Hi Dom,

It is great to have you back my friend!  Of course you can snag any and all of those photos, that is why I posted them.  If there is any you want a better copy of, just let me know and I will send it to you!

You know, it is funny, but even after two years, I still grief my father's death.  The pain is still as great as the day as when he died.  Maybe more.  I don't equate it to fear, only loneliness.  He was my best friend.  At my age, making friends is a difficult thing to do.  I am left with a huge hole in my being.

Ken

DOM!  Where have you been buddy?  You and I have a lot in common.  Our parents both died close together.  You just get over one and then whammo.  While my Dad wasn't ever going to make Father of the Year, he was my Dad.   So I know how it feels.

On to happier things.

I have an idea for Dayton.  How about the 11th of July?  With a rain date of the 18th just in case it rains badly. 

It's been hectic down here.  Since Deb got her Bachelors, she's been interviewing a lot...

I have been working on multiple projects while waiting on paint, and other stuff to finish a couple.  But I am starting to se the light at the end of several tunnels.

Ken, awesome images.  I especially liked the Thunderbirds.  I really don't know which team I like better, the Blue Angels or the Thunderbirds.  I lean towards the Thunderbirds a a bit because I just love the F16.  Simple elegant design... 

I will be sending up some more MIG images soon.  Right now I am waiting for a bunch of paint to dry on a few kits.

Rich

Hey Mikey, thanks for the comments over on my rant thread!

Very much appreciated.

Yeah guys the emptiness is so absolute.

I cringe at their suffering.

My dad's femur and humerus bones had split from

the advanced cancer. His hands burst open a couple

of days before he passed.....never forget that.

Oh well....

I have no idea how to get to Dayton this year.

I tried driving a 3 hour trip a few weeks back and my left leg

almost went comatose. I can't sit for very long without

standing up. Doc says it's sciatica. I'll never make a 9 hour drive.

Which one? i leave alot of semi abusive messages all over this site lol all in good fun of course.

My Dad died of his second Heart Attack.  My Mom died from her first.  I'm just glad they didn't suffer.  I was living out here when my Dad died.  I drove back to Boston and we had to move back there so I could deal with the mess he called his estate.  Lots of bills and not much to pay them with.  I got a call just under a year later saying my Mom had died while in a taxi cab on her way to shop.  We stayed out there until I couldn't afford it anymore when we had Marissa in December of 1996.  I really wish I was still out there sometimes.   Toledo is drying up and it's actually more expensive out here now.

Dom.  Any chance you could get a flight into Toledo Express Airport, then we could pick you up and we could drive down together.  My Minivan is fairly comfortable.

I just got Diagnosed with additional Osteo-Arthritis, so I know the feeling.  

Let me know.

Rich

My pop went from a stroke. Or at least complications after a stroke. He had the first one in 2003 i think. After that he was never the same. It was always upsetting talking to someone i knew, and not knowing who they were. If that makes sense. The image ill always take with me is seeing this tiny frail man lying in a coffin. Before that pop was always 6 foot and bullet proof. A tall strong robust man. It just wasnt him any-more. And that feeling when you find out theyre gone. Its like the bottom of your heart fell out and is leaking into your guts.

Sorry, never mind my depressed musings.

Yeah Mikey,

That is it, says it all.

All the best to Jim as he deals with it.

Hi Dom,

That is sad news about your nerve.  I have a little bit of that, but not bad.  It is the source of my back pain.  So I have a sense of how painful that can be.  Is there anything that can be done like surgery?

Ken

Ken,

No violin music,

but working at the sea-food counter was the last straw for my back.

I have just enough to get me by. I injured it using a big ice dispensing hose,

long story, sure it is in the threads somewhere. Essentially I have Aurther Idas

visiting my back and hip joints so I have to take powerful anti-inflammatories.

The left leg starts to feel like there is an electric cord running from my hip down

to my toes, they get numb first, and it feels like there is a big rock in my shoe.

I think it is more because of the back, but I try

to sit in the right posture when I drive, i only know it is a 'mild' pinchy type problem.

I thought all those sports like track&field (hurdles), skiing, weight lifting, karate, cycling, and running, would build me up......ahem! Ruined my hip joints with all the stretching for karate kicks, and the running didn't help. Screwed my knees skiing, kicking, leg-presses, running, and cycling. Radial condyle fracturing. Right lateral meniscus cartilage not present. Bursa ruptured. Pateller ligament scarred heavily at patellar roots. Under side of pattela has lesions. Semi-torn ACL, never repared....blah...blah....blah....my back is in worse shape than that. I suffered a semi extruded disc somewhere around L3, I can't remember. I somehow managed to crunch the vertabrae together at some point so they are now heavily arthritic.

Hip joints suffer Rusty-Tin-Man-Joints-In-the-Morning Syndrome.

Ooops...I think I hear violin music, I better not carry on too long....Rich's injuries make me look healthy!

Last year driving to Dayton I had to stop and walk every couple hours as well as do resistance exercises

in the car half the time because i vericosed some of my deep veins from hi-impact sports, so I have to deal with 'car-pooling'.....get it?, as in phlebitis?.....lol....

I am hoping to avoid surgery, but where would they stop? They could give me a new chick-magnet face while they are at it......

When I was on that trip two weeks ago I got on the bike for 15 minutes to see if I had any knee left, it swole up like a grapefruit. The mostly older cyclists said i could get ceramic knee and hip joints. I drove all that way and missed the rides.

They don't have ceramic lower lumbar yet....

Anyhow, that's the short list.

When I dump the long list, they play the Stradivarius for me......

Hi Dom,

Yes I remember the story about working in the sea food counter.  Wow, sorry to hear about the other bits.  Try to do healthy exercise just to have it actually tear your body up more?  Man, what a slap in the face! 

I am trying to lose weight myself.  I try to walk at lunch time every day.  It is a constant battle for me.  I just try not to give up.

I know money is tight now, at least it is for me.  I imagine trying to afford a flight would be more than I could handle now.  If the economy ever gets straighten out, maybe then.

Ken

Hi Guys.

I feel for you Dom.  My Mother had Phlebitis.  They had to do a Veinal ligation in both legs when I was about 12.  She was off her feet for over a month.

I am kind of in a catch 22 situation here.  I need to ose weight badly, but I can't do much in the line of exercise because I can't do anything that would raise my blood pressure or there could be an issue with my aneurysm.  Now the joint problems have me all messed up.  I have found myself needing to use my chair more and more often over the last 6 to 8 months.

I really didn't want to give up on the Dayton trip, but if you guys can't come along, it just wouldn't be worth the trip.  It's no fun alone. lol

On the model front. I got my last jar of paint today, and I got a nice bonus the other day.  I got my pitiful $18 cashback reward from Capital One, which could not have been more timely.  Snagged a Revell, 1/32 F104 Olympos kit (Hellenic Air Force), AND an ESCI F5 Aggressor with ground crew kit in 1/48.  Both kits, including shipping was $16.  I FREAKING LOVE EBAY!!!!!!!   Now if I can just find a C119 on sale. lol...  I just got my eBay bucks today.  LMAO......

I did some more work trying to clean up the F86.  It's gettiong there but I am doing it in stages to make sure I don't mess up the re-scribing with shaky hands, so I do it in 15 minute sessions to let my hands settle in between.  My little F104 is coming along.  Same thing, 15 minute sessions.  I alsop finally managed to get my FGR.2 kit out of storage, so I am starting to do a bit on it for this years Rhino build.  My Mossies are kind of on hold again.  One is missing one of the wing lights so I am going to try and build one up out of Micro Crystal Clear, and the other needs some more primer.  

I'll let you know how things develop.

Dom.  Do you still have that scan of your B58 decals?  The Aurora ones.  I lost the file... and I decided to build it if I can make some for it.

Rich

Yeah Ken;

The stay over for two nights was about $70 a night? :$140

The food and extras about another $100

The gas, three tanks, about $40 each :$120

So even on the cheap this year will set me back about $400 minimum by car.

Expedia has a round trip fare starting at $603 to Toledo if I hitch a ride with Rich,

and $602 direct to Dayton. The same expenses plus cab, That's about an $850 trip by air.

That's a lot of cash right now, either way.

Sparrowhyperion

Hi Guys.

I feel for you Dom.  My Mother had Phlebitis.  They had to do a Veinal ligation in both legs when I was about 12.  She was off her feet for over a month.

I am kind of in a catch 22 situation here.  I need to ose weight badly, but I can't do much in the line of exercise because I can't do anything that would raise my blood pressure or there could be an issue with my aneurysm.  Now the joint problems have me all messed up.  I have found myself needing to use my chair more and more often over the last 6 to 8 months.

I really didn't want to give up on the Dayton trip, but if you guys can't come along, it just wouldn't be worth the trip.  It's no fun alone. lol

On the model front. I got my last jar of paint today, and I got a nice bonus the other day.  I got my pitiful $18 cashback reward from Capital One, which could not have been more timely.  Snagged a Revell, 1/32 F104 Olympos kit (Hellenic Air Force), AND an ESCI F5 Aggressor with ground crew kit in 1/48.  Both kits, including shipping was $16.  I FREAKING LOVE EBAY!!!!!!!   Now if I can just find a C119 on sale. lol...  I just got my eBay bucks today.  LMAO......

I did some more work trying to clean up the F86.  It's gettiong there but I am doing it in stages to make sure I don't mess up the re-scribing with shaky hands, so I do it in 15 minute sessions to let my hands settle in between.  My little F104 is coming along.  Same thing, 15 minute sessions.  I alsop finally managed to get my FGR.2 kit out of storage, so I am starting to do a bit on it for this years Rhino build.  My Mossies are kind of on hold again.  One is missing one of the wing lights so I am going to try and build one up out of Micro Crystal Clear, and the other needs some more primer.  

I'll let you know how things develop.

Dom.  Do you still have that scan of your B58 decals?  The Aurora ones.  I lost the file... and I decided to build it if I can make some for it.

Rich

That's a real score alright.

I've never pulled off value like that.

Mind you, I can't complain either.

I sent three scans to your email address, let me know if they turned out.

I wimped out on vein stripping, the doctor said everything in my legs was balloon crap anyways.

I just found two earlier scans, they may be lower rez. Let me know.

-Dom

Bockscar

Yeah Ken;

The stay over for two nights was about $70 a night? :$140

The food and extras about another $100

The gas, three tanks, about $40 each :$120

So even on the cheap this year will set me back about $400 minimum by car.

Expedia has a round trip fare starting at $603 to Toledo if I hitch a ride with Rich,

and $602 direct to Dayton. The same expenses plus cab, That's about an $850 trip by air.

That's a lot of cash right now, either way.

Hi Dom,

That is the reason I was suggesting the camping thing.  I have a tent that is big enough for two people, and if you need, I can probably even dig up another air mattress and sleeping bag.  We can buy groceries and cook our meals there at the campsite saving more money.

That being said, if you could schedule it when you could take your time coming down, then be able to spend a few days here to make the trip worth while, and have enough time to take your time driving back.  We would also need to wait until this heat wave passes.  100 degrees Fahrenheit is way too hot to spend in a tent!

Ken

Hey everybody,

Tonight I went to my Mom's house and down in her basement and dug out the old 8mm film.  It took me an hour to figure out how to use the projector without a manual, but I got it.  I only watched two films (8mm films only last a few minutes) but much to my surprise one of them had my very first car on it!  A 1965 Ford Mustang!  (This was back in 1973.)  Man I wish I still had that car ( and in the same shape it was in back then!).  Boy did that bring back memories!

Ken

One day you will be nostalgic for now.

Oddly enough i got that quote from a "Suicide Girls" DVD. Their first Burlesque tour. One of the girls (Nixon i think) has the US's largest privately owned bone collection. (I cant remember if it was human bones or bones in general)

65 mustang. Only ford id ever consider owning.

Son Of Medicine Man

Bockscar

Yeah Ken;

The stay over for two nights was about $70 a night? :$140

The food and extras about another $100

The gas, three tanks, about $40 each :$120

So even on the cheap this year will set me back about $400 minimum by car.

Expedia has a round trip fare starting at $603 to Toledo if I hitch a ride with Rich,

and $602 direct to Dayton. The same expenses plus cab, That's about an $850 trip by air.

That's a lot of cash right now, either way.

Hi Dom,

That is the reason I was suggesting the camping thing.  I have a tent that is big enough for two people, and if you need, I can probably even dig up another air mattress and sleeping bag.  We can buy groceries and cook our meals there at the campsite saving more money.

That being said, if you could schedule it when you could take your time coming down, then be able to spend a few days here to make the trip worth while, and have enough time to take your time driving back.  We would also need to wait until this heat wave passes.  100 degrees Fahrenheit is way too hot to spend in a tent!

Ken

I camp every year. Prawlum is the overall cost. I wish I had company to split the driving to Dayton, that would make all the difference. But they prawley wouldn't want to camp.

I dunno, i'll buy a house in Dayton as a cottage...yeah....

Dom

Happy Birthday USA!

Many thanks to those who served, gave and sacrificed so that we may enjoy our freedom!

Ken

Happy wednesday to the rest of us lol.

For those in the US of A. Go blow some crud up and get drunk.

Bone collection?!? And people think I'm wierd for collecting little plastic planes and tanks......

Oh Yeah Happy Fourth guys, and well happy the week is half over and the weekends almost here Mike!

Personally I have always wanted a 69 in that beautiful dark midnight blue they had.  A neighbor of mine had one when I was 5, and I still remember drooling over it.  He gave me a ride to school a couple of years later and man, that thing had some serious horsepower.  I think it had the 329 in it.

You could always ask your Wife Dom.  LOL  Sorry, but I know everyone was thinking the same thing.   Wives and Camping do not USUALLY go together.

Rich

Sparrowhyperion

Personally I have always wanted a 69 in that beautiful dark midnight blue they had.  A neighbor of mine had one when I was 5, and I still remember drooling over it.  He gave me a ride to school a couple of years later and man, that thing had some serious horsepower.  I think it had the 329 in it.

That is just too much of a coincidence!  My next car, (and it is also on the 8mm) was a 1969 Mustang!  Ford did not make a 329, so you must be thinking of a 302 or 351.  Mine came originally with a 302 but I replaced it with a suped up (all the way) 351 Cleveland.  I could list all the things it had in it but it would run off the end of this page.  It would do the quarter mile in 12 seconds spinning the tires (12 inch wide wrinkle wall slicks) all the way through first gear.  I had a set of ladder bars to put on it so it would get better traction but never got around to putting them on.  It also had a Royal Blue metal flake paint job.  My Dad and I spent a lot of time and a lot of my money on that car!

Here is a picture of it right after my Dad and I painted it but before I put the 351 engine in it.  I had to put a different hood with a larger hood scoop when I put the new engine in it but I don't have any pictures of it (darn it!).

That metal flake paint job was a lot of work to paint.  First you put the base color coat down.  Then after that dries, you put several coats of the metal flake suspended in clear on letting it dry between coats.  Then when you have good coverage, you start putting on coat after coat of clear, letting each coat dry first.  Very long drawn out process.  But it does look fantastic when you are done.  The car literally looks like it is glowing.

Ken 

Ken..  That is one sweet ride.  You're right about the engine.  I don't know what the heck is giving me brain freeze today, it;s the 351.  I remember seeing it on the engine one time when I got a look under the hood.  That blue looks great and I'm sure the images don't truly do it justice.  

My fastest ride wasn't my 91 Firebird, it was my 87 Dodge Daytona Pacifica.  It had a highly tricked out 2.2 4 cylinder (turbocharged).  I got it for like $3500, in excellent condition at an auto auction.  It was high gloss black and had a high speed performance package in it.  You wouldn't think it could move like it did.  One time a friend of mine who learned to drive in the Italian Alps with no speed limits decided to check my speedometer calibration because I though it was off.  So we got on Rt. 128 near Boston and he followed me in his huge Delta 88, which had a big engine in it.  We determined that the speedo was indeed off by about 6MPH.  Then he calls me on the CB and says "Wanna open her up and see what she will do?"  It was only about 5 in the AM so I figured what the heck.  So I floored her.  That sweet little engine kicked into 5th.  "Yes it had a 5 speed custom automatic."  and I was off...  The turbo was whining at full pitch and I suddenly hear my friend going "Slow the F... Down...  I can't keep up.  I was pulling away from him at about a 10-15mph speed difference.  I asked him what his speedo said since mine wasn't accurate, and he says "Jesus man, you're doing a buck fifty,,,!"  She felt great, handling was awesome.   I slowed back down to the speed liimit before my luck could run out, and we went to Hojos for some breakfast.   A couple of years later, I was driving her to work when I heard this bang clank clank and the car lost almost all of it's horsepower.  I got to work, about 25 miles down the road and opened the hood to discover that 2 of her 4 cylinders blew.  She got me there on just two.  I didn't have the cash to replace the engine, so I had to sell her.  I found out later that my Wife, whom I had to trust to take the car for work when needed because I worked nights and slept days, had neglected to get the oil changed or even topped up for like 8 months.  There was hardly any oil in it...  Oh well, someday I want to get one like her.  If I can still fit in one that is.

Hi Everyone,

Today was another good day.  I watched a few more 8mm films and found one that my Dad had filmed while TDY in Vietnam.  It was obviously at the same time when those photos that I have posted were taken.  So it has some video of those RF-101Cs.  Very cool!  I am taking the film to Walmart tomorrow to have it converted to DVD.  8mm is very short, but it does have a spot of two RF-101Cs taking off together from Tan Son Nhut Air Base.  Man those things were fast!  It did not take them long to get up.

Also found some pictures in an old "junk box" of mine.  It was of my Dad and his radio controlled planes.  This is the first ones I have found so I am over joyed!  He won trophies for his planes and I did not have any pictures until now.  I will be scanning them in and will post them in a few days.

A very good day!

Ken

Well, i can't replay to recent posts.

Only ones a page back, go figure.

Ken:

Nice car. PinanFarina stole the wedge design at the front.

yeah, that was Cool alright.

Please let us have a copy of your dad's Vietnam video........

Dom

Steve taught me how to drive.