11/9/2005: Snow roller in Vermont 1941

[chrisinhouston]

yea, 3 tries makes it! One of those days.

[jinx]

Around here, it's very common to see draft horses, mostly Percherons and Belgians, plowing fields - and Standard breds pulling Amish buggies. The latter pisses me off everytime.

[CharlieG]

Originally Posted by chrisinhouston

...snip...No polarfleece or down,...snip...

Ah, I had a old Down sleeping bag that was that old, and Dad has an old down jacket from that era

Trust me - down existed

As for "a few layers of wool at best" - Dad still hunts in a 40+ year old Woolrich hunting suit - no modern stuff in it - he DOES use modern thermal undies under it - trust me, I used to have one of those wool sets - they are plenty warm, particularly if you are moving/working - plus the breathe, they are warm when wet, extremely fire resistant and the like

BTW look closer - the collers on their jackets - they are either wearing what we would call shearling, or, believe it or not - FELT. Felt is another of those amazingly warm items that most people have forgotten about

BTW there are a few hints that it MIGHT not be quite as cold as it looks in the photo (yes, it's cold, but) 1)No breath visible 2)The guys do NOT have scarves wrapped over their faces 3)The snow sticking to the side of the roller (really COLD snow tends NOT to stick to things - it's powder)


Polarfleece (partularly when it has the windstopper built in) Goretex etc are amazing (well, Goretex is a BIT overrated in my book - but not that much) - but there are plenty of old ways to keep warm - one of the big ones? WORK HARD - trust me, those guys are probably quite warm, as they are working

The BIGGEST place where modern insulation makes a difference (IMHO) - GLOVES - you layer your body right - yeah, you get stiff, and it's harder to move, but you can stay warm. It's HARD to wrap hands/feet however

[Bromskloss]

I was visiting Egypt this summer, and they really made use of both horses and donkeys for transportation. And camels! :-) In the streets they where mixed with all the cars. As for the camels, the police actually used them when patrolling in desert areas.

[Sundae]

I saw a very unpleasant accident involving a horse drawn cart & a coach full of tourists in Egypt...

[glatt]

I was in an accident between a mule drawn wagon hauling tourists (me and my wife) and a tour van on our honeymoon in Hawaii. Fortunately, it was a 5-10 mph accident of the sideswipe variety. Good for a story. "Fuck! Fuckin' mules!" is still ingrained in my head. The van was dented all along its side, and the mules and wagon were unscathed.

[Bromskloss]

Fortunately, it was a 5-10 mph accident

I saw an accident once with a 90 km/h mule. That was really bad.

[capnhowdy]

Great images!
The black & white seems to intensify the nostalgia. Oh, for the good old days.....When a dollar was a dollar....When a man was a man.......when...well anyway.

I hate to break out the humor angle before anyone else but, CAN YOU SAY STUMPBROKE?

maybe I AM old redneck. I don't expect noone to fess up here, I damn sure ain't... hee hee..........

[wolf]

I was wondering that too, Jinx ... better to pull a buggy than become dogfood or a Frenchman's dinner. They can't all be Rysdyk's Hambeltonian, after all.

How do you feel about racing greyhound rescue?

[johningerslev]

Certainly when my friend and i were travelling last year we saw horses and donkeys still being used in morroco, and the year before in bulgaria! It's really strange - it has a strange attraction don't you think...

[wolf]

Goretex doesn't smell funny, though.

[BigV]

Originally Posted by wolf

Goretex doesn't smell funny, though.

...but is *much* more promiscuous than wool when standing next to a sparky fire. I have had embers bounce off my wools that would have left a leaky cold hole in my goretex. I **like** goretex, but all options have strengths and weaknesses. Fire + wool = no big prob. Fire + practically any synthetic for outdoor wear = flick it off quick and or stand further (colder) back.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Felt is another of those amazingly warm items that most people have forgotten about

Ah, yes. I've a wool felt "Railroad Vest" from L.L.Bean, back before they became yuppie valhalla, that's very warm.
It's called the "Railroad Vest" because it has a watch pocket for the conductor's "Railroad Watch".
IIRC, wool felt is what the Mongolians use to build their Yurts (tents) that withstand the winter blasts from the artic.

[lumberjim]

it seems to me that if they had devised some rigging that could put that big wheel in FRONT of the horses, they might have had an easier time of it.


oh, yeah, F the amish.

[Trilby]

Originally Posted by lumberjim

oh, yeah, F the amish.

Is that what brought you and jinx together? Your mutual dislike for the amish? Did you meet at an Anti-Amishite gathering?