Wooden Wheels and Whizzers

Thought for the day:  No other man-made device since the shields and lances of ancient knights fulfills a man's ego like an automobile.  [Lord Rootes}

There weren't any shields and lances to be seen, but there were plenty of vintage cars. This past Saturday, my hubby and I went to a Model A swap meet.

I mean, how cool is THIS ... to see nothing but Model As parked on both sides of the road? The fourth one up on the right is my hubby's rat rod. The body is a 1930 Model A, but it's an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink hybrid from there. Ergo the rat rod designation. (Hmmm, come to think of it, there ARE a couple former plumbing parts under the hood... if there WERE a hood.)  Has a new powerful vroom vroom Chevy engine, is built on a 1987 S-10 chassis, has a 1959 Mercedes grille, and the cedar bed is made out of our old hot tub. Can you see it? No?

THERE. Is that better?

It is soooo much fun to bounce down the road in the ol' girl. Even with multiple mufflers, she's still pretty loud, so people tend to turn their heads to look when they hear us coming. And they smile. Point. Laugh. Wave. Give us a thumb up. She's low on weight and heavy on power and performance, so given the opportunity, I have a feeling she'd fly down the track. So far, my hubby's shown great restraint on the road, and except for the occasional exuberant burst of speed on an occasional irresistible straightaway, we cruise down the road and simply enjoy the experience.

I won't bore you by showing you a picture of each of the Model As at the meet, but this is one of my favorites. It's unusual (at least, in my experience) to see one in this particular color combo. Very classy-looking. (NOT a rat rod.)

Last year, a couple of the cars were done up with a theme in mind. My favorite was done up like a moonshiner's truck, complete with a still in the bed. Lots of neat little whimsical details, too. Natch, I didn't have my camera last year, and also natch, it didn't show up this year when I DID have my camera in hand. Oh, well. Maybe next year.

One of the things my husband likes best about this annual meeting is the opportunity to purchase Model A parts and accessories for a decent price. One of the things I like best about this annual meeting is where it's held... outside a building filled with a fabulous private car collection ... and on this day, the owner opens the doors for us. WOW!

This collection has been a work in progress since the early '50s, and not only is every vehicle a thing of beauty, but each one is completely road-worthy. When we went last year, the Tucker was out getting transmission work, so I was looking forward to seeing it this year. No such luck. It sold recently ... for more than a million bucks. (YOWZA!) But there are plenty of other award-winning cars there to oooh and ahhhh over. I'll just give you a little peek.

A long, sleek, shiny Dusenberg with a bunch of blue ribbons. She was actually in the owner's garage area, which was open to us for the first time this year.

How'd ya like to take a trip in this baby? (Back when "Woodies" were actually made of WOOD.)

Okay, which of you smarties know what this is? This is a close-up under the hood of an old Cadillac. (Vintage '20s maybe?) Would you believe it's a cooling system? Water inside of those copper valve covers keeps the temperature down. Cool, huh?

I never saw one of these before. It's called a Mitchell.

How about THIS? An honest-to-goodness wooden wheel! Sorry, I was so fascinated by the wheel, I don't remember a darned thing about the vehicle itself.

An unusual hood ornament, huh? It's an archer, and fittingly enough, it's on the front of... (ta-DA!) a Pierce Arrow.

I thought this was pretty neat, too. It's the front grille of a Packard. (1939, I think) Anyhow, what's neat is the fact that the grille contains louvres that automatically open ... or close ... depending on how much air cooling the engine needs at any given time. Innovative engineering, eh?

Anybody remember the Whizzer? It's something a lot of kids used to aspire to, but few (nobody I knew, anyhow) could afford. The company started making and selling bicycle engines in 1939, and later, also sold the bike with engine as an already assembled unit.  Alas, they stopped making them in '55, and by '65, parts were no longer being manufactured for them, either. But guess what? The good ol' Whizzer made a comeback in '98, and can once again be purchased in the U.S.

This is one of my hubby's dream cars. A Shelby Cobra. Right color, too. (Guess I'd better start playing the lottery ...)

If someone were to ask me for a shortcut to sensuality, I would suggest he go shopping for a used 427 Shelby Cobra. But it is only fair to warn you that of the 300 men who switched to them in 1966, only two went back to women. [Mort Sahl]

This Indian with sidecar is almost a hundred years old. But, ooooh, is she ever pretty!












Okay, I won't bore you with any more pictures, but if you'd like to see more of this collection, take a gander right HERE (Click on any picture to find more info about the vehicle in it.)

We also went to a different car show on Sunday, but lucky for you ... I forgot my camera, darn it. And there was a reeeeeally cool Model T race car there, too... and a nifty-looking camouflage military-looking VW with oversized tires and the engine up front ... and an old Pinzgauer troop carrier... and several rat rods. Oh, well. Maybe next time.

So, what's your favorite car? Something you've owned ... or wished you owned? If money were no limit, what vehicle would be sitting in front of your house? I know. Tough decision. I've got a thing for the '65 Mustang, the '54 MGTD, and the Morgan. (ANY year will do!) The new retro Camaros are pretty darned cool, too. But ya know what? When it comes right down to it, my little ol' 1999 fire engine red Pontiac suits me just fine.

                               Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.

The car has become ... an article of dress without which we feel uncertain, unclad, and incomplete. [Marshall McLuhan]

You Can Fly!

Thought for the day:  The sky is not the limit... I am.  [T.F. Hodge]

I read somewhere that man first tried to fly as early as the 11th century. Not successfully, of course. The wannabe flyer ended up with two broken legs.

Once man finally DID achieve flight, the sky was no longer the limit. It was a CHALLENGE. The race was on...  to fly ever faster, farther, and longer.

Would you be surprised to know that the current record for the longest, non-stop flight was set in the fifties?

Let's venture back to December 4, 1958, shall we?

That's when this plane, now housed at the Howard Cannon Aviation Museum at McCarron Airport in Las Vegas, took off on this history-making flight.

One of the pilots, Bob Timm, worked for the Hacienda Hotel and Casino, and convinced the owner, Doc Bagley, to back the venture as a great publicity stunt. Not to mention great PR for the hotel. A monitoring station was set up in the lobby so the public could hear transmissions from the plane, and amid all the hoopla, the flight also raised big bucks for the Damon Runyan Cancer Fund.

 Instead of having to add and change oil from the exterior of the plane like previous endurance fliers did, (OY!) Timm and co-pilot John Cook modified their Cessna 172 by rerouting the oil line and filters (they added a second one) through the firewall, so they could take care of that duty from inside. (Aircraft piston engines need a continuous flow of lubricating oil.) Smart cookies, huh? They also installed a 95-gallon fuel tank, and pretty much gutted the interior of the plane. Left only a single pilot's seat, and added a mattress and sink. The right side door was also made collapsible, so they could use a winch to haul supplies into the plane from the ground. No indication how they tended to other, um, more personal needs. I'm guessing that they also sent some, er, stuff, back down to the ground, too.

Just because they could change the oil from inside the plane doesn't mean they never had to exit the plane to do maintenance work. They just didn't have to do it as regularly and frequently as their predecessors. This picture shows Cook doing a little exterior work.

[Photo courtesy of Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum]

Twice a day, the plane flew above a truck, which hoisted up a hose, and pumped fuel to them. Each refueling took approximately three minutes.

[Photo courtesy of Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum]

How about THIS for a classy support vehicle? In case you can't tell, it's a 1956 Thunderbird. (More about that later for you car buffs.) When the usual refueling truck malfunctioned, the T-Bird took over. Fuel was hoisted by rope from car to plane via five-gallon cans. The car was also used to send food and water up to the pilots, and for Christmas, they even sent up a turkey dinner.

Oh, in case you're wondering if the pilots could've pulled a fast one and landed somewhere during this two-month plus ordeal, the answer is no. To prove the integrity of the flight, shortly after take-off, they flew above a car, and someone slapped some bright white paint onto the plane tires.

[Photo courtesy of Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum]

After flying non-stop over the Nevada and California desert for 64 days and 22 hours, the Cessna finally came in for a landing, completely shattering the previous record of 50 hours, set in the '40s.

But certainly, not without difficulties. About forty hours into the flight, the plane's heater gave up the ghost. (And from what I hear, desert nights get pretty darned cold.) They usually took four-hour shifts, with one in the pilot's seat and the other trying to catch some zees, but they also flew on autopilot on occasion so they could both rest. One time, they got a little off-course while on autopilot, and almost flew to Mexico. Oopsie. By the time they landed, many parts of the engine were showing tremendous signs of wear and tear. I reckon the pilots were pretty darned pooped, too.

In the picture above, from left to right: John Cook, Bob Timm, actor Preston Foster,  (not sure what the connection is there) and Hacienda owner Doc Bayley.

With today's FAA rules and regulations, it's highly unlikely that this record will ever be broken. A couple of pilots tried to set up such a flight a couple years ago, and were shut down before they even got off the ground. Do you think Timm and Cook would have done it again, given the opportunity? Do you think they would have volunteered, once again, to be closed up in a tin can for two months?

                                                                    Um,  I think not.

Okay, you car buffs. Wanta hear a little bit more about that Thunderbird?

Isn't she a beauty?

The original owners were George and Peg Crockett, who owned Alamo Airways. Believe it or not, this T-Bird served as their rescue/crash vehicle.  With two CO2 bottles strapped to her rear deck and a 2-way radio inside, she served to assist many planes and put out numerous fires. As indicated in the post, this car was also a support vehicle for the endurance flight. In 1967, when Howard Hughes bought Alamo Airlines, he also became the proud owner of this T-Bird. To make a long story short, this car sold at the Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction in 2006 for $86,400, far more than similar T-Birds. What inflated this car's value is its unique history.

So, bottom line, if you ever doubt yourself, think again. And give it a go. You may  not be setting any endurance records, but you'll never know if you can fly... unless you try.

A journey, I reflected, is of no merit unless it has tested you.  [Tahir Shah]

                                        Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.

Letting Go

Thought for the day:  I've told my children that when I die, to release balloons in the sky to celebrate that I graduated. For me, death is a graduation. [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross]

I've been thinking a lot about that Kubler-Ross quote since my mother-in-law died. Probably because it pretty much summarizes how Mom felt. Death was nothing to fear. It was truly a graduation, and something to embrace. And she rose to the occasion with a smile on her face.

And a poem arose in my mind...




                                                  The twine wound tight around my wrist,
                                                  I gripped it fast within my fist.
                                                  But she danced in the wind 
                                                  And pulled at me,
                                                  As though she begged 
                                                  To be set free.

                                               
                                                 With heavy heart and tear-filled eyes,
                                                  I let her go,
                                                  Then watched her rise.
                                                 Up higher and higher,
                                                 She soared for miles...

                                                           
                                                         I can see her no longer.
                                               

                                                        
                                                        But I know that she smiles.

                                                         Alice Swiderski, 1925-2012
                                                        (And what a DASH she had!)

 I've gotta tell you this story... this true story. The only thing Mom expressed any regret about was that she wouldn't be around for the birth of her next great-grandchild, who's due in October. But she quickly smiled about it, and promised she'd "go pick out a good one". The afternoon after Mom was buried, a Mylar balloon "walked" down the sidewalk in front of my mother-in-law's house. It just ambled down the street about three feet off the ground, trailing its string behind it, and then stopped in the area between my mother-in-law's and sister-in-law's houses. It TURNED up the driveway, "walked" up to my sister-in-law, stopped again, and then bounced up to gently hit her in the face. Several times.

Know what it said on that balloon? "It's a boy."

                                     Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.