Ho - A bit behind on the mail.

I've always wanted a hearse ... well, "always?" Kathy McIntosh
had one. Margaret Fabrizio [sp?] had one. And, yes, Phil Belt
had one when I met him, in '76 at Stonington, roving the coast
dressed up like Ben Franklin, whom he greatly resembled. I
missed my best chance a few years ago, at a _red_ Mercury hearse,
advertised as having been used as a prop in some movie called
"sisters" or some such; "Blood red interior. Back seat never
sat in." 'tis not so easy to come by a nice one as one might
think, but the space, the rollers, the cachet, the ease in
traffic ...

I have before me a copy of an [unpublished, I think] paper
by Patrick, Susan B, and L.Donald Partridge, _A case for the
18th Century Harpsichord Case,_ which deals with the coincidence
of fit of a "Taskin" harpsichord to a 1965 Oldsmobile hearse,
complete with illustrations showing a Kingston instrument
being fitted into, or removed from, the vehicle by the costumed
couple.

I'd forgot the names of the writers when, in Albuquerque some
years back, the subject came up - and I learned that I was
visiting with the authors! How on earth did I get hold of the
paper? Memory fails.

I make do with a series of big station wagons; the latest is
an '86 Buick Electra, in which I lately took a nearly 9' box
to Berkeley. In this beast I've no need to flip things over.
But on other occasions I've done so with no untoward effects,
save the time with a Zuckermann Italian when I forgot that
the name board slides out, and I managed to dump the keys in
the street.

John Barnes in Edinburgh pointed out that his small right-drive
wagon was a perfect size for the portapianos which he found
while driving around the north country. I used to see folk
driving right-drive cars around the 'Mericun northwest; I
suspect that it's now illegal except maybe for collectors'
cars.

I still await a chance to get a vanity plate for a hearse;

Tombeau.

                                                        dc