Archive for the ‘Old Things’ Category

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Define ‘Historical’

Thursday, February 5th, 2009

I just discovered something interesting; the great state of South Dakota allows cars that are at least 30 years old to be registered as Historical Vehicles. That means that as long as the vehicle isn’t used for general transportation, you pay a one-time $10 licensing fee, and that’s it.

Here’s what the Section K of the DMV Motor Vehicle Manual says about it:

HISTORICAL VEHICLES
A. A vehicle or motorcycle over 30 years old that is used only for special occasions such as display, exhibitions, parades, etc., and not for general transportation, although the vehicle/motorcycle may be driven to and from service stations for fuel and repairs, may be licensed as a historical vehicle/motorcycle.
B. Historical plates can be obtained for a one-time $10 registration fee. Application is made directly to the Division of Motor Vehicles.

And that’s not all; if you own a vehicle that qualifies as ‘historic’ and can’t track down the title…

3. If all efforts have been made to locate the title and no records can be found, an affidavit must be submitted indicating efforts made in locating the previous owner to obtain the title.
4. It will be at the discretion of the Division of Motor Vehicles to determine if a title will be issued based upon the applicant’s documentation which is submitted.

Quite a deal for restorers and collectors. I’m sure other states have similar laws on the books, but this is all new to me!

Bummer of it though is that my BMW is a mere 5 years away from qualifying. Of course, I can’t really afford to keep a car for anything other than the dreaded ‘general transportation’, so it’s moot for me anyway. But the one thing that makes this slightly depressing is that cars built the year I graduated qualify as ‘historical’. I don’t feel like I’m historical…

Posted in BMW Of The Day, Cars!, Old Things | Comments Closed

Scouting New York

Sunday, December 28th, 2008

Here’s another cool site featured recently by Neatorama that I can’t get enough of… Scouting New York.

I work as a film location scout in New York City. My day is basically spent combing the streets for interesting and unique locations for feature films. In my travels, I often stumble across some pretty incredible sights, most of which are ignored every day by thousands of New Yorkers in too much of a rush to pay attention.

What a great job, and what a great idea to go along with that great job… Grab photos of some of the unique but easily missed features of the places you see. And New York City has plenty of character hiding everywhere, but hiding in plain sight. It just takes someone like Scout to see that character and point it out to those who are too busy to notice the beauty that’s around them.

I usually think that I’m pretty good at that — among my family and friends it’s usually me that notices the oddball little out-of-the-way places and the weird little details that others will miss — but I don’t always take the time to sit down and write about them. Around Sioux Falls, there are lots of historic sites that are marked by Historical Society plaques; I started a while back taking photographs of those markers and sites, and writing a little about them on a Blogspot site — Sioux Falls Historic Sites (yeah, original name, I know…) — but my updates have been sporadic and I’m somewhat ashamed to see now that it’s been over two years since I last added a post. I’ve still got photos of a couple dozen more markers sitting on my hard drive waiting for me to get around to writing about them, but still, there they sit.

But beyond even the historic sites, there are plenty of details in the old buildings around town that could be “scouted” & written about… Of course, Sioux Falls doesn’t have the wealth of old interesting things that New York has… But still, it’s a great idea that I might have to pick up. Maybe just add to my SF Historic Sites project? Yup, in my spare time.

Posted in Links, Old Things | Comments Closed

Fourteen Below Zero

Monday, December 15th, 2008

We’re having a cold snap in Sioux Falls this week. Not just cold, but stinkin’ cold. The photo above was taken of the thermometer on the back of our house at about 6am this morning. 14 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (that’s -25.5° C for the rest of the world.) No idea how accurate that old thermometer is — it came with the house — but KELO’s weather page shows -15° F for today’s low, and the National Weather Service has an official low of -11° for today. Tonight should be at least as cold.

Thankfully the wind wasn’t blowing much outside this morning, so starting the Suzuki wasn’t too bad. Not long after snapping the photo I went out to start up the engine & let it warm up a little. It’s always funny how the cold sucks the bounce out of the seats & suspension; hopping in is like jumping on a log. No give at all.

The air on a cold, cold morning like this is crisp and clear, and sounds take on a different character. Aircraft flying overhead sound totally different, cars driving by sound totally different… It’s a very cool experience. And on many mornings like this in years past, I’ve seen light pillars — vertical shafts of light above streetlights, farmyard lights, or car headlights. I didn’t get out before it was light, so didn’t see any this morning, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if they were around.

The cold is brutal, and makes me not want to go anywhere, but the cold brings out special phenomena that make venturing outside well worth the trouble of bundling up.

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Posted in Favorite Things, Fun!, Just Stuff, Old Things, sioux falls | Comments Closed

A Real-Life MI Speedball On eBay

Sunday, December 7th, 2008

A while back I wrote a spot about the MI Speedball, a home-built car based on a set of plans published in a 1959 Mechanix Illustrated magazine. Recently, Jalopnik posted an article about a vintage MI Speedball that showed up on an eBay auction. The auction ended on Nov. 30, apparently unsold because the highest bid of $22,456.00 didn’t hit the seller’s magic reserve figure.

The car was originally built back in 1959 by a California boat builder, using suspension parts & wheels from an early-’50’s Citroen 2CV. And it’s powered by an oddball 1952 Ariel Square-Four motorcycle engine. Kind of like a pair of two-cylinder motors stuck together in a square arrangement (here’s a video of one running.) So very cool; makes me wonder how it would look and perform if it was built with suspension bits & wheels from, say a late-’90’s BMW 3-series, and a 4-cylinder from a Civic with a 5-speed in the back. Considering the motor in the 1959 version that scooted it around pretty well with it’s 60 HP, the Honda powerplant would be pretty insane. I’m sure you’d need something more than 2×4’s to hold it all together though.

The best part of the eBay auction page is the photos; I was impressed by the original concept and article, but it is so cool to see hi-res color photos of the machine. If only I had a little more disposable income, a little more spare time, a spare garage stall, and a wife tolerant of such foolery, I’d be showing off photos of my own Speedball. Yeah; if only.

So in lieu of that, here are the photos and copy, lovingly ripped off from that auction. Just don’t drool on your keyboard too much. Oh, and the seller is the Saint Louis Car Museum; they have this car and many others in their inventory available for sale.

Year: 1952
Make: Ariel Custom
Model: Wood Car
VIN: TM1268
Mileage: —–
Engine: Ariel Square Four 		Cylinders: 4 Cylinder
Transmission: 4 Speed
Title: Clear / MO
Color: Wood
Interior Color: Red
DESCRIPTION:
A truly One of a Kind work of automotive art! Built by a west coast boat builder in 1959, this awesome wood car will complete any collection. The story behind the car is that the builder wanted a unique hotrod, one that reflected his superior woodworking skills along with his knowledge and love for boats. He started by building a wood body modeled after a Modern Mechanics Magazine article, then he sourced out an ultra rare 1952 Ariel Square Four motorcycle engine and transmission for the power. The suspension was taken from a Citroen of the era, and rest was all hand fabricated. Many parts are period correct new car pieces, the taillights are Cadillac, the headlights are generic part store replacements, and the fuel cell is a California Speed shop special.
Driving this car is an experience only a lucky few will ever have. Starting the engine is easy, just turn the key. The pedals are like that of a normal car, the shifter is a sequential 4 speed, braking is done by four wheel hydraulic drum brakes. The real fun is cruising around town and seeing the looks on people’s faces, accelerating thru the gears is exhilarating, but the car stays stable while doing so. The exhaust note is fantastic due to the hand built side exit pipes. Proper running lights for legal street driving where installed when the car was built, however comforts like climate control are absent.
After building and driving the vehicle for a short time the builder put the car in storage, and later sold the car to a Nevada Collector. The car remained in the care of that collector until it was purchased by a friend of the museum during a Rare Motorcycle hunting trip to Vegas, shortly after the car was transported to St. Louis it was sold to the Museum. It is important to note the original condition of the vehicle, the high build quality and excellent care the car has received over the years has preserved it very well, a piece of Americana from a similar time of innovation and individual creativity. The car does have a clear Missouri title as a 1952 Ariel and carries the VIN from the motorcycles engine. Please do not hesitate to contact us about this rare opportunity to purchase this spectacular motorcar. If nothing else it is truly fun to show your friends the new piece of art you just acquired. 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR POTENTIAL BUYERS: 

In an effort to protect the eBay user information and to help ensure the authenticity of correspondence between St. Louis Car Museum and its bidders, eBay’s new listing format does NOT display any bidder information. Nevertheless, we STRONGLY encourage bidders to contact us directly to answer questions or to verify correspondence. All of our vehicles are advertised locally and nationally using a variety of formats and often sell before the end of eBay listings. To secure a vehicle, please contact us.

Posted in Cars!, Old Things | Comments Closed

A Cool Old Trunk

Sunday, November 16th, 2008

I spotted this trunk at a garage sale this summer, filled with some old tools that I wanted. It was a package deal, and even though I had no idea what I’d use the trunk for, the price was right, so I took it home.

The trunk looks to be built of some rough wood underneath, but it’s covered on the outside with tin with hardwood strips holding it in place. The nails holding it all together have some cool rosette-shaped heads on them… It was probably quite a fancy thing in its day. The inside is covered with some cheap wallpaper-type stuff, with a slightly cheesy picture in the middle of the top.

The trunk has definitely seen better days; the tin on the top is cracked/ripped lengthwise, and a chunk of it is missing behind the latch. The latch doesn’t work, and the hinges are missing their pins, allowing the lid to be lifted off completely. That should be an easy fix, but I still haven’t got around to that. And the wallpaper inside is pretty badly faded and peeling in places.

The inside stank really bad when I first brought it home; it had probably been left sitting in a garage or workshop for a lot of years, with who-knows-what inside it. Leaving it sit out in the sun for several days this summer helped immensely in that department; much, much better now.

Well, I’ve had it for four months, and still don’t know what to do with it. Our house really has no need for more furniture, and as big as this thing is, there’s no room for something not needed… So on to CraigsList it goes.

Posted in Old Things | Comments Closed

The 3 Square Puzzler

Saturday, November 8th, 2008

I stopped at a garage sale a few weeks back and found a couple of good deals; one of them was this neat old game — The 3 Square Puzzler.

The box is pretty nondescript, and looks like it’s seen better days.

Inside is a milled & finished oak block with a series of holes for moving the pegs. The pegs themselves are pretty heavy duty; all metal. The finish on the gold-colored pegs is a bit worn, but it’s still pretty easy to tell which is which.

The goal of the game is for one player to move the silver pegs to the holes occupied by the gold pegs before the other player moves the gold pegs to the other side. The rules are pretty simple; you move the pieces one hole at a time, jumping other pegs when possible, much like Chinese Checkers.

It’s a fun game, and kind of a classy relic. The label on the box is pretty faded, but still somewhat legible;
SETKO MODEL NO. 8114
3 SQUARE PUZZLER
another HOYLE OFFICIAL game

In addition to the instructions on the inside of the box lid, there is a line that says the copyright was obtained in 1964 by the “Set Screw & Mfg. Co.” A Google search on that name comes up empty, but it kinda makes sense that a set screw manufacturer would make something like this.

Probably not much of a collector’s piece, but I like it. Not bad for 25 cents, eh?

Posted in Fun!, Just Stuff, Old Things | Comments Closed

Grace Like Rain

Sunday, September 7th, 2008

I’ve got a new favorite song. Not exactly new; it’s Grace Like Rain by Todd Agnew (iTunes link), which is Agnew’s rendition of the 250 year old Amazing Grace by John Newton. I love the song to begin with; adding Agnew’s gritty vocals makes it that much more appealing.

Amazing Grace has been around since about 1772, but the lyrics still hold their meaning for today’s Christian.

Amazing Grace
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That sav’d a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev’d;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ’d!

Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promis’d good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call’d me here below,
Will be forever mine.

Many hymnbooks — and Agnew’s rendition — add the following verse, which isn’t attributed to Newton, but it’s got to be one of my favorites:

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.

Some say it doesn’t fit well with the rest of the song, being “we” instead of “I”, but I still like it, and the thoughts of eternity it conjures.

If you haven’t heard Todd Agnew’s music, take a listen. His album Grace Like Rain contains several other songs that are revamped versions of old hymns, treating them respectfully, doing an excellent job of conveying age-old concepts of the Christian faith. Thanks, Todd, for your work. I look forward to hearing your other CD’s.

Posted in Faith & Worship, Favorite Things, Fun!, Old Things, The Deep | Comments Closed

The Return Of The Weatherball?

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008

The Argus Leader ran a story today about a Sioux Falls guy — Greg Allis — who is leading the charge to resurrect one of the weatherballs that used to operate in town.

When the weatherball is red,
Warmer weather is ahead.

When the weatherball is white,
colder weather is in sight.

When the weatherball is green,
No change is forseen.

When it blinks in agitation,
There’s going to be precipitation.


There are only two weatherballs left in Sioux Falls; a 5-foot ball at 33rd and Minnesota and a 10-foot ball at 9t Street and Main Avenue. Neither one works. Apparently there is no desire on the part of the banks to get them working again, so Allis wants the city to pick up the project and place one of the balls in a city park, in the name of historic preservation. But the city is balking because they aren’t really old enough to qualify for the “historic” designation.

I love the idea of putting a weatherball back in action, but I don’t necessarily like the idea of it becoming a city government thing. I’m surprised though that one of the local news & weather stations hasn’t grabbed the idea and used it for promotion. KELO-TV was one of the original sponsors; wouldn’t it be great for them to put a weatherball on top of their tower in the downtown area? Just think of the mileage they’d get out of that thing. Or if KSFY picked up on the idea and placed one on a prominent billboard with reference to their weather forecasting…

That would be pure genius. At least I think so. (more…)

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Posted in Just Stuff, Old Things | Comments Closed

Be a Good Do-Bee — Romper Room

Sunday, April 13th, 2008

rr_dobee_sm.jpg

My Mom, bless her soul, was a true packrat. She saved everything. Maybe it was that she grew up during the Great Depression (if so, what’s my excuse?)… No matter; I’m grateful for some of the things she saved and was able to pass along to me. One of them is a packet of stuff from my time in Romper Room.

Romper, bomper, stomper boo.
Tell me, tell me, tell me, do.
Magic mirror, tell me today.
Have all my friends had fun at play?

(more…)

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Posted in Fun!, Just Stuff, Old Things | Comments Closed

The Coolest Bike. Ever.

Tuesday, March 11th, 2008

As the number 8 kid in a family of 9, I rarely got anything new. Most of it was hand-me-downs from one of the older siblings. There were exceptions though; Mom worked at the J.C. Penney store downtown when we were kids and got in on some great deals, and we reaped the windfall from that at Christmas and birthdays.

One notable win for me was the bike I got one year. I don’t remember if it was a birthday or Christmas or what, but it was the coolest bike ever.

swinger_lr.jpg

It had everything a bike needed for a kid in his early teens; chopper styling, banana seat, racing-style handlebars, red line racing slick on back, 5 speeds — and not just 5 speeds, but 5 speeds with a stick shift! — a parking brake… All I could saw was “Wow!” I was so excited I said it backwards too; “!woW”

Mom saved everything. With the exception of those things that Dad didn’t think we needed to keep and Mom was unable to hide from him. While the bike probably didn’t fare well under Dad’s care during our 1978 move, I’m thankful that the Assembly Instructions and Service Manual for the Model 3-1124A Foremost 20″ Eliminator Mark II – 5 Speed bike remained in Mom’s care. It was one of the things that Mom gave to me years ago. I had it tucked away in some old papers & photos, and came across it again the other day. Brings back loads of memories.

Like the time that Jamie and I hacksawed the forks off a neighbor’s junk bike sitting in the alley, then jammed the fork ends of this bike. The forks came off a 27″ bike, and the only thing holding the forks on was friction. Worked fine while we worked on it and it wasn’t moving. Then I took it for a little ride; things went ok until I hit a bump in the sidewalk. The results were predictable. It amazes me that I didn’t do more damage to my head back then, before anyone even thought of wearing a helmet while riding a bike.

Then there was the time all the neighborhood kids were pretending to be Evel Kneivel with homemade ramps, jumping over other neighborhood kids brave enough to lie on the sidewalk behind the ramp… I don’t remember ever doing well at that, probably because few kids were brave enough to let me jump over them — I wasn’t known for a slim figure or great athletic skills back then, plus this Swinger bike I had probably weighed in at 50 pounds or so. But dang, it was cool.

I wish I could find a color photo of it, but a half hour of Googling didn’t get me anywhere but this close. I think the frame and the seat were yellow, with some psychedelic thing going on with the chainguard. I did learn that that style of bike has come to be known as “musclebikes”, which is both apt and interesting.

If anybody stumbles across this and has a photo of one, please please please drop me a line. Or at least leave a comment.

Posted in Bikes, Old Things | Comments Closed

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