Phantom cat

From NOLA.com

Spring 1994

I had moved to Huntsville Alabama due to an office closing while my newlywed wife finished her degree in Montgomery. I had rented a room from friends for a few months but had finally gotten an apartment. It was an older but nice two bedroom townhouse. Living space and kitchen on first floor and bedrooms on the second floor.

Weekends meant one of us driving the three plus hours to be with the other, then heading home Sunday evening. One Sunday I had gotten home and was unloading the car. Since the car was parked right in front of the door and I was feeling lazy, I left the front door to the apartment open while slogging back and forth. 

On one trip in I glanced up the stairs to see a black cat halfway up. When it saw me, it ran up the stairs and out of sight. I ran after it, intending to shoo it outside. Of course, all the doors were open upstairs so I had to find it. I went through every room looking but never found it. 

It was late, I was tired but I was sure I'd seen a cat and was sure it hadn't gone past me and outside again. I finally gave up and spent an uneasy night trying to sleep and trying not to think about a wild cat attacking me, whether ghost cats exist, or if I were losing my mind. 

I went to work the next morning without seeing anything else, still kind of dazed and confused. When I got home from work that afternoon, I figured I would be able to find out what happened. It was light outside and I had a flashlight to check the dark corners again.

At first I couldn't find anything and was starting to relive last night's forebodings. Then I remembered I'd removed a service panel in a closet several days before. I wanted to see what space was there in case I wanted more storage space. Shining the light into the space, I see two eyes reflecting amongst the plumbing.

Can't remember how I got it out but I did. It seemed glad to be out of the apartment, it zipped out the door and I never saw it again.

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BTW the cat in the photo is named Oscar. If you look at his rear legs, he has prosthetic feet. His pose on the stairs is almost exactly what I remembered when I saw the "ghost" cat on the stairs so many years ago.

Wrong road

HWY 231 South -- from Google Maps Streetview

Somewhere around 1988

I have a minor errand to run and had to drive from Montgomery to Troy and meet someone for work. It's Sunday and my day off but still my job. I've a few points on my license at this point and don't want to get in any more trouble. I head south on 231 going 55 MPH.

A few miles down the road, another car zips by me going around 65 so I press the gas and follow him.

A few more miles down the road, a car with a couple of girls in it and Florida plates on the back, speeds by around 75-80. Well, I'm single at this point and interested to say the least, so I speed up and follow them.

This is all well and good and we are getting closer to Troy (much faster than I had planned). No big deal, except I remember I always see a state trooper when going to Troy. 

We had just gotten to a very straight section of  231 where you could see a mile down the road when I spotted the trooper car headed north. The girls spotted him too and hit their brakes.

Not me, I hit the gas. My rule at the time was if you didn't see a law officer signalling you to pull over, you weren't avoiding them. So as my speed got into three digits, I didn't see the trooper any more.

I went a few miles at this clip and decided that maybe it would be nice to investigate a side road. Not the first one, not the second one. This one looks good, so I slowed and turned right. Well, 50 seemed slow at the time, but physics said otherwise. I think I spun a complete 180 before getting reoriented and heading off to the right (west).

I went a little ways and the road turned south. No problem, I was still headed to Troy (and way ahead of schedule). Next thing I knew, the road turned sharp left (east) and I was at a stop sign at the bottom of a hill and the trooper was coming down. lights and siren going.

It was over...

Then... he went past me and pulled over the girls from Florida. I got onto 231 heading south again. He had them pulled over on the right shoulder.

I got to my appointment VERY early (right beside 231) and parked my car at one end of the parking lot and I went to the other end to hang out. About 15-20 minutes later, I see the trooper headed south with the Florida car following close behind it. I got the feeling they were headed to the same place and somewhere I didn't want to go.

No one ever came for me, although I was certain they would.

I pretty much drove the speed limit after that.

At least for a while...

Fortunate conscience

 from Google Maps Streetview

Sometime around 1987...
I was driving home on the Southern Boulevard in Montgomery. It was in the AM, can't remember the time. I stopped at a red light and a early 80's Camaro pulled up beside me. I was tired but slowly realized he was revving his engine, challenging me to race.

The light was at the base of a viaduct over a railroad line maybe 500 feet to the peak. The light changed to green and we took off. I remember gaining and was getting ahead when we topped the viaduct. Down hill I seemed to gain more ground, him in the right lane and me in the left. About 1000 feet from the top, two lanes became three and there was more lighting.

I was around 90 MPH when I realized there was a delivery truck in the middle lane. I thought this was too fast for traffic so I pulled my foot off the gas and the Camaro blew by me. Then a second or two later, blew past the delivery truck AND the police car in front of it.

I never saw the cop car until the lights came on. I was luckily still quite a way back so I don't think the officer ever saw me. He pulled the Camaro over on the right side of the road and I carefully changed lanes past them to get to the right and onto I-65 north.

If the delivery truck hadn't been there, the cop would have seen us both. If I hadn't had a twinge of conscience, I wouldn't have gotten home.

Grateful birthday

*** Not the actual bridge, this picture from  http://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/31661


Sunday Feb 2, 1986

My 21st birthday. I had skipped going to Sunday school with my family and was headed to church late, as usual for regular services.

Back then, the way to church went a few miles on a dirt road before getting back on the pavement. I was in my new 1985 Honda CRX Si and driving a sedate 50 or so MPH down the dirt road as usual. For those who have never regularly travelled on dirt roads, they are maintained by grating a high point in the center, with sloping lanes to keep the rain off. Consequently, the best place to drive was right down the middle, especially when driving fast...

One the last features before getting back to the pavement was an old wooden trestle bridge about 30 feet or so above a creek. It was had 6x6 timbers along each edge to keep the dirt on it.  It was just past a blind curve when you're headed the way I was going.

It was no big deal, go through the curve, zip across the middle of the bridge. Done it hundreds of times. This was the first time I met someone going the opposite was through the blind cuve. It was a big car, Lincoln or a Cadillac maybe, and it was coming right down the middle of the road like me.

I jerked the wheel to the right and the other car ceased to exist, at least to me. I had other things on my mind. Funny how I remembered to turn into the skid. Then I had to turn to the left to avoid going into the pines on the right side of the road. Then turn into that skid, then right to avoid the trees on that side.

Then I was on the bridge swerving toward the right side. I knew it was over and wondered what the free fall would be like. Then I was going left and knew I was going over the other edge when the car  stopped, at a right angle to the bridge, facing left. The engine had stopped, guess I forgot to put the clutch in with the other stuff going on.

It took a minute for me to realize I had not gone over the edge. I was sure I had. I finally cranked the car and backed up gingerly, got the car straightened out and pulled over to the other side of the bridge.

I sat in the car a few more minutes, knowing I was safe but still wondering how. I was sure at least one wheel had gone over. I got out and looked under the car. Nothing.
After looking at every detail, I noticed a small piece of plastic behind the right rear strut. Think of a tiny mud flap. It was scuffed in half.

I walked back to the bridge and followed my skids. Four coming onto the bridge, then three, then four again. There was a scrape on the right timber where the undercarriage of the car slid along it for several feet. I was that close...
Luckily, the angle was slight enough that the tire was able to grip the side of the timber and climb back onto the bridge.

The car was fine except for that little plastic bit. I drove on to church. Slower and later than I'd planned.

I don't know if I ever told my parents about it...

Tools and materials:
(Clockwise from lower left)
Leather 
Suede leather lace
Wooden button
Two piece (speedy) rivets
Old piece of plastic to punch on
Leather punch
Hammer
Heavy duty scissors
Rivet setter

Pattern of the piece including holes and notes

Pattern material is pretty cheap. Use it to make changes if needed before committing to expensive material

Sometime the leather has flaws/marks. Piece has been laid out to take advantage or hide the flaw

Pattern traced and holes marked. Try to keep the pieces together to minimize waste

It's easier to cut the grouped pieces off the main piece of leather then cut out the individual pieces.


Individual pieces cut

Punching the holes

Holes punched, ready for assembly

Belt loops riveted to the back piece

Lacing has begun. It's easiest to start at the middle and work to the outsides

Lacing complete and button added


Completed pouch

Still winter

Past the holidays now but still in cold and flu season. Family has been sick and I have not felt my best. I am still hitting the pell 100 times with each hand every day.

We had fighter practice yesterday evening. I felt very sluggish and slow. I did seem to run as long or longer than the younger guys. Keeping my shield up and keeping the sword moving did not tire me out as it had in the past. I still hesitate and fail to see the openings that should be there but I feel I am out there longer. This is a benefit and I feel the other skills will come as long as I am out fighting and not just talking about it.

Worked a bit with the claymore, offense and defense. It definitely needs a thrusting tip as both myself and my opponent had to actively think about it to keep from thrusting. The hockey gloves are OK but I will want hard gauntlets for extended fighting. My opponent had a cross hilted sword so we were able to trade weapons without changing hand protection. It was much easier to use that I expected. I think if I get a decent set of gauntlets, I will also get myself a cross hilted sword.

Winter doldrums

With the holiday season, there has not been a lot of time for fighting. Christmas Eve and New Years Eve fall on Thursdays this year so I am cancelling fighter practices.

Still hitting the pell 100 times a day with each hand. It's making a difference but is not helping with active defense. Holding the shield while throwing shots helps build the muscles but it's difficult to understand moving the shield defensively without someone throwing back at you.

Little items like fakes involving shield movement can be practiced, but still needed to be used against an opponent to be verified. Learning to throw shots around the shield is good as well but there is a tendency to use the shield as a counterweight and swivel the whole torso when throwing a shot, thus moving the shield out of a good defensive position. I find I do this most when throwing shots left handed.