31 May 2019

Mount Everest

By icefogger

It’s a long way from the days of Mallory and Hillary:


Traffic jam at the top of the world; Photo credit: Project Possible/AFP/Getty Images

I’m absolutely fascinated by the recent photo to come from the summit of Mount Everest. Over 100 climbers, queued up in a line, in the death zone of Everest, waiting to summit. The death toll on Everest has reached 11 this year, as a result.

A record number of permits, 381, to climb the world’s tallest peak were issued. Which means at least double that number, if not closer to triple, were on the mountain, since guides and sherpas are not included in the permit number.

Also, the window of good weather was extremely small compared to most years, so everyone was forced to summit basically at the same time. Waiting in a line, using up oxygen, stepping over dead bodies that had been left behind, all while trying to combat exhaustion in the death zone.

The entire concept, just spins my head. The desire to climb Everest, I get, although I’ve never really had that great burn to do so. We’ve reached the point where we wait in a line at the roof top of our planet, for what? To take a selfie? Thank about it: One couldn’t take a picture from the summit without people in it! I live in Fairbanks so that I can avoid lines. I walk out of the post office if the line has more than three people in it. I realize, I’m the odd duck on this planet, but I can not imagine my extreme disappointment, if I climbed Everest, only to be forced to endure a conga line before summiting.

One has to ask about the skill level of so many climbers. Are they experienced climbers, or thrill seeking amateurs on a selfie hunt? Peter Beaumont wrote in The Guardian that climbing the world’s tallest peak “has become a trophy experience.” I have to admit, I agree with him.

What would George Mallory think about The Mountain now?

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30 May 2019

Moose Snorts

By icefogger


Moose out for a swim

I spent one day this week, out in the sun, finishing up a rope bridge that I was commissioned to build. The decking of the bridge had been completed last fall, and now I was back to add the rope-work for the “railings”.

I heard the moose munching on willows long before I saw it. They are not quiet eaters. A shrub or tree would move, but it took quite some time for the moose to show itself. Oddly enough, it was when I was out on the bridge weaving the manila rope into place that the moose reacted. It kept snorting at me.

At first, I was a bit offended, taking the snorts as commentary on my work. However, I came to the conclusion, that the moose simply did not like me hovering in the air, at a height allowing me to look down on the moose. As I continued to work, the snorts were then followed by hoof stomps and another snort. It really did not like me out there on the bridge. Eventually, the moose had enough of my bridge building, and I heard it splash about in the pond behind the house. It had gone for a swim. It was a warm 75F degrees, and I couldn’t blame it.

Unfortunately, the pictures are pretty poor, as I only had the cellphone with me on the job site, and I’m shooting into the sun on top of it. I watched it swim around, and splash about the pond for a good 15 minutes, before I had to force myself back to work.

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29 May 2019

USS Batfish

By icefogger


USS Batfish back on the water

Due to the flooding of the Arkansas River, the USS Batfish has taken once again to the water. The WWII era submarine has been landlocked since 1973 at the Muskogee War Memorial Park in Oklahoma. The flooding this year is the worst on the Arkansas since 1943, when the Batfish first entered WWII.


The normally landlocked USS Batfish

The last time the Arkansas flooded enough to float the Batfish was 1986, when the sub almost broke a line and floated away downstream. The moorings of the landlocked submarine have been strengthened since the ’86 flood, still concerns remained. When the Batfish first started to rise with the water, she was listing considerably. Firemen then filled the sub’s ballast to right the sub.


USS Batfish in service

The USS Batfish has a distinguished history. During its two years of service in WWII, the USS Batfish fired 71 torpedoes, sinking 15 ships total, officially credited with 9 Japanese ships sunk. During its sixth war patrol in the South China Sea, the Batfish and her crew sank three Japanese submarines over a 76 hour period. The Batfish received six battle stars for her WWII service.


USS Batfish back in San Francisco

For six years after WWII, the Batfish was used as a training submarine. She then went back to active duty, serving 5 years in the Korean War, spending much of her time in Caribbean waters. After Korea, she saw another decade of training exercise, before being decommissioned for a final time in November of 1969.

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28 May 2019

Buffalo Central Terminal Revisited

By icefogger

A few more pictures from our visit to Buffalo Central Terminal:

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27 May 2019

By icefogger


The Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery; Meuse, France

Over 14,000 Americans are buried at this cemetery. The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was the costliest of WWI for the United States, with over 122,000 casualties. The cemetery contains the greatest number of American military dead in Europe.

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24 May 2019

River Bend

By icefogger


Cabin life alongside the Chatanika River; Camera: Widelux, Film: Kodak Ektar 100

I have worked every day since last Thursday, attempting to get a jump on a large project. Early on Friday, I will have put in 80 hours this week alone. Luckily, I do see the (head)light at the end of the tunnel. I am close to passing the job onto a subcontractor for next week, which will allow me to get back to a more normal schedule.

Until then, I’ll think back on lazy days on the river as silent motivation.

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23 May 2019

Larkinville

By icefogger


Larkin Center of Commerce building

The Larkin neighborhood of Buffalo, NY came into its own in 1827, with the construction of the Hydraulic Canal. It was Buffalo’s first source of industrial waterpower. By 1832, the area was a booming mill district, with everything powered by “The Hydraulics”.

In 1876, John Larkin set up his soap making business on Seneca Street. JD Larkin & Co. became a pioneer in direct sales from the manufacturer to the consumer. The Larkin Idea became the company’s marketing principle, by 1885.


The Larkin Soap Co.

Today, the old buildings and warehouses are being renovated into businesses and lofts. The area is obviously thriving with the new development. The Frozen Foursome spent an afternoon prior to the championship game, exploring the revitalized Larkinville neighborhood. The trip included a visit to the Flying Bison Brewing Company.

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22 May 2019

Rest in Peace

By icefogger

Niki Lauda, the three time F1 World Champion, has died. Lauda was the only driver in F1 history to win a championship while driving for both Ferrari and McLaren. Lauda was 70.

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21 May 2019

Art of the Brick, Part II

By icefogger


“Bus”

Nathan Sawaya, the LEGO brick artist, collaborated with photographer Dean West, on the exhibit “In Pieces”. Sawaya created items in LEGOS, and West photographed them in actual scenes. The work is really quite impressive.


The LEGO dog in “Bus”.


“Train”


The LEGO tracks in “Train”

There are several more works of art in the “In Pieces” exhibit. If the collaboration comes to a town near you, I highly recommend checking it out.

For the record, I absolutely loved Schoolhouse Rock.

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20 May 2019

Buffalo Central Terminal

By icefogger


Looking up at the Buffalo Central Terminal

Buffalo Central Terminal, built by the New York Central Railroad, opened in 1929, just months before the stock market crash of October. The art deco building was designed to handle over 200 trains and 10,000 passengers daily.

Station visitors were originally greeted by a stuffed American bison. Passengers, including thousands of WWII soldiers, rubbed their hands through the fur, causing the large buffalo to go bald. It was replaced by a bronze statue, which was destroyed by an eventual owner of the terminal. A bronze recasting using the original molds, can be found outside the football stadium on the University of Buffalo North Campus. The current statue in the station, is a fiberglass replica.

Buffalo Central Terminal saw active train service from 1929 – 1979. In addition to New York Central, the Canadian National Railway, Pennsylvania Railroad, and Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo Railway also serviced BCT. The terminal saw its peak during World War II.

While touring about Buffalo, the Frozen Foursome received an unexpected invitation to tour the main concourse of Buffalo Central Terminal. As a perfect example, of “it doesn’t hurt to ask”, one quick question had us in the door, and once it became apparent that we were in no hurry to leave, an additional invite to explore further inside was offered.

All of us were excited to see inside the abandoned terminal, but it was far more personal for The Curator. His father was an engineer for New York Central, and he remembered running throughout the concourse when he visited Central Terminal with his dad and siblings.

BCT is a beautiful terminal, and must have been something very special in its day. It is currently owned by the Central Terminal Restoration Corp., whose volunteers we met and talked with during our visit. I reminded one volunteer that Union Depot in Saint Paul, Minnesota has been brought back to life and train service restored. There is certainly hope for Buffalo Central Terminal, although it’s a damn shame that the building has suffered such neglect.

BCT opened with a Western Union office, a restaurant with dining room and lunch counter, a coffee shop, soda fountain, and, of course, a street car lobby.

Central Terminal is located 2.5 miles from downtown Buffalo. The current Amtrak station, is a tiny building a bit closer to downtown. Throughout its history, Buffalo Central Terminal was always larger than needed, but hopefully the CTRC will be able to repurpose BCT now that Buffalo itself is seeing a revitalization.

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