The Bob Waldmire U-Haul has arrived! According to Marly and Phil, the return trip was somewhat taxing due to the unexpected heaviness of the truck, abominable MPG numbers on the rig, and several wrong turns. But it's here, and we were thrilled to find that the mural is still in good condition despite the years it spent in the city maintenance yard at Elk City. We now need to research ways to preserve the painting and we also must do some work on the engine to get it purring again. Soon, it will be on display at Afton Station! Again, thanks so much to Marian and Ken Clark for the amazing donation!
In other news, Ron M. is still in pain but is sitting up a bit and we're all hoping his recovery will speed up from this point. I had plenty of help at the Station today, from Marly, Phil, Robin, and Tattoo Man. We weren't overwhelmed by numbers of visitors, but it was a pleasant day with some interesting groups.
Our first visitors were this family of 6 from Copenhagen, Denmark. Unfortunately, the air conditioner in their rented motor home went out yesterday and they spent a night in this ridiculous heat. Furthermore, the company can't send someone to fix it until tomorrow, so they're anticipating one more night of discomfort. I hope they decide to head for a motel tonight! Despite all of this, they were amazingly upbeat and still enjoying their Route 66 trip.
The fellow on the right of this picture is Dusty from Broken Arrow, OK, one of my blog readers. (Hi, Dusty!). He brought is family to check out Route 66 on their way home from a Branson, MO vacation. Nice to meet them all.
Visitors on Friday and Saturday (when Robin and Marly were at the helm) came from far and wide -- Thailand, Spain, England, Phoenix, Nevada, Nebraska, and Louisiana, among other places. There was also a visit from folks from AFTON, Michigan who used to live in AFTON, Oklahoma! Wish I'd been there!
I caught this cute picture of Robin and Phil as they were ready to leave for the day. Thanks again to all my volunteers. I have a feeling that without Ron M. at my side I might need their help even more over the next couple of weeks.
10 comments:
Love it, a great addition.
Thanks, Ken. We love it, too!
The truck is lovely. About protecting the painting, of course, you'll want to get professional advice, but let me offer this advice from a mural artist who told me she never "sealed" her work. She said people make the well intentioned mistake of covering wall paintings with what they think is a clear sealer. She said with age any sealer will discolor. She also said if a wall painting is damaged, it can restored, repaired, retouched, whatever--but not if it's been sealed.
We've already rejected the idea of a clear sealer and are tending toward covering it with a thin, clear plexiglass. The painting is only on one side, so we're also trying to decide what to do with the other side. Thanks so much for the advice!
Sounds like a do-able plan. If you need phone numbers, I've used two Tulsa businesses for plexiglass with my dollhouses--both did excellent jobs and I only used the second place because the first shop recommended it as being the local expert for a particular thing I needed to have done that time. If you want the numbers let me know.
SusanEllen -- I would very much like the contacts for Plexiglass in Tulsa. Thanks so much!
Laurel
What a great addition!
E-mailing them right now.
Thanks so much! When my partner returns from his vacation, we can make a decision about the plexiglass, and your information will be invaluable.
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