Young at Heart and Mind

Bottle Tree

2012-01-28T18:14:00.002-06:00

A few years ago, Mary Ann and I heard an interesting piece on the radio about "bottle trees." These are trees or bushes on which are suspended glass bottles, preferably blue, the intent of which is to ward off evil spirits or ghosts. We found it amusing and actually acquired a few blue glass bottles in anticipation of someday having a bottle tree in our yard.

According to the Website maintained by Felder Rushing on the History of Bottle Trees,
"Although glass was made deliberately as early as 3500 B.C. in northern Africa, hollow glass bottles began appearing around 1600 B.C. in Egypt and Mesopotamia. Clear glass was invented in Alexandria around 100 A.D.

Soon around then, tales began to circulate that spirits could live in bottles - probably from when people heard sounds caused by wind blowing over bottle openings. This led to the belief in "bottle imps" and genies (from the Arabic word djinn) that could be captured in bottles (remember Aladdin and his magic lamp? This story originated as an Arabian folk tale dating back thousands of years, even before clear glass was invented). Somewhere in there, people started using glass to capture or repel bad spirits. The idea was, roaming night spirits would be lured into and trapped in bottles placed around entryways, and morning light would destroy them.

Incidentally, you will run into folks who refuse to put up bottle trees because of the connection to pagan superstitions. HOWEVER, before people learned about cold germs and allergies, early Greeks and Romans thought that sneezes were bad spirits being expelled. When someone sneezed, nearby people would snap their fingers to keep the spirit out of their own bodies, and say "Jupiter preserve you" to keep the spirit from reentering the sneezer. Because superstitions were so hard to stop, and pagan festivals were so ingrained, an early pope in the 3rd century A.D. (the same one who decided to "go with the flow" and put Christmas on the pagan winter solstice festivities, and Easter on the pagan spring fertility festivals) changed "Jupiter preserve you" to "God bless you."

All this is well-established, not lore. So, like it or not, or even if they aren’t aware of this historical fact, folks who say “God bless you” (or similar salutations) are performing an ancient pagan superstitious ritual. And they get indignant when this is pointed out - yet they continue to assume that those of us who love colorful bottle trees are somehow involved in pagan practices! Sheesh.

Anyway, the bottle imp/bad spirit thing was carried down through sub-Saharan Africa and up into eastern Europe, and eventually imported into the Americas by African slaves – and Germans, Irish, and other superstitious folk who among other things put hex symbols on barns and celebrated May Day and Halloween. Europeans brought "witch balls" (hollow balls with an opening in the bottom to capture witches) and "gazing balls" to repel witches.

Nowadays, bottle trees are mostly used as interesting garden ornaments that glisten in the sun, and the use of colorful glass garden art is on the upswing, as any visit to upscale garden shows (including the Chelsea Flower Show in London) will prove."

Well, Ebabe's gifts now has the latest gift for the bottle tree afficianado -- a solar-powered illuminated botte tree!!! It has a small photovoltaic panel that faces the sun and charges a battery. At night, the individual stalks on which the bottles reside glow with small light-emitting diodes. Is that cool or what?

Elf Duty...

2011-12-27T06:02:00.005-06:00

Claire Weatherly finds out that this is HER Autoharp!

Back in late November I had an email from an old friend, Jim Weatherly, a former Huntsville resident now living in St.Paul, Minnesota. Margo and I were good friends of the Weatherly family (Jim and Anne) before they moved north and they honored us by asking us to be their children's (Christopher and Claire) Godparents. Jim contacted me to let me know that Claire had asked for an Autoharp for Christmas. He needed advice on what to buy.

I began by telling him in no uncertain terms to not buy a new one. All production was shipped overseas in the early 1980's -- first to Japan, subsequently to Korea and then China. I have worked on some of these later models and wouldn't take one as a gift. I certainly would never recommend that someone buy a new one. I told Jim to look for a US-built 1970's vintage Autoharp in good shape and that if he found one, I would restring, reconfigure, and rebuild it. The quest began. After a couple of unsuccessful bids on eBay, Jim finally submitted a successful bid on a 1970's Berkshire model 15-chord B-style Oscar Schmidt Autoharp. He had it shipped to me.

When the instrument arrived around the 5th of December, I inspected it thoroughly. It still had its original strings and they were all intact. You can tell the original strings by the way they were attached to the tuning pins and wrapped around the pins. The instrument smelled "fresh." It had not been stored in a mildew or mold-infested environment. The finish was remarkably untouched. The felt dampers on the chord bars appeared brand new and had never been attacked by moths. The only condition issue I found was a minor delamination of the maple pin block at the top of the Autoharp. This is easily repairable.

I ordered a new set of strings and they arrived in a few days. Although I was concerned that the string quality might have suffered over the years, the new strings turned out to be top-notch. They were all precisely cut and the windings on the wound strings were all tight. There were no "buzzers." (Sometimes the windings will be loose at the end and cause a wound string to buzz when played.)

Gluing the pin block

I removed the old strings and thoroughly cleaned and polished the instrument. Then I glued the area of delamination and let it dry for 48 hours. In the meantime, I rebuilt the chord bar assembly. I glued the return springs into the chord bar holders so they won't "escape" the next time someone disassembles the chord bars. To make it a little prettier, I covered each chord bar with a printed duct tape strip in a blue abstract pattern.

One issue that every Autoharp player faces is the decision of what chords to include on an individual instrument and how to arrange them. I chose an arrangement suggested by Evo Bluestein, a remarkable Autoharp player from Fresno, California. He markets a custom-built Autoharp called the Evoharp, and the 15-chord model has its chord bars arranged (from the tuning pin end to the anchor bar end) as follows: Fmaj, Dmin, C7, Cmaj, Amin, G7, Gmaj, Emin, D7, Dmaj, Bmin, A7, Amaj, F#min, E7. With this arrangement, the Autoharp may be played in the major keys of C, G, D and A, and the minor keys of D minor and A minor. It's a good flexible selection of chords and the pattern is such that each chord "set" is the same for any given key in which the instrument is being played.

After reassembling the Autoharp and relabeling the chord bars, I tuned it several times over the next few days to stretch and stabilize the strings and fine tune it. It turned out to be a fine sounding instrument, brought back to life. It will provide many years of service.

Claire had no clue that she was receiving this gift. I met the Weatherlys for lunch at Jason's Deli in Huntsville. When we informed her that this was her Autoharp, she was totally speechless. I felt that my Elf Duty was time well spent.

And to All...

2011-12-25T11:17:00.000-06:00

Further Progress on the Tajmadog...

2011-12-18T06:30:00.000-06:00

Faithful Sidekick Monty Love came up to Tennessee on Saturday and we made significant progress on the dog palace. It's always fun learning as you go! We finished the vinyl siding and metal cladding on the porch and gable end. Unfortunately, I had miscalculated some of the material requirements so we ran out of certain vinyl components. Thanks to Monty from me and the pups.

26⁰ and Frosty This Morning!

2011-12-11T07:25:00.000-06:00

Took this picture just as the sun was about to come up...

Christmas at Ebabe's 2011

2011-11-26T15:08:00.003-06:00

A Memorable Thanksgiving...

2011-11-24T09:06:00.005-06:00

It was Thanksgiving, 2004. Mary Ann and I had been married for four months. We wanted to do something special. That's when I heard a review on the radio (I think it was NPR) of a "different" way of preparing the turkey. It was described as having a rich flavor and producing very moist, tender meat. What could be better?!? Here is the recipe that we decided to try:

10-12 pound turkey
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup milk or cream
1 cup water

Heat oven to 325°F
Prepare turkey for roasting.
Combine peanut butter, flour, paprika, salt, celery salt and pepper. Stir until blended, adding enough milk to make a medium paste.
Spread paste over entire turkey, covering well. Place on rack in roasting pan. Add 1 cup water to pan.
Bake at 325°F for 3-4 hours or until meat thermometer registers 180° to 185°F. Baste every 30 minutes with pan juices.
Note stuffed turkey requires 30-45 minutes more roasting time.

Our experience didn't exactly match the description I had had heard on the radio. We combined the peanut butter, flour, paprika, salt, celery salt and pepper just as directed and added milk to form a medium paste. We coated the bird generously and placed it on the rack in the roasting pan, adding water in the bottom of the pan. With those preparations completed, we began to roast this tan-coated beauty.

The first thing I observed was that as soon as the bird began to warm up, the coating slid off like frosting on a warm summer day and formed a mound of goo in the roasting pan. Very little remained on the bird. That didn't seem to match the descriptions that I had heard. This was supposed to form a delicious golden crust on the bird's skin. We continued cooking. I basted that bird every half hour just as I was supposed to. The smell didn't seem to be encouraging. The heat of the oven on the bottom of the roasting pan seemed to be burning the collected goo.

At the end of our allotted four hours, we retrieved the results from the oven. The bird was inedible, the pan, encrusted with black tar, was practically uncleanable, and the entire house smelled like peanut flavored charcoal. It was a less than successful experiment.

I have since learned that the recipe was originally published in The Black Family Reunion Cookbook (Recipes & Food Memories™), published in 1991 by the National Council of Negro Women. I'd still like to try turkey cooked this way by someone with sufficient "soul" to make it work.

Balloon Man

2011-11-04T16:19:00.001-05:00

Garrett Cashman aloft with his cluster balloons - Life Magazine, September 20, 1954

In 1954, Life Magazine published the picture shown above with the description, "Fulfilling an old dream, Garrett Cashman, 26, lashed 60 weather balloons to a bicycle wheel and a plywood seat and soared over Albany, N.Y. At 6,200 feet, the sun's heat began popping his balloons, and he sank gently to earth, to answer charges of flying without a license."

It began on September 9th. As described by Lawrence Gooley, a purveyor of upstate New York Popular history, "The people of Albany, NY, looked skyward on September 9, 1954, not believing what their eyes were seeing. High above, 26-year old Garrett Cashman was fulfilling his childhood dream of soaring among the clouds. A grape-like cluster of 60 gas-filled balloons carried him slowly, silently, majestically across the sky. With only a light wind, Cashman stayed aloft for hours, enjoying the sunshine, the spectacular view, and the exhilaration of achieving his life’s desire.

He rose into the clouds, and then broke free of them at 3,000 feet. When he reached 6,200 feet, the heat of the sun began expanding the balloons, causing some of them to burst.

Not a problem for Cashman, who cut several balloons free, dropping in a controlled descent, and landing near Valatie, 21 miles from his launch point.

… Cashman was immediately arrested by police.

Receiving dozens of reports, they had followed his progress down both sides of the Hudson River. He was charged with being an unlicensed pilot and operating an uncertified and unregistered aircraft. For lack of $100 bail, Cashman was taken to Albany county jail.

Hundreds had watched his flight as word spread, and both cops and onlookers now marveled at the seemingly fragile contraption that had carried Cashman so far. He weighed 140 pounds; the machine weighed 40 pounds; and he carried 30 pounds of sand.

Cashman had been seated on “a piece of plywood, 15 inches square, mounted on a spoke-less bicycle wheel swinging beneath two bunches of war surplus rubber balloons. Each was six feet across and contained 113 cubic feet of gas.

“An opened parachute was slung between the two clusters, just in case.” What seemed like insanity to everyone else was pure heaven to Cashman."

I remember vividly reading about Garrett Cashman in the Schenectady Gazette and the Schenectady Union-Star, our local newspapers. I romanticized about how exciting it would be to try the same thing. At age 14, my dreams didn't always coincide with my parents' goals. I didn't get to go ballooning for many years, and then it was in a hot-air balloon in Mississippi.

In 1957, my friend Roland Racko ran for Vice President of our high school class. Inspired by Garrett Cashman's ballooning adventures, we decided to float some giant weather balloons over the high school with banners promoting Roland's candidacy. They did draw attention as we had anticipated and Roland won the election.

In later years, I read of Mr. Cashman's continuing ballooning adventures. He tried repeatedly to get a balloonist's license and finally succeeded in November of 1954. He appeared at Daytona's Speed Week in 1955. He would ascend on a tether to promote business openings. He would sometimes launch from the site of a carnival or race track and simply fly with the wind. He reached altitudes of over 19,000 feet hanging beneath his helium or hydrogen filled balloons. He descended by popping them with a slingshot, knife, or gun. At one point, he was involved in promoting Ringling Brothers' Circus. And while all this was happening, he invented things ranging from parachute brakes for downhill skiers to an indoor hickory barbeque broiler.

In 1976, Oscar Barker wrote about Garrett Cashman, Airman Extraordinaire in the Troy Record newspaper, "...that memorable morning when police and newspapers began receiving frantic telephone calls from the public – a man was dangling from a bunch of huge balloons as he floated a few hundred feet above the Capital District…Like a chase scene by the Keystone Cops, police and reporters tracked the strange craft down back roads and through fields...In the giddy months that followed, Cashman became a national news figure. Offers came in for him to perform with his beautiful balloons at fairs and the like….Especially memorable was the way the balloonist maneuvered his craft. He’d pull out a slingshot and, using fish-line sinkers as ammo, would puncture a weather balloon or two to descend somewhat.
They don’t make them like Garrett Cashman any more…which is a shame."

Heroic Ancestor...

2011-11-02T09:25:00.001-05:00

My Great-Grandfather George Neddo enlisted in the Union army on October 2nd, 1861. He lived in Whitehall, New York, very close to the Vermont line. When he heard the call, he rode his horse 42 miles up the route that is now Vermont highway 22A to Middlebury, where he enlisted. He served until being mustered out honorably on October 28, 1864. I have read the history of his unit, Company A of the 6th Vermont Infantry Regiment, many times. The toll taken by disease is even worse than the losses suffered in battle, which were themselves appalling. I marvel that he made it through the carnage. And to his credit, he rose from Private to the rank of Captain (at a time when a unit's officers up to the rank of Captain were elected). He engaged in the following battles:
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Warwick Creek, Va.	April 6, 1862
Lee's Mills, Va.	April 16, 1862
Williamsburg, Va.	May 5, 1862
Golding's Farm, Va.	June 27, 1862
Golding's Farm, Va.	June 28, 1862
Savage's Station, Va.	June 29, 1862
White Oak Swamp, Va.	June 30, 1862
Crampton's Gap, Md.	Sept. 14, 1862
Antietam, Md.	Sept. 17, 1862
Fredericksburg, Va.	Dec. 13, 1862
Marye's Heights, Va.	May 3, 1863
Salem Heights, Va.	May 3, 1863
Banks Ford, Va.	May 4, 1863
Fredericksburg, Va.	June 5, 1863
Gettysburg, Pa.	July 3, 1863
Funkstown, Md.	July 10, 1863
Gainesville, Va.	Oct. 19, 1863
Rappahannock Station, Va.	Nov. 7, 1863
Wilderness, Va.	May 5, to 10, 1864
Spottsylvania, Va.	May 10 to 18, 1864
Cold Harbor, Va.	June 1 to 12, 1864
Petersburg, Va.	June 18, 1864
Welden R. R., Va.	June 23, 1864
Reams's Station, Va.	June 29, 1864
Fort Stevens, Md.	July 12, 1864
Charlestown, W. Va.	Aug. 21, 1864
Opequan, Va.	Sept. 13, 1864
Winchester, Va.	Sept. 19, 1864
Fisher's Hill, Va.	Sept. 21 and 22, 1864
Cedar Creek, Va.	Oct. 19, 1864

Needless to say, I'm honored and proud to be George Neddo's descendant.

Village of Providence Car Show

2011-10-24T05:29:00.002-05:00

Monty's car on left parked next to Winston, my 1932 Plymouth

Winston and I went to a Sunday car show at the Village of Providence, a small commercial and residential district on the West end of Huntsville. I met Monty Love in his 1950 Chevrolet sedan delivery and we drove to the show together and parked in adjacent spots. The hosts were raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and, judging by the crowd, they succeeded. We represented one of the oldest cars in attendance, although there were a couple of modern reproduction '32 Fords with big V-8's in them. I did see a 1924 Studebaker sedan and a couple of Model T hot rods. Bottom line was that there were LOTS of muscle cars. And somebody forgot to tell some folks to keep their stereos turned down. At one point it sounded like a woofer competition.

A 1952 Pontiac with a period-correct restored teardrop trailer - Very Nice!

We saw Fred Scarborough, who was exhibiting his beautiful Jaguar convertible, with his wife Carolyn and daughter Caitlyn, also Clint Rankin and his lovely bride Sarah celebrating their one-year anniversary. Oh, by the way, we won a door prize -- a $20 gift certificate to the Mellow Mushroom pizza restaurant. The weather was delightful for a Sunday outing and Winston made it home. What more could I ask?

Flagship Detroit

2011-10-16T07:21:00.000-05:00

Between June of 1936 and April, 1946, American Airlines took delivery of 94 DC-3's from Douglas Aircraft Corporation. These were the pride and joy of the young company; the "Flagships" of their growing fleet. On March 2, 1937, Flagship Detroit became part of that fleet. It served the airline until 1946, after which it served as a Mexican executive aircraft, a cargo hauler (including some cargo of an illicit nature), insecticide spreader, and training aircraft. In September, 2004, it was purchased by the Flagship Detroit Foundation from Eastern Mennonite University. The stated goal of the foundation was to restore the airplane to its initial configuration as a passenger airliner in order to "Preserve the legacy of one of the most popular aircraft in American Airlines history."

Winston with DC-3 in background

Yesterday I heard that the Flagship Detroit, NC17334, was to be flying out of the Madison County Executive Airport. That is only about 12 miles away. I decided to drive Winston, my 1932 Plymouth coupe, to visit a 1937 airplane. And besides, the weather was perfect for an an afternoon drive.

The restored airplane is stunning. It is now the oldest flying DC-3 in the world. The pictures tell it all. Coincidentally, Deron Shady and son Daniel were there and had taken a flight. I also ran into Paul Brinkmeyer, a gentleman I used to work with at Camber. He is now a medevac pilot. Small world...

The restored interior -- The height of luxury in 1937!

Another '32 Plymouth...

2011-10-14T12:27:00.000-05:00

Jim Brackbill with his "new" finer 1932 Plymouth Model PB sedan

When I bought my 1932 Plymouth roadster in 1999, part of the deal was that I would acquire a 1932 sedan parts car and remove it along with the roadster. I brought the car to Huntsville and placed it in dry storage. I debated what to do with the sedan, which was far too deteriorated to be worth restoring. The most likely scenario was to eventually build a boattail speedster using parts from the sedan and hand crafting a boattail body. I even had corresponded with a gentleman on the west coast about doing an overhead valve conversion to the Plymouth 4-cylinder engine. This fellow has gone over 120 miles per hour driving such a vehicle.

Then one day, I ran across a fellow on the Jalopy Journal Web site who had acquired a 1932 Plymouth coupe body and needed a usable chassis. It was a perfect use for the sedan. We corresponded, struck a deal, and he sent payment, sight unseen (I had sent lots of photographs). This week, Jim Brackbill drove down from Pennsylvania, towing an empty trailer, to pick up the car.

As with all such adventures, there were a couple hiccups. His trailer needed a few repairs after the bouncy trip so we took it to Russell Welding for the needed repairs. Mr. Bud Jolly was highly recommended by Dan Shady and he did a beautiful job of repairing the trailer. When Jim and I arrived at the warehouse, the car was barely visible behind a mountain of stored flooring materials! Fortunately, Jim knew how to drive the forklift that was available and we soon had the car out of its long storage and on the trailer.

I called him up yesterday and was glad to hear that he and the car made it safely to PA. Now I can't wait to get progress reports on the new "build."

J-101

2011-10-06T17:18:00.004-05:00

J-101 in its current colors (2011)

The New York Automobile Salon in December, 1928, displayed all the latest car designs. Perhaps the most impressive was the new Model J Duesenberg. The car on display was a silver and black dual-cowl phaeton with coachwork by LeBaron. It was the first and only Model J that had been completed in time for the salon show. The chassis sold for $8,500. Coachwork would add several thousand more to the price tag. It was like nothing ever seen before and became the start of a legend. Perhaps no other car in America's love affair with cars evokes the same awe as the Model J Duesenberg. The car on display became the personal car of August Duesenberg, the younger of the two brothers who designed and built it. It would remain in his possession until his death in 1955.

J-101 made headlines in the late 1960's when it changed hands for the then-unheard-of price of $135,000 at an Atlanta auction. My brother and I were both car enthusiasts and I remember discussing that sale with him at the time. We simply couldn't imagine anyone spending such a fortune for an automobile!

A few years later, probably about 1975, Bill and I went to Hershey, Pennsylvania, for the annual Fall meet of the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA). We had a large trailer load of Lincoln-Zephyr parts to sell in the flea market. As is often the case, it decided to rain on Saturday and the flea market area (unpaved in those days) became a quagmire. We braved the storm, standing by our table of goodies hoping to sell some parts to pay for the trip.

On Saturday afternoon, a distinguished-looking older gentleman dressed in a yellow slicker and hood approached our table. "Do you have any Lincoln Model K parts," he asked. I admitted that Model K Lincolns were a little rich for my blood. "Do you own a Model K?" I asked. He replied that he had several. (The Model K Lincolns were all hand built, all recognized as full classics, and were very expensive cars.) I asked what other cars he might own. He described a collection of nearly 40 cars -- Cadillacs, Packards, Rolls Royces, Bentleys, Pierce Arrows, Lincolns, Marmons, Chryslers, and a Duesenberg. It was an impressive collection. We inquired what year and body style the Duesenberg might be. "I own J-101," he answered. Bill and I were speechless. What were the odds that we would ever meet the owner of J-101!?!

In spite of the downpour, this fine gentleman took the time to tell us the story. His name was Walter Spilsbury and he lived in Huntington Station, New York. His business was in New York City so he commuted into the city each day. He had learned of the Duesenberg sale several months before it took place and had told his secretary to remind him when the auction was to occur. He told us that he went to work one morning and his secretary reminded him that the auction was to take place that very day. He hopped on the company jet and went to Atlanta.

As he related it to us, he simply got caught up in the excitement of the moment and the next thing he knew, he had bought the car. At this point, he had not even informed his wife that he had gone to Atlanta. She was home "dying Easter eggs with our two small boys." Shortly after he bought the car a newspaper reporter from Long Island's Newsday called Mr. Spilsbury's residence and asked his wife what she thought about her husband having set a new world's record for buying the most expensive car up to that point. She told the reporter that he must be mistaken; her husband was at work in New York City.

It was a great story as he told it. He graciously invited Bill and me to come to his home to visit his collection and even drive the Model J if we were so inclined. He was a most gracious individual. We never did take him up on his offer, however.

J-101 ended up in the William Harrah collection in Nevada and upon his death was sold to General William Lyon. I believe the car now resides in the Lyon Air Museum on the west side of the runway at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California. It is still a car that is an important icon in American automotive history.I feel really blessed that I encountered, on a rainy field in Hershey, one who was privileged to serve as its caretaker.

The Full-Service Library...

2011-09-30T15:26:00.001-05:00

In the early 1970's, my sister-in-law, Joan, went to work as a part-time volunteer in the public library in Pass Christian, Mississippi. The head librarian was a young Filipina named Linda.

At that time, a number of parents were complaining that the library still had sex-related books on the open shelves. They were concerned that their teenage children were gaining access to books that were perhaps intended for a more adult audience. A group of parents asked Linda if she would please put the "sex books" behind the main desk where they could be kept under tighter controls. She accommodated the parents' request. She then put a note in the card catalog in the location of the subject "sex." "For sex, see Librarian."

Saturday Construction Project...

2011-09-25T07:11:00.000-05:00

About 25 years ago, I built a deck for our dogs to lounge on. They probably view it as a sentinel station since their primary job is to guard the property. Over the years it finally gave way to the elements. It was falling apart. So, over the last three weekends I have removed the old deck and constructed a new one:

Alien Invasion...

2011-09-25T06:40:00.001-05:00

A strange formation of alien spacecraft has landed on my front lawn. I think they seek water after our recent rains. Not to worry. I have been standing outside greeting them, "Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!" They will know we are peaceful and mean them no harm.

Redneck Rumble, 2011...

2011-09-18T07:03:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Monty Love and I drove up to Lebanon, Tennessee, to attend the Redneck Rumble. This is a car show that has taken place at a local fairground for the last 5 years. I expected a lot of traditional hot rods and was quite disappointed. Most of the show was taken up with so-called Rat Rods, which I find pointless and ugly. Ah, well. You can't win 'em all...

We did see a 1950 Chevy Sedan Delivery, the same model that Monty uses as a daily driver, that was exquisite!

Autumn at Ebabe's...

2011-09-16T05:35:00.002-05:00

Pascagoula Incident...

2011-09-14T13:21:00.002-05:00

I saw this news article today: "

..(Reuters) - Charles Hickson, the Mississippi man who claimed he was abducted and probed by aliens while he was fishing with a friend in 1973 and never backed off the story despite the ridicule he endured, has died.

Hickson, 80, died last Friday of a heart attack, his family said on Tuesday.

Hickson, then 42, was fishing with 19-year-old Calvin Parker Jr. on a pier near Pascagoula, Mississippi in October 1973 when they said a cigar-shaped UFO with flashing blue lights suddenly appeared above them.

A door opened up, the two men later told authorities, and they were pulled into the craft by aliens, who paralyzed them, examined them on a table and then let them go.

Although Hickson was reluctant to share the story -- he said all he and Parker wanted to do "was go fishing" and he feared people would "laugh me out of Jackson County" -- he and Parker eventually went to local police and reported the incident.

"They weren't lying," the chief investigator for the Jackson County Sheriff's Department told reporters at the time. "Whatever it was, it was real to them."

As word of their claims leaked out, Hickson and Parker became minor celebrities, celebrated by believers in extraterrestrial life but derided by skeptics.

In 1974, after wire services picked up the story, Hickson appeared on a number of national TV programs, including The Dick Cavett Show.

In 1983, Hickson wrote a book about the incident called "UFO Contact at Pascagoula" with William Mendez. (Reporting by James B. Kelleher in Chicago)"

I happened to be working for Ingalls Shipbuilding at the time of the UFO incident. My office was in the refurbished "port warehouse building" that was only a couple hundred yards from where Hickson and Parker were fishing. And one of my colleagues, Jerry Shaver, had gone to school with Hickson. According to Jerry, "Charlie Hickson is one of the finest men I've ever known. I promise you that he would never tell a lie."

I always thought the story was fascinating. I still do. There's a more complete description of the incident in an interesting article in Wikipedia.

Winston Gets a New Oil Filter!

2011-09-10T14:51:00.000-05:00

The picture above is of the type of oil filter that the 1932 Plymouth was originally equipped with. It was the first year that oil filters were standard equipment on the Plymouth. The whole canister is disposable. There are brass pipe fittings that go in both the upper and lower ends of the filter. These attach to steel tubes that attach to a supply point and a discharge point on the engine's oil system. And the whole thing was held in a clamp on the driver's side of the engine. When I bought the car 49 years ago, these filters were readily available and cost a couple of dollars.

The last time I was able to buy one in a car parts store was about ten years ago. Wix still listed the filter in their catalog at a cost of about $26.00! I bought one and then they were gone. I started buying them on eBay, but the price kept escalating. You have to change the filter every 1,000 miles, so even if you don't drive the car a lot it can still add up.

Last year I heard about someone who was fabricating a machined aluminum canister that looks exactly like the old filter but in fact comes apart and houses a small, new, readily available oil filter cartridge. I tracked down the individual, purchased one, and installed it last weekend. Now, Winston sports a brand new filter with the same old appearance. What a concept!

Great Race 2012 Has Been Announced!

2011-09-04T21:12:00.000-05:00

According to the Hemmings Motor News blog, "Not only will the Great Race return for 2012 after its successful relaunch earlier this year, but it will also go international, with a tour of the Great Lakes that will take participants north of the border into Canada."

The precision rally for vintage cars will start in Traverse City, Michigan, on June 23rd. It will end a week later in Detroit. According to the Great Race Website, "it will run north along Lake Michigan to the Upper Peninsula, cross into Canada at Sault Ste. Marie (where locks join lakes Superior and Huron), then travel east along the north shore of Lake Huron, south toward Lake Ontario and east toward the crossing back into the United States at Thousand Islands, then back west along the south shore of Lake Erie and toward its finish line in the Detroit area. In all, the race will cover 2,000 miles, cross four states and one Canadian province, and afford sights of all five Great Lakes.

Scheduled stops along the way include the Pierce-Arrow Museum in Buffalo, New York; the National Packard Museum in Warren, Ohio; and the Automotive Heritage Museum (the last Hudson dealer) in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

The Great Race is open to all vehicles from 1969 and earlier. The entry fee for the Great Lakes Great Race will be $4,000 for private entries and $5,000 for corporate entries. A $500 discount is available to any team that pays a $2,000 deposit by Sept. 18, 2011, and the balance by Dec. 31, 2011."

Here's my guess on a possible route:

Frog Follies 2011...

2011-08-30T11:32:00.001-05:00

If you've ever read through my Great Race Web site, you might have seen the following entry from June 20, 2001 (the year we went from Atlanta to Pasadena): "In Evansville, we had a greeting party! It seems that Analda Anglin’s parents live not far from Evansville, and they had been waiting patiently for our arrival. They even had cold drinks and snacks! The four of us ate together and had a nice chat, after which we had to leave for our next timed segment. Our thanks for the great Evansville fan club!"

That day, Analda's mother mentioned to me that I might enjoy coming back to Evansville in August for something called the Frog Follies. She said it was a car show that had been hosted by a local hot rod club for a number of years. I recall thinking that the last thing I was going to want to do when I got home was to drive a couple of hundred miles to attend a local car show!!

Fast forward a few years. I got involved in the design and building of a hot rod. I became a frequent visitor to several hot rod related Web sites. I began to read reviews of the Frog Follies by many attendees from several states. They all raved about the hospitality, the setting, organization, size, variety and quality of the cars. It turns out that this is a car show of importance, especially to folks with pre-1949 vehicles. So this year, after careful consideration, I and Monty Love (faithful sidekick) decided to attend. We didn't decide to go until early August, but we were fortunate to find a few rooms still available.

It is a terrific event. We will undoubtedly try to attend again in the future. I wish I had listened to Analda's mother back in 2001...

A Real American Hero...

2011-08-04T17:29:00.003-05:00

Chip Ramsey, a few days ago, in Afghanistan (photo courtesy L. Dowling)

For several years, I worked with Chip Ramsey. He was a hard working, competent fellow and a helluva nice guy. He was also a member of the Army National Guard and a card-carrying patriot. Some of you may remember that when Mary Ann and I participated in the 2006 Great Race, we carried an American Flag. At every stop, we asked people to write notes of thanks to our service men and women on the fabric and to sign them. We got hundreds of notes and signatures. The flag was sent to a unit in Iraq where it was proudly flown in the war zone. That was Chip Ramsey's idea and he made sure the flag made it to Iraq. He was that kind of American. He left last November for his second tour in Afghanistan, after having previously served in Iraq.

I heard today that on August 4th a sniper's bullet ended his too-brief life. He was 41. He leaves a widow, Mary, and two small children behind. And our nation is much poorer for his passing. Good bye, Chip. We will miss you. There are no words to express our gratitude for your sacrifice. Rest in Peace, my friend.

Thoughts of Lake George...

2011-07-23T21:41:00.010-05:00

Lake George

During the 1940's, my family rented a place at Lake George for the entire month of August. The cabin was on Basin Bay and was named "The Birches." It was owned by a family in Albany from whom my parents rented it. I recall what a big deal it was to get ready to go on our annual vacation. You'd think we were driving to the West Coast!

Both gasoline and tires were rationed during the war years. My father would be careful to save up enough gasoline ration coupons to be able to put gas in our 1940 Chevrolet for the trips up to Lake George and back. He would join us every weekend after spending the first week. So the car made a total of 4 or 5 round trips. The distance from our house in Schenectady to the cabin was about 60 miles, so the total driving involved each August could amount to as much as 600 miles, a distance that might involve lots of gasoline ration coupons. Gasoline was a commodity that was rationed according to "differential coupon rationing." The amount allowed to various individuals was based on need. My dad was a dentist and therefore had a so-called "B" ration sticker which authorized him to buy eight gallons of gasoline per week.

My sister and brother and I always looked forward to going to Lake George. I can still recall the strong scent of the balsam firs that surrounded the cabin. The place was populated by dozens of chipmunks that were tame enough to eat out of our hands. The decor of the cabin, a two-story structure with a couple of upstairs bedrooms, was early hand-me-down. My parents always had a house full of guests. We kids slept on swings and hammocks on the screened in porch. At night, even in August, the temperature would drop to the 60's. We had a dock and a lapstrake fishing boat with a 16-horsepower outboard. We swam and fished and explored for a whole month. I can't imagine a more wonderful place for kids to experience a summer vacation.

El Lagarto, piloted by George Reis

The other day, I was reading an article on the H.A.M.B. about the styling of early competition speedboats. It reminded me of a memory from Lake George that I hadn't thought about for many years. A gentleman named George Reis had a prominent home on the lake. His claim to fame was that he was a veteran boat racer whose career dated back to 1916 when he took third-place in the Gold Cup. My interest in Mr. Reis was because he owned an incredible boat named "El Lagarto," -- the lizard.

El Lagarto's remarkable career began inauspiciously with an eleventh-place performance in the 1922 Gold Cup at Detroit as Miss Mary II. Designed and built by John Hacker as a V-bottom displacement-type of boat, she measured 25 feet 10 inches in length with a 5-foot 6-inch beam and originally used a 150-horsepower Peerless engine. Reis purchased El Lagarto from original owner Ed Grimm in about 1925. He named the craft after his brother's estate in Palm Springs, California, which was named "El Lagarto" because of an abundance of lizards in that vicinity. George installed a rebuilt 621 cubic inch Packard engine and used her as a pleasure craft on Lake George for several years. These huge Packard six-cylinder engines produced around 260 horsepower. In 1935, Reis piloted El Lagarto to a record 72.727 miles per hour in a one-mile trial on Lake George. That stands as the fastest straightaway speed ever attained by a restricted Gold Cup class boat. He occasionally entered her in free-for-all races against such local contenders as Jolly Roger, Falcon, and Hawkeye.

On Sunday mornings, we would hear the roar of El Lagarto's engine as it approached from the north. We kids would run to a favorite vantage point to observe the spectacle. Down the lake she would roar at speeds of seventy miles per hour -- unheard of in the gasoline-rationed society with a national highway speed limit of 35 miles per hour!* We'd see her vanish to the south, soon to return on her homeward leg, still throwing up a rooster's tail 30 feet into the air. What a spectacle! And it repeated nearly every weekend.

After Margo passed away, my good friends Forrest and Sue Frueh from Norman, Oklahoma, invited me to join them for a few days at Lake George. Sue's family had had a place on the lake when she was a little girl. It was a perfect getaway. The smell of balsams flooded my mind with memories. One day we drove up to Basin Bay and The Birches is still there, looking unchanged since the 1940's. And I thought I heard the echoes of a long-remembered racing boat.

* On 1 December, 1942, Gas rationing and a 35 mph speed limit on all roads that had been in effect along the East Coast for 7 months was extended nationally to conserve gasoline and rubber. That speed limit remained in effect until 15 August, 1945, when it was raised to 50 miles per hour.

The Acorn Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree...

2011-07-07T06:30:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I was visiting Dan and Deron Shady. Deron's son Daniel was there (Whom do you suppose he was named after???). I wanted to try taking a video with the camera I've been using for at least a couple of years. I'm embarassed to admit I just discovered you can take movies with it. Here's the first result:

Shiloh Monday...

2011-07-05T14:02:00.024-05:00

A contemporary etching of the battle of Shiloh

Mary Ann and I have talked for years about visiting the Shiloh battlefield. Today we finally went there. It's only a little more than 100 miles from our home, but sometimes it's hard to get motivated. It was interesting to celebrate our nation's birthday by visiting the site of a Civil War battle. And what a battle it was!

When you visit this rural site, described by one reference as, "one of the most pristine battle sites of the Civil War," it's hard to conceive of the carnage that took place there. Consider the following: 40,000 Confederate troops, 63,000 Union troops, a battle lasting 2 days resulting in over 23,000 killed, wounded, or missing. I suggest to anyone interested in the Civil War that they read some of the battle synopses that are available on the Internet.

We chose to start at the Visitor's Center where we watched an introductory film, the award-winning Shiloh: Portrait of a Battle. We went through the small museum within the Visitors Center. They have very good displays that illustrate the types of armaments in use, the conditions met by the soldiers, the medical practices of the period, and the topography of the battlefield. We then proceeded to the bookstore across the parking lot where we purchased a CD with a guided audio tour of the battlefield. Equipped with this CD and its accompanying map, we embarked on a two-hour tour of the battlefield, which covers many square miles.

As we covered battle sites, skirmish sites, places where heroes of both sides fell, and the "bloody pond," where the wounded tried to cool themselves and get a sip of water, we were constantly reminded of Theodore O'Hara's Bivouac of the Dead:

The muffled drum’s sad roll has beat

The soldier’s last Tattoo;

No more on life’s parade shall meet

That brave and fallen few.

On Fame’s eternal camping ground

Their silent tents are spread,

And glory guards, with solemn round

The bivouac of the dead.

The Shiloh Church, near where the first engagement of the battle started April 6, 1862.

Harper's Weekly, the predominant news magazine of the time, described the battle with a large centerfold etching and a description straight from the Cincinnati Times:

THE BATTLE OF PITTSBURG LANDING.

WE publish on pages 264 and 265 a large illustration of the BATTLE OF PITTSBURG LANDING, TENNESSEE, fought on 6th and 7th between the Union army, under Generals Grant and Buell, and the rebels, under Beauregard and Sydney Johnston. The point selected by our artist for illustration represents the final charge of our army under General Grant at 3 P.M. on 7th. The Cincinnati Times gives the following account of the battle:

Our forces were stationed in the form of a semicircle, the right resting on a point north of Crump's Landing, our centre being in front of the main road to Corinth, and our left extending to the river in the direction of Hamburg, four miles north of Pittsburg Landing. At two o'clock on the morning of the 6th 400 men of General Prentiss's division were attacked by the enemy half a mile in advance of our lines. Our men fell back on the Twenty-fifth Missouri, swiftly pursued by the enemy. The advance of the rebels reached Colonel Peabody's brigade just as the long roll was sounded and the men were falling into line. Resistance was but short, and they retreated under a galling fire until they reached the lines of the Second division.

At six o'clock the attack had become general along our whole front. The enemy in large numbers drove in the pickets of General Sherman's division, and fell on the Forty-eighth, Fiftieth, and Seventy-second Ohio regiments. Those troops were never before in action and, being so unexpectedly attacked, made as able a resistance as possible, but were, in common with the forces of General Prentiss, forced to seek support of the troops immediately in their rear. At one o'clock the entire line on both sides was fully engaged. The roar of cannon and musketry was without intermission from the main centre to a point extending half-way down the left wing. The rebels made a desperate charge on the Fourteenth Ohio battery, which, not being sufficiently supported by infantry, fell into their hands. Another severe fight occurred for possession of the Fifth Ohio battery, and three of its guns were taken by the enemy.

By eleven o'clock a number of commanders of regiments had fallen, and in some cases not a single field-officer remained; yet the fighting continued with an earnestness which showed that the contest on both sides was for death or victory. Foot by foot the ground was contested, and finding it impossible to drive back our centre, the enemy slackened their fire, and made vigorous efforts on our left wing, endeavoring to outflank, and driving it to the riverbank. This wing was under General Hurlburt, and was composed of the Fourteenth, Thirty-second, Forty-fourth, and Fifty-seventh Indiana; Eighth, Eighteenth, and Twenty-first Illinois. [The Fourteenth Indiana Regiment was not there. It is serving under General Shields in Virginia. —ED.] Fronting its line, however, was the Fourteenth, Fifty-seventh, and Seventy-seventh Ohio, and Fifth Ohio Cavalry, of General Sherman's division. For nearly two hours a sheet of fire blazed from both columns, the rebels fighting with a vigor that was only equaled by those contending with them. While the contest raged the hottest the gun-boat Tyler passed up the river to a point opposite the enemy, and poured in broadsides from her immense guns, greatly aiding in forcing the enemy back. Up to three o'clock the battle raged with a fury that defies description. The rebels had found every attempt to break our lines unavailing. They had striven to drive in our main column, and finding that impossible, had turned all their strength upon our left. Foiled in that quarter, they now made another attempt at our centre, and made every effort to rout our forces before the reinforcements, which had been sent for, should come up.

At five o'clock there was a short cessation in the fire of the enemy, their lines falling back for nearly half a mile, when they suddenly wheeled and again threw their entire forces upon our left wing, determined to make a final struggle in that quarter; but the gun-boats Tyler and Lexington poured in their shot thick and fast with terrible effect. Meanwhile General Wallace, who had taken a circuitous route from Crump's Landing, appeared suddenly on the enemy's right wing. In the face of this combination of circumstances the rebels felt that their enterprise for the day was a failure, and as night was approaching fell back until they reached an advantageous position somewhat in the rear, yet occupying the main road to Corinth.

The gun-boats continued to throw shell after them until out of range. After a wearied watching of several hours of intense anxiety, the advance regiments of General Buell appeared on the opposite bank of the river. The work of passing the river began, the Thirty-sixth Indiana and Sixty-eighth Ohio being the first to cross, followed by the main portions of Generals Nelson and Bruce's divisions. Cheer after cheer greeted their arrival, and they were immediately sent to the advance, where they rested on their arms for the night. All night long steamers were engaged ferrying General Buell's force across, and when daylight broke it was evident the rebels too had been strongly reinforced.

The battle on Monday was opened by the rebels at seven o'clock from the Corinth road, and in half an hour extended along the whole line. At nine o'clock the sound of artillery and musketry fully equaled that of the previous day. The enemy was met by our reinforcements and the still unwearied soldiers of the previous day with an energy they certainly could not have expected. It became evident they were avoiding the extreme of our left wing, and endeavoring, with perseverance and determination, to find some weak point by which to turn our force. They left one point but to return to it immediately, and then as suddenly would, by some masterly stroke of generalship, direct a most vigorous attack upon some division where they fancied they would not be expected; but the fire of our lines was as steady as clock-work, and it soon became evident that the enemy considered the task they had undertaken a hopeless one. Further reinforcements now began to arrive, and took position on the right of the main centre under General Wallace.

Generals Grant, Buell, McClernand, Nelson, Sherman, and Crittenden were everywhere present, directing movements for a new stroke on the enemy. Suddenly both wings of our army were turned upon the enemy, with the intention of driving them into an extensive ravine; at the same time a powerful battery, stationed in the open field, poured volley after volley of canister into the rebel ranks. At half past eleven the roar of the battle shook the earth. The Union guns were fired with all the energy that the prospect of the enemy's defeat inspired, while the rebels' fire was not so vigorous, and they evinced a desire to withdraw. They finally fell slowly back, keeping up a fire from their artillery and musketry along their whole column as they retreated. They went in excellent order, battling at every advantageous point, and delivering their fire with considerable effect; but from all the divisions of our lines they were closely pursued, a galling fire being kept upon their rear.

The enemy had now been driven beyond our former lines, and were in full retreat for Corinth, pursued by our cavalry.

The forces engaged on both sides in this day's battle are estimated at about seventy thousand each—an entire force of one hundred and forty thousand men.

Another correspondent, in the same paper, thus mentions the final charge:
The enemy, after maintaining their ground till 3 P.M., gave way. The decisive blow was given by General Grant, who headed a charge of six regiments in person, precipitating his whole body on the enemy's centre with such desperate force that they broke and ran. Retreat at once became general. Within half an hour the whole rebel army was falling back in dismay. Our rejoiced soldiers followed them, driving them through our camp in complete disorder. They were soon driven into a broken country, where they would not form or fight. There was no relaxation in the pursuit.

At the last accounts the cavalry were eleven miles from the river, still following. The fugitives, exhausted, lay down and waited to be taken prisoners.

More Trees!

2011-06-21T20:44:00.000-05:00

There's a lawn under there somewhere!

We had a fierce windstorm blow through here Saturday afternoon. It covered our entire yard with twigs and leaves from every kind of tree. After it had passed, I went out to survey the damage. Two of our neighbor's huge oaks had been toppled onto our yard. Good news -- they didn't hit any building.

And the Winners Are...

2011-06-19T20:30:00.002-05:00

Corky Coker with Great Race Grand Champions, Howard and Douglas Sharp! - Photo by Corky Coker

On Friday evening, the Great Racers pulled into their final stop in Bennington, Vermont, having started in Chattanooga and competed for seven days. Coincidentally, the major sponsor of this year's Great Race was Hemmings Motor News and their headquarters just happens to be in Bennington. The winners, after trying for a win for more than 20 years, were Howard and Doug Sharp. They were driving the oldest car in this rallye -- the 1911 Velie Racetype -- in which they have completed many, many Great Races. Congratulations to these fine competitors and all the rest of the participants. In the Great Race, "to finish is to win."

By the way, it was not a cakewalk for the Sharps. Rumor has it that their radiator leaked all the way from Chattanooga and that one tire was being aided by duct tape as they crossed the finish line!

Ebabe's Team Closes Out Another Championship...

2011-06-12T14:48:00.001-05:00

The coaches and players proudly show their trophy and medals

Wow! They've done it again! For the third year, the Ebabe's softball team has brought home the championship. Thanks and congratulations to all of you -- coaches, players, and parents -- for all your hard work.

Great Race Groupie...

2011-06-11T15:54:00.004-05:00

The oldest car in the 2011 Great Race is Car #22, the 100-year-old 1911 Velie. It is Driven by Howard Sharp and navigated by his son Doug, both from Fairport, New York.

Anyone who knows me very well is aware that I have enjoyed participating in no fewer than 5 Great Races - Precision endurance rallies for vintage automobiles. I have described them comprehensively on my Great Race Website. After a hiatus of three years, the Great Race is alive again under the care and feeding of Corky Coker of the Coker Tire Company in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Last August, Monty Love and I were in Chattanooga and stopped by Corky's place. At that time he confided that he had acquired the rights to the Great Race and was hoping to re-launch it in much the tradition with which it was conducted for twenty years by the late Tom McRae. Well, I'm pleased to say that it has happened. Yesterday, Monty and I drove over to Chattanooga to see this year's participants arrive at the end of the Trophy Run (a warm-up rally prior to the actual competition). This morning, we got to see the beginning of the Big Event. The field of around sixty cars left for a 7-day rally that will take them to Maggie Valley, NC; Salem, VA; Cumberland, MD; Hershey, PA; Binghamton, NY; Saratoga Springs, NY; and finally, Bennington, VT. Bennington is the home of Hemmings Motor News, the primary sponsor of this year's rally. I have included a few pictures.

This year's "pace car" will be Corky Coker's recently-completed replica of the 1911 Marmon Wasp, the car that Ray Harroun drove to victory in the inaugural Indy 500. This replica is remarkably accurate, based on a vintage chassis and powered by a massive T-Head 6-cylinder engine.

Great Race founder, the late Tom McRae, always centered the event around three values - family, God, and country. Corky Coker will continue that great tradition. Here, the Soddy-Daisy High School ROTC color guard presents the colors. Miss Tennessee 2009 & 2nd runner-up Miss America 2010, Stephanie Wittler sang the national anthem.

Team #44, Jonathan and Jake Auerbach, a father-son team, are driving this 1951 Chrysler New Yorker. They bought the car on eBay and did some serious rally modifications, including a roll cage! It's powered by its original massive 331 Hemi engine.

The "Dixie Racing" team drives one of many Model A Ford speedsters in the competition. The driver, Bryan Dickson, is from Argyle, TX, while the navigator, Joe Correia, is from Virginia Beach, VA.

This 1928 Chrysler 72 roadster is a veteran of many Great Races. Its driver, Richard Howe, is a good friend of mine. (We had to bond since we were usually the only two Chrysler products in the competition!) He is accompanied by his navigator-grandson, Jason Fisher. Both hail from Conway, AR.

Certainly one of the most handsome cars in this year's rally is this 1936 Packard Model 120B driven by Bill Croker of Penn Valley, CA. His wife Carolyn navigates. Both are veteran Great Racers.

This 1929 Model A Ford pickup is the flagship of the "Two Ruts" team. Corky and Tim Rutledge, the driver and navigator are from Pennsylvania and are another father-son team.

A giant among competitors is this massive 1961 Imperial Crown convertible. The driver, John Corey, is from Melrose, NY. The navigator, David Ullman, at one time lived in my home town of Schenectady, but now lives in Corvallis, OR. They should certainly have a comfortable ride in this land ark!

A veteran of many Great Races, this 1928 Model A Ford sedan delivery is driven by Leonard Harpenau of El Cajon, CA. His navigator is Tom Kucera from Omaha, NE. Both have participated in many Great Races.

Our good friend Jeff Stumb, from Hampton Cove, AL, is driving his 1916 Hudson Hill Climber. His navigator is Guy McDorr of Bath, ME.

This beautiful Model A Ford speedster, known as the "Yellow Peril," is crewed by two rookies. The driver, Chuck Culver, is from Lumberton. NJ, while the navigator, Jeffrey Schulte, is from Mt.Laurel, NJ. Enjoy the ride!

Nye Clinton and His Infamous "Mariah"...

2011-05-13T16:00:00.002-05:00

Last week I was visited by a gentleman named Thomas A. Taylor, who is a Regional Director in the Office of Regional Advancement for the University of Rochester. I knew another fellow years ago who did the same thing and his business cards simply read, “Professional Beggar.” Tom is a very nice guy and we get together for lunch whenever he is in town. It’s always nice to get caught up with the news from the campus where I spent four years. During the course of our conversation, Tom mentioned a name out of the past, Dean of Students Frank Dowd. As so often happens, the name of Dean Dowd triggered a recollection. In this case, it was a state-of-the-art water weapon, a water cannon called a “Mariah.” Pronounced as Mariah Carey pronounces her first name, I was first introduced to this remarkable tool by a classmate, Nye Clinton. Nye hailed from Watertown, New York.

Burton Hall in the Fall

In the fall semester of the 1960-61 school year, I had moved back into university housing, after having lived off campus my sophomore year. I actually enjoyed dormitory living. I had managed to get a “suite” with a couple of friends. These suites were a clever scheme on the part of the university to increase the capacity of the older dorms (Burton Hall and Crosby Hall) by putting three men into two adjacent rooms that had previously been single accommodations. It worked out quite well. We were in Burton Hall. And two of our neighbors were Ed May and Nye Clinton, two really great guys that I had gotten to know in my freshman dorm. At that time, Frank J. Dowd, Jr., was Associate Dean of Students. I wouldn’t have had his job for anything. He was the university’s point man for all the unpleasant assignments, and there were plenty of those. It was, after all, a period for "activism."

Nye Clinton would contribute generously to one such occasion.

It was a warm spring evening. The natives were restless. Lots of the dorm residents had started to play their hi-fi or stereo systems out their windows. Then some genius decided to start a bonfire on the dorm quadrangle. Dean Dowd was sent to quell the uprising. Naturally, that caused even more anonymous shouting. We were watching the developing situation out of our window. It was time for Nye to enter the Fray. He started by producing what I recall to be about a 10-12 foot length of the tan 3/8” natural latex thick-wall surgical rubber tubing. I suspect that at one time it might have resided in one of his chem labs. He tied a tight knot in one end of the hose. Someone asked what he was doing. Nye responded, “I’m making a Mariah.” We knew that we were about to learn something very special.

Nye proceeded to the sink, where he stretched the open end of the tube over the small faucet. Holding this very tightly, he filled most of the tube with water. We were all amazed at how much the tubing stretched without bursting. It looked exactly like a l-o-o-o-ng tan balloon. He doubled the open end and pinched it as he removed it from the faucet. While still holding the tubing doubled, he inserted the tip end of a ball point pen (the old push-button Pentel type). This apparently served as his nozzle.

Now, he draped the tubing (which is quite heavy when full of water) over both his shoulders and around his neck and waist. He put on a tan trench coat and, holding the tubing closed with a tube clamp, carefully threaded the nozzle end through the right sleeve. With the coat on, Nye could now hold the nozzle closed with one hand. Nye, who had the physique of a string bean, made good use of the space within that trench coat. We helped button up the coat as he departed to join battle. We watched from the second-story dorm window…

Nye appeared in the crowd and gradually worked his way toward the Dean’s entourage. The testosterone in the crowd was evident. Shouts of “Go home, Dud!” could be heard. And then we could see the high arch of a water jet coming out of nowhere. It was the last thing any one expected. It gushed for several seconds. The Dean got drenched. He eventually turned the mob over to the Campus Security Officers. Nye disappeared into the crowd as quickly as he had appeared.

I hope the statute of limitations has run out. Unfortunately, Dean Dowd passed away in 1997.

The Honorable E.Kermit Hightower...

2011-05-11T20:08:00.000-05:00

In the May 20, 1949 edition of the Schenectady Gazette, there was an announcement of an upcoming reception planned to honor the Fifth Ward Supervisor, Mrs. Ethel Etkin. I presume that Mrs. Etkin was a lady of color, since the announcement goes on to state that “Invitations have been sent to every Negro resident of fifth ward, Mrs. Jessalyn Payne, chairman of the arrangements committee, has announced. Special invitations have been mailed to many of the Negro leaders of Schenectady who are not residents of the fifth ward. Representatives of many of the Negro civic groups attended the recent meeting and will assist in the arrangements of the affair” Almost as an afterthought, the article closes with, “Attorney E.Kermit Hightower, the first Negro attorney to take up practice in Schenectadv, will also attend.”

This one of the very few references I have found on the Internet that mention E. Kermit Hightower. This, in spite of the fact that he influences my life even to this day!

Starting when I was about 9 years old, I pumped gas for Mr. Louis Brzoza at the College Garage on Union Street, not far from my family’s home in Schenectady. I’ve written about that in this blog. One of our “regular” clients was the attorney E.Kermit Hightower. And it was the honorable Mr. Hightower who in 1948 purchased a black Lincoln Continental convertible (properly called a cabriolet) that I filled up with gas on a regular basis.

I became convinced that the 1948 Lincoln Continental was one of the most beautiful cars I’d ever seen. Every time I filled its gas tank, or checked its oil (no messy dip stick here, simply a float with an oil level indicator), or checked the coolant, I lusted after this large but graceful machine.

E.Kermit Hightower never knew it, but he and his car were the main reason why in 1967, I bought such a vehicle. And they are largely responsible for the fact that I still have it, having dragged it around the country and stored it for some 44 years!

A Major Event for the Mead Family...

2011-05-08T12:22:00.005-05:00

Nephew David, his son Forrest, and Laura Mead, the proud Mom!

I have written before about my aunt, Ethel Mead Van Auken. She graduated from Syracuse University in 1914. She was the first member of my branch of the Meads to complete a university education. My father, Harold Richard Mead, graduated from the University of Michigan College of Dentistry two years later. (This was when dentistry was a four-year degree program.)

The next wave of graduates came in the 1960s. My brother Bill attended the University of Michigan, following in my dad's footsteps but never graduated. My sister Ann graduated as a Registered Nurse from St. Rose College of Nursing in Albany in 1961. And I followed a year later, completing a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Rochester in 1962. After completing my military service, I attended the University of Oklahoma, where I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in metallurgical engineering in 1971. We then entered a 40-year drought in Mead college graduates. I'm proud to say that the drought is ended.

Last weekend, my great nephew, Forrest William Mead, walked across the stage of the Smothers Theatre of Pepperdine University, and was recognized as a new graduate with a degree in economics. My nephews David and Mark and their families were there to witness and celebrate the occasion. Mary Ann and I extend our most heartfelt congratulations!

Last Day in the Afternoon...

2011-05-07T14:11:00.000-05:00

The Wells Fargo Buick

2011-05-05T10:29:00.002-05:00

I moved to Biloxi, Mississippi, in 1971 to begin a new job at the Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula. About a year later, I acquired my first house in College Park in Gautier, Mississippi. On weekends I often scrounged through junkyards looking for interesting old cars and parts. One weekend I was at a junkyard between Pascagoula and Mobile just north of highway 90. I asked the proprietor if he had any interesting junkers for sale. He asked me if I was familiar with the TV show, "Tales of Wells Fargo" starring Dale Robertson. I told him I had been a big fan of the show. The show had been on from 1957 through 1962. I recall that it was on Monday evening. The junkyard man motioned for me to follow him.

We proceeded to the back of the property where there were a couple of decrepit steel shanties. Under a roof extension on one of these buildings was a large car covered by a canvas tarp. He pulled the tarp aside and revealed a 1958 Buick Limited convertible unlike anything I had seen before. It was in extremely run-down condition with much of the floorboard rusted away. The top was a tattered lacework. At some point the rain had saturated the ornately tooled saddle leather upholstery and the resulting shrinkage had torn most of the seams. The stuffing was oozing out of the cushions.

The hood had a strange ornament resembling a longhorn steer. The doors had holsters on the insides and ornate rear view mirror/spotlights on the outsides. The rear fenders were covered with a wood veneer and had the words "Wells Fargo" emblazoned in bold chrome block letters. Then the gentleman told me the story.

It seems that Buick was the main sponsor of the Wells Fargo show in 1958. Buick Motor Division decided to produce a one-off Buick to present to Dale Robertson and then use as a publicity car to be shown at major dealerships around the country. When the publicity tour was completed, according to this gentleman, the car was given to Robertson. He drove the car for a couple of years, after which he gave it to his sister who lived in southern Mississippi, not far from Pascagoula. She briefly drove the car, but it was a financial burden so she parked it on her property in about 1963, whereupon the roof deteriorated, the interior got ruined, and the body rusted badly. It had ended up in this junkyard and the owner wanted $1,000 for the car.

In 1972 I was earning about $14,000/year. $1,000 seemed like a lot to pay for a car that was going to be a nightmare to restore and could well become a money pit. I declined the opportunity to buy it. The next time I heard of the car was in the late '70's or early 1980's. I saw an ad in Old Cars Weekly magazine. The "fabulous Dale Robertson Buick" was going to be offered in the Atlantic City Auction by one of the major classic car auction companies. I don't recall if I ever learned what the car sold for in that auction. I doubt if the buyer had any idea how far the car had deteriorated before it was restored.

A search of the internet turned up an interesting page that is part of David Webb's Website. He is the proud owner of a 1958 Buick Limited.. It states in part:
"This car was custom built by the Buick factory for Dale Robertson, star of the Buick sponsored TV western Tales of Wells Fargo. The picture above is a postcard of Dale and the car issued by Buick. Interior custom features included: bucket seats of Danish calfskin with hand tooled western motif leather inserts; door panels of the same materials; a console between the seats - the "gun rack" - that held two chrome plated Winchesters with carved stocks; a hand tooled leather pistol holster attached to each door that held a matched set of pearl handled .38 caliber Colt revolvers (Is this car street legal??); natural calfskin carpeting; and flip up door handles. Exterior custom features included: solid walnut panels replaced the three banks of louvers on both sides; the words "Wells Fargo" were placed on the panels in chrome letters; a longhorn steer's head was superimposed over the standard hood emblem; and flipper hubcaps were added to the wheels. Buick displayed this car at major car shows across the country before presenting it to Mr. Robertson. I do not know the current whereabouts of the car. The last information I have is that it sold at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg festival on Labor Day, 1996 for $61,000.00. This was reported on the Collectable Auto Discussion Forum by someone who attended the auction. Prior to that it was in the collection of a Buick dealer and car collector in the Milwaukee area. 7/30/05 - I just found out the car sold again in 1998 for $30,975.00 at the Barrett-Jackson auction. It is on their website, Lot #919 for 1998."

The individual who published that article also had a picture of the broken hood ornament that had once graced the car:

I also ran across a picture of the car taken at the 1958 Chicago Auto Show. Here it is shown on display:

The description follows: "Capitalizing on the popularity of the "Tales of Wells Fargo" television show, sponsor Buick exhibited the custom built 'Wells Fargo' convertible in Chicago. Based on the Roadmaster ragtop, the car was created for Dale Robertson, star of the TV series. Major exterior alteration was replacing the chrome trim on the rear fenders with walnut panels. Unique interior consisted of two-tone cowhide upholstery and floor covering. The doors were equipped with pistols in holsters, and in the back was a gun rack with rifles. Crowds were handed postcards featuring Robinson and his western themed Buick."

Stormy Weather

2011-04-30T06:14:00.004-05:00

The NOAA Prediction Map

On Wednesday, the National Weather Service warned that conditions were perfect for an extraordinary outbreak of tornadoes in the southeast. I saw the prediction map and realized that we were near the northern edge of the "highest risk" zone. I thought, "I'm glad we're not in the middle of that red zone. Since we're near the edge it's probably no big deal."

By about 2:00 PM it was obviously a bad weather day. Several tornadoes had touched down to the south and west of Huntsville, and Huntsville had been under a tornado watch or tornado warning much of the afternoon. I decided to go home and drove through several torrential downpours on the way there. Mary Ann was still in the gift shop and had a few die-hard customers. At around 5:00, she closed the shop and came in the house. We were glued to the TV, watching incredible live reports of literally dozens of tornadoes. It was unreal. And many were too close for comfort.

The locations of identified tornadoes from Wednesday's outbreak.
Our house is marked by the gold star on the upper part of the map.

At about 6:30, there was a report of one headed our way, so we went to our usual safe area (ha, ha) in the basement and hunkered down. At that point, we still had electricity. We have a battery powered radio and continued to listen to the local TV channel's audio. The wind and rain noises were awesome. Then the lights went out and we heard a crunching sound as a neighbor's large oak fell across the property line and came to rest against one end of our house.

Immediately, I thought the worst. I pictured a gaping hole in the roof and water pouring into the attic, splintered rafters and joists extending at all angles, drenched furnishings. Fortunately, I was mostly wrong.

As soon as the tornado danger had passed (it went well to the south of us) I got out our generator and got power run to our basement sump pump. Mary Ann has a lot of off-season inventory stored there and I wanted to prevent water damage. Then, we got a chance to survey our damage. It appeared that the tree mostly damaged the edge of the roof, crushing some rafter tails and obliterating some soffit, fascia, and gutters.

The scene that greeted us when we went outside after the storm had left

The power was out for about a day. In the meantime, I had a local tree man (and fortunately for us, a good friend) come over and cut enough of the tree to get the big parts off the house. That enabled the utility company to string new lines to the house and my shop. So by late Thursday night, we had lights, freezer power, air conditioning, stove and all!

We have counted our blessings over and over. As of yesterday, the death toll from this amazing storm system had grown to over 300. The families of those victims and the folks who have lost absolutely everything are the ones who need our prayers and help.

Springtime 2011...

2011-04-17T21:15:00.004-05:00

Things are really coming to life around the Ebabe's place. We both love this time of year.

Off to a Great Start...

2011-04-10T20:24:00.000-05:00

Emily Price at Bat

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending the first game of the season for the Ebabe's softball team. Mary Ann's gift shop sponsors this hard-working team of little girls. The coaches, Jason Jones and Stacey Price, put in countless hours working with the kids. Their hard work has resulted in two consecutive league championships.

At batting practice before the game, the team showed off their new uniforms and socks!

Everybody was on pins and needles yesterday before the game. They won it beautifully, with a score of 20-1. Bravo!

Memories of Glenn Pray...

2011-03-26T15:09:00.022-05:00

Glenn Pray at a recent gathering of the cars he built and loved (Image courtesy David Turner)

I lived in Norman, Oklahoma, from 1965 through 1972. I was into old cars. When I got my navy orders to go to Oklahoma to be a NROTC instructor, my 1932 Plymouth was my everyday car. So I did what any young, single, slightly crazy old car nut would do -- I drove my 33-year-old 4-cylinder Plymouth from New London, Connecticut to Norman, Oklahoma. I drove it another year as well before I retired it for a future restoration.

One of the legendary characters I got to know in Oklahoma through my interest in old cars was a gentleman named Glenn Pray, a resident of Broken Arrow, near Tulsa I learned today that he had passed away last Wednesday. The world has lost one of its most colorful characters. I'm humbled to have known him.

Glenn Pray built cars. That may not seem so unusual until you realize that he built modern versions of vintage cars in a former pickle factory. These cars sold for lots of money, and there was a long waiting period to get one -- they were quite exclusive. At the time I first met Mr. Pray, he was producing extremely high quality replicas of the 1936 Auburn boattail speedsters. They were magnificent.

The first generation Glenn Pray built Cord Model 8/10,
powered by a front-mounted Corvair engine

Previously, he had built a modestly downsized version of the Model 810 Cord convertible. It was 8/10 size so he called it the Model 8/10.

How he got into the car business reads like a fairy tale. As he related it to me, he was a school teacher with a wife and a couple of kids and he restored Cord automobiles and bought and sold them to supplement his teacher's salary. He often bought parts from Mr. Dallas Winslow, who had acquired the remnants of the Cord-Auburn-Duesenberg Company when it went into receivership in 1938. In the Spring of 1960, Glenn heard a rumor that someone was planning to buy the company from Mr. Winslow and he immediately became concerned. What might happen to his source of vintage parts?! He had hoped that maybe someday he himself might buy the inventory, but on his teacher's salary, he had never come up with the kind of money it would take.

He told me that he borrowed a few dollars from the teachers' petty cash fund and convinced a fellow teacher to go with him to Indiana to see about buying a car company. This friend had a 1956 Mark II Continental that had been badly wrecked on one side, but the other side looked pretty good. Glenn made an appointment to meet Mr. Winslow at a certain location, and he made sure to park the car with the "good side" toward the building. Mr. Winslow showed Glenn the remnants of the A-C-D Company -- hundreds of bins full of vintage parts. Glenn said that the universal joints needed to restore the front wheel drive of the Cords had become quite expensive and here he saw hundreds of them in a bin! After the tour, they discussed the price for a buyout (remember, Glenn doesn't have a pot to pee in) and agree on a price of $75,000!

The Cord production line in around 1963

Glenn and his friend dashed back to Tulsa to cover a check he wrote for a down payment. He convinced his teachers' credit union to give him a short-term loan. He had told Mr. Winslow that he needed a couple months to liquidate some assets to come up with the balance. Glenn told the bank that the owner had committed to financing half the deal. That somehow convinced the banker that this was an acceptable risk, so the bank loaned him nearly $40,000. He then went back to Dallas Winslow and asked him to to finance the balance. As Glenn related it to me, "Mr. Winslow figured if the bank would loan me that kind of money, I must be a pretty good risk!" Mr. Glenn Pray, school teacher and car enthusiast became the proud owner of the remaining assets of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Company. This included tons of parts as well as documents and trademarks and copyrights. Over the next several months, Glenn moved everything to Broken Arrow. During this time, I recall that he also took on a financial partner, a Chevrolet dealer from Illinois named Wayne McKinley.

Within a few years of acquiring the company, Mr. Pray designed (with the help of Mr. Gordon Buehrig, the designer of the original Cord model 810) a smaller version of the 1936 Cord Model 810. It was about 8/10 scale, so Glenn named it the Cord 8/10. Over the next couple of years (1964-1966), the company built close to 100 of the cars, powered by Corvair air cooled flat 6 engines and front wheel drive. That business got acquired by another firm that produced a version of these cars for a few more years.

One of Glenn Pray's beautiful Auburn Model 866 boattail speedsters

Glenn Pray then decided to build reproductions of the beautiful 1936 Model 852 Auburn boattail speedsters, using Ford running gear in a custom-built chassis based on Ford components. It was during this period that I first drove from Norman, Oklahoma to Broken Arrow and met Mr. Pray. Coincidentally, when I first met him, I was driving a 1956 Lincoln Continental Mark II, the same kind of car he had gone to Indiana in to buy his car company. That initiated our conversation about his acquisition of the company. He also took me into an area of his factory where he stored parts and proudly showed off a brand new set of 5 Mark II hubcaps that he owned but would not sell. These wheel covers were impossible to find in any condition and he had 5 brand new ones! I visited Glen several times over the next 3 or 4 years until I moved to the Mississippi gulf coast. He was always a terrific host.

A couple of years after I had moved to Mississippi, I ran into Glenn at the Kruse Brothers antique car auction in New Orleans. He was prospering, had a beautiful lady on his arm, and informed me that in addition to building Auburns, he had started collecting motorcycles and was going to start a motorcycle museum near the plant in Broken Arrow. Later that year, I saw him again in Hershey, Pennsylvania at the annual Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) National Fall Meet. He was making quite a splash, introducing a new, 4-door phaeton version of tha Auburn speedster. I would guess that it was around 1975 or 1976.

Few cars could compete with the sleek lines of the boattail speedster built by Auburn in 1935-36 and reproduced by Mr. Pray in the 1960s and -70s

At that same Hershey meet, I acquired an early airplane propeller in trade for an antique motorcycle. I did the deal sight unseen and had the propeller shipped to my home in Mississippi. I expected a nice wooden propeller that I could put a clock into and give to my brother as a Christmas gift. To my amazement, the propeller that arrived was over 12 feet long and weighed well over 100 pounds! It was a Wickwire Automatic airplane propeller from the mid 1920's. It was beautiful, gleaming in laminated wood and sparkling brass, but way too large for any wall hanging. I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. I attempted to determine its origins by contacting the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, the Air Force of the Confederacy, and the Experimental Aircraft Association. Each of them informed me that "Wickwire never built a propeller that large." I knew that they had because I was looking at it!

The following year, I ran into Glenn Pray at the New Orleans auction again (with a different beautiful lady on his arm). I asked about the progress on his motorcyle museum. He informed me that he had decided not to pursue that because "everybody's into motorcycles." Instead, Glenn informed me that he had started collecting vintage airplanes and was thinking of starting an aircraft museum. I immediately told him about my propeller.

The Mark II hubcap

I traded the propeller in an even trade for the five Mark II hubcaps, and I even talked Glenn into paying the shipping on both items! I was thrilled and I think he was happy. He told me in a later conversation that he had tracked down the history of the strange propeller. It was a spare propeller made for an experimental army bomber that crashed in testing at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. He had acquired the wreckage and was attempting a restoration. That sounded so typical of the Glenn Pray I knew. A lot of people will miss him.

Our Hope for the Future...

2011-03-20T11:00:00.008-05:00

The President meets with the finalists of the 2011 Intel Science Talent Search in the East Room

The other evening, while watching the news, I learned of the winners of the Intel Science Talent Search. They were a very impressive group of young scientists and engineers about to embark on what we all hope will be rewarding and fulfilling careers. And I think there's a second hope that we and our nation will benefit from their talent and hard work.

The Intel Science Talent Search is a cooperative effort between the Intel Corporation and the Society for Science and the Public (SSP). According to the SSP Website, "The Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS) is the nation’s most prestigious science research competition for high school seniors. Since 1942, first in partnership with Westinghouse and beginning in 1998 with Intel, SSP has provided a national stage for the country's best and brightest young scientists to present original research to nationally recognized professional scientists.” In 1957-58, I not only had the opportunity to participate in the Westinghouse Science Talent Search; I became a semifinalist. How that happened is interesting.

The Gilbert Atomic Energy Lab (1951)

I have always had an interest in science. In the early 1950's, I begged for the A.C. Gilbert Atomic Energy Lab as a Christmas present, and I received it, probably in 1951. I described that event in this blog in 2007. That single gift had a profound impact on my life. It introduced me to a world of subatomic physics in much more accessible, tangible way than I had ever experienced through reading about it.

The centerpiece of the Atomic Energy Lab was its Wilson Cloud Chamber. This is a device that enables its user to see the tracks of subatomic particles as they are being emitted from a radioactive source. These tiny particles leave a path of electrical charge as they move through a medium such as air. The Wilson Cloud Chamber causes condensation to take place on the charged atoms left along the path of the subatomic particle. The first time I saw that wisp if vapor, a tiny filament of smoke, I was hooked. I wanted to be an atomic scientist. Suddenly, I could see a phenomenon that supported the theories.

A few years later I attended Mont Pleasant High School in my home town of Schenectady, New York. This was one of three so-called "technical" high schools in the state. It had a curriculum available that concentrated on science and math to a greater degree than other schools and it had the faculty to support the program. I was fortunate to cross paths with an earth science teacher named Donald B. Stone, a co-author of the leading earth science text at the time.

Mr. Stone was thoroughly acquainted with the Westinghouse Science Talent Search and introduced me to it. He fervently encouraged me to enter the competition and said he would assist me in any way he could. I agreed to enter and informed Mr. Stone that I wanted to develop a state-of-the-art Wilson Cloud Chamber. I had in mind a chamber with every variable I could think of, one in which I could vary the volume of the chamber, the gas used in it, the type and timing of the lighting, the pressures involved, etc. Mr. Stone agreed that this would be an appropriate and challenging subject for research.

At that time, our school system had established a cooperative program with the General Electric Research Lab (located in Schenectady) to assist and encourage promising students in science and math. GE would provide mentors from their "faculty" of scientists and engineers to guide high school students who wanted to conduct independent research. Through Mr. Stone's endorsement, I found myself being helped by a General Electric scientist, Dr. Donald H. Miller, in the pursuit of an award from Westinghouse Corporation, one of GE's major competitors!

An image created in a bubble chamber

Dr. Miller was a leading researcher in the field of bubble chambers which were devices that succeeded the cloud chambers and were then the latest in research instruments for studying subatomic particles. He had successfully built a number of liquid hydrogen bubble chambers used for research into the origins of subatomic particles such as the recently discovered Pi- and Mu Mesons. He encouraged me to abandon the idea of the super sophisticated Wilson Cloud Chamber. In lieu of that project, he suggested that I try to build a liquid freon bubble chamber, something that had not been successfully done. I took his advice and began the design of such a device. Under Dr. Miller's guidance I learned a great deal about freon, the phases of organic compound gases, pressure-temperature-state diagrams, and other ideas I had never previously encountered.

A few months later, the deadline for research submittals approached. Although I had not yet completed the bubble chamber to the point where it could be tested, I documented my research and design, as well as the extent of completion of the project. This is what I submitted to the competition. I did not expect to do well because the whole process had taken months longer than I ever expected and I had no evidence that my design would work.

I waited for a couple of anxious months. No one was more surprised than I when I was notified that I had been selected as a semi-finalist. Out of 40,000 entries, my project was one of 200 semi-final competitors. I was not down selected into the final pool of 100. Those people got to go to Washington DC, all expenses paid, and got to meet President Eisenhower in person!

There was an unexpected result of all this. I began to receive unsolicited scholarship offers from colleges and universities all over the country and Canada. These were schools I hadn't even applied to! I never followed up because I had already decided where I wanted to go to school.

I am still grateful to all those who made this experience possible -- my grandmother for the gift of the Atomic Energy Lab, Mr. Stone for his insight and encouragement, Dr. Miller for guiding me toward the most current technology at the time, and all the teachers who had guided and encouraged me up to that point in my education. I count myself as very blessed by encounters completely out of my control. What a great adventure!

Food that Looks Back at You...

2011-03-16T19:49:00.002-05:00

The THAIPilin as seen from outside

Tonight I ate at a Thai restaurant. I am on a business trip in the Washington, DC area. I thought it might be fun to try an ethnic restaurant and ran across this little place, THAIPilin, close to my motel. I started with a wonderful cucumber salad with a spicy-sweet sauce -- outstanding!

The fabulous cucumber salad!

Thinking it would be filets, I ordered the tilapia entrée. It was delicious, but not the filets I expected!

Here's lookin' at you!!!

Wonderful Design...

2011-03-06T10:28:00.000-06:00

I absolutely love this design!

This steampunk Personal Computer is called Telecalculograph Mk II and is built by steampunk artist Jake Hildebrand. The Telecalculograph Mk II is actually a cutting edge PC and is being given away to promote the new steampunk Damnation game. The damnation steampunk PC can be yours for free, all you have to do is create some sort of media like video, artwork etc. to show your love for steampunk designs.

Pursuit of Persistent Rumors, Part 2...

2011-03-05T09:23:00.006-06:00

The Nadji participates in an ocean race in 1930
Photo courtesy of the Mystic Seaport's Rosenfeld Photographic Collection

I spent most of the 1970's on the Mississippi Gulf coast, while working at the Litton shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi. I joined the local car clubs and was active in the Lincoln Zephyr Owners Club as well. From the time I arrived on the gulf coast, whenever the car conversation turned to my 1948 Lincoln Continental, I heard rumors of a Lincoln V-12 engine powering a sailboat "somewhere on the coast." I followed up one day by going along the waterfront in Pascagoula asking the shrimp boat crews if they knew of such a boat. I actually found one crewman who directed me to some bayou on the Pascagoula River in the Moss Point/Escatawpa area. I pursued this lead to no avail. I found a pier but no boat.

Not long after this adventure, I saw an ad in the local paper - "1941 Lincoln V-12 Marine Conversion Engine, extra V-12 parts, extra V-12 engine. Make offer." I figured it had to be the same engine I had been pursuing. I called the number listed in the ad and was given directions to the same bayou I had already visited!

A Seawanhaka Schooner's hull receives its coats of paint
in the boatyard of the Bath Iron Works in the 1920's

Tied up at the pier was a very large vessel. It turned out to be the Nadji, a 60-foot staysail schooner of the Cox & Stevens designed Seawanhaka class. There had been 16 of these boats built in the mid-1920's at the Bath Iron Works in Maine (although they were wooden vessels). Remarkably, I was told by the owner, 12 were still afloat some 50 years later!

The Nadji had been provided with a Kermath Sea-Zephyr propulsion system in 1941. This was a marine conversion of the Lincoln-Zephyr V-12 automobile engine. The conversions were done by the Kermath Marine Engine company of Detroit. The owner was in the process of converting this vessel from the Kermath powerplant to a more modest (and vastly more efficient) Volvo diesel system. I made a modest offer and had to assist the owner in removing some remaining parts of the original installation, but I got the engines and parts. I apparently was the only respondent to his ad.

Today, the only surviving Seawanhaka class vessel,
renamed the Seawanhaka, is circumnavigating the globe

The engine was coupled to an enormous "Upton Reverse and Reduction Gear, Model VUD" hydraulic transmission. The whole rig weighed over 1,200 pounds! The owner advised me that the engine had burned fuel at a rate of 1-1/2 gallons per mile when propelling this 60,000 lb. vessel. He also said it performed flawlessly to the end.

An early Kermath advertiseent

As I understood his story, he had crewed on this ship as a youngster while it belonged to someone at the Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans. It went to the bottom alongside the pier during hurricane Betsy in 1965. The New Orleans owner had then contacted the man I met and told him that the boat was his for the taking if he chose to salvage it. The latter owner had refloated the boat and moved it to the Pascagoula area where he had been restoring it for many years.

I later heard that the Nadji had left for South America to be used as a Christian missionary vessel. I had intended to convert the engine back to an automotive use, but decided it was too rare an item to use in that way. I sold the engine and transmission to a marine engine collector in Canada. I still have some of the many V-12 parts that came as part of the deal!

Circus Time...

2011-03-04T06:30:00.001-06:00

Mary Ann and I went to the circus this week along with about fifty other church friends. We had a stupendous time. The circus' Facebook page says it all...

"Ladies and Gentlemen... children of all ages... the greatest show on Earth just got greater with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents Barnum's FUNundrum! Featuring 130 performers from six continents, almost 100,000 pounds of performing pachyderms, cowboys, pirates, and mermaids, Barnum's FUNundrum! is a super-sized spectacle so massive you just can't miss it!

The monumental, once-in-a-lifetime event celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of the legendary P.T. Barnum, the Greatest Showman on Earth! and can only be experienced at The Greatest Show on Earth, Barnum's living legacy!

Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iversion invites the audience to leap aboard the Ringling Bros. Express and go on a family FUNtastic adventure to meet exotic characters and witness thrilling performances that attempt to answer Barnum's FUNundrum! "What special wonders create The Greatest Show on Earth?"

Step right up and see the Flying Caceres attempt to complete the elusive quadruple somersault on the flying trapeze; a feat that hasn't been mastered in over three decades. Watch the Puyang Troupe from China dazzle with a stunning display of dexterity as they bounce, flip, and twirl to new heights on a two tiered trampoline. Be amazed as you witness the impossible contortions of the body benders who fit three humans in a cube the size of a milk crate. Enjoy the wondrous ability of the Mighty Meetal, the strongest man in the world as he lifts over 1,200 pounds. And savor the stupendous skills of the hand balancers featuring Duo Fusion, a married pair of performers with a twist; the wife does the heavy lifting.

The thrills continue as you cast your eyes above at the Sky High Ice Gliders who take the high wire to new extremes and in new directions, from horizontal to nearly vertical, combining intricate acrobatic skills and extreme agility as they execute flips, perform splits, and even walk while balancing their partners on their head. Rev up the energy as the Torres Family blasts around inside a 16-foot diameter steel globe with seven motorcycles at speeds up to 65-miles an hour with only inches to spare between them in The Spherical Miracle.

In addition to treasured Asian elephants, the most of any circus in North America, Barnum's FUNundrum! features a dazzling array of exotic animals you cannot see together anywhere else including horses, ponies, llamas, Pygmy and Nubian goats, tigers and even a rare Watusi.

So get your ticket today and hop on board the Ringling Bros. Express at Barnum's FUNundrum! for an un-miss-able, colossal, historic extravaganza."

This was the first Ringling Brother show I've seen in probably 40 years. Highly recommended!

Pursuit of Persistent Rumors, Part 1...

2011-02-20T18:24:00.002-06:00

In the 1950s, there were still a lot of small-town Ford dealers.

I was working on the Taj-ma-dog yesterday with my friend Monty Love. I was reminded of two separate times in my life when I was involved in following up on some persistent rumor and the result was surprising and rewarding. This is the story of one of those times.

The 1930 Model A Sport Coupe

It was 1956. My brother Bill had been invited to leave the University of Michigan at the beginning of his senior year. He had returned home in disgrace. He had decided to paint houses while he figured out what to do with his life. I often worked with Willy on weekends and during the summer to help him in his painting business. We conducted business out of a 1930 Ford Model A Sport Coupe. When we had to transport ladders, we opened the rumble seat and slid the ladders into the space in front of the rumble seat cushion with the ladders extending skyward. We were true professionals, but Willy was earning a decent living under the circumstances. (Unbeknown to my parents, he had submitted an application for the Navy's Naval Air Cadet Program, and his selection to that program would bring his Model A-based painting career to a close).

Both Willy and I had a love for and interest in old cars. We had been active in the Model A Restorer's Club as well as the Automobilists of the Upper Hudson Valley, a local but very active car club. At several car meets, we had run across rumors of an alleged low-mileage 1930-something Ford stored somewhere near Northville, New York. We decided after hearing about this rumored car for about the third or fourth time that we might go searching for it. At the very least, it might be a fun chase and we might meet some interesting people.

One Saturday, we headed for Northville, some 40 miles from our home. We went to a small Ford dealer. I don't remember if it was actually in Northville, or in a nearby town, but it was a very small dealership. My recollection is that it was next door to a hardware store and that the two businesses were related. We spoke to a man and asked if we could look through their records of service provided in 1935-1938. The man laughed at our ambition, but allowed us to look in several very dusty file cabinets that were nearly twenty years old. We searched through folder after folder of records of maintenance service, overhauls, and wreck repairs Remember that in the 1930s, it wasn't unusual to do a "ring and valve job" on a car after 30 or 40,000 miles. After several hours of poring through these old records, we hit paydirt. There was a record of a service call on which the dealership had put a car on blocks, removed its wheels and drained its fuel, and preserved the interior with moth balls!

The gentleman informed us that the person for whom the work was done was still a customer, but was quite elderly. He had bought several pickup trucks from the Ford dealer over the years. We got directions to the man's house and proceeded to the rural address, a small dairy farm.

The beautiful 1934 Fordor Sedan

Willy knocked on the door. An elderly man answered. We asked about the legendary car in storage. The man informed hat it was his and that it was still on blocks where it had been put in 1936! Would he sell it? Yes. But he would take no less than $735 and would accept cash only! We proceeded to a barn where we beheld the car, which displayed barely over 10,000 miles on its odometer. He informed us that he had bought the car for his daughter in 1934 when he was 65 years old. She was a nurse. He promised to take good care of her if she would care for him in his old age and remain single. In 1936, she got married and moved out. He took back the car and put it in storage.

Fortunately, the man honored his word. We drove back home in the Model A, where Bill retrieved $735. We went back to Northville and bought the car.

The 1934 Ford flathead V-8 engine

After putting a battery in the car, replacing the fuel pump diaphragm, and putting gas and coolant in it, it started perfectly. We unwrapped the Goodyear diamond-tread tires, and remounted the wheels. We removed the blocks under the car and Bill proudly drove it out of its time capsule. The little V-8 purred. This gorgeous car became Willy's everyday transportation. A couple of days after we retrieved it, we did a "Cadillac Blue Coral" wax job on it. It absolutely glistened.

Within a few months, Bill was accepted into the Naval Air Cadet program. He drove the little Ford to Florida to begin his aviation training. That's a subject for another entry...

Food, At Last...

2011-02-17T04:28:00.002-06:00

It's been quite a while since I wrote about food. This week I happen to be in the Washington, DC area. I'm working with two colleagues, Bob Grow and Carol Kelly, both of whom are rather adventurous about trying new places to eat. As you may know, I'm all in favor of that.

Zeffirelli's Famous Veal Chop

On Tuesday night, we went to a small Italian restaurant in Herndon named Zeffirelli's. Bob had been there before. Their specialty is a center cut veal chop that is marinated, then braised, then finished in the oven. Bob got that. Carol enjoyed a rockfish dish that looked wonderful. I started with the Insalata di Finnochio described as, "Shaved Fennel Salad with Goat Cheese, Walnuts and Truffle Oil." Spectacular!
My main course was the Tortellacci Alassio. This is, "Homemade Tortellacci filled with braised veal and beef, served with a reduction of Veal sauce and sage." It, too, was absolutely wonderful.

Last night we found ourselves with some other colleagues at Tuscarora Mill in Leesburg. The atmosphere was really fun, surrounded by a large 19th century mill with its massive oak timbers and remnants of old machinery. I had a delicious corn chowder followed by a Thai Scallop Pasta. This consisted of braised scallops served with glass noodles, lump crabmeat, and stir-fried vegetables in a Thai basil-lemongrass-tomato sauce. I would probably order it again, although the menu was wonderfully varied and I might have to try something else.

I would highly recommend either of these restaurants.

The Challenger Connection...

2011-01-30T07:34:00.005-06:00

We have commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Challenger disaster. I find it remarkable how vividly our memories can preserve those dreadful moments when pivotal disasters are thrust upon us. On that morning, a coworker of mine, Lodean Scoble, ran into my cubicle and shouted, "The shuttle just blew up!" The only TV in our building was a small black-and-white TV in the basement kitchen. By the time I got downstairs, the room was packed. We watched in horror as they replayed the images over and over as if maybe the next time there'd be a different outcome. It never changed. Seven heroes of the space race had died.

As the investigation into the disaster unfolded, the evidence pointed to a failure of the O-rings in a joint of one of the solid rocket boosters (SRBs). That had a strong connection to Huntsville, since the SRB program was managed at our own Marshall Space Flight Center. The manager of that program was Larry Mulloy. In a long telephone conference the previous night, engineers and managers from Thiokol, mission operations, and the NASA Program Office had hotly debated the safety of a cold weather launch, specifically as the temperature might affect the performance of the O-rings on the solid rocket boosters. Overnight temperatures were expected to dip into single digits. There was no previous experience with these conditions, but some Thiokol engineers saw a disaster in the making. There was a redesign effort in progress on the O-ring design. Low temperature performance was the issue. This issue had been the subject of engineering analysis for a couple of years. It was well known to both the contractor and NASA personnel.

To complicate matters, NASA had sold the shuttle program to congress on the basis of its ability to sustain 24 launches per year. They were a long way from approaching that goal, having launched 5 times in 1984 and 9 times in 1985. There had already been four delays in the launch date of STS-51-L. Consequently, there was enormous pressure to launch. And so, when Thiokol engineers recommended against launching on 28 January 1986, Larry Mulloy overruled that recommendation. He was reported to have said, "My god, Thiokol, when do you want me to launch, next April?" This decision was probably the worst lapse of good judgement in Mulloy's career. We all know the results.

At the formal inquiry convened by President Reagan, the so-called Rogers Commission, Mulloy was a key witness. Yet under repeated interrogation, he never apologized for his decision or admitted any error. He appeared arrogant and defensive. He said that given the same facts he would make the same decision again. The inquiry board was not kind to Mr. Mulloy in their final report. He soon took an early retirement from NASA.

For a while, Larry Mulloy was known to be looking for work around Huntsville. He was a free agent for many months, shunned by many within the local engineering community. At the time, I was working for John M. Cockerham and Associates, a small Huntsville consulting firm. Mr. Cockerham started having discussions with Larry Mulloy about hiring him. After all, John reasoned, you don't rise to the top engineering echelons of NASA by being stupid. And after a few weeks of discussions and negotiations, Cockerham hired Larry Mulloy as a Vice President and General Manager.

I was in the new organization that Mulloy headed up. I worked for him for the next couple of years. We did a lot of work together, largely on NASA contracts. We never discussed the Challenger.

The Other Declaration of Independence...

2011-01-25T16:52:00.003-06:00

The Bronck House Today

On May 17, 1775, more than a year before the Continental Congress signing in 1776, the inhabitants of Coxsackie, New York, signed a Declaration of Independence. They gathered at the Bronck House, a homestead built in 1663, now the oldest structure still standing in upstate New York. There are 225 signers, most of them Dutch freeholders from the Coxsackie District of the Colony of New York. The Declaration was found in the 1920's in an attic at Albany, New York by Mr. John M. Clark, then president of the Albany Institute and History and Art Society, who presented it to the Institution, where it remains. The document was pronounced authentic by Dr. Sullivan and Dr. Wyer, who served, respectively, as State Historian and State Librarian at that time, and by the State Archivist.

The Declaration

Persuaded that the Salvation of the Rights and Liberties of America, depends, under God, on the firm union of its Inhabitants, in a vigorous prosecution of the Measures necessary for its Safety, and convinced of the Necessity of preventing the Anarchy and confusion which attend the Dissolution of the Powers of Government:

THAT the Freeholders and Inhabitants of Coxsackie District, in the County of Albany, being greatly alarmed at the avowed Design of the Ministry to raise a Revenue in America, are shocked by the bloody Scene acting in the Massachusetts Bay; Do in the most solemn manner, resolve never to become Slaves; and do also associate under the Ties of Religion, Honor and Love of our Country to adopt and endeavor to carry into Execution whatever Measures may be rendered by our Continental Congress, or resolved upon by our Provincial Convention for the purpose of preserving our Constitution and opposing the Execution of several arbitrary and oppressive Acts of the British Parliament, until a reconciliation between Great Britain and America or constitutional principles (which we most ardently desire) can be obtained; and that we will, in all Things, follow the advice of our general Committee, respecting the purpose aforesaid, the preservation of Peace and good Order, and the Safety of Individuals and private property.

Dated at Coxsackie the Seventeenth of May in the Year of our Lord, One Thousand seven hundred and seventy five. (signed by 225 citizens of Coxsackie - only 211 still legible)

I am proud to note that I am the direct descendent of two of the signers of this Declaration, Martin Hallenbeck and Abraham Hallenbeck. You can see the family connection by clicking here.

The Mafia Connection

2011-01-20T15:46:00.009-06:00

I saw in today's news that the FBI had rounded up more than 100 alleged Mafiosi. My thoughts instantly went to our local Mafia representative when I was growing up, Mr. Paul "Legs" DiCocco.

In the 1960's, I was engaged to Laurie Maxon, a young lady from Schenectady whose parents were the next door neighbors to Mr. DiCocco and his family. Laurie's stepfather, Elmore Melander, was a cultivator of prize-winning gladiolus flowers. His gladiolus beds were located along the property line with the DiCocco residence. We would kid El by telling him to be careful where he planted his flowers lest he trespass on the DiCocco property and we find him at the bottom of the Mohawk River.

According to Wikipedia, "Paul "Legs" DiCocco, Sr. was an Upstate New York racketeer and associate of mobster Carmine Galante who was involved in illegal gambling.

A longtime gambler with numerous minor convictions for illegal gambling, DiCocco was connected to New York's underworld. He also controlled racketeering and other criminal activities with Carmine Galante in Montreal, Quebec. DiCocco also had contacts in New York's labor unions; he and Nicholas Robilotto, President of Teamsters Local #294 in Albany, New York were eventually investigated for conspiring to underbid rival construction companies. DiCocco owned a luncheonette with his brother that was renowned for its Italian cuisine.

In 1951, DiCocco was investigated by a grand jury on charges of corruption and illegal gambling in Schenectady County, New York. This investigation resulted from allegations that Schenectady Police Chief Joseph A. Peters fixed a traffic ticket for DiCocco. Peters denied the charge, but was eventually forced to resign. Receiving a subpoena from Mayor Samuel S. Stratton, DiCocco appeared before a City Hall investigation on his supposed ties to organized crime. During a half hour period, DiCocco pled the Fourth and Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitutions to the U.S. Constitution over 76 times.

In 1977, DiCocco was indicted on contempt and perjury charges. Shortly after his first trial ended in a hung jury, DiCocco accepted a plea bargain to obstructing governmental administration and contempt. DiCocco received three years probation and a $1,000 fine. In 1985, DiCocco pled guilty to felony coercion charges. He had been trying to stop a Massachusetts-based gambling operation from expanding into five New York counties.

In 1989, DiCocco was released from probation due to bad health. On July 30, 1989, Paul DiCocco Sr. died after a heart transplant operation. His son, Paul A. DiCocco, Jr. is a driver for actor Tom Hanks."

According to his obituary in the Albany Times-Union, "He acquired the nickname "Legs" as a young boy because of his speed as a runner, basically a gofer, for gamblers playing in card and crap games. Later his "legs" carried him as a numbers runner for Schenectady bookmakers."

A Picture from the Distant Past...

2011-01-18T09:16:00.005-06:00

My sister Ann was 1 year and 2 days older than me. She and I were often mistaken for twins when we were little. We both attended Mont Pleasant High School in Schenectady, where we both took three years of Latin (wasn't it a prerequisite of a college prep curriculum back then??). And of course, if you were enrolled in Latin, you were almost automatically in Miss Brakebill's Latin Club. Once a year, the Latin Club came to school dressed in Roman attire. My sister tragically passed away in 1965.

Recently, while surfing the Web, I ran across a site that had been created by Annie's high school class for their 50th reunion. I was looking through some pictures on their Web site to see if I'd recognize anyone, when I ran across this image of the "MPHS Latin Club" contributed by Mary Corrado. My sister is the person on the right side of the picture in the front row with the trim on the edges of her toga.

I still miss her. She was a great gal.

Benny and Theresa's

2011-01-16T21:14:00.002-06:00

BL's Restaurant is now called BL's Tavern, but is
still in business at the same location as 50 years ago!

In New York state in the 1950's, the legal drinking age was 18. That meant that I could legally drink the last few months of my senior year in high school. The following summer, my friend Hal Johnson and I decided to try to find the sleaziest bar in our home town of Schenectady, New York. I don't recall that we had any specific guidelines; I think we thought we'd know it when we saw it.

We decided that there were some prime areas in which to look -- upper Albany Street, certain parts of Mont Pleasant, parts of Broadway, and Front Street were some that I remember. Each night, we'd go to a couple of bars to have a couple ten cent drafts, known as "dimies." After a couple of weeks of this research, we were covering the bars on Front Street, a street that paralleled the Mohawk River. That night, we discovered "BL's Restaurant" at the corner of Front Street and John Street.

BL's never qualified as a sleazy bar, but the wonderful people that frequented the place became some of our best friends. Hal and I would spend many nights at this tavern throughout our college years.

BL's took its name from Benny Lenciewicz, the proprietor. Benny, along with his wife Theresa, maintained a clean, friendly establishment. Profanity or antisocial behavior were simply not allowed. Theresa kept a baseball bat behind the bar and made it clear that in spite of her diminutive size, she would not be afraid to use it. Benny and Theresa lived on the second floor of the building that housed the bar. Some biographical notes about the inhabitants of BLs might be of interest:

Benny was almost certainly an alcoholic, but was only a binge drinker. He would disappear for a few weeks at a time, during which Theresa would run the place by herself. Benny loved to gamble on the horses and maintained file cabinets full of data on jockeys, horses, trainers, stables, and the races themselves. He claimed to make money on the races and I believe he did. When he would go on one of his excursions, he would often return with substantial money that he claimed he made at Saratoga, Aqueduct, or some other racetrack.

Theresa was the former Theresa Barone. She was an absolutely wonderful lady, and totally devoted to Benny. She was a very hard worker and never touched a drop of alcohol to my knowledge. Her brother Tony had been a boxer in his earlier years and he occasionally stopped by the bar.

Schmiggy (last name unknown) was a sweeper at the General Electric Company. He was marginally retarded, but was a delightful individual. He could be found at BL's every evening.

Pops (last name unknown) was a produce wholesale merchant. He was in his sixties and lived with and cared for his mother, who was in her nineties. I don't believe Pops had ever been married. Every evening, he would stop at BL's on his way home from work, usually around 9:00 PM. He always had one drink -- a cup of black coffee laced with peppermint schnapps. Benny and Theresa had a ritual of harassment that they perpetrated on Pops. They would start reading obituary notices of people that were Pops' age. Theresa might start, "Say, Benny, did you see that Mary Battaglione passed away? It's here in the Gazette. What a tragedy. She was only 63 years old. Just dropped dead with no warning." At this point, Pops would start to protest.

Curtis was a gentleman of color who usually dropped by at least three or four times a week. He was a laborer at the GE plant but was quite interested in the stock market. He frequently gave out unsolicited advice: "You boys need to invest in alumington. It's the metal of the future!"

One evening, Hal and I took our mothers on a date to BL's. Benny and Theresa even put a tablecloth on one of the booths in the back room. Benny cooked steaks and baked potatoes and even made a salad. It was quite the occasion!

I have only the fondest memories of this place that we found purely by accident. I think it taught me that good, wholesome, kind and gentle people may be found in the most unexpected places.

Breakfast of Champions!

2011-01-10T12:08:00.002-06:00

In response to the blizzard conditions outside, we had a huge skillet of hash browns for breakfast, served with toast and a delicious peach preserve that one of Mary Ann's customers gave her. Isn't it great to have customers who are so considerate and thoughtful? It was a very satisfying breakfast on a very wintry day.

Here We Go Again...

2011-01-10T11:53:00.001-06:00

Last night we had what the weather people call a "significant snow event." It started snowing fairly hard around 7:00 PM and was still going strong at midnight. When we woke up this morning, we had about 9 inches. That's really rare around here. Our average annual snowfall is around 2-1/2". Nobody but the essential service people went to work. In fact, our trash collection service, who never miss work, didn't make it today. It's quite an adventure!

♫♫♫...And Happy Birthday to You, Mary Ann!!!

2010-12-25T12:59:00.005-06:00

At our house, after 12:00 noon on Christmas day, Jesus takes a back seat to Mary Ann, birthday-wise.

♫♫♫...On Christmas Day in the Morning!

2010-12-25T07:21:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas to all!!!

The House I Grew Up In

2010-12-20T07:54:00.003-06:00

The Devenpeck House as it appears today in Google Maps' street view. There used to be a large porte-cochère on the right side that was severely damaged in an ice and snow storm in the 1960's and had to be removed.

My father, Harold Richard Mead, was a dentist. As was a common practice in the first half of the 20th century, his offices were in our house. In fact our neighborhood, commonly called "upper Union Street" in Schenectady, was full of residences in which doctors and dentists maintained their practices. The house in which I was raised has an interesting history. And the way in which my parents became the owners is also worth telling.

Our home was built by Lucas Devenpeck at what was then 901 Union Street. Mr. Devenpeck was a prominent citizen who owned a coal merchandising company. The home, completed in 1904, was built by the Hanrahan Brothers' construction firm. I met one of the Hanrahan brothers in the 1950's and he told me that the firm built the Devenpeck house to be a shining example of what their firm could achieve. It was built of rare, glazed "Roman brick" and was the first private residence in Schenectady to incorporate steel support beams in its construction. It had five operational fireplaces, each of which was spectacular in its own right. The one in my parents' bedroom was surrounded by hand painted Dutch Delft tiles. The fireplace in the entryway (which served as my father's waiting room) was flanked by two sculpted plaster lions' heads. The woodwork in the house was equally stunning, with beamed ceilings of oak and cherry and matching wainscot, all hand made and finished like fine furniture.

Mr. Devenpeck left the home to Union College when he passed away. In 1936, the college auctioned the home. My father's practice was located at 619 Union Street. My mother was expecting her first child and this house looked like the perfect candidate for locating a dental practice and raising a family. My parents submitted an offer in the sealed-bid auction. They were soon notified that their bid was the second highest and that the high bidder was a local physician. Soon, however, they were told that the high bidder had withdrawn his offer because he had decided to move to Europe. My parents were thus the highest bidders.

The Schenectady Gazette described the transaction on February 4, 1937: “Dr. Harold R. Mead, dentist, of 619 Union Street, has purchased the Devenpeck property at Unlon and Gillespie streets from the trustees of Union College. The sale was made through the office of E. J. Ryon and Son, local realtors. Dr. Mead and family will move into their new home within the next 10 days. A. H. Ryon is authority for the statement that this is one of the finest built homes in Schenectady. The dwelling was constructed about 33 years ago under particular-specifications and only the finest of materials were used. Dr. Mead will continue his practice of dentistry at his present location, 619 Union Street.”

My father had his practice in our home until he sold the building in 1960. Since that time it has served as a business location, first for a realty company, then as an orthopedic center, and then as a child care consultancy. Our family was the last to use the building as a private residence.

I have identified the Devenpeck house in the Wikimapia site.

The Dog House has Heat!

2010-12-19T18:03:00.001-06:00

With the addition of the ceiling, we're able to heat the Tajmadog

Last week we had several days during which the morning low was around 15 degrees. I felt sorry for Sheila and Goldie because I didn't yet have a ceiling in the Tajmadog so the wind howled through it even with the doors closed. Well, that situation has ended. Yesterday, Monty Love came up again and we installed R-19 insulation above the ceiling and then put up 1/2" plywood. This closes in the building, even though I haven't quite finished insulating the walls and installing the wallboard. I can do most of that myself, but I definitely needed help to get the ceiling up. Goldie and Sheila approve. And last night, I ran a small "dairy heater" and kept the dog house at about 60 degrees. This is major progress...

Goldie is nearly as large as Sheila!

Great Moments in Automotive History

2010-12-10T11:25:00.006-06:00

The same 1932 Plymouth about 40 years later!

In August 1965, I drove my 1932 Plymouth coupe from New London, Connecticut, to Norman, Oklahoma, to report to my new duty station. I had been given orders to report to the Naval ROTC unit at the University of Oklahoma. To make the trip even more interesting, I had to go by way of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where I attended a two-week-long training session at Marquette University.

I decided to stay on secondary roads as much as possible, partly because the little Plymouth could only sustain about 55 miles per hour comfortably, and partly because I wanted to experience the old Route 66 as it would have been experienced in the 1930's. Some people accuse me of being a nostalgia buff.

On a hot August afternoon, I cruised into Claremore, Oklahoma, in need of gas. After passing a sign that informed me that I had arrived in Claremore, the birthplace of Will Rogers, I pulled into a Gulf station. An elderly gentleman came out into the hot sun and asked if I wanted a fill-up. I told him I did and asked him to check the oil and water as well. This was, after all, a time of full-service filling stations.

As the man was filling the gas tank, he noticed the New York license plates on my car. "Did you drive this car all the way from New York?" he asked. I told him that I had actually started in Connecticut, driven to New York, then to Milwaukee, and was now on my way to Norman. He looked at me in disbelief.

"This is your day to get a free tank of gas," he said. I looked at him curiously. "Any damn fool that would drive a car this old on a trip that long gets a free tank of gas!" was his response. Then he proceeded to check the oil and water. And he really wouldn't take payment for the gas!

Major Progress on the Taj-ma-dog!!

2010-11-27T16:32:00.003-06:00

Today, my friend Monty Love came up to help me put the vinyl siding on the dog house. It's really starting to look good. After I took this picture, we put a doggy door in the entrance door that opens to the porch. The wiring is completely finished, which makes it convenient when we're using power tools. I hope to continue with the siding tomorrow...
And here's the result of Sunday's effort:

Great Holiday Snack Idea! (So simple, an engineer can make it!)

2010-11-27T06:10:00.000-06:00

I made this turkey-cranberry roll-up snack for the gift shop on Friday and again today. Mary Ann and I saw the idea on TV. They are easy to make and delicious! The recipe is here. Enjoy...

Host of Christmas Past -- 2010

2010-11-12T08:01:00.001-06:00

This weekend, Fayetteville again hosted its annual "Host of Christmas Past." This is a street festival held on and around our courthouse square to promote shopping in Fayetteville. We have lots of boutique shops. Mary Ann is involved with Fayetteville Main Street, the organization that sponsors the event. Even though we are not "on the square," Ebabe's Gifts has a good turnout on the day of the celebration. The "Host" celebration includes music, drama, free movies in our art deco theater, and lots of food vendors. It also includes yours truly as a Town Crier. Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment:

Autumn at Ebabe's...

2010-10-27T10:53:00.000-05:00

With the last cool front to pass through, I believe Fall has fallen.

Drunken Punkin...

2010-10-26T10:32:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of Mr. Sponsorpants...

Congratulations to Tom and Sarah

2010-10-06T17:00:00.001-05:00

Sarah and Tom Wood are proud new parents. Sarah is my Godchild, so I guess that makes me a Godgrampa. How cool is that? John Patrick Wood arrived - all 7 pounds, 11 ounces of him - at 6:51 AM on October 6th. What a great day! Congratulations to Jim and Sheila and Tom's parents and all the new aunts and uncles as well. God bless you all!

Ebabe's Celebration...

2010-09-27T10:52:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, 25 September, Ebabe's Gifts celebrated their 2nd annual Customer Appreciation Day. We set up tents in anticipation of the predicted bad weather. It rained all morning and Bob got drenched making final arrangements of tables, coolers, power cords, chairs, etc. But the weather cleared just in time for the appearance of Les Copeland and John Tidball, AKA The Rocket Men, who played and sang until around 1:30 PM. Then it was time for Microwave Dave and the Nukes to entertain until 4:00 PM. The crowds weren't great because of weather and ball games, but those who stayed seemed to enjoy themselves.

Where Do Old Motorcycles Go???

2010-09-14T20:29:00.002-05:00

Well, they don't die and go to heaven. They get restored by dedicated lovers of old bikes and get driven across the country on the first Ab Jenkins Memorial Motorcycle Cannonball Run. And today they had their lunch break at Rocket Harley-Davidson in Huntsville. Monty Love and I drove out to see the bikes and riders, a few of whom I knew from Great Race days. Here's a slide show:

Car Daze...

2010-09-10T17:19:00.006-05:00

Within the last week, there have been three remarkable events that are car-related. I'm always fascinated by some of the things we humans dream up to occupy ourselves, and these three events top my list for the recent past:

First, there were the Duesenberg Drag Races held last weekend in conjunction with the annual gathering of the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Club in Auburn, Indiana. The correct official name of this crazy event was the "Ab Jenkins Memorial Duesenberg Exhibition of Speed." The club actually got permission to close down the runway at nearby Kendallville (IN) Airport for a few hours so that Duesenberg owners could let their cars stretch their legs in a competitive setting. It had to have been quite a sight to see these magnificent monsters (420 cu. in. dual overhead cam straight eight engine) roaring down the runway.

The sister car to the Duesenberg shown here used to reside in my home town of Schenectady, New York:

It belonged to Perry Egbert, who was the Chairman of the Board of the American Locomotive Company at the time -- early to mid 1950's. This car was the so-called Model SSJ, a short-wheelbase (125") supercharged Model J. There also had been an earlier Model J Duesenberg in Schenectady. I researched it in the early 1960's and learned that a gentleman named Jimmy Roberts who lived on Regent Street had owned one in the 1930's and -'40's. I visited Mr. Roberts and he told me that he traded the car, a 1929 Model J Murphy-bodied roadster, toward a 1949 Lincoln. The dealer gave him $900 for the Duesenberg. Today these cars often sell for upwards of $1,000,000 in restored condition.

The second event of note started this morning in Beijing, China. It is the 2010 Peking-to-Paris Rally. This is a timed endurance rally involving over 100 vintage vehicles. The oldest is a 1907 Itala, a car identical to the one that won a competition in 1907 to see if motorcars could make it from Peking to Paris. In 1907, seven cars started and five actually completed the grueling 9,000 mile grind.

You might want to bookmark this site and follow some of the competitors. In this picture of the cars gathered near the starting point this morning, you can see a 1932 Model PB Plymouth coupe, car number 42, which is identical to the car I drove in four transcontinental Great Race events here in the U.S. I have to admit I'm a little biased in their favor. The car is being driven and navigated by Marius Winkelman of the Netherlands and Victor Silveira da Conceicao of Portugal.

And the third event also started this morning, but a long way from Beijing. The Motorcycle Cannonball Run started at 8:00 AM in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. In this event, some 70 participants, riding motorcycles built before 1916 are attempting to go from Kitty Hawk to Santa Monica, California, arriving by Sunday, September 26th. These gentlemen will be stopping for lunch at Rocket City Harley Davidson on September 14th and I certainly plan to be there. It turns out that I know four of the participants because of my involvement in the Great Race. Corky Coker, of Chattanooga, is driving a 1907 Thor motorcyle. Wayne Stanfield, another old Great Race participant, is riding a 1915 3-speed Harley Davidson. John Hollansworth is driving a 1914 Indian. And Frank Westfall, who rode a motorcycle in the 1998 Great Race, is riding a 1914 Henderson Model D. This will be a fascinating rally to watch and their Web site is extremely well designed. Don't miss it.

I pray for the safety of all the hardy participants.

Hurricane Recollections...

2010-09-03T12:38:00.008-05:00

As I have been watching the progress of hurricane Earl traveling up the east coast, I've been reminded of September, 1964. That year, I was an active duty Navy Lieutenant serving as Executive Officer of the USS Maloy (DE-791). The Maloy was the last Buckley class turbo-electric destroyer escort left in active sea service. She was three months shy of 21 years in continuous active service.

The Maloy had been equipped with some very non-standard sound detection equipment. We were stationed in Groton, Connecticut, and assigned to the US Navy's underwater sound lab. We also did normal Navy operations when we weren't doing research and development work. The ship spent most of her time commuting between Groton and Bermuda, since the waters surrounding Bermuda were ideal for much of the work we were engaged in. Maloy was scheduled to depart for project operations in Bermuda on 1 September, 1964.

Wikipedia describes what was going on in the Carribean, starting a few days earlier:
A tropical wave that exited the coast of Africa on August 15, 1964, moved westward, not organizing into a tropical depression until around 890 miles east of Barbados on August 20–as reported by a Navy reconnaissance plane. It continued west-northwestward, quickly strengthening to a hurricane the next day with a minimum central pressure of 993 mb. Early in the afternoon of August 22, Cleo crossed Guadeloupe as a 115 mph Category 3 hurricane. The hurricane continued to strengthen as it moved through the Caribbean Sea and reached its peak intensity of 155 mph on the August 23 while south of the Dominican Republic. It maintained that intensity for a day, bringing heavy rain and winds to Hispaniola. As Cleo passed south of Haiti on August 24, it veered northward momentarily, enough to move on to the Southwest Peninsula of Haiti. The circulation of the hurricane was greatly disrupted by the mountainous terrain of the island, quickly weakening the hurricane.

Cleo weakened to a Category 1 hurricane before hitting southern Cuba on the August 26. It crossed the island quickly. Shortly after emerging from the north coast of Cuba, Cleo restrengthened to a hurricane, having weakened to a tropical storm while over Cuba. Cleo managed to intensify to a 100 mph Category 2 hurricane before hitting the Miami, Florida area on August 27. It weakened to a tropical storm while over Florida on the 28th. The center moved offshore between Jacksonville and St. Augustine, Florida, before moving back onshore near Savannah, Georgia on August 29 without any increase in intensity. Its northward path along the Florida coast was unusual for the month of August.

Cleo continued to weaken as it moved through the Carolinas, drifting through as a tropical depression. After bringing heavy rain through the area, Cleo exited into the Atlantic Ocean near Norfolk, Virginia, and quickly intensified to a tropical storm again on the September 1. The following day, Cleo became a hurricane again, but it remained well offshore and did not cause any further damage. Cleo finally dissipated on September 5 northeast of Newfoundland.

Needless to say, Maloy got tangled up with Cleo. It was a very unpleasant ride. In the Northern Hemisphere, the semicircle to the right of the path of forward motion is known as the "dangerous semicircle." The areas with the heaviest rain, strongest wind, and highest wind are located in this semicircle. As luck would have it, we ended up in the dangerous semicircle of hurricane Cleo. In order to keep the wind and waves on our bow for stability, we had to proceed through the eye of the storm.

I was awakened for the mid watch at about 11:30 PM. I had been strapped in my bunk to avoid being thrown out. When I stepped on the deck of my stateroom, I noticed there was quite a bit of water sloshing around that had leaked in around the porthole. I dressed and started toward the bridge, only to realize that someone had left the white lights on in the wardroom, so my night vision was ruined. I turned them off and proceeded up the ladder toward the bridge and recall that the wind noise was so loud I could barely hear the officer I was relieving, Lt. James L. "Jay" Allen. I couldn't see anything looking out toward the sea, but I read the illuminated windspeed gauge. It indicated a steady wind of 115 knots with gusts to 135! That really got my attention. As my night vision returned I noticed something that appeared to be floating well above the level of the bridge. I pointed it out to Jay Allen and asked what it was. He said it was the foam on a wave! The waves were well above our level and we were 35 feet above the waterline.

At one point, we lost fire in one of our two boilers, but we made it out of the storm and arrived safely in Bermuda a couple of days later.

We spent the next several days in Bermuda shackled to a buoy because hurricanes Dora, Ethel, and Florence generated rough seas that prevented us from doing our assigned mission. On 21 September, we were ordered to return to New London (Groton). We got underway. Unfortunately, once again, Mother Nature had something up her sleeve.

Again, from Wikipedia:

Hurricane Gladys developed from a westward moving tropical wave on September 13. Later that day, it became Tropical Storm Gladys. Conditions were favorable for intensification, and Gladys became a hurricane on the 14th. Hurricane Gladys remained a minimal hurricane for the next 3 days, until the 17th when it rapidly became a 145 mph hurricane. After its peak Gladys steadily weakened to a Category 1 on the 21st. It passed within 150 miles of the Outer Banks, but it turned northeastward in response to the development of a low pressure system over the Great Lakes.

Once again, Maloy found herself in the dangerous semicircle and once again, we were forced to proceed through the eye of the storm in order to safely exit the other side. We lost a strut bearing and a suffered a few other elements of minor damage.

Months later, as we were preparing for a Board of Inspection and Survey in preparation for decommissioning the ship, one of my crew members penetrated the hull with a paint scraper. We put a caisson around the leak and proceeded to repair the hole. When we were inspected, the ship was declared "unfit for sea." The hull, originally only 3/8" steel, had deteriorated in many locations over its 21-year lifespan. When we finally had to steam to Philadelphia to decommision the ship, we were escorted by an oceangoing tug for safety reasons. I have thought many times over the years how fortunate we were to have survived these two storms.

Crazy Puppy...

2010-08-15T16:49:00.000-05:00

Nice Car Show (In spite of the heat...)

2010-08-14T13:06:00.002-05:00

I attended the 10th Annual Ardmore Car Show today. That's Ardmore, Tennessee. It's put on by the Ardmore Quarterback Club for the benefit of the local high school football team, the Tigers. I had heard about this show last year. My friend Richard Wright told me it was a really good show, and he was right on. It was very impressive.

A 1931 Model PA Plymouth sedan. This car is a year older than the roadster I'm working on. Unfortunately, this car had a small block Chevy engine and Mustang II independent front suspension -- very non-traditional.

I drove over in time to be there at opening time of 10:00 AM. The parking lots were almost full. I walked quickly, looking for early '30's Mopars and early hemi engines. I found a few early Chrysler products and only one early hemi -- a 331 hemi out of a Chrysler. It was in a 1936 Plymouth. There were remarkably few traditional hot rods, although they had over 1,000 cars registered. The vast majority of builders seem to lean toward small block Chevrolet engines and independent front suspensions. A traditional rod will usually stick with the solid front axle suspension and will employ a souped up flathead Ford or early hemi V-8.
Nonetheless, it made for an enjoyable couple of hours. I left before I roasted too badly.

This '56 Ford Sunliner was one of my favorite cars at the show. The restoration was stunning!

A Gathering of Plymouth Fans...

2010-07-24T16:16:00.004-05:00

Dan and Dennis discuss a fine point of restoration.

On Saturday I went to Dan and Deron's shop to meet three visitors with a common interest - Plymouth cars of the early 1930s. Patrick Dolan, a fellow from Indiana, had acquired a 1932 Plymouth roadster similar to mine. He and I met through the forum site of the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA). Over a period of several months we realized that we share many common challenges in restoring one of these cars. Patrick and two colleagues, Dennis Williams and Don Feeney, both from Ohio, decided to come south. We all met at the Shady's shop on Saturday morning.
As usual, the Shadys were most gracious and eager to share their collective knowledge of early automobile construction. After several hours of discussion on the finer points of body construction, and specialized tools and techniques, the visitors and I headed out for lunch, after which we came up to the house to see my '32 coupe. They left with a few parts they needed and a whole lot of knowledge.

Patrick and Dennis on left, Don in foreground observe Deron and Dan in
discussion of the roadster rumble seat lid construction

Boys Day Out...

2010-07-23T12:10:00.004-05:00

Monty's MG Midget (In-process)

Today, Monty Love and I went on a junket to Chattanooga. Monty is restoring an MG Midget and wanted to visit a company that reconditions and manufactures parts for these cars. He had been considering purchasing an adapter kit that they manufacture that allows the use of a Nissan 5-speed transmission in place of the original MG 4-speed. So we started the day heading for Rivergate Competition in Sale Creek, Tennessee, just a few miles north of Chattanooga.

We arrived there around 10:30 AM, after our obligatory boys' breakfast at Hardee's in Monteagle. The owner of Rivergate and his wife were leaving for the weekend so we didn't stay too long before heading back to Chattanooga to visit Coker Tire Co. and Honest Charley Speed Shop.

On the way into town, Monty and I decided to get some lunch and trusted the GPS to find a local barbecue restaurant. We ended up at Shuford's Smokehouse. For such a serendipitous find, it was nothing short of spectacular barbecue. I have since looked it up on the Internet and learned that it has a five-star rating and has been featured on Turner Television's Blue Ribbon, Best of the South TV show. After a delicious break, we headed to downtown Chattanooga to Coker Tire Company.

Perhaps a little background is in order. During the several times that I completed the Great Race antique car rally, members of the Coker family were always a part of the event. Corky Coker, who now runs the company that his dad Harold started in 1958, was a major force in Great Race competition. He also sponsored the Great Race and was a major part of its management for several years. His team provided free tire repair services for those of us who had flat tires during the competition. In 2004, during an overnight stop in Jackson, Tennessee, Corky's crew had changed a tire for me that I wanted to have checked out. Monty and I had brought it to Chattanooga. As soon as we got to Coker Tire, we dropped the tire off and went next door to Honest Charley Speed Shop.

Honest Charley's has been around since 1948. Corky Coker acquired the company a few years ago after the original owners had passed away and the company had seen better days. It has become a viable business again, selling hot rod parts and components largely over the Internet. As Monty and I were looking at some items in the store, one of the staff asked if we cared about seeing "the collection." Actually, that was one more reason I had wanted to visit Coker Tire. Corky and his father have assembled a remarkable collection of vintage automobiles, many of which are from the first twenty years of automotive history. This period fascinates me.

A wall full of motorcycles!

Monty and I were soon ushered in to a cavernous room. One wall was covered with heavy duty shelves that housed a magnificent collection of vintage (really vintage!) motorcycles. On the floor of the room were several rows of cars ranging from early twentieth century rarities to more recent sports cars. There were even several commercial vehicles - buses and trucks.

I follow Corky's blog and knew that he had recently acquired a pair of rare Mercers. For those who have never heard of the Mercer, it was a car built in Trenton, New Jersey, that was a major competitor of the more widely recognized Stutz Bearcat. The cars were only built from 1909 through 1919. Very few survive. The Mercer Model 35R so-called Raceabout was capable of over 90 miles per hour. In 1910, the company stated that it could be driven "safely and consistently" at over 70 miles per hour. I got to see Corky's 2 (!) Mercers. The collection is amazing for its breadth with names of marques long forgotten - National, American, Lozier, Thomas, and so on.

American Underslung
(Note the axle above the frame!)

Our host was a gentleman named Mike Goodman. He asked me a few questions and when he realized that I had known Corky through the Great Race he said, "Corky's here and will want to see you. Let me go tell him you're here." He disappeared, only to return with Corky accompanied by another long-time acquaintance, Wayne Bell. Wayne and Corky were preparing a car to participate in an antique car rally this weekend in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Wayne is a colleague of my friend Andy Jattuso and was one of the first Great Race participants I had ever met. I introduced Monty and the four of of us had a great conversation.

Corky's son-in-law Greg Cunningham is also a Great Race veteran (and Winner!) and was working on the car headed to the rally. We got to chat with him as well. When we got done visiting the collection, we joined our guide Mike for a few minutes at the Red Lantern, a pleasant eating establishment next door. Not long afterwards, we had to say our goodbyes. I picked up my wheel and tire and we headed home. What a great day!

Crazy Acres...

2010-07-17T18:04:00.005-05:00

In early 1969, my brother Bill and his wife Joni decided to look for a larger home. They, along with twin sons Mark and David, were living in Slidell, Louisiana. They had decided to look at property further east, especially along the Mississippi gulf coast around Bay St. Louis, Waveland, and Pass Christian. Ultimately they decided to build a new home in a tiny private development community on Menge Avenue, north of Pass Christian. Menge Avenue was a sometimes gravel, sometimes mud road that had it's own exit (Exit 24) on Interstate 10. And within a half mile of that exit was the gate announcing Lazy Acres. Bill and Joni bought the lot at the entrance, and though their house faced Lazy Acres Road, their driveway exited onto Menge Avenue.

Image via Wikipedia

Richeleiu Apartments after Camille

Not long after they started construction, in August of 1969, Hurricane Camille came ashore into Bay St. Louis, killing 143 people in and near Pass Christian. Eight of those killed were at the Richeleiu Apartments in Pass Christian. Twenty-three people are known to have stayed in the Richelieu Apartments during the hurricane, of whom eight died. The three story apartment building was completely destroyed, but the contractor who was building my brother's house bought tons of bricks from the demolished structure. Bill and Joni's house was built using those bricks. The storm destroyed the framing that had been completed on their house, wiping the slab clean, but that was soon rebuilt.

In mid-1970, the Meads -- Bill, Joan, Mark, David, and Dino (a part poodle) moved into the new house. What set the Meads apart was that they were young and had two young children. Mark and David were 9 years old. It didn't take long to become acquainted with all the neighbors, most of whom were grandparents many times over. Lazy Acres was made up of 6 homes, all of which were very nice. There was also a pond and a three-hole golf course. To describe the neighbors as interesting would be a gross understatement.

Next door to the Meads lived Claude and Peggy Duke. Claude was an attorney who for many years had been the Attorney of Record for the Orleans Levee Board. Founded in 1890, the Orleans Levee Board was the body in charge of supervising the levee and floodwall system in Orleans Parish, Louisiana, which is intended to protect the city of New Orleans from flooding. The Orleans Levee Board was a major governmental entity that functioned independently of municipal government in and around Orleans Parish, Louisiana. Claude Duke had enormous political clout and knew every influential politician in the very political state of Louisiana.

Peggy Duke had been married and divorced prior to marrying Claude. Her first husband had been Louisiana Governor Huey Long's Lieutenant Governor. The story I heard more than once was that Peggy's divorce settlement in 1935 was $1 million cash. Both Peggy and Claude loved the Meads from the very start. They were very outspoken, extremely colorful individuals. Peggy had the vocabulary of a sailor. I recall pulling into the Mead's driveway one Friday afternoon. One of the neighbors had passed away that day after an extended illness. Peggy was working in her garden when she heard me pull in. She stood up and peeked out from under her poke bonnet. At the top of her lungs, she announced, "Uncle Bob, the old bastard finally croaked!" There was never any doubt where she stood.

Next to the Dukes lived Harvey and Viginia Blankenship. They were a quiet couple who tended to their own business. They wintered at Lazy Acres and spent their summers at a home in Minnesota near the Canadian border. I don't know how they had made their fortune, but there was little doubt that they were financially secure.

Beyond the Blankenships was the home of Bill and "Jack" (I believe her correct name was Jacqueline) Harrison. Bill was the individual who had bought the land and developed Lazy Acres. The prevailing story that was was that he had been bird hunting in the area a few years before and had seen some surveyors. Inquiring what they were surveying, he was told that they were involved in determining the right-of-way for the new interstate highway that was to be built. Bill immediately purchased as much land as he could in the immediate area and made a handsome profit selling some of it to the government when the final interstate right-of-way was determined. He developed Lazy Acres on some of the land adjacent to the interstate.

Bill Harrison's grandfather had been a furrier in New Orleans. In the nineteenth century, Louisiana furriers did their own trapping and tanning of hides. The elder Mr. Harrison had obtained long-term leases on thousands of acres of swampland in which he could trap beaver, otter, nutria, and other fur-bearing creatures. This was in an era before anyone considered surface and subsurface leases, never dreaming of the enormous wealth that lay below the swampland. When gas and oil were discovered under some of the leased property, the Harrisons became very well heeled indeed.

Bill and Jack were devout Catholics and had several children. On most weekends their sizeable home was a hive of activity with plenty of family members of three generations involved. They also had a lovely swimming pool that other Lazy Acres residents could "join" and use. For a while, I dated their daughter Susan, who lived in New Orleans and spent weekends with her parents, so I got to see the Harrisons fairly often.

Next to the Harrisons lived Mal and Marie McIlwain. Mal was the owner and CEO of McIlwain Cadillac of Metarie, Louisiana. In the 1970's, his was the largest Cadillac dealership in the state. Marie had been Mal's secretary. After his first wife passed away, he and Marie had dated and eventually were married. Mal was an active amateur radio operator and could afford the very latest state-of-the-art radio equipment. He collected so-called "QSL cards" from hundreds of radio amateurs every year from all over the globe as evidence of his devotion and skill.

The last house on Lazy Acres Drive was seldom occupied. It belonged to a congressman, whom I believe was from Connecticut. I don't recall his name, as he and his wife were only there infrequently.

The Great Wall of McIlwain
Lazy Acres supported an active social calendar. All the residents, with the exception of my brother's family, could afford to entertain in any style they wished. Cocktail and dinner parties were frequent and sometimes lavish. And the liquor flowed freely for those wishing to imbibe. On one occasion, the McIlwains and the Harrisons were dining together. Bill Harrison, having had a few drinks, informed Mal McIlwain that Marie wasn't exactly the brightest lady who had ever showed up at Lazy Acres. Mal was outraged and let Bill know it. Thus began the great wall war.

Mal and Bill shared a circular driveway that went around the swimming pool and pool house. Not long after the comment about Marie, Mal hired surveyors to determine the exact location of the property line separating his and Harrison's property. Mal informed Bill Harrison that he could no longer drive on Mal's portion of the circular drive. Mal also had determined that about four feet of one corner of the pool house was on McIlwain property. He demanded that Bill either move the pool house or cut the corner off and remove it from Mal's land!

Bill offered to deed part of the pool house to Mal or to buy the tiny acreage under the corner of the pool house. Mal would have no part of it. Part of the pool house would have to go. Then the best part of the drama played out.

One day some workmen showed up and began digging a trench about four feet from the property line on Mal's and Marie's property. They soon poured a concrete footing for a wall about forty feet long that would establish once and for all that the Harrisons and the McIlwains had gone their separate ways. The side of the wall facing the McIlwain's house was beautifully finished with stone veneer and shelves for plantings. In fact, it was a work of art. The side facing the Harrisons was an example of masons gone crazy. Mortar oozed out of joints and drooled down the concrete blocks with ugly irregularity. No one attempted to make it pretty, and it was far enough into Mal McIlwain's property that no one could refinish or paint it without trespassing. And as long as I lived on the gulf coast and visited my brother's family, the wall remained as a testimony to two rich men's bickering.

Is it any wonder that my late sister-in-law Joni always referred to their neighborhood as "Crazy Acres?"

Visitors from the North!!!

2010-07-05T15:14:00.007-05:00

Mary Ann and I just enjoyed 3+ days enjoying a visit from our Iowa family. Her daughter, Tori, our son-in-law, Todd Glade, and our grandkids Taylor (11 years old) and Trevor (8 years old) arrived Thursday evening from Des Moines. What a treat! We got to do lots of "grandparenty" stuff.

Friday, I took them over to Point Mallard, a water park in Decatur, Alabama. There was plenty of sun but the temperature was tolerable. Everybody got their fill of water slides. That evening, we all went to the Burritt Museum on top of Monte Sano Mountain overlooking Huntsville for a City Lights and Stars concert. By coincidence, one of the performers was Microwave Dave Gallaher who was joined by his group. Dave is an old family friend and knew Tori as a little girl. It made the concert extra special. And the weather couldn't have been more perfect.

Microwave Dave does his magic

Saturday, the girls stayed at the house and helped out in Ebabe's Gifts when Mary Ann opened the store. We boys went down to Dan and Deron Shady's shop to visit the hot rod. The high point for Trevor was undoubtedly a ride in a 1965 Corvette that was being test driven. He was beaming from ear to ear!

In the afternoon, all the Glades and I did the Jack Daniels plant tour up in Lynchburg, about 40 miles north of our home. I think we all had a good time, but Trevor didn't think too highly of the smells emanating from the mash tanks. Our guide's name was Randy "Goose" Baxter. To describe him as colorful would be a gross understatement.

We came home and cleaned up and then proceeded to a delightful dinner at "The Restaurant" in Kelso, Tennessee, one of our favorite places to dine. And to make the evening even more special, we were joined by Microwave Dave Gallaher, who happened to have the evening free. Later, we all came back to the house for coffee and dessert. It was a long but very special day.

Sunday, July 4th, started out with a late, relaxing breakfast and a casual lunch, after which we headed back to Huntsville. We had gotten tickets to a limited engagement of a Star Wars travelling exhibit that is spending several weeks at Huntsville's Alabama Space and Rocket Center. The exhibit was impressive with hundreds of artifacts from the making of the Star Wars movies. We later toured the rest of the museum, got to ride in a simulator that was built by my employer, Camber Corporation, and even got several rides on the "Space Shot" amusement ride. Then it was off to dinner at Jason's Deli and home to watch a movie -- Star Wars, of course!

Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder!

An exhausted crowd crashed after doing the fireworks thing to celebrate our nation's birthday. All in all, a wonderful weekend. We are so blessed...

A Long-ago Fishing Experience

2010-06-23T14:02:00.008-05:00

In the 1950's and -60's Louis A. Wehle was the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Genessee Brewing Company of Rochester, New York. His longtime passion for outdoor sports led his company to sponsor an annual statewide fishing contest that promoted conservation and sportsmanship, as well as the firm's beer. And each year they published a book describing all the record fish that had won prizes in each category along with the sizes and weights of the winning fish, the location where they were caught and the date, the names of the winners, and so on.

And so it was in one of these record books that my friend Hal Johnson and I noticed that for 2 consecutive years the champion brook trout had come out of a lake! It was a lake that neither of us had heard of -- Pharaoh Lake. It was the summer of 1961. I had come home from my final midshipman cruise. We had a couple weeks to kill before we had to return to school. The time was perfect for us to pursue a record-breaking trout.

We got a New York road map and located Pharaoh Lake. It was not too far north of Brant Lake which was accessible by car. After a couple days assembling our camping gear, the three members of the expedition -- Hal, myself, and Nipper (Hal's wonder dog) -- left for Brant Lake in Hal's tricolor '55 Dodge. Our plan was to spend a week at the lake, eating our fill every day of fresh-grilled brook trout. Part of that plan came true. We spent a week in the wilderness.

My recollection is that we hiked about 4 miles from where we parked until we reached the southern end of Pharaoh Lake. Much to our surprise, there was a gentleman who lived in a shack near the lake and had two very rickety-looking row boats for rent. We rented the better looking of the two. I think it cost us $2.00 for the week. We loaded our gear and Nipper into the boat and rowed about halfway up the lake, camping on the western shore in a beautiful cleared campsite. I don't think we slept much that night in anticipation of the incredible fishing that awaited us.

For the next 5 days we fished all over that lake using every kind of lure known to man. We tried plugs and spoons and flies and live bait. Deep, shallow, trolling and not trolling. I think we caught 2 small sunfish.

Contour Map of Pharaoh Lake

After 5 days, we gave up. We decided to head back to civilization. We returned our boat and started down the access trail. Not far down the trail, we encountered a jeep driving up to the lake. It turned out to be driven by the son of the boat man. Their last name was Hastings. (After me friend Hal Johnson read this entry, he reminded me that the old man's name was William Hastings. His address was Star Route 5, Hagaman, New York.) We told the Jeep driver our sad tale of fishing with few results. He responded, "Hop in. I'll show you where the fish are!" He was the fisherman who had caught the record trout the previous 2 years!!!

We went in a boat with him to near the center of the lake. He pointed out certain landmarks that helped him pinpoint the same location every time. He told us to put down 100 feet of line with 2 ounces of lead and some live bait. As soon as the sinker hit the bottom, I had a bite. It was a nice sized brook trout. And then another, and another... And Hal was catching them just as fast.

The gentleman told us that this was a spring-fed lake and that this was the location of a large, cold spring. It kept the fish cold and it stirred up food. We caught our limit in very short order. Soon, we were back at his father's shack to thank our guide and see him off as he headed down the trail. We set up our campsite for another day and ate our fill. The lake looked a lot better that evening. Life was just about perfect.

Pharaoh Lake at Dawn

Congratulations to Our Champions (Again!)

2010-06-14T09:19:00.001-05:00

For a second year, the Ebabe's team has become their league champions. Mary Ann and I are honored to be fortunate enough to be associated with this team. The girls, all between 7 and 9 years old, and the coaches, are dedicated beyond belief. So last Tuesday, after their victory in the final tournament game (a "squeaker" at 16-3), we made sure there was enough pizza and soft drinks for a proper celebration. After all, they went undefeated!

Go, Ebabe's!!!

A Great Lawn Team!

2010-06-01T10:56:00.003-05:00

My friend and long-ago colleague, retired Marine Colonel Tullis J. Woodham, Jr., sent me this photo. His daughter, Jan, and her husband, John, made these for the good colonel in 2003. What a marvelous gift!

Memorial Day, 2010

2010-05-30T10:54:00.000-05:00

We must never forget their sacrifice.

Progress on the Tajmadog...

2010-05-20T13:14:00.001-05:00

My friend Monty Love has spent a lot of hours working with me on building the ultimate doghouse. You'll see more pictures when it's finished, but you get the idea...

Goldie Has Arrived!

2010-05-07T09:48:00.000-05:00

Here is our new baby. She's driving Sheila and the cats crazy! She's also one of the cutest puppies you can imagine -- a thoroughbred golden retriever. Let the entertainment continue...

Merlefest 2010

2010-05-05T09:18:00.002-05:00

For the 21st consecutive season, I attended Merlefest, without a doubt the greatest music festival in the universe. Mary Ann could not get away from the store, so I invited Monty Love to go with me and we had a memorable time. I never cease to be amazed at the wonderful, new, young talent that shows up year after year. The committee that chooses the talent each year does a magnificent job. Worth checking out:

Great Big Sea

Scythian

Taj Mahal

Zac Brown Band

Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers

Brave Combo

New Arrival...

2010-04-29T06:03:00.001-05:00

On Monday, I'll be picking out one of these little critters as a companion for Sheila. Let the fun begin!