Born To Be Wild

Nope.  I don't know why I bought it, but I did.

A guy down the road was selling it, and Pamela wanted it...

Born to Be Wild
Steppenwolf
Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Looking for adventure
In whatever comes our way
Yeah, darlin'
Gonna make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space
I like smoke and lightnin'
Heavy metal thunder
Racing in the wind
And the feeling that I'm under
Yeah, darlin'
Gonna make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space
Like a true nature's child
We were born
Born to be wild
We can climb so high
I never wanna die
Born to be wild
Born to be wild
Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Looking for adventure
In whatever comes our way
Yeah, darlin'
Gonna make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space

Friends and Family Bar-B-Que

Yeah, I know you don't know anyone, but just admire the babies and the dogs.

The Appleton Art Museum in Ocala

I love art, and art museums.  I really do.  For decades, as I traveled around the country on business, I'd make a point to visit art museums.  I've become a bit of an art museum snob.

Yep.  Me, of all people, a snob.  There is little about abstract art that I like.  Sure, it might be kinda cool, but art?  Sorry, but not to me.  Even after taking a mandatory college art class where the professor started by telling us that he hoped he'd instill an appreciation of abstract art to us... sorry, I got an A, but I still think it sucks.

However, if nothing else, I am open minded.  And when Pam and I finally got to the Appleton Museum here in Ocala, I was impressed by these people sized birds' nests you're about to see.

I still don't understand the point of these things, but they are very cool.  Patrick Dougherty, the artist, is a guy I'd like to have a few victory beers with.  I'm not sure why.

For more about the Appleton Museum and their current exhibits, click here.

Restoring A 1950 Ferguson TO-20 Tractor, in Photos

Last year, I noticed that a free tractor was being given away here in Florida while I was surfing a Ferguson owners' group Facebook page.  The tractor was disassembled and the owner didn't have time to reassemble it, as he was moving, so he decided to give it to someone who would.  I sent an email to the address given and the email exchange went something like this.

"I'm interested in your tractor.  I'm near Ocala.  Whereabouts are you?"

"I'm near Ocala too."

"Really?  I'm in Fort McCoy.   Well, actually, Eureka, but no one knows where that is."

"I'm in Eureka."

"Seriously?  I'm a bit behind the Qwik King."

"I'm about a half mile from you."

Long story short, I picked it up with the help of Denny, our neighbor, but then decided to give it to him.  He's also retired, but has the tools, friends, and know-how to get it done.   He started on it a about three weeks or so ago.  Glen ("Poor Boy") is chief mechanic, Denny is the parts getter, helper, and nut spinner, and I take photos.  Here are the photos.

Glen, AKA "Poor Boy", working on the engine.

The radiator is on... dump in anti-freeze!

Leak!

Happily, the leak was fixed by tightening the bolts on the water pump.

Poor Boy.

Fred arrived from Michigan.  Fred is a Harley mechanic, and has rebuilt car and truck engines.

Fred says the engine should have turned over with a wrench without the heads on.  Poor Boy says it did not.  "Discussion" ensues.

Fred is a trouble maker.

Denny and Poor Boy may try to start the tractor today.  Fred says it will blow up on a scale approaching Mount St. Helens.  I made them promise not to do it unless I'm there to photograph this momentous event.

Dutch Warmblood Dressage Training

The Ocala area of Florida is all about horses and warm weather.  I took my camera to dressage training (where horses prance all about on purpose) at Perfect Landing Warmbloods and had great fun photographing it.

Here ya go.