USMB Coffee Shop IV

[Foxfyre]

Hey y'all It lives!

Hey, Ern! We missed ya! Got a picture of you though.








ERNIE - HELL'S ANGEL
View attachment 265791

Yes the crash obliterated a lot of the welcome back Ernie stuff and a lot of information he gave us. But oh well. We are all troopers and will just pick up and carry on.

 

[Ringel05]

Checked Home Despot.... eerrrr Depot for the 1 X 4s that the web site said they had, the lumber guy told me they never had them....... What? Never? So I ended up back at Lowes and was gritting my teeth to accept the $79 delivery fee for 21 16 footers when the Pro Desk guy told me to open a business account and I could get the delivery for $20. When we rang it up I also got a 5% discount off the total.
The wood will be delivered on Monday.

 

[Foxfyre]

Checked Home Despot.... eerrrr Depot for the 1 X 4s that the web site said they had, the lumber guy told me they never had them....... What? Never? So I ended up back at Lowes and was gritting my teeth to accept the $79 delivery fee for 21 16 footers when the Pro Desk guy told me to open a business account and I could get the delivery for $20. When we rang it up I also got a 5% discount off the total.
The wood will be delivered on Monday.

Now all you need is a business.

 

[danielpalos]

...i sometimes think, i really just need "professional help".

More often than not, the first step to accomplishing most things is recognizing that you need help. Go for it daniel.

i am saving up for it.

 

[MarathonMike]

One thing we lost was MarathonMike's post congratulating boedicca for paying off her mortgage.

So again I want to welcome MarathonMike to the Coffee Shop as that was his first visit here. And to again offer the complimentary beverage for the first timer:

Aaah refreshing.... Thanks FoxFyre!

 

[Foxfyre]

One thing we lost was MarathonMike's post congratulating boedicca for paying off her mortgage.

So again I want to welcome MarathonMike to the Coffee Shop as that was his first visit here. And to again offer the complimentary beverage for the first timer:

Aaah refreshing.... Thanks FoxFyre!

You are most welcome. Happy you found us and hope you'll be back.

 

[Nosmo King]

9:21 pm and the twilight's last gloaming. What a wonder the solstice is! And to think, six months from today it'll be dark at 5:00. As I live here on the 40th parallel, 400 miles from the nearest salt water and under a shroud of perpetual cloudiness, little phenomena like the summer solstice comes with its own wonder and joy.

I've been thinking it's about time to regale you again with my favorite story about my favorite uncle. 'Ducky' (named George at birth, but that handle didn't hold fast) was a massive human being in every sense of the word 'massive'. He stood six foot four and tipped the scales at 285 pounds. His head was the size of a whole chicken and his face looked as if it was part of a label on a canned ham.

Ducky's personality was equally big. Everyone who knew him and then met me asked if I was related. They always broke out into the most gleeful grin and often related anecdotes that left all within earshot laughing.

Ducky served our nation in the U.S. Navy during WWII. His duty was in the Shore Patrol in Honolulu. Ducky's war was waged on drunken Marines and Sailors who tussled in dive bars in Hawaii. That service earned him a slot on the East Liverpool Police Department after his honorable discharge.

The methods he used in the Pacific were pressed into service in the taverns of East Liverpool. When breaking up a bar fight, Ducky would drag one of the combatants off another, an easy task for someone of his physical prowess. Then, using his huge torso, Ducky would pin that poor, dumb drunk against the bar and rein down slaps with his oversized paws. "Now then! Why would ya want to make such a spectacle of yourself, laddie?" Ducky would admonish as the victim of his tactics would cause the unfortunate soul to either relent or pass out.

One typically rainy day a call came into the police station concerning an armed robbery at one of the local merchants. Ducky sprang to his feet and sprinted the six blocks from City Hall to the railroad tracks that hug the north bank of the Ohio River. Scanning up and down the tracks, Ducky spotted the fleeing criminal

Ducky went into a foot pursuit huffing and puffing his way down the tracks toward Monroe Streer. Ducky was losing the race, but he was not about to lose his man. He drew his service revolver. "Halt! Police!"

Ducky then stood in the middle of the railroad bed and took aim. He was winded, frustrated and, incidentally, a crack marksman. Ducky's chest heaved. His breath inflated his upper body and deflated it in equal measure. Then he pulled the trigger.

"Damnedest thing I ever saw!" Ducky would say whenever he told the tale of the time he aimed at a suspect's legs and shot off the ear instead.

 

[Foxfyre]

Good night darlinks. I really do love you guys.
And we continue to pray and/or send good vibes and/or positive thoughts and/or keep vigil for:

Harper
Pogo’s friend Pat and special comfort for Pogo,
Rod, GW's partner,
Kat's sister,
Dana, Foxfyre's friend recovering from heart transplant
Wellness for Foxfyre's sister and Hombre's sister
Montrovant for continued progress in his transition.
JustAnotherNut for strength and wisdom dealing with challenges.
Gracie & Mr. G in difficult transition and for positive trend to continue.
BigBlackDog aka BBD for healing and wellness
GallantWarrior for pain relief and healing,
Ringel for healing and Mrs. R facing serious health challenges in difficult transition
Seagal and Mr. Seagal.
Beautress for wellness
Peach for healing
All those we love and care about who aren't on the list.

And we keep the porch light on so that those who have been away can find their way back.

And since the board crash wiped out last night's vigil list and acknowledgment of the summer solstice let's try that again as it is still the summer solstice here in New Mexico:

 

[Foxfyre]

 

[Oddball]

Saturday morning!

Summertime is baseball time...And my Twins are killing it this year, for a change.

Let the cartoon begin!

 

[Montrovant]

Is it weird that, having just watched a bunch of trailers for movies on Dark Horizons, I enjoyed the trailers for animated movies as much or more than most of the live-action ones?

 

[Foxfyre]

Is it weird that, having just watched a bunch of trailers for movies on Dark Horizons, I enjoyed the trailers for animated movies as much or more than most of the live-action ones?

Hey Montro. You haven't been around as much since you became a working man which is understandable. Missed you. How is the job going?

 

[gallantwarrior]

9:21 pm and the twilight's last gloaming. What a wonder the solstice is! And to think, six months from today it'll be dark at 5:00. As I live here on the 40th parallel, 400 miles from the nearest salt water and under a shroud of perpetual cloudiness, little phenomena like the summer solstice comes with its own wonder and joy.

I've been thinking it's about time to regale you again with my favorite story about my favorite uncle. 'Ducky' (named George at birth, but that handle didn't hold fast) was a massive human being in every sense of the word 'massive'. He stood six foot four and tipped the scales at 285 pounds. His head was the size of a whole chicken and his face looked as if it was part of a label on a canned ham.

Ducky's personality was equally big. Everyone who knew him and then met me asked if I was related. They always broke out into the most gleeful grin and often related anecdotes that left all within earshot laughing.

Ducky served our nation in the U.S. Navy during WWII. His duty was in the Shore Patrol in Honolulu. Ducky's war was waged on drunken Marines and Sailors who tussled in dive bars in Hawaii. That service earned him a slot on the East Liverpool Police Department after his honorable discharge.

The methods he used in the Pacific were pressed into service in the taverns of East Liverpool. When breaking up a bar fight, Ducky would drag one of the combatants off another, an easy task for someone of his physical prowess. Then, using his huge torso, Ducky would pin that poor, dumb drunk against the bar and rein down slaps with his oversized paws. "Now then! Why would ya want to make such a spectacle of yourself, laddie?" Ducky would admonish as the victim of his tactics would cause the unfortunate soul to either relent or pass out.

One typically rainy day a call came into the police station concerning an armed robbery at one of the local merchants. Ducky sprang to his feet and sprinted the six blocks from City Hall to the railroad tracks that hug the north bank of the Ohio River. Scanning up and down the tracks, Ducky spotted the fleeing criminal

Ducky went into a foot pursuit huffing and puffing his way down the tracks toward Monroe Streer. Ducky was losing the race, but he was not about to lose his man. He drew his service revolver. "Halt! Police!"

Ducky then stood in the middle of the railroad bed and took aim. He was winded, frustrated and, incidentally, a crack marksman. Ducky's chest heaved. His breath inflated his upper body and deflated it in equal measure. Then he pulled the trigger.

"Damnedest thing I ever saw!" Ducky would say whenever he told the tale of the time he aimed at a suspect's legs and shot off the ear instead.

Solstice is a big thing up here, lots of parties, fun runs, concerts, etc. Today, official sunset is around 2340 (11:40 pm) and sunrise at 0420 (4:20 am). In between, it doesn't get really dark, just twilit gray and the sun still reflects off the clouds and mountains. But it does signal the turning of the year and we start gaining darkness until we pretty much reverse those times, sunrise being around 11 am and sunset around 4 pm.

 

[Nosmo King]

9:21 pm and the twilight's last gloaming. What a wonder the solstice is! And to think, six months from today it'll be dark at 5:00. As I live here on the 40th parallel, 400 miles from the nearest salt water and under a shroud of perpetual cloudiness, little phenomena like the summer solstice comes with its own wonder and joy.

I've been thinking it's about time to regale you again with my favorite story about my favorite uncle. 'Ducky' (named George at birth, but that handle didn't hold fast) was a massive human being in every sense of the word 'massive'. He stood six foot four and tipped the scales at 285 pounds. His head was the size of a whole chicken and his face looked as if it was part of a label on a canned ham.

Ducky's personality was equally big. Everyone who knew him and then met me asked if I was related. They always broke out into the most gleeful grin and often related anecdotes that left all within earshot laughing.

Ducky served our nation in the U.S. Navy during WWII. His duty was in the Shore Patrol in Honolulu. Ducky's war was waged on drunken Marines and Sailors who tussled in dive bars in Hawaii. That service earned him a slot on the East Liverpool Police Department after his honorable discharge.

The methods he used in the Pacific were pressed into service in the taverns of East Liverpool. When breaking up a bar fight, Ducky would drag one of the combatants off another, an easy task for someone of his physical prowess. Then, using his huge torso, Ducky would pin that poor, dumb drunk against the bar and rein down slaps with his oversized paws. "Now then! Why would ya want to make such a spectacle of yourself, laddie?" Ducky would admonish as the victim of his tactics would cause the unfortunate soul to either relent or pass out.

One typically rainy day a call came into the police station concerning an armed robbery at one of the local merchants. Ducky sprang to his feet and sprinted the six blocks from City Hall to the railroad tracks that hug the north bank of the Ohio River. Scanning up and down the tracks, Ducky spotted the fleeing criminal

Ducky went into a foot pursuit huffing and puffing his way down the tracks toward Monroe Streer. Ducky was losing the race, but he was not about to lose his man. He drew his service revolver. "Halt! Police!"

Ducky then stood in the middle of the railroad bed and took aim. He was winded, frustrated and, incidentally, a crack marksman. Ducky's chest heaved. His breath inflated his upper body and deflated it in equal measure. Then he pulled the trigger.

"Damnedest thing I ever saw!" Ducky would say whenever he told the tale of the time he aimed at a suspect's legs and shot off the ear instead.

Solstice is a big thing up here, lots of parties, fun runs, concerts, etc. Today, official sunset is around 2340 (11:40 pm) and sunrise at 0420 (4:20 am). In between, it doesn't get really dark, just twilit gray and the sun still reflects off the clouds and mountains. But it does signal the turning of the year and we start gaining darkness until we pretty much reverse those times, sunrise being around 11 am and sunset around 4 pm.

I've skydives accumulating 68 minutes of free fall. I got kicked out of St. Peter's Basilica. I lived in Puerto Rico for a year and a half. I was in Prague two months after the Velvet Revolution. I bought a house, five new cars and met two Presidents of the United States. So my "bucket list" pretty much has all the boxes ticked.

One of the few 'bucket list' items for me is to see the Northern Lights. But I don't think there's a "season" for that. Or is there?

 

[gallantwarrior]

9:21 pm and the twilight's last gloaming. What a wonder the solstice is! And to think, six months from today it'll be dark at 5:00. As I live here on the 40th parallel, 400 miles from the nearest salt water and under a shroud of perpetual cloudiness, little phenomena like the summer solstice comes with its own wonder and joy.

I've been thinking it's about time to regale you again with my favorite story about my favorite uncle. 'Ducky' (named George at birth, but that handle didn't hold fast) was a massive human being in every sense of the word 'massive'. He stood six foot four and tipped the scales at 285 pounds. His head was the size of a whole chicken and his face looked as if it was part of a label on a canned ham.

Ducky's personality was equally big. Everyone who knew him and then met me asked if I was related. They always broke out into the most gleeful grin and often related anecdotes that left all within earshot laughing.

Ducky served our nation in the U.S. Navy during WWII. His duty was in the Shore Patrol in Honolulu. Ducky's war was waged on drunken Marines and Sailors who tussled in dive bars in Hawaii. That service earned him a slot on the East Liverpool Police Department after his honorable discharge.

The methods he used in the Pacific were pressed into service in the taverns of East Liverpool. When breaking up a bar fight, Ducky would drag one of the combatants off another, an easy task for someone of his physical prowess. Then, using his huge torso, Ducky would pin that poor, dumb drunk against the bar and rein down slaps with his oversized paws. "Now then! Why would ya want to make such a spectacle of yourself, laddie?" Ducky would admonish as the victim of his tactics would cause the unfortunate soul to either relent or pass out.

One typically rainy day a call came into the police station concerning an armed robbery at one of the local merchants. Ducky sprang to his feet and sprinted the six blocks from City Hall to the railroad tracks that hug the north bank of the Ohio River. Scanning up and down the tracks, Ducky spotted the fleeing criminal

Ducky went into a foot pursuit huffing and puffing his way down the tracks toward Monroe Streer. Ducky was losing the race, but he was not about to lose his man. He drew his service revolver. "Halt! Police!"

Ducky then stood in the middle of the railroad bed and took aim. He was winded, frustrated and, incidentally, a crack marksman. Ducky's chest heaved. His breath inflated his upper body and deflated it in equal measure. Then he pulled the trigger.

"Damnedest thing I ever saw!" Ducky would say whenever he told the tale of the time he aimed at a suspect's legs and shot off the ear instead.

Solstice is a big thing up here, lots of parties, fun runs, concerts, etc. Today, official sunset is around 2340 (11:40 pm) and sunrise at 0420 (4:20 am). In between, it doesn't get really dark, just twilit gray and the sun still reflects off the clouds and mountains. But it does signal the turning of the year and we start gaining darkness until we pretty much reverse those times, sunrise being around 11 am and sunset around 4 pm.

I've skydives accumulating 68 minutes of free fall. I got kicked out of St. Peter's Basilica. I lived in Puerto Rico for a year and a half. I was in Prague two months after the Velvet Revolution. I bought a house, five new cars and met two Presidents of the United States. So my "bucket list" pretty much has all the boxes ticked.

One of the few 'bucket list' items for me is to see the Northern Lights. But I don't think there's a "season" for that. Or is there?

The Lights are there year round, you just don't get a really good look during the summer months, the sky is too light. In the winter, though, even the old hands will pause to watch them dance across the night sky.

 

[Foxfyre]

9:21 pm and the twilight's last gloaming. What a wonder the solstice is! And to think, six months from today it'll be dark at 5:00. As I live here on the 40th parallel, 400 miles from the nearest salt water and under a shroud of perpetual cloudiness, little phenomena like the summer solstice comes with its own wonder and joy.

I've been thinking it's about time to regale you again with my favorite story about my favorite uncle. 'Ducky' (named George at birth, but that handle didn't hold fast) was a massive human being in every sense of the word 'massive'. He stood six foot four and tipped the scales at 285 pounds. His head was the size of a whole chicken and his face looked as if it was part of a label on a canned ham.

Ducky's personality was equally big. Everyone who knew him and then met me asked if I was related. They always broke out into the most gleeful grin and often related anecdotes that left all within earshot laughing.

Ducky served our nation in the U.S. Navy during WWII. His duty was in the Shore Patrol in Honolulu. Ducky's war was waged on drunken Marines and Sailors who tussled in dive bars in Hawaii. That service earned him a slot on the East Liverpool Police Department after his honorable discharge.

The methods he used in the Pacific were pressed into service in the taverns of East Liverpool. When breaking up a bar fight, Ducky would drag one of the combatants off another, an easy task for someone of his physical prowess. Then, using his huge torso, Ducky would pin that poor, dumb drunk against the bar and rein down slaps with his oversized paws. "Now then! Why would ya want to make such a spectacle of yourself, laddie?" Ducky would admonish as the victim of his tactics would cause the unfortunate soul to either relent or pass out.

One typically rainy day a call came into the police station concerning an armed robbery at one of the local merchants. Ducky sprang to his feet and sprinted the six blocks from City Hall to the railroad tracks that hug the north bank of the Ohio River. Scanning up and down the tracks, Ducky spotted the fleeing criminal

Ducky went into a foot pursuit huffing and puffing his way down the tracks toward Monroe Streer. Ducky was losing the race, but he was not about to lose his man. He drew his service revolver. "Halt! Police!"

Ducky then stood in the middle of the railroad bed and took aim. He was winded, frustrated and, incidentally, a crack marksman. Ducky's chest heaved. His breath inflated his upper body and deflated it in equal measure. Then he pulled the trigger.

"Damnedest thing I ever saw!" Ducky would say whenever he told the tale of the time he aimed at a suspect's legs and shot off the ear instead.

Solstice is a big thing up here, lots of parties, fun runs, concerts, etc. Today, official sunset is around 2340 (11:40 pm) and sunrise at 0420 (4:20 am). In between, it doesn't get really dark, just twilit gray and the sun still reflects off the clouds and mountains. But it does signal the turning of the year and we start gaining darkness until we pretty much reverse those times, sunrise being around 11 am and sunset around 4 pm.

I've skydives accumulating 68 minutes of free fall. I got kicked out of St. Peter's Basilica. I lived in Puerto Rico for a year and a half. I was in Prague two months after the Velvet Revolution. I bought a house, five new cars and met two Presidents of the United States. So my "bucket list" pretty much has all the boxes ticked.

One of the few 'bucket list' items for me is to see the Northern Lights. But I don't think there's a "season" for that. Or is there?

I had three things on my bucket list that I didn't get done on my Alaska trip:
1. See a moose in the wild. They just never showed up in any place that we were.
2. See Denali. The weather was not cooperative and there was heavy fog on our Talkeetna stopover.
3. See the Northern Lights. No sun on any day in Alaska so no views of the night sky.

It was a glorious memorable trip that we still remember with great delight and fondness. But those three things are still on my bucket list.

 

[Foxfyre]

9:21 pm and the twilight's last gloaming. What a wonder the solstice is! And to think, six months from today it'll be dark at 5:00. As I live here on the 40th parallel, 400 miles from the nearest salt water and under a shroud of perpetual cloudiness, little phenomena like the summer solstice comes with its own wonder and joy.

I've been thinking it's about time to regale you again with my favorite story about my favorite uncle. 'Ducky' (named George at birth, but that handle didn't hold fast) was a massive human being in every sense of the word 'massive'. He stood six foot four and tipped the scales at 285 pounds. His head was the size of a whole chicken and his face looked as if it was part of a label on a canned ham.

Ducky's personality was equally big. Everyone who knew him and then met me asked if I was related. They always broke out into the most gleeful grin and often related anecdotes that left all within earshot laughing.

Ducky served our nation in the U.S. Navy during WWII. His duty was in the Shore Patrol in Honolulu. Ducky's war was waged on drunken Marines and Sailors who tussled in dive bars in Hawaii. That service earned him a slot on the East Liverpool Police Department after his honorable discharge.

The methods he used in the Pacific were pressed into service in the taverns of East Liverpool. When breaking up a bar fight, Ducky would drag one of the combatants off another, an easy task for someone of his physical prowess. Then, using his huge torso, Ducky would pin that poor, dumb drunk against the bar and rein down slaps with his oversized paws. "Now then! Why would ya want to make such a spectacle of yourself, laddie?" Ducky would admonish as the victim of his tactics would cause the unfortunate soul to either relent or pass out.

One typically rainy day a call came into the police station concerning an armed robbery at one of the local merchants. Ducky sprang to his feet and sprinted the six blocks from City Hall to the railroad tracks that hug the north bank of the Ohio River. Scanning up and down the tracks, Ducky spotted the fleeing criminal

Ducky went into a foot pursuit huffing and puffing his way down the tracks toward Monroe Streer. Ducky was losing the race, but he was not about to lose his man. He drew his service revolver. "Halt! Police!"

Ducky then stood in the middle of the railroad bed and took aim. He was winded, frustrated and, incidentally, a crack marksman. Ducky's chest heaved. His breath inflated his upper body and deflated it in equal measure. Then he pulled the trigger.

"Damnedest thing I ever saw!" Ducky would say whenever he told the tale of the time he aimed at a suspect's legs and shot off the ear instead.

Solstice is a big thing up here, lots of parties, fun runs, concerts, etc. Today, official sunset is around 2340 (11:40 pm) and sunrise at 0420 (4:20 am). In between, it doesn't get really dark, just twilit gray and the sun still reflects off the clouds and mountains. But it does signal the turning of the year and we start gaining darkness until we pretty much reverse those times, sunrise being around 11 am and sunset around 4 pm.

I've skydives accumulating 68 minutes of free fall. I got kicked out of St. Peter's Basilica. I lived in Puerto Rico for a year and a half. I was in Prague two months after the Velvet Revolution. I bought a house, five new cars and met two Presidents of the United States. So my "bucket list" pretty much has all the boxes ticked.

One of the few 'bucket list' items for me is to see the Northern Lights. But I don't think there's a "season" for that. Or is there?

The Lights are there year round, you just don't get a really good look during the summer months, the sky is too light. In the winter, though, even the old hands will pause to watch them dance across the night sky.

How wonderful. I would have loved to witness that up close and personal. However, we were there in early August and as you said, there was probably too much daylight when we were awake to get that kind of light show.

 

[Nosmo King]

9:21 pm and the twilight's last gloaming. What a wonder the solstice is! And to think, six months from today it'll be dark at 5:00. As I live here on the 40th parallel, 400 miles from the nearest salt water and under a shroud of perpetual cloudiness, little phenomena like the summer solstice comes with its own wonder and joy.

I've been thinking it's about time to regale you again with my favorite story about my favorite uncle. 'Ducky' (named George at birth, but that handle didn't hold fast) was a massive human being in every sense of the word 'massive'. He stood six foot four and tipped the scales at 285 pounds. His head was the size of a whole chicken and his face looked as if it was part of a label on a canned ham.

Ducky's personality was equally big. Everyone who knew him and then met me asked if I was related. They always broke out into the most gleeful grin and often related anecdotes that left all within earshot laughing.

Ducky served our nation in the U.S. Navy during WWII. His duty was in the Shore Patrol in Honolulu. Ducky's war was waged on drunken Marines and Sailors who tussled in dive bars in Hawaii. That service earned him a slot on the East Liverpool Police Department after his honorable discharge.

The methods he used in the Pacific were pressed into service in the taverns of East Liverpool. When breaking up a bar fight, Ducky would drag one of the combatants off another, an easy task for someone of his physical prowess. Then, using his huge torso, Ducky would pin that poor, dumb drunk against the bar and rein down slaps with his oversized paws. "Now then! Why would ya want to make such a spectacle of yourself, laddie?" Ducky would admonish as the victim of his tactics would cause the unfortunate soul to either relent or pass out.

One typically rainy day a call came into the police station concerning an armed robbery at one of the local merchants. Ducky sprang to his feet and sprinted the six blocks from City Hall to the railroad tracks that hug the north bank of the Ohio River. Scanning up and down the tracks, Ducky spotted the fleeing criminal

Ducky went into a foot pursuit huffing and puffing his way down the tracks toward Monroe Streer. Ducky was losing the race, but he was not about to lose his man. He drew his service revolver. "Halt! Police!"

Ducky then stood in the middle of the railroad bed and took aim. He was winded, frustrated and, incidentally, a crack marksman. Ducky's chest heaved. His breath inflated his upper body and deflated it in equal measure. Then he pulled the trigger.

"Damnedest thing I ever saw!" Ducky would say whenever he told the tale of the time he aimed at a suspect's legs and shot off the ear instead.

Solstice is a big thing up here, lots of parties, fun runs, concerts, etc. Today, official sunset is around 2340 (11:40 pm) and sunrise at 0420 (4:20 am). In between, it doesn't get really dark, just twilit gray and the sun still reflects off the clouds and mountains. But it does signal the turning of the year and we start gaining darkness until we pretty much reverse those times, sunrise being around 11 am and sunset around 4 pm.

I've skydives accumulating 68 minutes of free fall. I got kicked out of St. Peter's Basilica. I lived in Puerto Rico for a year and a half. I was in Prague two months after the Velvet Revolution. I bought a house, five new cars and met two Presidents of the United States. So my "bucket list" pretty much has all the boxes ticked.

One of the few 'bucket list' items for me is to see the Northern Lights. But I don't think there's a "season" for that. Or is there?

The Lights are there year round, you just don't get a really good look during the summer months, the sky is too light. In the winter, though, even the old hands will pause to watch them dance across the night sky.

Are they silent? I heard a rumor they crackle and sizzle.

 

[gallantwarrior]

9:21 pm and the twilight's last gloaming. What a wonder the solstice is! And to think, six months from today it'll be dark at 5:00. As I live here on the 40th parallel, 400 miles from the nearest salt water and under a shroud of perpetual cloudiness, little phenomena like the summer solstice comes with its own wonder and joy.

I've been thinking it's about time to regale you again with my favorite story about my favorite uncle. 'Ducky' (named George at birth, but that handle didn't hold fast) was a massive human being in every sense of the word 'massive'. He stood six foot four and tipped the scales at 285 pounds. His head was the size of a whole chicken and his face looked as if it was part of a label on a canned ham.

Ducky's personality was equally big. Everyone who knew him and then met me asked if I was related. They always broke out into the most gleeful grin and often related anecdotes that left all within earshot laughing.

Ducky served our nation in the U.S. Navy during WWII. His duty was in the Shore Patrol in Honolulu. Ducky's war was waged on drunken Marines and Sailors who tussled in dive bars in Hawaii. That service earned him a slot on the East Liverpool Police Department after his honorable discharge.

The methods he used in the Pacific were pressed into service in the taverns of East Liverpool. When breaking up a bar fight, Ducky would drag one of the combatants off another, an easy task for someone of his physical prowess. Then, using his huge torso, Ducky would pin that poor, dumb drunk against the bar and rein down slaps with his oversized paws. "Now then! Why would ya want to make such a spectacle of yourself, laddie?" Ducky would admonish as the victim of his tactics would cause the unfortunate soul to either relent or pass out.

One typically rainy day a call came into the police station concerning an armed robbery at one of the local merchants. Ducky sprang to his feet and sprinted the six blocks from City Hall to the railroad tracks that hug the north bank of the Ohio River. Scanning up and down the tracks, Ducky spotted the fleeing criminal

Ducky went into a foot pursuit huffing and puffing his way down the tracks toward Monroe Streer. Ducky was losing the race, but he was not about to lose his man. He drew his service revolver. "Halt! Police!"

Ducky then stood in the middle of the railroad bed and took aim. He was winded, frustrated and, incidentally, a crack marksman. Ducky's chest heaved. His breath inflated his upper body and deflated it in equal measure. Then he pulled the trigger.

"Damnedest thing I ever saw!" Ducky would say whenever he told the tale of the time he aimed at a suspect's legs and shot off the ear instead.

Solstice is a big thing up here, lots of parties, fun runs, concerts, etc. Today, official sunset is around 2340 (11:40 pm) and sunrise at 0420 (4:20 am). In between, it doesn't get really dark, just twilit gray and the sun still reflects off the clouds and mountains. But it does signal the turning of the year and we start gaining darkness until we pretty much reverse those times, sunrise being around 11 am and sunset around 4 pm.

I've skydives accumulating 68 minutes of free fall. I got kicked out of St. Peter's Basilica. I lived in Puerto Rico for a year and a half. I was in Prague two months after the Velvet Revolution. I bought a house, five new cars and met two Presidents of the United States. So my "bucket list" pretty much has all the boxes ticked.

One of the few 'bucket list' items for me is to see the Northern Lights. But I don't think there's a "season" for that. Or is there?

The Lights are there year round, you just don't get a really good look during the summer months, the sky is too light. In the winter, though, even the old hands will pause to watch them dance across the night sky.

Are they silent? I heard a rumor they crackle and sizzle.

Some say they do. While I work in big, open spaces, there are also lots of noisy machines, too. I've seen them "in the wild" as well but the only crackling was the ice on the lake.

 

[Foxfyre]