BIG Holiday Thread

[C-Mag]

That Golden Triangle area where Big Buds were made and used probably produces over 50 million bushels a year.

Well, we all know that a big golden triangle requires a big truck to gather all the wheat.

Trains man, lots and lots of trains.

[DrYouth]

Trains man, lots and lots of trains.

[Smitty-48]

my wife is learning to golf, so it's a golfing long weekend extravaganza

she already went to the driving range

my buddy is hosting a golf simulator event at the pro shop this weekend

we are going golfing with her brother & our nephews

and she is working on her swing in the yard with the whiffle balls

we've already trained the puppy to fetch the balls and bring them back to the tee

[C-Mag]

my wife is learning to golf, so it's a golfing long weekend extravaganza

she already went to the driving range

my buddy is hosting a golf simulator event at the pro shop this weekend

we are going golfing with her brother & our nephews

and she is working on her swing in the yard with the whiffle balls

we've already trained the puppy to fetch the balls and bring them back to the tee

That's pretty cool.

Love the song, never heard that one.

We are going on a river boat tour, then big rib bbq, I have about 20-25 pounds of ribs.

Then into the mountains Sunday, maybe some shooting.

[Smitty-48]

my wife is learning to golf, so it's a golfing long weekend extravaganza

she already went to the driving range

my buddy is hosting a golf simulator event at the pro shop this weekend

we are going golfing with her brother & our nephews

and she is working on her swing in the yard with the whiffle balls

we've already trained the puppy to fetch the balls and bring them back to the tee

That's pretty cool.

Love the song, never heard that one.

We are going on a river boat tour, then big rib bbq, I have about 20-25 pounds of ribs.

Then into the mountains Sunday, maybe some shooting.

my wife is catching up to me fast, she's getting professional lessons

I'm having to work on my golf game just to keep up with her

she's sporty, and she hates to lose, so this is already getting competitive up in here

[Hastur]

[SuburbanFarmer]

35DC0508-C4D9-4248-93B8-BA327D67A376.jpeg

[DrYouth]

It's a sad day.

The loss of innocence of those days before.
The wound at the heart of America and of the global west.
The wasted blood and treasure ever since.
The end of the time before the Woke awoke and became so shrill and annoying.

That was the golden age.

Before the world went to hell in a hand basket.

I think I'm getting old.

[Haumana]

This read choked me up a bit today.

Todd: Hello… Operator…listen to me…I can’t speak very loud. – This is an emergency. I’m a passenger on a United flight to San Francisco.. We have a situation here….Our plane has been hijacked…..can you understand me?
Lisa: (exhaling a deep breath to herself) I understand… Can the hijackers see you talking on the phone?
Todd: No
Lisa: Can you tell me how many hijackers are on the plane?
Todd: There are three that we know of.
Lisa: Can you see any weapons? What kind of weapons do they have?
Todd: Yes…. they don’t have guns….they have knives – they took over the plane with knives.
Lisa: Do you mean…like steak knives?
Todd: No, these are razor knives…like box cutters.
Lisa: Can you tell what country these people are from?
Todd: No…..I don’t know. They sound like they’re from the mid-east.
Lisa: Have they said what they want?
Todd: Someone announced from the cockpit that there was a bomb on board. He said he was the captain and to stay in our seats and stay quiet.
He said that they were meeting these men’s demands and returning to the airport… It was very broken English, and… I’m telling you…it sounded fake!
Lisa: Ok sir, please give me your name.
Todd: My name is Todd Beamer.
Lisa: Ok Todd….my name is Lisa…Do you know your flight number? If you can’t remember, it’s on your ticket.
Todd: It’s United Flight 93.
Lisa: Now Todd, can you try to tell me exactly what happened?
Todd: Two of the hijackers were sitting in first class near the cockpit. A third one was sitting near the back of the coach section. The two up. front got into the cockpit somehow; there was shouting. The third hijacker said he had a bomb. It looks like a bomb. He’s got it tied to his waist with a red belt of some kind.
Lisa: So is the door to the cockpit open?
Todd: No, the hijackers shut it behind them.
Lisa: Has anyone been injured?
Todd: Yes, ..they…they killed one passenger sitting in first class. There’s been lots of shouting. We don’t know if the pilots are dead or alive. A flight attendant told me that the pilot and copilot had been forced from the cockpit and may have been wounded.
Lisa: Where is the 3rd hijacker now Todd?
Todd: He’s near the back of the plane. They forced most of the passengers into first class. There are fourteen of us here in the back. Five are flight attendants. He hasn’t noticed that I slipped into this pantry to get the phone. The guy with the bomb ordered us to sit on the floor in the rear of the plane……….oh Jesus.. Help!
Lisa: Todd….are you ok? Tell me what’s happening!
Todd: Hello…..We’re going down….I think we’re going to crash……Wait – wait a minute. No, we’re leveling off….we’re ok. I think we may be turning around…..That’s it – we changed directions. Do you hear me….we’re flying east again.
Lisa: Ok Todd…. What’s going on with the other passengers?
Todd: Everyone is… really scared. A few passengers with cell phones have made calls to relatives. A guy, Jeremy, was talking to his wife just before the hijacking started. She told him that hijackers had crashed two planes into the World Trade Center……Lisa is that true??
Lisa: Todd…..I have to tell you the truth…..it’s very bad. The World Trade Center is gone. Both of the towers have been destroyed.
Todd: Oh God —help us!
Lisa: A third plane was taken over by terrorists. It crashed into the Pentagon in Washington DC. Our country is under attack….and I’m afraid that your plane may be part of their plan.
Todd: Oh dear God. Dear God…….Lisa, will you do something for me?
Lisa: I’ll try….if I can….Yes.
Todd: I want you to call my wife and my kids for me and tell them what’s happened. Promise me you’ll call..
Lisa: I promise – I’ll call.
Todd: Our home number is 201 353-1073…….You have the same name as my wife…Lisa….We’ve been married for 10 years. She’s pregnant with our 3rd child. Tell her that I love her…….(choking up)..I’ll always love her..(clearing throat) We have two boys.. David, he’s 3 and Andrew, he’s 1…..Tell them……(choking) tell them that their daddy loves them and that he is so proud of them. (clearing throat again) Our baby is due January 12th…..I saw an ultra sound…..it was great….we still don’t know if it’s a girl or a boy………Lisa?
Lisa: (barely able to speak) I’ll tell them, I promise Todd.
Todd: I’m going back to the group—if I can get back I will…
Lisa: Todd, leave this line open…are you still there?……
Lisa: (dials the phone..) Hello, FBI, my name is Lisa Jefferson, I’m a telephone supervisor for GTE. I need to report a terrorist hijacking of a United Airlines Flight 93….Yes I’ll hold.
Goodwin: Hello, this is Agent Goodwin.. I understand you have a hijacking situation?
Lisa: Yes sir, I’ve been talking with a passenger, a Todd Beamer, on Flight 93 who managed to get to an air phone unnoticed.
Goodwin: Where did this flight originate, and what was its destination?
Lisa: The flight left Newark New Jersey at 8 A.M. departing for San Francisco. The hijackers took over the plane shortly after takeoff, and several minutes later the plane changed course – it is now flying east.
Goodwin: Ms. Jefferson…I need to talk to someone aboard that plane. Can you get me thru to the planes phone?
Lisa: I still have that line open sir, I can patch you through on a conference call…hold a mo…..
Todd: Hello Lisa, Lisa are you there?
Lisa: Yes, I’m here. Todd, I made a call to the FBI, Agent Goodwin is on the line and will be talking to you as well.
Todd: The others all know that this isn’t your normal hijacking. Jeremy called his wife again on his cell phone. She told him more about the World Trade Center and all.
Goodwin: Hello Todd. This is Agent Goodwin with the FBI. We have been monitoring your flight. Your plane is on a course for Washington, DC. These terrorists sent two planes into the World Trade Center and one plane into the Pentagon. Our best guess is that they plan to fly your plane into either the White House or the United States Capital Building.
Todd: I understand…hold on……I’ll…….I’ll be back..
Lisa: Mr. Goodwin, how much time do they have before they get to Washington?
Goodwin: Not long ma’am. They changed course over Cleveland; they’re approaching Pittsburgh now. Washington may be twenty minutes away.
Todd: (breathing a little heavier) The plane seems to be changing directions just a little. It’s getting pretty rough up here. The plane is flying real erratic….We’re not going to make it out of here. Listen to me….I want you to hear this….I have talked with the others….we have decided we would not be pawns in these hijackers suicidal plot.
Lisa: Todd, what are you going to do?
Todd: We’ve hatched a plan. Four of us are going to rush the hijacker with the bomb. After we take him out, we’ll break into the cockpit. A stewardess is getting some boiling water to throw on the hijackers at the controls. We’ll get them….and we’ll take them out. Lisa, …..will you do one last thing for me?
Lisa: Yes…What is it?
Todd: Would you pray with me?
They pray: Our father which art in Heaven
Hallowed be thy name,
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive our trespassers,
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory
Forever…..Amen
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…
He makes me to lie down in green pastures
He leads me beside the still waters
He restores my soul
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for His name’s sake
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil, for thou art with me…..
Todd: (softer) God help me…Jesus help me….(clears throat and louder)
Are you guys ready?……..
Let’s Roll……………………

[Montegriffo]

Me headed for the big weekend


Kids, in laws and friends will be over this weekend. We are going for a boat ride, then big BBQ Rib feast.

What are you dissident bastards up to ?

Threshing display at Brampton plough day on Sunday.
Restored Field Marshall to power the drum.
First threshing of the season.
Should be loads of vintage tractors and ploughing competitions.

Awesome

Even more awesome than I thought.
No noisy old vintage tractor for us. Steam power was laid on.


A little steam ploughing after the threshing was finished.


Farmer Paul was a bit wary of this engine, last time it powered the threshing drum it ran too fast and broke a spring. Normally you put a smaller belt wheel on the drum for steam but this engine runs so fast we leave the larger tractor wheel on it to slow it down.

A few nice old vintage cars and trucks came out to play.
I particularly liked this WWII Humber truck.



A nice day out but bloody hot as you can see by the overexposed photos. I'm glad we were only doing one small cart for the demonstration. Less than a ton so we didn't have to work too hard...


...unlike a couple of days ago when Paul and I went along to help the thatcher Graham thresh his 4 acres worth of wheat.
Long straw wheat is so hard to get a hold of a lot of thatchers have to grow their own.

Steam power again, a Youngs ''portable engine'' from 1910 built in nearby Diss. The last of its kind still working. Fuelled with wood so a bit nicer smelling than the usual coal.

Portables don't move under their own power so they have to be manoeuvred into position with a tractor.

Very harsh light again so apologies for the photographic quality.



This was serious work, not just some jolly at the local plough day.
Three large carts with about 3 or 4 tons of straw and about the same amount of grain.
Graham treated us well though and there was a barrel of cold water full of an assortment of beers and ciders to go with our lunch of jacket potatoes cooked on the steam engine's fire box.
Ended up being a 10 hr day and I had aching muscles by the end of it.