A Brush with Alien Technology

  Yesterday was the monsoon auction.  The temperatures here on the tundra have been death defyingly hot and humid.  High 90*s with at least 120% humidity.  The cold front, if you can call it that, roared through here with huge rains, hail, high winds and a couple of tornadoes.  So instead of setting up at the flea market I decided to go to an auction.

  The auctioneer suspended selling twice for more than 45 minutes each time.  When the civil defense sirens in the nearby town sounded, the auctioneer decided that everyone was on their own and seeking shelter might be a good idea.  We had over 5 inches of rain in about 3 hours.  The field for parking vehicles was swamped and churned to mud by cars trying to escape.  My umbrella inverted in the wind and was then abandoned.  On the first break I went to the local thrift and bought a $3 replacement.  It didn't really help.  By the time the auction was over I was soaked and caked with mud.

  Was it worth it?  Probably not.  But then again I don't have a real life, so the excitement and challenge was invigorating.  I bought a few pieces, a great flood light, a couple of 1950's hood ornaments and some chairs.  However the most interesting piece was this Allen automobile testing machine that I hauled home on the small trailer that I bought.

  When I first saw the machine through my rain splattered glasses I thought it was marked "Alien" rather than "Allen".  Here was my chance to grab my own piece of alien technology and perhaps an appearance on the History Channel.  It was somewhat deflating to read Allen when I got closer.

The plexiglass "Priebe Truck Sales" banner is the frosting on the cake.

The wires and probes were still in the drawers, but so alligatored and cracked that they probably will only be used as templates for modern wires,

  My initial idea was to detach the top, replace the top of the cart and turn it into a nice art deco kitchen cart.  However I was told that these kind of machines are being restored by the vintage car guys who are then adding them to their vintage garage.  I have some research to do, but I may try to sell it as is.

Another adventure in life on the tundra brought to you by,

Mr. Flannery