THE SCVT EARLY BIRD FAN

March 2010 Chapter 50 – Classic Thunderbird Club International Volume 38 Number 3

NEXT MEETING FRIDAY, March 12, 7:30 PM WEST VALLEY COLLEGE

The Early Bird Fan is the monthly newsletter of the Santa Clara Valley Thunderbirds, SCVT. SCVT is dedicated to the

THE SCVT EARLY BIRD FAN

enjoyment of the classic 1955, 1956, and 1957 Ford Thunderbirds. Address Santa Clara Valley Thunderbirds

P.O. Box 26103 San Jose, CA 95159

Web Sites http://santaclaravalleytbirds.com http://www.ctci.org Meetings Meetings are held on the second Friday of each month at West Valley College 14000 Fruitvale Ave. Saratoga,

CA. The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. in the school board room. Events SCVT members participate in parades, displays, homecomings, regional and national meets, local cars shows, and driving events. Membership Dues are $40.00 per year per family and are due by January 31 of each year. SCVT is Chapter 50 of the Classic Thunderbird Club International, CTCI. Membership in CTCI is mandatory to participate in parades and displays sponsored by SCVT. See http://www.ctci.org for CTCI membership requirements. 2010 SCVT Board Members SCVT items for sale Contact Bernie Epolite - 408-847-0730 President Don Reisinger 650-917-1288 Magnetic sign $5.00 Vice President Gene Cox Visor $11.00 Secretary Barbara Perry Baseball mesh cap $8.00 Treasurer Bill Croxton Baseball cotton cap $15.00 Editor Marty Gerbasi Summer jacket $21.00 Parades Steve Pedone Winter jacket $39.50 Displays Geoff Dye Large patch $10.00 Activities Charlie Affrunti Name badge $10.50 Fundraising Diana Mann License plate frame $12.00 Historian Kathy Pedone Personalized tote $10.00 CTCI Rep Gerry Nelson Logo T-Shirt $15.00 Logo Sales Bernie Epolite Visor $11.00

NM Hospitality Laurie Reisinger T-Bird mirrors $6.50 3-Piece luggage set $25.00

Grill Badge $26.50 See website for photos Caravan tips Parts Boxes Maintain your car. Box 1 Mann Gas up and check fluids/tires. Box 2 Croxton Know who your leader is and follow. Box 3 Reisinger Turn CB to channel 11. 6-Volt Williams Turn FRS to channel 7-11. Tents unknown Leave enough space for merging traffic, but keep up. Gas up at scheduled pit stops. Generic cars at the end of the caravan.

Newsletter Deadline: 25th of each month. Send to: Marty Gerbasi 16091 Crestridge Ave. Sonora, CA 95370 email: gerbman@hub3.net Phone: 209-588-1589

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Presidents Page

Well, it certainly was unusual meeting in February! For those of you that missed it, the college closed and no one told us! Just so happens it was one of those meetings where we had big attendance, too! There was a lot of seat of the pants planning going on but thanks to athletic director at West Valley, Bob Perez, who we were able to track down and who made one of his classrooms available to us, the meeting went on as “unusual.” The weather is getting better and our first event for SCVT was held with the Croxton’s leading a driving tour down the coast on Feb.13. It was a good turnout, only a little traffic, good food, a little adventure and the redo of the old Mobil Economy Run (More about that later in the Fan from Bill). And as had been true in the past, the number and frequency of events is starting to heat up along with the weather and longer days with more hours of sunlight. Coming up, in the next few weeks we have the departure of the T-birds followed by the departure of the folks heading off to Honolulu for Doc’s trip to the remaining state capital. Good luck and God speed to all. I am really jealous! Then we have the day trip to the new Disney Museum in San Francisco. Everything I have read or heard about the museum has been off the charts positive so this will be a good one. And all of a sudden it will be April and right around the corner is the Berryessa Flea Market Display, aka, thank you Geoff & Elaine Dye! Then there’s Yosemite – A Ranger Rick Production, Oroville, Capitola and the CTCI International in Dayton, OH. And we haven’t even thought about Friendship Day which we missed the last couple of years due to conflicts with our events. A few of SCVT’s finest are registered for the Morro Bay Show for the next 5 years. Spring training has started and that means its time to start the buzz about out annual pilgrimage to AT&T to see the Giants which means the SCVT Picnic can’t be far behind. Before you know it the Clipboard Man will start looking for Homecoming Volunteers. I just received info from the Hillsborough Concours that T-birds are going to be the marquee or one of the marquees this year so based on previous opportunities, I am sure that there will be effort on SCVT’s part to make sure they have plenty of T-birds. More on that at the meeting. There are still lots of weekends for events to be staged and this is the time to get your idea for an event down and get it planned. I guess there might be a reluctance for someone who hasn’t sponsored an event to do so, but, they really aren’t that tough to produce and one way to get your feet wet is to co-op the effort with one of our event veterans who can help you through the process. There aren’t many things that give you a better feeling than having an event come off as planned and know that it was YOU who added so much to your fellow T-birders enjoyment of their cars and SCVT. With the addition of Gerry Nelson as the new CTCI rep, the board for 2010 is now complete. I want to thank Gerry for stepping forward and I already know that he is going to do a great job. And, I want to also thank Jerry Schwab for his excellent efforts over the past 2 years. SCVT surely got far more than its “fair share” of press in the Early Bird and in talking to some folks from other clubs they have taken notice of SCVT and how we may not be the biggest – but pretty darn close – but sure are the funest! Wait ‘till they see pictures in an upcoming Early Bird of mainland T-birds in paradise when Doc, Lucy, the Cox’s and the Harrington’s from SoCal all show up. Maybe they can leave some oil spots behind as a memento for our island neighbors. We’ll take home leis and leave you some well-used oil. With an event in February, maybe including driving those great old cars, we’ll start our adventures for 2010 with yet more opportunities for Fun-Fun-Fun and Drivin’ On….. Don

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Meeting Minutes - February 12, 2010

President Don Reisinger called the meeting to order at 8:00 PM. Officers in attendance were President, Don Reisinger; Vice President, Gene Cox; Treasurer, Bill Croxton; and Secretary, Barbara Perry. There were approximately 76 members in attendance. Don welcomed everyone to the February meeting in a room in the Athletic Department. Don did a fantastic job of relocating us because we were locked out of the boardroom. He will bring this situation up with West Valley. There were registration forms on the table for the Oroville car show. Don reported that all entries are still open. No new members or guests were present. Vice President: The Monterey Bay Classic T-bird newsletter is up front if anyone wants to see it. As of tonight we have 77 members. Gene passed the BUY AND SELL sheet around. Thank you to the Schwab’s for refreshments and the Affrunti’s for beverages. Club logo items: Bernie had logo items available and they can be purchased at the break. Antenna flags are available for $9.00. The color on the flags is as close as we could get to the original blue. Bernie distributed the 2010 roster. Vice President: Gene announced anniversaries: Ben and Denise Gage -2 yrs, Norma Baldwin -6 yrs, Michael and Valerie Williams -9 yrs, Irma Hernandez-13 yrs, Kenneth and Anita Schock -18 yrs, Paul and JoAnn Lynch -22 yrs, and Mike and Sandra Land-33 years. Secretary: If there are any corrections or additions to the minutes see Barbara at the break. Following the break, the minutes were accepted as printed in the Fan. Treasurer: The treasurer’s report was read and approved. Financial issues and the money market account were discussed. There will be a full board meeting to address future investments. Thank you to Joe Ryan for being the steady rock guiding us through our financial planning during a time when there were changes in homecomings, parades and displays. We do have the Flea Market back and some other activities, so we will be just fine. Displays: Geoff thanked everyone for coming through for the 50th anniversary of the Flea Market. Geoff has 86 cars for Saturday and Sunday. Parades: Steve Pedone reported that there was no Tet Parade this year due to a lack of funds. There is one parade coming up in Mt.View, April 24 and 4 cars are needed. Editor: Marty thanks people for inputs to the Fan. The February newsletter has been submitted to CTCI for the newsletter contest. All Fans and logo items are posted on the web site with prices. Historian: The latest entry in the book is the Awards Dinner. CTCI Rep: Don introduced Gerry Nelson as the new CTCI representative. Hospitality Chairperson: Laurie Reisinger is taking care of any new members. Events: Activities Chair Person Charlie Affrunti: The Awards Banquet was held Jan. 23. Dennis reported good food and lots of fun. The following are the presently scheduled activities: Feb. 13, a drive and lunch lead by Bill Croxton; Feb. 21-28, Hemmings Cruise to Mexico; March 13, Sparky’s Garage in San Carlos, $20.00; March 20, BATOC in Santa Rosa; March 27, trip to San Francisco Disney Museum, $15.00, Maness, Handelman-Gerbasi; March 31 –April 16, Doc’s trip to Hawaii; April 14 – 18, Cool April Nights in Redding; April 24, Grass Valley car show; April 30 - May 2, Yosemite driving event, Deutsch; May 7-9, Gold Rush car show in Oroville, Doc/ Peterson; May 15, tech session by Gil Baumgartner in Hollister; June 12 - 13, Capitola Car show; July 9 – 11, Hot San Jose Nights; August 1 – 8, Hot August Nights in Reno; August 28, Hayes Mansion car show, Pedone; and September 25, T- birds on the Wharf. Raffle: The raffle was conducted by Jill Schwab and Diana Mann. Old Business - There was no old business. New Business: Doc and Bill Croxton are going to the CTCI Convention June 15 - 20. Georgette has information on crutches for Haiti. Tech Session: Gene Cox has installed a Casco water pump and large port thermostat and it is helping his overheating problem. Don has deck protectors for sale $9.99. Buy/ Sell: Printed in the Fan. Next meeting is March 12. Pedone’s refreshments and Epolite’s beverages. Respectfully submitted, Barbara Perry, Secretary

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2010 SCVT Snacks and Beverage Signup Date Snacks Beverages Date Snacks Beverages Jan 8 Kay Peterson Jul 9 Lynch Miller Feb 12 Schwab Affrunti Aug 13 Roach Mann Mar 12 Pedone Epolite Sep 10 Croxton Citti Apr 9 Maness Nelson Oct 8 Thomas/Jump Lerma May 14 Cox Dance Nov 12 Dye Parker Jun 11 Reisinger Reisinger See the May 2009 Fan for Snack & Beverage Helpful Hints. If you don’t have it, see our website: santaclaravalleytbirds.com.

March 2010 Membership Anniversaries

Member Years Rich and Marianne Eichenbaum 36 Warren and Helen Turnboo 29

Anita Paton 26 Nell Richmond 20

Jim Anderson 6 Robert and Rhonda Hansen 5 Maurice Wilkinson 5 Note: If you have unused club anniversary pins that you would like to recycle, please give them to Gene Cox. Ordering new pins is very expensive due to the quantities required.

2010 Santa Clara Valley Thunderbird Activities by Charlie Affrunti

Date Event Host Jan 23 Awards Banquet – Biltmore Santa Clara Ryan Feb 13 A Drive and Lunch Croxton Feb 21-28 Hemmings Cruise – Mexico Affrunti, Cox,Dance, Gage, Mann Mar 27 Trip to SF – Disney Museum Maness, Handelman-Gerbasi Mar 31-April 16** Trip to Hawaii, aka, 50 in ’10 Dockter April 3 Car Show, Sparky’s Garage, San Carlos ?? April 10-11 Flea Market Display Dye April 14-18 Kool April Nites, Redding Underwood April 24 Grass Valley Car Show ?? April 25 Dream Machines, Half Moon Bay ?? April 30 – May 2 Yosemite – Driving Event Deutsch ** NOTE THE DATE CHANGE FROM APRIL 6 – 20 TO MARCH 31 – APRIL 16

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May 7-9 Gold Rush Car Show – Oroville Dockter/Peterson May 13-15 American Graffiti Car Show, Petaluma ?? May 15 Tiffany Ford, Baumgartner Tech Session Dye June 11-13 American Graffiti Car Show, Modesto ?? Jun 12-13 Capitola Car Show Affrunti/Mann June 15-20 CTCI Int. Convention – Dayton, OH July 9-11 Hot San Jose Nights ?? Aug 1-8 Hot August Nights – Reno ?? Aug 14 San Mateo BBQ & Car Show Ryan Aug 28 Hayes Mansion Car Show Pedone Sep 25 Birds on the Wharf, Santa Cruz Perry Sep 25 Ironstone Concours, Murphys Pierson Dec 11 Holiday Party Maness/Cox

There are a lot of question marks, so if anyone would like to lead us on an event coming up or has any ideas for a future event please let me know and special thanks to all of you that have signed up so far. Charlie Affrunti 408-356-1672, niners1it@comcast.net

Parades by Steve Pedone

There are no pending parades.

Displays by Geoff Dye

April 10,11 San Jose Flea Market May 15 Tiffany Ford – Hollister starting at 10 AM (not a paid

display) 10:30 AM Gil Baumgardner Tech Session

PAST EVENT REPORTS

Coast Cruise & Fuel Economy Run – February 13, Hosted by Bill and Marcia Croxton On Saturday, February 13, 2010, eleven Thunderbirds met in Santa Clara for a winter cruise on the coast and a fuel economy run. The weather was perfect, sunny and about 65 degrees. At about 10 AM, after topping off our gas tanks, three 55's, four 56's and four 57's, headed North on Highway 280 to Half Moon Bay. Because of the Mavericks Surf Contest in Half Moon Bay, we expected heavy traffic on Highway 92, but breezed right through to Highway 1 and continued south along the Coast. Our first planned stop was San Gregorio Beach. It was here we posed for a group picture with the sun and surf. See the Photo Album. We continued south on Highway 1, stopping for lunch in Capitola, which was jammed because of the fantastic weather. Parking was tight, but we all managed to park the T-birds and have lunch at restaurants on the beach. After lunch we continued south on Highway 1 into the town of Freedom, to

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visit the garage of new member, Jim Daniels. Although Jim was not there, he made arrangements to open his garage for the Club to see the in-progress body-off restoration of his Peacock 1956 Thunderbird. I think we all agreed they sure look different without a body. Ok, it was now time to check our fuel consumption. Across from Jim's garage we topped off our gas tanks again at a local station. Using the mileage from a GPS, we had traveled 104 miles. We gathered a few miles away for ice cream at Baskin Robbins and did our fuel calculations. The winners: 1955 T-bird -19.6 mpg, Gerry Nelson; 1956 T-bird - 22.6 mpg, Doc Dockter; and 1957 T-bird - 22.1 mpg, Bill Mann The rest of us, without overdrive and with stock rear axle gear ratios got a respectable 15-16 mpg. I want to thank Jim Daniels for opening his garage to SCVT, while he was in Tahoe skiing. And to Doc for rescuing me from driving around in circles while trying to find Highway 101.

UPCOMING EVENTS Walt Disney Family Museum – March 27, Hosted by the Maness’s and Bev & Marty

Larry and Georgette Maness, Marty Gerbasi and Bev Handelman invite you to join them for a visit to the Walt Disney Family Museum at the Presidio in San Francisco. A scenic drive to the museum and lunch will be included. Fifty tickets for the museum have been reserved and there are 46 sign-ups already. Tickets are timed-entry and have been reserved for 11:00 AM on Saturday, March 27, 2010, however we need to arrive by 10:45 AM.

Museum ticket prices are $15.00. We must provide confirmation on number of attendees and payment to the museum on March 12. Refunds will not be given for cancellations after March 12. The museum is adult-oriented and may not be appropriate for young children. Photographs, video or audio recordings are not permitted inside the museum and they ask that visitors not bring those devices inside (but you will want to bring your camera with you for photo opportunities during our scenic drive). Details for our group meal are almost finalized and will be announced via e-mail in the next few days to all those who have already signed up and again at the SCVT meeting on March 12. This is a rain or shine, auto of your choice event. Don’t miss this opportunity to visit the Walt Disney Family Museum, described as, “An exhilarating tribute to a creative genius.” If you wish to sign-up by phone, e-mail or snail mail please contact Bev or Marty at 209-588-1589, gerbman@hub3.net, 16091 Crestridge Ave., Sonora, CA 95370 or Larry and Georgette at 408-274-7756, lmanbird@comcast.net, 3822 Whinney Place Way, San Jose, CA 95121. Please make your check payable to SCVT.

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Hawaii – March 31 – April 16, Hosted by Doc Dockter (Note: this again is a change of dates due to our shipping company’s change of schedule) If you need a reason to vacation in Hawaii, here is your chance to be in on the finish of the U. S. State Capitols Tours by two road-tested Classic Thunderbirds. These tours started in 2008 and will end in 2010. The tours will have covered more than 20,000 miles of driving and will have visited all fifty state capitol cities plus our nation’s capitol. We have had to change the time frame for the Hawaii trip to March 31 through April 16 (see above). Everybody is welcome and you don’t have to ship your car. A number of SCVT members and interested non-members, sans T-birds, are planning to join us for our island odyssey. However, four T-bird owners have already made commitments to ship their cars and more are welcome. Should you decide on shipping your car, the cost per car is approximately $1072 each way and cars must be delivered to Hayward, CA by March 9. The cars will be transported to San Diego for shipment to Honolulu by Pasha Hawaii and when shipped back, will be returned to Hayward by May 4. We plan on cruising for about seven days on the island of Oahu and six days on the island of Hawaii. The Young Brothers’ inter-island barge system will ship the cars from Honolulu on the island of Oahu to Kawaihea/Kona on the island of Hawaii. The cost per car is approximately $235. The cars will be picked up in Hilo, island of Hawaii, for shipment back to San Diego and transportation to Hayward, CA. Please visit our website for more information including a more detailed itinerary. Also, please contact me, Doc Dockter, for answers to any questions you may have. Home phone 650-591-5939, cell phone 650-759-4302, email address odockter@comcast.net. ALOHA, Doc San Jose Flea Market Display – April 10-11, Hosted by Geoff Dye

SCVT has been working with the San Jose Berryessa Flea Market to do a rain or shine 2-day classic car display on April 10 and 11. Vintage San Jose is the Berryessa Flea Market’s debut event celebrating their 50th anniversary and they would like to present 55-65 vehicles for public display on Saturday and Sunday. Our vehicles will be parked under a huge permanent tent with the micro brewed beer tasting, local winery tasting, and the highly praised and widely followed Joe Sharino Band.

For those club members who signed up at February’s meeting, thanks for your pledge to participate. You have been listed as alternates. As time gets closer to the April 10 and 11 weekend, I will notify you as to the status of whether you will be a participant or alternate.

For those who have already participated at the Berryessa Flea Market display, you know it is just a fun day with friends. Our vehicles are sheltered from the elements under the huge permanent tent; security is provided by San Jose’s finest; our cars are behind stanchions provided by the Flea Market; very clean restrooms; lots of shopping for dry goods, fruits, and vegetables; lots of comfort food at reasonable prices; picnic tables are provided by the Flea Market; fun place to people-watch.

Displaying your vehicle(s) is not just a fun day with friends but also qualifies you for the 2010 Participation award that is given out at the annual SCVT Awards Banquet. If you have questions or changes, you can contact me at (408) 262-1078 or email me at geoffdye@yahoo.com.

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Yosemite – Driving Event - April 30 – May 2, Hosted by Rick and Diane Deutsch

Yo Semite Ho! April 30 – May 2

Our 2010 driving trip to Yosemite National Park is in the final planning stage. We currently have 27 cars signed up. We have a block of 30 rooms at the Cedar Lodge in El Portal, 8 miles south of the park. Call ASAP; use “T-birds” as the group name. $98 for a double. (209) 379-2612. At Press time only 16 rooms had been booked. Although we will not release the rooms until March 30, we need to have a firm head count for group dinners. Many venues will be tight to accommodate 60 people. We will use the March meeting sign-up as the target attendance. Be there or email RangerRick at MrHalfDome@gmail.com We will begin at Starbucks, 237/680 Milpitas and meet the Northern cars at the Pleasanton WalMart. There will be a full itinerary later. Please note: Traffic and parking at the park will be very difficult. Be prepared to be separated and to walk a lot. This is the 3rd most popular national park in the country with 4 million visitors a year. Gas will be expensive as will food. You will have time to enjoy the park doing whatever you like. Read the planning guide which was distributed. CB’s are mandatory for this trip. Admission is $20 per car or get an “America the Beautiful” all-park pass for $80, or a senior pass for $10 for life. You can get these at the gate. Contact Ricky @ ricky.deutsch@gmail.com

Gold Rush Car Show – Oroville- May 7 – 9, Hosted by Doc Dockter and Joan Peterson It’s time to do some long range planning for an overnighter in May. This car show is limited to 750 cars and fills up fast. Pre-registration is only $10, so if you have to cancel it won’t break the bank and proceeds go to local charities. Further details regarding the drive to and from Oroville and activities will be forthcoming. Contact Doc for a registration form that will be sent to you either as an email attachment or via US mail. Doc Dockter 650-591-5939 home, 650-759-4302 cell, or odockter@comcast.net

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CTCI Convention – Dayton, Ohio - June 15 – 20 Don’t forget this years CTCI convention in Dayton, Ohio. The event is being organized by the Ohio Valley Early Birds. For more information see the Jan-Feb 2010 edition of the CTCI magazine.

BUY AND SELL

Ads placed in the Fan are limited to 3 months unless renewed. BUY Stock steel wheels (set of 4, 14”) for ’57 T-bird, Bill Croxton 408-472-5053 (2/10) ’57 T-bird Glove box lock assembly, Joan Peterson 650-326-1013 (2/10) SELL 2007 Ford Fusion SE, V6, 30,600 miles. Still under Factory Warranty 3 yr/36K miles. Also, because this was Certified Pre-Owned by the Ford Dealer, it has a 6 yr/100,000 mile warranty on the drive train. This was a pre-owned, not a rental. A nice, clean, and economical Ford Fusion, no disappointments. 5 Passenger 3.0L 4V, V6 Duratec Engine, 6-spd auto trans. Exterior is alloy (gray), interior is dark charcoal, with leather seats. PS, 4 wheel disc brakes, ABS, tilt/telescope wheel, AC, AM/FM in dash MP3/6 CD player, pwr windows and door locks, cruise control and audio control on steering wheels, 6-way pwr seat w/lumbar, 60/40 rear folding seats. Chrome grille and trim, factory 16" aluminum wheels with P205/60R16 tires, fog lamps. pwr mirrors, dual exhaust, speed interval wipers. Side air bags and curtains, perimeter alarm, personal safety system, integrated key FOB, child latch safety system, secure lock passive anti-theft system. Great car, excellent condition, priced below retail. Selling to make room for my new Mustang. Priced at $12,500. Bill Croxton, bcroxy@comcast.net, home 408 249-9736, cell 408 472-5053 (3/10) Antique exercise bicycle 1940-50 vintage, $66.88, Dennis Kay 650-341-6868 (2/10) New rebuilt water pump for ’55-‘57 T-bird, $75.00, Steve Pedone 408-482-5204 (2/10) Motor Trend Magazines, Late 50’s & Early 60’s, $2.00 each, Larry Pierson 209-984-2436, maryannp@mlode.com (3/10) NASCAR California 500 – Fontana, Oct. 10, 4 tickets @ $105 ea.; plus Nationwide race Oct. 9, 2 tickets @ $50 ea.; plus 2 tickets to practice Oct. 8 (free), all tickets Section 34, Row 45, Eric Jenson 925-240-0543 (2/10) T-Bird pendants and earrings for sale. Bobby Miller, blmbook@aol.com (1/10)

NEW – One piece No-Mar Deck Protector. Your choice black or white. Members $9.99, Non-members $14.99, Don Reisinger (888) 206-0148. Don@Be-Ntouch.com (2/10)

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Really nice T-bird pins. Al Thomas 650-493-4344 (2/10)

TECH TIPS FOR OPERATING AND MAINTAINING THUNDERBIRD IN THE 21ST CENTURY by Bill Croxton I ordered and received this book recently from the CTCI store and for $5.95 it is well worth the money. It is by George Barlow and Gil Baumgartner.

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PHOTO ALBUM Coast Cruise & Fuel Economy Run – February 13