Labor Day weekend shooting in the back yard

[John Cook]

Steve, I don’t think it’s about the cost of petrochemicals and whether we individually can afford to purchase them.

The object is to reduce non-essential fuel consumption by an amount equal to the current manufacturing shortfall to prevent shortages.

It would be handy, over the next few months, to have gasoline to drive to work, gas and oil to heat our homes this winter and a hot meal and hot shower once in a while.

By all means, travel and enjoy yourself this weekend. That’s what holidays are for.

I would just gently suggest finding a way to reduce your total consumption 20% or so in all areas, as this thing progresses through the autumn and winter.

My wife, for example, is planning to begin car-pooling with a coworker next week. Together, my family purchases only about 20 gallons of gasoline per month for our shared minivan, and haven’t been on a commercial airplane since 1986, so it is difficult to find much “fat” to cut.

Wonder if I’d look too silly, balding and portly at my advanced age, on a Harley? Or perhaps a Vespa, with movie-director wrap-around sunglasses?

Ciao, baby!

[Ellen Stoune Duralia]

Hey Steve (and anyone else who have already made plans to travel this weekend), I'm not saying that you shouldn't enjoy the trips you've already planned. And it's not about the money you will spend at the gas pump. I'm only trying to point out that if you can do everything you can to save gas, then it will help everyone. The less we use, the more we will have for when we REALLY need to drive somewhere and conservation will help keep the costs down. Make sense? Plus, we have many volunteers who will need gas in order to help Katrina victims. We need to make sure they can get it so they can continue to help. That's all

These situations bring out the worst AND the best in people. I've been amazed at how much folks have done to try and help the thousands who are now forced to start over with nothing. I looked at Craigs list and saw many, many ads posted by people opening their homes to strangers, knowing that their new roommates will likely be guests for months.

Here at home, I was touched by my 9 yr. old son who, like most kiddos today, is obsessed with having the latest video games, Yu-Gi-Oh cards, etc. While we are striving to teach him how to handle his money (that he gets from relatives for holidays and the allowance that we give him), he is still just a kid and will spend his money with wild abandone if left to his own devices! You know, the ole' "it's burning a whole in my pocket" syndrome, ha ha. Well, this morning before school, he came to me with all of his money and asked if it would be okay if he donated it to the Red Cross, even though he is supposed to save half. I asked him, "what about that game you've been saving for?" He informed me that he decided he didn't need it anymore and that he'd rather help. Gosh, if a mother's heart could burst...

[Brian C. Miller]

"Wonder if I’d look too silly, balding and portly at my advanced age, on a Harley? Or perhaps a Vespa, with movie-director wrap-around sunglasses?"

Harley: Wear ragged clothes and leather, you'll fit right in. I live across the street from Thunderbikes Northwest, and there's two other Harley shops close by.

Vespa: You have to remember to wear loafers and make sure that the Vespa has that wierd hospital-like light green color.

[John_4185]

FWIW, I rarely drive. At only sixty years-old, I am anxious to keep in shape, so I ride a bicycle throughout the year here in the tropics of Minnesota. My mate, Molly, is asthmatic and I am adding an electric-assist hub to her bike for those times she finds herself miles from home and suddenly weak or just weary.

Before the turn to bicycling, and until a disabling injury, I built and rode this scooter elearning.winona.edu/jjs/butcher.jpg

(See, On Topic - it's a picture. )

-- retro john

[windpointphoto]

Gee Ellen, guess I got told. I bet your 9 year old’s heart is just bursting that his mother can talk with the big boys by calling people names and rant. Nope, I don’t complain (the correct and polite word that you have confused with a female dog) about gas prices. I’ve got the most fuel-efficient, older vehicle I can use for my business. It’s just the way things are right now. I remember McDonald’s hamburgers being .12, fries a dime, and movies a dollar. Prices go up. I do think we’re being gouged, but 3.00 instead of walking 40 miles is still a good deal. Other countries have been paying high fuel costs for a long time. As for my not knowing how people feel losing everything, I worked in a career of pre-hospital and in-hospital emergency care. I have seen over a thousand people including children and babies lose the ultimate “everything”, some of whom died in my arms. As a volunteer for the Red Cross I’ve helped the victims of disasters. I didn’t object to the topic, just the little sideline rants. Oh yeah, you go girl!

[Michael Veit]

I'll be staying home to save gasoline this weekend too, though that's just because I can't afford it and NOT out of any sense of civic duty. Bush can appeal to my sense of civic obligation just as soon as he starts talking about windfall profit taxes for the oil companies -- no reason the sacrifices of difficult times shouldn't be shared by all, right?

[Kerik Kouklis]

Leonard, now that you've given your CV as a giving, kind-hearted and selfless soul, can you please point out the specific "rants" that you are referring to?? I just re-read the posts prior to your first one, and I can't for the life of me figure out what the hell you were talking about! And how sweet and caring of you to use Ellen's son to bludgeon her. Nice work. Must make your grand-kids proud.

[Steve Hamley]

John and Ellen,

Actually I am a Harley rider, have two of them including an antique 1957 FLH Hydra Glide that they made less than 150 of that year. That 43 mpg looks pretty good commuting to work, but the 12x20 won't fit and they shake my rangefinders out of cal, so Smokies photography travel is not in the equation.

To each their own way to conserve and contribute - and we have a fund set up at work for contributions to the Red Cross.

Cheers,

Steve

P.S., everyone play nice now...

[windpointphoto]

Kerik, Here's the little rants that have nothing to do with photography:
I have also seen the news reports indicating that the increased gasoline prices are the oil companies’ method for discouraging potential customers while they try to figure out how to produce more. The warning speech from our President this afternoon was, “If you don’t need gasoline, don’t buy it”. Having lived through the oil embargos of the 1970's I can tell you that waiting in line for hours and then engaging in a fistfight just to get the two-gallon limit of gas is unpleasant. Especially for those of you who now commute half way across the state to work every day. High prices don’t begin to compare with shortages. So perhaps the real patriotic thing to do this Labor Day vacation weekend is to sit in the back yard and be thankful we still have one. For those in apartments may I recommend the local park. I couldn’t believe that blonde twit on the Weather Channel this afternoon, trying to drum up enthusiasm for a nice long road trip to the beach on Saturday. I would be too embarrassed to join those merrymakers on the interstate who are exacerbating the problem. Let’s all raise our plastic glasses of iced tea in a salute to aluminum chairs and Kingsford charcoal.

BTW, what does CV stand for? I'm not up on every new and old term. I try to set a good example of behavior to other people to my grandchildren. I try not to call people names and use "bad" words. I simple meant that children such as a 9 year old learns by example. Ellen wrote the post and brought her child into it. I just wonder if she let's her 9 year old read them and see the language she uses.
For that matter, do you?

[Steve Hamley]

John's original suggestion was to shoot landscapes in the back yard, certainly not off topic or a rant IMO, but then everyone has one. I've done it before and will do it again, maybe or maybe not because of gas prices/availability. I like John's contributions to the forum and hope he keeps posting more stuff (and Ellen too!).

Steve