American Dreams of Vintage Car Ownership

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I've dreamt of tooling around in a fabulous, restored vintage car -- have you? 

Actually, that dream came true on my wedding day, 35 years ago. My father surprised me, not with a typical limo, but with a beautiful red 1932 Rolls Royce, complete with radiator mascot, the Spirit of Ecstasy. It had been reconditioned and reupholstered lovingly by a friend of his from church. It was a gift from my Dad to me, saying that he loved me. It was beautiful. 

The only problem was it had no air conditioning, and my wedding was on one of the hottest July days of the year. As my new husband and I rode to the Summit Arboretum for pictures, we were very, very hot. Strangely, we passed a jogger going uphill in full sun in late afternoon heat. Oh well!

These are the cars parked in the architect's office. I don't know the make of all of them, but ain't they lovely?

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What kind of toys do you like to collect?

Morristown Architect's American Dream

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An American Dream from early spring

By Norma Jaeger Hopcraft

I parked my car in Morristown, NJ, and noticed a beautiful building across the street. It was the office of an architect who loves historic cars. His collection is parked within; he works upstairs in one of the most glamorous spaces imageinable. His American Dream has come true, I would say.

What a beautiful building! Notice the red sportscar lurking in the front window.

Here it is, close up, a Corvette.

Inside the building was a beautiful staircase and atrium.

Another shot of the ground floor and atrium above.

Peter Dorne, architect, let me take pics of his cars (see next post). This was early spring, so the trees were bare.

This is one of the entrances to his building. He's a talented architect, wouldn't you say?

An Adventure in East Millstone, NJ

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An American Dream: An Eclectic Collection

I passed interesting houses on a walk in East Millstone, NJ, where a family member lives. This was early spring--the trees were still bare. At this house, people had been collecting things for a long time: there was a lot to see.

The big view.

A close-up of the merry-go-round horse.

The gate to the side door. Note the picket fence on either side: the owner made use of it.

The fence appears to be propping up this outhouse, complete with ladybug.

Useful for displaying boots...

And birdhouses.

An inviting seating area with blue glass behind it.

Closeup of the glass display.

This is a shot of the front door.

This is another house in East Millstone, near Somerset County's Colonial Park. Note the Porsche 928, a classic, parked in the drive. I was even more stunned by the twin weeping cherry trees.  How about you: which would you prefer: an amazing car, or amazing trees in your yard?