I'm injured & bored

[siteunseen]

26 minutes ago, Mark Maras said:

Cliff

 " It was just a flesh wound." Thought I would pull this out of the medically related relics of my life. Yeah, there's more. What a Summer it was. 1974. On the job injury, time to spare, steady pay still coming in, my first sports car, my new best friend, Max. A Springer Spaniel puppy. Portland International Raceway was 20 minutes away, Weed was $35.00 an oZ, and I was single. As the song said, " Those were the day's my friends, I thought they'd never end." Apparently they haven't.

Mark that is so cool you just don't know. 1985 one month after turning 16 I got one of the first crotch rockets there was, Honda Interceptor 750. It would do 130mph easy. But the brakes sucked. I almost lost my right foot crashing that thing then jumping up to kill the motor. It was running wide open four feet from me and gas was pouring out everywhere.  When I stood up my tibia shot out the side of my leg at least six inches, I was standing on it and my left foot. Looked down and instantly fainted/passed out went into shock. Stayed in the hospital for one month. Weed was $100 an oz and my friends used my hospital stay as a hotel room. Stuffed towels under the door and smoked it up! I had a demoral pump that was set at 7 minute intervals. Needless to say I puked every seven minutes it seemed like. Me and my parents are thankful for everyday!

I'd like to sit down, drink some cold beers and talk about "the good old days (sarcastically he typed).

Here's to better days we both have earned the hard way. 

One of my songs is "Bird nest on the ground" by Doyle Bramyall.

[siteunseen]

14 minutes ago, gwri8 said:

1974 and $35 an oz?  Ya'll must have got the good stuff!  I vaguely remember (and I do mean very vaguely) $15 maybe $20.  But then again I've always been cheap and I still have all my digits. 

I had a step dad that told me about the red haired scents that was $25 to $35 an oz back then. I was in diapers!

[Mark Maras]

11 minutes ago, gwri8 said:

1974 and $35 an oz?  Ya'll must have got the good stuff!  I vaguely remember (and I do mean very vaguely) $15 maybe $20.  But then again I've always been cheap and I still have all my digits. 

 Many possibilities. Closer to the source of the "good stuff", High demand meant higher prices and nothing really good travelled East after the "LEFT coast bought it all. We were pissed when Columbian Gold hit $50.00 an oz. But we still bought it. That was about the time people started growing indoor crops around here.

[siteunseen]

Man I tell you, for some reason I feel a lot better after sharing my mistakes with you Mark. All my life my family and friends made me feel like a stupid a** because of the way I lived.

THANK YOU!

[Mark Maras]

18 minutes ago, gwri8 said:

1974 and $35 an oz?  Ya'll must have got the good stuff!  I vaguely remember (and I do mean very vaguely) $15 maybe $20.  But then again I've always been cheap and I still have all my digits. 

 Many possibilities. Closer to the source of the "good stuff", High demand meant higher prices and nothing really good travelled East after the "LEFT coast bought it all. We were pissed when Columbian Gold hit $50.00 an oz. But we still bought it. That was about the time people started growing indoor crops around here.

[racer47201]

Boys you missed out on the good times.  In Germany all types of hashish was $10 for 7 grams whe I was there from 72 to 74

[siteunseen]

Back in my daze, when I scraped out my pipes that was "hash".

[Mark Maras]

 We do have a great deal in common. July 7th. 1967. One month after H.S. graduation, 18 years old. I was driving a Euclid (no power steering) dump truck in a rock quarry. Thanks Dad. Simple job, transfer rock from the blasting zone to the crushing operation and dump it down a steep hill. Backed into position to dump, raised the bed and the crest of the hill caved in. Over backward we (the truck & I) went. When the dust settled and I pushed the seat off of my body, I was looking at the sole of my boot and it was laying in my armpit. I remember thinking "I'm not that flexible." Broken femur. 2 1/2 months in the hospital, leg in traction, flat on my back, period. All they'll let me do is sit up. Hottest Summer on record. No AC. Friends would smuggle in ice cold beer and combustibles. Never smoked out a hospital room though. We were much more discreet. We thought the Nurses didn't know. Yeah Right! The younger ones said keep it down to appropriate levels and times. The older nurses just scowled to show their disgust. Leg didn't heal in the 2 1/2 months. Next was a Hip Spica Cast. Body cast. Armpits down to the toes on the broken leg, down to just above the knee on the other, with a brace in between. No flexibility whatsoever but at least I was home. 2 1/2 months in that cast, leg still had not healed. December, Swedish Hospital, Seattle. A bone graft from my hip and two plates screwed into my femur and I was free at last.

 The settlement said to me "GO RACING". Bought a rolling dragster chassis and a trailer. 144" wheelbase, front engine. Halibrand mags, M&H Racemaster wrinkle walls, quick change early ford rear end with a one piece open tube axle. Spokes up front. Found a 327 engine built for a Jimmy 671 blower cheap. Found a 671 and manifold cheap, a few odds and ends and it was off to the Saturday night drags at Thun Field in Puyallup with a friend who had a blown 289 dragster. Sooo many memories.

 

 

[siteunseen]

Dang! That's like hearing someone else's nightmares, love to hear them but thank God I didn't experience them. 

Please try to come to ZCON in Austin!  We'll have a big time. 

[siteunseen]

I dumped a FULL load of soaking wet crush and run with a single piston truck, converted from propane to a dump bed with wood sides, got all the way up and started to ease off. Twisted the bed off and damn near rolled the cab over. Almost crapped my pants. Tight-wad owner of the construction company I worked at for 18 years. He started off frugal but we ended up flying to Florida's pan handle in a Cessna CJ-1. 400 knots at around 22,000 feet. 5 hour drive took 45 minutes. Talk about a suck arse! I hated driving so bad I quit smoking so I could jump on the plane with him. We flew Joe Namath and Nick Saban many times. I have Joe Willies autographed book "#12" and a Crimson Tide football also Nick Saban signed football. Met Don Shula on that plane too. I pretended to be the co-pilot,  University rules if your plane was part of their program. Khakis and a polo with Ray Bans, put the headphones on and I was a co pilot.

[Mark Maras]

 You went from tearing up dump trucks to co-piloting? a CJ-1?  There's a great story linking those two events. Hadn't really thought much about Austin until now. You're right, we could entertain each other for a long time before our wells ever ran dry, which is doubtful. Kathy and I have talked about taking a road trip through that part of the country (I've got to see how weird Austin is compared to Portland) and then continue east along the Gulf.  Hmmm. I'm beginning to sort details of the trip in my mind. Could be a possibility. Thanks for planting the seed.

 

 

[Patcon]

1 hour ago, siteunseen said:

 University rules if your plane was part of their program. Khakis and a polo with Ray Bans, put the headphones on and I was a co pilot.

Just sit there and look pretty!