April 28, 2025 Storm Chase: Moderate Risk of Frustration Andre Wehrle 2026-09-25 | April 28, 2025 Storm Chase: Moderate Risk of Frustration
Museum of Vintage & Antique Fans at Fanimation in Zionsville, IN in 2015 Part 1 Andre Wehrle 2025-10-12 | Here's a video tour of how the Museum of Vintage & Antique Fans at Fanimation Headquarters in Zionsville, IN looked in 2015 when @dspiffy still worked for Fanimation and would organize quarterly group trips to the museum.We see the fans that were there at the time including a Progress Lighting P-2500, Hunter 1886 Series, black 1930s Original, 6-blade Studio Series, Encon S-vent Original copy, VEC industrial, and many more.
King of Fans Neon Illusions Ceiling Fan in a Pinball Arcade Andre Wehrle 2025-10-07 | I demonstrate the King of Fans Neon Illusions ceiling fan while @MetalPete_the_metalfan tries out the machines.
Hunter/Robbins & Myers Original Ceiling Fan w/Adaptair in a Living Room Andre Wehrle 2025-10-07 | Antique brass R&M Original, model 22450, from 1982. On a weird Bluetooth (?) wall control that I wasn't too sure about, but I managed to get it to do a spindown and 0 to high.@dspiffy video of this fan from a few months ago:youtube.com/watch?v=WQnGE3e0LOQ
The Warehouse o Blenderfans Revisited Andre Wehrle 2025-10-06 | Back at the warehouse in the Chicago suburbs where myself, @dspiffy, @MetalPete_the_metalfan among others installed a large number of Emerson Heat Fan or "Blenderfan" ceiling fans last year. A mix of four and three blade versions, K63/K55, with and without switch housing. Cameo by @JonasClark discussing Jonas things with @dspiffy.
Envirofan Silver Line Industrial Ceiling Fans in a Thrift Store Andre Wehrle 2025-10-06 | Checking out a thrift store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with @JonasClark, @dspiffy and @MetalPete_the_metalfan. It had these Envirofan Silver Lines, I believe three rows of three, or 9 fans total.
Hunter Ceiling Fans at Organ Piper Pizza Andre Wehrle 2025-10-06 | Hunter made a couple of models with the vertical stripes in the sideband at various times, one was called the Mayfair and also the Studio Series (non-remote control version) was like this for a while, and they were sold with different numbers of blades over the years, so not sure exactly which these are.This was the kickoff dinner for JonasWeek 2025, @JonasClark's biennial trip to the Midwest to meet up and sightsee with fellow vintage fan/lighting/pipe organ enthusiasts myself, @dspiffy, @MetalPete_the_metalfan, @ricksterthefanman, @SRCVintageElectronics, and others.
Eastern Yellowjacket (Vespula maculifrons) Nest in a Rock Wall Andre Wehrle 2025-09-28 | An eastern yellowjacket nest in a rock wall in my parents' backyard, 10 years ago OTD 9/28/2015. I'd been thinking that wall was a likely nesting spot since we'd moved in 15 years prior, but it wasn't until that year a colony actually developed.There appear to be two entrance/exit holes, the one to the left more heavily used for some reason. A young queen (potential founder of one of the next years' colonies) comes out to explore at the 11:56 mark.
GLEAM 2025 at Olbrich Botanical Gardens Andre Wehrle 2025-09-25 | This year's edition of the annual illuminated art exhibit GLEAM at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, WI.
Nobody Here But Us Turkeys Andre Wehrle 2025-09-08 | Just another appearance of the turkey family living in my parents' yard.
Raging Lightning From a Monster Kansas Tornadic Supercell Andre Wehrle 2025-09-06 | LINKS TO ARNETT TORNADO FOOTAGE FROM THIS DAY BELOW.After intercepting the photogenic tornadoes near Arnett, Oklahoma this past May 18, I arrived in Alva, OK shortly after 9 PM mainly just planning to eat and stop for the night when I noticed this huge supercell on radar as it was approaching the Greensburg, KS area. I calculated I could intercept it somewhere in the vicinity of Pratt in about 90 minutes, if it was still going by then. It was...longer than I ever expected.At the beginning of the video I turn onto 90th Avenue at Cullison, KS, about three minutes after a large "wedge" tornado (one of at least four from this storm) had formed and crossed this road about 3 1/2 miles to the north. Proceeding cautiously north in the pitch blackness, the storm was producing tremendous lightning but most of it was near anvil level, not illuminating under the base. I turned right (east) on NW 10th St., following behind the tornado to its southwest. Getting close to potentially violent tornadoes at night is still beyond my comfort level as a chaser, so when this road T'd out I turned south to go back to Pratt for the night.youtube.com/watch?v=8OcUAXaSnvsyoutube.com/watch?v=sPHFaRHLjYgyoutube.com/watch?v=VCzG6Ni_VME
Omahas Henry Doorly Zoo 8/23/2025 #zoo Andre Wehrle 2025-09-05 | A visit to the huge Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska. We see meerkat, giraffe, elephants and primates.
Jellyfish at Omahas Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium @ #jellyfish #aquarium #underwater #zoo #nature Andre Wehrle 2025-09-05 | ...
Omahas Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium, 8/23/2025 Andre Wehrle 2025-09-05 | A visit to the huge Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha, Nebraska.0:00 Okapi0:49 Aquarium1:09 Puffins (getting fed)4:03 Penguins4:58 Caribbean reef fish6:55 Sharks7:58 Butterflies8:10 Zebra8:24 Rhinoceros8:52 Giraffe9:16 Elephant9:37 Gorilla
Fan Test Throwbacks w/Dan: 38 Homestead Geneva Homestar Ceiling Fan (FAN TEST FAIL) Andre Wehrle 2025-08-31 | A neat Homestead ceiling fan in white/polished brass, with Homestead's version of the Intellitouch electronic control system. Unfortunately this had to be the time our sketch method of testing ball/socket fans by hanging the mounting bracket over the J-hook caught up to us and the fan took a dive, shattering the switch housing. Remarkably, @MetalPete_the_metalfan's nice light globe remained intact, as did the flywheel.@dspiffy video of this fan (censored to remove fan carnage):youtube.com/watch?v=pnCM0eLt5p8
Fan Test Throwbacks w/Dan: Encon 6-blade/S-Vent Hunter Original Copy Ceiling Fan Andre Wehrle 2025-08-31 | An interesting 36" ceiling fan made by Encon in the style of the Hunter Original but with six-blades, S-shaped vents, and a GE-style bell canopy. Tested with @dspiffy and @MetalPete_the_metalfanDan's video of this fan:youtube.com/watch?v=7Nqehoqb8mUFor a while, this fan (or one identical to it) was in the museum of vintage and antique fans at Fanimation headquarters in Zionsville, IN.
Fan Test Throwbacks w/Dan: Calcutta/TPI/Sunbeam Ceiling Fan Andre Wehrle 2025-08-27 | Ornate polished brass ceiling fan with round-tip cane blades, GE flywheel-style motor.@dspiffy video of this fan:youtube.com/watch?v=biL5wjzNRQg
Fan Test Throwbacks w/Dan: Broan GE Vent Ceiling Fan w/Copper Finish Andre Wehrle 2025-08-27 | Nice vintage GE vent ceiling fan by Broan (similar to a Moss Heirloom) in an unusual copper finish. Lots of features I like including cane blades, bell canopy, filigree sideband, powerful cast iron spinner motor and a built-in variable speed control.Tested after @dspiffy and I shooed the woodpecker out of the shop (see previous upload).For a time this fan was in the museum of vintage & antique fans located at Fanimation headquarters in Zionsville, IN.Dan's video of this fan:youtube.com/watch?v=C4YkPPZfZDs
Downy Woodpecker in Dans Shop Attic 8/26/2015 Andre Wehrle 2025-08-27 | Testing ceiling fans with @dspiffy when a bird (later identified as a Downy Woodpecker) found its way into the attic storage space he then rented that became his main testing location at the time.Dan's longer-form video of this:youtube.com/watch?v=J0ImOC3_auUyoutube.com/watch?v=ArUhCfitBhk"MST3K" version:youtube.com/watch?v=HZeIAOBy9hk
Fan Test Throwbacks w/Dan: Casablanca Bel Air Halo Ceiling Fan Andre Wehrle 2025-08-26 | Modern-styled ceiling fan in antique brass, with integrated uplight and downlight. Tested with a W-32 Intellitouch control. It had some noise issues which we eventually traced to a loose flywheel set screw.@dspiffy video of this fan:youtube.com/watch?v=LRW2sz8Mhko
Industrial Ceiling Fans in a Restaurant #ceilingfan Andre Wehrle 2025-08-26 | Someone suggested they might be Canarms, but I didn't think those were sold in the USA? I counted seven of them total.
Emerson Ceiling Fan at Monticello Railway Museum #ceilingfan Andre Wehrle 2025-08-26 | Vintage Emerson ceiling fan (Designer?) in the "Nelson's Crossing" depot/gift shop (relocated from nearby De Land, IL) at the Monticello Railway Museum. There were two of these, one in each room, but I couldn't find the switch for the other one.
The Unseen Menace: Stoughton, WI Tornado August 18, 2005 (20th Anniversary Upload) Andre Wehrle 2025-08-18 | On August 18, 2005, Wisconsin experienced what still stands as its record single-day tornado outbreak, with 27 occurring in the state. The most significant of these was a high-end F3 which tracked for 20 miles through residential subdivisions on the northern edge of the city of Stoughton, in southeastern Dane County. The house where my parents and I lived at the time (and they still do) is in one of these subdivisions. The tornado missed us by less than 1/4 of a mile, and the one man who died in it (I believe still the last tornado-related fatality in southern Wisconsin to date) lived on the opposite end of the same subdivision.I was 19 at the time and about to start my sophomore year in college. I had long had a fascination with severe weather and tornadoes from childhood and intended to take up storm chasing at some point. For a long time I was angry at myself for not being more prepared on this day and ready to get better footage (a quick YouTube search will unveil the many incredible videos which exist of this tornado, captured by several people who lived not far away). I felt like the atmosphere had tried to hand me the ultimate "backyard chase" and I botched it. You never actually see the tornado itself, just debris falling out of the sky beneath violently churning clouds over our house before I ran for cover (portions of the audio muted because I was shouting like an idiot), and then the structure on the back edge of the supercell thunderstorm after it had moved off and was producing a series of weaker tornadoes north of Lake Koshkonong/west of Fort Atkinson.Most of this footage has never been shared before on YouTube. I had the damage tour section on my old channel, uploaded about a year and a half after the fact in YT's old, lousy 240p resolution, but that was about it.0:00 The Approach (siren ambiance)0:51 Flying Debris1:10 Taking Shelter2:09 Departing Supercell4:37 Immediate Aftermath6:55 The Next Day7:53 Two Days Later Damage Tour
Backyard Turkey Trot Andre Wehrle 2025-08-16 | Just a family of turkeys wandering through my parents' backyard.
The Great Midwest Derecho of 2020 in Wisconsin Andre Wehrle 2025-08-10 | Five years ago OTD, the infamous Great Midwest Derecho of 2020 took place, bringing widespread destructive winds (numerous measured gusts in excess of 100 MPH) across central and eastern Iowa. It didn't pack quite the same punch east of the Mississippi River, but was still a rather significant event. Between the COVID-19 lockdown and a generally lousy pattern, it was also my only "storm chase" of the year.I got out of work just as the northern fringes of the storm complex were pushing into southwestern Wisconsin, and took State Highway 69 south to position for an intercept somewhere in Green County. A tornado warning was issued for the area I was in, and I had to dodge the couplet using RadarScope, but no actual tornadoes were confirmed until further east in Walworth/Kenosha Counties. I set up along County Highway J just north of County C, west of Monticello and northwest of Monroe. An intense CG lightning barrage preceded the onset of the strong winds. After the winds died down, I went into Monroe and found some damage.
Bald-Faced Hornet Collecting Wood Fibers 8/10/2015 Andre Wehrle 2025-08-10 | One or more bald-faced hornet ( _Dolichovespula maculata_ ) workers pulling up wood fibers for nesting material from the backyard deck at my parents' house. I never did find the nest that year. Ironically 11 years earlier a nest of the closely related species _D. arenaria_ was built under this same deck.
Fan Test Throwbacks w/Dan: Emerson Roundnose Antique Ceiling Fan Andre Wehrle 2025-08-03 | @dspiffy video of this fan:youtube.com/watch?v=urFtTa73_MI
Fan Test Throwbacks w/Dan: 38 FASCo Parlour Fan Ceiling Fan Andre Wehrle 2025-08-03 | In brown and brass, with a somewhat unusual combo (brown sideband with brass bottom & top plates).@dspiffy video of this fan:youtube.com/watch?v=DYMmDbvk3z8
Fan Test Throwbacks w/Dan: Emerson/Air Design Tristar Ceiling Fan Andre Wehrle 2025-08-03 | In textured white. Tested with @dspiffy, @MetalPete_the_metalfan, and Dan's then 9-year-old daughter Abby who was operating my camera at the time. She also showed some of Metal Pete installing the fan.Dan's video of this fan:youtube.com/watch?v=jkVJ5DAhQ1w
Fan Test Throwbacks w/Dan: Island Fan Co. Plantation Ceiling Fan Andre Wehrle 2025-08-03 | Polished brass, with cane blades. Test with @dspiffy @MetalPete_the_metalfan and Dan's daughter Abby 10 years ago OTD.Dan's video of this fan:youtube.com/watch?v=OwBUH2gJjV0
Cat Meets Balafire Andre Wehrle 2025-07-30 | My cousin had what I called the "Bud Light" for obvious reasons when we were kids, I never knew the actual name for this oscillating filament bulb or how it worked until @TechnologyConnections did a video on them. Arriba the calico cat wasn't quite sure what to make of it.
Fan Test Throwbacks w/Dan: 56 Airmaster Industrial Ceiling Fan Andre Wehrle 2025-07-20 | Test with @dspiffy and @MetalPete_the_metalfan.
Wall Cloud, Lake Mills, WI 7/16/2025 Andre Wehrle 2025-07-17 | Was at work when all the good stuff went down today, much earlier in the afternoon than is typical for tornadic storms. This is on London Road just west of County Highway A, southwest of Lake Mills, WI at 2:30 PM, just as the tornado warning that had been issued for it at 2:05 was being allowed to expire.
July 13, 2015 Storm Chase: Moderate Risk of Dramatic Skies Andre Wehrle 2025-07-14 | 10X timelapse from my dash-mounted GoPro Hero 3 White on a storm chase 10 years ago OTD, in Henry, Stark, Bureau and Lee Counties, Illinois. A Storm Prediction Center moderate risk was in place with extreme instability and strong deep-layer shear compensating for limited low-level shear to pose a significant tornado threat if mesoscale factors could come into play. However that did not occur and mostly pulse thunderstorms with limited organization occurred, providing some photogenic, ominous skyscapes.Almost in F - Tranquillity by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Fast Finches (2015) Andre Wehrle 2025-07-12 | A timelapse of the bird feeders at my parents' house. From 10 years ago OTD.
Summer Evening Thunderstorm Rolls In Andre Wehrle 2025-07-06 | Taken from my porch on Monday, June 30, 2025.A low-topped thunderstorm moves in from the northwest, gradually weakening but still producing occasional intracloud lightning. The gust front kicks up a refreshing breeze.
Fan Test Throwbacks w/Dan: Antique GE Top Mount Ceiling Fan Model 44986 Andre Wehrle 2025-06-29 | An unusual antique GE with a top-mount blade design.@dspiffy video of this fan:youtube.com/watch?v=rGeHhYzqjRI
Fan Test Throwbacks w/Dan: Casablaca Spirit of Saturn Ceiling Fan Andre Wehrle 2025-06-29 | White/PB finish. In hindsight, probably not the best idea to test a fan with an IntelliTouch board during a thunderstorm, but it survived.@dspiffy video of this fan:youtube.com/watch?v=7nOPxU7R1o8
Fan Test Throwbacks w/Dan: Hunter Original Ceiling Fan in Brushed Nickel Part 3 (2 blades) Andre Wehrle 2025-06-29 | Model 23853. Tested with just two blades ("Antique fashion") because Dan's then 9-year-old daughter Abby wanted to.@dspiffy video of this fan:youtube.com/watch?v=Zb7F-5oZnOo
Fan Test Throwbacks w/Dan: Hunter Original Ceiling Fan in Brushed Nickel Part 2 (4 blades) Andre Wehrle 2025-06-29 | Model 23853.
Fan Test Throwbacks w/Dan: Hunter Original Ceiling Fan in Brushed Nickel Part 1 (5 blades) Andre Wehrle 2025-06-29 | Model 23853.@dspiffy video of this fan:youtube.com/watch?v=oj9wTmYyzek
Feeding the Capybaras #capybara Andre Wehrle 2025-06-28 | My wife and I feed the capybaras at Rigden Ranch in Franksville, WI. They're named Kelso and Jackie after the characters in That '70s Show (which was set in a fictional town outside of Kenosha, WI so probably in this general area).
Fan Test Throwbacks w/Dan: Hunter Comfort Breeze Ceiling Fan Andre Wehrle 2025-06-19 | Model 23536, in antique brass. Early(ish) version with 4 blades and a rubber flywheel.Dan's then 9-year-old daughter Abby was operating my camera, and did a good job!@dspiffy video of this fan:youtube.com/watch?v=nDKjcQo7ECk
Fan Test Throwbacks w/Dan: Antique GE Ceiling Fan No. 2 Andre Wehrle 2025-06-18 | Unlike the previous one we tested several months prior, this one lacks a lower canopy and has large single vent holes instead of the "GE vents." It has a snap switch control on the bottom of the oil cup.@dspiffy video of this fan:youtube.com/watch?v=ara_h362_bw
Fan Test Throwbacks w/Dan: JAB/Union Industrial Ceiling Fan Model A-1 Andre Wehrle 2025-06-16 | Tested with @dspiffy, @MetalPete_the_metalfan and Dan's then 9-year-old daughter Abby.@dspiffy video of this fan:youtube.com/watch?v=-ePTWotqrCQ
