I am finally taking the time to share the story of how I found my grandfather’s 53 Buick Riviera at a swap meet. Even twelve years later, it’s still hard for me to believe. The Buick is not just a car to me, its part of my family history, so I’ll begin by sharing a bit of background about my grandfather.

Denny Sermersheim was part of “the greatest generation”. He was given the nickname “Summertime” by his C.O. during World War II. His love of engines started at an early age. Denny attended Carter Carburetor School in St. Louis, MO, and was working at Allison Engineering in Indianapolis, IN when he enlisted in the Navy. After attending Packard Marine Engine School, he was the engineering officer of the Ron 9 PT Boat Squadron. Based in the South Pacific, Denny’s squadron was the team that rescued John F. Kennedy when he was stranded on an island behind enemy lines. That story was depicted in the 1963 film “PT 109” staring Cliff Robertson and Robert Blake. I’ve shared a great photo that I have of Denny, with a smile on his face, making a still out of scraps in the jungle to make the time at war a bit more bearable.

After the war, not wanting to live with humidity ever again, Denny moved his family from Indiana to Inglewood, CA. He never lost his enthusiasm for perfecting the performance of an engine so he went to work for Harry Mann Chevrolet and then on to Simpson Buick. In 1953, wanting to own his own business, Denny bought a piece of land in Twentynine Palms, CA, about two hours outside of L.A. He went back to Jasper, Indiana, where he had grown up, to enlist the help of his father, Heamer, to build a home, and Denny’s new business, “Summertime’s Carburetor and Electric Service”. The Business slogan from day one was: “Engines Tuned Like A Fine Violin”. Like myself, my great-grandfather Heamer was a cabinet maker and musician.

While back in Indiana to pick up Heamer, Denny purchased a brand new 1953 Buick 2 Door Riviera 56R for $3500. Before he left the lot, Read more…

It’s always a surprise to me when I mention guitarist/arranger George Barnes and people don’t know who he is, especially if it’s a guitar player! Mr. Barnes was playing an electric guitar even before the great Charlie Christian. He is by far my favorite player of all time.

I remember the first time I heard the George Barnes Octet recordings. It made me feel like I needed to spend allot more time practicing. Twenty years later, I still feel the same.

I can’t imagine any well-known-so-called-guitar-hero today trying to follow George Barnes on stage or in a recording studio. It would be a joke! If you’re serious about becoming a better guitarist, do yourself a favor and get the full Octet recordings here.

Even though we’ve posted allot of info about guitars and guitar equipment recently, we still make our living from design and fabrication. TK and I never loose interest in architecture, design and the builders/craftspeople who make it happen. We had the opportunity last week to tour The Elrod House by architect John Lautner. Privately owned, the house has never been open to the public. In conjunction with the Los Angeles Conservancy and MAK Center for Art and Architecture, the current owner opened it up for the public to tour. Built in 1969, we jumped at the chance to get inside this iconic house that we had only seen in the 1971 James Bond film Diamonds are Forever.

Many people know the Southridge area of Palm Springs from looking up at the home of Bob Hope, another project that Lautner was hired to design, but according to a local Broker who spoke at the beginning of the tour, walked away from mid way through the project. Story has it that Lautner and the Hope’s just couldn’t see eye to eye. Arthur Elrod, who was a prominent interior designer, purchased the first two lots in the development. He said to Lautner, “Give me what you think I should have on this lot.” Elrod gave up complete creative control and before construction began, then entire site was excavated eight feet to expose the bedrock that forms the ridge. You would never be allowed to do that in today’s world. As you can see in the video from the film, and the photos, the rock formations are integrated into the house, coming in through the windows and up through the floors. At 8901 square feet, even with the soaring concrete ceiling of the main living area and the amazing views of Palm Springs below, the house still feels really grounded.

The current owner was at the house when the tour began and had great stories to tell about the history. My favorite was about the complete simpatico between client, architect and builder. That probably rarely happens. The builder had worked with Frank Lloyd Write and came out of retirement in his 80′s to work on The Elrod House. The house being made mostly of formed concrete, when one of the roofs was being poured, the angle was too steep and they lost the entire load of concrete down the hill. Oops! I would imagine that if you hike in the hills around the house today, that the layer of concrete still lives on that hillside?

There are so many interesting facts about everything involved with the history and building of this amazing property. If in the Palm Springs area, there is an exhibit of Leland Lee photographs at the Michael H. Lord Gallery through March 12, that were the first taken of The Elrod House. Lee, who was an apprentice with Julius Shulman, became another great architectural photographer. He is in his 90′s and still living. The photographs were displayed around the house the day of the tour and are definitely worth seeing.

Last weekend we headed down to Anaheim, CA to attend Deke Dickerson’s 9th annual Guitar Geek Festival. As usual, he did not disappoint. Besides a top notch group of pickers over two evenings, Deke’s insane collection of rare, valuable and wacky guitars grows more interesting every year. My favorite this year was definitely his Bigsby from 1956 pictured below.

Deke also showed a beautiful collection of relatively unknown “Harvey” guitars made by an incredible craftsman, Jim Harvey.  The Harvey  mandolin pictured below, made in 1952 for Scotty Broyles, features a five pole piece Bigsby pickup. Scotty himself, along with Jim Harvey’s son Howard, were there to play in the “All Harvey Band” where seven guys each played a Harvey made instrument.

Having just made a pick guard for Deke’s tele, we set up a small display to show the guitar geeks in attendance a sampling of what we can do for them as well.

Below are a few various shots of the event and the guitar museum, including an amazing steel guitar collection.

I came across this article in the L.A. Times a few weeks ago.  This scene was taking place in the area of Southern, CA where I grew up. Unfortunately I was born just as all of this musical greatness had come to a screeching halt. The musicians and guitar pickers that were playing at this time are still influencing  my playing today. I also like Rose Lee Maphis’s quote ”I’m glad we were part of the business at that time, because back then, the business belonged to the entertainers” Enjoy…

The photo is of TK’s great-grandfather at the “Holiday Inn” on his way to California in 1953. He made the trip West with his son Denny in his new 1953 Buick which we found many years later for sale at the Long Beach car swap meet. It’s a strange miracle that we now have that car! We have a busy few weeks coming up but wanted to wish everyone Happy Holiday’s and Strange Miracles to all! Check back soon for photos of current projects.

After days of rain and snow in the desert, on Saturday we woke to an amazing weekend with bright blue clear skies. It was finally Wexler Weekend in Palm Springs. We didn’t get much work done this weekend but we sure got a lot of inspiration!  The contrast of the amazing colors of the desert with snow on the mountains as a backdrop to some of the most awe inspiring architecture anywhere, made it a perfect day.  We wanted to share a few highlights.

The first four photos are of the Dinah Shore House in Palm Springs built in 1964. At over 9000 sq. ft., it’s impressive. While walking around inside, you can imagine the amazing parties that probably happened in this house back in the day! The next two photos are of the Kirk Douglas Home. Spartacus! Way more subtle than Dinah’s home but equally beautiful. The current owner had great stories of guests who had stayed there, (Tracy and Hepburn) as well as the fact that the Douglas’s still return to visit. It had been their home for over 40 years which really says something about a house. From the street, all you see is a stone wall that once you walk through, it opens to a breathtaking desert oasis with walls of glass, a pool, tennis courts and outdoor fireplace. The outdoor space is as much living space as the inside. Beautifully typical of Wexler. The next two photos are of our favorite house of the day, Donald Wexler’s personal residence at the time he was starting his young family in Palm Springs. Built in 1955, the home featured a floor plan that was a variation of Richard Neutra’s “pinwheel” with lanes extending into the landscape to join the house with the site. Wexler had originally come to California from Minnesota to apprentice with Neutra, whose influence is evident in much of his work. Next door to Wexlers original residence sits a new steel house that he designed years ago but that the current owner just completed in 04. The last home was custom designed and built in 1960 for Tennessee Ernie Ford’s business manager. This one was a favorite as well.

The Palm Springs Preservation Foundation did a great job in honoring an architectural icon still living in the community he helped shape, and in putting together this educational tribute. It has certainly given TK and me an even greater appreciation for some of the treasures we have been driving by and dreaming about living in for years!

In our first blog post, T.K. said we would talk tools from time to time. If you look back at the”Today’s the Day”, he expressed that vintage American made is his preference when it comes to his tools. This especially holds true with items that have a connection to family history. We recently came across two wooden toolboxes that were hand crafted and signed by Heamer Sermersheim in 1949. They were made for his son Denny, who was T.K.’s grandfather. Heamer, who resided in Jasper, Indiana, was T.K. great grandfather. Like T.K., Heamer was a musician and a cabinet maker. Although most toolboxes today are predominantly metal or plastic, wood for the construction of them was the material of choice dating back to the early 1800′s.

As you can see, these boxes have very rustic dove tail joints done by hand, brass reinforced corners and brass pulls. We love the look of the two boxes with the patina from years of use from a grandfather and great grandfather who both worked with their hands, both craftsmen in their own right. We see the value of using and preserving these  artifacts from our past, channeling the knowledge of those before us. To see other great stories and examples of vintage toolboxes, check out the “Vintage Toolbox Club” or “Grandfathers Toolbox” on the H.A.M.B..

Living and working in Southern California, we’re so fortunate to be surrounded by some of the most iconic architectural treasures in the world. If you have an interest in mid 20th century architecture, living and working near Palm Springs is like being a kid in a candy store! Some of our favorites are the Steel Development Houses by Donald Wexler. If you’re looking for a special gift for someone for the holidays, or a great gift for yourself, the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation will be presenting The Wexler Weekend Jan. 22-24, 2010.  You can purchase a weekend pass that will get you into all of the events which run from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon, or purchase al la cart and you can pick and choose. A few of the highlights will be a Champaign Jazz Brunch with Mr. Wexler in attendance, in honor of his 84th birthday, and tours of Wexler designed properties. Tours will include Wexler Tract homes in El Rancho Vista Estates, Wexler’s own Palm Springs home and Wexler designed celebrity homes. Attached is a clip of the film “Journeyman Architect: The Life and Work of Donald Wexler” which will be previewed in its entirety to kick off the weekend on Jan. 22. No matter where you live, here’s a great reason to come spend a warm, beautiful  weekend in Palm Springs. Happy Holidays!

\”Journeyman Architect: The Life and Work of Donald Wexler\”