A SPORADIC WRITING OF MY FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS.
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Friday, February 09, 2024
Letter "F" -- Friday's Weekend Roundup 12 and Reflections and/or Street/Candid Captures
This Week's Prompts Starts with "F." A Favorite.
For Tom "F"lower.
For James Reflections and/or Street/Candid Captures.
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Starts with "F": Ford starts with "F". The two above are Ford Mustangs, toys from my 30 something collection of 1:18 scale cast iron cars. I have more Fords than any other brand.
Ford models; a lot are of the cars that I have owned and others are of the cars that I like.
A couple I purchased while in countries older cars on the roads. My favorite would be of the early model Citroen 2CV that I picked up at a tollway rest stop in France. The car here was parked in front of our hotel in xxx France.
I worked for Ford Aerospace Division, at New Hampshire and Houston, Texas from 1961 until 1980, leaving as a Senior Aerospace Engineer and get a small monthly retirement check from them for $214 per month.
And of the 32 Cars that I have owned, 15 were Fords and one Mercury. To see my list, click here.
[1952 Ford like my First Ford -- Click photo does not enlarge]
..
A Favorite: My first Ford was a Favorite of mine, it was a 1952 Two Door Sedan which I had hopped up to be very fast. It would outrun, at the red light or on the road, the 1955 and '56 Chevy with a power pack and any other car that it had met and tested.
I built the engine myself; it had a 1950's Ford Flathead stroked and bored to maximum. I also ported and relieved the block and manifold and had added dual exhausts.
[Click on most any photo for larger view]
Tom's choice, "Flower": Little white Flowers all over where we could camp. I don't know what they were excepts weeds of some variety.
[Reflections on the car and on the shiny floor beneath]
For James, Reflectionsand/or Street/Candid Captures:
This one is a shiny blue 1 9 3 4 Fordthree-window coupe. Envision it without headlights, having the fenders cropped fairly close to the body, and with very heavy-duty bumpers.
Oh yes, paint the number "88" on the doors and trunk and you will have our 'modified stock' oval dirt track racing car back before I got drafted into the Army. I learned auto mechanics from being a part of the pit crew and from working on the car over the weekend (once in a while I would be the driver, but our driver had experience by driving midget car races).
Our car was very fast, it would almost always win the "B" Feature race. We held it back so as to come in about third or fourth in our Heat race so it wouldn't have to race in the "A" Feature race. Occasionally we would race there but never could come in first place.
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The fine print
- [Click on any picture for larger, click it again for extra large]
- I am linked with Tom of "Back
woods Travel" (Link hereto click for Tom's Weekend Reviews) - I am also linked this week with James of "Weekend Reflections" (click here for his Reflections Photos). - The pictures mostly are all mine and rights are reserved to me under Copyright Law.
# posted by Jim : 2/09/2024 11:51:00 AM
5 comments
Friday, January 19, 2024
Letter "C" -- Friday's Weekend Roundup 12 and Reflections and/or Street/Candid Captures
This Week's Prompts Starts with "C." A Favorite.
For Tom "C"loud.
For James Reflections and/or Street/Candid Captures.
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Starts with"C": Well, I 'have' a Corvette. Last week, the "B" post, I mentioned that a Corvette was on my Buckett List. Yes, I 'have' it, a toy, but it belongs to my younger daughter, a Barbie Doll Corvette. She left it here with most of her toys.
From left to right, my inherited watch, Mrs. Jim's father's clock, and my grandfather's pocket watch. Grandpa had hocked this clock when he needed to come back to Nebraska after having found the soil was for miserable farming soil, full of rocks as well.
Mrs. Jim inherited these traveling clocks.
This clock was in the kitchen of our farmhouse growing up. My parents received it as a wedding present. Note in its location photo, left, is another clock in the upper right, possibly my grandparents.
Mrs. Jim inherited these three furniture top clocks as well.
Mrs. Jim inherited the antique clock on the left, the history is on the note behind the front door, see below. We purchased the newer Emperor clock on the right. I had to assemble it from mail order although they were also selling these models in kit form.
A Favorite: Mrs. Jim has a nice Clock Collection for an amateur.
The note on the door on the bottom left above was pasted on.
It tells that the History a little of the Antique clock above to the left. The note reads,
Thomas Whipp (maker), Rochdale Long case clocks, 1820-1842 (sources I found said "circa 1770")
Rochdale is 10 miles North of Manchester
Purchased in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, 5 July 1965
I have three clocks, an "atomic clock" still in a box, a Western Union rectangular wall clock pictured here, and the 'inherited watch' also above. Technically Grandpa's watch is mine as well as the kitchen clock in my growing up home. I inherited the wall clock. My parents, former owners, were married in 1932. The ones you are seeing are all in Mrs. Jim's collection.
May your dark clouds have silver linings! (my, Jimmiehov, photo)
Tom's "Cloud": Pretty Cloud Lining
James' Reflectionsand/or Street/Candid Captures: Moody Garden's "South Atlantic" presentation in Galveston, Texas, courtesy of TV Channel 2, KPRC in Houston, Texas.
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The fine print
- [Click on any picture for larger, click it again for extra large]
- I am linked with Tom of "Back
woods Travel" (Link here to click for Tom's Weekend Reviews) - I am also linked this week with James of "Weekend Reflections" (click here for his Reflections Photos). - The pictures mostly are all mine and rights are reserved to me under Copyright Law.
# posted by Jim : 1/19/2024 03:05:00 PM
4 comments
Friday, January 12, 2024
Letter "B" -- Friday's Weekend Roundup 12 and Reflections and/or Street/Candid Captures
For Tom: This Week's Prompts Starts with "B". "A Favorite. "B"ig.
For James: Reflections and/or Street/Candid Captures. _ _ _ _
[Adi goes wild when our daughter came to visit]
Starts with "B": Beagle starts with "B" so I'll tell about my Beagle dog, Adi. She was born in 1996 and first came to our house as a pup. Adi was our daughter's but keeping her was more than she could handle so she came to us and was with us ever since, except for one time when she came for a short spell to the daughter. Above is a picture of her greeting the daughter when she came to visit.
When I retired in 2001, Mrs. Jim, a retired social worker did some preemptive professional application by suggesting that Adi and I could become a Pet Therapy Team for me to keep a little bit occupied. (Ladies, this a good thing to do for your husband when he retires.)
We both made the rigorous testing and soon passed into the new field and became a Registered Pet Therapy Team. Adi loved her part of the work, she was also a reading dog and tutored a sixth grade boy so he could pass his required skill level.
Both Adi and the child enjoyed their sessions.
But also she liked visiting the elderly. We became regulars with Assisted Living and Alzheimer's afflicted at our local facility. We continued with those until Adi retired in 2012. She received a nice letter from Delta, the registering society, you can read the letter here,
Adi and I were buddies and we have her ashes still.
[google find, "Corvettes" -- I have not purchased a new car since 1967]
A Favorite: My Bucket List is one of my favorite daydream sites. In 2001 when I retired, travel on my list was three, the Panama Canal, China, and Moscow, USSR. I quickly did those and many more (I didn't start blogging until 2006 so only Moscow made this blog, right off we went to Sicily for two weeks so that was my first to make it here).
I've removed lots of items, like touching the South Pole, winning the lottery, and owning a Corvette.
Some are still there, maybe still open up to 100 and some more things I have forgotten.
[photo copyright, Jimmiehov 2010, first posted here]
My Nebraska cousins, Linda and Jack, standing
away from the tall Statue of Sam Houston .
Tom's word choice, "Big": There is a U.S. saying, "Everything is Big in Texas". This is a photo of a statue north of Houston with my Nebraska cousins standing in front. It is of Sam Houston, Texas' first and third president back when we were a stand-alone Republic. He later was a U.S. Senator.
(Note, Sam Houston was not a Civil War hero, and he resigned his post after Texas seceded from the Union. He did own slaves as were helping on most Texas plantations.)
[Click on any picture to make it larger sized. Try clicking that one next]
For James: Reflections and/or Street/Candid Captures: There is a 'slight' reflection in the pond above the falls. This a walk picture. Going here takes about 16 minutes at our rate, the round trip gives us plenty for our 30 minutes, one day of five we like. Below the falls is a small pond and then a Bench if our legs say. "Please give us a rest "
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The fine print:
- [Click on any picture for larger, click it again for extra large]
- I am linked with Tom of "Back
woods Travel" (Link here to click for Tom's Weekend Reviews) - I am also linked this week with James of "Weekend Reflections" (click here for his Reflections Photos). - The pictures mostly are all mine and rights are reserved to me under Copyright Law.
Starts with "W": Wheelbarrow, from our home in Texas, 23 years, then we moved to our retirement home in 1999. The wheelbarrow didn't make the move though. I had loaned it to the neighbor and it was mistreated.
First they left it out several days, under an eve and it got wet and since in the shad didn't dry. But when they returned it, besides being rusty, the front wheel was broken, and the tire was flat. It got given to the heavy trash man and I've never had a wheelbarrow since.
A Favorite: My home from birth until I left home for college. Note the buildings. Dad kept them painted white very well. I was born in the house, it had a living room, a kitchen with eating table space, and two bedrooms.
When my sister was born, I was five. She got my room, and I was to sleep on the front porch, you can see the roof. Grandpa and Dad screened it and put storm windows on. No heat nor air conditioning. Frost would be on my blanket in the cold Nebraskawinters. I could have changed to sleeping in the living room, heated, but I declined.
The smaller white building in front was the baby chicken growing house. When the folks quite raising chickens, Dad used it for an office for his seed corn business. That is the water cistern to the left and behind. Above ground, it would not have to be pumped.
The new owner of the farm bulldozed the house down and other outbuildings except for the barn and granaries. I'm not sure about the office. There was a yard light on top of that pool beside the office. The tall flowers were canailles.
Tom's choice, "White": My 1974 Dodge Convertible was white. It got totaled when my son-in-law's mechanic, drunk, was driving it, "testing".
For James post, Reflectionsand/or Street/Candid Captures: Taken from a window in the Houston Methodist Hospital West. The building across the lake is the Katy, Texas, Western Branch location of Texas Children's Hospital.
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The fine print:
- [Click on any picture for larger, click it again for extra large]
- I am linked with Tom of "Backwoods Travel" (Link here to click for Tom's Weekend Reviews) - I am also linked this week with James of "Weekend Reflections" (click here for his Reflections Photos). - The pictures mostly are all mine and rights are reserved to me under Copyright Law.
Starts with "U": Up starts with "U". Guys, never, never, leave the seat Up. (Some like the top lid up, bottom down. Makes for a rush relief faster.)
Tom's choice, "Utility": Pickup trucks are Utility vehicles. When they appear with a car front and a hauling bed behind, example, the Ford Ranchero, the Australians and New Zealanders call them Utes.
The one above is a VW Ute we found while walking in New Zealand. We arrived very early in the morning for our cruise, Aukland, New Zealand to the bottom of NZ, then over to Tasmania, Australia, and up to Sydney. So we spent the morning examining the central NZ opposite of Aukland.
[Remember you can enlarge by clicking on the picture, once and/or twice]
A Favorite: Another Utility Vehicle that we found in Lisbon, Portugal. This is a Citroen 2CV Food Truck find in Lisbon, Portugal while we were visiting there in November. I bought an Ice Cream Bar from the owner. I couldn't find this easily, but I think there may be another letter behind the "2CV" for trucks. The Citroen 2CV models were made from 1948 to 1990. A Collector Car now they are priced in the mid $25K's and up.
And Reflections and a Street/Candid Capture: Also note from the picture above the Reflections from the hood. And then the Capture of the fellow and lady making a transaction. Are they checking to make sure nobody got gipped in the coffee and refreshment deal.
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The fine print:
- [Click on any picture for larger, click it again for extra large]
- I am linked with Tom of "Backwoods Travel" (Link here to click for Tom's Weekend Reviews) - I am also linked this week with James of "Weekend Reflections" (click here for his Reflections Photos). - The pictures mostly are all mine and rights are reserved to me under Copyright Law.
Starts with "T": My friend, John, asked me if I minded following him to this place. He had left his camera home and wanted some pictures of a car he knew about. I never pass up opportunities to look at old cars so off we went. This is what he wanted to see, he had discovered them earlier in the year. They are a pair of Model T Ford cars. Either 1926 or 1927, my guess in 1927.
In 1927 the Model T had wire wheels standard equipment, in 1926 they were optional. Before that the T's used wooden spoke wheels.I was surprised and delighted with the find. The last time John had talked with the owner they were not for sale.
Times and circumstances since have changed now. He doesn't know if they could be bought. I suggested that he offer to pay $1000 for cleaning the shed out if he could have the cars and whatever else the family did not want. That means work but John has some grandsons who would really like to help grandpa in his quest for more old cars.
The one on the right is for sale at a moderate price, $9,950 . It has been restored but before the restoration I imagine it looked very similar to the one John found in the back of the shed.
The front one is my favorite. Hot Rodders use them to make "T-bucket" hot rods. Most of the originals have been either restored or used up for hot rods. A new fiberglass reproduction body can be had for several thousand dollars.
Note: Our visit was in 2009 and I blogged of the visit with this post back then.
Since then, John has died. He bought another Model T instead of either of these.
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A Favorite: The Zombie Tree, my Favorite Tree
[Bing's find for a "Cherry Tree" search-$219.95, read more]
Tom's choice, "Tree": When I was growing up my parents bought as Cherry Tree and planted it inside the backyard next to the washing shed. I was suckered into taking care of it as they named it "Jim's Cherry Tree". The duty increased as the tree grew. I didn't mind though, when it started growing fruit as I ate my share out there from the Tree.
Reflectionsand/or Street/Candid Captures: Our back yard, the flowers are Roses (behind, right and left). Depending on the harshness of our winter, these and others might be in blossom all winter long. We do have an oak and a xxtree, they will keep their leaves all winter long.
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The fine print:
- [Click on any picture for larger, click it again for extra large]
- I am linked with Tom of "Backwoods Travel" (Link here to click for Tom's Weekend Reviews) - I am also linked this week with James of "Weekend Reflections" (click here for his Reflections Photos). - The pictures mostly are all mine and rights are reserved to me under Copyright Law.