Canadian subscribers

[Gordon Maney]

When I went to the post office to mail the last issue [July 2011] I was told I could not mail them because of a shutdown of the Canadian postal service. I received an email from the USPS telling me that, also.

I did not receive an email indicating the postal service in Canada was back in operation, I just discovered that a few days ago. The Canadian [July 2011] issues were in a stack waiting to be mailed, and so did go to post yesterday.

[318cu.in.]

Thanks for the update, Gordon. I was just telling myself about an hour ago that I had not seen an issue of the PWA in quite a while. Canada Post declared this week that mail delivery was back to normal but I doubt this is true. Anyway, I'll let you know when my issue comes my way.

[318cu.in.]

One happy Canadian subscriber

My July issue came in yesterday, Gordon. So far, problems with the water treatment system prevented me from having more than a quick look, but congratulations on another job well done. Hope it rains this weekend!

[Gordon Maney]

Wow.... based upon the fact that you just received it, they are obviously still not running properly.

Thanks for letting me know.

[318cu.in.]

Extra! Extra! PWA is now a weekly magazine! (Canadian subscribers only...)

What do you know. Stopped by the mail box this afternoon, and there it was, another issue of PWA. Two issues in three business days. I'm getting to like it, Gordon. Flipped throught the pages, and I can't stop looking at the picture on page 5. I'm jealous. I can't wait for my next issue, scheduled for Wednesday... :-)

[Gordon Maney]

What do you know. Stopped by the mail box this afternoon, and there it was, another issue of PWA. Two issues in three business days. I'm getting to like it, Gordon. Flipped throught the pages, and I can't stop looking at the picture on page 5. I'm jealous. I can't wait for my next issue, scheduled for Wednesday... :-)

I am glad you like the picture on page 5. What draws you to that image?

[318cu.in.]

It speaks to me of a lazy summer afternoon, Gordon, where the owner of this collection can walk between what seems like rows of vehicles, Power Wagons, Weapons Carriers and others. These are like treasures and one can leave the world behind by simply trying to figure out how to put one of these trucks back together. Or, one could try figure out the history of the vehicles, thanks to signs left there by previous owners, like flashers mounted over the cab that tell of a former life as a potent tow truck or a grill and a slimmer hood or other evidence of military origin. The man who owns this collection possesses a time machine linking him to the past and allowing him to forget, even for a moment, the times where he believes life shortchanged him.

Human memory has a mean of embellishing past memories. Thanks to this characteristic, one can try to recreate, in his mind, a time where craftmanship was common, instead of the planned obsolescence which is the case nowadays. A time where things, and trucks especially, were built with quality material. Overbuilt we would say nowadays. These vehicles could have a second lease on life, provided one gathers all the necessary parts and has the will to undertake the journey. In a lot of countries around the world, a vehicle is used up like we press a lemon, until the last drop of usefulness is extracted. Over here, we've been told that the next novelty would be better than anything else we had so far. How wrong we were. Now, restoring a Power Wagon is also everything they say about being green and environmentally friendly because the materials are being reused.

A Power Wagon has many uses, if not to fix up the mind of its owner/restorer. In this day and age of drive and throw away, it's comforting to know there are still places like the one photographed where vehicles capable of being passed from one generation to the other are waiting for someone to give them a new use. I confess that in the past, I got rid of things that were well built, and built to last and to outlast me.

I digress. I just helped my son-in-law check the army recruiting web site. He seems to meet all requirements. I printed all the preliminary forms for him, and he literally snatched them, eagerly. The last time he showed eagerness, it was for a new fangled video game of some sort. Last winter, we took apart an M38A1 parts Jeep that had been parked in the garage for the last two years. Actually, my son-in-law is the one who took the vehicle apart as I sat on a stool, manual on my lap, instructing him on the tools to use and whatever technique he needed to apply. We functioned as a team. Did tackling that olive drab vehicle influence him? Am I responsible for his interest for army life? He seams to have a goal, now. Just like that gentleman I imagined above does have a project. And my son-in-law is also about to discover on a grander scale what team spirit is all about. I wish the owner of the truck collection luck in the restoration I imagined for him and I wish luck to my son-in-law with his life project. End of digression.

[Gordon Maney]

It speaks to me of a lazy summer afternoon, Gordon, where the owner of this collection can walk between what seems like rows of vehicles, Power Wagons, Weapons Carriers and others. These are like treasures and one can leave the world behind by simply trying to figure out how to put one of these trucks back together. Or, one could try figure out the history of the vehicles, thanks to signs left there by previous owners, like flashers mounted over the cab that tell of a former life as a potent tow truck or a grill and a slimmer hood or other evidence of military origin. The man who owns this collection possesses a time machine linking him to the past and allowing him to forget, even for a moment, the times where he believes life shortchanged him.

Human memory has a mean of embellishing past memories. Thanks to this characteristic, one can try to recreate, in his mind, a time where craftmanship was common, instead of the planned obsolescence which is the case nowadays. A time where things, and trucks especially, were built with quality material. Overbuilt we would say nowadays. These vehicles could have a second lease on life, provided one gathers all the necessary parts and has the will to undertake the journey. In a lot of countries around the world, a vehicle is used up like we press a lemon, until the last drop of usefulness is extracted. Over here, we've been told that the next novelty would be better than anything else we had so far. How wrong we were. Now, restoring a Power Wagon is also everything they say about being green and environmentally friendly because the materials are being reused.

A Power Wagon has many uses, if not to fix up the mind of its owner/restorer. In this day and age of drive and throw away, it's comforting to know there are still places like the one photographed where vehicles capable of being passed from one generation to the other are waiting for someone to give them a new use. I confess that in the past, I got rid of things that were well built, and built to last and to outlast me.

I digress. I just helped my son-in-law check the army recruiting web site. He seems to meet all requirements. I printed all the preliminary forms for him, and he literally snatched them, eagerly. The last time he showed eagerness, it was for a new fangled video game of some sort. Last winter, we took apart an M38A1 parts Jeep that had been parked in the garage for the last two years. Actually, my son-in-law is the one who took the vehicle apart as I sat on a stool, manual on my lap, instructing him on the tools to use and whatever technique he needed to apply. We functioned as a team. Did tackling that olive drab vehicle influence him? Am I responsible for his interest for army life? He seams to have a goal, now. Just like that gentleman I imagined above does have a project. And my son-in-law is also about to discover on a grander scale what team spirit is all about. I wish the owner of the truck collection luck in the restoration I imagined for him and I wish luck to my son-in-law with his life project. End of digression.

Wonderful stuff.