Good day for a drive in the Model A

Yesterday was a hot, humid day, so it was a perfect day for taking a ride in Ken's 1929 Model A.

We joined a few other Model A owners and proceeded toward Sebago Lake.

The lake was calm and the view was hazy, par for the course when the humidity is high.

After Sebago, we continued on to Long Lake in Naples. Here you see the Songo River Queen at the dock. Some day we need to take a cruise on this boat.

After a brief stop in Naples, we continued on to Bridgton

Here's Ken starting the car to continue on. As you can see, the dashboard doesn't resemble a modern auto's dashboard, not by a long shot.

Our destination was the Bridgton Historical Society, where the Model A owners were eager to view this early auto. It's a Model P. Bet you've never heard of a Model P! I hadn't either.

It was built in 1909 and owned by the Cook family in Bridgton. It arrived in Bridgton unassembled, in crates, by train. It was a build-it-yourself automobile, apparently. The parts were assembled at the train station, gas and oil were added, and "Old Betsey," as the Cooks called her was off and running.

What was really neat about this visit to the historical society to see Old Betsey is that Ken, who was born and brought up in Bridgton, knew the Cooks personally. When he was a little boy, he had already developed a fascination for antique autos, and he visited the Cooks often to view Old Betsey and learn all he could from Oliver Cook. (The Cooks consisted on two unmarried sisters, Margaret and Cara, and one unmarried brother, Oliver. Cara Cook was still living when I went to Bridgton to start my teaching career, and I remember seeing her drive another of the family's antique autos through town.)

Anyway, because Ken had known the Cooks and Old Betsey well,  many years ago, he ended up being the "docent" for this visit to the Bridgton Historical Society.

It was a good day. I felt a bit frazzled by the time we returned home, given the cramped interior of the Model A and the lack of an "air-cushioned ride," but I'm glad Ken got to share his knowledge of Old Betsey and her owners. I noticed the museum guide took copious notes while Ken was talking!