http://www.agsem.com/200708-dennyd.html David Denny Index

David Denny photo by Greg Hayden

Except where noted otherwise, all words and pictures by David Denny.
AROUND & ABOUT STARTED May 07 Here goes:

I am looking for a scruffy looking individual walking around carrying a sandwich board saying, “the end is near”! And he would be right. The flower field driving is almost ended for the season. Just a couple or three days, then it is ended. Bob Morley brought one tractor in, a wagon, the old green one is next. Mother’s Day will finish it, they say. They are looking for one last good weekend to finish out what promises to be a very profitable run this season.

But oh, the work that has gone into it. All of you—Drivers, Volunteers, Mechanics, Bob, Bud & Barbara, Myrna, and all those I didn’t mention, you have all contributed. Thank you.

Another fine load of trucks is loaded to go to Campo. They were set to leave when a tire on the lowboy trailer developed a flat on the bottom side. (Terrible old joke) It will sit here in all it’s splendor until Bill Jelliman gets a tire on it.

Sunday May 13th Keith Richards hauled the portable gas ‘tanker’ back. At current prices, get it back first thing don’t lose a drop! Mike Stevens, Robert Richardson, & Bob Morley haul in wagons and tractors, after closing time, before dark. Still have about ½ dozen pieces to bring, ‘tho. Bob will haul tomorrow and finish it off. He did.

Gary Clare took one of the brake parts for the old gray (B&B) fork lift, and got it welded (a special kind of welder needed) and Ernie Walker and Rudy Dremely are getting it back together. We are just about lost without it. Especially since the middle sized yellow fork lift (also a B&B) has a bad wheel.

Well the little hard rubber tired one is OK if we charge the battery. I understand the clutch is weak in the one Paul Smith fixed up. Someday we are going to have to bite the bullet and spring for a ‘new’ mid sized, modern rough terrain lift that we don’t have to fix each time before using. $$$

Thursday we had a small version of our old ‘school days’ when almost 50 third graders and several parents from a Lutheran School were in for a tour. They had a good time, and I guess we did also. Connie Morton split the group in half. I showed steam and gas, while she did the rest, including butter churning. Then we reversed the procedure. At the end of tours Chuck Allee and Richard Green did ‘wagon rides’.

Friday we are getting ready for another parts exchange. I seem to not have anything to part with, and don’t really need anything more to play with. We will see how much of a turn out we have. Virgil and Sharon are in, he brings the fly wheel for the Erie City Engine.

Now it is up to me to get paint on it, before it gets rusty. I did not manage that, but I did go to Home Depot and get some rust converting primer, guaranteed for 5 years! By Thursday it had rusted enough, I kept trying to get paint sprayed on the wheel, not on everything else, but the wind blew every day. I did some Thursday morning, and Eric McConnon came over, and we got most of the available side. I will get it turned around later, and get the other side primer coated.

Thursday afternoon Bob Morley arrived. The food service group is catering a reception for one of the Blue Grass musicians. The food is coming in from our supplier this afternoon. Friday afternoon was used by Bob and Dar to cut chicken and get ready. Saturday May 26 this was juggle things around day. Before the grill was fired up for chicken for the reception, Bob Morley spent time on the old forklift moving trailers and things around. He had time to put a chain on that big flywheel, and we turned it 180 degrees around, and leaned it back against the ship’s capstan where it was before. It will soon get another dose of red primer paint, soon I hope.

Sunday May 27 was load ’em up day. Robert Richardson was in with his ‘new’ (to him) 1963 Peterbilt 3 axle tractor (truck) to load the 1914 Buffalo Pitts Steam Roller onto Virgil White’s low boy trailer. The fool that put concrete in the front rollers of that engine must have been a superman in disguise, or lacking in brainpower. That thing does not roll easy, and it steers like a sled.

Robert will take the roller to Los Angeles to the Boiler Repair shop, next weekend. A wheel on Virgil’s old Lowboy trailer needed new lug bolts so it had to wait until next weekend. Robert wasn’t too happy about taking that rig up I-5 freeway with Memorial Day traffic, anyway. I imagine it will be an ‘eye catching’ load at anytime. Good advertising for us, ‘tho.

Thursday May 31 and I have been lax in keeping up to date with this. Greg came in today with the June issue of the Ignitor. I always check to see if there are any responses - corrections, or any apologies needed. June 4th I have to report on a very successful Bob’s work weekend A very good turnout of very good workers! So very many projects completed.

Awnings and shades erected for show. Ropes are up, changes in grounds roped off. Conduits for electrical changes installed, and ditches filled, open trenches filled, seemingly tons of trash picked up, and so on. The big dump bin was filled, the contents smashed down with the backhoe, refilled again, and ready for another smash down again. They shall try to make it last ‘till just before show weekend, before emptying.

The new machine shop with it’s large La Blond lathe, Bridgeport Milling Machine, smaller high quality lathe, surface grinder, to be used by professional machinists only is moving right along. The side wall is erected, and the front enclosure is up. It will have a sliding door over ½ the front, high enough to get in most anything necessary.

There are no plans to close up our original workshop in Building K (club building), at least until another shop can be built. We have to have a place to do the day to day nuts and bolts repair and building jobs. Rod Groenewold is taking time off, having surgery to repair his very painful back. He will return----- soon we hope.

Virgil White is a ‘man of leisure’ as of the last of the Show. He has put in his years of working on school busses for the Los Angeles School District. Happy retirement to him!

I have to attempt to return to my writing ways. The spring show is over. My forced ‘vacation’ is still going on, however. 6 days in the hospital has left me as weak as it seems possible to be, and still keep going on! Gall bladder and a pancreas attack (first thought to be a heart attack) really knocked me for a loop. After getting back here, it seemed like I could do nothing.

As the displayers arrived with things to set up, I spent most of my time flat down. Friday evening our Museum hosted a Hot Dog meal (funded by a donation) for all in attendance cooked on the new hot dog grill. There was an ice cream freezer on the farm house porch, powered by a John Deere engine. POOO to all whom said we could not afford to be so generous. I’m sorry I could not partake, Doctor’s orders!

Saturday the first show day arrives, we did not have a big crowd, but we did put on a good show. Thanks to all the other organizations that participated, and displayed with us. The 1902 Advance traction engine was repaired and inspected, and was driven Friday afternoon before Show, by Jake Williams for the last time for a while. He left very shortly after for his new home in Corning New York. We shall see him again later on, we hope! The new and very capable operator of the Advance engine, John Alling drove it for the show.

The Watsons did not open the South of the Border this time. Bud had surgery and is still ailing. I noticed a long line at the Snack Shack, and a very long line at the Bar B Q pit. Boy Scouts sold corn on the cob, and Ben Eberle had the Kettle popcorn going. Of course Sally’s place did a good job, as usual. The Pepsi booth quenched thirsts, regularly.

Tom Garrison did the announcing and as usual Larry Thompson did the Parade announcing. Thanks to our sound man Dave Casey who comes in from Del Rio Texas to let us hear what is said. Who was the mermaid Virgil caught on the Euclid ‘A’ frame hook? I never did hear how the slow race between the D-8 and D-9 Caterpillars finished.

Some interesting pieces of equipment came in for show. The crawler made from a 1928 Chevrolet, not homemade, but factory built. So many unusual and rare engines and I did not get around to checking them out. I did slow down for Greg Parson’s ‘new’ 5 HP Doak, an Oakland California built engine.

The second Saturday produced the potluck dinner; the Museum provided the meat. Also the entertainment during the dinner, and afterward. A good band. I did not partake, and only heard the band from a distance, what I heard, was very good, even if it was not a jazz band.

Show’s over for June 2007. Just the clean up, pick up trash, and put things away left. All show participants who came in from elsewhere have left, except Pat Mackin and Rich Eckert, they are going to stay over and finish some projects. They have been working on the ‘new’ boilers, getting safety valves hooked up and several other projects. They have been working with Eric on the 200 HP Western engine, on Gas Engine Row. It runs pretty good, but needs paint, soon.

Everyone from afar has now departed, and the heat has set in. Not nearly as hot as L. A. County and east, but warm enough to be uncomfortable. We must drink lots of water and stay in the shade. Cecil Morton has taken on a massive job, and really made a difference. Putting Engines in place in the Jack Collins Museum Building, straightening up, sweeping out, making excess ‘stuff’ ready for Auction. Still the 3 resident tractors must go in, also the Available truck, but it looks very good so far.

The next ‘event’ here will be the ‘Thank You’ dinner for the Flower Field Drivers   Saturday, July 7. Then the Civil War gets fought again. I wonder who wins this time? The Thank you dinner was well attended and flower field drivers and volunteers were fed some of the tenderest steak they ever wrapped a lip around! Good job food service guys and gals!! The Watsons arrived for the festivities, Bud getting along well, but tires easily. Next week--- we are getting ready for the civil war re-enactment this weekend. Thursday, Bob Morley has a crew taking ropes down, moving trailers from ‘the battlefield’.

The shades over the bleachers were removed by the simple means of using the big forklift with fork extensions, lifting straight up and the crew below grabbing the legs as they came loose. The shades were hauled, painlessly to the camp grounds, where they will be used for the Auction set up. Travis Durst helped move the required bleachers out to the battlefield area.

We here, kept waiting for the first of the ‘battle’ troops to arrive. They did, late in the afternoon, Friday. Saturday morn, the North on the south end, and the South on the north end. The northern artillery had an interesting cannon with them. A very short barreled Howitzer (maybe a mountain howitzer, packable by an Army Mule?) it went Bang just like the big ones.

The snack shack did a good business, and so did Bob’s Breakfasts! Sally’s also did a good job. I had a turkey sandwich she prepared, and it was good. It took all Sunday evening and almost into Monday morning to get everything packed and loaded into their trucks and trailers, the cavalry horses cared for and loaded and peace and quiet here again. Thanks to all the re-enactors (almost).

No thanks to the one who had the flat tire changed it here, and left the carcass here, for us to dispose of. Bob M. says he doesn’t need any more practice cutting up tires and disposing thereof. Along those same lines the auction is next on the agenda, and there has been a few policy changes.

The museum will not accept any consignment lots of tires without a signed agreement to remove any unsold tires after the auction and leave a credit card number and $10.00 per tire disposal fee. Our disposal source has retired and is not a source any longer.

Rod Groenewold tagged a few items to go on the auction before he left for surgery, and we have to start moving them to the campground auction site. It is a start. There have been very few arrivals for the consignment portion of the auction so far. We are looking for arrivals to pick up this coming weekend. I must quit for now and get this to Editor, Greg.

Return to August 2007 Table of Contents