It's Back!

Cad, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Rumors of the old rusty Cadillac's demise were premature. It seems that the owner hooked it up to a tractor and pulled it around to the back of the barn, to facilitate the harvest season. It's now parked back out front, in almost the same spot as before.

Incidentally, it seems that in the meantime the owner has painted some greyish-blue primer onto some of the rustier spots, particularly on the hood and roof. So....is the restoration finally starting?

Pillsbury A-Mill

Pillsbury A Mill, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

The former Pillsbury A-Mill, along St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Built in 1881, the A-Mill was at one time the largest flour mill in the world and also ran two of the largest direct drive water wheels, at 1200 horsepower each. Built with load bearing stone walls with internal wood bracing, the A-Mill is six stories, with each floor originally having a specific use. Due to the vibrations of the milling machines, in 1905 the building was partially rebuilt and fortified, and the walls still bow out noticeably at the top. Unlike a lot of other older flour mills, the A-Mill never had a fire, and still retains it's original wood framing (and an excellent neon sign atop the silos).

Production finally ceased at the A-Mill in 2003, and the building has been empty ever since. Plans are currently afoot to turn the complex into lofts and studio spaces, while retaining the historic exterior of the mill.

Truck

Truck, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

We've visited these old relics a few times, but here's another view.

Farm Fresh

Loft, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

A vintage powered lawn mower. I have no idea how old it is, or who made it, or what kind of engine is on it. All's I know is that it's in one of the upstairs stalls in my great-uncle's barn. Which totally sounds like I'm making it up, but it's true!

Tastee-Freez

Tastee-Freez-North Aurora, IL, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Founded in the 1950's, Tastee-Freez originally focused just on ice cream products, but as the chain expanded so did the menu, moving into fast food items as well as the traditional cones and shakes. The chain eventually grew to over a thousand locations by the end of the 50's. Fewer than fifty are still around today.

This one was in North Aurora, Illinois, and was undergoing renovation when I shot this in 2009. The building was completely re-done, but I don't know if the restaurant actually opened up again-I never actually saw anyone inside it. The building's closed up again, and this sign, which was from the sixties, disappeared sometime in July or August 2012.

Hidden

Faded, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

One thing that never ceases to surprise me when I'm out driving around is what's hiding behind the trees. For instance, I was driving through a small town in Illinois, and stopped to look at an eclectic collection of tractors parked in front of an old garage. The neighbors said it was okay if I looked around, and as I went around the side of this building, I saw a couple of old trucks. And two more. Then about four more. Plus some more tractors. And an old Oldsmobile. And a few sixties Cub Cadets. And other stuff I can't even remember. Anyway, other than those initial implements, this whole thing was hidden from the road by a line of trees.

I've visited this site a few times now, and it always throws up something new, hidden in that shady grove.

Faux Retro

Fading Glory, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

It's that Cadillac again. I pass it fairly frequently when I'm out in the countryside, and I often stop and shoot a couple of frames, just for kicks. This despite having literally hundreds of different photos of it, taken over the last couple of years. I like to use it to test out new toys or techniques, but also, I've learned that you never know when something you like will disappear. So shoot it when you see it.

Transit

Transit, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Faded Waukegan & North Chicago Transit logo, on the side of a derelict ACF bus, which is parked out back behind one of the buildings at the Illinois Railway Museum.

Also, it looks like Rebecca was here.

Kicks, etc.

Kicks, etc., a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Originally a two-lane road, Route 66 needed some upgrades by the mid fifties, as America's newfound mobility meant more and more people were traveling by car for that family vacation. This was done by simply paving two more lanes parallel to the existing road, separated by a grassy median-hey presto, two new lanes!

As we all know, eventually Route 66 was superseded by the new interstate system, the paved superslab being better suited to higher traffic levels and higher speeds as well. In most places, old Route 66 reverted to two lanes, usually the newer two, and the old pavement was left to sit, or removed altogether.

In a lot of places you can still see these original stretches of road, parallel to the current alignment, cracked and crumbling, weeds growing through the gaps, markings faded. This one's in Illinois, just outside the town of Dwight.

Ran When Parked

Ran When Parked, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

"Ran when parked" is one of those classic things you read in old car want ads, usually for some old crock that's been sitting under a tarp in someone's back yard for 27 years. It almost always means "won't run now", along with "brakes seized solid" and "squirrels have been storing acorns in the exhaust system".

Anyway, I thought of that phrase when I found this old Schwinn parked in front of one of the warehouses at the former Green River ordnance factory. It looked in pretty good shape, but it had certainly been sitting a while. The headlight was rusty, the chrome peeling, the tires flat.

Fading Glory

Fading Glory, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

TtV Tuesday!

Six Taillights

Six Taillights, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Originally introduced in 1958, the Impala was Chevrolet's new top-of-the line model, positioned above the now famous Bel Air. Six small taillights were a styling hallmark of the model, carried through to the model's end in the 70's.

This one's a '60.

Fading Glory

Fading Glory, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

I forget which Duaflex I used on this-the 4 maybe? Both of them have great viewfinders-very bright.

Biscayne

Biscayne, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Hey! The Biscayne's back! Taken with the Lensbaby.

Biscayne

Biscayne, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Introduced in 1958, the Biscayne was an entry level version of Chevrolet's full-sized line of cars, coming in under the more upscale Bel-Air. As such, the Biscayne had fewer chrome gewgaws outside, and fewer optional convenience items and vinyl trim on the inside.

This didn't mean that it was a less desirable car, though. The Biscayne's simpler trim changed the look of the car, and better yet you could get it with any engine option-from a straight six grocery getter to the 348 V-8 mill with a four-speed, creating a nice drag car in the process.

This Biscayne is a '58, and had been hot rodded a bit at some point.

Cad Nebula

Cad Nebula, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

I seem to have found several old Cadillacs through the years, or they have found me. This is a '62-ish sedan.

I thought the rust spot around the logo looked like a bit nebula-esque. The title was a tossup between this and "The Pillars of Cadillac", which wouldn't make sense if you didn't know about the "Pillars of Creation".

Mossy Glory

Mossy Glory, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

I don't think I've ever seen that much moss and crud caked on a vehicle that wasn't in a jungle somewhere. This one's covered-I don't think there's a panel that is completely free of it.

This truck's pretty much toast-but it pleases me to note that the shiny badges and headlights seem good as new.

Hydra-Matic

Hydra-Matic, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Long retired, this Oldsmobile is still complete, parked in a corner of a farm. It's one of several vintage vehicles parked here, most likely left when they broke down or simply outlived their usefulness.

This car is interesting as it's a '41, and one of the first Series 60 models, which began Olds' tradition of cars with numbers for names. This one's a sedan, with it's distinct fastback body shape, and has the Hydra-Matic automatic transmission, the first fully automatic transmission in a mass-produced automobile.

Swift

Swift, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

A vintage refrigerated rail car, once owned by the Swift company.

Viking

Chevrolet, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

A vintage Chevrolet Viking truck. Like most everything in this yard, parked for unknown reasons and left to go to ground.