Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967

Thank you, Rye... thank you, Bingo.... I thought that to be most excellent indeed!

Huh! Can't believe I just now remembered this... While he was growing up, my son had a "hero" - Ken N. Kid's mom's best friend's husband. And when asked, he'd told the Kid that he'd "served in the Air Force." When further pressed, he told the Kid that yes, he had been in Viet Nam. No details; just that he'd flown some large airplanes around. Sadly, Ken passed back in '16. The Kid was surprised when I pointed out this line from the obituary: "Ken served his country in combat as an Air Force pilot and gunship commander during the Viet Nam war and afterwards in other duties in the Reserves..." Ironically, when he was little, I'd bought a kinda cool toy for the Kid. And I also just remembered and found it atop a cabinet in the guest room. Don't recall who made the thing, and can't find a maker's mark on it anywhere ~ but it's still cool.

One of those situations where, just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

I snapped these at a Pinewood Derby a few weeks ago....

I was in Tucson last weekend, and took a wrong turn - which turned out to be fortuitous; it took me right past the "Boneyard." And from my rough estimate, there were over two hundred C-130's neatly parked there. Don't know how many - if any - were gunships, but it was an amazing sight! Row after row after row....

A loss, for sure. He was part of the best concert I ever attended ~ Joe Walsh and Barnstorm, JCY, The Band, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and [Neil] Young. All on the same ticket. RIP, Jesse

Picky, picky.... 🤪

So this ain't political, but what the hay ~ I thought it was kinda funny.... There's a certain segment of the citizenry who like to think of themselves as "green," and often seem to think that everyone else should think like them. And for many of 'em, driving a "fossil-fuel powered" automobile is considered to be some sort of an abomination. And so, they tend to drive electric automobiles ~ and think everyone else should, too. And by far the most popular EV (Electric Vehicle) brand in this country is Tesla. And Tesla's major stockholder is a particular individual who has become, for other reasons, the total antithesis for them folk's, well... political values. To a point where Tesla dealerships, charging stations, and privately-owned vehicles have become targets of vandalism. Nice folks, huh? So what to do, what to do... Why, simple!! They'll just "re-brand" their automobiles!! Reckon they'll fool anyone...? The Honda Civic Tesla The Mazda (Miata?) Tesla The "Audi-Doody" Tesla Mebbe a phony grille will throw 'em off

Well... it just so happens I gots one o' them, too!

Bake a quiche! 😄 And, for what it's worth, real men DO eat quiche. In fact, we can make it ~ even in a Dutch oven over/under hot coals. (Possible drawback ~ she might get home from the protest and see what you can do and mebbe feel a mite less indispensable... )

I gots an old one! 1874 Gras, or Fusil Modèl 1874 - 11x59R Ironically, the round was later used in the Hotchkiss M1914 and Vickers aircraft machine guns.

When I was a kid - which was a long time ago - I had a bunch of older grownup male relatives who were truckers. Flashing to warn oncomers of a "speed trap" was common practice among truckers and considered a courtesy. Generally, the only non-truck "warning flashers" were off-duty or former truckers. Somewhere along the line (seventies?) it kinda got picked up by others; but like @Cypress Sun pointed out above, most folk wouldn't know what it means anyway. In today's world, your cell phone GPS screen will show "speed traps" reported by someone else, then ask you if it's still there.