5 minute read
Just for Fun
Solutions on page 13
Word search - May
Advertisement
Str8ts
How to beat Str8ts: No single number, 1 to 9, can repeat in any row or column. But rows and columns are divided by black squares into compartments. Each compartment must form a straight, a set of numbers with no gaps but it can be in any order, eg: 7, 6, 8, 9. Clues in black cells remove that number as an option in that row and column, and are not part of any straight.
Rules of Sudoku - To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 such that each row, column and 3x3 box contains ever number uniquely. For more strategies, hints and tips, visit www.sudokuwiki.org and www.str8ts.com.
©
©
How to beat Str8ts –
How to beat Str8ts –
Like Sudoku, no single number 1 to 9 can repeat in any row or column. But... rows and columns are divided by black squares into compartments Each compartment must form a straighta set of numbers with no gaps but it can be in any order, eg [7,6,9,8]. Clues in black cells remove that number as an option in that row and column, and are not part of any straight. Glance at the solution to see how ‘straights’
Like Sudoku, no single number 1 to 9 can repeat in any row or column. But... rows and columns are divided by black squares into compartments Each compartment must form a straighta set of numbers with no gaps but it can be in any order, eg [7,6,9,8]. Clues in black cells remove that number as an option in that row and column, and are not part of any straight. Glance at the solution to see how ‘straights’ are formed.
To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 such that each row, column and 3x3 box contains every number uniquely.
To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 such that each row, column and 3x3 box contains every number uniquely.
For many strategies, hints and tips, visit www.sudokuwiki.org for Sudoku and www.str8ts.com for Str8ts.
For many strategies, hints and tips, visit www.sudokuwiki.org for Sudoku and www.str8ts.com for Str8ts.
If you like Str8ts and other puzzles, check out our books, iPhone/iPad Apps and much more on our store.
If you like Str8ts and other puzzles, check out our books, iPhone/iPad Apps and much more on our store.
— heavy industrial and there’s a lot of environmental regulation.”
He said a lot of specialty places move their parts indoors and break down cars in a warehouse.
He’s had a number of people interested in the property, but they aren’t interested in the wrecking side.
Stafford’s not in a rush to sell.
“The right person will see the value in this organized chaos,” he said. “It will have to be someone with a pretty broad knowledge of older GM vehicles, but I’m a pretty good teacher. For the right deal, I’ll stick around and help advise.”
Staying on might be necessary as the inventory system for Dan’s Garage currently exists only on Stafford’s mental hard drive.
“If you can identify what you have, you can sell it. If you’re buying someone’s barn full of car parts, you’ve got to be able to spot the nuggets in the gravel.
“It’s not a gold mine, you have to work at it, but you can make a pretty good living doing this. It’s a bit of an antiquated business model and that’s why I like it.”
The asking price for the property, buildings, inventory (cars and parts) and equipment (forklift, ramp truck, truck scale, functional antique crane) is $950,000.
‘Plans to own a junk yard’
A fascination with old cars and their parts runs in Stafford’s blood.
“My dad was an antique car guy, one of the founders of the local antique car club,” he said.
For Stafford, it started with an obsession for collecting license plates as a kid growing up in Kennewick.
“Back in the ’20s and ’30s, there was no city dump, so I used to go with my dad and find these old dumps scattered around the sagebrush.”
What gave Stafford his start in parts was an unexpected opportunity that arose while visiting his dad’s hometown of Whitehall, Montana, for his grandfather’s funeral.
He was still in high school and had recently walked away from a crash that totaled his ’41 Chevy.
“The Chevrolet dealer there my dad had worked for during the war driving a wrecker had closed. Used to be an auto parts store,” Stafford said.
Peering inside, he saw all the inventory still on the shelves. He got in touch with the owner, and, using his insurance money, bought the contents of the building for $700.
“There were new parts on the shelves clear back into the ’20s. Kind of a fluke,” he said.
Stafford said he’s proud to be one of the few in his Kennewick High class of 1969 to realize the career goal listed under his name in the yearbook: “Plans to own a junk yard.”
“A lot of what I’m dealing with now were new cars when I was in high school,” he said with a laugh.
His plans didn’t materialize right away, but after being laid off from a pipe company related to Hanford and restoring Camaros in his backyard, he realized it would be quicker money to part out cars.
A friend moved the 1954 Union 76 gas station building from Washington Street in Kennewick to its present location at 508 E. Bruneau Ave.
It had been where Stafford pumped up his bike tires before he had four wheels of his own.
Last Chance Wrecking, which had been at the site since the 1950s, rented it out, then later let it go and moved to East Lewis Street in Pasco, which gave Stafford the opportunity to step in in 1981.
In 1983, Stafford bought the property and he’s been there ever since, with a few business evolutions along the way.
A big gamechanger was the advent of eBay in the early 2000s.
“I have an eBay store with 600 items,” he said. “A lot of it is stuff that no one ever comes in looking for, but it is valuable. You have to get it out there.”
Stafford acquires his inventory through word of mouth, visiting people with cars and parts to sell, buying old parts from auto part dealers ready to clear them out. He used to make the swap meet rounds.
He also sells whole cars. Current listings can be found on his website: dansgarage.net.
Until recently, he sold a lot overseas, from Europe to the United Arab Emirates, to Australia and New Zealand. High shipping rates have put a damper on the market.
Man cave decor
A popular trend that he said has cropped up in the last 10 years or so is decorating man caves or garages with old car parts like truck grills, hub caps and the license plates he used to collect as a kid.
“Even the crappy stuff that no one would want for a reconstruction project, they’ll take it for decor,” he said. “So now I’m a decorator.” search Dan’s Garage: 508 E. Bruneau Ave., Kennewick. Contact: 509-5862579; dansgarage.net: Facebook.
Though he’s looking to retire, Stafford has an antique booth at Skye’s Finds in Richland he’s planning to keep up, as well as his long-term retirement investment: several of the best cars from among the many that populate two other lots he owns down the street and uses for overflow.
These he’ll work to sell over time. “I like buying and selling cars. It’s fun,” he said.
Back out front, another car pulled up and a man got out.
“How much for the Camaro?” he asked.
