Checking the boxes

Our fifth wheel “spare bedroom” project is coming right along. Phase 1 was cleaning the walls, ceilings and every other solid surface in the place to remove the accumulated nicotine and tar as I’ve mentioned before. Now we know what a smoker’s lungs look like, and Krud Kutter can’t be taken internally. Phase 2 was painting the cabinets and that part is finished. We decided to leave the tall cabinet on the end of the living area unpainted, so we have some wood accents to the painted cabinets. LeRoy found a ceiling fan at a garage sale to replace the one that was there and got it installed.

Next phase is varied. It will include carpet in places and solid flooring in others

as well as curtains. I left my sewing machine in Wichita, so I have borrowed one from a friend and we’ll see how that project goes next week. The fabric picks up the colors of the cabinets.

Lest you think that LeRoy is all work and no play, I’ll share our fun outing yesterday. Every year there is a car show here in Yuma called Midnight at the Oasis. According to Visit Yuma, between 900 and 1000 cars were on display over a three day period. My Fitbit said we walked 1.97 miles (shuffled or strolled, really) while making our way through the rows and rows of custom cars and we didn’t get close to all of them. I am amazed to think about the millions of dollars that were spent on those making those vehicles the showpieces they are, let alone the manhours that went into them. Many were for sale and probably most of them would be if the right offer was made. I’m always drawn to certain things at a car show. First of all, I started noticing cars way back in the 1950s and I could tell the make and model for several years back then. Some I notice because my dad had that model or a year newer or older.

We also had a 1952 Studebaker and I took driver’s ed in a Studebaker Lark. I didn’t see any like them, but I’m drawn to Studebakers anyway.

Some colors attract me more than others, especially turquoise and peach.

This particular model, a Ford Skyliner, makes me think of a friend from church camp many years ago. Terry Weeks had the first Skyliner I had ever seen. His, as I remember, was red but this one is my favorite, turquoise. As we looked at it and talked to the owners, I noticed its name on the back and realized I had seen it 6 years ago at the body shop in Mexico where we had Liberty painted turquoise! The first picture is from yesterday, the second from April of 2017. It is a small, small world!

I remember when a dealership in Osborne, KS got its first Henry J, so I had to stop and look at this one. It is actually called just Henry, because it is a Henry J body on a Fox body Mustang, a (Henry) Ford product. Interesting stories behind so many!

Not all are shiny and pristeen.

In general, I am not a fan of flames but these were extraordinary.

I gravitate toward the early pickups in general, but I’d never seen a 4-door pickup from that era. Someone went to a lot of work.

I’m a child of the 1950s, so I could reminisce about vintage cars and my connections to them for a long time, much longer than most readers would be willing to read. I just know that so many cars today look alike from brand to brand, many are made by the same manufacturer and just have a different label. Nothing much stands out from year to year, unlike the Chevrolet from the 50s where you can tell a subtle difference each year that makes a ’55, ’56 or ’57 unique. These cars are still in demand for show cars, as well as daily drivers. Ah, those were the days!