6:33 PM |
The paper said that Memorial Day is not the beginning of summer. It is not Veteran's Day. It is not the Fourth of July. Memorial Day is Decoration Day which was when stuff was put on the graves of Civil War casualties. Veteran's Day was done after WWI and is an international holiday. Who knew?
The VFW in Delaware had a ceremony which was really a BBQ today. There was a little flag raising, or to be exact, half raising. The post commander's daughter in Iraq donated the flag. Her unit's motto is something like Vigilance or Valient or something and the commander made a speech and said "whatever that is." The commanders wear those little hats that they wear in parades. It's okay if you put little replicas of your medals on it. My SEAL is the most highly decorated in the post, with a silver star, two bronzes and a purple heart (which he says is a marksmanship award for the enemy). He said he'd never wear one of those (he called it) beanies. But there it is on his bean. After the flag half-raising, a young guy did taps on a bugle. He wasn't very good, but he is a young guy and you don't get many of them at the VFW. The old guys smoke up a storm and the bar is not a good place to be unless you are an old guy smoking. They used to put cigarettes in K-Rations. Two old guys did the 21 gun salute except it was 3 guns. They had to be schooled on how to do it. Not how to shoot, that is. How to do it like they want you to do it in the military. They sorta stumbled on the quarter turn or whatever it is. The 3 gun salute was aimed over the neighbor's roof. No one remembered to police the brass until some other old guy stepped on a casing. This is my ex-husband the SEAL and my son doing the flag thing.
The VFW members often do not have many teeth. They do have grey ponytails and motorcycles with no helmets. And they do happen to be very nice, especially after a half dozen Bud Lights. They are going to do shots later. Here are some old guys at the bar. You can tell they have served our country.
This is a new guy away from the bar. His name is Jamie and he spent ten years in one of the branches before he went to Officer Training School and then learned to fly stuff. He flies Blackhawks now.
The most important part of the celebration is the food. They make a lot of food. This is Charlie with some hoochie mama. Charlie is the grillmeister. They developed this clever flipping thing that can make 150 pork chops at a time. They got the pork chops at Zingermans or Zingers or Zingos or something with a z that sells pork chops. The pork chops are an inch and a quarter. We are all impressed.
In addition to the pork chops, there were beans and salad and applesauce and baked potatoes and rolls. There were also two cakes. One celebrating the achievement of our military and one celebrating the achievement of my kid in actually getting through high school.
Outside of the post is the requisite tank and also this signpost pointing to the different combat arenas in which the members served (I think). There is an empty helmet on top of it as a reminder to everyone.
I was very excited in the parking lot because there was this truck whose front plate says:
The VFW in Delaware had a ceremony which was really a BBQ today. There was a little flag raising, or to be exact, half raising. The post commander's daughter in Iraq donated the flag. Her unit's motto is something like Vigilance or Valient or something and the commander made a speech and said "whatever that is." The commanders wear those little hats that they wear in parades. It's okay if you put little replicas of your medals on it. My SEAL is the most highly decorated in the post, with a silver star, two bronzes and a purple heart (which he says is a marksmanship award for the enemy). He said he'd never wear one of those (he called it) beanies. But there it is on his bean. After the flag half-raising, a young guy did taps on a bugle. He wasn't very good, but he is a young guy and you don't get many of them at the VFW. The old guys smoke up a storm and the bar is not a good place to be unless you are an old guy smoking. They used to put cigarettes in K-Rations. Two old guys did the 21 gun salute except it was 3 guns. They had to be schooled on how to do it. Not how to shoot, that is. How to do it like they want you to do it in the military. They sorta stumbled on the quarter turn or whatever it is. The 3 gun salute was aimed over the neighbor's roof. No one remembered to police the brass until some other old guy stepped on a casing. This is my ex-husband the SEAL and my son doing the flag thing.
The VFW members often do not have many teeth. They do have grey ponytails and motorcycles with no helmets. And they do happen to be very nice, especially after a half dozen Bud Lights. They are going to do shots later. Here are some old guys at the bar. You can tell they have served our country.
This is a new guy away from the bar. His name is Jamie and he spent ten years in one of the branches before he went to Officer Training School and then learned to fly stuff. He flies Blackhawks now.
The most important part of the celebration is the food. They make a lot of food. This is Charlie with some hoochie mama. Charlie is the grillmeister. They developed this clever flipping thing that can make 150 pork chops at a time. They got the pork chops at Zingermans or Zingers or Zingos or something with a z that sells pork chops. The pork chops are an inch and a quarter. We are all impressed.
In addition to the pork chops, there were beans and salad and applesauce and baked potatoes and rolls. There were also two cakes. One celebrating the achievement of our military and one celebrating the achievement of my kid in actually getting through high school.
Outside of the post is the requisite tank and also this signpost pointing to the different combat arenas in which the members served (I think). There is an empty helmet on top of it as a reminder to everyone.
I was very excited in the parking lot because there was this truck whose front plate says:
This Farm Uses
JOHN DEERE
Tractors
Note to self: meet farm guy and see tractors.
There was also this cool Impala. It has fuzzy dice hanging off the mirror and amazing chrome. It has 16,000 miles from new. The top is good, too. It is for sale. Note to self: if in need of car, go to VFW.
Escape from bar smoke. Sunburned again. See Ron the Hun, get ass kicked and have water ice.
The Chester County Antique Car Club has a car show at the Kimberton Fire Department. It is now the 32 Annual Chester County Car Show. This year, it was with the Valley Forge Mustang Club. The Chester County Antique Car Club's site says in big letters NOTE: Our club policy is not to participate in commercial events or weddings. Insurance liability and licensing restrictions prohibit it. There is an event schedule and it includes lots of cruises. Maybe we'll have our first! The Chester County Antique Car Club is "To fulfill the "zest for the road" of antique automobile fanciers and their cars." The Mustang Club's site is much spiffier. They are an "informal social club." Cool. Note to self: buy Mustang. I know absolutely nothing about Mustangs and had planned to learn about them at the show today, but after a few hours in 86 degree weather, I was pooped. So this is what I did do.
Thought I missed Fire Department, and in fact the entire town of Kimberton, so I stopped in the road with the Animal Rescue sign on it. It was a very pretty place, but I was only there to check my GPS. Kimberton does not exist in GPSland. So I checked for fire departments Near Me. Kimberton Fire Department. Go figure. And the Kimberton Fire Department was three miles down the road in the direction I was going to begin with. Paid $20 donation (asking $2) to park. I am a sucker for fire departments. Parked with all the other Tacomas, F-150s and Ram trucks. Walked across street to entrance. Old cars on the left and Mustangs on the right. This is the Mustangs that I didn't visit.
Actual indoor plumbing bathroom. Right outside the door was Russ. This is Russ. He belongs to the Chester County Antique Car Club. I asked if I could get a membership. But then I saw his t-shirt: 1949 Woody. Wowser! I wonder if there will be lots of woodies here. I hope so. Russ gave me an application to send in. It is really an application. I mean you don't just pay your money and join. You have to be sponsored by two people and pay your $20. Wow, I can join the North American Iris Society for $15 and they know I don't have the slightest knowledge of irises except they are pretty and the ones I cut from my garden the other day stink up the whole house. Not in a good way. Can't bear to throw them away. Resign myself to stinky house for the duration. Hope they die quick. Anyhow, the Chester County Antique Car Club meets every fourth Thursday and you have to go to at least two events to be put up for membership. I am going to miss the picnic (and also the Iris Society picnic) because I am going on the Transcon. You don't have to pay for food at the picnic. I guess the $20 covers the whole deal. They also have a Christmas shindig. $20 for two meals. Note to self: eat before Chester County Antique Car Club picnic. The application also asks you to check on which committees you are willing to serve. One of them is Sunshine. Huh? I think I'll sign up for that one just to find out what it is. All Member are expected to serve on the Car Show Committee. Russ showed me his custom letter opener. It has a picture of his woodie on it in its "before" state. It isn't much further than before at this time, but by Russ's description, he's done an awful lot on it. You can put your own picture in the letter opener. I buy one for $2.
This is an Model T truck. This is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, but I know it's not because there was a much nicer one at the Hot Rod Show a few weeks ago. Also, I think the real one is in some museum somewhere. I think I saw it when I was a teenager. Our group of teenagers was much more interested in concocting frozen drinks in the blender we bought at K-Mart. This was before margaritas, so I suppose it was daiquiris.
This is a 1938 Chevy hot rod. This is Jerry who owns it. Jerry has two knee replacements and had Lasik 5 years ago. He has monocular vision. This means that one eye sees near and the other sees far. They do that on purpose. I didn't want to try that during my very brief contacts experimentation. Jerry is 67 and a widower. He likes to talk to people. He likes me. Jerry is wearing a very dirty t-shirt. Not in greasy from working on the car t-shirt, but in just plain kinda brown or tan tinted from never hitting the laundry. You know how I am about hygiene. Jerry talks a lot and also followed me a lot. I dodged Jerry the best I could.
This is a 1936 Ford. This is Bob. Bob owns the Ford. After chit chatting with Bob and his wife (well mostly Bob), he told me he also manufactures these things. It is a hose with a one-way valve that keeps fuel in the carburetor when you stop so that you can actually start the thing again. Far out! I guess other people can't start their car either! This is what I've been looking for! Bob is smart. Bob doesn't have the one that fits Woody even though he thought he had it. He left it on his work bench. I agree to send him a check for $38 and he will send it to me. Bob's card says "Get Hosed!" on the front and also Flex Fuel Hoses for '32-'53 Fords. It also says they are made of Space Age Material in the USA. Looks Original- Each Unit Tested. The one I want is the FH-2V Built-in Check Valve. Bob's card says "check valve in pump fitting stops fuel drain back and makes starting easier". I love Bob. This is one of the best things that has ever happened to me.
This is Jimmy and his 19something truck. He used to have three old bikes in it but he just got the Coke machine. Jimmy is very nice and said I could take a picture if I wanted.
Now this is Maria. Maria is very, very important to me. Maria's husband has tractors. A lot of tractors. They only bought a small part of their collection. The most important tractor is the one her husband is driving around. It is big and has big wheels and is yellow and it is an International Harvester. Betcha it isn't as big as the Case 545 I saw across from Natchez. But I didn't say that to Maria. The orange tractor is the first one her 9 year old grandson drove. Now that he's ten he can drive almost all of them. Except the big blue one. Grandpa won't let him. The Cub Cadets are from 1976 and are red, white and blue because of the bi-centennial.
Maria's husband has two engines, too. One is a reciprocating engine (I think that's what she said) and drives the oil well thingamabobs. It only uses one gallon of something (not gas, I don't think) to run for a really long time. It is running. He also has an old generator. He was out trimming the hedge and Maria told him not to use the extension cord and he should use his generator. This was not a joke. He did. Maria needlepoints these wind things with tractor names on them. She doesn't make many anymore but sometimes she'll do one if someone wants to buy it. There are lots and lots of tractor shows. They can go to one almost every weekend in the summer. The next one is in Delaware.
This is an example of people's ingenuity during World War 2, says the sign. So is the one next to it. It is a tractor truck.
This is Dan Reed. Dan is the artist who actually does the paintings that are used for the prints I got at Carlisle. He does car portraits for $500 to $10,000. That's quite a range. Dan keeps track of how many commissions he gets and how many prints he sells at each show so that he knows whether it's worth going again next year. He also has some cool barn-find paintings/sculptures that have little barn doors that are half open so that you can see the car inside. Dan has a lot of pictures of skies and railroads and old car dealerships that he can use in his paintings. He used a real railroad station in his painting of woodies because they were stationwagons and that is what stationwagons did. Well, yes, but I know that they were Estate Wagons because I read the old ads. Dan has been painting since he was a kid and makes an actual living at it. Dan is very talented.
I can't find the guy who has old Ford parts. He was in the program. I can't find Lou from the Last Chance Garage either. He was in the program too. I later realized that just because they have ads in the program doesn't mean they had to be there. Note to self: call old Ford parts guy and find hubcaps. Stupid hot. Stumbled by the Mustangs and took this pic. Appropriate for Memorial Day. No woodies. Hit the road.
Passed Vinnie's restaurant. They had a barbeque smoker going in the parking lot. Shoulda stopped. Passed General Store where they pump your gas for the same price as self-serve. Should stopped. This is the Chester Springs Creamery. I made a u-turn to stop. The Chester Springs Creamery is on the Milky Way Farm that has been operated by the same family since 1902. Given the state of agriculture (does milk count as agriculture?) these days, I bet they had to make ice cream to make ends meet. They do a very good job.
The flavors are named after the cows. I couldn't decide whether to have orange pineapple or strawberry so I had both. Really, really, really good. Someone had a 1955 Chevy Bel Air, turquoise and white, in the parking lot. I bet it was the guy at the table next to me because he was in the same sort of heat exhaustion coma as I was. On the way out, I saw that you can subscribe to the ice cream. Note to self: subscribe to ice cream in winter if they make it.
Passed place I fell asleep at the wheel. Did not fall asleep. Sunburned. Had Gatorade for dinner.
Thought I missed Fire Department, and in fact the entire town of Kimberton, so I stopped in the road with the Animal Rescue sign on it. It was a very pretty place, but I was only there to check my GPS. Kimberton does not exist in GPSland. So I checked for fire departments Near Me. Kimberton Fire Department. Go figure. And the Kimberton Fire Department was three miles down the road in the direction I was going to begin with. Paid $20 donation (asking $2) to park. I am a sucker for fire departments. Parked with all the other Tacomas, F-150s and Ram trucks. Walked across street to entrance. Old cars on the left and Mustangs on the right. This is the Mustangs that I didn't visit.
Actual indoor plumbing bathroom. Right outside the door was Russ. This is Russ. He belongs to the Chester County Antique Car Club. I asked if I could get a membership. But then I saw his t-shirt: 1949 Woody. Wowser! I wonder if there will be lots of woodies here. I hope so. Russ gave me an application to send in. It is really an application. I mean you don't just pay your money and join. You have to be sponsored by two people and pay your $20. Wow, I can join the North American Iris Society for $15 and they know I don't have the slightest knowledge of irises except they are pretty and the ones I cut from my garden the other day stink up the whole house. Not in a good way. Can't bear to throw them away. Resign myself to stinky house for the duration. Hope they die quick. Anyhow, the Chester County Antique Car Club meets every fourth Thursday and you have to go to at least two events to be put up for membership. I am going to miss the picnic (and also the Iris Society picnic) because I am going on the Transcon. You don't have to pay for food at the picnic. I guess the $20 covers the whole deal. They also have a Christmas shindig. $20 for two meals. Note to self: eat before Chester County Antique Car Club picnic. The application also asks you to check on which committees you are willing to serve. One of them is Sunshine. Huh? I think I'll sign up for that one just to find out what it is. All Member are expected to serve on the Car Show Committee. Russ showed me his custom letter opener. It has a picture of his woodie on it in its "before" state. It isn't much further than before at this time, but by Russ's description, he's done an awful lot on it. You can put your own picture in the letter opener. I buy one for $2.
This is an Model T truck. This is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, but I know it's not because there was a much nicer one at the Hot Rod Show a few weeks ago. Also, I think the real one is in some museum somewhere. I think I saw it when I was a teenager. Our group of teenagers was much more interested in concocting frozen drinks in the blender we bought at K-Mart. This was before margaritas, so I suppose it was daiquiris.
This is a 1938 Chevy hot rod. This is Jerry who owns it. Jerry has two knee replacements and had Lasik 5 years ago. He has monocular vision. This means that one eye sees near and the other sees far. They do that on purpose. I didn't want to try that during my very brief contacts experimentation. Jerry is 67 and a widower. He likes to talk to people. He likes me. Jerry is wearing a very dirty t-shirt. Not in greasy from working on the car t-shirt, but in just plain kinda brown or tan tinted from never hitting the laundry. You know how I am about hygiene. Jerry talks a lot and also followed me a lot. I dodged Jerry the best I could.
This is a 1936 Ford. This is Bob. Bob owns the Ford. After chit chatting with Bob and his wife (well mostly Bob), he told me he also manufactures these things. It is a hose with a one-way valve that keeps fuel in the carburetor when you stop so that you can actually start the thing again. Far out! I guess other people can't start their car either! This is what I've been looking for! Bob is smart. Bob doesn't have the one that fits Woody even though he thought he had it. He left it on his work bench. I agree to send him a check for $38 and he will send it to me. Bob's card says "Get Hosed!" on the front and also Flex Fuel Hoses for '32-'53 Fords. It also says they are made of Space Age Material in the USA. Looks Original- Each Unit Tested. The one I want is the FH-2V Built-in Check Valve. Bob's card says "check valve in pump fitting stops fuel drain back and makes starting easier". I love Bob. This is one of the best things that has ever happened to me.
This is Jimmy and his 19something truck. He used to have three old bikes in it but he just got the Coke machine. Jimmy is very nice and said I could take a picture if I wanted.
Now this is Maria. Maria is very, very important to me. Maria's husband has tractors. A lot of tractors. They only bought a small part of their collection. The most important tractor is the one her husband is driving around. It is big and has big wheels and is yellow and it is an International Harvester. Betcha it isn't as big as the Case 545 I saw across from Natchez. But I didn't say that to Maria. The orange tractor is the first one her 9 year old grandson drove. Now that he's ten he can drive almost all of them. Except the big blue one. Grandpa won't let him. The Cub Cadets are from 1976 and are red, white and blue because of the bi-centennial.
Maria's husband has two engines, too. One is a reciprocating engine (I think that's what she said) and drives the oil well thingamabobs. It only uses one gallon of something (not gas, I don't think) to run for a really long time. It is running. He also has an old generator. He was out trimming the hedge and Maria told him not to use the extension cord and he should use his generator. This was not a joke. He did. Maria needlepoints these wind things with tractor names on them. She doesn't make many anymore but sometimes she'll do one if someone wants to buy it. There are lots and lots of tractor shows. They can go to one almost every weekend in the summer. The next one is in Delaware.
This is an example of people's ingenuity during World War 2, says the sign. So is the one next to it. It is a tractor truck.
This is Dan Reed. Dan is the artist who actually does the paintings that are used for the prints I got at Carlisle. He does car portraits for $500 to $10,000. That's quite a range. Dan keeps track of how many commissions he gets and how many prints he sells at each show so that he knows whether it's worth going again next year. He also has some cool barn-find paintings/sculptures that have little barn doors that are half open so that you can see the car inside. Dan has a lot of pictures of skies and railroads and old car dealerships that he can use in his paintings. He used a real railroad station in his painting of woodies because they were stationwagons and that is what stationwagons did. Well, yes, but I know that they were Estate Wagons because I read the old ads. Dan has been painting since he was a kid and makes an actual living at it. Dan is very talented.
I can't find the guy who has old Ford parts. He was in the program. I can't find Lou from the Last Chance Garage either. He was in the program too. I later realized that just because they have ads in the program doesn't mean they had to be there. Note to self: call old Ford parts guy and find hubcaps. Stupid hot. Stumbled by the Mustangs and took this pic. Appropriate for Memorial Day. No woodies. Hit the road.
Passed Vinnie's restaurant. They had a barbeque smoker going in the parking lot. Shoulda stopped. Passed General Store where they pump your gas for the same price as self-serve. Should stopped. This is the Chester Springs Creamery. I made a u-turn to stop. The Chester Springs Creamery is on the Milky Way Farm that has been operated by the same family since 1902. Given the state of agriculture (does milk count as agriculture?) these days, I bet they had to make ice cream to make ends meet. They do a very good job.
The flavors are named after the cows. I couldn't decide whether to have orange pineapple or strawberry so I had both. Really, really, really good. Someone had a 1955 Chevy Bel Air, turquoise and white, in the parking lot. I bet it was the guy at the table next to me because he was in the same sort of heat exhaustion coma as I was. On the way out, I saw that you can subscribe to the ice cream. Note to self: subscribe to ice cream in winter if they make it.Passed place I fell asleep at the wheel. Did not fall asleep. Sunburned. Had Gatorade for dinner.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)