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Car Craft’s Top 25 Picks From the 2017 Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals

For many attendees, the annual Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals has become a yearly pilgrimage. Filling up the Stephens convention center in Rosemont, Illinois, minutes from O’Hare Airport, people travel from literally around the globe to be here. For most of the year leading up to it, managing MCACN member Bob Ashton is out locating a few great cars to invite. Well, more than a few; a lot of really great cars.

There are no bad cars at MCACN. The best of the best originals, the best historical examples, the best modern and accurate restorations, and some of the best stories all come together. Bob made a great statement in the annual program about how our cars erase the political, religious, color lines and gender lines that fissure modern culture. As the unifier in these somewhat turbulent times, there is a level appreciation for the finished and found, the rarest and “realest”, and more. But then Ashton goes and finds area managers from every interest and discipline who get cars for every category’s subcategory.

There were many special groups of cars from 1967, 1972, Formula Firebirds, Kar-Kraft Fords. There are Saturday morning unveiling of the latest restorations just like the original new car shows used to do. There are seminars and concerts, judged awards, and special displays. This is the greatest musclecar show on the planet. Period. You need all two days, always the weekend before Thanksgiving, to see it. So hopefully you enjoy these picks, but you really should come next year. Oh, and Ashton, you owe me a pair of shoes…

Car Craft Giveaway Car: 1969 Swinger in the Barn Finds section Tom Ellie brought his find from St. Petersburg Florida in, the original 1969 “Swinger” 340 Dart GTS. Really long-time readers will recall this machine from almost 50 years ago, when staffers like Terry Cook built this thing. That it survived so intact and in its original custom paint is pretty incredible, and it would be a hard decision whether to leave it be or restore it. Back in 1969, the Dodge was given away at the NHRA World Finals in Dallas to contest-drawing winner 16-year old William Outlaw (yes, correct). His mother accepted it for him, as his father Odis was over in Vietnam at the time.

Coolest Ex Car Craft Cover Car: 1970 Hemi Challenger This real Hemi Challenger showed up on our cover back in October 2013, after it had been stored but undriven for decades. Here it is, brought back to like-new condition by restorer Ward Gappa (left). The owner, Lowell McAdam (center), was very happy to have acquired this car, which has 98% of its original sheet-metal, a completely original Hemi driveline, and excellent documentation.

Nicest Engine without a Car: Malcolm Durham ZL1 With a lot of first-gen Camaros on hand, this engine was one of the most notorious. East coast racing hero Malcom Durham, known back in the day as the “D.C. Lip,” was a prominent player in the FX, Funny Car, and early Pro Stock wars with his Strip Blazer Chevrolets. It is believed he raced a blue 1969 COPO Camaro that is now known in the hobby as ZL1 #42, and Jeff Stranak has the rebuilt engine on a stand on display.

Nicest Car Without A Body: 1953 Corvette Cutaway You want to talk about cool Corvettes, this one is an engineering sample showcasing details for the newly-released Corvette from when GM’s huge Motorama displays were happening. This is the lowest Corvette chassis number in existence, and when owner Ed Foss had it restored, a half-body was added to make it into a cutaway. Yes, it is a six-cylinder, but let’s be honest- who wouldn’t want to find this thing stashed away somewhere no matter what kind of cars you were into. And it drives, too.

Coolest Old School Racing Hero: Tom Tignanelli Some people will remember Tom Tignanelli’s Detroit-based “UFO” drag cars- mainly Funny Cars that ran in the modified division on gasoline. Collectors Clark and Collene Rand had Tom’s old 1965 altered wheelbase Plymouth on display following its fresh restoration, and Tignanelli himself also came to MCACN this year with a load of experimental parts like titanium torsion bars and stories about his work in Chrysler’s legendary “skunkworks” the Woodward Garage.

Nicest One-of-None Car: 1967 Hemi Belvedere 1 There are exceptions to every rule, and this 1967 Belvedere 1 with Hemi power certainly fits the bill. In 1967, the Hemi option for Plymouth was specifically noted to only be available in the GTX. However, it is documented that four were installed in the basic Belvedere 1 model for drag racers like Judy Lilly. This car, however, was not raced, and features 100% of its original paint, very original interior, and original Hemi driveline. Now owned by Frank Karabetsos, it was in the Vintage Certification program.

Best Collection Overall: First Gen F-bodies The choice was a given based on the 1967-1969 best-selling model. Selection was a challenge when you consider that while both the 1967-1969 Camaros and Firebirds are plentiful, choosing ones that will fit into a couple of rows of “the best” meant hard choices. In fact, most of the Z28s were in another area. So here is Bill Jenkins Indy Nationals-winning L78-powered Super Stocker, the Penske-Donohue Trans Am champion, Pete Estes’ one-off 1968 Z-28 convertible (shown), and a row of documented 427-CI supercars from Dana, Nickey, and Yenko. The Firebirds were highly-optioned Trans Ams and deluxe models, led off by Truman Fields’ notable NHRA record setter barely seen in the left foreground. The guitars were used as eye candy around several display areas.

Most Expensive Car not in Attendance A certain 1970 Hemi Challenger Convertible was drawing a lot of comments from people. This picture shows a 1970 Challenger R/T Hemi convertible whose asked-for number was a big $1,795,000. They were accepting trades for other cars, but we were fresh out of prewar Bugattis…

Coolest Show Car to drive for fun-1967 Camaro SS This car had the largest accumulation of trophies at this year’s event. It is all painted up nice and shiny in bright orange and has a chromed blower sticking through the hood like some ‘80s trailer queen. Well, this thing goes when Duane Waldrop hits the loud pedal on this car, as seen by his handout. The car runs on E85, sort of like an alcohol funny car.

Best Musclecar Equalizer Event: The Pure Stock Drags This trio of monsters is part of the action when the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race happens in Michigan each summer, and they all look the part of stock street vehicles. Seen here are Steve Hodges’ 1970 4-4-2, Dan Kruger’s 1968 Hemi Charger, and Dave Hemker’s 1970 Buick Stage 1.

Biggest Muscle Wagon: 1964 Impala 409 Under restoration by Keith Curry is this 1964 Impala station wagon. While you can hot-rod these things, nothing extra is needed when it first came down the assembly line with a 425-HP 409 dual-quad engine and factory four speed driveline. Most of these things got crushed, so we are looking forward to seeing this one when its finished.

Best E-Body Shaker: The Swiss Connection The Wellborn Musclecar Museum sponsored this display of Shaker Mopars, and this restored 1971 Challenger was making its first public appearance in the USA. Ordered new by a woman from Switzerland, this is a heavily-optioned 1971 Hemi / four-speed, with a formal rear window, spoilers, and colored rubber bumpers. Despite all this, the car ended up being road raced in Europe with a front air dam and wide wheel flares. So if you think running the Matterhorn on a Ducati would be a handful, trying this with a nose-heavy Hemi machine required skill and a little madness.

Coolest team effort: Ford Drag Team display Organized by noted collector Bob Perkins, this was likely the largest group of cars from the original Ford Drag Team assembled since 1971, and certainly the largest in a show arena. Two 427 SOHC Pro Stock Mustangs, two Cobra Jets Mustangs , the rare 428 Torino that debuted and is seen here, a “Going Thing” promotional Mustang, and a tribute Torino plus Bob’s well-known glass house trailer full of rare memorabilia. Perkins is second from right here, and Torino owner Dave Steine is seen at the left.

Coolest Mustang: Shelby GT500 Paxton Supercharged Kevin and Winona Suydam had two very impressive cars to unveil, a 1968 “drag package” Yenko Camaro and this beast that most people never knew existed, the 1969 GT500KR experimental test car equipped with a Paxton supercharger. Though a handful was built in the GT350 racing era, this one bolted atop a 428 is incredible, and the paint is a legitimate special-order color. Kevin stands with the screaming yellow zonker after the unveiling cover came off on Saturday morning.

Coolest Nifty Fifties Car: 1958 Packard More supercharged cars were in the Studebaker invitational this year, following up on the blown Larks from 2016 with a group of late 1950s speedsters. One car that really drew attention was this very rare 1958 Packard Hawk, which came from the Studebaker factory that year with a McCulloch supercharger. If you are not familiar with this design, which featured EXTERIOR leather armrests, don’t feel bad; only about 900 were built. This was the last year to ever see the legendary Packard nameplate.

Coolest Mod Wife: Sharon Jones We sort of did this for fun, as a number of the ladies dress up in ‘60s fashions for the event. Sharon and her husband Ron had their deluxe 1969 Coronet 500 in the South Oak Dodge display. This car had been dragged out of a hometown field in rough shape and Ron constructed it as an OEM-looking rebuild for her, adding a Mercedes electric sunroof and a Hurst four-speed shifter through the console to the automatic trans. With a nod to hipster fashion, Sharon dressed up as part of the 1969 advertising campaign, which was likely approved by Dodge Sales VP “Crusher” Bob McCurry and his he-man crew over lunch-time martinis in late 1968. We were digging it…

Coolest Corvette for a Car Craft guy: 1965 L88 experimental This being the Muscle Car & CORVETTE Nationals, there are always exceptional ‘Vettes on display, and this was one or our favorites. Looking suspiciously like a body in white rarecar project, we learned it was just that, and for none other than legendary developer Zora Arkus-Duntov. He used this car to test big-block racing packages, including the very-first L72 427 and L88 427 extreme racing development. It had a string of first-ever notations a mile long, and was modified regularly between 1965 to 1967 when the so-called C2 Stingray models went out of production.

Best-known Celebrity Musclecar Enthusiast: Jason Line 1970 Buick GS Most people know Jason Line from the NHRA Pro Stock class, but not so many know that he has a wheels-up 1970 Buick GS he runs in Stock Eliminator. A while back, he bought a rough-but-rare real 1970 GS Stage 1 convertible and chose this event to debut it to the public after a lengthy restoration. He is seen toward the back of the group here with a big crew of his restoration guys and their better halves. Why Buicks? We know Line understands power-to-weight ratios, and 455-CI Buicks had the lightest long-blocks coming out of the OEMs in the era. That they are timeless in style doesn’t hurt, either.

Coolest AMC: 1969 Scrambler by MASCAR The crew from Costa Mesa states they have had some unhappy Kenosha campers as word on this project came out – a real Scrambler converted seriously enough to clock 8.50 specs. Truth be told, what remained of the original car likely needed to be rebodied; it was cut on that badly. So they built a hot 401 engine, lifted the scoop a couple inches, blended the Group 1 and Group 2 paint schemes (you know what that is about, AMC dudes) in metallic paint, and bolted on a deck wing to prevent flight at 160+ MPH. The result was a head-turner even in a sea of the rarest musclecars on planet earth.

Most Valuable Available Racecar: 1965 Landy’s Dodge Mecum’s big area has been used to showcase cars for their upcoming events, especially their season opener in Kissimmee, Florida. The racecars collected by Nick Smith will be a highlight there next January, and for the first time, the restored Landy’s Dodge will be offered in public. The king of the 1965 “funny cars,” Dick Landy wheel-stood this Dodge to infamy, and this is the best survivor of the Chrysler program. Oh, you’re a Chevy guy? How about the 1963 Z11 Impala of Frank Sanders, the most original of those cars, and Fords, which were Smith’s personal favorites, will include not one but two original Gas Ronda Mustangs!

Best Survivor Oldsmobile: 1971 Cutlass Dave Belk is a pretty experienced car collector who got wind of a 1971 Olds Cutlass Supreme convertible owned by a woman 20 miles from his Iowa home base. The well-optioned car turned out to be everything hoped for, the equivalent of a 4-4-2 in classy trim with a 350/four-speed/Anti-Spin-type rear end, and less than 40,000 original miles. Carefully cared for since day one by Lonna Rea and her late husband, this silver beauty had single-family ownership until 2017. It is never modified, a cruiser not a bruiser, from the waning days of Dr. Olds performance medicine show. So Belk chose to bring it up to MCACN for Vintage Certification, where specialty judging found it scoring a Legend rating at a very high 92.5% originality.

Best Restored Oldsmobile: 1970 4-4-2 Oldsmobile This was a hard choice, as there were a lot of them here. The Olds we chose was just redone by Magnum Auto for Jeff and Joanna Stolowski, a 1971 tri-color (blue, black top, white interior) convertible with 445 cubes of W-30 under the hood and many options. Its emotional unveiling for original owner Kathy Maddison, who had owned the car with her late husband Keith from new until 2015, was a highlight for the crowd who was on hand as the restored car was revealed to the public for the first time.

Best Oddball Barn Find: Early Logghe Streamliner We will admit, we are always blown away by the stuff that shows up in Ryan Brutt’s Barn Finds and Rare Gems display. There were very cool cars in 2017, like COPO Chevys with documentation, vintage muscle trucks and even an old funny car, but one car that took everybody by surprise was this 1959-era Logghe Stamping Company streamliner. According to research still being conducted into this car’s origins, it was one of only two sports-car chassis built by the brothers for a possible road race effort that were instead pressed into drag strip duty. This may have been because Detroit Dragway was host to the NHRA Nationals in 1959 and 1960. Of course, Logghe later helped Mercury ignite the funny car revolution. Saved from a Motor City-area junkyard, Dragrace Relics LLC, owned by Clark and Collene Rand, will direct its eventual restoration.

Best Oddball Cruiser: 1967 Boss Bird Randy Birchfield built and displayed this 1967 Thunderbird, which obviously has had some upgrades. The engine is a Cobra Jet-type 428, complete with Shaker scoop. The car uses a C6 automatic, features a deck wing, and has flawless “highway star” deep purple paint. The clean execution includes custom Boss Bird lettering. Not something you see every day…

And Best Car of the Event (in you author’s opinion): 1970 RT/SE Hemi Challenger It started with that super-cool Gator-Grain roof and survivor appearance. This Challenger R/T SE with its 426 Hemi engine, four-speed transmission and 4.10 Dana rear is pretty cool, and it was highly optioned. But I needed a story, and this car had it. Original owner, the late Godfrey Qualls, was in the 82nd Airborne and bought this car after a tour of duty for Uncle Sam. He later served the city of Detroit Police as a police officer for 37 years. He ordered the N96 Shaker, and was not happy when his custom $5,272.00 factory build showed up at the dealership without it, and was further told he could not get one on a Dodge, period. So he sued the company and eventually won, getting the parts from Chrysler for the conversion. As you can see, he never put that design on. When off-duty, Officer Qualls established a noteworthy reputation as the baddest Hemi car on the east side of Detroit, parking it during the mid-1970s gasoline crisis. His son Greg and their family brought to MCACN after Bob Ashton, a native of the area, found out this ghost still existed in solid unrestored shape, with dealership plastic seat covers intact and every piece of imaginable factory paperwork. There were a sea of Shaker cars in pristine shape at this year’s event, and a lot of other very worthy cars, but a cop from Detroit with a Street Hemi whose reputation echoed to Woodward and a car that still exists today, unrestored and with his family? Yep, that’s MCACN…

Next year’s dates – November 17-18, 2018

The post Car Craft’s Top 25 Picks From the 2017 Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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sims-half-crazy · 2 years

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Things were going well for the family as they settled into their new lives in Covemoor. Alexia was working her writing skills so that she could write better scientific papers and grants. SulPont was a rewarding but demanding job. She found herself constantly learning new things and she enjoyed it. She looked forward to telling Walter everything about her day. Walter was trying to advance further into the ranks of the store, but he was struggling. He was having a harder and harder time with his emotions. He kept dreaming about the war and the horrors he'd seen. At Alexia's insistence, he began keeping a journal to help organize those chaotic thoughts. He also also picked up his woodworking tools. He found that wielding them to make something useful helped ease his anxiousness and quiet his brain. The twins were growing splendidly, especially with the help of their nanny, Justine.

However, just before the dawn of the new year, Alexia started feeling tired and her clothes were starting to get tight. She came to the awful realization that she was with child again. She sat down with Walter one night and told him the news. He was excited, she was not. She told him of her worries and how this might affect her work. The men she worked with already thought of her as less than them and her bearing a child would only add to that. Walter soothed his wife's worries as best he could, but he couldn't help but wonder if her brains were overshadowed by her gender. It shouldn't be - Alexia was the smartest person he knew, but he also knew how the world worked.

#waldrop gen 3 #waldrop records #decades challenge #sims4 #sims 4 screenshots #ts4 decades challenge #sims 4 #sims 4 historical #ts4 historical #waldrop gen 4 #tw pregnancy #waldrop 1920s

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sims-half-crazy · 2 years

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January 12, 1928

**excerpt from Alexia's private journal**

I was able to attend a fascinating lecture given by Friar Julius Arthur Nieuwland at Simtre Dame University. I attended as a junior researcher alongside my fellow scientists. I should be thankful that I was even allowed to go, but I'm still insulted that I wasn't listed as a scientist or even by my degree. Women, apparently, don't have the mental capacity for such things. Dr. Bolton was instrumental in ensuring that I attended which I am thankful for.

**excerpt from Alexia's research notebook**

Nieuwland has managed to produce divinyl acetylene. His knowledge of acetylene chemsitry is unmatched. Divinyl acetylene is a jelly that firms into an elastic compound very similar to rubber when passed over sulfur dichloride. My plants produce a rubbery gum naturally, what is the difference? I believe the plants take a simpler approach. Maybe instead of divinyl we should look at a monovinyl acetylene and see if it reacts differently to other chemicals.

#waldrop records #decades challenge #sims 4 screenshots #ts4 decades challenge #sims 4 historical #ts4 historical #waldrop gen 3 #waldrop 1920s

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sims-half-crazy · 1 year

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I posted 242 times in 2022

That's 62 more posts than 2021!

198 posts created (82%)

44 posts reblogged (18%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@twentiethcenturysims

@antiquatedplumbobs

@ivyandink

@happylifesims

@anachrosims

I tagged 212 of my posts in 2022

Only 12% of my posts had no tags

#ts4 decades challenge - 144 posts

#sims 4 historical - 141 posts

#ts4 historical - 140 posts

#sims4 - 131 posts

#sims 4 - 128 posts

#sims 4 screenshots - 125 posts

#decades challenge - 117 posts

#waldrop records - 115 posts

#waldrop gen 3 - 98 posts

#waldrop gen 2 - 86 posts

Longest Tag: 44 characters

#wanted to build a small french inspired town

My Top Posts in 2022:

May 16, 1910

Dearest sister,

I hope things are well there. We celebrated Margaret's thirteenth birthday a few days ago. Hard to believe the two oldest are teenagers now. Daisy took her shopping for more appropriate frocks and I can't believe how grown up she looks.

See the full post

15 notes - Posted February 20, 2022

March 3, 1918

**excerpt from Margaret's private diary**

The horror of war is something I never want to see again. There are so many men who made the voyage back to Simerica only to die at the hands of infection or influenza. It's all I can do to keep my hands from being rubbed raw from all the handwashing I do.

We have a new patient. We didn't think he'd make it through the first night, but he did. He'd been caught in an attack with mustard gas and then a nearby shell threw flaming debris at him. He's more bandage than skin at this point. I sing to him. I sing to all the patients. it soothes them, and keeps me in practice. He woke one night while I was tending him, and I had the unfortunate task of telling him that he was never going to regain the sight in his left eye. I told him that he would heal and that the doctors were hopeful that the scarring wouldn't be too bad. He asked that we pray, so I grabbed his hand and said a small, quick prayer with him.

He then introduced himself as Otho Petrie Roper and that his family immigrated here before he was born from Finland. He tells me stories that his mother and father told him. He's quite engaging. I feel so terribly that he's in such pain as he heals, but I'm glad for the chance to lessen his pain with my company and care.

15 notes - Posted March 14, 2022

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15 notes - Posted November 16, 2022

January 14, 1911

I had to tell the girls that their mother would need more help over the next few weeks. I don't know rightly know what happened, Daisy is a competant cook and knows her way around the kitchen but she'd been complaining that the stove was acting funny of late. I should have paid more heed to what she was saying. The dadgum thing caught fire and in her attempts to put it out Daisy was burned. Not badly but her arm is burned. I don't know how badly she'll scar, but that's not even the worst of it. She was with child. We had no idea. She didn't even think she could get pregnant anymore; it's been so long since Josephine was born. My poor Daisy has had such terrible bleeding that the doctor put her on bedrest for the next week.

19 notes - Posted February 23, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

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27 notes - Posted November 11, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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sims-half-crazy · 2 years

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December 6, 1918

**excerpt from Thomas' private journal**

Is there a more perfect way to celebrate the end of the war than by celebrating the next chapter of Margaret's life? My oldest girl has married a fine young man. He didn't ask for my hand, but from the tales I heard about how they ended up in church, I'd say that there forces greater than myself at work. Daisy love, our girl has found a good match.

Otho isn't going to have an easy time of it as he adjusts to life as a civilian again, but he's an adept craftsman so I have no fear that he can find a use for his skills. I am going to miss her though. They're going to settle in Havre de Grace. I'm glad that she'll be near family, Virgie is still there as well as cousin Marcella. I couldn't believe that that old bat was still alive when Virgie told me. Her son, George, survived the war. I may not get on with that woman, but I'm glad she didn't lose her son. We lost too many good men to that war.

The wedding was beautiful, and St. James looked as I remember it. Virginia made her a beautiful gown, and it was lovely to see all of the family that we don't usually see. Sadie even brought little Hunter to the gathering. She wasn't sure, but she would like Hunter to know his father's family as much as he can. Such a happy occasion after so many years of strife really brought everyone together.

#waldrop 1910s #waldrop records #decades challenge #sims 4 screenshots #ts4 decades challenge #sims4 #waldrop gen 2 #sims 4 #sims 4 historical #ts4 historical #waldrop gen 3 #waldrop gen 4

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sims-half-crazy · 2 years

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In late September, the Waldrop family found themselves standing at the edge of their new home. It was a quite steep hill, but there was a pond in front that was fed by the creek behind the house.

It'd been an adventure for the whole family, riding in a car, packing up all their belongings, and driving the short distance to Covemoor. Walter was so excited that he'd forgotten all about Frank's diaper when he lifted him onto his shoulders. As they gazed up at the house, Walter was excited for what was in store. He glanced upon each of his family, trying to take a picture with his mind so that he may never forget this moment. Little Mary whose red hair and freckles so reminded him of his mother gazed back at him. He could feel Frank's fingers in his hair, and Alexia - looking as serene and composed as she always tried to be. Yes, things were looking up.

#waldrop 1920s #waldrop records #decades challenge #ts4 decades challenge #sims 4 screenshots #sims4 #sims 4 #sims 4 historical #ts4 historical #waldrop gen 3 #waldrop gen 4

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sims-half-crazy · 2 years

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One July afternoon, Alexia and Walter found themselves being able to enjoy a quiet afternoon. Alexia had been waiting for just this moment. "What do you think of Covemoor?"

"Covemoor? I played ball there once as a kid, but honestly I don't recall much of it. It's somewhat near Gorham, but lower along the mountains. Why?"

"Well...," Alexia paused, searching for just the right words," there's a house there. I saw an advertisement for it in the paper and it's close to the SulPont offices."

"How are we going to afford...Wait...What?! Did SulPont come through?"

"YES!" Both of them threw their arms up in delight, mindful of the sleeping tyrants in the other room. "They came through in such a big way. I know that the paper I wrote had mixed reviews. The science was there but my writing skill could be improved, but that combined with how I did during all those interviews convinced them! They have offered me my own lab! Well, half of my own lab. I will be running it alongside another scientist."

"Well, I guess we're moving to Covemoor! How soon? We're going to need a car, because my job is here. It's going to be a bit of a trek every day but worth it!"

"Everything should be settled in 3 months time. I was doing some figuring that whatever we can't afford we could just finance with credit. With both of our jobs and your salesman ways, I'm sure we could get enough to live life comfortably."

"I'm sure we can figure it all out. I'm so proud of you, sweetheart! I knew you would get the job. Those dunderheads just took their time about it."

"I'm going to start figuring out just what needs to be done over the next several months," she said as she disappeared into her office.

#waldrop 1920s #waldrop records #decades challenge #ts4 decades challenge #sims 4 screenshots #sims4 #sims 4 #sims 4 historical #ts4 historical #waldrop gen 3 #waldrop gen 4

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sims-half-crazy · 2 years

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March 5, 1925

**excerpt from Alexia's diary**

I love my children. I really do. I mean it, but sometimes I just don't like them! I never have any time to myself and I know that I shouldn't expect much time to myself given that we've got twins, but I DON'T HAVE ANY TIME TO MYSELF. Frank follows me around everywhere. He will not entertain himself as Mary does. He needs constant attention and if he's not getting it from me, he cries - incessantly.

Walter, bless him, is trying. Having had younger sisters, he knows what to do with young children and is seemingly nonplussed by all of it. I know that this might be an unfair characterization of him as he has his own struggles, but does he have to make it look easy?!

I was glad to be able to speak to Walter about my frustrations at the table the other day, and he was so patient and understanding. He asked if part of my issue was that SulPont has yet to get back to me, even though I've been to their office three damn times now. I had to take a breath and tell him that that might be part of it, but it's also that I can't seem to get anything accomplished with my research. Some days all I do is clean up one mess after another and by the time they finally settle down; I need to start on dinner and then after eating I'm too exhausted to do anything but lay my head down. Walter did mention hiring someone to care for the children if SulPont comes through. I told him that if SulPont comes through, I want a bigger house and the nanny. He chuckled and promised that he'd do his best.

**As a mom - these feelings are very real, valid, and do not make you a bad mom. Kids are hard. Toddlers are demanding little tyrants who can't communicate effectively but have a temper of a blasting cap - and you are always wrong (according to them). As moms, we feel that there is an unrealistic expectation that we always have our shit together and you know what - it's ok if we don't. It's ok if the kids only ate PBJs and ran around naked. It's ok if you walk away for a moment and take a breath while they scream their heads off because they can't reach something that is 6" from them. You're doing a good job, and luckily toddlers don't remember most of the perceived injusitices done to them at this age.

#waldrop 1920s #waldrop records #decades challenge #ts4 decades challenge #sims 4 screenshots #sims4 #sims 4 #sims 4 historical #ts4 historical #waldrop gen 3 #waldrop gen 4

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sims-half-crazy · 2 years

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1925 dawned and brought with it another change to the Waldrop household. The twins outgrew their cribs, so Walter and Alexia moved them into proper little beds. Alexia also convinced Walter to do a little more rearranging in the apartment. They were feeling the pinch of space as the twins' beglongings began encroaching on the living areas, but unless SulPont came through then they were going to have to come up with another plan. Walter was assistant manager at the store now, but even so his paychecks were still being stretched.

#waldrop 1920s #waldrop records #decades challenge #ts4 decades challenge #sims 4 screenshots #sims4 #sims 4 #sims 4 historical #ts4 historical #waldrop gen 3 #waldrop gen 4

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sims-half-crazy · 2 years

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No good news is never followed by more good news. A week after that momentous meeting with Mr. Ennis, Walter is informed that his father has passed.

Walter and Alexia agreed that only he should go as the twins were still too young to easily travel with. Walter boarded the train in Wickbury and headed to Dartford to meet up with Josephine. The pair continued onto Gorham where they met up with Margaret and Otho. Sadie was waiting for them all and kindly opened up her home to the siblings.

Josephine informed everyone that Mildred would not be able to make the trip as she'd been stricken with pneumonia. She had the unlucky misfortune to inform them all that there would probably be another funeral in the near future.

They gathered around their parents' graves and silently mourned their passing. The one bright spot was that Thomas was back with beloved Daisy.

Thomas acheived in his lifetime the Best Club Ever aspiration by leading the Brotherhood of Railroader Trainmen. He led protests and petitioned the railroad company for more safety practices and better pay. He reached the top of the railroader career and retired with a very handsome pension which is bequeathed to his children. He is survived by 4 children; Walter, Margaret, Mildred, and Josephine; and three grandchildren; Elizabeth, Mary, and Frank. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Daisy.

#waldrop 1920s #waldrop records #decades challenge #ts4 decades challenge #sims 4 screenshots #sims4 #waldrop gen 2 #sims 4 #sims 4 historical #ts4 historical #waldrop gen 3 #waldrop gen 4 #tw death

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sims-half-crazy · 2 years

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In the spring of 1924, Walter was headed home when he was stopped on the street by a somewhat familiar face. Walter couldn't place the man's face, but he knew that he knew him.

"How's your wife and baby? Did everything go smoothly," the man inquired. At the confusion on Walter's face, he continued, "You don't remember me, do you? You flagged me down the night your wife was in labor. I drove you to the hospital." Walter's face instantly changed with the reminder of just who this man was.

"Oh my gracious! I'm so sorry that I didn't remember. You looked familiar, but for the life of me I coudln't place your face. Thank you so much for your kindness that night," Walter gushed in gratitude, "My wife and children are doing well and everything went as expected."

"I'm sorry...did you say children? Was there more than one?"

"Yes, she had twins! A girl and a boy. It was quite a suprise." Their conversation continued for some moments more before the gentleman remembered to introduce himself, again.

"I'm sorry, where are my manners? My name is Reece Ennis. I work over at SulPont."

(continued under the cut)

"SulPont? That's a nice gig. My wife would love to be able to use their research facilities. She's a biologist with a penchant for botany. She's convinced that some gum or rubber plant can make some new material."

"Does she know," Reece rubbed in chin in interest, "Does she have a degree? How long has she been researching this?"

"She does. She earned her degree from Foxbury Women's College, and she's been exploring this idea of hers for several years now. She gets so excited about it."

"Does she have any research she could share or would she be will to present her findings to my colleauges? There might be a job in it if she can impress my supervisors. I'm a chemist over there, but there's always room for another scientist."

"I'm sure she could pull something together and knock the socks off your upper management," Walter exclaimed.

"Good. Have her come by the offices next week. I'll set up a time and leave a note with one of our secretaries. It won't be an easy or quick process but if she's as passionate as you say about her work then SulPont should surely be interested." With that the two men shook hands and parted ways. Walter couldn't wait to dash upstairs and tell Alexia. He found her in the twins' room and the words just tumbled out of his mouth rapid succession. Alexia couldn't believe it! She was finally going to get her chance! She threw her arms around her husband and kissed him until they both needed to come up for air.

"Why don't you take this weekend to organize your notes, then take your research to the cafe. Get yourself a coffee and begin writing your paper without distraction from the kids or I."

"Oh Walter! I'm going to write the best paper those men have ever seen! Thank you so much!"

#waldrop 1920s #waldrop records #decades challenge #ts4 decades challenge #sims 4 screenshots #sims4 #sims 4 #sims 4 historical #ts4 historical #waldrop gen 3 #waldrop gen 4

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sims-half-crazy · 2 years

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In the months that followed the birth of the twins, Walter struggled with being a father. He enjoyed being able to soothe them and make them happy but it was the rest of what had come with bringing home twins instead of a single baby that bothered him. They had sold their bed and purchased a used murphy bed. Their bedroom was now the living room during the day. The twins had taken over what had been their bedroom.

"Walter, we need to talk about me not going back to work and staying here with the twins to care for them and I can work on my research," Alexia didn't think easing into such a conversation was the way to approach it with Walter. After speaking the words, she thought differently. Walter's face fell and his eyes clouded with unshed tears. Oh why couldn't he be happy, she thought to herself.

(continued under the cut)

"This again? You were the one who was worried about money when you first discovered you were pregnant. I told you we'd be ok, but I never expected you to leave your position. How am I supposed to uphold a promise to you when you don't meet me halfway?"

"Did you think people were going to watch our children for free? No one is going to watch our children without some compensation and I don't know that I want anyone but us to watch them. I am not comfortable with hiring some stranger to watch our babies when I can just stay home with them and work on my research."

"It's really all about your research, isn't it? How many times have I come home from a long day's work to find you buried in your work while the children cry?" Walter knew he was being unkind and harsh, but he was so sick and tired of feeling like he was the only one trying to keep everything together. "You don't even cook anymore! Sure you'll bake the occasional batch of cookies or brownies, but that is not a meal!" The children had started fussing again, so Walter left the table to care for them. Holding his children and smelling their scent seemed to always calm him. He loved his children dearly, but he didn't much like how much they'd upended his and Alexia lives.

"Children can cry, Walter! Crying is not going to damage them. In fact, running to them every time they do cry is just going to spoil them and make them expect it. Life is hard and the sooner they learn to accept that then the better," she wailed at him.

"Our children are months old. They can learn about the harsh realities of life when they can process it. Right now, they can be the innocents they are and we should allow them to be. There'll be plenty of time enough to see how the world will take their loved ones from them as if they're no better than leaves falling off a tree every fall."

"You have a very loving and warm family. I know that it wasn't easy for you all the time, but even in times of despair you had each other. Whether you wanted them or not. I had no one. I was 7 years old when I was dumped at that orphanage. I had to fend for myself and I am not any worse off for it." After that outburst, Alexia sobbed into her hands. Walter realized that they were both struggling in different ways.

"I'm sorry, Alexia, I shouldn't have shouted. Why don't we sit down and make a plan that we're both happy with? We will figure this out, we always do, don't we?" Alexia looked at him with a small, watery smile and opened her arms to him.

"Yes, we do always find a way."

#waldrop 1920s #waldrop records #decades challenge #ts4 decades challenge #sims 4 screenshots #sims4 #sims 4 #sims 4 historical #ts4 historical #waldrop gen 3 #waldrop gen 4

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