"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE..." - DOOM FATIGUE - WINTER ICE - CROP DUSTER

"That's Impossible..."

I am reminded of one of the best ending scenes in any movie; the final turn to the checker flag in "Secretariet." 

The true story is one of perseverance on slim odds, a belief in what is right, and the never ever giving up on what you stand for. Fast forward to 2:30 if you do not have patience for this moment. Secretariet comes around the corner alone and far ahead of the rest of the pack. A most wonderful moment for victory.  All it took was one woman who believed in her horse and the faith to "let him run his race."

It was much like this for many Americans this week (I am guessing) when our President was acquitted of all impeachment charges. It was a long time coming.

I doubt any other man or woman could have survived the onslaught of hatred, lying and deceit brought to him, the office of the presidency, his family and this country for the past three+ years. Never have I witnessed such hatred from a dedicated internal foe against their own country. And yes, it is a hatred for middle America, the everyday hard-working folk, mom's apple pie and God Bless.  

I was not a fan of our last president. Not a fan because of his policies and not standing with/for the men and women in harms' way when he needed to.  The giving away of so much of what had been built in our history and his designed acknowledgement of a declining country and people that he was leading was also paramount in my disappoint in him and the Democratic Party.

I did not vote for him, but never ever have I hated or spewed angst against him or his family. Never. I always hoped that this country could again rise up against these kinds of beliefs, leadership and to once again recognize the greatness of this land and its people. I hoped that I would live to see and recognize that day. 

I will not to beat a dead horse this week nor outwardly gloat over a big victory for America. I will, though, grin more often than I have in the past months. I will also stay vigilant and tuned to the days ahead. The fight is long from over.

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 "DOOM FATIGUE"

Apparently there is a name for some reasons I no longer watch much news, the NFL nor any Hollywood related self gratification exercises. 

No one is happy and everyone seems hell-bent on elections to live in self imposed quicksand of hate for fellow man/woman or other. Across the board, a good cross-section of our land tills this soil. Day after day, moment after moment. 

At every turn, we are a land doomed to failure, decline and loathing of the American way. 

Not so much!!

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CORONAVIRUS. 

Thoughts from Daily Luther here and from SHTF here and here. 

So what to believe?

Royal Caribbean ship docks in New Jersey with suspected coronavirus patients

Raconteur 02-07-2020

Disturbing if this report is true.

I am guessing most folks are keeping an eye on all of this.   

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 ICED IN

A "perfect storm" scenario this weekend. Four inches of fresh snow removed with the snow blower. Next, light ice rain. Then rain on top of that, freezing instantly upon contact. Followed by a long window of freezing temperatures  falling into single digits for the next few days. The iced driveway is here to stay and we are house bound for awhile.

A trip down the driveway would be "iffy" at best. The chances of getting back up the hill - slim to none. From that stuck at the bottom of the hill scenario, it would be my wife and me trying to walk back up a 900' ice rink.

Many other driveways are in the same condition. Our problem is the hill. Walking on any of this, is an ass-kicker and bone-breaker.

Such is a normal winter time in New Hampshire. Folks plan for this. Our wood box full, canned goods as needed, food in the fridge/freezer and a generator at the ready should the power go out. Basics covered!

HOW DOES A CAUCUS WORK?

Iowa caucus winner. How the math is done. 

An excellent read on how the caucus process works, how the math is done and that the fate of any candidate can be up to a coin toss . Sanders gets 101 votes, Buttigieg gets 64 votes; both get 4 delegates. 

Sounds like Socialism distribution of earnings, huh?  "Making the top pair their fair share."

After years of planning the Iowa Caucus, the party could not correctly report the final numbers.

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SOMEWHERE EAST OF CHENOA, ILLINOIS, EARLY AUGUST 2009

I could not resist stopping and getting a photo or two of this crop duster. 

A fellow on the road stopped and told me the kid flying just had just turned 21 years old and had been flying since he was 16.

I watched as he zoomed up, over power lines and then wheels back skimming the crop as he sprayed. The kid was a natural. 

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Politics and nasty weather. A made for each other week. 


An airport full of corporate jets and the politicians will depart Tuesday after the NH primary vote. Those results will get top billing for a few days. Then yesterday's news.


Maybe sunshine to follow, hopefully a warming trend or two and the heavy breathing from the local political media may calm some. 


There are other things to think about.

Thanks for the visit again this week.

STORY TELLING THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY

Early August 2005, picked the wife up at SeaTac and we were heading back to NH via Seattle. We had just spent a warm and beautiful morning visiting Little Big Horn and then departed for Sturgis.

We chose highway 212E, 230 miles and about a 4-5 hour ride on a good day. 

Little did we know that a long portion of the highway had turned into semi soft mud due to recent rain and road construction.  It was on this portion of our trip that all of my time spent on a dirt bike paid off. 

Constantly slipping and sliding tasked every motorcycle skill I ever had keeping that Road King up and moving. Had we stopped we could not have been able to start up again nor find a place off of the road to rest/re-group. Had we dropped the bike we would not have been able to find firm ground to stand her back up. 

That portion of the road and the remaining crosswinds all the way to Sturgis that day turned out to be our worst and most dangerous motorcycle riding experience ever. 

My wife held on around my waist as we slogged through the mud and said nothing the whole time. The cross winds and truck traffic for the last half of the ride were exhausting.

We were both dressed to keep out the cold horizontal wind and rain. In the above photo my wife still had enough energy left after the mud ride and some attitude to find a little fun to show how hard the wind was blowing.

On the initial leg of this solo cross-country trip, July 15, 2005. I was trying to stay ahead of the leftovers from Hurricane Dennis. I stopped along the miles and miles of corn fields to start recording the first leg of this ride from New Hampshire to Seattle, Washington. The bike was still somewhat clean and I had finally slowed down enough to start enjoying my 60th birthday present; A coast to coast to coast Harley Davidson Ride. First leg solo to Seattle, the second leg would be coming home with my wife on the back. 

In this photo, my wife is recording the Vantage Bridge across the Columbia River. We were just south of the bridge having just come north from Yakima.

Quite often, I found myself alone on the highway with breathtaking scenery. A bike trip across the USA is everything that one dreams it could be. It should be done with enough time to enjoy and while still young enough. The very best birthday gift I have ever had. 

Do a trip like this while you are young, healthy and state to state freedom of travel still exists.

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GAME PARK NEAR JOHANNESBURG, 2007

Checking out the inside of the Land Rover. Very persistent!

Late afternoon lunch along the coast near Cape Town, SA 2007. One thing my wife and I remember most about the year living in SA, is the food was exceptional no matter where we stopped or what we ordered. Ditto for a coffee or latte stop.

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BADGER QUAY AUGUST 2008

Photo taken early August 2008 while on a motorcycle trip to Newfoundland. We were gone for 12 days, ten of which it rained. 

On one day during the trip, we arrived at one of our overnight B & B's. We were wet and cold at the end of the days ride. Raining outside still as we stowed our gear and trike. 

That evening, the owners served us hot hamburger and gravy poured over a large serving of mashed potatoes. To this day I remember that meal. 

How wonderful it was to be out of drenched clothing, to have warmed up and the simplicity of a hot, homemade dinner with good company. 

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ICE PATH

  

Pond near exit 10 on 89 North, NH. Warming temperatures then freezing temperatures seemed to come and go this winter. Usually, when the cold sets in here, a frozen pond can be trusted to be frozen. But this season, at least for this observer, I wonder. I see quite a bit of free standing water along the edges of many other ponds.

There were folks out ice fishing last Friday. I will just trust they know what they are doing.
  

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For the first time in my life I do not even know who is playing in the Super Bowl today, where they are playing etc. I have always enjoyed some of the commercials, but those too are now steeped in agenda driven political theater. In fact, the selling of agendas feel as though they have permeated and over taken the sport.

There were good old days leading up to the Super Bowl, no matter who was playing. Friends gathering, fun junk food, TV dinners and watching the game. Long gone.

Thanks for the visit this week and you know the drill. 

VOYAGER - 1986 NON STOP AROUND THE WORLD - QUARANTINED

I have loved model making since I was a youngster. The model of the Voyager aircraft above was built some 34 years ago. The around-the-world flight was in the news then and I followed closely the Rutan brothers composite airplane construction and this around-the-world non-stop flight attempt. 

My renewed interest, this aviation milestone and this post stem from home clean-up and boxing for moving plans this year. This model, along with other favorites, are being cleaned up, prepped for boxing and protecting. They all will find a new home hanging from the ceiling or proudly displayed in some kind of man office or rec-room. 

The main wing in the model above is one solid piece and goes through the center of the main fuselage and twin booms. The front canards were tightly fit into place, marked for symmetry and then glued. The propellers were handmade using a pocket knife and some time whittling and sanding. 

This model, when hung in the house, never stops moving. The slightest breeze causes it to twist and turn. She will get a new coat of paint and some TLC before being displayed in her new home.

Here are a few videos of this aviation accomplishment 34 years ago. 

Frontiers of flight...Rutan Voyager Part 1 of 4 

Frontiers of flight...Rutan Voyager Part 2 of 4 

Frontiers of flight...Rutan Voyager Part 3 of 4  

Frontiers of flight...Rutan Voyager Part 4 of 4 

Voyager flying non stop around the earth, 1986 

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 "The 100' Wally Tango..."

Two minutes of magnificent sailing to wonderful music. 

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 Beautiful Poem. 

I am not a poem person.  But this poem strikes the center of the heart. It may be because I am on the shy side of 75 years old. 

Take a moment and give this a read. Maybe even copy and paste for future reading, sharing and use. I find more truth to all of this that I ever would have as a younger man.

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CORONAVIRUS 01/26/2020

Twelve cities and 35 million people quarantined in China according to internet headlines and reports this morning.  

Read Raconteur Report here for another perspective. He is worth visiting from time to time.

This virus is worth keeping an eye on and watch the quarantine as  government  controls movement of people "for their own safety and good" yadda yadda yadda. Consider media hype, should all of this intensify in the days ahead.

Stay away from crowds, and consider how having to stay put for several weeks would impact you and yours. 

Today and this week you can most pick up anything for home use/need w/o issue. You can also communicate with anyone w/o issue. Plan accordingly. 

Thanks again for stopping by this week.

ICED IN - A-10 REFUELING OVER NEW HAMPSHIRE

I have recently learned how to take a frame from a video, make it into a picture and then use it in blogging titles. (Open Shot video editing and GIMP photo editing programs). A complete hard drive failure six months ago, has set me to have to find new software editing programs.

The photo above is the first example. This early morning photo was taken near Laconia, NH of an iced-in boat dock. I also learned that taking video freehand with my X-T2 was stupid idea from the get-go. Too much camera shake, no matter how hard I tried to steady the camera. I was too lazy to load a tri-pod and now that lesson learned.

Go to https://youtu.be/WwKyPDWyInU   for a three minute video using the Fuji X-T2 and learning new video/photo editing software. It's a start.

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MAKING READY A WINTER JERKY COOK

  
Sixty year old knife from my grandparents and parents still the best. Slices razor sharp on every stroke.

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Fuji X-T2

Small stream near Salisbury, NH during recent snow melt. Snows returning this weekend along with single digit temperatures. 

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WINTER 2008 VS WINTER 2020 SNOW COMPARISONS

 

Looking down the path out back Saturday morning and looking down the same path in early March 2008 below.

  

The tree just behind where I am snow blowing in the bottom picture has since fallen and the stump now has a bird feeder siting on it in the top photo.

 

The woodshed Saturday morning. 

The woodshed below in early March 2008. The little shed seen in the top photo had not yet been  built.

We were younger then and moved all of this snow with a hand snow blowing unit. This included going up and down the 900' driveway.

2008 was one of the heaviest snow fall years we can remember. 

All of this snow fall would kick our ass this year. 

Of course, March 2020 is yet to come.

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KING OF THE JUNGLE

Photo taken in South Africa, 2007. No editing needed.

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FLYING WITH PEASE AFB TANKER MISSION OVER NH 2006

I had the opportunity to hop a ride on a tanker refueling mission out of Pease AFB in 2006. 

I was one of the educators in the state lucky enough to be selected as a small group of folks for a tour of Flight Ops and a ride. 

These guys and gals have a wonderful office to work in, huh?

The boom operator here in the photo to the left has a joy stick and flies
 the boom to aid the pilot in fuel probe hook in.

They  visit back and forth like a couple folks sharing a visit with coffee and doughnut in hand. 


When the A-10 is topped off, kind words of appreciation are exchanged, a disconnect, slow down, and then a descending banking turn to make space for the next incoming A-10.

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Things to think about, things to do and working on daily happenings beyond the decay of the media box. It is good. 

As always, thanks for your visit this week. And of course stay away from crowds.

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WINTER WOOD - SKYMAT- CAJUN CAT FISH

Typical woodpiles, along back roads of central NH, seasoning for next year.

 

 

Woodshed only accessible wearing studded boots. Solid ice below a light  coating of snow. Single digit temperatures arriving mid-week.

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"Here's looking at you, kid"

 

Game Park near Johannesburg SA 2007

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Inventor Igor Benson demonstrates SKYMAT

From June 28, 1963 Life Magazine

"...a 16 motorized apparatus that looks like a buzzing bedstead and has yet to soar higher than 20 feet." 

Notice the gas engines and pulley systems driving 16 propeller blades. It would interesting to learn how Igor controlled the hover and lateral movement in this design, or if he even did. Maybe just getting airborne was a challenge in of itself. Imagine the sound of this early drone design lifting off.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh a ground effect machine? 

More information here 

and here 

and here 

Some research after starting part of this post, I came to understand this inventor was way ahead of his time. Limiting factor, in most all inventions, is current technology.  I see that some of his work was called "extremely unorthodox." Now some 60 years later this design is common place and in use by thousands and thousands of people all over the world.

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Geological layers NNE of Eagle Alaska.

 

The Yukon River, winding its way North, as it flows past Eagle. Summer of 1986.

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FRESH CAT FISH FILLETS 

Tired of the same old thing to eat? On a diet and bored with diet food, no flavor and or what to make?

The side dish.

Sun-dried tomatoes from a jar on top of small sliced pieces of mozzarella. A dash of good olive oil on top. The broth is a mixture of the olive oil and tomatoe marinade.

Maybe not the most photogenic, but the flavor/texture is heaven. 

Plated on fine china!!

The main dish.

Catfish covered in homemade cajun seasoning. No other seasoning required.

(We make a double batch of seasoning from a net recipe and store it in a small jar)

Parts of 3 fillets cut in half and fried on medium low in a cast iron skillet. (Butter and vegetable oil) 

Wife likes the thin tail cut and I like the thicker body portion. The fish is stand alone as fried and served.

Make and serve for yourself, you and yours or if friends are coming over and are not haters of sea food, cheese and tomatoes, set this meal in front of them with bottles of white wine.  

The sun-dried tomatoes side dish will compliment any meat meal or main course salad meal. Hell, it is a stand alone dish with multiple bottles of wine. Wine is a course - right?

Dessert?

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Winter up and left again this weekend. Sixty degrees with a warm wind a "blowin". The snow all but gone.

Appreciate the visit this week. Stay away from crowds and get some dog napping in!!

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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