Golden Years.
How often did I hear that term over the past 70 years????
Well, I've been extremely lucky. I wouldn't trade my life for anything. I've seen most of the world other than China and Northern Europe. I've seen them in good times and bad. Some of the nations don't exist any more and some have different names. There was a time when I had friends all over the world. Friends of every color humans come in, praying to Gods many of us have never heard of. Strong, brave men and women that our present crop of leaders do their best to avoid. What great times.
Today there was an email from Brazil to let me know my old companion Joelinio had finally succumbed to the RIVER. Joelinio lived in an old city in the interior of Brazil called Diamantina. (Diamond Mining Town) That was 42 years ago. I met a lovely dark eyed, lithe lady by the name of Mila. She was one of two daughters and three sons of some White Russians that had settled in the area after the collapse of Czarist Russia. We met in a bar that didn't have electricity, not uncommon even now. She was with her brother. Joelinio. In those days, LADIES NEVER WENT OUT ALONE IN THE EVENING UNACCOMPANIED BY A MAN.
I had just come off a rather nasty Gold Barge run and was trying to get as far away from the RIVER as I could. I was in a bout of morbidity and had way to many Cuba Lebre's. Brazilian Rum in the boonies runs around 180 proof. After a half dozen????????????
Mila, was about six inches taller than I was and loved to dance. I was born with two left feet and I couldn't tell which was which, especially with a lovely lady holding on. She had long, straight, thick almost black hair down to her waist. I was smitten. I tried to talk her into leaving her mother, father, brothers and moving to Canada. She could cry as only Brazilian women can. I went back to the gold barge runs because cash was running short and to give her some time to make up her mind. I took her youngest brother, Joelinio, with me. It was a bad run, Joelinio was shot in the thigh by one of the Negra River pirates and had to be flown out after only a few weeks. When the run was over, I went back to Diamantina. Mila was gone. She had gone to Belo Horizonte to stay with her sister and look at going to University. Oh well, easy come, easy go, just like money.
When I left Brazil to come back to Canada, I had several large raw diamonds, emeralds, topaz and crystals. Back then there weren't a lot of regulations on them, other than it was suggested to have a receipt from a broker.
It just happened that Joelinio was a broker. He had a large tract of land where they mined diamonds in open pits. They scraped off the top soil until they came to a layer of quartz gravel. They usually only did this in large depressions.
They would do all of the work by hand. Cheap labor. Very carefully the quartz gravel was taken out. Then it went through screens to separate the big stuff out. This process carried on until only the fines were left. Very similar to gold operations. The last of it was panned, exactly like we pan for gold and garnets here. Diamonds are heavy.
Joelinio and I went to the Amazon River after his leg healed well enough. We panned and scoured the gravel bars for whatever we might find. The fishing was excellent the snakes were abundant. I was always and still am afraid of snakes. We found a lot of citrenas, topaz, a few small poor quality emeralds and some excellent crystal. We traded the gold which we were paid for emeralds of decent quality. It was forbidden to take gold or money out of Brazil at that time and the security at the airport was stringent. No problem bringing an old double barrel pistol out or even the gems.
So, tonight I had a couple of Cuba Libre's to toast the passing of my old and dear friend Joelinio. We've spoken often over the phone or through emails since our adventures and the pleasure was always true to the heart and full.
I will miss those conversations. Brazil has changed, just like the rest of the world. Joelinio moved from Diamantina to a small farm on the north side of the Negra River. I know the area and it's still just like it was 50 years ago.
I notice in the EE that many of the sellers are also old acquaintances. They're selling off their stuff. I call them to see how they're doing and they've reached that point in life where it just isn't possible for them to even enjoy their firearms at the range any longer, let alone go hunting. Not only that many or all of their close by hunting buds have passed on and the camaraderie, which was at least half the fun was no longer there.
I find the same issues creeping up on me. My long time hunting/fishing buds are passing on before me. My constant hunting/fishing companion is now my Jack Russel.
Don't get me wrong. I have friends that I see on a regular basis. I'm not lonely by any means. The thing is, when I get into doing something, it's never casual. I have this passion to find out what works best and if I can't buy it, I make it. That's way to intense for most people.
Lots of folks with similar passion on CGN.
The Golden Years can really be Golden but sometimes painful.
TURF THE LIBERALS IN 2019
How often did I hear that term over the past 70 years????
Well, I've been extremely lucky. I wouldn't trade my life for anything. I've seen most of the world other than China and Northern Europe. I've seen them in good times and bad. Some of the nations don't exist any more and some have different names. There was a time when I had friends all over the world. Friends of every color humans come in, praying to Gods many of us have never heard of. Strong, brave men and women that our present crop of leaders do their best to avoid. What great times.
Today there was an email from Brazil to let me know my old companion Joelinio had finally succumbed to the RIVER. Joelinio lived in an old city in the interior of Brazil called Diamantina. (Diamond Mining Town) That was 42 years ago. I met a lovely dark eyed, lithe lady by the name of Mila. She was one of two daughters and three sons of some White Russians that had settled in the area after the collapse of Czarist Russia. We met in a bar that didn't have electricity, not uncommon even now. She was with her brother. Joelinio. In those days, LADIES NEVER WENT OUT ALONE IN THE EVENING UNACCOMPANIED BY A MAN.
I had just come off a rather nasty Gold Barge run and was trying to get as far away from the RIVER as I could. I was in a bout of morbidity and had way to many Cuba Lebre's. Brazilian Rum in the boonies runs around 180 proof. After a half dozen????????????
Mila, was about six inches taller than I was and loved to dance. I was born with two left feet and I couldn't tell which was which, especially with a lovely lady holding on. She had long, straight, thick almost black hair down to her waist. I was smitten. I tried to talk her into leaving her mother, father, brothers and moving to Canada. She could cry as only Brazilian women can. I went back to the gold barge runs because cash was running short and to give her some time to make up her mind. I took her youngest brother, Joelinio, with me. It was a bad run, Joelinio was shot in the thigh by one of the Negra River pirates and had to be flown out after only a few weeks. When the run was over, I went back to Diamantina. Mila was gone. She had gone to Belo Horizonte to stay with her sister and look at going to University. Oh well, easy come, easy go, just like money.
When I left Brazil to come back to Canada, I had several large raw diamonds, emeralds, topaz and crystals. Back then there weren't a lot of regulations on them, other than it was suggested to have a receipt from a broker.
It just happened that Joelinio was a broker. He had a large tract of land where they mined diamonds in open pits. They scraped off the top soil until they came to a layer of quartz gravel. They usually only did this in large depressions.
They would do all of the work by hand. Cheap labor. Very carefully the quartz gravel was taken out. Then it went through screens to separate the big stuff out. This process carried on until only the fines were left. Very similar to gold operations. The last of it was panned, exactly like we pan for gold and garnets here. Diamonds are heavy.
Joelinio and I went to the Amazon River after his leg healed well enough. We panned and scoured the gravel bars for whatever we might find. The fishing was excellent the snakes were abundant. I was always and still am afraid of snakes. We found a lot of citrenas, topaz, a few small poor quality emeralds and some excellent crystal. We traded the gold which we were paid for emeralds of decent quality. It was forbidden to take gold or money out of Brazil at that time and the security at the airport was stringent. No problem bringing an old double barrel pistol out or even the gems.
So, tonight I had a couple of Cuba Libre's to toast the passing of my old and dear friend Joelinio. We've spoken often over the phone or through emails since our adventures and the pleasure was always true to the heart and full.
I will miss those conversations. Brazil has changed, just like the rest of the world. Joelinio moved from Diamantina to a small farm on the north side of the Negra River. I know the area and it's still just like it was 50 years ago.
I notice in the EE that many of the sellers are also old acquaintances. They're selling off their stuff. I call them to see how they're doing and they've reached that point in life where it just isn't possible for them to even enjoy their firearms at the range any longer, let alone go hunting. Not only that many or all of their close by hunting buds have passed on and the camaraderie, which was at least half the fun was no longer there.
I find the same issues creeping up on me. My long time hunting/fishing buds are passing on before me. My constant hunting/fishing companion is now my Jack Russel.
Don't get me wrong. I have friends that I see on a regular basis. I'm not lonely by any means. The thing is, when I get into doing something, it's never casual. I have this passion to find out what works best and if I can't buy it, I make it. That's way to intense for most people.
Lots of folks with similar passion on CGN.
The Golden Years can really be Golden but sometimes painful.
TURF THE LIBERALS IN 2019
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