"Carl's Lounge" (Off-Topic Discussion, Traditional Knife "Tales & Vignettes")

Okay, flew back from Key West last night and it was great. As usual. Probably a bit too much drinking, some good fishing, some great nightly entertainment at our very favorite bar the Schooner Wharf Bar. Rustic would be a kind way to describe the gravel floored blue tarp covered patio, but very good food and drink at a cheap rice. I think the place is a kind of mostly local's hang out. Lots of overly tanned leather skinned fishing guides, give some flavor to the place. My son-law and minder makes friends where ever he goes and the bartender was no exception. Drinking rum runners, I'd watch the bartender put all the stuff in the blender and then into the glasses, but after there second night he'd take the bottle of Captain Morgan and drizzle at least another shot or two over the stuff like an additional touch. A few of those and lots of things didn't seem to matter as much.

Knife of the trip was a basic little Victorinox classic. I'd mailed it to myself where we always stay at the Southernmost Point Guest House. It's owned and run by Mona Santiago and her family and I just wouldn't stay anywhere else in Key West. On the desk in front is Bobby, a long term resident of Key West and she's an encyclopedia of insider info on Key West and where to go to stay away from the tourist traps. I figure any knife I mail to myself is a semi disposable one so the minimalistic classic got the ride this time. It cut some fishing line, sliced some key limes for vodka tonics on the patio, cut off some pesky plastic stemmed price tags from souvenir T-shirts. On the third day the tweezers pulled a splinter from the granddaughters foot. On the way to the airport I handed it to the driver of the mini van shuttle and he seemed happy to get it.

A good time was had by all who can remember, and a little pen knife size blade was enough to get by.
 
Sounds like a great time, Carl! I've only been to Key West once (and it was for less than 12 hours total), but I thought it was fantastic, and I've been looking forward to going back ever since.
 
Looks like you had to have a red, white and blue flag to make it to the World Cup soccer finals . . .
What happened to US ?????
 
Best part of camping for me is getting up early, enjoying a hot cup of strong black coffee, and listening to all the quietness...

Campfires and coffee are so peaceful!

I completely agree with you; the mornings are my favorite part of camping.

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+1 on that, my friends!:);):thumbsup:
 
+2 on mornings! It's part of what makes duck hunting so special: wading through thigh deep water at 3-4 am, putting out decoys, then waiting for 2-3 hours for shooting time, getting cold after your earlier exertion . . . but then as dawn breaks and the marsh comes alive, it's all worth the effort. Just magical!
 
I've been kind of in and out around these parts lately. I drop by and peruse a few threads, but have been busily occupied with a renewed passion. As a younger person I was an avid cyclist, but smoking, motorcycles, and other life things got in the way and for many years I did not ride. Five years ago I gave up the smokes, and a few months back my wife mentioned she was thinking about getting a bike to ride around the neighborhood. Well, I grabbed the bull by the horns and picked up a used mountain bike and started riding it around the neighborhood, as we have a one kilometer loop which is perfect for getting a little exercise in doing laps.

We then got her a bike and we started riding together in the neighborhood, and I came across an older Trek road bike in need of a little TLC...built circa 1995.

IMG_1054.JPG so there she is all fixed up and taking me on 20-25 mile jaunts on a very peaceful green way trail I found that starts about five miles from our house , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuse_River_Trail. It's a beautiful trail with lots of wildlife, wooden planked bridges, and vast fields and woods meandering along the Neuse River. I kept eyeing and even older bike in the shop, built probably in 1981 in Austria, it is a Austro Daimler Olympian, and I finally picked it up today...it still needs a little TLC before it is ready for any serious riding, but she's a beauty...
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I have been trying to ride every day, when the weather cooperates, it puts my head in a more peaceful place.

There is a bit of knife content to this tale, the Austro Daimler was acquired by trading a few knives from my collection that I had done some customizing to, I had gifted one to my bike shop guy a while back as a thank you for helping me with parts and advice along the way, and he really liked the Buck 112 I had put exotic wood covers on, so he wound up with three more beauties from my hoard. I have been still carrying a traditional knife with me every day, but I have switched to pretty much only SS for obvious reasons...rust never sleeps.
 
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I have a couple of bikes in the garage. I rode a bike all the time in Japan, but never mastered the multiple forward sprockets. Shift twice to shift once, shift down to shift up. ... I might try again and leave the forward sprocket alone, before I spring for a bike with one forward sprocket.
 
Nice bikes, Duane. I particularly like that Trek.

I have a Specialized Crossroads that I bought in 1999 but I'm sorry to say that I haven't ridden it in probably almost 12 years. It's just like the one in this pic but with a different seat, an LCD speedometer, and a little bag on the seat post that looks exactly like yours.

I rode it a lot when I was single but married life has brought on activities of a higher priority.
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Wish me luck y’all, going to Ontario to fish for a week no cell/WiFi reception. Knives that are coming. was to lazy to take group pic. Plus Rapala fillet knife, multi tool and sak classic.
Just got back last night, trip went well 10 people on the trip caught 596 fish, my boat (3 people) caught 144. Here’s some pictures. don’t Have any pictures of fish on here but will have one of the other guys on the trip send some. will post later.
 
I've been kind of in and out around these parts lately. I drop by and peruse a few threads, but have been busily occupied with a renewed passion. As a younger person I was an avid cyclist, but smoking, motorcycles, and other life things got in the way and for many years I did not ride. Five years ago I gave up the smokes, and a few months back my wife mentioned she was thinking about getting a bike to ride around the neighborhood. Well, I grabbed the bull by the horns and picked up a used mountain bike and started riding it around the neighborhood, as we have a one kilometer loop which is perfect for getting a little exercise in doing laps.

We then got her a bike and we started riding together in the neighborhood, and I came across an older Trek road bike in need of a little TLC...built circa 1995.

View attachment 944533 so there she is all fixed up and taking me on 20-25 mile jaunts on a very peaceful green way trail I found that starts about five miles from our house , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuse_River_Trail. It's a beautiful trail with lots of wildlife, wooden planked bridges, and vast fields and woods meandering along the Neuse River. I kept eyeing and even older bike in the shop, built probably in 1981 in Austria, it is a Austro Daimler Olympian, and I finally picked it up today...it still needs a little TLC before it is ready for any serious riding, but she's a beauty...
View attachment 944536 View attachment 944537 View attachment 944538 View attachment 944539

I have been trying to ride every day, when the weather cooperates, it puts my head in a more peaceful place.

There is a bit of knife content to this tale, the Austro Daimler was acquired by trading a few knives from my collection that I had done some customizing to, I had gifted one to my bike shop guy a while back as a thank you for helping me with parts and advice along the way, and he really liked the Buck 112 I had put exotic wood covers on, so he wound up with three more beauties from my hoard. I have been still carrying a traditional knife with me every day, but I have switched to pretty much only SS for obvious reasons...rust never sleeps.

I know next to nothing about bikes, but I will say that your new Austro Daimler sure does look good! :thumbsup: :D
 
Nice bikes, Duane. I particularly like that Trek.

I have a Specialized Crossroads that I bought in 1999 but I'm sorry to say that I haven't ridden it in probably almost 12 years. It's just like the one in this pic but with a different seat, an LCD speedometer, and a little bag on the seat post that looks exactly like yours.

I rode it a lot when I was single but married life has brought on activities of a higher priority.
View attachment 944613
Thats a nice bike. A couple of years ago, while visiting Santa Fe my wife's brand new specialized mnt bike was lifted off the roof of our F350. Thule rack system locked. The enterprising thieves used bolt cutters taking bike and rack in one piece. I had a heavily used Scott Ransom on the other side which they turned their nose up at. I was grateful for their discriminating taste.
 
I have a Trek Hybrid 7.3. After disc surgery I thought I'd be able to ride again, but it's just a little too rough.

I rode extensively as a college student, first a Schwinn World Voyageur (made in Japan by Panasonic, a very sweet bike), then a Raleigh Pro. The Pro was a great bike but far above my level. The World Voyageur was much more comfortable to ride.
 
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Chin that certainly looks like quality time in the right places. I like mornings myself but I'm pretty fond of sipping bourbon in the dark watching the stars swim upstream. :)
Oh absolutely, Dwight, it’s all time well spent! Much as I love my Hilleberg Soulo tent, if I’m in the bush or mountains in fine weather, far away from light scatter, I look forward to packing my swag, so I can lie there, looking up at the stars. In the desert, they seem so close and intense, it’s like you could reach up and touch them. That wild feeling of tiny vertigo you get, looking up and out at the brilliant, spiral strewing arm of the Milky Way is an incomparable experience...
 
My wife is a gift from GOD. Tough as nails but soft as cotton. She has a servant's heart and has never been afraid of hard work. Selfless, she always considers herself last and will take what ever is left after others have chosen, regardless of the subject. When the kids got older she started her education and became an RN after they were adults. She's a good one too since she's smart and tough and selfless. She's one of the most generous souls I know too, whether it be with time or resources. She senses a need, she looks into it. She sees and need, she does what she can to fulfill it.

Yesterday she called me on my commute home stating there was a package that arrived from an antiquities dealer in Jerusalem. I asked her to not open it until I got there. I had purchased a small bronze coin minted in the Holy Land over 2000 years ago and recently mounted in a Sterling silver cradle as a pendant. A bronze prutah or lepton of Alexander Janeaus, King of Judea. Otherwise known as a Widow's Mite.

I gave it to her yesterday evening before supper telling her how she's a living example of Jesus' lesson of the Widow giving her two mites as recorded in Mark 12 and Luke 21. She immediately put it on the silver chain she wears daily with the grandkids' birth stones.

I hit a home run with that one.
 
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My wife is a gift from GOD. Tough as nails but soft as cotton. She has a servant's heart and has never been afraid of hard work. Selfless, she always considers herself last and will take what ever is left after others have chosen, regardless of the subject. When the kids got older she started her education and became an RN after they were adults. She's a good one too since she's smart and tough and selfless. She's one of the most generous souls I know too, whether it be with time or resources. She senses a need she looks into it. She sees and need, she does what she can to fulfill it.

Yesterday she called me on my commute home stating there was a package that arrived from an antiquities dealer in Jerusalem. I asked her to not open it until I got there. I had purchased a small bronze coin minted the the Holy Land over 2000 years ago and recently mounted in a Sterling silver cradle as a pendant. A bronze prutah or lepton of Alexander Janeaus, King of Judea. Otherwise known as a Widow's Mite.

I gave it to her yesterday evening before supper telling her how she's a living example of Jesus' lesson of the Widow giving her two mites as recorded in Mark 12 and Luke 21. She immediately put it on the silver chain she wears daily with the grandkids' birth stones.

I hit a home run with that one.
:thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
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