May 12, 2016
The entire CAA group, plus a number of British guests, gathered in the Harte & Garter Hotel’s huge ballroom on Wednesday evening for our annual Welcome to Windsor Dinner.
After dinner, Jack Pemberton (Canada) went around the room to introduce the British guests …
… And then he presented Jill with a shepherd’s crook, so she can keep her flock (all the rest of us) in line.
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May 12, 2016
As we often do on the first day of the CAA’s trip to Windsor, our group gathered at The Christopher Hotel (in Eton) for afternoon tea.
This year, however, our group is so big that we couldn’t even hope to all fit in the dining room at the same time. So we split the group up and had three separate rounds of tea.
Everyone was able to enjoy a nice chat and a lot of delicious tea (or coffee), finger sandwiches, cakes, and scones …
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May 9, 2016
Most of the (140!) members of the CAA group on this trip to the Royal Windsor Horse Show will be arriving tomorrow (Tuesday), but a few people are already here in England.
A.J. and I arrived a few days early so we could enjoy a couple of days’ vacation in London. Yesterday was a gorgeous, sunny, almost hot day, and we walked and walked and walked. Nearly ten miles, all over Kensington Gardens and Notting Hill.
A slight detour took us over to the Victoria & Albert Museum, and near there, we came across a display of very early automobiles / horseless carriages. It turns out that the day before was the 120th anniversary of the (official) repeal of Britain’s “red flag act,” although it was apparently still enforced for at least six more months.
So here are a few horseless carriages – and close-ups – that you may enjoy …
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This tricycle-looking contraption is a replica of the first patented internal-combustion-engine-powered automobile, invented by Carl Benz and built in Germany in 1885/86. The original vehicle had a .75-horsepower, single-cylinder petrol engine.
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And this runabout-with-an-engine is a replica of Henry Ford’s first vehicle, which he built in his shed in 1896. The original vehicle had a whopping 4 horsepower, from a two-cylinder ethanol engine.
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This beauty is an original steam-powered automobile, built by the Stanley Motor Carriage Company (USA) in 1903. It had a 6.5-horsepower, twin-cylinder steam engine. This particular vehicle has since had a supplementary water tank added, which has boosted the car’s range to about 60 miles.
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Finally, here are a few close-up images of pieces and parts of some of the other vehicles that were on display, plus two of them heading out for their parade around the block (led by a man waving a red flag, as required, of course).
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May 5, 2016
We’ve had some rather lengthy radio silence here on the CAA blog lately, but stay tuned!
I’m heading to England this weekend and, starting on Tuesday, I’ll be sharing stories and photos from this year’s CAA trip to the Royal Windsor Horse Show.
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August 12, 2015
If you’re a U.S.-based Carriage Journal subscriber / Carriage Association member, you may have already read the “Nuts and Bolts” column in the latest issue. (If you’re a subscriber / member living outside the U.S., your magazine is on its way to you now!)
In that column, CAA member Nancy Lindley-Gauthier discusses the “pickaxe” turnout: two wheelers and three leaders.
To help illustrate a draft-horse method of arranging the harness for this unusual turnout, Dave Rohrback hitched his five Percherons in a pickaxe formation, took them for a drive in the woods, and took several photos. This photo is the one that appeared in the “When Four Is Not Enough” column in the August issue.
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For a few different views, here are three more images of those same five Percherons that didn’t make it into the magazine.
All four photos by Dave Rohrback. Thanks, Dave, for preparing your turnout and taking these photos to give us a better look at this type of turnout!
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The Slower Road 