829 Southdrive

829 Southdrive

A New Jersey state of mind



Friday, April 29, 2011

Hey 19!



The New York Giants selected Nebraska's Prince Amukamara
as the 19th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.  Amukamara,
who actually has royal Nigerian tribal bloodlines, has been invited
to that little wedding across the pond on Friday.  Have fun Prince,
then get your butt back here and start focusing on beating that
team from Philadelphia.  Please, no more 4th quarter meltdowns!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Monday, April 25, 2011

Spring Inspection


"You know, Thad, you may want to re-bed this
splash guard.  I can see daylight underneath it",
said the goose. "There's a guy in Jersey who
blogged about this who may be of assistance."

Thursday, April 21, 2011

The Truth


Now I know how they can cruise around the world.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Afternoon on the Hudson



USS Intrepid at the pier on West 46th street.  She served 
many tours of duty during WW II and Vietnam, and in between
was involved in peacetime missions with NATO and served
as the primary recovery vessel for both the Mercury and
Gemini space missions.  She was hit once by a torpedo, 
and struck three separate times by Kamikaze planes.



Since 1982, she's been home to the Intrepid Sea, Air, 
and Space Museum.  29 years later, I finally made it there
and I'm glad I did. 
  


The A-12 Blackbird, 1960's CIA spy plane.


The Huey.  I immediately think of rice paddies and
watching the Vietnam war on the news every night.


North Korean MIG, 1950's Korean War era jet.
They were also flown well into the Vietnam War.
So small, like having a missile between your legs.



The Harrier Jump Jet, featuring vertical
take-off and landing.


Anchor chain capstans up in the fo'c's'le.


Docklines leading forward out of the Hurricane Bow.


My Father-in-Law, who turned 80 the day
before.  If I'm in half the good health he is
when and if I make 70, I'll be thrilled.
Thanks for the great afternoon, Reno!


On the pier next to the Intrepid sits the British Airways
Concorde.  Across the pond in half the time.  It reminds
me of Live-Aid in 1985 when Phil Collins played
Wembley Stadium with Sting earlier in the day,
then flew the Concorde to Philadelphia to play with
Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton later that night.


There was a surprising amount of legroom in the seats
but a very narrow aisle and microscopic restrooms.
It was apparently a very quiet ride because you went
 faster than the speed of sound. 


USS Growler, a Diesel powered nuclear submarine,
in commission from 1958 only until 1964. 


Powder room.


Captain's Cabin. At least he and the Commanding
Officer could sit upright in bed!


Commanding Officer's Stateroom.  I say closet.


Up periscope!


I'm thinking there were not too many tall or wide
submariners.  I'm both and I had to squeeze through
those small doorways, somewhat sideways.


Hey, what does this lever do?



This little galley fed 88 crewmembers!  Don't tell
me you can fit 88 slabs of Foie Gras on those
flat-tops and still keep them all rare.  No way!


Mess Deck.


The bottom bunks could not have had more than
16 inches of clearance.  Claustrophopic people
need not enlist.


The three lucky guys who slept in the stern torpedo
room had a bit more space.  It takes a special breed to
serve on a submarine.  This is a good time to thank all 
of the men and women who serve or have served
 us in all branches of the military!




P.S.- What I failed to mention was the miracle on the
Hudson, which apparently transpired almost straight out
from this area in the middle of the river.  Sully could not have
chosen a better place to land;  The wind was right, the river
was relatively calm and clear at the landing zone, and the
river at this particular junction is rife with water taxis.
It was a tailor-made, textbook emergency landing.  
Everyone should be so fortunate to have a pilot of his 
caliber at the helm. 

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Snurfing near the Great Lakes


"The first modern snowboard was arguably the Snurfer (a portmanteau of snow and surfer), originally designed by Sherman Poppen for his children in 1965 in Muskegon, Michigan. Poppen’s Snurfer started to be manufactured as a toy the following year. It was essentially a skateboard without wheels, steered by a hand-held rope, and lacked bindings, but had provisions to cause footwear to adhere."


Minimum of Snow, Fully Maneuverable,
Fun and Thrills, and Easy to Learn.  It's official!
All of the above. My orange-haired friend and I
shredded (possibly before the word was ever used)
on his yellow Snurfer for hours on end.  Talk about
good, cheap, clean fun. 



The "staples" kept your feet in place while the yellow plastic lanyard
helped to steer.  All in all it was fairly easy to navigate on a Snurfer.
Why did they ever have to complicate things with bindings?

Saturday, April 9, 2011

April, Float She Will



With the topsides buffed and shining, tomorrow will see bottom paint
outside, and Pine-Sol, Windex, and Lemon Oil down below.
The 5 coats of Cetol held well over the winter so there'll be no
brightwork this spring.  I'll be thinking of Adam while I'm taping
 the waterline.  Then, less than 2 weeks and we float once more.  
Good Friday looks to be a Great Friday!

Friday, April 8, 2011

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Today's Chicken


Tomorrow's soup. 

Perspective



There's Jersey, and then there's everything else.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Nothing New about it


No matter where I go, if I'm asked where I live, the response to my
answer is often, "oh, you're from Jersey."  If I had said the Granite
State, or the Empire State, or the Land of Enchantment, they would
not have said, "oh, you're from Hampshire, or York, or even Mexico."
Out of the "New" states, Jersey is the only one that can be said
without "New."  The Provolone stands alone.
"What exit?" they also often ask, which only means which exit
off of the Garden State Parkway do you live.  What if you
don't live near the Parkway?  Exit 98, I've said a million times.
You live downtha shore!  Who else in the nation other than people in
 the NY, NJ, and Pennsylvania area call the coast downtha shore?
And when you stop for gas in Jersey, just roll down your window.
Beside Oregon, we're the only other state to still have real service
stations where the gas attendant politely comes up to your window
and says "Hi! May I help you?"  I'm not afraid to pump my own
gas, but when there's someone there to do it for you?
Call me old-fashioned.