Alpha Centauri 2

Community => Recreation Commons => Topic started by: Rusty Edge on January 25, 2015, 05:35:41 PM

Title: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Rusty Edge on January 25, 2015, 05:35:41 PM

Recently Uno mentioned that he has never seen a comet.

I have never seen a humpback whale breech. They were usually too busy feeding.


Is there something that you've always wanted to see or do, but it has yet to happen for whatever reason(s) ? Would you care to share?

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Geo on January 25, 2015, 10:28:29 PM

I have yet to see northern lights.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Flux on January 25, 2015, 11:09:58 PM

Jetskii'd.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Buster's Uncle on January 25, 2015, 11:22:45 PM

I've never been on a plane, out of the US, OR seen the northern lights.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Flux on January 25, 2015, 11:29:11 PM

Quote from: BUncle on January 25, 2015, 11:22:45 PM

I've never been on a plane

My only distinct memory of being on a plane is a huge dark cloud positioned right over my city.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Geo on January 26, 2015, 05:01:24 AM

Quote from: Flux on January 25, 2015, 11:29:11 PM

My only distinct memory of being on a plane is a huge dark cloud positioned right over my city.

http://youtu.be/OnNAqBVfs9s (http://youtu.be/OnNAqBVfs9s)

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Rusty Edge on January 26, 2015, 06:22:39 AM

Quote from: BUncle on January 25, 2015, 11:22:45 PM

I've never been on a plane, out of the US, OR seen the northern lights.

You forgot the Lone Star Republic! (Was that intentional?)  :stickpoke:

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Geo on January 26, 2015, 07:54:30 AM

 ;lol ;b;

I've yet to set foot on a (US) navy warship, but the moment I'll do that is coming pretty near now.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: gwillybj on January 26, 2015, 11:54:36 AM

I've never taken a trip on a train.

I refuse to fly. Won't jet-ski (can't swim but I sink real good!).

I've seen two comets, whales breeching, the northern lights, and been to every US state on the Atlantic coast, along with Quebec and Ontario in Canada.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Unorthodox on January 26, 2015, 02:09:18 PM

Flown a helecopter.  Yes, I want to fly a helicopter....and I'm terrified of heights.  No, it don't make sense. 

Never been back east.  (florida/disney does not count).  Been all over the west, think the only 'western' state I haven't really been through is new mexico.  Never back east. 

Also like to own a resteraunt one day, but those that have known me a while probably knew that. 

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Rusty Edge on January 26, 2015, 06:51:18 PM

Quote from: Geo on January 25, 2015, 10:28:29 PM

I have yet to see northern lights.

Probably second to rainbows as the prettiest natural phenomenon I've ever seen. I saw them a couple of times, the most memorable being a vast reddish glow high in the northern sky one clear winter night in Pennsylvania. Some kind of magnetic storm. They mentioned it on the late news, we went outside, and there it was.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Rusty Edge on January 26, 2015, 07:12:04 PM

Quote from: Flux on January 25, 2015, 11:09:58 PM

Jetskii'd.

I've never done that either.
That sounds relatively doable. They can be rented. All you need is open water and good weather.

I won't do it. I swim well, and now that I've put on more body fat, I float well, too. That's not the issue. When I go to the water, I'm usually seeking serenity or fresh fish.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Rusty Edge on January 26, 2015, 07:14:21 PM

Quote from: Geo on January 26, 2015, 07:54:30 AM

;lol ;b;

I've yet to set foot on a (US) navy warship, but the moment I'll do that is coming pretty near now.

I'm looking forward to the pictures.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Rusty Edge on January 26, 2015, 08:04:56 PM

Quote from: gwillybj on January 26, 2015, 11:54:36 AM

I've never taken a trip on a train.

I love train travel! It's my favorite mode of transportation. Part of that was living about a hundred yards from the tracks when I was a kid. Waving to the engineers and firemen, well, in those days they still had cabooses, two brakemen and a conductor on freight trains, too.

In the 1980s I took a series of vacations on Amtrak. It gave you the "backyard" view of America. It also gave me the chance to meet people from all over the country in a relaxed atmosphere. You're not packed as tightly on a bus or airplane, and it gently rocks from side to side as it travels. Then there's the rhythm of the rail joints. The people are more friendly and relaxed than other travelers- they don't have strict time constraints, they're not pushy and competitive. For many of them it was about the journey. They were tourists and college students. The few business and sales people who did travel that way were seeking refuge from their telephones and bosses.

When they had a kitchen car the food was better than any airplane and competitive with some cruise ships. Granted, you had to share tables when you dined, but that was an opportunity to learn from fellow travelers, and you have to share dining  tables on spacious cruise ships, too.
One of the most beautiful journeys was from Montreal south along lake Champlain and through the Hudson valley one October, with the leaves changing colors.

Another personal favorite was crossing Glacier Park in February. Full moon shining and reflecting off of snow covered glacier-carved mountains.

The prettiest rail ride I ever had was on the White Pass and Yukon Railway, from Skagway to Carcross. It's an historic narrow gauge railway, and while very scenic, it's not particularly comfortable.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: gwillybj on January 26, 2015, 09:20:24 PM

Quote from: Rusty Edge on January 26, 2015, 08:04:56 PM

One of the most beautiful journeys was from Montreal south along lake Champlain and through the Hudson valley one October, with the leaves changing colors.

:o Small world! You passed right through my neighborhood!

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Rusty Edge on January 26, 2015, 10:11:05 PM

Quote from: gwillybj on January 26, 2015, 09:20:24 PM

Quote from: Rusty Edge on January 26, 2015, 08:04:56 PM

One of the most beautiful journeys was from Montreal south along lake Champlain and through the Hudson valley one October, with the leaves changing colors.

:o Small world! You passed right through my neighborhood!

My favorite Aunt used to live in the Hudson Valley- Kingston, Poughkipsie, Saugerties, Balston Spa, depending on the year. Sometimes we went to the races at Saratoga. Once to the Aerodrome at Rhinebeck, once to the Vanderbilt mansion in Hyde Park. 

Later I had a job with a lot of travel, and NY was part of my territory. The Megatropolis aside, it's one of my favorite states.  Even that's okay now and then.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Rusty Edge on January 26, 2015, 10:22:31 PM

Quote from: Unorthodox on January 26, 2015, 02:09:18 PM

Flown a helecopter.  Yes, I want to fly a helicopter....and I'm terrified of heights.  No, it don't make sense. 

Never been back east.  (florida/disney does not count).  Been all over the west, think the only 'western' state I haven't really been through is new mexico.  Never back east. 

Also like to own a resteraunt one day, but those that have known me a while probably knew that.

That doesn't sound so far fetched to me. We used to hire a helicopter to spray our commercial snap beans sometimes . ( I forget, I think it was corn borer ).  He never flew very high. He had to climb to clear the telephone lines at the end of rows near the highway.  Anyway, helicopter flight doesn't have to be high off the ground to be exciting.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Unorthodox on January 26, 2015, 10:59:04 PM

I don't think I would mind flying a plane, even.  It's the whole NOT being the one in the pilot seat that is terrifying...

much like teaching my boy to drive now...

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Geo on January 27, 2015, 03:47:46 AM

Sometimes you just have to let go, man.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Rusty Edge on January 27, 2015, 05:41:50 AM

I've never sailed, but always wanted to.  I was supposed to go a couple of times, but it never materialized. Bad weather or bad planning.

It's like riding in an open cockpit  biplane or NASCAR ( done those. Both are loud, windy and inclined to tilt. The biplane smelled like gasoline, and the NASCAR smelled like brake dust and rubber. The NASCAR vibrated more. )   I just want to do it once to get a feel for it.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Geo on January 27, 2015, 06:57:58 AM

It is nice to try sail at an angle aside the wind. Tacking left and right, never too much so the boom doesn't swing over the hull, trying to keep the tacks even enough so you get to the point the skipper indicated.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Unorthodox on January 27, 2015, 07:46:16 PM

Quote from: Geo on January 27, 2015, 03:47:46 AM

Sometimes you just have to let go, man.

Yeah, yeah, professional driver/equipment operator for too long, and still the go-to when a particular situation is extremely technical/maybe not entirely within spec/there is no SOP for the job, though I'm mostly in the office these days. 

It was a former boss who is also a pilot that suggested helicopters to me, actually, after watching a particularly harrowing job where we had to clear everyone else out the way in case something went bad.  The idea has stuck in my head since.  I'd likely enjoy the technical aspect of helicopters over planes, and likely be good at it as well....just don't want to put forth the $ for lessons. 

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Rusty Edge on January 27, 2015, 08:41:02 PM

Then there's the always wanted to but never will...

Life is funny. When I was young I was in excellent shape, but had little time or money to do things.

Now that I have the time and money, I don't have the health. Lung and balance issues among others.

I won't be hiking up Mount Washington or doing any SCUBA diving.
When I was a teenager, and they came out with the Porsche 911 Turbo whale tale , it was my dream car. While they are affordable for me now, I'm too big to fit in one comfortably any more, kinda like the clothes I used to wear.   The realizations about the climbing and diving made me sad. The realization about the car made me laugh.

Life is funny.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Flux on January 27, 2015, 08:44:06 PM

Quote from: Rusty Edge on January 27, 2015, 05:41:50 AM

I've never sailed.

It's a fun experience, you will more than likely enjoy it.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Geo on January 27, 2015, 11:03:23 PM

Quote from: Rusty Edge on January 26, 2015, 07:14:21 PM

Quote from: Geo on January 26, 2015, 07:54:30 AM

;lol ;b;

I've yet to set foot on a (US) navy warship, but the moment I'll do that is coming pretty near now.

I'm looking forward to the pictures.

The anticipation! ;)

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Buster's Uncle on January 27, 2015, 11:37:04 PM

 ;waiting

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Geo on January 27, 2015, 11:45:20 PM

;cute

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Flux on January 27, 2015, 11:54:05 PM

Quote from: BUncle on January 27, 2015, 11:37:04 PM

;waiting

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Flux on February 02, 2015, 01:01:56 AM

Alright, I've spat off of Niagara Falls and seen a rocket launch, but I have yet to see Europe.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Buster's Uncle on February 02, 2015, 01:24:38 AM

...Europe musta seen you first... ;lol

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Geo on February 02, 2015, 03:02:26 AM

Quote from: Flux on February 02, 2015, 01:01:56 AM

Alright, I've spat off of Niagara Falls and seen a rocket launch, but I have yet to see Europe.

Simple. Go for an European student exchange program. :D

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Rusty Edge on February 02, 2015, 04:22:06 AM

As for Europe, Athens looks like Washington DC, only with hills instead of swamps, and worse for wear.  :D

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Geo on February 02, 2015, 05:13:10 AM

Not to mention the vicious politicians in both cities. ;cute

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Rusty Edge on February 04, 2015, 07:23:38 PM

Quote from: gwillybj on January 26, 2015, 09:20:24 PM

Quote from: Rusty Edge on January 26, 2015, 08:04:56 PM

One of the most beautiful journeys was from Montreal south along lake Champlain and through the Hudson valley one October, with the leaves changing colors.

:o Small world! You passed right through my neighborhood!

I also rafted the Scanandaga and picked garnets at Gore Mountain. Beautiful country.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Flux on February 05, 2015, 02:04:31 AM

I've never played Contra, but always wanted to.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Buster's Uncle on February 05, 2015, 02:12:39 AM

I've never won an argument with my dad, but always wanted to.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Rusty Edge on February 05, 2015, 03:45:45 AM

I can't say I've always wanted to, because it seems only recently that it's become a possibility.

I want to get my genes tested.
I'm not sure that our oral family history is that accurate. It doesn't square with the documentation, particularly a copy of an application to the Daughters of the American Revolution. Regardless, whatever history there is begins here in the new world, without so much as a European port of departure.

So while I can trace roots to various colonists, I really don't have a clue as to whether they were criminals, debtors, religious misfits, refugees or fortune hunters. I don't even know if they were using their real surnames. Maybe everybody went to Pennsylvania for a fresh start.

Well, I do know that one was French trapper working near the headwaters of the Ohio river, who took his German wife's surname at the time of the French and Indian War, since he was loyal to the Pennsylvania colony/ his wife's family. Well, I don't know that for a fact, I know that I read it in a county history, and it probably had more to do with recording oral histories at the time of the writing than researching anything any deeper or checking facts, but it's the best we've got at this point.

Anyway, most of my life I thought that my surname was German, or Anglicized German, but that was on the word of my paternal grandfather. I've since learned that he was wrong about the number of generations since immigrating as well as our original country, which turns out to be Ireland. ( DAR paperwork ), My grandfather was a great storyteller. He was a preacher and therefore a professional storyteller, and one of the best. But he didn't let technicalities disrupt the flow of a story. Stories had their entertainment value, and they had a their point, and he was an honest person, but not so detail oriented.

I took one basic DNA test that  did indicate/ confirm that my Y chromosome came from Ireland. Now that I've been there, I'd like to know which county. I'd also like to know which other provinces/counties in Europe my ancestors actually came from. As nearly as I can figure, I'm German/English/Scotch/Irish/French/Native American (?)Iroquois. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that isn't exactly right, and that some of them were more Dutch than Deutsch, for example. Whatever, when I travel I am most often mistaken for German.

I'm curious. I don't have kids, it's of limited value, but I may justify the expense sooner or later. I come from a large extended family that holds annual reunions. It may be of interest to the  "Clan".

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Buster's Uncle on February 05, 2015, 03:59:12 AM

When Buster's Grammaw took up genealogy, Lo, over 20 years ago now, she found an astonishing number of Germans in the woodpile - somewhere well north of 80%.  This area (the NC Appalachians) is supposed to be Scotch-Irish, but we go back over 400 years right here where I'm sitting, and I'm related to everyone whose family has been around at least a few generations...

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Rusty Edge on February 05, 2015, 06:17:06 AM

Quote from: BatUncle on February 05, 2015, 03:59:12 AM

When Buster's Grammaw took up genealogy, Lo, over 20 years ago now, she found an astonishing number of Germans in the woodpile - somewhere well north of 80%.  This area (the NC Appalachians) is supposed to be Scotch-Irish, but we go back over 400 years right here where I'm sitting, and I'm related to everyone whose family has been around at least a few generations...

Yeah, not knowing surnames, I would have assumed Scotch-Irish based on location, with some English, and some fraction of Native American since you've been there so long.

Here in the Midwest, my wife's family are Ellis Island era immigrants, and they remained German. I guess there's an ethnic Pole in there somewhere, but the borders have been kinda fluid in Europe.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Flux on February 05, 2015, 11:10:19 PM

Y'all certainly know more than me. I can go back about 3 generations and then my family tree dissapears with no knowledge other than everybody lived in Russia.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Geo on February 06, 2015, 04:46:16 AM

I have the dubious distinction of having a similar family name as a small village situated in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France...
On old maps, we could trace the existence of this village as far as the16-17th century.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Rusty Edge on February 06, 2015, 07:36:49 AM

 ;lol  It just occurred to me that if we could trace back far enough we would have one thing in common- a Viking grafted into the family tree.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Geo on February 06, 2015, 05:30:30 PM

Probably not - the counts of Flanders were pretty good at repelling Norse raiders. ;)

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Valka on February 07, 2015, 07:53:30 AM

Quote from: Rusty Edge on January 25, 2015, 05:35:41 PM

Recently Uno mentioned that he has never seen a comet.

I tried looking for Halley back in 1986, but it was so faint, I'm not sure I was actually seeing it or something else.

I've definitely seen Hyakutake and Hale-Bopp, though. Hale-Bopp was visible for quite a few nights, and I soon learned exactly where to look for it. It was clearly visible, and I confess that I actually cried (just really happy to see a comet, since it's not something most people see very often and know what it is).

Quote from: Geo

I have yet to see northern lights.

I'm too far south to see the really spectacular ones, but I've seen a few nice ones. One of them was (to me) awe-inspiring... so much so that I stood outside for about half an hour watching it, just mesmerized. I was in my pyjamas and housecoat and it was about -15C or so (a night in January back in the '90s), but I was so enthralled by the aurora that I didn't even notice being cold.


I've never been east of the province of Alberta. There are lots of places I'd love to see - national parks, museums, heritage sites - but some of them are thousands of miles away, on the other side of the country.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Rusty Edge on February 07, 2015, 05:42:16 PM

Quote from: Valka on February 07, 2015, 07:53:30 AM

I tried looking for Halley back in 1986, but it was so faint, I'm not sure I was actually seeing it or something else.

If it looked like a smudge on a blackboard, you probably saw it.
I'm suddenly feeling really old, realizing that blackboards are now antiquated.

Quote from: Valka on February 07, 2015, 07:53:30 AM

I've never been east of the province of Alberta. There are lots of places I'd love to see - national parks, museums, heritage sites - but some of them are thousands of miles away, on the other side of the country.

As much as I adore glaciated geography, I would encourage you to prioritize Horseshoe Falls, one of the most impressive things I've ever seen and heard  in my life.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Rusty Edge on August 04, 2015, 05:29:07 AM

Quote from: Flux on January 27, 2015, 08:44:06 PM

Quote from: Rusty Edge on January 27, 2015, 05:41:50 AM

I've never sailed.

It's a fun experience, you will more than likely enjoy it.

The weather forecast is great, and I have tickets to sail on a 3-masted schooner for a couple of hours this weekend.

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Dio on August 04, 2015, 05:32:25 AM

had my genealogy tested. We have no knowledge of the family before my great grandfather on my mother's father side of the family. They apparently both originally lived in the present day area of Bohemia in the Czech Republic,

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Zoid on August 04, 2015, 06:44:11 AM

...led the workers in glorious revolution :)

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Buster's Uncle on August 04, 2015, 06:47:32 AM

Ooh!  Ooh!  Ooh!  Can I come along?

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Zoid on August 04, 2015, 12:12:28 PM

Quote from: BUncle on August 04, 2015, 06:47:32 AM

Ooh!  Ooh!  Ooh!  Can I come along?

Everyone is welcome! :)

Title: Re: I've never ___________, but always wanted to.
Post by: Rusty Edge on January 03, 2016, 08:56:11 PM

OH! I forgot to mention that I got a taste of sailing. It was a foggy day with negligible breeze, and we never made it out of the harbor. BUT, it was a three masted schooner, and I got to help raise the mainmast mainsail.

It felt like gliding! I intend to try again next year.