Sunday, August 30, 2015

1923...

...Model T...and apparently I am the proud, new, owner, of...

But this is no ordinary Model T...Ray Miras of Northville put this one together himself, and used a rebuilt 1923 engine, which is why it's registered in that year...but the pieces and parts were from various and sundry T's he had laying around...and the top and bed are custom made by a cabinet maker friend of his.

Not another one like it in the world:
love the spare tire on the side...

driving it will be a new experience...3 pedals on the floor, none of them the accelerator...

Karen said we needed a truck...now we have one...


Ray is an interesting guy, 85 years old, a marine, Korean vet...I'll write more about him in future posts.

Long day...

Later, mcm fans...

Saturday, August 15, 2015

1928 Ford...

...Tri-Motor...aka "The Tin Goose...at the Sparta airport this weekend, and Karen and I flew on it.

That statement conveys some factual information, but doesn't come close to communicating my emotional response to this event...and as much as I like to think of myself as a writer, I'm not sure I can put into words the feelings today's activities evoked.
Marilyn posing in front of the Tin Goose...
...and ready to board...
empty seats...

...now filled and ready to soar...

Designed by William Bushnell Stout and financed by Henry Ford, this was the epitome of aviation technology in 1927 when the first one rolled off the assembly line...and this aircraft launched the civil aviation / airline industry.  The combination of its unprecedented capacity - 2 pilots, a stewardess, and 10 passengers - its range of 560 miles with a cruising speed of 120+ mph, and perhaps most importantly, Henry Ford's substantial reputation behind it, provided just the right mix of publicity and practicality, romance and reliability, to make airline travel legitimate.

Between 1927 and 1933 they produced 199 of these aircraft, and they flew commercially until the mid 1960's.  Now there are perhaps a dozen or so still around, and only two offer rides to the public.



We flew on one of them today:




So what's the big yank?  Took a 20 minute ride on an old plane...so what?

It's complicated, but 30 years ago I walked away from a career in aviation...having earned my commercial pilot's license with an instrument rating for fixed wing, single engine, land aircraft, I stood at a crossroads...and I decided I did not want to be a bus driver in the sky, so landed solidly in an IT career.

Today, for the first time in 3 decades, I seriously second guessed that decision.

I love vintage things, and especially those from the mid century modern and art deco eras.  Watching the grey haired pilot settle into the cockpit of this magnificent machine, I thought to myself, "that could be me".

He pressed the tri-handle throttles forward, the three legged beast roared to life,  its tail rose up, then we leaped off the runway and into the wild blue...that took me back to my youth in a way I never expected, and the thrill I used to experience daily but hadn't in years made me wonder...what if??

Later, mcm fans...

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Mid Century Modern...

...Horror...well, sort of...that's a Grandin Road "Haunted Clock" on top of my 1958 GE tv...here's the video of the clock doing it's scary thing...
13 O'clock?  It's either haunted or that's a reference to Bobby Goldsboro's "Watching Scotty Grow"...

Got my TV back, and I truly love its mid century / Danish modern vibe...I rearranged the living room to include it:




It does work...
That's strong man Peter Lupus in the 1st season of Mission Impossible...

...and that's the famous opening scene of M.I. with the match lighting the fuse as Lalo Schifrin's iconic theme music plays in the background...
Recently got a tip about the right lubricant to use for antique clocks, so I tried it on my KEM Webber clock from the 1930's/40's, and so far it seems to work...it's keeping great time now, and before it was always slow:
Love the art deco styling of this classic timepiece...
So I said I'd highlight some of the other Grandin Road items I bought for the upcoming All Hallow's Eve celebration...you've seen the jumping spider and the haunted clock...here are two, slightly more studious props:

(studious bc they involve books, of course...)

The haunted books are better than the witches' spell book...for animated props, I want them to be a few seconds of "scary sounds" and maybe a few guttural groans...I can definitely do without 60 seconds of inane monologue...there are few things more annoying than a public speaker who doesn't know when to shut up, but this prop may be one of them...not sure if I'll use it this year or not.

We've had a couple of storms in the last few weeks with high winds, and even though we closed our patio umbrella, it still got pretty messed up...so we replaced it this week:
love the orange / red color, and this one should be a little sturdier since it's not connected from one point at the top...looks good imho.

Karen's up north with her progeny this weekend, so I'm doing the bachelor thing again...got some projects done around the house, and then settled in the theater room to watch one of my favorite flicks:  The Rocketeer.  Here's a scene from the "South Seas Club" just as they start to play "Begin the Beguine":
More 1930's art deco elegance...great film, great scenery.

Later, mcm fans...