Spring Has Sprung!

[bigbendmarine]

We rode 415 miles on our sleds this weekend.

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Thanks for sending some hope for us anyway. Semper Fi.

Semper Fi right back at you, Wildthing. Couldn't help but notice the EGA and Vietnam stickers in the meat grinder thread. MANY thanks for your service. Just being honest I got pretty darn lucky on my timing / never left US soil save for a bit of R & R across the Canadian line once while my tank unit visited Ft. Drum for firing exercises.

On the snow sled note, 415 miles sounds crazy hardcore to this southern fella... bulk of my family lives about 300 miles away and as I've gotten older I've gotten where I dread the drive... though I'm guessing sledding through snowy woods is likely a million times more fun than being stuck in an auto on the interestate.

 

[Wild Thing]

Semper Fi right back at you, Wildthing. Couldn't help but notice the EGA and Vietnam stickers in the meat grinder thread. MANY thanks for your service. Just being honest I got pretty darn lucky on my timing / never left US soil save for a bit of R & R across the Canadian line once while my tank unit visited Ft. Drum for firing exercises.

On the snow sled note, 415 miles sounds crazy hardcore to this southern fella... bulk of my family lives about 300 miles away and as I've gotten older I've gotten where I dread the drive... though I'm guessing sledding through snowy woods is likely a million times more fun than being stuck in an auto on the interestate.

Ha Ha - Just consider yourself lucky BigBendMarine - timing is everything. At least you were prepared to do whatever our country asked of you and you served ... so THANK YOU for your service as well. I was in the Marines from 65-69. There weren't many marines during those years that didn't do at least one tour of duty in Nam. I got there in Dec/67 - just in time for the TET Offensive in Jan/68. I just thank the Good Lord that I was fortunate enough to come back home.

When you live in the U.P. of Michigan you have to find some kind of enjoyment in winter sports. We are blessed with some beautiful scenery here (and very few interstate miles) so snowmobiling can be a lot of fun. That 415 miles was over a 3 day weekend so not entirely hardcore. I am just shy of 2,000 miles this winter and hope to maybe make it out for another weekend of sledding. Can't say I am not just a little envious when I look at your photos of all that greenery and warm weather though. Thanks for sharing.

Semper Fi

 

[Telemark]

The recent snow is melting in Ohio. Three more inches forecasted for Saturday. But next week "Third Winter" should officially end.

 

[bigbendmarine]

Ha Ha - Just consider yourself lucky BigBendMarine - timing is everything.

Amen on the timing note... actually somewhat lucky I'm around at all. My father was also a jarhead and served at the end of WW2. He tried joining once or twice while underaged and finally got sent to boot camp when he'd just turned old enough to serve. He was days away from graduating at Parris Island when the bomb was dropped. He said that throughout boot camp his platoon had been advised the bulk of them would likely be sent to the Japanese mainland and a million casualties were expected. Instead of shipping to Japan, he got to spend most of his time at airbases in California enjoying post-war duty / shenanigans.

I also got pretty lucky. As a tank crew member, I knew we would likely get sent in early if anything big ever happened. By the time 9/11 took place I was near the end of my enlistment contract and already on inactive reserve status. Called my unit that night to check-in / let them know I was ready to go if they needed me. Turned out a sister unit got sent over to the sandbox instead while mine was kept stateside. Month after I opened my mailbox to find my honorable discharge in it my unit got called to switch places with our sister unit. Can't lie -- had mixed feelings for sure and certain. Had been married for about 10 years by that point so felt relieved I didn't have to put my wife (and Mom) through my being gone... but at the same time, was tough having guys close as brothers head-off without being with them.

 

[Wild Thing]

Sounds like you have a habit of being on the positive side of “Timing is Everything”. Good for you. And I know exactly what you mean about the comraderie with your buds in your unit. I actually spent one extra day in Nam hanging with my buds because it was so tough to leave them...

 

[j-bird]

My forecast is calling for freezing temps tonight and tomorrow with another 5" of snow or so...... The snow from the other day has melted off, but with more coming.....I just want spring to get here and STAY here!!!!

 

[4wanderingeyes]

We are suppose to get 6-10 inches tonight :(

 

[bigbendmarine]

Hopeful we flirted with our last touch of frost last night... forecast called for 44 as a low so I didn't bother covering anything up but then temps being reported at sunrise were 38 and it looked like I might have a micro-climate spot or two that got touched with the very lightest of frost.

If y'all fellas up north will just quit letting the spring northeasters bump down temps our way I think we'll be 100% frost free until fall... haven't checked weather data yet, but I swear it seems like we had a warmer February than March. Crossing fingers and toes that younger trees that dropped leaves all rebound and that I can fight off any additional ambrosia beetle attacks.

 

[Davewp]

bob gordon elderberry starting to leaf. arrowwood and dogwood starting to break dormancy. Was thinking woods, hinging some, lots of sap running, more so than the last week.