Friday, May 15, 2009

Becca's 13th Birthday Party

Becca's birthday party was a huge surprise for her. She went with Carmen to pick up the birthday cake for her sleep over that she had planned for a few friends on Saturday night.

This faux sleepover was carefully approved by Mom and followed by lots of phone calls to make sure that each girl knew that it was not going to happen but there was indeed a party and sleepover on Friday.

Becca came home and headed for the basement to talk to Grandpa and me. When I noticed that she had a couple of movies in her hand, I asked her if she was going to start them now. She told me that we had to wait until her sleepover on Saturday. Several girls behind a counter and under the pool table did not make a peep as Becca expressed her disappointment in me for not remembering that she had a birthday coming up and a sleepover.

Of course, Jackie had games for the party.

The girls liked the games in the back yard, and the neighbors like the scavenger hunt as the girls could only collect one item per house. Somehow, the word got out that Dave Bond had potatoes.

This party was not comparable to Adam or Carmen's 13th birthday parties in one very specific characteristic: V-O-L-U-M-E-! It might be a while until my ears recover.

Green Revolution Hits Wakarusa

The mayors of Wakarusa and Nappanee have announced plans for EMC to build electric motors in Wakarusa. Nice Job, cousin Larry. Somehow, I bet that Richard Pletcher and Larry Andrews contributed to this.

Elkhart Truth: Hybrid vehicle venture energizes two towns

Electric Motors Corporation

Why Northern Indiana just might be the perfect place to make electric transportation a reality by re-introducing Henry Ford to Thomas Edison:
  1. Labor availability (Absence of RV jobs)
  2. Empty Manufacturing Facilities
  3. Skills match for low volume craftmanship
  4. Slower pace: Horseless Buggy might work!
  5. Astronaut-Farmer connection
    • Purdue University Engineering
    • Small farm business sustainability tenacity
    • Local supply of Ethanol
  6. History of Studebaker
  7. Recent sting from Hummer
  8. Indiana was willing to reduce corporate tax burden for the venture


Here is a Larry Thompson's first cousin (my father) riding a different kind of horseless buggy.

From Aunt Helen's Photo Album