My dear friend Dr. Rich Mooi who is an echinoderm paleontologist at the California Academy of Sciences will probably love this blog for the fact that he can browse it when he wants to, instead of having toread the equivalent and more in the frequent long emails that I’ve sent him since 1994 when we made our first online acquaintance over some echiniod fossils in the Burke Museum. We are working together on some things including what we think is the World’s Oldest sand dollar which my friend Jim Goedert discovered in the SE Corner of the Olympics. 53 million years old and these are preserved with spines.
Usually when Rich and I are in the field together we do something to sate our shared passion for flying antique metal and take in the occasional Air Museum. One of the best experiences we had in this department was arriving the day before a major air show in Chino where they were warming up and testing the aircraft and it was like having our own private air show without the elbow to elbow crowds. Another was whale watching over Whidbey Island in Bunky’s lovely 1931 Stinson Red Wagon. I’ll find a picture of it later.
I just grabbed this pair of old pantographic milling machines that were used for tool and die making. They were gathering dust in someone’s garage and I bought the pair for $1800. These Gorton milling machines are the P1-2 and P2-3 models. I’m just going to call them the P2 and P3. When Rich and I get together P3 means something else entirely (especially if we are near Deception Pass on Whidbey where we attended the North American Echinoderm Conference together with many other echinoderm scientists). These are the Orion P3 aircraft that are used for submarine hunting. They do training loops and touchdowns and takeoffs all day and nobody minds them much compared with the intense and loud Growlers.
Cyclothymia. It all makes sense! I wonder if this condition is common in former bicycle mechanics. I taught that at the recently shut down Bicycle Repair Collective in Portland. BTW I have decided to downsize some nostalgia and part out the Trek touring bike I built back then, using a used hand built frame that was part of their first 100 bicycle production. Another local bike mechanic who worked at the shop on Sandy which sold Treks sold this to me. I regret having the frame sanded to inspect it for cracks etc. and repainted though the embossed Trek label on the wheel stays and the SN are still present. I restored it almost to use but in the meantime my bidy got shorter so the restoration was for naught. I. have some very rare Campagnolo 40 spoke wheels and axles on that bike that might be worth something. Everything except the chain and original TA chainrings (26, 39, 43) is in good condition though the front fork needs a bit of realignment or replacement.
Time for Tea and Breakfast. Low tire on our Fit so Nancy is taking my Civic. I’ll have to wait until they get back. Actually tomorrow is sounding better as I type with one eye closed.I have to go get ready for Alice!
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