An Arkies Musings

My An Arkie's Faith column from the January 31, 2024, issue of The Polk County Pulse. The 318 V/8 engine roared to life for the first time in over eight years. The putrid smell of old gas overwhelmed me as the engine raced. It was satisfying to hear the engine running even though there was still a lot of work to be done on the 1940 Chrysler New Yorker Convertible. Ten years ago, my Daddy purchased the Chrysler New Yorker. It was not running, there was no convertible top, and the interior was terrible, but something about the car intrigued him. The body was decent, and the car was rare. In 1940, Chrysler built fewer than 1000 of these elegant New Yorker convertibles. After purchasing the car, Daddy took it to his friend Roger, who installed a 318 V/8 engine, automatic transmission, and new modern dash instrumentation. When he received the car back from Roger, he could drive it, but there was still a lot of work to be done.   I have a video of the car in this rough but running condi...

My An Arkie's Faith column from the January 24, 2024, issue of The Polk County Pulse. The wheels of the airliner touched down on the runway at Portland International Airport. The flight from Dallas had been uneventful, but I was happy to leave my cramped seat and stretch my legs. After collecting our luggage, we called family members waiting at the designated cell phone lot. Within a few minutes, we were picked up and on our way to Red Robin for lunch. After lunch, we headed out on the highway for Long Beach, Washington, where we would spend the next few days. I rode with my nephew in the Ford Escape that my brother-in-law lent me so I didn’t have to rent a car. We crossed the Columbia River and were driving on Interstate 5 when the dash of the Escape showed a battery warning light. What were we going to do? If the battery wasn’t charging, we could not reach our destination.  We alerted other family members headed to Long Beach of our predicament and then started looking for the ne...

My An Arkie's Faith column from the January 17, 2024, issue of The Polk County Pulse. Every year in January, my wife's family meets somewhere on the Pacific Coast for a family reunion. This year, we are staying in Long Beach, Washington. There are family here from Washington, Oregon, Colorado, and Arkansas. Whenever I am on vacation, I am the first one up. I love the quiet of the early morning and love to go exploring. The sun is still below the horizon as I walk on the beach, listening to the sound of the waves. The moon is full and hanging low on the horizon to the west. The white-silver light of the moon transforms the beach, giving the morning a magical, otherworldly feel. As each wave rolls in from the Pacific Ocean, it rushes over the flat, hard-packed sand of Long Beach. As the water retreats to the ocean, it leaves a glossy mirror-like finish. The soft, glimmering moonlight momentarily shone on the mirrored beach, leaving a pale silver trail. The mirrored finish of the ...

My An Arkie's Faith column from the January 10, 2024, issue of The Polk County Pulse. It was a cold December day in 1954 as the young couple headed north out of Tennessee on their way to Michigan. The 1949 Frazer Manhattan drove smoothly down the highway as snow started falling. Bob was proud of the Frazer he had bought and rebuilt for this trip.  He spotted the 1949 Frazer Manhattan behind a gas station in Nashville, Tennessee, while attending college in nearby Madison, Tennessee. The Frazer had been sideswiped, and the front bumper bent, but it was only five years old, very nice, and only 100 dollars.  The Frazer had belonged to Rod Brassfield, who performed as a comedian at The Grand Ole Opry. Rod had wrecked the Frazier, and it had been totaled. Though he was only eighteen, Bob purchased the wrecked car and rebuilt it with parts he found at a local wrecking yard. With some bodywork and some Bondo, a relatively new product at the time, along with a gallon of blue paint, it ...

My An Arkie's Faith column from the January 3, 2024, issue of The Polk County Pulse. The new year of 2016 brought a significant change to my life. In December of 2015, I had been asked if I would be willing to write a newspaper column starting with the new year. I was flattered and said yes immediately, and An Arkie’s Faith was born. I had no idea what it would be like to have a deadline and try to develop a topic every week. But for the last eight years, I have continued to write an article for An Arkie’s Faith.   The year 2024 will be my ninth year writing for local newspapers. I appreciate everyone who reads my column, especially those who let me know they have enjoyed a particular article. I thought my readers might like to read the first ever An Arkie’s Faith column published on January 7, 2016. The beginning of a new year is when many people start new things. This year, I’m starting something new: a weekly newspaper column.  Let me introduce myself. I have been a lo...