The New Codgers

Medford met me at my back porch early this Monday morning. According to my replica “Pruett’s Pig Powders” thermometer, the temperature was 74ºF, and it felt muggy, and my lens-assisted original equipment eyes told me it was hazy, here in our hometown of Saint Paul, Minnesota. A quick look at look at local weather on the ‘net informed me that we are expecting the high temp today to reach about 80ºF, with an 80% chance of much needed rain.

“Mornin’ Jay,” Medford greeted as he gimped his way up the steps of my back porch, “Laura’s gone already this morning.”

“Gone?” I answered, a bit perplexed, as I knew Laura usually slept late in the mornings, until at least six, “Whaddaya mean gone?”

“To the café,” Medford answered, “she left a note.”

“That settles that,” I concluded, “we’ll see her when we get there. How was your Father’s Day?”

“Pretty good,” Medford replied, “Laura took several jobs off my ‘honey-do’ list. Hey! Where’s the organically & shade-grown, fair-trade, French-Roast coffee? I brought my porcelain, not china, but made in China, Codger Collectible Mug, and a packet of sugar and of creamer, but I have nothing to put them in.”

“Don’t have any of that,” I rejoined with a smile.

“Say what?”

“Don’t have any organically & shade-grown, fair-trade, French-Roast coffee, but I do have organically & shade-grown, fair-trade, Sumatran-Roast coffee, just inside the door, to your left, as always.” (Bet you thought I wouldn’t work those catch-phrases in, didn’t you!)

If you are wondering what the Codger Ladies are up to so early in the morning, head over to the Café to find out.

This is a self-promoting "LINK-POST" 

By the time we launch this post, it will be waaay past dawn on this fine Father’s Day Sunday morning. As you can see, the whole crew of Codgers & Codger Ladies (& Cyber-Daisy, my step-dog) are here this morning enjoying our porcelain, not china, but made in China, Codger Collectible Mugs of organically & shade-grown, fair-trade, French-Roast coffee, except, of course, Laura, who is enjoying her teacup of fine Earl Grey tea). So, why exactly are we all here on my porch at insane o’clock?

We are announcing the re-launch of our “Cyber Café, Back Porch & Codger Lodge Conversations” blog (formerly Cyber-Café Conversations). This revamped (we’ve deleted all the old posts to this blog—for a fresh start) blog will have the same kind of content, and same attitude towards comments as the Cyber-Café & Back Porch Conversations blog on AR., and with some luck, expand our readership and add to our “Gentle Readers.”

After many months of having fun on Active Rain, we’ve decided to take our show on the road, and see if it has wheels. We are not leaving Active Rain! We are going to concentrate more on this new blog, and as a consequence will cut back the number of posts to the ‘Rain.

This is not a “LINK POST” exactly, but there is a link above, if you wish to visit our newly revised, work-in-progress blog. The link in our sidebar here still works, as well. Today’s post on the “Cyber Café, Back Porch & Codger Lodge Conversations” blog has stuff you folks already know, and part of this post.

Good morning Gentle Readers! Here aboard the Pegasus, anchored in our secret cove on Cyber-Lake Superior, it is a computer-controlled 65ºF, with a light northwesterly breeze. As you can see, I’m in the pilothouse with my loyal step cyber-beagle Daisy standing watch on the deck just outside the pilothouse.

Have you noticed in the past few weeks, all the advertisements for “gifts for Dad?” Tools, yard equipment, sports jerseys and equipment, fishing supplies, even cologne (manly cologne, to be sure). Is this what dads really want? Some do, I expect.

My dad wanted nothing more than a home-made card. He loved our crayon or pencil-drawn cards! He was, for his time, I guess a different kind of father. He worked often sixteen hours a day—yet he always, no matter how tired he may have been, found time for us kids. Whether it was tossing a ball around, telling us stories about the “olden days,” or overseeing our homework, he always spent time with us each day.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad:

My thought for this day: I hope I was half the dad to my sons as my dad was to me (my hand drawn cards arrived yesterday.)

By Laura Ambrose

Well, we’re, at the computer-controlled 72ºF and sunny Codger…

“Collie, please park the ‘Express,’ you’re blocking our Gentle Reader’s view of the great natural beauty of the rest of us!”

“Sorry.”

“Ooo—that’s bright!”

As I was saying—Codger Lodge, here on Cyber-Lake Superior, a fitting end to our little romp through cyber-space.

“We had a lot of fun in our travels, Laura.”

“Yes we did, Helen, and the boys will never know where we were!”

“Yes they will”

“Oh, hi Molly, Joe, I hope we’re not intruding. Whatever do you mean?”

“Oh—you were seen and photographed by our Gentle Readers.”

“Yesterday was my birthday! I turned two people-years-old (let’s see—that’s 14 doggie-years-old—woo-hoo! I’m a teenager!)”

“Thanks for sharing Daisy—and take Jay’s camper-hat off! That's a scary thought Molly.”

“Sure Laura, just as soon as you remove people-dog Med’s sombrero!”

“You are certainly sounding like a teen.”

“How long do you s’pose it’ll take for the boys to figure out we’re here?”

“We got a day or so, I think, Helen.”

“Ya think?”

Laura, Helen, Collie & Marie

Medford and I are here this morning on my front porch, in the Real World of old Saint Paul, where it is currently 69ºF, with a predicted high of 90ºF. We are enjoying our porcelain, not china, but made in China, Codger Collectible Mugs of organically & shade-grown, fair-trade, Sumatran-Roast coffee.

While we are still interested in Codger Lady & Codger cyberspace spottings, we decided to present you with another short photo-essay from a nice walk we took yesterday—again on the riverfront of Old Saint Paul, and featuring two very different, but historically significant bridges.

The Great Western Bridge (Chicago & Great Western Railroad Mississippi River Crossing) was built in 1913.

The Robert Street Bridge, begun on June 19, 1924, and completed and dedicated on August 6, 1926. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

For more photos and information click the above links.

Jay & Medford 

Jay and I are still here on Jay’s back porch monitoring the cyber-spottings of the Codger Ladies from around cyber-space, and enjoying (“Jay, what is it we are enjoying, exactly?” “ Med, just scroll down the page to yesterday’s post and copy & paste—it’s what I do.” “Oh, OK—isn’t that cheating?” “Yep.”) our porcelain, not china, but made in China, Codger Collectible Mugs of organically & shade-grown, fair-trade, French-Roast coffee.

So far, this is where we know they’ve visited:

06:51am CDT: Spotted at a Farmer’s Market in Maryland or Northern Virginia.

07:14am CDT: Seen at the Baltimore Inner Harbor.

08:19am CDT: Spotted in several W. Virginia locations.

09:14am CDT: Observed at Flagler Beach, Florida.

10:11am CDT: Seen in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This was the last known sighting.

WOW! Those ladies get around in a hurry when in cyberspace! But it begs the question: where else have they gone? We know they like the mountains, but the "krafty one" has apparently not seen them. I know Laura likes Chicago, but the Reala-Stager apparently not seen them as well. What of the West Coast? The extreme East Coast, Denise in Newfoundland, for example?

Carl, Harold & Fred have borrowed Jay’s Cyber-Vue and are also loose in Cyber-space—so keep your eyes open for them as well.

I don't believe Carl, Fred and Harold are actually looking for the Codger Ladies, but are using this as an excuse to go cyber-traveling.

Medford 

I was minding my own Saturday business this past weekend when I heard the unmistakable sound of big radial aircraft engines approaching—the sound of veteran warbirds! As I sprinted into the house (sprinted? I crack me up!) to grab my camera, at least six AT6 Texans overflew my home. The North American AT6 Texan, and Navy-Marine sister the SNJ Texan, were the premier advance flight training aircraft during (and well after) World War II.

By the time I got my camera, they had disappeared behind the trees. But I heard the even deeper-throated sound of approaching aircraft. Three North American B25 Mitchell medium bombers came into view, flying in what appeared to be the “missing man formation,” two lead planes in the 1^st echelon, “leader” and “wing” positions, and a third in the 2^nd echelon “wing” position, with the ‘leader” missing. I began clicking shots as quickly as my camera would allow.

It is not all that unusual to see a B25 or Texan flying over St. Paul, the “Minnesota Wing of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF)” is located at nearby Fleming Field in South St. Paul. But to see six Texans and three Mitchells in flight is most unusual! The CAF owns a B25J, “Miss Mitchell.”

This particular aircraft was assigned to the 310^th Bomber Group, of the 57^th Bomber Wing of the 12^th Air Force of North Africa & Italy. She successfully completed over 130 missions without a loss of a single crewmember.  [Source: MN Wing, CAF.]

It finally dawned on me; Saturday was the day that the WWII Commemorative Memorial was to be dedicated on the state capital grounds, and the old warbirds were part of the celebration!

That caused me to think about my near-contemporaries who are no linger around, and served in defeating perhaps the greatest threat to this democracy in the 20^th, and arguably so far in the 21^st Century.

More photos of the B25 in action:

Specifications (B-25J)

Data from Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II

General characteristics

    * Crew: six (two pilots, navigator/bombardier, turret gunner/engineer, radio operator/waist gunner, tail gunner

    * Length: 52 ft 11 in (16.1 m)

    * Wingspan: 67 ft 6 in (20.6 m)

    * Height: 17 ft 7 in (4.8 m)

Performance

    * Maximum speed: 275 mph (239 knots, 442 km/h)

    * Cruise speed: 230 mph (200 knots, 370 km/h)

    * Combat radius: 1,350 mi (1,170 nm, 2,170 km)

    * Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,600 m)

    * Rate of climb: 790 ft/min (4 m/s)

Armament

    * Guns: 12×.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns

    * Bombs: 6,000 lb (2,700 kg)

Your pardon, please, for digressing from our usual fare—but I am an unapologetic old airplane fan! Actually getting a shot of those marvelous old B25s in flight was kind of a thrill for me. I am considering the $350 for a flight in “Miss Mitchell” (attention, my sons, I know you read these posts—Father’s Day is coming—hint—hint).

Well, for the moment, we’re right here on my back porch, enjoying, at least most of us, our porcelain, not china, but made in China, Codger Collectible Mugs of organically & shade-grown, fair-trade, French-Roast coffee on a lovely clear skied, 57ºF Saint Paul morning! The day promises to remain sunny with a predicted high of 72ºF. We paid our dues for this weather last winter—now we may enjoy this with winter a faint memory.

But, you may ask, what about after “the moment” mentioned above?

That has yet to be written—or even drawn! A hint, perhaps?

Or Maybe:

Or Maybe just hangin' around doing home weekend stuff!

Watch this space! 

The Codger Crew

Let’s cover that post title first—we can get to the morning weather later. No, we were not cowering in fear in our homes because of the antics of our cyber-stalker(s), we think you know that is NOT our style. No, the answer is much simpler than that—it’s my addiction—not to the “Rain—but to drawing graphics!

Time flies when you’re having fun—or trying to draw a #*&%@ graphic! I spent most of the day on this—with time out for lunch with Carl & Collie—and never got to AR! Here is my day—graphically:

The image at the top of this post is the result of my day of giving in to my graphic obsession. Here are the actual steps in the process:

1, Manipulate photo in “Photo Draw.”

2. Copy manipulated photo to MS “Publisher.”

3. Add drawing of house, without porch or people, done in “Word” to the photo in “Publisher.”

4. Print combined photo & drawing to “Acrobat Distiller.”

5. Save resulting .pdf document as jpeg.

6. Photoshop the jpeg.

7. Copy photo back into “Publisher.”

8. Add back porch rail & people to the photo in “Publisher.”

9. Print combined photo & drawing to “Acrobat Distiller.”

10. Save resulting .pdf document as jpeg.

11. Photoshop the jpeg.

12. And with any luck, a satisfactory “Codger Image” is born!

Will you PLEASE get to the weather? Our Gentle Readers come here for our daily weather report--not your recounting your day!

Medford, unbelievably quiet thus far, and has just stood by drinking his organically & shade-grown, fair-trade, Sumatran-Roast coffee, from his porcelain, not china, but made in China, Codger Collectible Mug, no longer able to contain himself, has SPOKEN!

In the “Real World” of Saint Paul—as viewed from my back porch, “Pruett’s Pig Powders” indicate that it is currently a very pleasant 64ºF, and our lens-assisted eyes tell us the sky is hazy. Thunderstorms are predicted for today.

In the “Real World” of old Saint Paul—as viewed from my back porch, “Pruett’s Pig Powders” indicate that it is currently a very pleasant 61ºF, and our lens-assisted eyes tell us the sky is partly-cloudy, with the recent “Blue Moon,” no longer full, but shining brightly in the southern sky.

“I ran into Jay M. Saturday,” I said, after a sip of the usual organically & shade-grown, fair-trade, Sumatran-Roast coffee, “while walking my “Step-Dog,” Daisy.”

“Jay M?” Medford replied, while stirring his usual cream & sugar into his porcelain, not china, but made in China, Codger Collectible Mug, “Isn’t he the guy who lives near Boomer, by the church?”

“That’s the one,” I replied, “his re-siding and window replacement project has been completed. He has some painting to do yet, but the house looks great.”

“Cedar? Hardyboard?” Med asked after a moment.

“Vinyl,” I said, “he expressed some concern about what some of his neighbors might think.”

“That’ll please the restorationists,” Medford, with his usual sense of irony, said.

“He’s a bit worried about that,” I added, “they believe that all maintenance such as windows and siding should be done with an eye towards restoring the home to its original appearance.”

“But isn’t the idea to preserve the home?”

“Yes,” I answered, “but the restorationists believe that siding MUST be wood, and grudgingly accept hardyboard. Gutters and downspouts must be copper.”

“That is all good, and would be the preferred way,” Medford said, “but too expensive for most.”

“Some of the purists,” I concluded, “are only too eager to spend other people’s money. Preservation takes many forms, and the importance maintaining our fine old homes supersedes pure restoration.”

“True, without preservation, there’ll be nothing left to restore,” Medford agreed.