MTFCA Forum

Hello all.... Dan Knoll From Santa Cruz.. Checking in to say hello . Now that we are post "Bad" Covid , just wanted to check in and say hello. Still have my B-ARD ARMADILLO SPEEDSTER , SERIAL #2, currently putting new tires on and getting rims powder coated. Built a "Mother -in-law" seat for the rack out of a "Treasure chest" small Lane cedar chest, circa 1940, I will have to post some pictures. The boy is 7 years old now , I needed a seat for jaunts around Santa Cruz in the summer . Suffering from one of the most god awful respiratory viruses I have had in 10 years : Not covid, and current on all my shots and flu shot . Made me think about members lost in previous years.... It takes a lot to drag me and the family to the doctor, today was one of those days ... doctor says I have secondary respiratory infection heading towards Pneumonia, so I am on round one of anti-biotics.......quite a change from last week working my rear off on projects .

I am wondering if Member Steve Husa is still out there and how his speedster made from the "prototype" or original "Armadillo speedster" came out . Would love to know, hope Steve is still alive and well and enjoying his car .

Life has been interesting the last few years" at age 60 I have a 7 year old, my 87 year old Mother is in a convelescent hospital going on year 4 with probable Lewy Body Disease, Dad at 87 just took a tumble backwards on the stairs and has 5 staples in his head , mind you it happened Saturday night as my boy was on round 2 of throwing up......fun times friends !!!!!!!!

I had thought I would have been back in the Philippines to visit the wifes family , we came back in 2018, but covid sure threw a wrench into that , alone with life in general. I imagine the 1922? Fordor on the island of Panay at the resort on display is slowly rusting away to nothing from the Philippines salt air and humidity , but one never knows .

Anyway , hope all are doing well.......

Dan

Glad to her from you! Glad to hear you are still kicking in spite of setbacks in health and family.
Happy to know you are still tinkering on your Armadillo. I hope to hear of local drives and longer trips being taken soon!

Hi Wayne! Glad to see you still here.... I just bought a Duffy and Beamer Brass Model T Carburetor from a member out of The Stan Howe estate auction, I'm hoping that it will run as good as the stock NH , kind of a nice memento to a member of this hobby who will be sorely missed. I sure feel that 2 plus years of my life has been stolen w the covid thing and my parents declining health ....it's a lot to deal with . Time was sure moving slow till my son was born in 2015 , can't believe he is 7 already : if we could only slow the clock down a little ! I kind of have a renewed interest in my car despite the fact that the only two times I took my boy for a ride on his 5th and 6th birthday we were literally almost hit by drivers on West cliff drive not paying attention and crossing the line....My wife and son have almost been hit 3 times crossing the street on the way to school, and it's less than a block away. I dont know what has happened to people and their driving habits the last few years ...I'm beginning to sound more and more like my dad ! After 20 plus years in the fire service I have this hyper vigilance ( well, lets call it was it is , ptsd) and my awarness of people's driving stupidity has continued to escalate ......

and on that note, as I like to say ,"Other than that Mrs. Kennedy, how did you enjoy the drive "......( sorry, dark firefighter humor) ....

You really have to be careful out there.
I have to be careful commenting about such things. I don't like most of what I see "out there" on future's horizon. Society teaches people to be stupid these days. Gold stars and a "good job" written at the top of a spelling test that fifty years ago would have gotten an "F" instead? And we have a whole generation now that doesn't know their there from they're. Government has taught people that they are not responsible for anything. Everything is someone else's responsibility. And then the more "safety" gadgets they put in cars, the less people pay attention to their driving!
But I still think model Ts are fun to drive, and important to be seen and heard. Just be very careful for your and your family's sake!

There are a lot of damned fools on the road, and a lot of telephone operators.

One of the "Telephone Operators" was one of two that almost hit us on West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz two years ago. And to boot, the "Driver" of that car was the same person who screams in and out of our Mobile home park dropping off two kids at a baby sitters house daily.....and I have screamed at her as she drove by at 25 mph in a 5 MPH zone w kids playing all over . I had the final say when I turned them into the management for her driving and the fact they were running an illegal business out of a residential mobile home that wasn't even theirs: they take care of a 97 year old blind woman there !!!!!!!!!!

I am a fairly tolerant , fair person , but as an ex firefighter who worked on the 280 corridor for 10 years in the San Francisco Bay area, I have no tolerance for blatantly stupid drivers !!!!