And Now We Come Down To The Wire

Today is the official final day to submit your "Mr. Completely September e-Postal Contest" targets. Scan or photgraph your targets and e-mail them (or your scores and other necessary info) to truebluetravelinman (at) gmail (dot) com. If you want to enter and have not had time, send a desperate plea for a time extension, and you can enter through the next weekend. If you go for the time extension, you should also shoot the October contest, which should be announced soon on Mr. Completely's blog. We Are Into An Extended Season!!! We have had a request, so you can shoot the contest through the first weekend of October!!!

Keep Your Donkey Dry

I was way out in the sticks last week on a rainy day to walk some timber with a landowner, and he never showed. I don't blame him. On my way out I saw this donkey, and he wasn't about to come out and get wet.

4 HP Mogul Engine At Pinckneyville

Mogul engines were very well built, but they were not as popular as they should have been because of all the moving parts. Rural customers were put off by the thought of all those parts wearing out, and went for the simpler engines on the market. Side shaft engines of any brand are very desirable to collectors today because of their relative rarity, and Moguls are at the top of every collector's list.

Not My Victrola

"I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate" was just posted you YouTuber 240252, and it's a good one. Push back the furniture and enjoy a dance before the weekend is over, and you will feel great all day Monday.

Better Make Some Coffee...Monday's Coming

Back To The Old Grind!

Weekend Steam

This Wood Brothers engine is literally one of a kind. Most of this engine was found in a sawmill, but the wheels and some other parts were missing. The missing parts are from scraps of other engines, and this big double geared plowing machine is truly a unique treasure.

At some steam shows you will see operators put engines through their paces by hooking onto a tractor pulling sled. I always cringe when I see this, because these engines are all at least 80 years old, and the sled will stress them to the max. I saw this Wood Brothers engine hooked up and pulling one day at Old Threshers, and as the travelling weight maxed out the pull, something failed in the drive-train, and the engine revved up too fast and stopped. I took a look at it later, and the reversing gear failed when the engine revved. The operators were lucky that these parts failed before the flywheel exploded. I think that new parts can be fabricated, and I bet that this engine won't be tested on a pulling sled again.

Crankin' It Up

Henry Burr and Grace Nash recorded this delightful Vaudeville number in October, 1915. Most of the record is pretty good, if a little worn, except for one bad needle ding. I am going to try filling that spot with wax during the upcoming weekend, and see if I can re-do this record without the skip and pop. I will keep you posted.

Could You Make This Shot.....With A Pistol?

September is winding down and next Wednesday night is the deadline to submit your targets for Mr. Completely's contest. If you haven't shot your entry yet, CLICK HERE, or on the squirrel in the left sidebar to go to the rules and to download your target. This month you get to use an improvised rest to shoot your target, and compare how well you shoot offhand to how well you can shoot when you steady your arms. Pistol contestants will shoot two targets, one at 25 feet offhand, and one at 50 feet with an improvised rest. You may also enter in the Rifle Category by shooting one target at 25 yards with an improvised rest for your rifle.

Print out a stack of targets and take some friends with you. Do you know a youngster who would like to shoot? Take him/her to the range and turn a shooting lesson into an adventure. Set aside some time this weekend; you know you need the practice, and it's fun.

No squirrels were harmed in the making of this target.

UPDATE!!!!! The contest is extended through the first weekend of October! Get Out And Shoot!

Bring A Sharp Saw

This young silver maple has a couple of problems. At about four feet from the ground it forks into three stems, which are not growing together, but are pushing on each other as they grow.
At some time in the future this tree will fail, and one or more of the tops will come down. The fork problem can easily be fixed if some judicious pruning is done before the tree grows any larger. Two of these stems need to come off, and it would be nice if they had come off a couple years ago.

The other problem is the house that is only about forty feet away. Silver maples have very weak wood, are relatively short-lived, and they like to grow about ninety feet tall, then fall apart. I advise homeowners to not plant a silver maple within 100 feet of their house in order to prevent big removal expenses in the future.

The homeowner in this case needs to decide whether to fix the tree or remove it entirely and replace it with a more durable, long-lived shade tree. I may check back in a few months and see if the homeowner was able to make a decision.

Model Engines On Display At Pinckneyville

On of the fascinating displays you will see at most engine shows is the "Model Maker." Bob Suhre, of Collinsville had some drop-dead-gorgeous models he was running for the gratification of show attendees this year. His lovely and patient wife can be seen in the first shot of the red V-8. I had a nice visit with her; I never could get a turn to speak with Bob.