Text : Carl Foleen Photos: Carl Foleen
Saturday, August 12th brought clear skies and (for most Oregonians) rather too warm temperatures. Fortunately those arrived after the JOCO Summer Picnic (AKA “Jags on the Lawn”), which was generously hosted by JOCO treasurer Mark Hull along with his lovely and vivacious wife Rhonda. A special “Thank You” to the Hull’s on behalf of the club for hosting this year’s event.
Fred and Bonnie Nuttall, along with Carl and Clara Foleen had a previous engagement, thus were unable to join the drive-out so capably arranged and lead by Rick Martin. Our route took us from Oregon City to I-5 south via I-205. For a weekend day, there was relatively light traffic (not withstanding the usual slowdowns north of Tualatin, Wilsonville, and Salem).
We arrived to find a few folks were already enjoying Mark and Rhonda’s hospitality, so we put our victual contributions on the “smorgasbord” table, found something cool to drink, and situated ourselves in some comfy patio chairs in the adequate shade of the “front yard.” This correspondent noted with some interest that club secretary Seth Shenker chose to bring his pickup truck rather than his Jaguar. The truck seemed almost large enough to double as a transport for Jaguar if the need arose.
Not long after, Rick and the large number of cars participating in the drive-out arrived and they were directed to park on the back slope of the property. Some cars remained in the sunshine, while others rather wisely opted for space the shady zone.
The food selection was superb. Everything from chips and salsa and/or potato chips to hamburgers or hotdogs; libations of various and sundry persuasions, and a cold beer or a glass of wine, if such was your wont.
Tim Ashcroft brought two guests to the event: Karen Penry (his sister) and his close friend Steve Kirby, both of whom are visiting Tim and Mancy for a few weeks. Both hail from “Jolly Old” (Great Britain). Tim had only recently returned from a “jaunt” in Europe that included driving a racing Mini (if memory serves) in the Classic LeMans race with Steve. The “Classic” is one of the events leading up to the main event in June. Tim and Steve have some very interesting stories to tell.
Since the attendees came from several directions, there wasn’t much of an “organized retreat” as the party wound down and everyone headed for home or towards an air conditioned venue of some sort. We chose to avoid the usual slowdowns on I-5 and took Oregon US 99E as soon as we were able to by taking the “Portland Road Northeast” exit in Salem. The ride through Woodburn, Canby, and Oregon City was, on the whole, much more sanguine than dealing with the unpredictable traffic on I-5.
Please join us for the next event which will be the Lake Oswego Heritage and Wooden Boat Show at George Rogers Park in Lake Oswego on August 27, 2023. Interested participants will gather in the Whole Foods parking lot (11 S State St, Lake Oswego) by 6:30 AM, and leave for the show at 6:45 AM. The local Lions Club usually has a pancake and sausage breakfast available (please bring cash to pay for your food), along with coffee and juice. Jaguar Land Rover Portland is the presenting sponsor, and it would be nice to have a large turnout of JOCO members to support JLR PDX. Hope to see you there.
