In This Issue

GMR Poker Run Drive this Saturday

Member Profile: Alon and Anna Basel

Annual Meeting is Sunday, Oct. 20 - Save the Date

GMR Holiday Party is Saturday Dec. 7 - Save the Date nn

HEAort

Please be sure to scroll through the entire newsletter

for important information

Message from GMR President

Alessandro Iuppa

Alessandro Iuppa

GMR President

As the calendar turns to September we recognize that the steady march to winter begins to take on a certain cadence. It’s the time of year that many of us seek to maximize our drive time in anticipation of winter storage. This point was driven home by the first measurable snow on Mt. Washington in early September. However, before we wind down 2024 the Green Mountain Region still has several events remaining on our calendar.

2024 GMR Poker Run This Coming Saturday September 28

On Saturday, September 28 GMR Vice-President Ben Curran and member Tucker Purchase have organized the 2nd GMR Poker Run. This event will begin at the Fairmount Farm & Market in East Montpelier and conclude at Bar Hill Distillery in Montpelier. In between Ben has laid out a route that will take us south towards Randolph and north through Northfield and Berlin finally arriving at Bar Hill.

Registration closed on September 24 @ 10.00pm

2024 GMR Annual Meeting / Driving Tour Sunday October 20

On Sunday, October 20 the GMR Annual Meeting will take place at the Sugarbush Resort from 11.30am - 2.00pm. An artisan sandwich buffet will be served at noon and will be followed by the business meeting and member open forum. The 2024 Annual Meeting takes on special relevance as we will be conducting elections for GMR officers (President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer). You should have received your official meeting notice and the slate of candidate on September 19th via email.

The Annual Meeting will be preceded by an optional driving tour led by GMR member Charlie Delaney. The tour route will begin at the Middlesex Park & Ride ( 4 Knapp Road, Middlesex, VT 05602). From Middlesex the tour will proceed south on Routes 100B and 100 along the Mad River through Moretown and into Waitsfield where we will cross the Waitsfield covered bridge and take in the westerly views of Sugarbush Resort and the Mad River Valley from East Warren Road. From there we will descend into the village of Warren and finally head north on Rt. 100 to the Sugarbush Resort. Total tour distance is 26 miles, and it should take us approximately 1 hour.

2024 GMR Holiday Party Saturday December 7

Join fellow GMR members on Saturday, December 7 for our holiday party. The gathering will take place from 3.00pm to 6.00pm. This year’s venue is WaterWorks Restaurant in Winooksi. The festivities will include hors ď oeuvres, a cash bar, a Yankee swap and friendship. Registration details will be forthcoming in the next few weeks.

Volunteer Opportunities aka “Your Region Needs Your Help”

It should not come as a surprise that the success of the Green Mountain Region is dependent upon member engagement. Fortunately, we have unselfish board members and others willing to help as tour leaders, officers or fill other roles. Without their participation we would not be in a position to have a full calendar of events each year. However, their engagement is only the “tip of the iceberg” and we need to spread the load across a deeper team. At present, we are in need of committee chairs, tour assistants, and the like. So if you have some free time to help, please drop a note to me at gmrpca@gmail.com.

New Feature: Susan Silberberg Profiles

GMR Members

We are now running profiles of members of our Green Mountain Region.



This is a new regular feature of the PCA GMR newsletter, highlighting members of the club – their cars, their lives, and their favorite drives.

The profiles are written by member Susan Silberberg of Woodstock. The first one, on Raoul Cervantes, ran in the last edition of The Mountaineer.

Susan is a city planner, architect, author and former MIT Lecturer. She took a creative break in 2023 from her city planning firm, CivicMoxie and hit the road for almost four months in her 1970 Porsche 911T (affectionately known as the Blue Car). Her blog about the Blue Car trek has become very popular and can be seen at www.onceinabluecar.com .

Note from Susan about these profiles: We would like to profile you! We all have a story and we would like to share yours with other members. I promise to take only about 15 minutes of your time on a phone call – tell me what you want others to know about you, your car, your interests, and your favorite drives in Vermont and elsewhere. Contact me, Susan Silberberg at onceinabluecar@gmail.com if you are interested and I’ll set up a call time that is convenient for you.

Below: Susan Silberberg and her beloved 911T "Blue Car."

Member Profile: Anna and Alon Basel

By Susan Silberberg

Club members Anna and Alon Basel have a teenage daughter and split their time between New York City and Ludlow, Vermont. Summers are a favorite time here in the state. They are skiers and in winter, they like to travel in search of new slopes and adventures out west and in Europe.

Alon grew up in Germany and has had a strong attachment to the Porsche brand for a long time. Anna grew up in former Soviet Union where Porsche was revered as a special car even when the Iron Curtain limited contact with Europe. Alon’s mom is now in her 70’s and over 30 years ago, she asked him for advice when searching for a new car. Alon recommended a 1988 928 and she listened.

When it was time for an upgrade, she purchased a brand-new 911 964 model in Zyclam Red Pearl Effect color, a unique car with matching leather seats and interior. She liked to drive the car fast and would take Alon and his brother on great road adventures. She was easy going about letting him take the car for rides with his friends.

Later in life, Alon lost interest in cars for a while, considering them more like pieces of metal to get from Point A to Point B -- but then something changed. He and Anna started with a Macan S about six years ago but then he said, “Before I turn 50, I want a 911.” This was during the Covid-19 pandemic and he was lucky to get an allocation for a custom order 911. He and Anna love the car.

On a trip to Germany last year, they went on a factory tour in Zuffenhausen and visited the Porsche Museum. That experience raised their opinion of the 911 even more and he has great appreciation for the craftsmanship and decisions that are made about the car design and manufacture. On that trip, they became enamored with the 911 Dakar and they purchased a new one in early June 2024. The Dakar’s green metallic color complements the Aventurine Green of their 911 (wrapped in matte PPF). On their wish list is an older 911 or a 911 964 model like his mom used to have.

They love to travel, ski, and scuba dive. Next up for adventures? Anna really would like to rent a Porsche and a do a group road trip in Europe. Between the two of them, they speak five languages (English, German, Russian, Japanese, Hebrew). They are foodies and Alon is a really good cook. Anna says he has a sixth sense on how well to combine spices, and he doesn’t use recipes. His dishes are unique and delicious and he does great sushi. During the pandemic, he made sushi for their neighbors in Ludlow as there is no Japanese restaurant there.

Alon and Anna’s favorite drives? Between their two homes, they love Route 155 to Bellows Falls, and Alon loves I-91 at 6am on a Sunday. They drive all the back roads of Vermont including around Ludlow where they live. So, if you see an Adventurine Green 911 or their Dakar, give them a wave and say hello!

Below: Alon's mom and her Porsche pose at the dealer's, and the Basel's two Porsches ready to roll!

PCA Membership News

Auto Renewal Renewal - PCA has instituted the Membership Auto Renewal program, primary members opting for the auto renewal program are entered in a monthly drawing to win a Griot's Garage Orbital Polisher. Members can only select the auto renewal option while in the two-month renewal window.

The PCA Digital Membership Card - PCA members can now opt in for the digital membership card, available for Apple and Android digital wallets. It’s easy and quick to download! Once in your wallet, your card is easily accessible when you need it.

PCA Juniors - Did you know that PCA members can sign up their children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews for free provided they are under the age of 18? New Juniors will receive an age appropriate welcome kit which includes a personalized name tag. In just 2 years GMR has doubled its roster of PCA Juniors membership, and we would like to add more.

Green Mountain Merchandise Webstore

The GMR webstore has over twenty GMR branded items (shirts, vests, jackets, and hats) for both men and women. A small portion of each sale is credited to the club, so your purchases help support GMR events and by proudly wearing logo apparel you are bringing visibility to GMR. 

Welcome New PCA Members!

• Megan Budusky, Rutland, 2015 Cayenne S
• Kevin Dessart, Burlington, 2016 Macan S (transfer from Fox Valley Region
• Nicholas Viens, Essex, 2022 718 Cayman GT4

Green Mountain Region Name Tags

We recommend that new members and their significant others purchase "official" GMR name tags for use at GMR events.To purchase name tags send an email to gmrpca@gmail.com, be sure to include your mailing address. The cost is $25 per name tag (includes shipping).

Want your spouse or partner to also get these

Green Mountain PCA Newsletters?

When you joined PCA (recently or forever ago) you no doubt listed your partner or spouse as a co-member. Many co-members however have not provided their email addresses. If your spouse/partner would like to receive the Mountaineer as well as yourself, have them call PCA HQ at (410) 381-0911‬ and give PCA the information. It only takes a few minutes as PCA is very efficient. That way you both will receive The Mountaineer and other pertinent club emails.

If your co-member remembers his or her co-member login (it is separate from the main member) you can do it that way too-- but calling is probably the quickest.

Alessandro "Al" Iuppa

President

Ben Curran

Vice President

Christina McCaffrey

Treasurer

Susan Eastman

Secretary

Sandy Gilmour

Communications Chair

Albert "Duffy" Miller

Member at Large

Peter Rogal

Member at Large

Brad Kennison

Membership Chair

Charlie Dekar

Member at Large

About These Email Communications: 

Replies to these newsletters come to me (Sandy Gilmour), not the entire membership; however, I can forward to our president and other board members if needed or you may email the president, Alessandro Iuppa, directly at gmrpca@gmail.com. We welcome any comments on ways we can improve communications.

Join Green Mountain PCA -- If you are receiving this email as a "friend of Green Mountain Porsche Club," please consider joining PCA. You get a great magazine, Panorama, and membership in Green Mountain Region is included in the annual dues of $56 a year. Go online at www.PCA.org, or simply call headquarters in Maryland at (410) 381-0911‬.

We welcome any submissions to this newsletter and to our website by members who have some fun experiences, photos, tech stuff and other adventures to share! Email me at sandygilmour@icloud.com.

Remember also, it's a volunteer organization. Any help you can provide -- especially with event planning -- is most appreciated by all!

"It's not just the cars; it's the people."

Sandy Gilmour (2014 Boxster S)  

Communications Manager,

Green Mountain Region

Porsche Club of America

sandygilmour@icloud.com