Work, Kinda Sorta

A business assignment took me to Bayard, NE today. Bayard was the hometown of my late brother-in-law. The Panhandle was rainy today and lots of green showing in the fields but the North Platte  River wasn’t flowing bank to bank.

Almost all of the storefronts in Bayard are empty. The only grocery store is a Dollar General. 15 miles away in Bridgeport, population 1,500+, nearly all the storefront have businesses. Why one town dies and another nearby thrives escapes me. Maybe because of the BNSF railroad?

Near Bayard is a landmark used by the pioneers, Chimney Rock.

I-80

Whenever possible, I avoid the Interstates, especially I-80. Two trucks, both speed limited, but not matching speeds, with the faster by 2 mph passing the slower. These two ran side by side for three miles.

A Facebook Group, “Old, Abandoned and Interesting Places – Colorado” gets the occasional photo from me. I’m not sure just which of these I will post. Any suggestions? Near Weld County Road 79 and on Weld County Road 120. 

Like wide open spaces? This is looking eastward from the driveway.

Briggsdale, CO

On Highway 14 there is a sign, “Next gasoline 60 miles”. Nearby by is a gas station/convenience store that serves some of the best hot sandwiches you will find. The Jersey barriers are used by some to convey political views. The evidence is not in favor of snowflakes.

So much for my mundane life.

Boulder, CO

Commenting on a Falsebook post, I called Boulder, “Parasite Valley”.

Judging by some responses to my comment, including one by a high school classmate, I struck a nerve.

Am I wrong to find some lowbrow satisfaction in their responses?

Farmers Market, Honey

We now have the seasonal opening of our local Farmers Market every Saturday.

Found some local honey there last Saturday.

I enjoy a large spoonful of honey in my coffee. I find it helps control allergies. Like some of my other health practices, many will scoff. Do you think I care?

I prefer being able to look directly into the eyes of the husband/wife team that not only gathered the honey but process it in their home. I know the location of the hives so know it is a local source.

Not cheap at $40 a quart but I’m worth it and it supports a local farmer with no middle man.

Old NFO commented on "Farmers Market, Honey"

5 hours ago

That stuff DOES work if it's actually local. I do the same thing down here.

Float Bridge Destroyed in Ukraine

 Viewing this YouTube video of a Russian float bridge destroyed by artillery, I find myself puzzled. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYlg8ClPEns

For background, mid 1960’s I was an enlisted man in the 814^th Engineer Company (Float Bridge), Pioneer Kaserne, Hanau, Germany. We were assigned to V Corps. During that assignment I participated in many exercises building both float bridges and float ferries.

These are old scanned black and white pictures from that time.

First rule we operated under. No construction where we would be under direct artillery fire.

The long bridge in one photo was across the Rhine River near the site Patton’s Army crossed in WWII. The shorter bridge was across the Donau (Danube) in the dead of winter. This was under a smoke screen.

All of the pictures show some of the complexity of a float bridge operation. In our one company we had some 112 vehicles.

The Russian were using what we called mobile ferries or a variant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ratKBu2cRp0&ab_channel=HD1080ide

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nh_feflEx0

Just the short bridge across the Donau was a 16 hour exercise. A mobile ferry company should have been able to do it in an hour or less if they have their shit together.

Back to the day. Not under direct artillery fire. Armor and infantry standing by to immediately cross the bridge to seize and control the terrain on the enemy side was the order of the day.

The realities of military bridging cannot have changed much. The Romans built a floating bridge across the Rhine. All that has changed is speed.

Auto Recycling

 My son’s 2002 Ford Focus needed a  throttle cable. Due to the age of the car, no new were available.

A young man who rents from my sister graciously pulled one from the local auto salvage yard. Cost? $6 and some cash for the young man.

The shop that installed it charged my son $154 and tweaked son's car. He reports it is running better than ever.

With the current soaring prices for used cars and the shortage of new, I’m glad my son can keep driving his beater. He has never been into cars. If it starts when he turns the key and moves when he shifts into drive, he is content.

This salvage yard has survived for years with a business model that doesn’t change. They don’t pull parts and don’t recommend anyone who will. Their inventory? Walk the 3 acres behind high voltage electric fences and look. The do sort by make (domestic). Foreign? Go look. Tool boxes are inspected going in and coming out. That said, the staff is polite and respectful. There is little trash and no weeds but the lot is dirt and muddy when wet.

They don’t keep cars around too long. The crusher/chopper is running all business hours.

At my age with stiff numb fingers I do little mechanical work. I miss it.

Salud

My sister was recently honored. This from the local rag.

https://www.greeleytribune.com/2022/05/11/weld-county-resident-awarded-for-work-in-migrant-health-at-conference-for-agricultural-worker-health/

For her, this is a passion. She has never received any money for her work other than the occasional reimbursement for expenses.

The Salud organization is now fifty years old and where I go for most of my medical and dental needs. The care is first rate.

I’m beyond proud of this remarkable woman.

Hard Times Ahead

 My recent visit to Maybell, and talking with my aunts (88 and 84), brought back memories of growing much up easier than my parents. Still, my sister and I weren’t born with a silver spoon in our mouths.

A mobile home similar to the one in the picture was our home for awhile.

 My father was hired by the Denver and Rio Grande railroad as a laborer. At times we lived in boxcars converted to living quarters. Some were somewhat plush while others were stark. He eventually became a section foreman. On the side he shod horses.

 The D&RG kept cutting back on maintenance and consolidated sections. The senior would “bump” the junior and the domino effect went down the line. In ten years my father was never more than one step above the bottom of the seniority list. When he got “bumped” in Steamboat Springs, he found other employment and my parents bought a small 35 acre place outside Steamboat using a VA loan.

 With both parents working “town jobs” most of the ranch work was done by me. My sister helped, but was nine years my junior. After I left after graduating high school, more of the burden fell on my sister.

 The point, if there is one, we as a species have lasted because of the tenacity of the species. When I look at the world my grandchildren, and ultimately great grandchildren will live in, I am in despair. I fear extreme hard times will be their lot. They will survive, but why must they endure such conditions? Fuck Joe Biden and all the elites sucking the lifeblood out of this country!

 Those urban “homeless” camps springing up everywhere aren’t filled with just dopers.