On and Around Nicollet Island
I Headed upstream to hang out with a good friend. We spent most of the day walking around Nicollet Island and down to the dam at Saint Anthony Falls. It made Me realise just how long it has been since I walked miles and miles with no set destination. This was such a large part of My teenage years, suddenly it feels like a lost part of who I am has been rediscovered. Unlike in the past when I was up to various mischievous activities, now I carry a camera. Let’s see where this goes.
Pattern in the Press
MY FRIEND’S DRILL PRESS HAS A NICE ARRANGEMENT OF MILLING LINES ON IT’S WORKING SURFACE.
More Than Enough!?!?
I have been collecting blades of many varieties for years now. Mostly, they all sit packed away in storage, doing nothing in the dark. Occasionally they need to be cleaned off and oiled up, to help prevent corrosion, which is what I did today.. It’s been a while since I pulled out this many swords at once, so naturally I had to take some pictures!
Don’t ask Me why I have so many blades. Our species went several millenia relying primarily on the sword, spear and bow to survive in this world. Most of the time these tools were passed down through several generations of families, tribes, or, in many cases, to the foes who vanquished the original owners. A well cared for blade can last for thousands of years.. Admittedly however, some of mine probably won’t last more than a hundred years. Those being the ‘claymore’ and broad sword near the middle of the above picture. While most of My Japanese style swords are made of high’ish quality materials, those two swords are made of stainless and 440 grade steels respectively. Which is certainly the reason they costed Me less than half the price of My cheapest katana.
Many people will say that such items are simply not needed in todays world, or that no one needs to own something designed solely for destroying flesh and bone. Those people have probably never held a sword! There is an indescribable feeling that one can become consumed with, simply by holding such a tool in Your hands. Feeling the weight of it and observing the craftsmanship conjures a primal feeling that I’ve only encountered by two other meens in this world. Firslty, being chased by an aggressive animal, such as a dog.. Yes, I am comparing posession of large bladed weaponry to that which is most encountered now a days by mail carriers! The knowledge that if You don’t escape very rapidly, Your life may very well be over..!! The other thing that I’ve found delivers this ‘primal’ feeling is eating meat off the bone. The hunter/gatherers that spawned our varied cultures would know exactly what I’m talkig about! They had to wander out, stalk and slay the beasts that we now raise in warehouses. Unlike You, or I, who just wander to a store and hand over some worthless paper or plastic in exchange for said meat, Our ancestors’ lives were almost entirely consumed by creating, maintaining and using the tools needed to stay alive. Modern hunters will readily relay stories of heartbreak over that deer they didn’t kill. Maybe it would’ve fed their children for month or two! They will also tell You of the heartwarmng joy They experience when they do bag that buck. The elation felt by all humans, before a hundred or so Years ago. The notion that: I GET TO CONTINUE TO EXIST!
If the ancients took up the attitude of Our politicians and the anti-weapon movement, We quite simply, would not exist. They would have starved to extinction in a cave, knowing that if they stepped outside, the lions, tigers and bears would have done as they pleased with them. So, when, not if, but when the social bonds that hold us together, buckle and break and You’ve got no tools to defend Your family, or to bring home food, there is a wild beast down the street, carrying a gun and You may very well become their prey. It’s called natural selection! By forgetting the lessons of our ancestors, casting away the methods used to get our species to this point and blindly proclaiming that tools such as the sword, are somehow a bain on our society. We have lost the sustainable life style that put us here. I understand this, hunters understand this, traditional farmers do too, as do the gansters and thugs that live across the street
Most of us hope that such a time never comes, but if it does, I still don’t have enough armaments to supply My family, friends and neighbors.. Do You? If You do, do You have the skills and knowledge to utilise the tools You have? Here is an even scary’er question for You: Who in Your area does and are they on ‘Your side’? If the peace loving, intelligent people are also the un-armed, lacking the knowledge of stalking prey, where to dig wells and the splendor of crop rotation, what kind of future are We gonna have really? Damn, I need to buy more swords. Maybe I should take a cue from those gangsters and start buying guns..??
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