I spent a really COOL Holiday weekend with My wife, my Mother, my Niece and my Nephew this past weekend~
We went to Sisters, to do some Christmas shopping and spend a little quality time together- While there we visited Ed Beacham, who owns his own small Biz~
It is a VERY cool Clock Shop that Robbie & I always check out when we’re here. This time when we went into his Shop, I noticed one of his particular Grandfather Clocks had a VERY unique & Mechanical type of “Movement” that I’d never seen before. We ended up talking for quite some time during which, I discovered that he had INVENTED that particular type of Clock Movement! The guy is a genius and yet, he is quite humble!! I was amazed! Eventually, I shared what we did- and he appeared equally impressed- although he shouldn’t be, as in fairness- we only ASSEMBLE Parts, albeit they are REALLY expensive Parts, but, we “only” assemble them nonetheless~
Mr. Beacham actually MAKES all of his own components- out of the Bare Stock!! There ISN’T any “Brad Anderson” of the Clock World to call and order Clock Parts from to build what HE built! I saw Brass Bar Stock hanging on the wall, as an example and the CNC Equipment he used to build each piece. I’m attaching a few Pics here of some of his “Handy Work”- ABSOLUTELY STUNNING feats of Engineering!!! I really am clear that these pictures in NO WAY do these Marvels of Engineering any more Justice than a Still picture of OUR Hot Rod does at Conveying the MAGIC, REALITY & true POWER of our A/Fuel Nitro Dragster. They are simply all I have or that I can offer for now! I felt a real connection with Mr. Beacham for his Engineering Prowess AND for one more thing: The two Clocks Mr. Beacham designed and that are Pictured here are EACH one of a kind- ON THE PLANET! And, although he was able to use a CAD/CAM Program and system to aid him in both designing and in manufacturing the components necessary to build EACH of these Mechanical Marvels, the fact remains that in order to even BEGIN to design the VERY FIRST PIECE, for EACH of these two very different Clocks the ENTIRE CLOCK was FIRST Built and each was WORKING PERFECTLY, down to the LAST detail- ……… in HIS MIND- I refer to this as “Beginning with the End in Mind”.
The Clocks had to FIRST work PERFECTLY, every component interconnecting with the next one in his Mind’s Eye FIRST, before the the production or manufacture of ANY gear, shaft or lever was even started! WOW! This process is the same one used by all of us who have a Dream or a Vision.
For example, I already know what our new Car will look like- I’ve seen it make it’s first, Non-Tire Smoking Launch (a little inside humor there!!) Front End Up and dangling for the first 50′ or so, then, at about 150′, as the Clutch REALLY begins to come on Strong, I have already seen in my Mind’s Eye, the Front Left Wheel Lift up off the Track yet AGAIN, as all the Pipes behind me THUNDER with the sound of most of 30 Gallons per minute of Nitro Methane Exploding out of the 8 Headers as they shoot the telltale Yellow Flames, visible after Dusk, all the way up to the Massive Rear Wing. I’ve seen the Car then accelerate past 220 MPH in just over 3.5 seconds as I go blowing by the Orange Blocks – aka “Cones” that mark the Half Track increment as the Car continues to Accelerate down to the Big End of the Course – to where the Speed Trap Cones come at you so fast – they are simply a Blur – I’ve seen this in my mind’s eye all happen as I cross the Finish Line in 5.2 seconds at 270 MPH as the Chutes then come out to bring the Car safely to a Stop-
While running a 5.20 Pass at 270 MPH hasn’t yet happened on the Track- it first had to begin in my mind’s eye- as with Mr. Beacham’s Clocks- from there, it took the right parts, as it will for us.
Last year saw a huge increase in the needed pieces for Success, as several new pieces of Equipment were added to our Team. This is also true now with the investment now in our new Chassis- a significant upgrade for us. There is much more needed and to come in the way of Performance upgrades, or my performance goals will not be possible. So, please stay tuned!
For now, it was a weekend trip to Sisters with a visit to a Master Clockmaker that reminded me of the importance to begin with the End in Mind!
If you’re ever in Sisters, you REALLY must stop in and see Mr. Beacham and ask him if he’ll show you the two Clocks he designed! They’ll blow your mind! Not only is he an AMAZING Engineer and Clock Builder, he’s ALSO a REALLY Nice Guy! On a personal note, thanks for all the time you spent with me, Ed! I was in awe!!
Have the Courage to Dream Big, Begin with the End in Mind- Then?……….. GO DO IT!!
Nitro Gregg
Gregg Racing 