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Thread Number: 67256
/ Tag: Gatherings and Parties
Son who loves washers and dryers |
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| Post# 899682 , Reply# 1 9/20/2016 at 15:21 (2,772 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada) | ||
That's interesting, I was part of that video (the fat guy who's described as seemingly normal or something like that!)
I live far from Ohio but I'm bet you'll find some members that are closer to you! Ohio happened to be the place where many of the greatest appliances were made, including my favorite, GM Frigidaire appliances. I drove around Dayton two weeks ago to get a 1965 washer and dryer set that I'm fixing now. | ||
Post# 899690 , Reply# 2 9/20/2016 at 15:59 (2,772 days old) by pulltostart  (Mobile, AL) |
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Post# 899697 , Reply# 3 9/20/2016 at 16:19 (2,772 days old) by wayupnorth (On a lake between Bangor and Bar Harbor, Maine) |
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| Post# 899700 , Reply# 4 9/20/2016 at 16:23 (2,772 days old) by ken (NYS) | ||
Debby 
This is great to hear. We have to recruit new members to carry on the legacy. Never too young to start! If you have the room buy him a GE Filter-Flo while they are still plentiful. They can be found cheap and are great fun to watch especially one with a mini basket. They are well built machines that last a long time and are great cleaners. I have one from 1983 Id give your son if I were close but Im in NYS. A 1966 GE Filter-Flo is what started my interest in washing machines and all things mechanical.
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Post# 899701 , Reply# 5 9/20/2016 at 16:30 (2,772 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.) |
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What a great Mom!
I too was fascinated with washers from as early as I can recall, all appliances really. Fortunately, my parents indulged my interest and I was never made to feel different because of my seemingly unusual interests. I even had my very own Royal Premier Upright Vacuum that I kept right next to my bed. I hope that there is a member near you that has a collection that your son can visit. You are a lucky Mom too, because before too many more years your son will gladly be able to do your laundry!
Eddie | ||
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Post# 899714 , Reply# 6 9/20/2016 at 17:50 (2,772 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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 Debby, a warm hearty welcome to both you and your son. He is so fortunate to have a mom like you. And how you described your son up to this point, hmm, it's a duplicate of many of our stories. I'm hoping some of our members in the Ohio area will reach out to y'all. I did look at your profile, you birthday is the same as my parent's wedding anniversary. Bob
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Post# 899718 , Reply# 7 9/20/2016 at 18:19 (2,772 days old) by bajaespuma (Connecticut) |
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Post# 899725 , Reply# 8 9/20/2016 at 19:41 (2,772 days old) by turquoisedude (.) |
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 Welcome to the site Debby! It's so nice to hear that your son loves washers and dryers - I think many of us here on the site can reach back into our own memories and recall watching and inspecting machines when we were that age. I can remember the '64 GE washer and dryer set my folks had but couldn't use because the house where we lived had really bad plumbing and wiring, so we did laundry in the '55 Whirlpool wringer washer my parents bought when they first arrived in Canada!
I wish I was closer to Columbus - I'd be happy to give you and your son the grand tour!
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| Post# 899727 , Reply# 9 9/20/2016 at 19:44 (2,772 days old) by Sbond22 (Grove City, Fl. USA) | ||
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Post# 899732 , Reply# 10 9/20/2016 at 20:12 (2,772 days old) by chetlaham (United States) |
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Your son if gifted! :-)
A wonderful hobby to have. Regardless what people say, this is 100% normal. There are so many kids with all kinds of passions be it trains, school buses, sports, weather, trees, animals, buildings, appliances, the list is infinite. All that matters is that you support your son and his interests.
As he gets older Id recommend buying him an actual washer of his choosing, perhaps a portable to enjoy. Even if his interests move on, the knowledge gained will last forever. | ||
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Post# 899736 , Reply# 11 9/20/2016 at 20:39 (2,772 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey) |
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welcome you and your son to our group......its a great start, wishing something like this was around when we were 3 or so.....great memories from growing up....my mother too thought it was a bit odd, yet encouraged it.....I got a Suzy Homemaker washer for Xmas one year.....
those types are no longer available anymore...... but was thinking of getting him started on something similar, and somewhat his size.....like one of these Mini Twin Tubs.....easy and safe enough for him for now as his collection will grow..... CLICK HERE TO GO TO Yogitunes's LINK on Dayton Craigslist
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| Post# 899737 , Reply# 12 9/20/2016 at 20:40 (2,772 days old) by ken (NYS) | ||
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Post# 899739 , Reply# 13 9/20/2016 at 20:51 (2,772 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey) |
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better if you can shop around for best pricing......ebay, Walmart, craigslist, etc
but willing to bet he would love one that he could see inside as it functions.... they go under different names, such as Danby or Panda.....just type in 'portable washers for sale' CLICK HERE TO GO TO Yogitunes's LINK on eBay | ||
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Post# 899741 , Reply# 14 9/20/2016 at 20:59 (2,772 days old) by tnmike (Knoxville, Tennessee) |
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That's great!
Debby,
My gosh! How lucky your son is to have you for a mother! You need the mother of century award for supporting his fascination with appliances. I was the same way as a child but was pushed back and essentially was my family's punching bag for jokes and ridicule. Not so much my parents (though neither liked my fascination) but by extended family. I remember so vividly an uncle laughing and telling me that "you will make somebody a good wife someday." Also, I recall walking into my grandparent's house and overhearing conversation in another room making fun of my fascination. So to read about someone who is not ostracizing but supporting their son's fascination is very heartwarming. Mike | ||
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Post# 899742 , Reply# 15 9/20/2016 at 21:06 (2,772 days old) by wayupnorth (On a lake between Bangor and Bar Harbor, Maine) |
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Martin, I DREAMED of getting a Suzy Homemaker, after all the tv ads. Instead I got car models, which was ok. My cousin had a Wolverine wash, spin pink crank one we would play with every chance we could. Hers did not get thrown away like mine always did, because she is a girl. I was a girly sissy liking that stuff as boys have to be men they told me and like man stuff. Tough crap, I turned out just fine and still love old washers and old appliances.
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Post# 899794 , Reply# 16 9/21/2016 at 08:43 (2,772 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD) |
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Welcome! And kudos to his grandmother, also! If you ever visit Washington, DC, our huge museum is located just to the north in Beltsville, MD. | ||
| Post# 899795 , Reply# 17 9/21/2016 at 08:44 (2,772 days old) by AquaCycle (West Yorkshire, UK) | ||
Well this is a familiar story for us, isn't it? I think we've all been that child in our younger days.
Debby, bravo for allowing your son to persue his interests. My parents were never fans of my hobby and would try to discourage it as much as possible, but that just made things worse for me. Don't worry about him too much - we all knew those people when we were younger that thought it was odd or weird, but for the most part we all grew into reasonable adults with jobs and houses and familes of our own etc. | ||
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Post# 899801 , Reply# 18 9/21/2016 at 09:04 (2,772 days old) by tennblondie78 (Bowling Green, KY) |
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Hi!
Welcome!!! I wish I lived closer, I don't have a collection like most everyone in this group has, but I would love to have him come play with my 1976 Maytag set! He would love the consoles that light up when the washer and dryer run. Thank you for encouraging his interests and letting him be himself... You sound like a wonderful person!
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Post# 899807 , Reply# 19 9/21/2016 at 10:20 (2,771 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
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I was the exact same way when I was a child, my fascination with washing machines started around age 3. It lead me into building this website and my own collection of vintage machines as shown in the picture below.
It took three years of begging my parents but they finally relented and got me a Suzy Homemaker Washer around 1971 when I was 7 or so. The link below shows a small washer I just found that I bet he would absolutely love to have as his own, I may break down and get one myself lol... CLICK HERE TO GO TO Unimatic1140's LINK on eBay 
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| Post# 899825 , Reply# 20 9/21/2016 at 12:24 (2,771 days old) by bradross (New Westminster, BC., Canada) | ||
Kudos to Debby!
I guess we have the Internet to thank for this "outreach"! Years ago - and I think I can speak for most everybody here - we thought we had a unique interest. We had no idea there were others sharing this interest, and there really wasn't a way to connect with others, especially as children or young people.
Who knows from where these interests originate - I can only speak for myself when I recall fond memories of time spent with my grandmother in the 1960s, watching her do the laundry in an old wringer washer. The memories are very poignant - the smell of the soap and bleach, the cozy wash-house on the farm with the fire in the old wood-stove, and above all, the time spent with my adored grandparent. She is responsible for getting me my first toy wringer washer at the age of 3. The fascination has continued to this day, and now I've become quite adept at restoring old Maytag wringer washers from the 1930s. Here's photos of me at 3 years of age, and 50! | ||
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Post# 899829 , Reply# 21 9/21/2016 at 12:31 (2,771 days old) by wayupnorth (On a lake between Bangor and Bar Harbor, Maine) |
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Post# 899834 , Reply# 22 9/21/2016 at 12:58 (2,771 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR) |
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Kudos To Debby!!
Mine started when I was around 5 or so but mine was small kitchen appliances. Back then my Dad was a Mechanical Engineer working for GE in Syracuse NY. He was one of a group of engineers who developed these small appliances. These engineers would bring them home for their wives to test and evaluate so you can imagine the plethora of do's and don'ts that passed through my Mom's kitchen.
Because I wanted to take them all apart my Dad would bring home those that were no longer needed but he would cut the cords off so I wouldn't take a screwdriver to a machine that was plugged in. Of course, I would have nothing to do with those that had no cord. My Mom will often mention the cabinet full of "toys" I had but she'd frequently find me in the kitchen, on the counter, going after one of her "real" ones.
That eventually transformed into a love of dishwashers and the rest is history.
I thought there was a collector in Akron which isn't too far away (compared to some) but I could be wrong. | ||
| Post# 899861 , Reply# 24 9/21/2016 at 14:58 (2,771 days old) by Evloveswashers (Columbus, Ohio) | ||
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Evan and his collection .
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Post# 899863 , Reply# 25 9/21/2016 at 15:27 (2,771 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR) |
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My take on all this...
How lucky we all are (including Evan) to have known early in life what our passions are. How many of us know full grown adults who are still wandering around wondering, never having really connected with anything? Many of us are lucky to have been supported by those important to us?
Cute kid by the way. He sure looks happy. | ||
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Post# 899877 , Reply# 27 9/21/2016 at 16:54 (2,771 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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Post# 899892 , Reply# 28 9/21/2016 at 19:53 (2,771 days old) by washerlover (The Big Island, Hawai’i) |
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Hi Debby, I echo everyone's comments to you -- I've had the same fascination for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid and we would visit other friends and family, I would whisper into my Mom or Dad's ear to ask if the friends/family had any laundry to do so I could watch their machine!
Keep up supporting Evan, he'll turn out fine like the rest of us! I'm 52 years old and this is my 41-year old set I use for the weekly laundry...
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Post# 899962 , Reply# 31 9/22/2016 at 08:42 (2,771 days old) by DaveAMKrayoGuy (Oak Park, MI) |
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 Hoo-boy! Did I need a Website like THIS ONE back in my day, let alone the invention of THE INTERNET!
Welcome to The Forum--and may we get input from your li'l lad, here, too!
-- Dave | ||
| Post# 899965 , Reply# 32 9/22/2016 at 09:00 (2,771 days old) by newvista58 (Northern NJ) | ||
DEBBIE & EVAN.....
Both of you are Awesome! It's great Evan has a true
interest in Washer/Dryers. Like others said, some people never find a passion for anything in their whole life. Debbie you are a great Mom. Since I was 2 I was fascinated by anything/everything mechanical. I was able to operate my father's Radio station transcription turntable, at that age, and my parent's knew they "had a live one"....LOL. I love all vintage appliances, small gas powered tools, cars, audio equipment etc. I was fortunate in that my parents never discouraged my interests. They still support me in all my interests, and I love them for it. They would go to estate sales, car shows, and antique fairs with me. You and Evan are doing what's important...Marching to the beat of your own drums. Never compare yourself to other mothers. From what it sounds like.....they Can't hold a candle to you : ) Thanks for sharing and Good Luck. Tell Evan I'm rooting for him / LOL. Best washes, Louis | ||
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Post# 899974 , Reply# 34 9/22/2016 at 10:20 (2,770 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD) |
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Please let us know when and if you are planning a trip and perhaps we can put together an appliance itinerary for you. | ||
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Post# 900020 , Reply# 35 9/22/2016 at 16:34 (2,770 days old) by neptunebob (Pittsburgh, PA) |
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I don't have a collection... | ||
| Post# 900108 , Reply# 37 9/23/2016 at 08:04 (2,770 days old) by mayken4now (Panama City, Florida) | ||
Good Job Debby | ||
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Post# 900299 , Reply# 39 9/24/2016 at 09:04 (2,769 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers) |
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HI Debby & Evan Welcome to Applianceville! I was the guy who hosted the wash-in here in Boston. Did you see the CBS Sunday Morning segment or the CNN Great Big Story piece? Both were filmed at my house here in Boston.
I want to congratulate you on supporting your son. It is heartwarming for me to see new ones coming up with the same passion that we all have for appliances. I have no idea where it comes from. In my case when I was 3 my mom would be cooking on the stove dinner and she had the washer right beside the stove so to keep an eye on me she would set up a wood soap box and put me on it and start the machine and I would watch it while she cooked beside me. I think thats where it started for me. I also remember when we bought our first house that year and the washer was put downstairs in the basement I remember throwing a tantrum telling her it had to go beside the stove not in the basement!! She had to calm me down! But by 5 I was taking the laundry down on my own and doing it- well at 5 she insisted on starting the machine!!
I just hosted a young man 6 years old here in Boston who has the same passion- Justin. He had a blast here. If you are ever doing the Freedom Trail here in Boston for Evan's edification then you have an open invitation to come here and do laundry !! ( I Know that sounds crazy !! )
Cheers and happy washer hunting with Evan !!
jon ( jetcone)
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| Post# 900352 , Reply# 40 9/24/2016 at 17:25 (2,768 days old) by toploader55 (Massachusetts Sand Bar, Cape Cod) | ||
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Post# 900389 , Reply# 42 9/24/2016 at 22:38 (2,768 days old) by whirlykenmore78 (Prior Lake MN (GMT-0500 CDT.)) |
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ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL! | ||
| Post# 900453 , Reply# 45 9/25/2016 at 15:31 (2,767 days old) by Kenmoreguy89 (Valenza Piemonte, Italy- Soon to be US immigrant.) | ||
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| Post# 900654 , Reply# 47 9/27/2016 at 12:44 (2,765 days old) by seedub (South Texas Hill Country) | ||
Debby: I hope you're still checking the thread and you see this. You didn't mention whether Evan looks at YouTube. There are hundreds of videos of all kinds of machines from vintage to new on the market. Some videos show a clothes washer going through a complete cycle. It's "the next best thing to being there."
And, naturally, there is the "See it Wash" section of this here website. | ||
| Post# 900715 , Reply# 48 9/27/2016 at 21:42 (2,765 days old) by Wishwash (Indiana) | ||
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It's great to hear this. I was the same way from a young age! I had the same toys your son has now as well. Brings back great memories. | ||
| Post# 901110 , Reply# 49 9/30/2016 at 05:17 (2,763 days old) by richardc1983 (Leeds, UK) | ||
Hello from Leeds - UK
I also started out at a very young age as far back as I can remember being interested in how things work. I would purposely put things such as tissues or coins in the washing machine just so it would clog up and stop working so I could see my dad strip it down and fix it. I did the same with vacuum cleaners also and would purposely block it so I could see the inner workings when it was taken apart. Much to the annoyance of my parents particularly my dad. I would always blame my brother who had no interest lol. I got my first toy washer which was great but it didn't beat mums machine in the kitchen. My mum thinks I was born with the obsession as she used to put me in front of the washer when I was a baby and I would be soothed by the cycle and watching the drum turn and the clothes move around inside. Even up to about 9 years old I would sit in front of the washing machine at my Mums or my Nans and watch it going round. She would save washing up for my visit so that I could watch it go round and round.
I am interested in them both but I think washing machines take over slightly as well. I tend to find I dip in and out of this interest and usually come back to them when I am feeling unsettled in my life as it takes me back to my inner child and carefree days. I find the forum here wonderful and I love the "Super" forum just as good especially in winter times when people post recipes and pictures of the snow and their homes etc. I own two washing machines and haven't really built a collection, if your son wants to look at lots and lots of inner working pictures of my washing machine when it was lovingly restored by some fabulous members on here then I would recommend he have a look at these posts... heavily loaded with pictures of internals of my washing machine. Its in 2 parts due to the amount of pictures. Part 1: www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/T... part 2: www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/T... What a fabulous mum you are encouraging his passion as that then means you become interested in life and its good to know how things work. I really do think its wonderful and if you can get him a portable washer like several have posted on here then even better as something simple that he can play on. There's nothing better than play. In the UK there was even a documentary TV series called "secret lift of machines" here I have also linked for you one called "secret life of washing machines" I think your son will find it funny as there's funny cartoons in it also and it is easy to follow too. I watched it from a very young age as things are explained easily... hopefully you can watch it in the USA. Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: Best Wishes Richard | ||
| Post# 901111 , Reply# 50 9/30/2016 at 05:20 (2,763 days old) by richardc1983 (Leeds, UK) | ||
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Post# 901462 , Reply# 51 10/2/2016 at 06:20 (2,761 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Hobbies...
Hi Debby, a warm welcome and glad to here you are giving your son the support he needs in enjoying his hobby, again with others as a kid I was always fascinated by whatever was on the end of a plug, be it radio, vac, tv washer or other...my first real memory was with visiting my aunt and uncle around 7yrs of age and while sat at the kitchen table he plonked and old Morphy Richards iron on the table with a worn out cord and a screwdriver and let me take it apart...
Fast forward many years having sold electrical appliances, collected many and with the help of friends here putting together a showroom for us to enjoy I find it heartening that a number of young UK members are actively supported by their parents in what some may think of a bizarre hobby - Its been a joy to see and we must continue support that wholeheartedly... Heres a link to washers from across the pond to share with your son....Enjoy !! CLICK HERE TO GO TO chestermikeuk's LINK 
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| Post# 901517 , Reply# 52 10/2/2016 at 13:52 (2,760 days old) by maytag63 (South Berwick, Maine) | ||
Welcome to AW. He's so lucky to have a mom like you. I started at about age 3-4 taking things apart. My parents had a wedding album that had a small built in windup music box. Well I found a screw driver and took that album apart to find it. Took it apart but of course at that age I couldn't put it back together.
Later at age 6 I wondered how the washer worked. I was caught a few times trying to take the front cover off the Maytag. At age 7 my father caught me taking the lens off the front blinker on his Galaxie 500. I wanted to see what the bulb looked like. I can go on and on. I still enjoy mechanical things. I have a small collection of dehumidifiers, window a/c's, three washers and two dryers. | ||
| Post# 901682 , Reply# 54 10/3/2016 at 23:11 (2,759 days old) by speedqueen (Metro-Detroit) | ||
You Guys are Too Humble...
...forgetting to plug your own YouTube Channels. If it is not possible at the current for Evan to get a tour, the next best thing are videos, right?
Some members' channels I know about that will keep him occupied for hours. www.youtube.com/user/swestoyz... www.youtube.com/user/redcarpetdre... www.youtube.com/user/jetcone... www.youtube.com/user/eddy1210... www.youtube.com/user/automaticwas... www.youtube.com/user/revvinkev... Also dont forget to look at the "See it Wash" page here on AW, although you will have to have Windows Media Player or equivalent. (www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/s...) ***To other members, if I didn't list your channel, please list it; I'm sure he would find them interesting.*** -Richard | ||
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Post# 901697 , Reply# 55 10/4/2016 at 04:42 (2,759 days old) by Mattywashboy (Perth, Western Australia) |
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Reading this has done my heart good. I WISH my mother had been as supportive as you Debbie. Sadly mine saw it as something that would bring embarrassment on the family and did everything she could to stop me engaging in the hobby.
Over the years she has softened towards it but still won't allow me to engage in any lengthy laundry related discussions. As I write this I am about to walk out the door and head to my friend eliots house to do some laundry with some machines that may self and he have collected over the years. I have visited England to my homeland and visited many of the UK members of this site and engaged with their collections. Always wonderful fun. Thank you Debbie, for your understanding and your supportive attitude. Evan is now part of a greater family that spans across the globe and will I'm sure be welcomed into any members home to view and 'play' with their washers and collections. All the best to you and Evan :-) Heres a link to my YouTube site :-) Regards from Australia, Matt http://youtube.com/user/mattie17 | ||
| Post# 901747 , Reply# 56 10/4/2016 at 11:38 (2,758 days old) by vacerator (Macomb, Michigan) | ||
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Parents in denial aren't helpful. We always end up who we are anyhow. | ||
| Post# 902462 , Reply# 58 10/10/2016 at 09:00 (2,753 days old) by lesto (Atlanta) | ||
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I became interested in washers at an early age like Evan. This is me approx age 3 or 4 with my Mom's 1955 Hotpoint.
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Post# 903141 , Reply# 59 10/15/2016 at 08:50 (2,748 days old) by turquoisedude (.) |
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Debby, here's a link to my YouTube channel. There are some non-washer videos on there, but I've got some video of the Canadian machines in my collection.
Hope you and Evan enjoy them!
CLICK HERE TO GO TO turquoisedude's LINK | ||
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Post# 903299 , Reply# 61 10/16/2016 at 13:45 (2,746 days old) by DaveAMKrayoGuy (Oak Park, MI) |
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I have countless appliance stories, obsessions, and had even helped one neighbor pick out appliances for her kitchen & laundry (she complemented me on well her Kelvinator dishwasher cleaned EVERYTHING so good!, and really never trusted anything but Whirlpool in her laundry; turned down a drop-down door dryer, though--and a just-as-fancy washer it could'a been mated with had been forsaken for something as simple...)
Debbie: Have we heard yet from your son here? Or should I start reading up & around for news from him... Again, Welcome!
-- Dave | ||
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