Morning Cup Of Coffee And Weather

[Warren Mary Ellen]

They are truly vicious animals; I'm more worried about them than I am about bears, snakes, and, the worst... raccoons. They are heading north along the white river, which runs directly through downtown Indianapolis. Though that is probably a decade before it happens. I just looked at some maps, and we're still a long way from it being an issue here.

I have a friend though that makes at least an annual pilgrimage to Texas --- apparently there are locations where they are harvested and he does his best to bring a couple home --- the meat is processed and donated to charities here.

In Germany, if you go to restaurants there, there is a high probability you'll find hog on the menu - I've had it, and it was really good. I expected it to be gamy or somewhat off-tasting, but I found it to be quite good, though a little tougher than commercially raised. I'm feeling a little jealous right now however, we bought some ham around Thanksgiving time, and it was the most dried out nasty tasting ham I've ever had --- it probably was imported. Which is sad because central Indiana is a huge hog farming area, north of us can be particularly aromatic if the wind is just right. I have extended family is in that business.

Why am I suddenly craving bacon?

Weather here is definitely on the icky side - the worse kind. Just barely warm enough, but too wet to do much. The ground is probably slightly frozen just below the surface, but the surface is saturated -- so everything is muddy. Definately not conducive to hiking or getting out and about.

Definitely not going to be a white Christmas, which I have mixed feelings about --- Generaly I find the whole romantic image of snow for the holiday. But then I'm done with it. Of course, I'll be in Texas in the worst months...February and March. Those are DREARY here. I found a 'tiny house' for rent for my stay. I'll get to see if I go stir crazy in that tiny space Probably. My 'cabin fever' is pretty bad right now.

I like wild boar especially as sausage. I’m pretty picky about pork I eat. Get it from some local farms a lot of the time. For Christmas, I bake a ham and I drive out of the way to get what I want. Know some guys that go out and hunt with nothing but machetes and knives .

We are in the part of the year where it can in the 40s, damp & cold or it can be 70 on back to back days.

Two more days and the 2 weeks of vacation. We are headed to the beach for the week on Sunday. Going to Harbor Island near Beaufort, SC.Should be a quiet week. Not camping this time, we have a house. The place is 5 minutes from Hunting Island where we’ll hike some & check the lagoon. The park is where the Vietnam War scenes of the Forrest Gump movie were filmed. One day we’ll grab some shrimp and fish from the Gay Fishing Company whose boats were the ones in the movie. Usually get Mahi and blacken it, same with the shrimp.

 

[Sweeney]

I like wild boar especially as sausage. I’m pretty picky about pork I eat. Get it from some local farms a lot of the time. For Christmas, I bake a ham and I drive out of the way to get what I want. Know some guys that go out and hunt with nothing but machetes and knives .

We are in the part of the year where it can in the 40s, damp & cold or it can be 70 on back to back days.

Two more days and the 2 weeks of vacation. We are headed to the beach for the week on Sunday. Going to Harbor Island near Beaufort, SC.Should be a quiet week. Not camping this time, we have a house. The place is 5 minutes from Hunting Island where we’ll hike some & check the lagoon. The park is where the Vietnam War scenes of the Forrest Gump movie were filmed. One day we’ll grab some shrimp and fish from the Gay Fishing Company whose boats were the ones in the movie. Usually get Mahi and blacken it, same with the shrimp.

Picky? I wrote the book on that. I am not a fan of gamy tasting anything, and my mom was terrified of trichinosis. Which with wild boar, I would certainly be --- anything wild for that matter. Well done, please.

Throw in a trip to Savannah and you'll officially have a themed vacation -- it sounds like a good time. I've never spent much time in that part of the country but I'd like too. Visiting the birthplace of aviation certainly has a strong appeal. Up until recently though, any time we were heading that direction it was usually on its way to Florida to spend time with family. However, all but my brother on the gulf coast, and my wife aunt on the east have moved back north, or gone to their eternal reward.

The only appreciable time I spent there it was under far less 'fun' circumstances and I remember it being quite cold this time of year. Slackin' Jaxon' -- Ft. Jackson -- about 2 1/2 hours inland, and way too far to go when I was there as a trainee. You don't get to leave the base anyway during those weeks. I was training at about this time of year ... Got there just before Thanksgiving and was allowed to come home for Christmas. What I remember most was that morning PT was frosty cold, but after a few minutes --- And, the marches to the ranges were miserably muddy with that famous red clay.

Your trip sounds more fun.

That is not to say my time there was bad. I most especially remember "Victory Tower" and, of course, basic marksmanship training.

The tower is a training exercise, teaching technical skills of use of 1, 2 and 3 rope bridges followed by a climb to the top of a 40 foot tower where you rope-swing over a hold in the floor, then repel down the side. 40 foot doesn't sound like much but it looks a lot higher when you're on the top. I wasn't bothered by it much, but there was a few in my platoon that had serious fear of heights.

This was also an interesting day because when you start the repel, you drop your feet down the side of the tower and catch a 2x4 ledge (narrow side) with your toes then 'lean back' on the rope before you repel. The DI's who have been screaming at you for 2 weeks or so suddenly just for a brief moment turn human, gently but firmly giving you instructions in a speaking voice. Until you dally, then it gets progressively louder.

I remember most when your boots hit the ground, a feeling of euphoria that I've only ever felt one of the time in my life, and that was the touchdown on my first solo flight in a Cessna 172. Both times got a 'yahoo' yell that came from my toes! Unfortunately, the army only lets you do it once --- I would have loved to go for a second trip. The afternoon was not as exciting -- it was radio procedure day. Being a HAM radio operator already, it was terribly boring in comparison.

Marksman ship training was also fun as you'd expect. I'll just say on day 1 I shot 0 for 10 -- I couldn't hit the side of a barn. Day 5 I shot 38/40. I scored points when the Captain asked "Private, Your first day was horrible - how did you do so well today?" -- I said "Sir, I simply did what the Drill Instructor told me to do. Sir." An answer that proved to be wise beyond my years, though accurate. I had never even held a gun before that time.

Fun times. Thanks for the memories.

 

[Warren Mary Ellen]

Picky? I wrote the book on that. I am not a fan of gamy tasting anything, and my mom was terrified of trichinosis. Which with wild boar, I would certainly be --- anything wild for that matter. Well done, please.

Throw in a trip to Savannah and you'll officially have a themed vacation -- it sounds like a good time. I've never spent much time in that part of the country but I'd like too. Visiting the birthplace of aviation certainly has a strong appeal. Up until recently though, any time we were heading that direction it was usually on its way to Florida to spend time with family. However, all but my brother on the gulf coast, and my wife aunt on the east have moved back north, or gone to their eternal reward.

The only appreciable time I spent there it was under far less 'fun' circumstances and I remember it being quite cold this time of year. Slackin' Jaxon' -- Ft. Jackson -- about 2 1/2 hours inland, and way too far to go when I was there as a trainee. You don't get to leave the base anyway during those weeks. I was training at about this time of year ... Got there just before Thanksgiving and was allowed to come home for Christmas. What I remember most was that morning PT was frosty cold, but after a few minutes --- And, the marches to the ranges were miserably muddy with that famous red clay.

Your trip sounds more fun.

That is not to say my time there was bad. I most especially remember "Victory Tower" and, of course, basic marksmanship training.

The tower is a training exercise, teaching technical skills of use of 1, 2 and 3 rope bridges followed by a climb to the top of a 40 foot tower where you rope-swing over a hold in the floor, then repel down the side. 40 foot doesn't sound like much but it looks a lot higher when you're on the top. I wasn't bothered by it much, but there was a few in my platoon that had serious fear of heights.

This was also an interesting day because when you start the repel, you drop your feet down the side of the tower and catch a 2x4 ledge (narrow side) with your toes then 'lean back' on the rope before you repel. The DI's who have been screaming at you for 2 weeks or so suddenly just for a brief moment turn human, gently but firmly giving you instructions in a speaking voice. Until you dally, then it gets progressively louder.

I remember most when your boots hit the ground, a feeling of euphoria that I've only ever felt one of the time in my life, and that was the touchdown on my first solo flight in a Cessna 172. Both times got a 'yahoo' yell that came from my toes! Unfortunately, the army only lets you do it once --- I would have loved to go for a second trip. The afternoon was not as exciting -- it was radio procedure day. Being a HAM radio operator already, it was terribly boring in comparison.

Marksman ship training was also fun as you'd expect. I'll just say on day 1 I shot 0 for 10 -- I couldn't hit the side of a barn. Day 5 I shot 38/40. I scored points when the Captain asked "Private, Your first day was horrible - how did you do so well today?" -- I said "Sir, I simply did what the Drill Instructor told me to do. Sir." An answer that proved to be wise beyond my years, though accurate. I had never even held a gun before that time.

Fun times. Thanks for the memories.

In college I took the 2 freshman ROTC classes. They were trying to get you to sign up and you could take those classes without having to drill. You had a lab each semester. One semester you had to go to the range. You learned how to take the M-16 apart and reassemble it, then you fired it a target. You had 5 bullets each. When Capt Serrato looked at mine he said, “Son, if you go in the Army, don’t do a job where you have to shoot.” Second semester, we had to repel off a 30 foot tower and I’m scared of heights. You had to do it twice. First one, I was sweating bullets, but the second one was fun.

I was at Fort Jackson a few weeks ago. Our State Qualifying race in Cross Country was there at Hilton Field where the viewing stands are.
View attachment 1734743124776.jpeg

 

[Tour 931]

I took basic training at Fort Lewis in the winter. It snowed on us in our jungle fatigues. We trained on the M14 and for the first few months of my tour we had the M14. Then one day they took the 14 and issued us M16s without any training. The first time I ever shot an M16 was in Vietnam.

 

[Tour 931]

-1F and windy as I sip my coffee and think about shoving snow.

 

[Sweeney]

In college I took the 2 freshman ROTC classes. They were trying to get you to sign up and you could take those classes without having to drill. You had a lab each semester. One semester you had to go to the range. You learned how to take the M-16 apart and reassemble it, then you fired it a target. You had 5 bullets each. When Capt Serrato looked at mine he said, “Son, if you go in the Army, don’t do a job where you have to shoot.” Second semester, we had to repel off a 30 foot tower and I’m scared of heights. You had to do it twice. First one, I was sweating bullets, but the second one was fun.

I was at Fort Jackson a few weeks ago. Our State Qualifying race in Cross Country was there at Hilton Field where the viewing stands are.

The one thing I can do, is put holes in paper....and quarters. I have one here (photo somewhere.....) that at 100 meters I put a hole in....slightly off center, but not by much. That was done when I was in my 20's....2 rounds of cataract surgery (standard and YAG) and I'm afraid I may not do quite as well today. Not to mention the price of practice, which in the 1990's was pretty cheap compared to today.

But Relaxin' Jaxion still holds a special place in my heart. I learned a tremendous amount about myself. I'd love to go back and reminisce, but know good and well that will never happen. As close as I can get is watching a movie, a horrible one, called "Renaissance Man" with Danny Devito --- it was filmed there.

I did get to stay in the old barracs from long ago --- think the barracks from Full Metal Jacket --- honestly, more comfortable by far over the 'new' ones that I was in. I found the old wooden ones to be warmer even though they were drafty. If I had to go back....older is almost always better.

I took basic training at Fort Lewis in the winter. It snowed on us in our jungle fatigues. We trained on the M14 and for the first few months of my tour we had the M14. Then one day they took the 14 and issued us M16s without any training. The first time I ever shot an M16 was in Vietnam.

Did you ever qualify with it? The M16 isn't bad -- I just find them still, to this day, to be fiddly. Too many parts. I can clean my bolt Kalashniko's in ...wait...who cleans them? Run a couple cleaning squres down the barrel, its all good.

View media item 2731

I was looking through photos --- and ran across this one. This was just last summer, I was in Pennasylvania visiting Knobles amusement park. COOL PLACE! I didn't realize until 8pm the night before I started my return that Centralia PA was just a few minutes away. Centralia is famous because some fool started a cole seam burning back in the 70's or 80's ....its still burning today, though I suspect/think its not the ecological disaster it was then.

This photo was taken closer to the residential area --- the ol' highway which was graphiti'd to death has been covered with dirt. Of course, the graphite artists just move elsewhere...you can see a little in the lower corner. I wish I could have seen it before it was dozed.

Not much to see there -- probably an hour kind of rolling around. I did zero preparation so I had no idea where anything was. But, I can say I've been there. And I'd go back.

The closest town is about 10 minutes away -- beautiful Catholic Church there. I made a stop. Its really not a tourist trap any longer.

Pardon the grammar if that is hard to read. I can highly recommend a buttery chardonnay in front of a fireplace on a cold winter's day...

 

[Tour 931]

The one thing I can do, is put holes in paper....and quarters. I have one here (photo somewhere.....) that at 100 meters I put a hole in....slightly off center, but not by much. That was done when I was in my 20's....2 rounds of cataract surgery (standard and YAG) and I'm afraid I may not do quite as well today. Not to mention the price of practice, which in the 1990's was pretty cheap compared to today.

But Relaxin' Jaxion still holds a special place in my heart. I learned a tremendous amount about myself. I'd love to go back and reminisce, but know good and well that will never happen. As close as I can get is watching a movie, a horrible one, called "Renaissance Man" with Danny Devito --- it was filmed there.

I did get to stay in the old barracs from long ago --- think the barracks from Full Metal Jacket --- honestly, more comfortable by far over the 'new' ones that I was in. I found the old wooden ones to be warmer even though they were drafty. If I had to go back....older is almost always better.


Did you ever qualify with it? The M16 isn't bad -- I just find them still, to this day, to be fiddly. Too many parts. I can clean my bolt Kalashniko's in ...wait...who cleans them? Run a couple cleaning squres down the barrel, its all good.

View media item 2731

I was looking through photos --- and ran across this one. This was just last summer, I was in Pennasylvania visiting Knobles amusement park. COOL PLACE! I didn't realize until 8pm the night before I started my return that Centralia PA was just a few minutes away. Centralia is famous because some fool started a cole seam burning back in the 70's or 80's ....its still burning today, though I suspect/think its not the ecological disaster it was then.

This photo was taken closer to the residential area --- the ol' highway which was graphiti'd to death has been covered with dirt. Of course, the graphite artists just move elsewhere...you can see a little in the lower corner. I wish I could have seen it before it was dozed.

Not much to see there -- probably an hour kind of rolling around. I did zero preparation so I had no idea where anything was. But, I can say I've been there. And I'd go back.

The closest town is about 10 minutes away -- beautiful Catholic Church there. I made a stop. Its really not a tourist trap any longer.

Pardon the grammar if that is hard to read. I can highly recommend a buttery chardonnay in front of a fireplace on a cold winter's day...

No I never qualified with the M16 although I used it in Vietnam. It had a bad reputation for jamming but it never failed me. Of course I was using newer ammo which was the real problem. The older powder did not burn clean causing the gas operation to plug up.

 

[Warren Mary Ellen]

Rented a house at Harbor Island, SC for the week. It’s the 2 of us plus our daughter and my mother. Cold & windy this evening walking the dogs. Then it struck me, I never grabbed my shirts and they are 270 miles away from me all the way across the Palmetto State. Now I have to go shopping 2 days before Christmas.

 

[Van_and_Terri]

Rented a house at Harbor Island, SC for the week. It’s the 2 of us plus our daughter and my mother. Cold & windy this evening walking the dogs. Then it struck me, I never grabbed my shirts and they are 270 miles away from me all the way across the Palmetto State. Now I have to go shopping 2 days before Christmas.

I did the exact same thing once on a trip to the Outer Banks of NC. Came back with some cool shirts.

 

[Sweeney]

No I never qualified with the M16 although I used it in Vietnam. It had a bad reputation for jamming but it never failed me. Of course I was using newer ammo which was the real problem. The older powder did not burn clean causing the gas operation to plug up.

I knew they had early problems, I didn' know what it was. I can say that as much fun as they are to shoot, they are horrible to clean. I haven't done that since 1991, but am in no hurry. I'm more a bolt action kind of guy anyway. Semi-Auto (or worse -- full) gets expensive fast

Rented a house at Harbor Island, SC for the week. It’s the 2 of us plus our daughter and my mother. Cold & windy this evening walking the dogs. Then it struck me, I never grabbed my shirts and they are 270 miles away from me all the way across the Palmetto State. Now I have to go shopping 2 days before Christmas.

SOunds like something I would do! Too many things happening all at the same time is what I blame it on. Professionally, I had to start making checklists...ANytime I'm working on a project, next to me you'll find a Moleskine and a mechanical pencil with sketches and numbered lists. Some days, I feel like Indiana Jones with his father's notebook, except the writing is my own and often just as cryptic as the former.


OK...got to say it! I've got cabin fever!!!!! Be going to visit my aunt tomorrow, so a few hours behind the wheel will help.