Coming Home for Easter

 

The tree-shaded cul-de-sac looked familiar with neatly manicured lawns boasting the first blooms of Spring. I pulled into the driveway and turned to park under the porte-cochere. They didn’t notice my arrival, and so I parked and walked around the corner of the house. My parents stood at the doorway of their beloved greenhouse, hand in hand, observing the promises of a new growing season.

Mom’s walker was standing sentinel on the footbridge that provided access to the greenhouse—a kit structure Dad had purchased a few years earlier. It held all manner of exotic and not-so-exotic plants, the names of which I couldn’t begin to recount. But my parents knew them all by name, and my mother was gifted with the ability to coax to life anything with chlorophyll. My father complemented her skills with his undying discipline and precision in caring for the assortment. The result was a 10 x 15 oasis that harbored all manner of organisms of flora and fauna, the proof of which was an explosion of colors and new growth this early in the season.

And so they stood holding hands, my father leaning into the doorway, my mother pointing at something just beyond—a snapshot of how their time together has been for the past 69-years of their 93-year existence.

I had driven up to retrieve them for the long Easter weekend. Mom no longer drove, and Dad had finally accepted, begrudgingly, that the three-hour drive over the rivers and through the woods back to our house was a bit too much for the comfort level of his children. Never mind the fact he was nearly deaf in one ear. He was still confident in his abilities to drive, especially with a newer car “that practically drives itself,” he proudly proclaimed at his last checkup. Yet, he still insisted on driving a nearly ancient pickup truck that definitely did not drive itself.

The Easter weekend here provided my parents with a chance to see more of the family, including a recently engaged granddaughter and her fiancé, and a still somewhat shy great-grandson. Their visit, however, was too short, and the return trip home seemed to fly by. Dad commented that he noticed a lot of changes in the scenery along the way—probably a side benefit of not having to drive!

On my next visit, we’ll pull all of the plants out of the greenhouse and arrange them around the backyard, under a gazebo, and along a flagstone patio Dad laid by hand years ago. And they will sit under that gazebo and admire their handiwork and each other.

Automotive Reporter/Biz News for Wk of 6-8-15

It’s Tuesday.
I usually publish on Monday’s, but ‘tis the season for graduations and grand parties, and to be honest, there was no time for blog posts over the weekend. My niece was feted at our home by her aunts in celebration of her high school graduation. Sounds simple enough, but there was much preparation required in the past week to be ready for that event.

The Birthday Boy: Gerald Clanton

My father, Gerald Clanton, turned 86 on Thursday, and we managed to stretch that celebration all the way through Sunday, as is the custom in our family. My wife’s birthday has been elevated over the years to a month-long jubilee. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

If I possessed boundless resources, I would have purchased my Dad one of these: A retro version of the current Mazda MX-5 NC as rendered by Mitsuoka Coachbuilders in Japan. 

The company is actually going to produce and market these automobiles later this Summer in the UK, but has no plans to bring them to the US. Starting sticker price: $82,000.

What goes zoom-zoom, only louder, and creates about 102-hp per liter of displacement?
It’s not a trick question. 

Ford is building an all new 5.2-liter V-8 for its Shelby GT 350 Mustang, featuring some pretty impressive engineering. Ford says it’s the most powerful naturally-aspirated road-going V-8 in the company’s history.

Here are the specs: 526-hp, 429-ft/lb of torque, and a redline of 8,250 rpm.
How do they do that?
 

The engine uses a “flat crankshaft” to trim weight and allow for higher rpm’s.
Predictably, the new engine will generate a little more vibration—and a lovely V-8 sound, but Ford’s techies have also effectively dampened the effects of that flat crank to minimize the noise and shaking.

Summertime is traditionally the time for automakers to curtail production from diminished demand, but that’s not happening this year. In fact, Ford Motor Company is shortening its usual, two week summer shut down to just one week, effectively adding capacity to meet demand for its most popular trucks and SUV’s. 

Ford estimates that will increase its production by about 40,000 units.

Ford F-150 pickups are selling in an average of 20-days on dealer lots. The new-edition Ford Edge’s are turning in an average of 10-days.

The automobile design industry is going to the dogs. Literally.
Subaru is partnering with the Center for Pet Safety to continue its pet safety and crash testing program. 

Subaru says 56% of American’s travel with their pets, many of them sitting on our laps. You wouldn’t let your two year old do that—so why endanger your pet?

The company is also engaging MGA Research Corporation to help with the testing of crash harnesses for dogs. The companies will use crash test doggie dummies. 

What’s it like?
Watch this video.

 

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Fathers' Day Salute to My Dad

One of my earliest memories of my father is as a high school band director, standing on a riser at Grob Stadium, at what was then Spring Branch High School, a real-life leader of the band.

The Leader of the Band: Gerald Clanton

As a small child, I got to ride on the Band Bus to all the football games, and sit on the bleachers in front of the band--feeling the pulse of the drum section, and drinking-in the richness of that big, brass and woodwind sound.

Dad also took me to symphony concerts when Jones Hall was still new.

Dad's life was music then...and now, at age-83...as he continues to teach young students how to blow their first notes on a horn, or to tweak their embouchure for the best tonality. The gift of music was also passed to me, and whether it's a drum corps, a marching band or a symphony orchestra...I think of my Dad, and thank him for his influence, and providing me with a sweet soundtrack for my life.

Happy Father's Day, Dad.