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...

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...

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...

Happy...

...Independence Day...and happy 239th Birthday, America!

Few words rise to the level of holy writ, but these penned by Thomas Jefferson in our Declaration of Independence come close:

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Our rights come from God, not government; government is subordinate to the will of the people, and acts only with the consent of the governed.

Or so it should be...how far from these truths we have strayed when our founding fathers signed that singular document and joined the battle for our freedoms, pledging their lives, their fortunes, and their Sacred Honor.

I've quoted him before, but his words increase in meaning with each passing day of our country's growing weakness and timidity on the world stage: "Freedom is not long entrusted to the timid or the weak" - Dwight D. Eisenhower

We are warned; will we listen?

=================================================================

My youngest son Benjamin and his wife Brooke graced us with their presence this holiday weekend, and it was delightful having them visit for a few days.  They occupied our loft and relaxed in our little backyard paradise...

We ate a lot of delicious food prepared by Karen, 

enjoyed sparkling conversation,

lounged in and around the pool,

rooted for the Tigers,

and of course, watched fireworks on the big day...

ok, so we did not go to New York and see the Statue of Liberty against the backdrop of an amazing fireworks extravaganza.  Instead we sat in our backyard by the pool and enjoyed "fireworks in the round"...virtually everyone around us shot off fireworks from 10 pm until midnight, some of them quite loud and very impressive...a good time was had by all, especially when it was over and all we had to do was walk inside and get into bed instead of fight the traffic and drive for an hour to get home.

We sprouted a few more daises this past week...

...and were surprised with our first morning glory...

Alas, all good things...

sunset over Lamar Park...

...and tomorrow it's back into the fray...

Later, mcm fans...

Lucky...

...Me...Karen in one of her "Stop Staring" dresses...she wore this to a recent wedding up north.  Here's another pic:

Same dress, this time at the reception.  Here's a pic of Karen and her two lovely daughters:

That's Amy on the left, Sarah in the middle, and Karen on the right.  I am surrounded by beautiful women!  As I said, Lucky Me...

While they were attending the wedding, I was holding down the fort at home...went to the store to buy some beer, and the good folks who make their living on Madison Avenue in the advertising biz scored a direct hit:

I am not a Budweiser drinker, and never drink beer from cans...but I bought a six of these...God Bless America...who knew that drinking beer could be so patriotic?

And to make matters even worse, I also bought this bottle of 3 Olives Vodka...not because we drink 3 Olives Vodka...never had it before...but just had to have this bottle:

Madison Avenue thrives on pigeons like me.

So it was a very quiet weekend with everyone up north at a wedding and me doing the bachelor thing at home.  If I really was a bachelor, I'd undoubtedly have a routine...but I'm not, so I did some wandering around my empty house wondering what I should do next.

Besides trying to catch up on some work related issues, I also watched a couple of movies I haven't seen in a while but really like...Robocop,,,

...and Man On Fire.

I'm turned off by the over the top violence in Robocop, but the underlying theme of humanity lost in a tidal wave of evil, then regained in a triumph of good has always grabbed me.  There's a scene in the movie when Robocop is dealing with his partially recovered memories...he visits his old house, remembers his wife and son from his previous life, and is enraged by the overwhelming loss.

But the real tearjerker is Man On Fire, where virtually every main player gives outstanding performances, none better than Denzel Washington.  Both of these are definitely worth a look if you haven't seen them.

The gardens continue to bloom...this past weekend we were blessed with more lilies...

more orange lilies popped this week

yellow lilies in bloom

Love summertime in Michigan...

Later, mcm fans...

Our Lady...

...of Mercy chapel...at the Lacks Cancer Center.  Had a recent scare with Karen's annual checkup, and spent some time in the beautiful chapel while she was undergoing additional tests.

So why is it we turn to God when we're in trouble or worried or scared, but otherwise figure we've got life handled by ourselves?  A minor study in the ignorance and arrogance of man, I suppose.  Thankfully all is well with Karen.

Summer is struggling mightily to escape Spring's recalcitrant grip, and it looks like this weekend it may actually succeed...eagerly anticipating some actual sunshine and warmer temperatures...in the meantime, the backyard continues to flourish:

the peonies in glorious bloom...

...and we continue to enjoy being outside as much as possible:

relaxing by the firepit in the evening...

enjoying a manhattan and a cigar by the pool...

Recently saw a 1956 Thunderbird and have been rethinking my "must have a 1956 Corvette" mantra:

That is a beautiful car, and they are typically 10's of thousands of dollars less expensive than their Corvette counterparts.  They were actually created to compete with the 'vettes of the mid 1950's, and for a while they outsold them.  Now all I need is to find $40k of loose cash hanging around that I don't need for anything in particular and I'll finally own that classic car...

In the "no particular reason" department, here's another exciting video about a day in the life of a vintage toy...

Later, mcm fans...

Thank You...

...to all who served...praise God for their safe return to hearth and home...

...but we remember on this solemn day all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country and we honor their memory...

In Flanders Fields

by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

On a sunny afternoon in late May back in 1969 my twelve year old self stood on a platform in front of women in flowered dresses and gray haired men in faded military uniforms and recited that poem.  I didn't understand the meaning then, and wondered at the solemnity of the occasion marked by sober faces and heartfelt tears.

Many years later my youngest son announced he was going to war, and when he was headed to Afghanistan I dreaded the worst.

Praise God he returned from Afghanistan physically unharmed, though not unchanged.

A reminder how thankful we should be for men and women who serve their country, putting themselves in harm's way to protect us and our way of life.

later, mcm fans...