This was a very quiet day spent planning and visiting with friends.
Yesterday, Jeanne had planned our route for the next few months and was ready to make the phone calls. So, after breakfast we headed for town for good cell phone reception. The first order of business was to download e-mails at the internet cafe. That done, Jeanne made calls for about an hour while I toured the Daisy Airgun Museum in Rogers, Arkansas. Here’s the backstory:
In the late 1800s, a metal windmill manufacturer in the Midwest purchased a small airgun company that specialized in wooden airguns. Using the air compression mechanism, the windmill maker adapted the design to an all-metal model and after trying it out, someone said “That’s a Daisy”, the modern version of “That’s Cool!” and the Daisy Manufacturing Company was born. Fast forward to 1958 and Daisy moved to Rogers, Arkansas. The company has since moved again (it is still in the Northwest Arkansas region) and all that remains in Rogers is the museum, where over 140 airguns are on display. The museum is mostly dedicated to Daisy’s history but there is an impressive display of primitive airguns dating back to the 1700s. I even got to see the BB gun model that mom and dad absolutely refused to let me have when I was a kid. Now, back to the triplog. . .
With the travel arrangements complete, Jeanne was noticeably relieved. We stopped at Walmart to pick up a few things before returning to the coach.
Yesterday, I made the mistake of showing Don my pocket knife sharpened with the kit I won at a CHFC raffle. Don immediately produced a pocket knife and asked me to sharpen it for him. Upon inspection, the knife had been severely abused. The blade and case were rusted and I doubt if the blades were ever sharpened after they left the factory. The blades were dull and discolored way beyond normal use. It was a clear case of neglect and I considered reporting Don to the Knife Abuse Hotline. However, after two hours of work, the rust was removed and the blades were honed to a razor-like edge. The rust was so severe, the blades were pitted and will always carry these scars of abuse. Before and after pictures were taken for documentation purposes and are incorporated into this triplog. With hesitation, I returned the knife to Don after he promised to take good care of it.
Faye and Don prepared an outstanding turkey dinner, with all the fixings, and invited their neighbors, Ron and Cheryl. We ate a great meal, drank fine wines and talked way into the night. A good time was had by all!