August 31, 2006
World's Most Useful Blogger!
Sorry not to have anything posted this morning, but I've been working on my Boy Scout badge for helpfulness.
New Accordian Owner Skinnydan had a photograph he sent me--
--and wanted to know if I could help him date it based on the cars parked in the lot. I've done this before, too, when I ran across an undated photo of a building or project. Although you can't date something exactly, you do figure that if you have a car built in 1970 in the photo that the picture couldn't have been taken in 1940. You might not be able to get the upper age right, but at least you know the earliest time limit.
Anyway, as best as I could tell, the Mustang in the photo was the newest vehicle, which meant April of 1964 (when the Mustang was introduced) would be absolutely the earliest the photo could have been taken. No way to tell for certain if it was any later, but I kinda figure it was probably no later than about '67 or '68. For you car fans out there, the vehicles are, from left to right, a Renault Dauphine (uncertain vintage, built between 1956-'68), a VW Bug made sometime after 1958 judging by the larger back window, a '64 1/2-'67 Mustang, and a '64 or '65 Ford Fairlane. (And a big dope slap to me, because I didn't notice the Lincoln Continental parked in the upper parking lot. Looks like a '63 or '64 model, but it's a little too small to tell for sure.)
AND THEN, Miss Janis reached out to Cletus' Car Corner guys this morning to see about getting some help for repairing her bumper car. However, since they have been lax about checking their e-mail, the account had gone dormant, so as their technical assistant, I had to get that back up and running, and then track down Luther to see if he could offer some sage advice. He mentions he has been busy this summer, but I know for a fact he has spent most of his time the past few months at Godly Hollow's newly opened 7-7-7 International Magic Lotto Internet Sweepstakes Club. Anyway, I had to get him up and moving and finally did manage to get him to offer some assistance. And then I think he went back to sleep.
Now then, who else needs help!?
I've got a spreadsheet that's been kicking my butt all week. And several speeches to prepare for my Public Speaking class...
Posted by: Nate at August 31, 2006 10:36 AMSpread sheets? Like on a bed? I can make beds!
As for speeches, I think it's best to plagiarize those.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at August 31, 2006 10:42 AMThat's me, Mr. Accordian. What polka did you say you wanted again?
Posted by: skinnydan at August 31, 2006 01:20 PMWhy, Red Foley's "Tennessee Polka," of course!
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at August 31, 2006 01:58 PMI learn a lot of stuff around here.
Posted by: Janis Gore at August 31, 2006 04:21 PMYou might want to keep that quiet.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at August 31, 2006 04:42 PMIt is a little scary, hunh?
Posted by: Janis Gore at August 31, 2006 04:43 PMLike getting eaten by hogs.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at August 31, 2006 04:48 PMI was going to argue and say that wasn't a Renault Dauphine, since we had one when I was in college and I remembered it as being even dumpier. But I'm proven wrong--
http://www.ge0cities.com/MotorCity/1845/pictures.html
(correct the 0 to o)
It also had a great autopilot. I recall waking up at home, with the car parked in front of the house, with no memory at all of the drive home from a friend's house, where we had consumed much Bourbon.
I was a bit unsure, too--I thought it might be a Frégate, but the back window looked wrong. It does look a little too low to be a Dauphine, but maybe it's just all worn out from ferrying besotted fraternity boys back and forth to their landing sites.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at September 1, 2006 08:20 AMI don't recall anything but Dauphine's around in Norfolk, way back when. Since Tidewater VA is a huge port and a navy town, there were lots of car brands you wouldn't see other places. In '65, our next door neighbors had a pair of DAFs. Here's a current add for a 1973.
http://www.speurders.nl/autos/daf/22995427/daf_44_uit_1973.html?3.1.0.id061031260810mcid061020030810scname0610daf0810sort0610time0810sort0710dir061000810offset061000810state061000810wp061000810speurder0710type06100810page061010810postcode06100810straal06100810sg06100.18.3126
AND, you malign me sir! I never deigned to join a fraternity.
My most abject apologies, sir. I, too, am of the GDI house and should have known better!
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at September 1, 2006 11:08 AMAnd of course, not belonging to a fraternity was no obstacle to being a drunken bum.
Posted by: steevil (Dr Weevil's bro Steve) at September 1, 2006 11:30 AMThis truly is a great and democratic country.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at September 1, 2006 11:41 AMhow 'bout a Peugeot (pronounced 'pudgie')
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Peugeot_403.jpg
My friend, he of the Bourbon swilling evening, had one.