In Springfield...
The new Federal Court House, a main feature of the revitalization program in progress along State Street, is just about completed. The judges have moved in already, from their old digs on Main St..
I'm glad the developers had the ingenuity to construct the modern looking building around some very old trees that were there long before it.
Farther up State St., in the Mason Square section of the city...
I read recently that this old firehouse was briefly considered for a new city library branch, but was deemed too expensive to convert.
The old Indian Motorcycle factory can be seen in the background. Luckily that historic building was saved from destruction a decade or so ago, and converted into condos...
The C-Town Plaza, a central shopping center in the neighborhood, is in the process of getting a facelift.
Graffiti appears to be breaking new ground, in the world of fashion statements...
Meanwhile, up in Easthamtpon...
...the town is draped in patriotism, with flags hung abundantly down the streets, at war memorials, and across Nashwanatuck Pond.
In Northampton...
...the Calvin Theater was filling up fast Tuesday evening, for a show...
I've seen a few good shows there, including Cake, Tracy Chapman, and I had the good fortune to see the great James Brown perform, in possibly one of his final shows...It's a fantastic venue; a small theater with a balcony and classic decor, and not a bad seat in the house.
And on the road, between the cities...
Driving along the highway, I began to catch a whiff of what I thought smelled like...fried fish? It continued for a few miles, and rather than dissapating, it became stronger. Kind of like that smell behind a restaurant near the exhaust vents. A few miles more, and the smell persisted; my mind began drifting with thoughts of battered food...What the...?
Then I noticed this guy, happily motoring a few cars ahead of me.
It was one of those vegetable-oil powered cars, A Greasecar, to be precise.
I had said in a recent post that I haven't heard of any major financial backing for this type of alternative fuel vehicle, and apparently, there isn't. But I was wrong about it being mostly an experimental endeavor. I had forgotten about these guys, possibly the most organized private group, in the alternative fuel-powered car movement. They have developed and sell working vegetable oil conversion kits for diesel cars; with everything you need to laugh, as you scoot by all the frowning suckers at the gas pumps.
The small local company was started by a couple Hampshire College students in the mid 1990's. The fascinating history of the groundbreaking company, and all other things Greascar, can be found at their excellent website...
The highways might be smelling more and more re-fried, in the coming years. But it's way better than the toxic plumes put out by regular diesel engines.
Just don't get behind one around lunchtime...
3 comments:
I think I've driven behind that very same car. It smelled like french fries going down the highway.
Great photos as usual, Tony. My 17-year-old son's two friends drive grease cars and they have their own little lab to convert used grease in one of their basements. They bought used Mercedes because they use diesel fuel, I guess (I'd ask my son but 11:20 a.m. is like the crack of dawn for him), and thus amenable to the vegetable oil.
Mary, your son is hanging with good company...
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