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Specwriter

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Everything posted by Specwriter

  1. Specwriter
    Seventy years ago we were promised (by Mechanix Illustrated perhaps) that we would all be traveling in flying cars by now. Can you imagine if that became true!? Those of you who have a pilots license (even a private, single engine, non-instrument rated one) can appreciate the difference between what that required and what getting a Class C drivers license requires. I've seen some pretty adept* private drone "pilots" lately but I also know many of them had a few mishaps (or more) before they became proficient. I wonder when it will get to the point that some sort of licensing to control a drone will be required. *Note my previous comment above.
  2. Specwriter
    The school spent $80 million for the property. A good part of that money must have come from tuition, etc. You can't expect people who cough up that kind of scratch for their children's tuition to park their Land Rovers on shell or even asphalt surfaces. Also, temporary may mean several years. There's nothing wrong with showing a little class if you can afford it.
  3. Specwriter
    No. I plead ignorance. Thanks for pointing out that feature though.
  4. Specwriter
    I remember the Dairy Queen on Airline across from Stovall Jr. High. I had my first "unofficial" date there. In eighth grade one of the cheerleaders, an adorable Dorothy Hamill look-alike, invited me to accompany her there after school for a parfait - her treat even. I guess I must have been kinda cute too. What happened?
  5. Specwriter
    Bound to be infrastructure issues and how efficient do you think those fifty year old floor-to-ceiling windows are? New or renovated condos (or apartments) at that price point without in-unit laundry facilities not to mention individual metering of utilities? I don't think so. All that said, I like the look of the original building and, if its "bones" are sufficiently sound it would be great to see it renovated.
  6. Specwriter
    Difficult to say from this distance. One may be a combined elevator pit.
  7. Specwriter
    The rendering shows a very attractive building that, IMO, will age well.
  8. Specwriter
    Perhaps it will be synthetic stucco! Then it can have a cornice and other moldings built up from Styrofoam [sarcasm as if you couldn't tell]. Honestly, my experience with tile (whether natural stone, terra cotta, or some other ceramic) on exterior vertical walls has convinced me that there is only one way to install it - the RIGHT WAY. This requires top notch accessories (usually stainless steel attachment hardware for example) and NO shortcuts. Actually stucco with some sensitivity to the location of expansion and control joints could compliment (and complement) the overall appearance of the building nicely.
  9. Specwriter
    +1 It seems there is enough going on in this area to warrant it having its own thread.
  10. Specwriter
    If it is going condo might not the current tenants be given the opportunity to buy in? It sounds like some extensive, and possibly lengthy, remodeling might be involved if not complete demolition.
  11. Specwriter
    About the same here, Michelle. Besides Roman Meal I had no idea there was anything other than white bread before I moved away from home. Imagine my amazement and delight to discover rye, pumpernickel, and challah.
  12. Specwriter
    My parents were big fans of Roman Meal. They were convinced it was "healthier" than white bread. It certainly stood up to chunky peanut butter better than the white bread of the day.
  13. Specwriter
    The fire was at an adjacent property. Thanks to everyone for the information and input. Whatever goes in I hope the medallion, now (or previously) located in the basement on the spot of home plate for the old Buffs stadium is preserved in some form.
  14. Specwriter
    I think your guess is a very good one, Purdue. In the past we've had contractors ask to tap contingency funds to put in temporary (gravel) drives so that their schedules wouldn't be so impacted by long stretches of rainy weather. I haven't see that problem much lately until the beginning of this year. Many contractors are now including it (temporary surfaces) as part of their overhead. When this brick is no longer needed it can be scraped up and, hopefully, put to some appropriate use instead of going to a landfill. Most demolition specifications are clear about what can be done with this type of waste. Usually, it is not a good idea to bury it on the site though some of the unscrupulous will do that to save transportation and disposal fees.
  15. Specwriter
    Yesterday about 9:15am I was driving north on the Gulf Freeway and noticed a motor coach parked under the canopy at the Finger's Furniture store. There were several pickup trucks nearby as well but nothing I could identify as belonging to a particular company or municipal entity. The fence is still up around the parking lot. Does anyone have information regarding what may be happening with this building? Talk about potential!
  16. Specwriter
    I agree Arne's is in jeopardy because of the increasing value of the land but wouldn't it be a pity to loose the place. Architecturally the building is a cipher but the stuff inside and the way it is piled in there is a hoot. I've bought everything from chew toys for my dog to Cinderella themed plates, napkins, and table decorations for my daughter's 4th birthday party to a 6 quart pressure cooker for my kitchen (for a fraction of the price at a department store, BTW) at Arne's. My wife just got a new dog and bought all kinds of accessories for the pooch there for half what they would have cost at P--co.
  17. Specwriter
    Somebody has a drone and uses it well. Thanks for the video, Urbannizer.
  18. Specwriter
    At the time, mid-1970s a scaled down rear-wheel drive platform was just cheaper to build. Even when the Vega and Pinto hit the market in the very early '70s there were a few European makes with FWD such as Mini, Citroen, and Simca which the American manufacturers could have cribbed. Of course GM did come out with FWD a few years later with the Citation, Phoenix, Omega, and Skylark quadruplets once they had "perfected" FWD cheapness. The emoticon signifies that my first brand new car was a 1980 Pontiac Phoenix coupe. It was a handsome looking car, rode well, and was fairly quiet for a small unibody vehicle but I had to replace 2 CV joints in the five years I owned it and have it repainted because the original paint faded so badly after only three years. Also, the plastic pieces of the interior faded to about 50 shades of red within that time. Other than the CV joints the car really gave me no serious trouble but I could see how GM had cut corners in its manufacture. At the time my fiancée was driving a 1975 Toyota Corona with the 20R engine. It was by no means "fancy" but the difference in ruggedness and reliability was obvious.
  19. Specwriter
    Nate, I know you were joking. The fact is that sort of thing appears all to often in press releases, advertising brochures, etc. these days. I agree the images look interesting. These may be really nice spaces. BTW, I have some owner's manuals for various household appliances and tools that were very poorly translated but are absolutely hilarious. I'm not saying I could do better and I don't mean to belittle the efforts of others but they do bring a smile to my face.
  20. Specwriter
    Give me a break. Is that crap supposed to appeal to an educated clientele? I agree with Texasota; it is (it's) hardly decipherable in the original, i.e. piss-poor English. Here is my translation: Authentically restored to is historical grandeur, it holds pride of place in the center of the hotel. I could be even less florid and replace the last phrase with: it is located in the center of the hotel.
  21. Specwriter
    What a difference a decade makes.
  22. Specwriter
    My father's 1978 Bonneville Brougham (o.k. not really an Eldorado or Mark V but as luxurious a mid-priced car that could be had in those days) had a digital clock but it was not an LED. It had drums that had numbers on them which rotated through a small window much like the speedometer on a mid '60's Riviera (or was it the Toronado?). The clock was in the center of the dash above the controls for the air conditioner. The car was in the family for about 11 years and the clock was still working when the car was sold.
  23. Specwriter
    Yea! Yea! and YEA!!! My parents also live near the McMahon/Landmark Chevrolet site. If for no other reason than it will lessen the run-off from those acres of paving I am glad to see it go. It was an awful eye-sore too. So a tractor and farm implement dealership is coming in its place. That is interesting. The smaller showroom building immediately next to the motel was originally Magnusson Volkswagen. The owner was a customer of my father's as was the owner of the Datsun (Nissan) dealership across I-45 near Canino.
  24. Specwriter
    Good point, UtterlyUrban. All of us who support this need to step up at whatever level we can. The great thing about grass-roots support is that philanthropies recognize it and add their support as well. The vice president for development at my alma mater repeatedly reminds the alumni that those numerous $50 and $100 dollar contributions are a major part of what influences foundations to make those $100,000 and $500,000 grants.
  25. Specwriter
    Thank you, Purpledevil. All this writing about beignets has caused me to need a fix too.
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