One year ago today: April 15, 2013, mmmm, Savannah pizza.
Five years ago today: April 15, 2009, who is George Spelvin?
Something new. How many times have you seen a motorcycle towing a motorcycle? Me neither, and that is why we like this blog. Here is the batbike towing the camper pod towing the red scooter. That’s where I was all day. As you see, the pod is stripped to basic wagon configuration. The box, shown here, has the tailgate removed, but I think I told you how it was over-built. Well, it held itself in shape even with this heavy scooter leaning on the sides.
By mid-afternoon I was back on the road and soaked by a horrific rainstorm. There was no ducking that one so I just drove home right through it. Like Hawaii, it rains here without getting cold. Spring has surely arrived, I had to batten the hatches and stay put as visibility was down to fifty feet.
In response to some requests, the price tag on the model airplane shown in y’day’s blog is $13. I did not see the package contents, but would be surprised of the technology has changed in any way since my day. Thus, probably $12.50 of that price is markup. I built around 50 models before my teens but it was more fun painting them. And yes, I took old models apart and made space ships long before anyone heard of Star Wars. However, the Me-109 kit sparked my interest and I studied up on a Brit airplane called the Beaufighter.
These twin-engined aircraft were meant to be night fighters. I learned they were heavily used by the Australians. They are remembered as faithful allies but I think the media downplays how serious it was when their country was the main target for Japanese invasion. The most anybody knew for certain in 1942 is that the Japs were inhumanly brutal. So I was not surprised to read the attack protocol for the Beaufighters on enemy convoys was to swoop in and kill the commander first, then as many captains as were dumb enough to stay on the bridge.
This type of mission is ideal for airplanes that have their weapons clustered in the nose cone. The Beaufighter had ten guns, four of them cannons. Remember, in those days, they flew the whole aircraft 300 mph straight at the target and squeezed the trigger. The only thing is plentiful supply was Aussies crazy enough to do just that.
Even this little jaunt to the west end was enough to give me the wunderlust. "The joy of unbound life, to hope without limit." I can't afford it right now, but watch for some kind of preparation to travel again. I cannot abide the homebody lifestyle, but that is not to say I don't want a fixed and secure home base to return to. I ain't no hobo or gypsy.
Here’s a parting shot of the motorcycles immediately prior to loading. Just visible is the characteristic blue of the pod interior. This is the parking lot of the Home Depot on Hiatus Road. I parked in the biggest patch of shade available. This sparkling, humid morning is typical before the summertime late afternoon downpours. The rig, when towed down Taft Street, garnered plenty of attention as you can imagine. To the sharp-eyed, yes the sticker on the side panel of the pod is different in both pictures. Well, enjoy the scene, and remember you saw it here first.
PS: George Spelvin does not exist. He is the name used by American Theater for an anonymous actor since back in the 1880s. However, don't overlook the usefulness of this name. It is used by union actors who take non-union roles, among other reasons. Those who linked to the 2009 entry above may have read my sentence about "the wording changes". This is another actor's union rule. When a script has more than two co-authors, the union demands certain ways to present the information. I'll let you research that on your own. You might find it curious that the union demands the identity of the persons listed in the credits of a movie, whether you want your name there or not. Thus, we may be meeting up with Spelvin more and more. (The feminine version, Georgina, has fallen "out of favor" since a porn star adopted it.)
