PEACE ON THE ROAD
Banty Attack
June 19, 2007
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
POTR #31 Banty Attack
When we go to new locations there is always a chance that something unexpected will surprise us. But of course that is one of the reasons that we wanted to live this lifestyle. I have always known that there much in this country that I do not know about. Around the next corner could be a surprise. One of the problems of traveling in the motorhome and pulling the Jeep along the highways is the difficulty of pulling off the side of the road to take a picture. So I have to tell you about a sight that I was not able to photograph. Think of a typical eighteen-wheeler pulling a fifty-three foot enclosed trailer. You see them on every highway that you drive and usually you see more of them than any other truck. With that in your mind think of it setting beside the Interstate vertically ON IT’S NOSE. Now the last thing to visualize is huge lettering on the roof of the trailer that says, “WE FIX TRUCKS.” There are many people that have innovative ways of catching the attention of potential customers, but I really think these guys have the best advertisement that I have seen. I will keep looking for a better one.
CARS OF THE OKLAHOMA SPECIAL T’S AUTO CLUB
Guthrie, Oklahoma proved to be a fun town to visit and spend some time exploring. As you know I am fascinated by the architecture that was prevalent around the turn of the century. Most towns will have a historic area that have up to ten or twelve buildings that have the original facades that date back to that time. The historic district of Guthrie has nearly that many blocks of the old storefronts that date from 1889 to 1910. They really have a lot of painted Victorian Ladies in the downtown area. We went into town one day and saw another sight from the early 1900. One of the streets was lined with Ford Model T’s and a few Ford Model A’s. We ran a quick errand and by the time we got back they were leaving. But as it turned out there was no reason to be disappointed. The next morning they were all gathered in the RV Park where we were staying. Evidently they were having a rally for several days in the Guthrie area. There were perhaps a half-dozen that were staying in the park. There must have been at least twenty-five of them that represented a time span of thirty years. In looking around at the different years I was surprised at the changes that were made from year to year. I guess the yearly changes that are made by manufacturers today are well rooted in the production of early automobiles. Just in the short time I was able to walk around looking at the cars I was able to learn several new things about them, like how was the speedometer installed. Just for the fun I took a few minutes to look on the Internet for vintage cars for sale. I was surprised to see that some were for sale for as little as $15,000. I guess that is quite a bit considering that the original price of some was $180. To be sure that could have been a couple years wages for some people. Today few people pay two years wages for a car.
PUTTING THE BLACK BANTAM CHICKENS AT EASE WITH SLICES OF BREAD
When I go to a new area I often have expectations of the things that I will see and where I will go, but just as often have been blindsided by something that really has been interesting or fun. The second evening we were in this campground we looked out the window and saw several bantam chickens pecking around one of the campers near us. I picked up the camera and went out to take a picture. As I walked a bit closer they seemed to move towards shelter under the camper. Suddenly, as if a signal had been given all of the flock of twenty-four birds turned and charged in an attack skirmish line towards me. I was surprised to say the least. I was standing there with nothing to defend myself. I did not have a single handful of cracked corn to distract them with. In a moment I totally surrounded and unable to move without the danger of being tripped by one of the roosters. The hens were checking my toenails sticking out of my sandals to see if they were good to eat. Quickly Erma came to my rescue with a couple slices of whole grain bread that was more interesting to them than I was. By breaking the bread into small pieces and tossing it to the ground I was finally able to defuse the situation and the birds had their appetites sated. If they had been fully adult they might have been more aggressive and it might have been harder to defend myself. Since that time we have seen the Banties around the park every day and have fed them several times. By looking on the Internet I was able to determine that they are ruff legged Black Cochin Bantam Chickens. Every person that sees them seems to enjoy them. Right now they are a young flock, but people may not appreciate them as much when the cocks start crowing early in the morning when they have reached maturity. Personally I would be one that would enjoy hearing them. I would feel like I was back on the farm.
TIFFANY STAINED GLASS WINDOWS IN THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
The first time I saw New York City was from a highway while I was still in New Jersey. The effect that it had on me altered the way I viewed cities, especially large cities. Viewing the Black Canyon Of The Gunnison in Colorado altered the way that I perceived canyons. The way that I related to bodies of water was changed at my first view of the ocean. While those were many years ago I have has a similar experience this week. We visited the First Presbyterian Church in Topeka, Kansas to view the Tiffany “Favrile” stained glass windows. We were encouraged to spend as much time as we wished viewing and examining the windows. We could get close enough to them to touch them and feel the texture of the glass, and see how the glass was folded and bent. Favrile is a word that was coined by Louis Comfort Tiffany to apply to the type of glass that he created. It is from the old English word “fabrile” which means handmade or belonging to a craftsman. In his own furnaces he made a pot-metal glass in which the color was throughout the entire mass of glass rather than just on the surface as much colored glass is made. He then forced the glass into folds and wrinkles while it was still molten. Some pieces of glass are over one-inch thick. Some other pieces of glass in the windows are large chunks that I would call “artistically” chipped or broken. To produce some colors a “plateing” process was used in which up to four layers of different colors of glass are placed in a stack. The windows were created and installed in1911. The original cost of the windows was about $14,000. Based on a comment that was made concerning the cost for a stained glass window in another church it could cost between 10 and 15 million to replace them with inferior windows if they were ever lost.
TWO CARS BEING CRUSHED INTO A SINGLE MASS OF CRUMPLED METAL
Most of the things that I see or do I am accompanied by my two companions, but occasionally there is something that they are not interested in doing or seeing. A visit to an auto salvage yard and a scrap yard was one of the things that qualify. I have seen many trucks going down the road with a large load of flattened cars. I have also seen a few clips on TV that showed an auto compactor. Believe me when I say that it is not the same as seeing it in real life, up close and personal. Just a matter of two minutes before this picture was taken the white van on the bottom looked simply like a rough van that you might see driving down the road. Then one evening I also went to an auto auction. That was an education in well-orchestrated confusion. I have learned a lot about the salvage and recycling business in a short length of time and I still DO NOT know anything about it. But it has been fun to learn what I have. I certainly did not expect to be doing the things in Kansas that I have.
Our next and only scheduled activity is the High School Reunion on the 24th down in Princeton. Then we will start moving towards Colorado a couple days after that. We have made many trips between Kansas and Colorado in less than one day and it will be nice to take a bit longer this time. It will really be different to be in Colorado and not have a house to worry about. We are anticipating some good times seeing family, friends and places that we have enjoyed for years. I am also sure that while we are going to be there longer than a usual stop it will not be long enough. If we don’t get it all done we have an excuse to go back again. But that is the way it has been everywhere we have visited.
Till Later This Is Doug Of
PEACE ON THE ROAD
PEACE ON THE ROAD
A Bonus (retro)
Way back in the middle of June in the Peace On The Road that I called “Banty Attack” I told you about what I considered to be one of the cleverest advertisements that I have ever seen. I described it as follows. Think of a typical eighteen-wheeler pulling a fifty-three foot enclosed trailer. You see them on every highway that you drive and usually you see more of them than any other truck. With that in your mind think of it setting beside the Interstate vertically ON IT’S NOSE. Now the last thing to visualize is huge lettering on the roof of the trailer that says, “WE FIX TRUCKS.” You may recall that I said I saw it from the Interstate and I did not think that it was safe to pull off the road to take a picture of it. At luck or fate would have it I was back on the same road heading the opposite direction just a short time before sunset last September. I was on a quick trip to Mississippi and it was the first day of a three day trip. So here is the picture that I wanted to send you several months ago.
AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR A TRUCK REPAIR NORTH OF OKLAHOMA CITY
Since this is not a real Peace On The Road chapter, just consider it a bonus and enjoy the picture. I thought it was a real special piece of advertising.
We are in Albuquerque NM to see the balloon festival and some other sights around here so I should soon have more to tell you about.
Till Later This Is Doug Of
PEACE ON THE ROAD
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