Tuesday Turbo Boost

This may not be full-turbo, but it's good for a laugh, and that always helps.

Mr. Completely's April 2014 e-Postal Is Up At The CUG Blog!

Click over to the Conservative UAW Guy for the April Contest.  The CU Guy has come up with some twists that will level the field with this target, and make it challenging for all.  It looks like we are off to a great start for the 2014 contests, and if you missed March because of the lousy weather, jump right in now that Spring seems to be settling in. 

Mr. Completely's e-postal matches can be as serious as you want to be, or shot just for the fun of it.  These monthly contests are definitely good practice for all of us, and if you wish to be serious about your shooting skills you know that regular practice is a must.  Go read the rules, print out a stack of targets, and hit the range in April with family and friends.

Be Sharp, Look Sharp This Week!

Back To The Old Grind!

Final Weekend For The March 2014 Mr. Completely e-Postal Contest

March is nearly over, it's still a weekend, and that means you need to head to the range today to shoot the March Mr. Completely e-Postal target with as many guns as you can carry.  It's a challenging target, but you can shoot a respectable score without too much difficulty.  The big question is, can you score the big points on those little 25 point bullseyes?  Click the target for the link, print a stack of targets and head to the range!  JimmyB, the Conservative UAW Guy will be hosting the April contest, so check his blog for the next target.

Weekend Steam: Inner Workings Of A Triple Expansion Launch Engine

The first video shows the engine not-quite-done, so you can see the pistons and valves mechanisms up close. The second one shows the engine in operation for the first time.  There are six power strokes per revolution in a triple expansion engine.  Note that it takes a while to warm up the engine so all the petcocks can be closed.  The steam has to work its way through three cylinders and power strokes before it's exhausted.

Not My Victrola: The Fire Next Time

I saw plenty of TV during my stay in Good Sam, and there was a whole lotta of time spent promoting the new Noah movie.  Bible movies hardly ever make everyone happy, and the bad reviews are piling on, but all that aside, the publicity dredged up an old song in the back of my head, and the only way to get relief is to listen to it a few times.  Don't kick me; it will subside from your mind in a few days and probably won't resurface for thirty or forty years.

Crankin' It Up

I'm down, but not totally out with the hand problem.  I didn't want to deal with changing phonograph needles, and herding cats to do a new recording, so I pulled a good old Vaughn DeLeath record out of a hard drive.  You will know it's a good song by the sound quality.  I wish the first owner had been able to afford a new needle now and then.



I've Got The Blues, But I'm Just Too Mean To Cry by TrueBlueSam

It's Been An Interesting Week...

...and I apologize for not posting.  I was away from my 'puter, and trying to do e-mail with the wrong hand on a Kindle just doesn't work for me.   I couldn't blog, but I did get pictures while I was in Good Samaritan Hospital in Mt. Vernon for a cat bite on my right hand.  I have been on IV antibiotics for a week, and will be for another week, but will recover.  Day 5 the Doctor started squeezing pus and corruption out of the hand, and he took me into surgery on day 7 to clean it out.  The next day he unwrapped the hand and reached for the gauze packing that he had ram-rodded into my hand.  He said, "This is going to feel funny."  It was more like hilarious, and everyone had a good laugh out of it.  Here are some of my best pics in a slide show.

Mr. Completely's 2014 e-Postal Season Begins!

March is here and Mr. C's 2014 e-Postal season is here.  Mr. Completely has the first contest up on his blog, so click over, study the target and rules to figure out your tactics, and print a stack of targets.  There are seven classes listed for various types of pistols, but if you have something different you would like to shoot, go ahead and submit your target and Mike will fit you in.  After this long, hard winter we all need the practice,  so oil your guns, pack your bag, and head to the range!

Crankin' It Up

We gave Brat the evening off today and recycled a fine old Brunswick record from 1923.  The artist is Arnold Johnson and His Orchestra.

'bout Time

That New Lone Ranger Movie....

...that the critics hated, and it lost at the box office.  It caught my interest, and I waited patiently until the price at the big box store dropped below full retail.  Johny Depp is an off-the-wall Tonto, and didn't play any of the traditionl "Me Go Town" lines of the old Lone Range TV show.  Armie Hammer played a very unlikely Lone Ranger, and the movie worked for our little family.  One thing that remained true to the old values of the Lone Ranger was that he didn't kill any bad guys himself; he shot the guns out of their hands even better that he did in the old shows from my  childhood.  Get a load of the trains used to film this movie in the video below.  Ignore the critics, and get this movie for a good time.

Ruger's Auction To Benefit Homes 4 Wounded Heroes

Ruger's auction this week is a revolver that was manufactured during the 1980's, and hasn't been in the Ruger catalog for quite some time.  This Bisley Single-Six is chambered in .32 H & R Magnum, and offers serious centerfire power for varmints and small game in the compact Single-Six package.  100% of the proceeds will go to benefit Homes 4 Wounded Heroes, and this fine, rare firearm will sell midday, Wednesday, March 19, 2014.

$1027!

Tuesday Turbo Boost

Hid Behind A Leafy Screen

I stumbled across this backwoods Nissan, and in another couple weeks it will be invisible when everything leafs out.  I have walked by it a couple times in recent years and never saw it before.  I will make a point out of not walking near it again.

It seems that this old hatchback has been resurrected as a hothouse for starting someone's backcountry garden.  I have run into gardeners out in the woods in years past, and they are generally an unfriendly lot.  It's about time to  move plants from the grow-lights to hothouses, so this is one spot I will be sure to avoid.

Monday's Coming Whether You're Ready Or Not

Back To The Old Grind!

Not My Victrola

If You Knew Susie:


Performed by Billy Murray, shared by CatsPajamas1.

Weekend Steam: 'bout Time to Start Field Work

110 Case steamers at Pinckneyville, by Rob Gill.  Great video, Rob!

Crankin' It Up

St. Patrick's Day is coming right up, and maybe Spring is, too.  Brat and I have been trying to drive away the Winter blues as we go through March, and I hope this record does the trick for you. 



Don Richardson performs 'The Irish Washerwoman, Wearin' of the Green, and Rakes of Mallow' on this Columbia disc from 1921.

Today You Get A Live One!

I saw this old Packard rag-top in a St. Louis shop recently.  It's a pretty nice antique, and is driven regularly.

Revisiting The 8 HP Novo

Gary has tweaked his 8 HP Novo a bit more.  He has installed a Wico magneto, and now can run it on battery and buzz coil or the mag.  This engine came from the factory attached to a frame with a high pressure water pump, and he plans to have that restoration completed within a year.

Revisiting A Mystery Junker

I posted a photo of this old hulk last year, and Merle rightfully asked what it was.  Well, I hadn't checked when I shot the photo, so I went back and took a closer look.

The builder's tag says it is a Ford, manufactured in October, 1972.  I never noticed before that Ford made four-door Mavericks, but that sure is what this sad old sheet metal resembles.  Ford experts are requested to comment to confirm or correct the model of this car.  I haven't had any luck searching for the body style number on the 'net.

Looks like a good taillight lens....

The tag:

Ruger's Auction To Benfit Homes 4 Wounded Heroes

Ruger's auction this week is a rare Number 1 rifle in .357 Magnum.  This is an unusual caliber for this firearm, but it makes the gun a versatile buddy for the handloaders among us.  Load it with light cast bullets and a light charge of powder, and you have a good squirrel rifle.  Load it with heavy jacketed bullets and a healthy dose of 2400, and you can go out and kill hogs with it.  Rifles in .357 make a good 150 yard deer rifle, and have plenty of oomph for American game, as long as you don't go after moose or caribou.  Go read all about it, and loosen up those purse strings for a good cause.  This rifle sells midday, Wednesday, March 12.

 UPDATE!  $1825!

Tuesday Turbo Boost

Here is a good old Al Jolson song that is guaranteed to fire you up for the rest of the week.

Monday's Getting As Old As This Coffee Mill....

Back To The Old Grind!

Not My Victrola

Second Hand Rose climbed the charts three times. For Fanny Brice and Ted Lewis in the early 1920's, and then in the 1960's when Barbara Streisand recorded it for Funny Girl.

Weekend Steam: Distracted Driving

This will get you pulled over in Illinois, Bud! Put that cell phone down while you're on the throttle.

Here's Your Kitty!

Brat Cat was waiting by the Brunswick this morning, so we cranked up a couple for him. These should help you get in the mood for St. Patrick's Day.

No Brat For You...

...Until tomorrow. Got away from work late today, and didn't have time to spend with Brat, so here is an engine video I posted on YT this week. This Stover hit-and-miss engine is another of Gary Bahre's treasures, and it is unrestored!  It sounds to me as if the wrist pin has a little too much slack, but that's an easy fix, and if Gary doesn't work this engine, it's really not a problem.

Illinois Concealed Carry Permits Arrive!

Click Here to read the article on WSILTV3 News about IGOLD (Illinois Gun Owner Lobby Day), and Mary Shepard.

Impressive Antiques!

 No, not these guys.

Not Pattie.  Look at all those engines!

It's almost like peeking into King Tut's tomb!

Gas engine goodness at Gary Bahre's annual crank-up.

A Schipperke Of Note

 Schipperkes have been important dogs in my life for nearly fifty years.  My first employer had a Schipperke (named Skipper!) and he was a great friend and companion dog.  He guarded his appliance store at night, and went on delivery and service runs.  He wouldn't go out a door until you told him it was OK.  Here we see Skipper on the roof of Jarvis' 1919 Model T truck during a local event in Washington, Iowa in the late 1960's.

Skipper attended Midwest Old Threshers for many years.  These photos, from The Greatest Steam Show On Earth, by Dana Close Jennings, North Plains Press, 1969, show Skipper and Yale Jarvis on the footboard of Harold Jarvis' 18 HP Advance Rumely traction engine.  (Click the pic to enlarge.)

Skipper lived to the ripe old age of sixteen, which is not unusual for a Schip.  He was a good dog, and he is missed by all who knew him.

Ruger's Auction To Benefit Homes 4 Wounded Heroes

Boy, oh boy, this one will take your breath away.  Not only is this pistol a relatively rare 9mm Speed Six; it was made in 1976, and is roll marked "Made In The 200th Year Of American Liberty."  Collectors love those 1976 Rugers, and this one is some serious proof of that.  Click over to the GunBroker page and have a gander at this auction, and bid if you can.  100% of the proceeds will go to Homes 4 Wounded Heroes.

Illinois Freedom Marchers: IGOLD 2014

Wednesday, March 5, 2014 is the annual Illinois Gun Owner Lobby Day, in Springfield, Illinois.  Last year there were about 8,000 marchers who descended on the Illinois Capitol building to speak to the legislators of Illinois, and I bet it is even bigger this year, in spite of the winter weather.

A couple of the key patriot activists you will meet if you attend are Mike and Valinda Rowe, of rural White County.  They have been pushing for civil rights for Illinois citizens for over ten years.

Another person who is important in the gun rights fight in Illinois is Mary Shepard, of Union County.  Mary was beaten nearly to death by a thug who attacked her in her church.  She was defenseless because of Illinois' denial of our rights.  She survived, and was a critical force in the legislative fight last year to legalize concealed carry in Illinois.  Click Here to read about Mary Shepard on WSIL TV3's website.

The efforts of folks like the Rowes and Mary Shepard, plus a host of pro-rights legislators have made it possible for tens of thousands Illinoisans to see this message appear on their computer screens.  Watch the blogs, IllinoisCarry,  YouTube, and  Facebook for IGOLD coverage.  There might be some coverage on the leftstream media because of the new carry law, but don't expect any photos or video showing how big this event is. CLICK HERE for images from IGOLD 2013.

More Crank-Up Action

Here is a nice Economy engine that was on display at Gary Bahre's Crank-up over the last weekend.

Tuesday Turbo Boost

Itzhak Perlman, hijacked from one of his albums for YouTube,




Leila Josefiwicz, 1991.


If you listen to both of these performances you will note that about a minute of the Praeludium is missing from Leila's video. I seriously doubt that she played it that way, and I think it was dropped on the cutting room floor to abbreviate the piece for the unwashed masses. Anyhow, watch her anyway, to see the energy that a violinist must put into a piece like this. Leila was only thirteen years old when this was recorded in 1991. Fritz Kreisler had a successful career going in America when the Great War began, and he belonged to a regiment in his native Austria. What would you do? He went home and fought Russians until he was mustered out due to illness. That was OK until the Lusitania was torpedoed, and then he became an evil Hun in the eyes of America. His friend John McCormick stuck by him, and eventually his fans came back.

Pour A Cup Of Coffee,

...and take a few minutes to watch.  Gary Bahre has had this basket case for just a little over two years, and his restoration is a masterpiece. 




Gary had a little get-together over the weekend. He had a bunch of his engines pulled out of the shed and putt-putt-putt-ing along, so there will be a few more videos appearing in the near future.

Gotta Go Back To Work Monday, and Here It Is, Sunday Night Already

Back To The Old Grind!

Not My Victrola: Like A Diamond In The Sky...

...Come Down, Ma Evenin' Star...