A rare sighting- Russ shopping. 3:30 in the morning comes early- but, such is the life of the crack (of dawn) dedicated Russ' Old Radio Repair team, bleary-eyed Russ and Sue. Although some people may believe “Orygone” consists of only one town, there are actually two, PORTLAND and (wait for it) MEDFORD! Quick geography lesson; Portland is at the top of the state , Medford the bottom. This provides a much needed balance--to keep the state from slipping off into the Pacific Ocean--and a political one.
As it happens, we do not dwell in the northern city, PORTLAND. We live near the state's southern city, MEDFORD. Unfortunately, since most of residents live at the northern end, many events occur there. It's not unusual for us to raise and shine (but barely dazzle) early in the am, to attend events or beat out ambitious Craig's Listers for radios. Such was the case yesterday when we attended, The Northwest Vintage Radio Society (NWVRS) show in Aurora, Oregon - a suburb of PORTLAND.
Met the cutest little dog, a Maltese that weighed in at three-and-a-half pounds. His "Mom" cuddled him close to her chest. If she moved, he'd re-arrange himself, crossing the small legs that dangled beneath him. When "Mama" handed him over for a hug, he felt like a feather. I'm accustomed to hefting Fuzzy and Woolley; they challenge the vet's scale at over twenty pounds each!
Does this ring a 'bell" with anyone? If you're interested, it's most likely going up for sale. The Old Radio Museum already has two Jacksons.
The NWVRS event is always is interesting. It's like a Almond Joy versus Mounds, "Sometimes you get a good radio, sometimes you don't." The fun is in the pursuit. On this particular occasion--thanks to an unplanned for half-an-hour gas stop due to a broken credit card machine--we arrived late. Just like with garage or estate sales, it's best to get there early 'cause the good stuff tends to sprout wings and fly. But, we got the Jackson Bell, and Russ found some thingamajigs and several whatchamacallits. If the day ended here, we would have been happy- but it didn't.
Well, then what happened?
I'll tell you. We hit a "sometimes you don't". We decided to continue north to the City of Portland. A guy advertised on Craig's List he had five radios. He e-mailed. "Yes, I still have all five of them...The radios are in very nice shape. I don't think you'll be disappointed." We drove the sixty-mile round trip--out of our way--to take a look. There were five wood, breadbox radios; the cabinets looked to be in fair shape. Russ opened the lid of the first one. "Humm." He tried the second, then third, fourth and fifth. "That's interesting, all the globe tubes have been replaced by non-original tubes. Every single one." What an amazing coincidence! "Think we'll pass- thanks."
Lunch, then next stop. We met a fellow at an I-5 (the major north-south freeway that connects the two "Orygone" towns) off-ramp. A nice, honest guy with a Vintage Howard radio. We chatted with him for awhile, thanked him for his time, but decided the radio would be more work than it was worth.
We proceeded southward, calling another party about a RCA Victor R-52, however we were unable to reach him.
"I've got an idea," Russ said. "Remember the guy we bought the movie-dial, tall-boy console from 'bout three years ago?" Russ had fixed it up, but we had to sell it. The Old Radio Museum bulged at the beams.
"No." I can remember what I had last night for dinner. Russ has a wonderful memory. I use it often.
Lunch, then next stop. We met a fellow at an I-5 (the major north-south freeway that connects the two "Orygone" towns) off-ramp. A nice, honest guy with a Vintage Howard radio. We chatted with him for awhile, thanked him for his time, but decided the radio would be more work than it was worth.
We proceeded southward, calling another party about a RCA Victor R-52, however we were unable to reach him.
"I've got an idea," Russ said. "Remember the guy we bought the movie-dial, tall-boy console from 'bout three years ago?" Russ had fixed it up, but we had to sell it. The Old Radio Museum bulged at the beams.
"No." I can remember what I had last night for dinner. Russ has a wonderful memory. I use it often.
1930 Radiola 80 Tall-Boy Console
"He said if we ever decided to sell it, to please let him know. Let's stop by his house, since it's on the way home."
"Okay." We did. He wasn't home, so Russ left a note and his card.
The message blinked when we arrived home. Sure enough. "Consider it sold."
Russ not only has an memory--at times I wish he didn't have--but also incredible luck. We also received an e-mail, " What is funny is that I am in the process of turning the back half of that RV Garage into a pool room. Your note coincides with my needing cool stuff for that space and it will be a great thing to have in there."
Such a nice fellow. How appropriate the radio would be returned to it's owner--renovated with an MP3 player adaption. "Bet it will be the only Radiola 80 to ever play MP3's," Russ noted. Bet it will. ;)
Below is a photo of the old radio's original home.
So there you have it. A day in the life of Russ' Old Radio Repair. Enjoyed sharing it with you; hope you enjoyed it too!
Till next time...
Regards,
Sue
pholog's blog
Regards,
Sue
pholog's blog
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