Autograph Project Completed!

Well, one of my long autograph projects is completed. I have been collecting autographs on 4" x 4" ceramic tiles for over seven years. My inspiration for this project was the NASCAR Cafe in Tennessee. I would say there are over thirty autographs on my rec room wall now. Here is what it looks like (Please pardon the clutter in the picture. My rec room is in a transition process!):

Some of the names on this wall are Marie Osmond, Rusty Wallace, Jeff Gordon, "Weird" Al Yankovic (http://www.weirdal.com/), Kurt Busch, Gene Simmons (from KISS), and Gale Sayers.

It is great to see a project that took this long come to completion. It keeps me going on my other projects that are taking even longer.

Back from Phoenix

Well, it ws hot, dry, and downright gorgeous in Arizona. I came home with autographs from Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch (no surprise, he is GREAT about signing), Reed Sorensen, David Stremme, Justin Allgaier, Sam Hornish, Jr., and Greg Biffle.

I am looking forward to Michigan in June. I will print up some of the pictures that I took, and get thos signed, hopefully.

Until next time...

Off to Phoenix!

I leave Friday morning for Phoenix. I am hoping to get a few autographs, naturally, while I am there. I usually take a lot of supplies (8X10S, HERO CARDS, TRADING CARDS, etc.) with me on race weekends. I find that different situations call for different autographs. My plan is to scope out the haulers and find out the scheduled signings. I would love to come backwith six or seven different autographs. We'll see.

I will be sure to post some pics if I get some rare or famous autographs!

James Worthy

April 6, 2009 -

I traveled to Detroit to get James Worthy's autograph. I am working on a NBA at 50 lithograph and trying to meet each player in person. Mr. Worthy was the 21st autograph on my litho. I am photographing each player signing it, and making a log for posterity...

The event was in coordination with the NCAA Final Four, held in Detroit this year. Of all the players I have met, very few had what I would call a "bad attitude". I do not atribute this to them, personally, they might just be having a bad day.

Speaking of a bad day, I will not get to meet Jeff Gordon until the Chicago race. The Phoenix event was cancelled, which means Bruce and I are just attending the races. I say "just",because we would not have travelled to the race if we knew we were not going to get to meet Jeff.

Until next time...

Jeff Gordon!

Well, I didn't want to mention it in my first post, but I get to meet Jeff Gordon in April!

My brother-in-law (Bruce) and I are flying to Phoenix in April and we will get to meet Jeff on Saturday sometime. We will be going to both the Nationwide race on Friday, and the Sprint Cup race on Saturday. Don't think that just because I am meeting him that he will disappear from the list on the left. I could meet him one day a month, and I would still want to get his autograph in person.

It sounds odd to say, but I don't know what to get signed. Most people could rattle off at least ten things for their favorite athlete to sign. Well, so can I. But narrowing down that list to just one thing is the hard part. I have photos, die cast cars, pieces of his car, even a few DuPont firesuits, but I haven't yet made up my mind on the ONE thing to get signed. I'll keep you posted.

On to other events, my mother celebrated her 72nd birthday yesterday. Like a good son, I called to wish her a Happy Birthday. Her cooking would give Rachael Ray a run for her money. I love my mom.

Until next time...

New Horizons and Goals!

Hello and Welcome to my new blog.

Even though the title suggests Autograph Collecting, which is my main hobby, it will be all about my life. I will try my best to keep Autograph collecting as a main focus. I have never thought about blogging before, but if it helps me clear some thoughts out of my head, then all the better.

As of this date, my son, Will, is eight months old. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me. (My wife is a close second.) I am a full time Dad, and I also am in the railroad business.

If anyone is reading this looking for tips to getting autographs, I must suggest two things:
1- get a subscription to Autograph Collector , the best magazine on the subject of autographs,
and
2 - subscribe to signingshotline.com , a great resource for appearances by celebrities, authors, and athletes.

I get no kickbacks for either plug, so that tells you that I truly believe they are worth checking out. I will try to update this blog regularly, but no promises. My family comes first.