What did you do today? - 2023 version

[REWahoo]

Returning home today after taking DW to physical therapy, an oncoming car less than 50 yards ahead of us suddenly swerved into our lane. This was on a narrow two lane highway with very little shoulder. I was doing the speed limit (60 MPH) and the oncoming car lining up for a head-on collision with us was at a similar speed.

I swerved hard to the right and was fortunate to be at a section of road that has a short right turn lane into a subdivision. That added lane prevented me running entirely off the road and almost certainly losing control. The other driver put down their cell phone and swerved partially back into their lane just as we met. We managed to miss each other by what seemed like inches but was actually several feet. Closest call I've had in years.

DW, once she was able to speak, turned to me and said, "Yes, I know. The lightning-fast reaction time of a former jet pilot."

[skyking1]

Well done! One of the forum denizens at another site had a dash cam video that sounds really similar to your experience, but it was a car passing on a hill and there was an intersecting road like yours that totally saved the day, and those same lightning reflexes

[Dawg52]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo Returning home today after taking DW to physical therapy, an oncoming car less than 50 yards ahead of us suddenly swerved into our lane. This was on a narrow two lane highway with very little shoulder. I was doing the speed limit (60 MPH) and the oncoming car lining up for a head-on collision with us was at a similar speed. I swerved hard to the right and was fortunate to be at a section of road that has a short right turn lane into a subdivision. That added lane prevented me running entirely off the road and almost certainly losing control. The other driver put down their cell phone and swerved partially back into their lane just as we met. We managed to miss each other by what seemed like inches but was actually several feet. Closest call I've had in years. DW, once she was able to speak, turned to me and said, "Yes, I know. The lightning-fast reaction time of a former jet pilot."

I had a similar experience a few years ago one night. A two land road with almost no shoulder. The on coming car started to pull into my lane and all I could do was blow the horn. Fortunately they pulled back. You know it had to be a cell phone deal.

[MC Rider]

Makes me think about installing a paintball dispenser on my vehicles.

Dispenser is the operative word here.

[skyking1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MC Rider Makes me think about installing a paintball dispenser on my vehicles. Dispenser is the operative word here.

Ahem, dispenser?
yeees Batman. :P

[street]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo Returning home today after taking DW to physical therapy, an oncoming car less than 50 yards ahead of us suddenly swerved into our lane. This was on a narrow two lane highway with very little shoulder. I was doing the speed limit (60 MPH) and the oncoming car lining up for a head-on collision with us was at a similar speed. I swerved hard to the right and was fortunate to be at a section of road that has a short right turn lane into a subdivision. That added lane prevented me running entirely off the road and almost certainly losing control. The other driver put down their cell phone and swerved partially back into their lane just as we met. We managed to miss each other by what seemed like inches but was actually several feet. Closest call I've had in years. DW, once she was able to speak, turned to me and said, "Yes, I know. The lightning-fast reaction time of a former jet pilot."

Glad all turned out fine. That was scary just reading.

[socca]

I was hunting through some old documents yesterday looking for basis information for U.S. Midwest farmland that’s been in my family for generations. I found the will and estate asset list for a relative who died in 1915 (WW1 was raging!) This relative had a French-sounding last name. Family folklore is that one branch of the family emigrated to the U.S. during the French Huguenot persecutions; I’m not sure when. I laughed when I read this relative’s will: he disinherited any descendants who were members of the Catholic Church. Those ancient hatreds run deep. He seems to have been pretty wealthy according to the standards of the day - lots of farmland in his estate. The very best land was valued at a whopping $150 / acre in 1915 - do you know what this sells for today?

[street]

Quote:

Originally Posted by socca I was hunting through some old documents yesterday looking for basis information for U.S. Midwest farmland that’s been in my family for generations. I found the will and estate asset list for a relative who died in 1915 (WW1 was raging!) This relative had a French-sounding last name. Family folklore is that one branch of the family emigrated to the U.S. during the French Huguenot persecutions; I’m not sure when. I laughed when I read this relative’s will: he disinherited any descendants who were members of the Catholic Church. Those ancient hatreds run deep. He seems to have been pretty wealthy according to the standards of the day - lots of farmland in his estate. The very best land was valued at a whopping $150 / acre in 1915 - do you know what this sells for today?

Interesting!!
I have no idea what his land would go for today. A guess it would be from 4500 to 10k an acre. A lot depends on location and what kind of land it is or purpose of the land today.

[socca]

Another bit of family folklore is that those members of the French branch of the family who didn't emigrate to the U.S. enthusiastically signed up to serve in WW1 and were largely wiped out. I guess we're lovers not fighters.

It would be a fun project to travel around southwestern France trying to locate the old family name on WW1 monuments in town squares. I would need a French genealogical society to point me in the right direction.

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by socca It would be a fun project to travel around southwestern France trying to locate the old family name on WW1 monuments in town squares. I would need a French genealogical society to point me in the right direction.

You might start with entering the name in findagrave.com to see the cemeteries where they were buried. Look at the cemetery locations to find the region, and that should narrow your search considerably.

[Gumby]

I have a very small amount of French heritage. They were from Montbéliard in Doubs, Franche-Comte and they were Lutherans. They immigrated to Nova Scotia between 1750 and 1752, as members of the Foreign Protestants https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_Protestants, who were settlers recruited by the British as a counterbalance to the Acadian Catholics in their relatively new province taken from the French during Queen Anne's War.

[skyking1]

Started with a little treadmill and I have been watching my nephew's progress on the cross state race. He rode until 1 AM and moved into 9th place.
He slept in a bit, and the 8th place guy snoozed in a lot in a hotel in Wenatchee.
Ian has closed the gap to 7 miles and there is a brutal hill climb up out of the Columbia northbound coming up.
I wager he will be in 8th by the end of the day.
The leader never stopped and is only 40 miles from the finish.

[Gumby]

Mowed the lawn at church this morning. I did my own yesterday. I may go out to my garden this afternoon, as I've got a lot to plant.

[Trailwalker]

Admitted defeat and cancelled my T-Mobile home internet. When it worked, it worked very well for us (speeds above 150 mb). When there was bad weather or lots of weekend interstate traffic (where the tower is), speeds dropped below 4 mb. Spectrum's self-install arrived yesterday, so I hooked that up this morning. Speeds above 300 mb, which we don't really need. I also qualified for the "new customer" rate for next two years.

[Ronstar]

In the midst of a summer long tree trimming project. Sometimes I hear a honk and have to make a clearing for the mail lady to get through. Been using the Ego 16" battery powered chain saw. Thing is amazing.

[Palmtree]

Started the day dark early with a drive to a large weekly flea market about 30 minutes away. Strolled around for an hour or more and bit on a couple of small items. Back home for breakfast before 9:00am. A quick bowl of oatmeal then checked Treasury Direct online to make sure the T-Bills I had pre-purchased actually settled in the account. Changed into yardwork clothes and did about 3 hours of pressure washing. Got totally filthy. It's amazing how grungy sidewalks and other things get over the years. A quick rinse off and, being the local woodworker, I was asked to go nextdoor to advise their handyman on the best way of transforming a couple of slabs into side tables. Next stop, a visit to the hot-tub to ease the back pain of three hours pressure washing! Then a proper shower and a change of clothes. Now I'm sipping a mohito and reflecting on the day.

[street]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronstar In the midst of a summer long tree trimming project. Sometimes I hear a honk and have to make a clearing for the mail lady to get through. Been using the Ego 16" battery powered chain saw. Thing is amazing.

Great exercise and one thing about it, you can do as much as you want each day. Looks like a beautiful place.

[doneat54]

Finished a 7 week racquetball doubles league at a new club. Finished 6 out of 32 players. Wide range of participants, from an 18 year old to guys close to 70. I'm 61 and have been playing since I was 14, pretty much every year since with a few exceptions. LOVE the game (yes, I tried pickleball, fun, but lacks the speed and intensity of racquetball). Have been doing PT for back issues for the last 6 weeks has helped me immensely. Very happy to be playing well again. Feel like a 35 year old tonight.


Will feel like an 80 year old tomorrow morning.

[skyking1]

I unloaded the mini and then loaded some crushed rock from the yard at work and hauled it to the dispatcher's house to get rid of it, and then about 9 tons of some good bony stuff that was about 90% base rock and hauled it out to my friend's place. These were cleanup loads to prepare for new construction at the office.
My best effort of the day was coordinating a surprise for my nephew on the bike race. I have a good friend from another forum who went out to meet him on the road with a sign, and cheer him on.
He was completely surprised and pleased to have somebody come out on this solo race.
They chatted for a bit and my friend sent him to the local good taco truck for some fuel.

[Timeisprecious]

Slept in late, took a tram ride around Frederick Meijer Gardens (a very nice ride to check out their sculpture & horticulture), then went out to our favorite Mexican place for dinner. What's not to love?