Hi from the Northwest Suburbs (Chicago)

[Jac@stafford.net]

I'm originally from Ohio, and right after your blizzard of 1979, I gave my buddy from Miami University a ride home from college\

I lived in Gambier for a few years.

[Richard Wasserman]

A slightly belated welcome! I'm about 30 minutes east of you

[Timmyjoe]

Thanks everyone.

Well, I made my first two LF images today. Of course I don't currently have any way to scan or print the negatives, but they do look nice. Was able to acquire two Nikkor-W lenses in really nice shape (a 135mm & a 210mm), a few old Fidelity Deluxe film holders, and some Tri-X 320. Quite the fun experience.

Best,
-Tim

[Peter De Smidt]

That’s great, Tim. Good job!

[Chuck Pere]

I'm east of you in Prospect Heights. I second checking out the Midwest Large format group. I at least attend their annual portfolio review get together and it's always a fun time. Maybe we need a NW burbs lunch meeting some time.

[Bob Salomon]

I drove taxi in Arlington Heights during the 1979 blizzard, in a Dodge Omni.

Old people could ride anywhere in the rather long town for $1, I got 50 cents after payout. Never a tip. Those old folk knew how to stretch a dollar for an up to a 12 mile slow ride.

But an Omni was good in the deep snow and almost fun for a couple rides.

3 times I got a dispatch to pick up 6 stewardess to take them to O'Hare airport. ORD. The first time I tried to refuse as the car only had seat belts for 4. Dispatch said go do it. NOW!

Fortunately this was still the era of tiny young women stews. 4 in the back and 2 in the right front seat. Cozy, as I tried to not get us all killed. Not exciting one bit.

This was job 2 after quitting school bus training in deep snow. I really needed a job! The big bus was a handful in snow and I soon realized I sure didn't want the responsibility for 60 kids. Imagine 60 screaming kids and deep snow. I don't need to imagine as when I was 8 a Minnesota school bus did a 360 on a downhill snow covered road. We stopped hanging over a T intersection. OK...

I quit.

My car then was a 1964 Dodge Dart Slant Six with a long hood. Cost almost nothing, no required insurance in those days. The snow was piled so deep all over the NW burbs that at every intersection one could not see cross traffic. So you slowly edged in and hoped for the best.

Same year I was cross country skiing on top of cars buried in parking lots so deep I never came close to scratching them.

I now live much farther south.

Welcome Tim!

I went to work as a salesman for Simplex Speciality Co. and they told me to pick out a car and they would buy it. After much back and forth they finally agreed to a Plymouth Horizon. But for some strange reason I would usually walk right past it when returning to the car after a sales call. This was really baffling until one stop I walked past it and when returning I finally saw why.
In the front it had the Dodge logo from the Omni and, on the back, the Plymouth Horizon logo!

I thought that I probably ended up with a car worth more then usual so I called Chrysler in Detroit and told them what I had. They said “oh, you got one of those also”!