According to Wikipedia, the sport of Lawnmower racing was invented by a few drunk Brits in 1973 in a pub outside West Sussex, UK. But Americans know that’s ridiculous. The sport was established long before that when colonial irregulars stole two horse-drawn mowing combines from the staff of British General Cornwallis who had ordered that fields near Wilmington, North Carolina, be trimmed for an officers party. They then outran the British Army all the way into South Carolina. (Not really.) But the fact is, Lawnmower racing is such an affordable and fun motorsport, that Americans all over the country get together in summertime, usually around the 4th of July, to race obscenely tricked out riding lawnmowers and drink a lot of beer. American beer.
There are at least dozens of such races, if not hundreds. But the oldest continuously organized race, and the very best, according to me and Texan59 – and we KNOW – is the Twelve Mile ‘500’ Lawnmower Race in the town of Twelve Mile, Indiana. Actually, the word “town” might be a stretch. Honestly, it’s described as a “slump” in route 16 not too far from Logansport. But, that makes the location perfect for the loud roar of big, gasoline-gulping, CO2-belching, high-powered, highly-tuned one-cylinder internal combustion engines. The kind Al Gore hates. So what’s not to love? Kids compete. Little girls compete. Old guys, too. Sometimes farm animals are involved. It’s a great time. Check out the Fort Wayne News Sentinel’s article from yesterday for some good info about today’s big race. And enjoy our photos, although keep in mind that they are collected from among many of the different races from different states, not just the clearly superior race in Indiana. 😉
Verse of the day- Romans 14:11
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‘Murrica. 😀
Happy Independence Day all. Some prescient words from some very smart men.
By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Whoever was the artist of this sure had a way of capturing it. A person can almost hear the sounds of it.
Don Troiani
Lots of his work here…
http://www.historicalartprints.com/viewgallery.php
Wow. Ok. Incredible. Just not recalling that I’ve ever noticed his work. At first I thought maybe it was the same artist who had painted George Washington, ‘Prayer at Valley Forge’. Arnold Friberg. They have some type of quality similar in their artwork. Just not sure what it is.
Terry Redlin is another artist whose works I find fascinating, and there is another guy that has quite similar works, just can’t think of the fellow’s name.
Gil Cohen (pic below) and Chris Collingwood are noted military artists as well. Redlin’s subjects are more serene and in some I find his detail and lighting bordering on surreal yet quite esthetic.
These are incredible. Really the eye for lighting & detail. Do you do artwork of any sort?
About Redlin, yes on that I agree. Another whose works, not military related, many like but I just can quite deal with is the fake dreamy type work of Thomas Kincaide.
Happy 4th!
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Til tomorrow or another day, I’m off.
p.s. Do you know if that setting is Korean War?
Good question. Are those Garands, Barn? Hard for me to tell. My guess would be WW2 Europe somewhere.
I’m a hobby modler/artist. I have to post some things for everyone to pass judgement.
The winter scene is WW2. Arm patches and spade helmet marking ID them as 506 PIR of the 101st Airborne Div. The work is titled “Hang Tough” Bastogne 1944 and was actually done by John Shaw…. my bad!
Here’s a detail shot from Gil Cohen’s “Coming Home”
Love it, Barn. Thanks!
I like this a lot! Striking.
Yes! Lot’s of beautiful artwork out there telling our history.
Grunt, yes those are M1 Garand rifles. Standard issue in both WW2 and Korea. The trooper on the left has a Thompson .45 smg.
Barn? So you mean that you place some of your art doings on here now & then? That would be cool.
Yes, these are excellent. I’ve jotted their names down & intend to browse around of their works.
I have yet to post anything here. I am by no stretch of the imagination a fine artist. I build and paint military models and figures.
Interesting, Barn. Neat.
😉
Just in case you don’t already feel old. 😆
That’s what I thought about those things when they were new!
Please use caution when loading your own fireworks. 😯
Good advice!
As Dave Burge says: “America! Where our harshest critics refuse to leave.”
http://www.salon.com/2014/07/04/i_hate_the_fourth_of_july/
The liberals should leave as they always threaten to do. But who would have them?
The 4th and flag waving? Some things never change….
Speaking of, Iowahawk posted on Fb yesterday that he’s relocating to the Austin area. Just a skip away from Rancho el Gordito. 😀
That’s right! Did you see the photo of his new digs outside Austin? It’s definitely a late-50’s modernistic architecture to go with the Rockabilly/Hot-rodding thing they do. It’s pretty cool, actually.
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY TO ALL THE 4GFC’ERS HERE!
“If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.” – Ronald Reagan
For God, Family, and Country!
Happy Independence Day to you, too, Knight! May true liberty and Truth be known in our time!
Might come in handy at a BBQ
Awesome!
Check out Iowahawk’s Flickr Photostream. Some incredible vintage cars after the F14. Worth the look!
Great photos!
Looks like Arthur has blown past most of the east coast.
Much to the dismay of the news industry.
Twelve miles on a lawnmower?! That would be interesting to see.
Hah!
“…and someday when the time comes to deliver the ultimatum, our surrender will be voluntary because by that time we will have weakened from within spiritually, morally, and economically.
…And therein lies the road to war, because those voices don’t speak for the rest of us. You and I know and do not believe that life is so dear and peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery. If nothing in life is worth dying for, when did this begin–just in the face of this enemy? Or should Moses have told the children of Israel to live in slavery under the pharaohs? Should Christ have refused the cross? Should the patriots at Concord Bridge have thrown down their guns and refused to fire the shot heard ’round the world?
…You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on Earth, or we will sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness.” – President Ronald Reagan
He wasn’t called “The Great Communicator” for nothing!
We lack “Great Communicators” like him. If only Our Lord could raise a hero for us to take back our Country. We have to allow Our Lord to do so… therein lies the answer. Turn back to He Who inspired the founding of our Country.
“While we are grateful to all the brave men and officers for the events of the past few days, we should, above all, be very grateful to Almighty God, who gives us victory.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
Some of our best men know where their strength comes from!
“…weakened from within spiritually, morally, and economically.” We are there… right at that point. Prophetic words.
We need to take our beloved Country back. If we don’t, the America we once knew, will only be read about in the history books (maybe). We must take our Country back… at least for our Country’s children’s sake, “…or we will sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness.”
We need God’s help. We were a strong Christian country at one time. We have strayed.
We need to get back on God’s side.
For God, Family, and Country!
AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I thank you kindly Hickster A.
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.” – President Ronald Reagan
We need to heed those words, somehow. Yep
I’ve learned one thing in my 50 years or so. Iowahawk always has a better time than I do. These are from the party he went to tonight. I think it was in the Pilsen area of Chicago at some Rockabilly BBQ bar or something. Looks fun.
“It is the soldier, not the reporter, Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet, Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the organizer, Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier, Who salutes the flag, Who serves beneath the flag, And whose coffin is draped by the flag, Who allows the protestor to burn the flag.”
– Father Dennis Edward O’Brian, USMC (often incorrectly attributed to Charles M. Province)
True. May God bless all our soldiers and their families for their sacrifices made for the freedom we have. I thank the good Lord for these heroes. May we never let them down.
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