When you grow up thinking someone is invincible...

[Black Diamond]

And they are not, it sucks.

[Gunny]

And they are not, it sucks.

Hell, I still think I'm invincible. That'll work right to the part where I ain't.

Care to elaborate? I thought my grandfather was God. He ended up worn out and broken and it killed me to see his spirit broken liken that. He was one tough SOB in his day.

[NightTrain]

I remember being 2 years old and looking wayyyyyy up at my Dad in his Army uniform and hugging his leg until he picked me up. He was a giant, and invincible. And he always knew what to do even in the most unexpected situations later as a pre-teen and teen, which was comforting as a kid, but a little unsettling when I discovered that adults don't always know what to do.

I remember one time we were scouting a new area on a snowmachine in March. My middle brother and me were with him on the sled being pulled by Dad on the snowmachine. We started across a Beaver Pond, and halfway across, the ice gave out and the machine went to the bottom. Dad and Jim were swimming, and it was cold out - I had opted to walk across on the beaver dam because it really looked sketchy to me, and I got a close up view of the incident.

All of our gear was on the snowmachine at the bottom of the pond - surely this would be the time that stumped the old man, because all we had were the clothes we were wearing in the middle of nowhere. Nope!

He dried out his lighter and we built a roaring fire next to a nearby spruce tree, and they stripped down and warmed up & dried off. While their clothes were drying, Dad went diving in his skivvies and got our gear off the snowmachine, which meant about 5 diving expeditions in that 8' deep ice cold water. Under the seat of the machine was a come-a-long, with 100' of rope. We rigged it up and Dad went diving again to unhook the sled from the machine, and we pulled it out. Then he went diving again to tie that rope around the rear bumper of the machine and while he shivered beside the fire, I started winching it out with the come-a-long. Pulling a snowmachine backwards is really hard, because the skis dig in going backward... so he'd have to go back in and lift it off the bottom to release the skis every few feet.

We finally got it out and began the hours-long process of working the water out of the engine - it had submerged with the engine howling at full throttle, so there was a lot in there. But after I pulled that rope for a couple hours, she began coughing on every pull and we finally got it started. A couple hours later we were back at the truck.

It had been a pretty dire situation, but not once did he show any sign of indecision. He was a little pissed in a grim sort of way, but that was the extent of any outward sign of emotion... we were going to get that machine back from the bottom of that pond with all our gear and get it started and go home - those were the facts! As an adult now, I know that the situation would have killed a great many people from hypothermia, but under his command it was just an unpleasant situation we had to soldier through. He always had a solution. Always.

My Grandpa was the same way. I could ask him any question at all, and he'd have some kind of answer for me. I remember trying to find out what the limits were to his knowledge, and I don't think I ever found an area he didn't at least give a logical answer.

They were both my heroes.

[Gunny]

I remember being 2 years old and looking wayyyyyy up at my Dad in his Army uniform and hugging his leg until he picked me up. He was a giant, and invincible. And he always knew what to do even in the most unexpected situations later as a pre-teen and teen, which was comforting as a kid, but a little unsettling when I discovered that adults don't always know what to do.

I remember one time we were scouting a new area on a snowmachine in March. My middle brother and me were with him on the sled being pulled by Dad on the snowmachine. We started across a Beaver Pond, and halfway across, the ice gave out and the machine went to the bottom. Dad and Jim were swimming, and it was cold out - I had opted to walk across on the beaver dam because it really looked sketchy to me, and I got a close up view of the incident.

All of our gear was on the snowmachine at the bottom of the pond - surely this would be the time that stumped the old man, because all we had were the clothes we were wearing in the middle of nowhere. Nope!

He dried out his lighter and we built a roaring fire next to a nearby spruce tree, and they stripped down and warmed up & dried off. While their clothes were drying, Dad went diving in his skivvies and got our gear off the snowmachine, which meant about 5 diving expeditions in that 8' deep ice cold water. Under the seat of the machine was a come-a-long, with 100' of rope. We rigged it up and Dad went diving again to unhook the sled from the machine, and we pulled it out. Then he went diving again to tie that rope around the rear bumper of the machine and while he shivered beside the fire, I started winching it out with the come-a-long. Pulling a snowmachine backwards is really hard, because the skis dig in going backward... so he'd have to go back in and lift it off the bottom to release the skis every few feet.

We finally got it out and began the hours-long process of working the water out of the engine - it had submerged with the engine howling at full throttle, so there was a lot in there. But after I pulled that rope for a couple hours, she began coughing on every pull and we finally got it started. A couple hours later we were back at the truck.

It had been a pretty dire situation, but not once did he show any sign of indecision. He was a little pissed in a grim sort of way, but that was the extent of any outward sign of emotion... we were going to get that machine back from the bottom of that pond with all our gear and get it started and go home - those were the facts! As an adult now, I know that the situation would have killed a great many people from hypothermia, but under his command it was just an unpleasant situation we had to soldier through. He always had a solution. Always.

My Grandpa was the same way. I could ask him any question at all, and he'd have some kind of answer for me. I remember trying to find out what the limits were to his knowledge, and I don't think I ever found an area he didn't at least give a logical answer.

They were both my heroes.

I miss my grandfather. He and I are clones, btw. That dude never didn't have an answer. And he was always right. Dammit.

I still remember his "birds n the bees" speech. :laugh2: I was 17. Little late, granddaddy. :laugh2: That dude could fix anything, and if you wimped out on him you got "the look". That man was my hero. Always will be.

[NightTrain]

I miss my grandfather. He and I are clones, btw. That dude never didn't have an answer. And he was always right. Dammit.

I still remember his "birds n the bees" speech. :laugh2: I was 17. Little late, granddaddy. :laugh2: That dude could fix anything, and if you wimped out on him you got "the look". That man was my hero. Always will be.


Ahhh yes. The Look.

One second of that treatment was a very shaming experience... I avoided that at all costs. It was worse, much worse, than an ass whoopin'.

Gramps never gave me The Look, but I did earn a few puzzled glances that said "WTF, boy?" and those weren't pleasant.

[Gunny]

Ahhh yes. The Look.

One second of that treatment was a very shaming experience... I avoided that at all costs. It was worse, much worse, than an ass whoopin'.

Gramps never gave me The Look, but I did earn a few puzzled glances that said "WTF, boy?" and those weren't pleasant.

I got "the look" once. That was enough. I'd rather die in a ditch in the South Texas sun shovel in hand than disappoint him.

[Gunny]

I got "the look" once. That was enough. I'd rather die in a ditch in the South Texas sun shovel in hand than disappoint him.

I remember when he bought me a torque wrench. I'd sheered off a lug on his car. :laugh: He said boy, you need to get a clue about your strength. I was like "What?" :laugh: Not my fault that SOB wasn't stronger than me.

He always supervised everything I did that required strength. He called me a natural disaster. :laugh:

[NightTrain]

I remember when he bought me a torque wrench. I'd sheered off a lug on his car. :laugh: He said boy, you need to get a clue about your strength. I was like "What?" :laugh: Not my fault that SOB wasn't stronger than me.

He always supervised everything I did that required strength. He called me a natural disaster. :laugh:

:laugh2:

Yep! My son twisted off two lugs on my Suburban and he was promptly given a torque wrench. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, STOP WHEN IT CLICKS!!!


For me, it was axe & maul handles. The old man hated buying those, and I broke one about every week or two as I was splitting those damned gnarled birch logs for firewood. I wasn't trying to break them, it happens naturally when you batter a log with a steel head attached to a piece of wood for hours at a time.

Problem solved - enter the Sotz Monster Maul!

http://www.debatepolicy.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=8494&stc=1

I used this for 8 years and other than some paint loss, it was exactly as it was brand new by the time I left home. Pretty shrewd investment by the old man.

[Kathianne]

Reading this, gives me some insight to why my boys still mist up when talking about my dad. There seems to be the connection between guys, dads, and grandads as between mom and girls, though females tend to see the flaws and all. Just nature I guess.

[Abbey Marie]

I remember being 2 years old and looking wayyyyyy up at my Dad in his Army uniform and hugging his leg until he picked me up. He was a giant, and invincible. And he always knew what to do even in the most unexpected situations later as a pre-teen and teen, which was comforting as a kid, but a little unsettling when I discovered that adults don't always know what to do.

I remember one time we were scouting a new area on a snowmachine in March. My middle brother and me were with him on the sled being pulled by Dad on the snowmachine. We started across a Beaver Pond, and halfway across, the ice gave out and the machine went to the bottom. Dad and Jim were swimming, and it was cold out - I had opted to walk across on the beaver dam because it really looked sketchy to me, and I got a close up view of the incident.

All of our gear was on the snowmachine at the bottom of the pond - surely this would be the time that stumped the old man, because all we had were the clothes we were wearing in the middle of nowhere. Nope!

He dried out his lighter and we built a roaring fire next to a nearby spruce tree, and they stripped down and warmed up & dried off. While their clothes were drying, Dad went diving in his skivvies and got our gear off the snowmachine, which meant about 5 diving expeditions in that 8' deep ice cold water. Under the seat of the machine was a come-a-long, with 100' of rope. We rigged it up and Dad went diving again to unhook the sled from the machine, and we pulled it out. Then he went diving again to tie that rope around the rear bumper of the machine and while he shivered beside the fire, I started winching it out with the come-a-long. Pulling a snowmachine backwards is really hard, because the skis dig in going backward... so he'd have to go back in and lift it off the bottom to release the skis every few feet.

We finally got it out and began the hours-long process of working the water out of the engine - it had submerged with the engine howling at full throttle, so there was a lot in there. But after I pulled that rope for a couple hours, she began coughing on every pull and we finally got it started. A couple hours later we were back at the truck.

It had been a pretty dire situation, but not once did he show any sign of indecision. He was a little pissed in a grim sort of way, but that was the extent of any outward sign of emotion... we were going to get that machine back from the bottom of that pond with all our gear and get it started and go home - those were the facts! As an adult now, I know that the situation would have killed a great many people from hypothermia, but under his command it was just an unpleasant situation we had to soldier through. He always had a solution. Always.

My Grandpa was the same way. I could ask him any question at all, and he'd have some kind of answer for me. I remember trying to find out what the limits were to his knowledge, and I don't think I ever found an area he didn't at least give a logical answer.

They were both my heroes.

NT, your life experiences always read like you are from another world. They are fascinating. Can you imagine some city guys in this situation? They'd sit there doing nothing, waiting for cell service to call for help. Then if they survived, sue over it not coming fast enough.

[Gunny]

NT, your life experiences always read like you are from another world. They are fascinating. Can you imagine some city guys in this situation? They'd sit there doing nothing, waiting for cell service to call for help. Then if they survived, suing over it not coming fast enough.

If you're going to be nice to NT that's pushing to far. :laugh:

I love city boys. Dumbasses.

And yeah, I think you got it pegged. :laugh:

[Black Diamond]

Hell, I still think I'm invincible. That'll work right to the part where I ain't.

Care to elaborate? I thought my grandfather was God. He ended up worn out and broken and it killed me to see his spirit broken liken that. He was one tough SOB in his day.
This.

[jimnyc]

If you're going to be nice to NT that's pushing to far. :laugh:

I love city boys. Dumbasses.

And yeah, I think you got it pegged. :laugh:

That's why this city dweller rarely goes anywhere that isn't within walking distance of being saved! I was down with Jeff for awhile. Damn, if I didn't have a running vehicle, it would take like 3 days to go out and get a cup of coffee and some smokes in the morning! And yep, there were spiders there, even though I tried to ignore that. http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/halloween/spider.gif

[NightTrain]

This.

Yeah.

I kind of got sidetracked there, remembering.

It's a tragic thing to see heroic, bigger-than-life men brought to an end like an ordinary mortal.

You lose your Gramps, BD?

[Black Diamond]

Yeah.

I kind of got sidetracked there, remembering.

It's a tragic thing to see heroic, bigger-than-life men brought to an end like an ordinary mortal.

You lose your Gramps, BD?

They put him in an Alzheimer's unit yesterday. I can't deal.

[NightTrain]

They put him in an Alzheimer's unit yesterday. I can't deal.

Sorry, man.

I have a friend that has similar symptoms with zero memory and it's a sad thing. She's still smart, but that doesn't do any good with no memory... she'll repeat the same question every 30 seconds because she doesn't remember that we just talked about it.

One thing that I noticed that might help you though, is long-range memory. She still remembers everything prior to about '97 for some odd reason that docs can't explain. She won't remember the present conversation, but while we're talking about it you can see the flood of relief on her face to have memory again. But as soon as the conversation turns to more recent events, that still-intact memory disappears into the fog. It's a terrible thing to watch.

That's the only bit of advice I have. My sympathies.

[Gunny]

They put him in an Alzheimer's unit yesterday. I can't deal.

Really sorry to hear that. God be with you and yours.

[Gunny]

Sorry, man.

I have a friend that has similar symptoms with zero memory and it's a sad thing. She's still smart, but that doesn't do any good with no memory... she'll repeat the same question every 30 seconds because she doesn't remember that we just talked about it.

One thing that I noticed that might help you though, is long-range memory. She still remembers everything prior to about '97 for some odd reason that docs can't explain. She won't remember the present conversation, but while we're talking about it you can see the flood of relief on her face to have memory again. But as soon as the conversation turns to more recent events, that still-intact memory disappears into the fog. It's a terrible thing to watch.

That's the only bit of advice I have. My sympathies.

Different parts of the brain.

[Russ]

They put him in an Alzheimer's unit yesterday. I can't deal.

Sorry, BD

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

My father and my grandfather were both invincible, right up to the point cancer killed my dad and a massive heart attack got my grandfather. Flesh and bone is invincible right up until the moment that it is not.
My dad was a Hercules in strength and in GREAT STAMINA TOO.
Easily lifting weights men twice his size could not even budge.
Thats were my older brother got his Herculean strength, me I got a bit of it but damn sure wish I had more.
Of course if I had had it, I'd killed a few people instead of only hospitalizing them.
Then look were I'd been rotting away.. Prison is not a good place to be...Tyr

[NightTrain]

Different parts of the brain.

Probably. It's certainly worth a try, though.

[namvet]

They put him in an Alzheimer's unit yesterday. I can't deal.

same for my wife's mom. she's well along and it not pretty to watch

[Russ]

I remember being 2 years old and looking wayyyyyy up at my Dad in his Army uniform and hugging his leg until he picked me up. He was a giant, and invincible. And he always knew what to do even in the most unexpected situations later as a pre-teen and teen, which was comforting as a kid, but a little unsettling when I discovered that adults don't always know what to do.

I remember one time we were scouting a new area on a snowmachine in March. My middle brother and me were with him on the sled being pulled by Dad on the snowmachine. We started across a Beaver Pond, and halfway across, the ice gave out and the machine went to the bottom. Dad and Jim were swimming, and it was cold out - I had opted to walk across on the beaver dam because it really looked sketchy to me, and I got a close up view of the incident.

All of our gear was on the snowmachine at the bottom of the pond - surely this would be the time that stumped the old man, because all we had were the clothes we were wearing in the middle of nowhere. Nope!

He dried out his lighter and we built a roaring fire next to a nearby spruce tree, and they stripped down and warmed up & dried off. While their clothes were drying, Dad went diving in his skivvies and got our gear off the snowmachine, which meant about 5 diving expeditions in that 8' deep ice cold water. Under the seat of the machine was a come-a-long, with 100' of rope. We rigged it up and Dad went diving again to unhook the sled from the machine, and we pulled it out. Then he went diving again to tie that rope around the rear bumper of the machine and while he shivered beside the fire, I started winching it out with the come-a-long. Pulling a snowmachine backwards is really hard, because the skis dig in going backward... so he'd have to go back in and lift it off the bottom to release the skis every few feet.

We finally got it out and began the hours-long process of working the water out of the engine - it had submerged with the engine howling at full throttle, so there was a lot in there. But after I pulled that rope for a couple hours, she began coughing on every pull and we finally got it started. A couple hours later we were back at the truck.

It had been a pretty dire situation, but not once did he show any sign of indecision. He was a little pissed in a grim sort of way, but that was the extent of any outward sign of emotion... we were going to get that machine back from the bottom of that pond with all our gear and get it started and go home - those were the facts! As an adult now, I know that the situation would have killed a great many people from hypothermia, but under his command it was just an unpleasant situation we had to soldier through. He always had a solution. Always.

My Grandpa was the same way. I could ask him any question at all, and he'd have some kind of answer for me. I remember trying to find out what the limits were to his knowledge, and I don't think I ever found an area he didn't at least give a logical answer.

They were both my heroes.

I have to say, that is a way impressive story of your Dad and the snowmachine, NT. :clap:

[Kathianne]

They put him in an Alzheimer's unit yesterday. I can't deal.
I'm so sorry, Black Diamond. Prayers are with him and you.

[Abbey Marie]

I know what you are going through; it's rough. I'm sorry.

[Black Diamond]

Thank you all for your kind thoughts and prayers. I might be able to say more in the coming days. hard to say much of anything right now.

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

Thank you all for your kind thoughts and prayers. I might be able to say more in the coming days. hard to say much of anything right now.

Somebody extremely close to me has early signs of it right now..
Sorry to hear of your dad being afflicted my friend. --Tyr

[Black Diamond]

I am finding that when someone says he lived the way he wanted and was sharp for 90+ years, it doesn't make the sting go away.

[Kathianne]

I am finding that when someone says he lived the way he wanted and was sharp for 90+ years, it doesn't make the sting go away.

I'm sorry for the pain. Prayers continue.

[Gunny]

:laugh2:

Yep! My son twisted off two lugs on my Suburban and he was promptly given a torque wrench. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, STOP WHEN IT CLICKS!!!


For me, it was axe & maul handles. The old man hated buying those, and I broke one about every week or two as I was splitting those damned gnarled birch logs for firewood. I wasn't trying to break them, it happens naturally when you batter a log with a steel head attached to a piece of wood for hours at a time.

Problem solved - enter the Sotz Monster Maul!

http://www.debatepolicy.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=8494&stc=1

I used this for 8 years and other than some paint loss, it was exactly as it was brand new by the time I left home. Pretty shrewd investment by the old man.

I'm sorry I didn't read all of this. Shovels. People would avoid giving me shovels like it was the plague. I could break a shovel handle in a half hour? And nobody stood anywhere near me after the last guy that got racked by a broken shovel handle.

Why everyone blamed me beats the crap out of me. Make your damned shovels right, or go home. What the crap? :laugh2:

[NightTrain]

I'm sorry I didn't read all of this. Shovels. People would avoid giving me shovels like it was the plague. I could break a shovel handle in a half hour? And nobody stood anywhere near me after the last guy that got racked by a broken shovel handle.

Why everyone blamed me beats the crap out of me. Make your damned shovels right, or go home. What the crap? :laugh2:

Haha! Yeah, I can still hear the old man bitching about broken shovel & axe handles.

Good times!

If you don't want broken handles, spend a bit more and get all steel handled tools. I can't think of a better example of saving a bunch of money by spending a bit more from the get-go.

[Gunny]

Haha! Yeah, I can still hear the old man bitching about broken shovel & axe handles.

Good times!

If you don't want broken handles, spend a bit more and get all steel handled tools. I can't think of a better example of saving a bunch of money by spending a bit more from the get-go.

I always ended up with the wooden shit. I mean really? I can break a wooden shovel handle with my damned hands. Now let's stick it in the dirt and give it some body leverage.

I totally agree on tools. Get me the indestructable crap or I don't want to hear anyone's whining when I break your Black and Decker Wal Mart crap. :laugh: