Thursday, December 12, 2013

The Beagle Has Important Business to Conduct on the Frozen Midnight Snow

Midnight, four degrees.
Katie wants out. To piddle?
No. She smells rabbit!

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Radiator Caps and Hood Ornaments from the Stahls Automotive Foundation Museum

My father-in-law Arsen and I visited the Stahls Automotive Foundation Museum in Chesterfield, Michigan, on the Friday after Thanksgiving.  The Stahls museum generally has very limited hours, so it was a treat to get to see it.  The museum features 70 or 80 truly lovely classic cars, the vast majority of which are American prewar classics.

Pictures of complete cars coming soon, but since Monique couldn't make the trip, I thought I'd put up a post sharing her favorite part of classic cars: the radiator caps and hood ornaments.  Somewhere out there is a radiator cap and hood ornament museum. I guarantee that one day we'll find it.

You can click on a photo to see it full size. I've organized them alphabetically by make, except for the surprise finale at the end.

Enjoy!

American Motors


1913 American Scout Roadster Underslung


Auburn


1936 Auburn Model 852 Speedster


Cadillac


1930 Cadillac V16 Phaeton Series 452



1932 Cadillac Model 355B V-8 Convertible Coupe


Chrysler


1932 Chrysler CL Imperial



1935 Chrysler Airflow C-1 Sedan


Duesenberg


1923 Duesenberg Model A Touring Car


Ford


1931 Ford Model A Deluxe Roadster




1934 Ford Deluxe Phaeton


Graham



1939 "Sharknose" Graham Model 97 Four-Door Sedan


Hupmobile


1934 Hupmobile Aerodynamic


LaSalle


1934 LaSalle Convertible Coupe


Leslie Special


1964 (by way of 190?) Leslie Special - Yes, it's our good friend the Leslie Special from the movie "The Great Race", seen earlier this year on the ol' Patio Boat greeting folks at the 2013 Concours of America in Plymouth, Michigan.


Packards, Packards, Packards!


1930 Packard Model 745 Deluxe Eight Phaeton



1931 Packard 840 Custom Eight Phaeton



1932 Packard Deluxe Eight Phaeton



1934 Packard Super Eight Coupe Roadster



1938 Packard Darrin Model 1703 Converible Victoria



1940 Packard Station Wagon



1947 Packard Custom Clipper Club Sedan


Pierce-Arrow


1934 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow



1935 Pierce Arrow Model 1245 Convertible Roadster


Stutz


1932 Stutz Model DV-32 LeBaron Sedan


Terraplane (formerly Essex, a subsidiary of Hudson)


1936 Terraplane Model 61 Convertible Coupe


And for our big finale, we close this post with an out-of-alphabetical-order Amphicar!


1964 Amphicar 770 Convertible - Yeah, okay, so it doesn't really have a hood ornament. I would like to point out, however, that it has a fully functional marine navigation light smack-dab in the middle of its hood.  And that's pretty dang cool!

Friday, November 15, 2013

November Haiku

There is no way that
stupid case of bronchitis
Lasts all month. Please, God.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Hallowe'en at Greenfield Village

Monique and I went to the Hallowe'en at Greenfield Village celebration with our neighbors Wendy, Anna, and Lexi Eckman. Every year they bring in the ghosts, ghouls, and a bazillion Jack O'Lanterns for a good old-fashioned fright.

Come along and stroll with us:



Monigue dressed as a ... well, a ... um, I dunno. You'll have to ask her yourself. I'm sure it was scary.



Our expedition (top, left-to-right): Anna Eckman, Wendy Eckman, Monique Magee, and (bottom) Lexi Eckman, who fainted after seeing the corpse coming out of the coffin in the Hearse behind them.


The Grim Reaper.



Uh-oh. There goes the sun. It began to get dark and spooky.



Hey, girls, why don't you stand by that fence so I can get a sunset photo? I'm sure it's safe.



Jack O'Lanterns as far as the eye can see. We talked to one of the volunteers about them. They have to carve more than a thousand new Jack O'Lanterns every weekend. Volunteers carve most of them, and some of the most complicated designs are carved by a robot.

The Jack O'Lanterns lined the entire pathway we followed. They were an amazing display. I've never seen anything like it on that scale.



The Wizard of Menlo Park. Literally.



Snoopy O'Lantern!



There were some amazing costumes on display.





Monique, Wendy, and Anna had to stand in back to watch the old Hallowe'en cartoon because some witch was in the front row and everybody was too afraid to sit next to her.



Probably a Grateful Dead tribute band.



The haunted covered bridge. This was my favorite display of the night. Inside was thickly fogged with truly eerie lighting.



Living scarecrow. He leaped off his post moments later.



The bride on the balcony.



Jack O'Lanterns piled high.


The pirate cove.



Igor busy at work.



Witch Hazel's Broom Lot.



Anna and Lexi try out a gently pre-owned ride, used by a little old hag who only used it to go to coven meetings at midnight of the full moon.





A performance of Hansel & Gretel.



A haunted bell clock.



More Jack O'Lanterns piled high.



And even higher ... an entire Jack O'Lantern tree!



Haunted mill.



And then the Headless Horseman came by and lopped off all of our heads.

The end.