cazalea
[Seiko Moderator]
18033
Yes, interesting and strange people are my speciality
In a strange quirk of fate, Neal moved from his house across the alley to a mansion on the hill, as one does when he is scoring $10,000 a week in royalty checks. He built himself an observatory, complete with revolving dome. At that point in his inventing career, he stopped coming to the hardware store - he had technicians to do the fetching and carrying for him.
So for years, my father-in-law Phil never saw Neal. Things got better at the hardware store and he too bought a big house - a big, run-down, fixer-upper house on the hill. Being close to construction workers, plumbers, electricians and so forth, he was able to get them to put the house back together in exchange for credit and discounts. It's called the Ponderosa and is an old foreman's ranch house on what was formerly a Spanish land grant (back when the king of Spain ruled California, if you can believe that). House, barns, stables, greenhouse, etc.
Anyway, to make the long story worth its while, after a few weeks he wandered across the jumble of bushes and peered over the side yard fence - and much to his surprise there was Neal in the mansion next door, with the dome on the top. They were neighbors again, totally by accident!
Here's a faded photo of Neal's dome, standing up behind the crowd of people hovering around the edge of the new swimming pool Phil had just put in where a greenhouse used to be.
Why the crowd? It was my wedding reception, back in 1975.
The same scene, 40 years later, two days ago. We can't see the dome anymore because Phil built a pool house that blocks the view.
This message has been edited by cazalea on 2015-12-28 17:14:29
Time flies by -- or does it?
This Christmas I noticed a unfamiliar old item on the piano at my father-in-law's house. He's not much for saving old things, or for astronomical speculation. So there had to be a story behind this 1908 device... My sister-in-law revealed that it came out...
You seem to attract very interesting people, Mike :)
Either that or there is a natural cluster of them in your neck of the woods... While the planetarium is the star of the show, the story with the recording devices is truly amazing. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, interesting and strange people are my speciality
In a strange quirk of fate, Neal moved from his house across the alley to a mansion on the hill, as one does when he is scoring $10,000 a week in royalty checks. He built himself an observatory, complete with revolving dome. At that point in his inventing...
Happy wedding anniversary, Mike!
And what a story - how things happen is sometimes truly amazing
If your father-in-law fishes out a vintage Omega chronometer . . .
. . . from Neal's belongings, let him know I'll trade a pool cue for it.
