We are going to run a story this morning that has nothing to do with the extraordinary political circus in progress. It has more to do with some extraordinary people and activities in one of our two favorite non-resident states. That means no dis-respect to the places we lived in, which includes Florida, Michigan, Colorado, Utah, Hawaii, Virginia and California.

The ones we loved while passing through, mostly on motor vehicles, includes all the rest, but two are worth note: Wyoming and Indiana. We have a member of the Writer’s Section who wanted to marry someone from the Cowboy State, and we still have friends out in the wild and scenic Cowboy State. Indiana is the other one and it was a little easier to get to from Michigan, where the Chairman’s Dad retired.

He was an industrial artist. We still have some of his original works on the walls at Big Pink. There are other specimens still rolling around, and that is why Indiana is special this weekend. Here is a sample:

Those were some of the dreams. He drew them in the 1950s, with a future he thought was coming. Cars on rails like supersonic locomotives. Electric cars driven by women, and some fancy roll-around models from which actual designs emerged.

The Chairman says It was an annual thrill to see the show when his Dad was still alive and able to attend himself.

These are the great people and their parts of the passion yesterday. Bill was not only an artist in steel, he was a Navy pilot. TV game show host Bob Barker lived a little longer, having passed away this weekend at age 99. Despite his notoriety from 35 years as host of The Price is Right on TV, he was proud of his time in a Navy cockpit. Accordingly, the autos of the American Motors company are lined up on a Grumman F-11 F-1 fighter once used by the Sea Service flight demonstration team.

Next year we intend to send a delegation to the show and say “Hi!” to the great people of Indiana, or at least the ones who are still driving Ramblers!

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