Cricket and Grampa Dick wrestle. I’m not sure who’s going to win, but the squirrel is definitely going to lose.
Project 365 – April 20
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Monthly Archives: April 2010
Irony
Overheard just now on the scanner: “Neighboring Suburban Fire Department is on the air with a general call, reported fire in the woods behind number 55 Burning Bush Drive.”
Really. And the 911 lines were ringing in the background.
One of these things is not like the others (P365 – April 19)
Project 365 – April 18
Two shots today, as they go together. First, Beth and Cricket:
And then there’s Clara watching the proceedings. She always seems disgusted when the dog gets cute.
What’s wrong with this picture? (P365 – April 17). . .and a bonus
So we went to The Farm today. The plan was to work on the renovations and stay over in the trailer. Unfortunately, the furnace in the rig has decided not to work this spring. It was a raw day, and my one small space heater wasn’t going to cut it. So we headed home and brought the rig home to get it serviced.
Here’s the challenge: there’s something visibly wrong with the rig in this picture. I’m not referring to the flag or light poles; it’s not an optical illusion issue. Can anyone spot it? (Rest assured we made it home safely despite the issue.)
And here’s a bonus: an LAFD training film on steering from the late 50s/early 60s. I just love the old Seagrave Anniversary Series and Crown Firecoaches. There is so much interesting history here which was merely daily life when it was filmed. Note the firemen riding the back step of the Crowns instead of using the jumpseats, and the Captain standing up to don his gear in the open cab while moving. If you watch closely around 5:22 you can see one of the 1930s ALF Duplexes.
Watch Part 2 for an interesting Oshkosh. At the very end it goes sailing by with a fireman riding on a step halfway up the back of the truck. Innocent times.
Hat tip to Dave Statter.
Apropos of Nothing (April 16)
In the words of Fox News, “We report, you decide.”
April 15
Steaming with Edrig. The iPhone isn’t very good at capturing motion.
Battleship gray
Battleship gray. Sky the color of the adjacent angry sea, the line between the two indistinct. Space between the two is occupied by water, headed from one to the other. I know which way it should be going, but the wind has decided to play with it instead.
Blood red. A cliché of a color. In reality it’s the crimson of an arterial bleed; the maroon of an oozing vein; the rust brown of a crime scene; light pink; deep purple. Anywhere along the spectrum of human misadventure.
Frank sits in a chair in the middle of his sixth floor apartment. His blood sits in the middle of the color spectrum, oozing from a cut above his right eye. The gale rattles the windows, threatening to break in and bring the angry sea with it.
“Frank, what happened?”
“I stood up to close the window, and the wind blew it in on my head.” Sure enough, it’s one of those designs which tilts in for cleaning. Frank has a fabulous view of the city and the sea beyond. “I’ll be alright.”
Black and white. A framed photo of a smiling young sailor on the desk, resplendent in WWII whites.
We bandage his minor wound, and offer to bring Frank to the hospital. He declines, strongly. “Hitler couldn’t kill me. I’m not worried about the Housing Authority.”
We leave him there, staring out at the angry sea. Black and white, gray and red.
More kudos
A reader commented that it was good to see me offering ‘attaboys’ in addition to criticism. In that spirit, I have more praise.
This one is a little different. I recently needed an electrician at The Farm. I had no references, but I found an ad for a local electrician at another local business. I called him and he came over immediately to check out the job. He then started work the very next morning and finished in a reasonable time frame.
In short, he satisfied all four Rules:
1. Arrive when you promise.
2. Do what you promise.
3. Get it right the first time.
4. Treat me with respect.
We are very happy. I won’t name him here as he is semi-retired and I’m not sure if he’d appreciate the publicity. However, if you ever need an electrician in the Deerfield, NH area, please drop me a line.
Now if I could just find a good carpenter.
The Men, the Myth, the Legend (P365 – April 14)
It’s only meaningful to my co-workers, but everyone was surprised to see these two together on a truck today. We all had a lot of fun with it. Dispatch legends at the sharp end. . .