The parade MC said that the Buffalo-Springfield was one of just a few remaining working examples of something once so commonplace that it gave rise to a verb: "to steamroll".
And the band really did take their name from that machine. So there's this:
That's Neil Young plucking those harmonic pings in the background.
6 comments:
Steam roller and steam shovel is what I called those 2 pieces of equipment in my youth.
It was Mike Mulligan who provided my first introduction to the steam shovel with the claim his MaryAnn could dig as much in a day as a hundred men could dig in a week. First published in 1939, that red book was part of our permanent home collection in the 50's, and may still be on the kid's shelf downstairs.
Steam rollers were another matter. They were the zippy pressers that would roll around packing and smoothing the asphalt when parking lots and roads were being laid. I attributed their name to the steam the water on their roller would make when it hit the hot tar.
I spent considerable time in the late eighties watching roads being built with a small boy who found the whole process fascinating. Most intriguing were the big Thomspon Mccully's (as they were known in Michigan) that augered the asphalt into the paving machines.
http://www.admin.mtu.edu/urel/researchmag/features/concrete/images/paving.jpg
On a side note, it turns out Mr. Thompson of Thompson Mccully fame, sold his asphalt business in 1999 for 422 million.
He paid the taxes and then he took $128 million and rewarded the 550 employees at the plant.
Hourly workers who already had retirement plans received $2,000 for each year worked. Salaried employees that had no retirement plans were each rewarded with between one and two million dollars each.
When asked why he did it, Thompson said the short answer is that “It was the right thing to do.”
“People came into my office crying.”
But upon reflection he realized he did it for himself: It was an egotistical thing. “To have the esteem of your workforce – what more could you want?”
The farm boy who grew up to be an Air Force pilot started the business 40 years ago with an investment of $3,500. He says he was able to succeed because of the quality employees that made the difference between them and their competitors.
After giving them the money he asked one thing of them: “Tell your kids and grandkids about me’.”
Bob stayed on at the office to help the transition go smoothly. That same year, he and his wife, Ellen, founded the Thompson Foundation with $100 million from the sale of the Thompson-McCully Company.
The Foundation’s mission is to help low-income people rise out of poverty and become self-sufficient.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-sep-26-mn-14213-story.html
Good mothers take their sons to construction sites to let them watch. I always give kudos when I see a mom doing that thoughtful act. Once in awhile it's a girl watching, but probably 90% of the time it's boys. Kudos mama.
Good point, nd. Old boys like to watch, too, and of course we think we know it all. Why they're doing what they're doing, whether or not it's a good idea, how they should be doing it, the caliber of workers on the job and so on. I wish I could get paid to sit and watch them. The Dude would be good at that, if he could sit down for any length of time.
chickelit: Albert City, Iowa, has an annual show that includes old steam engine tractors among many other things.
http://www.albertcitythreshermen.com/exhibit.php?id=41
Dad, My son liked watching construction. We were in Mexico when he was about 10. We watched a hotel being built. I asked him what was different? "Dad, there's no big machines." "That's right son, labor is very cheap here..machines are expensive."
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