The bull session around the table wasn't really enough to keep my attention from the offered bedroom across the hall, as I was still feeling the effects of the trip, so I called it a night.

I was the first to move the next morning, and after my shower, I eased out to the back yard to take stock in what was going on. I noticed immediately that all my stuff I had left scattered about the night before was covered with water, even though it had clearly not rained. Something called dew? Twenty-seven years in the desert had left me unprepared for such a phenomenon! I decided to take the Belvedere for a spin. Rachael had been driving it quite regularly, but it had been a while for me, so I figured a few miles in it might flesh out any problems I needed to look at this week. I filled it up with 91 at the local convenience store then went to Reasor's to buy some meat for the weekend, as I figured some grilling was in order.

When I returned to Dale's, Boone had already taken the 1 ton and trailer, and was on his way to help Darren pick up his Dakota. They would stop by Mom and Dad's on the way to Neosho, so Dad could ride along and keep them company. Dale and I had breakfast, and discussed the things on everyone's lists.
"I'd like to add a second stage of Nitrous on the Gremlin", he surmised.
"What for?" I looked at him incredulously, "Why can't you just go out, try to get 5 9.50s without pushing the crank out the bottom or cooking the powerglide, and call it a successful Drag Week?"
"It pulls real good in low, and the bottom of drive...I just think it could take some more from there to the stripe!"
"Stock block with no filler, stock main caps, steel rods."
He smiled, "It's got studs, the rods are H-beams, and the Venolia pistons are really nice..."
"You detonate it just a little and it's going to explode...you can't cheap out on fuel, and you have to keep the timing out of it!" I warned him with a stern look and the waggle of a finger.
"I've been using 110, and it's back to 24", He shrugged.
"Not good enough, you're gonna kill it..."
"I blew my passenger's side window out Friday night", he changed the subject.
"How did that happen?"
"Well...you know how each side had like 40 screws last year, I've been putting in less and less each time I run it. Only had 6 screws in it, and the wind pulled the leading edge out at 139...poof! It just exploded!"
"You called Granny Large yet?"
"No, Tuesday", he blushed, "You're gonna get me in trouble calling her that!"
Berta Large is Dale's Mother in Law, and, she is a grandma. So I see no reason she would be offended by the name. She is also our go to source for all things Lexan, as she works for Regal Plastics in Tulsa.