Ken's Ramblings

Thankfully the weather is warming and my cabin fever is slowly getting healed. The housecleaning is coming along slowly. This week a truck picked up another shipment of 356 motor cores to Ca. There were two 1956 era complete cores that are very restorable. Still have 356 and 912 motors to convert to cash. I have a very low mileage 912 motor that is ready to install.
Recently I was in the hospital for a brief overnight. My grandson came to see me and he ran into the room first and told me to make a noise like a frog when Grandmother gets here. I asked why and he told me that she said that 'when I croaked they were all going to Disneyworld'. (its a joke)

Read more: Ken's Ramblings - March 2011

Not a lot to report this month, just nasty weather and I'm getting very tired of the cold. I am allergic to 'cabin fever'.

Progress is slow going on the Cabriolet body but we're getting there. Andy's helper also works at Ford and has been reassigned to Detroit while the Fern Valley plant undergoes renovation and is only home on weekends.

I'm selling off many 356 parts that I haven't used in years and don't see a foreseeable need. I have some duplicate Porsche literature that needs a good home. For example I have the original 'Excellence' and the later 4 volume set, still sealed in factory wrappers. I have a set of Pellow's works including the videos. I also have some early VW parts and literature...

Read more: Ken's Ramblings - February 2011

On 7 December (anniversary of Pearl Harbor) I was 'chatting' with a friend and he mentioned that he has been to the Arizona memorial and also to Nagasaki to see that memorial. He described the areas as 'moving' as well as spooky.

Here in Louisville, we have Waverly Hills as a designated 'spooky' place. I have often thought it would be fun to tour the place but access is limited and I would want to do it on Halloween to get the full effect :-)

The spookiest place I have been is Andersonville Ga., the site of a Confederate Prison camp in the Civil War. It was a dull dreary day with a light drizzle of rain and a bit of a chill in the air. I took the self guided tour with the recorded explanation of what I was seeing. I had read McKinley Cantors book, 'Andersonville' and his words came to life as I toured the area. I could almost feel the misery of the prisoners as I saw the actual place where they suffered and died. Nor sure about ghosts but I seemed to feel a 'presence'.

Read more: Ken's Ramblings - January 2011

The 1950 356 motor is finished and on its way back to Ohio to be mated with 1950 Cabriolet # 5033. It was a fun project that was a challenge to find the correct early parts. As reported earlier we found the unnumbered aluminum engine block in Czechoslovakia. Other parts came from South America but most came from private 'stashes' here in the states. Without the internet and the 356 group it couldn't have been finished. It took two years....

Read more: Ken's Ramblings - June 2010