The Road Goes On Forever...

...and the party never ends.

We went for a drive in Abilene, our '57 Chevy.

There's a guy who lives in our neck of the woods who makes music and tells wonderful stories. We saw him one Fourth of July, surrounded by college kids. The beer was flowing freely. We were the oldest people in a sea of kids having a grand time. They were very polite as they wove, stumbled, and tottered they way by us. "Scuse me ma'am." "Scuse me sir." They were loud but not obnoxious. They were rowdy but not rude. They were simply having fun. We enjoyed being in their midst almost as much as we enjoyed the music. They reminded us of ourselves at that age. It was refreshing.

Here, for your musical entertainment, is Robert Earl Keen, a Texas treasure.

Signs of Spring

Here she comes. Where I a poet I'd craft an ode or sonnet in her honor. But as I am not I must content myself with pictures, proof that her robes are brushing the ground, warming the sap with the passage of her feet.

In our area, pear trees are among the first to bloom. I don't know what kind of pears they are, nor have I ever seen them produce fruit. However, they are a welcomed sight. I love how they stand out from the crowd of still leafless trees. Despite the fact that there could be another freeze or two, pear trees brave the odds. It's like they are calling to us, reminding us, not to give up hope.

I have heard noises in the dead leaves and underbrush, but this big spiny tree lizard is the first one I've seen. He's a good 6 or 7 inches long. I keep wondering where they go in the winter, where they hibernate.

Elbow bush is so called because its branches bend at odd angles and can eventually plant themselves in the ground.

Close up of the elbow bush.

The agarita looks something like a holly and the ends of its leaves have sharp points. The little flowers, not much bigger than an eraser head, exude a heady sweet aroma that permeates the air. Bees love it and it makes excellent honey. The berries also make wonderful jelly, though harvesting them is a prickly task.

Agarita bushes can get quite large. This one is about 3 feet tall and 5 feet across.

And this is the first blue bonnet to appear in our yard. It isn't fully opened, nor will it be the only one.

Lastly we went for a drive on Saturday in Abilene, our 1957 Chevy. The local high school football team is called the Antlers. Their mascot, since 1932, has been Scrappy the Deer. This sculpture, built entirely of scrap metal, is dedicated to the school.

Here I am at a place called Wildseed Farms. (If you're ready for some eye candy check out their website!) They grow fields and fields of wildflowers and package the seeds. Of course the fields aren't blooming yet but when they do, it's beautiful. Those cacti I'm sitting in front of are metal!

Ahhhh Spring....

Abilene Says...

Happy New Year!

She wishes you and all those near and dear the very best for the New Year.

The above picture was taken in front of the court house on our first night time excursion.

And this is me after my first solo drive yesterday. I call it the Silent Scream. It's hard to describe the emotion and physical reaction.



Stan says, "Now you know why they call them the Heartbeat of America."

Abilene Gets a Bath

That's right folks she got washed. Just like proud parents take pictures of child number one's first baths, so have we.

Due to a complication or two (nothing that couldn't be fixed after throwing some $$ after it) following the first few test drives, she's been sitting in the garage for a while and got a layer of dust on her.

But yesterday we took her out for our first REAL drive. By real I mean we went more than just around the block. We drove all around town (about three times!) and we even went out on the interstate and punched her. Dare I tell you how fast we went even if only momentarily? (We got up to 90!) In all we put about 60 miles on her and she ran like the champ she is.

Here she is in front of her favorite parts store shining in the sun.

Stan got understandably emotional and teary eyed. After all he's been working on Sweet Abilene for ten years and has been dreaming of the day we could drive her into town for a long, long time.

Could there be a better Christmas present than this?

Abilene: An Update

As of Thursday Abilene is street legal. She has new tires, an exhaust system, insurance, license, and inspection sticker.

She’s gone on a couple of road tests. There are a few bugs to work out which is what road tests are for. But the problems don’t appear to be anything major that can’t be fixed. For the most part, she’s run beautifully.

Stan is amazed how smoothly it’s gone. Can you see the grin on his face? He is really happy.

Abilene Goes for a Ride

This past week the '57 Chevy was taken to the garage to get aligned. It was quite the adventure. Although her engine is running the fuel line isn't quite right yet so she had to be pulled, hauled and pushed. I got to do all the driving, including backing her up to get her back into the garage.

Why Abilene? Because we're pretty sure that's where she originally came from.

Here she is out of the garage for the first time in at least five years, sans hood.

Here's Stan, looking like the proud papa he is.

And here's me, backing her up. And yes that's all my hair.

A Car is Born

This is a huge day at our house.

Today a car was born.

After working on her for nine years (as time and money and health permitted) Stan fired up the engine of the '57. It lit right up. It roared to life and stayed on fire! This is no ordinary "restoration." She's a hotrod. She has an LT1 fuel injection engine in her. Modifications had to made to get that baby into the engine compartment.

The '57 has to grow a bit more before she goes on the road. But today, May 1st, 2008, is her birthday.

I'm so proud of Stan I could burst. He's done almost all the work, from body and electronics (you should SEE all the wiring!) to mechanical, himself.