ATF: Greek Fire

So I was showing Welldigger the catapult... and he was duly impressed... when it occured to me... Its gonna get dark soon... and we could recreate greek fire! Woot!

So if you look at the picture to the left you'll see the basic ingredients we started with. We planned to take cotton balls... soak them in... well... various things... light them... and launch them... in the general direction of the house across the street.

What did we learn?

Lamp oil seemed like the best bet before we got started but it proved entertaining... but unpredictable. More often than not the fire would be extinquished during the launch.

Lighter fluid worked far better... but eventually we ditched the cottonballs completely in favor of balled up aluminum foil with smokeless powder inside. IMR 3031 for anyone who's keeping score. Again.. this was entertaining.. but ultimately it didn't get the job done.

Finally we moved on to a wood cylinder with a hole drilled into it. We'd dowse the whole thing in lighter fluid... filling the hole as well.. then construct a small fuse from aluminum foil. The results were quite satisfying. we achieved excellent distance... and the fire spread itself about upon impact in a most enjoyable fashion.

Well... how did you spend your Friday night?

A: Shiner Bock

T: Backwoods

F: Taurus PT-101

Yes... We Built a Catapult


What else would you expect?

I mean if you can't spend a few hours constructing small scale siege craft... I just don't see the point of livin' at all.

We need to shim it up at the top to get a little more distance... but we did pretty well considering we were forced to contend with polyester string and built the thing with no plan in mind what-so-ever. I'm sure that's a big suprise to.

Regardless... no one was injured. No... seriously.

Evening

Beauty.

Nate's World Famous Hot Beef Sandwiches

1 Chuck Roast. Big.

1 Red Onion.

1 Garlic Clove. Minced.

1/4 Cup white rice vinegar. Or plain ol' distilled.

Salt and Pepper.


Chuck the chuck roast into the crock pot... low heat. Mix everything else together... maybe through a shot o' bourbon in there to if ya have the urge... and pour the mix over the roast. Put the lid on it and leave it set for 10 to 12 hours.

Do NOT disregard the stuff in the pot when this bad boy is done. Make like a frog and use it for dippin' your sandwiches in.

Y'all... its good.

No Way This Ends Well






So my wife asks me and JQP to build her a pergola...


And dammit... I've told him about proppin' boards up on his feet like that... Cause ya know we rednecks are all about safety!

Its a Beautiful Day

The sun shines brighter... food tastes better.... whiskey goes down a little bit smoother... and hope peers over the horizon.

The Internets Awesome

Nothing amuses like the random firestorm on the internets. For the bored among you... looking to kill a few hours and shed a few tears laughing... may I humbly suggest you take some time to examine the reviews of this product... the legendary Three Wolf Moon t-shirt.

And Then He Returned



We appreciate your patience. As you can see JAC and I have finally made it home. To make for my lack of attention... please accept these trophies.

Distiller Down

Jimmy Bedford was only the 6th Master Distiller for Jack Daniels... that's dating back to 1866. He retired last year... and today was found dead. Jimmy held down the job for 40 years... and was a true ambassador for fine whiskey.

Raise a glass tonight for a fine man lost.

Go Time. Or... Not.

We're ready to roll. Well... actually we're not. The plan was for JAC to show up at my place this evening / afternoon and we'd change my tires and roll out for parts unknown. Sadly... my brother allowed mere life to interfere with his progress... and the new KLX remains unfit.

JAC swears he'll arrive bright and early tomarrow...

In the meantime...
















I'm ready to go.

On the logistics front... Some fine commenters have offered up The Bunker for our use as a staging point for the trip. We are indeed greatful for their offer. So at least progress has been made on that front.

So there you have it... Go Time posponed... Direct complaints to JAC... aka The Anchor.

TAT Prep Update

Ok boys where are we? We roll out friday... we've got to make sure we're ready to roll. Time's a wastin'.

- Spot showed up a couple days ago in a box that said, "Opening this box is the first step to making sure you don't come home in one." Not an accurate statement. But entertaining.

- Sat phone is proving a pain in my ass. Forms must be emailed..printed..filled out...and faxed. Its like I've stumbled into 1998 or something. WTF? Have we not yet discovered web based applications?

- Luggage issues are up in the air. I ordered a couple bags 10 days ago... they have yet to arrive. They sat in UPS' warehouse in Portland for 5 days. Didn't move an inch. Good thing I made sure I ordered from a vendor that offers same day shipping.

- Unfortunately the same shipment has the new 2.7 gallon gas tank. Now 2.7 gallons doesn't sound like a lot of gas.. but the KLX gets 70mpg on a rough day. Its a big deal. Sadly it looks like it won't arrive till Thursday... leaving very little time to get it installed.

- Also arriving Thursday... our new radiator guards. These things are cool... and they'll save your butt no doubt. No one wants a 2 day hike because of a busted radiator. They only had one gold one... JAC has already called dibs on it. You know how he loves his bling.

- DJ showed up lastnight and dropped off some saddlebags she's letting me borrow. What a sweetheart that girl is. Best sister-in-law around. Now if I could just convince her to run around my house half naked...

-Logisticly speaking we have issues. We need to trailer the bikes somewhere... ditch the truck and trailer for 6 or 7 days... and ride back to them... then trailer the bikes home. Trouble is we have no place as of yet to leave the truck and trailer. Plus... our end point, monticello, UT is about 1200 miles from our preferred start point. Ouch. We're thinking a storage facility might let us park in the gate on the cheap if a hotel won't. Suggestions are welcome. And no... shipping the bikes home ain't an option.

- I had a 12x20 shed delivered and had to rip up a section of chainlink to get her in the backyard... and I had to get the chainlink back up before we roll out... so yesterday afternoon was spent workin'. The fence is up.. but I was sick as a dog all day yesterday. Ended up pukin' in the hole I was concreteing the corner post in. I've got it on good authority though that it will help the concrete set.

- The Steyr .40 and the Tracker .357 are definately coming on the trip. JAC will likely bring a 1911. I am still considering the SU-16. The decision will be made on the initial packing attempt.

- Gear is tricky. It'll be 103 degrees and dry in OK... but in Colorado it'll be in the 30s in passes and thunderstorms are a given. Combine this with the fact that you just can't put that much stuff on a KLX 250 and you see our problem. I believe I will simply use my standard dual sport gear with a rain jacket packed somewhere.

- Hydropacks will be a must. This isn't debatable.

So You Hate Feminism


Good. So do I. But who do you blame for it? Do you blame the feminists with their stupid ideas and destructive visions?

I blame men. Yep. I'm a man basher.

Why do I blame men? Because God didn't put Eve in charge. He gave Adam the responsibility. And just as Adam's failures caused Eve to stray... so have the failures of western men caused women to stray.

The results are the same. Things fall apart.

Men complain about society being feminized? Well why is that happening? Its happening because we men are throwing up our hands and giving in. We're allowing it to happen. We point out all manner of excuses... but in the end it all comes down to our own refusal to work and fight.

So the church has become a gossip club for the girls? I agree. It has. And who's fault is that? Ours. And who is going to be charged with fixing it? We are.

This is my advice...

Stop bitching. Start leading.

Lead your family. It starts there. Bringing in a paycheck doesn't make you a leader. Its about making the tough decisions and accepting responsibility for the mistakes. Everything is your fault. Everything is your responsibility.

Why?

Because you're the man. You're the leader. You can take it.

Say yes when you can. Say no when you must. Always be accountible. Always takes responsibility for your actions, and the mistakes of others as well.

So who is the more foolish? The feminist that demands to drive... or the man that hands her the keys?

Western men have checked out. Its time to check back in.

Are all the Children In

When I'm alone I often think
of an old house on the hill.
Of a big yard hedged in roses
where we ran and played at will.

And when the night time brought us home
hushing our merry den.
Mother would look around and ask
Are all the children in?

Well its been many a year now
and the old house on the hill
No longer has my mothers care
and the yard is still
so still

But if I listen I can hear it all
No matter how long its been
I seem to hear my mother ask
Are all the children in?

And I wonder when the curtain falls
on that last earthly day
when we say good bye to all of this
to our pain, and work, and play

When we step across the river
where mother so long has been.
Will we hear her ask the final time
Are all the children in?