Da' further adventures of da' trusty billy-goat wagon!

[elagache]

Dear Bill, Loren, Chuck, Jim, and mid-60s Buick caregivers!

Thanks from me and Biquette!   

We'll double up Biquette's birthday and mother's day this year.  Besides, Biquette doesn't go for desserts!   

Cheers, Edouard 

[elagache]

Dear mid-60s Buick "longroof" fans,

It is another hot dry summer here in California.  That means wildfire threats and . . . . . . Public Safety Power Shutoffs.  I've started to think about how the family might cope with having get in the car in darkness when the electricity is cut off.  Some 30 years ago we bought some solar powered landscape lights, but they are - to say the least - getting weary.  Costco had an attractive sale on some solar landscape lights, but I wanted to give my local home improvement store a chance to get my business - so I hopped in my trusty wagon to see what they had.

Just my luck, they didn't have anything like what I was looking for.  When I got home and tried to order the lights from Costco - they were sold out!  So much for trying to give the local guys a break!

I wanted to take a picture of Biquette in front of the store, but I just couldn't get the lighting to work.  So I took this photo once more in front of the Moraga barn:



Now all I need is some solar landscaping lights! 

Cheers, Edouard 

[gssizzler]

To me the best part of owning these 65’s to me is driving them ! I consider it almost therapeutic! Lol My post car is not up and running right now and it is no fun! So drive and enjoy your 65 as much as you can! We are only here so long!

[elagache]

Dear fans of a certain rascally wagon,

The autumnal equinox is the 22nd this year.  In California it is the time that storms start passing to our north and east.  In the south this creates the better known Santa Ana winds.  Around the San Francisco Bay Area there is an equivalent phenomena called Diablo winds.   This hot dry gusty winds make for extreme fire dangers and have prompted our electrical utility to cut off our power in what they call Public Safety Power Shutoffs.  The first expected Diablo wind event is forecast for Monday night to Tuesday, so it was time for me to make final preparations for potentially having our power cut off.  In particular it was time to fill up my gasoline tanks for our portable generator.  I decided to increase my storage capacity by purchasing another 2-1/2 gallon tank.  My trusty wagon got the service call:



Outdoor Supply Hardware is a home improvement chain with historical roots going all the way back to the depression.  Having all the gas cans I needed, I filled them up at a local station:



I now have 10 gallons of fuel-stabilized gasoline.  That should be enough to cope with as much as 5 days of no electricity.  The tank on the right of the above photo is our original 2-1/2 gasoline tank.  As you can see from this photo, it is quite old:



My father wrote unleaded on the tank because at the time we had two lawn mowers - one of which ran on leaded gasoline.  Since California banned the sale of leaded gas in the early 1990s, this can is somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 years old!  My trusty wagon is in such good condition because at our house we literally try to take good care of just about everything!

Cheers, Edouard 

[GS66]

It is crazy what you guys have to put up with out there!

[cwmcobra]

And give me the old gas can any day.  It's so frustrating to use the new ones that aim to protect us from ourselves.  When I put gas in the Verde Howitzer from a couple of new 5 gallon cans, I had to take the nozzles off the new cans to pour into an old can so my wife and I could then use a tube and funnel to pour it into the gas filler.  Things aren't nearly as versatile as they used to be.  Biquette is a great example of "old world" versatility!

Thanks for sharing and be safe!

 

Chuck

[elagache]

Dear Jim, Chuck, and mid-60s Buick owners to insist - if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

It is crazy what you guys have to put up with out there!

Uh yeah, that's a good way to put it!  

And give me the old gas can any day.  It's so frustrating to use the new ones that aim to protect us from ourselves.  When I put gas in the Verde Howitzer from a couple of new 5 gallon cans, I had to take the nozzles off the new cans to pour into an old can so my wife and I could then use a tube and funnel to pour it into the gas filler.  Things aren't nearly as versatile as they used to be. 

Alas, ditto!  My new gas tanks have a silly child-proof feature that is actually quite dangerous.  Because of the ratchet feature, it is difficult to make sure the cap is tight and if it isn't, you'll spill gasoline all over the place - this is an improvement!?!?!? 

I thought about buying one of those nice NATO updates to the traditional Jerry can, but they are quite expensive. Since I had a 30 year old plastic tank already, I really won't need the extra durability of steel at least for this application.  Thankfully, I do have that 30 year old 2-1/2 tank.  So I'll transfer gas into that old, but well designed, tank and use that to refill my generator!

Cheers, Edouard 

[GS66]

I have hit up some farm auctions and bought some nice old gas cans. The new ones are just bad.

[option B9]

Hi Edouard, I have never heard of "Public Safety power shut offs" here in the north east the electric utilities companies ask the large retail companies (Costco, BJs, Home Depot ) and large manufacturing facilities to shut off some lighting and raise the AC thermostat to help conserve electricity on those above 90 degree steamy hot days. This summer we had over 30 of them. Global Warming for sure !
   Then Two weeks ago on September 2nd,  we had between 7 to 9 inches of rain in one night from hurricane Ida. The streets had become rivers and the storm drains & sewers could not handle the flow and houses were flooded and cars were floating around until they took in water then they all sank.
   Luckily I live on a hill, so we were spared the flooding and vehicle loss.  But all around us people lost everything ! You have no water on the west coast and here in NY tristate area we have too much and we still have Two months of the hurricane season.
   My Convertible & Sedan were safe from the floods, and the Coupe is safe in the paint shop. 

Your wagon looks great, like a fine wine getting better with age... My Father always said "If you take care of the car it will take care of you"  Words to live by....

   Tony 

   

[elagache]

Dear Jim, Tony, and mid-60s Buick owners who wish things were as simple as they used to be.

Hi Edouard, I have never heard of "Public Safety power shut offs"

As far as I know Public Safety Power Shutoffs are a purely California phenomenon.  It was the Camp fire which burned down the town Paradise that caused the electricity utilities to ask for the option of cutting off the power.  That fire was started by a high tension power line that fell into tinder dry forest and ignited the vegetation.

All 3 electrical utilities in California have been deferring maintenance, so their equipment is failing in winds that are minor compared to those New York experienced from Ida.  They are libel for the damaged caused by fires caused by their equipment failures.  So to avoid those billion dollar settlements, the electrical utilities instead cut the power and therefore don't start any fires.  So far, no lawyers have managed to sue these utilities for the utter misery they cause to folks when the power is cut off. 

Here in the north east the electric utilities companies ask the large retail companies (Costco, BJs, Home Depot ) and large manufacturing facilities to shut off some lighting and raise the AC thermostat to help conserve electricity on those above 90 degree steamy hot days. This summer we had over 30 of them. Global Warming for sure !

Actually we have that problem as well.  Moreover when the electrical capacity gets too tight, once more the electrical utilities might cut off our power.  These care called: Rotating Outages.  Here is description from our electricity provider: Pacific Gas & Electric:

https://www.pge.com/en_US/residential/outages/planning-and-preparedness/safety-and-preparedness/find-your-rotating-outage-block/find-your-rotating-outage-block.page

Then Two weeks ago on September 2nd,  we had between 7 to 9 inches of rain in one night from hurricane Ida. The streets had become rivers and the storm drains & sewers could not handle the flow and houses were flooded and cars were floating around until they took in water then they all sank.
   Luckily I live on a hill, so we were spared the flooding and vehicle loss.  But all around us people lost everything ! You have no water on the west coast and here in NY tristate area we have too much and we still have Two months of the hurricane season.
   My Convertible & Sedan were safe from the floods, and the Coupe is safe in the paint shop. 

I'm glad that you family (and vehicles) are safe.  Unfortunately my best assessment of the climate change physics is that we are way beyond the tipping point.  The only realistic option is some sort of climate engineering to bring temperatures down so we can do all that desperately difficult work of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

Your wagon looks great, like a fine wine getting better with age... My Father always said "If you take care of the car it will take care of you"  Words to live by....

Thanks Tony!    Biquette is, as she always has been, a member of the family.  She has developed some idiosyncrasies with age, but we will live those as well.  She has her spot in the garage that she first got back in 1980.  This is her home too!

Cheers, Edouard 

[elagache]

Dear mid-60s Buick caregivers who enjoy the seasons,

We have lots of members on this board, even those down under who are headed toward spring right now.  Those in more northerly latitudes have seen autumn come and gone.  However, here in parched California autumn comes late and disappears quickly.  I had some shopping to do and took my trusty wagon over to a strip mall that still has a nice selection of deciduous trees.  I was able to catch a few photos which contrasted Biquette's seafoam green with the colors of autumn leaves.  Here is the first one:



As always, you can click on any image to get an enlargement.

I took a second one in a partially shady area with trees that turn yellow:



I took this last one because this tree was very pretty if a bit small:



As you can see from the hillside in the background, while we have finally gotten some much needed rain, it will take a lot more to provide significant relief from the drought.

Rain is back in the forecast for next week, so these could be the only photos I'll get of Biquette with autumn foliage.  So enjoy them while you can!

Cheers, Edouard 

[GS66]

You need to drive Biquette up to the UP of Michigan sometime for fall colors!

[elagache]

Dear Jim and mid-60s Buick caregivers with a taste for adventure, . . .

You need to drive Biquette up to the UP of Michigan sometime for fall colors!

Yes, I would very much like to hitch Biquette to a vintage travel trailer and explore all the wonderful scenic beauty this country has to offer.  Alas, the world is going to have to settle down and stop being so crazy before I'll even consider the idea.

Cheers, Edouard

[elagache]

Dear mid-60s Buick caregivers,

Much has changed since my Christmas card in which I described my current struggles with skin cancer tumors.  The first week of January I met with a doctor (and professor) from the University of California, San Francisco's division of Facial Reconstructive Surgery.  That's about as specialized as things get.  Things didn't get off to a good start.  One of the residence (doctor in training) spotted a large growth on the right side of my nose.  Another Ear's Nose and Throat specialist had already uncovered this back in October, but it was concluded it must be removed at the same time as the very large basal cell cancer tumor on the left side of my nose.  Doing so would involve scooping out some of the cartilage of my nose.

Until then, I had been told there would be 2 surgical procedures: a first operation to remove the tumors performed by a specialist in so-called Mohs surgery, then a second operation to reconstruct the nose.  Having the problem before him, the reconstructive surgeon immediately proposed, not 1, but 3 reconstructive operations.

This Wednesday (January 26th) is Mohs surgeries to remove the tumors.  They will remove the tumors, control the bleeding, and check that they have "clear edges" (confirm that every last been of cancerous tissue has been removed.)  Once this has been achieved, they will bandage the region as best as they can, and send me home.  The following morning, Thursday, the 27th will be the first of the 3 reconstructive surgeries.  The reconstructive surgeon will make the skin graph from my forehead and repair the nose to first approximation.  He will in the same operation remove the growth that is blocking the other nostril.  That will leave damaged cartilage and effectively turn my nose into a blob of flesh without structure.  However, that assembly will need 3 weeks to heal before the next step.

Sometime in late February, the surgeon will perform a second operation which will graph in some cartilage to repair the structure of my nose and give it a normal appearance.  It will require another 3 weeks to heal from that.  Finally, in mid-March sometime, he needs to perform one more operation to complete the restoration of the nose, which in part, involves completing the separation of the skin graph from the forehead.  This is definitely a long-haul of medical procedures.

Based on my previous surgeries,  I'm expecting to be in really difficult straights for a while.  I finally have some instructions for the operation, and as expected, my face will suffer from a lot of swelling.  Removing the tumor over my right eye resulted in sufficient swelling that I had difficulty seeing.  Since this procedure will involve both my nose and the forehead where the skin graph will be taken I suspect my face will swell up like I had been stun by a dozen bees or more.  Under those circumstances, I suspect using a computer will become difficult.  As a result I might be scarce on this forum from time to time.

I'm not supposed to wear glasses until my nose is fully repaired.  Since I need glasses to drive, the current assessment is that I won't be driving until the end of March.  Last Friday, I took Biquette out for one last outing before I'm out of commission.  While there I took this photo on front of some winter trees:



Thanks for your support.  I'll try to keep everyone posted as I attempt to navigate the long and difficult road ahead.

Edouard

[Jim]

Wish you well,good luck .jim