MORE PUNCH, FEATURES

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1 1 In The Breeze July 2018 Mega-Issue! Official Newsletter of the Bluebonnet MX-5 Miata Club Still Free! MORE PUNCH, FEATURES IRVINE, Calif. (June 20, 2018) The Mazda MX-5 Miata has never been about power; it s a car whose sole purpose is to help the driver and passenger fall in love with driving. But, a little extra power never hurts, which comes as one aspect of numerous updates for the 2019 model year. Mazda s engineers enriched MX-5 s SKYACTIV-G 2.0-liter engine with the goals of improved response, performance, feel and efficiency. The net results are 181 horsepower at 7,000 rpm a 17-percent improvement and 151 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm, with a richer torque curve throughout MX- 5 s entire rev range. Speaking of rev range, redline has increased from 6,800 rpm to 7,500 rpm. Engineers were able to increase performance through several means, including: Reducing internal mass and friction: Each piston has been reduced 27g in mass, thanks to a minimized skirt area. Connecting rods are 41g lighter than previous units. Reducing exhaust loss: The upgraded engine carries an increased valve opening angle and valve lift height. The inner diameter of the exhaust manifold has also been increased. The net results are a 30-percent reduction in pumping losses. Improved combustion: Reconfigured intake ports and new high-diffusion, higher-pressure fuel injectors improve the tumble and swirl of fuel in the cylinder and better-atomize fuel. The benefit is improved efficiency and torque at all rpm. Dual-mass flywheel: Replacing the single-mass flywheel with a low-inertia, dual-mass flywheel improves smoothness and responsiveness. A new exhaust system with richer sound quality. New final drive ratio: The transmission s final drive ratio has been increased from to in order to improve linear response to match the driver s intentions. Gear ratios are otherwise unchanged from previous models. As a result of numerous changes, MX-5 is quicker, more responsive and aims to be more engaging to drive, adhering to Mazda s unique Jinba Ittai horse and rider as one engineering philosophy. Beyond engine improvements, the 2019 MX-5 introduces an available brown canvas soft top, new black metallic 17-inch wheels, a newly telescoping steering wheel (42mm of travel), easier-to-open doors and revised door stops and revised cup holders and seat levers. On the safety front, the new MX-5 will be sold with a new, standard rearview camera and newly available features such as Traffic Sign Recognition and Smart City Brake Support in addition to other i-activsense safety technologies found throughout various trim levels. In the process of gaining many new features, the 2019 MX-5 gains just 7 lbs. from previous models, owing to a strict adherence to Mazda s Gram Strategy and ingenious solutions like adopting an aluminum steering shaft in place of the previous steel unit. When the fourth-generation MX-5 launched, its development team rallied around the idea of innovating in order to preserve. The latest round of innovations aim to continue that mission. The 2019 Mazda MX-5 will be available in the U.S. this fall, with pricing, packaging and full specifications to be announced closer to on-sale timing. Details concerning the 2019-spec Global MX-5 Cup racecar will also be announced at a later date. The 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata receives a newly refined powertrain, boasting 17 percent more power and greater fuel-efficiency An available brown soft top complements MX-5 s KODO Soul of Motion design Numerous customer-driven improvements include a new rearview camera and more available i-activsense safety equipment The 2019 MX-5 goes on sale in the U.S. this fall

2 Club Officers Returning Members President Dan Hicks Vice President Rohm Thompson Secretary Stephanie Turner Treasurer Joe Knight Membership* Harry Maxwell Newsletter Editor* George Lucas Webmasters* Don and Judi Privett Michael and Michelle McDaniel Boerne 2003 Sunlight Silver Metallic Reed and Toni Hayes San Antonio 1999 Emerald Mica Welcome Back! Club Graphic Designer Judi Privett Photo Contributors Ed Smith, George Lucas, David Hamilton,, Paul Wilson & Sylvia Ferrell *appointed positions Inside this Issue More Punch, More Features for 2019! Cover Officers President s Message Velocity Read from the Editor The Princess Diaries, a Call to Arms Bluebonnet Club Ladies Story and Photos...4 Back to Bricks Run Winding Through the Ozarks, story and photos! 6, Statewide Round Up Review.8, 9 Happy Birthday, Fred Still! Dash N Splash Run and Photos...11 Polansky Picnic Pursuit Run, Story and Photos....12, 13 Upcoming Feature Runs.14 Headlights On Leon and Pat Franklin 15 Sponsors.15 Remember When?...16

3 3 Presidents Message Summer is now here and, as I write this, there had been no rain. Most of the beautiful hill country roads are getting very dried up and brown. Hopefully we will have received some rain by the time you read this. With the hot weather there is a need to pay attention to the required maintenance on our Miata s. Now is a good time to check out your car and make sure that all is well, especially if you are planning on going on Head to the Mountains or the Durango Tango. Along with taking take of your car, there is a need to make sure you take care of yourself by using sunscreen, drinking plenty of water, wearing proper clothing and wearing a hat. This is the peak season for club activities and we have some great runs, gatherings and trips scheduled. The coming events include Lunar Zoomers on June 27 th, Sundaes on Monday on July 2 nd, Highway Cleanup on July 7 th, BBMC Ladies event on July 13 th, Shiner s Run on July 13 th, Mulligan Run for Lisa on July 21 st, the monthly meeting on July 24 th and another Lunar Zoomer on July 27 th. The big event near term will be the Durango Tango that departs on August 4 th -12 th. The Christmas Party is scheduled for Saturday December 15 th at the El Tropicano Riverwalk Hotel. Check the Club website main page for more information and to make reservations for the hotel if you plan to stay overnight. Special rooms and rates are going fast! Stay cool and remember that we not only Zoom Zoom but we now also Feel Alive. At least that s what the new Mazda slogan says! Dan Hicks Velocity Read Yes, as Dan says above, it s hot for sure now. Gee and yesterday was only the first day of summer? Well, when out-of-staters ask me about seasons and it s too bad we don t have em, I reply, Certainly we do, we have summer winter, summer and summer! With our spring and fall far too short, it often seems like what I say is true, doesn t it? I ve own convertibles since I was around 21 years old and when you ve owned topless cars for that long, you don t feel ashamed having the top closed in this heat. Put the windows down and feel the breeze; at least you won t be getting scorched from the direct sun, right? You can barely tell by the photo on this issue s front page, but that top is brown. I emphasize that because one may confuse it with the recently offered cranberry covered ragtop. I think Mazda is making small changes in the wrong part of the car in my opinion. Where are the bold colors? You know, like Margarita green, or bring back Sunburst yellow! I think a Lava Orange would look pretty nice, don t you? Well, like so many other things in life, no one asked me! I m guessing the new, more powerful MX-5 is going to cause a bit of stir in the ranks of Miata owners. Will ND owners trade up? Has enough time of ownership of your ND passed to warrant upgrading? Good question, only time will tell. Personal finances allows me to stay behind the curve on all these changes, I mean, heckie darn, I m still in an NC! (And I love it.) Soon, a few of us will embark on the Texas Miata Challenge. Ten locations across the state to visit and photograph you and your Miata at each location will earn us a nice shiny pin and a spiffy t-shirt as well. Okay, so they ll be $1,000 value prizes, but it ll be worth it! I ve done every Challenge Bruce Gibson has put on! Bruce is a past president of the Lone Star Miata Club of the DFW Metroplex in Dallas. I believe this is the fifth Challenge, each having a different theme. They re fun and we ll receive our pins and shirts at this years Statewide Round Up in Granbury this fall, hosted by the Dallas Club. Well, as Walter Cronkite used to say, That s the way it is. Stay cool and hydrated out there folks! Zoom Zoom! George Lucas, Editor

4 4 The Princess Diaries by Cheryl Knight (The Princess) One of the more interesting and challenging aspects of organizing a huge event like the 2019 Round-up is fundraising and gaining sponsorship. We selected hotels that provide a great place to stay and are appropriately priced for the area and the time of year. Individual attendees are entirely responsible for the cost of lodging; however, there are a number of expenses that can be offset through fundraising. Expenses must be covered either through the per person registration fee or through financial donations. Realizing that Fredericksburg has achieved resort-like status and the lodging is a bit higher than your average hotel in an average city, our goal is to offer a lower than average registration fee. Determining exactly what the registration fee will be is a function of how much financial support we can rally, less the expenses. As the sponsorship committee prepares to reach out to potential financial supporters, your help is needed. We are asking you to take 3 minutes and complete a on-line survey. The survey will provide us with data we believe to be helpful in our conversations with national sponsors. If you haven't already, you should be receiving a club with the request and a link to the survey. This is your first Round-Up Volunteer Opportunity and it will only take about 3 minutes of your time. Thank you in advance for your contribution to our fundraising efforts! Please reach out to me if you have any questions, Cheryl Knight On a beautiful warm and sunny day, Friday, June 8, the BBLG went to the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment in San Marcus. We took an informative glass bottom boat ride on the San Marcus river and a walk through the trails. We ended our day with a delicious lunch at Salt Grass. -Marilyn Hamilton We will be going to the Escape Haus in New Braunfels on July 13th at 10 A.M. Take New Braunfels exit 185N and stay on access road. The Escape Haus, is in the shopping center with Planet Fitness, Jo Ann Fabrics, Pets Mart and Specs. Be there around 9:50 A.M. We will be there for about 1 1/2 hours and then go to lunch. Please let Barbara Thompson know if you will be going by July 1. We will get a group rate of $20 per person. For questions please give Barbara a call at

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6 6 Head for the Hills, aka Winding through the Ozarks Several years ago, Rohm Thompson led some of us to Northwest Arkansas. It was one of the most memorable trips I ve ever experienced! Mostly because Rohm s trips are just that, memorable. And even for this trip, which Rohm couldn t make, I confess while meeting up at Buccee s in New Braunfels with our small group to go to NW Arkansas, I looked around to see if he was kidding and would be there. Silly me. A small but enthusiastic group it was, too. The Knight s, Schlotzhauer s, Voss, Maxwell s, Treat s, Mark Hungerman, and Marilyn and myself were fired up and ready to go. We went a pretty direct route going north to make good time as we had a long way to go! We met with Paul Wilson in Hutto and continued north for lunch in Hearne. Stan Chambers joined us since his place of business was only 20 minutes from Hearne. What a great guy to take time off to come see us! Continuing northeast we ran into those dreaded love bugs! Ugh! All our cars were smeared with those pesky critters! Apparently, though, the Miata Gods were looking down on us as we soon ran into a torrential rain storm just after we met up with Jackie Lambert in Henderson. When we arrived in Texarkana, VOILA! All bugs washed off! What a great surprise! Needless to say, most of us found a coin operated car wash and spiffed up our Miatas later that evening. But, not before we trekked across a vacant field across from our Hampton Inn and enjoyed a very relaxing dinner at the Olive Garden. Food was great and it was a welcome end to a long first day on the road. Before bedtime, I went out and spiffed up VeeloRR, of course. Now with our full compliment of Miata folks, we left Texarkana Friday morning, excited about the roads we re about to encounter. We couldn t get over how green and lush it was all along our route! They obviously get more rain than we do back in SA! We traveled up Hwy 27 through the Ouachita National Forest. We stopped in Danville, AR, at lunch at Subway/Pizza place. Subs were good, pizza was average at best. I mentioned that having some of the destination items on a travel day was a bonus and we were about to witness that first hand! Over to Booneville we got on the famous Hwy 23, the Pig Trail! We arrived at the famous Turner Bend Store, took photos, bought t-shirts and signed our Bluebonnet Miata sticker, left there 6 years ago! That was cool. The Pig Trail is like...oh...the Dragon on muscle relaxers. Winding curves aplenty, but much less stress! I think everyone enjoyed it. We ran into more rain, off and on, and even pulled over to let some of it pass. Again, lush greenery everywhere, gorgeous vistas, what a drive. You must put the Pig Trail on your Miata bucket list! We arrived in Eureka Springs about 5:30 and pulled into the Econo Lodge where we were joined by our last addition, Peggy Aguirre. Regarding the motel...very modest accommodations, and I ll say right now, not very good service. Oh, they were very friendly, but understaffed, to day the least. I do NOT recommend it. Well got settled in and agreed to meet in the lobby for those that wanted to have dinner together. Jackie s daughter and son in law joined us at Bubba s BBQ just down the street from our motel. Their menu was too varied for anything to be great, and the bbq was pretty disappointing. Oh, well, we re from Texas, what could be expect. :-) It poured down rain while we dined and our Miatas got another bath! After dinner, Marilyn and I gassed up and retired for the evening. Marilyn helped me with our next day s routes until almost midnight. Considering her normal bedtime is always before 10 p.m., she was just amazingly helpful. She saved my bacon and the real thanks for most of our runs belong to her. Saturday dawned beautiful, albeit pretty humid and warm. Since our motel s so-called breakfast was so pitiful, we dined at the McDonald s. Actually, that probably saved us some time, allowing us to leave sooner. More exciting roads to our first stop, the Golden Gate Bridge. Again, beautiful setting, something you might see in a travel brochure. The bridge is nestled in a rural neighborhood with just a beautiful setting. The cameras out, we took many photographs near the bridge as well as going over the one-lane span. Very cool. The locals were probably put out by our meandering back and forth over the bridge, but...oh well. We had a great time! After we left, we took advantage of using our motel as a pit stop (good idea), then drove just out of Eureka Springs to the Thorncrown Chapel. Beautiful church, constructed mostly of glass! Again, lots of photos! We then headed eastward toward Harrison, AR. More gorgeous scenery and we pulled into Harrison for lunch at the Neighbor s Mill. We ate there on our last Arkansas trip and it was just as good as before. Sort of like an upscale Jason s Deli. Great food. We continued on our run and stopped at the Buffalo Outfitters, a great stop for river rafters and, of course, Miata folks! Lots of souvenirs of the area and snacks, too! We returned to Eureka Springs around 4:15, giving us some rest time. We had dinner at Local Flavor in Old Town Eureka Springs. While it was a bit expensive, it was worth it. Great service, good food and a really nice atmosphere. Joe Knight made friends with a couple of young gentlemen. He got quite chummy with them, heh. Afterwards, Mark joined Marilyn and myself at the local ice cream parlor. A perfect way to cap off the evening. Back to the hotel to work on tomorrow s run. Late bedtime for us again. Sunday morning saw us parting with the Knights, Schlotzhauer s and Peggy Aguirre as they all had to get back to SA for various reasons. It was sad to see them go, they were all having such fun. Down to seven Miatas now, we left just before 9 a.m. Most of the roads were were on this morning were thanks to Stan Chambers giving us tips on the best roads. Twisty and beautiful, we loved Hwy 123 between Lurton and Mt. Judea. We took a small detour after missing a turn (hey, it s better than a U-turn, right???) and headed over to Hwy 65. By this time we were ready for a pit stop, but with the roads being so rural, where do we stop? We chatted on the radios that we were desperately looking for a place to stop! We saw Hwy 65 just ahead and while we had no idea what we d find, we found a true oasis! A very large store and restaurant called Grice s Grocery and Deli! What a find! Full hot meals served daily and my favorite was there...meatloaf!!! Many of us dined on that and other great food. Very clean place and clean restrooms. That s important, yanno. Our trip back to Eureka Springs completed our run for the day. I can t say enough about how pretty the scenery and roads were. Every mile had curves on the entire weekend! Most of us dined at Myrtie Mae s, the Best Western s diner. Food was average, but Marilyn enjoyed it. Very crowded place, it was apparent it was very popular. After dinner, we went back to the Econo Lodge were some played games. I perused our plans for tomorrow, Memorial Day, heading over to Rogers, AR, to see my daughter. We made it over to Rogers around 10:30 and visited with my daughter Dyan and her boyfriend Richard. Great visit, I don t get to see her often enough! We left Eureka Springs around 9:00 a.m. and decided to pretty much retrace out steps for our trip there. Marilyn drove much of the time and I think she enjoyed the twisties as much as I did! We returned to the Hampton Inn in Texarkana and left the next morning for our final day on the road. Marilyn drove almost all day and I can t say enough about her regarding the entire trip. She did lots of work helping me and deserves much of the credit for making the entire trip enjoyable. Thanks, Marilyn. Photos from the trip are on the next page! All of the photos are on our website. -George Lucas

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10 10 Fred Still's Birthday Bash! Hosted by Craig and Lisa Martin

11 11 After a brisk run through some of our favorite roads, i.e. Park Road 37, Jimbo led us over to Paul and Wanda Begnoche s beautiful home where we enjoyed great BBQ and lots of side dishes brought by club members as well as everyone frolicking in the Begnoche s pool. Thanks Paul and Wanda, we had a great time!!!

12 12 Polansky s Pursuit by Ed Polansky Helenan and I led our first real run on June 9 th on a variety of windy back-roads through the Hill Country. Helenan was the radio personality (she wouldn t let me drive and handle the radio at the same time fearing a walking-and-chewing-gum-at-the-same-time danger). Even though she was, at first, very self-conscious about having to make all the announcements, she quickly settled into a routine. Now she s a pro! Beginning from the Spring Branch Shell station, 18 beautifully washed Miatas streamed through neighborhoods paralleling Highway 281 on the way up to and around LBJ State Park. Fortunately, the temperatures had moderated from the 100 degree weather of the prior week and everyone enjoyed a tops-down run. The roads were delightful and virtually free of all traffic. One segment, the trek on Crabapple Road out of Kendalia, was a really fun 13-mile stretch to drive. After a pit stop at a nice Shell Station and Farmer s Market (where many acquired their picnic provisions) at RR 1376 and US 290 intersection, the group continued on a loop run north of LBJ Park where they were able to get up a little more speed. Being my first run to lead, I may have been more cautious than needed, but no one received a ticket and all arrived safely at the Park (and there were amazingly no U -turns during the run!). At the LBJ State Park, we had a reserved area for the group where everyone unloaded their food, and picnic supplies. Joe Knight brought his washer throwing boards and got a rousing competition started with the most ineffective washer throwers you can imagine the game seemed to last as long a Cricket match. Aside from washer throwing and George not being able to keep up with his remote (tiny) drone, it was a great opportunity for a few leisure hours of mixing and chatting, not to mention the sharing of great deserts that were passed around. After the picnic broke up, several cars drove the LBJ Texas White House National Park and visited the LBJ ranch home. Helenan and I hope everyone enjoyed the day and asked if there was a desire for another Polansky Picnic Pursuit next year the answer was yes. We're working another good location already, and we want to thank Mark Hungerman and George Lucas for encouragement and assistance with our first run. More Photos

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14 14 The Durango Tango will be a trip out to the Colorado Rockies for a week of fun. We ll be basing in Durango for the first three nights, and spending three nights in other Colorado locations. If this sounds interesting to you, please me at mhungerman@gmail.com to get on the event contact list. All information on hotels, travel, and merchandise will flow through the list, so we don t clutter up the regular club communications channels. -Mark Hungerman Durango Tango The Mountains are Calling... Join us for the 10th Head for the Mountains event. Returning to Alpine, we re going to mix things up a bit by spending a bit more time in the Big Bend area. Oh, we ll still visit the McDonald Observatory and look for those danged Marfa light, too! A new twist this year will be an optional encore visit to Boquillas, Mexico. We ll be based in Alpine at our favorite digs, the Hampton Inn. We ll do some familiar roads and some new ones, too! If you want to join us, let me know at newsletter@bluebonnetmiata.org. -George Lucas

15 15 Pat & Leon Franklin Pat and Leon Franklin are probably the most instrumental in my joining the BBMC. Pat was president when I joined and her fever for fun and Leon s laid back attitude sold me. Such wonderful people, how could I go wrong? I ve wanted to acknowledge them for a very long time and am pleased to have them in the spotlight here. -Ed ITB: When did you and Leon first get interested in Miatas? Pat: Rohm and Barbara Thompson were cycling friends of ours and they showed us their Miata. I immediately fell in love with it. ITB: When did you guys buy your first Miata? Pat: I told the Thompson's when they wanted to sell their 1995 M Edition Merlot Mica, we would buy it. In 1997 they sold it to us which became patsmerlot! ITB: How many Miatas have y'all owned? Pat: We have owned a '95 merlot mica; '99 10 th anniversary blue; '04 grey Mazdaspeed; '05 Lava Orange Mazdaspeed and finally we currently own a LE 2016 ND soul red. ITB: Which is y'all's favorite and why? Pat: Leon and I agree that the '95M was the best. It was so cool looking and by far the most comfortable Miata. We did most of our out of state traveling to Canada, the northeast states and Las Vegas with patsmerlot. The spare tire was removed and placed under the car so the trunk had lots of space. We didn't have electronics back then so no chargers, laptops, ipads, etc. TB: What do y'all like about other Miata owners? Pat: The Miata owners were very much like our cycling friends. There were no judgments about which Miata you had. Everyone is happy to have a Miata. The club is all about relationships. We have such wonderful friends in the club. The past two years have been a physical challenge for us. I had two years of very little driving due to a bad shoulder which lead to a replacement and this year has been difficult for Leon with his back and consequently to back surgery. Hopefully we will return when Leon feels his back is ready. ITB: When did y'all join Bluebonnet Miata Club? Pat: We joined in '97 or early '98. Both Leon and I have been very active as officers and run leaders. At first it's all about the car then it becomes all about the members and their cars. ITB: What is y'all's favorite drive? Pat: Our favorite drive is the Three Sisters run. It has everything exciting about a drive with twisty turnies and gorgeous scenery. Please, Don t forget our Sponsors!

16 16 In The Breeze Bluebonnet Miata Club San Antonio, Texas To join club or renew dues, open the above web site and click on the membership tab Check your mailing label for your renewal date. Please renew your membership promptly! Remember When? 2009 Cuero Turkey Fest Upcoming Runs and Events Wednesday. June 27th, Lunar Zoomer Dinner, hosted by George Lucas. One of our favorites, let s meet at Aldaco s Stone Oak and dine above the scenic view of North San Antonio. Wednesday evening promises low humidity and it s always breezy out on the patio. Dinner time is 7:00 p.m. Afterwards we can return to Bee s Neez for ice cream. Saturday, June 30th, Peaches and Cream, hosted by Dan and Betty Hicks who ask us to join them for a run over some great roads to the Vogel Orchard in Fredericksburg where we ll pick the latest crop of delicious peaches. They also have some blackberries and plums. Hopefully, the Freestone peaches will be in as well. From there we ll hit more of great roads and end up at two different eateries. Either the Alamo Springs Café or The Black Pig. Meet at the Valero at 9700 US 281 North in Spring Branch. (311 and US 281) at 10:00 a.m. with a departure at 10:30 a.m. Monday, July 2nd, Sundaes on Monday, hosted by Rich and Gayle Sandenaw. Details soon! Check our website! Saturday, July 7th, Highway Cleanup. Jeff Holbrook reminds us of the heat and make sure you hydrate properly. Meet at Big s Valero 2.5 miles north of 1604 on Nacogdoches at 8:00 a.m. We ll leave at 8:30 to pick up. Afterwards we ll go to Grumpy s for breakfast. C mon out, it ll make you feel good! Friday, July 13th, BBMC Ladies Event. Destination is the Escape Haus in New Braunfels. Sounds like fun! For full details see page 4. Friday, July 13th, Shiner Brewery Run, led by Paul and Judy Faulkner. Meet at Buc-Cees, located at 114 US 90A at 11:00 a.m. and depart at 11:15. We ll have lunch and then go on to the brewery for a 1:00 p.m. tour. Saturday, July 21st, Dine, Run and Wine About It Later, led by Craig and Lisa Martin. We ll meet at Harmons BBQ, 102 Main Street, Cibolo, Texas at 5:00 p.m. and after we eat we ll go on a run at 7:00 p.m. Details of the run will be divulged at Harmon s. Tuesday, July 24th, Monthly Meeting at Bigz, 1604 between Huebner and Rogers Ranch N. Loop 1604 West. Meeting starts at 7:30 p.m., come early to eat and socialize!