I seldom dream and remember them, so when I do, it's a treat. Recently I had a very vivid dream. I was wandering in this huge Mall, lost and came upon a shop that said Penman Hats. I had already been wandering for hours in this huge mall when I found John's shop. The dream ended as I was looking at his sign and trying to figure out how John ended up in a mall. So, I never got to go inside, although I was looking forward to it, in the dream.
I just read this post here, as I have been too busy to even post here this week, and chills run up the old spine. You dreamed of my shop in a mall, and I had dreamed of John's shop in a mall. Now that is Twighlight Zone weird!!
But if I had a shop, a walk in, it would be similiar to what you dreamed. A hat shop with all sorts of artifacts, and many odd ball hats and such. Plenty of Indy memorbilia too. And a lovely female employee to take your money. But my main helper would be an old grizzly looking guy, white beard, imagine Wishbone the cook from the ancient Wagon Train series on t.v. A desert rat, but with charm. Or Gabby _. Gosh, I wish I was John's age!! With all of that time ahead of me to really dive into this hatmaking the way John has.
So, being an old fart, with the end in sight with these hats, I am a bit envious of the age factor. Sure wish I had started making hats, when I was a young man. These days, I am just fighting to stay healthy enough to do the last installment of the Indy series. Getting older *****, so don't believe what you hear on this. Getting older isn't what it is cracked up to be. One day you feel fine, and then everything starts to go downhill, and it does this fast. When you are younger, you see the doc once a year, just for a checkup. Then you start having to go every month or so....
Enjoy that youth my friends, it is fleeting. Because one day, that mileage will indeed catch up with you.
These days, for some reason, right before I go into sleep, my brain, on its own plays a film strip of various things I have done and seen in my blessed life. It is really vivid and I watch it. It is filled with people I loved and who have passed on. It is filled with times in my youth while in the military, and things in that era I would just as soon forget. Those comrades are still young, as I was back then. And many are no longer here, but I can see them so clearly in that period right before I drift off to sleep. And all the people I see are forever young. It is bittersweet, which is what life becomes once you do get older. Life is full of victories, happy times but also very sad times and filled with regrets and what ifs? I just hope each one of you live the life that I have been blessed with. And I wish that you may live long and prosper.
This will be my last post for awhile. I will be looking in on you guys though from time to time. I am just burned out a bit these days and find little joy in things I used to find alot of joy in. Its the age more than the mileage, I think. My energy is waning quite a bit these days, and I need what I do have for completeing my back log of hats. But I am not going anywhere anytime soon.
If they shoot Indy 5 in 2011, I will be caught up by then on orders, and will make those hats, if called upon by Bernie. But, I don't plan on being around for much longer after that. My plans now are to just offer a couple hundred Indy 5 hats,(instead of being an idiot and selling thousands) and once those are sold, I am retiring for good. The site comes down and I will ride off into the sunset, with my fedora on my head. Then I will start the downhill path and spend time with my kids and grandkids and do a bit of traveling, in which I hope to meet many of my friends here, in person. I can't imagine a better retirement than that.
And I will leave you guys in the capable hands of Marc, John and LLS, for your hat needs and services. I feel John and LLS will carry on my own vision of Indy hats for many, many years. I don't want to sound pretentious, but these guys will carry on what I started with the AB line, here on this very site a few years ago. I plan on working it so we get John and LLS included on the Indy 5 hats, so there will be a chain involved, and you guys will still be able to buy an Indy hat, made by the guys who did the film hats. Good Lord willin' and the creeks don't rise.
I can still be reached by email, and always check that daily, although many times, I just have too many that get built up, and it takes me awhile to get back with you. Once I get caught up, I will once again take all phone calls too, something I have really missed since this Indy 4 deal. I am looking forward to that, as I love talking to my customers and friends. Hopefully the ones I have spoken to, feel that as well.
Also, I will make sure that John and LLS have replicas of my CS blocks, so they can take care of my own hats I have made over the years. I am not gonna leave my customers hanging, without being able to get their CS hat reblocked on the identical blocks we used for Indy 4. So, I will pass torch onto them, and supply them with the right blocks, and will even make sure they know the little tricks used with those film hats. The fans have always come first with me, as most may know, the oldtimers do anyways. I never got into this hat deal to make money. I charged 225 for years for my own pure beaver hats. And only went up to try and stop some of the demand once it sunk in that I was getting in over my head.
So, I reckon I have done as I always do and wrote way too long a post.
Hopefully this won't be a boring post though. You guys are the best and the patience in regards to your ordered hats is appreciated more than I could ever say with just words. When you finally do get your hat from me, that you ordered, just realize it is probably the last hat I will ever make for you, and others. I hope that will make it worth the long wait, and will also make it a special hat. I still put all of my heart and soul into each hat that I make. Even with my fading eyesight. I can only see through one eye well these days, but it seems to suffice. No depth in my vision though, but you work with what you have. Take care. Steve Delk
What have I done! 
Adventurebilt blue jeans? Wow, handmade blue jeans.
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