february, 2016 - Miata Club of Southwest Florida

THE MIATA CLUB OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA http://www.miataclubofsouthwestflorida.com
FEBRUARY, 2016
ZOOMZOOM...
Board Members
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
BY DANA BREDA
Dana Breda, President
336-416-7464
[email protected]
Hi everyone,
Jerry Williams, Vice President
So what's up with the weather this winter? For several years
I've been telling my friends up north (maybe gloating) that
one of the best things about being in SW Florida is that it
doesn't rain in the winter. I'm pretty ticked about having to
drive around with the top up now and then. I'm looking for
the complaint department...
864-436-2902
[email protected]
Jean Fischer, Past President
305-389-7864
[email protected]
Noni Cockrum, Treasurer
239-278-1729
[email protected]
Leslie Schmitt, Secretary
651-235-4803
[email protected]
Donna Noyes, Membership And
Events Coordinator
239-454-5665
[email protected]
Sandy Bowers, Newsletter Editor
239-567-2149
[email protected]
Gary Blessing, Webmaster
239-910-4610
Our club is really growing! We had a larger turnout than ever at our meeting last month. That, combined with the necessity of meeting at a new location presented us with some
challenges.
Your board representatives met with the Sales Director at
the Shell Factory today (Jan 26, as I write this). We showed
them the results of our survey, discussed the issues we had
at our first meeting with them and talked about how our
club may be better served. The parking congestion will continue to be an issue for a while and they will continue to
offer us golf cart service to our cars after the meeting. They
plan to have more staff in the future and most importantly,
will serve us as we arrive rather than waiting for tables to
fill. They are very interested in making us happy and we
hope to iron out any wrinkles. All things considered, I think
our new meeting place is great!
[email protected]
Dealer Liaisons
Steve Bowers, Palm Mazda
239-567-2149
[email protected]
Ruth Brewer, Cox Mazda
517-331-4618
[email protected]
Ron Lindensmith,O’Brien Mazda
We continue to need folks to help us operate the club and
to dream up ideas for rides. If you have any ideas or would
like to help in any capacity, your board wants to hear from
you. Getting involved is a great way to get to know folks and
it really adds to the fun.
Don't forget, it's really important that you let us know if
you're coming to the monthly meeting, particularly now that
have a new venue.
239-699-6339
[email protected]
NEWSLETTER DEADLINE 25th OF EACH MONTH
Hope to see you all at our meeting on February 8!
Dana
MEMBERSHIP MISSIVES—FEBRUARY, 2016
DONNA NOYES
Belated Happy New Year to everyone! After a busy November with the addition of many
new members, and an event-packed December, things have slowed down a bit. As of
January 25, we have added the following newest members of our family:
Rick and Carole Fried of Estero. They have a shiny new 2016 Black Miata.
Bob and Susan Ibanez of Ft. Myers and Tulsa, OK. They are the proud owners of a
2003 Titanium Gray Metallic Special Edition “Shinsen” model. Only 1,451 Miatas
were built in this limited edition.
Welcome to Rick and Carole and Bob and Susan!
I know we have other members in the club that have a special and/or limited edition Miata – if you are one of them, send me some information, and maybe a photo of you and
your prized Miata, so that we can include it in a future newsletter.
Our membership now stands at 90 cars and 165 people. If you know someone that has
or just acquired a Miata, tell them about our club and encourage them to attend a
meeting – as most of you know, I’m always ready to sign someone up!
Reminder - PLEASE wear your name badges at our meetings and events so that we know
who you are. I try very hard to recognize and remember each of you . . . but my “senior”
memory sometimes fails, so please help me out. I suggest keeping your badges in your
Miata – then you will always have them handy.
I look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming events and meetings in 2016. Until
then, ZOOM-ZOOM!
WANTED:
NEW NEWSLETTER EDITOR!
The Miata Club needs a new Newsletter Editor! I have been on the Board in various capacities for 8 consecutive years. It’s time for a break! The newsletter is posted on our
website every month, and it’s a great way for potential new members to find out more
about our club. It’s also where we put the ads for our sponsors who help to support us.
If you like to be creative, have the time or interest, and want to make a contribution to
the club, contact Sandy Bowers at [email protected] or call 239-567-2149.
SNAKES, DRUMS, AND HULA HOOPS!
By Rick and Charlene Hayman
You’ll see a little bit of everything on the drive and dine trip to the Gamble
Plantation State Park on Saturday, February 13th, You’ll see Confederate history, Florida agriculture (lots of oranges and cattle out your windows),
snakes (stuffed), animals (those, too!), sand, sea and dancing girls (You’ll relive the 1960’s!).
We’ll leave the Jones Loop Road McDonalds at 11:00 (after a 10:45 drivers
meeting) with a detailed map. First, we will tour the Gamble Plantation in
Ellenton. The admission cost is just $ 6. Next, we’ve planned a late lunch at
the Linger Lodge Restaurant. The Linger Lodge was voted one of America’s
most unusual restaurants by Today Show host, Al Roker.
After our mid-afternoon lunch, we’ll finish at the Nokomis Beach Park to
“drum down the sun” (weather permitting). Tour members will need to bring
your own folding chairs and snacks. Coolers may contain adult beverages (in
plastic containers) to watch the show. Bring a hula hoop and a drum if you
wish!
Call Rick or Charlene Hayman (937) 898-7468 if you have not already
signed up.
Gamble Mansion
Inside the Linger Lodge
EVERYONE NEEDS A LITTLE SUNSHINE
By Sandy Cole
Once again, I am pleased to report that we have had little need for additional sunshine
this month. I sent a note to Elaine Moore who had knee surgery on January 5th. All
news indicates that she is doing well. New member, Kathy Varner, ended up in the hospital, but by our January meeting, she was out and well enough to attend. That is certainly good news. We also sent a “thinking of you” card to the Lindensmiths who were
affected by the tornados which hit Cape Coral these past weeks. Sounds like Elaine and
Ron addressed the challenge and got things under control. If there are others of you
with similar circumstances, please accept our apologies for not sending thoughts and
good wishes your way. It is our hope that things are getting back to normal by now.
January weather has certainly presented some interesting challenges. Hopefully, by
now, all is well for our Miata family.
Birthdays in February are: Sharon Basil, Kim Carless, George Christensen, Ed Conrad,
Roland Cournoyer, Tim Knight, Paula Larson, Susan Lorenc-Haluska, Jim Miller, Jim Pearson, Bonalyn Plante, Cindy Reynolds, Ann Schaffner, Norm Schott, Audrey Schott, and
Jerry Stanley. Please join me in wishing these people a very special birthday. Hope you
all have a safe and healthy year ahead.
Hope to see you all soon. Keep in touch.
Yours,
Sunshine Sandy
Tour of the
Center for Great Apes
By Sandy Dunham
Wow, what a great day it was to monkey around. We in our sweaters and jackets
and the apes in their fur coats! On January 30, 2016 the MCSWFL visited the
Center for Great Apes in Wauchula, Fl. It was through the generosity of Tom &
Lynn Dalton (our friends) and their foundation – St. Denys Foundation - that we
were able to tour the Center for Great Apes. Our entrance fee ($950) and a $100
donation from the Miata Club became part of a matching contribution to the Center. If the sanctuary reaches their fund raising goal of $50,000 by the end of January, then an anonymous donor has pledged to match it. This will allow the sanctuary to start construction on expanding their facility. As we left the sanctuary I was
told they were very close to their goal and that the Miata club donation may very
well have done it! They hadn’t done a final accounting yet.
The caravan of 19 cars led by Jess & Sandy Dunham and guests included Ron &
Sharon Basil, Sandy & Steve Bowers, Dana & Sandy Breda, Bob & Noni Cockrum,
Ed & Debbie Conrad, Rick & Rayanna Edwards, Tom & Marlene Erhardt, Bob &
Susan Ibanez, Frank & Fran Kinslow, Jack LaFlamme, Pat Liebing, Doug & Leitha
Morey, Donna Noyes and guest, Carol Ross & guest, Jay & Leslie Schmitt, and
Dick & Judy Yando. Dick & Jean Fischer were only able to join us for
lunch. What a great group. We left the McDonalds in Punta Gorda at 9:45 a.m.
and traveled to Wauchula for lunch at Nicholas’ Family Restaurant, which had a
varied menu with good food and good prices. The restaurant was ready for
us. Drink orders were filled promptly and our menu choices and entrées showed
up just as we finished our soup and salad. They knew we were headed to the
Center for Great Apes to visit the Orangutan and Chimpanzee sanctuary, so there
was no monkeying around! They had us on our way within 75 minutes.
Patti Ragan, founder of the sanctuary, greeted us and told us how the sanctuary
came to be. The sanctuary houses 43 primates (including Michael Jackson’s Bubbles) most of whom have been rescued from the entertainment industry. Also one
of their residents is Knuckles who is a special chimpanzee with cerebral palsy. Trainers are never in the ape’s cage. In the case of a manicure, the ape
reaches his “hand” through an opening. Our guides were Sandra and Jill who explained that the primates had appeared in TV shows, movies, ads and greeting
cards as youngsters but once they reach the age of about 6 or 7 (adolescence)
they grow very large and strong and trainers are unable to handle them. When the
movie industry no longer has a need for them they end up in roadside zoos or research labs since accredited zoos won't take them and they live to be 50 to 60
years old. The sanctuary does not breed as there are enough apes already that
need help to take up their spaces. The sanctuary is made up of dome homes,
night houses and an elevated tunnel/chute system (over a mile long) that allows
the primates to move from one area to the next, within their species, as well as to
the medical facility. It encompasses 120 acres.
Continued
TOUR OF THE CENTER OF GREAT APES
(CONTINUED)
You can become a member of the Center for Great Apes with a donation of $50
(individual) or more. This entitles you to membership events (member only visit to
sanctuary) during the year. If you want more information you can let me know or
visit their web site at www.CenterforGreatApes.org which gives you an overall picture of the sanctuary with domes, chutes, etc. A question was asked why the
sanctuary is not open to the public. Answer given was they are a sanctuary governed by laws, not a road side attraction; their purpose is to educate. After an enjoyable time with the primates, it was time to head home. Thank goodness we
didn't find any rain as we had seen enough of that the previous week. Two
questions – 1) what is the major difference between apes and monkeys? 2)
There are five categories of apes -- orangutans, gorillas, bonobos, chimpanzees
and ____. What is the fifth category?
(Answers on Page 9)
Sandra, one of the guides, talks to a group
One of the large enclosures the apes can play in,
with a connecting overhead tunnel/chute system
Play time !
NEXT MIATA MEETING
FEBRUARY 8, 2016
WHERE:
Captain Fishbones (Meeting
Room) at the Shell Factory
2787 N. Tamiami Trail
North Ft. Myers, FL 33903
TIME:
Dinner 5pm (optional)
Meeting 6pm
REPLY TO: Donna Noyes
[email protected]
239-454-5665
PLEASE RESPOND BY FRIDAY, Feb. 5, 2016
Our new meeting room!
SAVE THE DATES!!
Monday, February 8, 2016
Monthly Miata Club Meeting
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Gamble Plantation, Lunch at Linger
Lodge, Sunset in Nokomis
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Palm Mazda Car Show and Event
Monday, March 14, 2016
Monthly Miata Club Meeting
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Annual Miata Club Picnic —
Franz Ross Park, Pt. Charlotte
Monday, April 11, 2016
Monthly Miata Club Meeting
Monday, May 9, 2016
Monthly Miata Club Meeting
Answers to questions on page 7
1. Monkeys have tails and apes do not.
2. Humans
PALM MAZDA CAR SHOW
BY STEVE BOWERS
On Saturday, February 27, 2016, Palm Auto Mall (Palm Mazda) one of our club’s major
sponsors will host a big and fun-filled event for our club. They are going “all out” with a
car show with trophies for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation Miatas. We know those brand
new and shiny 2016 Miatas are beautiful, but there aren’t enough yet to judge (and how
do they judge a brand new car?). Palm will also be providing a complimentary lunch of
burgers, hot dogs, fries, and ice cream, entertainment, goody bags, and prizes. They will
have a tent set up with tables and chairs so we can relax out of the sun (mother nature
wouldn’t dare bring us rain!).
Registration for the car show will be between 10a.m.—11:30a.m. The judging will be
between 12 pm and 1pm during lunch, with trophies being awarded at 1:30. Plan to
attend even if you don’t want to enter your car for judging. However, I encourage as
many of you as possible to enter your car. All you need to do is give your “baby” a bath.
You do not have to clean your engine with a toothbrush! The judges will be doing all the
work. You never know…..you may have that winner!
Palm Mazda is located at 1603 Tamiami Trail (US 41) in Punta Gorda.
Let’s support our sponsor and see if we can break last year’s record attendance for a car
show of 52 cars. Email Steve Bowers at [email protected] if you plan to
attend .
MIATA SHIRTS AND CAPS
Embroidered shirts and caps available from
Cathy owner of the Golden Needle
941-743-44
Port Charlotte
MIATA CLUB ADVENTURE—WHERE THE BUFFALO ROAM!
BY DONNA NOYES
We roamed where the buffalo roamed . . . .
On Tuesday, January 12, an interested group of 20 members joined me in a visit to the
Three Suns Ranch in Punta Gorda. Three Suns Ranch has one of the largest herds of bison in Florida, currently numbering around 1,000. The ranch also maintains a large herd
of cattle, including Texas Longhorn steers, Brahma cattle, and Florida cracker cattle. The
goal of the ranch is to raise bison and cattle in a more natural environment with large
pastures and no added growth hormones or antibiotics. The ranch is one of only three
in the country that has its own FDA-certified and inspected processing plant on site.
After our group arrived at the ranch, we met our guide Jamie and boarded an opensided wagon for our 2-hour tour. We drove by a shell rock mining operation located on
the grounds of the ranch and then through several of the ranch’s 40 pastures. After a
scenic and somewhat bumpy ride, we arrived at the pasture where the bison were grazing. The herd knows that the truck and wagon, as well the honking of the horn, mean
that a treat of alfalfa is waiting for them. Once the bison saw us and heard the horn,
they came running! Soon we were surrounded by several adult bison as well as some
calves. They enjoyed their alfalfa treat and we enjoyed watching them! After spending
some time with the bison, we rode into another pasture where a mixture of cattle was
waiting for their alfalfa treat. It was quite amazing to see so many different kinds of
cattle all in one herd – especially Brahma bulls from India! Like the bison, all of the
cattle are strictly grass-fed and raised in a completely natural environment. There were
quite a few calves among the herd also, many staying close to their own mother or one
of the other cows. Along the way back to the parking lot, a couple of the ranch’s donkeys also got some of the leftover alfalfa. All of the animals really enjoyed that treat!
We got back to the gift shop as the temperature was getting colder. Several of us
bought some of the meats offered in the shop (I bought a package of wild hog kielbasa!).
We then headed to downtown Punta Gorda for a nice dinner at Hurricane Charley’s. It
was an interesting day and I think we all enjoyed the tour of one of our area’s most unusual facilities. My thanks to all that joined me. Check our Facebook page to see some of
the photos from the ranch.
Our group
The tour wagon
Jamie, the tour leader, talks, and we listen
intently!
Alfalfa treat for the bison. Yum!
Bison herd
Long horn cattle
Brahma bull
Lunch time!
MIATA CLUB OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
2016 ANNUAL PICNIC AND MEETING-MARCH 19
Please join us for our Annual Picnic and Business Meeting to elect new officers at the
Franz Ross Park on Saturday March 19 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Franz Ross Park is
located at 19355 Quesada Boulevard in Port Charlotte, FL. The club will provide a catered lunch, including iced tea or lemonade. You may also bring your own beverages.
Franz Ross Park allows alcoholic beverages, so feel free to bring beer or wine or other
spirits. However, glass containers are prohibited, so keep that in mind when deciding
what to bring. For dessert, we would like a few volunteers to bring some goodies – let
me know if you would like to sign up and what you would bring.
We have reserved a pavilion which provides covered seating around picnic tables for
up to 90 people. You may also bring your own folding chairs if you’d like. Parking is
free.
ALL MIATA CLUB MEMBERS ARE INVITED, BUT YOU MUST SIGN UP BY MARCH 12 SO
THAT WE HAVE A CORRECT HEADCOUNT FOR LUNCH. YOU WILL ALSO NEED TO PROVIDE A REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT OF $10 PER PERSON WHEN YOU SIGN UP. As in past
years, this picnic is free for members so please note that the deposit will be refunded
to you when you arrive at the picnic or if you cancel before March 12. You may pay
this deposit with either cash or a check and you can give it to me at the February
monthly meeting or at one of our upcoming events, or you may mail it to me (address
below). THE DEPOSIT OR ANY CANCELLATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY MARCH 12.
More detailed directions and information will be provided as the date gets closer, so
check your emails and the March newsletter. If you have any questions, contact me.
Donna Noyes
17721 Canal Cove Court
Ft. Myers Beach, FL 33931
When ordering from Duragloss Car Care Products
- 1-800-638-7245 or www.duragloss.com use the
promotion code #10-25 to receive a 10 percent
discount on your purchase of any of their products. This is available to all Miata Club members.