I survived! (or dumb things I did and lived to tell about)

[WDH]

Chris,

I see a pattern here...You need to stay out of that lean to off your shop in hot summers in Memphis  :D.

[Don_Papenburg]

I concour.  In fact he should either tear it off or put walls around it or build a leanto on the other side  to work under.

[timerover51]

I have three brothers, and growing up we did some crazy things.  However, once the kids began to arrive, we all had a rule never to discuss what we did when we were younger with the kids or within range of their eager little ears.

Probably the most dangerous thing that I have done was in May of 2002, when in the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific.  I was working for National Geographic, but when we arrived in the Solomons, the US consul in Honiara, on the island of Guadalcanal, asked if I could take a look at a bomb that had been dug up on the island of Kolombangara near a village and boarding school.  As one of the reasons for my being there was to be the expedition explosives and weapons expert, i said yes.  So on May 22, 2002, a launch ran me from Gizo, where I was staying, to Kolombangara.  The bomb was located on the property of the Kolombangara Forest Products Limited.  There is a fair amount of land on Kolombangara that will never be logged, as it is so full of metal from World War 2, along with some areas littered with unexploded ordnance.  Why the logging crew dug this up, I have not the foggiest idea.  The forest company head drove me as near the bomb as they could and then we hiked in about 100 yards.  Dense canopy jungle, so not a lot of undergrowth.  Got out there, and discovered that it was a US 2,000 pounder that had landed sideways, no fins on it.  I climbed down next to it and determine that the arming wires were gone, and the fuze was screwed all of the way into the bomb, so it was armed.  Ditto tail fuze.  Ground was soft enough so the side impact did not set off the bomb, but moving it was not going to work.  The forestry supervisor was looking at me going over the bomb like I was out of my ever loving mind.

Climbed out of the hole and told them that I had seen enough.  The rest of the crew moved right smartly for the pickup truck.  Thought that was funny.  Got treated to a very nice lunch by the forest supervisor and then got caught in a tropical downpour on the way back to Gizo in the launch.  After we found PT-109, the Prime Minister came up from Honiara for a big party.  I spent about 2 hours with his private secretary going over how to get rid of the bomb by blowing in in place.  Could not move it with the fuzes armed.  Heard later that they had successfully detonated it with no problems. 

Not your average walk in the woods, or in this case, jungle.

[Just Me]

A long time ago I was a state game warden here in Virginia. I was transferred to an eastern Virginia county where part of my duty was to oversee the state boat landings and put-in ramps. There was this landing which attracted a LOT of barley pop consumption with the attendant litter. The state didn't see fit to fund litter receptacles at the time so I rounded up a nice 55 gallon steel drum, figured I could get the highway department boys to swing by from time to time and dump it for me. Next problem was to put a drain hole in the bottom to let the rain water out. This was before the invention of battery powered drills and old me forgot to drill a hole before I took it to the landing. Being a creative sort, I whipped out my trusty Smith & Wesson .38 pistola, squatted down right in front of that barrel and let off a round. SPANG! Guess what? NO HOLE! That round flattened out and came out of that barrel and missed my stupid self somehow someway. I never figured that thin steel bottom would stop a .38 round. I thanked my creator for his care for idiots and hauled that puppy home and drilled it like I should have in the first place. I also never got around to telling this little tale to my sargeant....

This is how I drill all my burning barrels. May have to rethink that........

[iffy]

Although I have numerous scars and a few extremely close calls, one of the incidents that stands out didn't even remove any skin. Built a new house about 35 yrs ago and was trying to prepare a garden plot. Big dead stump right where I wanted my garden. Tried digging around it with my little 8n ford and loader, but that didn't do much. Watered it for a few days, and could then wiggle it just a little. Decided to dig it out by hand. After a few hours, got a hole under the stump right by the tap root and lots of blisters.
At the time I was doing a lot of gunsmithing and had bought out an old timer. He had lots of old partial cans of smokeless powder, and unlabeled can he thought was blasting powder, and a nearly full can of black powder that was starting to bead. I mixed all that together in one bigger can, stuffed it under the stump, and stuck a quarter stick of dynamite under that. Put in a blasting cap, strung the wires, tamped a bunch of dirt back down in the hole, then connected up the hand generator.
Thought my wife might like to see this, so called her out and told her she could have the honors, and it was going to be really impressive. We were backed up against the house, 30 or 40 yards from the stump. I took out the safety pin and she gave the handle a twist. I hadn't lied, it was pretty impressive. The stump came clear out of the ground, made about a turn and a half, and came back down in the hole. About a pickup load of mud in small pieces was headed out direction, tho, and it painted the house as well as us. Looked over at the wife and there were just two pretty white eyes peering out from a quite black face. Couldn't help it, started laughing. She didn't.
Somehow we are celebrating our 45th this summer.

[Just Me]

Weisyboy, you'd better Weise up before you find yourself in a wheelchair...or worse.  It seems great to appear like a tough guy right now, but the mortgage rates are stiff.  Try to keep it together until your brain starts working, eh? :

Wiesyboy

The man speaks the truth here, pay attention.

I was one of the wild children, up into my 40's. I've broken 63 bones, cut off a couple of parts, and just generally always had the be the toughest SOB in the patch.

I am paying the price now at 55 I can tell you.

I have to get up at 5 because the pain won't let me sleep, and I need a couple of hours to be able to go to work and get anything done. When I get done with a days work I don't come home and work on a project, I can't. A days work is all I can do and I can see that program ending in the not so distant future. I'm in a mad dash to have my retirement set before all this abuse I piled on myself comes home to roost in a way that will not allow me to work at all.

People told me that I would end up like this, but the people that told me were not like me so I did not pay much attention. Well, I am like you and I am telling you that being the toughest guy in the patch won't buy you spit, and the people that you think you are impressing don't remember your name 5 years down the road, and if they do they are laughing at you. Protect what you have. I'm not saying you have to be a wuss, but you have nothing to prove to anyone, remember that always just before you make a decision that you know in your heart is going to hurt.

Remember, you have nothing to prove to anyone, but you do have to make sure you can walk on your own when you are what seems to you to be old. Do you think I ever thought I would be 55? Hell no! The thought never crossed my mind, but it happens so fast it is amazing, especailly if you don't just sit on your duff and actually go out and do something, which it sounds like you do.

I think you are a good fellow, don't be a good crippled fellow.......

Larry

[WH_Conley]

iffy. I am not sure if she stays because she loves you or just wants to see what what is gonna happen next. :D :D

[iffy]

Prolly the latter. Any more when I suddenly stop working and head for the bathroom holding on to some appendage or another, she just tells me to try not to bleed on anything that will stain.  :D
When I stuck my finger in the lancelot last yr she asked me how come I didn't go to the ER and get sewed up. Told her there was nothing to sew, they woulda had to darn it.
Super glue has reduced my expenditure for stitches on stuff that could be stitched.

[Faron]

Well, at least a lot of you can blame youth for your mistakes.  I can't, as I pulled a boner last night that could have cost me my life.
I came home Saturday night after a long day with two chores yet to do, fire up the outdoor wood burner and feed the calves.  I had brought some firewood from the other farm, as I had used the last at my house in the morning.  Opening the door, I discovered the fire was out.  I dug around in the ashes looking for a few live embers. No luck.  The fire was ALL gone.  I usually keep a little diesel fuel around for starting fires.  None in the jug.  So I put a little wood in the stove and dumped a handful of wood pellets.  I had a little jelled alcohol, and put a little on the pellets.  I figured the fire when I lit it would burn out the pellets without starting much of the wood afire, so I looked around the garage for something to help ignite the firewood.  I spied a partial gallon jug of alcohol we use to freeze brand cattle.  That will work.  A few ounces of alcohol around the pellets ought to do the job.  As I sprinkled a little out of the jug, it suddenly ignited.  I think it startled me, and I likely jostled more out of the jug as I removed it from the stove.  At any rate, there was a sudden flash, and then the jug in my hand exploded, and I was surrounded by fire.  I had on a heavy  Carhart coat, cloth gloves, and a hat.  The blast knocked off my hat, and I felt and smelled my hair burning, and my gloves were on fire.  I immediately dropped to the ground and rolled on to my hands to put them out.  I realized there was fire elsewhere,so I began rolling.Soon as I did, my gloves and sleeve re lit.  I knew I was in real trouble.  I continued to roll, but to little effect.  My woodburner is in the back of my garage, and there is a hydrant at the front.   I began rolling toward the hydrant.  I was afraid to get on my feet to reach the hydrant, as I was sure fire would envelop my face.  My right wrist was getting very hot, and I ditched my right glove as I rolled, hoping it was the source of much of the fire.  It may have been, but my sleeve was now on fire.  At one point I opened my eyes to locate the hydrant, and it looked like flames might be jumping 3 or 4 feet above me.  I rolled about 40 feet to the hydrant and opened it, soaking myself down.  About the time I got the fire out, I heard Chris calling my name.  She had come to bring me a bottle of jelled fuel, and found a big fire in the woodburner,  and a trail of fire in the grass.  She helped me to the house, and realized I was burned.  We made a quick trip to the nearest hospital.  I found I had  second degree burns on my wrists, face, and ears.  Jasper hospital staff believed I ought to be seen at the burn unit at the University of Louisville.  We were going to go by car, but when they gave me my second pain shot,  I became very nauseous,  and vomited for a couple of hours.  They did not feel I could go by car in that shape, so I was transferred by ambulance.   After a most annoying night at that hospital, it was determined I would not require surgery,  but would heal on my own. 
So here I sit tonight, with blisters on my wrists, face, and ears.  Thanks to Facebook and my daughters, there were hundreds of people praying for a good outcome last night for me, and I am convinced it helped.  I am grateful to be alive, but annoyed at myself for such a reckless action.  I blame a weather phenomenon,  cranial rectal inversion, for my misfortune.

I just realized I am a lot better off tonight than I was one year ago tonight.  The docs figured I would have some scarring on my wrist, but most of the time I can not even see where I was burned.  I was very fortunate.   Be careful out there, folks!

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

but im here for a good time not a long time.

Reading Jeff's reply......seems like you hit the nail on the head!  :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[shinnlinger]

One time I was hauling a big oxygen cylinder back from the welding shop and stupidly did not have it strapped down.
by the time I got home it had migrated to the front of my pu bed.
Being lazy I decided to burp the throttle in granny low to move the tank to the back.
Well the old F100 didn't like that and the  torque broke a motor mount which not only pinned the truck at WOT but disabled the clutch linkage as well
Being in granny low, the truck took off like a dragster smoking the tires, the clutch useless. Me pinned back in my seat finally came to my senses and turned off the ignition but I was about to run into a bike path full of commuters (Eugene, Oregon) so I slammed on the brakes and the cylinder hit the front of the bed so hard it pushed it into the cab.
Fortunately the tank stayed together but the fan had also nicked the radiator so when my neighbors looked out to see what all the noise was and saw me siting in a smoke show.

Needles to say, I climbed in the bed to get the cylinder this time.....

[Okrafarmer]

Fellas, I can top you all.


:(

I rode in a taxi in Shanghai.

[Chuck White]

I rode in a samlar (sp) in Thailand. 

It's a 3-wheeled (tricycle) mode of transportation with the peddler in the front and up to 2 passengers in the back.

[Okrafarmer]

I rode in a samlar (sp) in Thailand. 

It's a 3-wheeled (tricycle) mode of transportation with the peddler in the front and up to 2 passengers in the back.

:D Yes, I rode in one or two of those in China, too. Hard to believe the size of the calves on those guys legs-- nearly as big as their waists. But the taxi ride in Shanghai-- I honestly don't know how I got out of that one alive and with no physical injuries-- jury's still out on the mental injuries-- they're just so hard to quantify..... 

[SPIKER]

Well the old F100 didn't like that and the  torque broke a motor mount which not only pinned the truck at WOT but disabled the clutch linkage as well
Being in granny low, the truck took off like a dragster smoking the tires, the clutch useless. Me pinned back in my seat finally came to my senses and turned off the ignition ...

I had a 62 F1 with a 352 (built w 390 heads & big cam and granny gear)   pulled a power shift after a tune up I went down end of a dead end road turned around nailed it pulled up thru second and hit 3rd dumped the clutch and heard something "DING" turned out to be the clutch push rod falling out...   I made it down to the end of the road let out of gas and as it was loping at idle maybe 30mph I down shifted using gas into second dropped me to a 15 mph and turned key off coasted to a stop...

well it was dumping gas as the engine and brake slowed it down...   ya stuck it in granny gear and hit the ignition as it sparked back up I think it dang near tore the cab off the frame-rails!   It dented the cab corners a bit on the bed where it yanked back.   Pulled the rag joint apart/out as I was holding onto the steering wheel freely rotating in my hand without connection any longer to the steering box.  I was straight heading towards out garage at the dead end (with a high speed road cross traffic between me and the garage without steering or clutch! ) 

I was 17 or 18 at the time  :   I hit my head on the back glass and left a knot that lasted about a week.   I managed to push the steering column shaft down enough to grab the box and steer it around the garage..   I was a little shaky as I rode my bike down to the end of the road to get the clutch linkage/rod that fell out and put it back together.

Mark

[shinnlinger]

Yeah the whole"let's set the clutch linkage between a frame rail and the transmission which moves independently" doesn't seem so great in hindsight.
Related stupid f100 story is I had just put punched out 302 in and replaced the 3 on the tree with a granny low floor unit and 3 of my housemates decided to hit the town in Seattle.  At a stop light a Camaro was revving its engine and I decided to show him something and dropped it into granny low and popped the clutch.  Well I smoked the tires pretty good for about 2 feet before a u joint broke.  We coasted to a stop as the Camaro roared away.
My embarrassment was mitigate d somewhat by  dumb luck I had a used u joint on the dashboard because of the recent tranny swap and my tools were in the back so we still made it to the bar...

[Al_Smith]

The most stupid thing I've ever done could have done me in .

Shoving out a big dead oak about 36" in diameter with the root ball still attached the log climbed on the blade of a D4 Caterpiller .Like an idiot I raised the blade and kept on pushing .Sure enough it came over the blade and back on me -almost .No sweeps no roll cage .

As luck was with me when it rolled over the hood it crushed the intake and stalled the diesel .When I finally reacted and hit the hand clutch ,my hand was right up against the log .

After I regained my composer and beat the dents out of the hood,pulled the log off with a 4020 John Deere I did get the tree out .Hooked about 40 foot of log chain on that pup like I should have done in the first place