Existing In BFE

 Repost From Last Year On A Post 5 Years Ago  One Sunday about 4 or 5 years ago, Neighbor Tim asked if I wanted to ride along on a trip up to Southpark Mall in Moline.  Carrie needed to exchange something and it was a very nice day so off we went.  Fast forward to newly minted 2014 and it is February and cooooold.  It seems like a good time to recount that trip and think of warmer days in the not-so-distant-future when people up north will fire up their dormant iron horses and ride again.  Now, down here, we never put them away.  The good part of that is that...well, we never put them away.  The bad news is that we rack up the miles.   This will be a short Flashback, due mainly to the fact that nothing much happened on this trip.  We have had better trips probably, certainly more exciting ones than this trip.  But it was a trip nonetheless, and all trips on a bike are worth celebrating.  We left the mall having conducted the business and Tim suggested a run over to the Musca

It was the last couple of nights for a month-long stay in southern St. Pete for this county fair-like carnival just down the street.  The chance for some good old fashioned picture taking with bright lights, loud music and the circus patina made it imperative.   It was about 9:00 on a Sunday night and kind of chilly so the crowd was sparse.  I didn't see many older people, mostly young junior high age kids skittering from ride to ride. The barkers were doing their best to drum up what little business could be had.  The carnival ambiance: metal-on-metal chain driven rides, the calliope music coming from speakers throughout the grounds, the bright lights twinkling on and off to lure the eyes.      When you look at the pictures you will notice something about the ride facades.  Like most modern things the construction materials are new. No longer are the rides and panels the somewhat dingy plywood, metal and canvas constructs of our past, or in a mind's eye.

Paul Harvey had a radio spot for decades at noon on WGN and other stations.  He was probably just as much a daily routine for many as brushing teeth in the morning.  His winsome style was addictive and his historical nuggets contained fascinating bits of fact that were forgotten or unknown.  He closed his segments with, the famous, " And now you know……(long pause)…..the rest of the story." Who doesn't enjoy historical trivia?  Today I bring you a forgotten or unknown bit of history that was recently relayed to me by long-time Existing In BFE reader, Russell Foust.  Russ is a Norfolk, Nebraska resident and classmate of mine at Iowa Wesleyan College.  Russ is also a brother in the bond of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.   And now the rest of the story…  Dr. Thomas Poulter was a physics professor at my Alma mater, Iowa Wesleyan College.  Richard Byrd, the Antarctic explorer, yes, the famous James Byrd, picked Dr. Poulter as his second in command for his second Antarct

1.  If all goes well I will be home today.  Unfortunately, some people I wanted to see are out of the Midwest so they will have to wait for another time.  The trip was an unqualified success.  Some things I did: A. Bartonville Asylum for the Incurably Insane B. Saw eagles along the Mississippi C. Saw BFE Wataga friends, BFE Aledo friends, BFE Galesburg friends, BFE Burgess friends, BFE North Henderson friends, and others who shall be named at a later date. D. I weathered he weather. E. Had my fill of tenderloins to last a while, along with a Jerry's pizza, the Worlds Greatest Pizza. F. Saw Miss Maddie, Lily and Teddi. G. Hugged Miss Frump and petted her rear end. H. Went to my old car club meeting. I. Applied for a job. I. Ate at Bill's Crab Shack, Kickstand, Sully's, Brickyard, and Grandview. J. Picked up my Illinois Millionaire Raffle ticket. K. Spent a yucky cold day at my house in Henderson putting on downspouts and fixing flashing. L. Went over to Camero

ADDENDUM TO THE TAMPA BAY AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM I REALIZED AFTER I'D FINISHED POSTING THE 8-PART SERIES FROM MY TRIP TO THE CAR MUSEUM, THAT I'D FORGOTTEN A FEW OTHER NOTEWORTHY VEHICLES. MILBURN ELECTRIC 1922 Lushly embroidered seats and that steering system sans wheel was awfully outmoded. This is the 1922 Milburn.  It was an electric car and while way ahead of its time in the technology it seemed waaaaay behind the time in its overall design.  It looked like a throwback to the horseless carriage days.  In 1922 a lot of nice looking modern machines were being constructed, and this simply looked old fashioned.  It did, however, have a range of 100 miles and could go as fast as twenty miles an hour.  It was, perhaps too well built: it had a cost of three times the Ford Model T. It boasted a kind of extended cab style seating, also embroidered.  This was where all the batteries were stored. Curtains?   In the co

There is a novel out that has been on the Best Seller list for months called The Burgess Boys.   I have written before about Burgess, a Shangri-La nestled in the Illinois prairie.  Its on few maps and you can't really find it without a GPS or special invitation but it does exist.  Once there you are treated to unreal hospitality and a sense that you just might be amongst the friendliest group of people you have ever encountered.   Amongst my piles of old photos that have become fodder for Flashback Fridays, I found these that provide further amplification of me assertion:  truly nice people flock together, much like BFE and Budde's.  Above are Marvin and Richard at the bar enjoying a cold one.   Pictures of a parade of one with Marvin the Grand Marshall.   I had my old convertible over at one point in 2003 and Marvin and Richard wanted to go for a ride.  I'd like to say no homecoming queen ever looked prettier, but I won't. Marvin was th

Well, folks, we are still at it, mixing some paints and staring at canvas.  I finished another one the other day and thought you might like to hear some of the process.  Firstly, this is from a photo I took a while ago.  She and I were going for a walk after a nice little rain.  In the photo she had on shoes but I decided to take a little artistic license and let her go barefoot.   Step One :  I made an outline on the canvas with pencil and with very little paint and a lot of paint thinner I colored it in like a coloring book.  See, you guys thought what we did was all mysterious and magical.  DaVinci and all the Masters made outlines and colored in between the lines.  Just great big coloring books.   Step Two :  I then painted the background.  I used Payne's Gray and some white.  I love Payne's gray for some reason.  I also enjoy cobalt blue.   It was the front parking lot, really, and the water made the concrete dark in the area she was walking in, so that