Santa's Wheels

..is the name of a collage I found online.  And that blogger led me to a post on how to make Chilly Willy, a snowman.  

And for those who love handpainted Christmas ornaments, check these photos out.

All things wheels - color wheels!

Here at Wheelie Catholic, I occasionally do a post - just about wheels. Interesting wheels, of course.

The first color wheel was arranged by Sir Isaac Newton in 1706. Since then, art has combined with function - so click above to see some of the results over the years.

[visual description: An urban color wheel is shown. A color wheel has been painted on the cement wall of a city building. The back of a passerby is shown on the left.]

Wheels run in the family

So my younger brother emails me last night via his laptop from his motorhome somewhere from the heart of Virginia. He writes something along the lines of gee didn't we have an adventure when I put the refrigerator on propane and we suddenly smelled something and wow there was smoke coming out of the top of the motorhome when we went outside to check and my wife tossed me a fire extinguisher and I put out the flames and oh boy some wires are messed up but it's okay we're not hurt. Oh and it smelled really bad that night sleeping.

Yikes.

And yet my mom has told me that having an accessible van isn't a good thing since those things break. It's a moot point considering what they cost, but at least I wouldn't have to fling a fire extinguisher around.

Is there anything more unnatural than trying to live - in a car? Although out of all the people in the world it doesn't surprise me that my brother attempts it on vacation since as a toddler he used to watch cars go by for hours in front of our house and could name any model by the time he was in kindergarten. He wrote Ford Motor Company when he was in elementary school and recommended an engine design. Forget playing with those little metal cars. He took the car keys and tried to back the family car out of the driveway - at 3 years old. He didn't get very far. Luckily. Although I still wonder if he really did already know how to drive. It wouldn't have surprised me.

And when he got his permit I took him out to supposedly teach him how to drive. It really wasn't necessary. After five minutes I told my mom he should just call and set up his test date ASAP - he was ready. He'd been ready for years.

I've watched him drive (race) sports cars, motorcycles, foreign cars, etc. not to mention jet skis and boats but never pictured him in a motor home. But hey it's on wheels.

And we all know that wheels run in my family.

Happy 4th of July!

[visual description: The winner of the US Army 4th of July golf cart competition is shown. The cart is decorated with small American flags on its roof, a series of flag banners off its roof, and flag streamers and ribbons off front, side and rear bumpers.Inside the cart sit two dogs, pets of a US military officer.]

Wheelchair user becomes stuck on truck - and taken for a ride

A 21 year old man whose wheelchair handles became lodged in the front grille of a truck was taken on a 50 mph ride until police were able to stop the unaware truck driver four miles later.

"Officers stopped the truck — wheelchair still attached — at a trucking company...
An investigation revealed the man in the wheelchair had pulled in front of the truck at a gas station and it somehow became lodged by its handles to the front grille."

Via MSNBC

Apparently the wheelchair user was unharmed but was taken for a medical check.

Wheelie Unsafe?

Since we deal with all things on wheels here, I just wanted to mention that I saw this article about shoes on wheels - the kind that kids whiz around on. It's seen in the picture to the left where teenage girls are rolling along, leaning back on a wheel that comes out of the rear of the shoe and called heeling. Apparently the number of ER injuries are up around the world from children who hurt themselves wearing these shoes/skates - many of whom don't wear protective gear.

Parents are being warned to have children wear helmets, knee and elbow guards, etc. just as they would with any skate to avoid serious injuries- and not be lulled into thinking that this is just another shoe since it's bought in a department store.

Wheel of Steel

Lions and tigers and bears. Oh my.

Picture this:

"At the beginning of the act two daredevils, Bello Nock and Nikolas Wallenda, balance catlike on a scary 39-foot structure that resembles an enormous bubble-blower — a stick with a hollow circle at each end, or if you will, two giant hamster wheels revolving on a central axle. This is the death wheel known to circus audiences for decades.

Suddenly a barrage of fireworks signals a surprise: The two seemingly solid wheels split apart like a Tinkertoy. The hamster wheels have doubled to four, and Mr. Nock and Mr. Wallenda begin whirling in opposite directions without safety nets or wires." Via NY Times

Tonight at Ringling Brothers Circus, Wallenda and Nock will unveil a contraption sometimes called The Wheel of Death - but properly referred to as the Wheel of Steel. NY Times has a multimedia presentation of how this device works.

For my friends interested in all kinds of wheels, engineering and mechanical devices, check this out. It's quite interesting. And to read what a lucky reporter who got to try it out and calls it a "wheely big circus roll", click here. To read about what the performers have to say , click here.