[norson]

That may seem like a dumb/empty question, but at age 81, perhaps I've earned the right to ask - then again, maybe not.

For years I said I found what I was born to do . . . hospital volunteering . . . I loved it and wish I were still physically able.

But now, I've "discovered" making canes and giving them away. Most of them are made from sticks I found on the ground or sent to me by my brother . . . so my monetary investment is minimal.

Sure, they take me hours/days/weeks - and some of them months - to complete. So what?

I, purposely, did not check my file to see how many canes I've made and given away but it's got to be close to fifty.

And that has brought me great joy.

Try it.

I think you'll like it.

Happy Father's Day, dads.

-neb

 

[Sean]

It's a great thing your doing! Congratulations on making quite a number of people very happy I'm sure.

Happy Fathers Day guys!

 

[norson]

I counted them - the # is 55.

 

[CAS14]

I've made walking sticks for me, my wife, my kids, their spouses, my grandkids, my siblings, and now working on the spouses of my siblings sticks.

Made one walking stick for a Marine brother several years ago. He was suffering from cancer, possibly Agent Orange, and he loved it. He passed away about a month ago. Another Marine brother suffering from MS, also possibly Agent Orange, and I have to get busy on that. I was knocked out of stick making for more than a year due to eye surgeries, but I'm back in business after two more weeks, last surgery on Tuesday and I must avoid sweating and dust for a while. But I have to get back to it.

The sticks for Marines are easy to customize with USMC and Marine unit pins, as well as pins represented the Allied forces that we were embedded with. Others often have favorite pins they want embedded.

I've embedded compasses atop several, including my brother's - he is a retired cop, and now a summer park ranger at Rocky Mountain National Park, my grandson's, and one of mine.

 

[MJC4]

I just traded this one to my 10 year old niece for her dad for Fathers day. She got the stick for a Fathers Day gift and I got a portrait drawn for me of an owl!! My sister says I got ripped off, I think not, its been a long time since we had refrigerator portraits around here!!!

 

[MJC4]

CAS glad to see U back on the forums, hope your feeling well. Looking forward to some more of your work. I still think the stick you made with the practice grenade on the top is one of my all time favorites !!

 

[CAS14]

CAS glad to see U back on the forums, hope your feeling well. Looking forward to some more of your work. I still think the stick you made with the practice grenade on the top is one of my all time favorites !!

For those forward air controllers and naval gunfire operators who were embedded with Allied forces and who were not well supported by HQ, we didn't like to have to get close enough to a target to chuck a smoke grenade to mark it. The M-79 was a coveted weapon, and I had one on a "time-share" arrangement. A buddy and I chipped in to buy one from an ARVN, and we would exchange whenever we could meet up in between our respective companies' ops. Nice to be able to mark a target from 100 m away. I had smoke, WP, HE, flechette, and buckshot grenades, the latter for ambush defense. My grandad had an old 32-20 with a similarly slow muzzle velocity and visibly arced path. I could hit a window in a bunker from which we were receiving fire because of childhood practice with the 32-20.