Sometime back in 1981 or so, I got lazy. I stopped keep­ing my photos in albums and started the shoebox photo­keeping method. Recently I awarded myself a two-week rest sabbatical. I decided that this was a good time to organize the photos into their proper chronological, but empty albums.

Floods of smiling faces poured forth. I became aware as I organized endless boxes of photos that the Austin-Healey Club has played an enormously important role in our lives.

From the numerous Bay Area treks to the pinnacle of all events, Snowmass, we have had the great pleasure of the company of dear, special, unique friends. Friends who reside nearby, state-wide, nation-wide, and as far away as Australia.

It's true we have each lent the other a helping hand. We have traded auto parts, tuning techniques, restoration sim­plifications and other endless Healey peculiarities. How­ever, our association with this club delved into the most basic mechanism of all - the heart - our hearts.

Austin-Healey Club members have opened their hearts to us. They are the warmest, most caring friends that one could hope for. You stretch your friendship beyond club events. Delightfully, these days we find you in every area of our lives: business, skiing, dining, theater, etc.

Bill and I recognize the essential impact that you, the members, have had on our lives. We are grateful to the Austin-Healey Club for being the catalyst of long-lasting, robust friendships.

Susanne E. Jalbert

Boulder Creek, California

by Gary Anderson Los Altos CA

Antique furniture sometimes is divided into three classes: There is museum quality furniture, which is acquired, preserved and displayed for its historical value - a tangible piece of another time. Then there is collector quality furniture, which is certifiably an­tique, but which is frequently stripped, refinished, and restored using original methods and materials. Its value is in presenting what the furniture would have looked like when it was first in use. Finally, there are reproductions - frequently of very high quality and craftsmanship, such as Williamsburg reproductions - that are made so that people who value the original style may have access to it and integrate it into their everyday lives.

These concepts, believe it or not, are relevant to comments made by Rudi Mark! in a "Backfire" col­umn published in the March 1993 Chatter. I agree with Rudi concerning the value of original, un-restored cars. Without these cars as reference points, there is no way that we can be sure of how the cars were originally produced - finishes, materials, brands, shapes, and methods of installation - when we seek to bring other cars back to their original condition in restoration.