Steve - I don't recall ever seeing the monkey riding in the car, but if I do i'll certainly post it.
jeff
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Steve - I don't recall ever seeing the monkey riding in the car, but if I do i'll certainly post it.
jeff
Jeff - Try this site - Steve
http://www.timflock.com/
Steve, that labeled photo was just too hard for me to read, I tried to duplicate it, but a few of your labels are missing:o
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/d...d/lkxXcopy.jpg
Awesome stuff guys, very cool :cool:
Transomstand,
What a great blowup of the Lake X facility. What I wouldn't have given for a room in that motel. What I wouldn't have given for a job driving boats there. I'm enjoying this bigtime. A book of this stuff would be great so that it isn't forgotten.
Gary
Nice work Transomstand!
Not sure if Steve had this labeled or not, but to me, one of the more interesting overlooked buildings was the power plant located just above the fuel dock. Maybe someone knows a rough date when electricy was brought in.
jeff
Transomstand - Thank you. I just don't know how to put the large pictures up with the 100K limit. Mucho Gracias Senor - Steve
Steve, you put them up large by hosting them elsewhere (such as www.photobucket.com or www.tinypic.com) and linking them in using the icon that looks like the sun over the mountains or the link provided on hosting site.
Also see this thread:http://forums.screamandfly.com/forum...d.php?t=144623
Sam - Thank you. I will try that in the near future. As Always, Best Regards - Steve Sirois
I didn't work at the Lake until the 1990's when my position in Florida with Mercury involved working with numerous boat companies and having access to the Lake was a real blessing. Spent a night or three in the motel when a room was open, and we solved most of the world's problems sitting on the seawall drinking beverages after hours - the quiet was so loud it could keep you awake. Just driving the lake and thinking about what had happened there over the years was mind boggling. It's all history now - will never be another -
think somebody ought to get in touch with Kevin Desmond, He's a bit of a powerboating archeologist and has written a couple of worthwhile books on the subject.
Will need finance of somesort. But he's a guy who will chase a story until he has it right, then condense it and shove it into a reasonable sort of order and publish the same. The Lake X Files could be saved for posterity . I have his number if anyone out there thinks it's worthwhile.
I have all of Kevin's books. They are good, but I do not hold him in the same regard. If you like, I can send you a few pages of corrections to any of them, the number of errors isn't as bad as the types of the errors. They usually show that he just did not understand what he was writing about.
His last book was published in a hurry with more errors than usual because he thought I was about to publish a similar book.
gotta agree with you Sam. Kevin only prints what he's told, and then he only gets it 75 percent right, but he means well !!!!!!!! Surely 'tis better to have something that's half right ,than nothing at all. Let's face it ,there ain't too many history books on powerboats unless the likes of you and me , and yes, Kevin write it. We could always keep him on the straight and narrow, and he's actually quite a nice human being. Let's say he's reasonably well informed -----but not knowledgeable . Hows that suit you.
Do enjoy these threads, even if the likes of Willabee do hibernate for indefinite periods in a sulk ?
Good Morning,
This week i'll post some construction shots. Some may be a bit challenging to figure out the orientation - which direction the image is facing.
jeff
I'd say he's more than "reasonably well informed"; just don't take every page to be 100% correct, much more than 75% correct, maybe more like 90%.
I am not sure what the future bears for printed books. It is very hard to find a publisher willing to pay for a book on a specialty subject unless, like Kevin, you have previously written a book on that subject. So, Kevin is in the very exclusive club with the likes of guys such as Peter Hunn, who have written books on our favorite subject. That factor does make him the top contender to get a book published; but do people still buy books?
If you look at Kevin's last book carefully you will see that it appears to have been written and proof read in French and then translated into English. Some places the text suffers because of this. I would have rather waited another year for the book to be better researched ... and fatter! We probably have 10 times as much info here on Screamandfly than can be put in any book. A thick book like John Crouse's Searace would be great.
If I had tried to write a book 10 years ago, nearly half of what I would have written would have been wrong. I like to think that I am down to one error in every 40 or 50 things I think I know about outboard racing at this point.
OK - maybe the construction shots are too boring. How about a NASCAR shot? Here are the drivers in their uniforms getting some words from the boss on the beach at Daytona.
jeff
Hey, Jeff, since the collection includes a lot of stuff away from the lake, why not start its own thread? You could call it something like "Pics from the Merc Archives" or something like that. :):):)
To me, even the construction photos are interesting!
Jeff - It took me minute to figure orientation....But...This shot is looking into entrance of original slip. Motel would be to the left just out of picture. You can see the canopy over monorail behind forklift driver (Wayne Meyer?) - Steve SiroisQuote:
Originally Posted by digital_jeff
Jeff - Stock car days pic is going to take me awhile and some research to name the drivers....perhaps you have that info.Quote:
Originally Posted by digital_jeff
ALSO - This thread has LIFE and READERS. As much as I respect Sam (and it is huge), I hope you stay on this thread. - Steve :rolleyes:
OH, and by the way, I too like the construction shots - Steve
Hi Steve,
I see it now. Did they leave an earthen dam at the entrance so the water could be pumped out to pour the cement wall?
Hi Mark75H,
I'll just go back to posting Lake X related stuff.
jeff
I never meant for Jeff to stop putting pictures on this thread, I meant to also do another thread, if possible. I think both ideas deserve life of their own. As the Stock car picture shows, there is a lot of stuff in the archives outside the gates, too.
Sam - I concur. - SteveQuote:
Originally Posted by digital_jeff
Jeff - I was not there until 3 years after that 1959 photo was taken. If you look closely, you can see a twin outboard (white motors) in the background. That leads me to believe that the slip was still navigable. Also, it looks like some sort of raft with a tube float directly behind the guys standing in the mud. I am thinking that it was only the small area where they are standing that was above water and you could still get in and out of the slip. The shop with canopied monorail was already there and the boat is in the water. It is likely that the boat was in the water because you could get out of the slip and into the lake. Also, as I remember it, the old slip only had a concrete seawall along the side that was adjacent to the shop. The rest of the seawall was vertical wooden planks with interspersed vertical wooden posts. Several posts ago, someone asked about the electric power house just behond the fuel dock. There may have been an electic room in that building, but it also was a laundry and mail room. The maids (Rachel) that took care of the trailers also operated out of that building - Steve
http://i36.tinypic.com/2r5yp2t.jpg
This photo taken at the fish camp just outside of the Siesta Key Test Station. My test to see if I can post larger pics - Steve Sirois
http://i35.tinypic.com/28j8ur.jpg
Hey! It works. Sam - Thanks for the help. Now I can post BIG pictures! All I have to do now is to find worthy pics - Steve:rolleyes:
Just picked back up on this thread. Spent probably 8-10 hours reading it about 8-10 months ago before I even posted. KEEP IT COMING!!!!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by oldskier
A legend from the past...My one and only Brother with my 2 daughters..Mid 80's - Steve
http://i35.tinypic.com/x4p2ra.jpg
http://i34.tinypic.com/zmb6nn.jpg
Who's Who in Boat Racing and Lake X History? Here are some pics I took at June Legends Reunion in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comhttp://forums.screamandfly.com/forum...PlaceName alt=</st1:PlaceName>Sunny <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Isles</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Beach</st1:PlaceType>. I will let you guess. Don't lie, because I know the answers. Have Fun - Steve
Getting tired. More tomorrow - Steve
I know the answer so I won't divulge........ But a hint....he's one of my heros...and there ain't many of those. I will say that your brother is also on that list.Quote:
Originally Posted by seeroy
I have said many times that the two greatest boat racers in my lifetime share the same initials......and first names........
Billy
Sirois
and
Seebold
Since we are on the topic of racing, you may recognise some of these guys.
jeff
Michael, some loudmouth from North Carolina, Billy, Earl, and, I'm not sure.Quote:
Originally Posted by digital_jeff
T2x
we'll call the last post 'the daily Bonus pic', here is the actual 'Daily Pic'.
jeff
I found some recent images and put them together to make this. Interesting how much has changed - how much is gone.
jeff
Very cool again!
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x...Party-_0-1.jpg
Carl Moesly and Seeroy..Two guys with a lot of Sea Craft "seat" time
Photo taken by Skip and Carla Fink (Moesly)
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x...1ladies001.jpg
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x...arty-_Trea.jpg
Treasure and Jeanne
Photos from Skip and Carla Fink (Moesly) and lilabner
http://i38.tinypic.com/2elrxxg.jpg
http://i37.tinypic.com/344pr0y.jpg
And some stayed just out of my camera range. Hi Butch - Steve
http://i33.tinypic.com/2q175w2.jpg
Three Legends...Carl and Jeanne Moesly and..Odell Lewis chat about yesteryear. If you have not read Carl's "A Pilot's History" you are missing a huge part of his past. It's not just about boats. Carl's pilot history is incredible. Odell won the first 2 Bahama 500 races. He beat Brother Bill by only 4 seconds in the second race. Odell is fabled as an alligator "wrassler" and he raced barefoot. He was also my boss for one of my stints at Lake X. And I might add...a damn good boss...He was a font on knowledge and experience and he was always very instructive to us youngsters. It was wonderful to see and talk to so many people that I had not seen in 40+ years and some that I had never met face to face before. More pics to come....We are all 40+ years older and some of our pictures aren't as pretty as we used to be. Here's hoping you enjoy seeing some true legends of boat racing. Best Regards to all - Steve Sirois:rolleyes:
I was sorry that Bob Magoon did not make the reunion, which brings up a story. That's something I haven't done for awhile. As you may remember, during one of my summers, I did not work for Kiekhaefer. Instead, I went to Miami and asked Don Aronow if he needed any help and was hired on the spot. I rode one race with Don in California and that is chronicled somewhere early in this thread. When I got back from California, Bob Magoon asked me if I would take his twin outboard 28' Magnum to New York and run with him in the Around Long Island race. Sounded good to me, so I took the boat to Lake X and did a little work on it. I had asked Bob what he had to tow the boat with and he said his car.......OH OH, this doesn't sound so good. One of the thing we always wrestled with at the Lake was ensuring we had a good tow rig and proper tongue weight. Usually we had at least a 3/4 ton stake body truck to tow with. Now I was going to tow to New York with a CAR! I worked with it the best I could but it was still a little wild. When it developed a little whip, I would accelerate to straighten it out and then slow down.....but the last thing one wanted to do was to hit the brakes. Anyway, I made it up there OK and we ran the race....at least until we puked a motor and had to drop out. When it came time to head back South Dennis (?) asked to ride with me. Sorry I can't remember his last name and maybe it's better that way. Dennis was one of the Wisconsin guys that had come to the Lake to run endurance and he was not exactly the most coordinated guy I had ever met. Also, Brother Bill's son, Richie Sirois, asked to ride South with me. Richie must have been all of 8 or 10 years old at the time. Bill said OK and the 3 of us headed down I-95 (I think I-95 was there then). Somewhere along Virginia or North Carolina I was getting tired but I had not trusted Dennis to get behind the wheel. Well, it was Sunday morning and there was absolutely no traffic on the road so I asked Dennis if he thought he could handle it while I relaxed for awhile and read the newspaper. He was anxious for the chance to drive and he did OK for about 2 miles before he got it a little out of shape. I talked him out of it while I also yelled at Richie to put his seat belt on for about the 100th time since we had left New York. Richie was in the back seat and he kept taking his belt off. Anyway, Dennis managed to get it straight for about another 1/2 mile and then he lost it again. This time he REALLY lost control and the rig was whipping across both lanes. Finally, the trailer took the lead and we were along for the ride...with Richie still trying to get his belt fastened. At last..we came to a stop...The trailer wheels had separated and headed for parts unknown.....The boat, still nicely tied to the trailer frame (One of the skills I had learned at the Lake was how to do an outstanding tie-down job) was sitting sideways across both Southbound lanes. I think I finished changing my underwear about the time the Highway Patrol showed up. The good news was that we came to a stop directly next to an exit and there was a repair shop close by. I don't remember how they did it, but the tow truck driver got a set of dolly wheels under the frame and in no time at all we were at the garage. Two days later we were back on the road. Needless to say, I drove the rest of the way, Richie wore his seatbelt, Dennis rode VERY quietly, and I NEVER pulled a rig like that again with a CAR! Best Regards and Good Night to All - Steve Sirois :cool: