sparquelito

Thank you for your service in Vietnam, Rob. Thank God you made it home alive. I flew, over the past 44+ years: TH-55's - 1978 OH-58A and OH-58C's - 1978 to 1989 OH-58D's - 1989 to 2017 UH-1H's - 2007 to 2016 Bell 407 - 2010 to 2016 UH-72A's - 2015 to 2020 Bell 206's - 2020 to December 2022 I'm blessed to have never crashed one or even been in any sort of accident. Just lucky I guess. 🫠

I used to be a runner. In the 1980's I played a lot of tennis, but in the 1990's thru 2010, I was a runner. I generally ran 2 or 3 miles every other day, and would often train up to half-marathon distances whenever an event was coming up. In the last few years of my first marriage, things were really lousy and sad at home. All the marriage counseling in the world had failed, and so we were in a miserable stalemate. During that time, I ran a lot of distance. Every other day. I look back on those days, and realize that back then I was running away from home. Being out there running miles and miles down the side of country roads was hours and hours away from the misery at home, and the stony silences. The dark moods, the angry fights and recrimination. 1997 brought an unexpected promotion, a transfer to Hawaii, and a long overdue divorce. It was a God-send. Everything changed. Life changed. Even running changed. I still ran, but the need for distance fell off. I was happy. I surfed longboards on the North Shore. Every day. I ran around with carefree, joyous surfer girls and triathletes. I flew Army helicopters and drank cold beers with good buddies. I found joy and peace. Eventually, years later, my arthritic knees and hips forced me to stop running. I now swim cardio laps, a lot. Five or six times a week. I quit flying too of course, at retirement six months ago. It's a source of reflection now, to watch runners go by. To look up in the sky, and watch helicopters fly by. If you ask me do I miss it (the running, and/or the flying helicopters), I'll just shrug and say, "NAH. I don't miss it one bit." Because there's a time for everything. And my time for all that has come and gone. And it's okay. 😐

Happy birthday, old sport. Hoping it all heals up, and that you get to enjoy some good leftovers. 😛

Ha ha ha ha! I get it. No, my older brother used to drink straight up Budweiser, and he and his wife still drink Bud Lite. I tried both, quite a few years ago, the results the next morning were always the same. Headache, rumbly gut, and a lousy day. Maybe it's Anheuser-Busch's famous beechwood aging process. Whatever it is, it doesn't agree with me. 🤔

All my prayers to his family, and to you as well, DanvillRob. 😔

I didn't really address drinking or drug use in my original "dicey things" posting. Seems like a subject all unto itself, though it certainly is a dicey proposition for most of us. I have been a beer drinker since around age 4. My Army dad would let us little kids take a sip off his cold Falstaff or Schlitz from the get-go, and it sure tasted good to us. In the summers, when our dad had us toiling in the heat, and mowing and trimming the yard at whatever quarters or duty station, it was natural to go into the kitchen at the end of the work day and crack a cold beer. None of us thought much of it, and it was no big deal. Later, in the teenage years, when other boys had purloined some alcohol, and invited me to 'get F#%ed up with them, I normally passed. I didn't drink with amateurs. Over in Germany in my junior high years, I tried some marijuana and hashish, but it really never did a thing for me. Didn't care for it, and never did it again. Once I was serving and flying in the Army, I became a bourbon drinker, and that was a steady thing throughout the military years. Army Aviators, fly, drink, f#%k around with women, drink some more, and repeat the next day. It was the culture. In my 40's I finally gave up whiskey and all hard liquors. I liked it too much, you see. Easy to give it up before I died from it. Switched back to beer. First good dark beers, and then later light, low-carb beers (for weight control). I still have cold light beers in the evenings. Never during the day. And never Bud Lite. (Bud products = headaches the next morning. Yuk.) I have never smoked cigarettes. I have my dad to thank for that too, I reckon. He chain-smoked Salems, and us boys had to clean up after him, empty the ash trays, pick up the butts in the yards, and shovel out the mountains of cigarette butts and ashes out of whatever car he drove. It was a filthy disgusting job, and it convinced me to never, ever smoke. I guess I'll shut up now. 😐

I had the same childhood experience. Done some research, and I'm pretty sure our parents and all the other adults in the neighborhoods back then were swingers. It's the only explanation for why they wanted us gone all day long. 😔

I like these guitars a lot. The 'rowdy bar' factor cannot be underestimated, and I love that you mentioned that about this model. Many gigging musicians have one guitar that they are willing to take to play the clubs and bars and get beer spilled on, but they usually have one or two at home that they are uber-precious with. I fancy the white one, personally. 🙂

Wow, that Midtown is a smoking hot guitar! Is it small bodied like the ES-339? I sure like the looks of it, much better than the shape of the 335. 🫠

Yeah, my memories of how a.m. radio ranked things, and what constituted a hit are admittedly fuzzy. I was 9 years old in 1968, and had already lived in five different towns or Army bases by that age. I just knew what I heard either on the radio, what my older brother brought home on 45's, or what our dad played on the reel-to-reel. By the time I lived in Germany shortly after that, it was a whole different ballgame. Germany pop music radio was really odd and festive, and Armed Forces Network (AFN) radio had Casey Kasem to tell you who was selling big that week. Casey's American Top 40 was a must-listen every week, no matter where we were assigned all across Germany, over many tours and adventures. By the time I started buying albums, and hanging out with other kids who did as well, it became certain that what we liked mattered more than what Casey Kasem had to say. Grand Funk Railroad, Steppenwolf, the Jesus Christ Superstar rock opera, Black Sabbath, 3 Dog Night, Harry Nilssen, etc etc. Good times. 🤔

I served in the first gulf war as well. Six and a half months we were deployed down there. Plenty of risk (flying in very hostile environments, getting shot at, nearly landing on land-mines, having SCUD missiles launched at us, etc), but I never thought to list that on my 'Dicey Things' chart. I mean, it was an all-volunteer Army, and I was being paid to be there and do a job. 😗

Good point. I had to give up my usual heavy consumption of whiskey, just a few years ago. I liked it too much. 🫠

I must confess; I rode my motorcycle early this morning, argued with my wife about mowing the grass in the 90 degree heat, and then went out and mowed the grass in the 90 degree heat. So there's that. 🙂

Did you ever make it to the Iridium to see Les Paul play? 🙂

And hopefully wiser. So, what was it that you used to do that you cannot or will not do anymore? Any things that you would never do, even on a dare? 🤔

I didn't mean to imply that Cream wasn't happening or making music before 1968. I did my research strictly on the Billboard Top 100 pop charts. Cream was making vital, important music before 1968. They just didn't hit the Billboard Top 100 charts until 1968 is all. Cream had the #6 spot for that year with Sunshine Of Your Love. They also landed the #81 spot with White Room. And as for me, I really don't care. I was bored the other day, and felt intrigued enough to research band names in the 1960's without 'The' in them. I like Eric and all, but Cream never really lit me on fire back in the day. Though I have been giving them a listen lately. 😗

Interesting question. I just reviewed the Top 100 Hits for the years 1960 thru 1968. In 1960, most of the popular songs were attributed to a single artist by name. (Brenda Lee, for instance. Elvis Presley, Bobby Rydell, etc.) All of the band names for that year had a 'The' in the band name except for an act called Bill Black's Combo. And by 'The', I am including artists like Dion and the Belmonts, or Joey Dee and the Starliters. In 1961, all the hits were produced by artists by name, or by bands with a 'The' in their name. There was one hit by 'Kokomo', but that turned out to be the singer's nickname or stage name, and not the name of a band. In 1962, more of the same. No band names without a 'The'. In 1963, same-same. I did find a duo called Los Indios Tabajaras and got all excited until I realized that that translated to "The Tabajara Indians". So I'll score that as a 'The' band name. In 1964, still the same state of affairs, though the act listed that year as Manfred Mann was technically a band name, even though the keyboard player went by that name. Hard to score that one. There is movement of the needle in 1965. We had bands named We Five, Herman's Hermits, Ramsey Lewis Trio, Sounds Orchestral, and Sir Douglas Quintet break the Top 100. 1966 is interesting. What I always thought of as The Four Tops had their first hits that year, but they were technically Four Tops, without the 'The'. Count Five was a garage band with a hit that year as well. Ray Conniff Singers and Bobby Fuller Four had hits. Again, I couldn't score a band called Los Bravos, since that loosely translated to "The brave ones". 1967 brought us and explosion with Every Mother's Son, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Buffalo Springfield, Jefferson Airplane, Procol Harum, Five Americans, and Blues Magoos, Finally, 1968 saw Cream hit the charts. The flood gates were wide open, as also charting that year were Classic IV, Steppenwolf, 1910 Fruitgum Company, Ohio Express, Friend & Lover, People!, Status Quo, Blue Cheer, Vanilla Fudge, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. A fun bit of research. Good memories. 🙂

I have been here in Harvest for going on 20 years. Right near to Huntsville and Redstone Arsenal. Boom-town. Interesting place. Lots of technology, and a lot going on with rocket & missile science, aviation testing, and a number of Universities. Like Sarge said about his homestead, nobody here is from here. In all my time living here, I have met exactly 14 people who are Huntsville born and raised. Speaking of The Solstice, here are the dog tags I wore while flying Army helicopters for lo all those years. (Until just a few months ago, when I hung up my flying spurs.) 😗

I still have (and use) my Yamaha PSR-400 polyphonic keyboard with MIDI, onboard speakers, multi-track recording, and layers of digital bass, rhythm, and harmonic 'accompaniment'. I bought it brand new sometime around 1990, over in Germany. Still works great. 🙂

I admire and respect BOTH the theme park employees, and Law Enforcement professionals. That said, I have made it two of my life's goals to never, ever: a. Go to a theme park or b. Become involved with Law Enforcement in any way, shape or form. Life is simpler and less stressful this way. 😗

Very great gift!! 🙂

Gorgeous work there!! 😃

I liken this to Hollywood. (Wait, stay with me here.) I see the adverts for the new movies coming out, and it's like "Yay, they re-made Spiderman again! Whoo-whee!!". Where's the originality? How many times can you re-make Spiderman? How many ways can you rip-off Leo Fender? Okay, I'm gonna shut up now. 😔

Here in the link down below is Bernie with Whitesnake in 1982, playing a Fender Stratocaster, in the video for the original version of Here I Go Again. Bernie co-wrote the song with David Coverdale, and it was a minor hit back then, off the Saints & Sinners album. Jon Lord on keyboards at the time, and Ian Paice on drums. (The song exploded again a few years later in an updated version of the band and song, with the classic video of Tawny Kitaen doing cartwheels across Jaguar automobiles. ) Interesting. The twin lead guitar solo with Micky Moody at timestamp 3:06 is quaintly elegant. And Bernie had some Jazzmaster-type switches added to his blue strat here. Curious what those were about. https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=whitesnake%2C+original+version%2C+here+I+go+again#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:cac0d83d,vid:DSlSaGcc0QM 🙂

Is it supposed to be a heavy relic'ed guitar? If not, then you got some relic'ing for free. 😃