Off the Top

Good Choice

Adam — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:27:51 +0000

It is a proud day in a father’s life when his youngest son picks out a film to watch with friends, and the film that his son chooses is The Great Escape.

Complex Endorsement

Adam — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:58:37 +0000

There is important news from this weekend. I achieved my goal — to receive a complex aircraft endorsement by the end of 2011. The endorsement took about ten hours of instruction in a Piper Arrow II (PA-28R-200). We could justifiably gripe a bit about the glide ratio of the Arrow, but it is a forgiving, enjoyable, and I think capable cross-country machine. Next step…a real cross-country flight!

Sometimes, When You See the Whole Picture…

Adam — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 16:00:04 +0000

...the background is more interesting than the subject.

Merry Christmas

Adam — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:36:03 +0000

We have had enough of hearing about “holiday lights,” “holiday shopping,” “holiday songs,” and the “holiday season” that we shall have to introduce a negative post here. Now you know we are not a negative person, so really this will just be a bit of thinly disguised levity. We recently discussed with a friend what the worst Christmas songs of all time were and concluded that a top five list was in order. The criteria: A nationally popular song; as written, not as covered; although a particularly bad or good cover might tip the scales one way or the other; a cover is eligible for dishonorable mention. So here they are, our top five worst Christmas songs of all time:

1. Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas-time
2. So This is Christmas (War is Over)
3. Little Saint Nick
4. Grandma Got Run over by a Reindeer
5. Santa Baby

Dishonorable Mention:

Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (Bruce Springsteen)
Do You Hear What I Hear?

Do you have a Christmas song to nominate? Nominations will almost certainly make dishonorable mention.

G’s First Deer

Adam — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 15:06:50 +0000

G shot his first deer this weekend. It was a doe and he took her at 56 yards with my 20 ga. Remington Model 870.

G's First Deer

Supergirl

Adam — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:51:07 +0000

"Why must this burden of saving the world always fall on my shoulders?" she lamented.

My Second Invention, by K

Adam — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:51:26 +0000

We went to visit Grandpa last weekend and K determined not to waste a trip to Grandpa’s well-appointed workshop.

Killing Flies with a Crane

Adam — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 21:19:42 +0000

The other day we witnessed something remarkable. The crane operator at the junkyard was using his crane to extract the motors from refrigerators, obviously for the copper. The following was his process:

Snatch one refrigerator from pile o’ refrigerators.
Set refrigerator on ground.
Violently smash refrigerator with crane, sometimes twice just for fun.
Find motor and grab with crane.
Lift.
If motor does not come loose, shake, yank, smash, till it comes loose.
Toss motor 75 feet through the air to pile of motors.
Toss refrigerator 50 feet through the air to pile of miscellaneous scrap.

Upon noticing this fascinating process, the boys would mark each smashing with a chorus of “whoah!” and each tossing with a laugh. They did not want to leave so we stayed for a few more.

What Boys Say

Adam — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 02:06:44 +0000

"We're, scientists who compete," they said.

Fishing in Canada

Adam — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:44:29 +0000

Against C’s better judgement, I took all three little men out of the country to go fishing and wilderness camping. Things worked out pretty well. G and B caught the biggest walleyes of the week, twenty inches a piece.