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992 miles for me although I'll stop to see my youngest daughter and grandson in St. Cloud first, so it'll actually be 1047 miles

DE

As I sit at my 'puter sipping Devil's Cut on ice and reading this thread, I'm beginning to believe you are all a little nuts ............:)

I guess I should follow my own advice about songs going over 4 minutes.........  After I posted above, I checked some of the songs I've written over the last few months and made scratch recordings.  There were a dozen that may have enough potential to make a better recording later.  Of that group:

2 under 3 minutes (shortest was 2:13)
4 between 3 minutes and 3:30
3 between 3:30 and 4:00
3 between 4:00 and 4:20

One of the over 4 minutes I could remove a musical bridge and shorten it.  Two are "historical" songs about the Civil War and I can't figure out how to shorten them so I may make exceptions for them.  I suppose I could just play them at a faster tempo ........

DE

Its been a rollercoaster ride for us Buckeye fans this year. Bucks needed to replace 7 starters on offense, including 4 linemen (3 went to the NFL), and their star running back (also to the NFL) so we figured it might be a tough year.  Then 12 days before the season started our Heisman candidate quarterback Miller (and conference MVP for two years) went down with a shoulder problem that needed surgery, making it 8 new starters on offense.  Then an all-conference first team defensive end was kicked off the team for failing a test for recreational drugs.  Team had a shakey start and lost 2nd game of the season but then started to improve and the 2nd string quarterback (Barrett) had a year that put him in the Heisman race. In 9th game, the star back/receiver/kick returner went down with a broken foot. During the last regular season game against TTUN (the team up north) Barrett went down with a broken ankle.  The next day one of the walk-on defensive linemen and a real popular guy on the team was found dead. (Apparently a suicide due to confusion and effects from recurring concussions from wrestling and football).  Three days after the funeral OSU had to play Wisky using the 3rd string quarterback. Vegas makes Wisconsin a 4-point favorite, but OSU wins 59-0 and makes it into the play-offs. 

What a crazy season  for Buckeye fans.

Congrats NELA!  Good to hear that someone has been catching some fish.  I don't think I've ever seen a 2 1/2  pound crappie, let alone catch one !!  Due to cold weather and snow its been over 3 weeks since I last wet a line.

DE

Also the Pro Football Hall of Fame is located in Canton, not far from the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
BTW, if you open the link I posted for the Air Force Museum and click on the virtual tour and follow the arrows you can view a lot of the exhibits. Follow the blue arrows in numerical order and at each stop use the other grey arrows to do a 360 degree view.

This conversation brings back memories - I also had model planes suspended by mono fishing line from my bedroom ceiling when I was a kid.  I'd stage them in dogfights and run mono from the guns of planes with dabs of yellow paint about every half-inch to look like tracer fire and string out cotton which had been blackened with a candle flame from the planes that had been "hit".  The only WW II jets I had were an ME-262 and ME-163 "Komet".

I can't verify if Wikipedia is correct or not but per their info on jet aircraft development: (Germany kept info on their jet development and first flights secret so Italy claimed first jet?)

June 1939 - first flight of Heinkel He 176 (598 kph)
August 1939 Heinkel 178 (turbojet 750 kph est)
August 1940 Campini Camproni (motorjet - 360 kph - pilot claimed he only flew half throttle)
April 1941 ME 262 (870 kph)
October 1941 ME163 (1004 kph)

Welcome to Chordie Wen.

Per Webster, a hobby is "any activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation."  Per that definition I guess I have several hobbies other than music:

Woodworking - I occasionally build small items but my real passion over the years has been designing and building houses.  Finding land to build on, designing a house that fits the area and then carrying through with the plan has been something I have always enjoyed.  I would usually start construction about September/October so I could work on the inside during the winter and have it ready for the market in the spring, although there have been houses that have taken over a year to build when family activities, my normal job or other hobbies got in the way.  I do all the work myself - masonry, carpentry, plumbing, wiring, etc.  Since these projects were time consuming, I only did it every 5-6 years. At age 64, I  might be getting a little old to start a new one although I have been thinking about trying to design and build a "tiny house".  I've also built 5 cedar-strip canoes over the years which I've used for some of my wilderness canoe trips.

Water sports - I've always had a passion for river-running, whether wilderness tripping, paddling "hair" runs or racing.  Over the years I've kayaked several eastern class IV-V rivers such as the New, Gauley, Cheat, Ocoee, Chattooga, as well as guiding raft trips for my friends.  I tried canoe racing for a couple of years before a shoulder injury ended that phase. I did manage to win a couple races at the '82 World's Fair in Knoxville as well as getting a few trophies in state-level races in Ohio.  I still kayak and canoe easier streams (class II-III) although now I row a raft when doing bigger water.  Currently there is a whitewater raft, a royalex canoe and 5 kayaks out in the garage.

Reading - I enjoy reading and collecting books about history. I have several books about the Lewis and Clark expedition and have just topped 60 hard-backs in my Civil War collection.

Fishing - As I've gotten older, stream fishing, especially chasing smallmouth bass has replaced my whitewater addiction.  Some years I've held fishing licenses in as many as 7 states as well as Canada. Catching smallmouth bass on home-made lures while fishing a stream that is a historical canoe route in a canoe I've built is near the top of my list of things I've done for fun. 

DE

In the 60's I primarily listened to early rock music with its simple lyrics and uncomplicated musical patterns, although I was a drummer playing mostly jazz and big-band music. When I was attending college some older friends took me to a bluegrass festival and it was a life changing experience.  I guess something about that style music spoke to my Appalachian heritage and its history of storytelling  - I sold my drums and never played them again, taking up the guitar years later. I still enjoy listening to Bluegrass groups and singer/songwriters that write simple songs about everyday life and what its like to live in small towns and rural areas. The poignancy of direct, well-written lyrics combined with simple musical accompaniment has been my biggest musical influence.  Kind of like applying the KISS principle to music.

Hey JIm, good to see ya finally posting on the site & glad to hear you're doin' some pickin'.

DE

I watched the Cougars/Scarlet Knights game with interest last night as it's the Rutger's first year in the Big Ten and they're picked to finish dead last in the East Division.  I really feel sorry for the kid that fumbled the punt. Washington State should have won that game.

DE

Wow Zurf, you must be getting old!

I can't imagine going that long without getting my yak out on a stream.  Due to weather and stream conditions this year has been one of my worst in the last 10 years for doing floats but I've still managed to get out 15 times according to my fishing log. (I've done a couple more paddling floats but I don't count them unless I'm fishing.)

In two weeks I leave for one of my "bucket list" trips.  I'm taking my raft down the lower Salmon and Snake rivers in Idaho/Washington for a 5-day smallmoth fishing/camping float with my son Wes. We'll be doing the "tourist" thing for a week leading up to the float, visiting the Badlands, Mt Rushmore, Yellowstone and Glacier, camping in the Grand Tetons, etc. I just hope I can hold up physically myself.:)

DE