There are people in Chicago?

It must have been "an offer they couldn't refuse"

I used to like that place when I was living in Seattle in the 90's.  We don't have any that I know of here in OH.

There are no whataburgers in Seattle.

Maybe I'm thinking of something else, I thought it was a Whataburger. It was on 99 North of Greenlake near where I worked. This was in the mid 90's though so maybe my memory is flawed. Carry on...

I think Dick's has the best drive in burgers in Seattle.

I wasn't impressed with Whataburger. In-n-out FTMFW!

this thread wanders almost as much as the SA Purge thread

hold up..... is DCB... Q???

I like In-N-Out.  Had it on trips to NV and CA.

Locally we have Swenson's in NE Ohio.  The Galley Boy is pretty damned good...

Ohhh that looks good. I'd eat that RFN and I just had breakfast.

I apologize for getting everyone's hopes up but this is, in fact, just a bump.

Bumpomatic post.

DCB?, Stimpy?, Anybody?  Please say that this book hasn't withered on the vine!!  I think it may be somewhat past Real Soon Now.  I understand that the Big River is somewhere between Mephistopheles  and Straight Up Lucifer Hisownself as far as publishing goes but can we get The Book somehow, someway?

You people need to let this thread die.

If he was serious it would have been published by now.

C'mon trap...this thread is still 30 pages short of matching your thread.  Plenty of posts to go!

It'll happen.  I talked to DC and his lady a few weeks ago and they were very positive.

LOL...wrong trap!

I am beginning to wonder if DCB hasn't been so domesticated that the publishing thing is slipping his mind.

He's actually going to publish.

When?

No idea.

I've talked to him recently, and had French food with his woman.

Squid ink pasta.

It's a thing.

It's black pasta. Surprisingly, it's really good.

I was surprised too.

DC is gun-shy about publishing.

Why write and promote a book then?

No clue.

"This place;  Is 'coming like a ghost town..."

So I ran off to South Georgia to hunt hogs this weekend.  What fun playing with thermal nightvision for this purpose.  I am a super-hero!
An ATN 2-8 with HMDI output to a $20 10" monitor on the dash and we are having the budget version of Mr Distrop's intro to team Gehr.

Armadillos look like groundhogs until they turn sideways.  Who knew?

Whiskey.
Stars.
Fires.
Conversations into the dark night.
These men are my 'men on the hill' and I am very much their "Byron York".  They are brilliant creatures, but they don't see and won't accept that they are Gehrs, no matter how many times I explain the concept.

But I came home and stared at...

Attached File


...and then...

Attached File


...and I think I finally see your complaint, DC.

What was it I said so many pages ago?

"So many blade geometries"

Randall was an artist...no doubt...but staring at the variance does make me smile.  Did he ever really make a knife to your kinds of dimensions?  Or was he more "Buy it...or don't."?

Again, not to be a brat, but you'll have nothing new until we get to buy the book.

Put some lipstick on it and paint the ridgeline.  We need off this beach.

Checking in here after a long hiatus. I stopped reading the updates because I didn't want to be spoiled -- am still waiting for the full book.

"Injured Reserves" is still one of the best bits of prose, on any subject, I've ever read. I reread it a couple times a year.

Here's hoping we get a hard copy one of these days.

wow...
.
.
.
I begin to suspect an answer and it has something to do with that strongest of emotions...

Why has he abandoned the thread?

My guess is that there are contractual obligations DCB is under, hence the removal of the story from the thread. But that is just a guess.

I wonder why he has abandoned the board altogether?  He has not posted since his last update.  Has DCB tired of this story?  Has he tired of his fans encouraging him to publish?  I understand that he is a busy man with other non-publishing irons in the fire (gathered from his comments only, I have never talked to or met DCB), but why leave us hanging other than second-hand info?  Seems this and other stories have tapered off to nothing in recent times.  I totally get removing the story from this thread prior to publishing for IP/Copyright reasons.  Is there a time that must pass before publishing can begin?  If so, it would be nice to know that after X time expires, we should be looking for the book to be available.  Not pi**ing and moaning, just genuinely curious.

Two weeks

Two weeks what?

Not sure but that's what DCB has been promising since this thread started.

Two weeks.

the answers to many of the questions?

does it matter?

Checking in again. I am now a week out from heading across the country to New Mexico. Maybe I’ll be able to make a stop and convince dc to go on and publish

@PFunkk

Would you please remind dc to log in and check his messages

Will do.

-PF

DC--here obv.--

I am vastly more disgusted/appalled/acid in the eye irritated than anyone here could possibly be--

Watching the most demanding investment of time/energy/thought, and implied promise of performance
to people who would now qualify as authentic friends, dissipate unwind fade...

Massive....suckage.

So, repeating notes, and one new data point:

1. I am not in any way shape or form, a writer.  Basically I am physical.  Interpret as you will.  But this is
a....big big issue.

2. In the course of writing/managing this...phenomena?  Both parents have died.  Very very badly.
With every possible complication: legal, medical, physical.  Other family members have born the
vast majority of this burden--but the hits keep coming.  Including one, shit you not, that started
three weeks ago.  Just....unreal.  Unwinding the latest "complication" would reasonably be a full
time job for an estate lawyer, complete with vicious litigation, for oh....a year?  Vomitous.

It might interest all to know, in the profile of this non-writer? That the primary object/s of this
contest would not be "money"--but..."artifacts."  Yep.  Imagine, let's say, the fury of some of the
participants?

Upside:

1. small but real--I am in regular communication with PFunkk--an interesting story in itself--
and StimpsonJ as he sees fit.  They know "enough"--that I am not dead, or disabled, and that
the "story" is essentially finished--

2. Pressure on me is good.  PFunkk pressures.  I have a quite extraordinary woman who pressures.
What I lack, endlessly, is the time to prep manage deploy a "sales strategy" which would increase
chances that this multi thousand hour investment does not just fade/disappear/never exist.

3.  Pressure is good.

DCB

1. It sucks to hear all that has befallen you.

2. It's good to know you still exist.

BigDam et al--

Deeply honored  that so many are still here.  It was my intention/hope--
but still...delighted amazed.

I hope to find time in future to address individual posts.  I see a Stimpson Randall comment (exactly so, buy
it whatever it is because...um...it is a Randall) PFunk and the squid ink, much hilarity, my SO has eclectic
tastes, a Q comment....hmmm....thinking....Q: some meat there, amidst a quorum of rancid jelly, many many
others.

Right now I am taking a break from composing a questionaire for estate/trust/will lawyers--lawyer shopping,
in other words, in a tank already full of their thrashing brethren, who charge you fifteen minutes while they
are pinching one off, because they are "having a relevant thought."

Alert speculators might imagine some great fortune at stake--no, that was squandered long ago, by a previous
generation.  But some artifacts remain, some should appear here, but that will never happen, the net cost of
litigating their disposition already (vastly? I don't know yet) exceeds any monetary value, and they can never
be sold, but their final position on this globe is a matter of exceeding...um....competition, fraud, deceit, sabotage.
Some fucking grotesque shit.  If some oppo research stumbles upon this identity: fuck you, you know who I am
and what I am doing and why and it is entirely to your semen sucking good fortune that I am "playing fair" you
posturing greedy cretinous scabs.  GENERAL NOTE: be careful who your extended family marries.  And why.

The Book--what the FFF can I say?  It already exists, absent a few commas, and a day of updates .re past
TWO FFFFING YEARS OF WORLD EVENTS....just fff.

PFunk has considerable knowledge of let's call it...my dismay.  And more credibility than I do at this time.
Listen to him.  I do.

Oh, did I mention, PRESSURE IS GOOD?  So.  Press on.

Ah, I see "story removed because why....?" Oh yes, that can be used to date the time at which I was absolutely
certain I could swallow the elephant turd of marketing, smear myself with the grease of a Cyprian prostitute,
and publish.  Before that latest shit storm commenced, and recommended I attain an advanced degree in sewage.
Not disposing it.  Bathing in it.

A story, relevant to nothing but the future I had planned many years ago in the context of Gehr Waffen, Injured, etc.:

After a quick flight to the latest California cum fest of despicable cretins, wearing a ribbon of lawyer's bills, I found myself
in possession of a vehicle.  Accidentally.  Amazing what falls through the cracks when vampires fight over a single prize...

So, a truck.  It works.  Sort of.

And California being what it is (deranged) I was dis/unarmed.  That will not do.

And I DO have an advanced degree in pawnshops.  On the immediate must purchase list: at least two functional
.44 black powder pistols, at least one relevant holster, one decent carbon steel knife, at least 3-400 rounds
of cap, ball, powder, one pound of Crisco to lube it all (and slide one particular real estate lady to hell) 15
gallons of water, 20,000 calories of non instantly fatal "food."  And so on....

All of these were aquired in the first five hours across the Utah border.

And that night I drove through the southern
quadrant of the Fishlake National Forest and slept under the stars in a peculiar wool
and canvass overcoat (pawnshop) made, presumably for the Romanian National Guard,
in let's say....1932?  And at various times over the next day or two I patterned a number
of innocent trees with .44 140 grain balls on top of 40 plus grains of Pyrodex, quite snappy,
and felt a little better about things.

A brief measure of balance restored.

The point being:  I always planned to live/write from/on the road.  Out fucking doors.  Forever.

And I just got the tiniest taste.  For a few days.  Oh, and take pictures.  I have a few.

Now I will return to the nuances of quit claim deeds on moveable property of uncertain provenance
but incredible (sentimental/historical) value, and study how not to stab a certain kind of man whose
profession requires 700 dollar shoes, manicures, and that cologne called Perpetual Condescension.

Just FFFFF.

DCB

wow... sounds like you got godsmacked but good...

Still here.  Sorry for your loss brother.

Well shit... sorry to hear about all that DC.

A wise friend would always remind me: This too shall pass.

DCB,
I am sorry to hear of the loss of both your parents and your current / pending legal sewagestorm. It has been said that nobody will screw you as badly as family after a funeral and I know it to be true.  I'm also sorry that you are having to deal so closely with the bottom-feeding, blood-sucking, filth-sweating, jizz-gargling, ambulatory turds that are (most) lawyers.  However, when you truly need one, get the scuzziest, most snake-headed, land shark of a lawyer you can stand to trade emails and phone calls with 'cuz dat's how stuff get done! (unfortunately).

Here is my thumb on top of all the other thumbs, anvils, and assorted other pressures asserted by others here in this thread.  At the end we expect a diamond from a lump of charred, thoroughly carbonized lawyer / dipstick who dares cause troubles that require the services of another lawyer!  I hear Hi-test and bacon grease will get that process started nicely.

That being said, take all the necessary time to straighten this mess out (and not one femtosecond more!).  We will be here waiting (semi-patiently).

You could 'show' him the knife.

I mean it bled me, and I am just the son of a lawyer.

"Naww, it just looks sharp...oh, sorry."

For therapy, I recommend finding a 70 year old box lock side by side of Swedish manufacture, fully restoring it to its former glory, and using it to alchemically transform a couple boxes of shells and clays to dust and fun.  It's the most cathartic activity I can think of.

https://simpsonltd.com/husqvarna-model-610-2/

Nothing like the death of parents to bring out the very worst of family. Mine both passed within 7 months and most of us remained sane and rational, but some showed their greed immediatly. Calling for family meetings as soon as Mom's grave was covered with dirt. I have minimal contact with most of them 21 years later.  I sincerely hope you do not have to go through that hell.
I have been, and will continue , to wait patiently for the finished book.
I just returned home from a quick trip, rather a Mission, to Idaho to meet up with a few old soldiers and pay our respects to a long gone Brother in Arms. 30 years in the making and we can finally lock the demons of that incident away and move on. marking time for 30 years is emotionally draining and bad for you. I know, now I can step onward with confidence that nothing could have prevented what happened.

Take as long as needed to do the things you must. I'll wait.

So sorry for your loss, DCB.  May God Bless you and your family.

Damn DC, I'm sorry to hear of your parents passing. I'm also sorry to hear of the family shit-show that commenced afterward. I hope that you are able to get the legal stuff sorted in a way that is acceptable to you. Good luck and thanks for checking in.

--heron163 I will elaborate a bit on present circumstances as I sort them out--there are some
lessons for all, however tawdry, cliched, and corrosive--I will just say here that extremely
talented people can also be self-absorbed, mismanage estate, will, and other considerations,
and incorporate at a late age, extremely unpleasant people on the periphery of otherwise
stable arrangements.

--Designated, much thanks, and see above.  I am quite sure, given my....um....tardiness?
That your new family member, seen so long ago, propped delightfully against his own
Garand?  He is in college now?

--Lt/Beaker, yes, this too shall pass, and in fact is very much a first world problem.  No native
woman, let's say, has had her pelvis crushed, and is propped with an ancient Evian bottle
full of muddy water on a straw mat on the side of a gravel track marked with surveyor's flags,
on the distant hope that some family relation, or Christian ethicist with a spare minute, or two, (there are none within 200
kilometres) will come to her assistance.  Usually, she dies.  Badly.

--GreenGiant--I have known a few ethical lawyers.  Have consulted with a few recently.  But as we all
know it is the nature of the beast that any lawyer will take virtually any point of view if there is
sufficient incentive.  Understood in theory, very difficult to watch.

--StimpsonJ--show him the knife--oh man.  One of the most horrible, and charming, aspects of real
collapse is the spasm of vindictiveness unleashed in feuds, vendettas, and outright combat founded
in generations of suppressed outrage.  See Bloody Kansas.  I think lawyers might find themselves first
on the list for tossed torches, etc.  Rightly, or not.

--Designated, that shotgun is as fine a hand honed classic artifact at a reasonable price as I have ever
seen.  Many years ago I spent more time than proper studying all the history on Collector's Firearms
in Houston.  There are still jewels out there, although less by the day.  I will post a picture in next
post of my substitute for "balance"--those items found in Utah as soon as I crossed the Cali border.

--soldier65--my immediate family is, in the aggregate, sane and well-intentioned.  The problems, profound,
are all on the periphery, but have legal status.  I suspect there will be no contact whatsoever if/when this is
all resolved.  As to your 30 year old legacy, now managed, there is a story there and I am glad you have
put it to rest.

--highstepper much thanks, and yes, this will not go on forever.  I tend to get a little chilly in these circumstances,
other family members not so much.  They are the ones who are "suffering."  Very unpleasant to experience.

--greyguy much thanks and I try to keep a dry attitude on pretty much everything but I am severely touched
by how many have kept up with the forum, and the implied confidence that I will not simply vanish.  I will not.

THE BOOK: if there is any real poisonous enduring sensation here it is my feeling of non-performance.  I know
my reasons, and they are "sound" but also in a way, not relevant.  PFunkk has a copy of the last iteration--if
he chose to look he would see the last three pages, perhaps 1500 words? Marked by dots/dashes/notes/arcana.
Not publishable.  There is one advantage to this present circumstance, it actually forces me to stay immobile
and looking at a screen.  I'm physical, remember?  So I am going to try something new.  I can usually only
compose/edit etc. in complete isolation--by that I mean any loved person, and I have one here, must be absent--
business trip, family, etc.--no phone, no internet, no old friends nagging me about foreign affairs or a pressing
visit.  That is probably no longer ever possible.  So I am going to keep the file open, and chip away at those
last three pages.  I have never done that before.  My SO is a computer whiz, actual job description is "software
integration engineer and design" and has created a website which is, in fact, a product in and of itself.  When I say
"done" she can launch in a day or so, and I can publish.  But PFunkk is the key here.  He is uniquely situated to
pressure me, and knows my SO very well now.  So FFFFFFFFFF me and no promises.

Ah-ha!

(stimp traverses threat-muzzle)

Pfunkk, you ain't getting a knife until the book is published.

Well crap.

DC, ALERT!!
Finish the book!!!

I really need a new page turning knife, and some new pages to turn.

This.  Hope the clouds over your part soon

Stay strong, OP.

I suspect there are more folks pulling and praying for you than you know.

Sorry for your loss and tribulations, DCB.

You're welcome, and no thanks are necessary. This is a great story and and the conversation here has been fantastic. I've enjoyed the ride.

Conversations about diet in this thread were among other influences in my life that led to me "going paleo" about 4 1/2 years ago. I'm now 70lbs lighter and running again (doing a 5k tomorrow). It isn't just the story man, the conversations here have had a real positive influence on me and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Even if it's just as simple as hearing from some like minds and sharing a smile, or watching Stimpsonjcat work his magic, it's been fun!

DC is an old school upstanding guy, I've only known a few like him.

His life circumstances suck right now and it's depressing. He's handling it like a man, and you guys have been patient, empathetic and awesome.

So, I'm attempting some levity.

This picture was taken at my family farm, which was purchased around 1867. I lived there as a kid, and never could figure out what this thing was.

After reading The Soldier's Son, I knew...

This

First to post the answer, and the first to post it's use, will both win a commonly produced magazine of their choosing; or Mechanix gloves if the winner lives behind enemy lines.

Go!!!

-PF

foot powered lathe

Be more specific. What was it used to do???