Archery meditation

[Starjumper]

Around age 10 my dad got me one of those little badass compound bow beginner kits. Of course, the first month I went around our land sticking arrows in anything that could get stuck by an arrow. Did you know that a 1955 40 horse Farmall tractor tire will take 6 rounds before it goes down? Tough sumbich.

 

That got boring, so being the 10 yr. old Dukes of Hazard fan that I was, I quickly advanced to taking strips of cut up T-shirt doused in chainsaw gas tied around the end and was sending flaming arrows all over the place. One summer afternoon, I was shooting flaming arrows into a large rotten oak stump in our backyard. I looked over under the carport and see a shiny brand new can of starting fluid (Ether). The light bulb went off in my head.

I grabbed the can and set it on the stump. I thought that it would probably just spray out in a disappointing manner. Lets face it, to a 10 yr old mouth-breather like myself, (Ether), really doesn't "sound" flammable.

So, I went back into the house and got a 1 pound can of Pyrodex (black powder for muzzle loader rifles).

At this point, I set the can of ether on the stump and opened up the can of black powder. My intentions were to sprinkle a little bit around the (Ether) can but it all sorta dumped out on me. No biggie, a 1 lb. Pyrodex and 16 oz (Ether) should make a loud pop, kinda like a firecracker you know?

You know what? Screw that I'm going back in the house for the other can.

Yes, I got a second can of pyrodex and dumped it too. Now we're cookin'.

I stepped back about 15 ft and lit the 2 stroke arrow. I drew the nock to my cheek and took aim. As I released I heard a clunk as the arrow launched from my bow. In a slow motion time frame, I turned to see my dad getting out of the truck...OH SHIT! He just got home from work. So help me God it took 10 minutes for that arrow to go from my bow to the can. My dad was walking towards me in slow motion with a WTF look in his eyes. I turned back towards my target just in time to see the arrow pierce the starting fluid can right at the bottom. Right through the main pile of Pyrodex and into the can.

 
Oh Shit.

When the shock wave hit it knocked me off my feet. I don't know if it was the actual compression wave that threw me back or just reflex jerk back from 235 fricking decibels of sound. I caught a half a millisecond glimpse of the violence during the initial explosion and I will tell you there was dust, grass, and bugs all hovering 1 ft above the ground as far as I could see. It was like a little low to the ground layer of dust fog full of grasshoppers, spiders, and a worm or two.

The daylight turned purple. Let me repeat this... THE FRICKING DAYLIGHT TURNED PURPLE

There was a big sweetgum tree out by the gate going into the pasture.

Notice I said "was". That son-of-a-bitch got up and ran off.

So here I am, on the ground blown completely out of my shoes with my Thundercats T-Shirt shredded, my dad is on the other side of the carport having what I can only assume is a Vietnam flashback:

ECHO BRAVO CHARLIE YOU'RE BRINGIN' EM IN TOO CLOSE!! CEASE FIRE. DAMNIT CEASE FIRE!!!!!

His hat has blown off and is 30 ft. behind him in the driveway. All windows on the north side of the house are blown out and there is a slow rolling mushroom cloud about 2000 ft. over our backyard. There is a Honda 185 3 wheeler parked on the other side of the yard and the fenders are drooped down and are now touching the tires.

I wish I knew what I said to my dad at this moment. I don't know – I know I said something. I couldn't hear. I couldn't hear inside my own head. I don't think he heard me either... not that it would really matter. I don't remember much from this point on. I said something, felt a sharp pain, and then woke up later. I felt a sharp pain, blacked out, woke later....repeat this process for an hour or so and you get the idea. I remember at one point my mom had to give me CPR. and Dad screaming "Bring Him back to life so I can kill him again". Thanks Mom.

One thing is for sure... I never had to mow around that stump again, Mom had been bitching about that thing for years and dad never did anything about it. I stepped up to the plate and handled business.

Dad sold his muzzle loader a week or so later. I still have some sort of bone growth abnormality, either from the blast or the beating, or both.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, get your kids into archery. It's good discipline and will teach them skills they can use later on in life.

 

 

from Dino Hebb

Edited April 18, 2019 by Starjumper

[Stosh]

18 minutes ago, Starjumper said:

Around age 10 my dad got me one of those little badass compound bow beginner kits. Of course, the first month I went around our land sticking arrows in anything that could get stuck by an arrow. Did you know that a 1955 40 horse Farmall tractor tire will take 6 rounds before it goes down? Tough sumbich.

 

 

 

from Dino Hebb

No I didn't know that ,, did you know a tennis ball can , may be made into effective Shuriken ?  

[silent thunder]

Tennis balls can also be wonderful mini fireballs.

 

Puncture tennis ball.  Fill with flammable liquid of choice/availabilty.

Light tennis ball on fire.  Kick it around the Cul de Sac with friends.

 

For best effect play at night.

For safest effect, play with heavy boots on during the wet season only.

[Pilgrim]

Well I must say it is probably a good thing we did not grow up next to each other or we would likely not be alive today. My Dad did the same thing Archery set, old car seats out of the junk yard to shoot into. Remember the neighbor being very unhappy about the arrow coming down through their screened in porches sheet metal roof. You know they said no shooting straight up into the air you have no idea where it is going to land.

 

Well what do you know they were right.

 

Do you have any idea just how pissed off drivers get when you fill metal garbage can lids.... collected during trash night.... and fill them with rubbing alcohol light them and throw them across the street on a dark snowy night with cars coming?

 

Well I thought they looked like flying saucers and the blue globs of flame were just awesome to see flying through the sky.

 

The drivers skidding out of control hitting their brakes scared the heck out of me. I still remember thinking why did Mark (Older Kid with a mean streak) ruin our fun waiting for the cars?  

 

And yeah I caught the house on fire bringing my mother her Bic lighter while she was on the phone, she had dried arrangements in brass butter churns sprayed with hair spray.  Gee I wonder how long it takes for this feather stuff to catch on fire?

 

Fwooomph!!!  Old man came of the couch like a rocket kicking the stuff out the front door swearing and getting burnt in the process. It was the only time I was certain my life was forfeit he was going to kill me, only my Mother saved me that night

[Starjumper]

4 hours ago, Stosh said:

did you know a tennis ball can , may be made into effective Shuriken ?

 

Nope, I didn't know that.  It must be kind of a soft one eh?  Or do you stick knives in it?

 

2 hours ago, silent thunder said:

Puncture tennis ball.  Fill with flammable liquid of choice/availabilty.

Light tennis ball on fire.  Kick it around the Cul de Sac with friends.

 

For best effect play at night.

 

That sounds like fun.  When I was a kid in Argentina a couple of friends and I made a bonfire in the middle of his horse pasture.  Then we filled a one gallon paint can with kerosene ...   at night.

 

We put a nail hole in the middle of the lid and pounded the lid on real well, and then set it on the fire.  After a bit the kerosene would start boiling and overflow, which would make the paint can light up.  After a little while the kerosene would be boiling hard and spraying out of the hole in the top at very high velocity, creating a giant beam of fire going up about twenty feet.  It lit up the whole big horse pasture very well, and it took a several minutes to empty the can.

Edited April 12, 2019 by Starjumper

[silent thunder]

11 minutes ago, Starjumper said:

 

Nope, I didn't know that.  It must be kind of a soft one eh?  Or do you stick knives in it?

 

the ball lasts for a surprising long time... eventually our mother's were wondering why their oven mits were all blistered, melted and crispy, laugh my ass off!  <shrug>  'i dunno mom!"

 

11 minutes ago, Starjumper said:

 

That sounds like fun.  When I was a kid in Argentina a couple of friends and I made a bonfire in the middle of his horse pasture.  Then we filled a one gallon paint can with kerosene ...   at night.

 

We put a nail hole in the middle of the lid and pounded the lid on real well, and then set it on the fire.  After a bit the kerosene would start boiling and overflow, which would make the paint can light up.  After a little while the kerosene would be boiling hard and spraying out of the hole in the top at very high velocity, creating a giant beam of fire going up about twenty feet.  It lit up the whole big horse pasture very well, and it took a several minutes to empty the can.

It's been long years since I've heard the call of my primary element, but this conversation has it singing.

 

That sounds fecking brilliant.  Like literally brilliant!  Would have loved to have seen that.

[silent thunder]

Spoiler

 

 

Edited June 16, 2022 by silent thunder

[Stosh]

41 minutes ago, Starjumper said:

 

Nope, I didn't know that.  It must be kind of a soft one eh?  Or do you stick knives in it?

 

 

That sounds like fun.  When I was a kid in Argentina a couple of friends and I made a bonfire in the middle of his horse pasture.  Then we filled a one gallon paint can with kerosene ...   at night.

 

We put a nail hole in the middle of the lid and pounded the lid on real well, and then set it on the fire.  After a bit the kerosene would start boiling and overflow, which would make the paint can light up.  After a little while the kerosene would be boiling hard and spraying out of the hole in the top at very high velocity, creating a giant beam of fire going up about twenty feet.  It lit up the whole big horse pasture very well, and it took a several minutes to empty the can.

Actually it was rather a sturdy steel can, cut and bent to shape , having been so.. needing to be pressurized. Proving its worthiness by punching holes all over a garage door, no assembly required .

 

... but not as much fun as the flooring nail blow gun,  or the 'rock in a sock'  

 

Perhaps pathetically I didn't do much pyrotechnics .. I lived in the city.

Edited April 12, 2019 by Stosh

[Nintendao]

Speaking of sketchy shuriken,

 

 https://d.tube/#!/v/nintendao/czwog45c - Bum Fu Projectile - Wicked Lugnut

 

(300th post!)

[Stosh]

Gotta love that Bum Fu ! 😁

Edited April 12, 2019 by Stosh

[Nungali]

 

[rene]

23 hours ago, Starjumper said:

Around age 10 my dad got me one of those little badass compound bow beginner kits....

 

 

I never had one as a kid...but I picked up the affinity a few years ago...

 

 

It comes in handy, up here (-:

 

Edited April 13, 2019 by rene

[Nungali]

  

 

that the only thing I shoot at

 

 

 

They used to be behaving themselves around here , but now they started digging up plants, veggies, turning the pot plants over ... so

 

But I use a badly made bamboo bow and thick blunt bamboo arrows , which, if I hit one, is usually going sideways by then  

 

Eventually scares them off though , or they get out of line by hiding behind a tree. or a bush . I have got better at a blind shot, going up over bushes and coming down where they are .

 

They be behavin a lot better  now   ...   here   that is  ... my neighbour is complaining that all of a sudden all these brush turkeys are coming to his place and digging up his garden "and they never did it before ! ....  " 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nungali]

9 hours ago, rene said:

 

I never had one as a kid...but I picked up the affinity a few years ago...

 

 

I was wondering when you show up here  .... cause of your avvie pic .

 

   Ooooo ...

 

 

[Starjumper]

On 4/13/2019 at 8:10 PM, Nungali said:

 

 

[Nungali]

7 hours ago, Starjumper said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

.....................