Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967

I remember Frank ~ "Tabor Engineering," wasn't it? He used to shoot at Chabot, as I recall... I seem to remember him telling me about a "manly man" match that had to be shot while smoking or at least chomping a cigar. Remember Bob Chow? Val Giannini...? There were couple of other good guys down on the peninsula whose names I can't grasp at the moment. I knew a several LEO's in the City and Daley City, but the only firefighters I knew were in Marin and Alameda. Well... not counting a few I met the night our frat house caught fire during a party. Oh... and when you come back for Emperor Newsom's T&F party, I'll hold your beer for ya. Hell... I'll BUY the beer!

My family left Dallas in '67 to return to California. My sophomore year of high school - I went from an academically challenging North Dallas High to a school in Oakland that's too horrible to even mention. From pep rallies to race riots.

Interesting story: Alaska Resident With Rifle Aids Unarmed Police Dang! Small place, but wouldn't ya think they'd at least buy their own...?

Sweet! I had a Bear Grizzly, which I recently gave to my son. My cousin Chuck calls me one day - "Hey! Bonnie Bowman is closing out their Jennings compound bows! Get over here as quick as you can!" I did, they were, and I bought one - a 65# non-adjustable bow that fit me perfectly. Last of the non-adjustable models... and they were worth far more than the selling price. Sadly, it disappeared during my last move.

I'm likely to get flamed for this, but let me qualify by saying in advance that when I say "most women" I mean most women I know. So ~ It has been my observation that "most women" (again, those that I know) when driving are pretty much blind to things on the road surface - or even the road surface itself. I couldn't count the times I'd spot something ahead and in some cases (like not on the freeway!) collect some nice tool, chain, part, and once even a brand new Citizen wrist watch that had survived a fall with only the tiniest scratch. Or dodge a road hazard. I also could not begin to count the times I've been a passenger, with a woman of my acquaintance driving, eyes focused straight ahead. "Hey! Did you see that [wrench, pliers, chain, rake, shovel, anvil] on the road back there?" I'd ask. "Huh? I didn't see anything!" Good thing it wasn't a pothole. She woulda hit it. About '75 or so, a friend's wife once introduced me to a co-worker, "Sally," and invited us to dinner on a Friday night. Sally drove, and picked me up for the trip to Alameda. During dinner, Ellen said "Bill, my car keeps pulling to the right. Can you have it repaired?" Bill replied "Ellen! I just had it aligned last week! You really have to watch out for potholes and curbs and such!" On the way home, Sally was incensed. "How could Bill talk to Ellen that way? That was SO UNCALLED for! How RUDE! He has no RIGHT to talk to her that way! WHY did he do that???" "Uh... 'cuz Ellen has a penchant for hitting potholes and curbs and such. Bill has to have her car aligned about every two months... most folk can go for years..." Should kept my mouth shut. Sally then laid in on ME... "You men are all alike! You always stick up for each other! That was just MEAN and RUDE of Bill... and now YOU are siding with HIM!!" and on and on. The last was spewed as she pulled on to the freeway - Highway 17, in Oakland - and cut across four lanes to hit the only semi-truck induced pothole in at least ten miles. And it was a BIG one. I said not a word, as she drove her now wobbling car in silence and dropped me off at home in SF. That may have been the last conversation we ever had. As a side note, about 35 years later, I was in a car following Ellen on the freeway. Her minivan was much too close to a truck in front of her, when suddenly, a pallet flew off the truck and she plowed right through it in a cloud of splinters. Thank God no one was hurt... and I don't know if she had the presence of mind to not try and miss it and possibly lose control, or if she just didn't see it.

Huh! Howcum I never knew 'bout this when I lived in San Leandro back in the mid-80's?? So DDD, a little off topic, but do you remember The Bonnie Bowman?

My biggest problem - and it is my problem - is that I will lend something to someone and forget about it until I need it... and then can't remember who I loaned it to. On the other hand, there have been a couple of times when I did remember who I loaned something to... but when I asked, they didn't remember borrowing it. Usually small things, but... But the absolute worse case was when the Former Missus Hardpan came home one day and informed me that I was going to loan my tractor (MF-135) to her work buddy's husband the next weekend. I'd never met the guy, but The Boss had spoken. Saturday, his wife and he arrive, have coffee, visit a spell, then off they go, with him driving the tractor to their place about a mile away. Tractor due back by Tuesday. Tuesday came, and no tractor... it came back sometime the following weekend, as I recall. Oh well... And so it began. Ol' Roy would call and ask to borrow the tractor - I would balk and the Former Missus Hardpan would intervene (or she would lend it to him if I wasn't there) and away it would go... usually to be returned only after a series of nagging phone calls. Then one day he brought it back, and coasted it into my driveway - "Har! Just ran out of gas and managed to coast into your driveway!! Har!" Uh... it had a full tank when you took it, dude. Another time it came back minus the grille door. "Roy! Where's the rest of the grille?" "I dunno.... someone musta stole it." and off he went. Then he borrowed it again without asking - he'd bought his own key. That time I hiked to his place and sure 'nuff, there it was. I drove it home - and ran out of gas just as I pulled in. (It had had a full tank when he took it). That did it. I lowered the boom - NO MORE! But I have a soft heart (and a soft head to match). Ol' Roy called up one Tuesday evening and was almost in tears... he was DESPERATE! He absolutely needed to borrow the tractor and a blade; he had a huge pit that needed filling - it was a safety hazard and he HAD to get it done before the weekend... PLEEZE?? Yer kidding... right? I held out as long as I could, but after "the look" from the Former Missus Hardpan, I finally caved - with him SWEARING that he would have it back Friday evening, as I told him that I had a critical need for it for a project I was starting at dawn on Saturday. He understood... and would ABSOLUTELY have it back to me and he showed up an hour later and drove it home. Friday evening. No Roy. Saturday morning. No Roy. Later Saturday morning. No Roy. So I called his wife ~ "Oh! Roy went fishing before dawn!" I hiked over to Roy's, carrying a can of gas. "His" key was in the ignition. I now had an extra key. Tank was bone dry. Dumped in the gas, drove home, and and said to the Former Missus Hardpan - "Do not even THINK of lending that tractor or anything ELSE to that man!! EVER!!!!" She got the message. About six months later, he called... and asked, "I don't s'pose you'd consider...?" my answer was a curt "Nope!" followed by the *click* when I hung up.

DDD, where is the San Leandro range...?

Dang, TW~! At least it was a gal! One of my frat bros dated a girl for like three weeks before he found out she wasn't. (San Francisco State College, 1970)

Hey now... Bob Cummings had one~!

You know the answer....

Allie, in these parts we get tailgaters well above the speed limit. Often, I'll hit the emergency flashers for a couple of flashes, then off. They'll usually fall back. But this IS genius~!!

Mr Coffinmaker obviously has not read "Dune"

Good Job, Lock~! Do you really need a cartridge loops? Slides can be pretty inexpensive, and save yourself a bunch of work (and possible exasperation). Check this: 12 Cartridge Slide