Clubhouse Grille (*** NO LIV DISCUSSIONS ***) (*** NO POLITICS/RELIGION ***)

[BIG STU]

Way back when I spent two years interning on the volunteer fire department. Fires were one thing, but it was always the traffic collisions that were the worst. I'm sure the internship was all about seeing if you had the stomach for the job and wouldn't freak out in high stress situations. I had been to enough barn fires as a kid to just sort of follow his lead, no words were ever said, it was just understood that they lead by example and more bodies aided in the speed in which stock could be evacuated.

 

The worst one was right next door to where I live now. It was early June and the neighbour had just finished filling his barn with hay. Hay that contained lots of dandelions! It heated and started to smolder. A bunch of us showed up right around supper time and began the process of emptying the barn of about 3000 bales of hay. 3000 really hot bales of hay! I don't know how the heck that stuff didn't just combust spontaeously when it hit the open air. There were two charged lines up into the barn mow and another crew was soaking down each load of hay as it was unloaded out of the wagons into piles in the surrounding field. We had to take turns up in the mow as it was so hot you could barely breath and the hay was so hot that you could feel it coming up through the soles of my work boots. That was the hardest I ever worked in my life! No one was hurt and nothing was lost beyond the hay. We were all incredibly lucky I think.

Trust me you never get used to the carnage no matter how many accidents you work that is if you are human. Some guys act macho over that but it is an act because if they were not human at all they would not volunteer in the first place. For me training and experience took over on the active scene but afterwards when the adrenaline wears down then one tends to get sick and sometimes scared reflecting what could have happened to you or your buddies on that scene helping others. My Chief that I worked under for 8 years or so visited with us a week before the hurricane and we discussed the same things. I can remember when I was on the wrecker that certain things would trigger a flashback for me. The medical field and psychiatric folks have now determined that first responders can have flashbacks to horrid situations just like Veterans. i was just before getting out of the fire service before I moved here. I had seen enough. Anyone whether they are a firefighter, paramedic or Police officer knows exactly what you are talking about when you say this. Every first responder whether professional or volunteer after they have done it a while is on the edge. I bet you Bill on here with his background will back me 100% too. This may be selfish but sometimes at night when I hear the sirens I selfishly think "Thank God I ain't out there" Then I feel guilty but then again my wife tells me honestly that I have paid my dues and I deserve the rest let the younger ones handle it. One of the Captains of our local department we served together in the upstate but with different departments. Tried to get me to join here but I told him "I had seen enough' He knew what I meant. In fact about a year ago we had a accident right out front here. Of course I helped. he and the guys showed up and just like old times he hollered "Stuey what have we got?" and proceeded to throw me some needed equipment. Of course when more help got there I backed off and let those guys take over. After everything was over he asked me if I was ok because he knows. I was and he said "just like old times" Just because I have seen enough does not mean if a situation persists I will not try to help if the need arises. I am that way. I may end up in the rubber room but at least I may go off to the rubber room trying to help my fellow man.

[BIG STU]

Remember the fire siren test at noon that would always go off every day if you lived in a small town? We actually had a fire once at noon, this was probably around 1960, they had a heckuva time getting anyone to come to the station, they just left it on, and I guess people still thought it just got stuck. Some house burnt down just outside of town. Most all of the people on the fire department eventually smelled the smoke along with everyone else, which made its way across town. Cell phones and beepers- no such thing, neither were lawsuits for not showing up.

 

I also remember, and of course this still happens, whenever there was a fire, some people had do follow the trucks, or walk to where the fire was so they could stare, be glad it wasn't them, feel bad about the fire and for the people.

Back when I first started being a volunteer fireman we did not have many radios and monitors etc. The siren would go off and you went to the station. If the trucks had left you followed the water trail or the smoke smell. First man in the station would call dispatch and write the location on the big chalk board. Later on due to the generosity of the Radio Shack people we were able to obtain scanners. I would volunteer there when I was not trancing off to Florida or around. I maybe had 2 or 3 years there total time. Remember one time I was there during the day and the Assistant Chief and I had to do a mobile home fire by ourselves. Luckily there was no one home. Help had to come from some 20 miles away and time they got there on the 4th alarm we did have the smoldering ruins under control. He had drove the pumper and I the tanker and that was the best we could do. It was basically gone when we got there. He had me set up with the tanker to actually fight fire too which is not normal protocol so we hit it from 2 sides at once. All we could do.

[Qqq123xx]

So, we are in a cab on the west side highway in manhattan and

 

Theres like no cars. Going past the World Trade Center and its desolate.

 

Its like that Will Smith movie where theres no people left in the world.

 

Wife and I were freaking out.

 

Its like if the most packed highway in your area had no cars on it at rush hour

 

Then we realized

 

The Yankees are playing Boston right now! Lol

 

On a much smaller scale...much smaller..

it gets like that here when Alabama and Auburn play each other.

Once each year they do it; they take turns being the home team

99.9% of the TV sets in the state are tuned in.

 

Last year Auburn won at home; handing Alabama their only loss

of the season. This year it's in Tuscaloosa; home of the Tide.

 

All about the Cardinals/Cubs around here. If you go to Busch you'll see a lot of Cub blue. Same with Wrigley. A lot of Cardinal red. Unfortunately, neither are playing in the playoffs. No one to root for....or against. Lol. Gonna jump on the Cleveland wagon. Mrs. C is a big fan.

Welcome back MC.

[SixtySomePing]

Remember the fire siren test at noon that would always go off every day if you lived in a small town? We actually had a fire once at noon, this was probably around 1960, they had a heckuva time getting anyone to come to the station, they just left it on, and I guess people still thought it just got stuck. Some house burnt down just outside of town. Most all of the people on the fire department eventually smelled the smoke along with everyone else, which made its way across town. Cell phones and beepers- no such thing, neither were lawsuits for not showing up.

 

I also remember, and of course this still happens, whenever there was a fire, some people had do follow the trucks, or walk to where the fire was so they could stare, be glad it wasn't them, feel bad about the fire and for the people.

Back when I first started being a volunteer fireman we did not have many radios and monitors etc. The siren would go off and you went to the station. If the trucks had left you followed the water trail or the smoke smell. First man in the station would call dispatch and write the location on the big chalk board. Later on due to the generosity of the Radio Shack people we were able to obtain scanners. I would volunteer there when I was not trancing off to Florida or around. I maybe had 2 or 3 years there total time. Remember one time I was there during the day and the Assistant Chief and I had to do a mobile home fire by ourselves. Luckily there was no one home. Help had to come from some 20 miles away and time they got there on the 4th alarm we did have the smoldering ruins under control. He had drove the pumper and I the tanker and that was the best we could do. It was basically gone when we got there. He had me set up with the tanker to actually fight fire too which is not normal protocol so we hit it from 2 sides at once. All we could do.

My dad was a volunteer fireman when I was a little kid. We're talkin' the 1950's of course, probably similar to what you're talking only a less modern. I remember the old truck (and police car) sirens back then, sounded so funny compared to now. Firemen would truly ride on the back too, if they didn't follow like you say. I remember back then everyone burnt their leaf piles in the fall right in their front yards. Smelled good (if you were a kid) but looking back, kinda dumb on a windy day.

https://www.youtube....H-qUuHVBU&t=13s

[scomac2002]

Remember the fire siren test at noon that would always go off every day if you lived in a small town? We actually had a fire once at noon, this was probably around 1960, they had a heckuva time getting anyone to come to the station, they just left it on, and I guess people still thought it just got stuck. Some house burnt down just outside of town. Most all of the people on the fire department eventually smelled the smoke along with everyone else, which made its way across town. Cell phones and beepers- no such thing, neither were lawsuits for not showing up.

 

I also remember, and of course this still happens, whenever there was a fire, some people had do follow the trucks, or walk to where the fire was so they could stare, be glad it wasn't them, feel bad about the fire and for the people.

Back when I first started being a volunteer fireman we did not have many radios and monitors etc. The siren would go off and you went to the station. If the trucks had left you followed the water trail or the smoke smell. First man in the station would call dispatch and write the location on the big chalk board. Later on due to the generosity of the Radio Shack people we were able to obtain scanners. I would volunteer there when I was not trancing off to Florida or around. I maybe had 2 or 3 years there total time. Remember one time I was there during the day and the Assistant Chief and I had to do a mobile home fire by ourselves. Luckily there was no one home. Help had to come from some 20 miles away and time they got there on the 4th alarm we did have the smoldering ruins under control. He had drove the pumper and I the tanker and that was the best we could do. It was basically gone when we got there. He had me set up with the tanker to actually fight fire too which is not normal protocol so we hit it from 2 sides at once. All we could do.

My dad was a volunteer fireman when I was a little kid. We're talkin' the 1950's of course, probably similar to what you're talking only a less modern. I remember the old truck (and police car) sirens back then, sounded so funny compared to now. Firemen would truly ride on the back too, if they didn't follow like you say. I remember back then everyone burnt their leaf piles in the fall right in their front yards. Smelled good (if you were a kid) but looking back, kinda dumb on a windy day.

https://www.youtube....H-qUuHVBU&t=13s

 

Don't knock it. Our department had an old GMC tanker truck with a siren like that in the early 1980's. I think the truck was a '61 model and was replaced with a new one the second year I served.

[scomac2002]

I did my daily walk back to the camp by the conservation area this afternoon. Church took priority this morning being Thanksgiving weekend up here in the Great White North.

 

The leaves are starting to fall. The colors aren't quite as vivid as some years with mostly yellows and golds going directly to browns. The only reds that you find are on the Sumacs here and there. The golden rod blooms are spent while the purple asters remain along with the white of the chamomile providing for a few splashes of colour. The feral grapes have long since surrendered their fruit to birds and rodents. The growing season is most definitely in the ninth inning. Visions of winter are front and centre due to the accumulating snows reported in Alberta this past week with 35 cm 14" bringing traffic to a halt in Calgary! It's hard to reconcile that with the forecast temperatures reaching into the upper 70's by mid week.

 

The grass is still actively growing and the begonias are still in bloom. Everything else is pretty much spent. Time to do the fall clean-up in the garden and put patio furniture to bed. I'll probably start tomorrow.

 

I've got a hankering to give golf a go again, just once perhaps. I was thinking about playing in the men's league wind-up, but the weather is going to be more favourable mid week, so I may call on my favourite female golfing partner for a game or at least a half a game. WE'll see how things go over the next few days.

 

Curling starts next week. I won't be playing, but it will be nice to renew acquaintances. Must consider joining the Y to swim over the winter with my golfing buddy Dave. He's asked my to join him a couple of times now, so I'm thinking this might just be a good way to fill a couple of mornings a week this winter. The mad rush of prepping the property for a quick sale has subsided a bit as we've made good headway and there has been little interest to date. May as well make some plans...

[BIG STU]

Remember the fire siren test at noon that would always go off every day if you lived in a small town? We actually had a fire once at noon, this was probably around 1960, they had a heckuva time getting anyone to come to the station, they just left it on, and I guess people still thought it just got stuck. Some house burnt down just outside of town. Most all of the people on the fire department eventually smelled the smoke along with everyone else, which made its way across town. Cell phones and beepers- no such thing, neither were lawsuits for not showing up.

 

I also remember, and of course this still happens, whenever there was a fire, some people had do follow the trucks, or walk to where the fire was so they could stare, be glad it wasn't them, feel bad about the fire and for the people.

Back when I first started being a volunteer fireman we did not have many radios and monitors etc. The siren would go off and you went to the station. If the trucks had left you followed the water trail or the smoke smell. First man in the station would call dispatch and write the location on the big chalk board. Later on due to the generosity of the Radio Shack people we were able to obtain scanners. I would volunteer there when I was not trancing off to Florida or around. I maybe had 2 or 3 years there total time. Remember one time I was there during the day and the Assistant Chief and I had to do a mobile home fire by ourselves. Luckily there was no one home. Help had to come from some 20 miles away and time they got there on the 4th alarm we did have the smoldering ruins under control. He had drove the pumper and I the tanker and that was the best we could do. It was basically gone when we got there. He had me set up with the tanker to actually fight fire too which is not normal protocol so we hit it from 2 sides at once. All we could do.

My dad was a volunteer fireman when I was a little kid. We're talkin' the 1950's of course, probably similar to what you're talking only a less modern. I remember the old truck (and police car) sirens back then, sounded so funny compared to now. Firemen would truly ride on the back too, if they didn't follow like you say. I remember back then everyone burnt their leaf piles in the fall right in their front yards. Smelled good (if you were a kid) but looking back, kinda dumb on a windy day.

https://www.youtube....H-qUuHVBU&t=13s

 

Don't knock it. Our department had an old GMC tanker truck with a siren like that in the early 1980's. I think the truck was a '61 model and was replaced with a new one the second year I served.

That siren was called a growler and drew amps like no body's business--- Guess what? They are going back to them some along with the electronic siren. On that department our oldest pumper was a 56 Dodge flathead 6 cylinder front mount 600 GPM pump. That truck one time pumped 24 hrs straight wide open from Lake Concord filling up water tankers and concrete mixers. The county had a school bus tanker at the site to fill it up with gas and the tankers too. One of the biggest fires in that county a lumber yard saw mill caught fire. Burned for close to 72 hrs. That truck had a lot of hours on it then and after that used oil

[scomac2002]

Remember the fire siren test at noon that would always go off every day if you lived in a small town? We actually had a fire once at noon, this was probably around 1960, they had a heckuva time getting anyone to come to the station, they just left it on, and I guess people still thought it just got stuck. Some house burnt down just outside of town. Most all of the people on the fire department eventually smelled the smoke along with everyone else, which made its way across town. Cell phones and beepers- no such thing, neither were lawsuits for not showing up.

 

I also remember, and of course this still happens, whenever there was a fire, some people had do follow the trucks, or walk to where the fire was so they could stare, be glad it wasn't them, feel bad about the fire and for the people.

Back when I first started being a volunteer fireman we did not have many radios and monitors etc. The siren would go off and you went to the station. If the trucks had left you followed the water trail or the smoke smell. First man in the station would call dispatch and write the location on the big chalk board. Later on due to the generosity of the Radio Shack people we were able to obtain scanners. I would volunteer there when I was not trancing off to Florida or around. I maybe had 2 or 3 years there total time. Remember one time I was there during the day and the Assistant Chief and I had to do a mobile home fire by ourselves. Luckily there was no one home. Help had to come from some 20 miles away and time they got there on the 4th alarm we did have the smoldering ruins under control. He had drove the pumper and I the tanker and that was the best we could do. It was basically gone when we got there. He had me set up with the tanker to actually fight fire too which is not normal protocol so we hit it from 2 sides at once. All we could do.

My dad was a volunteer fireman when I was a little kid. We're talkin' the 1950's of course, probably similar to what you're talking only a less modern. I remember the old truck (and police car) sirens back then, sounded so funny compared to now. Firemen would truly ride on the back too, if they didn't follow like you say. I remember back then everyone burnt their leaf piles in the fall right in their front yards. Smelled good (if you were a kid) but looking back, kinda dumb on a windy day.

https://www.youtube....H-qUuHVBU&t=13s

 

Don't knock it. Our department had an old GMC tanker truck with a siren like that in the early 1980's. I think the truck was a '61 model and was replaced with a new one the second year I served.

That siren was called a growler and drew amps like no body's business--- Guess what? They are going back to them some along with the electronic siren. On that department our oldest pumper was a 56 Dodge flathead 6 cylinder front mount 600 GPM pump. That truck one time pumped 24 hrs straight wide open from Lake Concord filling up water tankers and concrete mixers. The county had a school bus tanker at the site to fill it up with gas and the tankers too. One of the biggest fires in that county a lumber yard saw mill caught fire. Burned for close to 72 hrs. That truck had a lot of hours on it then and after that used oil

 

I got that one beat. While I didn't have any involvement with it, the Hagersville tire fire in 1990 was in a neighbouring town and that burned for 17 days before they finally got it out. They said they could see the smoke plume from outer space!

[tolmij]

Mucho reading to do today in the Grille, busy this morning so will come back in after lunch.

 

One comment, when I was in my teens I was part time on the fire brigade in the company I did my apprenticeship, the only shifts we were given were Friday and Saturday night, I suppose wearing the uninform made us feel like real firemen. All that dissapeared after seeing a real fire. One part was an assembly line with fuel bowsers, a wood shop a tyre store a trim shop where they made the seats, head linings etc and much of this was contained in a five story building.

 

The fire started in the wood shop, a fireman on his evening rounds spotted a small fire, he went to sound the alarm and as it went off the fire touched a roof beam, the whole place was covered in wood dust and it exploded, the fire ran along the beams faster the he could run and as he exited the door the whole room exploded into flames. Before the hoses were out the fire had spread upwards into the other rooms and within ten minutes it was unstoppable. The manufacturing facility was split into three equal sized parts so this fire took no lives but took the jobs of nearly two thousand people. There were 50 local fire trucks and it took a full day to put it out, then two years to rebuild.

[scotee]

Home sweet home! I’ve satisfied my wanderlust for awhile. Really a trip of a lifetime for us. Thanks for riding along. We got to see two places that I really wanted to see. Monument Valley and the upper Antelope Slot Canyon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Conrad1953]

Home sweet home! I’ve satisfied my wanderlust for awhile. Really a trip of a lifetime for us. Thanks for riding along. We got to see two places that I really wanted to see. Monument Valley and the upper Antelope Slot Canyon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Man, you take some great pics! Monument Valley is such a cool place. Lots of commercials have been filmed

there over the years. So glad you had a great time, my friend, and thanks for sharing the pics with us.

 

My travel is winding down. Not much beats getting to home sweet home after a long journey(s).

[scotee]

One big @$$ Grand Canyon:

 

 

 

Our Navajo guide set up this pic in Monument Valley:

 

 

 

[Conrad1953]

So, we are in a cab on the west side highway in manhattan and

 

Theres like no cars. Going past the World Trade Center and its desolate.

 

Its like that Will Smith movie where theres no people left in the world.

 

Wife and I were freaking out.

 

Its like if the most packed highway in your area had no cars on it at rush hour

 

Then we realized

 

The Yankees are playing Boston right now! Lol

 

On a much smaller scale...much smaller..

it gets like that here when Alabama and Auburn play each other.

Once each year they do it; they take turns being the home team

99.9% of the TV sets in the state are tuned in.

 

Last year Auburn won at home; handing Alabama their only loss

of the season. This year it's in Tuscaloosa; home of the Tide.

 

All about the Cardinals/Cubs around here. If you go to Busch you'll see a lot of Cub blue. Same with Wrigley. A lot of Cardinal red. Unfortunately, neither are playing in the playoffs. No one to root for....or against. Lol. Gonna jump on the Cleveland wagon. Mrs. C is a big fan.

Welcome back MC.

 

I agree! 2 posts in recent days. The momentum is bulding. :D

[Conrad1953]

Never touched a mandolin in my life. But if I ever did - I'd want to grow to be one of these guys...

 

[media=]

[/media]

 

Great stuff Judge. You know I have an affection for bluegrass too. Such superb musicianship.....so

I went back in time and found this older AKUS video when Alison was much younger and Adam, the

mandolin player, was still in the band.

 

[Conrad1953]

Ricky and the band playing with the Boston Popsl his song Road to Spencer.

[scotee]

Bsc in a sports time warp. Radro in a temperature warp.

 

My buds here are stuck in a space and time machine.

 

 

This coming weekend - the wife and I will be heading into the western end of North Carolina to attend a wedding. While we'll actually be in nearby Asheville, this vid shows the general lay of the land and many of the same highways we'll be passing over. For those not aware, the Carolinas are sort of three topographical areas. The west is mountainous - not exactly Pike's Peak Mountains but many leave you driving up or downhill for about 10 straight (winding) miles. In central Carolina, the mountains ease up - a lot. The land is marked by rolling hills with far fewer ups and downs. That area is known as the Piedmont. And then there's the "low lands" or coastal areas closer to where our bud Stu lives.

 

Well I'm never going to be the photographer Scotee is. But I found this and since we'll be on the road heading this way soon... though I'd share the ways of the road in western North Carolina with you gents.

 

[media=]

[/media]

 

Very nice! We really enjoyed our trip to see friends in Asheville and down to Wilmington a few years ago. There are so many beautiful places in this country and in our world. Hope to get to see more.

[scotee]

Bsc in a sports time warp. Radro in a temperature warp.

 

My buds here are stuck in a space and time machine.

 

 

This coming weekend - the wife and I will be heading into the western end of North Carolina to attend a wedding. While we'll actually be in nearby Asheville, this vid shows the general lay of the land and many of the same highways we'll be passing over. For those not aware, the Carolinas are sort of three topographical areas. The west is mountainous - not exactly Pike's Peak Mountains but many leave you driving up or downhill for about 10 straight (winding) miles. In central Carolina, the mountains ease up - a lot. The land is marked by rolling hills with far fewer ups and downs. That area is known as the Piedmont. And then there's the "low lands" or coastal areas closer to where our bud Stu lives.

 

Well I'm never going to be the photographer Scotee is. But I found this and since we'll be on the road heading this way soon... though I'd share the ways of the road in western North Carolina with you gents.

 

[media=]

[/media]

 

That's a beauty! Thanks for posting it.

 

On what I was saying before about Wyoming...........here's a video by a trucker who was in the middle

of a winter Wyoming mess.............ugh.........this is why i stay the heck outta there once the weather turns.

I don't trust other drivers who can be idiots in dangerous conditions.

[media=]

[/media]

 

Wow! What a mess. I was thinking about you and Stu yesterday. We got stopped for 40 min. on 93 North East of Las Vegas. It was very windy with rain storms and a bad accident closed the road. I walked up a ways and talked to some of the truckers. A life flight helicopter had landed in the road and finally took off. There was a jeep about a hundred yards off of the road that looked like it had rolled many times. A pick-up and trailer were pulled over and not damaged but may have been involved or seen it happen. We did 13 hrs. yesterday and 7 today. It was windy again today but no rain. We ran some on I15 and I84 both posted 80 and trucks 70. 80 is too fast in the wind for our travel van! Doesn't help the MPG either.

[tolmij]

Bad day so far, DW is in AF again but good news , received a phone call 1/2 hour ago all go for ablation on Nov 20th.

[SixtySomePing]

Remember the fire siren test at noon that would always go off every day if you lived in a small town? We actually had a fire once at noon, this was probably around 1960, they had a heckuva time getting anyone to come to the station, they just left it on, and I guess people still thought it just got stuck. Some house burnt down just outside of town. Most all of the people on the fire department eventually smelled the smoke along with everyone else, which made its way across town. Cell phones and beepers- no such thing, neither were lawsuits for not showing up.

 

I also remember, and of course this still happens, whenever there was a fire, some people had do follow the trucks, or walk to where the fire was so they could stare, be glad it wasn't them, feel bad about the fire and for the people.

Back when I first started being a volunteer fireman we did not have many radios and monitors etc. The siren would go off and you went to the station. If the trucks had left you followed the water trail or the smoke smell. First man in the station would call dispatch and write the location on the big chalk board. Later on due to the generosity of the Radio Shack people we were able to obtain scanners. I would volunteer there when I was not trancing off to Florida or around. I maybe had 2 or 3 years there total time. Remember one time I was there during the day and the Assistant Chief and I had to do a mobile home fire by ourselves. Luckily there was no one home. Help had to come from some 20 miles away and time they got there on the 4th alarm we did have the smoldering ruins under control. He had drove the pumper and I the tanker and that was the best we could do. It was basically gone when we got there. He had me set up with the tanker to actually fight fire too which is not normal protocol so we hit it from 2 sides at once. All we could do.

My dad was a volunteer fireman when I was a little kid. We're talkin' the 1950's of course, probably similar to what you're talking only a less modern. I remember the old truck (and police car) sirens back then, sounded so funny compared to now. Firemen would truly ride on the back too, if they didn't follow like you say. I remember back then everyone burnt their leaf piles in the fall right in their front yards. Smelled good (if you were a kid) but looking back, kinda dumb on a windy day.

https://www.youtube....H-qUuHVBU&t=13s

 

Don't knock it. Our department had an old GMC tanker truck with a siren like that in the early 1980's. I think the truck was a '61 model and was replaced with a new one the second year I served.

I meant burning a pile of leaves in your yard on a windy day, safety issue...

[Wriggles]

Hot and humid yesterday, rode 9 with my 85 year old buddy. Played terrible, kept lifting my head.

 

Supposed to be hot until Thursday, then seasonable 50's 60's temperatures.

 

I'm ready for cooler weather.

[scomac2002]

Hot and humid yesterday, rode 9 with my 85 year old buddy. Played terrible, kept lifting my head.

 

Supposed to be hot until Thursday, then seasonable 50's 60's temperatures.

 

I'm ready for cooler weather.

 

Four hours to the north and you'll get it! I don't know what happened to all this supposedly hot and humid weather, but I'm not seeing any of it! Overcast, damp and cool all weekend; nothing better than mid 50's here. Not exactly the most appealing weather for golf! I think I finally figured out why the curling season starts in mid October. I'd rather be indoors on the ice than outdoors freezing my arse off trying to play golf!

[scomac2002]

Bad day so far, DW is in AF again but good news , received a phone call 1/2 hour ago all go for ablation on Nov 20th.

 

This is very good news, tol! Give our best to DW as she awaits the procedure.

[scomac2002]

Ricky and the band playing with the Boston Popsl his song Road to Spencer.

[media=]

[/media]

 

Oh wow! That is so much like the Irish folk music that I have enjoyed for years and experienced first hand in Temple Bar in Dublin. :good:

 

It was interesting to hear Ricky talking about the roots of bluegrass being steeped in the Celtic music of Scotland and Ireland. I was watching an episode last night of Parts Unknown that featured Anthony Bourdain spending time with Jose Andres in Asturias in northern Spain. Andres spoke of the Celtic roots in the Iberian peninsula where the regions of Asturias and Gallicia were part of the 8 Celtic nations -- Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man, Cornwall and Brittany being the others -- with the common culture and DNA it turns out. I was always aware of the connection to Brittany, but the Iberian link was a surprise. It makes one look at folks from these regions a bit differently and further stokes an already existing desire to visit this part of the world.

 

When looking at the spread of Celtic culture into NA I was interested to learn that it went beyond the traditional strongholds of the industrial north east into the Appalachia spawning bluegrass and clogging and the like. Some even suggest that the specific accent of the residents has roots in that immigration. That makes sense to me in that would coincide with the Scots moving into Cape Breton and the Irish into Newfoundland up here in Canada, both rugged landscapes and mountainous not unlike Appalachia, just colder.

 

I'm certainly going to miss that program as I always learned something from it as Bourdain opened up obscure parts of the world to a wider audience. There was a certain irony that the subsequent episode last night was filmed in Indonesia and the talk turned to death and how one wanted to go and be remembered. Bourdain indicated that he just wanted to go unceremoniously like a page being flipped on a calendar. Three weeks later he was dead! :(

[scotee]

Bad day so far, DW is in AF again but good news , received a phone call 1/2 hour ago all go for ablation on Nov 20th.

 

Good news Tol. Sure hope they can get this fixed for her. This has gone on too long!

[SixtySomePing]

Sorry this isn't a beautiful pic, but this is one I took on one of our walks at the fish hatchery last weekend. We played tag with this eagle. Walking down this long treeline about a half mile long, he would let us catch up to him where he had 'parked' in a tree, long enough for us to stop and check him out. He would let us look at him for a bit, and he would look around, and down at us, then off he would go again down the treeline and park again waiting for us to catch up. He must have done this 5 or 6 times. I screen-shotted this off of a video actually. They can be playful at times...

[SixtySomePing]

Sometimes I think they just want to say 'alright, be off with you, I have things to do'...

[Reasonability]

First things first. Never good to hear Mrs. Tol is suffering. ALWAYS good to hear relief is on the way. Will put a red "X" on the calendar for the 20th. All good thoughts and prayers will be set aside for our buddy Tol's wife/girlfriend.

 

Item next. Can't recall the name of it now, but I've downloaded this program (I believe at no cost) that assembles a "slide show" of pics and puts them in any order you want to any song of you want. Have used it for kids weddings and such. Works out really well. For example I put a progression of pics from my son's life from diapers to adult along with similar pics provided by his fiance going into their wedding. Put it to music and it the whole thing ended up "telling the story" of two lives that merged into one... final pics in the sequence being them both rehearsing their wedding. This program (sorry I can't remember what it's called) would be a fantastic thing for Scotee's pics. If I the memory banks jog enough to remember the name of the darn thing, I'll post it.

 

Wriggs - all set here for more fall and less summer heat and humidity. Played over the weekend. Fun round. Love putting the swing work into play (the best I can anyway - lol). But the air has been so heavy and warm the back nine turns me into a sweat machine.

 

Sixty - the same could/would be cool for you and your pics of flight - both yours and that from the world of birds.

 

Radro - the word is another major storm might be moving north through the gulf coast mid-week. Sure you know about it. Best thoughts for Cobi and yourself if you're scheduled to drive through it.

 

Scomcer - The songs of the old country and how it all migrated and morphed is more than a little interesting. It seems that regardless of where on the planet the deepest cultural roots started - there was always music. I often think of how golf travels with mankind. Even to the moon.

 

Stu - Got my generator cleaned up and ready for the next storm. The 5 gal. gas tank is plastic and the inside was wearing quite a bit of varnish. (You can imagine what the carb looked like - lol). Cleaning out an old gas tank is a PIA. Not sure I got it all but she's much better and runs. Tempting to stick a busing in the bottom of a gas can and run a filtered line to the carb rather than fight that old tank - lol. Drained it, and it's ready for next time. I should have checked it out way ahead of that last big storm instead of the day or two before. We got very lucky in that power never went out here but next time we may need it.

[Reasonability]

So, we are in a cab on the west side highway in manhattan and

 

Theres like no cars. Going past the World Trade Center and its desolate.

 

Its like that Will Smith movie where theres no people left in the world.

 

Wife and I were freaking out.

 

Its like if the most packed highway in your area had no cars on it at rush hour

 

Then we realized

 

The Yankees are playing Boston right now! Lol

 

On a much smaller scale...much smaller..

it gets like that here when Alabama and Auburn play each other.

Once each year they do it; they take turns being the home team

99.9% of the TV sets in the state are tuned in.

 

Last year Auburn won at home; handing Alabama their only loss

of the season. This year it's in Tuscaloosa; home of the Tide.

 

All about the Cardinals/Cubs around here. If you go to Busch you'll see a lot of Cub blue. Same with Wrigley. A lot of Cardinal red. Unfortunately, neither are playing in the playoffs. No one to root for....or against. Lol. Gonna jump on the Cleveland wagon. Mrs. C is a big fan.

 

Jumping on the Browns bandwagon isn't a bad plan this year! They put the Ravens down yesterday, right? And the Ravens aren't chopped liver. For so many years I watched the Browns get great draft picks and look really good - then suffer horrendous injuries in the early season leaving them right back where they started. They must hold some strange record for the most likely to recruit then injure star athletes. This year they have the performers all performing. A very long drought is coming to an end.

[Reasonability]

A highly random thought here. What the heck? We do that a lot in the Grille, right?

 

Let's say shaft flex point and therefore ball flight launch "can" be mid, low, or high. And to keep it simple let's say flex "can" be soft, medium, or stiff. Then let's says there's the issue of length which again for grins we could say is "standard", shorter, or longer. Then we could lob in three possibilities in static weight, and three more potentials in general swing weight.

 

Without even going there in terms of visual appeal, steel vs graphite shafts, shape and style of head, style of grip, even the "sound" golfers either love or hate... what was laid down in the paragraph above points to something interesting.

 

Been a long time ago, but back when I went to school, that's 7776 combinations of golf club. Steel vs Graphite shafts turns that number into well over 60 MILLION!!!!!

 

Now, go ahead and ladle-in those "other" variables such as head style, sound, visual appeal, yadda and the numbers get even more staggering.

 

So here's the question. How does a golfer KNOW he's found the right combo of variables when matching his sticks to his swing?

 

Or said differently - Does he ever truly know?

 

I could be wrong - but I'm pretty sure I'll never try out 60 million different sticks. LMAO But let's say my math is flawed. Still - how does a golfer ever truly know he's dialed-in? Launch monitors are all well and good. Still, the combinations can only be tested out one at a time, no????

 

Heaven forbid a golfer makes any swing changes which in turn could easily lead to what new/equipment need to go with such changes. We're into a realm of possibilities that are way above my pay grade to figure out on paper. How many golfers grow frustrated and even give up the game simply because their swing and their sticks are a total/complete mismatch? How many have managed to perform proudly be being among the rare but luckiest few who managed to swing it their way with sticks the happened to match-up beautifully?

 

What an incredibly goofy game.

[Reasonability]

I could be wrong (again).

 

But doesn't this all mean that one or more of four things HAS happen for a golfer, his swing, AND his sticks to sync-up well????

 

A) He has to be an "experimenter". Meaning, he has to chase down various club element combos. He might well need to get his swing tweaked - or at a minimum be able to repeat whatever the heck he relates to very consistently. But on his own, he has to experiment until he's confident what's in the bag and his game are well matched up.

 

B) He has an instructor that spots the need for equipment changes and tweaks. More importantly this instructor is RIGHT when he does so.

 

C) Has a a fitter who also KNOWS when some issues are the "Indian" and not the "arrow". This fitter can see things that no amount of equipment tweaking will fix.... at least not to the extent any consistency could be expected.

 

D) His arse is just plain lucky. He relates to the swing in some sort of way that is hugely efficient and effective and most of all consistent. And to top it off he games clubs that just happen to work beautifully. This guy just fell out of bed and was divinely granted a repeatable and good swing and his clubs are just accidentally right for him. Such golfers exist. I've seen them and played golf with them. (lol - those no good dirty bastages!)