Back to Fairbanks

Finally! The blog has caught up with me and has made it back to Fairbanks and our pad in Alaska. Here is the latest on our apartment. We are plugging along with our spare evening and weekend hours. We hope you like the transformation as much as we do.



The Living Room, so far. The table is a cute idea out of Lowe's Creative Ideas Magazine. It was assembled for under $45.



A sneak preview of our kitchen with glass top stove and a cauldron of cabbage soup. http://www.cabbage-soup-diet.com/ I used V8 Tomato Juice, canned fire roasted tomatoes and red bell peppers instead of green for my variation.

A close-up of the pedestal sink in the bath. We still have about 5% to finish.

Ahh... th' colahhs.



The color for the dining nook is to the left and the linen closet is to the right.



A peek-a-boo view of the arctic entry from the spare bedroom.



Remodeling can be so messy. (March 2011)



Humming along. No sink - no dirty dishes!

The window has been replaced since this photo was taken. We are still working on the dreadful cabinets.

The way we were: Retro Ugly. Worth covering up :/

The International Grahams

This is my final installment of the 34th Graham Owners Club International Meet. We had a wonderful time and enjoy preserving this part of automotive history. Members from the United States, Canada and Australia came to this "family reunion" and showed off their Grahams. See and learn more about Grahams
at: www.graham-paige.com

1932 Blue Streak owned by Bette Hammond.

1931 Dual Cowl owned by Bette Hammond.

1928 835 Boat Tail Speedster owned by Roy Margenau.

1940 Combination Coupe owned by Bob Feldes.

1931 Graham Coupe 49 owned by Neville and Jan Storey.

1923 Paige 70 Touring owned by Merle and Betty Hoover.

1933 58 sedan owned by Ray Heuvel.

1936 4 door Modified Crusader owned by Al and Bea Jegers.

1941 Hollywood 4 door owned by Mike and Mariann Burkholder.

Undergoing ground up restoration owned by Mark and Donna Stryker.

1929 612 4 Door owned by Tom and Jean Graham.

1929 612 Phaeton owned by Frank and Donna Bowland.

1931 820 Special 4 door Sedan owned by Norman and Janice Anderson.

1923 Paige 70 Touring Emblem

1928 835 Boat Tail Speedster

1932 Blue Streak

1932 Blue Streak

1923 Paige 70 Touring

1931 Graham Dual Cowl

Bette's Car Show at the 34thGraham Owners Club Meet

We were expecting rain on our last day of the 34th Annual Graham Owners Car Show. We were instead, greeted by abundant sunshine and warmth. The glamor, chrome, magnificent colors on the Grahams, combined with "detail in a bottle" are why we took a holiday from the land of the Midnight Sun.

The elegance..

The perfect day...

The items for sale...

The stuff...

The judging...

And those who put it together... (Bette Hammond in lower left - yellow and white).

Greenfield Village at the Henry Ford

There is not enough time in a day to see all that the Henry Ford has to offer. If you go, I would encourage you to start early. Nearly 100 historical buildings were moved from their original settings and arranged on tree-lined streets, just so that we can walk through history and see some of the homes and buildings once occupied by some of history's greatest.

The Clock Tower at the Henry Ford, a replica of Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

Where it all began: Henry Ford's prototype shed, where he built the Quadricycle.

A common scene; a vintage Ford touring down the road.

The Wright Cycle Co.

Grimm Jewelry Store

World War I Command Post Replica.

"Railroad Junction" Depot.

Detroit, Toledo  Milwaukee Roundhouse and Turntable.

Steam is still being restored today.

Suwanee Landing

Suwanee Lagoon

A steam locomotive on the Weiser Railroad.

Ford Rouge Factory Tour

The American dream, innovation and productivity are alive and well at the Ford Rouge Factory where F-150s are assembled in Dearborn, Michigan. While we were here, we were able to walk the viewing platform where Ford trucks were at the finishing point of the assembly. Photographs are not allowed here, but I was still fascinated to watch the production line as it took its serpentine path below us as we viewed from a rectangular observation area above.

At the final assembly point we were able to see the final details as the cabs and truck beds were "married". Factory workers in a clean and modern environment provided final touches to  doors, truck beds, cabs and instrument panels.

The modern visitor's gallery and theaters offered a detailed history of Henry Ford's legacy. We also watched Disney World style presentation set to the music of the Detroit Philharmonic Orchestra of assembly areas that were too difficult or impractical to view.

The only photos allowed were from the observation deck.