More Eagles

These are Eagles (and Jackson Browne), pretending to be dead à la The Dalton Gang.

Actual dead Dalton Gang members - not pretending, dispatched by lawmen and good citizens of Coffeyville, Kansas in 1892.
They may have had cojones of brass, but brains the size of walnuts in deciding to rob TWO banks at once, in broad daylight, attempting to best the Jesse James gang.

From the email bag

From the former BNSF COO to my Dad to me:


This came from a Fellow who runs a 2000 acre corn farm up around Barron, WI, not far from Oshkosh.  He used to fly F-4Es and F-16s for the Guard and participated in the first Gulf War.

KILL 'EM AND EAT 'EM...A GREAT AVIATION STORY

I went out to plant corn for a bit to finish a field before tomorrow morning and witnessed The Great Battle. A golden eagle - big bastard, with about a six foot wingspan - flew right in front of the tractor. It was being chased by three crows that were continually dive-bombing it and pecking at it. The crows do this because the eagles rob their nests when they find them.

At any rate, the eagle banked hard right in one evasive maneuver, then landed in the field about 100 feet from the tractor. This eagle stood about 3 feet tall. The crows all landed too, and took up positions around the eagle at 120 degrees apart, but kept their distance at about 20 feet from the big bird. The eagle would take a couple steps towards one of the crows and they'd hop backwards and forward to keep their distance.

Then the reinforcement showed up.

I happened to spot the eagle's mate hurtling down out of the sky at what appeared to be approximately Mach 1.5. Just before impact the eagle on the ground took flight, (obviously a coordinated tactic; probably pre-briefed) and the three crows, which were watching the grounded eagle, also took flight thinking they were going to get in some more pecking on the big bird.

The first crow being targeted by the diving eagle never stood a snowball's chance in hell. There was a mid-air explosion of black feathers and that crow was done. The diving eagle then banked hard left in what had to be a 9G climbing turn, using the energy it had accumulated in the dive, and hit crow #2 less than two seconds later.  Another crow dead.

The grounded eagle, which was now airborne and had an altitude advantage on the remaining crow, which was streaking eastward in fullburner, made a short dive then banked hard right when the escaping crow tried to evade the hit. It didn't work - crow #3 bit the dust at about 20 feet AGL.

This aerial battle was better than any air show I've been to, including the warbirds show at Oshkosh. The two eagles ripped the crows apart and ate them on the ground.

As I got closer and closer working my way across the field, I passed within 20 feet of one of them as it ate its catch. It stopped and looked at me as I went by and you could see in the look of that bird that it knew who's Boss of the Sky. What a beautiful bird!

I loved it.. Not only did they kill their enemy, they ate them.

One of the best Fighter Pilot stories I've seen in a long time.


There are no noble wars -- only noble warriors!

h/t: Dad & Bill G.

Back to Work

After a 4½ day weekend, I return to work tomorrow.  In a way, I'm actually kind of looking forward to it.

• Today was fun.  Had lunch with the [retired] president/chairman of a bank where I worked for 15 years.  Hadn't had lunch with him for a few months.
• $2.95 burgers - any kind - at No Frills Grill on 377 on Mondays.  Mine was mushroom/swiss.
• Mulched the leaves in the front yard, and the ones that had been on the driveway, a lot of the ones in the backyard.
• I hate raking leaves and putting them in bags. I see them as bags and bags of soil nutrients that will have to be replaced. 
• So, I rake and blow them into piles and use a mulching blade on them.  A little fertilizer and the soil is properly conditioned.
• Went to the shooting range this afternoon, though it was a fairly short session.  Had hoped to finish off a box of .270 Win. so that I can prep the cases, neck size and reload them, as well as to try out the new spotting scope.  Unfortunately, it was late in the day, and the Range Officer didn't call any cease fires, so I busied myself on the falling plates course with some rimfire hanguns.
• So-so results with the Ruger Standard.  Quite a bit better with the Single-Six.

Mine is from 1961 - pictured is a 1963 model with adjustable sights
• Anyone familiar with the cellular communications industry?
• I've noticed two vacant wireless stores, each near a Target anchor in a retail center (one AT&T, the other Verizon) near me.
• Market saturation?
• Am thinking of changing carriers.  Currently with T-Mo, but the 1000 anytime family plan minutes that I once thought was insane - well...not so much.  45¢ per additional minute chaps me.
• Considering Metro PCS.  They have a base rate of $40, but I am more likely a candidate for the $45 or $50 plan.  Taxes included, unlimited minutes, text and web (though no tethering).  But, I'll have to pay for a phone, probably in the $200 range, maybe an Android.
• Android - as if I care.  The phone I'm using now is a Samsung flip phone, about 4 years old. A pork-n-beans can and string setup is more advanced.

• I'm just looking for a decent phone, QWERTY keyboard ('cause I'm really slow at texting) - could be a slider, 2.0 MP camera or better, and basic web access.
• And, not that it means anything, but I'm not an Apple person.  So it matters not that Metro PCS doesn't offer iPhones.  I will acknowledge that people I know who have iPhones love them and can do some pretty cool things with them.  I helped a lawyer friend move some office furniture some time back, and was amazed when he checked the leveling of the file cabinets with an iPhone app.
• Oldest son loves his Blackberry.  I have one at work - don't much care for it, but it's better than the Treo I had a couple of years ago.
• I've spoiled myself the past few days with breakfasts of a single fried egg on toast, garnished with chili.  Tomorrow it'll probably be a quick cinnamon/raisin bagel, or some instant porridge with blueberries.
• The spaghetti sauce from the other day was delicious (after I amended it with some zucchini squash and 'shrooms).  A batch of it will serve as lunch tomorrow.

Winding it Down

• Recently, Chalupa Cabrito asked the question, "Do snakes have faces?"  I commented on his post that of course they do.  Here are the faces of seven snakes:

Zoom in to see fang details.

• I think the gray faces are just primed, and I don't remember why the second and third from the left don't have their proper yarmulkes.
• On last evening's post, I extolled the virtue of the .41 Remington Magnum.  Here is a proper specimen:

Background: Oldest son's first deer

• The trigger shoe is from Herter's.  I used to love to read their catalogs.
• After three nights indoors, I got bit by the bug to sleep outdoors again last night.  No, not from having written about it - there was just a great alluring breeze outside when I let the dog out, and I was captivated.
• At 4:02 this morning, the raindrops forced me back inside, but it was kinda funny how they'd already worked their way into my dream.
• I made a huge batch of chicken & turkey chili, using fresh jalapeño, serrano, bell, and a small pepper from a plant my mother gave me.  Also a batch of spaghetti sauce with some of the same.
• There was a long line of cars around the Wal-Mart today, and the checkout lines were insane.  You'd think they were giving away free nookie.
• I don't know what that means.
• I bought some 8 oz. Coors Lights to make red beer with.
• Also stopped by the ALDI.  Even though I've established several kitchen staples that I can buy economically there, I am not convinced of their long-term viability.
• Almost every item in ALDI is a store brand.  The only recognized national brands I've seen so far are: Pringles, Earl Campbell Hot Links, and Armour...lard.  Lard?  Yeah, you wanna be sure your lard is of the highest quality, right?
• 10# sack of Russet potatoes for 99¢.  Guess that means hash browns for breakfast. Or omelettes.
• But no beer at the ALDI.  A German store, without Bier?  Was ist los?
• They won't last.
• I stepped out earlier and was about to set up my sleeping bag arrangement, but realized that Sienna would get freaked out by the fireworks - so it's indoors tonight.
• Watched the last half-hour of Wild Hogs, then one of the Left Behind movies.
• In this episode, Kirk Cameron's character gets married.  The minister, Bruce Barnes (played by Clarence Gilyard Jr.- James "Jimmy" Trivette from Walker, Texas Ranger - in the first two movies), quotes heavily from 1 Corinthians 13.
• That Shakespeare dude also borrowed heavily from the same chapter in his, uh, Sonnet, um, 116.
• Maybe in 2011 I will find a woman who understands and believes in that kind of thing.
• Happy New Year!

2010, Good Riddance!

While all the news outlets proclaim the top stories of the past year and notable personalities we lost, I will instead wish a hearty heave-ho to the second millennium's first decade, and wish for you, as myself, a healthy and prosperous 2011!

• The House of Donald was blessed to have the kids this Christmas.  Actually, we spent the night at my folks' house, and oldest son had to report to work at 6:00 a.m. Christmas morning.  Luckily, his workplace was not busy, and he was able to leave mid-morning to rejoin us.
• Attended our first Dallas Cowboys game at the new stadium the week before Christmas.  There is nothing subtle about that place.  I probably enjoyed the trip as much for seeing the engineering accomplishment (oldest son and I toured with an ASME group in 2007 when it was under construction) as the game.  The whole experience is a spectacle.  I wonder how many people go there and pay no attention to the contest on the field?  Anyway, I am most grateful to best friend Mark and his wife Claire, who passed the tickets on to us when her Dad presented them with Giants-Eagles tickets (a game that resulted in a massive meltdown for the NYG).

Two Donalds and a non-Donald (who nonetheless has 'don' in his name) - photo credit: The Donald

• My sons have both been in Scouting.  Daughter has not.  Even so, she is every bit as rugged as any Scout I ever met.  The first night of Christmas vacation, she asked if we could sleep outdoors on the deck.  "Honey, it's going to be too cold", I said.  She just grinned.  "You're crazy."  More grinning.  "We'll have to put plenty of comforters over the sleeping bags, then."  Giggling.
• That first night, it got down to 30° or 31°.   She pointed out Orion's belt, Polaris, the Big Dipper, as well as a shooting star.  I woke up several times to check to see if she was warm enough.  Yep. 
• We slept outside all eight days she spent over here (only retreating indoors in the middle of the night that it rained).  Two other nights were 23° and 27°.  If she were a Scout, she'd have earned three Polar Bear badges.  Middle son joined us one of the non-freezing nights.
• I enjoy sleeping outdoors, but mainly enjoy looking up at the sky and talking until one or the other of us falls asleep.  An experience worth more than money or gold.
• Odd street sign:

• Of course, I thought maybe I was in Santa Fe:

• Then again, I had to worry about the attack of the killer Jackalope:

• They're vicious, I'm told.
• I didn't get caught up in the commercial Christmas vs. spiritual Christmas discussion this year.  Oh, sure, I fall into the latter camp.  But as friend Todd the Blogger points out, why split hairs over why, or how, someone is celebrating Christ's birth.  I wasn't out spending large sums, but, to the extent those who opened their wallets large this season helped the economy - I thank them.
• We attended the middle Christmas Eve service at our Church.  It was awesome.
• Am trying to access Obi's blog - using the sign on to the link, without success.
• Got some inexpensive Western DVDs at the outlet mall - the kind where you get two movies on a disc, a couple of discs for $3.
• If you ask most people about their favorite Western actor, you'll hear John Wayne, Eastwood, James Stewart, Fonda. Good choices all. And I would add another: Terence Hill (who co-starred with Fonda in 1973's My Name is Nobody, a classic).
• At least one, so far, was a winner:
• Lucky Luke: Ghost Train.  Starring Terence Hill (née Mario Girotti), this European TV series movie from 1991 co-stars Nancy Morgan (married to actor John Ritter from 1977-1996), Jack Elam,  David Huddleston (Olson Johnson from Blazing Saddles), and Abe Vigoda.  The trailer also credits Madeline Kahn, though she was actually in other episodes of Lucky Luke, but not this one.  The theme song is sung by Roger Miller.  Featuring a talking horse, this show is pure, slapstick Western fun.

• I got a new Cabela's spotting scope for Christmas - looking forward to using it.
• The latest issue of Shooting has an article about Smith & Wesson adding a .41 Remington Magnum offering to its 357 Night Guard line of snubbie revolvers.  Glad to see the .41 get the recognition it deserves, especially from the company that developed the original handguns for the round.

• Interestingly, the article made no mention of the cartridge's proponents: Elmer Keith and Bill Jordan. Edit: ...and Skeeter Skelton, too.
• Heresy!
• So I will.

Have a wonderful, happy, safe, and prosperous New Year!

Wrapping Up

With the events of this past week, my blog backlog seems to be growing - lots of ideas, but little time to commit them to bits and bytes.

A few last notes from the funeral:  I suppose everyone has gotten the email about the middle aged lady who goes to the dentist, only to read his diploma and realize he was a high school classmate.  When she says to the dentist, "I think you were in my class", he asks, "Oh, really, what did you teach?"

One of my classmates walked up to me yesterday and asked me my name.

For most of you, this wouldn't seem remarkable.  But my graduating class numbered 16, and we've lost two.  I can name every person in the class, and have seen all of them within the past ten years.  So, I was a bit taken aback when this one I'd visited with at the 25th reunion (six years ago) didn't recognize me.  I've not changed much in 31 years, and really very little in the most recent six. 

But then, sometimes the shoe's on the other foot.

About five of us were standing about after the funeral service when a guy walked up, with a deliberate look, and asked "Is this the Class of '79?"

"Yes."

"I'm Richard XXXXX."

The classmate to my right introduced himself, then I introduced myself.

"Oh, you're The Donald."

"Huh?"

"The Donald."

"Uh, yeah, I'm Don."

"No, I mean you're The Donald, the blogger."

At this point, I'm really struggling, trying to figure out which class Richard is from, and how in the heck he stumbled across my blog, inasmuch as I don't attach tags, and, to my knowledge, wouldn't expect anyone at that gathering even to know I have a blog.

Thankfully, a few moments later, someone else walked up and said, "I'm Donnie, Richard's brother", bringing the picture into focus.  Richard had been in our class from 5th through 8th grades, but left to attend another high school.  So I guess we can't be faulted too much for being slow on the recall after 35 years.

In talking with the brothers (Richard and Donnie), we reminisced about growing up in Irving, of old landmarks long gone, and they told me of one I'd never heard before.  Apparently, until the late '40s or early '50s, there was an airport south of 183 and east of Story Road, running north-south down to where the Plymouth Park shopping center has now been for about 50 years.  I wasn't sure I believed them until I researched it this evening, since the housing in that area is about 55-60 years old, but sure enough, there had been one, and I could vaguely remember seeing some remaining hangar buildings in the '60s and '70s.

I guess you know you're getting old when you drive by a place and remember when it was a field, then such-and-such was built on it, which changed to something else, and then it was torn down and now it's a field again.

You know, kind of like Texas Stadium.

Oh, and I still never learned how Richard came to be acquainted with my blog.

The Mourners

This morning, at the service indicated in the prior blog, I recalled a radio spot I'd heard for a touring collection of medieval statuary, on display at the DMA until January 2.

I counted seventeen cloaked figures flanking the altar as the Celebrant conducted the funeral Mass, all older priests, many of whom I knew from my days at the school, others who taught at the University.  Additionally, there were some younger brothers and novitiates.  I was struck by the apparent age gap between those in their 20s and 30s, and those in their 70s and 80s.  There were probably two priests in the 'gap' of 40-50-60.

Our friend and mentor, Fr. Aloysius was a very special man to many people, spanning generations.  A patient teacher, counselor, and sometimes stern disciplinarian, he shepherded his students.  A classmate and friend of mine said that no mother could have defended her cubs more fiercely, than Fr. Aloysius did.  And we didn't always, or even often, make that an easy task.  Over the past three weeks, as we saw his physical life coming to its conclusion, I couldn't help seeing the parallels, in this Advent season, of one who had suffered numerous physical, emotional, and physical indignities, yet maintained strength of spirit and perseverance to complete his earthly tasks.

The Celebrant recounted an old saying, of mixed Latin and German origin, stating that "You can't give more than you have", and admitted that for most of his life he'd believed it to be true.  But recently, he had a revelation that the aphorism was wrong, that in fact, through God's power, we can give blessings far beyond  what we innately possess - the excess contribution (possibly the entire measure) being God's gift, for which we are merely conduits.

To Fr. Aloysius, I offer heartfelt gratitude for the blessings you bestowed on me.  And to my friends and whomever may read these posts, I wish the joy and love of Christ in this season.