DeTomaso Mailing List: January 00, Message #1

Toast my friend, and all my friends out there, and here's to great New Year!

Gregg Stults
#1223


-----Original Message-----
From: George Selby-Hele <geoselby@flash.net>
To: Multiple recipients of list <detomaso@realbig.com>
Date: Friday, December 31, 1999 8:36 PM
Subject: Dog Houses and .....


>Hello all -
>
>It's after 11:00pm and time winds down to the end of this year, century,
and
>millennium. I'm enjoying a glass of "champers" (got to visit my facility
>early tomorrow morning and make sure everything is still working so no late
>celebration for me....) and going to wax philosophical for a moment or two
>if you'll allow me....
>
>A year ago I was looking for a Pantera. I also spent Christmas Day in the
>emergency room at Kaiser Santa Teresa (San Jose) and came home that evening
>with a catheter and bag. Later Christmas week, I found out that I had a
>tumor (cancerous) in my left kidney and was facing major surgery.
>
>Found the "cat" I wanted, flew down to Southern California, purchased it
>from Jim Saxton, and drove the Pantera back to San Jose that evening
>(Robert - talk about being in the dog house - my wife figured this was just
>a look at trip, a boondoggle! All of us have been in the dog house at one
>time or other over our various toys, me probably more than most! Plenty of
>room in our collective dog house, I can assure you of that!). I'd never
even
>driven a Pantera before embarking on the 5 ~ 6 hour trip back to San Jose!
>Did I learn fast!
>
>Had surgery and got the tumor and kidney removed. It was cancerous but had
>not spread. Ended up in the dog house again, really big time, for driving
>the Pantera several days after getting home from the hospital (I thought
I'd
>get home before Rose did - I didn't, the neighbours squealed and I got the
>Pantera keys lifted and myself grounded).
>
>Recovered from the surgery and got laid off when I went back to work. Got a
>job with Sony outside Detroit. Continued to be free of cancer. Rose, my
>younger son, John, and I drove three cars, including the Pantera, four
dogs,
>and a cat back to Milford Township, Michigan. I wrote about our adventures
>with Rd Flier.
>
>Through the good, the bad, and the ugly I continue to be amazed and
>heartened by the kinds of people in the Pantera community. While "the car"
>is the focus of our collective passion, it is the caring and willing to
help
>out spirit in all matters (not just the De Tomaso car) that pulls me to
this
>community and keeps me here. It's not just the big things that each and
>everyone of you do; more importantly, its the little things, the right
>things, the things you want to do, not just because you have to or because
>its the correct thing to do.
>
>I raise my glass and toast all of you and I wish for you (and myself) a
>glitch free 2000 with lots of quality time with your loved ones, your De
>Tomaso friends, and lots of quality time in the cockpit of your De Tomaso
>car on this road we call life.
>
>
>George Selby-Hele
>"Rd Flier"
>
>