When “Back to the Future” first came out (1985), I was a lass of 26, and yet my sympathies readily fell to the Clock Tower Lady (Elsa Raven) and the Hill Valley Preservation Society.

Heck yeah, they needed to save that Clock Tower in Hill Valley! It was an integral part of the community and its history and culture.

And now, a historic preservation group in my much-loved state of West Virginia is trying to save a Sears kit home that I identified during a visit to their town in Fall of 2010, and heck yeah, they need to save that Westly.

The endangered house is in Lewisburg, WV.

The Sears Westly was first offered in the very rare 1909 Sears Modern Homes catalog, and by 1914, this model had undergone a significant “face lift” and the new Westly looked quite a bit different from the old Westly.

According to the folks at PAWV, the Westly in Lewisburg was built about 1924 or 1925. Perhaps at some date in the not-too-distant future, I’ll have the opportunity to see the inside of this fine old house and perhaps learn a bit more about this piece of architectural history.

Unfortunately, thus far, I’ve not had good success in saving kit homes in college towns. Last year, I blogged continually about another rare kit home (in Bowling Green, OH), threatened with extinction. Seems like all my blogging accomplished was to get that house torn down AHEAD of schedule. However, that house was on the college campus, and colleges are notorious bungalow-eaters.

Hopefully, the Westly in Lewisburg will be spared that fate. As I understand it, this house is not on a college campus, but is currently used as a West Virginia University Extension Office. It is not threatened with immediate demolition, but is dying a slow, ugly death due to neglect.

Please visit this website to learn more about what you can do to save the house in Lewisburg.

Click here to learn more about the kit homes in Lewisburg.

And a PS to the folks at Preservation Alliance of West Virginia: If it would help your cause, I’d gladly come out and give a talk on your kit home(s) gratis. Please contact me by leaving a comment below.

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Please visit this website to learn more about what you can do to save the house in Lewisburg.

Click here to learn more about the kit homes in Lewisburg.

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More than seven months ago, I purchased my third Camry and my sixth Toyota. Seven months later, I still think this 2012 Camry Hybrid is not only one of the prettiest cars on the road, but also one of the most comfortable.

After 9,400 miles, I can report that in real world conditions, it averages 42-46 miles per gallon.

That’s nothing short of amazing.

This summer, we took a trip to the hills of West Virginia and on that trip, the Camry averaged 46 mpg. For those unfamiliar with the backroads of West Virginia, let me tell you, you’re either climbing straight up a hill or standing on the brakes as you come flying down the other side.

Both hubby and I were blown away by the 46 mpg average.

I’ve been fascinated by the Toyota Prius since its introduction to the American markets in 2001. When I purchased my last Camry in 2003 (Salsa Red Pearl LE), I was torn between the Camry and the Prius.

After much weeping and gnashing of teeth, I opted for the Camry. It was a proven car with an incredible track record. As a freshly divorced woman, I opted for “proven, reliable and staid” over “new, fancy and sleek.”

And yet, as the years rolled by, I paid close attention to the Prius. The hybrid technology was quickly evolving and it was clearly the wave of the future. Each year, the Prius had more features, better technology and improved gas mileage.

And then in 2007, Toyota introduced the Camry Hybrid.

In February 2011, I was on my way to visit a purported Sears Magnolia near Gaffney, South Carolina, traveling merrily along in my shiny 2003 Camry.  As I approached the South Carolina border, the “check engine” light blinked on, and I could smell gas.

I glanced down at the odometer, which read 152,300 miles and had a sinking realization. I was driving an old car.

I made it home without incident, and took the car in for repairs. Total cost: $1,300.

For the next few long trips, we rented a car. That was a lot of hassle.

I’m a car person. I love cars. In the 1970s, I took two years of auto tech at a vocational school in Portsmouth. There’s nothing about cars that isn’t fascinating.

In April, we rented a 2012 Prius for a weekend trip. I was in love. The Prius was a fun car, full of gadgetry and pie charts and diagrams and all manner of displays. And we averaged more than 50 mpg on the trip.

The next weekend, we went car shopping. The Prius had been a delight to drive, but I didn’t like the front seats. Plus, the Prius hatchback had a harsh ride. I loved the technology but my aching back needed something more comfortable. After more research, I opted for the 2012 Camry Hybrid XLE.

In 2012, the Camry was redesigned and re-engineered. The 2012 model gets eight more miles from a gallon of gas than the prior year’s model. My car is rated at 41 (combined city/highway), but I’ve averaged 42-44 mpg in the city.

The 2012 Camry boasts 200 hp (up 13 hp from 2011). The ICE produces 156 horsies, and the electric motor kicks in about 40 horsepower. The battery pack (34 nickel-metal hydride modules) eats up a bit of trunk space, and yet the 2012 still has 13.1 cubic feet of suitcase space (2.5 cubic feet more than the 2011).

Under hard acceleration, you could really feel the shift points of those four gears in the 2003. In the new Camry, there are no shift points. The continuously variable transmission is an engineering marvel, picking up energy from two different sources (gasoline and electric) and transmitting into smooth forward motion of the front wheels.

It is, as promised a “smoother driving experience.”

And best of all, the CVT provides both faster acceleration and better fuel economy. The 2012 Camry Hybrid does 0-60 in 7.6 seconds. The V6 Camry (3.0 liter) only beats that by about one half of one second. In exchange for that half second, I get about 15 more miles out of each gallon of gas (compared to the V6).

The car really shines in the short jaunts around town. Driving through residential streets in Hampton Roads and looking for kit homes, I can hit 55+ miles per gallon. That, together with a 17-gallon tank means that you can drive 935 miles between fill-ups (as long as you don’t go more than 30 miles per hour).

When I’m out hunting for kit homes, tooling up and down tree-lined residential streets in early 20th Century neighborhoods, I drive about 15 miles per hour. The Camry Hybrid loves that speed.

Toyota has created the perfect car for house hunting: The 2012 Camry Hybrid.

Maybe they should change their jingle to, “Toyota; I love what you do for history.”

Kit home history, that is.

Ready to buy one of your own? Click here.

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To place an order for your own sweet ride, click here.

Oh, are you here to read about Sears Homes? Click here.

To learn about kit homes from Montgomery Ward, click here.

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My friend Ersela lives in a part of West Virginia that is currently getting hammered by an especially chilly version of Hurricane Sandy. Thus far, almost two feet of wet snow has fallen on her beautiful Kilbourne.

Here in Norfolk (where I live), “Sandy” only hit us with a glancing blow. We had minor power outages, some wind (gusts up to 75 mph) and some rain (about six inches locally), and some tidal flooding (about seven feet above normal) but we got off light. And we know it.

And frankly, coastal storms are just part of living on the Eastern Seaboard. We get Nor’Easters on a regular basis. In fact, the Nor’Easter of 2009 caused Hampton Roads about as much trouble as Hurricane Sandy.

In addition to Ersela, we have other family in West Virginia, and many of them live in Elkins. The entire town of Elkins is also inundated with snow. The town has lost power, and roofs are starting to collapse under the weight of the thick, wet blanket of snow.

But West Virginians are a tough breed. Most of the ones that I’ve met are true-blue “preppers.” Many (if not most) households in West Virginia have a heat source independent of traditional central heating systems, such as wood stoves or coal stoves. When the lights go out, the heat stays on.

Gosh I love West Virginia! 

Many thanks to Ersela for allowing me to publish these photos.

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To learn more about West Virginia, click here.

To read more about the kit homes in West Virginia, click here.

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To their credit, Elkins has done a first rate job of restoring their early 20th Century train depot in the downtown area.

And I surely do hope that some day soon I can return to Elkins and be one of the lucky souls that enjoys one of the excursion rides offered on vintage passenger cars.

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Several months ago, a friend called and told me that there was a Sears House in Marlentin, and that it housed the local insurance company. While visiting my husband’s family in Elkins, we made a side trip to Marlentin (which as about a 90-minute trip - one way!) to check out the purported Sears House.

As is often the case, the alleged Sears House was not a kit house from Sears, or Aladdin, or Gordon Van Tine or Lewis Manufacturing, or any other company with which I am familiar. However, while we were driving the streets of Marlentin, I found these Maytown Twins, about three blocks apart!

To learn more about Sears Homes, click here.

To buy Rose’s books, click here.

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I love Elkins, WV. It’s a beautiful place and a lovely city. And I love the people of Elkins, too. Especially this guy (pictured below), sitting on the rock.

His name is Wayne Ringer and he’s from Elkins, West Virginia.

He graduated from Davis and Elkins College in 1977, and Washington and Lee (School of Law) in 1980. Last summer, we drove from Norfolk to Elkins to attend his cousin’s 30th Wedding Anniversary party (part of the Skidmore clan). It was a happy, happy time. Surprisingly, I found quite a few Sears Homes. (Story continues below photo of cutie-pie husband)

What is a Sears Home? These were true kits sold out of the Sears Roebuck catalog. The houses were shipped via rail and contained 30,000 pieces of house. Each kit came with a 75-page instruction manual and a promise that a “man of average abilities” could have one assembled and ready for occupancy in about 90 days. Today, there are about 70,000 Sears kit homes in America. Incredibly, about 90% of the people living in these homes don’t realize what they have! The purpose of this website is to help people learn more about this fascinating piece of America’s history.

Here are a few of the houses I found within the city limits of Elkins, West Virginia.

And there’s even a Lustron Prefabricated post-WW2 home in Elkins. Lustron Homes were made of 20-gage 2×2 metal tiles, covered with a porcelain enamel finish (just like the top of a high-dollar washing machines!). These houses were all metal - inside and out - and hanging a picture required sticking magnets to the walls! Nails and other fasteners would damage the porcelain enamel finish. Lustron was based in Columbus, Ohio and less than 3000 Lustron Homes were sold in this country. They were remarkable, strong and long-lasting houses - definitely ahead of their time. Finding this three-bedroom model in Elkins was a special treat, as the three-bedroom Lustrons were very rare.

To learn more about Lustrons, click here.

To read more about Sears Homes in West Virginia, click here.

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My cutie-pie husband is from Elkins, West Virginia (see picture below).  Wayne graduated from Davis and Elkins College in 1977, and Washington and Lee (School of Law) in 1980.  This weekend (August 20th), we drove from Norfolk to Elkins to attend his cousin’s 30th Wedding Anniversary party (part of the Skidmore clan). It was a happy, happy time.  Surprisingly, I found quite a few Sears Homes.  (Story continues below photo of cutie-pie husband)

What is a Sears Home? These were true kits sold out of the Sears Roebuck catalog. The houses were shipped via rail and contained 30,000 pieces of house. Each kit came with a 75-page instruction manual and a promise that a “man of average abilities” could have one assembled and ready for occupancy in about 90 days. Today, there are about 70,000 Sears kit homes in America. Incredibly, about 90% of the people living in these homes don’t realize what they have! The purpose of this website is to help people learn more about this fascinating piece of America’s history.

Here are a few of the houses I found within the city limits of Elkins, West Virginia.

And there’s even a Lustron Prefabricated post-WW2 home in Elkins.  Lustron Homes were made of 20-gage 2×2 metal tiles, covered with a porcelain enamel finish (just like the top of a high-dollar washing machines!).  These houses were all metal - inside and out - and hanging a picture required sticking magnets to the walls! Nails and other fasteners would damage the porcelain enamel finish. Lustron was based in Columbus, Ohio and less than 3000 Lustron Homes were sold in this country. They were remarkable, strong and long-lasting houses - definitely ahead of their time. Finding this three-bedroom model in Elkins was a special treat, as the three-bedroom Lustrons were very rare.

To learn more about Lustrons, click here.

To read more about Sears Homes in West Virginia, click here.

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