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John Maxwell

David Mitchell

Jack,

I meant to see "Hopeless" but never got to the theater in time.

------------

Speaking of Hopeless - - -

*** I know we try (yes I have tried an failed a number of times) not to get political on this forum. But I was just about to go to bed when I saw something that so outrages me I can't keep silent.

You may see tonight's headline on USA Today about Chump's new U.N. secretary (I meant ambassador) appointment, one Kelly Knight Craft.

How the Senate could approve her is beyond my grasp!

- -  I happen to know who this person is. 

She is a totaly unqualified, gold-digging, husband-stealing tramp!

She is now married to one Joe Craft Jr. - her third husband if my math is correct. Joe Craft Jr. was married to the cutest, sweetest girl ever to attend Watterson High School. After almost 40 years of marriage and 4 grown kids, he dumped her for this tramp from Kentucky who realized he was the 933rd richest man in the world (according to Forbes a few years ago - before his divorce split). His name is on the new practice facility for the Universtity of Kentucky basketball team - he gave millions to build it. He has coal, oil, and real estate business in Tulsa, Oklahoma and in Kentucky, where his dad had been in the coal business for years, and got chummy with "uncle Mitch" McConnell and teh Koch Brothers. Kelly used to be the chairman of the Republican party of Kentucky, (although I beleive she began as a Democrat) and she was at the podium of the Republican National Convention several times in the past few conventions, as a secretary and coordinator of the convention itself.

N.B. She hasn't got the foreign affairs background knowledge of a billy goat and would not be getting this nomination without some political payoff to somebody, somehwere - and I think I can guess who? 

I am ashmed to say that I helped guide Joe Craft Jr. (a beginner - skier - at the time) down the slopes at Vail one day about 40 years ago, along with his wife and sister. 

Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest.   (This is truly dreadful news)

David Mitchell

The moment of truth has arrived. It's high tide on launch day at about 8:00 o'clock in the evening. (this is about 4 years ago now) Roger wanted to keep the launch quiet, but after 8 years and so many friends who knew about it, a small crowd would have been impossible. In fact, people had gathered behind the cottage next door (not shown), and some houses across the cove (not shown). We only realized that at the moment of launch as we heard their cheers.

First shot shows a bit of the male crowd on the deck - many of whom had worked on the boat at one time or another. Beyond is the side porch of Roger and Laurel's rental apartment and her glass studio -which Roger built at a cost you would not beleive! (in addition to their house to the left). By the time everything was ready to go, that side porch and the deck held abput 40 men, women, and children, plus a couple of pizzas, some KFC chicken, and random bags of chips, doritos plus salsa and humus brought along to feed the "masses". Good wine and soda pop flowed freely.

You now have seen the roof removed, the boat turned, and shoved forward to the edge of the deck. At this point, the boat has been "tipped" and is hanging (all 10,000+ pounds) by three ropes over the top of the ramp. (note: the red carpet from the wedding). Watching them "tip" the boat was a bit nerve wracking - but Roger (and his little Frendh buddy Francois) had made every calculaion just right. 

The second shot is my favorite of this entire series.  (and yes, they placed a light under to boat to be able to see everything clear on the ramp before letting her drop.)

And I'll put another fun note at the end of this about the guy standing at far left in that second shot - in tan hat with longish hair and grey shirt and jeans. His name is Keith.

And the tall guy on the right in grey on grey shorts is Jacob, the friend who originally sailed across the atlantic with Roger to the Azores 20 years ago. Jacob is on local Hilton Head TV often promoting Bluffton activities and is known as "the tallest potter in Bluffton". His pottery studio is here in the Old Town. 

See below about Keith. 

Keith (far left) is one of the most interesting guys I have ever met. He is an old 1960's hippie who has dragged himself reluctantly into the 21st century. He worked on the boat over the final two or three years and knows EVERYTHING there is to know about boats, woodworking, and electronics on boats. He had his own shrimp boat for years, but like most of our shrimpers down here, he gave it up. Our local Carolina shrimpers are being wiped out by cheap imports from shrimp "farms" in Vietnam, Thailand, and Brazil. Keith also plays guitar and does a few gigs with his daughter in small venues up in Beaufort (where Mary Ann lives - about 40 minutes north of here). He is one sweet gentle soul - a joy to know and to work with. His favorite passion is posting photos of crazy looking altered and decorated VW buses on Facebook. And he finds some doozies.

* At the moment of launch, Keith was nowhere to be found. He had snuck onto the boat and hid from us, so he could experience the "ride" down the ramp! 

David Mitchell

After some last minute observtions by Francois and Laurel (Roger's wife - kneeling under the boat in darkness), we waited for Roger to make the call. when he was satisfied that we were at exactly high tide, Roger let the guys release the three ropes. The ramp had been heavily greased so it slid quickly down the ramp and splashed into the cove. It took abput 2 and a half seconds. And later we discovered Keith had been onboard. We all got a chuckle out of that.

However, in the second shot, if you look close you see a red shirt in the darkness - center left of the photo.

That is Francois, who inexplicably let himself stand in a place too close where the middle rope whipped around his leg and yanked him over the edge of the deck - I mean like a rag doll !  We had all started to cheer loudly when we saw him streak over the side in a flash. Every voice stopped cheeering and we gasped. The other two houses kept cheering as they could not see what we were seeing. I think Roger and I and all of us had one second of  heart stoppage - thinking he was dead. Roger admiited so later - as did I. Francois had been thrown smack up agianst one of the large vetical upright 6 by 6 wooden bulkheads of support for the ramp, but the rope had pulled away from his leg as fast as it had grabbed him. If it hadn't, he would have lost a leg, or been disemboweled, or worse. He was sent sitting upright in the dirt with his legs wrapped around the post and his chest tight up against it. It was not tall enough to affectt his face - except that allowed for some severe neck wrenching forward.

In a moment he jumped up and yelled (in his strong French accent) My knife! I lost my knife!" You could have heard a pin drop. He had a badly bruised chestand sore ribs from the impact with the post, a stiff wrenched neck, and a serious rope burn on his one leg. From the moment we saw him snatched into the air to the moment we all breathed again seemed like forever. It was probably 3 seconds.

It is still hard for me to concieve of such an accident. Between Roger and all his planning, and Francois' knowledge of all this preparation, I guess it's better to be lucky than smart. But the boat was finally in the water. This was one of the most exciting things I have ever witnessed.

I'll post some "after" photos later.

John Maxwell

David Mitchell

Jack,

Shhhhh!

Ya didn't have to let everybody know we both have no memory.

(I thought your first guess sounded right)

Mary Margaret Clark (Schultheis)

In keeping with my desire to keep political opinions off of the Message Forum, I would like to note that I posted on the User Forum this morning.  

David Mitchell

news flash...........

ooops!   I guess the rats ate my post.

Joseph D. McCarthy

I just want you to be aware that I am going to commander this site for the next four days and turn it into a "TRAVELOGUE", or is that Travel Blog.  My wife and I will be departing EARLY, that's called Before Dawn in Military lingo, for Columbus.  So I thought that each nitewhen we stop I would recount the day's travel info.

Aren't you all lucky that I'll be to groggy to say much.

Joe 

David Mitchell

The day after launch. The boat ("Traveller") at anchor - minus the mast.

The mast you see is on the 32-foot sailboat (monohull) docked behind Roger's boat - which belongs to Jacob (the Potter) who originally sailed across the Atlantic with Roger about 25 years go in Roger's 28 foot "Cutter" (sailboat). The dock belongs to George Heyward - the great, great, great, grandson of Thomas Heyward of 1776 fame as I mentioned earlier.

Second shot - Roger sitting in the step down to the pilot house - contemplating work yet to be done.

Note: The dock is on the May River here in Old Bluffton - (Johnny Mercer's inspiration for the words to  "Moon River" (composed by Henry Mancinni). Mercer was from Savannah and had a summer home here in Bluffton for many years. Johnny Mercer only managed to write about 1,600 songs, and only eight of them were nominated for awards. Moon River won the Oscar for best movie song (Breakfast at Tiffany's) of 1961, and the grammmy for best song in 1962. If you could sit on the dock in front of my house at night you would see where the idea "Moon River" came from. During those nights when the moon is to our south, the view with the reflection off the river surface is simply spectacular!

More shots at anchor. I posted the first shot on Facebook some years back with the caption,        "The distance from the Mekong to the May River is a million miles and 40 years."

I'll post a few interior shots in the next few days.

You're up Joe. Drive safely.

Joseph D. McCarthy

At approximately 4:30 A.M. my wife and I departed heading to Salt Lake City Utah, ariving approximately 7:45 P.M. Mountain time.. A nice drive of about 720 miles.  Along the way we saw mountain peaks west of Reno, Nevada that were covered with snow.  After Reno it was time for fuel.  I had filled up the day before we left at $3,54 a gallon.  East of Reno we payed $3.07 a gallon.  I don't want to bore you we the fact that my Navigator had her nose stuck in a map rather than paying attention to the road; it took us over an hour to return to I-80 because of road work.  Further down the road there were many more mountain tops covered with snow.  Our final city in Nevada ws Wendover, followed by East Wendover in Utah.  They are divided by a main street that is also the State line.

Next we immediately came upon the Bonneville Salt Flats; Salt as far as you can see in every direction.  Then on to Salt Lake City.

James Hamilton, M. D.

Joe,

Can't wait for the next installment of your journey!  This sort of reminds me of the old CBS  series "On  the Road with Charles Kuralt". Old folks driving cross country - a true adventure! Be safe and be sure to stop and "smell the roses" as well as find some good old greasy spoons to try. Maybe even cruise some backroads if you have time and can get off the interstates. Recall that opening line in my favorite John Denver song, Sweet Surrender, that goes "Lost and alone on some forgotten highway, traveled by many, remembered by few". 

Jim 

Mark Schweickart

Joe -- whenever my wife and I travel, she too is in charge of the maps, but prefers the term nagivator instead of navigator. 

Mary Margaret Clark (Schultheis)

For anyone who is living in and around Immaculate Conception parish, you are invited to join us to pray the rosary at 8 PM tonight at the Grotto for the intentions of all those whose lives were lost yesterday in Texas and Ohio, for their families, for all of the injured, for our nation and for our Holy Mother Church. We pray to her with belief that she continues in heaven to exercise her maternal role on behalf of the members of Christ.

Joseph Gentilini

Mary Ann Nolan, have a great birthday.  Joe

Joseph D. McCarthy

Yesterday I didn't finish adding a couple of Facts.

After leaving Wendover we came to Bonneville Salt Flats around 5:30P.M.  The outside temperature had dropped to 102 degrees.  No problem, covering myself with a blanket I was able to survive the 68 degrees that my NAVIGATOR put the air-conditioning.

The other situation was watching out for all the bears in Nevada; many of which wore their SMOKY hats.

Salt Lake City is preparing for a Mayoral election. Top item is the air quality, or lack there of.  We should ask China and Japan how to cope with the pollution.

Today it was on to North Platte, NE with a start, AFTER breakfast, at 8:00A.M..  We noticed more "Bears" on the road.  When leaving Salt Lake City you start up a winding road that leads to Park City.  The road squiggles and seems to turn on itself as it rises rapidly for about 20 miles.  Speed limit is 65 mph; many cars and pickups usually run five to ten miles faster.  Trucks are happy if they can do 30mph on the way up; conversely they hope to do the same descending.  Once past Park city the speed increases to 75mph for about twenty miles, then it becomes 80mph through the rest of Nevada.  Gas runs from $2.29 to $2.69 today.  

After we crossed into Wyoming we started noticing all the Parade routes that hadn't been cleared because of the weekend.  We saw one stretch of 5 miles, but most parade routes were ten to twenty miles long,  How did I knpw there must have been parades - the road was lined with Orange Barrels.  

We got through to Nebraska with citing only a few Antelope.  On the other hand, all the waterways were full.

We reached North Platte at approximately 7:30P.M.  Dinner now out of the way I'm going  to bed.

David Mitchell

As I have stated (ranted) before, I cannot agree with a single argument as to why any private citizens should be allowed to purhase and own any type of "semi-automatic" weapon.

My prayer would be that a few of my own spineless Repubilicans cowards would manage to pull their collective heads out of their collective rectums and pass legislation to curb this uttery stupid practice. And no one's rights under the 2nd ammendment (which I support) would be infringed - whatsoever! 

Their regular checks from the NRA may come to a halt, but they may then be able to actually face themselves in a mirror. And get somethting else - anythng else - done for a change.

I am not so ignorant as to beleive this is the whole solution. I doubt there is a 100% solution to any problem other than those in Sister Norbertine's Algebra class. But it could at least impede the "growth" of this national epidemic.   

Meanwhile, enjoying your trip updates Joe?

(ha, ha, posted this just a momment after yours and had to change that last sentence)

John Jackson

Amen, Dave.  We've already had a ten year ban on assault weapons which passed Constitutional muster but it was not renewed out of deference to the NRA.

Each time there is a mass shooting in this country, The Onion publishes the exact same piece that it has published for every mass shooting over the past five or more years.  The headline is always the same: “No Way To Prevent This, Says Only Nation in the World Where Mass Shootings Regularly Happen” and the only thing that changes in the article is the place of the carnage and the number killed.  The “man-in-the-street” quotes all reinforce the idea that nothing can be done and that this is the way it has to be.  Some of The Onion's stuff can be in spectacularly poor taste, but this article really nails it (make sure you scroll down to “Recommended Stories” which include the last dozen or so identical Onion pieces published after mass shootings):

https://www.theonion.com/no-way-to-prevent-this-says-only-nation-where-this-r-1836949580

Michael McLeod

Let's just find a way to blame the democrats and the mainstream media.

John Maxwell

James Hamilton, M. D.

I had my yearly eye exam today so, with dilated pupils making me appear like a Betazoid from Star Trek, my only useful vision for the next few hours is near vision. Thus checking my cell phone will be my entertainment.

Just to chime in on guns, it is my belief that military-style assult weapons should be limited to the military and law enforcement personnel. 

Now, ​​​​​​to drastically change the topic, in past posts we have discussed the usefulness of studying Latin. In my line of work it came in very handy. It is still taught at BWHS. I occasionally use the app Google Translate to check on an English to Latin (or vise-versa) word. It works well. Microsoft's Translate app, which my wife prefers, does not contain Latin but - now get this - lists Klingon! I wonder if that is offered at our old alma mater... 

Jim 

David Mitchell

I just lost a 30 typing effort before submitting - so you are all the beneficaries. In short;

In addition to a shockingly true comment from "Himself" today............

1) A lot of talk today about violent video games and their effect on these kids. Experts all denying "any link", but I completely disagree. We all learned to repeat and love much of the stuff we saw and heard on our own early form of "Social Media". You remember, we used to call it "Television".

We loved every Cowboy and Indian hero and wanted guns and horses and coonskin caps. We memorized hundreds of verses of commercial jingles and punch lines. ("where's the beef?" - or "it's Howdy Doodie time" - or  "Born on a mountan top in Tennessee!")

Need I go on?

Can somebody explain how hese ultra violent graphic "killing games" do not make any impression?

2) Also a lot of talk about the "DARK WEB" - a deeply secure bit of the internet that we hear about but know little (some of you maybe). A commentator on PBS News last night explaining how these groups hang around on these sites, sharing "how to do it", cheering each other on, and keeping score when each incident happens. Seveal groups are preparing large numbers of memers for the "coming Race War". One of the sites ("8chan") even admitted last night that their site contained too much of this evil and agreed to shut down. Commendable!  

David Mitchell

JIm,

I'd be elated if my grandkids could just be taught longhand. 

Janie Albright (Blank)

I just sent out an email with all the details about our class trip to the Henry Ford Museum/Greenfield Village in Detroit Sept. 9. I may have messed up the dates. Jack and I seem to have a mental block on this but Clare has it right! Of course she does! Don’t pass up this opportunity to be with your oldest friends! 

Monday September 9 Tuesday September 10  

Life is short! Take the trip! 

James Hamilton, M. D.

I do not want this to be political because the problems are not. I do not blame any politician for the crimes of El Paso or Dayton. The blame lays on the shooters. I do not know what was in their deranged minds, nor do any of you. Manifestos may or may not state what they actually believed or believe. In fact, they may have been written to merely create chaos within society. Do I think that social media or violent movies and video games played a role in these killings? I don't know. Could they have been a factor in other mass murders? Very likely. Are these individuals mentally unstable? Definitely. Would stricter gun laws have prevented these crimes? Doubtful, since cities (Chicago) with some very strict gun laws have the highest gun related violence and death rates. Can Congress solve this problem? No. Can they help? Maybe. Can this problem be solved? Probably not. Can it be minimized? Hopefully. By whom or what? Federal government? Doubtful. Money? Hasn't helped many things before. Families? I think so. Education? If done correctly. Churches? If started early enough. Role models? Only the good ones. The list goes on and we all have our biases. 

As for the mental health aspect, this is what I think/know:

There are​​​ not enough mental health ​professionals/providers in the country to meet our needs. 

Politicians ​​​​and the laws of America often inhibit the ability of mental health workers from preventing dangerous patients from being sequestered from society for evaluation and treatment prior to them committing crimes. 

A person with a severe mental illness (psychosis) cannot be treated/cured as if he/she had a strep throat and just needed a shot of penicillin. That treatment is often long terrm, perhaps lifetime, and needs medication, psychotherapy, other measures and many resources.

In a free society such as ours, there are no easy answers. Will it be necessary to suspend constitutional rights for those who are a threat to our society before they commit crimes? That could certainly lead to abuse and a "slippery slope" scenario. 

I​​​ don't see any one solution to this complex problem and the "blame game" is not helping. It is just a distraction. 

Jim