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First I have to acknowledge the internet for making the world so small...and most especially Steve and Barb's Letterville site. Thanks to them we have had no less than 30 or 40 Letterheads right in our own home. We have enjoyed house guests from New Zealand, Austrailia and even Fergus Ontario (you know who).
We have traveled all over the U.S. for meets and have experienced England and Wales on our way to the Cork Ireland meet in "99"...sailed in the Irish Sea ...made so many new friends, we can't count them all and all this because Steve "had a dream."
Along the way (thru Steves ongoing dream) I met a genuinely nice and very talented person named Bill Reidel at Fred's Meet in OKC and one or possibly two other meets...I've answered some of his posts and he has answered some of mine. Even though I hardly know him, I consider him a friend and colleague. Kind of a "tangible cyber person" if you will.
The town I live in has a parking problem...therefore I have a "parking maid" problem...therefore we move our vehicles 3 to 5 times a day....yesterday while making one of these irritating runs around the block I cut thru the alley and found the most amazing thing.
Imagine my surprise! Cutting thru the alley in Norman, Oklahoma, some 2 thousand miles from Bill Reidels shop in "Little Ferry" New Jersey I spot a fender on a rusted out, hammered all but, rotted out old pickup truck with the badly faded (still legible) hand lettered script that reads "Little Ferry New Jersey" I stopped in my tracks and looked ...lo and behold there on the rear quarter was the copy "Reidel Signs."
The truck had Oklahoma plates and I was so amazed I jumped out and asked around to find the owner (no one knew) so I jumped in my truck, ran back to the shop for the digital...It was still there when I got back (still no owner) I took pics and went back to the shop to look at them.
Two pics came out good but I wanted a good side shot showing the front fender so I went back to take it and leave a card on the windshield...IT WAS GONE.
Well anyways ...heres the pics. (I think maybe the pictorial on the door was after Reidel owned it)
Oh and hey... Bill Reidel give us an idea how long it's been since you've seen this truck (the body paint is shot but the lettering is still hangin in there looks like gold leaf on the "Reidel" Nice job! Aint this a hell of a surprise? Always wondered where `those old rucks went after you cut them loose ...now we know...they live in Norman, Oklahoma. Small world huh!
What do you suppose the odds are of meeting someone from half way across the U.S. and recognizing their truck (which you've never seen before) Gotta be way up there!
This truck wasn't stolen, was it BIll?
-------------------- "Werks fer me...it'll werk fer you"
Monte Jumper SIGNLanguage/Norman.Okla. jumpers@itlnet.net
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Hi Monte, Thanks for the pictures, this truck was given to my daughter and her husband many years ago when we got a new truck. They drove it to Norman and never took the lettering off. They live on Buckskin Pass, the name is Baskeyfield. That is a good example of how Gold leaf used to hold up before the EPA got into the act. We used McKlusky's Man-O-War Spar Varnish and all the old jobs would outlive the trucks. The truck is a GMC and probably from the 60's or early 70's. It just will not die. The picture was painted by yours truly, this is what I really love to do. When at the Wall Dogs in Canada, Noel Weber asked me to paint the faces of Mark Otis and David Butler on his mural and I was thrilled, had the time of my life there.
-------------------- Bill Riedel Riedel Sign Co., Inc. 15 Warren Street Little Ferry, N.J. 07643 billsr@riedelsignco.com Posts: 2953 | From: Little Ferry, New Jersey, USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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Hi Monte, Thanks for the invite, that is very kind of you. The first time I visited Norman I had my son in law take me to your main street to visit a sign shop, but it couldn't have been you because the owner wasn't too sociable. Although, he had several awards on his wall. In 2000 at Fred Self's meet, I brought the whole family and they had a ball. My granddaughter had her car striped, my grandson won a hat and had it airbrushed with his name and a picture, My daughter and son in law both enjoyed sandblasting glass pictures. They even visit the Letterhead Bulletin board. I told them to check out your post for a surprise.
-------------------- Bill Riedel Riedel Sign Co., Inc. 15 Warren Street Little Ferry, N.J. 07643 billsr@riedelsignco.com Posts: 2953 | From: Little Ferry, New Jersey, USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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