group of Officers would take over the reins.

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2004: I don’t know what to tell you. There were no Miatatudes published for the beginning months of the year. There wasn’t a published list of the recently elected Officers. After some research, I found that Margaret Counter was Vice President and Rod Gonzalez was Events person. The other Officers aren’t members of SAMOA in 2010. From my own personal financial records, only one membership that joined in 2004, Ed Long and Chris Allen are still members in 2010. April 2004: The President, Rene Green announces the First 2004 Miatatudes is published. He indicates a new “Events Policy that will help protect the club from any liability issues in the future, distinguishing between those events that are ‘sanctioned’ by SAMOA and those that are not. In this way folks can still have impromptu/independent runs, with the understanding that the club does not sanction these events.” May 2004: Meetings were still held at Mimi’s Café. **A Tech clinic was held at American River College. Spring events: 12 Miatas traveled to the Infineon Raceway **27 Miatas traveled to South Yuba River State Park for a ride, hike and fishing**A group of Miatas caught the attention of local police when they stopped to watch the full moon. Apparently it was prom night at the local high school and the Officers were checking for…….. July 4th, 2004: 8 Miatas decked out with holiday decorations participated in the Garden Grove parade. Fran Rowell was the coordinator for the SAMOA members. Summer events: Run Around the Hills with Baddtaz had 16 Miatas **Wentworth Run **22 members traveled to Sausalito for a cruise and brunch. **7 Miatas drove to Calaveras Big Trees Park for a picnic and hike. **Baddtaz BBQ had 9 Miatas **9 Miatas toured the Folsom Zoo and drove to Apple Hill. **2nd SAMOA Scrabble Scramble was held in Folsom. October 2004: 14h Birthday had 80 members attended an Old Fashion picnic and BBQ, complete with games. A raffle collected $1080, which the BOO increased to make a total $1200 donation to The Children’s Receiving Home. **Coolest Sounding Miata Contest was hosted by Helen and Mike DeLaurentis and drew 15 Miatas. Following a drive to Cool, the contest began when 8 Miatas lined up and revved the engines one at a time. **Rod Gonzalez volunteers to be the Nominating Committee for the 2005 Elections. November 2004: Club meetings were moved again: to Rascals Pub in Rancho Cordova. **11 Miatas went for a drive through the foothills after dropping off toys and bears at the Sacramento Children’s Receiving Home for the Annual Toy Run. **A run to Coloma drew 6 Miatas for a wine stop and drive to Apple Hill. December 2004: The month began with the Holiday Dinner organized by JoAnne and Ralph Gingrich at the Lions Gate Hotel, which drew an elegantly attired group of SAMOA members.

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Web Stuff by Ron Petrich Anti-Spam Measures Check out the new fill-in forms on our web page this month. Actually, they were updated in the first week of October. New forms have been added for the following… • New or renewing membership form • Classified ad form • Event scheduling form • Guestbook form The primary reason for the changes was to ad a measure of security to the forms, so as to prevent (or at least curtail) the amount of spam submissions that we received. The security is in the form of a CAPTCHA field at the bottom of each form. The form generates a random alpha-numeric graphic that must be entered in the field before submission. Although these types of controls are not 100% spam proof, they do preclude a machine-generated response. With this, it is hoped that all of the human scum out there that like to generate spam messages will get bored with our web site and just go away. And in fact that is exactly what has happened. So far the spam messages have been completely eliminated. So count one for the good guys! I am going to add a 5th form sometime this month. Its purpose will be to allow members to create or update the personal information on our site. Up to 4 photos and 1 Word file may also be uploaded (each jpeg is limited to 150Kb however) at the same time using the form. This information on a new page will be linked to your name from the member page. So far, only 15% of our membership has created a personal page on our site. We have plenty of capacity, so why not give it a try. Classified Ads Did you know that we post both member’s and non-member’s classified ads for free on our web page? We currently have 5 Miatas for sale and 3 additional ads for Miata parts as well. There are only a couple of limitations… • The ads must be for Miatas or Miata parts only • The ads must be non-commercial – sorry no dealer ads • The ads can run for a maximum of 6 months You may also upload up to 4 photos of your car or the part(s) you are selling, but again limited to a maximum size of 150Kb. Three cars that have been advertised on the SAMOA website have sold in the last 60 days, absolute proof positive that our ads may work.

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Events We have already started to post events for next year. As soon as your hangovers start to subside on the afternoon of January 1st 2011, if the very next thing you do is go to the calendar page on your favorite website, you will hopefully see a whole array of events already scheduled for 2011. Just beneath the current month’s calendar are links to the full year. This is an interactive 12-month calendar to assist you in planning future events. We have included the entire year so that you will easily be able to see what dates are available, where conflicts may arise, where holidays fall, etc. All we need now are intrepid SAMOANs to fill in the blanks. Web Browsers I, as I’m also sure many of you as well, have explored different web browsers from time to time, to see if one is better/safer/more secure/faster/etc. than the other. An important – no, limiting – factor is how each browser renders the SAMOA web page. Yahoo Sitebuilder, the free WYSIWYG software that I use to maintain the SAMOA website, only guarantees that Internet Explorer 6 and above will render the site exactly as created. Internet Explorer currently accounts for nearly 75% of the browser market. It is a stable and relatively secure browser, most websites are written “to” it and display properly, but it has been characterized as relatively slow and less secure than some others. I use IE7 on my Windows XP Professional home computer, and I have no major complaints. I have tried IE8 on my and other XP (32 bit) platforms and found it buggy and slow. The 64 bit version on my Windows 7 laptop is much better, but most of us are still running older machines I’m sure. So I recently performed a (very) non-scientific test of the other major browsers on my XP desktop. I tried out Firefox (Mozilla), Chrome (Google), Safari (Apple), and Opera (Opera Software). Only one, Firefox, rendered the SAMOA website accurately. In each of the others, text boxes would randomly be sized differently, background colors would disappear, or text sizes would be different than intended. I don’t know why this is, there may be settings or workarounds with which I am not familiar. Your experience may be different. The only difference I could ascertain with Firefox is that tables with wide borders would appear with a 3-D effect. I could never find out why, but some may view that as an enhancement rather than a bug. Firefox is also fast. It’s no wonder that it is now the number 2 browser in terms of usage behind Explorer (which of course is bundled with Windows). There are a few others I also plan to check out as well. All of these browsers are downloadable for free. Testing them is a no-brainer. Just install, log on, and test them out (perhaps without making them your default browser). If you are not satisfied, just uninstall them and move on. I’ll leave finding them up to you, just search on Windows browsers and you should have no trouble.

Suggestions and questions relating to our website are most welcome. Contact me via email anytime at freescopesdad@comcast.net with your comments and/or concerns. In fact, I am even known to accept praise from time to time.

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More Web Doings… by Ron Petrich The Problem Lately I have been exploring ways to make Windows fonts, and the SAMOA wbsite in particular, more legible on my 21” flat screen monitor. Windows primarily uses TrueType fonts and a form of smoothing called Cleartype ©. This feature is normally turned on by default in Windows XP/Vista/7. However, many users of high-resolution monitors, including laptop screens, find most of the common TT fonts difficult to read in their non-bold presentation. They look too thin, some of the characters are lighter than others, and it just begs for eyestrain and headaches. My first attempt at solving this issue was to explore all of the existing Windows fonts to find one more legible (ie darker, fatter, whatever…). A couple of different fonts came to mind. The Chicago © font is much darker, however it’s 12-point size also takes up much more room than the default Tahoma font I normally use. So every instance would require it being reduced to 10-point size. Certainly a large undertaking, considering the number of pages on our site. Upon further investigation, however, I finally found a font that seemed to fit the bill. It is called Arial Rounded MT Bold ©. It is nearly the same size as Tahoma, and looks good on a test web page I created. The problem, however, is that it is already a bold font, so when it is again bolded (is that a word?) the result is fuzzy. There has to be a better way. After all, when I view our website on an older 15” monitor on another computer, the increased contrast seems to work wonders. I wonder… The Solution I conducted a few web searches. After several blind alleys, I did a search for “improving windows fonts”. I used Norton Safe Search as I was concerned about logging on to a malicious site offering free fonts, and one of the top results was… tada… Microsoft. They offer a method to “tune” your Windows fonts right from your desktop, in real time. It’s a 4-step process, kind of like going to the optometrist for a new lens prescription (ie which is better now, this one, or this one?). In the end, you the viewer picks the solution most pleasing to your eye. I’m not sure what the process really does, but it works. It is more than altering the contrast settings, as I tried that early on. But it does make every font darker and more legible. If you are not completely satisfied with how our website, or any website looks, log on to www.microsoft.com/typography/cleartype/tuner/Step1.aspx and give it a try. It cannot hurt and is completely reversible.

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The Cars Commissioned By The Fabulous Maharajas Of India By Adi Damania In the historical past, India was never a consolidated country as it is today. There were many small kingdoms and their kings, called Maharajas, acquired over the years a lot of wealth and with this wealth also came their eccentricities. In those early days of mechanized transportation, you could only buy the chassis from a reputed carmaker like Rolls Royce, Bentley, Hispano-Suiza, Isotta-Fraschini, etc., and then had the body built by a coach builder of your choice such as, Barker, Wylder, Mulliner, Labourdette, Saoutchik, Castagna and many others. The Maharajas’ imagination knew no bounds and each vied with the other in possessing the most unique and powerful car! Between 1910 till 1947, over 800 Rolls Royce chassis alone were bought by the Maharajas of India with diverse kinds of bodies mounted on them. None of these cars were alike. Perhaps there was no greater collection of quirky and expensive cars in the world than that with Indian Maharajas from the turn of the last century till independence from the British rule in 1947. One of these worthies, the Maharaja of Bharatpur, had a body made entirely of silver and ordered his Rolls Royce car mounted with powerful search lights to hunt tigers at night! Another, the Maharaja of Nabha, had ordered his car to have a front in shape of a swan whose beak would open and spray boiling water and steam from the radiator on his unsuspecting subjects at the Maharaja’s whim and command as he drove by. The list was endless. Many of these unique cars were sold in the 1960s and brought to Europe until the Government of India banned the export of antique cars as a national heritage. My story today, tells of one such car out of hundreds that now lie scattered across India in various stages of disrepair. Can a vehicle be a motor car and a horse-drawn stage coach at the same time? No, it can't? Think again! Such a car-cum-coach, a 2-in-1 vehicle, was constructed to satisfy the pride of ownership of a Maharaja hailing from Alwar, a small kingdom now in the state of Rajasthan, India. It was built to be used at his coronation. The “coronation coach” car was made to order for Maharaja Jay Singh of Alwar, a man once described by British colonialists as “sinister beyond belief” (read that as anti-British). The coronation coach car was but only one of many eccentricities of this Maharaja.

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The Maharaja’s car was a Lanchester 40HP (now, how many of you have heard about the Lanchester Motor Co.?). The Lanchester 40 was introduced at the first post-WWI Motor Show in London in November 1919. The 40 was a direct competitor of the Rolls-Royce ‘Silver Ghost’, and cost only slightly less. It was a more modern car than the ageing RR 'Silver Ghost', and with a top speed of 80 mph (129 km/h), it was a better overall performance. 80 mph was plenty high speed for 1920s!!! The Lanchester 40 was further improved with brakes on all 4 wheels in 1924, a more powerful engine in 1925, and low-pressure balloon tires in 1926. The Lanchester Motor Company was a car manufacturer based at Armourer Mills, Montgomery Street, in Birmingham, England. It operated and did business from 1895–1955. Its founders, the three Lanchester Brothers, Frank, Frederick and George, were the first to make an all-British petrol-driven car in 1895. The company having later merged with Daimler and thence becoming part of Jaguar, the rights to the Lanchester marque now lie with Tata Motors of India, which purchased Jaguar/LandRover (JLR) from the Ford Motor Company in March 2008. Naturally, the big Lanchester attracted a select and wealthy clientele. Another famous owner was HRH The Duke of York, who later became King George VI. In 1926, the Duke's first-born infant daughter made her first motor car journey in her father's Lanchester 40. She was/is none other than the present Queen Elizabeth II of England! But we are getting away from the main story….. The Maharajah of Alwar had a remarkable state carriage built on an extra-long chassis, and was said to be modeled on the coronation coach of the European royalty. This extraordinary car created quite a sensation globally, which was what the Maharaja intended.

The image of the Alwar car which appeared in the Oct 1924 edition of the “Popular Mechanics” magazine. Notice the bench seat at the back for the two footmen. The magazine “Popular Mechanics” in its Oct 1924 issue carried an article on the Alwar car with the following description: “Mounted on a chassis that has a wheel-base of 178 inches, one of the world’s most luxurious automobiles has just been delivered to the Maharajah of Alwar. It is designed after the pattern of the formal horse-drawn landau used by the same ruler and takes its place as a state coach. The body seats four persons (the two pairs facing each other) and is suspended on C-springs, the lower extremities of which are continued to meet the underside of the carriage and thus prevent excessive swing or rolling while giving complete isolation from road shocks and jars. The passenger(s) feel no sense of mechanical propulsion, the feeling being more that of floating than of riding on wheels. Four side lamps are lighted by electricity.” The chassis alone cost the Maharaja Pounds Sterling 2200, a colossal amount of money at that time. The car had a 6178 cc, six cylinder, overhead cam, water cooled engine, with mechanical drum brakes operating on all four wheels.

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Maharaja Jay Singh of Alwar.

Maharaja Jay Singh did not live long to enjoy the car. Having become tired of high taxes, and the cruel and sadistic nature of the king, a large section of his peasantry revolted against him. The British, taking the dissent in his own kingdom as an excuse, deposed him in 1933. He then went into self-exile in France and died at Paris four years afterwards, aged only 54. What followed after his death is one of the most macabre stories involving royalty and their cars. People in his kingdom, who had been living in his fear, refused to believe the British that he was actually dead in Europe. As a result, his dead body was brought back to India, dressed in full state regalia, put on this very same coronation coach car in upright position and driven around the streets of Alwar, just to prove to the people that he was indeed dead! Thus even in death he was still an eccentric!

The car in 1970s in a neglected condition and painted white at the Alwar palace. Rumors that the Alwar royal family may have sold the car are unfounded. It can still be seen at the Alwar palace, its final resting place. The Indian Maharajas’ immoderation and eccentricities were irritating, but nevertheless they gave many coach builders the opportunity to express their creativity. The automobile needs sponsors to be something more than a bare functional tool of our mobility.

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Inner Driver Contestant…Parvin Damania!

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Participants in the Carmichael Park Birthday Celebration view a brand new Miata and Mazda2…provided by Elk Grove Miata…photo courtesy of Adi Damania.

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November Birthdays by Ron Petrich When I turned two I was really anxious, because I’d doubled my age in a year. I thought, if this keeps up, by the time I’m five I’ll be 64…When I was born I was so surprised I didn’t talk for a year and a half…Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest…And finally, last week the candle factory burned down. Everyone just stood around and sang Happy Birthday…

To the birthdays…

Renee Araiza – Nov 28th

Ryan Castillo – Nov 24th Dave DeNuzzo – Nov 6th Rico Estrada – Nov 25th Steve Hughart – Nov 20th Bob Jensen – Nov 27th Tom Jurach – Nov 21st CeCe Myers – Nov 16th

Chuck Leininger – Nov 13th Elaine Mackey – Nov 2nd Kathleen Mitchell – Nov 18th Frank Nicholson – Nov 6th Julie O’Shea – Nov 6th Sally Parker – Nov 31st Denise Russell – Nov 31st Richard Russell – Nov 31st Astrid Senger-Gibbons – Nov 16th Mary Swaney – Nov 8th Mary Ann Taylor – Nov 28th

Bonnie Spencer – Nov 24th Dennis Wierzba – Nov 7th Paula Zicker – Nov 31st Wes Zicker – Nov 31st

S M T W Th F S 1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

RSVP by Monday Nov. 29th

For directions please call Lions Gate at (916) 643-6222

Hope to see you there!

Don’t forget It’s time to make your

Reservations for our SAMOA Christmas Party

Bring your check and menu order to the

monthly meetings or send by November 29th

to:

Elaine Mackey

4337 Kentwood Ln

Fair Oaks, Ca 95628

SAMOA 2010 HOLIDAY DINNER

LIONS GATE HOTEL RESTAURANT 3410 Westover Street

McClellan Park

Please RSVP by Monday Nov. 29th

Name(s): __________________________________________________________________________

email: _______________________________ Phone: (____)___________________________

DINNER MENU

SALAD NUMBER

Mixed Greens, papaya & pineapple, toasted almonds, and raspberry vinaigrette (included)

ENTREE (Select One per Person) Tangerine salmon, Citrus Jus, gingered jasmine rice, macadamia nuts ______ Grilled tri tip, herbed Chimi Churri, mashed potatoes, mushrooms ______

FRESH VEGETABLES (included)

DESSERT Cranberry Walnut Tart (included)

BEVERAGE Coffee, Hot or Cold Tea (included)

Wine and cocktails available for purchase separately.

Total Enclosed: $35.24 per Person (Price includes tax and tip.) $ ________

Make your reservation by printing & updating this form with your menu selections and mail together with your check payable to SAMOA to:

SAMOA Holiday Dinner:

c/o Elaine Mackey 4337 Kentwood Ln

Fair Oaks, Ca 95628 (916) 534-1211