NSR: Mom's 100 bucks.....

[Stig / Major Tom]

Crossbolts reminded me of an amusing incident from the 1960's.
I was standing in a line of soldiers in the dark, next to an Army tent in Vietnam, We were in the very final stages of being cleared to board the Freedom Bird back to the World, now that our DEROS had arrived!
As the expression went - we were so short (time left in-country) we had to walk around a dime.
Anyway - the current TSA pre-flight inspections are nothing compared to the Army's inspection of a departing GI in those days.

Large sums of cash (any currencies - but especially green-back American money! - which meant you were a black marketer, or drug dealer) , drugs, porn, dead-guy photos, grenades, mortars, etc., etc. were forbidden in the carry-on luggage.
ANY issues and you would be pulled from the line - and you would not be boarding that airplane!!

Anyway, My mom had mailed me a $100 bill - to use when I hit the States, to get home, or - whatever Mother's think.
I took that 100 bucks out of my pocket, rolled it into a tiny ball, and buried it in the sand where I was standing. I wanted no problems at this final stage of my deployment!!

anyway. What was the question.....

Major Tom

I don't think I've ever told my Mom this.....
Best not.


Probably can't buy this nice set in the US.

[Neil955i]

Want another 60's story Stig?  While you were off doing your time in 'Nam, I was happily living through the Brit version of Flower Power (less warm and free than SoCal) and in June 1970 I went south to Bath (Shepton Mallett actually) for a concert  See another attendees reminiscences here http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/bA1.html

Although early summer it was still cold enough that Jimmy Page played guitar in fingerless gloves!  Anyway, I digress, I travelled down the 100+ miles in a beaten up Morris Minor 1000cc car with a pal from Birmingham.  Didn't even know who was on the bill!!  Stayed the weekend then on leaving Muff my buddy has picked up a couple needing a lift back to Birmingham.  We were all shattered from lack of sleep and before I knew it I had a car full of snoring long-haired teenagers as I drove through the night.

Blue lights then made an appearance in my rear view mirror and I was pulled over by the boys in Blue.  The exchange went something like this. 

Officer: "Let me see if I can guess where you've been". 
Me: "Well that wouldn't be too difficult now would it?"
Officer: "I hear there were a lot of drugs there?"
Me: "There were over 100,000 people there, so yes I guess there may have been"
Officer: "But you haven't got any?"
Me: "Certainly not officer"
Officer: "OK you lot, out of the car"

Search follows, but nothing found and we're sent on our way.

It was only 10 minutes later that one of the hitchhikers confessed to us that he was carrying a block of cannabis!  (He'd hidden it in his ear.)  I was not a happy driver as back then the Police here were still taking a very dim view of possession and my mother would have taken an even dimmer view!

[Neil955i]

Want another 60's story Stig?  While you were off doing your time in 'Nam, I was happily living through the Brit version of Flower Power (less warm and free than SoCal) and in June 1970 I went south to Bath (Shepton Mallett actually) for a concert  See another attendees reminiscences here http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/bA1.html

Although early summer it was still cold enough that Jimmy Page played guitar in fingerless gloves!  Anyway, I digress, I travelled down the 100+ miles in a beaten up Morris Minor 1000cc car* with a pal from Birmingham.  Didn't even know who was on the bill!!  Stayed the weekend then on leaving Muff my buddy has picked up a couple needing a lift back to Birmingham.  We were all shattered from lack of sleep and before I knew it I had a car full of snoring long-haired teenagers as I drove through the night.

Blue lights then made an appearance in my rear view mirror and I was pulled over by the boys in Blue.  The exchange went something like this. 

Officer: "Let me see if I can guess where you've been". 
Me: "Well that wouldn't be too difficult now would it?"
Officer: "I hear there were a lot of drugs there?"
Me: "There were over 100,000 people there, so yes I guess there may have been"
Officer: "But you haven't got any?"
Me: "Certainly not officer"
Officer: "OK you lot, out of the car"

Search follows, but nothing found and we're sent on our way.

It was only 10 minutes later that one of the hitchhikers confessed to us that he was carrying a block of cannabis!  (He'd hidden it in his ear.)  I was not a happy driver as back then the Police here were still taking a very dim view of possession and my mother would have taken an even dimmer view!

* And to think, I sold one like this to buy the car!

[Neil955i]

Mine wasn't this good...

[Stig / Major Tom]

Mine wasn't this good...

Regarding police & drugs:

When hitching from the Atlantic to the Pacific 3 times in the 60's I had 4 interactions with police. Once on the campus of Florida State University (sleeping in shrubbery, waiting for daylight to visit an old girlfriend from Paris days). and 3 times the same morning in San Diego.

Since I was 'living' out of my backpack, with spices, food, rice , flour, etc. I had a lot of stuff which had to be explored by the police on the hood of their squad car, each time.
When the 3rd policeman pulled up & switched on his lights....I just sat down on my guitar case and waited. I asked him to check with whomever and he will see that I've already been inspected, thoroughly.
He just laughed, and since I was standing on a freeway entrance ramp - asked where I was heading.
"Ensenada, MX."
He said, "Hop in the back seat. I'll run you over to a lot better place. This is a bad neighborhood."
He drove me on the Calif highways over to a place in front of the San Diego Naval Base.
After that I caught a ride with some sailors in short order to Tijuana ....and on down to Ensenada with an older Mexican fellow in a white Mustang convertible!
One of the first CHP guys asked if I could prove my camera wasn't stolen.
I thought of serval rejoinders - but just shook my head, wisely.
Later: Class leader of my graduating medic class went on the town in San Antonio to celebrate our final day of training. Bought some marijuana, got arrested by city police. The last we heard of him, before shipping out, was that he was looking at life in prison in Texas.

Stig

[CROSSBOLT]

Neil, a Morris 1000? BSA Bantam? As a BMC tech- mech in the 60's was continually amazed how designs from England would be FROZEN encapsulating the good with the bad. Such as I would have FIRED Lucas Electric and perpwalked the head man the length of the Isles! My 1955 restored BSA A-10 gave me over 20000 miles of trouble-free service after I restored it in 1974. However, many design features were a mystery! I can only think the Bantam two-smoke was a real challenge! Two-stroke anything fired by breaker points was a challenge!

[Neil955i]

Neil, a Morris 1000? BSA Bantam? As a BMC tech- mech in the 60's was continually amazed how designs from England would be FROZEN encapsulating the good with the bad. Such as I would have FIRED Lucas Electric and perpwalked the head man the length of the Isles! My 1955 restored BSA A-10 gave me over 20000 miles of trouble-free service after I restored it in 1974. However, many design features were a mystery! I can only think the Bantam two-smoke was a real challenge! Two-stroke anything fired by breaker points was a challenge!

Joseph Lucas Karl? Prince of Darkness! [emoji23]
Yes the Bantam was a nightmare, only lasted 9 months until I blew the top end big style.  My C15 was much more solid, but you’re right, the electrics while simple were a challenge - contact breakers! Why do I still have my imperial feeler gauges in my toolbox?

Great days though, glad I lived through them.


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[Lord Faversham]

Neil, a Morris 1000? BSA Bantam? As a BMC tech- mech in the 60's was continually amazed how designs from England would be FROZEN encapsulating the good with the bad. Such as I would have FIRED Lucas Electric and perpwalked the head man the length of the Isles! My 1955 restored BSA A-10 gave me over 20000 miles of trouble-free service after I restored it in 1974. However, many design features were a mystery! I can only think the Bantam two-smoke was a real challenge! Two-stroke anything fired by breaker points was a challenge!

Ah yes. The joys. I’ve have a chum’s Vespa 125 Primavera in my workshop in kit form presently with such devilish ignition. I’d forgotten what points ignition looked like until I took the thing apart.

Fingers crossed it’ll go back together ok or she’ll have my guts for garters!


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[Neil955i]

[emoji23]


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[Ex-KLR]

I raced a Morris Minor against a Volkswagen Beetle  from a traffic light and lost.

[Neil955i]

0-60 mph?  You got a calendar?

[Lord Faversham]

0-60 mph?  You got a calendar?

[emoji23]


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