The Things I Get Into

2006-09-22T06:45:00.000-04:00

Where have I been lately you might ask! Well, DW and I have opened a specialty store in Bowie, MD. Check it out if you wish. http://www.antiquesoldtownbowie.com/.

That's where I've been.

This weekend is the Annual Fall Festival and Street Fest. We will be auctioning off some really awesome exterior sculpture. Have a super day.

2006-06-29T05:36:00.000-04:00

Remember when?

Way back on 2/8 I posted about Moms and Fluffy...... Well, the new kittens have been allowed to come to the porch, not by us, but Moms has brought them. 4 real cuties: Little Blackie, Halfzi, My Pet, and Tiny Wally.

Here is a picture taken by DW. Halfzi is the one all stretched out.

HOW DID WE GET INTO THIS ONE??????

2006-05-31T05:28:00.000-04:00

OH MY GOODNESS!

What have I gotten into now?

COOL!

This is a 1947, yes, almost 60 years old, Ford 3/4 ton Panel Truck. Gangster all the way.

This one is done and done right. Very neatly constructed, everything new inside. The body has no rust and the tires are good. Boy oh boy, look at those white walls.

I think the original truck had less than 100HP engine in it, well the new one has 385HP, big improvement.

This truck will be fun to drive around this summer, but it could be yours for the right price. It is FOR SALE. Yes that is right, FOR SALE. I am not dissappointed with it, I bought it to sell. I have done a few of the finishing touches and it is ready. Don't miss out on this one.

Mrs. Vandercogot - What do you think?

But truely I have to tell a story: I did this transaction on the sly, and have now promised I will not sneak home any more vehicles without telling DW. Let me tell you about how this truck came to MD.

Well, after coming to terms with the seller, I had to figure out how to get it home. It was in NY, just outside of Lake Placid and I didn't want to incur any more expenses, so maybe I should drive it home? Well, DW was going to go to TX to her nephew's graduation so I had to be at the airport to drop her off, well, why not get on a plane myself, I said. So arrangements were made and off I went. A 4-1/2 hour trip took 6-1/2 with weather delays. Got up there finally, looked it over, got in and drove back to MD. Then the next day drove my Dodge in a Bowieville parade. TIRED! OH! by the way, did I tell you that I didn't tell DW that I was doing this........ She was a little pissed, and rightfully so. I AM SORRY DW! IWON"T DO THAT AGAIN! LOVE YOU!

Well all is done now and this is what I got into. Everything is great and I am happy, she is forgiving me, I think, and the truck is great.

This is what I got into.

2006-05-17T05:19:00.000-04:00

Good bye Cadillac.....

Thanks for letting me drive you, but things just didn't work out. I bought you in Washington State, now back to Oldland, California for the new owner to take care of you. Thanks for the visit to Maryland. Good Luck!

2006-05-04T16:28:00.000-04:00

Sidewalk Done at Last!

Well everyone, the sidewalk is finished and the contractor is paid. We will probably have to call them back on some waranty work (a few sinking bricks), but all in all, we are happy. The 5 day project took 2 weeks. Lots of mess, lots of headaches, lost sleep and a bunch of extra work on our parts, but it is ours. We do have to now water the grass every day to get the seed and sod to grow. But we are just plain happy to be rid of the workers.

Check out the pics below and let me know what you think.

2006-04-18T05:10:00.000-04:00

RJ Sunday Landscaping is disappointing us!

In case you have been following this project, it really stinks. We have now completed the 5th scheduled work day (only 3 of which they have worked) and I feel as though the project is no closer being done than day 1.

The place has become a real construction site: dirt pile at the curb, stones in the road, a pallet of pavers near the front curb, 2 in the lawn, a pile of spilled sand on the stone driveway, trampled lanscaping, and the list goes on and on. Did I mention the fact that the inside of the house is a mess too? The dirt and dust are traveling throughout the house (old house - good air circulation). Something better happen good today....

The pavers that they put down on Monday don't even run straight! We thought that this was a professional company that knew what the heck they were doing? Is this just a bunch of guys that really should just be mowing lawns? What are we paying for anyway? VERY FRUSTRATING!!!!!!!

2006-04-15T13:06:00.000-04:00

1/2 Price Special?

Well, today is day 4 of the project. They didn't show up today either. 2 out of 4 days! Does that mean I get it for 1/2 price?

Oh well, here are your daily pics. CR6 base is down. Ready for sand? Where are the workers?

2006-04-14T05:12:00.000-04:00

Demo work takes longer.

So when the contractor comes by at 8am instead of 7:15 (supposed normal start time) the day is off to a bad start. He just had to do some final measuring and then his worker would be by around 10 or 10:30 to finish the demo and lay the CR6 base for the new pavers.

Well 10 came and went, then 11, 12, 1, 2 also did the same. So I called the office; they can't get him on the Nextel, they will call me back. 3, 4 came and went, I called back...... They don't know what happened to him and they don't even know what the schedule is for today (Friday) What a way to do buisness.... RJ Sunday Landscaping of Bowie has disappointed me. The pictures below are of what it looked like at the end of Wednesday and of course all day Thursday. Hopefully today will not be a repeat performance.

2006-04-13T04:40:00.000-04:00

Sidewalk Gets a Makeover after 98 years

After 98 years of being stepped on, run on, yes even skate boarded on, the sidewalk at 7th Street gets a makeover. Wednesday was the demo day. Only 1 worker showed up, so he hit, he dug, even jackhammered the heck out of the 100+/- feet of concrete sidewalk. He then loaded 2 large trucks full of debris .
I will keep you posted on the progress. The pictures will be 1 day behind real time. Hope you enjoy.

2006-04-10T03:49:00.000-04:00

The final pictures of that Cape Cod Kitchen.

Well here they are.... and boy what a beaty this one turned out to be. We had fun and the customer is thrilled. Thanks to all that helped on this one.

2006-04-10T03:22:00.000-04:00

What a beautiful Sunday for a Car Show.

The Straight Eights and the Mid-Atlantic Packard Club met at the Belair Mansion on 4/9. The sun was shining and so were the cars.
You can see 3 of the Schavis fleet here... the Cadillac is for sale, but no bites today.

We did have fun. Steven brought his Pontiac... He is so proud of that baby, as rightfully so, it is a beauty. He drove it out to Bowie, unsupervised and without an escort. I never asked him if there were any problems, but I assume no, since he made it there on time.

Thanks to him, this car show happened and I thank him for that. Hopefully we can do it again real soon

Many other beauties at the show... This one was the DW's favorite though. She liked the fine fins.

Well hope you enjoy this posting. If you know of anyone that wants or needs a 1949 Cadillac, mine is up for sale.... a cool $15K will seal the deal. Thanks.

2006-02-23T06:28:00.000-05:00

Our latest project - Levitt Cape Cod Kitchen Wait until you see what this place is goning to look like when Schavis is done.

2006-02-10T09:29:00.000-05:00

The other day I went to a salvage yard in Baltimore. They have a great selection of stuff. Alot of things that you have probably never seen. This is one of those items. I am sure that most people have seen a claw foot tub, but never a claw foot shower pan. Very interesting and I thought that I would share that with the world. Any questions, just let me know.

2006-02-08T16:27:00.000-05:00

Fluffy is another thing I have gotten into in the past few months. A cat showed up on our doorstep last Spring. We called her Moms, because she had some kittens outside. I don't know what happened to them, and I really don't want to dwell on that now. Well, this October or so, she again became mom and wanted food from us. I felt bad that she was feeding kittens and having to hunt for all food for the family. So I began feeding her behind my shop. Well it is now February.... She bangs on the back door usually 2 times a day. Bringing her 2 kittens Fluffy and Blacky. Today I got a good picture of Fluffy. Any one wanna give her a good home. We could probably trap her and have you come forth to get her. No life for a prettty cat like her outside.

2006-02-08T08:54:00.000-05:00

Well, those who know me, realize that if I am interested in something, I will explore it or try it. Tuesday was no exception - I went to a real estate auction in Baltimore with cashiers check for the deposit in hand. INTERESTING! This was the second of this type of auction I attended. It was for a semi-detatched row house in Druid Hill section of Baltimore. The location was about 2 blocks off a nicer section of town. The neighboring houses were for the most part board ups or burn outs. Next door were 6 vacant lots with litter, prescription bottles and other junk, but not too bad. The house was cool but needed alot of work. I did not buy it. The final selling price was over my limit. Oh well, just another thing I get into that I didn't. I am sure my wife is happy. Have a super day.

2006-01-29T18:20:00.000-05:00

My newest thing I get into is a 1949 Cadillac

Great looking interior!

My newest addition to the "fleet" is up for sale. It has been cleaned up, driven a few times, couple of missing parts replaced.

What do you think about the new, old 1949 Cadillac, Series 62, 4 door sedan? Love it or what? Want it your driveway? I can be yours.

2006-01-16T15:44:00.000-05:00

Well this is the first sharing of the things I get into with the outside world. My wife, MeMavis, loves the blogger thing and tells me it is fun and I should do it too.

The first posting here is about a cute little block house we purchased as an investment. (Rental Property). It did not need much work, and we got it for a good price. It did take us close to 4 months to rent it though. What fools we were to purchase it during the cold, winter, Christmas months. Who want to move then?

Well, today BUD moved in. He seems happy, and we are too. Hope he stays for a long time. We don't want to have to go through this again any time soon.

Hope you enjoy my blog. I might talk about old cars, construction projects, real estate, the cats, outside, or just stuff on ebay. No matter what it is, it will always be about "The Things I Get Into"