Some Cruisin’ & Overnighter’s

After our last adventure at the 150th birthday of the McClintock Oil Well, Linda made the front page o’ the Oil City Derrick. They didn’t get her name right but that’s all right. Accordin’ to the caption she was Zee McClintock. If she was we’d be lookin’ fer’ some royalties from that well pumpin’ ‘Black Gold!

That’s her in the flower’dy top.

I also had a story about Coal Oil Johnny from this area ready to post, but I seem to have deleted the associated pictures, so that will have to wait till another day.

Wednesday we went to Denny and Diane’s, Dairy Queen for their annual ‘Cruise-In’. We arrived around 5:30 and had to park way down the highway as the event was in full swing. I think they had 84 vehicles registered that night, but there were others that didn’t bother to register. I guess a lot of the participants just come to experience the camaraderie amongst collectors. Many of the cars and trucks we’ve seen before cause this is the third year we have attended. Still it’s nice to see how some folk’s projects have progressed over the years.

This Opel Station Wagon was a rough, ugly green starter last year, it’s progressed quite a ways since then. The owner has won several awards with the car.

I think this car is new this year.

I hadn’t seen this one before either. Weather it was new or just new to this event I don’t know.

We had a great time lookin’ at the cars, visitin’ with Denny and Diane and some old classmates of Linda’s.

Friday Linda’s cousin Teresa and her family came up from ‘Chocolate Town’ in eastern PA to celebrate their youngest daughter Alaina’s birthday. The party was held at the Blood Farm area of Oil Creek State Park. Most of the day we had thunderstorms but they held off for the party except for one little shower later in the evening.

Linda had made plans for two of the young cousins to spend Friday and Saturday night with us in the trailer. As little girls, their anticipation was evident, cause all we heard was, “When are we goin?”

The girls, Lexy and Abby were joined by the birthday girl Alaina, so now we had three. Three girls between the ages of 6 and 13, OH Boy! The overnight stays went well, the girls had fun and so did we. But it affirmed why we have children at a young age.

Linda and I are alone again. Don and Jessie are coming for dinner and Bud and Linda, our friends from home are comin’ in tommorrow. So we won’t be alone very long.

So we had more family stuff this weekend and not much else.

Until the next time, we hope to see ya down the road as we’re;

Dancin’ on the Wind.

A Century & Then Some

What have we been doin’? Well we’ve had our schedule filled with ‘family stuff’ that I didn’t think would interest y’all.
Saturday was a family reunion on Linda’s grandmother’s side o’ the family, Sunday we attended a birthday for a 9 year old second cousin. Just everyday stuff.
Monday we moved from Bonnie’s house to Titusville and the big red barn. We took a road trip on a road we had wanted to explore out in the boonies, before we left Bonnie's. Not much, but some nice views, sorry no camera. Then we had some errands to run in the area before we pulled out and then there was lunch to be eaten and some last minute things to be loaded. To say we got a late start would be accurate if y’all figur’ a ‘late start’ around 4PM. We pulled in by the Milk House near the barn around 4:30 and got set up and settled in. Just a quick dinner and some relaxin’, TV and bed.

Tuesday we were off to the 150th birthday of the McClintock Oil Well. Linda had read in the paper that there was to be a celebration of sorts and we wanted to be there.

The McClintock #1 oil well is the oldest continuously producing oil well in the world. The #1 was ‘kicked down’ to 200’ for the Brewer Watson Company on August 16th of 1861 and produced 175 barrels a day which tapered to 50 barrels a day. A ‘kicked down’ well was done with a springy bough such as Hickory attached to a post and the drill hung from the springy end. The bit bounced up and down by manpower using stirrups attached to the pole. The #1 was drilled to 620 feet in 1862. McClintock was a shrewd man and leased property to speculators. In his leases he was to receive 50% of the crude oil removed and a % of the refined oil as well. Needless to say the family became wealthy in short order and developed the area into McClintockville. The well changed ownership three times before the National Park Service designated it an ‘American Treasure’. The state of Pennsylvania has operated the well since 2000 and it is maintained by the staff of Drake Well Museum of Titusville, PA. Today the well averages 50 barrels a year for the Drake Well Museum.

Today was a celebration of the wells heritage and history. After some introduction by the Drake Well Museum staff…

And some history of the well from the Drake Well Museum curator…

The well pump was started and we were makin’ money, ‘er I mean pumpin' oil. ‘Augie’ Holt, is the volunteer that operates and maintains the well.

The well is pumping in this photo and today is powered by an electric motor, but is occasionally operated by the 15 HP  gas engine in the engine house. The engine turns an eccentric gear, which in turn runs rod lines which connect to the lighter colored jack pump to the right of the well in the above picture.

This is the engine house (left), eccentric gear (center) and a well pump (right). The well shown in this picture is uphill from the #1 and is capped but contains a counterweight to balance the action of the ‘jack rods’ that are running the #1 well. The well pumps a lot of water as well as oil and natural gas.

Here, Augie is burnin’ off some gas. He said when the pump is run, once a week he has a 1-2 foot flame from the built up gas.

There were not many folks who turned out for the festivities but we had…

Cake 

The TV folks were there…

As well as reporters for the Oil City Derrick and the Titusville Herald, two of the local newspapers.

And last but not least, the ‘Black Gold’ that this whole story revolves around.

100% Pure Pennsylvania Crude Oil.

Well tomorrow we hope to visit some more local sites and there is a ‘Cruise In’ at Cousin Diane and Denny’s Dairy Queen in the evening. Till then, hope to see ya’ down the road as we’re;

Dancin’ on the Wind.

A Family Reunion

Saturday Linda & Cousin Bonnie again hosted the family reunion. It was their idea to try to get the family together on a yearly basis back in 2008 and this is their fourth year at it. No group picture this year but here’s the one from last year.

This year we, meaning Linda & I took up a lot more o’ the driveway with the 5‘ver. We wanted to move somewhere else temporarily, but Bonnie wouldn’t hear of it. Here we are all setup & waitin’ fer’ folks to arrive.

Not quite as big a crowd as last year (81) but again we had new faces that made the trek. Cousin Kim, her husband Roman & Cousin Rick all up from Virginia, (Sorry no picture all together). Cousin Kevin’s, son Kevin was here for the first time.

A couple that Linda & I haven’t seen in at least 30 years, Cousin Dick and his wife ‘Froggy’ were in attendance.

I don’t know who the ‘party crasher’ on the left is, but that’s Dick & Froggy on the right.

Also in attendance was Sandy’s son Chris, who has been here before, but this year his wife Monica and their kids came.

There was lots to eat. I ate too much in my first sitting and couldn’t eat one dessert. Bad Barry! Dessert is my favorite part and if left up to me I’d just dine on the goodies & skip the rest o’ the nutritious & healthy stuff.

Their was also a passel of folks who couldn’t resist and just had to get themselves wet all over, kids included.

We really got lucky, weather-wise cause the forcast called fer’ 60% rain & thunderstorms. After it rained in the early mornin’ we had a beautiful day, all day.

Afterward we cleaned up, washed up & were ready fer’ bed, I’m wore out. All that’s left to do is break down all the tables and get the tables & chairs we borrowed back to their respective owners.

Well that;s all fer’ now. we’ll be here till Monday when we head up to Don & Jessie’s and the ‘Big Red Barn’ fer’ a spell.

Hope to see ya’ down the road as we’re;

Dancin’ on the Wind.