McHuston Booksellers

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Tag: bookstores (Page 19 of 107)

Little Red Corvette (wannabe…)

September 27, 2015 /

Wow. Just as advertised.

Opened the cap and poured it into the tank. Got in the car and drove off. Two blocks from the auto parts store, the SERVICE ENGINE SOON light went out.

It has been on for weeks.

The plastic bottle label says STP Fuel Injector Treatment, and since I figured that was the problem – I grabbed one from the shelf and headed to the checkout counter. Best $5 purchase I’ve made in a long time.

As it turns out, you can’t leave gasoline in the tank for over year. Maybe you could once upon a time, and maybe back then it wouldn’t have turned out quite so badly. These days, the ethanol sold at most pumps begins to turn into corn syrup or some such thing after a while.

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Since Little Red had been sidelined in the mechanic’s lot for longer than I care to admit, the fuel had gone all molasses on me. There wasn’t much in the tank to go sour but after the repair I filled up with fresh Premium Grade – it must have still been thick enough to drizzle over pancakes.

The poor little Firebird has been huffing and puffing, chugging and slugging its way through the gears. It had just enough oomph to make it into the parts store parking lot.

The purchase. The pour. The startup.

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When I wheeled out of the lot and pulled out onto the street, I was thinking:

Nah. Couldn’t work that fast.

Then, a blink from the dashboard made me look. Two blocks away from the store and the SERVICE ENGINE light had gone out.

Vroom Vroom.

Miracle juice, I guess – at least for Little Red. I imagine there are any number of folks who have tried the same stuff without success. But hey! The car was a long way from curing itself before I emptied the bottle into the tank.

I think I’ve probably noted here already that my good friend Mark once pointed out that I changed jobs the way that he changed cars – and I hung on to my cars like he stuck to his job. (I probably would have met with greater career success had I followed his example…)

As it is, the little red Firebird will be celebrating its 20th birthday in a few months. I’ve only been here in the bookstore for half that time, but it is longer than any other place I’ve clocked in over the years. Still enjoying it.

And STP permitting, I’ll keep pulling Little Red into the parking space outside until we’re both best suited for the scrap heap.

We’ll be revving it up at lunchtime with something tasty, so…

Come visit!

McHuston

Booksellers & Irish Bistro
Rose District
122 South Main St. Broken Arrow OK!

Congratulations to AVB!

September 20, 2015 /

The barriers are down. The lights are on and the signs are up as a notice that doorkeepers at AVB Bank – (formerly known as Arkansas Valley Bank) in the Rose District, are throwing open the new building.

Kinda tricky, since the signs went up before the end of business on Friday afternoon, sending a few folks (no names mentioned here) down the block to the new building ahead of schedule.

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It’s a beautiful addition to the area, done in an architectural style that makes the new construction right at home among the turn-of-the-century buildings that are the heart of the Rose District. The landscaping sets the bank off nicely, along with the new bronze monument on the north edge of the site.

AVB is at the corner of Main and El Paso and is worth a look the next time you are passing through the District.

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Progress is being made on their neighbor’s construction, as well. The 1st National Bank building has some of the employees in a remodeled section, while others are still in temporary quarters until their spaces are finished.

It’s all a surprise to people who haven’t been around for a time. More than one visitor on Saturday mentioned what a pleasing change the downtown has undergone in the past few years. I’ll be happy when the last of the construction fences comes down, but it is still exciting that new things are popping up regularly.

A spokesman for Andolini’s called during the week to mention that the restaurant will be opening in the next week or so, bringing another dining opportunity to the Rose. Andolini’s is already known in the Tulsa market and their food truck has already been seen handing out pizza slices on BA’s Main Street.

Just a few doors down from the bookstore there are plans for the location that formerly housed the Back Creek Deli. There seems to be a halt to the interior renovation currently, but a number of remodels on Main have gone through delays before the grand re-opening.

Across the street, another remodel is in the offing. They’ve taped up some signs on the glass at the former Bruhouse bar and grille to let us know that the spaces will soon be serving breakfast and brunch at the corner building, and BBQ next door. The sooner the better, as far as I’m concerned. Empty buildings on Main Street serve no one’s best interest.

In the meantime, we’ll keep a chair ready for you at lunch time! We’ll be serving up something tasty, so…

Come visit!

McHuston

Booksellers & Irish Bistro
122 South Main St. Broken Arrow OK!

A Handshake Deal etched in Stone.

September 7, 2015 /

There are some new Riders in the District. They’ll be sticking around for a time, so you’ll have an opportunity to see them on horseback, striking up a handshake deal over the fence rails.

It’s a big bronze, fashioned by sculptor Bradford J. Williams, who comes to Western art naturally, having been raised in Colorado amidst cattle drives and country fairs – living the cowboy life. The large-scale monument sits on the north end of the new building being constructed by Arkansas Valley Bank, or AVB as their signs identify them these days.

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I’m fond of the idea of the handshake deal, and the bronze makes me think of my dealings with the local bank in McAlester when I was a young man. The new car bug had bitten and I found a little one-owner that I just had to have. My enthusiasm for it may have just caught the banker off-guard or maybe it was just the nature of small-town dealings. He didn’t ask for any collateral or down payment. “I know your Daddy,” he said, and told me to go ahead and get the car. He’d have the paperwork drawn up as quick as he could.

Just a signature was all he required. My promise that I would repay the loan.

Time was, a man’s word was his bond – something that could be trusted. That’s the spirit of the handshaking monument. It’s called “Binding Contract,” and once upon a time a handshake was better than a signature on a piece of paper. A contract might be misfiled or lost, but you can’t dispute shaking on a deal.

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Our own Rose District sculptor David Nunneley has worked with Mr. Williams in the past, and aided in the recent installation of the monument. Both artists work in bronze and have statues in public spaces all across the country.

Williams – a self-taught artist – describes his western sculptures as “symbols of our need to believe that another world exists beyond that of our experience – a world that is richer and truer, a world where hard work, trust, decency and strength without excuse aren’t just rumors, but fact.”

It’s a fact that the bank’s new building is progressing nicely, and the street repair on the south edge of the property has been completed, allowing the road to be reopened for traffic. For now, you’ll have to peer through the chain-link construction fence to have a gander at the cowboys, but they’ll be out of the gate soon enough.

We’ll be open tomorrow and firing up the lunchtime chuck wagon, so…

Come visit!

McHuston

Booksellers & Irish Bistro
Rose District
122 South Main St. Broken Arrow OK!

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