And some more Oldsmobile pics!!

Here's the best one- it's another 1969 Cutlass 442 in absolutely beautiful shape. Took this one at the weekly  Kanata Cruise Night last summer. I only saw this Cutty once at the show; I guess the owner isn't a local. Hope they bring it back this summer!

Here's a 1970 Cutlass from another evening at the Kanata Cruise Night. This was earlier in the summer, and was taken by my Android cell phone camera. Sorry for the quality. As you can see, the car is not quite finished, but is pretty close. I like the fender protectors! Found some on eBay that I think I'll pick up soon.

Interesting colour choice for a Cutty. Car is looking pretty good tho!

Another one from the Kanata Cruise Night; I think this might have been two summers ago. I believe it's a 1949 Futurmatic 88 - please correct me if I'm wrong:

I just love the Olds logo on the front (and back, too, I think), and that hood ornament is fantastic!!

Last one is a 1968 Cutlass that I saw at the Rideau Carleton Raceway show- I think the was two years ago as well. Sorry for the quality of the photo again- Samsung Android phone camera again:

Car was in spectacular shape. I prefer black, both car and top, but this car was done up nice, and did it look sharp!

Well that's all for this session. I can't wait to get my 68/69 out, shined up and out on the street!
(I'll have to tho- there's still at least a foot of show on the ground :-(

Some more car pics

My last trip to the local car show this past summer saw several really nice cars; let's have a look!
First off, here's a couple of shots of a red hot 72 Cutlass. Didn't meet the guy, but he's got a terrific ride, there:

Here is Chris' '69 Cutlass hard top- he's had it for many year, done a lot of work to it, and it looks just awesome. Really nice work there Chris. I've posted some pics of his car before:

There was a young guy, whom I did actually meet, but have forgotten his name (sorry)- he had his girl with him, and he wasn't too talkative, but he had a very interesting ride. I believe that this is a 1981 Olds 88; he's had it done up with the fancy adjustable suspension. Pretty cool. Down:

And up:

Also saw a nicely cared-for newer model Olds- I think this is a 1993 Cutlass Supreme. Not a vert, but still a nice summer ride:

And a photo of Chris' car and my car:

An old Chrysler 300; 1961 I think:

And another angle:

An absolutely sick GTO from 1971:

A fantastic 1967 Chevelle:

A less fantastic, but still way cool 1970 Chevelle:

A 65(?) Plymouth Fury wagon (I think my dad had one just like this, but not a wagon):

That's all for now. Up next: some older cars from the last couple of Kanata Cruise nights from 2011.
Until next time, thanks for reading!

My 1969 (1968) Oldsmobile Cutlass

A few years ago I bought a 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass- its a convertible, and I drive it only when its sunny out. If it looks cloudy, I leave it at home. My main client is all the way across town; I don't take it there due to the one hour drive on the freeway. Here is an early photo of the car taken just before I bought it:

Now I used to be a muscle car guy when I was younger- I had several Camaros- a 79, a 68 and an 84. All were very nice. Got married, and had kids, and suddenly sinking money into a 1984 Camaro didn't seem right anymore, so away it went. When finances improved, I started looking at GM A-body cars- Chevelles, Buicks, Pontiacs, etc. My good buddy Cory had (and still has) a 1969 Cutlass, and I got the bug again while at his place looking at his ride. I asked the wife what she thought about getting one, and her response: only if it's a convertible. I remembered. Didn't get one right away, as things changed: another kid, a layoff, etc. But when things settled again, I decided that I would, and so I went ahead and started looking again. Then I saw this beauty. Loved it, bought it, and have been pretty happy with it ever since. Here's a photo of Cory with his gold '69, and my '69 black beauty:

You migh be saying to yourself: Hey; that's not a '69, it's a '68! Well, when Cory and I went to look at the car, he noticed it right away. Turns out that the car was indeed a '69, but was rebuilt with a 1968 front end-- header, fenders and hood. I decided to get it anyway, since it never was intended to be an "investment" anyway- got it for a little less, too.
Needs a new ragtop, some body work, some frame work and some interior work. Oh well, what do you expect from an old car?
The family likes it (the wife likes driving it); here's one with the boys in it @ the car show a few years back:

Here is a more recent photo of my car at a local show this past summer:

Thanks for looking!

Book review: The Art of War

The Art of War
Sun-tsu


Not sure why this book made it to my "must read" list- possibly because his writings were quoted by one or more authors of books I've read in the past. This is the classic "art of war" text from the original bamboo strips as recorded by the ancient Chinese general. Master Sun was born in the state of Qi around 550BC, and served the Kingdom of Wu. My edition is the Penguin Classic from 2002, edited by J. Minford. There's not a lot to it- some 100 pages, double-spaces and written in a poetic-verse form. There is considerable foreword information, and the whole text is reproduced and interdispersed with commentaries from Chinese and British military experts- this was only moderately interesting. Master Sun's text by itself was more interesting; coming direct from a voice from 2500 years ago.

It's pretty simple stuff in general: "Invulnerability is defense; vulnerability is attack." ... that sort of thing. But most verses bring to mind something specific in military history. For example, "When a general misjudges an enemy,... the outcome is rout." To me this immediately brought to mind Napoleon's rout in Russia. To others, it might bring to mind any other of hundreds of examples through history.

The commentators were quick to point out flaws, which I found boring, self-serving, and made possible only through the benefit of hindsight. Sun says that he "has never seen delay that was wise." To which I thought (and the commentators mentioned): "what about Maximus against Hannibal?" But this was a defensive action- Sun was talking about aggressiveness versus timidity. The commentators (and I) were out of context.

The most interesting parts were when Sun suggests that on the battlefield, the general is in complete command, and should overrule his political superiors, should they send orders contrary to his better judgement. One can come up with many examples through history where rulers spoiled the plans of commanders in the field. The commentators didn't have much to say on the subject, not surprisingly, being military men, and subject to chain of command.

In summary, I'd definitely recommend Sun's "The Art of War" verses to anyone with interest in military history- after all, he's been quoted by many of the most successful generals in history. 
Otherwise, pass.

Car Museum in Punta Gorda Florida

Just less than a year ago, the family went down to Florida to visit family and go to Disney World. While there I discovered a car museum in Punta Gorda near Fort Myers. Saw a LOT of awesome muscle cars there! Here's a some highlights:
First, of course, a line-up of hot-hot Oldsmobiles:

From another angle:

A closer shot of a 67 442 (one word COOL):

This is the best shot I could get of the 1972 Indy pace car:

(I really like looking at engines, but I prefer to look at the cars with the hood closed to see the gorgeous lines- but that's just me...)
One of the many awesome 1st generation Camaros (a 68 I think):

They even look fantastic from the back:

An awesome 66 Chevelle (I think its a 66, anyway):

And one of many hot, hot 2nd generation Corvettes:

A pretty cool 66 Impala:

A real bad-ass GTO:

And a few oddities like this chopper with a 502 chevy big block (!!):

You can't drive this thing unless you have long legs...
A built WWII-era Chevy truck:

A big, bad, built Chevy Blazer (the perfect winter car! :-):

Me and the boys in front of a bizarre 1930's RV:

An interior shot:

I have a lot more; maybe Ill post a few more, but next time you're in FLA, please check this spot out; it is a must see!
Until next time...

Trip to the War Museum

Several weeks ago, I took my youngest, S to the War Museum here in Ottawa.  We had an interesting time; we had to leave on my insistence due to my inability to stand & walk more than a couple of hours due to my back. He was interested enough to stay longer- inheriting my interest in history? Perhaps...
The highlight for me was the war paintings. I bought this book on the way out (http://store02.prostores.com/servlet/cyberboutique/the-1087/Canvas-of-War/Detail ), which is terrific, but doesn't really do the artwork justice. Many of the murals are 10 feet tall by 40 feet wide, or more; they're breathtaking and hypnotic. At the time it was a new type of war art- the public were acutely aware that World War 1 was not like past wars, and the art style of past wars (Generals on horses, clean and smart-looking soldiers marching, etc.) didn't resonate well. This new art depicted the reality of the common soldier's plight- mud, blood, terror and despair. I wish I could present some photos here, but the museum isn't keen on the use of flash photography of their paintings, understandably...
However, I did take some pickies; here are a few of them:

A couple of the artillery piece that I remember so well from my first visit to the museum some 40+ years ago:

 

Apparently the entire gun crew was killed. I can only suppose that in the heat of battle, the crew was unaware that there was a misfire, or assumed that the shell was a dud, and was long gone--it was likely jammed in their gun's barrel. The next round struck it, and that was the end. Pretty gruesome. Quite an unforgettable artefact.

The next is S in front of a destroyed German tank destroyer. I think it's a Sturmgeschütz (Stug) III. And I'm pretty sure it was used for target practice, either that, or it met an extremely violent end....

Next up is an extremely(!) small Italian tank, a Carro Leggero 3 (L3). It's smaller than S!!:

I recall reading Rommel's memoirs, about how insufficient the Italian tanks were in the desert war in World War 2. How would you like to go into battle in one of these? Yikes! Especially if you were up against a British Matilda or an American Grant or Sherman.

Here's S in front of a Sherman:

The Sherman was a fine tank, but it wasn't as good as the best German tanks, or even the bast Soviet tanks.

And here's a pic of a Grant tank (er, I guess its a Lee (same thing)):

Now this beast was obsolete right off the assembly line, but it fared okay in the desert. It was at a disadvantage against the better German tanks (Panzer 3's) and the German anti-tank weapons (even the smaller ones), but it was a behemoth compared to the smaller Panzer tanks and the little Italian jobs.

Here's some pics of some of the big boys. A Soviet T-34, and a German Panther:

These were the state-of-the-art tanks at the end of WW2. Now my buddy Frank will cringe when I say this, but the Panther was a much better tank than the T-34. More refined, better gun, better armour, better everything. Looking at the build quality of the two up close is very telling. However, to be fair, the T34 was first, and it was the most influential tank of the war. Everything built after it used it's main design attribute: sloping armour. And the Soviet's understood war economy- build lots of the same thing. The Germans never quite got that. Enough of the lesson; and more pics:

First a Churchill tank, one of the better British types (they weren't the best tank builders):

And this is a British Valentine tank (older design, and not quite so good as the Churchill):

There were many other sights at the War Museum, including a lot of older and newer artefacts. From ancient native artefacts through to the Seven Years's War, the War of 1812, the Boer war, and finally the 20th century world wars, and all of the business since. 

One of Hitler's limousines is there, a complete Spitfire, all sorts of rifles and hand guns, uniforms of all sorts, and those haunting paintings. 

There's a fair exposure to the horror of war; the museum curators didn't overly focus on the glory aspect- a welcome balance.... We don't want our kids thinking that war is cool (as suggested by every friggin' video game in my house... don't get me started!). 

The War Museum is a really informative and interesting walk through (military) history. Highly recommended for those so inclined.

Lawrence of Arabia- the book

I recently finished reading the book on which the movie "Lawrence of Arabia" was based. I highly recommend it. Here are my thoughts on it:

Seven Pillars of Wisdom
By T. E. Lawrence

Quite a large book for someone without much time for reading. But after learning something about the man, and watching the movie many times, I had to dive in. His prose is often almost poetic, and flows effortlessly, and his description of the seemingly mundane is rich and interesting. His description of the desert turns what one might think of as featureless and endless into a vast array of differing landscapes, vivid terrains, coupled with the human interaction with the different landscapes. All through the book, he provides a wonderful commentary on the uniqueness of every one of the journeys that he took through the Levant and Syria.

Being written at the height of the British Empire, during a time when the British presence was felt throughout the world, and when notable Englishmen were well known, Lawrence tends to assume the reader’s general knowledge of recent (at the time) events, and prominent British figures involved in them. This can be frustrating to the modern-day reader.
He also went to great lengths to describe in considerable detail, individuals who participated in the events- the individuals’ physical appearance, their dress, mannerisms, even his opinion of their mental make-up and capacity, in some cases. Often the reader longs for more information on these people, but in most cases, this information is either lost to the ages, or was never noted by anyone other than Lawrence.

Lawrence is tormented by the conflict between his loyalty as an Englishman in the service of his country on one hand, and his loyalty  the Arabs, on the other. As an Englishman- and no matter what his appearance- he is an Englishman to the core- he is aware of the need to do anything required to promote victory for his homeland. But as a leader of revolution, he feels an affinity to the Arab people, and is torn by his promise of a free and independent country for the Arabs for service aiding the English against the Turks; a promise he knows he cannot keep. This is a key conflict that influences his mood and actions throughout the book.

His religious nature is not made very clear in the book. He does mention that he prayed, but only in passing, never discussing the content of his personal prayers at all. He also mentions God in a respectful way in many passages in the book, but doesn’t offer up much in terms of his own beliefs. However, the title he chose for his book must carry some weight in the matter.

His sexuality has always been under question, and the book does little to clarify things. One passage about an encounter with Gypsies in the desert seems to hint at heterosexuality, while his observations of young Arab fighters seems to hint otherwise. Further, his description of his experience under torture in Deraa seems to point to some masochistic tendency. The book really settles nothing in this area, not that it is of any great importance...

Lawrence’s contempt for the Turks is apparent throughout the book, but his contempt seems most acutely directed at the leadership and ruling classes. He seems to regret the loss of life and poor treatment of the enlisted man’s existence in the Turkish Army (to a point), but seems to have no respect for the intellect or general capability of the Turkish Army’s officers. It may have something to do with what happened to him personally in Deraa, but it seems unbalanced when compared to his more generally admiring opinion of the Arab leadership, as well as the German Army leadership in this theatre of the war. One might tend though, to believe that there is merit in his views on these matters, for he seems quite honest and forthcoming in his views of the British Army leadership both in the middle-east and in Europe; that is, he admired some, but did not so, many others.

Any historical document of this magnitude must be accompanied by appropriate maps. My version, a Vintage publishing from 2008, has decent maps, better than many.

Winston Churchill calls this book one of the finest ever written in the English language. I don’t know about that, but it was definitely compelling, colourful and engaging throughout, despite its 700 pages. Oh, and it is unforgettable, too.