Alan Ishii: A Christmas Memory
Truman Capote was famous for his novel "In Cold Blood". But he wrote short stories, also...J.D. Salinger wrote "The Catcher in the Rye" (If you haven't read this book, order it on line and read it...). J.D. Salinger wrote many short stories but he's famous for "The Catcher in the Rye"....which, in the Hill Family quoteds daily....goddamn it.
Anyway, in the Truman Capote story, "A Christmas Memory" he (Truman) talks about sending Christmas Cookies to people they really didn't know, but he and his "FRIEND" considered them closer than neighbors...
Max McPeek lived in Grand Ledge, Michigan, and maybe still does. But Max always said, "When I go racing, I'm IMPORTANT in Grand Ledge." Well, when Alan Ishii said he never knew how many friends he had....or words to that effect....Truth is all my Boat Racer Friends were always like "FAMILY" to me....We were in this together.....My neighbors milked cows on Sunday and went to church...We boat raced....with OUR FRIENDS!!!!
Not seeing Alan Ishii for 25 years was like not seeing a brother for 25 years....
Thanks, Wayne for posting your "Autographs".....Your pictures are PRICELESS!
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Tim Butts and Charlie Strang
I took this from the pits with my telephoto. I could kick myself for not walking up their and getting some good shots of Charlie and Ann Strang together. That's Ann sitting in the chair. The guy to Charlie's left is Lee Hertz. He wrote the Region 6 column in Propeller for a number of years. The guy to the right of Lee looks familiar, but I can't recall the name.
Donald Duck motor..........
Here is a scarey thing...........I remember that motor and Walt did call it the Donald Duck motor because of the 'DD' stamped in the block. He worked on that one in the evenings after dinner because he wanted to take his time and make sure it was right. Funny.........I think I remember him cutting one piston too small and had to do another in its place. I can hear Walt going off now............as I have heard it many times before. He was another that they broke the mold after ha came along. There was only one like him.
I also remember sitting in the shop one night during the time I was on the road playing music and had some time off. Walt started griping about something and while he was in the middle of it all, I wrote a country/swing song called "Uncle Walt's Blues". My partner Glenn and I used that one until I retired in 1978 all through Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee. Everyone liked it so it got played alot. I think the last time we did it was at the 'Broken Spoke Saloon" in Nashville.