This is Bama, an African gray parrot that belongs to Gunsmith Bob's folks. Apparently parrots don't learn to talk until they're a little older, so right now all Bama can do is whistle "Dixie" (of course) as well as do pitch-perfect impressions of two different alarms, the low-battery beep on a smoke detector, and a Maine coon cat that wants out.
It's 15°F outside, and the wind chill is -1°F. I have to go out and schlep the trash cans into the front yard and sweep the snow off the walks as soon as the sun is up. In light of all that, I'm trying to recall warmer days, like this past summer at the State Fair, where I saw this advanced renewable-energy-powered, EMP-hardened car.
Because he's cute, that's why.
Nothing runs like a Deere!(I'm sure LabRat and Stingray thought I had lost it when I started frantically asking to pull over "I've gotta take a picture for Farmer Frank! He collects burned farm equipment!")
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13 comments:
Better an African Grey than a Norwegian Blue!
Wifey's bright yellow bungie perfectly mimicked the BEEP BEEP BEEP of the microwave when it finished cooking.
Sunny is gone now; we think she exhausted herself laying unfertilized eggs. Sometimes she'd be sitting on four or five at a time, poor little thing just wanted to be a Mama.
The African Grey is a fine bird, until the 500th time it perfectly imitates the phone ringing at 4:00am.
In at least one case I know, there was not a 501st.
No, no, no, they just found him a new home!
Oh geez. I've been on that stretch of road in the last picture. Usually going to or from Picture Canyon or Black Mesa back when I lived east of there.
LittleRed1
Wait...even burned out, it still runs like a Deere?
The Stanley had an excellent heater for a semi-open car. They were also both quieter and far more reliable than internal combustion engine powered cars of the time.
My dad had two in taxi service before WWI. The only problem was high water consumption. A long run in the desert required a 200 gallon tender.
Stranger
"Nothing burning like a Deere" is a popular comment on the farming forums. Thankfully my nose still works as I almost had a John Deere STS combine light up on me last fall. It was the usual junk packed in at the back of the rotor. Farmer Frank will understand.
Here's a MUCH better car than the Stanley:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/jay-leno/vintage/jay-leno-and-his-doble-steam-cars
Recycles the water, starts in under a minute, passes today's CA emissions test, built in 1925!
Bah. Having driven past the thing repeatedly during war-wagon construction, and the main event, I wanted a closer look too. I just didn't want to say "thanks for enabling" with LR there in case she sprained something rolling her eyes at me that hard.
But can it sit outside overnight at -20?
Anon 2:43,
Well, no, but I'll bet the heater was wicked good!
I agree that the Doble was a much better steam car - 10 years after the P&A Taxi retired the 1910 Stanley's. One, along with an early Dodge, went into Waterman creek.
The Stanley survived almost unscathed, the Dodge did not.
In freezing weather you drained the boiler and cleared the lines to avoid bursting.
Stranger
With the Doble, you could probably just leave it idling to avoid freezeup, like they do with diesel equipment in AK. Or, set up some plug-in heaters like they have for small diesels.
Could probably design in a small auxiliary burner just to keep things above freezing. Wonder if that might already be there? Considering the cost of those cars, it should be!
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