OK, I'm out of here! For a drive that is.

[David Maxwell]

Yesterday the weather was so awesome here that I hoped in my P15 and started cruising. Four hours later, I got a call from my wife telling me it was "time to come home"! I was enjoying the music, the weather and car so much I completely lost track of time. I'll try and keep it under control today. OH! almost forgot. Better fill up on gas.

Adios for now amigos.

[Merle Coggins]

:p :p :p

[Norm's Coupe]

David,

Haven't you heard? We should be conserving fuel to make the gas prices go down. Did you have a destination in mind? I could never just ride around to nowhere like that, even in a new car. Have to have a purpose to drive a car, other than just taking a ride.

[Don Coatney]

David' date='

Haven't you heard? We should be conserving fuel to make the gas prices go down. Did you have a destination in mind? I could never just ride around to nowhere like that, even in a new car. Have to have a purpose to drive a car, other than just taking a ride.[/quote']

Norm;

David had a purpose. Namely sanity maintenance. I frequently take such drives. Did you ever wonder what is over the next hill? Only one way to find out! You should try it.

David;

As my mother always told me it does not matter where you get your appitite as long as you come home to eat. Glad you had a good drive.

[Norm's Coupe]

Don,

I do other things for sanity maintenance, like find something to work on or make. Even as a kid I could not just go for a bike ride like others did. Even then I had to have a reason/destination to ride the bike someplace. Like ride the bike to the park to look for girls.

There's always something you can do for sanity maintenance. Got bored the other night. Went down into the basement shop and got out the rotary tool. As many years as I've had that thing I never tried carving or engraving with it. Dug out a piece of scrap wood and started practicing carving with it. Didn't make anything, just carved a little with it to get the feel of the different carving bits. So now that I know how well it carves, may start doing a little of that from time to time. Next I want to dig out the Panagraph and start practicing with it. I've only had it for aboout 17 years and only time it was out of the box was to look at it. A few weeks ago I built a router table for the router. Just need to haul it out to the garage now and it's ready to go. So........there's lots to do if one looks for something to do.

I guess it's different strokes for different folks.

[bob_amos]

Yup. Truely different strokes for different folks. I tend to agree with Davids' method. Yesterday I jumped into the '63 Belair and drove around just for the pure enjoyment. Then I switched to the '53 Cranbrook and did it all over again. Once done I had this great feeling of pleasure. With such wonderful weather, it deserves to have one do something to enjoy both it and whatever your passion is. With me it is the cars. With other... it is going down to the basement and tinkering. Whatever blows your skirt up I guess.... Good for you David.

[David Maxwell]

Quite a difference from yesterday in terms of weather. Overcast, about 15 degrees cooler and I even got caught in a coupoe rain showers. Still had a blast! Got to test out the wipers and they work great! Stopped at a coffee house for about half an hour. Everyone that came in or out wanted the full run-down on the car. The coffee was made even better by virtue of the Frank Sinatra CD they were playing. I fully understand your logic Norm, but the feeling I get when driving the P15 and listening to my old tunes, defies logic. With the chaos enveloping the world today, I say find your hapiness when and where you can as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else. I've got tomorrow off and may do it again if my wife doesn't stop me.

[PatS....]

I'm a wanderer too. I'll get in the car just to get a change of scenery. No destination in mind, just explore. Maybe stop for a coffee in a spot I've never been or turn down a road I've never been on before.

I'll be off to the forestry reserve west of Calgary here tomorrow. I'll stop along the way in a beautiful little town called Water Valley. Been through but never stopped in the log restaurant/Tavern before. Time to do just that tomorrow. Maybe take the road less travelled to get home after that.

Next year, I'll be able to roam aimlessly in the Chrysler!!! Hell of a way to meet new people and learn new things about my part of the world.

[Rodney Bullock]

I have always loved driving my car, getting up early on a Saturday and cleaning her up and hitting the road as Chuck Berry use to say "with no particular place to go" I have met so great folks doing just that and it's funny they had the same idea. That is great David If we could get half the world to do something like that It would be a better place. As you know we can't go out on our door step right now as SNOW and ICE are everwhere. I can dream I looked at my 1940 Plymouth and it almost said" Don't you dare touch me until spring" I will be going to the keystone swap meet to get some parts for the hawk. If it's good out I may drive a classic, you never know!

[Normspeed]

I like those drives just for the heckuvit. Any excuse especially on weekends gets the Plymouth rolled out for errand work. I could drive the 5 miles to Azusa to pick up some dog chow, and take 30 miles to get home. Finished my carb work this afternoon and of course that required a test drive.

David, that weather front started hitting us late this afternoon. Temp dropped from 75 or so to 50. Supposed to rain tomorrow. I had to put all my toys under cover. But the past two days have been like early summer. Rode the motorcycle, cruised in the Plymouth, it just don't get much better'n this.

[Guest Nelsons Ply]

I will go for a long ride soon I could care less the price of gas.

Been over to weeks since I have seen Bessy.

Hope to get out to the shop, Might try to fire her up.

Have fun and enjoy life guys.

Keep these post coming.Had agreat day.

[Plymouthy Adams]

Nelson, really looks like you mending well, good to hear that...nothing like a cruise to clear the cobwebs from your mind and get back right with yourself. Enjoy...

[Brad Lustig]

So, David is burning gas unnecessarily and Norm is destroying trees unnecessarily. I take the long way home all the time, just to keep driving a little more. I have definitely burnt up some gas for no reason in the Dodge.

[Norm's Coupe]

So, David is burning gas unnecessarily and Norm is destroying trees unnecessarily. I take the long way home all the time, just to keep driving a little more. I have definitely burnt up some gas for no reason in the Dodge.

Brad,

If there is one thing I do well, that's destroy trees. I've taken down 8 trees in my yard. Only one of those because it died. Got rid of two apple trees because of the mess they make when the apple's fall. One Maple tree because it dropped sap on my cars. Have a lot less leaves to pick up in the fall now too.

[Merle Coggins]

Norm,

Sounds like you have some extra room now. Come late May, when it starts "snowing" in my back yard, I'll have aome Cottonwood seeds I can send over to you.

Trying to share with my neighbors ya know.

Merle

[rearview]

I can bring over the big saw and introduce it to your trees. It makes friends fairly easily

[Norm's Coupe]

Merle,

Come May I don't want to see any SNOW! Had water dripping on my electrical box Saturday and Sunday "in the basement" . Could not figure out where the water was coming in, or why. Finally found it about 11 PM last night. Water stopped when the sun went down each night. Thought possibly a snow drift at that corner of the house. Was no snow there. Just ice! Have a 7 foot down spout extension there to keep the water away from the house. That down spout extension was frozen solid to the ground and was solid from end to end with ice. So......as the snow on roof melted and went down the down spout it would back up at the connection of that extension. That dumped all the water there and then came in over the foundation wall. Finally broke it loose from the ice under it by giving it some good swift kicks. I then carried that down spout into the basement. Put one end in the laundry tub, then hit it with the heat gun set on 1,000 degrees. That didn't produce any melting at all after 15 minutes or so. However, it did break the bond inside and I was able to slide the ice out into the tub, then break it with a hammer and large screwdiver. It's a 5" downspout so the chucks of ice were about 5" x 3". Then I was putting the downspout back about midnight. The ice in the tub was only about half melted this morning. The laundry room is the warmest in the basement because of the furnace and hot water tank. It's at least 70 or 72 degrees in that room all the time. Even with all the kicking I did to get the downspout free, there isn't a dent in it. That's how solid that ice was! The joy's of living in Wisconsin in the winter.

I do know what you mean about Cottonwood trees. Brother in law has them in a wooded area behind his house. Those things really make a mess. He would like to take them down but his wife doesn't even like to cut down a half dead tree, much less a good one.

[Merle Coggins]

Oh, there are times I'd love to cut it down. It's a very messy tree. Not only in late May when it's "shedding" it's seeds, but then it drops the seed pods all over the yard. Plus it's constantly dropping small branches in the yard. I get tired of picking them up every time I cut the grass, so most of them get mulched. And it drops a ton of leaves in the fall.

On the other hand, I love the shade it provides.

Merle

[Norm's Coupe]

Forgot about the stick problems. Get those too. Still have two large Maples in the back yard. They produce a lot of shade too. Had them trimmed quite a bit a few years ago. They still drop the sticks though. I really think squirrels cause that though. Think they are up there munching on them all the time.

You have to be a saint to put with those Cottenseed trees though. Was over at my brother in laws last May when the snow was falling off his. What a mess! Said he had just swept the garage floor, yet it looked like a blizzard had just happened in there. Looked that way outside too with all the cotton blowing off the trees. Here in Milwaukee it's illegal to plant a cottonseed tree. Only ones around are real old ones before they came out with the code against them. They clog up the AC units.

[Merle Coggins]

I remember reading about that restriction. If I remember correctly it came about because there were so many Cottonwoods planted in front yards, and because they tend to have roots that come up through the surface, they were destroying the streets. Many were cut down and they were banned.

Merle

[1just4don]

Dont have a cootonwood tree anywhere close to anything it can fall on. Even with a bit of wind help. Crushed Mopars and wonderful Garages included. Cottonwoods get old and rot from inside out,,,its only a matter of time when they will reach out and 'bite' you!!. BIG wind storm comes thru at least once a year,,,I swear they ought to make cottonwood trees a noxious weed!! And some of those small limbs from the top are darn big stretched across somewhere they best NOT be!!! The are a VERY dirty tree,,,almost as bad as weeping willows used to be years ago,,,they all disappeared too. But I would venture half of the cottonwoods are rotted thru on inside around here,,,an accident waiting to happen.

[Young Ed]

Hmmm interesting thought. My next door neighbor has a cottonwood about 3ft from our property line. We had a decent storm about 18months ago and a big branch broke off and has been hanging up there from other branches. Now besides that one falling off I wonder if the rest of the tree is rotten and going to fall over. Oh and this thing is aimed at my deck possibly and for sure would take out my power line to the house!

[Norm's Coupe]

Ed,

If I were you, I'd ask the neighbor to cut those branches hanging over your yard to trim them off. If he doesn't you can do it or have a contractor take what's over your yard down. Of course, you would then have to pay for the trimming, but it's legal if hanging over your property. At least around here it is. My neighbor had a Maple hanging over my driveway. When I had my trees trimmed I also had them trim all branches hanging on my side of the property line. I did tell him I was going to do it, and he even offered to pay for that part. Was only an extra $25 though so I told him to forget it.

[Young Ed]

Its not so much over my property now but if that sucker ever blows over it could do some serious damage. Hope the wind is blowing the right way when that happens!

[Merle Coggins]

I think about that often. It's a large tree and would destroy my house if it fell to the east. Since most storms come from the west, chances are pretty good that if / when it gets blown over I'll be in the market for a new house.

Maybe, if I'm lucky, it'll fall to the west and just take out some fence and a Lilac bush. Although it could do damage to my storage shed as well.

Merle