Rails - Feb 2006 - Database Querry without a Object or Model associated with it

I have a need to connect to a separate database in order to get some  
information from that DB but I am trying to figure out the most  
elegant way to do it. With this application there will be times when  
a new DB will be added to the mix and I would rather not have to add  
models to my app every-time a new database is added. I could do it  
this way if that is how everyone tells me to go, but when looking at  
what I need from the DB It boils down to every once in a while I need  
one value from the DB. I figured since both DB''s are running on the  
same server and are MySQL that I could just execute a query that is  
similar to this:

SELECT DB1.table1.field1
     FROM DB1.table1 WHERE DB1.table1.field2 = @object.id

The problem I am having is that i can''t figure out how to execute  
this query without a model associated with it. I have tried:

newobject2 = Object.find_by_sql("SELECT DB1.table1.field1FROM  
DB1.table1 WHERE DB1.table1.field2 = @object.id")

But I get an error that says that Object has no idea what field1 is  
(which is true since field1 is not part of the Object. is just a  
value (and in all instances will be just one value returned)

How can you execute a querry for a value that I want to be stored in  
memory but never have an associated object? Is it possible? Or do I  
have to create an Model with an establish_connection as mentioned by  
most everyone else from the list, as well as the Rails Recipes Beta  
Book? To me the second way is not the most DRY. Just executing a  
query to get the data I need is the most dry way as creating a model  
for every DB I need to connect to when All i have to do is get one  
value seems to carry overhead that is not needed.

The Ideal would be to create my Object object that is a Join of the  
two tables (which my DBA friends tell me is possible as well) but I  
can''t figure that one out either.

So to summarize for those that skim through these messages I would  
either like to do one of the the following two things:

Have a model called Object. The find for this model would return a  
join of two tables from two different DB''s using the same connection.

or

Execute a DB query that doesn''t have a model associated with it in  
order to get a value that I can store in memory (instance variable).

Thanks for all the help

Andrew