Dad's Winter 2008 Road Trip.
 Boardwalk . . . |
 . . . over the dunes . . . |
 Tidal creeks. |
 . . . to the ocean beach. |
 Seats out! |
It didn't get dumped in the junk mail bin along with the rest of the stuff in my box and I didn't file it away in my "Cultural Opportunities" folder to languish with the Mozart Festival and other series events I never get around to. A colorful duo--Penzance pirate and comic Pinafore admiral in full dress--just said, "Do it!"
By the time cold weather started in earnest, there wasn't much outdoor work to do and bookings fell off with the falling leaves. I started thinking. When? Right after Thanksgiving. Lee Anne and Dave were coming up and I wouldn't miss that. How long? As long as I could manage, certainly at least as long as my "October" trips years ago, a full calendar month. How? I had just finally sold the '73 International (sad, tears) with camper. Besides, that would have been chancy on a long trip to who knows where. A trailer? I went so far as to outfit the '89 Peugeot for trailering and brought Neil down from Cadyville to look at Scotty to see what it needed. (No help. The structure was too old and weak to take the stress of travel.) I looked and looked with the idea somehow of finding the '74 Green Thing and the old 50's Airstream (you remember). What I saw was all too big, too fancy, too expensive.
In Placid one day in October for the dump and shopping, I spotted a smart looking black Suburban in a used car lot. I passed it by, but then changed my mind on the way back. Now, I have never kept up with what's happening in cars. The latest one I own has 15 years on it (the others are older), so I had no clue. It looked new to me. Turned out it was a '98 he was selling for a friend that got transferred to London. Asked $6500, offered $5500, accepted by email the next day. That's all I needed! I got Fred Drake to strip out the seats, build up the floor, wire a 110v supply plus a switched 12v battery line to the back and paint out the color accent to bring the styling up to date (Click for photo series, The Black Thing customized and styling updated November '07.) Bert helped me build storage boxes in the vacant spaces, a folding table up front for George and a computer, plus pine boards inside to secure the battery bank, fridge, microwave, heater, table and other gear. Nothing loose to move around.
 The "Black Thing" at Drake's Auto . . . |
 . . . for customizing.interior and black paint fender color. |
Seats out! |
 Room for work table and George's spot. |
 A myriad of parts-- now just junk. |
 Welding rails for new floor. |
 Fred trueing steel frame. |
 Rear floor remains . . . |
 . . . continued up to the front. |
 Ernest and Al. |
 New floor . . . |
 . . . with room for storage below. |
 (Work table added later.) |
 Making 12v connection for additional battery bank. |
 Fred proud of his work. |
|
Boardwalk . . . |
. . . over the dunes . . . |
 . . . sand and grass . . . |
. . . to the ocean beach. |
 George reflective. |
 Sand . . . |
 . . . grasses . . . |
 . . . white waves, ocean and sky |
 George good-looking. |
 A boat ride . . . |
 . . . with Capt.Austin . . . |
 . . . over choppy waters . . . |
 . . . to Portsmouth Island |
Tidal creeks. |
 This house is . . . |
 . . . hurricane-proof. |
 A beautiful . . . |
 . . . place to live. |
 Walker and Sarah lived here . . . |
 . . . 1921 to 1944. |
 Graveyard . . . |
 . . . with a view. |
 Methodist Church tilted by hurricane. |
 Martin enjoys the scene. |
 Boat easily beached (no docks here). |
A Personal Potpourri.
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