O, Christmas Tree

We finally got our tree up.

The Lord willing, this will be our last Christmas on Barclay Dr. Our house is under contract to sell, and we have a contract on a home in Hendersonville, NC. Pray with us for no delays and all to go smoothly. Closing for both homes is January 30.

New Car

We replaced our 2005 Ford Five Hundred with this 2011 Ford Fusion SEL November 8. It was a fun experience, and we are pleased with our new ride. We wanted something a little newer with better mileage. 

Old Jones Desk

This is Marcia's old desk that we are preparing to give to David and Becca. We've cleaned it up, sanded it, and primed it for final painting.  Becca wants to finish it off with her choice of color/colors.

So, Dave. I took these pictures to let you know how it looks now. We will hold on to it until you are ready to take possession.

Click on pictures to enlarge.

The drawer handles are in the top right hand drawer. The were painted a gold color. I haven't cleaned these. You may want to paint them some contrasting color. Your choice. I also stuck a wood screw in one of the holes in each of the top drawers so you can open these. After you take out the top drawer, you can push open the next drawer down to open and remove.

Dos Pesos

When we got married in 1973, a friend gave us two dos pesos gold coins from Mexico. The coins were 1/2 inch in diameter compared to the US cent's 3/4 inch diameter. So, they are a very small coin. They had been sitting around doing nothing ever since. We are cleaning out and getting lean, so Marcia suggested we see what they were worth.  We took them to a coin dealer in Greenville, and he gave us $120 for the pair. Gold is $1767 an ounce right now. In 1973 it was $100 an ounce. In 1973 these coins were worth about $3 each. If we could only set the Way-Back Machine and go back and buy up a bunch of these little coins.

AK-47 Bullet

I found it. This AK-47 bullet had been lost in my stuff for years. I picked up this bullet when I was in Vietnam in 1969. I worked in surgery in the 93rd Evac Hospital. We had some poor soldier who had caught a round in his left knee. We were prepping him for surgery (he was asleep) and when the doc bent the soldier's knee, the bullet just slid right out. I got it and stuck it in my pocket. I had wondered all these years whether this was actually a M-14 round or AK-47. Both are .30 caliber rounds, but the M-14 has 6 lands and grooves while the AK-47 has 4 lands and grooves. This bullet has 4, so it is an AK-47 round. It is magnetic, so it has a steel core. The tip of the bullet has been deformed. I'm guessing that that is from hitting the knee. Anyhow, this is my war souvenir.

M-14 round is 7.62 mm x 51.  AK-47 round is 7.62 mm x 39.

M-14 vs AK-47

OOPS! Bad strike!

This is a quarter we ran across a while back. It is copper on the heads side and cupronickel on the tails side. Cupronickel is 75% copper, 25% nickel, and a trace amount of manganese. That is the silvery part of our clad coins: dimes, quarters, and half dollars. Anyhow, this coin should not have made it into circulation.  It was a mis-strike. I had it checked out by a coin dealer, and he said that it was probably worth about 25 cents. Evidently, mistakes in the government aren't all that rare.

A Gem for Jim

I got this Gem, a Gem Junior, and a Marvy shaving brush on eBay. Today, I shaved with the Gem. It was a really good shave. This is my second shave with the 1912 SE. I now own this Gem, a Gem Junior, and an Ever-Ready:  all three are patent 1912, basically the same head design. Next, I am going to try out the Junior.

I also have a Gem Pushbutton and a Gem Micromatic. I will try those out after the Junior.

Ever-Ready Razor

 I received my vintage Ever-Ready safety razor today. The box is pretty worn and the razor shows that it has been used. However, the razor looks like it is in pretty good shape for its age. I plan to give it a spin today. This will be my first experience with this type of razor. I have read that the technique for this razor is different from others.  For one, the head is placed almost flat on the face. Some suggest about a 10 degree angle for the best shave. BOTOCs (Brotherhood Of The Open Comb) and LOSERs (Lover Of Single Edge Razors) swear by these razors. I am excited to try it. I am a loser already because of my Schick injector razor. That is one great razor.

OK, the verdict is in. This is one terrific little razor. I was cautious because I had read of shavers who ended up letting blood, but I kept the head down, around 10 degrees, and had no blood loss. I got a great shave and put this little guy in my rotation. I am looking forward to more shaves with my new SE Ever-Ready. I guess I am now a LOSER and BOTOC.

1962 Gillette Mini Tech

Today, I tried out my new Gillette tech razor. I loaded it with a Shark blade and had my first shave with it. What a nice razor! Aside from the short handle, this is an excellent little shaver. I intend to use this as my travel razor in the future.  This particular razor was manufactured in 1962. The Gillette logo on the face has the diamond with the name Gillette with the arrow through it. It was first registered in 1908.

eBay Shaving Treasures

Below are two Gem single edge razors. The black handled razor is a Gem Pushbutton (PTO) and the silver one is a Gem Micromatic twist to open (TTO).

Below is a travel Gillette razor in genuine leather. I had a similar razor when I first entered the Army in 1967. Its case was plastic and snapped shut. I wish that I still had it, so when I saw this, I jumped on it. The whole case is rather small and made in Austria. I like it.

Travel razor

The razor is a three piece Gillette with a short handle. The case has places for the head, the handle, and blades. The razor has a manufacturing date code of H2 which means it was manufactured in the second quarter of 1962.

Genuine leather, zipper closure.

Below is a an Ever-Ready razor. In 1919 Gem, Star, and Ever-Ready were united under the Ever-Ready banner, The American Safety Razor Company.

Ever-Ready

Gems for Jim

September 26, 2012
I just won an auction on E-Bay of two vintage Gem razors. Can hardly wait to take delivery.

Chinese Ivory Puzzle Ball Chess Set

Hong Kong - 1968

While I was in Vietnam in 1968, I had a buddy pick up this chess set for me while he was in Hong Kong. It is a product of the the Hang On Ivory Factory. This set predates the 1989 ivory ban. Each piece is individually carved and sits on a Chinese puzzle ball with dragons chasing each other.

Chinese Puzzle Ball

Kings and Queens

1941 Buick

Roe Family in Texas

Gerald, dog, and Dick

After my post on the Rocket Men, I remembered an old family photo of brother Dick and cousin Gerald from about 1951. It was a recollection fostered by all the old cars in the Commando Cody/Rocket Man serials. I searched the web and finally identified our family car. It was a 1941 Buick.

Advertising Art

Real life 1941 Buick

The next car I remember our family owning was the 1954 Pontiac Star Chief. We got that I believe in about 1955. Not really sure about the year, but I do remember going to Alabama on a family vacation in it. That was the summer of 1956.

Me, Dick, Mom and 1954 Pontiac Star Chief (Oct. 56)

Rocket Man

I rediscovered Commando Cody this week as a result of a rabbit trail I went down. I was watching an episode of American Pickers where they picked a movie poster for Zombies of the Stratosphere featuring Leonard Nemoy. I Googled it and read the article on Wikipedia. I remember seeing Commando Cody at the movies back in the 50s. Commando Cody, played by George Wallace, was the lead character in Radar Men from the Moon, a 12 part serial by Republic Pictures in 1952. It was followed 1953 by Zombies of the Stratosphere in which Leonard Nemoy played one of the "zombies". The rocket man suit was used in both serials and also in a made for TV series "Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe". These movie serials came on the scene at the beginning of the atomic age and before the space age. The technology was awesome. As a kid, I ate this stuff up.

You will notice that the actors always seem to be dressed in suits, ties, and fedoras. The rocket man takes off his suit coat and puts on a leather coat which has the rockets and controls attached. Then he puts on his helmet. Scroll down and take a look at the controls below. So simple, even a caveman could do it. Clayton Moore (best known for playing the Lone Ranger) is the bad guy in Radar Men from the Moon. His voice is unmistakable.

Clayton Moore, second from left.

You can find the 12 episodes of Radar Men from the Moon on YouTube here: Radar Men from the Moon (1952) Full

Commando Cody with lunar tank

The following images are from  Zombies of the Stratosphere. Commando Cody is replaced by Larry Martin (played by Judd Holdren). This version has been colorized. The link is to a Youtube version of the movie.

back view of the rocket man

awesome controls

rocket man in flight

I wished I could have a suit like this.

Leonard Nemoy's death scene in Episode 12.

This awesome rocket could take off and fly to the moon and back in record time. Amazing.