During the winter lull, when all of our cars are enjoying the creature comforts of a warm garage and soft car cover, the VEA members are summoned to what is now an annual event. An evening of automotive image and sound in the plush audio-visual decor of Kebecson.

Notwithstanding a brief power failure, the evening proved to (yet again) be a success. Upon entering Kebecson, you can't help but be overcome by the abundance of high-tech gizmos with brand names that this worldly writer wouldn't even dare attempt to pronounce.

As with previous years, all the attending members were treated to wine and other goodies. Videos were a plenty, and could be viewed from just about every corner of the boutique, thanks to a network of state-of-the-art television screens. With this backdrop, the attending members were free to indulge in long-winded conversations of an automotive nature. I just know that a lot of us are just dying to take out our cars, but you know...Canadian winters can be the ultimate test of our resolve.

One nice surprise, was the screening of a video made in honour of our host Richard Petit, on the occasion of his fortieth birthday. This consisted of a visual history of Richard's life as well as a parody of his automotive fetishes. I must say, that I was impressed with the quality of the production. Among the comments were "Wow...he had hair back then," and "what was he thinking when he put on those clothes?" Then again, I can say the same thing when I look at most of my old photos.

The evening was capped off with the traditional screening of "Rendezvous." And no matter how often we see it, we never grow weary of it. Actually, it is quite a joy to see the reaction of those who are seeing it for the first time. A special thanks goes to Richard Petit and his clockwork team for yet another memorable evening. And cheers to all the members who fought the bone-chilling cold, in order to attend.

One final thought...did anyone notice that none of the items on sale at Kebecson had a price tag attached to it? I guess the motto, "If you have to ask how much, you can't afford it" applies here.

©VEA