Glass Stacks Everywhere

For the past couple of years the Boss has been collecting glass.  She has gone to flea markets, estate sales, thrift stores, and any other place glass objects may be found.  These shopping excursions have not just been in the local area, she also managed to pack a suitcase full of glass when we came home from Honolulu a couple of years ago.

The house was getting full.  Red, blue, green, brown, purple and clear plates, saucers, ashtrays, vases, and other things in cardboard boxes on shelves, on tables, under tables, on the floor, and in closets.

Not anymore.

She has been stacking like a mad woman!  She is the GlassStacker!

 

Now the glass stacks are everywhere.  She is still smiling.

Keep 'em running
The GlassStacker's Assistant

Drive a Sprite to Conclave: Yes!

This is a rewrite of a letter that appeared in The Healey Enthusiast, September, 1993.

I had to write and tell you a bit about Conclave '93 in Louisville.  My son Dan, daughter Karen and I attended and participated in some of the events.

We left Red Wing on Saturday the 26th of June as a convoy of two;  our Sprite and the BJ9.  The first day was pretty uneventful.  We stopped every 100-150 miles for gas as the Sprite had a non working fuel gauge and we had no experience to tell us just how far we could go on 7 gallons of fuel.  Distance and speed were also a little hard to measure as we had a MkIV speedometer on a 4.3 differential.  In the end the combination was only about 10-12% off and easy to live with.  We camped that night in Palisades-Kepler State Park near Mt. Vernon, Iowa.

The next morning, low on fuel and making a much needed stop, we encountered the first of many curious citizens.  The station owner apologized for not having high octane, leaded fuel and asked several questions about the car.  I told him I could use 87 octane, unleaded (thanks to Edelmann's) and answered whatever else I could.  We drove through Davenport and south through Illinois over some of the roughest freeway I have ever seen.  The Sprite was hopping around like a bantam rooster, my boxes of apple and orange juice were jumping all over the place.  We camped at Wolf Creek State Park in southern Illinois after buying underwear in Decatur.  Some of us do not pack very well.
The third day took us through the forests of southern Indiana.  I had to be careful not to run away from the big "BJ9" Ford Club Wagon on numerous turns and twists in the road.  When I told Dan that I thought this was a beautiful area he didn't seem to feel the same way, driving the Ford.  Our caravan made Louisville during the evening rush hour.  By then the engine in the Sprite was a little better broken in and I felt I could almost run with the freeway traffic.  That experience convinced me of the need for a 3.7 rear end and maybe a 5 speed transmission for my Sprite.  We camped at the Louisville South KOA in Shepherdsville, Kentucky.

On Tuesday morning, June 29th we picked up our registration packet at the Executive West Hotel.  We were just in time for the funkhana and the solo which were being held across the street at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center.  It was easy to find the tech area for the solo and after a minor adjustment to the front wheel bearings the Sprite was cleared for the event.  Between the tech inspection and the actual solo, Karen, age 11, and I ran the funkhana.  She steered and I clutched and braked.  We had a great time running for the roses.  Later that afternoon Dan and I each ran the solo.  We didn't break anything and had some average times.  As the day progressed the level of preparation for these events by the conclave committee became evident.  We met a lot of very helpful people everywhere we went.  These folks were truly caring, sharing enthusiasts.

While the solo and funkhana were taking place Karen noticed the rides and thrills of Kentucky Kingdom.  On Wednesday, she and I played, splashed, rode, walked, got sunburned and very tired at this amusement park.  While we were having all this fun Dan was bending the ears of some of the folks with BN2s.  He talked to Rich Chrysler, Joe Fruend, Bob Thomas, Bill Lillibridge and anyone else who would listen to him.  By the end of the day his notebook was filled and a few rolls of film had been cycled through the camera.
Thursday was the day of the RC races and the car show.  Time had been set aside for washing and prepping the Healeys before the show so we woke early and headed into town.  On the way we stopped for breakfast at the Shepherdsville McDonalds.  While we were eating I remarked to Dan that I would like to be at the Expo Center at about 9:00 am to clean up the car and get it ready for the show.  When he told me it was already 10:00 am my falling jaw just about broke my ankles.  We blasted out of there and went straight to the show, not even thinking about what the car looked like.  We were the last car in!  I hope no one was offended by the bird poop on the fender and the Kentucky mud on the tires.  During the car show the RC cars were run indoors on a polished cement surface.  Dan and Karen had more horsepower than traction but had a good time anyway.
At 4 pm everyone made a LeMans run for the exits.  My family and I were more than a little homesick so we decided to head for home.  The AC was irresistible so we put the Sprite on the tow bar and headed north.  Red Wing looked like heaven on Friday afternoon.
As near as I can tell it was about 670 miles to Louisville and another 100 or so running around.  The Sprite averaged 36 corrected miles to the gallon and burned a half quart of oil for the trip.
Keep on Healeying!

Keep 'em running
The GlassStacker's Assistant

The 1st Annual Waumandee, Wisconsin Hillclimb

06:30, Saturday, 22 September, 2012
Waumandee, Wisconsin

It was cold, damp, windy, and still dark when our little caravan approached a roadblock on Blank Hill Road near Waumandee, Wisconsin.  As we stopped by the barricade we were soon met by Tom Hazen, the event coordinator for the day.  He gave us a packet of release forms to be signed by every adult entering the area, information sheets for drivers and a whole bag of snacks.  In just a minute, Dan and I became the entry gate volunteers for the first hour of the day.  A short time later a group of early rising Girl Scouts and their parents arrived to set up a food stand.  The paddock eventually became home to the refreshment stand, a registration tent, about 30 vintage cars and small groups of drivers and spectators.  By 9 am the rain had mostly stopped, drivers and cars were all registered and ready, the safety meeting had concluded, and all the volunteer corner workers were in position on the course.  The very first Waumandee, Wisconsin Vintage Car Hillclimb sponsored by the Austin Healey Club of Minnesota was about to get underway.

The three race cars in the field were first to run the hill.  Since these cars are not licensed for public roads they had to go down the hill while no one was coming up the hill.  This required some coordination and the runs were stopped for a time at the end of each run cycle to accommodate these cars.  While the race cars were going down and and making their runs back up the hill, the rest of us drove on public roads to reach the start of the course at the bottom of the hill.  The hillclimb course had an elevation change of about 400 feet and was about 2 miles long.  Trip around was about 7 miles.

As I queued to start my first trip around to get to the bottom of the hill, The Waumandee Booster Club readied and fired their pumpkin cannon.  The gun crew loaded a ripe watermelon into the cannon, pumped the reservoir to 60 psi with an air compressor and launched the melon.  The launch forces blew the melon to mist and those of us who were downwind, myself and several others, were coated with eau de watermelon.  We were all just a little sticky.  Fortunately watermelon dust is very soluble in soapy water so it was an easy matter to wash the car the next day.  What a blast!

Dan and I near the bottom of the hill                  Photo by Andy Lindberg

I made a total of 8 runs up the hill.  The first was to learn the course and was untimed, Dan rode along for the second, and one of the girl scout moms was a passenger on the third.  She probably will not forget the noisy, 'close to the road' persona of a Bugeye Sprite, even just running easy.  I ran the other 5 timings with spirit.  I had no equipment failures other than a loose ignition connector, easily fixed, and drove the car home at the end of the day.

  Photo by Heidi

 



Keep em running
As always
The GlassStacker's Assistant

The I35E Bridge over Maryland Avenue in St Paul

On Saturday, August 18, 2012, Karen, the Boss, and I were on the corner of Mississippi Street and Jessamine Avenue in St. Paul.  A small group had gathered there to watch the installation of the Maryland Avenue bridge.  What made this a special event was that the bridge had been previously constructed on a lot adjacent to the freeway and was being moved into position by a self-propelled bridge hauler.  We spent a very enjoyable and informative two hours watching MNDOT move the bridge into position while chatting with the small contingent of St. Paul residents that had turned out to observe the whole operation.
The bridge had been under construction for several weeks and we were very keen to know just how it would be moved to the Maryland Avenue site.  A lot of wheels were sure to be involved but we were unsure about the details of the procedure.
The day before, after goofing off at an estate sale in Minneapolis, we passed the bridge site on the way back to Karen's place.  As we passed, Karen very excitedly exclaimed, "Did you see all those wheels?"  We very nearly had to go back around to have another look!  In fact, the Boss and I did take another look on our way home later in the day.  We could see that an awful lot of wheels and equipment had been installed under one of the bridge segments.
About 6 am Saturday morning, my phone beeped with a text from Karen suggesting that the bridge would be on the move soon and that we should go and watch, that it was our civic duty to watch our state government in action.  Without even brushing our teeth, we were out of bed and on our way St. Paul.  By 8 am, we were part of a small, diverse group of locals who were interested in the final installation of the Maryland Avenue bridge over I-35-E.
The self-propelled bridge hauler is operated by a Texas company. A pair of diesel engines run hydraulic pumps that raise or lower the entire bridge, rotate and turn the wheels.  The platform supports the entire bridge and moves at a walking pace.  It can be turned and maneuvered as required to place the bridge on its supports and is controlled by one man with a small computer.

Note that 2 pair of wheels were raised, malfunction?, while the bridge was being moved.  We counted 192 pair of hydraulically driven wheels on the transporter. (384 wheels, a lot of steel girders, one man, one computer program and a great big, heavy bridge)

Note also that our viewing location was very nicely shaded.
What a day!

Keep em running.
As Always,
The GlassStacker's Assistant

Serendipity

A couple of days ago the GlassStacker and I were at Karen's place in St. Paul.  We were supposed to be doing something constructive but instead decided to cross the river and go to an estate sale in Minneapolis.  At the sale, in south Minneapolis, on the other side of the Mississippi River, I found an interesting and unique Matchbox car that was part of the estate.  It was a Bullnose Morris Cowley.  Since it was fairly cheap, I bought the toy then promptly gave it to Karen.  Later that day, when the Boss and I were back home, I thought I would do a Google search for the Bullnose Morris to find some background information just in case someone ever asked me about it.  The first thing I found was a YouTube video made by BBC in the 1960s depicting one man's restoration of a Morris Cowley.

This video, outwardly about car restoration, is an Aesop's Fable.  The restoration of the Morris is used to describe our actions and relationships with family, friends and others we are in contact with in our daily lives.  We, the GlassStacker and I, feel this film is a must see for all of my readers.
Oh yes, The serendipity part.  I would never had found the film had I not been goofing off at an estate sale across the river over there in south Minneapolis.
Go to YouTube and search "Bullnose Morris".  The restoration videos are in a 4-part series, each part is about 8 minutes long.  The videos have been posted by Atlantic1952.

Keep em running.
As always,
The GlassStacker's Assistant

The Desert Botanical Garden

Do you know how sometimes when you travel you see new and different things? And some of the different things are insects? And some of the insects are large? Gigantic?
That is what happened to us when we played tourist today at the Desert Botanical garden in Phoenix. We saw some of the largest bugs ever. They seemed to be everywhere in the park. A dragonfly that made me glad that I was too old and tough to eat, a spider with a web big enough to cover a house and ants as big as a Hummer.
I'll be sleeping with both eyes open tonight and I bet the GlassStacker will not even come to the bedroom.
There were a lot of desert plants there too.

A Trip to Las Vegas

The GlassStacker and I spent a couple of very interesting and relaxing days visiting our friend Sue in Las Vegas, Nevada. I know some of you think we went to Vegas for the gambling but that is definitely not the case. Yeah, I know the Boss did borrow a buck from me and lose it right away in the slots at the Bellagio but I think she just had to get a little of that out of her system. In truth we went for the geology, the art, and to spend some quality time with a friend. Along the way we saw Joshua Trees, the low water at Hoover Dam, lots of rocks and the new O'Callaghan-Tillman bridge.

The Bellagio has an installation of Chihuly glass, something that really interested all of us. While the slot machine was digesting my dollar, the three of us roamed around gawking and soaking in the glass art. To see that much beautiful glass in such an impressive setting without having to pay admission was amazing. The Bellagio also has a conservatory which was in the midst of a switchover from Christmas to the Chinese New Year. There was a crane in operation inside the building so I was thoroughly engrossed. I almost forgot about the lost buck.

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is a must do for the Las Vegas visitor. There are trails of varying difficulty for the more adventurous and a 13 mile car ride with stops at several points of interest. With Sue as our guide we toured the park by car and on foot. The visitor center has numerous and very informative displays on rocks, plants, animals, wind, water, sunlight and all the other things that are part of the park. The geology is interesting with several rock layers and types visible as well as a thrust fault right out there where all the park goers can see it. Only in Vegas would a thrust fault be so uncovered and on public display. We saw three wild burros, a coyote, and a red fox, they all reminded me of the lost buck. Moon rise in Red Rock Canyon was memorable.

On the way to Nevada, and on the way back, we drove the Joshua Forest Parkway which is Arizona Highway 93. The parkway goes through the Joshua Tree forest of Arizona, one of the few, very specific, habitats for these yucca plants. The oldest "trees" were probably well established while our ancestors were living in cold, northern European farmhuts some 30 generations ago. Moonrise over the Joshua Forest with the Weaver Mountains in the background was very memorable.

We took Highway 74 as a short-cut to I17 on the way back. This was a straight shot across the desert just southeast of Wickenburg. Nightfall found us on the seemingly endless freeways of Phoenix, but before long we were in Chandler and back at our home away from home in Mirage Park.

Thank you Sue, for your insights on Las Vegas, your hospitality and for letting us share your home for a couple of days. I know that you and the Boss go back a long way and that the two of you can share first grader jokes, but I really appreciate the time the three of us spent talking and just being together. You are a true friend.

The lost buck?? What happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas.

As always,

The GlassStacker's Assistant