Holton Secret Lab

Holton Secret Lab Blog Is Moving

2012-01-18T15:00:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! I wanted to let you know that we have moved our blog from Google to Word Press. That means that our Holton Secret Lab Blog is now on our web site www.holtonsecretlab.com.

I will leave this blog up for a month or so and then will shut it down. Our new web site has a Blog button on the header.....just click the button and it will take you to our HSL blog and also to Hot Rod Cowgirl's blog.

I am working with Kristen, our web guru in California, http://nine2fivecreative.com/ ,on updating our web site. I am on a learning curve as she is training me to keep the web site up to date with pictures, car shows and awards, events and etc. The next few weeks I will be preparing over 100 pictures to add the various customer vehicles we have restored to the Portfolio page. If any of you that are reading this have some pictures to add to your portfolio on our web page please email them to me and I will upload them to your vehicle.

With all that said....this blog is now located on our web site www.holtonsecretlab.com

See you on down the road!

www.holtonsecretlab.com

Hotrod Cowgirl!

2011-08-17T21:09:00.000-07:00

Hey all....we have a second blog up and running...

http://hotrodcowgirl.wordpress.com/

This is a blog more about our life together and some of it is also Marcy's life growing up.

Between cattle, horses, wheat...hot rods...memories...life.

I am a Hot Rod Cowgirl...and love this Corvette!

I married a Cowboy Hot Rodder...and we are building our dreams together!

So go take a look...

Hot Rods and Horses!

Wild Bill and Hot Rod Cowgirl at the coast.

http://hotrodcowgirl.wordpress.com/

Mission Impossible.....Parts Delivery At HSL

2011-07-26T23:29:00.000-07:00

Today Was Parts Delivery Day At Holton Secret Lab...

"Peter" (Graves) Flew The Plane Today With "Tom" (Cruise) As Co-Pilot..

Should You Accept This Mission....You Must

Do So With Utmost Attention To Detail...HSL Policy

Flying Over HSL To Secure The Target To Begin Package Drop

The "Lab" Is Secure

"Annie" Is Waiting For Her Package Pick Up...She May Look Like A Horse...But She Is A Trained Special OPS Agent...Don't Make Her Mad!

Any "Mission Of Perfection" Takes A Few Fly Overs To Deliver
Packages To "The Secret Lab"

The "Godfather" of HSL Is Waiting For The Drop...

Dialing In The GPS Coordinates...In The "Gray Ghost"

Super Invisible In The Wheat!

Proof That "Holton Secret Lab Does Quality Restorations"

Anything Can Happen On A Summer Night At HSL

It Is "Your Mission" To Come See Us

Bring Your Dream Car Or Your Hot Rod Restoration To Holton Secret Lab And

Your Mission Is Complete....This Brief Will Self Destruct In 5 Minutes

Over and Out
www.holtonsecretlab.com

Horsepower And Horse Power...Both Kinds!

2011-07-21T22:09:00.000-07:00

As you know we have "Horse Power"..."Catahoola Bug's"...first ride...that is why I am so serious...

And we have "Horsepower" at HSL

Zoom Zoom "Horsepower"

"Horsepower" or "Horse Power" both ways...note "Horse Power" in background

Horses that know what to do with 100% "Horse Power"

And some riders..."Flame" wondering where and what to do?

HSL "Horsepower" at the Portland Roadster Show

Or just plain "Nitrous Horsepower"

Back to the Juniper T...Curt making a big loop

On a summer's night with "Horse Power"

"Ba-Boom-Ba-Boom...HSL Horsepower"

Outrageous "Chevelle Horsepower"

Annie will demonstrate how horses take a bath with "Horse Power".

First of all....as soon as your master brushes you and gets you all pretty....you drop and roll in a dry dusty spot in the pasture

Then you get up and shake

"Chic A Boom Chic A Boom...Shaking the Annie Fanny"

Feels so good...oh yeah

Nice and clean...beautiful

Annie you are a knock out!

"Holton Secret Lab Horsepower"...Zoom Zoom:)

Ah "Flame"....what are you doing???

"Flame" will never forgive me for publishing this picture...WB paid his wife 5 bucks for this picture...truly "Flames" secret love is riding horses with "Horse Power"!

Come see us as HSL and we will develop and fine tune your "Horsepower"

Hotrods, Harvest and Horses

2011-07-13T23:03:00.000-07:00

First of all..."Jagged" is more finished and looking extremely cool.

Did I mention that "WB" built this car by hand with his creative mind and his artistic ability.

I am very proud of him!

Wild Bill hanging loose

He is a My Hotrod Cowboy

Who still makes my heart beat fast...either inside the car or out.

Side note on inside the car...ask Richard who owns the Willy's...hee-hee...sorry Richard:)

Yep he knows what I live with...and why we have "Oh Sh--" handles in our Hotrods for me!

Bad to the bone..."Jagged" is one of a kind.

1929 Dodge Coupe with a V-12 Jag engine

Outrageous!

On any given day at HSL you will see...Cool Cars

Cool Dreams

Cool Hotrods

1956 or 2011?

At HSL we have time warps all the time!

The Gang...Snarling Snapping Wonders Who Won't Trust Anyone But Us:)

We have a great security system but they are our second security system...go ahead and make their day....they are always hungry...seriously!

Ms. Diva decided to stretch out on her coffee table...she owns everything
and we work for her!

July of 2011 is very unusual that we are having this type of weather...cool...rainy...windy...harvest is pretty much postponed until August.
Usually we are starting harvest now!

See the wheat field behind Annie?

It should look like this for July ready to harvest with heavy golden heads of wheat. I know this is dated...it was 1987 when we used to harvest our land and run "Holton Restorations". (We became "Holton Secret Lab" in 2004). Yes it was a bad hair day..my hair was long then and in a ponytail...son on the left was 13 and son on the right was 15...Wild Bill was...very young...really young...and me well I was a child bride!

This would be a baby combine in 2011 but in 1987 it was top notch...we name our cars and trucks...first truck is called "Big Bertha" and the little truck behind her was called "Betsy". I will do a post on our vehicle names in the future!

This is now and yes we have bigger headers...seriously huge!

We took this picture to show that we have steep ground. Yes that is Wild Bill...For you who do not understand hillside combines they have a leveler that keeps the bulk of the machine level while the header tilts with the ground etc. as does the hydraulics. Being a farm girl and growing up driving truck in harvest...I have seen a leveler break...then the bulker and heavy part of the combine tilts crazy...hang on and say a prayer that it does not roll...jump as soon as you can.

Personally myself being so brave and all...I liked driving our wheat trucks...here are my three kids in back of my truck in the 1980's. When you are a farm kid it is fun to ride in the back of the truck and make wheat gum...stuff a handful of wheat seeds in your mouth and make gum! Why? I don't know but it is truly a country kid tradition...they say that some adults yet do this...who....well I don't know???

The kiddos with their Dad....Wild Bill...in 1979.

Switching gears to harvesting cars instead of wheat...it is way more fun!

Look what we found in our field!

I love love this Ford Pick Up...used to be mine:(

And I love this 1955 Chevy Pick Up

And this Bronco is incredible!

Back to the 1935 Ford Pick Up...my Grandpa owned one of the first Ford
dealerships in the Northwest...

I love our Chevy "Bowtie" cars and I LOVE Corvettes...but I appreciate Fords too!

Rural America...hard work...long days...all worth the way of life here.

Another reason we have our incredible shop here instead of a huge city in CA. or Portland or Seattle...We chose to live here as this is our home...and our shop is worth your gas miles to drive to...if you want the best...we are worth a few extra miles...come see us.

Now on to horses.....

I loved "Hobby"...She had a huge heart and was part of mine.

I was born country and that's what I'll always be.

I got a hundred years of down home running through my blood.

I was born country and this country's what I love.

Family ties run deep in this land.
And I'm never far from what I am.
My Uncles and cousins...son Greg is the squirmy one.
See if you can pick out "Wild Bill"...hint...cowboy:)

Minnie is giving me the look....I better get back to work!

Melody is really a person in a horse costume and

She truly would like to live with us in the house!

Kiah is so pretty with my red PEO flowers...she is keeping an eye on the camera and me!

Annie is looking down the road at "Jagged".

See ya on down the country trail

Till next time...hang on tight to your "Oh Sh-- handle and smile"

Yes it rained more tonight....still hoping for Summer!

America The Beautiful

2011-07-04T17:04:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th Of July America!

Sing With Me...America The Beautiful

O Beautiful For Spacious Skies

For Amber Waves Of Grain

For Purple Mountain Majesties

Above The Fruited Plain

America America!

God Shed His Grace On Thee

And Crown Thy Good With Brotherhood

From Sea To Shining Sea

God Bless America

Holton Secret Lab Wishes You A Happy 4th Of July

So Does Annie

And Kiah Too

We Pledge Allegiance To The Flag Of The United States Of America And To The Republic For Which It Stands...One Nation Under God, Indivisible With Liberty And Justice for All.

Country Entertainment At Juniper T Ranch

2011-07-03T01:26:00.000-07:00

I grew up for the most part without a TV...I was an only child...I learned early on how to entertain myself with reading and dreaming and goofing and playing with my dogs and horses and cats...then I also learned as I got older to ride out on my horse and take incredible pictures of the landscape...and not worry that the "Boogie Man" was after me.

Heading out on a summers night.

Beautiful huh? No you can not go sit in front of the dang TV in the summer....you will miss this.

This summer I bought a new Auzzie dog to add to the pack...I like having them so that they will bite you and keep you away if you come at off hours...we like having protection that snaps and snarls and bites...so go ahead make their day...we have lots of them...and they have teeth and attitude...OK moving on to country entertainment.....remember out here we have to be inventive for our fun!

Country Entertainment Step One: Get a new Auzzie that is about a year old...and get her a new toy.

Step Two: Introduce her to your two old filly "Annie" who was like WooHoo I am ready to play!

Step Three: Get your camera ready and watch

Step Four: Focus and enjoy....and no Kiah was not nipping or healing...it was pure play time.

Step Five: Our new puppy...a very smart girl....and good watch dog already...was trying to play with "her" toy....and "Annie" was looking for fun...in all the wrong places...remember that song?

Step Six: Now Kiah is showing off

You have to put up with me as I am weird...I like to write and take pictures that tell the story...I love music and memories...and well I am kind of silly and goofy. I think it was because my folks made me go to the mountains every year of my life when I was young and I listened to Wolfman Jack at night.

My Dad would tune into Ira Blue...has any one besides me heard of Ira Blue...well we as in me and my Mom and Dad every night fell asleep listening to Ira...the signal would fade in and out on the AM radio....so yeah I am a bit funky weird but extremely entertaining.

Here I am in the mountains saying "What"...it is early...and I am cranky..."Wild Bill" we need to saddle up and ride to go gather the cows in that pasture down by Redbridge".

"No...not DRIVE the pick up...I said RIDE...you know horseback...and I am getting more cranky...get your yoo hoo hinney on that horse and lets go".

Ahhh...mountain beauty and solitude...OK...where did the cows go?

Getting ready to find and gather the cows along the river on my horse Lottie...never a dull moment!

Back to today and the rest of the story...Annie is looking at the barn...I wonder what she sees?

"Pat" and "Jack"...our "Lion Cats" of the ranch that are tough stuff...and ferocious.

"What are you looking at sister...I am watching you...girl...get that camera away from us...we know who you are."

True "Lions"...do not mess with them...I am serious as they will hurt you...I know...I had to take them to the vet to get neutered...it was not pretty at all.

"Wild Bill" made some silly excuse that he was busy and could not take the Lions to town...yeah right...send your little wife off with them in the cab of a pick up by herself...I still quiver...and it has been a few years ago now...I think I have PTSD...but I do love these guys!

But they remember...God help me...I need something to calm my fears of lions, tigers and bears...we

have cougars and moose out here too....OK that is enough for now...where is my candy to self medicate my nerves?

As you can tell he was not that busy...well...yeah he gets the" Pendleton Woolen Mills" to do a photo shoot with our cars the day that I have to take "the Lions" to the vet...I say it was a conspiracy.

See...he is yakking to the Woolen Mills man...the one who arranged all of this... the one who contacted us for prop vehicles for the fall collection....actually "The 100th Anniversary Fall Collection".

This was the photo shoot day for the men's clothing line and as you see it was a cold day for June. The next day the gals did the photo shoot and while it was still chilly it was at least sunny.

Here he is loading up the Mustang and headed home...smirking about me and the Lions....ha-ha.

OK folks it is almost bedtime here.....Annie says Good Night

The sun has set....so has my brain.

Night Sleepy Head

Night Minnie...Night MJ

Cars Are Like Fine Wine

2011-07-01T21:29:00.000-07:00

Building a car can take time...money....work...a few surprises...then more work and more money...and convincing the wife that you seriously need the extra horsepower...more money...more work...maturing it or finishing it...like vintners maturing their grapes for that perfect glass of wine.

This 1930 Tudor belongs to one of the areas finest wineries...and has been aged to perfection here at HSL.

Perfect wine takes time as does a perfect restoration...such as Jagged...he has his healthy V-12 Jag motor working just fine thank you very much...but...we had to build and fabricate headers...manifolds...and lots of things that make him work right.

We are getting close though...real close...Grand National Roadster Show we are coming soon,

Does the song "Wild thing" run through your mind? I can hear it loud and clear...yeah baby...bang a gong...and the ba-bump of the cam...I am in heaven...love that sound...hot time in the city...boom ba boom...kind of a 60's-70's-80's girl here...but I love some serious country twang too.

My man "Wild Bill" built this car...he is an inventor...he is a genius...he is a Holton.

"Wild Bill' and "Flame" are smirking at me as I walked in with my new camera. Well...I will show them...they think they can get away with this...this smirking tee-hee-ha-ha...I have red hair...and I have eyes in the back of my head...heck I have eyes everywhere...ask my kids...I see you "Flame".

So back to what I was saying...before I got sidetracked with pesky "Wild Bill" and "Flame"...jeez such pains. Just look at them..they are planning to buy more parts...I know it...they already have them ordered..."no honey...what...no that charge on the visa was for "cost of goods"...what...no not for me...no it was a customer car"...come on WB...I was not born yesterday...silly.

WB is still trying to justify the nitrous system and and and he says it will help him get in better touch with his man feelings if he has MORE horsepower...yeah right...sure...uh-huh...I need another horse to ride.

Often a customer will ask us how long and how much money and what does it cost....well in honestly how can we give you an honest answer...can you see through paint and rust and tell us how much damage we have to fix when you bring us your car? If you could you would not ask us.

Here is a case in point. This Willy's Jeep belongs to a family that has had it since way back...in fact the man who bought this Willy's was my husband's teacher in High School...we are restoring it for both Bob and his son Bob Jr. But we did not know for sure when we picked it up that the bed was rusted out and the cab was too...once it was stripped we knew...so we had to find a new cab and order a new bed.

And it will look like this Willy's that HSL built..."Flame" is having fun here...he is such a "Wild Bill" clone it is scary...I am wondering if he is up to something...hmmmm...red hair and all...loves flames...and loves cars...hmmmm...a long lost child of ours?

Back to customers asking us how much will it cost? I have horses as you know...I send my young horses to trainers as I do not want to risk getting hurt now and besides let someone who is an "expert" train them...I grew up riding and herding cattle but I am not a horse trainer. I do not ask how much as to me my horse is my life...I want this horse to know that all is well and no I am not a monster who will eat them for dinner...so yes I will pay what it takes...and I do...always amazes even me...a girl...that guys say to my hubby "Well how much will this cost?" All i can say is "Huh...hello...what planet did you fall off today...how can my man give you an answer?"

However if you just say do it...this is what we can do...and no we are not expensive or ripping you off...we are trying as hard as we can to do the best job we can for you...to bring your dream to reality...so you can drive it and have fun!!! That is what it is all about:)

And yes we can tell you that if you want us to do your car...

You will be with us at the Portland Roadster Show with your restored vehicle.

Portland trusts us to deliver perfect restored or built vehicles...when Holton Secret Lab calls Portland and says we have this customer car to bring...they say OK as they know that Holton Secret Lab does it right...even though we are "Secret." They know our work...potential customers looking at my blog for the first time ever...we are honest and good with what we do...we care about you and your vehicle...we are not an autobody shop...we are a custom restoration shop.

Before

After

In The Process

After

Before

After

Both Vehicles Went To The Portland Roadster Show And Won Best Of Class

To sum up this HSL post...we are worth your investment...your money...your time...call us. We want to build your vehicle and see you enjoy it. We are not in it just for the money folks...yes that is good...but...we mostly care about your dream...after all we would not have built a shop here in a field of dreams.

We strive to do the best job we can with your vehicle and dream...and if the vehicle has been in your family a long time...we understand heritage.

We would not have built our shop here in Juniper Canyon if not for heritage and history. Holton Secret Lab is not your usual restoration shop...we are a shop built with history, heritage and dreams.

Learning Curve At HSL

2011-06-24T23:04:00.000-07:00

I am having fun with learning all there is to know about my new camera...I love to write but without good pictures you can not tell the story...that is why we bought a new camera...and it is the camera of the year!

I love this camera....it does just about everything you would want....I can shoot ten pictures per second....very fast which I need when "Wild Bill" drives by doing a burn out with "Jagged"...it takes panorama shots...raw files and big files or small files....low light or bright light...and 1080 video which I love for those times when "Wild Bill" does a burn out wheelie in front of the house! Heck it even cooks...hee hee just kidding!

I debated between a Nikon D7000 or a Cannon 7D but after having the Sony demonstrated to me in the camera store I was sold. I took a friend with me to shop for a camera as she is a pro with cameras....she has a Cannon 5D so I figured she would tell me what I needed and what I did not need...she liked this camera too. It does it all and then some....cleans my house and even the horse stalls in the barn....ha!

I love this flip down screen...we had this on our old Cannon camera too.

Practice pictures...enjoy!

A perfectly fun shot!

So was this one

The camera caught the rain drops with its quick shooting ability

Various sunset colors in the sky...wide open spaces...another reason we love living here

I love how the fence draws you into the picture

Catching "Fannie Annie's" mane moving and the rainbow

Weird storms and clouds in Juniper Canyon this year

Our new addition...that makes four HSL dogs!

Sunset at HSL

Stay tuned for the rest of the story...and more car stuff that is coming this weekend!

Juniper Joust Days

2011-06-20T23:38:00.000-07:00

The Juniper Joust was a classic rodeo put on by two friends who invited their friends to have fun roping and cowboying...out here in Juniper Canyon...which is called the "North" country...they put a beef in the ground to b-q the night before to share it with their buddies for lunch...in the middle of no where...where we have a successful "Street Rod Shop"..."The Super Secret Holton Secret Lab"...where we live with family heritage and history...way out here...you know...in the middle of no where.

Can you believe a local rodeo began right here....across from the house...right over there...in that pasture in the mid 1940's.

I would guess this is the beginning of the day long rodeo. People are still showing up...some of them rode their horses out from Pendleton to the rodeo...that is about 20 miles.

My Dad and Fred who was his neighbor and best friend....and counter part in this cowboy rodeo thing way out here in the "North Country In Juniper Canyon"....decided it was time for a local rodeo to be born...and that is what they did...the "Juniper Joust" was formed right here...and today it is called "The Mustangers"...they meet six Sundays each spring close to Pendleton and put on a good rodeo...and it all started right "Here"...Where we live today...right across from the house over in the pasture.

Time changes things...but the heart remembers when....way back when...As you look through the old pictures you will notice there is not a creek with water in it...that all happened one night when there was a once in a lifetime flood here in Juniper Canyon...thank the good Lord I do not remember this part...poor Mom...I am sure it was a scary night for her...after the water receded a creek was born and is still there today...flowing all the way to the Columbia River.

Dad and Fred always did a b-q beef to feed between 200 to 300 people who came to the rodeo and Mom made a ton of potato salad...I grew up on her salad...I know it was good...I miss it and I miss my Mom.

Dad loved to rope and when I was little we went to lots of jack pot roping all over the Northwest...the best part was that Dad would haul my horse "Prince" with his horse to the roping...I got to ride my horse behind the scenes while he roped...it was fun for me as I made lots of friends.

I think this was the "Serpentine Race" or maybe a different way of doing "The Juniper Joust Pole Bending Race".

The crowd was eating lunch in this picture and visiting...that old way of connection that we have lost today which makes me sad.

My Dad with his horse "Jingle" in the arena across from the house in 1948. He is standing on top of the creek that flows today...all the way to the Columbia River.

This is me at the current "Mustanger" grounds near Pendleton in 1960 riding Red my second horse. I was running the pole bending race...I was 9 years old....love the glasses and short hair...remember pixie haircuts? Mom loved those!

Dad at one of the many roping's we went to.

On to boogying with the barrels at the Mustangers...Red was a pro...he knew what to do and I rode hard....the way my Dad taught me to...hang on tight and use your head...use your body to direct your horse....yep...if your horse can feel a fly...well girl then they can feel every thing you do so make sure you do it right.

Red was my buddy...I was the only one who could catch him...Dad bought Red in Texas in 1949...he was a red bay like "Fannie Annie". I know I look harsh for an 7 year old but it was serious business back then when your folks took your picture.

My Mom was a saint....can you imagine your only child being out on a horse before she could walk. I do have pictures of me on Prince when I was 2 and when I was 3 but they are glued into my baby album and I cannot get them out...Mom glued them in with a very strong glue!

Prince with me when I was 4.

Prince was awesome and took good care of me...so did my Dad.

My Dad taught me how to ride a horse...and all that goes with it...responsibility for my horse and how to care for my horse and how to be safe...I rode with him in the mountains gathering cattle from the time I was six years old...he would send me off on my horse by myself moving cows...but he was always close by...keeping an eye on me.

Snip and I crossing Beaver Creek in 1963.

Dad was serious about our cows...I still hear him saying "Now Marcy don't run the cows...we need to keep the weight on...slow down...and just stay behind them"...Dad was fun in his own way with teasing me...I learned so much from him...I still see him riding in front of me leading the way...he was a great leader...always looking out for me and whoever rode with him.

Dad following me on his horse Gypsy...crossing Beaver Creek.

Mom cooked up a storm for us in a primitive log cabin on a wood cook stove...along with critters who kept us entertained...we did not have running water so I would go to the "Box Spring" and haul buckets of water...there was always a trout or two in the spring swimming around...This picture is of me on the far right...cousin Matt next to me and cousin Jerry next to Matt and then my Dad and then my cousin Gerald but I call him my Uncle.

"Beaver Creek and The Juniper T Ranch " how I miss them both...they are front and center in my memory...in my present life I am far away from what I lived then...still in many ways I am still living a life that is filled with daily excitement...horses with horsepower in a different arena.

Now don't think that "Wild Bill" was not a cowboy too...this picture was in 1993 at the Cattleman's Ball in Wyoming. We make a handsome couple huh...and we still do:)

In this picture we were watering cattle the summer of 1991. We lived 35 miles from the closest town...so what do you do on a Saturday night for fun...I know...lets haul water to the cows in that far pasture over the hill:)

Stay Tuned....Wyoming Stories Are Coming..Along With Post, Oregon Stories.

Between cowboy stories and cool car details...horsepower and restorations...history and heritage...horses and cows...how can you ever be bored!

Why I Have Not Been Blogging

2011-06-07T22:32:00.000-07:00

It all started May 31 2011 about 6:53....the severe thunder storm that was not forecast hit us....HARD!!! I was on the phone in the office when I heard a clap of thunder...then I heard a loud snap and we lost power.

The power was out for several hours...we did not know the damage until it came back on.

The power company was replacing our transformer...I wanted to take pictures to update you...WB told me to quit taking pictures as I was giving the tech a heart attack with my flash while he was changing out the transformer.

I am still operating only half time in the office...we have replaced our modem and our router and now our switch or hub...so far the computers are OK....and that is a blessing. Yes we had super duper surge protectors and all the right stuff installed for protection...so beware.

The net is off and on and that is why I am missing your emails and not talking...this is my computer with my 1964 Silver Corvette Coupe....we are looking for another.....that was what I was driving when I met "Wild Bill" in 1976...and it was my baby.

The phone is messed up too...some calls we get and others calls we do not get at all or we hear from you that you call and it rings and rings...we are here and no we cannot hear the ring as it does not ring here...then there is the call that rings in like a fax machine...and the calls that end with "We are sorry this number has been disconnected"...."Hello" we have had this number here since 1977!

Never mind.....lets think about that Silver 1964 Corvette Coupe or

"Wild Bill's" "Jagged"!

Yeah this is what we did the day of the great thunder storm!

With my new camera I can take sneaky pictures and appear out of no where.....think woman on a mission impossible...ok never mind...but I will find you so smile:)

Only at "Holton Secret Lab" will you find this outside.

And this inside...two outstanding HSL technicians with 50 years experience between them who know what it takes to design and build your vehicle to perfection.

Back outside......seriously can you imagine driving either of these? "Wild Bill" took me on one of our first dates four wheeling in his Bronco...it was way fun for this cowgirl....very very cool. Hmmmmmm maybe we can go out and find "Juniper Hill...Wild Bill"?

OK "WB" are we ready to go?

"Oh Yeah".....

"Hey I want to have fun too!"

"Lets play...mine is faster than yours!"

"What I can't hear you over the rumble and hurrrrumph?"

"Varooommmmmm"

"I am faster...no I am faster...no me...no I am the Boss".

"OK...you're faster then...geez"!

"Jagged" gets on down the road and then spins around...comes back and wins the race!

"Flame" drives back to the finish line.

Close your eyes...can you hear the sound of a good carb with horsepower...ahhhh:)

Still smiling here....deep breath...yeah....the sound always gets me....V-12 horsepower:)

All is good..."Flame" is still smiling:) After all the "Willy's" has a line lock on it!

Annie says..."I need a rub and a hug...maybe some treats too":)

Storms like I have not seen here in many years.

Hang tight with HSL....we may have internet issues and phone issues but we are here...building cool cars and outrageous restorations!

Rainbows And A Rainy Memorial Day

2011-05-30T15:06:00.000-07:00

Last Night We Had Another Rain Storm Move In And I Was Able To Catch A Double Rainbow That Landed Here.

Annie Was Posing For Me

"Fannie Annie" Was Barely Six Months Old When We Brought Her Home...Just A Baby...And Now In Her Two Year Old Year She Is Becoming A Beauty.

Two Pots To Collect

Annie wants her Apple Assess...That Is Horse Candy...Think "Chocolate Carmel" Treats For Us.

The Rainbow Stretched Across The Road From Our Pasture Into Our Field Of CRP.

"Someday Over The Rainbow...Way Up High...There Is A Land That I Heard Of"

The Weather This Year Has Been Extremely Cold And Wet. Many Memorial Days In Past Years Have Been A Mixture Of Rain Or A Dust Storm.

Note The Rain Drops That My New Camera Caught...Very Fast!!!

When We Ran Cattle In The Mountains Historically This Weekend We Would Be Checking Fence And Re-Building River Crossing. I Am Glad We Are Not Doing That This Year As I Heard They Had Snow The Last Few Days Up There...Brrrrrrrr!

This Is The Reason We Had To Fence Off The River Crossings Each Year....The Cows Would Decide To Go For A Spa And Tone Day.

My Parents Celebrating Their 40th Anniversary In 1979.

I Miss Them Everyday And Often Wish I Could Go Next Door And Have A Cup Of Coffee With Them.

They Were Married Almost 59 Years

This Is Wild Bill's Dad Herb With Two Great Grandchildren Cody and Becca. There Is Not A Day That Goes By That Wild Bill Does Not Think Of His Dad...I Thought He Was Pretty Special Too.

Herb Used To Race Jalopies In The 40's And Then Opened The Vale Autobody Shop. Wild Bill Grew Up In That Shop...And Attributes Much Of What He Knows To His Dad.

Today We Give Thanks For Our Parents, Our Heritage And Our Memories. We Also Pause To Give Thanks For The Men And Women Who Bravely Fought For Our Country And Also For The Ones Fighting For Us Today. God Bless You.

We Are Off To Go Play In Leap-N-Leana Behind The House!

Hot Rods and Crazy Dogs

2011-05-28T12:50:00.000-07:00

Since we have so many dogs and cats and horses and cars too...I thought OK today I will blog about our cool crazy dogs and hot rods.

"The Dog" who officially greets you with a growl!

Super Fast Mojo...ZOOM ZOOM!

Crazy Dog...Yep This Is How He Looks!

Cool Rides...Shall We Dance?

Shy Sneaky Heeler...She Will Introduce Herself On Your Heel!

Mustang Sally Showing Some American Muscle

Oh My Gosh....A Pack Of Wild Crazy Dogs

Flaming Outrageous Muscle

Such a Diva:)

American Pony...Lets Go!

Sneaky Protection...Waiting And On Duty

Flexing Some GTO Muscle...Looking To Kick Butt

A Smile Or Is It A Snarl? Hmmmm...You Guess!

G' Day Mate...Your Wish Is Our Command...Snarl.

A Cowboy, His Horse And His Dog...Perfect

Super Bee Camera Dogs

Well you knew I would have another horse picture too...this is my "Hobby" horse.

Loyal Dog...Good Dog

Where would we ever be without our critters and friends...our animals touch us deep in our hearts. May you know the true love of animals both big and small.

May you also know the sound of a good cam in a great motor and fast car that will get you on down the road.

Blogging About Daily Shop Life And Ranch Life

2011-05-25T12:49:00.000-07:00

I have found that blogging can be a challenge. I love to blog and take pictures however I am sure you want to hear about more car stuff and this car girl cowgirl does not always know what to call various shop pictures that WB gives me...I am still learning after almost 35 years of marriage!

Isn't Minnie Cute? I work for her you know...cats are a bit bossy.

Cruzin Magazine Interview...all vehicles either restored or painted by HSL.

The restorations we perform are full frame off rotisserie restorations. WB and Flame need to dust off the surf board....geezzzsh!

This Tudor is amazing in person...it is coming along for that super secret winery..."Flame" did an awesome job painting the black...black is known to be picky and not an easy color to shoot.

Rotisseries are awesome! Turn it this way or that way...like a b-q spit but this is our HSL spit!

Our crazy life here in Juniper Canyon...err make that "Northern Exposure On Wheat!"

Hmmmmmm...very very interesting huh?

Why we love living in a small town...the local small town rodeo...which is soon.

My Cowboy Man

Our adopted cowboy son Curt and Ty

Put your seat belts on...we are just getting started with this blog! Note the sign!

Yeah Baby!!!!!

Yes my fellow listeners I am trying to give you the full enchilada...both cars and life...horses and cows...and history...we live on history here folks....every car we get into the shop has a story to tell and history...yep...yeppers...and yah-yah!

Why We Live Where We Do Part Two

2011-05-24T20:11:00.000-07:00

Last time we covered part of the reason that we live where we do being Juniper T Ranch...cows, horses, mountains, family. This time I want to tell you about the house we live in....which is next to the HSL Shop we built on the ranch here in Juniper Canyon.

The house was built in 1920 by my Grandfather Gunder for his mother, my great Grandmother Anne Marie. Grandpa came to America the first time when he was 13 years old from Norway. He came alone and ended up shipwrecked in the Azores. He finally made it to Nebraska for a few years and then came to Oregon in the 1880's. He began homesteading the land here where we live and eventually had a large farm to support his family on.

This picture of the ranch was taken late 1940's. The barn was built in 1909, my Dad remembered his father having around 75-80 head of work horses to work the land. Today there is a large shop between the barn and the smaller building...I remember before the shop was built in 1960...my shoulder was broken when I was two years old in the corral in front of the barn...I wanted to go see the horse's...and I did on my own and then fell and was stepped on. The house is hidden by trees...which I wish we still had.

This was my Grandparents house in town. On the porch is my Grandmother Karen and the two little boys are my Dad and his older brother. This would be around 1916.

This is our home around 1958....my parents were adding the patio that we still use today.

When Grandpa built the house, he had 7 kids and two yet to be born. My Dad remembered hauling lumber to build the house from Helix which is 8 miles away by horse and wagon with his Dad. Grandpa wanted to bring his mother over from Norway...he had already brought over his brothers and sister. When the house was finished Anne Marie came to Juniper Canyon when she was 76 years old. Can you imagine how this new world looked to her then? No electricity and dirt roads....with few neighbors....yet she came to be with her family. She lived here in this house until 1938 when she passed away at 94.

My parents got married in 1939 and Grandpa asked them to move into the house. This picture was taken at the U of O around 1938...they make a cute couple...they were married for 59 strong years.

Harvest behind our house August 16, 1938. Machinery had replaced work horses by then.

My Mom in her Norwegian apron in the front yard of our home. She was beautiful to me.

The picket fence was replaced with a log fence.

Eventually I came along....this is my first horse Prince...I was 4 years old in this picture with the house in the background. My Dad had me on a horse by the time I was 2 years old and that began a lifetime love of horses for me.

There is a familiar pattern to our lives here. Much like many of the vehicles we restore, there is a history woven into the fabric of HSL and why we chose to build our shop here...we are home.

Something about history...and family.

Storm At Holton Secret Lab

2011-05-22T21:28:00.000-07:00

After living here for almost 5shhhh years I have not seen clouds such as we saw in last nights storm. I could not help myself so I grabbed my camera and shot several interesting shots.

This Is How It Started

Then It Did This

And This

Baton Down The Hatches!

Fluffy Layers

Fun With Different Light

We had a combo of hail and rain....lots of rain...like almost 2" of rain for the month of May which puts us above average by 1.5". Today it is colder and quite windy which we need to dry out the soggy soil and mud puddles.

Stay tuned..we bought a new DSLR camera...so hang on tight and heaven help us:)

This Is What We Do Part Two

2011-05-16T23:14:00.000-07:00

Why We Live Where We Do

2011-05-15T12:18:00.001-07:00

As some of you remember way back when I started this blog I mentioned that I would share more about our life before HSL and why we built a shop way out here....in a secret place? There is a story to be told, so here we go...

This is me when I was 10 years old with my parents, Dad's horse Gypsy on the right and my horse Snip on the left. We lived every summer in the Blue Mountains. The last day of school Mom would pick me up in the station wagon, loaded with food and clothes and we moved to the cattle ranch my Dad ran with his family.

Dad and I moving cattle along Beaver Creek.

While Dad ran 800 head of Black Angus, with me helping as his right hand man, his family ran the wheat operation here. This field that is being harvested is above where we live and Holton Secret Lab.

See right down there is our house and shop...and the famous stretch of pavement that WB likes to play on with various burn outs etc.

Dad on his horse Bucky and his dog Blue moving a herd of cattle to a new pasture up on the mt. ranch. The cattle were on the mt. ground from June 1 through October 15, then Dad would wean the calves and then drive the cattle to the winter ground on Butter Creek.

The drive was 90 miles long and usually took two weeks in the early years. The last year we had the drive was in 1976, by then the older cows knew the way and it took about 6-8 days.

One of the my favorite pictures of my Dad on the cattle drive with his horse Bucky and dog Blue. He loved them both and loved his cowboy cattleman life and the Juniper T.

The Portland Oregonian came up several times to report on the drive as we had one of the last cattle drives in Oregon. Their reporters rode along with us to report and take pictures of my Dad and our family.

This is the Juniper T Bus...Dad's older brother Tommy had the bus outfitted for camping and cooking for the cattle drive. A Diamond Rio Bus by the way...WB has his eye on it for restoring.

In this picture: My Dad is the far left...his older brother Uncle Ralph is next to him....hired hand Big John is in front of Uncle Ralph....Uncle Ronnie is in the door and Uncle Rich (his twin) is next to him and Cousin Jimmy is in front of the bus...his Dad was Uncle Tommy.

This picture is in a small town that we had to drive the cattle through...it was serious business...I remember riding through at 5:30 in the morning and seeing housewives out with brooms in their bathrobes ready to swing at our greedy cows wanting to eat their flowers.

Heading towards Beaver Creek from Red Bridge. The first years of Juniper T Ranch Dad had a mixture of Angus and Hereford cows. However he felt Black Angus were better able to handle the mountains and gained weight better...so Juniper T became Black Angus and Black Bawly Cross.

Here is a picture taken from the sky....looking down on the cattle drive. All the black dots are Black Angus heading for home for the winter. I remember the herd would often be stretched out for several miles. My last year on the cattle drive was in 1975. Memories I will never forget!

Stay tuned for the rest of the story!

I'm On A Roll

2011-05-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

I am ready to upload the third blog entry in 24 hours....right after I post this...I plan to keep on with various topics to keep you interested and amused...so stay tuned.

Portland Rod Runners Tour Holton Secret Lab

2011-05-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

At the Portland Roadster Show this year we meant one of the event organizers for the Portland Rod Runners car club. She mentioned they were coming to Pendleton in May and would like to come out to the shop for a tour....we said that would be great. We enjoy giving tours and meeting other car people.

This morning we greeted the group of approximately 30 members and 16 vehicles with a big welcome to our shop with coffee and donuts.

Wild Bill doing his thing....and me doing my thing with the camera and Troy our painter looking at the Willy's.

WB explaining what we are doing to the first F-100...we have two in the shop currently.

Notice Tucker has a cast on her leg. She broke three of her toes last week.

She is one of the shop bosses and keeps us on our toes with continual vocal commands!

Various vehicles and Wild Bill explaining the process.

Of course Jagged....notice how he is appears to be kind of innocent... just sitting there? Well he is definitely NOT innocent folks...soon he will roar to life with a bit of nitrous!

Here is Wild Bill's brains!

Wild Bill and Jagged....what a pair. I am having him build me an oh s*** handle to hang on to when we head down the road with the nitrous all hooked up.

Do not want you to get too bored with shop talk so here is "Annie's Fannie".... that is why we call her "Fannie Annie". She turned 2 the end of April.

She is looking at me to come visit her...she is a sweetie!

Another shot of the cars in front of the shop. We had two groups, one was the Mini Coopers and the other was a mix of Hot Rods, Corvette's and a Caddy.

One more shop picture....Wild Bill is good at what he does with explaining things to tour groups and customers. With his creative genius mind, he loves what HSL is all about and enjoys talking about what we all do here.

Tucker staying on guard watching over us.

Thank you for coming to see us Portland Rod Runners!

See you all on down the road!!!

This Is What We Do

2011-05-14T23:42:00.000-07:00

Holton Secret Lab Builds And Restores Your Heart's Desire

Stay Tuned...This Is Part One...Much More To Come.

What is it?

2011-04-27T22:26:00.000-07:00

I have not been able to grab "Wild Bill" long enough to update the blog on "Jagged". He does look a bit busy with the cameras!!!

So I guess you are stuck with me and the real "Boss" Minnie!

The "Secret Lab" is rather interesting huh? On any given day this is my view!

The "Lab" is rocking along as this is our busy time of year between customers and car shows.

This was part of our display at the Salem Roadster Show in February.

I LOVE this pick up with it's Incredible Grill!

Incredible Fenders!

Incredible Lines. What can I say...my Grandpa owned a Ford Garage!

And no I am not expecting, it was cold and I had my hands in my pockets!

This time of year here is green green green and makes all the farmers smile.....well horses too!

Roosters like it as well!

We did take a quick run to the coast for a few days of rest with good friends.

Here is the reason I am asking you "What is it?"

Something we found in the field from outer space or maybe it is a glowing eye that I put in the shop to spy on the guys....after all I am the bookkeeper.....so get busy down there and I mean it!

Lets see if you can guess......

Spring......Swaps......Sparks....Shows

2011-04-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

I know I know this is long over due.....am sorry about that but had lots going on this winter. A few health issues and then life in general crowded in and the blogger here, me, MJ, was sidetracked......but I am back!

Wild Bill and I at the Invitational Only Salem Roadster Show in February. Holton Secret Lab had three customer cars invited to attend this show.....and that is very cool.

Car #1 is a 1970 Chevelle that was invited to attend and it is beautiful! We love showing this amazing Chevelle with the WB flames and beautiful custom paint.

Car #2 is a rare 1954 Kaiser Manhattan that was invited to attend the show with us in Salem. This car is so very unusual....I love the chrome and the art deco design of the body.....incredible!

Car #3 is a 1935 ford Pick Up.....it used to be my project pick up until WB sold it.....to very good friends of ours who love this truck and love to show it!

This is the boss of the house Minnie Mouse.....and she does not like it when we leave for a car show....so she attacks her mouse and rolls in her Navajo.....she is very cute and almost 16 now.

And on to the Portland Roadster Show

Setting Up The Trailer Display

My Man WB

Go Figure......Have The Video Up Of "Jagged"....and WB and Wayne Are Watching!

1948 Stock Chev. Pick Up

Portland Roadster Show Best Of Class 2011

Smile Wayne, Your 1948 P-Up Won Best Of Class Again In Portland!

This Incredible 1970 GTO Is One Of My Favorites That We Have Restored!

Beautiful Car and Perfectly Incredibly Black!

Another Win Ric

Smile Big As You Did It Right 100%

And Finally The Custom Jaw Dropping 1972 Bronco Is Done!!! As You Can See I Am Looking At The Tires Which Look Terrible....Dull and Dirty and Bad Bad Bad!

MJ Came To The Rescue....It Took Me Four Hours To Scrub The Tires And They Shine! Nice Huh?

Don't You Love The Theme Too? "Bronco" As In "Bucking Cowboy Bronco"!

That Is Me In The Background Discussing The Tires And The Incredible Bronco. I Have Waited Since 1993 For This Bronco To Get Built!!!

Way To Go Wild Bill and Holton Secret Lab!

Notice The Tires!!!! That Is Pure MJ!

This Is Pure Wild Bill!

Louvers....Beautiful!

Incredible 1972 Custom Bronco Built By Holton Secret Lab

Happy Owners!

Best Of Class 2011 Portland Roadster Show

Winning Is Fun With Holton Secret Lab!!!

Back Home

To The Lab

Guess what Wild Bill bought at the Portland Swap Meet?

Nitrous for the "Jag".....I knew I should not let him go alone!

Stay tuned for the next blog edition this coming week. "Jagged" gets a radical new carb set up to go with the nitrous!

www.holtonsecretlab.com

Turkey's....Hot Rods...And Weddings

2010-11-26T20:21:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Holton Secret Lab hopes you had a wonderful turkey day with family and friends. As you see we are dealing with snow here and very cold temps. Unusual for us at this time of year. Howver it has been predicted that this year we are in for above normal snow and below normal temps.

It has been a bit of time since we yakked about Holton Hot Rods and HSL. You must wonder what we are up to.....well it is "SECRET"....and Brrrrrrrr. Can you imagine heading to a show with that trailer now? Well maybe if it was a Southern CA. car show!

Which "Super Secret Winery" is having HSL build them a Custom Street Rod?

Hmmm....what vehicle goes with this hood?

"Jagged"...was built and created by "Wild Bill"and "Holton Secret Lab".

Got your attention yet???

Go to YouTube and look us up as I have two very short video clips of "Jagged" ripping up the blacktop out here!

"Wild Bill" had fun this year with "Jagged" as everyone told him that "No way WB you cannot make this carb work on this V-12 Jag as it is a European motor. You cannot find a European carb to work on that V-12 in the US.....No way". Well as everyone knows by now if you tell "Wild Bill" that he cannot do something or invent something....watch out....he did it....he had to make his own manifold fittings with redesigning the set up with the carb and ta-da...."Jagged" is running just fine with an "American Carb on a European V-12 Jag".

Stay with us on "Jagged"...Jagged is off to an incredible start, and this WB built car will be famous. HSL plans to take it to National Shows. "Jagged" is a one of a kind car with many one off design features....you have to see it to believe it and "you will see it"...think Bead Roller...think "Wild Bill"..."Flames"...how....stay tuned!

Some of the Hot Rods That HSL Is Currently Working On.

1935 Dodge Pick Up Full Frame Off Restoration. There is a video of it driving on our YouTube videos before we tore it down. It had not been driven since 1990.....and "Wild Bill"got it running....so check it out on YouTube...search for Holton Secret Lab and you will find us.

Heading To The Media Blaster

Know anybody that wants to buy a complete 1935 Dodge Pick Up running gear that runs? Less the frame? Give us a call at 1-866-352-6348.

The Willy's came back for some modifications this winter too. We are putting a Fatman Fabrication Mustang Two Independent Front Suspension in it. We are also putting some 410 Posi Gears in the Rear and Softer Springs for better summer cruising next year. We love it when a customer tells us to make it go faster!!!!

Zoom Zoom

This was one of our "Frame Off Restoration's" this summer. It is a real 1948 Pontiac Station Wagon made by the Murray Manufacturing Company. Ken, the owner has pictures of himself sitting in it when he was a year and a half old. Way COOL!!!

This is a "Custom Bronco" finally landing on it's chassis! It is being painted Lazar Blue! This is an accumulation of a 17 year project with inventive one of a kind custom details. We will keep you updated on it and show more of the creative work....so stay tuned.

This is the motor for the 1930 Tudor that belongs to the Super Secret Winery. It is a 1957 283 with Powerpack Heads and an Offy Manifold with 3-2's (Original) Isky Cam, Sanderson Headers, with a T-56 Five Speed.

That is one Black Shiny Firewall!

Mounting The Body To The Frame.

Together At Last!

What are you waiting for? Come see for yourself what "Holton Secret Lab" is about!

Last but not least certainly....."The Wedding" was incredible and full of love!

And to leave you with a smile......Bill and Marcy along with HSL wishes you a Happy Holiday Season. We will catch up again down the snowy road. Stay tuned as HSL is on the move...come see "The Secret Lab"....you will not be disappointed!

Pendleton Round Up 1910 - 2010 100th Anniversay Celebration

2010-11-08T23:33:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time since I blogged....I have been busy with horses and "Wild Bill".

"Ms. Annie"

16 Months

"Tucker" My Girl...

Hooked On

In the last blog I was hoping to pull off "Tough Enough To Wear Pink"

"September 16th 2010"

With all my worries and sleepless nights...it turned out absolutely perfect! We had 170 cancer survivors join us this year for "Tough Enough Day". We planned for two groups to walk out into the arena at the right time to form the breast cancer ribbon.

Thank You Jackie for helping me with forming the ribbon.....it was way cool!

The "Pink" raffle boot for Tough Enough!

"Deb and The Herders"

Famous 70's Group and "Carol Lundin"

170 Cancer Survivors....Making The Breast Cancer Ribbon

Pendleton Round Up Behind The Scenes

Indian Village

Horses Waiting

New West End Grandstands

With all that said....stay tuned....Holton Secret Lab is on the move and lots is happening!

Let 'er Buck

2010-09-15T12:58:00.000-07:00

The "100th Anniversary Celebration Of The Pendleton Round Up" is underway this week with a story to tell that is rich with tradition and history. Holton Secret Lab salutes and celebrates "The Round Up" for surviving and thriving during the 100 years. Our family has been blessed to have been a part of it's history and heritage through out the years.

Round Up week each September is a time to celebrate the end of harvest and summer. A time to meet old friends that you have not seen for a year and make new ones. A time of coming together to work on the famous rodeo, while celebrating and making memories that will carry you until next year's Round Up.

The famous poster was created by Wallace Smith for the Round Up in 1925.

Aerial shot of the Round Up arena and also of Happy Canyon to the left of the arena.

Happy Canyon re-tells the story of the Wild West each night after the rodeo. It is well worth seeing as it is a delight for all ages! Local volunteers, both man, woman and animal, tell the story of the immigrants moving West to homestead the land and find a new life.

The Round Up and Happy Canyon is put on by area volunteers each year who truly live the western spirit, often a family tradition that is passed on to the next generation to do the same. This year our son Greg is working during the rodeo in the arena on the fence crew and during Happy Canyon on the gate crew. He is proudly following in his Grandpa's and his father's footsteps....and we are proud of him.

The beginning of the rodeo each day. The flags come in!

The Round Up Queen jumping the fence!

Her Court Princess running the track and waving at the crowd!

Ride em' cowboy and hang tough.

My main involvement these days with the Round Up is Tough Enough To Wear Pink Day. This year it is September 16, 2010. There are many volunteers who work hard to make TETWP Day come together each year, my part of TETWP is organizing the Arena Presentation. During the last year I thought how great it would be if I could come up with 100 cancer survivors to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Round Up. As of tonight I have 165 survivors that will walk out into the arena to educate the public and encourage the crowd that we are surviving and thriving too!

Terry Wheatley who founded TETWP with Karl Stressman at the 2005 NFR in Reno, will attend our presentation this year along with her daughter Katie and daughter in law Lacey Wheatley. Her son Wade Wheatley is a contestant at the Round Up will carry one of the TETWP flags for us along with three others.

My plan this year is to have the group divide into two groups coming into the arena from two different gates. The groups will meet and form the pink breast cancer ribbon. Once the ribbon is formed the Wheatley's will join us in the center and the four flag bearers will circle us on horseback. At the very end, the group will do the pink wave with pink pom poms! I will get pictures to post!!!

I am very happy that all is coming together for our 2010 "Pink Day". We are thankful to have the support of the Pendelton Round Up along with the community of Pendleton and surrounding towns.

Bill and I on Tough Enough Day 2007 at the Round Up. Notice the pink beads....we hand them out to all who come to the Round Up on Pink Day.

On to car news. Last weekend we attended Wheeling Walla Walla Days car show on September 11.

1930 Tudor Frame with our trailer set up.

Beautiful 1970 Chevelle

1956 Bel-Air

1954 Kaiser

Of course while I was working, the boys were sitting!

Street scenes and "Bella Bel-Air"

At the end of the show...."Flame" woke up and wondered where everyone went:)

Till next time.....Let 'er Buck and see ya on down the trail!

Smile Annie...she is 15 months old now...isn't she cute!

Three New Videos On YouTube

2010-08-12T23:01:00.000-07:00

Holton Secret Lab has three new videos up on YouTube so go take a look. The 1969 Super Bee video is up.

The 1970 Chevelle video is up.

The 1969 428 Cobra Jet Grande Mustang video is live as tonight. The music is still being added.

I do remember these cars burning rubber when I was in high school. We used to drag main and look cool with the windows down, hair blowing and music playing full blast. Now they are rare to see and one hardly ever sees them on the street. The 60's produced some amazing cars with personality and attitude! The early 70's was ok too up until they went to rubber bumpers and then the cool cars disappeared.

This is a true Hot Rod Shop!

I do try to make the YouTube videos as short as possible but when you have over a 1000 hours into a car and you want to show the workmanship and what HSL did to get the car to the point of perfection.....it is hard to shorten them. We try to advertise our workmanship with the videos and if I only show you a before and after, you will miss out on what was done and the incredible talent it took to do the impossible with these cars. Watch the 1969 Grande video and you will see what kind of vision my husband has. The 1970 GTO and the 1936 Ford are both good videos too as they are like the 1969 Grande with full frame off rotisserie restorations. My husband is truly an artist and visionary.

I refinish old junk furniture and can see the beauty of the wood but Wild Bill sees the diamond in a pile of dirty rusty metal and he makes it come back to life.....just like the old days when it was dragging main street on a Saturday night next to me in my pick up....go figure that a rancher's daughter would be in her Dad's pick up....and now the old 60's pick ups are what people want to restore! We have one in the shop right now! Incredible!

I never know what my view will be here during the week. This was my view a few weeks ago. Pretty cool if you ask me! Holton Secret Lab never has a dull moment!

Another perfect day comes to a close here in Juniper Canyon. Have a goodnight where ever you are.

Summer Time

2010-08-10T19:47:00.000-07:00

I know it has been quite some time since I have blogged to update you with what we are doing but it is summer time here in Juniper Canyon.

Best time of the year here both for Holton Secret Lab and Juniper T Ranch. As you can see a peaceful evening at home. No cars, no people and no noise except the occasional turtle dove, coyote, owl and cricket.

Annie and Melody are doing fine. Melody is being trained further and Annie is in grade school now with her training. They love being in the pasture and would be happy if they could eat grass forever!

Holton Secret Lab heads out to many car shows over the summer. We have a house sitter and neighborhood watch which helps in reguard to leaving our critters which do not like it when we leave!

Does "The Boss" look happy?

We Have been down the road many miles so far this summer to many shows.

Seaside Muscle and Chrome Car Show

Cool Desert Nights

Portland International Raceway

Beaches Cruise In

July 4th Car Show

Kennewick Mustang Show

And we are still on the move coming to a town near you so watch for the white trailer!

Harvest has been in full swing here in Juniper.

Hmmmmmm? What is this in our wheat crop?

It looks to be one of Holton Secert Lab's custom restoration builds!

What? Is it worth a bushel of wheat?

Duh......yes Martha it is way worth more than wheat! "Field Of Dreams at Holton Secret Lab."

Come see for yourself and let us restore or build a dream car for you in our Field of Dreams....errrr make that in our Shop of Dreams! Contact us at http://www.holtonsecretlab.com/

Tri-City Herald Interview and Seaside

2010-06-24T16:21:00.000-07:00

Hello and Happy Summer!

Today June 24th our Tri-City Herald Interview is out. We are on the front page! The article is titled
Oregon hotrod shop produces cool cars.

Type this into your browser http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2010/06/24/1067145/hotrod-builder-shop-in-oregon.html

You will see a separate link to the pictures, there are 15 pictures to browse through.

Peek A Boo! Looking through "Jagged".

We returned from Seaside a few days ago. The car show was great exposure for us.

Both the GTO and the Mustang looked perfect in the "Builders Showcase".

We took the Tudor that is currently on the rotisserie to show part of the actual process, it drew lots of lookers and questions.

Heading for the car show from our house down the boardwalk with lots of PR.

My video set up in the trailer.

We stayed down at the beach for a few days after the car show, which was fun for all of us. We had a great ocean front house to relax and enjoy the beach as well as the view. This picture is right off our deck. The kids loved playing in the ocean and in the sand.

The view off our deck upstairs off our bedroom looking down the beach towards Cannon Beach which is over the large mountain that juts out.

Beautiful home and large enough for 8 of us to be comfy and enjoy our selves.

We took our two oldest grandchildren Becca who is 13 and Cody who is 12. They had a blast and loved being spoiled by us. This picture was taken at Multnomah Falls in the Gorge going down to the beach. Smile Becca.

Our friends Jack and Tara along with their sons, Joseph and Rylee went with us too. We all had fun!

We are busy in the shop with various jobs currently.

Troy hard at it with the Tudor.

We just finished a 1964 Riviera, which came our beautiful! Take a look.

The color is incredibly red! What a beauty!

Work on Jagged continues.

As you see our dogs are doing great.....they got their summer haircuts yesterday.

The real "Boss".

The work on the Bronco continues too.

This Bronco will be amazing when it is finished....so stay tuned.

This weekend we are off to "Cool Desert Nights".

Look for the 1969 Super Bee and for our trailer.

Until next time......keep on Cruzin down the road of life!

Welcome Summer

2010-06-05T01:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome Summer...Finally!

I have not blogged for a while as I had internet issues, router issues, and then more internet issues. Today I was offline with our small internet provider. Huge hassle for us but we have no choice but to stay with this provider. Anyway...Hi All and Yes I am here:)

After we got home from the Roadster Show in Portland we had a few visits with grandkids. Our two granddaughters visted for a weekend complete with horse visits and treats.

Of course the wind was blowing when they were here and Melody was looking for her "flying" Apple Assess treats. I kid you not that is what they are called! And apparently to horses they taste extremely good!

We had a car driving lesson in the "1956 Bel-Air" for Becca too.

She was perfect and got it right.

She is a "Holton" true and blue! (Zoom Zoom)

We are gearing up for a huge car show in Seaside.

We are taking the GTO which will be in the "Builder's Showcase" which is a huge accomplishment as they accpet only 20 cars for the "Showcase".

And possibly the Grande Mustang may join it as of today!

I have been busy also having fun! I modeled for Hamley's Western Store in May during the "Cattle Barron's Weekend" which was fun! I felt like a "Cowgirl Princess" for a night!!!

"Wild Bill" had fun too and yes I made him dress up...complete with hat!

Best deal was that I got a night out with my hubby:)

Hamley's Western Store truly is a destination not to be missed!

Besides the car world this girl is getting organized with "Tough Enough To Wear Pink" with "The Pendleton Round Up".

I am in charge of the "Arena Presentation" on September 16, 2010. I plan on having 100 Survivors out in the arena to celebrate. Surviving and Thrivivng!!! That is my motto!

This year is the 100th Anniversary of the Pendleton Round Up. Lots of celebrating and tons of history go with the rodeo this year. I pray and hope I will get it done right.

My Dad was very involved with the Round Up all his life. I hope I can make him proud of this year with what I am doing.

He was President of the Round Up in 1963 and 1964. He was asked to be Grand Marshal in 1986 for "The Westward Ho Parade". He was inducted into "The Hall Of Fane" museum in 1990. Lots of history and memories. Lots more to to share and write....pictures too...so it is coming....stay tuned with me.

In this picture, Dad was riding my mare "Lottie" who was 6 years old the year he was grand marshal and I was worried. I rode her everyday that summer with the Grand Marshal Serape on her back. I loped her up and down every hill I could find hoping to get her used to the flapping serape on her flanks as well as her rump. I was worried she would buck with Dad as quite frankly she did not care for men. Seriously she bucked off every man who got on her back...except my Dad for this parade.

A picture of my Dad and Lottie with our daughter Kristin carrying the American Flag behind him on Holly who was a great mare too. We bought her for Kris's 9th birthday. Holly was all heart and loved Kris. She and Lottie were my girls and great horses. And now I have Melody and Annie who also are great:)

And back to "car girl"...tomorrow we are off to another car show....always somewhere and no I never know for sure until I climb into the pick up a bit bleary eyed with a cup of coffee where we are off to....but....I know it will be good!

So where ever you are this weekend...hug your kids, love your wife or hubby, scratch your cats and dogs, or horses and smile....have fun and relax:)

And of course pick on your husband if you have the chance!

See ya on down the road with various "Horsepower"

Or.....stay tuned.......hmmm.....