A Farewell to what you’ve known. A long awaited reception.
On may 5th 2011 a truck arrived at my grandparents house in Moore, Oklahoma. My father is staying there for a while because of his new job and so it was perfect timing to get some movement on this project. The family stood outside watching the car being loaded, and watched as it got hauled off, with the exception of my grandmother who said she couldn't watch. As much as she hated the thing sitting in the garage all those years she had gotten attached to it.
Below is the first photo taken as it was being attached to the wench to be pulled into the car hauler.
Being Attached to the Wench
Being Wenched into the Car Hauler
Below is the last photo my dad took of the car in Oklahoma. As it was towed away I'm sure there were some emotions felt by the people that had spent the most time with it. My dad and my uncle. At this point I'm waiting very anxiously for the car to arrive at my house Monday, May 9th.
Being Towed Away
In my next post I'll post photos of the car being unloaded at my house and pushed into the garage.
Mother Nature is Taunting Me
I recently accepted a new job with my company, this is my last week in my current position. The job I took is vastly different than the job I am in now, not in terms of responsibility so much as just the overall nature of the job. Both jobs have me fixing problems, troubleshooting, talking to people, those are the major similarities. The differences are huge though. With my current position I am outside a lot, driving from place to place mostly, but not in an office. I frequently take breaks or lunches in different parks around the county enjoying the beautiful weather we have here in Florida, especially this time of year. My new position will be in an office.
This morning I was walking outside, and what an amazing morning it was. The air was crisp, not a cloud in the sky, it was about 65 degrees with a slight breeze. Really, the kind of day that makes me reconsider ever moving away from Florida. A bird starts chirping in the tree in front of me. "Kaka! Chirp Chirp!" is what it sounded like. But what it was actually saying was a little more mocking. "I hope you enjoy walls, because at this time every day you're going to be behind them! Chirp!" is what he was actually saying to me.
That little son of a bitch.
He was right though, being outdoors all day is possibly at the top of a short list of things I will miss about my current position. That just means I'll be outside more on the weekends. Doing things like, sitting, and... walking. And... watersports.
1968 Mustang: Somewhere in the middle.
In September of 2010 we visited my grand parents in Moore, Oklahoma. During this visit I got my first look at the Mustang in years. Now, as an adult and as the time grows closer to pick the car up and begin the journey of restoring it, I am able to see it as a project and not as a fantasy. It is not a GT500, and it's name is not Eleanor but it certainly has been my unicorn over the past 20 years. Naturally, I took some photos. Lots of work ahead...
My grandmother is going to hate that I'm posting pictures of her garage right now, but let's be honest. She's probably one of the only people reading this right now. The others will include my father, aunt, uncle, etc... everyone knows it's messy. Anyway, this is where the car has been resting for a hundred years or so.
As restoration projects go, it's not in horrible shape. It's battered, beat down and in a general state of disrepair, the interior is trashed and there are bumpers removed but it is rust free and all of the original parts are still around. There isn't anything missing! The bumper is in the corner of the garage leaning up against the wall.
The original 289 is intact, and it freely turns over when rotated by hand. Nice! We thought it would be seized. We found an interesting little... gift. It was sitting on the alternator. See below...
This is everything you think it is. A mummified rat! Sitting on top of the alternator. There is no question, this little gem died of old age.
The interior. All intact, at least the original seats are all there and can be recovered. It looks like hell and everything is dry rotted. The interior will be, by far the hardest part of this restoration, but it is still fairly straight forward because there isn't anything missing.
So there you have it! I'll post another update whenever we're loading it on the trailer sometime in September of 2011.
Consistency
...I have none.
It has been forever since I posted anything. Not that I have nothing to say, it's been a busy several months. That's what I say when I have been slacking on something, because the fact of the matter is that instead of posting or doing anything constructive at night I mostly find myself roped into watching reality television, or "Say Yes To The Dress" marathons against my will.
Seriously, TLC, what are we "Learning" from these stupid bridal shows that you rerun constantly. Why does it seem like that's all you have to show us?
World Cup in Tampa
Courtesy Tampa Tribune
As the World Cup kicks off this year Tampa, Florida has entered a bid to host the World Cup in 2018 or 2022. Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio held a presser at Raymond James Stadium today to generate some hype about the possibility. You can hop on over to the Tampa Tribune website to read the whole story. Ithink it would be a great idea to at least try. How I see it, it's like applying for a job; if you don't apply no one will ever know you are even interested in moving up in the world. My problem with it is that our interstates here in Tampa are near impossible to navigate between the hours of 3pm and 6pm. What will it be like (how much money will we have to spend) when an international sport like soccer comes to town and brings fans from around the world? The Super Bowl is one thing, the World Cup is an entirely different thing.
What do you think?