Life Changes

Historical Photo:

 Tuscon Meyer street 1908

Okay tonight!

No numbers! Just remember, I did apologize for the numbers in the last line!.  LOL

Have you ever been ‘out done’ or ‘done in’ by auto correct? I am  thinking of a couple times I did not pay attention and  my computer helped me out(ouch). I got a smile from Myra awhile back when auto correct changed ‘morn’ to ‘moron’.

Science changes are wonderful and also confusing to us old folk. Invariably someone will hand me a phone and say, “I love this picture.”  When I take it I touch the wrong thing and the screen is blank, or not a picture.

I have (like you), some brilliant grand kids Well mine are grand men and women now. But Josh who is our resident Geek, ‘Microsoft qualified’ and brilliant. He knows I was a repairman on some of the first computers. He sent me a link to an article on ‘Data Bases’.

As I read it I smiled at the advances of the day. I have said it here that I was a repairman on one of the first digital computers. That is nothing special, there were thousands of us repairmen. The computer used vacuum tubes (over 20,000). The computer took up 1200 sqft (the size of a small 3BR home). It took an Air conditioner the same size to cool the vacuum tubes.

I said the above to say, that computer could not do 1/100^th of what the smallest smart phone will do today. I was telling a friend the other day, Ships must be much lighter today because those computers are replaced by a laptop. Power requirements must be 'nil', as we required tremendous amps/watts.

It is sorta embarrassing, my job in the USAF and in the USN no longer exists. I am a dinosaur. The other chiefs in the USN know that, but my grand kids don’t. They seem to think I am smart (I think)  LOL.

I left computers and started building (after a stint of running a roach coach). Now I see that job (building) has passed me up. I watched our roofers do a job in two days that 20 years ago would have taken 4-5 days.

Now I ask you, has the job you spent your life doing changed?

Nite Shipslog

 Lord help me, I remember service stations line this.  And cars like this:

I was 10 years old when this Merc came out!

Them numbers!

Historical Photo:

  Flagstaff, AZ  1899

Numbers.......

I love numbers, if I knew what to do with them I coulda been an engineer. Funny that.  My girl loves games. When Sudoku became a biggie she was right there. She isn’t a numbers person, even hates to add up her score in dominoes.  I declare if she was a teenager now she would play all the ‘video games’ and win.

I loved math in school. When Algebra came along in the 8^th grade, I loved it. Mrs. Brevard in Valdese Jr High could teach some Algebra. She was a slender woman and seemed to always wear bright red lipstick. She had jet black hair that pronounced her lite skin. Algebra was a game to me. I was wondering today if I could still find a ‘square-root’ without a calculator.

Both our sons are good in math, with Jack Jr having a little more interest and depth. Sherry and I were disappointed when they followed my footsteps and dropped out of school. My dad did not graduate, he only finished the third grade before becoming a full time farmhand, and he had no choice. When I saw my dad successful I figured, why bother. I never realized the nights and summers he studied to catch up. I was shamed because I think my boys said the same about me but I don’t know.

But this is about numbers. As I said I loved Algebra but did not see any logical use for it. Until I started building. I realized with my first house that the Pythagorean Theorem would be of primary use to make sure the house was ‘squared-up’.

The diagonal of a building footing is: Square the end (a), square the front figure (b) add them together and get the square root of that figure and you have it (c).

As Son Mark started building, he used the formula, but no matter where I was he would call or e-mail and ask, “What is that Pathagor  guys formula again?”

 With a calculator he could get his diagonal figure in a  minute. He was a good builder. Once you get in the real world of most construction jobs someone down the line uses a lot of those formulas to build sky scrapers and roads.

 The carpenters college, a framing square. Note the many numbers, representing hundreds of formulas.

When you see an old carpenter  ‘reading a framing square’ he is using formulas to cut rafters and steps, never realizing he is doing something the average college grad could not do.

  (Knowing how to use this tool, you could frame a skyscraper and build stairs all the way to the top!)

 Sorry about the numbers they just popped in my mind.  Save that formula, you never know when you might be asked to pour a footing for a skyscraper!

Nite Shipslog

 The lower concrete truck is preferred, the driver can see directly where the concrete is going, the back loader he must use his mirrors and someone to direct him.

lifetime friends?

Historical Photo:

             Prescott, AZ 1870's

 Question:

Do you have any friends from your childhood that you see daily, or even monthly?  I have been asked to speak at Sherry’s ‘Class of 1956’ High School reunion. Sherry is a hometown girl. She was born and raised in Belmont. Some of the people she sees every week she has known from first grade or before.

Heck, we can’t go to Walmart without her meeting someone she knows. I keep telling her it ain’t like this when we go to Walmart in Iowa City or Wichita. WE can go in and right out!

I have mulled over subjects to speak on, I plan to keep it to 10 minutes. Folks do not go to a reunion to listen to a speaker, they go to talk, fellowship, gossip or speculate why Bill, Mary or Skinny didn’t come.

I lived in 7 towns by the time I was 15.  I attended 4 different schools before I dropped out. Good friendships from school & teen years have been few and far between.

The people left in the class of ’56 is naturally dropping, age will whip us all. But it is amazing you have people 80 years old who have known each other most of their lives. Now I cannot even relate to that, I wish I could.  I have gotten to know many of Sherry’s friends.  Since I was a builder I have met buyers and customers, but they are not real friends (Unless you  consider everyone listed as your friends on face book counts. LOL)

Don & Evelyn (Sherry’s classmate) are also RV’ers and I have gotten to know them so well that we are considered good friends. We even see each other in Florida.

I blogged about meeting with friends from 1951-1954 once. Jimmy Page a ‘buddy’ from Valdese arranged for Shirl, Sherry and I to meet with him, his sister and Robbie and Betty Cook.  I finally got to tell Betty she was my first girlfriend, but she never knew it. LOL

I had a great life and did meet many people, but only about 4 were lasting friendships.  I don’t fuss about that If I was in trouble I could call on either of the 4 now and get support. I hope they feel the same about me.

Nite Shipslog

 I want to say, 1954  Buick, but I do not remember the wrap around windshield in '54.  I think I am losing something.... (never had one)I did love this car!