Me and the Meadowbrook

[Niel Hoback]

Dogs are good people.

[fhubler]

23 hours ago, Niel Hoback said:

Dogs are good people.

Probably because they listen more than they talk...  Your statement reminded me of a funny dog & car story.  A friend of mine is a Model T guy & a dog guy.  On most nights he takes the dog for a T ride.  Its like clockwork, at around that time of the evening, the dog sits there & stares at him until he says, "Do you want to go for a Model T ride????", then she runs down to the garage.  She used to get in first, until a few years ago...  One evening he had the T in the driveway warming up, the dogs were in there, because they always had to get in first, & he left the car for a minute.  When he came back, they were gone.  He found them in the bushes across the road at the bottom of the driveway, the T still running & the dogs still sitting there - a little shocked, but no harm done.  From then on, they won't get in until he is in there at the controls.  Smart dogs!

[Worden18]

Thanksgiving Day:

We drove the Meadowbrook over to Elsie's Kitchen in Caledonia for Thanksgiving Dinner.  They cook up a really nice spread of food.  We ate there last year as well for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Its a free-will donation, which we gladly contributed to.  What a beautiful day to take the car out.  

[Worden18]

Thanksgiving Day (cont.)

-Parked down the street from Elsie's.  I was so tired after eating I almost couldn't drive home!  

Edited November 29, 2017 by Worden18

[Worden18]

The day after Thanksgiving wifey, myself, and our male boxer took a trip over to Rushford to walk on the trail.  We've had unseasonably warm weather lately, perfect for a drive and/or walk.  Yet we were the only ones on the trail...

[Worden18]

Day after Thanksgiving (cont.)

Mack our boxer had a lot of fun.  He was really enthused to walk and get all the smells, and on the ride he would switch off from laying his head on the armrest to laying it on my son's booster seat.

2nd pic:  A quick stop at the grocery store for a few things.   When we came back out, a younger woman and her kids were getting out of their car.  She said to me, "I love your car!  Its so beautiful."  Usually I get those comments from men.  But she continued and said that she loves old cars, and that she and her husband have a 52 Chevy truck in the garage that they drive often.  I was happy to see that a younger person really enjoyed seeing my car.  

[Ranger]

I took the 36 coupe for a spin around the neighborhood yesterday as well. Last year we had over 12" of snow. This year just a few flurries that melt quickly. Might as well enjoy it while I can.

[Worden18]

December 1st and still driving the Meadowbrook! I feel blessed to be driving it this late in the season.  I took it into town to grab some things at the hardware and the grocery.  People are still waving, and one woman told me she was glad to see me still driving it.  

Right now the car is sitting in the driveway with about a dozen or so little birds around and under it.  A couple even flew up into the lower fenders...I suppose to get bits of corn from the highway that had splattered up in there. 

[Worden18]

Dec. 2:. After dropping my son off for a birthday party, wifey and I drove over to Rushford to walk the trail.  About 45 degrees and cloudy.  Passed by the Veteran's Memorial on the walk. 

[Worden18]

Dec. 2

Dogs were ready to go!

[Worden18]

We got lots of looks as usual, mostly bewildered.  "How can they be driving that old car?  Its December!" is what I imagined some saying to themselves.  My answer would be: "How could I not?"

[Worden18]

Dec. 2

[Worden18]

Dec. 2

quick stop at the library on the way home. 

[Worden18]

Dec. 2

At home

[Worden18]

Dec. 2

Car ran good as usual. 

Taking it into town later this evening for the Holidazzle Parade. 

[Worden18]

Dec. 2:  6:30pm

We drove into town (Houston, MN) for the Hollidazzle Parade.  There were quite a number of floats and other entries, like this school bus all lit up (pic #1) and the horses pulling a wagon (pic #2).  

Pic #3 is after the lighting of the park and fireworks display.

I lost my wife and son during the parade, but found them for the park lighting.  I was chauffeuring my daughter and her friends around for a little bit.  Believe it when I say that 12 year old girls (5 of them) loved the Meadowbrook!  Two of them said they liked the way it smelled inside (and also the raw gassy exhaust LOL).  

[Worden18]

Dec 2- Hollidazzle cont.

Our feet were cold by the time we made it back to the Meadowbrook.  I cranked the heater.   

We were parked right by the "Dickens Village" which is a really nice little display that my son wished he could play with.  It was a fun, toasty ride home, which I remind my son is "night driving".  The moon was so bright I think I could've driven with my lights off.  

[Worden18]

Dec. 8, 2017:

Well fellas, I hate to admit it but I think I'm putting the Meadowbrook away for the winter.  Its going to snow tonight, and even if they don't spread salt or sand I don't want snow spraying up into the rust holes and making them bigger. 

I took it to town and filled it up, then when I got back home I put some Stabile and Heet in the gas tank and topped it off again with some gas from a can.  Then I unhooked the battery.  

Some stats for 2017:

We drove it from May 8 - Dec 8 (7 months) and put on 6,532 miles (from the fresh engine rebuild), spent $1,200.00 on gas, and averaged 933 miles a month.  

The car now has 68,706 miles.  I've put on 9,581 miles since I bought it in March of 2016.  So from March of 2016 - May 7th 2017 3,049 miles were put on the car.  If we get an early spring I'm gonna shoot for 10,000 miles in 2018!  

I hope to heat up my garage enough during winter to work on the rear brakes, and install a new master cylinder.  Otherwise I will wait until the warmer spring weather shows up, then do some of the maintenance that needs to be done before hitting the road again.  Its been a great run this year!

Pic: final shot before driving it into the garage...

[49D-24BusCpe]

    Well, she's in for a well deserved rest!

[Ranger]

Sleep well, sweet dreams!

[Niel Hoback]

You and the dogs can always go sit in it and make vroom vroom noises.

[keithb7]

I was out cruising some backroads recently not too far from home. I found this house number holder. It made me think of you Worden18.

3303 of Shuswap Road. Not a  Meadowbrook, but has similar lines. This is the Plymouth Cranbrook. I am unsure of the year. Maybe someone can tell us what year it is.
 

 

Edited December 11, 2017 by keithb7

[pflaming]

The Plymouth is a '51 or '52 I like the styling of those two years. Would like to have a hardtop, hard to find out here.,

[Young Ed]

That is a 52. Hope you checked it for overdrive! 

[dpollo]

It is a 52.  The hood ornamentation gives it away as well as the lack of a bracket for the front license plate. The two tone is black over Glacier Gray.

  If you are in the Shuswap area there is a world class motorcycle museum near Sorrento.  It is worth a significant trip to see.