Painting I did inspired by one of the chariots. Find it below.
Marilyn, Jim, and I arrived at the B&B Carrousell (their spelling)—which was Marilyn and my childhood carousel, then on Surf Avenue. It is now restored and reassembled in a prettier setting on the boardwalk. See my blog post of October 1, A Circle of Horses Reborn. The hundred year old carved horses and other figures were beautifully stripped and repainted to their original colors. The only thing missing was the brass ring.
A rendering of the site. Photo: Rockwell Group and 10 Media
Photo: Jim Blythe
Photo; Jim Blythe
Front horse by Marcus Illions, pioneer in the Coney Island school of carousel carving. If you look at the top, you’ll see the name W.F. Mangels painted on one of the beams. He was a famous ride maker. I patterned a character after him in my novel. Photo: Jim Blythe
An excerpt from my novel narrated by my young heroine:
I knew it was a long shot, but when I got to West Eighth I turned and headed for Neptune Avenue. I passed the open firehouse and came to a stop in front of Dad’s workshop. It was a warehouse building with huge wooden doors lettered Mandel Industries. His old black pickup truck wasn’t parked out front—Dad was probably out there somewhere fixing motors, gearboxes, and chain lifts.
Photo: Jim Blythe
Photo: Jim Blythe
Marilyn and me (me in front.) Photo: Jim Blythe
Me. Photo: Jim Blythe
The sun sets. Photo: Jim Blythe
Photo: Jim Blythe
Marilyn calls her husband Steve to meet us for dinner. Steve is not a Coney Islandphile like the three of us. Photo: selfie by Sheila
Photo: Jim Blythe
One of Marilyn and Steve’s two sons, Michael came along with Steve. He and I stood in front of the Thunderbolt as riders screamed past. We tried to figure out how you would write down the sound, but it was so multilayered we couldn’t.
Marilyn driving us down Brighton Beach Avenue. Photo: Jim Blythe
Marilyn, Steve, Michael, Jim and I set out on our next quest. It was to find a good Russian restaurant that we could get into on a Saturday evening without reservations.
In this we failed.
Opening of the new carousel:
The old B&B:
Watch them put together the carousel in a little over a minute:
http://www.nytimes.com/video/nyregion/100000002242744/the-making-of-a-carousel.html?pagewanted=all
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