http://www.agsem.com/200806-dennyd.html David Denny Index

David Denny photo by Greg Hayden

I presume I am supposed to continue putting words on this word processor, in order to pretend I am keeping the members informed of the happenings around and about these museum grounds. Cecil Morton, Paul Maxam, Ernie Walker, Chuck Alee and others have been laboring on the Case LA tractor, formerly used on the race track to keep it smooth enough to run horses on. The frame, engine, wheels, radiator and seat frame are now freshly coated with ‘Flambeau Red’ (Case Orange) and looking a whole lot better! The wheels and tires are back on the tractor and it looks much more stable than it did ‘teetering’ on blocks. It was not in any danger of falling over, but it looks better anyhow! The seat frame had rusted almost completely apart, but Ernie welded new braces on it and it will look solid again, mounted on the tractor.

Next weekend will be the work weekend again. We have to get the place spruced up for the events coming soon. Grass to cut all the time, all around the grounds. Tractors with bush hog mowers running almost every day. I see Richard Green out on the TD-6 International, disking weeds on the hillside to the south.

Keith Richards had the tractor with the roto-tiller turning over the garden and sorghum area, in preparation for this year’s crop. Alice Swaim has her tomato plants in now; they are not going to freeze this time of year. They will just need watering, if it does not rain some more.

The weeds are going to be a big problem this summer. Keith Richards and Rudy Dremely have been running bush hog mowers and riding lawn mowers and Stan Foraker is in often with his gas string weed cutter, cutting in hard-to-get-at areas. They are trying to keep the crop cut. Alice Swaim is using a backpack sprayer, giving weeds the permanent solution, heading for the last roundup. I hear the coffeepot burping, so I quit for now!

Saturday we had a couple of visitors that really brought back memories. Greg Johnston, the person who got me interested in gas engines back in about 1974. He was EDGETA Branch # 9’s Western Engine guru, with a 30 HP and a 50 HP engine he took to fairs. With Greg Was Terry Hathaway, who restored and donated the Torrance Union Tool Co. engine, and the Reid two cycle engine. Terry is gathering data to put together a book on Western Engines and the Western Engine Company. If anyone has any info on either, let me know here at the Museum and I will pass it along.

The first full weekend is here, and the Bob Morley work weekend is upon us. Not a big turnout is expected, by me anyway, but here’s hoping. The weather guessers said we might get some showers Saturday night, but a fine mist, or a wet fog was all. At 1:30 AM I looked out the door and saw lightning flashes way to the south, but so far away there was no thunder audible. Sunday was a cool windy day, with few visitors. The bleachers used for the ‘Civil War’ re-enactment were still down at the battleground site. At the request of the school they were moved to the ‘old corn field’ site (to the north of our entrance.) The school has some event planed for later this month.

The Board of trustees meeting will be held a week early this month, to allow board members the opportunity to go to the Tulare show next weekend. Jack Lester has been here almost all week, bringing in new fixtures for the new kitchen in the assembly building, and moving and restoring old ones. Bob Morley, Dar Jewell, Jack Lester and the Work Weekend crew spent two days moving equipment from the old Kitchen. Ken McChesney and Guy Horton are doing brush cutting on the ‘back 40’ (a badly needed chore). If we don’t keep at this stuff we shall be over run with trashy brush and Russian Thistles (tumbleweeds)!

No details are known at this present time, but Sunday evening March 30th our senior (in age and in years of service), Live-On Ernie Walker has died, apparently from a heart attack. None of us had seen him that day, but that was not unusual, for he would go away and no one would notice his car or pickup leave. His friend Rose had been calling, and calling, that evening, and getting no response, she called Dar Jewell who went up to his place to check on him. He was in his chair, deceased. Ernie was 88 years of age.

Ernie started as a live-on with the CEDGETA and AGSEM in 1982. As time goes by I am sure we will hear more details as to the cause of death. He was born in Mt. Angel Oregon (south east of Portland) in May 1919. From his own accounts he had worked as operating engineer, equipment installer, maintenance engineer and welder from the South Pacific to San Diego, besides his roots as a farmer. Services were held Wednesday April 9th at Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. A memorial was held here in our assembly building following. A catered lunch was served. For the time being the Museum will not replace his job as a live-on attendant (How can we anyway?). He will be greatly missed.

Life goes on, Dar Jewell is getting food and Bar – B – Qs ready for the upcoming California Blacksmith’s convention next. The new Kitchen will be ready for use. Food Service manager Jack Lester has his diploma hanging on the wall. The Vista Fire Department says OK, and S.D. Health Department has brought in a--pot load of new regulations to keep everyone healthy and confused. I sometimes wonder how the human race survived all those centuries, before “departments” were invented!

The Sheriff’s Department and Vista Fire Department put on a demonstration of a drunk driving aftermath by hauling in a couple of wrecked cars. This is what the bleachers in the old corn field were for. When they had the ‘victim’ of the crash all bandaged up; they had the big Life-Flite Helicopter haul him away to the proper ‘treatment area’! Lots of dust and noise. It is unknown whether the students learned anything about the ‘evils of strong drinking and driving,’ or not!

We are in the process of changing to a new propane company for the Museum. The new company is to give us propane at a much more reasonable cost than the old one. Good luck to us all in our cost cutting efforts. About cost cutting, there is a program, sponsored by the San Diego Gas and Electric, replacing all inefficient lighting systems, at no cost to non–profit organizations. We keep hearing rumors we are eligible. We’ll see.

The Flower Fields are moving right along. Bob Morley is going over almost every day! I wonder if he remembers what ‘HOME’ looks like? There was a John Deere tractor that had a leaky crankshaft seal. Bob and Cecil Morton started to fix it there, but in the end they decided to bring it back here, where special wrenches and other tools to remove the flywheel were at hand. Cecil and Chuck Alee flew into it and a day later it was ready and hauled back to return to service. Bob also brought a J.D. ‘B’ back here when it was deemed to be too small for safety on the Flower Field’s hills.

The weather is cool, hot, dry, cloudy, sunny and windy. Everything but rainy! We are seeing results of drying out, and this ground is showing the usual dry weather cracking. This is Tulare Show weekend and several members of our organization have decided to brave the $4.00 gas and $4.50 diesel and go up to take a look at what others are displaying.

Sunday, and I spent all day taking groups around, and I am paying for it! I have just about lost my voice tonight. Notice to all: it is rattlesnake time again. We have found several so far, and ‘re-located’ them. The last one was a very little one out between the Ashbeck building and the ‘Club’ building. It was in the main driveway headed for an old pallet lying behind the work area. Keep your eyes open at all times when you are out here!

Bob Morley has a part of an International Harvester tractor on his trailer, he is going to the flower fields tomorrow, check on things, and take the parts to the scrap yard, tomorrow. Who knows, he may get to go home for a few hours then!

Virgil and Sharon White left last week for Kansas, then to Missouri to see his Mother on her birthday. They intend to be back here around the first of May. The first of several trips they have planned for this summer. Ain’t retirement grand!

The last few days Dar Jewell has been busier than the proverbial wallpaper installer, missing an arm! He is getting meat and chicken ready (with help when he can get it) to feed the blacksmiths when they arrive for the convention next weekend! He took last Saturday off however; his family was in to help him celebrate his birthday. Hal Jewell was able to come down for the day. The doctors agreed to this short trip. He is still having serious problems due to the ruptured appendix and resulting infection he suffered last year! When he heals up he is to start a new job. Good luck to him. Ken Jewell was in also.

The Frasers had a birthday party Saturday attended by a large number of youngsters, mostly girls. Train rides, truck rides, and a barbecue were the plan of the day. I heard lots of happy voices, so this party must have been successful!

By Wednesday the Blacksmith’s plans for the set up for the convention were started. Moving tractors and museum displays from selected areas. And bringing the bleachers back and placing then for demonstration sites. The Whiteheads used Cecil Morton’s ‘Minnie’ to move tractors from the south wing of the Collins building. Also they moved the 1895 Russell steamer and the 1912 Case steamer from the Steam Barn to along the road across from the south wing of the Collins building. A couple of bays in the harvester barn will also be used.

Then we come to the convention itself: the Museum is not a participant or a sponsor of the convention. The Museum is owner of the blacksmith shop, and all the Museum Smiths are members of AGSEM. The California Blacksmithing Association is the sponsor and the AGSEM furnishes space for the demonstrations and vendors.

As mentioned the south wing of the Jack Collins building was used for vendors and demonstrations The Steam Tractor Barn was used for demonstrations, this was called Site-1. The Ashbeck building was demonstrations Site-2. The 2 bays in the harvester barn were Demonstration site-3. The center of the Collins building was called The Gallery and the ‘Club Building’ was just marked Vendors. The Assembly building was Food hall, where Breakfast, lunch, and dinner was provided for all 3 days. The Museum was remunerated for all services and meals.

In the service line Gary Clare was on Forklift duty for all 3 days Larry Thompson was on duty making sure his 15hp International Mogul engine was running ‘up to snuff’ when line shaft power was needed. Eric McConnon also was on duty, running the Mogul and various chores.

Alpha Project workers were directed by Mike Churchill and provided trash removal service. Mike did his share of slinging trash bags, also Our Food Service provided meals for CBA members. Due to extreme heat, there was a dehydration problem. Myrna Bagge took the snack cart around each day, with cool water, and fruit snacks for all that desired them.

After the tables and chairs were folded up and taken from the assembly building the big room was swept out. Rudy Dremely put in several hours wet mopping the entire floor. Looks good, for a while!

The electrical contractors did come in to install new safer, brighter lights. Some new fixtures. Some of the buildings had dim lighting, burned out fluorescent tubes and they have replaced with BRIGHT florescent lights. The new lights in the new assembly building were replaced with more cost efficient and less hazardous ones. The block restroom has had flickering and dim lights for a long time. Now it really shines in the night. The florescent lights in the ‘club’ building were replaced as well as all the lights in the Jack Collins Museum building. They still have a little more to do, they say.

This has been a hard month to write about, due to all I have to place in the Obituary Section: Thomas James Brown (T.J.) member # 4919 passed away March 23rd 2008. Alan (Al) Diamond Member # 2547. Al is survived by his Wife Mary. Ernie Walker March 30th 2008. Ernie is survived by a large family, and many friends. And Jim Wyse, Member # 170. When I joined, Jim was Vice President of CEDGETA. When Wes Hamilton’s term as Club President was up Jim ran in 1978 and served for 1 year as President of CEDGETA, before moving to northern California. (In the Grass Valley area.) Jim is survived by his wife, Marylyn.

Saturday what’s happening? The blacksmiths are back to their regular schedule of hammering and banging away The Richardson-Anderson wedding is today to be held at the Rancho Guajome Adobe. Congratulations to them. Also this is the day to get the steam traction engines inspected and certified for another year. Our Hartford Steam Boiler Insurance Inspector, Bill Rozokat was in, giving all the old monsters A good visual going over. Banging away on the boiler ‘stay bolts’, and rivets, listening for a dull thud instead of a ringing sound! A thud instead of a ringing sound means a cracked or loose rivet or stay. Also used in the equation are a lot of years of knowledge of what to listen for. Everything passed inspection; Bill said “just keep on doing a good job”.

He did the Museum’s Advance traction engine first, for it was to go over to the Adobe, (pulled behind Cecil Morton’s Minnie!) this was to be used for the Minister to stand on to deliver the Wedding Vows! Apologies to John and Dean Alling for not getting a usable picture of them, being tractor and steamer drivers, dressed in shirt and tie! My thanks to Kent Graham for doing a good job on an un-requested favor! It looks good, even if it spoils my reputation as a pack rat!

Sunday, one more week of Flower Field driving for this year. Bob Morley asks, “did I mention how many days left? Everybody’s fanny is dragging the ground, waiting for the last hurrah of Flower Field driving asking ”will Mother’s Day Sunday be a great success, or an anticlimax?” however Sunday turns out we will have had a good, long, and safe run.

Scrap metal and recycle prices are higher than I ever saw, and Bob Morley skipped going to the flower fields this morning, for he took a load of scrap to the scrap yard yesterday, went home overnight, and returned today. His last two loads have made us over $1,200, just for the fuel cost to take it there. I used to take a pickup load and make $35.00 and think I was getting rich! Of course $2.00 a week would take me to work and home for 5 days, and still have enough gas to go to the drive in movie Saturday night!

Bob has to fix a couple of the old dump bins before they make another trip. Modify them both to be properly unloaded at the recycler yard, and one had a bottom you could see daylight through. The bottom plate replacement will be from that pile of steel, brought from the horse ranch we junked out, 2 or 3 years ago.

Dar and Ken Jewell pressure washed the concrete deck behind the bar-BQ booth, and all the Bar-B Q units including the new stainless steel one donated By Mike and Jeanette Stevens are clean. Dar says the B. B. Q. is ready to go, now.

Cecil Morton, Paul Maxam, and Chuck Alee are still working on tractors, getting them mechanically fixed, and painting and re painting them to make ‘em pretty! That L. A. Case Tractor -- pictured above -- used at Del Mar Racetrack is going to be a good one! Paul is putting a lot of time in the restoration, and has it adopted.

Richard Green is having some medical work done. Good luck Richard! Thursday, and the usual Thursday group is here, plus over 100 kids were in for a quick tour around as part of Connie Morton’s school of times past. A few section tours and the four groups each received a wagon ride grounds tour. As the first group left in the wagon behind Cecil on the tractor they were yelling and waving goodbye to all and no-one in particular, I thought there goes a wagon load of exuberance! Shadowed by the big groups was a separate, small home school group, I tried to take around and tell them about all we have going on here!

Barbara and Bud Watson were down for the last Flower Field Friday! Saturday they are going to do some repairs on the S.O.B building, it has settled and one door will not close properly and needs some attention, also weeds are getting needed attention.

Bob Morley is going to do a tune-up on the water truck. He says two more Flower field days left. After it is finished there will be two or three days of returning everything here. This issue will have to be turned in Saturday, and I can not report on the final!

Saturday is here, the first returnees from the Flower Fields arrived in the form of the first of the two engine display trailers we had over there. Mike and Jeanette Stevens pulled it in.

Donations received: today we received two more service (golf) carts. One later style Taylor-Dunn cart with all metal body apparently in good condition, also a nice Yamaha cart. They are currently on chargers to check the condition of the batteries. Bob Swaim arranged the Donation. This acquisition will allow us to part with one or two ‘junkers’

This seems to be all I can find to write about, so see you all at the June Show, and have a safe summer (stay cool) --- David.

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