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Bits and Pieces for Oct. 31

Oct. 31, 2009

I was probably thinking about the latest crazy idea to come out of Washington, Obama’s cap and trade program, when I came across a section of the Northern Tool and Equipment Co. catalog featuring alternative energy systems.

If cap and trade becomes law, the cost of our utilities will be going through the roof and industries that use high levels of energy will be in deep peril.

And an interesting tilt toward us northern Wisconsin residents, if the air is going to be green and clean, it would seem that burning wood for heat could be a thing of the past.

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Northern featured a solar air heater that will warm up to 1,500 square feet of your home, but there is a warning that it doesn’t work well on cloudy days and if you buy one, don’t tear out the Timken. It does not replace a traditional furnace.

The cost for the units range from $3,000 down to $1,399 and if it works like they say, not a long-term investment.

There is a wind turbine offered that will furnish up to 15 percent of the household needs, if it is windy. It runs about $4,600 and there are solar backup power systems costing from $4,799 to $9,000.

The Northern catalog experience suggests two things: If cap and trade is a reality, the alternative energy game world won’t be quite ready for prime time. At least not economically ready — yet.

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Years ago my neighbors and I created a solar heater that I used a few winters at my home on Second Avenue. We had checked a few books out of the library and made the heat exchange unit out of plywood, soup cans, a sheet of Plexiglas, a little fan and black paint.

Amazingly, the darned thing did work, at least on sunny days it did. But I kept two towels handy when there was no sun or during the evening hours to plug the chilly draft from the air vents.

Somewhere in the collection of treasures from my younger days, that heater is still tucked away.

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Did someone say treasures?

Last week I mentioned that an auction book from Red Baron, an Atlanta company, was heading toward Antigo. And this week, it arrived.

An auction to us in northern Wisconsin means something completely different than to the folks at Red Baron. We go to a sale to bid on cows, tractors and electric chicken pluckers. Red Baron sent a 54-page catalog and it is filled with things you can’t even imagine.

Here are some samples: — A Herschell-Spillman three-row carousel with 30 fancy painted horses. Each of those horses, alone, is worth thousands;

— A computer that analyzes handwriting. It was the first publically-displayed computer and used at the 1964 World’s Fair;

— An authentic cased shrunken head. Perfect for Halloween day;

— A .35 ct. emerald pendant with diamonds on a 14 ct. yellow gold fishbone chain. Perfect to wear to Red Robin basketball games;

— A black Les Paul Gibson guitar with case. This is a true antique and very valuable;

— A massive stained glass window, and other exotic windows that are certainly stunning to say the least;

— An antique mounted rhino;

— Architectual saloons. There is an assortment to choose from including one with a back bar with a stained glass canopy, a Harley Pub Bar with stained glass and jeweled windows, mirrors, Harley carvings and even decorative motorcycles. There is a carved mahogany unit with a back bar with marble sink and leaded glass windows.

All of these pieces are absolutely beautiful and if I owned one of them, no one with a drink would be allowed to get anywhere near it.

There are automobiles and not just any automobiles. There is furniture from the Yellowstone Club collection and an assortment of what I suspect is valuable artwork.

The sale is Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Atlanta. Bring your credit card— 404-252-3770.

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The Shawano Leader carried a story this week about the reopening of a tavern in Angelica, which is along the road between Shawano and Green Bay.

Angelica sort of vanished when the new and speedy Highway 29 was constructed.

This summer the saloon was hit by lightning as about 40 patrons were having a late-night drink. The strike got a blaze going on the second level of the place.

Jen Ullman, the owner, and customers made it out safely and a two and one-half month remodeling project got underway — which led to the reopening.

A few things caught my eye with this story. First, I can’t think of one Antigo area tavern that has 40 customers at 1:30 a.m., especially during a thunderstorm. The other is the name of the establishment: Jen’s Knaughty Pine. Clever.

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A few weeks ago co-worker Lisa Haefs was roaming around in the far north and came across the old Wakefield Memorial Building, perhaps the most grand structure on the Goegebic Range.

It has run into tough times and when I was skiing in Wakefield earlier this spring, I took pictures and wrote about the building in Bits and Pieces.

If you see the post-World War I structure, it grabs your attention in a very sad sort of way.

It became the history story in the Monday edition of familyprimetime..

She took this picture through the window of the performance theater part of the building. The panels show just how ornate this section of the building was during the Wakefield heydays when the iron ore mines were running wide open.

The last time I stayed there, if memory serves me right, Marvin Rainwater was appearing in the theater.

Someplace under the theater, a massive swimming pool is still hidden away. When I was there, the pool was stunning and warm.

This was more than a few years ago.

Check familyprimetime on Monday — it is an excellent article.

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One of the few places of importance that I’ve roamed lately is Boston, only to find I missed some pretty important things on the visit.

The death of Edward Kennedy opened my eyes to the John Kennedy Museum, and I certainly would have taken a tour.

And last week Bob Klessig returned from Nahant Bay, which is across the harbor from Boston.

He came up with a picture of a street sign that suggests someone from our little Wisconsin fun spot may be a resident.

What do you think?

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Have a happy and safe Halloween.

And be sure to turn your clocks back either late Saturday or early Sunday.

I certainly would hate to see you show up an hour early for church — or be sitting in the chair waiting for the Aaron — Brett classic to start.

You might nod off.