Seattle 07-2002

Back in 2002 Kathi and I drove to Seattle to visit my Dad (1500 miles in 3 days). One of the places we visited was the Last Resort Fire Department. The LRFD is run by Galen a retired Seattle fireman. Galen is very "meticulous".
As you can see from these pictures The building where he keeps his fire apparatus holds (I believe) 12 fire trucks.

Including one out front, and one hanging from the ceiling.



Everything in the LRFD is place with Meticulous care and all space is used.

We stayed at a friend of Bob's house. They were out of town so we house sat.
They had a cat named Mija.

Mija liked to wake us up in the morning by standing on us and using us as a scratching post. But we liked Mija.
We saw the Fremont Troll under the bridge.

Click on the picture below for a panoramic view of Lake Washington taken from above the I-90 Tunnel.

Yes the bridge is floating on the lake.

We also visited Jurassic Park. Jurassic park was a large piece of property owned by a lawyer friend of Bob's. It was called Jurassic park because it was green, overgrown and there were a lot of unusual animals there. It is no longer there, several month after we visited the animals were moved and the property sold. So without further ado here is a short clip from our visit there.

The loud chirping noise is an alarm call made by the deer.

We did some other things I don't have any decent pictures of, we did some antiquing, and drove up into the cascade mountains. A couple of days later we visited another friend of Bob's this guy used to be an insurance salesman (I think) he had model trains all over his his basement and garage.


Including his bathroom.

We went on a tour of a Russian Foxtrot-Class Cobra sub that I believe is still in Seattle.

Here some video of it.

I took a picture through the periscope.

All this wore my dad out.

We did some other things but these were the more interesting highlights. Kathi and I then drove home again (well mostly I drove) this time 1500 miles in 2 days. Man was I tired. Oh yeah for those who don't know when you drive through Oregon it is against the law to pump your own gas. It seems that 1. The old people want it that way and 2. they do it to keeps the freaky people employed.

Movie Review: Pirates...(at Worlds End)

Boy where to start on this one... how about:
Hangings galore
Everyone Sing
Summon the Bretheren Court
We need Jack
Big fight
Explosions
Can't trust anyone
It's cold
The Chart
aaaaaahhhhhh!!!!
Oh... A peanut
Jack Sparrows galore
Rock Crabs
Souls adrift
Upsi-daisy
Green Flash
Stab the Heart
Don't Stab the Heart
Calamari
Fight
Your the Captain now
Calypso?
Part of the Ship
Part of The Crew
Nooooo!
Bird Crumbs
They stack Ship that High?
Pieces of eight... No wait?
Run or Fight
Brawl
Keith Richards
Pirate King
Hows Mum?
FIGHT! so we can run.
Parley
Trade
Attack of the 100 foot Calypso
Maelstrom!!!
Huge, Incredible, wild, married, Insane, Bizarre, (and totally unbelievable battle)
Monkey away
I dropped my brain
Who WILL be the next Davy Jones?
Emergency Heart Surgery
Big Boom
Nookie before night
Take my Heart please
Innuendo's galore
Where's my ship?
Where are we Going?
Jack Sparrow!!!!!!!!
Juan Ponce de León
end of credits
A Pirates life for Me
Green Flash

Wow I'll say that again WOW. I guess when you have to "out do" your two previous movies this is how you do it. I mean come on really. Strap yourselves in for this one. Spectacular special effects, more fighting and battles than you can shake a stick at, lots of gratuitous gross out stuff, and tons of plot twists. A good way to Confuse-a-Cat. Anyways go see it!
Just make sure you go pee first... (it's a loooong movie)

What you don't want to see

In your rear view mirror.

The Pause That Refreshes

After a hard days hunting Mike likes to kick back with a nice can of SpaghettiOs® Plus Calcium.


That's mm mm good.

SpaghettiOs® Plus Calcium
Pasta in Tomato and Cheese Sauce
Did you know that a serving of SpaghettiOs® Plus Calcium pasta provides as much calcium as an 8 oz glass of milk? SpaghettiOs® Plus Calcium pasta makes it easy to help your kids build strong bones. SpaghettiOs® Plus Calcium pasta contains:

-30% of the Daily Value for Calcium
-25% of the Daily Value for Vitamin D

A Very Good Day

On February 26 2006, shortly after I was able to walk again following "The Incident" my brothers and I decided to go out to the Arizona Railway Museum. At that time it was at it's old location. It's not a very big museum but it does have some interesting stuff there, like one of the small statues from the old Hobo Joe's restaurants,

and an old railroad traffic control center console.

We walked through some of the passenger cars,

and took pictures of some of the cars and engines.


We took several pics of ourselves in or near the steam engine 2562.


When we left we came across this F-86D:
Since the museum wasn't very big and we had lots of time to kill we decided to head on out to Falcon field and check out the aircraft of the Commemorative Air Force Formerly the Confederate Air Force. We saw several aircraft including this MIG 21,
and we watched the B-17G Sentimental Journey takeoff.
At some point in here we had a nice Mexican food lunch.

On our way home we spotted some smoke and decided to chase after it. As we got there we realized we had actually beaten the fire department.

There was a brush fire right next to what I think is a library. First due on the scene was Tempe Engine 275.
They pulled up near the fire and immediately laid a hand line.
They connected to the Hydrant
and setup a monitor.
Shortly thereafter Tempe Engine 276 arrived.

The guy in yellow below is telling Chris he thinks some kids started the fire.

Of course we stood around and watched.
When we left we smelled like a forest fire.

We saw Trains, Planes, Ate Mexican food and saw a Fire.
Indeed... it was a Very Good Day.

The Fire Chasers

Here's a story that ran in the Arizona Republic's Sunday magazine insert on April 13th, 1969 about how my Dad chased fires. It's corny, It's goofy, but what the hey. I did fix some errors in the original article (bad spelling, wrong names for stuff, etc.).

Blow in his ear and he’ll follow you to a fire

by Ed Sovola

The little lamb Mary had, that went everywhere Mary went, is small lamb chops compared to the portable radio Bob Guildig has. It really goes everywhere. It even goes with Bob and his family to church on Sunday.

Why should a man want a radio blowing in his ear in church? Bob Guildig does because he’s completely ape over fires. If a call comes through his earplug in the middle of a sermon, it’s bye-bye preacher.

“Nobody can hear anything when I’ve got the plug in my ear,” Guildig explained. “So far we haven’t had to leave during a service. But if a call does come we don’t want to miss it, do we, honey?”Mrs. Guildig nodded. Then she glanced at 18-month-old Kathy and 2½ -year-old Robert on the floor tugging at Daddy’s red plastic hardhat emblazoned with the emblem of the 2-11 Association of Phoenix Fire Buffs, Inc. The radio emitted a dispatch to a trash fire at 1949 E. Garfield.

“After you’ve listened to calls for a long time you know by the address whether it could be something. I have the map of the city in my mind. For example, I know at that address a trash fire pretty well means that. We just sit relaxed, don’t we, honey?”

“You get so you don’t even hear the routine calls,” Mrs. Guildig said.

“Now,” Guildig continued, “if there’s a follow-up to the call or the special tone for a two-eleven, I grab my two camera bags, the two kids, Marjorie grabs the diaper bag and her purse and we dash for the car. Did you notice it’s backed into the driveway for a quick getaway? Weekends we keep the stroller and blankets for the kids in the car. Like right now if that call had been something good, we’d be out of here in about five seconds.”

“Kathy went to her first two-eleven fire when she was only eleven days old,” Mrs. Guildig said proudly.

“Remember when Woody’s El Nido on McDowell burned?” Guildig asked. “That was Robert’s first two-eleven. Never even woke up.”

It was a Saturday afternoon at the Guildig home. The radio chattered again and everyone sat loose.

“You get used to it,” Guildig said. “During the night we never hear any of the routine calls. You look surprised. The radio is on twenty-four hours a day. It goes with us shopping, or to a movie.”

“I even took it to a Tupperware party once,” Mrs. Guildig said. “When Robert’s at work I listen and tell him if something good came in when he gets home.”

Guildig is a draftsman at Sperry Flight Systems, 15 miles from the heart of Phoenix. Since he’s built like a Dallas Cowboy fullback and is only 27, what’s he doing avoiding the Phoenix Fire Department?

Guildig would join the department in a minute if they’d allow him to take colored pictures of fires. Taking pictures is the Guildigs’ thing. To date they have more than 5,000 of fires such as Phoenix Union High School, Phoenix Indian School, Cudahy, Arizona Ranch House, Camelback Lanes to mention only a few in the seven years of chasing fires.

Legally and technically, a member of the 2-11 Association of Fire Buffs is different from the casual citizen at a fire only in that a Fire Buff is personally known by almost all the city firemen, is allowed to cross the fire lines (not too far across) and the department sanctions his organization. The red hardhats and surplus firemen’s raincoats are for show rather than utility. A Fire Buff simply is a privileged spectator.

Mrs. Guildig excused herself to put the Saturday night roast in the oven. What happens to the roast and potatoes should a 2-11 alarm occur just as they sit down to eat?

“It’d stay right in the middle of the table until we got back,” Guildig said. “We’ve left in the middle of a meal several times. I mean, you can eat anytime. A real good fire is hard to come by.”

A fire buff’s goal is to arrive on the scene as soon as possible, maybe even before the apparatus. To be able to turn in an alarm on a big fire is the ultimate. Guildig had the supreme thrill one Sunday morning while poking around Park and Swap at Greyhound Park.

The portable was on. A suspicious plume of smoke curled into the sky around 33rd Street and Washington. A fire buff knows the color of smoke which has potential flame behind it. The portable remained silent. Bob had a feeling he should investigate. He drove over and saw coming from the interior of the warehouse all the signs he needed to sound the alarm. His series of slides show the blaze from start to holocaust to embers.He admits to a great fascination in watching fires. He also quickly stresses the fact that this fascination is pretty universal with people. To a real buff there are other factors. One, Guildig feels he is putting a history of fires on film and someday his efforts will have historical value in the city. Recently a writer on the Coast requested several of Guildig’s pictures for use in a book dealing with fires and fire prevention.

Guildig and the 17 other Fire Buffs believe they are a citizen’s booster club for the fire department and many times perform little services that make life a pinch more pleasant.

“Late at night, for instance,” Guildig explained, “when the Fire Belles (Firemen’s wives) can’t come out, we see the men have coffee and donuts. Or a fireman asks us to run to the station and make sure the stove has been turned off. I’ve even gone to a fire house and put the coffee pot on so it’s ready when the crew pulls in. We’ll do anything to be of service to the men of the department.”

“We also do as much as we can to promote fire safety during Fire Prevention Week with posters and talking to the public and handing out literature. We feel we’re doing more than just watching fires.”

Mrs. Guildig recalls that when she first started dating her future husband, his discussions about being a fire buff made her wonder if she didn’t have a ding-a-ling on her hands.

“I listened and decided he had something interesting going and right today I’ll beat him out the door sometimes when we get one (fire),” she said.

It is a written bylaw of the fire buffs that all speed limits be observed on the way to a fire. Anyone receiving a ticket for speeding is liable to suspension which could lead to expulsion.

In their seven years of marriage and fire-chasing, which Phoenix fire impressed them most? The Phoenix Indian School fire was the choice and they have drawers of color slides and half an album of pictures to prove it.

“1 know people, friends even, who think this is a nutty hobby,” Guildig said. “I know guys who drink beer and chase women. Now I think that’s a nutty hobby and yet a lot of guys do it.”

“I’m all for Bob being a fire buff,” Mrs. Guildig said.