Brad, I hope you are archiving all the bios, because they are very interesting
and newcomers to the goup might want to check out the background of the folks
they meet here. And, it's amazing how many hobbies we have in common...Anyway,
here's mine, for what it's worth:
My first LBC was a 57 TR3, powder blue that I bought for $350 when I was in the
Navy stationed in Rhode Island. I bought it after destroying my 53 Mercury by
running into a fork lift on the base (but that's another story!). I drove that
car back and forth on the weekend to Rochester, NY when I was dating my now wife
of 30 years, a round trip of over 800 miles! The winters were especially hard,
unless it would snow, then the snow would pack all the leaks around the rag top
and make it quite pleasant. The car had a white primered valence that I never
did get around to painting. But it had wires and a wood steering wheel!
Anyway, got married upon discharge and went to work for Kodak as an electronics
tech and bought a brand new 69 MGB. Getting tired of the snow (I didn't ski
back then), I left Kodak to finish college in Texas (my home state). In 73,
sold the B and bought a BRG 62 TR3A (actually built in 60). Drove it to near
death and garaged it in 76 to concentrate on raising a family and such. About
three years ago, with the family grown and on their own, I pulled it out of moth
balls and started a two year restoration...spared nothing this time and quite
proud of the results.
I love LBCs, for some odd reason (see my top 10 list) and have owned several,
including my favorite, an 85 Jag XJ6 which my son now has since my wife wanted a
"dependable" car. Right now, I'm restoring a 78 Spitfire and my long term
project after the Spit will be a 57 TR3 that was originally my parts car, but
the body and frame are better than many of the restoration projects I've seen.
Lots of hobbies. What's that old saying about ...master of none?:
Windsurfing...was one of the first in West Texas to pick up that sport, back
when the original "Windsurfer" was the only brand available. Still at it on my
Mistral Diamond Head whenever the wind hits 15+ Knots, but I stick with flat
water now and have given up wave sailing to the younger bunch. But, still Hit
Corpus Cristi Bay occasionally and do some "chop hopping".
Snow Skiing....Haven't broken anything yet.
Photography...Did wedding photography with my Pentax 6X7 and Mamiya 635 years
ago. Now just for fun, mostly black and white using old-style papers and
chemistry.
Ham radio, though mostly inactive (WB5KWX), still a little 2 meters and
occasional 40 & 80.
Round, ballroom, and square dancing...gotta keep the little lady happy.
Seriously, round and ballroom is our most active and fun hobby and the most
challenging....leading and working in sync with a partner while remembering 100+
different steps to a dozen different rhythms is not for the faint of heart!
Guitar...my weakest hobby due to the fact I cannot carry a tune, but still enjoy
playing my vintage 65 Fender Mustang, and 12-string Ibanez.
Currently, I have worked for BJ Services, an oilfield pumping company, for 18
years and supervise a group of over 40 Electronics Techs throughout the US and
Canada. At the moment, most of my time is spent writing and presenting training
material and producing videos, and perform field audits to ensure standards and
practices are being followed. Obviously, lots of travel.
Being a somewhat mechanical duffer, this net has been invaluable in my
restoration projects and many tasks would simply not have been possible without
the help of fellow listers. Thanks and a tip of the driving cap to all of
you...
Richard Triplett
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