Okay, we have a winner for the first series of the Ultimate Route 66 contest (see the page tab above. Greg Disch, drop me an email with your address and we will get a copy of Ghost Towns of Route 66 in the mail.
The next series starts Friday evening. Lets see if I can present more of a challenge for Route 66 enthusiasts with this one.
As you may have noticed my schedule of daily postings has become a bit erratic as of late. Suffice to say that, as usual, I seem to have overextended myself but when the sun shines its time to make hay.
To a large degree tying up loose ends has been consuming most of my time. Putting a polish to the Route 66 travel guide and creating a photo file for that book (thank you Mike Ward, Joe Sonderman, and Steve Rider), getting things together for the filing of taxes, developing the limited edition prints (framed and unframed) for the gallery as displayed above, putting together the spring schedule for tours and book signings, etc.
Counted among the more interesting endeavors as of late is providing assistance for the ongoing refurbishment of the Brunswick Hotel. In addition to digging for historic photos to assist in restoration, I am looking for select items to be used in the interior decorating of the adjoining building that originally served as the Cadillac-La Salle dealership showroom but is now on track to now house a bakery.
In an unrelated note, I am quite glad Laurel Kane of Afton Station is back on her feet. In addition to being a reliable friend to the Route 66 community, her blog about the adventures of a business owner on Route 66, as well as interesting adventures in the Tulsa area, is always a real treat.
The folks in the Czech Republic don’t let winter deter their enthusiasm for Route 66. Zdnek Jurasek is spearheading several initiatives including the creation of a gallery and museum. I am honored as well as humbled to be included in his endeavors to introduce the wonders of Route 66 to eastern Europe.
As Route 66 and vintage cars go together like a hand and glove, you might find interest in my ongoing series profiling obscure aspects of the American automobile industry during its formative years written for Legends of America. Lurking in my “dream project” pile is a book entitled Birdcages, Bathtubs, & Chevrolet, an eclectic collection of stories about this period.
Initially, most of my published work was on this topic. The more I delved into the history of this fascinating period the more intrigued I became.
As examples consider the fact that the prolific inventor behind cruise control was blind for his entire adult life, that Henry Ford played a key role in the establishment of Cadillac, and that Horace and John Dodge were the initial cornerstone for Ford Motor Company.
Well, that’s it for today.
