Archive for July, 2007

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In the never ending quest for material….

Tuesday, July 10th, 2007

…I go to the newspapers, magazines, my friends, and the internet. It was on the internet where I found something to ‘chat’ about.

   On a whim, I clicked on “messenger” on my Yahoo IM and scrolled down to ‘Chat Room’ where I clicked again. Soon there were a variety of topics I could go to, to converse with those of a similar interest. After scrolling along for a bit I came across “Gun Room”, and entered there. A prompt came up explaining that this room was devoted to weapons, their care and operation. I eventually entered to find a list of names of those who are also interested in the care and operation of rifle’s, shotgun’s and hand guns. Mohamad was a name that came up right away and said he was in Egypt and wondered where I was at. I told him Northern Michigan and asked him what in hell he shot in Egypt? A dozen more people showed up, all of a sudden, and they were all typing in Arabic. Little smiley faces of all sorts start parading across the screen and much conversation in their native tongue. Eventually, I get one person who types English and she want’s to know if I’d like her to suck my Johnson.

   Honest everybody, I was looking for some hunting/shooting ideas and I end up getting a headder from a camel jockey. I’ve been tempted to go back and click on ‘romance’ but I don’t think my heart could take the load.

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Eckerman 8

Monday, July 9th, 2007

   After an overwhelmingly positive response to the new date, this years pilgrimage will be held the weekend of September 15th.

   From it’s inception, Don has hosted an event that celebrates another year of trout fishing, so it was held on the last weekend of September. Trout fishing on all but designated area’s, closes on September 30th, and he’s always spent that weekend/last day, doing what he loves most…well, it’s number two I’m sure, but it’s a close number two.

   Time goes on, family’s grow and one’s priorities change, but it’s easy to adjust if the cause is worthy. Don’s a head football coach for a “Pop Warner” team in Charlevoix and by the end of September, he’s up to his gonuts in “x’s and o’s”. He’s only been able to participate in a small portion of his own event, and now he can and once again say, “Ya can’t say you’ve drunk all day, ‘less you start first thing in the morning”.

   Scuttlebutt is there’s going to be a “two-tracker” with Squirrrel stew served soon thereafter. A couple years ago, we went up to Monicle Lake for some fishing, and although we didn’t do well fishing, we heard a multitude of targets barking at each other.  There’s a ridge full of Oak and Beech and from atop, you can see Canada across Lake Superior, while waiting on the next target.

   I don’t think there’s any large boats coming, but there will be a lot of Jonnyboats, and always across the road, the river. My brother Butch and I will be there from the 13th until the 23rd I figure and I’ll be taking this computer along with me. There isn’t any internet connection there, but I’d still like to write. If anyone coming has a digital camera you can download it, if you have a USB cord, and this burns CD’s too.

   Anyone interested can contact me at m_kamradt@yahoo.com.

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Seasonal changes

Sunday, July 8th, 2007

   I went out to Doug’s this morning for a cup of coffee and on the way back, I noticed three Red Maples (Acer Rubrum) turning color. Actually, I’d noticed one a couple days ago but forgot to post it, and now there’s three. I suspect that those three trees are connected genetically rather than invironmentally affected. I’ve watched these trees for the last 10 years, and they’re always the first to turn.

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Habitat Observation

Friday, July 6th, 2007

   Mark and I went out to Doug’s today and had a look at the crop. We’ve been having a bit of a drought here, and it’s starting to show. We’ve been irrigating it but using a ‘leak out the end of the hose’ system works well in gardens but not well over a large area. The deer are either having nothing else to eat within a 10 mile area, or they love this stuff. All of the terminal meristems, on almost every plant, is missing so now the sun can reach the soil and it dries out faster. Doug had tried using the soaker hoses he ownes, but the sediment being run through the lines plugs them up after a half hour.

   The crop of chickory is wilting heavely even though that hasn’t been chomped on at all. Sunday morning I’ll be running out there with a couple gallons of gas to get that generator running some more and do a little rain dance over in the open spot.

 

   A neighbor of Doug’s told him this morning that there were 14 deer standing in the plot last night and he’s pretty sure he saw more back in the trees waiting their turn.

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Doing what I was told

Thursday, July 5th, 2007

   While I was working at Detroit Country Day, the School decided it wanted to sponsor a Regional track meet and to do so, they had to add some facilities. I was called into the Athletic Director’s office one morning and shown the schematics for a shot-put platform, with certain criteria highlighted in yellow. The side view showed an imiginary line originating at the front edge of the pad (poured concrete) to a point in the field 150′ or so away. It made a point though, (highlighted in yellow) of telling me the angle that that imiginary line was.

   I took the crew and all the equipment we’d need out to the designated site, and set up the transit. I wasn’t going to use the transit at all, until I saw the angle I needed to meet and used the opportunity to teach the guys how to use one.

   After taking some “shot’s” we soon discovered that the elivation of the pad was going to be 4′ above the current grade. It didn’t take long, after a couple truck loads of sand, to discover that we were going to end up with one hellava mound. I drove a couple stakes in and made a line where the new grade would be, and then headed back to my office.

   In wasn’t 15 minutes later that one of the guys would walk in and tell me there was another administrator, coach or teacher, telling them they were doing it wrong. The first time, it was the Athletic Director, so I walked out to meet him and brought along the schematic. This guy was livid when I walked up and after to listening to what an idiot I was, I pulled out the picture and took him over to the transit.

   Just to be sure everything was right, I re-leveled the transit, taped out the distance and took the shot. After doing the math on the picture, with him watching, I asked him what he’d like me to change. “I’ll be damned” was his reply and he walked back to his office and I went back to mine. Soon though, the rest of these ‘pillars of education’ came out and started bothering my guys. After the third trip out there, I told the guys, “Listen politely to whatever these morons’ have to say, tell them you’ll most certainly do it, and then after they leave, do it my way”

   I’ll bet to this day, there are coach’s there that think they’re the reason that pad was put in right.

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