I'm giving this page a bump to the top of the list because I'll be visiting the author next month for the last time, and thought that it might bear some current attention

Sharkey's Book Review of... Mad as the Mist and Snow by Johan Mathiesen Published in 2012 by Ashland Creek Press ISBN: 978-0-979647-5-0

 

This is the first book review I've done in a while. The book itself doesn't really have a lot to do with the subjects presented on this web site, but the author is an old friend from the commune days, and he's now found himself a niche in the publishing world.

Aw... Don't get excited, it's just the beginning of another new month.

Two of the most popular downloads this site has featured are once again available, and just a click away:

The Bendix Air Brake Handbook is an invaluable resource for servicing and repairing legacy truck and bus air brake systems. Sixty-seven pages of descriptions, specifications and images to describe all aspects of air braking systems.

Opening conversation between my barely-fourteen-year-old girlfriend and then-seventeen-year-old me upon picking her up in my car for a ride to school:

Ronette: Hi.
Me: Hi.
Ronette: Guess what?
Me: I dunno, what?
Ronette: I'm pregnant!

The Hydroscreen arrived in good condition along with some additional pieces that I ordered to facilitate the installation, so my focus turned to designing and building a frame to mount the water collection equipment on the steep rock face up the hill.

The last we heard of Greg's 1951 White bus, it was nestled along side his home in Eugene, serving as a guest house, and bug-out shelter from the stresses of family life.

Unfortunately, this entry comes to you in the form of an obituary.

It is with regret that I write to inform you of the passing of friend and fellow housetrucker Roger D. Beck, author of Some Turtles Have Nice Shells.

One recent Fall day, I was doing plumbing down at the old milk barn by the bridge, connecting the pipes coming down the hill to my hydro generator.

I was working on the south side of the building, where the cream separator had been up until 2013, when I took it to the recycle yard. There is a lot of debris in the ground around this building, broken glass, rusted metal, plastic scraps, etc. I had been stomping around in my boots in the wet soil, connecting pipes when I spotted what I thought was a bottle cap. I picked it up to dispose of it, but realized immediately that it wasn't a bottle cap at all, but the cover from a brass locket, something that would hold a photo and perhaps lock of hair or a memento from a loved one.

While combing through files during the uploading of the new site, I came upon some interesting things that I don't think I've posted before, at least not here. One of these interesting artifacts involved the Twelve Tribes Peacemaker and Peacemaker II bus conversions used as outreach centers at various events and concerts.