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2003-2007
May 4, 2007
Wow, so much has changed since my last posting. On February 17, 2007, I was married to a wonderful woman, Maggi! We had our honeymoon in Ireland (and of course I picked up some Irish insulators while I was there!)
Also, I'm very excited to hear the news that the NorCal Insulator Club and the Central & Southern Counties Insulator Club of California have joined forces at long last to form a single insulator club for the state of California: The Golden State Insulator Club!
I'm honored to be asked to continue being the club's webmaster, so look for updates over at www.goldenstateinsulatorclub.org! [Note: Link has been redirected to Insulators.info, as this web site no longer exists.]
And lastly, our club's annual show in Cayucos, CA is only a couple weeks away, and boy am I excited! I haven't been to an insulator show in a year, so I'm really itching to go! This year I will definitely be making it to other shows, including the Merzoian Tailgater and the Tulare show. See you all soon!!
August 20, 2006
Hi everyone! Here's a quick update for you. I've started going back to college, so in an effort to raise some money I am going to be selling some of my more valuable Hemingray insulators. Check it out!
I also may need to cut back on a few insulator shows here and there, as I'm trying to save up money (and I plan to be married within a year), but I will not be dropping out of the hobby completely! I'll still be attending the annual Cayucos shows and possibly the Tulare shows... and lurking online, of course.
Laugh Lines will also continue to be posted here and published in Crown Jewels of the Wire Magazine.
See you guys in Tulare hopefully!
February 4, 2006
It's been quite awhile since my last What's New entry, so I'll bring you all up to speed. On the home front, I got a new job in October working as an I.T. guy (my ideal job), so I'm really enjoying that! I'll also be moving out on my own in a couple of months, so that's been keeping me busy as well.
On the collecting front, I gave the Central & Southern Counties Insulator Club web site (www.cscic.org) a much-needed overhaul [Note: link removed as this web site no longer exists. See Insulators.info for current Golden State Insulator Club information]. Check it out! I also sent out the January 2006 issue of Call of the Wire, our club's official newsletter. Also, Laugh Lines is celebrating its 10th anniversary! It's hard to believe that it's been 10 years since I started drawing comics for Crown Jewels of the Wire magazine.
Well, that's about it for now. I'll see everyone at the 2006 Cayucos show, if not sooner!
August 15, 2005
With the generous permission of Bill Meier at Insulators.info and Shaun Kotlarsky at Hemingray.net, I have been able to expand the Hemingray Database to show all of Hemingray's rarer insulator styles (some that I will likely never own!) So a big thank you to Bill and Shaun for allowing me to use their photos!
In addition to the several new photos, the Hemingray Database has undergone a few improvements. You can now browse the Hemingray Database by CD and by Style.
I have also posted my 2005 Cayucos Display and Journal, which were long overdue. I'll also be attending the Merzoian Tailgater in the coming weeks. Hope to see you there!
May 2, 2005: Happy "Birthday" Hemingray!
Today was the day Hemingray was granted the patent for drip points in 1893. Also, Shaun's Hemingray.net website has been updated, so go have a look!
On the collecting front, I've been extremely fortunate to obtain my single-most wanted Hemingray of all time: a CD 169 Type I! There are only about four or five known to the hobby. According to this article, they were a prototype produced for Am. Tel. & Tel. Co. in c.1910 as part of an experiment to come up with a new standard insulator design.
I'm also gearing up for the 2005 Cayucos show, which will be held on May 20 - 21. I will be both a dealer and an exhibitor at this show. The last time I had a display was in 2000, and this will be my first "specialty" Hemingray exhibit. Every time before has been just Hemingray products in general, but this time I will just be focusing on insulators produced by Hemingray that aren't embossed with "Hemingray" or "H.G.Co." at all. Hope to see you there!
November 17, 2004: Current Goings On
Well, it's been awhile since my last "What's New" entry (although the rest of the web site has been updated regularly), so here's a little update. On the collecting front, I recently attended the Merzoian Tailgater and Tulare shows, and added some significant pieces to my collection (thanks largely to Dwayne Anthony's acquisition of the vast Milholland collection.) I've added journals from both of these shows to my Journals section, of course, and a couple pictures will follow soon as well.
On the web site front, perhaps you've been noticing the Hemingray Database has been growing slowly but surely. I will be continuing to build on it in the future! This is only the beginning.
And finally, the Central and Southern Counties Insulator Club of California. As you may know, I am the club's Chairman and Editor, and I am happy to announce that after a several year hiatus, the club's newsletter "The Call of the Wire" will be seeing its reintroductory issue released within the next few weeks! It will also be available online as a PDF for the first time ever, which I will be sure to link to from here.
That's all for now. Hope you all have a great holiday season! God bless.
June 1, 2004: Hemingray.info Facelift and Overhaul
Welcome to the newly redesigned Hemingray.info version 2.1! The graphical changes from 2.0 are fairly subtle; most of the changes are "under the hood". The biggest change you'll find is the new Hemingray Database section dedicated strictly to Hemingray insulators. My web site has evolved: it's no longer just about me; it's about my specialty, Hemingray insulators. I feel this new design reflects that better.
Inside the Hemingray Database you'll find a new section in development: a fully pictured index of all of Hemingray's insulators, including mold variations, embossings, and more. This section will be the most expanded in the future. I've also added a Theses page to put forth new ideas to Hemingray specialists in the hobby.
Other updates include a new Photo of the Month page, featuring a new Hemingray insulator photo each month; a new Laugh Lines comic for June; photos and show journal posted from the recent Cayucos Show 2004; photos from the Merzoian Tailgater 2003 posted; and simplified the About section to just be an About Me page.
Hope you like it! Feel free to send me some feedback.
March 5, 2004: Welcome Back, Ice 72! (And Keith, too!)
Well, last Saturday I met up with an old friend, fellow insulator collector Keith Auchter. It was the first time I had seen him since Cayucos 1997! It was just like old times. I went to his house near Moorpark, CA and he let me look through the insulators he was selling. I was like a kid in a candy shop! I went there looking to buy three Hemingray pieces. The trouble is, Keith is every bit as much into Hemingray embossings and mold variations as I am, so.... I ended up leaving with 21 pieces in all!
One piece in particular, I had wondered in the back of my mind if he still had it. The year was 1994, and I was a young Hemi collector looking for the best of the best. Practically any less than mint wouldn't do. So needless to say, my CD 295 Hemingray-72 in ice blue with chips, bruises and dings just had to go. I sold it to Keith at my first Cayucos show (and, of course, never saw another one since.) Now, ten years later, I was reunited with that same piece. It was as chewed up as ever, but I was too sentimentally attached to let it go a second time! So I bought it back. What did you expect? :)
November 4, 2003
Hi guys! Here's an update for y'all: I've finally got myself a full-time job! Yay! Meanwhile, on the collecting front, my dad and I attended the Merzoian Tailgater back in September, which of course was great fun! The pictures will be posted soon. In the meantime, you can read my journal if you so desire.
We also had a CSCIC club meeting at the show, and I found myself walking away with not only being the new club editor, but also Committee Chairman! I will be working with committee members Dave Hall, Craig McLaurin, and Robert Baumann. I have also since "redesigned" Dave Hall's original logo for the CSCIC. While I maintained his original layout, I basically redrew it on the computer as a digital EPS file. You can see the new logo here.
Expect the CSCIC to have new life breathed into it in the near future! We're committed to helping get this club on a roll again. I know there's a lotta collectors out here in California who need to get in on the action! Join in! </plug>
August 18, 2003
Quite a bit has happened since the last "What's New" entry in May. The Cayucos 2003 show came and went and my dad and I had a blast with our first sales table after 11 years of attending insulator shows. You can see the pictures here and, if you want, read my journal here.
Also, on the web site front, I have added a couple sections to the About Hemingray section: a complete Hemingray Spelling Errors list with some pictures of the errors from my personal collection, and a new Hemingray Database, currently just a list of most (probably not all) of the insulators produced by Hemingray. Both sections will be expanded in the future, but I figure this is a good start.
Lastly, on the collecting front, I have added a couple long-wanted pieces to my collection: a CD 132.2 Dec. Pat. in aqua, a neat Hemingray-produced Am. Tel. toll in sage green (a color I didn't know Hemingray made for this style until now), and finally a CD 155 "Made in U.A.S." Hemingray error. Of course, to see the loads of Hemingrays I'm still looking for, be sure to check out my Wanted List. Thanks!
May 2, 2003: Hemingray.info version 2.0 is launched!
On this day 110 years ago, Hemingray was granted the patent for drip points. I have chosen today to debut my new site design, version 2.0. I have finally decided on a site design that I like. I wanted something with more brown/sepia tones in it; I think it compliments the whole general antique feel of insulators.
There's a lot of new things you'll notice about the site. For starters, I've expanded my About section to cover more than just me. Now the section includes information on my collection and Hemingrays, including a Hemingray FAQ and a list of common Hemingray insulator styles. Also new is the Journals section, a Contact Me page, and this What's New page. Not to mention I've rescanned almost all of my photos and have added dozens more. Sorry for the long wait, hope you enjoy it!
March 9, 2003: Not your average HEMINGRRAY!
Well, this weekend I was vacationing with my dad up in Cayucos (where we have our annual insulator show in May) and we decided to take a trip up to Cambria. The first antique shop we stopped at had a bunch of insulators. They were under a bottom shelf, covered in dust bunnies and filth. And most of them were Hemingray-42's with chips. Now most people would just pass by these, but never me! :) I knealt down and examined every one, and this time it actually paid off. About the 10th insulator in, I found a "HEMINGRRAY-42" staring up at me. Some of you may remember the June 2002 issue of John MacDougald's Mac's Believe It Or Not! that featured unusual Hemingray-42's, and this one was featured among them. This new embossing error is relatively new to us Hemingray collectors. When I originally read the article, I thought "Oh great, another obscure embossing error to find!" But thanks to a little perseverance and a lot of luck, this one has found a new home! Click here to see a picture of it.
This new error is also featured in a March 3rd N.R.Woodward article.