If you visit this blog on a regular basis, you've probably noticed that there's been a brief lull in posts. I could blame technical difficulties, illness, writer's block, or a natural disaster, but the reality is that I've been preparing to go on vacation. A real vacation where my cell phone doesn't work. Hard to believe, I know. Those of you who are getting ready to point out that it's not a real vacation if I take my netbook with me can just hush.
If you're new to this blog, you have a little catching up to do. If you've been a loyal reader for a while, you know about "Chip Falcon." In a nutshell, I had to take a Falcon 24/25 series exit device on my family's annual summer road trip last year. During our travels the exit device became known as "Chip," and I posted about the trip almost daily. To my surprise, people really seemed to enjoy reading about Chip's adventures.
I'm sure that some of you remember the family road trip I took last summer, and the fact that I took along a Falcon exit device, nicknamed Chip Falcon. If you missed it, or if you just want to see the Doors of Colonial Williamsburg again, here's a link to the series.
Last week I took a trip down to Providence to visit one of my recent projects, the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island Headquarters. I had a heckuva time finding it since it was a new address that my GPS didn't recognize, but I found a shuttle bus driver who not only pondered the best route, explained it to me in detail, and then followed me there and jumped out at a red light to run up and tell me to make sure I stayed to the left. I don't know how I could have missed it...it's a gorgeous building in downtown Providence, right on the canal and a stone's throw from the State House. The architect is Symmes Maini & McKee Associates and you can read a little more about the project here.
During Chip's Road Trip I gave you two opportunities to join in by answering a trivia question. Thanks to everyone who participated! The two grand prize winners are listed below, and will receive a little something from the IR Prize Vault.
One of my (non-hardware industry) friends commented recently that she's been reading this blog and can't believe how complicated doors and hardware are. It's true! There are a thousand ways to screw up a door and I've made my share of mistakes over the years, but at this point I often spot problems from across the room while "regular" people continue to walk through the doors without noticing.
We had planned to get on the road early yesterday afternoon but we ended up leaving Williamsburg around 5 p.m., about the same time everyone else coming home from everywhere decided to leave. The traffic was terrible, and after 6 hours of driving we had gone as far as Elkton, Maryland and couldn't stay in the car for one more mile.
We're on our way home today, and barring any surprises we'll arrive tomorrow. For the first time we're hitting the road without knowing where we'll be sleeping tonight, but I'm sure we'll find a hotel and if not, I'll be calling my Mid-Atlantic or Metro New York SSC buddies to see who has room at the inn.
Yesterday we decided that there was still too much to see so we can't go home just yet. We haven't run out of clean clothes, so why not? We spent the entire day taking in the sights of Colonial Williamsburg, without a thrill ride or water slide in sight. I saw so many interesting doors that I made them into a short slide show for your viewing pleasure:
If there weren't a lot of doors at Busch Gardens, there were even less at Water Country, where we spent the day today. For me, a day without hardware is like a day without sunshine, but I survived. Since I don't have any funky applications from today, I'll answer a question from the mailbag. Debbie asked whether my husband is along on this road trip, since I haven't mentioned him. I actually have mentioned him...not as often as I've mentioned Chip, but I did give him credit for spotting the Falcon bumper sticker the other day. In fact, I've mentioned him 5 times during our trip so yes, he is with me, but he refuses to pose for photos with hardware or even doors. Go figure.
Several people have commented that I'm supposed to be on vacation, I should be relaxing, enjoying quality family time, etc. Well, I just returned from 10 HOURS at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia and I am SO TIRED. But I know I won't be able to sleep if I don't post something for you to look at with your morning coffee tomorrow.
Today we drove from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to Williamsburg, Virginia. It was a long day in the car but Chip insisted that we stop in FALCON, North Carolina to buy some personalized souvenirs for him. We had no luck with the FALCON souvenirs...Falcon is a VERY small town without even a general store, but as I'm trying to teach my kids, there is something interesting about any place you go. At first glance, Falcon had a lot of tobacco fields, an old folks' home, and a water tower guarded by one feisty donkey, but it is also the location of the Falcon Children's Home, which just celebrated 100 years of helping children who needed a place to live - about 20,000 kids to date!
We're in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the good news is that the specwriter Chip and I came to see has agreed to include Falcon exit devices in his specifications! Yippee!
Today we headed north toward Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and on the way we passed through Waldo, Florida. Apparently Waldo's claim to fame is that it is one of two official speed traps designated by AAA. The other is just up the road in Lawtey. Lucky for us, the Waldo police were at Dunkin Donuts and there was a billboard warning of the speed trap in Lawtey (rumor has it the billboards were purchased by AAA), so we made it through unticketed.
...Another funky hardware application.
It's true! The new Falcon 24/25 device has a 10-year mechanical warranty (1-year electrical).
There are almost 600 Cracker Barrel restaurants in the United States and I've been to most of them. Well...not most, but a bunch. The kids like the food and there's a lot of miscellaneous stuff on the walls that we can use to play, "Who can find the _______?" When you drop a whole cup of milk on the floor (like this morning) they don't bat an eye. At least you always know what to expect...every Cracker Barrel has basically the same menu, the same "country store" selling stuff my kids can't live without, the same rocking chairs and checker boards on the porch, and the same entrance doors.
For all of you loyal late Friday afternoon and weekend blog readers, here's another opportunity to win something from the Ingersoll Rand prize vault. This morning, Chip visited the statue at left - where are we? If you think you know, click here and scroll down to leave a comment with the answer. I will hold all of the answers until the end of Chip's Road Trip and then choose one lucky winner from all of the correct entries. If you need a hint, the statue is located at the end of a bridge that leads to a set of *keys*. Hey wait! Is that a FALCON on his arm patch?? ;-)
When Chip heard that we'd be passing through Atlanta he insisted on visiting the Georgia Dome, home of the Atlanta Falcons. We stopped for a look around, and he gawked at the banks of multiple exit doors, all equipped with Von Duprin 99 devices. It was a proud moment for Chip, especially since the Falcon 24/25 and Von Duprin 98/99 were designed by the same engineers and share the Ingersoll Rand name.
We interrupt this road trip to announce that this website has received visitors from 50 different countries!!
Yesterday we drove from Front Royal, Virginia to Grassy Cove, Tennessee, which is a VERY long drive. We usually plan on stopping somewhere for the kids to burn off some energy, and yesterday's stop was at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke. I can find an interesting (to me) hardware application just about anywhere, and the most interesting hardware I found was in the President's One train car, which was built in 1916. There were double-acting spring hinges, a sliding door on a curved track, and some double-acting deadlatches - all still in working condition. Pretty cool. Click any of the thumbnails below if you're interested in seeing larger views of the photos.
We continued our road trip yesterday with a visit to the zoo and a drive through Amish Country. A stop in Paradise confirmed that they could use some Falcon 24/25 exit devices out there, and Chip's up to the challenge. As I've said before, I'm very picky about which products I specify, and after taking this new device apart and learning more about it I would be comfortable specifying it for a school project, especially when the budget is tight.
I guess it's only fair. If my family welcomes the new Falcon exit device along on our summer road trip, it should have a name that's a little easier for the kids to remember than 25-R-L. The first thing we had to determine was the gender of our device. Although boats and cars are generally female, apparently door hardware is typically male because it was unanimous. Given the fact that the Falcon 24/25 has some similar features to his relative, the Von Duprin 98/99, and considering the absolutely horrendous names chosen by my kids, our device has been christened...Chip. Chip Falcon. Sounds like a character Pierce Brosnan would play.
I really enjoy blogging because I can talk to my fellow door and hardware professionals in a more personal way, without all the corporate-speak that makes my eyes glaze over (no offense, corporate speakers). Well, this conversation is about to get a lot more personal. I'm leaving on a family road trip tomorrow and I'm taking you with me.
Terry Maguire of National Millwork in Mansfield, Massachusetts! Terry correctly identified the delayed egress signage as the missing item on the post called "What's Wrong With This Picture?"
