Susan and I aren't going this weekend, but you should if you can. We always have a good time, but the heat got us down this week and we are not up to it. Here are a few videos from years past.
The temps were still in the 90s at Pistol League, and I had been hot during the day. I was running slow. I usually shoot five plates in the 5 second range, and this time is was always 6-something. I did have two runs under 6 in my final turn. No missed plates, but I did have to go back a few times before the stop plate. The sun is setting earlier every week and we will soon be driving at sunset, so Pistol League is nearly over for us this year.
Now you know who to call for all your windmill needs! I was terrified of the thought of climbing these when I was a kid!
Who-Tee-Who is not a typical gun writer, and he puts out a lot of content every week. He shoots, he hunts, he spends a lot of time in his favorite gun shop, and he will give you plenty to think about.
Here's a little sampler from Someplace Or Another, chosen by engine friend Merle!
American Threshermen Sycamore Steam Show Central States Threshermen Show Old Threshers James Valley Threshers Western Minnesota Steam Threshers
I think this is the final firewood tree that the power co-op topped. Now that they are all down, I just have to pick up and split these, and stack them in the barn. I am splitting small so they can dry quickly. We put a set of forks on the tractor's loader, and it sure is useful. I can put a big load of rounds in the bucket now, enough to fill the Kubota RTV after I split it all. Anyhow, here's the drop, and then most of the bucking.
....So here are a few shots from years past.
I was just 15 years old when the Shay arrived at Old Threshers and the Midwest Central. I was so thrilled that I paid $10 for a share in the railroad and got a lifetime pass, which I still have, just in case I get back to Old Threshers again. I even rode around the grounds once in the cab with Stan Mathews at the throttle.
Here's your info to subscribe to Brenda's wonderful magazine:
....Not necessarily difficult, but the top way up there has a lot of leverage to pull the tree over. Take that top off and the normal hinge does not work as easily. This was mentioned one time in the several classes I had, and I never forgot it. You will remember it, too after watching this video.
How many lives were wrecked? This was completely avoidable!
Who-Tee-Who tests out a brand new slug gun, and it is impressive. One thing I do is knock the turrets with a knuckle a couple times after adjustments to settle them in. Sometimes it makes a difference. Before I learned that I had a Bushnell scope that drove me crazy. It would take a couple of shots to settle adjustments, and by then I had over corrected. Whether a scope needs it or not, I do that to avoid frustration.
IHC made push rod engines that ran fine and were economical to purchase. They also made Titan and Mogul sideshaft engines that were much more complicated, and more costly. They had a market for them, along with the larger market for push rod engines. The expensive ones still have a market today among collectors. It seems that quality always will sell. Thanks Merle!
....and we have heard nary a shot. Folks don't hunt squirrels nowadays. The revival of a deer herd and antler madness seems to have killed off the desire for silently slipping through the woods, honing fine shooting skills, and rodents on the table. Oh Well, Back To The Old Grind!
The flue roller turns as the tapered center is pulled in by threads. Beading was not always done, but it sure makes an operator feel more secure.
Out in the field, rolling and beading were both done by muscle power. Air hammer makes this task much easier! Thanks, Merle!
We have been watching Big Boy nearly every day on the coast to coast journey, and now it looks like a normal engine to us. I did not expect that!
Susan and I fed the dogs early and went to Carmi! Nice breeze, mid-80s, great company, good times!
I have to say up front that I have my prejudices on how to carry, and what type of holster to use for carrying. Kydex that covers the trigger on your semi-auto, striker-fired, no-manually operated safety, pistol is a solid safety system. You still must operate safely when drawing, and reholstering. Reholstering with a semi-auto to me means removing the holster, inserting the firearm, and then reattaching the holster; but never over the appendix for me. Drawing in a hurry, under stress, means that you might make a mistake. Mistakes can wreck you.
Now, let's listen to a surgeon explain what bullets can do to a body.
Merle keeps finding them, we keep posting them! I have never seen one of these. It is an early articulated 4 wheel drive tractor from 1920, and I wouldn't be surprised if this is a unique relic. I have never seen a picture or heard of these. Tuning the two engines to run with each other is probably a real trick. Many Thanks, Merle!
Pouring new babbit bearings is a skill that engine hobbyists may learn. It comes in handy, even if you have just one bearing to replace. This is a connecting rod bearing on a really big bearing at Youngstown Steel Heritage, being melted out in preparation for a new bearing to be poured. Huge thanks to Merle for spotting this one!
Wilbur and Olive went to their respective homes last week in Pacifica and Reno. The van hauling ten rescued Schips went from Central Point, Oregon to Wisconsin, then Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and then to drop off dogs from other customers to New York, then Florida. One dog from the hoard is left to deliver on Monday, by Galveston Bay. Littlefoot, the favorite of the staff at Dogs For Better Lives.
The last two morning have felt like fall is in the air. We had 59 degrees when we got up Friday, and we had mist on the pond. Today the high was only in the mid 80s. It will go beastly again, no doubt, and I am glad for the relief the crops are getting.
Wilbur and Olive are the final dogs to leave Dogs For Better Lives at Central Point, Oregon. Susan was hoping to have all the dogs placed and moved by the end of July and that has happened! Eight dogs are now in the Midwest, with two going in their respective homes tonight in Wisconsin. The rest are going to Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Texas. Wilbur and Olive were picked up by our transporters today, Thursday evening, and are on the road. Wilbur is going to Pacifica, California and Olive is going to Reno, Nevada. The hard part for us is done now, and phone calls will slow down. Spay and neuter reimbursements will be processed for a few more months, and then this project will be over. The good people in Oregon who volunteered made it all possible, and many generous donors made the rehabbing and transports work. Dogs For Better Lives invested countless hours with the dogs and they have come out in great shape. Photos and videos of adopted dogs in their homes are coming in now, and they are a joy.
This is a wonderful presentation by Ed Dickens, telling about his steam history, and the road to rebuilding the 4014.
Beautiful engine, Merle! Thanks for sending this one! Makes me think of Walter Mitty! Pocketa-Pocketa!
Through Illinois, from Chicago to St. Louis. This is near Pontiac.
Springfield, Illinois
Near Girard, Illinois.
Big Boy At the Arch.
July is really not the time to talk about tree planting, but we saw a disaster happening yesterday that illustrates the necessity of planting correctly. This white pine was probably a balled and burlapped tree. When you plant a potted or burlapped tree you need to get down on your knees and dig your hole to the proper depth. Bust up the soil at the bottom and adjust the hole depth so the soil on the tree is level with the surrounding soil. Remove the pot/burlap, and set the tree in the hole, and make it plumb/vertical. Then get out your pruners or a sharp knife and cut all of the circling roots. Circling roots will girdle, stunt, and ultimately kill the tree if you leave them. Fill in the hole, compact it in with your little shovel, and water down the soil. A little more fill can go in then. Use a small shovel or entrenching tool. A long handled shovel is awkward and your result will be sloppy, with air spaces around the perimeter. Small shovel, on your knees, plumb stem, pruned roots, no air space, water. Enjoy your tree the rest of your life.
Aumann Auction will be selling a museum collection soon, and you will want to watch this on the internet, if not in person. Take your big billfold with you! This is an extremely rare opportunity.
Time does get away from you. Susan and I just passed our 51st wedding anniversary, and we still are feeling young and energetic. We are also glad to be retired so we don't have to run off to work every morning. Every evening we set up the coffee maker and remark that we can hardly wait for 5 o'clock so we can have coffee. We met totally by accident at Mizzou many years ago and soon started dating. The first time she met my roommates, one of them said, "Wait until you hear the kind of music he listens to!" Turned out that she liked my kind of music. Our phone calls nearly always ended with one of these songs, way back in the 70s.
My Lady Of The Telephone
Hello Cutie
Everybody Calls Me Honey
True Blue Sam The Traveling Man
Hoo Boy! Midwest Schipperke Rescue has been working on placing dogs from the Eagle Point, Oregon hoarding situation since January 6, and the end is in sight. Ten dogs are still at Dogs For Better Lives, and Susan has been on the phone and email all day (Sunday, July 12) making final arrangements for adoptions and transport. Moving the last ones became an emergency early Sunday because of a forest fire (four square miles!) north of Central Point, and the smoke is rolling in. DFBL may have to evacuate. Studying the aerial and ground photos, the facility is not really in danger of burning, but that mountainside just north of DFBL is low trees, just the kind of fuel that burns ferociously. Our transporter is picking up two dogs early tomorrow and delivering those to California and Nevada, then going back for the rest, which will be coming east. One of them will go all the way to New Hampshire. This week will be busy with many communications to adopters and the transporter.
