Stories of family, creativity, and diverse distractions.

Author: Walt Page 8 of 12

Employee of the Month: Grbak the Troll

A Midday Cacophony: West Point at Noon

When you think about a small town, do you imagine that it’s a quiet place? I certainly do. And, for the most part, West Point was a pretty quiet place. You might hear a teenager’s hot rod once in a while. And there was certainly some noise from the grain elevator down the street, at least at certain times of year. But much of the time all you would hear is birds singing, and the wind through the trees.

Why I Love Backpacking, Part 2: Meet the Neighbors

One of the things I love about backpacking is meeting the local residents. Some people might say it’s a bad neighborhood. After all, the residents are known to frequently kill and eat one another. But I’ve found they’re a hardworking lot, who are just trying to live their lives and feed their children. Let’s meet some of them!

Bitten By A Radioactive Blank

We all know Spiderman got his superpowers when he was bitten by a radioactive spider. But what if it wasn’t a spider? What sort of hero would you get? Or would they even become a hero?

Simulating Reality With Funny-Shaped Dice: The Bystander’s Guide

Perhaps the most iconic symbols of tabletop roleplaying games (RPG’s) are the funny-shaped dice. Even if you’ve never played an RPG, you’ll probably recognize “D&D dice”. But how are they used, and why are there so many different kinds? Let’s talk about that.

Dispel Confusion: The Bystander’s Guide to Role-Playing Games

One of my readers pointed out to me that not everyone has played a role-playing game (or RPG, for short). So today we’re going to explore the basics of what RPG’s are and how they are played.

Favorite Tools: The Piloted Tap Wrench

Keeping a tap straight and square the the hole you’re tapping is really important. Not only does it ensure that the threads are strong, it helps prevent you from breaking off the tap in the workpiece. But it’s not easy: holding it perfectly square to the work while you turn it takes a lot of practice. Or a better tap wrench…

OMG! We’ve turned 100 Already?!?

I mean sure, there are some mornings I feel like I might be. But age isn’t what I’m talking about.

Fifty Years Ago Today

“Can you be a brave boy for me?”

When you’re an eight year old boy there’s really only one answer to that.

We were standing in Grandma’s kitchen. It was usually a busy place, especially when there was family visiting. And there was a bunch of family – my aunt and uncle had brought Grandma’s cousin Elanor from Germany out to visit, so they were there, along with their kids. There were other relatives there too. I don’t really recall who, exactly. But it was a pretty full house that night. The place should have been full of noise and laughter, and the kitchen should have been full of people. Earlier that night it had been. But now Mom and I had the room to ourselves. Strange.

Remembering a Foggy Autumn Morning

Autumn colors on Lake Monroe, Indiana, taken on a foggy morning.
Taken September, 2007

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