So Friday is the day of the driver’s meeting and tour around Green Lake. It starts off mildly enough, with me somewhat regretting my choice of outfit by the time I left the house as my red satin dress is a bit tight these days and it was super hot by the time we were in New London.

Still, we got the Maxwell out, took it to the Legion, and then there was the annual shopping. I went off to get a chai from the local coffee shop while people were eating (I do believe I’ve stressed many a time that I’m not a breakfast person) and the meeting was over rather quickly as there were no real changes to the route this year, amazingly enough.

John Eliot joked about hiring someone to sabotage Grandpa’s car so that he’d be the only one who’d done all the runs, but he said they were unsuccessful.

Unfortunately, someone else almost was.

While we were on the lake tour, we were on the final lap, which I actually have driven the last few years but somewhat auspiciously had not done this year. You see, as we were turning the corner where last year a car almost went off the road and into the lake, the Ford group had stopped for a photo opportunity, so first we almost hit them because the one in front of us was going slow. Then once they pulled out of the way, we continued down the hill and almost hit the guy in the other Ford who was turning around to park for the photo.

Yes, I almost died because someone wanted a picture. I am still NOT AMUSED. That was a dumb place to stop and take a picture with so many old cars behind you on a hill. Had I been behind the wheel and not Grandpa, we would have collided with that Ford for sure (I don’t stop well with the foot pedal brake. I pull up the lever for safety.)

Anyway, we survived that (barely,) and went to park for root beer floats. We end up staying in Spicer longer than intended because the spedometer died and we were trying to find a replacement battery. No such luck.

On to round two of us very nearly dying. So… Grandpa informs me that I am driving back to New London. I can’t remember doing it before. I ask him if he’s sure because I haven’t driven in a year. He says, “You have thirty seconds to remember how.”

And so we set off. We’re turning the corner out of the parking lot, Grandpa flips the lever on the steering wheel, and the Maxwell dies. It does not want to start again. Naturally, everyone thinks I killed the car. (I didn’t, it was fine until Grandpa touched the lever.) Fiddle with the battery clamps and suddenly it starts again. So we have to go, and people are waiting and they make me go first (such fun times, I love humiliating myself in front of a crowd) and so we start off.

I think I’m in first, but I’m in reverse and I almost hit Steve from the car club and owed him a radiator.

Then Grandpa tells me to cross the highway once we’re in New London. I swear it’s clear when I start, but then I must have looked down to change gears and um… there was an SUV, and it almost hit us… and I can only say that I swear it wasn’t there when I started. Still scary. Still not good.

I was booted from the driver’s seat not long after. So… the drive to the park for pictures was more or less without incident and we were done with that easily enough. The plan was to continue searching for the battery, but it got a little sidetracked.

And then Joe and Pat from the car club came while Mom and I were on our battery hunt, so when we got back before the parade line up time, they were wanting to know if we wanted to go see a big game hunter’s house and his animals and stuff. They said food was involved and an air show, so I went along.

I was a bit sad to see the poor animals, but they were beautiful, too. The house was very large and well decorated with a huge gun safe and even a minature golf course outside. I missed taking a video of the planes and I refused to get on the big gun the National Guard had there like Joe wanted, but I did go for the hot air balloon.

I mean, it was tethered to for trucks, but it was still a risk (and goodness, getting in with my skirt was interesting, though Pat had a rougher time.) They said it wasn’t a very far drop, but… It could have been bad. It wasn’t. It was super fun even if it was short, and I was glad I went despite getting too hot and sunburned and everything while waiting to go up. We got back to New London late (I’m sure those poor people closing A & W weren’t thrilled with us) but it was fun.