The Cog of Acceptance

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Comment by Thomas Bishop on July 7, 2011 at 5:19am

That must have been some auto-mobile! I imagine the servant was very cramped in the boot next to an ice-chest operating the blower.

Comment by Ryan Grimm on July 7, 2011 at 4:12am

@ The Widow Kate Next:
The Chuck Wagon has a few modern conveniences; a four-burner stove with oven & broiler (should I wish to make scones, lasagna or pie), a two-bowl sink for food prep/wash-up, and a propane/electric fridge and freezer.  All are salvaged from an RV.
They reside on the right side of the trailer...open a few panels, and they are accessible for use.  The left side has a truck toolbox for storage, with another salvaged toolbox on the front.
The trailer itself was a pop-up type camper, stripped to the platform and rebuilt (with the sides and appliances) as required of plywood.
Inside the trailer proper are the pieces for a 20-foot geodesic dome, the tarps for same, suitable furniture (table for 6, chairs), a futon couch/bed, and sundry needs for lighting etc.
I REALLY must get this steampunked somehow......then take photos to share.
When I go camping, it's the ice cubes and chilled drinks that keep us cool.

The cooling apparatus you speak of was fitted into a Victorian house in Illinois at a place called Prairie Du Chien....a tunnel underground from the icehouse went into the fireplaces on the ground floor of the house, and cool air was kept circulated by a servant or slave working the blower.
I understand a Mr. H. Hughes also had a similar arrangement for his auto-mobile.

Comment by The Widow Kate Next on July 6, 2011 at 11:57pm

Oh, I do envy you having both, and admire that you can make a good coat with a sewing machine.  I am capable of sewing a straight line, and making a buttonhole, which is suitable for most things like dresses and the like, even made a corset once.  But the inner seams of the items I make are rather a bit frayed.  Pinking shears helped a bit, there.  I am going to attempt a dress makers dummy project this summer, the better to create things a little tidier and better fitting.  Rumor has it that you can make one with duct tape and newsprint and a good friend willing to wrap you up in it.  Cut it off (done over a tshirt, of course) and duct tape the seam, and you've got the body of it to your exact shape.

Comment by Thomas Bishop on July 6, 2011 at 2:10pm

I am able to use both. My skills are modest. I'm a simple sewer. For the coat I used a regular sewing machine as the serger was out of town with the wife last week.

Comment by The Widow Kate Next on July 6, 2011 at 6:49am

Mr. Bishop do you use a regular sewing machine or a serger?  I have trouble with bulky seams on heavier items like coats and jackets with a sewing machine, but have yet to sample a serger.  I would love to see your finished project.  Perhaps you will go sans sleeves for summer on your coat?

Comment by The Widow Kate Next on July 6, 2011 at 6:47am

Pretty ambitious, Mr. Grimm!  So you've installed a freezer in your chuck wagon?  I wonder if you could make some sort of a blower off the freezer to air condition yourself and your Lady in the heat?  I know their are such contraptions fashioned of a block of ice and a modern cooler, all fitted with a fan.

Comment by Thomas Bishop on July 6, 2011 at 4:26am

I just got done with a super sewing spree. Well, done isn't the word to use. I finished the body of the coat, but still need to make the straps for the buckles.

Comment by Ryan Grimm on July 6, 2011 at 4:01am

Took the bicycle out for a spin, I really should be in better shape, although the 93 degree temps were a factor.   To cool off I sat through 'Super 8' and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Reason for the trip?  I needed more screws to assemble the newest iteration of the 'Chuck Wagon' I go camping with.  Really, if you can't make your own ice cubes whilst camping, you're working too hard!
This will be the Mk VI version.

 

Comment by The Widow Kate Next on July 5, 2011 at 11:33pm

Victorian toon and term of the day "Mugwump"!

The Mugwumps were Republican political activists who bolted from their Party by supporting, Grover Cleveland, the Democratic nominee in the U.S. Presidential Election, 1884. They switched parties because they rejected financial corruption associated with Republican candidate James G. Blaine. In a close election, the Mugwumps supposedly made the difference in New York state and swung the election to Cleveland. The jocular word mugwump, noted as early as 1832, is from Algonquian, "mugquomp", "important person" (from mugumquomp, "war leader") implying that they were "sanctimonious" or "holier-than-thou," in holding themselves aloof from party politics. (Info. adapted from Wikipedia.) 1884 cartoon in Puck magazine ridicules Blaine as the tattooed-man, with many indelible scandals. The cartoon image is a parody of Phryne before the Areopagus, an 1861 painting by French artist Jean-Léon Gérôme.

Comment by The Widow Kate Next on July 5, 2011 at 9:42pm

Wonderful news Mr. Magnificent, we can only bask in your glory!  I don't think you're nearly busy enough, Lol!  When do you sleep? :D

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