Category: friends

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Trans-America, Oh How I Wish I Could Do That (Post #440) 1/30/2014

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdNJeDdaJOc

I am itching to get out and do this. How freaking awesome would this trip be? Sadly I don’t have a month to make a Trans-American Trip happen. But if I did, I’d start tomorrow.

What IS in our sights is the Circumnavigation of the State of Oklahoma. The Range Rover has never been as ready as she is now. I still have to replace the oxygen sensors and sort out a recent throttle position sensor problem that popped up over the weekend. I also have an annoying problem with dust getting in the cab when I drive down dirt roads. Windows up or down, a lot of dust gets in the cab. I need to investigate that as well, but she is about as ready as one could hope.

I feel the need to have a good shake down run with her and crossing the state on dirt roads sounds like the perfect trip. I blogged last year about buying the maps for the Oklahoma portion of the Trans-America Trip. It is a route entirely on dirt across the state. I have a co-pilot lined up in the ever adventurous Mr. Fisher. All I need now is the fuel money and off we go.

This would be a great trip for our new Red Dirt Rovers club. I think it should be run before it is attempted with people one barely know. A major concern I have at this moment is my own personal lack of trail experience (in my Land Rover) and a complete lack of confidence in my ability to lead a group off-road. I have driven off-road, but I have never had the responsibility of other people’s rigs on my head.

 

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Garage Day: The Long Awaited Electric Fans Post (Post #433) 1/15/2014

The electric fan conversion is complete!

Over the weekend I employed The Evil German Dude and the newly named Paparazzi Ford (Butch) to assist in the install of the electric fans. As this will be a somewhat lengthy post let me start by saying, thank you Frank. Without you this project would have been completed but would have been no where near as freaking awesome as it turned out.

Butch, thank you for taking WAY too many pictures photo-chronicalling this project. Butch said we should do some video blogging. I think he is on to something. He was none too happy about being relegated to the camera for this project but he cheerfully took pictures through out the 8 hour event.

If you don’t get together with your friends and do projects like this, I feel sorry for you. You are seriously missing out on some of the best stuff you can experience with friends. I’ve known and worked with these two guys since June of 2000 and their friendship is something I cherish deeply. We always have a really good time together. Man Bonding Time or as the Evil German Broad says, “babysitting Frank so I can watch football.” is some of the best stuff in the known universe.

I’d also like to thank the Evil German Broad for preparing us the delicious meals and reporting the scores in the Seahawks/Saints game for us. Mrs. Okierover was actually a little put off when she offered me breakfast that morning and I declined because as I said, “I get to eat breakfast at Bettina’s.”

Evil German Broad

Not only are Garage Days at the Evil German Dude’s a culinary treat they are educational. EGD’s education in Germany and his experience in fabricating make projects like this an educational event. I don’t think there has been a Garage Day where I didn’t learn something from him.

This is a Huge Post

This project started at 0930 and didn’t get wrapped up until 1830. We took three breaks, one for breakfast, one for lunch, and one to weld up the exhaust leak. Butch and I mostly watched the whirlwind that is the Evil German Dude. It is his shop and only he knows where all the entrances to his secret earthquake generation lab tools are located. Overalls are not required but highly recommended. Two of the three of us (the smarter ones) were wearing them. So sit back and put on your reading glasses, you are going to need them for this one. Continue reading “Garage Day: The Long Awaited Electric Fans Post (Post #433) 1/15/2014”

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Beards Made in America, Ooorah (Post #416) 11/22/2013

Beard Care That Cares | stubble & ‘stache
I have several friends that are beard wearers. Notably The Evil German Dude and +Frank Keller who my children call Frankenstein. Mostly because my kids have grown up seeing him as a freakishly large man with a lot of facial hair. I know him to be the giant teddy-bear his actually is. The legend is that Frank has had a beard since he was in 5th grade. If memory serves he came to Newcastle that year. I know I was in the 6th grade when I heard that rumor and I’m sure that by the time he was in middle school Frank was at least a by-weekly shaver. Remind me to tell you the story of Frank and I’s ninja-attack-kidney-punching semester sometime.

I could not grow facial hair until I was around age 20. I had been in the Marine Corps three years by then and mustaches were all the rage. This was the early 1980’s so try to remember Freddie Mercury, Geraldo Rivera, Eddie Murphy, and of course the amazing Tom Selleck (People magazine). Classic 1980’s mustaches. Thusly, I tried to sport a mustache. I fell short of Eddie Murphy’s and in short, it was pathetic.

I saw this clip on Military Times’ Battle Rattle blog. It is very funny and quite manly. Enjoy.

I snorted out loud when he tells the angel he has crabs! Hilarious!
So if you are one of the manly men growing a beard this No-Shave November buy some of this product and enjoy your beard while helping out some of our troops.
Made in America. Ooorah!
Semper Fi, Nick.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

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Honey Springs 150th Anniversary, Reenacting – Part 2 (Post #411) 11/12/2013

Artillery is in a man’s blood.
As a young man I served my nation in the United States Marine Corps Reserve. My military occupational specialty was 0811, basic artilleryman. We were also called gun-bunnies and other nicknames. As an 0811 I also trained to drive ammunition. Each howitzer has a truck and trailer following it. The bed and trailer are full of artillery shells and powder to propel those rounds down range to perforate our enemies in a very violent and decisive way. If you haven’t 6×6’ed with a couple of tons of artillery shells bouncing around in the bed of your truck, you are missing out.
There is a famous quote attributed to Fredrick the Great…

“Artillery lends dignity to what might otherwise be a vulgar brawl.”

I also like the quote by Marine General “Mad Dog” Mattis. Armies all over the world understand how artillery changes the battle. This quote was given to the Iraqi tribal leadership…
No more needs to be said about that.
So when given the opportunity to participate with the artillery, I was all in. Continue reading “Honey Springs 150th Anniversary, Reenacting – Part 2 (Post #411) 11/12/2013”
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Honey Springs 150th Anniversary, Veteran’s Day Weekend – Part 1 (Post #410) 11/11/2013

Whit Edwards,
aka Thomas O’doule

Reenacting

I recently lost a long time friend, Whit Edwards, who was a great reenactor/historian/actor/friend. My first reenacting was with Whit and many other great historians serving in the 10th Kansas Company A. We had a great time. In 2003 with family responsibilities and an ever more troublesome spinal cord, I gave up Civil War reenacting.

With the passing of Mike Adkins a few years ago and now Whit’s passing this fall it just doesn’t hold the same magic as it once did. Thankfully a few members are left that remember the good old days and I dearly love to see them when I can. Unfortunately the last time I saw them all together was Whit’s funeral. They all encouraged me to come to Honey Springs this year.
Reluctant but needing to put the unpleasant feeling behind me I turned the Range Rover east on Friday evening to attend the event. Continue reading “Honey Springs 150th Anniversary, Veteran’s Day Weekend – Part 1 (Post #410) 11/11/2013”
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Guthrie and Beyond October 2013 (Post #406) 10/30/2013

I loved the lines.
High on a hill east of Guthrie.

Mrs. Okierover and I love a good road trip. So when our oldest daughter (Fireball) told us our oldest grandchild (Pistol, aka Tater) was cheering in Guthrie, Oklahoma, we had to go. Guthrie holds a special place in our family’s history. Fireball was proposed to in this city by our now son-in-law J-man.

From our home in Norman, Guthrie is a solid one hour drive on the interstate. The first grade football game began at 0830. This meant both Fireball and her brood would need to roll out of their racks around 0630 in order to be more or less on time for the game. It’s no small task to haul a 6, 4, and 9 month old anywhere let alone at 0630. I’ve done it, alone, with only 6$(US) in my pocket, so I know. (A story for another time.)

I am not fond of “rolling out” at 0730 on my only “sleep in” day of the week. Add driving an hour on the interstate on a OU home football game weekend. Not fun. So I ponied up the money for us to stay in Guthrie over night. The grand kids had never stayed in a hotel so we knew they would have fun. Continue reading “Guthrie and Beyond October 2013 (Post #406) 10/30/2013”

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