So You Brought Your Kids to Put-In-Bay.

by | Aug 16, 2020 | Family, Fun, History, Outdoors, Travel | 317 comments

The adventure continues. Read part 1.

 

So, you decided you wanted to ignore me talking about the fact that South Bass island was generally for drinking and brought your family over.Ā  First thing you need to be aware of (if you’re just going for a day trip), is make sure you know when the last ferry is heading back, you don’t want to miss it.Ā  While a large portion of the island is bars and drinking, there are some family friendly activities to do there.

To begin with, the most famous history about the island is the battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812.Ā  At the north end of the island is the Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial, which is one of the tallest monuments in the world, and stands over 40 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty.Ā  Outside the lockdown times, you could take an elevator up to the top and visit the observation deck.Ā  That was closed unfortunately.

In first picture, you can see the the flags of the three countries that were regarded for the peace: the US, Britain, and Canada.Ā  In the second, you can get an idea of the scale of the column.Ā  That little spec at the bottom in the center?Ā  That’s my girlfriend.

This is a national park, and they do have a little history section which talks about the battle of Lake Erie, and has some artifacts that were recovered from the lake long after the battle.Ā  Including a replica of Perry’s battle flag, which was emblazoned with the motto: “DONT GIVE UP THE SHIP”.Ā  Based on the note on the wall, the original flag is hanging up at the Navel Academy.

Because I know my audience, those guns on the back wall are (from the top) a British Tower musket recovered from Lake Erie, an Eli Whitney contract musket (ca 1809), and a replica (sorry, no real details there).Ā  They’ve got a map of the battlefield, and a movie you can sit and watch if you want (we did not).

After the history, you can then go check out a claimed world record (but one not authenticated by the Guinness people), and enter the Crystal Cave aka the world’s largest geode.Ā  It’s a quick little tour, which lets you walk down into the cave, look around, and come back up.Ā  The geode is large enough that you’re standing inside of it.

While drinking our glass of wine that came with the tour, we did run across a lurking Glib:

This is all at one of the wineries, across the street from there is another location that is of interest to families: the Perry’s Cave and Fun Center.Ā  Here, they have a historic car museum, a butterfly house, a mini-golf course, a souvenir shop, a snack bar, “gemstone mining” (buy a bag of dirt with some pretty rocks in it, and screen it in some running water), and finally Perry’s Cave.Ā  This is a limestone cave under the island that was used to provide fresh water to the American troops during the War of 1812 (drinking Lake Erie water in summer was not the best idea, even back then).Ā  One of the former owners of the cave cut out the stalactites and stalagmites for sale in the gift shop, thinking they would grow back like plants.Ā  This is… not accurate.Ā  This cave has a very low ceiling, for a lot of the walk, I had to bend over at the waist to avoid hitting my head.

 

Other then that, there is camping, boat rentals, and nature trails.Ā  That’s about it for the family minded folks.Ā  Next time I’ll wrap this up with the bars, and the economic impact the lockdown has had on them.

About The Author

Nephilium

Nephilium

Nephilium is a geek of multiple types living in the vast suburban forests of Cleveland.

317 Comments

  1. Count Potato

    “The geode is large enough that youā€™re standing inside of it.”

    That’s going to hard to bring on show and tell.

    • Nephilium

      The people who found it were digging into the limestone to carve out caves to store wine. When they found the crystals, they thought they were rich. It was just Celestine, which is not known for its rarity.

      • But Enough About My Prostate

        No, but it’s purty.

        Used to go geode-hunting on the north shore of Superior when I was a kid.ā€‚The geodes there tended to have lots of amethyst, and you’d occasionally score a really nice specimen.ā€‚Gaudy as Hell.ā€‚Great fun.

      • Ted S.

        Or its prophecies, either.

  2. Count Potato

    ” One of the former owners of the cave cut out the stalactites and stalagmites for sale in the gift shop, thinking they would grow back like plants. ”

    So you are saying he inherited it?

    • Suthenboy

      Now that really pisses me off (not at you) and one of these days I will be able to tell y’all why.

    • SP

      That’s just amazing.

      • Nephilium

        Based on the kid giving the tour, the former owner was selling the rock formations for 35 cents each, this was about 60-70 years ago. He also put up a sign for the cave lake to be used as a wishing well… so it’s been contaminated with copper and other filth from people throwing change into it years back.

      • Frnxt Ghrt Digby Gurm

        So, you’re telling us the commies are right–that money is dirty?

    • robc

      They do, just give it a few hundred thousand years.

  3. SP

    Nice write-up, Neph, thanks!

    That monument reminds me very strongly of the World War I monument in Kansas City, but bigger!

    • C. Anacreon

      The flag is on display at the Navel Academy?

      Right next to their collection of commemorative belly buttons, no doubt.

  4. Gender Traitor

    an Eli Whitney contract musket (ca 1809)

    Huh. Only knew him for the cotton gin. Didn’t know he worked on bangsticks too.

    The geode cave is particularly cool. Thanks for all the pics!

    • Not an Economist

      Only knew him for the cotton gin.

      Eli tried to make guns with interchangeable parts. Take a trigger from one gun and put it into another and have it work. Before that, all guns were one of a kind pieces.

      Technology wasn’t quite there yet.

      • Gustave Lytton

        Whitney’s Model 1895 is used as the branch symbol of the Infantry along with the CIB and EIB. It’s seen as the first American made musket.

      • Fourscore

        I didn’t know that but I didn’t have a CIB/EIB either. Interesting.

      • Tres Cool

        …fuckin 11Bs

        /bush beaters

      • Gustave Lytton

        Me neither.

        Always gave me a childish giggle that the crossed rifles is more properly crossed muskets.

      • UnCivilServant

        I’m not finding anything on a whitney 1895, do you have a link, or was there a typo?

      • UnCivilServant

        As an interesting coincidence, Eli Whitney Jr died in 1895.

        I’d like to his wiki page, but it redirects to his father’s page instead.

      • DEG

        Yes, based on the Charleville musket.

        At the July 4th Reopen NH rally, there was a re-enactor in Revolutionary War period costume with a musket. I thought a Brown Bess. I said something to him about it.

        He shifted his hands and I noticed the third barrel band. Oops. Charleville. I felt dumb.

  5. Annoyed Nomad

    My wife reminded me that we still have a bottle of wine we bought at the geode place.

    • Nephilium

      Sorry to hear that. šŸ™‚

      It may be the oldest winery in Ohio, but it’s far from the best.

      • Ted S.

        Send it to OMWC.

      • Old Man With Candy

        Spud and I are drinking ā€˜89 Haut Brion, ā€˜97 Vernay Grand Place Cote-Rotie, and some vintage or other of Chateau Climens for dessert.

        Fuck all yā€™all. Drink Ohio wine.

      • Ted S.

        Eh, I had an Argentine Malbec with dinner.

        Unfortunately, I don’t make enough to drink the sort of wine you prefer. šŸ™

      • TARDIS

        Malbec is fine with me, but I consider wine to be be food to be enjoyed with other food. It’s grape food.

      • SP

        Ha, neither do we. Spud and OMWC collected this wine years ago, mostly on release when some of them were a crapshoot (but not the ones they are having this weekend). They knew what they were doing, but every once in a while there is a bottle that didn’t hold up over the years.

        I may or may not open a bottle of Cupcake Prosecco (generally cooking or mixed drink wine) for dinner, since I am out of Gruet Brut and Bully Hill.

        But, we do have some great stuff close by in the wine storage facility. Hmmm.

      • DEG

        I had beer with dinner.

      • Nephilium

        /sends OMWC a case of Pink Catawba.

      • Ted S.

        My dad saw I picked up a bottle of Merlot one time, so he bought me a “white Merlot”.

        It was fruity-sweet awful.

      • C. Anacreon

        I told my wine industry wife your list and she responded “Holy shit! Where are they? Within driving distance?”

        So I guess you could say she’s extremely impressed.

      • Ted S.

        So what you’re saying is that your wife is a lush?

      • C. Anacreon

        Ted, I believe the correct term for her is ambulatory alcoholic, like most in her profession.

      • Ted S.

        Not a dipsomaniac?

        When she’s had too much to drink, does she say she’s “tight”?

      • Old Man With Candy

        She, of course, is always welcome. You too, if you promise to behave.

      • But Enough About My Prostate

        OMWC, if you don’t bring SP a couple of bottles back with you, I’ll personally fly down to Arizona and help her with her “application” of rusty tin-can lids to your tendie nub-nubs.

      • Old Man With Candy

        We have a rather good cellar. And TSA has made carrying wine just about impossible.

      • Gustave Lytton

        No need to hand carry. Just check it.

      • Old Man With Candy

        I learned that lesson the hard way.

      • Nephilium

        OMWC: I’ll need to do some searching, but I know there are inflatable, water-proof sleeves for wine/beer to be packed in checked luggage. Each holds a standard 750 ml/22 oz bottle. If you need to transport something larger, then it would be an issue.

      • Nephilium

        This isn’t the exact model I was thinking of, but seems to be a similar style.

      • Gustave Lytton

        You can’t just throw it loose in your candy bag.

      • kinnath

        When I buy booze and have it shipped to my house, I save the shipping containers.

        Two six-pack boxes fit side-by-side in my biggest suitcase. When it was fully loaded with a case of booze, the suit case weighed 68 1/2 lbs. Just under the 70 lb limit for my first class ticket coming home from the National Homebrew Conference in Portland a couple of years ago.

      • DEG

        When I check beer or wine, I wrap the bottles in either bubble wrap or put them into my socks.

        No problems either way.

      • Frnxt Ghrt Digby Gurm

        Ooh la-la–check out Mr. Mon-… Mr. Wine Bags, over here.

      • DEG

        *Not you, DEG

        I did spend a lot of money to try Westvleteren beer.

      • Frnxt Ghrt Digby Gurm

        I was aiming more for the “first class ticket” part.

        Your’s just sounds like some kind of animal’s internal organ*

        *as opposed to exter-well, you know what I mean.

      • SP

        See how he blames it on the TSA?

      • Annoyed Nomad

        I told her your reply and she said, “True. That’s probably why we haven’t drank it yet.”

  6. Ted S.

    All about South Bass, no treble.

  7. Sean

    Yup, that walk in geode is cool.

  8. Tulip

    Very cool

  9. Tulip

    Very cool Neph

  10. robc

    Re: cave tours

    Mammoth Cave wild cave tour. Its basically 6 hours of torture. Before it, I didnt think I was claustrophobic. I was wrong. A hour long crawl with a ceiling one inch above your head tests that. The part where you gave to turn your head sideways for the helmet to fit thru especially.

    I loved it.

    • Nephilium

      Perry’s Cave had the much lower ceiling, which I wasn’t a fan of. There was one girl on the geode tour who was freaking out about being underground. Talking to the rest of her group, she handled Perry’s Cave better. There had been enough rain that both had standing water all along the floor, and some dangerous steps to go down to get into them.

    • Suthenboy

      My father is a metallurgical engineer specializing in the mining of copper, nickel, gold. I had my fill of being underground by the time I was ten.
      I dont take cave tours.
      Diving the Santa Fe river in Florida one of the guys wanted to explore Unnamed Spring. “Knock yourself out buddy, I ain’t going in there.”

      • Rhywun

        Yeah I’ve been in caves in upstate New York and in Germany. I think I’ll pass these days. *squick*

      • Fourscore

        TX and NM caves for tourists like me

    • Sean

      I love cave tours. The tame kind.

      One of my faves was the one that you rode a boat through.

      https://www.pennscave.com

      • C. Anacreon

        There’s a cool cave in New Zealand south of Auckland where you can tour on a boat, and even get out and float alongside in the cool water. Best feature is the ceiling of the cave is filled with worms that glow in the dark.

      • Sean

        Neat!

        I’ll never go there, but sounds cool.

      • DEG

        I was there once.

        Due to recent heavy rains, the operators cut the tour short because the boat couldn’t fit through some of the caves. They still charged full price.

  11. westernsloper

    Thanks for the tour Neph. From what I have heard in the past that place was just bars and easy women.

    • Nephilium

      I’ll be discussing the bars and the shutdown’s effects on them in the next (and final) piece.

      • Chafed

        What about the easy women?

      • Frnxt Ghrt Digby Gurm

        It’s like they don’t even know their audience….

    • Fourscore

      Easy women? Inquiring minds need to know how easy? Asking for an “old” friend

      • DEG

        Seconded.

    • hayeksplosives

      Hearts and minds to impale on spikes as a warning to her enemies.

    • Suthenboy

      As mentioned in the last thread there will be idiots that vote democrat even as their brownshirts are burning down our cities. An awful lot of people have dogshit between their ears.

      • Count Potato

        Turns out they can vote for him:

        “The guy yelling and cursing at neighborhood children and neighbors of police union leader Bob Kroll is John Thompson, a Dem candidate for the MN House of Representatives.

        He has been endorsed by Rep. Ilhan Omar, MN Gov. Tim Walz, and MN AG Keith Ellison.”

        https://twitter.com/Cam_Cawthorne/status/1295003724838993920

      • hayeksplosives

        Omar, Walz, and Ellison. Paragons of virtue.

      • pistoffnick

        How come WE got all the crazies?

      • Fourscore

        All 3 are carpetbaggrs,

        1 from Nebraska
        1 from Mogadishu
        1 from Detroit

        Does that answer your question? Because MN Nice is not beneficial, MN Nasty maybe would have been better

      • Fourscore

        Because all 3 are carpetbaggers

        1 from Nebraska
        1 from Mogadishu
        1 from Detroit

        That’s a problem with being MN Nice. Should be MN Nasty and only Glibs would migrate here and fit in.

    • mrfamous

      How come he’s not wearing a mask? Yelling like that, he’s spreading COVID death clouds everywhere.

  12. cyto

    Plague mask dude is awesome!

    • Nephilium

      And he was perfectly willing to have a picture of him be put up online while wearing the plague mask.

      • But Enough About My Prostate

        Totes jellie.ā€‚My #ThisMaskDoesNothing mask from RedBubble isn’t having quite the pearl-clutching effect on the Karens I’d hoped it would.

        Mischief is important.

      • Yusef drives a Kia

        Someone is supposed to wear a Mask while conducting Census work, they keep an OBEY mask in their back pocket, but have yet to be asked or called on not wearing it,
        /Mandatory, BTW

      • cyto

        That’s genius.

        I am assuming “They Live” OBEY, right?

  13. hayeksplosives

    That is a great looking adventure, Neph! What a monument; the scale reference helps a bunch.

    I like these eclectic little trips with odd museums, historic sites, cool caves, etc.

    If youā€™re ever in Havre de Grace Maryland, check out the duck Decoy museum. Amazing 18th and 19th American guns and one-of-a-kind multibarelled shotguns integrated into little boats for hiding in the water shooting sitting ducks (it was indeed so easy that they had to ban that method as early as the 18th century to keep from wiping the ducks out). Plus big long single barrel shotguns that took 2 men to carry and operate. Cute town too.

    • Suthenboy

      They are called punt guns. It is amazing that we have any ducks left at all.

      • hayeksplosives

        I had no idea prior to that museum visit that ducks had been so important to colonists and the westward expansion. But it figures that they couldnā€™t practically pack cows and chickens to take with them as they explored and settled the land.

        Now I want to look up the ā€œpopulation ā€œ of cattle in the US by decade.

      • Tejicano

        Another aspect of the western expansion was how little the wildlife were bothered by the explorers. In the journal of the Lewis and Clark expedition it mentions that the guys on the river banks pulling the ropes to get the boats up-river had to carry sticks to shoo the buffalo and other mega fauna out of the way. When they wanted to eat one they just walked up and shot it.

      • Agent Cooper

        Better than gunt puns.

    • Nephilium

      If it helps, the girlfriend is 4′ 10″. She kept wanting the picture with her being at the edge of the pedestal, I wanted the picture with her back nearly touching it to show the true scale. One of the other nearby islands (Kelleys island) had no easy path to get to it during the lockdowns (it would have taken a total of four ferry rides and ~ 15 minute drive). So when things open up again, we may have to go back. There you can see some glacial grooves.

      • hayeksplosives

        Ooh! A geologistā€™s dream!

        The fact that these spots are covid closed is ridiculous. Glad you guys got to enjoy a good bit of the attractions.

    • hayeksplosives

      Miss Swan narrates ā€œHe looka like a man.ā€

      Seriously hope that woman learns to feel shame.

      That wasnā€™t health concern. That was petty powermongering and envy.

    • Sean

      Point of discussion, when some asshat is filming like that, attack them from the rear. Violently.

      • TARDIS

        Yes. Face in the sand. Knee on neck.

      • Sean

        This shit stops when there’s a price to be paid.

      • hayeksplosives

        Yup.

      • l0b0t

        The Karen keeps saying – “The cops are coming, you’re gonna get arrested.” Well… then I guess I’ll make the ride worth it.

      • TARDIS

        I hate the Karen concept. If any white woman complains, she’s now a Karen. If any of you mythological ladies complains or asks to see the manager; KAREN! Want to complain white woman? KAREN! This cunte is a tyrannical cunte. Nothing more. I’m rather fond of my Karen. Fuck with her. I’ll kill you.

      • Rhywun

        #metoo

        Especially when the left took the concept and ran with it. See: the front page of the NY Post every day. Karen-this, Karen-that.

        They can have it.

      • Akira

        My first thought when I encountered the Karen meme was, “People actually named Karen must not like that…”

      • cyto

        Not only did she intrude on their wedding, uninvited… and film it… She posted it on the internet! That’s her camera, and her perspective. She was proud enough to post it for the world to see.

    • Chafed

      She intruded on a Black wedd yet no one called her out for racism. What gives?

      • dbleagle

        She is a local Hawaiian in Waimanalo on Oahu. She might be super bitch, but she ain’t a wytpepo.

        The people she harassed are also most likely locals and from her comments she knows the person conducting the ceremony.

        She is just a weapons grade asshole.

      • Tejicano

        Small world. Waimanalo was where I went to Army NCO school. Just a pimple of a little Hawaiian village.

  14. Rhywun

    Heroes.

    Two raves busted in Sunset Park where de Blasio warned of COVID-19 uptick

    Some Twitter users lashed out at the partiers ā€” who attended the gigs just a few days after the mayor said recent positive-test figures in the neighborhood were sending up a ā€œwarning light.ā€

    Other Twitter users expressed their support, urging for personal responsibility in the face of De Blasio’s illegal power grabs.

    LOL, just kidding. That second quote is made up.

    I was struck mainly by the jaw-dropping bias that’s quickly infecting the NY Post’s “news” pages.

    • Ted S.

      They weren’t raving; they were protesting.

    • Count Potato

      Covid in NYC is way past its peak.

      • Ted S.

        Saying that doesn’t like the politicians get their authority boner on.

      • hayeksplosives

        Thatā€™s why they have to flavor the language. So much the better if the reader only reads the headline and doesnā€™t question anything.

        Daily Mail had one yesterday lamenting the ā€œgrim milestoneā€ of Californiaā€™s record high covid cases. Complete with handwringing that if Cali were a country it would rank between these countries blah blah.

        No mention of the fact that itā€™s just covid positive tests. Not necessarily sick people, and nothing to do with death rate. No mention that the population is 40 million.

        They have to resort to handwringing and hysterical emotional appeals to keep people freaked out.

      • mikey

        Anyone just talking numbers of cases is bascally lying via omission.

      • hayeksplosives

        Yep, but they cans Bill Clinton their way out of accusations of lying due to a loophole regarding the definition of lie.

      • Rhywun

        So much the better if the reader only reads the headline and doesnā€™t question anything.

        That’s just it. You can read the entire article nowadays and come out with no more information beyond the biased headline. It’s maddening.

      • Tejicano

        Not sure since I haven’t been interested enough to check recently, but in the beginning they were always counting the total number of cases. They never subtracted the number of those who either had no symptoms or those who had gotten better.

      • LJW

        But the authoritarianism is still full strength.

  15. Yusef drives a Kia

    Thanks for the write up Neph, looks like a fun
    day trip, Caves, Beer and Mini Golf, YAY!

    • Nephilium

      There’s also live music (even during the lockdown times),

    • hayeksplosives

      Fresh air circulating = healthier than stagnant. Easy to believe, and somehow intuitive for us.

      Isnā€™t winter ā€œflu seasonā€ mainly because we are stuck inside with stagnant air and in close quarters? Not some inherent flu biology?

      And yet, the experts want us to trap germs close to our face with fabric and to stay at home away from fresh air.

      • Yusef drives a Kia

        Bingo! AC filters are designed to keep your Evaporator Coil clean first, any benifit to your breathing air is incidental until you get into UV EAC technology,

      • Rhywun

        Interesting. I crack my windows open all winter long unless it’s like 10 degrees out – must be why I don’t get the flu ??

      • Nephilium

        One apartment I was in still had the old school boilers and radiators. There was no way to turn down the heat on the radiator, so when the boiler was going full burn in the winter, my bedroom would have been in the 80’s if I didn’t open a window.

        The landlady complained that I was letting the heat out…

      • Yusef drives a Kia

        Well you were, gotta stay cool, Right now my AC is set to 85, and other than a few small zones, it’s 90 inside, Better than you might think,

      • Rhywun

        Yeah, I only do it because heat is generally included in the rent in NYC.

        Different (and expensive) story when I lived in Buffalo.

      • kinnath

        I have fond memories of walking down the street in Moscow one winter. It was a warmer than normal day, so almost every window facing the street was open on every building for blocks.

        In Moscow, central boilers provide hot water to dozens of square blocks. When one blew up one year, it left a pretty good sized crater.

      • Rhywun

        Same in some parts of Manhattan, where there are a lot of older buildings.

      • Yusef drives a Kia

        I open my slider at night for Bella, but I do get air exchange at the same time, I leave my AC blower running 24/7

      • Tres Cool

        Also in winter, at least here, the cold air is dry. That causes your sinuses to dry out, maybe crack a bit, and allows a handy opening for the influenza, cold, or any other laundry list of pathogens to get in. Which is why ‘cold & flu’ season is in the winter.

    • kinnath

      Heat Recovery Ventilators

      Had one installed when we built the house.

  16. Yusef drives a Kia

    Try and Grok this, my brain hurts now,
    “Donā€™t be afraid. My telling canā€™t hurt you in spite of what I have done and I promise to lie quietly in the dark — weeping perhaps or occasionally seeing the blood once more — but I will never again unfold my limbs to rise up and bare teeth. I explain. You can think what I tell you a confession, if you like, but one full of curiosities familiar only in dreams and during those moments when a dogā€™s profile plays on the steam of a kettle. Or when a corn-husk doll sitting on a shelf is soon splaying in the corner of a room and the wicked of how it got there is plain. Stranger things happen all the time everywhere. You know. I know you know.”
    Toni Morrison

  17. Sean

    More hot peppers ripening.

    https://www.amazon.com/photos/shared/onETO-JFRnGvBeieg5C5Wg.Qr7BOiQJTF76XKo0NphCBV

    This was supposed to be a chocolate reaper plant. Apparently it’s not. It’s a yellow reaper plant. However, I won’t complain too much. I’m just happy I’m getting peppers.

    I chopped up that scorpion chocolate today and added it to a fresh container of salsa. Holy shit, that’s got some heat. It’s going to be interesting to see how hot it gets after sitting. Good flavor too.

    • SP

      That looks great!

      • Sean

        That one was particularly photogenic.

      • hayeksplosives

        The yellow will look good in whatever you use it for too!

      • cyto

        If that is as hot as I am imagining, you wouldn’t want to eat anything where you can actually see the yellow of the pepper.

        google…. 1.5 million to 2.2 million scoville heat units.

        No thanks… (jalapeno is 2,500 to 8,000 – meaning this thing is 1,000 times hotter)

      • hayeksplosives

        SP, I have bookmarked your beautifully curated links from this morning for further perusal.

        To my deep embarrassment and dismay, my spouse has become a rampant conspiracy theorist in the course of a single month. It is chipping away at the last shard of respect I have for the manā€™s brain.

        It also makes him angry and miserable. Why would anyone **want** to be a conspiracy theorist? I swear Iā€™m going to have to resort to electric shock therapy to correct his thinking.

  18. Yusef drives a Kia

    Cooling towels Rock! like a wet scarf that doesn’t drip on you, I’m going to try it for real in a few minutes,meaning go out in the heat,

    • Yusef drives a Kia

      Nevermind going to the park, it’s still 121, Dammit! I’m bored!

  19. SP

    And now we’re having a dust storm at my place.

    This weekend has been so much fun. For OMWC and Spud, at any rate.

    • Tres Cool

      The Pyr gets sandblasted? May save you sweeping some hair for the short term.

      • SP

        No, she’s been cowering in the downstairs guest bathroom, curled up in a tiny ball, crammed into the corner between the bathtub and toilet. She has learned that when the neighbors’ wind chimes and kinetic sculptures go nuts, it’s not good news.

        But she’s smart. It’s the only room downstairs without gigantic windows.

  20. SUPREME OVERLORD trshmnstr

    Storm is blowing through right now. Took us from 104 down to 75 in an hour. Feels almost livable outside.

  21. hayeksplosives

    Woo hoo! Blackhawks win! Still alive in the playoffs. Not easy being #8 seed.

    • creech

      #12 Canadiens made it look easy against #1 Flyers yesterday.

  22. straffinrun

    These little looks into corners of the world I’d never see are fun. Thanks, Neph.

  23. straffinrun

    Had to check FB (work stuff) and saw a friend’s post listing causes of death from diseases. Zuck puts a big ol’ warning stamp over it. GFY. Not that it’s wrong, but it’s “misleading”. Fahrenheit 451 coming soon.

    • Rhywun

      It’s from March. An update would be nice if Zuck and friends didn’t censor it.

      • cyto

        Yeah, that’s the number to look at. It would be up there with those other big ones. And those are primarily driven by places like India, where TB is rampant (and where we have multiresistant and totally resistant forms of TB running around). The Covid still isn’t showing up much in reports from India and Africa, for whatever reason. So the two biggest countries plus the entire continent of Africa don’t seem to be having much trouble with the covid. Seems odd.

      • mrfamous

        I wonder if it’s just simply that it did a lot of damage to vulnerable populations in places like New York and Italy, but, in Africa and India, vulnerable populations don’t stay vulnerable for very long until they become ex-populations. And so COVID-19 has less ‘fuel’ to work with.

      • straffinrun

        Yeah, lots of flammable tinder in the aging west, if you know I mean.

    • KSuellington

      Mosquito borne diseases kill somewhere just south of 3 million a year, a large percentage of which are kids. Malaria is the big one of course, followed by Yellow Fever, and Dengue. West Nile, Zika, and Chikungunya. COVID is currently estimated at somewhere north of 750k, mostly elderly. I have had dengue before from living in Brazil. It sucks, I donā€™t recommend. I wonder how many more people will die of mosquito borne diseases over the next five years due to the COVID shutdowns?

      • Gustave Lytton

        The dengue vaccine is a warning in vaccine development.

      • Nikkodemus

        I was having a discussion with a (thankfully sane) friend of mine yesterday. How many countries does the US supply aid to that are now out of luck? How many people will die because of that? I don’t want to think about the numbers, but I do hope someone, somewhere documents them.

      • Nikkodemus

        *Having a discussion about this issue…

    • Frnxt Ghrt Digby Gurm

      Sensible Person: “Look; it’s pretty obvious that COVID-19 doesn’t have the lethality that we were initially afraid it does.”

      “Expert”, waiting with baited breath: “Now, now–just give it a few more months….”

      It really is like they are waiting for Wu Flu to bust out of its chains and murderize everyone. Either that, or, they know something about it that they aren’t releasing to the public*…

      *I’m not putting stock in that, but, I’m hard pressed to figure out why so many so-called experts in the matter seem to be waiting for the other shoe to drop.

      • Nikkodemus

        Because “experts” tend to see things in a very narrow way, the specific way that relates to their profession. Of course medical experts are going to suggest masks everywhere, all the time. Its the only way to be sure the risk is as low as possible to them. They don’t see the big picture, and unfortunately, we have no leadership that can see it either (or, one could certainly argue that some in leadership absolutely see the big picture and are manipulating it to be in their favor).

      • Don did not Escape Bama

        ‘bated Shylock says this in Taming of the Shrew

        just so you know

      • Gustave Lytton

        Confirmation bias and denial are strong drugs. And it’s not limited to those pushing covid doom.

      • Gustave Lytton

        It’s been eye opening.

    • Chafed

      Would not.

      • C. Anacreon

        Bet she’d be popular in Sturgis, though.

  24. straffinrun

    Oh, and sorry to hear about the kitty, Chafed.

    • Chafed

      Thanks Straff.

      • Chafed

        After a difficult night, I went to the emergency vet at 6 am. My cat has had severely reduced kidney function so we were on borrowed time. Her blood pressure was very high. It detached her retinas in both eyes. Her temperature was way too low, and she was suffering organ failure. She was dying so we euthanized her.

      • Frnxt Ghrt Digby Gurm

        Aww, man….that’s is tough, and I’m sorry kitty endured what she did. I hope family is doing OK.

      • Chafed

        We all had a good cry this morning when it happened. But we’re all okay. Thanks.

      • DEG

        Sorry.

      • Tejicano

        Sorry to hear this. I send my condolences.

      • Chafed

        Thanks guys.

  25. cyto

    Speaking of “The Adventure Continues”…… There is a great movie with the subtitle “The Adventure Continues”

    Remo Williams: The Adventure Continues.

    Absolutely cannot be allowed in today’s culture – included a white dude playing a stereotypical Korean marshal arts teacher. Very transgressive. Good comedy from another era when things moved at a slower pace.

    • Gustave Lytton

      Fred Ward is an underrated actor. Too bad it took thirty years to make that sequel.

      • Chafed

        He is and I had no idea there was a sequel.

      • Gustave Lytton

        I don’t blame him for the rubber bald cap in Henry & June.

  26. DEG

    Outside the lockdown times, you could take an elevator up to the top and visit the observation deck. That was closed unfortunately.

    Fuck the lockdowns.

    Because I know my audience, those guns on the back wall are (from the top) a British Tower musket recovered from Lake Erie, an Eli Whitney contract musket (ca 1809), and a replica (sorry, no real details there).

    Good enough for me. Thanks!

    The geode is large enough that youā€™re standing inside of it.

    Those pictures look cool.

    The picture of the Glib with the Plague Doctor mask is not me.

    The historic car museum looks cool.

    Next time Iā€™ll wrap this up with the bars, and the economic impact the lockdown has had on them.

    This will be both excellent and sad. Fuck the lockdowns.

    Thanks Nephilium for writing this series.

  27. Gustave Lytton

    Loading…’s healthcare task force is closer in time to Nixon’s resignation than present day. It’s also closer to the resignation than 9/11 is to present day.

    Microsoft Bob is closer in time to MS’ founding than to present day.

    • Don did not Escape Bama

      I don’t know what any of that means.

      But Elvis has been dead now longer than he ever was alive.

  28. straffinrun

    The wife hugs the center line while highway driving. Driving me nuts today.

    • Tejicano

      My wife has some kind of traditional Japanese outlook that the man of the house drives the car. She will take over on the rare occasion when she thinks I need a break but 98% of the time I’m behind the wheel.

      • straffinrun

        My license is expired and I havenā€™t renewed it, so sheā€™s driving. Iā€™m never the designated driver anymore.

      • Tejicano

        For what it costs to keep the car on the road – insurance, taxes, parking space, inspections, etc – I wouldn’t let my license expire if at all possible. I even do everything possible to keep my US license current – I just recently re-newed it on-line. But that is more for maintaining the ability to buy guns when I’m in the US than it is about driving.

      • grrizzly

        My partner doesn’t like to drive a stick. Lame.

      • Tejicano

        When I first came to Japan there were very, very few automatic transmissions. Everything was manual. Now it’s flipped 100% to the point that you have to take the driving test with a manual to have that on your license – you aren’t allowed to drive a stick without having tested driving one. I don’t even have access to any vehicle here with a manual transmission.

      • Gustave Lytton

        Just about like that here. My wife’s VW has tiptronic. I played with it a couple of times when we first got it, but it feels like an unnecessary novelty. Other than that, it’s at least twenty years since I’ve had a manual. I’d probably be back to grinding gears and stalling these days. A3 M35s were all auto.

      • Tejicano

        I’ve always driven manual transmission vehicles until coming back to Japan in 93. A few years back I was visiting the US and my step-brother lent me an old Bronco with a stick shift. I had no problem getting back into the habit. It was really a rare treat for me.

      • Frnxt Ghrt Digby Gurm

        I have no desire to do something that the car can do. What am I, some authoritarian–telling the transmission what to do?

  29. Gender Traitor

    Belated Glibfit update: Got back on the treadmill after much too long (months?) Half an hour at 3 MPH. (Not quite up to my previous usual of 3.3 for 45 minutes.) It’s a start.

    • Tejicano

      Getting back in the saddle is one of the hardest parts. Good on you for making a new start.

      I was looking forward to getting back in the gym when I found out a gym on the closest military base to me was back open. I was waiting for the kids to be back in school. Then I found out that that gym is closed again for the foreseeable future.

    • Chafed

      Good work getting back to it GT.

  30. UnCivilServant

    Why did I just order two pounds of monosodium glutamate?

    • Gender Traitor

      It was on sale?
      /chick

      • UnCivilServant

        Well it was $0.39/ounce

      • Gender Traitor

        And you only got two pounds???

      • UnCivilServant

        *does math* Oops, it was only one pound.

      • Gender Traitor

        Now, see – if you’d bought the 3-pack, it only would have been $0.29/oz.

  31. Nikkodemus

    So for those gamer glibs out there (I know there are a few), “Eve: Echoes” released a couple days back. From what I can tell, its a mobile version that very closely resembles the original Eve online, though its on a self contained server separate from the main game. If you liked the original Eve online (which is still running, I subscribe and play occasionally) you would like this. So far its been free to play, but I hear there are pay walls the further you get into the content. Ive not hit any in a couple days of play.

    • UnCivilServant

      I already have a job where I have to look at spreadsheets half the day. Paying for another one doesn’t have a lot of appeal.

      /meant as a light-heatered jibe

      • Nikkodemus

        I wondered if someone would bring up the “Spreadsheets in Space” joke ?

    • DEG

      I remember when Eve Online was called Tradewars.

  32. Frnxt Ghrt Digby Gurm

    And, here I was, hoping that someone would make an “Antifa Hand Puppet”

    /YKWIM

  33. grrizzly

    I will not visit any museum, zoo, aquarium, attend a concert or performance, go into a cave, if I have to wear a face mask at any point. I’ve already been to every great museum in the world. I like caves. As a kid, I took a train deep down to a cave in Abkhazia.

    • UnCivilServant

      So, cave diving is out?

      • straffinrun

        UCS getting dirty.

    • Chafed

      Abkhazia? I thought Harry Potter was fiction.

      • grrizzly

        My grandpa went there every fall, leaving my grandma home. He brought back tangerines. Happened decades ago.

    • Gustave Lytton

      They were all flakes anyways.

      • Chafed

        He should hire Portland rioters. Those people always show up.

    • Frnxt Ghrt Digby Gurm

      The New York City mayor is seeking a multimillion-dollar federal aid package to help assist the city, but he said Wednesday that plan ā€œappears to be dead now.ā€

      https://youtu.be/_asNhzXq72w

  34. Frnxt Ghrt Digby Gurm

    Woo Hoo–Birthday!

    When I leave work, it’s a week’s vacay, and I’ll see you lovely people reprobates in a week.

    • Chafed

      Happy Birthday! Where are you going?

      • Chafed

        And you are ditching us why?

      • Frnxt Ghrt Digby Gurm

        I tend not to do too much in the way of siting in front of a computer when I’m off work–I get enough here.

        Plus, if I allow myself to feel an “ought to” about getting on anywhere (not just here), it’ll kill my enthusiasm. Of course, if I get bored, or get summoned, I’ll make an appearance.

        I guess it’s sorta like the others who take hiatus…es from online shi….stuff.

    • salted earth

      Happy Birthday!

      • Frnxt Ghrt Digby Gurm

        Thank you very much! I’ll keep an eye out for your generous gift. ?

      • salted earth

        What’s the address again?

    • Gustave Lytton

      Happy birthday! May you get a new birthday suit for your not naked intrusions.

      • Frnxt Ghrt Digby Gurm

        Heheheheh–you kidder(ixnay on the akend-nay!)so funny guy.

        /mucho appreciado

    • Sean

      Happy birthday ???

    • Festus' Mustache

      Damn! I’m late but Happy Good One to you, Friend!

    • Frnxt Ghrt Digby Gurm

      Now….let’s not get too hasty! Indiana is always up to no good, and, besides–what the hell does DeBlastoma really know?

    • Festus' Mustache

      Also late but sorry about the Kitteh, Chafed. We just started a regimen for our boy so fingers crossed.

  35. straffinrun

    Guess who put the wrong campsite in the navigator? Oops. Pull in the place and the wife is, ā€œWait this isnā€™t right!ā€ The correct one is 3 hours in the opposite direction.

    • Gustave Lytton

      Lucky you can spell her for the driving… oh shit.

    • Tejicano

      Oh jeez… tell me you’re kidding. Or at least let us know it was the wife’s fault as I can imagine you would be in deep kimchee should you have done that.

      • straffinrun

        Maybe mine. More likely miscommunication on both of us.

      • Frnxt Ghrt Digby Gurm

        You seem to be handling it fairly well…hard drugs?

      • straffinrun

        Just stayed at the first place and cancelled the other one. No harm other than no jakuzzi at this one.

  36. Gustave Lytton

    CNN carries water for their ChiCom masters

    https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/14/asia/taiwan-tsai-trump-azer-china-intl-hnk/index.html

    Relations between Beijing and Taipei have been souring ever since the election of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016, who was perceived by the Chinese government as being in favor of the island’s formal independence.

    Go. Fuck. Yourselves, you lying disingenuous sacks of shit. That isn’t the cause of “souring”. Try Xi’s threats of force along with Red China’s continuing work to undermine Taiwan.

    I’m surprised they didn’t call it Chinese Taipei. If CNN was any further up China’s asshole, they’d be sharing space with the NBA.

    • Frnxt Ghrt Digby Gurm

      Look, if Taiwan would just get back in line, fly straight…China wouldn’t have to get forceful!

      /maybe CNN considers Tsai the Taiwanese Trump?

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      The true Republic of China needs to nuke up.

  37. Yusef drives a Kia

    i’m in love with a Friend,

  38. Gustave Lytton

    TMITE, waterworld edition

    https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2020/08/boat-sinks-on-willamette-river-as-trump-boat-parade-passes-by.html

    A deceptively titled and edited twitter video to “prove” how deplorable the deplorables are. And an even more deceptively written article that doesn’t bear much relation to what is seen. Looks to me like two different points in time and as soon as it became clear what was going on, parade participants began maneuvering to assist without swamping the swimmers or running them over with the props. This is borne out by nearby craft had taken on all of the people before marine deputies arrived.

    • Frnxt Ghrt Digby Gurm

      at least one boat….There, that bone oughta keep the ‘cons happy”

      /Whddya want–I said, “at least one”!

    • Gustave Lytton

      Oh, and the video posted is purported PhD candidate at a local university’s medical school. I guess academic honesty isn’t taught or expected in that program.

  39. Festus' Mustache

    So at work last night I noticed that Canada Post has decided to supply cloth face masks for the workers in the lunchroom with some sort of cringey message on the front. I couldn’t help myself so I drew up two post-its. The one that I stuck to the box said “Free Talismasks!” and the other that I stuck to the wall above it was a drawing of an anvil with “Acme Corp” written on the side. I know I shall regretteth this come the morn…

    • Gender Traitor

      Our (fairly new) marketing guru bought a bunch of cloth masks with our corporate logo on them, but just about nobody in the back office (where I work) wears them because they’re too tight and uncomfortable. I think maybe our CEO wears his when he’s going somewhere in his official capacity, and they may have to wear them at the branches. Gee, sure glad we spent a bunch of money on those.

      • Festus' Mustache

        It’s theater. We had a dozen boxes of paper towels show up and nobody knew what to do with them. They don’t even fit in the dispensers. They could have just asked me to order them. Christ on toast.

      • Festus' Mustache

        The masks that they ordered aren’t even the easy type that hook over your ears but instead the four string two ties like Mash. Tyler is an imbecile.

  40. UnCivilServant

    Morning, Glibs.

    I just want to go back to sleep.

    • Festus' Mustache

      Too late, Friend. World keeps turning. I never want to wake up again sometimes but then we get a day like yesterday that makes it seem worthwhile.

    • Gender Traitor

      Mornin’, UCS.

      I’m with you. Being awake is highly overrated.

      • Festus' Mustache

        If I ever become “woke” you have my permission to euthanize me. I won’t even struggle.

      • UnCivilServant

        That big heap of accrued leave is looking mighty tempting.

      • Gender Traitor

        You have at least a staycation coming up soon, yes?

      • UnCivilServant

        The week leading up to labor day.

      • Gender Traitor

        People talk about having out-of-body experiences. I don’t even want to have an out-of-bed experience.

      • Festus' Mustache

        Depends upon whom you are sharing the bed with! *looks at gnawed off left arm. Weeps*

    • Sean

      Mornin’ all.

      • Gender Traitor

        Mornin’, Sean. No pre-Lynx links?

      • Sean

        Nope. I was behind schedule before leaving the house for work.

      • Festus' Mustache

        Mornin’ Thumbs!

  41. TARDIS

    Work is miserable. Everyone is unhappy. The masks, the wokeness, the work schedules, people being shuffled around like they are cards, and the constant crisises.

    • Festus' Mustache

      Some people live for that nonsense. Sorry.

    • Gender Traitor

      Back when I was a permatemp at a big multinational, it seemed as if crises always seemed to come up on Friday afternoons. I blamed the workaholics who didn’t want to have to go home on time.

      • Festus' Mustache

        Toxic home environment. I used to work long hours just to avoid the unpleasantness.

      • Gender Traitor

        I supported engineers who designed and tested airbags. My favorite Friday afternoon crisis was when we heard that several states away, at a warehouse full of airbag modules, it got cold and all the integrated horns in the modules started going off.

      • Festus' Mustache

        Gah!

      • Festus' Mustache

        One of buildings that we supplied collapsed one time. You want to see a bunch of big-wigs with buggy eyes? Turned out it wasn’t our equipment, just an inept construction crew.

      • Sean

        LOL

      • UnCivilServant

        There’s nothing worse than a hard of horny airbags.

      • Gender Traitor

        AKA Glibs?

        (Present company excepted, of course.)

      • TARDIS

        Yeah, my GM is like that, besides being a micromanager. Good Morning, btw.

      • Gender Traitor

        Good morning, TARDy! : )

    • Tejicano

      I spent most of last year spinning my wheels trying to get a project/gig-based career started and things really started to click in December just in time to crash in February.

      About all I can do now is keep pushing to get things going again. At this point I can’t see going back to the corporate world of giving them 50-70 hours a week for a paycheck. And it’s not so much the time invested as the amount of BS I end up ingesting.

      • limey

        I very much hope that get’s going for you. This whole ‘rona panic seems to have been a prime opportunity to try crippling the self-reliant, independent person to the point of forcing more govt assistance on them and bringing them “to heel”.

      • Festus' Mustache

        I’m nearly at the point of growing a hobo beard and stopping washing my crevices.

      • TARDIS

        I tried that during my exile. I had to give it up. The itching and burning became unbearable.

      • Festus' Mustache

        Gonna start a tomato garden in my navel.

      • limey

        Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

        Mornin’ fellas.

      • Festus' Mustache

        Mornin’ my trans-Atlantic Friend.

      • TARDIS

        Mornin’. Is it time for a beer yet?

  42. Gender Traitor

    It’s unusually cool this morning. Only 60 degrees American, per the Big Weather Kahuna local TV station’s site. Felt compelled to throw on a hoodie when I got out of bed, and I may need a sweater when I leave for work. Unheard of for mid-August.

    • Festus' Mustache

      We got hot again just yesterday. We’ll get another week of summer yet!

    • UnCivilServant

      58 degrees here. Supposedly foggy.

  43. limey

    RealFeelĀ® 69 dungarees frankenstein here on England’s beautiful east coast. Pleasant. Good morning, GT.

    • Festus' Mustache

      Pushing 90 here. Many pasty whites will be dragging ass tomorrow. Lots of bright reds…

    • Gender Traitor

      Good morning, limey JD.

  44. Tejicano

    Jebus – it’s been close to 100F here with 80% humidity. Nearly unheard of for this place. I’m almost glad I’ve got nothing to do more than hang around answering the random e-mail.

    • Festus' Mustache

      If you keep the door locked you can go “au naturale”. Just saying.

      • Tejicano

        My kids’ school is only starting half-days from tomorrow so I have to keep it Disney-rated for the time being. I’ll probably be hitting the heat pump’s outside unit with the hose to try to give it a little help.

    • TARDIS

      She should be arrested.?

      Mornin’, Sean.

      • Sean

        I’m not even gonna post the links to that poor guy dragged from his pick up over night and beaten (along with the woman he was protecting).
        It’s too disturbing and y’all don’t deserve that this early.

        Good morning.

      • Festus' Mustache

        Yeah. My team lost last night in overtime. I feel you. In all seriousness I don’t want to watch that tomfoolery any more. Whether it’s Antifa getting its ass handed to it again or whatever. I’m done with it.

    • Festus' Mustache

      We had a Lab/Chesapeake and you know what she hated most? Rheeeeeing and rainbow trout. Terrified of fish and loud noises.