There's 2 things I particularly like about this story. First since I had never heard about the Wagon until now I think that's kinda neat, but second and far more impressive to me (as a geek marketer) is how the posting the initial photo at Hemmings blog made the community interact and basically straighten the story out. So the rumour was Ford actually made two Mustang Station Wagons to test the concept and funny enough Hemmings blog had received photos of two different Mustang Station Wagons as well... could they be it?

"I think a lot of the rumors of factory prototype station wagons go back to late 1966, when Intermeccanica built the above Mustang station wagon for advertiser Barney Clark and designer Bob Cumberford and said wagon got exposure in the buff books of the day, including Car Life and on the October 1966 cover of Car and Driver. According to Intermeccanica’s website, the company actually built the wagon in 1965: "A Mustang Station Wagon prototype was built for the W. J. Thompson advertising agency. The car was presented as an idea car to Ford Motor Company." Jeff Pearce said the Intermeccanica car still exists, though it’s “rusting away somewhere back East.”

Apparently Ford themselves had indeed 2 internal design proposals on the table, but all three of them (their own two and that one of Intermeccanica) rejected, closing down the idea for good. Fascinating story if you ask me. Go and read on all the details at the Hemmings blog.

Mustang wagons have long been part of ponycar folklore. Some customs exist, but a factory-built first-generation Mustang shooting brake still appears to be mythology. Our friends at Hemmings have turned up some very nicely done cars that individuals have put together, a particularly fetching blue one has a very well thought out roofline and rear hatch.

This whole bit of nonsense may have its genesis in a one-off wagon that Intermeccanica built for Barney Clarke and Robert Cumberford back in the '60s. It seems that you can do a lot with an early 'Stang and a Sawz-all if you're determined, and wagons are just the start of it.

So I set about finding out when the charms where hallmarked and any other relevant information, I took out a hallmarking book from the library hoping for the answers but to no avail.  Three of the charms seem to be designed by the same jeweller with his initials of WHC and the assay office was Chester which no longer exists.  All the charms are 9ct gold this was identifiable by seeing 9 375, the padlock which enabled my nanny to put the bracelet on has worn over time with some of the hallmarking hard to distinguish even under a magnifer.  The chain I was told by a jeweller was an old pocket watch chain from the 1920's, he showed me one he had in the shop to compare and the tell tell signs are that each link is stamped with 9 375 and the type of link was the same.

I spoke to my nanny yesterday to find out more information and what she can remember.  It was great to know that the chain was a pocket watch chain and it belonged to my great grandfather, my nanny and grandad bought the first charm which was the wagon from an antique shop in Plymouth, she mentioned that the wagon had a door which I promptly found and inside was a little lady (gypsy) at a table.  The purple heart she continued to say was originally a pendant which she found at a church fair, the seller obviously didn't know what he/she was selling as my nanny knew it was 9ct, the heart is belived to be an amethyst which was a stone that had no value back then and it is surrounded by freshwater pearls.  All the charms were bought because she liked them not because each one meant something specific such as a 21 key charm.

I am going to get it all cleaned up and back to it's former glory and continue to find out the hallmarking but it is believed to be at least 50 years old.  I will never sell this piece and I haven't been doing the research purely for a valuation it for the love and memories.

Thanks.

This. This was supposed to be easy. Oh, sure- I was going to be hungry. I was going to be jealous of the people eating cakes in the staff room, my family having lovely meals for dinner.  But that was ok! I was going to be losing weight! Five pounds a week! And that would make it ok. That would make up for it.

Heres the secret: I fell (jumped? leaped? flung myself ?) off the wagon over the weekend. Ate like normal. I didn't binge, I just didn't eat like I was on a restrictive bloody diet. I got back on the wagon yesterday, more or less. But I ate more than 500 calories, and then because I was in a rotten mood, I made brownies, and ate some.  So, more than 500, less than 1200 I'd say but who knows. I know- brilliant, right?

Why did I fall off the wagon? Because I'm not losing weight. I've lost those twelve pounds and that's it. The scale won't budge. I'm exercising 5 days a week (30 minutes on the treadmill + my normal walking and arm exercises with weights) plus I'm eating very little. (or was) I should be losing weight. I'm frustrated to the point of tears and tantrums. Why can't anything just be easy and work the way I want it to?

I'm sure there are lot's of people who will say "your body has gone into starvation mode! You'll never lose weight! You'll drop dead of a heart attack!". But that's not true, so don't even start. When I confided to a work mate who has also done the 500 cal diet and lost alot of weight on it that I had stopped losing, she said that when she had done it, she knew a few women who were also doing it who had stopped losing for a while, but then suddenly lost a ton all at once. Which gave me some hope.

But not a lot. So, I'm in a funny place. And I see my choices as

A. get back into it and be very strict about it.

B. Ditch the 500 cal thing and just stick with the vigoruous exercise

C. Increase my calories to 8-1200 and continue with the exercise.

On top of all this, I'm trying to get through my difficult course work (only difficult because it is so new to me) and get started on my first assessment. Maintaining the house, children, bills and meals, plus working my FT job, and I'm not feeling very well. (winter cold, caught from the horde)

I know it may have been naieve to think it would be easy, and perhaps I was expecting to much to quickly. After all, it took ten years to gain all this weight, did I really think I would be able to shed it in 3 months?

Well, yes- I did. I expected to lose the majority of the weight in three months, and develop an ongoing exercise regime during the three months that would keep me fit and lean afterwards. Now that that doesn't seem to have worked, I'm stuck. Maybe I've just not given it enough time.

So, I'm not sure what I'm going to do.  I'll keep you posted. Thanks for listening and hey, keep this between us ok? I wouldn't want the whole world to know I'd screwed up my own grand master plan. (Not that it's the first time!)

One of the best Animes I have ever seen finally comes to a close.

Obvious spoilers ahead...

Now, for those of you who have seen the ending to Code Geass R2, how did you feel about it?

Thoughts

The fight sequence was extremely well done. Seeing two very evenly matched opponents going against each other with awesome Knightmare Frames. I'm referring to Kallen/Guren and Suzaku/Lancelot of course.

The ending was simply poetic and I loved how everything since the beginning came to pass. Lelouch's 'I'll be the one who will destroy the world and recreate it' all makes sense in the end.

I was indeed stunned when Suzaku was supposedly killed. However, that surprise was immediately overshadowed by the ending (and of course, seeing him alive). Again, this is just pure poetry. Lelouch orchestrating the whole thing to allow the world to become peaceful.

Kallen was again, simply precious at the end. She now takes her original personality to school and we also get to see that her mother is well.

Kallen is also wearing the Launch Key of the Guren Nishiki as a necklace now. After the war, I suppose the Guren, like all the other Knightmare Frames, are disposed of or destroyed. The fact that the Launch Key is featured gives me hope that it will be turened into a USB Thumb Drive just like the Lancelot Launch Key. I'll talk more about that in the month of November. :)

Jeremiah's closing scene made me laugh. The fact that he became an Orange farmer was just so hilarious.

It was indeed sad that the world is left believing that Lelouch was evil. However, at least Kallen, Nunnally and Jeremiah know the truth.

Lastly, this episode was just beautiful. I know that some of you out there would dislike it for various reasons, but this episode managed to accomplish many things. It gave suitable air time to all characters and was able to give a satisfying ending in my opinion.

SPECULATIONS

There are some theories about Lelouch's eventual end. One of the more popular theories is that C.C. gave him her code and that he is now immortal and that he gave Suzaku Geass to be able to continue his masque as Zero.

When C.C. was talking at the end, her 'Right, Lelouch' was supposedly her talking to herself. But if you noticed, she did tilt her head in the direction of the cart driver whom many suspect is indeed Lelouch.

CONCLUSION

What are your opinions? I would dearly like to hear them. Something I dearly wish Sunrise would do is to create a final epilogue chapter where Lelouch'spossible fate is revealed. Like any other awesome Anime series that I love, there just isn't enough examples include Lucky Star, Full Metal Panic! and Bamboo Blade. It will be sad, knowing that there will be no more Kallen, Lelouch or Suzaku to brighten my Sunday. It is a strange thing, the end of an Anime. At one point, you have a very satisfying end and a sense of closure. On another hand, you are left with a sense of emptiness. Anime, to me is like a window to numerous character's lives. Once the series ends, the window gets covered and you are left with only a distant memory. However, an end is an end. I am indeed glad to have shared this wonderful journey with all you Geass fans out there.

Screenshots added!

Our wagon (technically a "garden cart") is hardly the red wagon I had as a kid. We bought it to help clear the Huge Pile of Trash from the old barn, and it has already been a big help cleaning up the fallen limbs from around the yard. And although three acres isn't massive for a homestead, one gets tired of carrying piles of stuff back and forth. This wagon makes that easy, and even kind of fun. I know people (even some neighbors) who use fancy ATVs with cargo beds for lugging almost anything around their yard, but that seems like overkill for our little homestead.

Our wagon is large - large enough that a couple of adults could sit cross-legged inside it. It has heavy duty, inflatable tires, and sits high enough to handle most reasonable terrain. The draw bar can be be attached to our tractor hitch. The bed is made of heavy-gauge aluminum mesh, and the sides are hinged so that they can be lowered (for carrying larger items. One of these days I'm going to rig up an adjustible wooden brace so that the sides will lay flat to make one very large bed.

prevention is an ounce of cure

.

Came upon this guy in Cody, WY and am still in awe over the awesomeness of it, despite having zero info on it. All I know is it's a badass ole wagon on a 4x frame. Don't know what make either are, but this thing rules.

More pics (and hey, maybe info) to come.

From the side you see the sweet silhouette.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mehugtree/2888715628/" title="Bad Ass 4x4 Wagon by mehugtree, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3125/2888715628_bf6068a878.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Bad Ass 4x4 Wagon" /></a>

From the front.  It definitely looks Ford-ish.  An old Fairlane, maybe?

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mehugtree/2887881665/" title="Bad Ass 4x4 Wagon by mehugtree, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3171/2887881665_b4fe13cbe5.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Bad Ass 4x4 Wagon" /></a>

Posted by email from Car's posterous

I love Fall. I really do. I love the colors, the smells, and the glory that is the season. One thing that I loved about working at Carson-Newman was looking forward to Homecoming. With the return of the people of Carson-Newman's past, the beautiful colors of fall would abound around us. The colors of the trees is always breathtaking. The amazing mechcanics of how a tree can bud a leaf, cause it to provide shade in the summer, then in the fall, it turns a brilliant color. It's as if God himself painted them by hand. I guess, in a sense, He does.

I remember in high school, we would have bonfires and go on hayrides. It was always so cold, but a smell of a bonfire still makes me remember the warm love that came from friends. We would ride on the back of a haywagon and just enjoy the beauty of nature around us. Sometimes, we would quote verses from the Bible that reminded us of God's glory all around us.

One thing about Fall is that it reminds me that Winter is coming. I love Winter. I love bundling up in a coat, and feeling a cold breeze on my face. The neat thing about the weather, it's a physical showing that God is at work.

Here are some verses that inspire me when thinking about the Fall:

"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him" (Psalm 8:3-4)

"It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High..." (Psalm 92:1)

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever..." (Psalm 118:1)

What a verse or verses that inspire you?

What is better than a cool fun hat???? Cute little boys in them!  This little two year old was such a doll!  He was in such a great mood the entire time and didn't even fuss when I put hats on him... had him sit on suitcases..... tricycles..... logs.......he was a champ!  Just so good natured and fun to work with!  Here is a tiny sample from his session:

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Audi A6, Audi A6 Avant's new video released....

[Via: Germancarblog]

I went to the Krispy Kreme Cruise-in again last weekend, and found some more gems like this 1955 Plymouth Wagon.  The genuine hospital scrub aqua color fits this surf wagon themed Plymouth perfectly.

Although that new sound is much different today, it was those original classics that helped to forge the lifestyle that many of us are a part of.  However, one band known simply as The Beach Boys, went the extra mile to weld a connection between  the hot rodding community and the "devil's music" that blared from AM transistor radios back in the day.

This definitely isn't The Beach Boys-it's The Matadors, a rockabilly band that's embraced the term "Devil's Music" as a theme in their stage show

In 1963, the Beach Boys had gone into the studio and laid tracks on two new songs--"Shut Down" and "409," both hot-rod themed songs.  Somebody at Capitol Records had heard the tracks, and promptly had them added to a compilation record, without the permission of the band.  In order to prevent the label from stealing their music, lead singer Brian Wilson dragged The 'Boys into the studio and rushed the production of "Little Deuce Coupe," their fourth album.  Recording and production happened so quickly, the record was in stores less than a month after their previous album, "Surfer Girl" had been released.

Although going from start to finish in less than a month is pretty impressive on its own, the biggest impact "Little Deuce Coupe" made was on the music world.  Because all the songs were directly or indirectly related to cars or car culture, it became the world's first concept album.  The idea of having an entire album dedicated to a single theme is still popular in every genre, such as Corb Lund's recent Civil War-themed album, "Horse! Soldier, Horse!"  Even songs about cars are still incredibly popular, such as "Jesus Built My Hot Rod" by Ministry, or Van Halen's "Panama" (which is actually about a car David Lee Roth saw in Las Vegas).  Even the signature "surf rock" sound pioneered by the Beach Boys and others is still being cranked out today by bands such as The Aqua Velvets, The Tormentos, and Dick Dale & The Del-Tones.

* * *

Fifty years later, Daral Travis of Thunder Bay, ON, was up to his elbows restoring a 1970 Pontiac Bonneville Safari Wagon when he ran into a dilemma.  He had just stripped everything off the car to make room for a dark green paint job when he realized that he had removed the one thing that separates the "Safari" model from just another station wagon-namely, the fake wood panelling.

The rest of the car was done to the nines;  the stock 350 received a performance intake manifold and some chrome dress-up bits, the new chrome wheels had received a set of fake knock-offs, and the back windows had all been tinted a near-opaque shade of dark.

The car was certainly ready to drive, too.  Daral didn't say how many miles it sees every year, but it's at least been to the 2008 Car Craft Nationals in St. Paul, Minnesota.  There's a good chance the Pontiac sees a lot more miles than that; this photo session took place at a strip mall in Winnipeg, roughly 700 kilometres from its home.

But back to the original dillema-what to do with a Safari wagon when it isn't a Safari wagon anymore?  That's when Daral looked to The Beach Boys' first album for inspiration.  He collected the emblems off several 1970 Pontiacs until he could spell out "Surfin" by cutting and re-gluing them back together.  This was attached next to the original "Safari" emblem on the rear quarter-panel, creating the world's only Pontiac Surfin' Safari Wagon.

Daral and his friends have had a lot of fun with this family hauler, and not just driving and showing it.  Apparently, their favourite prank is telling people that GM built it this way.  "The scary part," Daral said, "is how many people walk away believing it."

That's it for this week, but don't forget to come back next week for more great cars, and more great stories.  And don't forget that all pictures on this site are available as prints-Click here to find out more!

Required Reading:

The story of '32 Ford "Little Deuce Coupe" from the Beach Boys album cover

Official Beach Boys website

Required Listening:

"409" by the Beach Boys

"Surfing Safari" by the Beach Boys

"Panama" by Van Halen

"Spanish Blue" by the Aqua Velvets

"Drag Strip Night" by The Tormentos

"Misrilou" by Dick Dale & The Del-Tones

"Nitro" by Dick Dale & The Del-Tones