Seen in Print

[John Webster]

Most of us can stumble our way through Shakespeare (ca. 1600) in the original but Chaucer (ca. 1380) contains many words currently lost to the common tongue in a syntax that requires some decoding. Texts from before the Viking and Norman invasions (ca. 800 and 1066) require translation.

Who was the last person in your family to hand crank a car? Use a scythe? Copse a tree? Knap flint?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Most of us can stumble our way through Shakespeare (ca. 1600) in the original but Chaucer (ca. 1380) contains many words currently lost to the common tongue in a syntax that requires some decoding. Texts from before the Viking and Norman invasions (ca. 800 and 1066) require translation.

Puts me in mind of Beowulf....

Who was the last person in your family to hand crank a car?

Tractor -> me

Use a scythe?

My son.

Copse a tree?

Anyone that has land in PA with black locust on it has, does, and will.....

Knap flint?

Tried 30-40 years ago....and learned what I thought I would learn - takes a lot of practice and patience.

But I did learn how to cut slate by hand.

[rogruth]

Never did the flint thing tried once.My grandfather could.

Have done the rest.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Can you hear me now?

[robert.]

i tried flint knapping once it was painful. stuck a chert in my forearm. Here is a osage stave i hand hewed.i took a crack at the car thing once with this 36 Tatra. not my car.






not me cranking it in the photo. that's the owner. When he gave up i got me shot.

[sarge]

So, Robert. If I might be so bold as to ask, given your excellent command of the English language yet an odd syntax from time to time not to mention the opportunity to hand-crank a prewar Czech motor, would you be from the Balkans or the former Czechoslovakia, perchance?

[robert.]

No born and raised in the good ole usa. I hate typing , and lose my train of thought often. All my post are done while chasing a toddler around the house or done rather quickly before she can hit the off button on my laptop. If it's not that button then she climbs under the table and goes for the power strip button. My wife was born and raised in Bratislava sk. I try to spend half the fall there. Bratislava has a great transportation museum in the old railway station. i wish i had a photo of the curators face from our first meeting. He gets english speaking brits from time to time but a yank. noway and not one like me. I wanted to get down and dirty with Their treasures (locos, cars, and bikes) . Same thing happened at the Galanta veteran auto club. Those guys wanted that old Tatra to fire in the worst way. i was one of only a hand full of yanks to walk through those club walls. From what they told my wife the others are not welcome back. The other wanted to buy everything or claim they could buy it. Me i helped 4 of them push that Tatra down the road praying it would bump start.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_R ... egion.html
http://www.muzeumdopravy.com/

[webenda]

Good photos in you links Robert, thank you for posting.

I really like this water spout for side tank locomotives.


Great museum:

[rogruth]

Robert,

I understand that that museum has some really nice stuff.
I envy your visit.

[sarge]

Ah, yes! I remember toddler-induced syntax well.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

[John Webster]

Rufus, what do you copse black locust for in this modern era?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Rufus, what do you copse black locust for in this modern era?

Useful for post beam construction, boards for over wells and roof sheathing, railings (splitting and working it with a draw knife is a joy, ), but generally for the Amish to come take what I don't use for firewood - best use I have for it is to keep me warm! I'm going to see just how much of what I left for them remains this weekend. The brush from it makes good cover for small game, too.

[HONDO74]

Is this a music teacher from England or just a blown spelling attempt?

[J. S. Bach]

Seen in Chambersburg, PA a few years ago: