Dec 7th the day that shall live in infamy.....every generation has a day like that it seems. Kennedy for the boomers maybe and of course 911 for this generation.....so many lives were affected by those actions in so many different ways. The Kennedy assaination affected us I think in that Johnson pushed the build up of Vietnam and I always wondered how that would have been different if Kennedy had stayed in office for 2 terms.......

Only 9 above here this morning.....yeah really nice out. Sun is shinning though that is always a good thing. Maybe more snow and freezing drizzel tomorrow.....what is worse then freezing drizzel.
Gotta go now be back later.....

Greetings! A day that will live in infamy, indeed. I am glad I had a chance to visit Pearl Harbor when we were in Hawaii a few years back, very sobering.

My wife's flight home last night had a bit of adventure - they got within a few feet of the runway and had to abort the landing since there was another plane on the runway. Somebody in the control tower must've been playing Angry Birds or something. Anyway, they had to pull up fast and go circle for a while. The gal who was traveling with my wife doesn't like to fly in the first place, so she was shitting eggrolls - had a death grip on my wife's arm through the whole thing. Meanwhile, I was driving laps around the airport wondering why they hadn't landed yet.

Have a good Hump Day, yawlz!

Glad that turned out ok Brad.....does not inspire a lot of confidence in the folks in the tower does it? I'm a nervous flyer also and I would not have enjoyed that.

Did you try out that new snow blower yet?

121 surviving veterans will be at the PH memorial today.

For your smile today:
The end of the vid is even more amazing than the begining.

Locomotive build update.
This engine has 12 wheels with brakes on them, Steve designed (and hand built) a brake valve that's the same as the real locos use. Note the controls that he made for the inside of the cab.

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Great vids! Amazing detail on that engine, Bill - just stunning.

Yes, I got to use my new snowblower last weekend - works great but it will take some getting used to as the drive and auger controls are opposite from my old one.

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I'm sure you will get plenty of practice this winter....

@Bill.....I continue to be amazed with those trains.....

Morning guys....I agree with Brad, great videos and superb detail on the engine details.

Internet problems this morning. I thought it was just at home, but it is our provider. I hope when I get this done that it will go through. Makes it tough for my drafting class to get anything done. Have to have internet connection to access their files. Program run local machine, but files saved to our server, which has to route through our provider.

Church and mens group meeting tonight, and church again tomorrow night. Something every night this week.

Not as cold this morning, 19. Already warmer than it was yesterday. Got to go.

Good Morning
Made my delivery so my nursery related work is over. I loaned out my pressure cleaner to a friend. They must have caught me in a good mood because I don't like to lend stuff out for obviouis reasons. Insurance inspections start at 11:00. 3 houses 3 hours. One at 11, 12 than 1. Still debating on getting windstorm insurance. That's always a crapshoot. Sometimes you need it sometimes you don't. Last hurricanes that did any damage were in 2005. Mostly roof damage on those. Then before that the big one in 1992 that wiped us out. I'm mainly interested in Fire and Casualty with liabily policy. Haven't filed a claim on those type policies ever. One slip and fall could end it all though. No sense in losing a house over it. Alrighty then. On with the show ..........

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Yesterday at the dentists office they told me I should rince my mouth with warm water and salt.
Does eating Original style Lays potato chips and shloshing an N/A beer sound like a viable substitute? Sounds plausable to me.

By the way, I have to thank Marcus for his introduction of Busch NA to me. I like em.

But officer all I drank was two Busch NA's ........

This just in.......the Nebraska cow dubbed the Ninja Cow that has been on the loose since mid Sept has avoided capture yet again...Sources say the black angus cow somehow managed to escaped out of a cattle truck stopped at a local truck stop. A panel from the truck was found laying on the parking lot...Two cows were believed to have escaped.

It is called the Ninja Cow for it's ability to suddenly appear and then dissapear. It is well know for appearing late at night on Main Street and startling tavern denizens and leaving lots of cow pies in its wake......also damage to lawns and flower beds were reported earlier in the Fall.

After having snowed it was easier to track the Ninja and authorities have found a healthy Ninja calf in some dense undergrowth. No sign of the mother though......the calf will be used as bait to try and lure the Ninja Cow in......The hunt continues.....I will keep you posted.....

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I recommend some good Salt and Vinager chips with some NA's to get the job done right Tommy......Busch is good with not a lot of weird aftertaste...After a hard day I love to come home and slam back a couple of Busch N/A's....seems to balance things out.......you know what I mean....?

Today at Pearl Harbor. USS Destroyer passes the Arizona Memorial, bottom right of photo, and a Rainbow appears. This isnt photoshop.

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Well... just read where Harry Morgan, Col Potter from MASH, just passed. He was 96.

Somber reflection in honor of the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. The movie generally sucked, but it was some what accurate regarding the attack. The husband of my 4th grade teacher survived the attack. He was at Schofield Barracks when a Zero straffed the green he and two others were running across. He was in the middle. They were killed. Creepy shit, really. Thanks, Mr. Jessup, where ever you are. And to all service men, past and present.

Some pictures from Pearl Harbor, Aug 2010. The first is me, with the National Parks Guide, holding my late fathers flag over the memorial. My father was Army Air Corps during WWII, stationed in England, fixing P-51s. He passed in 1977, as a result of injuries sustained whilst on duty.

The 2nd picture is rather eerie to me. It's me and the National Parks Guide, upon completing the flag folding. The silloettes are just poignent and somber.

The next is the crows nest of the USS Arizona. It was cut apart after the attack. Much of the ships superstructure was salvaged, and stored at an off limits part of the base for the last 68 years or so. It has now been salvaged and is part of the Museums display. I believe it is actually set up as a touchable piece of history, vs being behind glass. I think that is more moving and powerful, anyway.

The next is a shot from the Museum looking at the USS Missouri and the Arizona Memorial. This the Alpha and Omega of WWII in the Pacific.

This is of one of her gun turrets.

A bow on shot of the Mighty Mo, from the Memorial. You can still see the concrete quays from when this was Battleship Row. Each quay has the name of the ship that was docked there at the time of the attack.

The last picture is also taken from Museum grounds. Looking through the USS Arizona's anchor, at the Memorial.

A few facts:

The Memorial was opened in 1961.

The Museum is on land, the Memorial is on water. USN runs launches across to the Memorial.

Several years ago, they found that the land the museum rests on was settling. To be honest, the land the museum rests on was FILL! It wasn't there in 1941. The land was back filled to create the channel and boat dock. What was interesting, they learned that the area where the theater sits WASN'T settling. So they were able to successfully safe the theater building, but the rest of the original museum was lost to sinkage.

The Memorial rests above the ship, and does not touch it.

The Memorial sits above what was the main superstructure, just forward of the crows nest and the stack. There are 2 balloons set out to indicate bow and stern, so as to give a sense of length.

The USS Arizona is the only ship in the USN fleet that is totally immovable, and yet still commissioned.

As shown in the clip above, the bomb that took out the Arizona hit the forward magazine. Some of what happened in that scene is unknown and more than likely embellished for drama - did the bomb wait 10 seconds to blow? Who knows. But the witness reports indicated that the bow raised up and inflated, in way, before blowing up and settling in the harbor.

She is still oozing oil. And will until the Navy, the US Parks and the EPA can figure out a safe way to drain her tanks. They are rotting from the outside in, and if they burst, it would make for a real mess. IIRC, there are some 500k gallons of oil still in there.

The USS Arizona is also the official grave of 1100+ service men. Their remains forever trapped inside.

The only personnel allowed to dive on her are USN or Parks Services. And then they are done to inspect and determine the health of the ships remains.

Only the USS Oklahoma and the USS Arizona were lost in the attack (battleships, not sure about smaller vessels). All other battleships were repaired and put back into service.

On the other side of Ford Island is a memorial for the USS Oklahoma. She was moved there after she was salvaged. This part of the island is not yet accessible by civilians.

To get to Ford Island, which allows you to tour the Missouri and the new Pacific War Museum (both privately run, but in cooperation with the US Parks), there is a bus that runs from the neighboring USS Bowfin site across the bridge on to Ford Island and back. The Bowfin is a complete and lovingly maintained WWII submarine.

If I am missing anything, I defer to Steve to fill in the gaps.

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Oh, do I !

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Funny, that's what all the N/A's taste like to me.

I thought Buckler's was the best but still......

Maybe I'll give Busch another try, it's been quite a few years.

But then, Pabst Blue Ribbon is $6.00 a 12 pack...

First off Busch regular beer is one of the best "cheap" beers. The only beer that needs quality is the first. After that the pallete is less choosey. IMO it is one of the best "cheap" N/A beers. O'Douls is drinkable as is the Coors N/A but they lack a full beer taste. I tried some shit that was like $7.59 a twelve pack. Talk about sucked. I don't drink many beers but I get a craving every now and then for seafood and beer or nachos and beer or mixed nuts and beer. Being a beer guzzler for over three decades, sometimes I just want a taste.

O'Douls $5.49

Coors $5.49

Busch $4.59

Pricewise not a big difference but over the course of a couple of days you could save more than fiddy cent.

is that per bottle?

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Hhhmmmm. Makes me wonder if the make an N/A Kentucky Bourbon.

Today's "I did not know that.".


http://www.ehow.com/about_4672017_non ... replacements-bourbon.html

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Apparently they do .

http://drinkxa.com/non-alcohol_cocktail/product.php

It's no fun when you Google faster than I do.

Don't they call that a Shirley Temple?

In this country they sell regular Busch 5 to 1 over other beers.......when I grew up we thought it was panther piss and wouldn't touch it.....We wanted Coors since it was hard to get and you had to go to a State that had it and transport it back........road trip!!!!! Mmmmmm 3.2 Coors or Coors Heavy if you could find it. 3.2 Coors turned into Coors Light or the Silver Bullet as it came to be know as.

I was really into Beer........

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Yep............all of it to Nascar fans.

My mission was to drink myself around the world. I tried every regional beer I could get my hands on. With the advent of micro breweries it made it an impossible task but did not stop me from trying. We went to Epcot Center in Orlando with a buddy and his wife. My buddy and I drank a beer at every pavillion that served beer . We even had two Buds at the pavillion in the center of the loop. 2 pints at the British pub. By the time we made the loop we drank 16 beers each. Many beers from many countries without leaving the state.We still had the evening and continued the fun with mixed drinks at a Hawiian Luau ......... Glad I did it but I don't miss it. Now I see some major bars have over 200 beer selections from around the world. I'd have to park there for a week.

Those mixed drinks look good but the packaging is kinda ghey. They need to make the cans more manly. Something for the manly man that only does manly things.

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Yea, this ain't no temple, Shirley.

My sister sent me this e-mail a while back - I just remembered it:

Pearl Harbor Mistakes

A very different and interesting conclusion of the December
7th attack on Pearl Harbor. Read on . . . .

Tour boats ferry people out to the USS Arizona Memorial in
Hawaii every thirty minutes.

We just missed a ferry and had to wait thirty minutes.

I went into a small gift shop to kill time.

In the gift shop, I purchased a small book entitled,
"Reflections on Pearl Harbor" by Admiral Chester Nimitz.

Sunday, December 7th, 1941--Admiral Chester Nimitz was
attending a concert in Washington D.C.

He was paged and told there was a phone call for him.

When he answered the phone, it was President Franklin Delano
Roosevelt.

He told Admiral Nimitz that he (Nimitz) would now be the
Commander of the Pacific Fleet.

Admiral Nimitz flew to Hawaii to assume command of the Pacific
Fleet.

He landed at Pearl Harbor on Christmas Eve, 1941.

There was such a spirit of despair, dejection and defeat--you
would have thought the Japanese had already won the war.

On Christmas Day, 1941, Adm. Nimitz was given a boat tour of
the destruction wrought on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese.

Big sunken battleships and navy vessels cluttered the waters
every where you looked.

As the tour boat returned to dock, the young helmsman of the
boat asked, "Well Admiral, what do you think after seeing all this
destruction?"

Admiral Nimitz's reply shocked everyone within the sound of
his voice.

Admiral Nimitz said, "The Japanese made three of the biggest
mistakes an attack force could ever make, or God was taking care of
America. Which do you think it was?"

Shocked and surprised, the young helmsman asked, "What do mean
by saying the Japanese made the three biggest mistakes an attack force
ever made?"

Nimitz explained:

Mistake number one: the Japanese attacked on Sunday morning.
Nine out of every ten crewmen of those ships were ashore on leave. If
those same ships had been lured to sea and been sunk--we would have
lost 38,000 men instead of 3,800.

Mistake number two: when the Japanese saw all those
battleships lined in a row, they got so carried away sinking those
battleships, they never once bombed our dry docks opposite those
ships.

If they had destroyed our dry docks, we would have had to tow
everyone of those ships to America to be repaired. As it is now, the
ships are in shallow water and can be raised. One tug can pull them
over to the dry docks, and we can have them repaired and at sea by the
time we could have towed them to America.

And I already have crews ashore anxious to man those ships.

Mistake number three: Every drop of fuel in the Pacific
theater of war is on top of the ground in storage tanks five miles
away over that hill.

One attack plane could have strafed those tanks and destroyed
our fuel supply.

That's why I say the Japanese made three of the biggest
mistakes an attack force could make, or God was taking care of
America.

I've never forgotten what I read in that little book.

It is still an inspiration as I reflect upon it.

In jest, I might suggest that because Admiral Nimitz was a
Texan, born and raised in Fredricksburg, Texas -- he was a born
optimist.

But anyway you look at it--Admiral Nimitz was able to see a
silver lining in a situation and circumstance where everyone else saw
only despair and defeatism.

President Roosevelt had chosen the right man for the right job.

We desperately needed a leader that could see silver linings in
the midst of the clouds of dejection, despair and defeat.

There is a reason that our national motto is, "IN GOD WE Trust"

That's good stuff Brad......

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You mean like the Village People.....

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agreed