The group picture was taken Tuesday morning.

Thursday

The annual Motor Maids business meeting is the Thursday morning of the convention. Here are Beth’s notes from the meeting:

A standing head count indicated 416 members present. Guests and Motor Maids who did not ride to convention (unless a Golden Life member with 50+ years membership) were excused. The safety officer reported 262 two-wheel motorcycles and 75 three-wheel bikes in the parade on Tuesday. A gentleman in an assisted living facility along the parade route who watched the group pass by sent a message to the group expressing his delight in seeing so many riders, especially since it had been 40 years since he had ridden a motorcycle.

The group passed a few minor changes to the by-laws and constitution, reviewed the past year’s and current budget and reviewed the list of members who had ridden 10,000 or more miles in the past year. The meeting ended around 12:30.

After lunch, we received a call from a friend who noticed someone working on a bike in the parking lot needed some wire cutters, so Tim sprang into action with his tool bag to help a couple other Motor Maid Security (spouses) repair a clutch cable for a Maryland Motor Maid.

The awards banquet was Thursday evening. The hall was full and some were seated at tables just outside the hall.

The attendance figures were presented:

• 448 Motor Maids
• 86 Guests
• 534 Total in attendance

The attendance by category (determined by years of continuous membership) was:

• 4 Golden Life (50+ years)
• 25 Silver Life (25-49 years)
• 164 Life (10-24 years)
• 255 Regular
• 68 Red ribbons (First convention)

Awards were presented for placing in the Dot Robinson Road Rally. Beth received the award for 4th place in the A class. Members were recognized for reaching various levels of membership.

After the banquet we organized our stuff for an early departure Friday morning.

Friday

We were up at 5 a.m. and on the road by 6 a.m. Our intended destination was Williamsburg, Va. We didn’t know how far we would get and decided to just wing it. If Beth needed to stop for the night, we had time to do that. Beth led the way, and I followed in the car.

The weather was nice. It didn’t get too hot. We took our usual stops for gas and meals.

We ran into some rain about 20 miles from Williamsburg. It poured for about 3 minutes, which was not a problem for Beth.

The ride was easy. We were on 4-lane highways and Interstates the whole way. We covered the 535 miles in just over 10 hours.

Saturday

This was the day to remember our brother-in-law, John Stoddard, who passed away last August. The family gathered for breakfast, and family and friends gathered for the party (John’s request) in the afternoon.

Many people spoke fondly of John as all of us remembered him in our hearts. He was always a generous host and great and much-loved member of the family.