Primble's Mystery GAW - Prizes Mailed

[Primble]

Thanks for the GA. Very generous of you.

This is my favorite knife. Not my most treasured, but my favorite. The combination of its lines, stag covers, and craftsmanship make it near perfect IMO.



I live in California. My immediate area is nothing special, typical suburban sprawl. But I love the variety this state offers. Giant redwoods to the North, beaches and Disneyland to the South, and three hours to the East is one of my favorite places in the world, Lake Tahoe. It can get a bit crowded and touristy, but it's absolutely gorgeous.



- Christian

Beautiful and sweet knife too! :thumbup:

 

[Primble]

it's nice to get to know everyone a little better.

A pic from Google Images(hope that's OK)

here's a few from Enchanted Rock, out of town, but in Central Texas

I had you pegged for the east coast Rachel and google images are welcomed. In the picture above and in the right foreground, that rock formation reminds me of an old steer laying around.

Thanks for your time and everyone knows Primble likes a Barlow! :thumbup:

( The favorite knife picture is a requirement, however, for fun only )

 

[Turk88]

It has been a long time since I played golf, but, that looks like a tough hole to play there! and beautiful! I can envision my golf ball bounding past the green and over the hill!

Your second picture is very beautiful and impressive!

Thank you! With my golf skills I am almost better off throwing the ball on that hole. The course goes through the mountains and along the river, beautiful.

 

[Primble]

More from Pleasant Hill - October in the Village:

The Village consists of the restored Shaker Community buildings, restored in the 1960's. Notice the field stone fences, which were built by the original Shakers and are a plenty, throughout the property. It is a site to behold, but, it does not end there! The farmland consists of some of the lushest in the entire state and is gently rolling. Hundreds of protected acres! While the Village requires admission, the remainder of the property does not. I spent over 2 years photographing wildlife on the property, but, I did give back. I helped during their festivals and taught wildlife photography classes to their incoming bird watcher groups, as well as lending a hand with a few school children's field trips.

and a fox hunt at the nearby west lot:

My pictures - but - they don't count.

The pride of the village - one of the twin spiral staircases - built before power tools existed!

 

[Peregrin]

Great idea, Primble! Great pics and comments so far everyone!

Here's a spot I like to hike and take pictures. It's Clark Reservation State Park about 6 miles from my home. These pictures were taken from the limestone cliff above the lake. The lake is left over from a glacial plunge basin at the end of the last ice age. The cataract was almost as high as Niagara Falls and the whole area is quite unique.
This pictures were taken in October of 2008. I'll be back there as soon as the leaves start to turn this year.

Here's my most carried knife and my current favorite, the Case/Bose WT. The little Ohta is always with me too. It rides in the small sleeve of the mission wallet.

 

[Sonnemann]

Thanks for the chance!
My favorite knife, no surprise.

I am residing in Allegheny County PA...for now! I recently stumbled on this little public herb garden tucked away in Mellon Park. It has an almost literary mystique: a great place for a stroll with some amazing smells and sights.

Pictures are from this page (not mine):
http://fatherpitt.wordpress.com/2008/11/11/more-autumn-colors-in-mellon-park/

 

[Gary W. Graley]

Nestled in the hills of northeast PA

and a smallish French folder, Le Compact by Chambriard out of Thiers France;

Nice way to give away too by the way!
G2

 

[black mamba]

Primble, thanks for the chance and the fun thread!

O'Fallon, Missouri is about 30 miles west of St. Louis in St. Charles, County. We have a nice mix of urban and rural, and I live only a couple miles away from Busch Wildlife Area, which is a state conservation area with a shooting range and dozens of lakes stocked for day fishing. This photo is typical of the scenery, with flotillas of clouds and plenty of fall color.

My own house has a creek and woods at the bottom of the hill in back, and we routinely see deer, fox, raccoons, possum, and a myriad of bird life.
Here are a few more shots from our own property.

And my favorite knife is my bark ram's horn #53 Cuban stockman. Beautifully matched gnarly character covers with a perfect lineup of blades!

 

[Primble]

Nice to see all the predators at your bird feeder Jeff!

That gave me a great laugh!

Poor little song birds - a potential meal for the taking - even my predator kitties look out the window and get excited by the birdies!

Lots of fun looking at all of these, my friends! The prize is going to have to be a good one!

 

[clutchcarter]

Great idea for GAW Primble, and very generous! I'll enter later.

 

[KBA]

I am absolutely loving the nature shots! Great idea for a GAW Primble.

Black Mamba - I am heading to St Louis for my fall break. I think I may have to drop by the Busch Wildlife Area. Maybe the leaves will have already started changing.

Sonnemann - That is beauty of a conductor! Great knife!

Robin - Loved seeing the season change shots! Gotta love fall foliage.

Readbeardo - Ah, to have a front porch in nature. That has always been a dream of mine.

Kamagong & Turk88 - Im in the same boat. I tease my wife that we are 3 hours from anything beautiful, nature wise. Which isn't true, but when you live in Jackson, TN and your heart longs for the North West Montana, it seems true.

Frank - That second shot could be an oil painting. Great pic!

Bigfattyt - Great camping spots. I bet the stars were amazing.

Paul - Scotland is on my bucket list. Maybe my wife (who is a teacher as well) and I could find summer jobs there and get to enjoy it one day.

Primble - I have actually been to the Pleasant Hill area. I have had an interest in Shakers, Amish, the Quakers, and the Mennonites, that was hand down from my dad, for some time now. It is beautiful country through your area.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks Primble for a a great mystery gaw. Here is my entry.

Jackson Tennessee has beauty, but you have to look for it. A drive through the country on Sunday afternoons, or a picnic in a local park, maybe the best of nature you will get here. To be honest, when it comes to nature, I am geographically challenged in Jackson. I suppose this why my family takes every opportunity to venture out to a National Park such as Yellowstone, Glacier National, the Bad Lands, the Appalachia, etc.

When the cotton blooms ...

...and the leaves change...

...the drives on Sunday are better and I breathe it all in as much as possible.

Jackson has a few original places to eat. I tend to eat a lot of lunches here..

I attend here. Where my African Blackwood CK SFO 48 also attends.

And it is where I married her and started to take root. That is my dad as the best man. He has health problems so I need to stay in Jackson.

My groomsman cake may actually be a better nature shot than Jackson. : )

What I am most proud of here in Jackson is the community. It is not that small, as small towns go, and a few years back over 50 tornados ripped through the surrounding regions.

Union University was hit by one of those. It is less than a mile from my home. The University was blessed, not one student was killed and only one was seriously hurt. I am most proud of how the community came together during that time.

Union rebuilt and actually grew. Oddly, the dorms pictured above where about to be torn down and new ones built. The tornados did most of the work.

Union night shot

I received my undergrad in sociology and if you go to the alumni section of the sociology department you can see a youtube clip of me, if it is still there. I haven't checked in a while. I am working on my grad degree there now.

As far as nature, this is the path to my spot.

Oddly, it is in the middle of the ugliest part of Jackson. When I walk it, it feels as though I am in another place entirely. I used to skip class in high school and go there. I still go there 17 years later.

As far as my favorite knife, that is a hard one. I just got a few older ones in that make me excited, but I haven't bonded with them. I have a few with production dates that are sentimental to me, but that is more about the dates. I love the 48 pattern, but I suppose my favorite is the one I one keep finding myself pocketing when I can.
The Union Crest and my 15.

**Only the knife and wedding photos are mine. I borrowed the rest from google.

 

[gunstockjack]

Wow, what a great thread and GAW Primble! Great photos, everyone; how can I resist?

Hands down, my favorite pocket carry:


This area is on the Straight of Juan de Fuca that leads from the Pacific Ocean, past Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula and on into Puget Sound, Washington state; about two hours from my home. The town is named on the coffee cup and you can just make it out in the photo.


It is quite remote and photogenically impressive, even with my cheap, little camera.










The wildlife is abundant, and large things appear suddenly. There were two big Sea Lions fishing, and even though they weigh several hundred pounds, they are amazingly fast in the water; heck, they catch salmon on the run!

You might also see seals, porpoise, Orcas and Gray Whales anytime, which can scare the pants off you if they surface close to your boat.

Oh yeah, fishin' ain't too bad neither!

 

[Old & In The Way]

Primble - Thanks for the very generous and entertaining GAW. Following instructions has never been a strong suit of mine, but I'm going to give this a try. So, just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful... wait no, no that's from Gilligan's Island. No, on today's trip you'll be heading to Alabama, or at least my small corner of Alabama.

Edited to say that the only photos taken by me were the one shot from my back yard and the one of the my OVB.

Elberta: I grew up in the small town of Elberta which is a 15 mile drive north and east from my current home. Elberta was and is a small farming town which was first settled in 1903 by German immigrants. There were fewer than 400 people living in Elberta for most of my life, but the population has grown to over 1,500 in recent years as homes and businesses have replaced much of the farmland of my youth. That said, the town still has but a single traffic light although these days it operates 24/7 whereas in my younger days it converted to a flashing light after 7PM each night. I mentioned in Andi's 6,000 Post GAW thread that it was common when I was a child to hear the older folks in town speaking German, but that sadly most of that generation had now passed on. Despite that, the town's German language motto remains, which as I understand it translates roughly to "live for the good." My parents still live in Elberta, and we still have Sunday lunch at their home most weekends. And while I've since moved away, I'm more than happy to consider the farms and fields of Elberta home.

Foley: I now live in Gulf Shores, but have worked in the city of Foley for the past 20+ years (since coming home from college). Foley (population 15,402) is located about 10 miles due north of Gulf Shores. It's a fine town inhabited by fine people, but much like Elberta - isn't overly photogenic.

Downtown scene in Foley.

The Foley Railroad Station is actually a Railroad Museum. The building is the original 1908 L&N Railroad Depot, but ironically there is no rail line running through Foley as that was shut down in the 1980's and has since been replaced by a bike path. I'm very familiar with the Train Museum as my boys went through a Thomas the Tank Engine phase when they were younger and would often beg me to take them there on Saturday mornings.

Point Clear: I've included the picture below (taken at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear which is about 25 miles north and west from my home) for my own sentimental reasons as it was 15 years ago this weekend that I proposed to my wife at that very spot (well on the boardwalk behind the old oak anyway).

This photo was taken at the north end of the boardwalk on a sunnier day.

Magnolia Springs: This picture was taken in Magnolia Springs a small town about 12 miles north and west of my home. My best friend actual lives on the right side of this stretch of road (as viewed in this picture). I've always thought it a beautiful view and thought I'd include here. This picture was taken in the Spring as evidenced by the blooming azaleas.

Magnolia Springs is also somewhat known for having the only 'year-round' water postal delivery mail route. USA Today did a story on this a couple years ago. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/07/mail-by-boat/3896137/

Gulf Shores: This is where I live and while biased, I think one of the great small beach towns in America, although I reserve the right to also claim Orange Beach, AL which is the beach town directly adjacent to Gulf Shores (population 10,118). In total Alabama has approximately 60 miles of coast line on the Gulf of Mexico with a little less than 1/2 of that being sugar sand beaches. Tourism is the driving force of the Gulf Shores' economy. For much of my life, the stretch of beaches ranging from Panama City, Florida to Gulf Shores, Alabama were referred to as the Redneck Riviera, but in recent years the local chambers of commerce and convention & visitors bureaus have undertaken an aggressive effort to rebrand it as America's Riviera. Whatever the name, in my opinion you would be hard pressed to find prettier sand beaches anywhere in the country.

Lest I leave you with the impression that our beaches are always as serene as pictured in the above photos, here are a few less tranquil photos. The first was taken during the annual Hangout Music Festival on the main beach in Gulf Shores. The next two were taken on the beach at the free Kenny Chesney concert at the Flora Bama Lounge last weekend in Orange Beach.

The next picture was taken from my back yard this morning while I had my coffee. I haven't played golf in several years now, but I do still enjoy my view of the course.

Gulf State Park (Gulf Shores & Orange Beach): We're fortunate to have a state park within minutes of my house. The park includes over 6,000 acres, over 2.5 miles of undeveloped beach, the largest fishing pier on the Gulf of Mexico, and over 15 miles of hiking and biking trails, to go along with camp sites and a lake.

Bike Trail in the state park.

Beach at the state park.

Fort Morgan: If anyone has paid attention to the books sometimes used as props in my pictures, you will have already surmised that I'm a bit history buff. We're fortunate to have an excellent example of what used to pass for Homeland Security here locally. Fort Morgan is a masonry star fortress that dates back to the War of 1812. The fort is perhaps best known for it's role in the Battle of Mobile Bay during the American Civil War during which Union Admiral David Farragut supposedly exclaimed "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead".

Aerial view.

Entrance.

Fort Walls.

Casemates and Cannon.

Middle Bay Lighthouse: This one might be questionable, as technically it is located in the middle of Mobile Bay between Mobile County and Baldwin County where I live (hopefully it will pass muster). The Middle Bay Lighthouse is a hexagonal cottage style lighthouse that was originally fueled by whale oil. The station was in service from 1885 through 1967, and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. An interesting story about the lighthouse occurred in 1916 when the lighthouse keeper's wife gave birth to a child. The wife was unable to nurse the child, however, so the keeper brought a dairy cow to the lighthouse and corralled it on a small deck that was then a part of the structure.

I know I've posted a lot of pictures, but it seems like I'm forgetting something... oh yeah, my favorite knife. Well, this one is my newest acquisition, and for today, I'll call it my favorite.

 

[W.M.B.]

This is the view out my hay loft door. I know it's not impressive the way so many others are, but it's mine. For an ex-city boy, that really makes it special.

This is why my sheep and goats like it here, which its in turn why my wife likes it here, which is why I like it here.

Favorite knife is a bit hard to say. I tend to like whichever one is I'm my hand. But this its the one my lovely wife gave me last Christmas, so I pick this one, (today) to be my favorite.

 

[paulhilborn]

Thanks Primble for the great opportunity and how interesting to see everyone's pictures.

My knife entry is of my all time favorite knife....My Gabon Ebony Clip/Pen Barlow from Charlie.

My place...my Dad who I respect so much always says I need to go to Church more often---brick and mortar just don't compare to my view of a Church. This is where I go to feed my soul...

A view out my back door late last fall, a little hoar frost starting to form...

Summertime on my Prairie walk...

Bull Thistle...

No more harvests for this ole Massey Harris

Parked one final time...

A Winter walk with my two best dogs:thumbup:

Some Sunset Pictures...

One of my FAVORITES...

Thanks again Primble for a great GAW

 

[LeatherMan64]

Primble, I just stumbled upon this and had to post because of the memories your initial post triggered for me. I spent the first 10 years of my life in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, and learned to love fishing, hiking, and all things outdoors through my time spent at the ponds, streams, and trails of Shaker Village. Similarly, I can trace my love of all things traditional, including pocket knives, hunting weapons, and old time music, back to the time I spent participating in or hanging out at the reenactments there. Pleasant Hill and Shaker Village are a huge part of my life, and something I haven't thought about in way too long. Thanks for posting those pics, and for such a display of generosity. Not an entry, good luck to all.

Edan

 

[jone]

All I can say is WOW! Amazing GAW and some truly amazing pics posted here. Awesome stuff. Can't wait to see more!

My favorite knife is probably this little Western stockman. Measures just about 3" and is nothing special, but has some sentimental value that makes it priceless.


I live in the lovely state of NC. Born and raised here and glad to still call it home. Here are a few pics from our great state. There is so much to offer here and so many memories to be made!

My daughter when she was two walking the beach and looking at shells. I personally think she makes the landscape even more beautiful!


Me being silly at the local beach gift shop.

An inlet where we often stay during fishing season.




A few pics from a local zoo.



Our yard covered in snow and a snow angel (or at least that's what I think we were going for!).



Our backyard friend. She came to nest in our playground in mid-May. We moved to the "big" city and found wildlife in our backyard! The kids were excited. It was almost 100 degrees for awhile. She appreciated the water.



After having her chicks they were gone within 24 hours.

A local putt putt place - with big bears!



From above…
My husband travels some for work. He took these for my son who loves all forms of transportation.



A beautiful quarry on a farm where my cousin was married this past fall.


After the storm.




This was taken from a local amusement park (Carowinds) picture of my daughter and husband on a roller coaster. They are sitting together in the second seat. Her face is priceless. She wanted to ride again surprisingly!


Linville caverns…a fun little getaway in the NC mountains. We also saw Tweetsie Railroad and Thomas.








My girl in a big pile of corn at a local festival.


And finally, make favorite landscape - the best two little kids in the world.



Primble, thanks for the opportunity. Looking forward to seeing more posts.

 

[Modoc ED]

My neighborhood;



Our backyard and property beyond as it looks now; We don't use the huge satellite dish anymore. We use DirecTV.



Our backyard (same view) as it will look in a couple/three months:



One of my favorite knives - Schrade Fire & Ice manufactured by GEC in 2007:

New:



After some use:

 

[Primble]

Boy - the pressure cooker is rattlin' on the stovetop and releasing a bunch of steam now - this thread is smokin' hot - going to have to think more on the prize!

Barry - that is a great fish and great pics!
Stephen - that OVB is fantastic and really great pics and narrative! Alabama should appoint you President of Tourism for that post !
Jennifer - you look great as a shark!!! The pic of Riley with her dad on the ride is priceless - and to think she rode again! Also loved the bear picture.
Sonnemann - That is beauty of a conductor! I totally agree with Brett and the lanyard is pure awe!
Paul Hilborn - Still having trouble seeing your pictures for the last few days - I will try to figure it out sometime today!
Update Paul - your pictures magically appeared and they have WOWED me - great knife too! Massey Harris pic is priceless - great pair of dogs! :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
Gary and Frank - Great pictures and great knives Gary and Frank you need to post your knife and make it an entry.
Gary Graley - nice knife and picture!

I will be back later to make sure I have not left anyone out - in the mean time - thank you to everyone - I love this thread! :thumbup:

 

[thawk]

I live near the Flint Hills in South Central Kansas, All of my pictures are from my vicinity.

My Knife - A Schrade Walden 881

Smoky Hills of Kansas near Lindsborg

The City Lake in my Town

Keeper of the Plains - At the fork of Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers

The Supermoon on August 11

Winter snowstorn

Wilson Reservoir - Summer job during college

What we are famous for.