WTF-Beta

Don’t get an an Asko. Good stuff but not that good, impossible to find service and parts in the US.

Speed Queen is the answer. They are always the answer.

Larchwood, Iowa. A high-end town, no shortage of mansions. Parked at a 400 acre farm partly taken up by barns and airplane hangars.

Zaggar air park, Jim Zaggar, proprietor. Inherited from his father whom he describes not a a collector but as someone who never sold anything. Jim followed in his footsteps and accumulated quite a bit himself.

Each barn and hangar is stuffed with treasures. Cars, tractors, boats, farm machinery, models, toys and airplanes.

Lots of airplanes.

Biplanes, modern planes, ultra lights, experimental - all in airworthy condition. His dad converted part of the farm to an airstrip and transitioned to flying lessons in the late ‘40’s. Bought planes, kept planes. And Lincolns - many Lincolns. Built hangars and barns all over the place. It’s all still here and Jim wants to tell you about every one.

Two things stand out. One is a 1963 Chrysler 300 pace car. Convertible. Original everything, showroom fresh. Ya’ll aren’t car people but believe me this car is a big deal and sitting in a barn in NW Iowa. He’s keeping it running so he can transport his daughter when she gets married. I didn’t get a picture.

https://www.gaaclassiccars.com/vehicles/31612/1963-chrysler-300-pace-setter-indy-500-pace-car

Most surprising was this crazy boat. Kit boat, Popular Mechanics, mid 1960’s. I owned one of these in the early 70’s for a short period of time. Very short - it terrified me. Too fast, wouldn’t turn. I never dreamed I’d see another one.

But here it is:

Dinner was sardine hash, a particularly unphotogenic meal that tasted wonderful! Reddit recipe -basically corned beef hash made with sardines rather than corned beef. Eggs on top. I’ll make it again.

Tomorrow is Rapid City, SD. Home of Mt. Rushmore and all sorts of stuff. Two nights there. Staying in a proper campground with hookups and a laundry -which we need.

Averaging 9.6 MPG which isn’t bad, considering.

Eh?

Ack! The solution is simple. You buy Speed Queens. Laundromat machines for the home. If a new speed Queen is beyond your budget you buy a used Speed Queen set.

They’re a little small. They don’t have many cycles. All they do is wash clothes quickly and efficiently for longer than most of us are going to be alive. (Alas!)

The SQ washer in my apartments washed 40,000 loads with one repair - a belt. I know it was 40K loads because I counted the quarters.

So. Many. Quarters.

A temporary fix for the freezer problem. It looks like hell but it works.

Visited the Ohio State Capital building, a spectacular Renaissance Revival deal with a gold leafed dome ca. 1880. Simply magnificent! When I come back I want to tour the interior.

Currently staying at a dog training farm in Winterset, IA. It’s not beautiful but it’s quiet and the power works. Best of all it’s free!

Got in early enough to do some cooking and knocked it out of the park! Jambalaya from a recipe that Ron got from a co worker who grew up in New Orleans. Among the best things I’ve ever made.

Visited the vintage stereo shop in W. Des Moines that was one of the reasons for the trip. We both follow their You tube channel.

Bought the tee shirt.

It’s very large but they’ve removed the dump station so I couldn’t empty my holding tanks.

That rose is just perfect!

Wagon

Aid

Heavy metal.

Hard to see in the picture, but in the upper right is a new stereo setup Ron gifted me for the trip. “Pro Sonos” with the amp and the Bluetooth adaptor built in to the left speaker. The sound that comes out of this inexpensive setup is astonishingly good - rivals my home stereo. If you’re looking for a little bookshelf speaker setup I highly recommend it. Amazon, of course.

Tomorrow is a big dog training facility in Winterset, IA, with a stop at Skylabs in West Des Moines - a cool stereo shop we’ve both been following on YouTube.

Here’s our kitchen setup. Ron likes to
make up bowls and tonight’s was excellent! White beans, shrimp I fried up with garlic and butter two nights ago and a pile of veg, served with Japanese BBQ sauce -a new one for me. It’s a keeper!

Shipshewanna IN to Donahue, IA today. I-80 is torn up all the way through Chicago and everything in the trailer got one hell of a ride. At some point the freezer door came open and everything ended up on the floor, thawed, and made a righteous mess. Had to throw it all out and mop up the mess.

Staying at an Alpaca farm via the Harvest Host system. It’s pretty cool - you just park at a farm, a museum or whatever and there is no cost except if you want to hook to power. Very casual and this farm is beautiful!

1 month old:

Glamour shot of our home for the next two weeks

Hairy

Sally

Let the road trip begin! Two weeks on the road with Ron, my friend of 60 years. Destination Mt. Rushmore, not so much because it’s something we want to see but it gives us a goal. We’re traveling through the Northern Midwest, more or less, taking in sights along the way.

First stop Shipshewanna, IN. It’s a Mennonite town about 4 hrs. East of Cleveland. So charming it makes your teeth hurt. Lots of buggies.

Local store has a buggy parking area:

Shipshewanna is adjacent to Elkhart where my trailer was built along with 80% of RVs sold in the US. Took a tour of the factory -very cool.

Ron and I have both bought in to the Mediterranean way of eating. I’m doing the cooking, Ron does the dishes. Last night was this shrimp, olive, feta and tomato concoction that was spectacular! Fried up the rest of the shrimp for rice bowls.

You might notice that the pan is too big. I didn’t have an ovenproof pan in the trailer so I bought a Lodge pan at the Yoder department store in Shipshewanna - it’s too big but it’s cast iron and will last forever.

Yoder department store is an amazement - size of a Kohls, with an assortment of goods that boggles the mind. Probably 30K square feet dedicated to fabric and sewing supplies. Looks like Mennonites like to sew.

Next stop -a llama farm in Donahue, IA.

Great entertainer and a great human being.

RIP