Help is on the way!

Wildfire in Texas

  Texas authorities have ordered in more airborne fire fighting help, aircraft designed for just that purpose.  When I first saw the photos I thought these planes were recycled Grumman Goose(s)(Geese), but that was not the case, despite the appearance.
  Specially built by Canadair, now Bombardier, these planes look like the old ((Goose(s)Geese), still powered by two R2800 engines, proudly built by Pratt and Whitney - but there is a conversion kit to outfit the aircraft with Turboprop engines.  The first and only conversion kit for aircraft, by the way.
  The planes are operated in about 30 countries, in the USA they are mostly flown by a company in Arizona that specializes in airborne firefighting.

Three CL215 planes waiting to battle a fire.
(Look familiar to you Wilbur?)

Dropping water, the interior tanks empty through a special "door" in the belly

The CL215's instrument panel and flight controls.

Changing times

Maine Coastal Botanical Gardens

  I've noticed a few trees starting to change, not swamp maples either, but they may have been diseased or old.
  Anyway, it's going to be my favorite season soon.  Labor Day is on this weekend, the mornings are cooler and the sun rises and sets in a different place.  I thought I'd share some photos from Maine that I've found in the past couple of years, most or all of them came from the Portland Press Herald or the Bangor Daily News - I did not take any of them.  I will share one taken by my wife, Linda.
  Well, I'm off soon on a "Peggy Day" so she can shop and tomorrow is "Hollie Day" and she can do her thing.

The old Cemetery in Carmel, Maine, Linda Grant

McKusick Farm, Dexter Maine

A "Beltie" enjoys a fall day

More than enough

  I didn't think there would be a blog today, because until late (for me) last night we had no Internet, no phone and only one TV worked.  We had moved the big TV earlier in the day, had it all hooked back up, and, you guessed it, nothing.  Oh, you can turn it on, turn on the cable box and it all lights up nice and pretty and tells you that channel will be available soon.  Power on, power off, power on, power off trying to reset the dad blasted thing!
  Calling the "telephone helpline" is more of a joke than the phrase "telephone helpline".  It's okay, I guess, if you don't mind responding to a machine and getting an almost endless list of menus, THAT ALL END UP WITH YOU BEING DISCONNECTED!!  It kind of ticked me off, can you tell?
  So, I get back in the car and drive to Bangor for the third time in a day, go wait in a line that I knew would take a long time -- and got a date and time that a repairman will come and see me - on Friday.
Part of the problem is the power outages in New England, so when you press 3 for technical assistance the only one there is a repeating computer that will tell you over and over and over the same dad blasted thing.  I'd unplug that son of a gun, or shoot it, willingly.
  Let's back up just a little.  The day didn't start right when I read that the Red Sox lost to the Yankees by leaving 13 men on base while the rest of the dad blasted sissies couldn't hit the dad blasted ball!  You can make 3 million dollars a year and be totally useless if you're a professional athlete, crikey!
  The second, or was it the third - anyway, thing that happened was the President saying he would address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday of next week.  Oh wait!  Cried the Speaker of the House, explaining that the Republican debate was that very same evening and could the President of the United States (said to be the most powerful position in the world) possible change it to Thursday; and the President of the United States backed down.  Besides, the Speaker said, I need to get my hair done and work on my orange (I mean my tan).  Geesus!  That is just to unreal to believe.
  Okay, I'm awake now, thanks for "listening"!

P. S.  A member of Congress earns an average of $174,000.00 a year, combine that with $110,000.00 a year in retirement and health benefits and that's not a bad deal - but they want to reduce the minimum wage!

Don't try this at home

Can't see where you're going?

  The top photo has nothing to do the with rest, but I liked it and wanted to use it.  What today is about is tornado's, and what a tornado can do that's a bit different.
  Those storms have been know to do strange things, like putting a piece of straw through a tree, I sort of remember seeing a picture of that, once, but I couldn't find it and share it with all of you.  I did, however, find some that are interesting, to me.

Kyson, here, was thrown 100 yards, he had some scrapes and bruises, other than that he's okay.

A piece of lumber through a concrete wall - and the tip of the piece isn't broken!

This is supposed to have been caused by a tornado, I'm skeptic, how about you?

Gooey...

What a mess!

  On January 15, 1919 in Boston Massachusetts there was a flood, the result of an industrial accident and facility collapse.
  Purity Distilling Company owned a holding tank for molasses, the tank burst and two million, three hundred thousand gallons of molasses ran down hill.  The molasses was used as a sweetener, to make rum and even in munitions at that time.
  It was said the bursting tank sounded like a machine gun with all the rivets breaking loose, and there was a loud rumble as the molasses escaped.  Twenty-one people were killed and over seventy were injured as a result.  A section of the elevated railroad was destroyed along with a score of buildings in a wave of molasses 8 to 15 feet high.
  I can't even imagine how all of this was cleaned up.

The remains of the holding tank

The story in the paper

This plaque is at the site of the accident.

May I have your attention please

The sub-text tells the story

  A headline is supposed to "grab" your attention, some work better than others, some may get attention but have little to do with the story; and some are downright funny.
  That "squirrel" headline above was intended to get attention, I think it worked but it sure didn't tell the story in a nutshell, you had to read the article to be the complete story - which is what the Editor wanted.

And this is about?

  To be honest you probably wouldn't have a clue, well a clue maybe, what the story was about.  The story (I've never read it) is about Bartolo Colon (ca-loan) pitched against the Texas Rangers and struck out (whiffed) a lot of batters.  The Editor probably waited a long time to use that headline, he finally got his chance - I think it funny, original and terrific word play.

An example of poor writing, not to mention imagination

  A headline should state the obvious, most of the time, it should also let readers wonder what the story is. The column heading tell what the story is, but it's so obvious most people won't read the column to find out what it's about (they already know).

This is the winner

  Did this headline get your attention?  Did it make you wonder what the story was about?  This is a very good, if odd, headline.  We don't have the story here but I can guess that a lesbian couple went to a masquerade party that was in a bar.  One woman, who was dressed as a Sumo Wrestler became angry after her girlfriend waved at a male friend who was dressed as a candy bar.  That there, my friends, is a funny and attention getting headline.

Get lost!

Cow Maze by Remsen Development Corp. Remsen NY

  There are people all over the country, and probably even more than that.  There message to you?  Get lost!  Yep, that's what they're hoping for, and you know eventually you'll make it through and get out.
  This is a simple method of fund raising, fun for people, and the livestock can eat the rest for winter food, and you can do it again, year after year.
  The Global Positioning System made all this possible, a farmer can punch the course in an on board computer on the tractor and start cutting his was through the growing corn.  And, yes, there are some who draw their own designs - but be whichever method is used - the end result is fun!

A Missouri farm cuts a new one each year.
Carolyn's Pumpkin Patch, Liberty, MO

Larson's Farm in New Milford, Connecticut wants to attract all
baseball fans, and a lot of others too.  Red Sox win by the way.

Boston Bruins Goalie Tim Thomas raises the Stanley Cup as the
team celebrates the win.  You can find this, this year only, at
Sherman Farm in East Conway, New Hampshire