Random Picture Thread

[corkybstewart]

Russian. Looks like he's checking google maps on his phone.

I have a picture of one operator last year eating a baguette ham sandwich with one hand and scouring the countryside with binoculars with the other hand. Every once in a while he put the sandwich down and shouted into his field radio.

 

[GrogNerd]

I'm always saying... if you can't have air support, bring armor or, at the very least, artillery

 

[Rodent]

my first batch of Rainier cherry jam came out wonderful. flavor is outstanding, and the color is gorgeous

 

[Rodent]

pitted (chopstick + wine bottle method), halved, and loaded roughly 35 quarts of Rainier cherries into the dehydrator last night. they should be finishing up late today

I tasted a sample about an hour ago - intense flavor, and great texture so far. I have another batch of the same size to run in a couple days, and then I'll start over when the second Rainier tree is harvested. Here's what I picked on Sun afternoon from just one of our Rainier trees. there's still another 20 quarts or so needing to be picked before the tree is completely harvested for this year.

the heavy pruning this spring has resulted in excellent cherry size

 

[Rodent]

the boozy Bourbon Cherries are coming along nicely

Next time I do this with Rainiers I'm going to leave the pits in and trim the stem to about 3/8" so as not to 'damage' the fruit. you can see some browning around the pit extraction areas - if these were Bing or similar dark red cherry I don't think it would be noticeable, but the light color Rainiers make it easy to see. I like the yellow/red color of the cherries in the Bourbon, just not the brownish areas where the pit broke thru

Next up: spiced Rum cherries

 

[balrog]

I feel like I'm watching Forest Gump, only it's cherries instead of shrimp.

 

[corkybstewart]

pitted (chopstick + wine bottle method), halved, and loaded roughly 35 quarts of Rainier cherries into the dehydrator last night. they should be finishing up late today

View attachment 822969

I tasted a sample about an hour ago - intense flavor, and great texture so far. I have another batch of the same size to run in a couple days, and then I'll start over when the second Rainier tree is harvested. Here's what I picked on Sun afternoon from just one of our Rainier trees. there's still another 20 quarts or so needing to be picked before the tree is completely harvested for this year.

View attachment 822970

the heavy pruning this spring has resulted in excellent cherry size

View attachment 822971

Ranier cherries are the best. Hands down, no contest. We had a tree here in France years ago that produced a very similar variety called pigeon hearts. I'm not sure what happened to the tree.

 

[corkybstewart]

3 pints of sour cherries soaking in 140 proof plum brandy made by a neighbor 30 years ago. They're going into the wine cave tomorrow and will be ready next year.
I trimmed the stems to about 3/8 inch, left the pits in and added 2 tablespoons of sugar to each jar.

 

[Rodent]

View attachment 822981
3 pints of sour cherries soaking in 140 proof plum brandy made by a neighbor 30 years ago. They're going into the wine cave tomorrow and will be ready next year.
I trimmed the stems to about 3/8 inch, left the pits in and added 2 tablespoons of sugar to each jar.

I like that the darker color doesn't show the browning around the pitting holes

I'm drooling just imagining what those will taste like

 

[corkybstewart]

I like that the darker color doesn't show the browning around the pitting holes

I'm drooling just imagining what those will taste like

When we got married 42 years ago and I started spending vacation time with her family every lunch ended with a small bowl of these. But after a few years her father quit making eau de vie and the sour cherry tree died or was cut down.
I have about 80 bottles of FIL's pear and plum eau de vie, roughly 4 lifetimes worth. And my BIL has 3 apartments he rents in our tiny village. One of his renters moved away 2 years ago and left 2 large clay jugs in the apartment-one peach, one plum. BIL had to quit drinking 20 years ago so he put the jugs in our garage. It's remarkably good stuff.

 

[corkybstewart]

I like that the darker color doesn't show the browning around the pitting holes

I'm drooling just imagining what those will taste like

In the olden times there was a small Montmorency sour cherry tree behind the house. It was short but produced many, many buckets of cherries for booze and pies. I have no idea why or when it disappeared

 

[Rodent]

16 racks of cherries dehydrated down to 3 dry quarts, running @165F for the initial two hours (to ensure everything had a dry outer surface ) and then at 135F for 16 hours (until moisture content was right for putting into storage)

those big cherries lost most of their volume

after sending my sis home with some I ended up with 2-1/2 dry quarts remaining.

running another batch today to clear up the remaining cherries from Sunday's picking and make room for harvesting the second tree

 

[day_trippr]

Are these like the raisins of cherries?

Cheers!

 

[Rodent]

they have texture like fresh high quality raisins, and not those pasty chewy mess that is typical of store bought bulk dried cherries

 

[Dland]

Wondered why my '85 Mercedes handled funny on way back from "safety inspection". At least the guy was consistent and bent both tie rods in same place.

 

[Broken Crow]

Wondered why my '85 Mercedes handled funny on way back from "safety inspection". At least the guy was consistent and bent both tie rods in same place.
View attachment 823057View attachment 823055

I'm stewing in rage on your behalf...I've seen that before. The 85 Mercedes was one of the last 'new' cars that I really liked the lines on before they all turned into phlegm-wads in the wind. I grew up in a service-station and immediately recognized that some idiot put it up on a hoist without setting the stands...Did you check the rest of the underside where the hoist arms would have touched? I've seen car bodies crunched in 4 places and exhaust systems bent and broken multiple times when people from the chain-shops have brought their cars in to be fixed and sometimes documented for legal-action against the idiots.
If you haven't yet; check everwhere you think their hoist may have pressed against the underside, and sue the asshats.

 

[Dland]

Actually, the guy did it with a regular floor jack checking the front end. I was pissed off for sure, but how mad can you get at some poor cretin who lives in a trailer behind the garage?

The owner of station, who I kind of know, was mortified and of course offered to have his guys fix it it. I said no thanks, ordered OEM grade parts and fixed myself, took me about a half hour. That's my lift the car is on in pictures. Owner is going to pay for parts, and alignment if I want.

 

[corkybstewart]

Actually, the guy did it with a regular floor jack checking the front end. I was pissed off for sure, but how mad can you get at some poor cretin who lives in a trailer behind the garage?

The owner of station, who I kind of know, was mortified and of course offered to have his guys fix it it. I said no thanks, ordered OEM grade parts and fixed myself, took me about a half hour. That's my lift the car is on in pictures. Owner is going to pay for parts, and alignment if I want.

I'm glad it didn't turn out worse. You're lucky to be able to fix stuff like that-my mechanicing days ended back when you could set the points with a guitar pick. If you understand you know what I'm talking about.

 

[gromitdj]

I made sure to keep a business card and a screwdriver in the glove box of my VW, so that I could adjust the points on short notice.

 

[DBhomebrew]

I replaced the points with an electronic iggy.

 

[gromitdj]

I’ve done that since. I could barely afford to put gas in it at the time and gas was 75 cents/gallon.

 

[nobadays]

I made sure I had a matchbook or two in my old chevy pickup glove box. With a matchbook you could file the points with the striker then set em with the lid of the matchbook.

75cents/gallon?! I remember 24.9 at the Rocket Station!

 

[beermanpete]

The cover of a matchbook works well for a rough points adjustment in the field. Do either still exist?

 

[El Whedo]

My dad is a 91 year old retired NASA aerospace engineer.

"Use the proper tool for the job", was pounded into my head.

If I'm gapping a plug, setting point gaps, or adjusting valves I use feeler gauges measured in the thousands of an inch. Don't yall carry tool boxes in yer vehicles? Yall are making me cringe.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

Gin& Tonic with frozen rhubarb instead of ice cubes.
Best idea ever.

 

[gromitdj]

On my '73 Bug, a business card was the best tool for the job. I had access to all of the "real" tools that I could have needed.

 

[DBhomebrew]

My dad is a 91 year old retired NASA aerospace engineer.

"Use the proper tool for the job", was pounded into my head.

If I'm gapping a plug, setting point gaps, or adjusting valves I use feeler gauges measured in the thousands of an inch. Don't yall carry tool boxes in yer vehicles? Yall are making me cringe.

Right. Proper tool for the job. The '74 clunker going down the local two lane isn't the space shuttle in orbit.

 

[Broken Crow]

Long ago, in a town far, far away, while on a pilgrimage for antiques, books, and vintage clothes, my 78 Horizon split a vacuum hose and I discovered that I had forgetten to leave any tools in my car.. I used a piece of a plastic shopping bag and one of my shoelaces to patch it unitl I could find a shop and buy a roll of vacuum hose and cheap side cutters.
While I absolutely agree and try to live by "The Right Tool For The Job", the most important tool is the one between our ears. I love creative solutions. Maybe we could start an entire thread on that.

 

[GrogNerd]

MacGyver that ****

 

[day_trippr]

My first few cars were a 1956 F100 Panel Truck, a 1959 Thunderbird, and a 1965 GTO convertible, all used to various extents. I always carried a full tool kit and used it often, frequently on the side of a highway replacing something critical.

Radiators, starters, generators and voltage regulators, even entire short blocks and transmissions, I did it all when necessary. Worst was replacing the entire front of the F100, from bumper to firewall, due to a huge collision. Had to buy an otherwise scrapped F100 pickup truck for the parts as Ford stopped making sheet metal for it years prior.

I don't miss those years...

Cheers!