NORTH TO ALASKA!

[Raphael]

I just returned from a trip to Alaska, the purpose of which was (ostensibly) to service several machines purchased from me by a very good, repeat customer. Now, anybody that knows me is aware of my complete lack of expertise in the mechanical end of things; but due to a promise made to this fellow over one too many cocktails in the course of concluding our last business deal I had to go and give it a whirl.

12 hours after leaving home, I arrived in Anchorage and was picked up by my customer at the airport. So far so good, except that in spite of a temperature of about 15 degrees, he was wearing gym shorts, tee shirt and flip-flops. With his standard “All is good!”, we zoomed off towards his house, roaring down the road at insane speeds, all the while he smoked a 10” Cuban cigar, windows open, and heater blasting.

Two hours later, we arrive at his house, my head frozen and shoes near the melting point. He gives me the quick tour, which included (I am not kidding) a REAL dinosaur, stuffed bear standing at his bar, all sorts of other stuffed wild animals, fossils, relics, over 1,000 bottles of Scotch whiskey lining the bar, and the list goes on and on. With another “All is good!” we commence attacking the Scotch.

The next day I set to work getting to work the Hexaphone, Edison Eclipse and coin-op Parlophone that he had mangled badly in set-up. But, Red Bull in hand, he insisted we go “right down the road” for breakfast. In Alaska, that means about an hour’s drive, and again windows down, heater blasting and working a Cuban cigar.

He then spent the rest of the day positively insisting that I go up in his plane. I was terrified, on a number of levels, and had promised my wife to avoid this (she has met him in the past and thought he was more than a little nutty). He finally wore me down, and yes, you guessed it, the plane was “nearby”, which meant another whacky truck ride for about an hour to the airport. (He’s still wearing the gym shorts and tee shirt.)

Not one plane was enough for this guy, he had THREE! We took the single-engine Cessna 360, went up for a couple of hours, and kept trying to get his girlfriend to allow him to land on the frozen lake outside his house. Thank goodness she had enough sense to point out that darkness was setting in, and a little fog…….

Well, I spent the next two days working on my machines and some that he had bought from others before meeting me. What a shame, some sellers have no pride at all, the junk that he got stuck with was rubbish-bin quality. But, I was glad to work on them, it prevented him from taking me sightseeing anywhere else. And of the approximately 20 large video screens in his house, most were continuously displaying picture albums of his various expeditions, safaris, etc., so I felt like I was on a world tour. The two screens in my bedroom sitting area showed him and his girlfriend on a camping trip with headhunters in New Guinea.

One of the great things about being an antiques dealer is that you get to meet all sorts of interesting folks; in my opinion most collectors are oddballs to begin with (me included), but this guy tops the cake for sure. I have never met anybody with more enthusiasm for life, knowledge and expertise in what he does (to maintain his privacy I have not disclosed his actual name or profession). While I was there he and girlfriend were planning an upcoming one-month safari in South Africa; after which they will climb Mt. Everest.

He’s coming to visit me next week; I hope I’ve recovered by then. At least it'll be on my turf, not his.

One final note: thanks to the help of good friends such as Don Gfell, Guido Severijns, and Rick Wilkins, who fielded a number of off-hours calls from me for technical advice, I was able to get everything up and running.

Raphael

[alang]

Raphael, thanks for sharing this great story. If one travels one gets to tell stories. I think you did enjoy the experience including all the craziness. What would life be without eccentrics? Congratulations to making it back home in one piece.

Andreas

[fmblizz]

Great story, wish I could have been there to help.. LOL

Sounds like a true adventure.

blizz

[VintageTechnologies]

Quite a story! A friend of mine had a similar experience, although his did not top yours. He sold some very rare antique ham communications gear to a rock star living on the west coast. The buyer wanted my friend to set up the stuff and get it running. A private jet picked him up in Houston. My friend was wined and dined while there, no expense spared.

[Lucius1958]

Sounds like an episode of "Northern Exposure" (if you ever watched that show)...

Bill

[AZ*]

Huh?

Based on title, I was expecting to hear about Big Sam, George Pratt and Billy.

[FloridaClay]

Sounds like a great adventure Raphael. A source of great stories to tell in years to come.

Clay

[Zwebie]

Raphael,

Sounded like an awesome experience!
We want Pictures, we want pictures! (Maybe even a half hour docudrama on video).
I'm glad you made it back in one piece.

Cheers, Bob s.

[Raphael]

I've got some great pictures, but to protect my client's privacy I can't post many of them here. When we meet at Union you can see some on my phone and iPad.