Crown Vic

 

From the 4th Annual BUG Firefighters Car and Motor Show there is a 1956 Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria, a classic American car known for its stylish two-tone paint and sweeping chrome trim. Specifically, the "Victoria" model was a pillarless hardtop coupe—distinctive for having no fixed door frame between the front and rear side windows, giving it a sleek, open look when the windows were down.

If you're at an auto show a handful of identifiers include the "Fairlane" script on the front fender, the distinctive "V" shaped emblem with a crown (a 1956 Fairlane trademark) and the two-tone paint and heavy chrome detailing, common in mid-1950s American automotive design.

The 1956 Ford Fairlane Victoria arrived at a pivotal time in American automotive history, representing the optimistic, forward-looking spirit of postwar America.  This model was unveiled in 1955 and named after Henry Ford’s estate, Fair Lane, in Dearborn, Michigan.

Until the introduction of the Galaxie in 1959 this was Ford’s top-tier model which enjoyed an intense rivalry with the Chevrolet Bel Air.  The 1956 version featured a new safety focus, including optional seatbelts, a padded dashboard and a Deep-Dish steering wheel to reduce chest injury in a crash under the "Lifeguard Design" safety campaign—pioneering at the time.

The drive train ranged from a 223 cu in (3.7L) inline-6 to a 292 or 312 cu in (4.8–5.1L) V8; offering respectable horsepower for the time.  Transmission options included a 3-speed manual, Ford-O-Matic (automatic), and even overdrive.

This is a smart-looking drive from whence I arrived on the scene.

The Red Rocket

From a recent walk there is Doggo on the trail cameras....

 

Fizzle

Growing-up in the early 1960s there is a childhood memory of a fascination of all things that went fizz without shaking-up a pop bottle and lifting the crown cap to release of volcano of soda flow. 

Sodaburst was an innovative instant ice cream soda mix introduced by Birds Eye in the 1950s and 1960s. Marketed as "the real ice cream soda that makes itself at home in one minute—cold," it offered a convenient way to enjoy a soda fountain-style treat at home. Each package contained a scoop of ice cream, flavored syrup, and soda fizz; consumers simply added water to create the beverage 

Available flavors included black and white (chocolate and vanilla), strawberry, pineapple, and all chocolate . Despite its novelty, Sodaburst was eventually discontinued, likely due to changing consumer preferences and market dynamics.

Seems like all that's left nowadays is Alka-Seltzer tummy and cold remedies... 

Variety

From the trail camera there are:  whitetail deer, screech owl, fox squirrel, a timber doodle, raccoon and a long beard gobbler.

Nice variety....... 

 

The Taco Revolution

Pup 'n' Taco was founded by Russel Wendell in 1956 as a southern California drive-in restaurant that served tacos, tostadas, hot dogs, pastrami sandwiches, fries, RC cola, root beer and slushes.  The first officially-branded Pup 'n' Taco was opened in 1965 in Pasadena.  By 1973 there were 62 locations.  Not bad for a privately-owned fast-food enterprise.

In 1984 Taco Bell acquired 99 stores specifically for their prime locations in expensive real estate markets.  In relatively short order those locations were closed or converted.  The Taco Revolution was not entirely bloodless.

Three stores located in Albuquerque, New Mexico were not part of the sale and remained in business until closing in 2013.

 

Dead To Rights

From the BUG Firefighters Car And Motor Show - behold 1953 Buick Super Hearse.  

Identification includes trademark features such as the signature "toothy" chrome grille - very distinctive for Buicks of this era.  VentiPorts; the three chrome portholes on each front fender identify it as a Buick Super (Roadmasters had four).  Sweeping side trim was classic to Buick’s early '50s styling.

The extended rear cabin and high roof line are indicative of those models manufactured specifically as a limousine - and convertible to hearse or ambulance use. 

This baby still has the original 6 volt electrical system, straight 8 engine and Dynaflow automatic transmission.

It's for sale - $18,000 OBO.

People are dying to own it....

 

Academy Meals - Family Style

Yesterday was the 250 year anniversary of the US Army.  

Happy Birthday!

Aside from a reputation as being an integral part of the finest peace-keeping forces in the world; like any of our armed services the army has mastered the art and science of logistics.  This story is but one solitary example of the orchestration of many multiple examples of a carefully choreographed daily routine.

Every day at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, a staff of over 200 people cooks and serves over 13,000 meals for the 4,400 Army cadets attending the school. The cadets eat in historic Washington Hall, named after George Washington. Of the three meals served each day, lunch is the most complex. Students only have 25 minutes to enter the mess hall, complete a series of traditions and customs, and then eat their meal before returning to class.

Traditions weave a rich tapestry into mealtimes at West Point. Freshmen cadets are entrusted with setting the tables, a seemingly mundane task that takes on a new significance when catering to hundreds of their peers. Upperclassmen use this opportunity to engage in a lighthearted quiz, testing the freshman's knowledge and fostering a sense of camaraderie within the academy.

This glimpse into the world of military meals reveals a system that caters to diverse needs. It encompasses the no-frills efficiency of boot camp feeding, where sustenance is prioritized, and the tradition-steeped environment of West Point, where meals become woven into the fabric of the academy experience. Large-scale logistics and culinary knowledge, seemingly disparate aspects, come together to contribute to the well-being and readiness of the nation's armed forces.

You can learn more about feeding 4,400 cadets here. 

Happy Anniversary

The U.S. Army is celebrating its 250th anniversary today. 

This milestone commemorates the establishment of the Continental Army by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1775.

George Washington was appointed as its first Commander In Chief. 

 

 

 

What's For Breakfast?

Yard Eggs.

One of the benefits of living in rural flyover country is neighbors who raise chickens and have eggs for sale or barter. They're fresher, more wholesome than factory eggs, and come in all sorts of fun colors including brown, green, blue and basic white.

Check this guy out for size and color (it's actually light greenish-blue).

That is a meal in itself...

 

 

What To See In The June Sky

Looking to take a walk down memory lane?  

Indulge a childhood memory?

Indulge in wishful thing?

Consider making a wish-upon a star after the sun goes down.  To make it easy I'll give you a couple to look for beginning this evening and it doesn't even require you to stay up late or rise from your slumber in an early morning.

After sunset and as the sky darkens step outside and cast your gaze to the southern sky.  

Image credit - Starry Night

You will be able to spot yellow-orange Arcturus in the constellation Boötes (the Herdsman)  This happens to be the fourth-brightest star found in the whole of the night sky worldwide.  

Next, cast your gaze to the east  to locate an equally bright star Vega in the constellation Lyra (the Harp).  Two very bright stars in the June night sky to wish-upon.

Go ahead.

Make a wish.

Sometimes you never know what will happen....

Friday Music

Mr. Tambourine Man has found its way to the pages of this blog now a half-dozen times over the years.  Most recently with a 1964 live recording from the Newport Folk Festival.

From a Roy Orbison Tribute concert that aired in 1990 on the Showtime Network, here's another live recording featuring the significant contributors to the continuing popularity of this timeless song.....

Serpents

 

The other thing materializing that is a sure sign of spring are the Eastern Fox Snakes.

They've thawed-out, emerged from their dens and have taken to sunning themselves at every opportunity.

Allow me to introduce you to Pantherophis vulpina – the Eastern Fox Snake.  This is a valuable animal to have around your yard as they dine principally upon rodents.  If you are a gardener they are your ally.  Belonging to the family of snakes that are constrictors - upon seizing their prey they coil around it to suffocate the animal.  After which they swallow it whole.  Their lower jaw is unhinged allowing this critter to swallow a rodent or bird five times the diameter of their head. Yum!

This snake has many large reddish-brown, chocolate brown or black mid-dorsal blotches along its back and other smaller blotches on its sides on a background color of yellow, tan or olive-gray. The head of adults is usually a dark copper, rust or orange color. They live in a variety of open habitats including marshes, sedge meadows, prairies and old fields.

Their diet consists primarily of rodents and ground-nesting birds. Young fox snakes will occasionally eat amphibians. This species is the most frequently encountered snake in people's homes, especially if the house has an old rock foundation where the snake(s) may be hunting for food or hibernating in the basement. The fox snake is often mistaken for the venomous copperhead due to its head color and subsequently is often killed. 

Copperheads do not live in or near Wisconsin. Fox snakes are also often mistaken for rattlesnakes, as they often "rattle" their tails in dry leaves, grasses or against objects when disturbed. Their pointed tail distinguishes them (and all other Wisconsin snakes with pointed tails) as a non-venomous species in Wisconsin.

Doggo is still trying to figure out if they are friend or foe.... 

Are You Old Fashioned?

If states had official cocktails, as they do mottos, Wisconsin’s would certainly be the brandy old fashioned.  The original Old Fashioned is a simple cocktail dating back to the early 1800s, made with whiskey (often bourbon or rye), sugar, bitters, and a twist of citrus.  Why brandy and not whiskey, as is customary elsewhere?  Might it be a penchant for fruit brandies that Germans brought to Wisconsin in the 19th century?  

Could it be marketing?  Some say Korbel’s introduction of its brandy in 1893 at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago turned the heads of Wisconsin Germans who visited the fair and then spread the word when they returned.  American GIs stationed in Europe during WWII developed a taste for European brandies. When they returned home—especially in heavily German-influenced states like Wisconsin—they kept drinking it.  

By the 1950s, Wisconsin bartenders were commonly making Old Fashioneds with Korbel brandy instead of whiskey. They also began muddling cherries and orange slices, sweetening it more than the original, and adding options like: Sweet (with 7Up or Sprite), Sour (with Squirt or sour mix) or Press (half 7Up, half seltzer water).

Nowadays,  Old Fashioned's go hand in hand with another beloved regional institution, the supper club. This is the cocktail so prevalent as an evening starter that bartenders can practically mix them with their eyes closed.

Fast Facts -  Over 50% of Korbel's brandy is consumed in Wisconsin alone, even though it's produced in California.  On a per capita basis, Wisconsin's brandy consumption is dramatically higher than any other state.

Pro Tip - Looking for a uniquely Wisconsin spin?  Sweeten your Old Fashioned with maple syrup. 

Red Fox

Red fox on the prowl...

  

Airship

Fun fact:

Goodyear Blimp pilots are rarer than astronauts — which makes them among the rarest pilots in the world.

There are only about 10–12 certified Goodyear Blimp pilots worldwide. It’s a very exclusive and specialized job due to the difficulty of training and operating a blimp.

Flying a blimp requires highly specialized skills and long training. Pilots are usually recruited from experienced fixed-wing or helicopter pilots and go through extensive additional training.

Goodyear currently operates four blimps: Wingfoot One, Wingfoot Two, Wingfoot Three, and a fourth airship operated by Zeppelin in Germany.

Quote Of The Day

 Can’t you just shoot them, just shoot them in the legs or something?

- President Donald Trump 

Airport Limo

From the BUG Firefighters Car and Motor Show last weekend there is this.  

This is an eye-catching restoration of a previously customized factory automobile — a stretched limousine based on a late 1930s Chevrolet, likely a 1939 Chevy Master Deluxe or LaSalle modified into a limousine-style ride.

This is not a factory vehicle but a custom stretch, originally modified for an airport or funeral limousine.  It features streamlined art deco design - the chrome detailing and sweeping lines are typical of late-1930s GM styling including a raised roof line.  This was likely added for additional headroom and dramatic visual impact.   

LaSalle, introduced in 1927 by General Motors, was intended as a more affordable and sportier alternative to Cadillac. In 1937, it was equipped with Cadillac V8 engines. 1940 was the final year for the LaSalle nameplate as Cadillac offered a similarly priced model under its own brand. The 1939 model year, with its long vertical grille and bullet-shaped headlights and side grille work for engine cooling is considered particularly iconic. 

Present day upgrades include a performance engine and drive train and custom seating and upholstery.  

It's a pretty cool ride. 

 

What To See In The June Sky

Technically the full moon this month occurs tomorrow, Wednesday the 11th; although by all outward appearances it will look full this evening.  

If you have an opportunity you might be able to spot the bright red star Antares (constellation Scorpio) adjacent to our lunar friend.  If the brightness of the moon washes-out the star try to shift yourself so as to view it with the moon situated behind an object such as a utility pole.  Antares should reveal itself. 

The June moon - typically the last full moon of spring or the first of summer - is traditionally called the Strawberry Moon.  With origins traced to the Algonquin people this was a sign to commence gathering wild strawberries.   

Following European settlement alternate names included the Meade moon and the Honey moon were introduced.  

Because the Roman goddess of marriage is Juno – namesake of this frequent month of marriages - hence we have the honeymoon.

From June 5, 2020 at 11:30 PM there was this full Strawberry Moon.....

Homemade?

In the unlikely event that you have any doubts about the wasteland of culinary underachievement in the 1960s there is this.

And it's passed-off as homemade.... 

Spring Blooms

This last weekend the Red Rocket and I took a walkabout to locate the wild blue flag iris.  I figured it was too early for blooms just yet and sure as shooting, they were not.  But we know where they lurk so you can expect some photos closer to the end of the month.

Nevertheless, some of the native shrubs were blooming-up a storm.

The pagoda dogwood...

And the red osier dogwood....

 Pollinator heaven. 

Got Rhubarb?

Rhubarb is currently in season and if you don't already have a plant of your own you can find it at the local farm market, roadside stand and sometimes in a grocery store.  The recipe that follows is an all-purpose coffee cake; meaning that it is not restricted to rhubarb.  You could substitute apples, fresh cherries, blueberries or just about any other favorite fruit.  Between you and me the tartness of the rhubarb is a nice compliment to the crunchy streusel topping.

I made this today.....

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Prep: 30 mins Cook: 45 mins Total: 1 hr. 15 mins Servings: 12 Yield: 1 - 9x13 inch cake

Ingredients - Cake

1 ¼ cups white sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup sour cream

3 cups diced rhubarb

 Ingredients- Streusel Topping

1 cup white sugar

¼ cup butter, softened

¼ cup all-purpose flour

Ground cinnamon for dusting

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, stir together 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking soda, salt and 2 cups flour. Stir together the eggs and sour cream until will mixed.  Add to the dry ingredients and stir until smooth then fold in the rhubarb. Pour into the prepared dish and spread evenly. 

In a smaller bowl, stir together the remaining 1 cup sugar and butter until smooth. Stir in 1/4 cup flour until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the cake then dust lightly with cinnamon.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 to 60 minutes depending on your oven.

Pro Tip –  I threw a double fistful of chopped walnuts in the cake batter along with the rhubarb because that was what was left languishing on the pantry shelf.  Good pick.  

Big Brother Meets Brave New World

Elon Musk's DOGE  is racing to build a single centralized database with vast troves of personal information about millions of U.S. citizens and residents; an initiative that often violates or disregards fundamental privacy and security protections meant to keep such information safe.  For any of my Libertarian pals out there I ask - How do you feel about that?

Ostensibly, this sprawling database is necessary to finding and deporting undocumented immigrants and rooting out fraud in government payments.  The practical impacts however is that the Washington Post has reported that the DOGE Team has amassed a trove of sensitive information including taxpayer ID (Social Security numbers) dates of birth, employment history, disability records, medical documentation, banking and brokerage account records and much much more.  

How do you feel about that?

In 1984, the Thought Police waited for the wrong word, the wrong glance, then struck. 

Now the system won’t need to monitor your thoughts, artificial intelligence will anticipate them. 

You’ll post, apply, search, pause, and the system will watch, surveil, calculate, reshape. It won’t knock. It’ll nudge. No alarms. No doors kicked in. Just a quiet rerouting. A buried flag. A job never offered. A truth never shown. It won’t censor. It’ll omit.

Prediction will replace suspicion. Friction will replace force. It won’t need to punish the dangerous idea. It will only need to hide it. The fewer questions it asks, the more power it will hold. What once required obedience will require only data. The rest will be math.

You won’t be stopped. Just slowly moved. Not punished. Just erased from relevance. This won’t be governance. It’ll be geometry, narrowing your path click by click, decision by decision, until you can’t remember what the wide road looked like.

I might just have the genesis for a gripping sci fi novel, eh? 

Car And Motor Show

 

Possibly the biggest small town car show in northeast Wisconsin. 

B.U.G. Firefighters Rock!

Today delivered perfect weather for the 4th Annual Show featuring two live bands, food, beverages, and a mind-boggling array of antique, classic and new automobiles, tractors and motorcycles.

I'll post some pics over the next week or so and with the assistance of AI likely provide some details and backstory on what you're look'n at.

See you one the flip side!   

1961 Volkswagen Type 2 - also known as a Microbus, or Kombi. The split windshield indicates it's from the "Splitty" generation (officially the T1), produced between 1950 and 1967.  This model features the safari pop-out windshield windows and white bumpers.  It also happens to be a pick-up version. The rear features two side panels and a tail gate when latched in the upright position conform to a pick-up tub.  They fold down to also create a flatbed. Clever! 

What To See In The June Sky

This is an opportunity that doesn't require staying up late or rising in the dark before sunrise.  Beginning this evening and for the next handful of evening it will be worth your while to cast your eyes towards the western horizon immediately following the complete setting of the sun.

You will be be able to spot the planet Mercury close to Jupiter.  As Mercury swings away from the sun you can spot it adjacent to Jupiter to the right beginning this evening. On Sunday thru Monday they'll be close enough to observe with the naked eye; although a pair of binoculars or a telescope will make your experience better.

Your visual targets are found in the circle of the image... 

Image credit - Starry Night

 

 

Eighty-One Years

Yesterday marked the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings on the Cotentin Peninsula of Northern France.  The next step in wresting tyranny from the Axis powers and returning freedom to the people of Europe after years of occupation.

My father landed on Utah Beach as an infantry replacement following the initial invasion.  He was a machine gunner in a weapons platoon.  He spent more time training for his assignment  than fulfilling it.  He was wounded in September in the liberation of Belgium.  Repatriated to England to recover from his wounds he returned after the surrender of Germany to serve briefly in the Army of Occupation before returning stateside.

Quite the adventure for a 20 year-old man who came of age in the depression years.

Anyway, on our first trip to France we traced his unit's movements In the Bocage of the Norman countryside.  Some photos from the beachhead and the first objective; the town of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont....

 

Friday War Monger

For a change of pace there is no music today.

Instead there is this gem that I stumbled-across on the interweb.

In the early 2000s the US Army adopted the recruiting slogan of An Army Of One.  It was short-lived and eventually replaced by Army Strong.  Regarding the former Army of One I wonder if recruiters took a page from the marketing of toys to boys in 1964? Prescient?  I digress.

If ever there was a real-life reenactment of my childhood this would be it.  This is how we played.  And boy oh boy did I covet this as a tool of backyard warfare.  My parents and my buddies parents never indulged any of us with this multi-tool of world domination.  I figure they knew intuitively that anything as sophisticated as this wouldn't last until the end of a day's ordinary battle......

Break Even

Oil markets are once again gripped by volatility as OPEC+ proceeds with its third production hike in as many months—adding 411,000 barrels per day in July—while prices linger near $65 per barrel.

Here’s an examination of the economics of U.S. shale.

It’s not as simple as Drill Baby Drill.

First-off, government doesn’t drill for oil and gas; energy companies do.

Secondly, government doesn’t set the price of a barrel of oil; world markets do.

And because business has to turn a profit it is important to focus on the price levels needed to keep existing wells running and justify new drilling. 

Mangy Deer

This animal looks a bit mangy but it's probably just scruffy.   

As the days grow longer the hormonal levels of whitetail deer begin the change.  For boy deer testosterone levels gradually rise.  As a consequence antler growth begins and the gray winter coat with its thick guard hairs begins to molt.

Hormonal changes bring about this process twice a year and deer alternately grow a faded gray coat consisting of longer guard hairs for winter-wear and replace it with the rusty red-colored coat of summer.  The summer coat will only last about three months before the critter begins to regrow the extra layer of longer, stiffer, hollow hair over the softer hair closer to the skin.  

Until the transition is complete the local whitetails are going to continue looking a bit raggedy.  

 

Messenger Of The Gods

Iris is the name of the Greek goddess of the rainbow – who also happens to be the messenger of the gods. This name can also be given in reference to the word (which derives from the same Greek/modern Latin source) for the colored part of the eye and the flower.

The wild-growing iris - like those found in the low areas and on the banks of Silver Creek - should begin their seasonal blooms later this month and into the next.  More on that to follow.

For now there are Jill's domestic cultivars that are adding some spectacular color around the house and serving the pollinators. Pictures are from this morning.

 

 

Jill's father raised iris and at least one of these goes back many, many years to one of his.

Others are from friends.

These iris are doing pretty well; actually thriving at a latitude half-way between the equator and the north pole.

 

Tough plant the iris is.....

Tour de Ferme

Only a few minutes from where I live is Brey Cycle Farm, LLC.  Recently I had an opportunity to pay a visit and receive a tour of the dairy operation.

Cycle Farm takes its name from the cycle of sustainability which is central to what they do.  All of their beef and dairy animals are born and raised on the farm here in Door County.  

Cycle Farm was established in 1904 by George Brey Sr., great-grandfather of Tony and Jacob  who purchased the farm from their parents Bill and Clarice Brey in 2016.  Today about 1,500 cows are milked and calves and heifers are raised.  Cycle Farm also raises Angus/Holstein crossbred beef animals along with custom heifers for other farms.  As stewards of the land high quality forage crops are grown on 2,000 acres of owned and rented land for livestock feed.  In addition to family members there are an additional twenty full-time employees and several part-time employees.

Cycle Farm is a  member of Peninsula Pride Farms, a farmer-led conservation group, and are participants in the Door-Kewaunee Demonstration Farms Network. 

Calves are fed mother's colostrum at birth to provide immunity and nutrition.  Housed in individual hutches for individual attention and health they are fed pasteurized milk twice a day along with fresh water.  After a week a grain mix is introduced to supplement the milk.  Calves are weaned after 60 days and moved to a group pen.  Feed is a total mixed ration (TMR) of forage, grains, minerals, vitamins, minerals and protein for balanced nutrition.

Maternity ward

Couple of hours old

Cows like moderate temperatures so they are housed in in freestall barns keeping them shaded and cool in the summer and warm in the winter.  This set-up allows the animals to eat, drink, move-about and lie down as they please while protecting them from inclement weather.  Cows are fed a custom TMR and have access to fresh water all the time and their pens are cleaned each time they are in the milking parlor.

TMR Cuisinart

 

Girls returning from milking parlor

Speaking of which, cows are creatures of habit consequently they are milked three times at the  same time each day.  The parlor can handle 26 cows at a time and machines keep track of pounds, temperature and quality with each animal producing an average of 10 gallons of milk daily.  Milk is shipped to Agropur in Luxemburg, WI for the production of mozzarella and provolone.

 

Bulk milk storage

Acreage is routinely tested for pH, organic matter, phosphorus and potassium.  Manure from the animals is stored in a pit until conditions are appropriate for application by spreading, injection or drag hose.  Testing is GPS managed, collecting 1 sample per 2.5 acres to determine nutrient levels impacted by soil types and previous crops grown.  An agronomist determines application rates depending-upon soil needs.

In 2021 - 140 acres were converted to paddocks for grazing heifers and beef cattle.  Management-intensive grazing is a flexible approach to rotational grazing influenced by paddock size, stocking density and length of grazing.  Adjustments are made throughout the grazing season balancing forage supply with animal demand.

In 2024 a screw-press separator was acquired to recycle manure solids for bedding instead of purchasing sand.  The device removes undigested fiber in the manure from the liquid and through a simple drying process produces green bedding to keep the animals comfortable in their stalls.

You won't find Brey beef sold in a local grocery; you can call or order online for pick-up at their farm store located at 2190 County Road O, Sturgeon Bay.  They offer Bargain Bundle and Freezer Filler packages for a volume discount or you can purchase a package of burgers, wieners, or a steak or roast.  Breyfamilybeef@gmail.com or (920) 639-4742.   You can learn more on Facebook and visit Brey Family Beef. 

French Vosgienne breed - solitary animal