LONG BEACH, Cailf. _ For the better part of the past decade, like clockwork, Kenneth Rocke has done the same thing on the first Wednesday of the month.
Rocke starts up one of his vintage cars. This month it's an Austin Healey with a custom racing-green paint job and a custom interior.
He gets the wheels spinning on the 60-year-old, one-of-a-kind car and heads on down to the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier in Long Beach.
It's just after 6 p.m. in the pier parking lot. Rocke parks his car. He dons his tan Members Only jacket and Strategic Air Command hat and walks toward the sand.
There, Rocke turns around and is greeted by a half dozen friends gathered with their vintage cars.
Jack Strong brought his 1969 Jaguar, the fourth Jag he's owned. The deep red paint job reflects the passing clouds and wavering palm trees above.
For Strong, British cars are his automobile vice. They're a hobby to him, and not always an easy one.
"These are cars that take a lot of work," said Strong. His '69 Jaguar sees about 30 minutes of road time each week.
At this informal meetup, one can see vintage models of MG, Mercedes, Jaguar and others. They are the cars you don't usually see on the freeways.
This isn't a club with membership fees. This is a place to kick tires and tell lies and a place for old cars to live on.
