George through Kieth:
Just cannot thank you both enough for George sharing and Kieth for bringing to us this absolutely essential SAI history. The former (now lost) thread was IMO the biggest singular treasure lost. To whatever degree any parts of it can be reconstituted, and saved, is of incalculable value to our hobby for us and those who follow.
We are almost down to sole-source contacts for this type of original or near-original attributable information.
Steve A
Steve A,
Thanks for the kind words, it’s very nice to know that it meant so much to others too. Speaking for myself, the loss of the George Watters Collection had quite an impact on me. I really felt back then that all the time and effort we put into it was worth it because it would be there for posterity, you know? I saw it as our contribution to Shelby American history that could always be accessed by future generations. Yes, I realize now how naive that was. It’s what I call a harsh ‘life lesson.’
Thank goodness I still have all the scanned photographs, but George’s words and the comments and reactions of the members are all lost. And those were as much a part of the story as the photos themselves. I got jaded by the loss of Forum 1.0 - you know, the old “burn me once” thing. Once enough time had passed though, I noticed that I would still get a spark of enthusiasm now and then, but I felt I had to rein it in. It’s not like I’m sitting around pouting or anything - things happen, I get it. But I also don’t find myself wanting to plunge in headfirst again on another full time effort like that either.
As you can see by our recent HPM1 post though, the excitement of a new discovery or revelation can still pull me right back into posting mode. But I keep at arms length to avoid another colossal disappointment like the last time.
Thanks for letting me vent. And again, much appreciation from George and I for all of your appreciative comments over the years. It’s something we all got to experience together here, and that was very cool. One thing that always keeps me excited though, is the proof from past experience knowledge that we are all going to see something new this year that we have never seen before. That has happened time and time again. We’ve “seen it all” right? And then that French video of LAX falls out of the sky! THAT’s what keeps the fire lit for me.
I want to add here too, that despite the sad demise of 1.0, the SAAC Forum in and of itself is an
incredible mechanism for sharing. I have learned so much from it that it is invaluable to me. And truth be told, I have acquired some of the closest friends I have thru it. That’s an amazing thing to me, and proof of its value right there.
Thanks again,
Kieth
PS - Oh, and Steve A, a VERY cool story about your 5S339, it’s original owner and HPM 1. Thanks for sharing it. How would we all have ever learned that except thru this Forum?