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.

Send in the Clones

At last I can implement my plan to take over the world using an army of clones. This is the first step. Soon I will have thousands of surly, obstinate, and slightly annoying clones. Moohoohahaha, MOOHOOHAHAHA, MOOHOOHAHAHA, ahem... sorry... Anyways where was I...... Oh yes. CLONES!!! My army of clones will have the superhuman powers of "chattyness", "ultrablame", "annoyvision", and the mind bending "realityignore". Now if I can just get them to stop smacking each other..... ;)

This Just In!!!

Small girl shoots down a Convair 240. On a visit to Sky Harbor Airport in May of 1972 Kathleen Guildig shoots down an unarmed transport. Her parents were reported to say "We didn't know the telescope was loaded". Kathleen's only comment was "Gimme another quarter". This picture was taken just seconds before the plane exploded.

6 Pounder

Who caught it: Robert
What is it: Carp (Cyprinus carpio)
Where was it: Vista Del Camino Park (McKellips Lake Park).
When: 04-14-2007 08:19.
Bait: Corn
Status: Released.

Dry Wash Fire

Today I was driving home from an appointment in Scottsdale and drove through paradise valley. I was rounding the bend where Tatum turns into McDonald and then into 44th st. I saw a dry wash with smoke and flames shooting up and what looked like some kids trying to put out a fire. I called 911 at 15:19. The 911 operator reported the Fire department is on the way. I turned around in the hopes of getting some pics. I waited about 2 or 3 minutes and no Rural Metro, as there were high winds and lots of dry desert scrub nearby I pulled up next to the wash in the location on the picture, got out and grabbed my fire extinguisher. The kids were gone and another guy with a drywall pan was dumping dirt on the fire. I started putting out what I could until the fire extinguisher ran out. I then started stamping out what I could get to. The Fire department still had not show up. I called 911 again and they said they would call them again. Rural metro finally showed up around 15:28. By that time The guy with the drywall pan had 90% of the fire out. I reported to the office on the scene about the kids running away. He barely acknowleged me with a "most likely" comment. So I left. I was to busy helping to get any pics.

Take This Christine Kronengold

Several years ago Kathi (my wife) and I took a beginners Black and White photography class at Phoenix College, the "instructors" name was Chris Kronengold. In the past I had taken two other "beginners" photography classes. Once in fifth grade and again in College. Kathi had wanted to learn how to take pictures so I suggested the class. The class was interesting in that the teacher was technically good but lacked one on one teaching skills. Consequently many of the students expressed to me that they weren't learning as much as they thought they should. To make matters worse on Thursday's it was next to impossible to get her help as she "had" to watch survivor. On one occasion a girl in the class developed a picture and showed it to Christine, who made suggestions and told her to reprint the picture, this repeated several times until the girl got fed up and showed the teacher the original picture, of which the instructor declared to be perfect. This teacher was constantly harping on dodging and burning to get perfect pictures. That's all fine and dandy but most of the people in the class were just happy that they could get anything to come out at all. In fact she was so insitent about it that even one of her favorite photographers Ansel Adams would have failed her class because the detail is lost in the shadows on some of his pictures. Having attended two other beginners classes I would rank Photography I at F.K. (Foenix Kollege) as taught by Mrs. Kronengold as an intermediate to slightly advanced class. Since access to the lab was always crowded and to make things easier for Kathi, I also purchased over time a complete darkroom costing me approximately $1200.00. What does "ALL" this have to do with the Guildig brothers... Well after having discovered HDR photography I/we can take those "perfect" pictures. So on Saturday the 7th we went out to Tortilla flats and started working our way back to Apache Junction stopping to take picture anywhere we could. I got some really dramatic pics made better with HDR so Take This Chris Kronengold:



Here are some from Mike:

Night Fishing

Last night we went fishing at Chaparral park in Scottsdale. Our aim was to catch some Catfish as we have never caught them before. We were there from about 18:00 to 22:30.



We started by catching several Bluegills to use as bait. We cut the Bluegills up and put large chunks of meat on the hooks. The first person to catch a fish was Amanda she caught a three pounder. Chris then caught a two and a half pounder, later on Amanda caught a four pounder. On this trip I caught only a couple of the Bluegills used for Bait. Two of the Catfish swallowed their hooks, one later coughed up his hook and we were able to remove the hook from the third without hurting it.



When we were done fishing we released the two smaller Catfish and the remaining Bluegills. We kept the four pounder as Chris has a co-worker who would be quite happy to have one.