"Carl's Lounge" (Off-Topic Discussion, Traditional Knife "Tales & Vignettes")

Gary,
thanks for your pics. I do love that kind of environment and landscape...pretty different from where I live.
Did you invite them over for tea or something? :D

Fausto
:cool:
 
quattromori said:
Gary,
thanks for your pics. I do love that kind of environment and landscape...pretty different from where I live.
Did you invite them over for tea or something? :D

Fausto
:cool:
Click to expand...

You're welcome, Fausto.
I put birdseed out for the songbirds almost every day. The turkey and deer pass through a few times a day to eat what's on the ground. I've had 20+ turkeys and up to that many deer at one time (not simultaneously).
 
The best clue I could find?

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SU1HLTIwMTIwMzExLTAwODk5LmpwZw.jpg
 
Well James I looked at the .gov link and it says for MD its endangered;expirtated. That means verging on totally gone right? I guess its good to see the river lined with it then :)
 
richstag said:
Well James I looked at the .gov link and it says for MD its endangered;expirtated. That means verging on totally gone right? I guess its good to see the river lined with it then :)
Click to expand...

I don't always believe biologists when they tell me that some flora or fauna is/is not to be found in an area, but it may also be Japanese Barberry, which is an invasive species.
 
Something very strange happened to me a few hours ago and I would like to know what you folks think about it if you care to comment. It's kind of a long story so I will do my best to keep it short.

I was on my lunch break last Wednesday and I didn't have anything to do or anywhere to go so I just drove to a nearby vacant parking lot just to sit there and contemplate. A couple ( man & woman) were walking across the parking lot and they stopped to talk to me. They said they were from California and that they were looking for jobs. The woman mentioned that they had slept in a park the night before. They asked me if I had any cash to spare and I gave them $1.20 or so in spare change that I had in my pocket. They seemed like very nice people and I did not get the impression that they were looking for drug money or anything like that. I gave them the spare change and the gentleman asked me in a friendly manner what my name is. I told him my name is Rick, he told me their names (which I don't remember), and they walked away.

Earlier this evening just before dusk I was outside watering my front lawn and guess who walked down the sidewalk right in front of my house. The couple I had spoken to in the parking lot on Wednesday. I live in the center of town about 4 1/2 miles from the parking lot where I first spoke to these folks. The gentleman, not recognizing me at first, asked if I knew where the nearest park is. I looked them both up and down and said "didn't I talk to you guys just the other day?" The gentleman looked at me with a pointed finger and said "Rick!" You know, like he remembered me. I told them that the park is just a few blocks away and gave them directions. There was no mention of money or hard times. They simply wanted directions to the park and nothing else. We had a short, friendly conversation about what a coincidence it was and off they went. Still watering my lawn, I watched them and they turned in the direction of the park and disappeared out of sight.

My wife came outside during the conversation but she didn't know what was going on so I told her later about my parking lot encounter. She's a little freaked out because now these people know exactly where we live. I'm not really freaked out as much but I do think it is rather strange. On the other hand, we like to give people the benefit of the doubt unless we have good reason not to. We even discussed the possibility that this is a sign that we should offer more help to these folks.

What do you folks think? Should we be concerned that these folks know where we live? Should I go to the park with a twenty dollar bill and a covered dish?

Thanks.
 
It could be coincidence, but I'd bump up my security and awareness a bit. I don't know how big your town is, but to have them show up right in front of my house would freak me out a little. There's all kinds of people in this world, not all good. I don't know what your motor vehicles department is like, but here in Maryland, you can go in and get the name and addressor who owns a car if you have the plate number, and fill out a form as to why you want it. Could these people have got your plate number the previous time and scoped you out?

I recall my father telling me that he didn't believe in coincidences until it was proven to be a coincidence. I think I'd have a talk with a local LEO just to put it on the record. Be careful my friend.

Carl.
 
Thank you, Carl. Population here is about 111,000. Yes,they could have easily gotten my plate number.

Good advice. It certainly couldn't hurt to notify the police. Thank you for your help.
 
I called the city police department and told them the story. There have been no other complaints regarding these folks but the officer is making note of it.

If and when I see my neighborhood LEO I will flag him down and let him know about it too.
 
Maybe I'm naive but if they meant you any harm wouldn't they have done so in the empty parking lot? Also if they saw you as an easy mark wouldn't they have hit you up for cash when they met you on your front lawn? When I was living in Tennessee I had a hard time finding work at first, many people were suspicious of me because of my slightly unfamiliar accent (Canadian) and generally did the xenophobic thing and left me alone. All well and good, minding their own business an all. After a while I met an old retired fella and discovered through talking to him that his father used to take him fishing up in Canada back in the 40's-50's about ten miles from where I grew up. Thought nothing of it until he knocked on my door a few days later with the phone number of a contact who would give me work painting a house and some other odd jobs. Now I understand the situations are totally different but the kindness of that one stranger sure meant a lot to me and I'll never forget that man for the small favor he did for me.
Just saying, maybe these folks just need a leg up in the world at the moment.
By all means, stay safe and look after your family and your home but sometimes good people end up down and out for a bit.
 
Thank you for your reply, yobbos1.

I have been in a somewhat similar situation myself many years ago. It was in the early 1980's. I had come home on leave from the military and when the time came for me to go back I was almost out of money. Stupid move on my part but it happened just the same. I had to get from Illinois to North Carolina in three days with no car and only about $12 in my pocket. I started hitchhiking and managed to get myself to a town about 120 miles away where I was just getting ready to bed down for the night on a park bench. There was a fellow on the town square that was operating a popcorn stand and as he was closing up for the evening he spotted me. He walked over to talk to me and ended up offering his garage for me to bed down in instead of that park bench. I slept in his garage that night and the next morning he fed me breakfast, let me take a shower, and gave me enough money to take a bus the rest of the way to N.C. I made it back to my barracks in time and it all worked out great.

I never even asked this gentleman for help. He came to me offering help. My situation wasn't a dire one because all I had to do was get to N.C. and I would have barracks to live in and mess halls to eat in but this gentleman sure did make things a lot easier for me. I could have easily gotten very hungry and if I hadn't made it back in time it would have put me on AWOL status.

You are absolutely correct in your statement that sometimes people just need a leg up. It is only the fact that these folks "coincidentally" know where we live that concerns us. I guess it's just protective instinct.
 
I sure hope I didn't sound like I was criticizing, I just wanted to provide an alternative point of view. Looking after you and yours is the #1 priority of course.
 
yobbos1 said:
I sure hope I didn't sound like I was criticizing, I just wanted to provide an alternative point of view. Looking after you and yours is the #1 priority of course.
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Absolutely not. In fact, I appreciate your input. Feedback from others is the reason I posted here and yours is more than welcome. :thumbup:
 
I was on a hiking/camping trip in southern Ireland with my wife years and years ago. We got of the bus at a Pizzaland restaurant in Cork to get a coffee. I asked the waitress (who sounded and was American) for a coffee to take away she said 'Why do you want to take it away?' I told her I was camping and had to find somewhere to pitch a tent before it got too dark....it was about 8pm on a pretty miserable 'weatherwise' evening. Right out of the blue she askes me if we'd like to stay with her and her husband for the night and sleep on their floor. I didn't have any idea where I could camp so I said yes. Well we stayed with this couple for two nights and they looked after us really well. I shall never forget their kindness. This couple didn't know me or my wife from Adam, but helped us without thinking. I'm not sure even with their example I'd be happy to do what they did, I'd be too worried I think. There are some good people in the World. I think we often forget that. Watching the news I think tends to make us think the worst of people till we know otherwise.
I don't think you've anything to worry about Rick, but you must always put your families safety first. I don't think I'd deliberately contact them again, you've helped them and they seem grateful, leave it at that. If...which I doubt...you see them hanging around near your house try and take a surreptitious picture of them, it'll help if you need
to inform the police who to look for.

Like Carl said, just stay alert.

Steve.
 
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Thanks, jacknife. I appreciate your reply.

The fact that the police officer I talked to on the phone told me that there were no other complaints about them made me feel a little better. Especially since 3 days had passed since I first encountered them in the parking lot. I suppose if they intended to stir up trouble or if they were bothering people someone would have reported it in those 3 days.

We have not seen hide nor hair of them since Saturday evening so I'm hoping all is well. I still have my guard up because it was such an unlikely coincidence but I'm hoping they have moved on and if they really do need help, I hope they have found it.
 
Got back from the doctor...my daughter used on Old Timer (120T) to open the envelope.

girl.jpg


Yep, gonna be a LOT of pink in my house. ;)
 
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