Question for the "old guys"...Is it just me or are there others?

[dave951]

I am a child of the late 40’s and 50’s, back when things were much simpler and straight forward where you heroes on TV were the likes of Walt Disney’s Davy Crockett and later Daniel Boone. Soon I will be 65 and am now fully retired, and for some reason, perhaps old age, senility, a rebellion against this modern age and what is happening to our society, or something else, I have developed a desire or longing to experience to a certain extent the lives of our country’s pioneers. To that extent I have started to develop some skills with outside Dutch Oven cooking, making coffee over a camp fire, making basic leather cases for various hunting knives, shooting flintlock pistols and rifles and cap & ball revolvers, and pursuing an in-depth study of the period of our country’s history from the French & Indian Wars up through the period a few years beyond the Civil War. My question for those members of a similar age is am I alone in this somewhat crazy endeavor or are there others out there like me? Bob P.

My path is a bit different as I've always been something of an "outdoors" type. I am now in my mid 60's. My family did lots of camping, I was in Scouts, and I love historical stuff. The love of the outdoors coupled with historic interest led to a knowledge of the way folks lived back then. Because of a strong family connection to the Civil War, I naturally got into reenacting and to my mind, I liked the "authentic" side of the hobby and that meant deep diving into the details of history where many folks never go with armchair reading.

I've made more than one pot of coffee and a meal over a campfire and slept under the stars or in a period shelter. I've burned more than a pound or two of the holy black. With that in mind, I like air conditioning and refrigeration. Knowing how folks lived back then and what it took just to survive can't help but build a sense of admiration of how tough they were and a thankfulness for what we have today. Not everything is about money and many today lose sight of that. They're too busy chasing the almighty dollar to remember to take time to invest time in building their family and enjoying good friends and they're all more poor for that. Sadly, many of those folks won't realize what's happening till in their last days when they can only regret their past choices.

 

[Archer 756]

Just Rember we are vertical and breathing !

 

[arjay]

Worst part of getting old (73), for me is the loss of friends & family on an increasingly frequent basis. All of my black powder buddies are gone. Invites to acquaintances/extended family to muzzleload deer hunt are mostly shunned. There are no longer any matches nor clubs within 100 miles. Two dogs left - one's gun shy, the other's deaf. Neither will tree a squirrel nor retrieve a duck. Solitary shooting/hunting mostly sucks.

Being the same age as you, I'm starting to feel your pain also....... :-(

 

[Captndan]

There is a special place in Hell awaiting the inventor of the FIVE-sided Allen key - you can't call it a hex-wrench, can you? And yet a number of modern cars use this kind of plug on the sump, or so I'm told.

Can't be too bad. Fire hydrants use that.

 

[Snake Pleskin]

Yes, tac, it's kind of like dealing with the Whitworth threaded and head sized bolts in English cars.

Then there's my common market Alfa Romeo with its assortment of metric and SAE sized bolts.

Yes, I do like doing things with the consideration of the old fashioned ways.

LOL, Whitworht, OMG we used to race Triumphs and BSA's...if you did not have Whitworth you were SOL and only Snap ON, the most expensive , sold them! Some bikesif destined for overseas(USA) mkt etc., had Whitworth, Metric & SAE on them!!! What a nightmare

 

[TFoley]

Can't be too bad. Fire hydrants use that.

Agreed, but that's for security purposes so that BG's can't steal the water...I'm talking about sump plugs...

 

[TFoley]

LOL, Whitworht, OMG we used to race Triumphs and BSA's...if you did not have Whitworth you were SOL and only Snap ON, the most expensive , sold them! Some bikesif destined for overseas(USA) mkt etc., had Whitworth, Metric & SAE on them!!! What a nightmare

Triumph motorcycles, revived in 1983, have been metric since the inception of the new-formed company.

If you are talking about old stuff, then yes, older-style threads and fixings were used. Rudge, for instance, used a mixture of BSF and British Cycle threads....

 

[Whitworth]

Worst part of getting old (73), for me is the loss of friends & family on an increasingly frequent basis. All of my black powder buddies are gone. Invites to acquaintances/extended family to muzzleload deer hunt are mostly shunned. There are no longer any matches nor clubs within 100 miles. Two dogs left - one's gun shy, the other's deaf. Neither will tree a squirrel nor retrieve a duck. Solitary shooting/hunting mostly sucks.

I hear you

 

[Whitworth]

Triumph motorcycles, revived in 1983, have been metric since the inception of the new-formed company.

If you are talking about old stuff, then yes, older-style threads and fixings were used. Rudge, for instance, used a mixture of BSF and British Cycle threads....

That's takes me back years ago to Triumphs, a Bonneville and and a Trident. A Nephew is now the caretaker of beloved Bonneville Once had a small stable of motorcycles, now I'm down to the Wide Glide I'll probably die with

 

[Snake Pleskin]

Triumph motorcycles, revived in 1983, have been metric since the inception of the new-formed company.

If you are talking about old stuff, then yes, older-style threads and fixings were used. Rudge, for instance, used a mixture of BSF and British Cycle threads....

yes, our bikes were from the early 60's

 

[deerstalkert]

Gettin’ old isn’t for wimps.

RR, getting old has been one hell of a ride! being old sucks.

 

[Snake Pleskin]

RR, getting old has been one hell of a ride! being old sucks.

We were all lied too for years! there is nothing good about getting old, not a *@# darn thing! (IMHO)

 

[deerstalkert]

We were all lied too for years! there is nothing good about getting old, not a *@# darn thing! (IMHO)

It ain't the years Snake, it's the mileage and the bumps and craters in the road. but Ah! the scenery along this road called life has been spectacular!

 

[Dale Lilly]

We were all lied too for years! there is nothing good about getting old, not a *@# darn thing! (IMHO)

Well, I only learned I was good enough to sing in public after I was 78 years old. So, for 12 years now I have sung at a theater nearly every Friday night. I think that has been worth getting old. To hear folks cheer, whistle and clap for this old geezer is a good feeling. I am, however, aware that much of the applause is for the song and writer. Man, those folks are talented and I am only a hitchhiker. Dale

 

[kje54]

I've embraced the modern technology..........

 

[kje54]

 

[OldMaineWoodsman]

My uncle hunted until he was around 92 I think. He lived alone until 94 when he checked himself into an assisted living center. I went to see him one afternoon and noticed some suitcases and personal effects on the other bed in the room. I asked him if he was getting a new roommate? He responded - "Yeah, some young guy."

The new roommate was 80 something.

 

[OldMaineWoodsman]

Worst part of getting old (73), for me is the loss of friends & family on an increasingly frequent basis. All of my black powder buddies are gone. Invites to acquaintances/extended family to muzzleload deer hunt are mostly shunned. There are no longer any matches nor clubs within 100 miles. Two dogs left - one's gun shy, the other's deaf. Neither will tree a squirrel nor retrieve a duck. Solitary shooting/hunting mostly sucks.

Yeah, I went to my 40th high school reunion. First one I attended. It was weird because I really didn't relate to folks that I had not seen since graduation.

Navy reunion was different. I went to a reunion of one of my P-3 squadrons. While it was great to see guys that I had not seen in 20 or even 30 years, it was sad to hear how many were gone. Especially the mentors. When you are a young sailor, you don't understand that those guys were just trying to make you better and really were looking out for you.

On the other end, I actually prefer to deer hunt alone. Always have.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Yeah, I went to my 40th high school reunion. First one I attended. It was weird because I really didn't relate to folks that I had not seen since graduation.

Navy reunion was different. I went to a reunion of one of my P-3 squadrons. While it was great to see guys that I had not seen in 20 or even 30 years, it was sad to hear how many were gone. Especially the mentors. When you are a young sailor, you don't understand that those guys were just trying to make you better and really were looking out for you.

On the other end, I actually prefer to deer hunt alone. Always have.

I get that…I went to my class reunion last summer.

Who are these people?

 

[bubba.50]

I am a child of the late 40’s and 50’s, back when things were much simpler and straight forward where you heroes on TV were the likes of Walt Disney’s Davy Crockett and later Daniel Boone. Soon I will be 65 and am now fully retired, and for some reason, perhaps old age, senility, a rebellion against this modern age and what is happening to our society, or something else, I have developed a desire or longing to experience to a certain extent the lives of our country’s pioneers. To that extent I have started to develop some skills with outside Dutch Oven cooking, making coffee over a camp fire, making basic leather cases for various hunting knives, shooting flintlock pistols and rifles and cap & ball revolvers, and pursuing an in-depth study of the period of our country’s history from the French & Indian Wars up through the period a few years beyond the Civil War. My question for those members of a similar age is am I alone in this somewhat crazy endeavor or are there others out there like me? Bob P.

I came at it from the opposite angle. In my younger days I wanted to do everything the old way, and did as much as I could. Now in my 70's I want to do things the easy way.