Culloden

An Incident in the Rebellion of 1745
David Morier
Source

Let it be known: Now I may have some of what follows wrong. The story of that time period being very complex to say the least. I mean whole books have been written about it. I'm simply giving you some background before presenting the video I mentioned yesterday.

In human history, the family is led by the father, the tribe by its chief, the nation by its king. Whenever humans have gathered, there seems to be the necessity to have someone in charge. That person is backed by violence, more usually the threat thereof.

The strongest get to be in charge and they will always gather to them those who wish to be near the seat of power. That's how armies began.

Europe in the early 18th Century was a web of kingdoms, principalities, bishoprics, dukedoms, and the like. France was a very big deal, the English were just starting to get their act together as a nation. Spain grew weaker by the decade, Austria stumbled along with its polyglot empire, Prussia was stirring (and would become a very large problem in the century to come), and all the little lands in between just wanted to keep their heads above water and their local rulers in power.

What about Russia, you might ask. Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great sat upon the throne. Peter had dragged the Russians into the modern era and they were a power to be feared in the east, but they were still far away in most European minds.

In the Scottish Highlands, the clan system ruled. Powerful chieftains ruled the land at the king's pleasure, Robert the Bruce had set it up that way. But in 1603 the nations of Scotland and England were joined under one king, James VI of Scotland. He ascended to the throne upon the death of Elizabeth I, becoming James I.

He was succeeded by Charles I (who if you remember died under the headsman's axe as England fell to Cromwell and his ilk). Long story short, Charles II was "restored" to the throne after Cromwell's death and his kid brother, James (James II in England, James VII in Scotland) succeeded him upon Charles II's death.

Now James had been much exposed to the Catholic church while in exile in France during Cromwell's time. He was a Catholic ruling over a Protestant nation. Things came to a head when he was overthrown by a group of Protestant nobles who invited William of Orange (a Dutchman) to take the throne with his wife Mary, daughter of Charles I of England.

Now James and his second wife (Mary of Modena, both the King and Queen were now Catholic) had had a son, James Francis Edward Stuart. James had also decided to ease up on the persecution of Catholics and non-Church of England Protestants within his realm.

The specter of that son restoring Catholic power in England did not sit well with the Church of England nor a number of powerful nobles in the realm. So James was "sent off" and William brought in. When William died he was succeeded by Anne, a daughter of James II and ... ad infinitum it seems.

Dear Lord but the lines of the English monarchy are confused and intertwined.

Anyhoo, Anne was succeeded by George I, who wasn't even English but a German! Who was succeeded by George II, his son.

Now James Francis Edward Stuart was kicking his heels in Italy as Dad was no longer king. Someone had the bright idea to bring him back to Scotland and from there overthrow the British monarchy and restore Catholicism to Great Britain! (And get that German off the throne as well!)

Which led to the Rising of '45 and the defeat of the Highlanders at Culloden in 1746. As I mentioned yesterday, I grew up believing a certain set of "facts" which were really a collection of facts, myths, and family stories. Believe me, the 1745 Rising was not taught in school. (As was a lot of history being glossed over or completely ignored in school!)

All that being said, here's the video, it's over an hour long, made in the '60s, made by the BBC, but for all that, it rings true to me, given all the other things I know. (Or at least think I know.) It also has the benefit, in my mind, of being very good and entertaining, though as always YMMV.

All that being said, I still say ...

Scotland Forever!

It's in the blood dontcha know?

January, Just a Giant Monday?

Mid-January, Little Rhody
- and yes, that was taken Monday morning, this week -
OAFS Photo

A friend of mine over at the Book of Faces posted a January = Giant Monday meme over the weekend. My first reaction, which I left in the comments was, "Not if you're retired." Which is true, to a certain extent.

Then it started snowing.

Now I've been through much larger snowstorms, what we had Sunday would be scoffed at in Buffalo. (A place I drove through in December of '75. There was probably a foot of fresh powder on the ground. When we stopped for fuel, the attendant admitted to having received "a dusting" in the night.) But Sunday's snow fall was heavy and wet. Nasty to be out in, nastier still to have to shovel. (I thank the Lord for my next door neighbors every day, they cleared the driveway for us and cut a path for the oilman.)

Anyhoo.

Another friend pointed out that for her, January is very much a giant Monday. She is also retired. Looking outside, I realized, it's the weather that makes January such a bloody Monday.

January in the northern tier is cold, snowy, unforgiving, and generally unpleasant as to its weather. So yes, I informed her, I now understood what she meant. Thanks, Helen!

Source

In my post regarding the games I had received at Christmas, one of which covered the Battle of Blenheim, comrade-in-blogging Toirdhealbheach Beucail (THB as I call him) mentioned the book depicted above. Which I, on something of a whim, decided then and there to order from Amazon.

Having had a number of books recommended to me by a number of readers concerning subjects which lie within my "sphere of interest," so to speak, and having yet to be disappointed, my decision wasn't that hard. (I should also note that the author is brother to the late Princess Diana, a lady I much admired.)

Well, long story short, I started reading it Monday, I'm through the first chapter and am captured, enthralled if you will. The book is superbly written, history told, as it should be, as a fascinating story populated by real people.

Well done, THB! Thank you for the tip.

Now THB's blog is called The Forty-Five, and by his moniker and the graphic depicting the blogger, is Scots-centric, after a fashion. The lad is also an incipient samurai. So there's two things I like, the Scots-ness of him and his love of things Japanese, something I share.

(Uh, Sarge, where you going with this?)

Ah yes, the '45, not the blog but the uprising which took place in 1745 in Scotland. An uprising which wanted to put the Catholic "Bonnie Prince Charlie" on the combined throne of England and Scotland.

Now as a lad I grew up being all in favor of the Prince. Being "all growed up" now, I realize that the '45 was sold to me as a glorious and wondrous thing when it reality it wasn't.

Now I recalled having seen a documentary done by the BBC back in the '60s about Culloden, the battle which really ended the '45. So I went looking for it, and found it.

Now it's longish (over an hour) but very well done. I liken it to being on the field with a reputable news crew (i.e. not any modern network) covering the fight as it happens. And it's aftermath.

I'm thinking of posting it tomorrow, what say you?

We shall see.

That's it for now, enjoy the week. I need to rest up from an overdose of football over the weekend!

Ciao!

It must be another Monday!

Good morning, Campers.  Hope you northerners are staying warm.  Given that the low Sunday morning down here was below freezing (26 degrees, but at least the wind is blowing), it must be cooler in the Great White North.  There is a bit of something I believe is called "Rain" in this week's forecast. Hope it's not Freezing Rain, NOBODY knows how to drive in that!

We shall see what will be!

I did get some good news this past week.  Rather than spit it out, I'll see if y'all can figure it out.

Yep, the Brain and Spine Neurologist gave me the go ahead to wean myself off the neck brace over the next 3 weeks.  Need to wear it to bed and if I am going to be physically active.  But...it is progress.

No, Beans, he was unable to find my brain during the exam.

Feels wonderful to take the brace off. I was getting a bit "cranky" so Mrs J is now happier also.

This past week we also had our first episode of "Why did you move to College Station?".

 

Mrs J and I had our first time alone with the Grand Kids.  MBD and "The Rev" had "Saving the World" requirements at work.  So, they asked.  We said Yes!  It was pretty fun, although we were glad when the 'Rents got home.

Yes, Beans, we slept well that night!

As regular readers know, we own two mare paint horses.  Just to refresh y'all, their names are "Cabernet" and "Merlot".  While Mrs J and I do love wine, their names were given them before we adopted them.  They moved to CStat a couple of weeks before us.  Our rental house is a bit small for them, so they are being boarded at a place called "Stall and Oats" 

No, Beans, I'm not kidding!

They seem to be doing ok.  The stabling agreement includes a requirement that we have to muck the stalls at least 3 days a week.  

Don't ask, Beans!

 

 That's them on the right side of the fence.  Merlot is on the left, Cabernet on the right. They seem to be somewhat enamored by the MALE Paint horse on the other side of the fence.  They didn't want to have anything to do with us while they were flirting, so mucking was a bit easier than usual.

Thank you, Lord!

We also had a bit of progress this week on the house we're  going to build.  We set up a meeting and met on the property with the Builder and his Wife.  She happens to be a Realtor, so she also had a lot of good suggestions.  

This is the back of the house which will be demolished.  That's how close the "jungle" is. The trees that are to the right of the house will be cut down. 

 The builder walked the perimeter of the property which is no easy task.  The intent was to check the integrity of the fence.  The fence will require repair/replacement.  Given my neck condition, I elected to not go with him, too easy to slip and fall.  A fall might not be a good thing medically and getting out of the brush might not be feasible either. Additionally, we found lots (lots and lots) of underbrush that will need to be taken out.  There were a few Live Oak trees that weren't in too good shape and were a bit closer to the house than we'd like, so they'll be taken down also.  But the majority of the Live Oaks will stay.  Shade in Texas is a sought after blessing. 

 Yes, Beans, another advantage of taking down some of the trees is....Firewood.

On the good news side, he said that adding a couple of acres of fenced in area was feasible and should be enough for horse grazing.  Additionally, a fenced in yard for the dogs and a "front yard" for the Grandkids to play in also were feasible. 

The driveway is gravel and might need a bit of work, but all in all, completely doable.  Additionally, the electrical hook up (whatever it's called) is in a very convenient location for all five buildings that will be built.  

Beans, those would be our house, my Brother's cabin, the horse barn, my workshop and Mrs J's "She Shed", (her sewing cabin) 

So, it's off to the bank this week for a construction loan.  We've already got verbal approval for that so, hopefully, no problema.

All told, a pretty darn good week!  Hope yours was also and continues to be in this week.

Peace out, y'all! 

  

Interesting New Time "Waster"

Screen capture from the video

I recently stumbled across a new channel on YouTube, Sector White. Their focus seems to be on Finnish participation in World War II and, I hope, Finland's own war with the Soviet Union. The video I've posted below isn't bad. Much better than a lot of the crappy AI I've seen elsewhere lately.

I guess if you really work at it, you can make some pretty amazing stuff with AI.

Either that or this channel has somehow managed to time travel back to Finland during WWII!

Enjoy!

Yes, I am still being lazy ...

Hey, I'm retired, and loving it!

Why Not Just Make a Copy?

MG-42 machine gun
Batey ha-Osef museum, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Source

It's a topic which might only interest me although no doubt others (perhaps even some of you readers out there) have thought of this as well. That topic is, as the photo might suggest, the MG 42 machine gun used by the German military in WWII. It was so effective, and freaked out our guys a lot, so why didn't we copy it?

As I found a good video of the whys and wherefores of why the United States didn't simply copy the MG 42, and as I have been extraordinarily lazy as of late, I decided to post the following video as to why we didn't copy it.

Before getting into all that, I have to say that the MG 42 was a very effective weapon. It formed the basis of the German infantry squad, three men operated and supported the weapon, a noncommissioned officer decided what to do with it, and the other six men in the squad protected it. (More complex than that but you get my drift, the gun was the heart of the German squad.)

Allied soldiers related how a German squad, even after taking a number of casualties, remained highly effective because of the MG 42. Lose the gun, and the squad loses most of its firepower.

The video covers most of the above and much more, including why we didn't just copy it. My sense of the matter is two-fold: the "not invented here" syndrome and bean counters. Why bean counters you might ask?

The beast could fire around 1200 rounds per minute, so it could go through a lot of ammo really quickly. And bullets, dontcha know, cost money.

The Spencer rifle in the Civil War met much the same opposition from the government. As it could fire around 14 to 20 rounds a minute, the Ordnance Department was worried that the soldiers would waste a lot of ammunition. (Source)

Anyhoo, I have had one experience with the MG 42 back during my reenacting days. I was detailed to hump ammunition for our squad's MG 42. As it was blank ammo, it wasn't quite as heavy as the real thing. But two cans of belted blanks and my rifle made for a rather unwieldy load. But I managed.

We got into position, loaded up, then waited in ambush for our victims.

When they emerged into the forest clearing, my gunner squeezed the trigger.

"Bang!"

A single round fired, the belt would not feed.

Huh?

Okay, when firing blank ammunition out of a semi-automatic¹ or automatic² weapon, you need what's called a blank adapter. As no bullet issues from the barrel there is less force to drive back the bolt of the weapon. Extracting the just fired round and loading the next. So the blank adapter "seals" the barrel of the weapon, causing enough pressure to blow the bolt back. (There is a mechanism to allow some of the gas to escape. This article has a fairly good explanation, and pictures, of what I'm on about.)

My gunner had forgotten to attach his blank adapter. So to fire the weapon he'd have to cock the bolt and pull the trigger each time. We were overrun rather quickly before we got off a second round.

Anyhoo, let's watch the video, shall we?

We made a copy during the war, which sucked, but eventually did kinda sorta copy the MG 42 after the war. The M60 of Vietnam fame was the result of that.

Cool, huh? (YMMV)

See you next time, ciao!

¹ Semi-automatic = Cock the weapon and pull the trigger, the weapon will reload itself after each round but you have to keep pulling the trigger, once per round.

² Automatic = Cock the weapon and pull the trigger and the weapon will continue to fire until you're out of ammunition. (Or the weapon jams. 😒)

Let the Games Begin!

OAFS Photo

Just before Christmas, The Nuke called and asked me, "So Dad, what do you want for Christmas?"

Now that is always a good question, what do you get for the man who has everything? And I really do, I have everything I need and most of what I want. The kids used to get me an Amazon gift card but they felt that that was too impersonal, and there's always the fear that I'll buy something like socks, or underwear. (Guilty as charged, hey, there's a certain joy in getting new socks and underwear as an adult.)

Well, I had to think about what I "wanted." Though The Nuke does work in DC, world peace isn't something she can do on her own. (Yes, I ask for that every year, knowing full well that our species glories far too much in violence to make that a reality.)

Now I have lists on Amazon, not necessarily lists of of what I want but lists of things I ran across and thought, "Hey, that's cool."

A lot of what I think is cool are boardgames with military history as a theme. (So Sarge, what about that whole "world peace" thing, ya damned warmonger you. Well, cardboard/plastic counters don't bleed. And this is history, that stuff has already happened and ... Damn, I don't know, certainly seems to be a conundrum, doesn't it?)

Anyhoo, I told The Nuke of these lists and she said, "Oh, I could get you something off your list, just make it public."

So I did.

Next thing you know, Christmas morning, The Nuke, LUSH, and The Missus Herself have gifted me with damned near everything on my primary list. An embarrassment of riches dontcha know?

OAFS Photo

So now I have all these new games to learn. And opponents, I suppose I need opponents, being somewhat weird, I do play solitaire in these games, a lot. I guess when I was marked down in grade school for "plays well with others," those teachers saw something.

I do play occasionally against The Missus Herself, but she's a vicious opponent, beating me nearly every time. So I think I'll just drag the simpler games along when we go to Maryland. They dig boardgames down there.

As do I.

So ...

I gotta go, someone has to read all those rules!

Ciao!

Please Standby ...

OAFS Photo

I have a story idea banging around inside my head, it wants to come out, but it ain't ready yet. I know better than to try and force it, it's in there and may, or may not, present itself soon. We shall see.

I feel like I'm hibernating, simply putting myself "on hold" until the next scheduled event comes to pass. It's not like I'm sitting, staring at the wall, or just eating and sleeping. Nope, I read, I watch movies and certain television shows, all streaming, I don't do the dish thing anymore. I listen to music, lots of music, and bang on the drum kit from time to time. I really need to get my six-string repaired and dust off my bass guitar as well. Music is in me, I'm not good at it, but I like the attempt.

Oh and games, I play games on the computer and I have a bunch of new board games I need to break out. I'll write about those later. When I get there.

Still I'm waiting, circling the field, and, well, just waiting.

Next big event is Finnegan's third birthday near the end of the month. I'm looking forward to going to Maryland again but this will be a shorter stay. With the kids in school and Tuttle and The Nuke both working there's not much to do during the day, so it wouldn't be much different to being home. Other than getting to see everybody in the evening.

We'll see, it's a long drive but I do enjoy it. Especially as I don't go through Moscow on the Hudson anymore. The drive up over the Tappan Zee adds twenty miles to the trip but the scenery in that area is lovely and it's not like I'm in an all-fired hurry to get places these days.

With all the travel lately I had an email from our pastor wondering if anything was wrong as they don't see us as much as they used to. I pointed out that now that I'm retired I can pull pitch and travel whenever I feel like it, so I do.

Freedom is awesome.

Rumor has it that there is the possibility of snow this coming weekend. Temperatures right now are in the mid to upper 40s so it needs to get colder. Other than a few parking lots, all vestiges of our last snow have vanished. I don't mind the snow as long as it isn't excessive, which here on the coast is seldom, and the larder is well-stocked.

Always amusing to go to the store just before a predicted snowstorm and seeing people buying enough supplies for a month. What's their plan if the power goes out? I'm not sure that five gallons of milk and twelve loaves of bread will keep for that long. I guess you could put the stuff in the yard, in the snow, and hope it doesn't freeze.

I once thought that anything with alcohol wouldn't freeze if left outside in the winter. Did you know that beer will definitely freeze? Don't ask me how I know.

Anyhoo, that's it for now.

Don't mean to be boring but hey, sometimes I am. (Some of you who know me well are probably rolling their eyes right now and saying "Sometimes?" Heh.)

Tschüss!

Fine Dining

Source

As I mentioned, Monday was the anniversary of The Missus Herself and Your Humble Scribe getting hitched forty eight years ago in the city of Seoul, Republic of Korea. She said I looked like a country lad visiting the big city for the first time.

Well, she wasn't too far wrong.

Not that I'm a city slicker these days but I'm used to cities now. (Still don't like driving in them, the terror is gone but the distaste remains.)

Now Newport is the fancy tourist town in Little Rhody. It's very nice and in the summer it's very crowded. Which is why we only go there, usually, in the winter. Fewer tourists, less traffic, but it's still a 17th Century town (founded in 1639) with streets better fitted to horse drawn conveyances than motor vehicles. So it's not a drive I look forward to.

But The Nuke recommended a dining establishment on the Newport waterfront, The Mooring, which I was most impressed by. Food was really good, service was outstanding, the ambiance was top notch, and the view from our table was very nice. Right on the water, I could see the lights reflecting off the waves of Newport Harbor.

Well, it was night but I've seen photos of it during the day and it's pretty, very pretty. This time of year there are far fewer boats in the harbor. As it's not long after Christmas, a nearby pier was still festooned with Christmas lights and that's something I always enjoy.

I had made reservations ahead of time and they asked if there was any special occasion we were celebrating. I told them it was our anniversary.

When we got to our table there was a "Happy Anniversary" card, signed by the duty staff, waiting for us. A really nice touch.

As I said, the food was great. When offered a dessert menu we declined as we were quite full by that point, our server said we should try their apple turnover as they were freshly made.

"But, we're just stuffed ..."

"It's free, because it's your anniversary."

"Free?"

"Yes, I'll box it up for you and you can take it home."

Nice, very nice.

The turnover didn't survive to become breakfast. I guess the thirty minute drive in the cold night air had given The Missus Herself an appetite. Especially when we opened the box and that turnover was still warm! (And big enough to easily serve two people.)

Thing was more pie than turnover and was absolutely delicious.

Now I'm not becoming a foodie, though I confess, I do like to eat, but Monday night was special enough to write about.

We had a good time in each other's company. I daresay, after forty eight years we should!

I'll think of something else to write about tomorrow, but for now ...

Ciao!

Forty Eight

OAFS Photo

The title being the number of years The Missus Herself and Your Humble Scribe have been hitched as of Monday, 12 January.

The opening photo is where we went to lunch after church on Sunday. Looks out over the ferry landing from my town to the nearest island. Aidan's Pub has long been a favorite of ours. We used to go a lot more regularly but a change of ownership scared us away for a few years.

Some locals were saying the new owners had "ruined the place" and, out of character for me, I listened. Until a friend of mine told me that the place was as good as ever. Sure, the menu had changed ...

"Uh, the menu has changed?"

"Yes, but some of the old favorites are still there ..."

"Meatloaf Mountain, Bangers and Mash, Fish and Chips?"

"Yes, yes, and yes."

So we went back and sure enough, the food was as good as ever, as was the atmosphere, and the service.

My only gripe is that their parking lot is tiny, a problem many New England establishments share, and my vehicle is large. But I'll get over it. (Especially as I have no worries of my car "disappearing" from there. Sigh ...)

For those who need to know, I had the Meatloaf Mountain. A big chunk of delicious meatloaf (wrapped in bacon), with mash, atop garlic bread, with Aidan's signature brown gravy. Delicioso!

I've written of Aidan's before, probably will again.

But for now, I'm off to enjoy the anniversary of marrying the most beautiful woman on the planet. And still being married to her!

Amazing what she'll put up with!

Ciao!

The wheels grind slow but exceedingly fine

 Man! Time sure flies when you're busy! I had intended to go out to the property and take some pictures of the trees from ground level.  This plan was based on the mid-week post I had about Trees based on Sarge's post about them.  

Unfortunately, I am still prohibited from driving because of the loss of conciousness which caused my accident and put me in a neck brace for the past 2 1/2 months.  

Yes, Beans, Thursday I'll see the Doctor that put me in the brace.  We'll see if I'm "Free at Last!" or not.  Please Lord the first option, pretty please.  

Unfortunately, because I blacked out I am prohibited from driving until the end of April.   Mrs. J has been very patient in driving me to places.  But, she's got something called a job, that takes up her time and driving me takes some prior planning and flexibility on our respective parts.  

No, Beans, I can't just go to Lowes on a whim.  Coordination with the "Driver" is required. 

I think I've mentioned that her latest "job" is as a travel agent.  We've been on a lot of cruises in our 44 years of marriage.  Found them to be relaxing, fun, visited many places we wouldn't normally have seen and several other reasons we like cruising.  

But, she found herself setting up the cruises herself and not through a travel agency after a couple of screw ups on the agency's part.

So, she decided to start her own travel agency employing herself.  My role is to schlep bags when we go on the trip.  It's been a lot of fun.

In the past month or so, she's been working on a  AMAWaterways river cruise through Provence, starting at Lyon and ending at Arles on the Rhone River starting April 6th.  The Boat (I have a hard time calling it a ship) only holds 155 passengers which is a plus in my mind. Service is good, It's not crowded, there isn't a disco pounding rock and roll at several thousand decibels at well past midnight either.  

The Rhone River at Avignon

 

All Good things, but she's been very busy.

Which brings me back to the "I can't drive" situation. She's busy getting her customers all ready to go, with reservations, tours they want, meal packages and a myriad of other things to take care of.

So chauferring me around isn't at the top of her priority list.

But...This week the construction foreman and Mrs J and I will get together and walk the property.  The primary reason is determining what is being built where and what is being taken down and a plethora of other decisions to be made.  

Realtor.com

 

As I discussed last Friday, the property is 4.2 acres.  There's one small cleared patch where the house to be demolished is located. (It’s a run down 1950s/60s model that's basically falling down on its own.). The rest of the property is heavily forested.  We need to clear a small clearing for my Brother's cottage. We're thinking it'll be on the right side of the small bend in the road just after you enter the property (there's a restriction of no closer to a border than 25') so that should work. Another area needs to be cleared for the Barn and grazing area for the horses.  That will be on the far side of the old house in the picture. Also an area for the dogs to run around in needs to be evaluated.  I think this one won't be much of a problem since they don't need a whole lot of space.  Fencing is also needed. The entire perimeter needs a good fence, The horse pen needs an additional layer, or maybe just a couple more sides using the perimeter to complete the pasture. The dog pen will use our house as one of the sides and a mesh fence small enough to keep our miniature dachsund from getting out.  

A gate is in the plan for access to the property.  On some of our readers suggestions, we'll put in some sensors at the gates and  receivers in the homes. 

So...A lot of things going down 

Comments and suggestions will be deeply appreciated.

Thanks

Peace out y'all!

P.S.  I meant to comment on Sarge's post on Tanks a couple of days ago, but got wrapped up.  The first live missile I fired was an AGM-65 Maverick.  The target was, you guessed it, a Tank.  Missile hit right between the chassis and the turret.  Blew the turret right off.  Yeah, I had to buy drinks at the bar that night.  Worth every cent!

Dude, Where's My Car?¹

Source

Not much to report, I'm tired as I had a dream Friday night where someone had parked a tank on top of me. Woke up sweating like the veritable pig to discover there was no tank atop me, but the temperature had stayed warm overnight and I was in a state of "too much blanket."

Ain't no thang, but having to get up early, that sweaty tank dream rather broke up my sleep momentum.

Sigh ...

Breakfast with my friends was, as it always is, awesome. It ain't so much the food but the company. I love those guys.

But the venue was classic little town New England, that is, the parking lot doesn't hold enough cars to support the clientele for the breakfast place and a mini-gym and a nutrition place in the same little building. I count fifteen spaces (two of which are handicapped).

Now there is parking across the street at a salon (top left in the lead-in photo, depicted below) ...

Source

The red circles show the NO PARKING WE WILL TOW YOU and the ubiquitous Handicapped Parking sign.

Now there were a LOT of people around Saturday morning, in the restaurant, in the little gym, and I'm pretty sure that nutrition place was also open.

So Your Humble Scribe spent a few moments looking for a spot to park Blue.

My buddy Tom, who has eaten at this place before and is watching me look for parking, says "Go ahead and park at the salon, it's not open."

I first slid in around a car to discover the Handicapped Parking sign. So I backed out and parked over to the left, convinced that I was gonna get towed. Kinda reminded me of this story.

Long story short, breakfast was awesome but was too short. When we left I looked over and did not see my car.

I repeat, I did not see my car.

Damn, somebody stole my effing car.

That's when Liz nudges me and says, "You parked over there, dumbass, to the left."

And sure enough, I did, just didn't see the car.

And got to look like a knucklehead at the same time.

Mr. Overreact, that's me.

But all in all, an excellent day.

Now I just need to keep better track of my stuff ...

That might help.

¹ With apologies to the movie of the same name.

I'm a Tank Kind of Guy

OAFS Photo

Even though I was in the Air Force ...

I really am an aficionado of the armored fighting vehicle or main battle tank.

Sure I like halftracks, armored self-propelled guns, and armored reconnaissance vehicles but if it's got tracks, a big gun meant to kill other tanks, and the turret to carry that gun, then it's a tank, and I like it, like it, yes, I do.¹

I reported on that movie Der Tiger the other day and Joe in Northern California reminded me of another tank movie. This one ...

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It sounded familiar and when I started watching it, I realized that I had seen it before. As it is really a tank movie (not an M. Night Shyamalan tank movie, if you get my drift), I watched it again.

It's a very Russian film, of which the fellows in the old USSR have made a number of pretty good WWII films, and so has lots of very Russian stuff. If you know, you know. But overall, notwithstanding a number of technical errors, it's a very entertaining film. I give it 4.7 stars. It's available, as Joe said, on YouTube, search for "tankers Russian film."

The actual name of the movie is Invincible, I just don't understand this American need to rename foreign movies. I find it almost as annoying as dubbing films in a different language. Yes, I watched Invincible in Russian, with sub-titles.

Another good tank movie is The Beast ...

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This one is outstanding, it follows a single Soviet tank crew lost in Afghanistan. It's not a Soviet film so there are no sub-titles to deal with. It's also available on YouTube, search for "the beast movie 1988." (I offer search phrases, as opposed to links, as there are multiple instances of the two films, choose the one you like best.)

Oh yes, Tiger tanks, they came in two flavors, the Tiger I (as seen in Fury which used the last running actual Tiger I) and the Tiger II, or King Tiger, as you can see below. (Excuse the photo, it's a picture of a picture.)

OAFS Photo

That photo was taken in La Gleize, Belgium, sometime in the early '90s, back when we were all so young. You can see just how big this beast is! (I wrote a post about it a while back.) In comparison, here's Your Humble Scribe standing next to a Panther tank ...

OAFS Photo

She's a big beast but not as big as the King Tiger.

Speaking of which, here's the story of how that King Tiger wound up in the town of La Gleize back in 1944.

Mark Felton's videos on YouTube are outstanding, I give him 5 stars, you should be watching him, you might learn something, I do, every time.

Ciao!

¹ Apologies to Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones, I stole that from their fine tune, It's Only Rock and Roll.

Trees

Surprise!  No, it's not Monday, but Sarge's post from yesterday triggered the idea for this post. So, I gave him a break.

Evidently Sarge thinks this is a lot of trees.

OAFS Photo

Well, as the saying goes, everything is bigger in Texas! 

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 We have (to quote Laugh-In) "Signed Ze Papers" as well as, "Ze Cheque" and this property is now ours. 

Construction Loan paperwork has been signed, and we've talked with the builder to discuss what we're looking for him to build.  

This is what we discussed.  

Akashi Designs

Mrs J and I discussed with him what we wanted to change about that house plan.  He had several additional considerations we hadn't thought about, but worked through with him and gave him the go ahead.

Demolition of the old run down house is the first step.  A septic system is the next one. Then it's construction time.  

Beans, yes there's electric connectivity.  The property is close enough that the County provides it.  

We also discussed living quarters for the Horses along with a fenced Paddock.  In addition, another fenced in area for the Dogs and a cottage for my Brother.  

So...a lot of balls in the air, causing no reliable estimate of the completion time.  C'est la Vie!

Oh yeah!  One more consideration, he's got equipment to take down trees, so that will also be an early phase of the project.

No, Beans, not all the trees, just some close to the house, so we've got a bit more space.

Lots of hurdles still to jump and modifications to the plan will, no doubt, be needed and will cause delays.

But...

We've started the process. Finger's Crossed.