Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
That Campy Euclid U-brake is made of unobtanium. Seriously rare, especially in NOS form. I've never seen one new in 30 years, even when they were available in shops.
Phil Forrest
Phil Forrest
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Phil,
I'm so glad I loaded up the truck a few years ago on XTR in both 9-speed used and 11-speed on closeout when Shimano announced the new 12 speed. At that time I also loaded up on 9-speed Dura-Ace. Now all this stuff is much more costly.
Many thanks for some wise advice.
I'm looking kinda mean, but lean. I would not say ripped because that level of tone is not there yet. A lot of strength faded when I began commuting. Commuting took its toll, and now is time to recover and rebuild. As you know this takes a lot of time to build strength, but it takes little time to fade...
Every bike I own is kinda rare/unique and has a story as well as a place in time and history. All retro vibe and a bit of a conversation starter. They kinda stand out individually, but also as a group. Really glad I was able to retain them over the decades. The steel IBIS, my first mountain bike is now 35 years old. The Ti IBIS is pre-V brake and has this investment cast bronze "Hand-Job" which was made by a local jeweler of a small human hand holding the rear brake cable for a set of cantilever brakes.
Scot Nicole is a funny guy, and back in the day developed a persona he called "Chuck," who is basically himself. Kinda like the character known as "Calzone" who exists, but is not real because he is an exaggeration.
He was just a punk kid that got to ride with the important guys who developed mountain bikes in California. Then in the 90'ies he somehow got Gary Helfrick, the Godfather of Titanium bikes involved with IBIS Titanium disease. Part of that history is the Ti IBIS Mountain Trials which seems to be a one-off prototype that is based on an IBIS Ti Mojo which is considered one of the best and smoothest ti rides ever built. It has tapered Ti seat and chainstays and internally triple-butted oversized tubing.
Know on the steel IBIS that basically Scot used a front fork that was designed for a tandem, and in Scot's manner he calls the Steel IBIS Mountain Trials, "not a Skinny-Puppy."
I did my Calzone exaggeration and used other heavy-duty parts that pretty much were designed for either trials or tandem use.
I guess I should name the Ti IBIS "The Skinny-Puppy," because it is a weight weenie's bike, even though it too is built of many parts that were developed for tandem use like the Middleburn RS-7 cranks and Paul's Neo-Retro cantilever brakes. The rear wheels are 36 spoke for overkill.
Still waiting for Alex to assemble the closeout deal on the Middleburn chainring stockpile...
Right now Jenson is out of stock on XT 11-34 9-speed cassettes. When available I will load up the truck. I intend on setting up the Ti Basso mountain (Lightspeed) as a 2.35 wide tire "Fat-Bike" with a 3x9 triple 42/32/22T using 9-speed XTR for long epic rides. Very wide-range gearing, Rock Shox Judy SL option (early version with the smaller bolt crown) updated with NOS "Green" original "Speed Springs" that are for a 135 pound rider.
This is also likely a one-off because when I cracked a weld on the head tube on a very flexy non-oversized tube-set very early Litespeed Ti frame, instead of giving me a newer designed frame with a sloping down tube, they modded my retro existing frame with an oversized front triangle. This bike had and has a short top tube so it has a shorter wheelbase for quicker steering and more violent turning. The flex of the non-oversized tubing I guess caused a stress riser in the headtube weld, but this bike as a rigid was ideal over roots and rocks because the entire bike flexed yet dampened quickly. My lightweight totally exploited this flex. Of course, the new oversized front triangle is mucho stiff, and now it is a totally different bike, part old, part new.
I'm not the only person who wore out a Ti Litespeed frame. "Iron Mike" was the first to crack a head tube weld, but in Mike's case, they just sent him a brand new frame that featured a sloping top tube and oversized stiffer tubing. I was so green with envy and I heard a creaking on my ride and checked the welds and I too had a cracked head tube weld. Somehow I bought this Basso as a used show bike. It was part of some tradeshow in California by a bike distributor I knew and rode with. "Rod" gave me a blowout price/deal. Anyways initially I was a bit disappointed that I did not get a brand new frame, but now owning a one-off is much cooler.
Also know that Litespeed transitioned to bead blasting the frames as their finish, and eventually they stopped offereing polished titanium that resembles a chrome finish. As a "Newsboy" the bike is kinda loud, it resembles a bike that perhaps could of been built in the 50's, and somehow has that "Calzone-Factor" of standing out as being unusual, odd, or funny looking.
I have a separate retro wheelset of narrow Mavic rims custom-built on White Industry hubs. These are set up with Schwable Marathon Supreme slicks for a 9-speed Dura-Ace "Newsboy" urban bike. This allows easy conversion to a Mavic CrossMax tubeless wheelset that was pretty much NOS and is built for rim brakes, kinda hard to find and are transitional. EZ-PZ urban to mountain bike conversion, exploit 9-speed durability, and unlike the steel and Ti IBIS has a more relaxed geometry and a longer wheelbase that serves long rides and epic riding. This bike has the widest gear range.
Anyways seems like I'm in bike heaven. Blue Mountain Preserve is just a few blocks away, and both Bear Mountain State Park and Harriman State Park are just on the other side of the Hunson River... Don't forget I'm at the gateway to the Hudson Highlands.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
I guess Beyonce does not love me. No big Valentines Fed Ex delivery gift for me. Anyways Ivy Park Addidas that are a rich red that Maggie got gifted would look good on me and the red sequened long coat that is styled like a lab coat likely would not fit into the dress code of the hospital where I worked. The reason why I kinda love it though is that it is so over the top and I'm sure it would annoy people which is one of the trademarks of my branding.
I will recycle the gift box which is the perfect size for my 24-inch wheels and rims which fit perfectly.
Today I started to get some term life insurance. You never know... Anyways want to know that Maggie would not be in need of cash if anything bad happened. The term insurance is just a bridge until I pay taxes on tax-deferred savings and rebuild a slush fund of saving of money to invest I don't need to live.
This morning the world outside my window was a snow globe for a while. No real accumulation though.
Tomorrow is Cat-A-act surgery for Maggie's right eye.
Cal
I will recycle the gift box which is the perfect size for my 24-inch wheels and rims which fit perfectly.
Today I started to get some term life insurance. You never know... Anyways want to know that Maggie would not be in need of cash if anything bad happened. The term insurance is just a bridge until I pay taxes on tax-deferred savings and rebuild a slush fund of saving of money to invest I don't need to live.
This morning the world outside my window was a snow globe for a while. No real accumulation though.
Tomorrow is Cat-A-act surgery for Maggie's right eye.
Cal
571514m3
Established
How does one start a 'Meet up' ? I'd like to try that where I live in the Victorian goldfields.
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Are you in the New York metro area? If so post and get involved with this thread.
Over a decade ago Damaso Reyes started the original and first NYC Meet-Up thread, but after about three monthly Meet-Ups, he left to go live and work in Barcelona Spain. Somehow I got "snookered" into continuing the NYC Meet-Up.
Over the more than a decade I have made many friends and got to know many RFF'ers from all over the world as a result. Not only have I made many friends and somehow became widely known, but also have had some great experiences. We did a road trip to Philly to go shoot at Eastern State Penitentury, I started having annual Camera Beauty Contests that were over the top events, and one meet-up actually involved a kinda flash mob of sorts.
Anyways if you decide to start your own local Meet-Up know that the commitment and responsibility can be a lot of work, but the payoff is that basically you get more back than you give.
Anyways the goal is to create a "safe place" where everyone is welcomed. I have had to reassure SLR shooters that they were welcomed among Leica snobs and rangefinder users. How silly. LOL.
On the Philly road trip we took the Megabus from the Javit's Center and met up with some of our friends and RFF'er in Philly that made up a group of ten of us. After shooting we had lunch in Philly, and then went to the northwest section where we were told to avoid to do more shooting.
Anyways basically we are a group of camera nerds. I kinda model and moderate the group as if it were "Cameras Anonomous" like were are camera addicts and we make fun of our quirks and our addictions that are perhaps a bit OCD. Pretty much a support group.
Where in the world is the Victorian Goldfields?
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Great to know that New York Columbia Presbyterian Hospital has a branch in Peekskill, so a bonus is that we don't have to go to NYC to get first-rate healthcare.
Also, I think being smaller we got more attention and care than if we went to the city. The whole experience was all very positive. I remember when we initially looked into living in Peekskill having great medical care very nearby was a big bonus.
All went well with the surgery. On the 22d of February the left eye gets done.
I think I will do a long-long run today. They expect the weather will hit into the forties, but I think I stick to the road as far as running goes. A second thpugh is a bike ride on perhaps on my new retro "Newsboy" to explore Peekskill and there abouts.
The date with my possible agent got firmed up. We will meet up in the city. Yesterday I even bought a stylish tailored shirt that accentuates my muscular build as a skinny bitch. Looks like things are happening on this front.
Pretty much I'll be getting a free physical from the life insurance company. Interesting the screening questions and the tipping points. Pretty much the insurance company is "gaming" you and you in turn are gaming the insurance company. Because I'm acquiring Term Life Insurance it literally is about a game of "Sudden Death." Anyways that's the real spin on that.
Time for some breakfast...
Cal
Also, I think being smaller we got more attention and care than if we went to the city. The whole experience was all very positive. I remember when we initially looked into living in Peekskill having great medical care very nearby was a big bonus.
All went well with the surgery. On the 22d of February the left eye gets done.
I think I will do a long-long run today. They expect the weather will hit into the forties, but I think I stick to the road as far as running goes. A second thpugh is a bike ride on perhaps on my new retro "Newsboy" to explore Peekskill and there abouts.
The date with my possible agent got firmed up. We will meet up in the city. Yesterday I even bought a stylish tailored shirt that accentuates my muscular build as a skinny bitch. Looks like things are happening on this front.
Pretty much I'll be getting a free physical from the life insurance company. Interesting the screening questions and the tipping points. Pretty much the insurance company is "gaming" you and you in turn are gaming the insurance company. Because I'm acquiring Term Life Insurance it literally is about a game of "Sudden Death." Anyways that's the real spin on that.
Time for some breakfast...
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
The wind chill limited my ride to 2 hours. Also, the "Newsboy" was missing a chain and was not a complete bike, so I rode the Ti IBIS which is currently built out as a 63.59 gear inch single speed using a freewheel. Not what I intended because a single speed in rolling hills and climbs becomes a bit of a strength workout where I have to climb out of the saddle and use even my upper body to muscle up hills for additional leverage.
This makes me think of keeping the Ti IBIS as a single speed because it is useful and a cool bike as is. It is also good to know that all I need is a built 24-inch wheel and I could build it out as a really great XTR 1x11 or XTR 2x11 because I have all the parts stockpiled except the wheel. Perhaps for Blue Mountain, all I will need is the steel IBIS, and maybe the Ti Basso will stay an urban "Newsboy" for now with the EZ-PZ buildout to a 3x9 XTR fat-bike conversion at hand complete stockpiled for when needed.
Just upon leaving my house, an oncoming car beeped at me. My guess is either I looked cool on my bike, or someone wanted to say hello because they liked the way I looked. Anyways the Ti IBIS alone looks plain evil. The bead-blasted titanium and all the CNC hardware presents a rather high-end expensive vibe.
The new carbon fiber riser bars with shorter stem is a new experience. In the past, all my bikes required narrow handlebars because the trails we rode on was true single track where you wove through trees on deer trails. The new trend is wide bars and lax geometry for stability. Right now these bars seem very wide for my style, but the bike is definitely less twitchy and more stable. I think the benefit also is more open breathing and additional leverage when out of the saddle.
I went exploring the southern range which is actually Verplank, Indian Point, Charles Point, but my first loop was to discover how to get to the riverfront walk by "Factoria" the brewery and riverfront restaurant. I rode north which is pretty much a steady ramp of a climb. Then I headed inland and there is no escape from a serious steep climb to get near the downtown Peekskill. I started heading back towards my home to make the left instead of the right to explore another loop that went due south The first loop was kinda short and a quick and easy way to get to downtown Peekskill. Eventually, this riverfront walk will be completed all the way to Yonkers.
Indian Point is a 40-acre site where there is a nuclear power plant that recently got shut down. Usually, it takes 50-60 years to decommission a nuclear power plant, but the current plan is to fast-track the decommissioning to only 12 years. I can see how redevelopment could be really good or really bad. This real estate is right on the river and the hamlet of Verplank is this tiny town that is a post office and a few delis.
I made some friends "Nancy and Eddie." They tell me the town had a vote, and now the mail does not get delivered to your home and you have to go to the Post Office to pick it up. They tell me that formally the land that the power station at Indian Point is built on formally was an amusement park. Also where were standing formally was a trashy trailer park that was a sketchy place to be avoided.
Nancy and Eddie were boomers like me, but Nancy said she is only 59 because she missed two birthdays due to Covid. Also, Nancy said if you own a dog or two and get caught walking them that pretty much everyone in Verplank kinda knows you and who you are so you kinda are a celebrity because the hamlet is so small.
The rolling hills reminded me of Mattatuck on the North Fork of Long Island. All I can say is Verplank is mighty hillbilly. Many people don't even know it's there. Meanwhile, Bucannon people from Verplank say is big, but not really. Perhaps Bucannon sprawls more and actually has a tiny village (one block), but it is kinda invisible unless you know if it's there.
So at the hospital at the north end of Peekskill is a ridge that is inland that is cliff-like where you can see downtown Peekskill and the Hudson River and valley. The vibe is mucho colonial, New England, and old. Meanwhile in the southern end where we live it more or less is a more suburban vibe, but not like Verplank and Bucannon.
Part of the Verplank waterfront was a steamboat landing, but also it was a historical site because the French and Continental Armies were ferried across the Hudson to unite for an attack on Yorktown Virginia that is the major battle that lead to our independence. The tactic was a surprise flanking move where the armies had to get around NYC which was a British stronghold via New Jersey.
There is no riverfront walk per-say. The Riverfont Walk is basically not developed.
Also in Verplank I saw some serious bird watchers with crazy rigs with long lenses photographing a Bald Eagle perched in a tree. I stopped to admire the majestic moment thinking about all the military history around me and the heritage that goes unnoticed. I felt humble. A woman I said hello to as I passed asked, "What's up?" and I replied, "There's a Bald Eagle perched in a tree to the right just ahead," and the woman responded, "He hangs out there all the time."
When we were looking for a house to buy, "The Creature" "Maggie's" daughter told us to consider Verplank, Bucannon, and Montrose. These are the hamlets that are part of the town of Cortlandt that surrounds Peekskill that sprawls. Not that I'm second-guessing, but I like where we live now. These micro hamlets are very remote and there kinda lacks an identity of sorts.
Anyways I wanted to share today's adventure. The bubble I live in is pretty big.
Cal
This makes me think of keeping the Ti IBIS as a single speed because it is useful and a cool bike as is. It is also good to know that all I need is a built 24-inch wheel and I could build it out as a really great XTR 1x11 or XTR 2x11 because I have all the parts stockpiled except the wheel. Perhaps for Blue Mountain, all I will need is the steel IBIS, and maybe the Ti Basso will stay an urban "Newsboy" for now with the EZ-PZ buildout to a 3x9 XTR fat-bike conversion at hand complete stockpiled for when needed.
Just upon leaving my house, an oncoming car beeped at me. My guess is either I looked cool on my bike, or someone wanted to say hello because they liked the way I looked. Anyways the Ti IBIS alone looks plain evil. The bead-blasted titanium and all the CNC hardware presents a rather high-end expensive vibe.
The new carbon fiber riser bars with shorter stem is a new experience. In the past, all my bikes required narrow handlebars because the trails we rode on was true single track where you wove through trees on deer trails. The new trend is wide bars and lax geometry for stability. Right now these bars seem very wide for my style, but the bike is definitely less twitchy and more stable. I think the benefit also is more open breathing and additional leverage when out of the saddle.
I went exploring the southern range which is actually Verplank, Indian Point, Charles Point, but my first loop was to discover how to get to the riverfront walk by "Factoria" the brewery and riverfront restaurant. I rode north which is pretty much a steady ramp of a climb. Then I headed inland and there is no escape from a serious steep climb to get near the downtown Peekskill. I started heading back towards my home to make the left instead of the right to explore another loop that went due south The first loop was kinda short and a quick and easy way to get to downtown Peekskill. Eventually, this riverfront walk will be completed all the way to Yonkers.
Indian Point is a 40-acre site where there is a nuclear power plant that recently got shut down. Usually, it takes 50-60 years to decommission a nuclear power plant, but the current plan is to fast-track the decommissioning to only 12 years. I can see how redevelopment could be really good or really bad. This real estate is right on the river and the hamlet of Verplank is this tiny town that is a post office and a few delis.
I made some friends "Nancy and Eddie." They tell me the town had a vote, and now the mail does not get delivered to your home and you have to go to the Post Office to pick it up. They tell me that formally the land that the power station at Indian Point is built on formally was an amusement park. Also where were standing formally was a trashy trailer park that was a sketchy place to be avoided.
Nancy and Eddie were boomers like me, but Nancy said she is only 59 because she missed two birthdays due to Covid. Also, Nancy said if you own a dog or two and get caught walking them that pretty much everyone in Verplank kinda knows you and who you are so you kinda are a celebrity because the hamlet is so small.
The rolling hills reminded me of Mattatuck on the North Fork of Long Island. All I can say is Verplank is mighty hillbilly. Many people don't even know it's there. Meanwhile, Bucannon people from Verplank say is big, but not really. Perhaps Bucannon sprawls more and actually has a tiny village (one block), but it is kinda invisible unless you know if it's there.
So at the hospital at the north end of Peekskill is a ridge that is inland that is cliff-like where you can see downtown Peekskill and the Hudson River and valley. The vibe is mucho colonial, New England, and old. Meanwhile in the southern end where we live it more or less is a more suburban vibe, but not like Verplank and Bucannon.
Part of the Verplank waterfront was a steamboat landing, but also it was a historical site because the French and Continental Armies were ferried across the Hudson to unite for an attack on Yorktown Virginia that is the major battle that lead to our independence. The tactic was a surprise flanking move where the armies had to get around NYC which was a British stronghold via New Jersey.
There is no riverfront walk per-say. The Riverfont Walk is basically not developed.
Also in Verplank I saw some serious bird watchers with crazy rigs with long lenses photographing a Bald Eagle perched in a tree. I stopped to admire the majestic moment thinking about all the military history around me and the heritage that goes unnoticed. I felt humble. A woman I said hello to as I passed asked, "What's up?" and I replied, "There's a Bald Eagle perched in a tree to the right just ahead," and the woman responded, "He hangs out there all the time."
When we were looking for a house to buy, "The Creature" "Maggie's" daughter told us to consider Verplank, Bucannon, and Montrose. These are the hamlets that are part of the town of Cortlandt that surrounds Peekskill that sprawls. Not that I'm second-guessing, but I like where we live now. These micro hamlets are very remote and there kinda lacks an identity of sorts.
Anyways I wanted to share today's adventure. The bubble I live in is pretty big.
Cal
pyeh
Member of good standing
There's a whole subforum https://www.rangefinderforum.com/node/132 for Australian meet ups, but it's pretty moribund. You could try an exploratory post there.
With us in Sydney it started off slowly. The most successful was precipitated by an overseas Australian who was coming to town for a visit - Jonmanjiro the Great Kanto Moderator . The first couple of gatherings were well attended but soon dwindled to a very small core group. Now we communicate by group email for random coffee gatherings. There might well be other small Sydney groups doing the same thing.
It's good fun though if you find like minded members. I have made very firm friends out of our local RFF chapter. Come and join us in Sydney if you're ever up here.
I am surprised I have never seen a Melbourne meet mooted. There seem to be a fair few members in Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
In 1777 Americans win a decisive Battle of Saratoga defending the Hudson Highlands, and this bolsters support from France, Spain, and the Netherlands against the British.
(Interesting to note that about 500 sharpshooters were concentrated into a special forces and the casualties among British officers were very high at the Battle of Saratoga.)
Fast forward to 1780 when 5500 French Troops arrive in Newport R.I. to support the Continental Army under George Washington's command. The original plan to invade NYC (Madhattan) from the north gets diverted when a French Fleet is ordered to the Chesapeake from Haiti to create a blockade. The British at this point are fighting a war on two fronts and have an army dug in at Yorktown at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.
At Yorktown the British need reinforcements from New York, but they come after the battle is lost and have to retreat.
By the time Washington with his army, and the French get to Williamsburg Virginia (mid-summer 1781) there are a combined force of 7.9K French, 3.1K Militia, and 8K Continental Army, so the battle is 19,900 verses 9K British and the British eventually get surrounded. The British are bombarded with heavily day and night for over a week. A parallel trench 800 feet out gets replaced by one 400 feet in closer as the British artillery is taken out, then two bunkers exist that need to be taken out to totally surround the British to trap them and not allow any possibility of escape.
One bunker is taken out by the French, and the other by Americans. The order was a bayonet charge at night for silence on a moonless night for the element of surprise, and for moral. The battle lasted only ten minutes for the Americans. The French had difficulties because artillery had not breached fortifications, and they suffered high casualties.
Then the Americans and French pounded the British with artillery until they surrendered.
The British still had 30K men in their army, but support for this war in England hit a turning point. This is the Battle that they say defeated the British.
In 1782 Peace Negotiations started, and in 1783 the Treaty of Paris was signed.
The defense of the Hudson Highlands was a key to winning the Revolutionary War. Also, know that Washington made it seem like an attack on NYC was eminent. All this history is all around me. The British held NYC, but they never took Albany.
Verplank is where parts of the French and Continental Army crossed the Hudson to venture through New Jersey to get to Yorktown Virginia.
Cal
(Interesting to note that about 500 sharpshooters were concentrated into a special forces and the casualties among British officers were very high at the Battle of Saratoga.)
Fast forward to 1780 when 5500 French Troops arrive in Newport R.I. to support the Continental Army under George Washington's command. The original plan to invade NYC (Madhattan) from the north gets diverted when a French Fleet is ordered to the Chesapeake from Haiti to create a blockade. The British at this point are fighting a war on two fronts and have an army dug in at Yorktown at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.
At Yorktown the British need reinforcements from New York, but they come after the battle is lost and have to retreat.
By the time Washington with his army, and the French get to Williamsburg Virginia (mid-summer 1781) there are a combined force of 7.9K French, 3.1K Militia, and 8K Continental Army, so the battle is 19,900 verses 9K British and the British eventually get surrounded. The British are bombarded with heavily day and night for over a week. A parallel trench 800 feet out gets replaced by one 400 feet in closer as the British artillery is taken out, then two bunkers exist that need to be taken out to totally surround the British to trap them and not allow any possibility of escape.
One bunker is taken out by the French, and the other by Americans. The order was a bayonet charge at night for silence on a moonless night for the element of surprise, and for moral. The battle lasted only ten minutes for the Americans. The French had difficulties because artillery had not breached fortifications, and they suffered high casualties.
Then the Americans and French pounded the British with artillery until they surrendered.
The British still had 30K men in their army, but support for this war in England hit a turning point. This is the Battle that they say defeated the British.
In 1782 Peace Negotiations started, and in 1783 the Treaty of Paris was signed.
The defense of the Hudson Highlands was a key to winning the Revolutionary War. Also, know that Washington made it seem like an attack on NYC was eminent. All this history is all around me. The British held NYC, but they never took Albany.
Verplank is where parts of the French and Continental Army crossed the Hudson to venture through New Jersey to get to Yorktown Virginia.
Cal
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
After about a year the French forces under Rochambeau marched south. Lafayette was more a decoration than an ally. During our revolution the librettist who wrote the libretto for one of the Figaro operas had been raising funds in France for our revolution and had been sending that money, and guns, to the Continentals, us. It has never been repaid. Our cause was popular in France and led to its own revolution. And when Cornwallis was bottled up and forced to surrender it was Admiral de Grasse whose fleet was off the Yorktown, VA, coast keeping the British fleet away. We won our independence because of and with major French help. Unfortunately this is untaught. Just as are the identities of Du Pont and Revere, both French Huguenots. For my own personal petit reasons I would like to see more of the French role accounted for in addition to it being the more accurate historical record.
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
B,
Thanks for posting this. I am a bit ashamed as an American that we are left in an ignorant manner. There is a vast emptiness in our education. My thought is history is all around us...
Anyways when I see all the eagles and the historic monuments I take notice to connect the dots. How crazy a tactic to lead an attack without a loaded gun, under orders, just to cloak an operation. Also, the artillery required to blast the British into submission was also supplied by the French.
Militarily the British made the mistake of fighting a war on two fronts which diluted their strength. This was a fatal error and a mistake that gets repeated in history. Our revolution used guerilla tactics and was a war that became unpopular.
Interesting o note how the projection of power in military operations can be a key element to victory. The French did this against the British with their blockade which doomed the army left in Yorktown.
I am of Cantonese descent, and later in life, I learned that I come from and evolved from a culture that endued feudalism for almost a thousand years after China became unified. The geography of a ring of mountains made the small province of Canton a natural fortress. The Cantonese were considered "ungovernable." Then the Chinese tried to limit western influence to Canton which only made the Cantonese harder to control.
Then there is the parallel of how New Yorkers are distinguished from Americans as a breed apart. Hong Kong is not so different than Madhattan, an outcropping at the mouth of a great river. A lot of the behaviors could be profiled as Cantonese are considered loud, rude, and aggressive culturally as New Yorkers are. Today China still has a problem with ruling the Cantonese.
At one time in history the biggest Chinatown in the New World was Havana Cuba. Before 1972-1973 the Chinese in the U.S. were limited by immigration restrictions. President Nixon in the early 70's normalized relations with China. In the 1960 census, less than 238K Asians were counted, I was born in 1958, and about half of those Asians were all Cantonese. We were a tiny minority. I grew up in the Vietnam era looking like the enemy. The first thing I learned in kindergarten was how to fight to win, and sadly by third grade, I was good at it.
I learned the best things to bring to any fight are speed, agility, and experience. I was built for speed and agility and the experience came as a result of racism and bullying.
Know that my dad was a WWII veteran, and this is how he was allowed to become an American citizen. Only 1428 Chinese were able to use this loophole in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1885 between 1943 and 1952 when the Chinese again would be regarded as the enemy due to the Korean War.
My oldest brother served in Vietnam in 1967, my second oldest brother served on a nuclear attack submarine as a Nuclear Operator, my youngest brother served in the Stratigic Air Command, and I am the only male in my family that was not in the military, but I worked at Grumman for 17 years and helped win the Cold War, as well as worked on a Star Wars Project at Los Alamos.
Anyways, it is kinda important to me to stay fit because I have to continue to be ready to fight. My astrological sign is that I was born in the year of the rooster which in Chinese culture is the most fierce animal because it will fight till death.
Somewhere in my genes is the innate Alpha Male. A former Navy SEAL thought I was a SEAL by my posture, attitude, and intelligence when I worked at Grumman.
Cal
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
I figured from your name that you were Italian. LOL First, Happy New Year, and good health, happiness and "lots of eights." I spent about a month in HK and PRC, mostly HK. What a city! And the food! Woohoo! I did not care if I ever ate western food again. China is so like France, bad cooking is just not tolerated. And HK has the mad rush that Manhattan has. I liked it a lot.
I know our past immigration laws, and of course the Japanese herded into concentration camps in WW II. For the crime of being American citizens of Japanese descent. Some Germans and Italians were locked up on the East Coast but nothing like the Japanese on the West Coast, here and in Canada.
You may find this interesting, it is about Calvin Trillin a humorist and food writer. He says he watched the fall of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War on his TV. And he shouted at the TV, "Save the chefs! Save the chefs!" They did and now you can get a good meal almost anywhere in America. ;o) Vietnamese and Cantonese. You know the joke about Cantonese, "The only thing with legs they won't eat is a table; the only thing with wings they won't eat is an airplane." They damned sure cook it right whatever they cook.
Cheers, and thanks for your family's service.
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
B,
I have a confused identity. Basically, I am a white boy trapped in an Asian body.
I grew up in Lilly white communities in the Long Island suburbs, but pretty much my family did not belong there.
BTW I am an extreme extrovert who also happens to be a loner.
A lot of RFF'ers are shocked when they meet me. Calzone is a persona. I'm not so annoying in person. LOL.
.
"You're Calzone?" they say...
Because I'm so skinny my Italian friend's mom's tried to fatten me up with no luck. They would yell at their son's, "Why can't you eat like him?" meaning I ate a lot and in vast quantities.
One of the reasons why I bike is so I can eat a lot. I can eat an entire full-sized Pizza in one sitting. I'm also a very good cook. Also a good fisherman, but that leads to many stories about eating. Pretty much borderline eating disorder.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Pete,
I figured out that it was Victoria and what the reference to the Goldrush was. Interesting history.
Cal
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
The Italian moms. "Mangia, mangia, you too t'in anyway." I know you heard that a lot. And when you enter the Italian home so often the first thing is that you are offered something to eat, quite often a piece of fruit. Been there, done that. I miss the hurley-burley of the ethnic neighborhoods back east. And I miss the red gravy, especially the Sunday gravy. It does not exist here in the PNW. Heroes, subs, grinders, hoagies? No way. Every place is different while being the same.
Calzone, great tag. I bet you are eating a lot of stripers and blues, too.
Cheers
Canyongazer
Canyongazer
mmm "stripers and blues"
We're in Austin now and liking it a lot
but I sure miss summers on Cape Cod. --- West Yarmouth in particular.
We're in Austin now and liking it a lot
but I sure miss summers on Cape Cod. --- West Yarmouth in particular.
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
Yeah, the Cape is a little slice of heaven.
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
B,
In my past I was a surf fisherman, then I became a "Pin-Hooker," and then an offshore tuna and shark guy. I was always invited and welcomed because I was looked upon as a good luck charm because whenever I was on the boat we did well.
My first time offshore was the Shinnecock Shark Tournament. We ended up landing the first Mako, and eventually won third place and the Calcutta. There were only three of us on the boat that day, so $12K got divided 4 ways: the boat got one quarter, and each of us got a quarter; effectively the owner of the boat got two shares.
The boat was a "Blackwatch 30" which was a boat 30 feet long, but with a very wide beam of 15 feet, powered by two Volvo turbo truck diesels. Pretty much was like a modern PT boat but rigged with a tuna tower.
On one Friday we set off to do some tuna fishing and when anchoring off a lobster line there was a weedline and a school of Dolphine (the fish with the Moby Dick whale-like head). Rich hooked into one and tied it through the gills onto a cleat. This ensured the school would stay with the boat, and is a known behavior of school-sized Dolphine that are 5-7 pounds. Rich had used a piece of squid on a hook, but now we had a massive school around the boat and the remaining fish were all disinterested in our baits.
I am a sportsman and had a lightweight baitcasting level winder rod set up with 10-pound test, so a 5-7 pound fish was going to be lots of fun. I cast away from the school, and one fish would turn and head towards my bait as it fluttered and sank, but a second fish would B-line for the bait, and when it disappeared I raised the rod tip and set the hook. I quickly learned that Dolphine are jumpers.
I reeled in the fish making sure it bounced off Rich's leg. I unhooked the fish and made another cast. Immediately I set the hook again almost as soon as my bait hit the water. "Fish-on," I said, meanwhile Rich and the owner of the boat, Dave, were getting skunked.
After a few more fish bouncing off my friend Rich's leg he was getting pissed. "Tell me what you are doing or I'm going to throw you overboard," he said.
It only took a few hours, but we wiped out the entire school. We luckily had enough ice for a three-day tuna trip, but the boat was full and we had a catch to clean and sell, so we headed back to Shinnecock Inlet that Friday night.
Then there are tuna trips where you have 9 rods in the water and all have a tuna on them. We are talking 50-80 pound fish that can do 45 MPH.
Anyways I have had those Zane Grey and Hemingway experiences.
Ever go Cod fishing out of Montauk in January in 25-foot swells on the Viking Starship? I have.
Funny thing though is when I moved into NYC (22 years ago) that I have not fished, but I use to go every weekend.
I learned that Stripers in the spring come up the Hudson all the way to Troy. Big cow bass. Also, I knew Scott Petri who holds or held an IGFA world record for a 69 1/2 pound Striper that he landed using 15-pound test surf fishing.
Anyways nothing like real fresh tuna steak coated with crushed sesame paste (Tahini) blended with a little soy sauce to seal a thick steak that is grilled. When I was a Pin-Hooker Bob the owner of the center console smoked 5-7 pound schoolie Bluefish. Some people might say that smoked Bluefish is better than sex.
Then there were raw clams and baked clams.
My slice of heaven is fresh fish and being in the shipping lanes offshore.
Cal
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
Yeah, the Cape is a little slice of heaven.
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
Fishing is great sport and if you are good you eat well. Fresh caught tuna steaks are good eating. And as oily as blues are they would be great smoked. Peppered smoked mackerel is a real treat from the deli. You have had a lot of fun with fish hooks, more than most have. I'm not much of a fan of the blues, choppers IIRC, but stripers are always welcome on my plate.
Out here it is salmon. Locals are sick of it and prefer mac 'n cheese. I haven't shopped for salmon for years now but dockside, off the boat, troll caught were $20 apiece, cleaned, Before the Bonneville Dam there were big salmon, 40# - 60# with the occasional 80#, and they were called "hogs." All gone now. And very few salmon at all. Fished out.