USUALLY I USE MORE WHISKEY - 1956-1955 CHEVROLETS - HELICOPTERS - RIDING MOTORCYCLE AROUND THE WORLD

 Fati - Man (Norwegian Fatti-man cookies)

I vow every year to make these cookies as they are my all-time favorite. I have not done so yet and can only offer excuses.

There are plenty of recipes for these on the net to include the deep frying in a shallow pan and then dusting with powdered sugar. Mom and dad use an cast iron skillet.

The recipe above was handed down from my grandmother on my father's side, the Norwegian side. 

Watch a video or two if you want to try these. I guarantee that once you add these to your Christmas and New Year baking, your peeps will want them every year. 

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BLENDING IN- Game park near Johannesburg SA 2007

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YOU TUBE: THE COOLEST ARCHERY GADGET FOR 2020

This fellow has some design and building talent. Plus, he is just fun to watch and listen to.

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1956 CHEVROLET  My first car.

Blue and white with a 265 cu in V-8, twin-barrel carb and three on the floor. The photo above was taken after having the car for several years. I was returning home from Tacoma visiting a friend. A gas station attendant did not properly close and lock the hood after gassing up and checking under the hood.

No sooner did I get on I-5 South, the hood flew open, buckling the hood and denting the top of the car. Broke my heart pulling into our driveway with the car looking like this.  

After repair and necessary body work, I chose a solid blue color which was a mistake from the original paint job. Too late then to turn back. She was a beautiful car though and provided a great first car for a kid of the sixties.

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1955 CHEVROLET PANEL TRUCK

My third car.

The 55 Chevy Panel Truck was bright yellow with wood side-paneling.

Under the hood was a built 409 cu in engine with a tri-power carburetor and headers.

Four on the floor, two bucket seats and fully carpeted inside. Street slicks and mag wheels to finish it off. This car ran like a ruptured duck and was the most fun car I have ever driven. 

Of all the cars I have owned over the years, this is the one I want back.

 

The Army, flight school and Vietnam got in the way and I only had the car a few months before having to sell.

Ironically, I met the kid who had built this car while on R&R in Hong Kong. We passed each other on one of the main down town streets.(He, too, was in the service and also there on R&R) It is a small world.

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NEW TOYS TO PLAY AND POSE WITH

Seven months later, I was in the Army helicopter flight program with new experiences and toys to learn and play with.  

Thie photo to the right was taken as we started working the flight line half of each work day.   

Learning to fly and then soloing was job one.

Solo work entailed flying to one of the designated training areas and practicing what we had been taught previously during the week. In this photo, I had landed on a pinnacle, set the engine to idle and frictioned it down. 

Getting out of the helicopter to look at the small area and plan a pick up to a hover, 180 hovering turn and take off was part of the procedure. 

These were the quick kind of take-offs, lifting up, turning and flying off a 500' ledge, dropping altitude and gaining air speed.

In December that year, I arrived in Vietnam as a twenty year old warrant officer/pilot to began my year tour of duty UH-1B Huey gun ships. 

I was assigned to the 2/20th Aerial Rocket Artillery with 1st Air Cavalry  Division.

See the muzzle flash burn mark from the door gunner's  M-60 machine gun.

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RIDING AROUND THE WORLD ON A MOTORCYCLE

I just found this blog of a young woman riding her motorcycle around the world. Not sure of the details. I think this is her home page. 

 

THE BACK ROADS TO CROATIA EPS #120

CROSSING THE REMOTE PASO PICHACHEN...S2-EP 40

She does a very good job of filming and narrating. I feel like I am riding along with her on this adventure. She makes all of this look very easy. 

My wife even likes her videos and that, in of itself, is worthy of sharing here.

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LAST DAY 2019

Tree top a little bent from freezing rain/sleet/snow. The tree limbs are all covered in the background and make for short-lived snow covered landscapes.

Four inches of fresh sleet snow on top of 2" frozen sleet snow/rain and still snowing at 09:00. 

So, at the time of this writing, I have decided to drink the last dregs of morning coffee, set the pot of chicken soup on the back burner for lunch and wait till the event is done. 

My son called and said he cannot walk his snowblower through this mess and too has decided to stay warm and house-bound. 

We both filled necessary groceries for a few days and like a million other folks dealing with this mess. We are the lucky ones who can exercise the stay-at-home option.

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The year ends for us with beauty and mess all rolled into one. Enjoy one, work the other as we look forward to the 2020's.

I have no desire to look back at 2019. 

Tomorrows have always held my attention from one day to weeks to months and the year. What to plan and look forward to? 

I think the new year and new decade are going to forever leave an impression on the peoples of this nation. That can be said for ever new generation, though. Maybe I am more tuned in but the push for all things socialism will leave a different by New Years Day, 2030. 

The gloves are off. The agendas are BOLD FACED and we all will be forced to choose. I cannot fathom the onslaught of political ads in the months ahead.

We are a split nation with wedges being driven deeper and deeper without our consent. We lose if we sit back and do nothing and there will be loss in standing our grounds. How and when will we emerge from this mess? Stay tuned!

SO...

Welcome in the new year with hope, wisdom and without a running rush to any friendly cliff. Watch the herd, the tribes, trust yourself and your gut, teach your children in the basics of living. Skill sets, skill sets, skill sets!

Find like-minded folks. Trust in God. Pray! You will be heard.  Keep your knees bent. Re-think your need to be in crowds or large malls.

To all that have come to visit this past year, a heartfelt thanks of appreciation. 

Come back in the new year, share "the after" with others. 

Youmeandtheafter and her.

"...the pale blue dot..."

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A STONE COLD KILLER

CLOUD

She lived 14 years on her own terms. She was a free cat in America and spent most of her life roaming free without collar or leash on land fraught with dangers. 

She never let us pick her up, pet her or even get close. I never ever figured out what she liked to eat. What she would devour one day, she might never ever want again. A head turned up and away saying "no thanks." Quite often "a kill" would be left on our door mat with the good parts gone. She was a stone-cold killer in her younger days.

When I would walk the dog down/up the driveway, the cat would follow skirting on the rocks, around trees and in the brush alongside the driveway.

This last photo was taken on a reflex push of the shutter as she headed back into the garage just before Christmas. 

We all should be so strong and independent.

She passed New Year's Eve with a last look at both my wife and me, too weak to deny our hands on her and our words of love. She knew she was always loved and she was. She was not alone in her passing. Not alone!

She has permanently marked the last day of every year now for us.

God Bless Kitty. God Bless!!

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CHRISTMASES PAST - PHOTOGRAPHY - 19 YEARS

Quiet Christmas this year. My wife and I exchanged gifts early. We each decided to get the other something we each wanted and forego the little do-dads; although fun to open, do-dads collect on shelves and flat surfaces forever.

Christmas cards Christmas morning along with seasonal Swedish Pancakes. 

A prime rib was put on the cook and then transported to son and fiancee's home for Christmas day dinner and gift exchanges. 

We also pre-agreed with son that no big money gifts this season. Just simple things. Surprisingly, that worked wonderfully.

Books, some cooking ware, family memorabilia.

Son received his grandfather's Bristol Bay gill netting boat compass from the late 1920's. Just as it was passed down to me.  Now a grown man, he fits the male family history profile like a glove. A good man, a better man, a doer and a builder.

Herman, their golden retriever circled the dinner table. Of course, he picked up a legal scrap or two.

A Christmas in the books now and one to remember.

PHOTOGRAPHY

I am guessing that this photo was taken in 1948/49.

Several boxes of old photos teach me that both my mother and father had an eye for good photography and enjoyed recording family history. 

I never paid attention to any of this before, but this photo of my mother and me teaches me that dad had an eye for a good photograph over just a picture.  

It is very possible that my interest in photography was inherited. For so many years, I thought I came upon this interest all by myself, starting when I entered the Army in 1966. 

Although the photo is 70+ years old and has been stored for as many years, the quality is remarkable. 

Parents never ever stop teaching. Never!!

My mother, on the left, and her sister posed with this old man carving while vacationing near Crater Lake. They, too were younger once with senses of humor and love of travel. September 1966.

 

This photo taken in 1947+/- and shows me sitting in the cab of a "short log" truck my dad drove. I think my right hand was on the stick shift. 

Notice the mechanical arm that worked as a left turn signal. New technology then. The driver would pull a lever that pulled the arm up and out straight indicating the driver's intentions to turn. It could easily be seen from behind. They were yellow in color and had round reflective stickers on the front and back.

Sunset somewhere in the San Juan Islands many years ago.

MARRIED 19 YEARS

If life is lived in moments,
those I cherish most,
I've lived with you.

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THE LAST DAYS OF 2019

It looks like the new year will come in with snow/ice accumulation. Enough to shovel and plow, and enough where we have to head to the store for extra bread and milk. The wood box is full and winter returns.

All that is the holiday season is winding down. Get-togethers with friends have been wonderful. Relaxing days with soups on the stove and the woodstove on high to keep the home a comfy 70 degrees.

I notice again many articles popping up re-visiting the top stories of this past year; but I have little interest in re-visiting any old news and especially media news stories. It, too, is in the history books. As for "the after", I/we are looking to 2020 as an historic year of years . I believe all of us will be "touched" by national and worldly turns of events. 

I thank you again for the visit and hope you return in the new year and take a moment to share this site with others. We are not setting the world on fire nor are we burning it down. We are living life like you and will continue to share simple things of interest, opinion and improving photography. 

Heads up and plan ahead for you and yours. 

Happy New Year.

FUJI X-T2 - CANON GEAR GONE - 4-NON BLONDES

A new camera has replaced the Canon line-up. Fuji X-T2 with 18-135 image stabilization lens. 

Have I have moved from the devil I know for the one I don't?

The new camera is assembled. The functionality of all of the dials and switches are going to prove one of the reasons I have up-dated. Much easier from the get-go to make adjustments. 

Mirror-less and new glass will also prove to be worth the change. Add compact design that does not lose the SLR feel.

New snow, single-digit temperatures with gusty winds offer me nothing in my desire to find first shots to share. I fear that by posting time, it will be pictures not photographs I share. 

XT2 photos shot on full-auto and working with the histogram for help. I like being able to move the focus point/field within the viewfinder. 

Out of the box. If I only use this camera on full-auto, the three photos above indicate future quality. This camera is road-trip ready from the get go.

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CANON GEAR PROVED ITS QUALITY MANY TIMES OVER FOR 13 YEARS

2007 GAME PARK NEAR JOHANNESBURG, SA

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PHOTOGRAPHY USING LIGHT, APERTURE AND SHUTTER.

 

This is one of many photos accompanying the wedding pictures of my grandparents on my mother's side. These two are either a part of the wedding party or a shared photo of their marriage with my grandmother and grandfather. Late 1920's to early 1930's era. 

(Good to great photography is about the photographer, not the camera)

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MUSIC

4 NON-BLONDES  

What's Up (1993)                   783 million views

"...I realized quickly

when I knew I should

that this world was made 

up of this brotherhood of

   man

what ever that means...."

Yersi Berverisco's cover of the same song. Seventeen million views. My favorite. 

Dear Mr. President(1992)          7 million views 

(Political ads preceding this video are priceless when you listen to this song)

"I'm looking outside of my windows 

The view that I see 

Is a child and mama 

And the child is begging for money...."

Just found this band and songs. I have said here before that I come to many things very late in life. I find myself turning up the sound and lost in the lyrics and music.

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Thank you again for the visit.
The days are getting longer.
Merry Christmas to one and all.

A present for you.
Try The Daily Time Waster for good photography and fun stuff.

 

 

HERMITS - RUSSIAN TEA CAKES - HARDTACK - WINTER SNOW GONE - GUN CONFISCATION

Her grandmother's Christmas Hermit cookies recipe, first batch out of the oven. They are laden with brown sugar, flour, raisins, nuts, vanilla flavoring and love.

Scooped onto a cookie sheet the size of a small meat ball, they cook 20 minutes at 300 degrees and exit golden brown and dripping with aroma. In the past 74 years, they would have been paired with a full glass of cold, whole milk and a half-dozen for first pass. These are once-a-year cookie treats.

RUSSIAN TEA CAKES

The immediate problem with photographing this particular cookie batch is the amount of powdered sugar that collects on top of the camera. Tell-tale evidence of interfering with her cookie baking. Brother-in-law and 4 year-old great-niece will receive the majority of these before Christmas.

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HARDTACK

Revisiting a jar of experimental hardtack made three years ago. 

This jar was filled, lid snugged and then set aside on a common storage shelf in the basement. 

While looking for other goods recently, I happened on this jar and decided it was worth re-visiting and checking quality. If hardtack has quality?

There is no eating these from the get-go. They are tooth breaker unless soaked. 

Maybe break off a chunk if on the trail and let it dissolve in the mouth, but absolutely no eating as hardened.  Suck on it like hard candy and do not rush into chewing.

I soaked the piece leaning again the jar in the photo in the last dregs of morning coffee. 

I waited 5 minutes and tried the first bite. A small piece broke off. Crunchy like peanut brittle, but not as brittle and with flavor. Not gourmet yet not tasteless or bland. Still too hard, though.  

I was pleasantly surprised. As good as the day we packed them. Flour, water and salt. Hardtack history and nutrition here.  Take the time to do some reading about hardtack. There is an abundance of information and simple recipes to try. 

Maybe a great thing to do and teach children and teens.

Was the time and effort worth it in the making and learning? Absolutely YES. 

I would throw these in a pocket or bag if heading out in "the after" or outing. I would make sure of some simple method of soaking before eating.  

I soaked the piece I tried for 10 minutes and it was still very crunchy. A longer soak would be my plan if using on the trail. Stopping to warm up with broth, coffee or tea would be accompanied by a chunk or two of hardtack. Testing a soaked piece, stored in a small zip-lock plastic bag for later in the day; worth trying.

Looking back, we should have made a box full and properly stored. If sharing with someone who knows nothing of hardtack, teach them well!! Store with instructions for use.

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WINTER SNOW ALL BUT GONE

The snow is all but gone in New Hampshire. Warm temperatures and lots of rain have washed much of winter away. Winter visited for a few weeks and then up and left.

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"PUT THEM AGAINST THE WALL"

Greta, the 16 year-old, has a solution for climate change. Bless her heart!!

Her quote according to this article: "we will make sure we put them against the wall and they will have to do their job to protect our futures."

Nice to see an young and up-coming leader with this solution matrix already in place.


Then there is "Virginia", Virginia.

Threatening the use of using the National Guard to enforce gun cofiscation. This ought to quell the 2A community?


The governor and democrats are determined to keep pushing against the constitution and law-abiding folks. Anyone who has spent a little time studying "government control escalating against the will of people" know it has never gone well. 

A can of worms that could soon be opened in Virginia and I fear there will be no turning back. 

I have been trying to stay away from all of this "crazy" in a blog that I initially designed to talk about "the after." But the crazy just keeps escalating in every nook and cranny of life. 

In the meantime, heads up, stay informed and plan accordingly.

Thanks for the visit this week.

CANON 7D - PHOTOGRAPHY - COPPER EMBOSSING - 2 DEGREES - POST #179

Current camera of choice. Traded in 50D body for 7D three years ago.  This camera has become a "throw and go" and is with me all the time.

"Red sky at night, sailors delight"

The opportunity for this evening photo, after the storm sunsetting, lasted just a few moments.

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1955 Copper Art Embossing.

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WINTERS PAST

 Eighteen years ago: Danville, NH.

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52 years ago, posing with a 2.75" folding fin rocket in Vietnam, 2/20 ARA, 1st Air Cav Division.  

Vietnam Movie 1967.

2 DEGREES

In the scheme of all things winter, two degrees this morning is of no never mind. But for us, it is the lowest temperature so far this season. The wood fire is on high and two RYOBI fans are helping move the heat from the stove back into the office. The house is slowly coming up to comfortable. 

Small dinner gathering last night with friends at their house. Our hostess prepared an outstanding dinner. Lasagna, meatballs, ham and salads. I have been obsessing over not being able to eat lasagna for the past 7 months and that meal yesterday was a big treat for the little kid in me. 

Conversations around the dinner table lasted for several very relaxed hours; no politics and no cell phones. Every one told stories and there was laughter. Yep, laughter. How refreshing?

Thanks for the visit this week. 

2ND BATCH OF ROLLS - CANON 7D PHOTOS - THE LAST SNOWLESS DAY

5 MINUTE ARTISAN ROLLS (an example. Look at other similar recipes.)

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SUNRISE SUNDAY: "red sky in the morning, sailors take warning."

Ten to twenty inches of snow starting later this afternoon. A three-day event so this sunrise holds true to the old saying of sunsets and sunrises. 

Photo taken handheld and stabilized against a porch post 1/8 of a second. No time to set up tripod. This aspiring photographer should have seen this sun rise coming!!

Herman watching my wife eat lunch. High hopes!

Brick pile still life. Depth of field practice.

 Brick pile still life. Depth of field practice.

Sunday sanded driveway

Monday driveway with 7" fresh snow. Divots on the snow surface show sand and salt melting snow on the surface of the driveway. Snow blower takes the fallen snow down to the driveway surface and permanently removed to the far sides of the driveway. More important, the pre-sanding provides traction for driving back up.

 
















Christmas ball and wreath

 Temporary rope knotted to tree trunk

Canon 7D practice in manual mode with auto ISO. 

These photos were taken on the last snowless day this year, 2019.

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The anticipation of our first official snow fall is over and winter has set in. The waves of winter have touched many a state and community this past week altering daily routines coping with snow and ice.

Woodfires set for the coming months, weekly soups steeping and we start this winter course. 

It is said that "change is constant" and not working nor worrying about the winter months in our older years is changing our tack. How do we better navigate the years ahead? 

Thanks again for visiting youmeandtheafter.