The Auburn had a short life....

Auburn 1933 Salon Phaeton Convertible

Firelight, over at The Keeping Room, posed the question recently about which car King Arthur would likely own. The answer was an Excalibur! I have always loved classic cars; there's so much to love; the smell, the shine, the detail and the sound and feel of the leather when you sink into it.

My father worked for a company that was detailing a Rolls Royce for Queen Elizabeth's visit to Victoria in 1954. Mother and I were visiting him one day and his boss said, "Go on, jump in!". I remember Mum saying, "Ooh, do you think we should?" but in we piled and ever since I then I realised that there were things that just 'weren't the done thing'.

Auburn 1936 Boattail Speedster

Auburn 851 Speedster 1935

The first Auburn automobile was produced in 1900 but production ceased in 1936. The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum in Northeast Indiana opened it's doors in 1974 in the old Auburn manufacturing plant. As the website states, it is "filled with over 120 automobiles and related artifacts. It also contains a wealth of historic information pertaining to Auburn automobile Company, Duesenberg, Inc., Cord Corporation, Auburn Automobiles, Cord Automobiles, Duesenberg Automobiles, Auburn Automobile Company executives and on and on."

Auburn 852 1936 Cabriolet RH-drive

Auburn 851 1935

Auburn 851 Speedster 1935

Auburn V12 1932 Boattail Speedster

The museum also has an exhibition until April 2010 of reproductions of architect Frank Lloyd Wright's drawings (the originals now part of the FLW archives in Taliesin, Arizona). Also included are two cars he owned in the 50s, a 1929 Cord L29 Cabriolet and a 1952 Crosley Super Roadster.

Lemon tree, very pretty.....

I learnt something new today (don't we keep learning!) and that is if you feed citrus while they're in flower, you'll get plenty of flowers but little fruit! What are your thoughts? I'll keep this in mind when throwing the citrus food around.

Sunrise this morning...

While the mountain rains....

A Norwegian Fjord by Moonlight
Knud (Andraessen) Baade 1808-1879

You ask me when I'm coming, I do not know
It's Autumn and the night rain
has drenched the mountain pool.
When can we trim wicks again by the window?
When can we talk all night
while the mountain rains?

Night-rain letter north
Li Shang Yin c.813-858
translation: Francis Chin

He looks as bad as I feel.......

The Old Gardener - Emile Claus 1849-1924

...when your back stops aching and your

hands begin to harden,

you will find yourself a partner

in the Glory of the Garden.

from a Rudyard Kipling poem

I've resorted to this....

The ultimate blogger's companion

DMJ's in New Zealand this week fishing for the 'bigguns'. That left the mowing, weeding, digging, mulching, pruning and back-ache to 'muggins'. When I wasn't doing that, I got into the cupboards inside and found this little treasure. Why didn't I think of it before?! Because it was long forgotten, just like most of the junk we never look at - next job; it's going! But not this little beauty; I set it on Auto for 15 minutes or longer and when I get up, I float across the floor in an upright position!!! Thankyou, daughter, for the Father's Day present a few years back, now Mother's!

National Parks

Pronghorn Antelope (Atilocapra americana)

Yesterday I watched three remarkable episodes of a BBC production, "Yellowstone". I was in awe all the way through. The camera work was fantastic capturing the wildlife and their habits and the scenery; breathtaking! I'd never heard of the Pronghorn Antelope, or Prong Buck, nor the Pika, a cousin of the rabbit. The Pronghorn is said to be the fastest land mammal in the world, second only to the cheetah. I loved learning about the bison and the grizzly bears and the way the mothers cared for their young but my favourite was the otter.

American Pika (Ochotona princeps)

Another program that started this week is The National Parks: America's Best Idea. I've watched one episode and look forward to the rest.