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Chicken coop rescue

This old Brunswick

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Trash Treasures: Good excuse to buy that pickup

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Hall tree found in a chicken coup / OHNEChicken Coop Rescue

In the twenty some odd years since I pulled this hall tree out of a chicken coup, I have never seen another like it. 

My brother, who was living in Louisiana at the time, had invited me to help him tear down an old building on his acreage.  It was the end of a very hot day of even harder work and while my brother got the grill going, I happened to find the hall tree.  It looked bad...real bad.  After all it was in a chicken coup.  Still, it was cleaner than I was and a few Dixie beers added a real mystique to the find. 

The real trick was in getting it back to where I lived in Pensacola, Florida.  Some of you may remember the odd VW "wagon" of years ago.  The engine was still in the rear, but VW somehow managed to make the whole car something like a station wagon.  Had dual carbs connected to each other by a series of rods and levers.  It actually worked sometimes.  The point, is that the hall tree almost fit into the back of the VW.  I think only about two feet had to hang out the back, so the hatch door had to stay open.  

That was also before the interstate was complete so it took forever to get to Mobile, Alabama, the first leg of my journey.  The twin tunnels under Mobile Bay were still a dream in some architects eye too.  When I finally did make it to the tunnel in Mobile the traffic was backed up for miles.  Only when I got into the tunnel did I realize the traffic was bad due to a BIG leak in the tunnel. Twin diesel powered pumps were just keeping up with the water pouring in.   Still, there was over a foot of water at the very bottom of the tunnel.  At least the fear of drowning took my mind off the exhaust fumes trying to kill me.    More trash treasures.


This old Brunswick record player was given to me by a previous mother-in-law.  Her husband had purchased it new and then gave it to one of his brothers.  A Brunswick record player...NOT a Victrola

Visitors to the house are stunned to find there is no electrical cord, that it plays music purely through mechanical methods.

A needle fits into the grooves in the record.  As the needle moves back and forth it vibrates a round disc, that in turn vibrates air in a tube.  The music comes out the front of the unit.  The hand crank winds up a spring that provides energy to turn the record.

Fortunately, the Brunswick came with a large stack of records like "Bees Knees" and "Somewhere in France (is Daddy)" so I did not have to hit the flea markets right away before using it.  

Anna and I have also found wonderful bargains at various antique dealers across the country.  Take a look below at just some of the places where your antique is waiting for you to pick it up. 

 

 

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