Throw-Back-Thursday, Thank you Andy

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Happy Birthday Brian! You certainly had a rough road to walk in your early years. Hopefully that is being replaced by a super sweet smooth one from here on out!

You do a lot for this community and it's a real blessing to have you here. I doubt Fiddleback would be where we are without your help, wisdom, photographs, and kind heart.

Cheers,
Ken
 
As always, whether a walk thru the past or a hike thru the woods, I love the way you paint with your words Brian. Like Will, whether I post or not, I always read your posts Mist and I always learn and enjoy the journey.
Glad you met the right people along your path that helped you become you.
Chea
 
Great written vision into your soul Brian. I know I have said this before but it does hold too true not to say it here, in this thread, one more time. I always enjoy reading your threads, viewing your photographs and sharing your experiences. Your contributions are greatly appreciated. Here's to another half century, Happy Birthday!
 
I apologize for being late to the party. I have been absent from the forum recently. I can't say anything more than what has already been said here Brian. I wish you a very heartfelt belated Happy Birthday! Your input and perspectives have influenced my knife selections dramatically over the years and by doing so they allowed to me gain in my knowledge and expand my own personal experiences.

Happy Birthday my friend!!!

Dave
 
Happy Birthday Brian. I wish you enjoy your presents and have every next birthday your dreams become true
 
Bamboo said:
Happy Birthday Brian! You certainly had a rough road to walk in your early years. Hopefully that is being replaced by a super sweet smooth one from here on out!

You do a lot for this community and it's a real blessing to have you here. I doubt Fiddleback would be where we are without your help, wisdom, photographs, and kind heart.

Cheers,
Ken
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Thank you Ken! Yeah, it was pretty rough, but luckily I had really good mentors and role models before everything went south for a while. Going into it all I had a firm grasp on right and wrong and didn't resort to crime. Also luckily the right people came along at the right times to make it much better than it could have been.

This is a wonderful community here, and I am just very glad to be a part of it. The people here are always giving something of themselves in one way or another, and that good energy inspires more. I was never blessed with fortune, so there isn't much I can offer to the causes that come along. All I have to offer is what I have learned in my forty five years of experimenting in the woods and using knives, and what I have learned from forty years of experimenting with cameras.


ttowntrader said:
As always, whether a walk thru the past or a hike thru the woods, I love the way you paint with your words Brian. Like Will, whether I post or not, I always read your posts Mist and I always learn and enjoy the journey.
Glad you met the right people along your path that helped you become you.
Chea
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Thank you Chea. I'm very glad you enjoy the posts. I'm sure it's pretty obvious to anyone who has, that I have never had any formal training as a writer, I've just always loved to read. Somewhere along the way developed a fondness for writing myself.

I am too, imagining it otherwise leaves me with some scary thoughts, there were lots of close calls as it was.

I remember this one time I was walking from Louisville Kentucky to Evansville Indiana. It was winter and it was my first real experience with blizzard conditions. I wasn't dressed for it. I was walking along a state highway, and I came to an overpass. I remember being amazed at all of the white, the entire world in all directions, was just white. I remember being glad that the pain was subsiding and I just sat there watching the snow fall. My next memory was of this little old lady gently smacking me on the face and pouring lukewarm hot chocolate in my mouth, then I became acutely aware that I was nude under the blanket I was wrapped in, and that my clothes were hanging on a lone by a wood stove. A trucker had found me sitting under that overpass passed out, and had dropped me off where he had gotten fuel. I was at some mom and pop truck stop just outside Owensboro Kentucky.


Bill510c said:
Great written vision into your soul Brian. I know I have said this before but it does hold too true not to say it here, in this thread, one more time. I always enjoy reading your threads, viewing your photographs and sharing your experiences. Your contributions are greatly appreciated. Here's to another half century, Happy Birthday!
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Thank you very much Bill, I am really glad you enjoy the posts. The way things are shaping up globally, the next half may be as interesting as the first.


MajorD said:
I apologize for being late to the party. I have been absent from the forum recently. I can't say anything more than what has already been said here Brian. I wish you a very heartfelt belated Happy Birthday! Your input and perspectives have influenced my knife selections dramatically over the years and by doing so they allowed to me gain in my knowledge and expand my own personal experiences.

Happy Birthday my friend!!!

Dave
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Thank you very much Dave! and no need for apologies. I haven't been here as much as I would like myself lately, but the kitchen is finally defined, 95% wired, and about ready for drywall, so progress is being made at least :) It means a lot to know you all find meaning in my posts. So may people contribute so much in this forum, I am glad I have something worth while to offer here.


Taja said:
Happy Birthday Brian. I wish you enjoy your presents and have every next birthday your dreams become true
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Thank you very much Taja, the presents were wonderful, and I have already had dreams come true that I would have never dared to dream.
 
Brian, let me first begin by saying how sorry I am that I wasn't fast enough to make it over to you on Friday night at the Pit during Blade to say hello. I was in the midst of conversation when I spotted you and by the time I ended that discussion, I couldn't locate you and needed to leave. After a short stay on Saturday morning, my family and I were on the road. Hopefully next year I'll be able to shake your hand.

So now, I hope everyone realizes that I have yet to officially meet Brian in person. We've chatted multiple times on the back channels, but just to that extent. However, it goes without saying that I have great admiration for him. This thread says it all. I've known for some time of his life obstacles and a bit of the back story regarding his mother. In most cases especially at such an early age, most young men do not overcome such diversity, yet Brian found his way. I respect that. A lot! I also know by the consistent smile on his daughter's face in these threads, that for him, the reward was worth the struggle. Congratulations to you Brian for not only having such a positive influence to your daughter, but to many people right here.

Now, if you've followed this forum for a while, you would know how many members here have been touched by Brian's insight and pictures, including myself. The first Fiddleback pictured in this thread is the reason I've become such a fan of Andy's work: The prototype Bushfinger and the review that accompanied it. I read the thread and knew I had to have one. Or two. Or three. You know the story.

So, thank you Brian for your dedication to this forum. I still anxiously click on any new thread of yours to enjoy the ride.
Happy Birthday!
 
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Happy Birthday Brian!!! Thanks for sharing a bit of your story with us. That is a lot for one person to deal with growing up. I can't even imagine. I am glad to hear you have found joy in your life and I hope that your days continue to have grace and happiness in them from here on out.

Like others have said, I am always inspired by your posts and have learned a lot from reading them. Your willingness to share has also inspired me to post more. Thanks for all that you give to this community.

Best,

Tod
 
Kal-El said:
Brian, let me first begin by saying how sorry I am that I wasn't fast enough to make it over to you on Friday night at the Pit during Blade to say hello. I was in the midst of conversation when I spotted you and by the time I ended that discussion, I couldn't locate you and needed to leave. After a short stay on Saturday morning, my family and I were on the road. Hopefully next year I'll be able to shake your hand.

So now, I hope everyone realizes that I have yet to officially meet Brian in person. We've chatted multiple times on the back channels, but just to that extent. However, it goes without saying that I have great admiration for him. This thread says it all. I've known for some time of his life obstacles and a bit of the back story regarding his mother. In most cases especially at such an early age, most young men do not overcome such diversity, yet Brian found his way. I respect that. A lot! I also know by the consistent smile on his daughter's face in these threads, that for him, the reward was worth the struggle. Congratulations to you Brian for not only having such a positive influence to your daughter, but to many people right here.

Now, if you've followed this forum for a while, you would know how many members here have been touched by Brian's insight and pictures, including myself. The first picture in this thread is the reason I've become such a fan of Andy's work. The prototype Bushfinger review. I read the thread and knew I had to have one. Or two. Or three. You know the story.

So, thank you Brian for your dedication to this forum. I still anxiously click on any new thread of yours to enjoy the ride.
Happy Birthday!
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Hi Sergio,

That is definitely regrettable and I wish we could have met in person, but no need to apologize to me for it. I have been to Blade enough times to understand how it goes, trust me. We'll meet up next year, we can plan it out going into it.

I have been told by some that I am a statistical anomaly, and looking back on it all I suppose I am in more ways than one. I was very fortunate in that I had the time with my father in very formative years. As well as the fact that I had two other friends who were like uncles to me in my early teen years. They saw and knew what I was too young to comprehend about my mother and stepfather's drug use. I think they knew the potential for real violence was developing. I remember a lot of little snippets of conversations between Pete and Dave and my mother, that I would not understand for several years to come. I guess they couldn't get through to her, so they spent a lot of time taking me camping and hiking. With their work in Southeast Asia still being fresh in their minds in 1976 they shared a lot of stories with me over the next three years that they probably shouldn't have been talking about with an eleven year old, but I'm glad they did. Things I learned from them kept me alive the night my mother's estranged husband kicked in the door and started shooting, and other things that they and my father taught me kept me alive on more than one occasion in the next several years to come. Also, and perhaps more importantly in the grand scheme of things, the fact that all three of them instilled a very clear sense of right and wrong in my mind kept me from turning down other paths I might otherwise have taken along the way. Yes, looking at my life now, being where I am today was worth every struggle. Even were I given the chance to change the bad, I would not for fear of changing the paths I took to get to this spot.

Of all the knives and cutting tools I have used and tested, that Bushfinger was definitely one of the most important if not thee most important. I am really digging the CPM S35VN mid tech version as that is my favorite steel. But more and more I think about getting one of the hand made ones.One day the stars will line up just right and I will land one with the right handle config for me in CPM 154.

Thank you very much for that! And I am glad you still enjoy the posts!


hasco said:
Happy Birthday Brian!!! Thanks for sharing a bit of your story with us. That is a lot for one person to deal with growing up. I can't even imagine. I am glad to hear you have found joy in your life and I hope that your days continue to have grace and happiness in them from here on out.

Like others have said, I am always inspired by your posts and have learned a lot from reading them. Your willingness to share has also inspired me to post more. Thanks for all that you give to this community.

Best,

Tod
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Thank you Tod! I have always heard that nothing good comes free. I doubt I would have thought so, or even fully understood, if I had been told back then what would some day come to pass. However looking at my life today, and looking back over the years, I think it was a bargain.

Thank you for that also. I am getting older, and I have no idea how long I will be able to continue my studies and experiments. But if just one person is inspired to do the same and to pass those findings and skills down to the younger generation, then I am accomplishing what I set out to do.
 
Glad to have you as part of the community. I love your posts, they always show how much time and care you put in, and make you seem like a great guy who appreciates great things. Happy birthday and all the best wishes.
 
Thanks man. Yeah so far adversity has been the best appreciation enhancer I have run across :)
 
Happy belated B-day Mist! Thanks for sharing a little about your childhood; some powerful stuff and all I can say is great on you for becoming the man that you are (a loving father and husband) despite the past. On a lighter note, your photos of your first bushfinger was what really got me interested in Fiddlebacks back in early 2013, and your subsequent reviews (especially the Kephart and Woodsman) very much influenced my subsequent FB purchases. Thanks as always for your insights and amazing photos. :thumbup:
 
catalystman80 said:
Happy belated B-day Mist! Thanks for sharing a little about your childhood; some powerful stuff and all I can say is great on you for becoming the man that you are (a loving father and husband) despite the past. On a lighter note, your photos of your first bushfinger was what really got me interested in Fiddlebacks back in early 2013, and your subsequent reviews (especially the Kephart and Woodsman) very much influenced my subsequent FB purchases. Thanks as always for your insights and amazing photos. :thumbup:
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Thanks man! Yeah, reliving it still brings back a lot of painful images, so I'm not generally open to discussing it with just anyone. But a lot of times when I am teaching classes, some of the subjects I touch on cause people to presume a military back ground that I don't have. I was fortunate enough to have been taught some pretty intense subjects by some very well trained veterans, and unfortunate enough to get to try them in practical application, but I am not a veteran. This sometimes raises uncomfortable questions. There are so many here in this forum that have been good friends for so long that I thought maybe I should explain the perspective that some of my thoughts and experiments come from. For the most part, Andy's knives are my escape from all the tactical thoughts that come from field testing tactical tools in the field. But even his knife designs that obviously approach that side of things, have a combination of class, sex appeal, user durability level, and ergonomic comfort level that most of the others out there are sorely lacking in. The Fiddleback Forge knives are always a pleasure to use and photograph.
 
I think this one has served it's purpose. I'm going to lock it and let it sink now.
 
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