The Extracurricular Files
Photography
When I was in college I took a couple of photography classes. I learned how to process color slide and negative film as well as black and white negative film. This knowledge allowed me to process my own prints, an activity I found fascinating.
My main interest was in portrait photography (you can see some of my work on my XYL's recordings) but I also enjoy nature photography and some documentary photography.
Recently, I've begun taking digital photographs, using a digital back for my old Hasselblad camera. The digital revolution has certainly made photography less expensive in terms of materials. In addition, however, it's made ambient-light photography much more straightforward and rewarding.
Antique cars
My dad liked restoring classic cars, and I inherited his love of automobiles. When my XYL and I first met, I had an Opel Manta I was very fond of, and after we got married I attempted to restore an Opel station wagon.
My XYL's family all had Volvos, and I quickly became enamoured of the Volvo's safety features and its excellent construction.
I've partially or completely restored several Volvo station wagons, culminating in the 245-DL pictured here. This car won the "Road Warrior" award at the 2006 Volvo Club of America regional meet because it survived an unfortunate encounter with a car wash hose unscathed. However its condition compared favoratly with many of the other cars there–I think the only reason I didn't win is that there were so many excellent cars there.
Antique Radios and Radio History
I've always liked Zenith radios. Their table and floor radios combine the very best of esthetics, electronic construction and vintage sound. For a number of years my XYL and I used to listen to a local AM broadcast of Beethoven's 9th Symphony on one of our classic Zenith radios.
The Stratosphere, shown here, is the rarest of all the Zenigh radios. It cost $700 in 1935 and had 25 tubes. The woodworking in the cabinet is extraordinary, and the multi-colored layers make the dial a work of art. Though I've owned many Zeniths, none can quite compare with the Stratosphere.
In addition to collecting classic radios, I've dabbled in radio history. I've done a couple of extensive interviews with radio pioneers, and in 1993 my XYL and I visited WLW in Cincinatti to gather photographs for an article I was preparing to write.