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

jackknife said:
It's a funny thing, but since last January when I sold my old Tacoma that I'd been driving since 2001, I haven't felt the need of a truck since. I worried a the time I would regret the decision to not have a truck, but it hasn't happened. I really love the nice quiet easy to drive smaller car. Getting in eases of 40MPG on the road helps. Maybe at this stage of life, being a retired old fart, I'm not hauling stuff anymore, nor am I building additions onto the house. If it won't fit in the trunk of my Corolla, then Karens Highlander will be sued. If thats too small, then a utility trailer from U-Haul for 19.95 a day will do.

Downsizing my car was like downsizing my pocket knife or handgun. I was resistant to the Case peanut for a long time, but when I found out it did what I needed, I never looked back after becoming a convert. Since I bought the Corolla, its been to California twice and I love the better handling/maneuverability, fuel economy on a social security budget, and the inconspicuousness of the vehicle. Has a great stereo that I listen to books on disc while on the road.

Maybe at my age I've finally got over the truck thing.
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I get what you're saying, drove a Corolla for years.
Way back when, just out of school, I thought I wanted a small truck. One of those Mazdas or Toyotas that weren't much longer than the big American boat-cars I learned to drive on. Then I looked around and realized that no one in my circle of friends at the time had a pickup, and knew I didn't want to be the one with a truck or I'd be helping friends move all the time. I figured I could rent one if I really needed it, but by then a couple of those friends had trucks, so they helped me move. :p

It's similar to when I was dating a fellow who wanted a boat for weekends on the lake. He did the math: how many times would he actually use it, vs. cost of boat/maintenance/slip fees, etc? Instead, he decided to rent one for the half dozen times we went out that summer. Sailing or motoring a different style boat every time he'd laugh, "I'm saving so much money! Dinner's on me!" :D
 
r8shell r8shell pickups and utility trailers are two things I will never own again (I think we had a conversation about that in a thread some time ago). If it won’t fit in my Accord, I’ll pay someone to deliver.

My neighbor has a fifth wheel camper, he’s got a big Dodge to haul it. They spend two weeks to all month at a camper site (one of those buy the site types). I suggested he just pay someone to haul it up there for the summer. His response was, “that makes too much sense”.
 
315 315 Yeah I see the point about transporting hunt carcasses, or corpses :eek::D Motorbikes too:thumbsup: But otherwise I hire a Toyota Hiace/Ford Transit van for moving anything else, it's out of the snow & rain and needs no tarp flapping about in a van :D

Subaru Outback or Forester are a great understated workhorse, they just go on and on no grumbling a go anywhere anytime car, like a Landrover was long long ago. They're just an expensive bad joke now:poop:

@dantzk8 Great Suzuki there and a total battleship (pocket):D Yeah, I wouldn't want those size animals in the car:D
 
JB in SC said:
r8shell r8shell pickups and utility trailers are two things I will never own again (I think we had a conversation about that in a thread some time ago). If it won’t fit in my Accord, I’ll pay someone to deliver.
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I hear ya, JB.

I long ago lost count the "I've got a brother in law who knows someone who's got to pick up this mattress..." stories. I think in all the years Had a truck, I used to for my own use about 10% of the time.

Now when they are surprised that I don't own a truck anymore and ask what they are gonna do now, I have two words of them;

"U-Haul".:D

On the minimalist car thing; one of my childhood heroes was Charles Lindberg. I read everything I could get on him. I even took flying lessons and learned to bounce a Cessna 150 down the runway on landings.:eek: He drove a VW bug. Lind berg was very wealthy from being on the board of Pan Am, and books and lectures, and flight consultant work for airlines and aircraft companies. He lived in a nice estate in Connecticut where he could commute to work at the corporate offices of Pan Am in New York city.

His neighbor asked him why he drove a little VW. Lindberg answer was, "How much machine do I need to transport one six foot two and a half inch tall man down the road?"

Lindberg bought he gray bug while living in Switzerland to raise his family away from the American press, and he explored four continents with that little bug. He drove and camped out all over Africa, Europe, the U.S. and Central America in that car. By reclining both front seats, he'd sleep with his head in the right rear and his feet in the left front diagonal across the inside.

Theres a lesson there.
 
jackknife said:
Lindberg bought he gray bug while living in Switzerland to raise his family away from the American press, and he explored four continents with that little bug. He drove and camped out all over Africa, Europe, the U.S. and Central America in that car. By reclining both front seats, he'd sleep with his head in the right rear and his feet in the left front diagonal across the inside.

Theres a lesson there.
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There’s a lot to be said for simplicity....but I need a little more comfort than a bug:confused:

I love a good road trip and since I sold the camper I’ve been keeping my eyes open for something to replace it. Travel trailers would just be a bit too limiting for me and where I’d like to drive. I’d like to be totally self contained so I could just stop wherever I am for the evening and call it a day. Seems like the Europeans have more options when it comes to smaller sized RV’s than we do. Some of the newer smaller vans coming out on the market would do, but I’d have to build it up myself. I’m afraid that a custom job would be outrageous in price. About the closest thing I’ve seen readily available are the Mercedes/Sprinter vans that have been converted. But very costly. Maybe when I retire I’ll just have to buy something bare bones and make a project out of it.
 
r8shell said:
It's similar to when I was dating a fellow who wanted a boat for weekends on the lake. He did the math: how many times would he actually use it, vs. cost of boat/maintenance/slip fees, etc? Instead, he decided to rent one for the half dozen times we went out that summer. Sailing or motoring a different style boat every time he'd laugh, "I'm saving so much money! Dinner's on me!" :D
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Your story reminded me of when my wife and I started canoeing years ago. We bought and sold several canoes, always looking for the "perfect" one. (Sort of like looking for the "perfect" pocket knife.) We usually would get most of our money back when we sold one, but I have to admit I was somewhat chagrined when I calculated the actual cost per mile on a couple which we didn't keep very long.
 
I've had several pickups, 1953 Dodge, 1956 Chevrolet, 1984 Toyota, 1995 Ford Ranger, 1999 Chevrolet. There was a time in my life when they were handy for home projects, camping, hauling motorcycles. I've been driving a 2006 Pontiac Vibe(rebadged Toyota Matrix) since I purchased it new. It has 53,000 miles, 1922 total miles for last 12 months(1500 miles on my bicycle for same period). It gets 32 mpg in mixed driving, the front passenger seat folds forward allowing for 9' of nearly flat length inside. I keep a folding foam pad, blankets, and a plywood box with camping equipment in it at all times. I'm hoping that I will never have to purchase another car.
 
Headwinds said:
Your story reminded me of when my wife and I started canoeing years ago. We bought and sold several canoes, always looking for the "perfect" one. (Sort of like looking for the "perfect" pocket knife.) We usually would get most of our money back when we sold one, but I have to admit I was somewhat chagrined when I calculated the actual cost per mile on a couple which we didn't keep very long.
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I wouldn't want to calculate the costs of any hobby too closely. The important thing is you had fun together. :D:thumbsup:
 
It seems every hobby I get into is expensive... First World Problems I guess.
I've built three Rock Crawler Jeeps in the last 20 years, I could have bought a small/cheap house!!!
But the fun I get out of it is immeasurable and the time spent enjoying the outdoors with the family is priceless.
 
jackknife said:
I hear ya, JB.

I long ago lost count the "I've got a brother in law who knows someone who's got to pick up this mattress..." stories. I think in all the years Had a truck, I used to for my own use about 10% of the time.

Now when they are surprised that I don't own a truck anymore and ask what they are gonna do now, I have two words of them;

"U-Haul".:D

On the minimalist car thing; one of my childhood heroes was Charles Lindberg. I read everything I could get on him. I even took flying lessons and learned to bounce a Cessna 150 down the runway on landings.:eek: He drove a VW bug. Lind berg was very wealthy from being on the board of Pan Am, and books and lectures, and flight consultant work for airlines and aircraft companies. He lived in a nice estate in Connecticut where he could commute to work at the corporate offices of Pan Am in New York city.

His neighbor asked him why he drove a little VW. Lindberg answer was, "How much machine do I need to transport one six foot two and a half inch tall man down the road?"

Lindberg bought he gray bug while living in Switzerland to raise his family away from the American press, and he explored four continents with that little bug. He drove and camped out all over Africa, Europe, the U.S. and Central America in that car. By reclining both front seats, he'd sleep with his head in the right rear and his feet in the left front diagonal across the inside.

Theres a lesson there.
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That's interesting information about Lindbergh. He was my childhood hero also. Do you recall where you read that info?
 
r8shell said:
I wouldn't want to calculate the costs of any hobby too closely. The important thing is you had fun together. :D:thumbsup:
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You're right, of course. It didn't really bother me - I just considered it the cost of an education in canoe design. All in all, canoeing is still a rather inexpensive hobby.
 
Wardo46 said:
That's interesting information about Lindbergh. He was my childhood hero also. Do you recall where you read that info?
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One book was written by his daughter, Reeve Lindberg. It was called "Under A Wing" and was an insight into how this guy thought and what made him tick. Reeve gave some great insights like how her dad was obsessed by things made as small as possible but still functional, like very small travel alarm clocks, small pocket size flashlights, and Swiss Army knives. It sounds like he was an EDC'er before most the modern EDC'ers were even born. His son, Jon Lindberg, became a well known oceanographer because when he asked his father about a career in aviation, Charles told him that they've taken all the adventure out of it and choose something else. Jon has given interviews about his dad that were also revealing. To Charles Lindberg, it was all about how compact was it, and did it work?

Best of all was his house. His old home in Minnesota has been made a museum, and his personal effects and stuff were on display, as well as his old VW Beatle with the dented in front fender that Reeve hit the driveway wall with when Charles was teaching her to drive on a stick shift. His bug was displayed like it was when he'd travel around in it, not restored but just preserved as it was. On the front passenger side floor was his cans of sardines and boxers of crackers, and the Swiss Army knife he had. Looked like a two layer one but I couldn't tell if it was a tinker or spartan because of how it was laying, and I didn't want to go step over the rope and lean in the car.

Charles Lindbergh's pocketknife that he actually did carry every day was a Victorinox classic. He also traveled with a Colt .38 special revolver with a 2 inch barrel.

In his later years he became reclusive and very turned off to modern life and built a little cabin on one of Hawai's small islands in a secluded setting. He didn't bother with electricity and lived a very spartan existence in his cabin. When he was dying from Leukemia and in New York for treatment that wasn't working, he had them fly him back to this cabin where he passed away. He was buried in an unmarked grave by request.

Very interesting guy.
 
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jackknife said:
One book was written by his daughter, Reeve Lindberg. It was called "Under A Wing" and was an insight into hw this guy thought and what made him tick. Reeve gave some great insights like how her dad was obsessed by thugs made as small as possible but still functional, like very small travel alarm clocks, small pocket size flashlights, and Swiss Army knives. His son, Jon Lindberg became a well known oceanographer because when he asked his father about a career in aviation, Charles told him that they've taken all the adventure out of it and choose something else. Jon has given interviews about his dad that was also revealing. To Charles Lindberg, it was all about how compact was it did it work?

Best of all was his house. His old homier Minnesota has been made a museum, and his personal effects and stuff was on display, as well as his old VW Beatle with the dented in front fender that Reeve hit the driveway wall with when Charles was teaching her to drive on a stick shift. His bug was displayed like it was when he'd travel around in it, not restored but just preserved as it was. On the front passenger side floor was his cans of sardines and boxers of crackers, and the Swiss Army knife he had. Looked like a two layer one but I couldn't tell if it was a tinker or spartan because of how it was laying, and I didn't want to go step over the rope and lean in the car.

Charles Lindbergh's pocketknife that he actually did carry every day was a Victorinox classic. He also traveled with a Colt .38 special revolver with a 2 inch barrel.

In his later years he became reclusive and very turned off to modern life and built a little cabin on one of Hawai's small islands in a secluded setting. He didn't bother with electricity and lived a very spartan existence in his cabin. When he was dying from Leukemia and in New York for treatment that wasn't working, he had them fly him back to this cabin where he passed away. He was buried in an unmarked grave by request.

Very interesting guy.
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Thank you jackknife. Seems like I'd heard he carried a SAK Classic but I could never find anything that verified it. I also didn't know he traveled with a Colt snub nose .38.

He was the Neil Armstrong of his era in aviation but was also a pioneer in another area for which he is hardly known at all. He designed a mechanical heart. The Smithsonian Magazine has an article about it and it was a big deal:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smit...-lindbergh-Invented-medical-device-180956526/

Lindbergh was definitely an interesting guy. He had a reputation as a straight arrow but it later came out that he had other, secret families in Europe.

An interesting character indeed.
 
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Wardo46 said:
Lindbergh was definitely an interesting guy. He had a reputation as a straight arrow but it later came out that he had other, secret families in Europe.

An interesting character indeed.
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Yes, his adoring public never knew he had one family by Brigitte Hesshaimer, a German hat maker who had three children by him. But he also had an affair with her sister, Marietta, who had another two kids by him. He finically supported them all, and Reeve Lindberg was the moving force behind the meeting and reconciliation of the whole family.

That must have been a very interesting family reunion!!!:eek:
 
jackknife said:
Yes, his adoring public never knew he had one family by Brigitte Hesshaimer, a German hat maker who had three children by him. But he also had an affair with her sister, Marietta, who had another two kids by him. He finically supported them all, and Reeve Lindberg was the moving force behind the meeting and reconciliation of the whole family.

That must have been a very interesting family reunion!!!:eek:
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This discussion piqued my interest so I just ordered Under a Wing and Lindbergh (Scott Berg's biography that is generally considered to be the definitive biography of him.)

Being a knife nut, I'm especially interested in Lindbergh's SAKs and other knives. Did you see the reference to him carrying a SAK Classic in Under a Wing?
 
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