... exhausted, i slept like a log last night ... (pa once said, "why do you say that, a log is a piece of a dead tree, it's not waking up") ... i asked my butt, which responded, "yes, i'd appreciate a day off," so mike took me over to barb and bob's house ...
... we got lost on way, which brought back the memory of ma, frustrated, "well, it's somewhere around here" ... mike took out his iphone and used the g.p.s. to find our way ... ah, the wonders of our age ...
... barb was one of ma's best friends, for the past three years her husband has been building a 1932 three-window ford coupe ...
... this is neither "restoration" nor "kit car," bob's project involves constructing his very own custom version of the ford ... the final car will not be a show car, it is meant to be a machine within which he and barbara can enjoy cruising the countryside ...
... i took notes, but left them at the house, so i'll have to do the best i can with the details ... this is a 350 cubic inch v-8 chevrolet engine that bob destroked to 327 cubic inches displacement ... that means the engine will have a little less torque but will be much more responsive to throttle commands ... at well over 300 horsepower, i don't think there'll be any problem with the lightweight car emulating the space shuttle at take-off ... and, yes, those of you who know a thing or two about these things, this engine is most definitely not supposed to fit into a 1932 ford coupe ... i am absolutely amazed at the "adjustments" bob has created in order to make this magic trick work ...
... when finished the car will have no outside door or trunk handles, everything that opens will do so at the press of a button ... it appears to me that the wire is one of those "enough to go around the world" things ...
... i said, "stand in front of it like a teenager with his car" ... he did ... how cool ...
... this is kind of what it'll look like when he's finished ... 'cept his will have a hard top, fatter tires, no door handles, and will have a humongous engine ...
... back home, i decided to take a little stroll around the yard ...
... these are "bearded irises" ... i know that because beth is sitting next to me ... i always like these flowers, especially because they look so pretty without really looking like flowers ...
... these little flowers are "love-in-a-mist" ... what a neat name ...
... what can i say, "barbecue craticulam" ...
... clematis "ramona" ... so absolutely beautiful that i'm compelled to present them again ...
... i stood so long barefooted in the wet grass looking at these flowers and photographing them that my toes became a bit pruned ...
... a fern, i think, offered humbly as homage to van dyke and adams and the other members of their little "school" ...
... tonight i'm taking mike and beth to see "star trek" ... what a nice day ...