Buick Opel Kadett Memo Uncovered

Sometimes one does not have to dig into the earth to practice a rough form of Archeology , or dig into an old archive in a library to find an interesting piece of history. Such is the case with a couple of garage sales recently visited. I purchased a couple of diagrams / schematics of automobiles or as it says on one a werkzeichnung. They were of Opel cars , sold in the United States appx from 1965 to 1975. The incomplete memo was sent by GM to select dealers as apparently as a sales guide. Opel's were being imported from the Opel Company in Germany that General Motors had a share in ownership. As the memo stated " to directly compete with the Volkswagen market share." It appears this memo may have gone to dealers in larger college markets. This memo from the Syracuse , New York region. They wanted the college student market. Hence , the memo advised the younger salesmen show to the Kadett fleet off the the younger crowd. It was further suggested such sales points be used as the term "GERMAN ENGINEERING. " Just like the VW. Unlike the VW this brand of cars with a watercooled engine actually had heat in the winter. The small Kadett also possessed a much larger trunk than the VW Beetle , perfect for packing off to college. The memo than began to talk about the Rallye Sport model as a quality and economic alternative to the much more expensive sports car market when there were no more remaining pages. Having driven an old Kadett , I have a certain fond memory of them. Or perhaps more a memory of youth but anyway the Kadetts are hardly seen today except in a classic car show or two. One still sees a VW Bug laboring by on occasion and are remembered much more fondly by the general public almost as a symbol of the era. The Opel Kadett left long behind.

Dead Cow Washes onto Hudson River Shore Castleton NY 12033

I recently read a story of a dead cow washing up on shore near Seattle WA. Discovered late last month by authorities who have been unable to discover previous owner. This story jogged my memory. It took me to the evening just before I fell asleep to remember the story of a similar incident in the Town of Schodack , near Castleton. I believe this story was told to me by a Malcolm Harris who lived in the Chatham NY area and was a crane operator who worked on the Castleton Thruway Bridge construction project. In the early months of the initial construction on the east shore of the Hudson in what is now the area of a shoreline NYS Park construction workers discovered a dead Holstine cow. It had washed up during the night on this late March morning. As the morning worn on a few locals made quiet inquires to local farmers , no one was missing a member of their herd. So what to do? Now a days the health dept would be called , animal control etc. The workers at the site just wanted to dispose of the dead cow. It was bloated and mangled and some speculated it may have been hit by a passing ship. So somewhere near where the concrete pillars that support the bridge structure are located , a pit was dug. Cleared brush and refuse from the site was gathered up and placed in the pit as well as the cow. Fuel was added and ignited. As the day wore on additional material was added along with additional fuel. It appears the fire smoldered well into late Friday afternoon when it was buried by bulldozer. So that is the story for what it is worth. A piece of odd history now told.