With Ann (Memi Sherwood) Anderson

Yesterday we took our annual stroll down memory lane at the Concours d/Elegance. This year we went to the one at Fort Vancouver, rather than to the larger one in Forest Grove. Our review is mixed.

We thought that there would be some definite pluses to attending this one – closer venue and therefore at least two hours less travel time; not so many cars (180 versus 300+) so we’d have more looking leisure; on a historic site we’d like to re-visit if time allowed; the strong possibility that Ann (Memi Sherwood) Anderson and Don Baulig would be there with his 1957 Corvette. Like most ‘best laid plans,’ only some of these worked out.

1948 MG TC – deja vu for Sydney!

Best of all was spending time with Don and Memi. They were able to leave the Vette for a leisurely lunch at The Grant House, one of the classic homes on Fort Vancouver’s Officers Row that is now a lovely restaurant. Great food, reasonable prices, and a wonderful opportunity for Memi – who lived in Oysterville from 1938 to 1947 – and me to “catch up.” It amazes me that we’ve known one another almost 80 years and yet Memi never seems to change! How does she do that?

We did have a bit drooling (whoops! make that looking) time, but not really enough because  cars began to pull out about an hour and a half before the 3:00 closing time. Don thought that it was probably because the judging was over and those who weren’t winners decided to split. That was a disappointment – especially because the weather was unexpectedly cool and walking the grounds was absolutely no sweat. Not like in Forest Grove the last few years when temperatures soared close to 100°F.

The Coveted Gullwing

Which brings me to my most serious complaint. Unlike the Forest Grove venue on the Pacific University campus, there were very few benches or other seating possibilities for visitors at the Officers Row site. Vendors, of course, brought their own chairs, but the rest of us could grab a patch of lawn or stay upright — both hard choices these days.

And speaking of Officers Row – I was truly misguided in thinking that we’d have access, somehow, to Fort Vancouver proper. The former is part of the Fort Vancouver National Trust, a nonprofit organization that has little to do with the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site which is a National Park. They are in close proximity but…

We did get to see our all-time favorite cars. For me it was the 1948 MG TC, bright red like the one Charlie’s dad and I had when he was born. For Nyel, it was a tossup between the gray 1960 356B Porsche (but the one he had was red) and the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing (which is on his life list of coveted automobiles).

We arrived home before five, unaccountably tired. This trips down Memory Lane take it out of us these days!