Wanted to post in off topic but it seems to be locked.

[Green Mountian Hunter]

Got to be 30/30 

[CAPTJJ]

Still not too much snow for the ATV on the mountain, but I did get my snowmobile fired up after almost two years. Needs a battery and I have the renew the registration to hit the groomed trails.

[Green Mountian Hunter]

Nice view is that from your back porch

[CAPTJJ]

I wish, nobody has built here yet. The closest house to this spot os for sale, just South of here, similar view; asking around $3.5MIL , it has a wine cellar, too.

[Green Mountian Hunter]

Oouch  looks like that will be up for sale a while nice spot though

[Raquettedacker]

Nice view but its a long walk to your dock....

[30-30]

Got to be 30/30 

              Oh yea, that was me 30 yrs ago!

[Chucker]

Hmm, time to make an airboat for early ice?

http://rochester.craigslist.org/spo/3508219785.html

[upstatehunter]

Soooo 2-4" of snow turned into 8" plus today.....just went out to clean off the trees so the dish would work....snow is over my knees....some 28" on the ground in the last four days....wow...would be up to some peoples crotch....

[Green Mountian Hunter]

Soooo 2-4" of snow turned into 8" plus today.....just went out to clean off the trees so the dish would work....snow is over my knees....some 28" on the ground in the last four days....wow...would be up to some peoples crotch....

Bogman and 30/30   

[Green Mountian Hunter]

Hmm, time to make an airboat for early ice?

http://rochester.craigslist.org/spo/3508219785.html

That would be the way to go Chucker

[Chucker]

Cardiologist's wet dream is in the oven - two pans of turkey tetrazinni

[30-30]

Bogman and 30/30   

              Say short stuff, I've got some inches on you! hehehe

[upstatehunter]

Always wanted an air boat....this snow keeps up, and that will be the only way we will get on some ice....
Left overs for breakfast Kevin???
 
I'm sure you were a little taller coming off the ice yesterday Jeff....

[Chucker]

Long but worthwhile read below from the Prayers and Support for Webster Firefighters page on FB.  The stories on that page are both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.  FIrefighters from all over the state and country have come and are coming to pay their respects, from as far away as Los Angeles.  Other firefighters and the public have paid for hotel rooms so they have a place to stay, and are picking up dinner tabs when they see them in restaurants.  Boot drives in WNY have easily gathered over $60,000 for the families and department, and are still running.  Both of my sister-in-laws husbands won't be at the family Christmas gathering today, so they can attend the first funeral which is at noon today.  Two local TV stations are broadcasting it live, as well as streaming it on the web.  There is also coordinated pipe and drum event nationally to have any and all available bands play Amazing Grace at a location of their choice at precisely 1300 EST today.



REPOSTED from a FF in attendance today. ♥ #WWFD

Dan Celso
27 minutes ago ·
Williamson NY, December 29, 2012, 1pm. Firefighters gathered for calling hours for fallen West Webster firefighters Mike Chiapperini and Tomasz Kaczowka; firefighters gunned down while responding to a reported house fire on Lake Rd, early Christmas Eve morning on a day that should have been about family and celebration. Buses were coming to the Williamson Fire Department to shuttle Wayne County firefighters to the Webster/Schroeder High School for calling hours. A local newspaper reporter was there, asking questions of each of the fire departments represented. How did we hear about the tragedy, what was our reaction, how will this affect our training and response in the future, etc. I was the only representative from the Sodus Center Fire Department so I answered the questions to the best of my ability. Truth is you can't prepare for a madman bent on killing responders by ambushing them, but I tried to give an intelligent answer.
Firefighters are a unique group. It is a fraternity, a group that can feel what other brothers feel, and understand what others face even if each individual's experience is different. We can laugh together, mourn together, and joke and harass each other in an effort to deal with life. As we waited for the bus there was the usual ribbing but there was a somber tone. Some were discussing the events of Christmas Eve, expressing disbelief, sadness, and how this would change how emergencies would be faced tomorrow.
Soon the buses arrived. There were 5 of them, mostly full. We quietly boarded them and waited for 3 more buses to join us from another pick-up point. Snow was falling softly, and had been all day. It provided a beauty that was in stark contrast to the grief of the day. The other buses arrived and we headed out, a caravan of 8 full buses of firefighters going to pay respects to fallen brothers. It was a half-hour drive on a good day, and the roads were slushy and slick. There was a sense that we were playing a part in an event that was bigger than all of us. As we progressed westward the bus quieted and there was a palpable change in the air. We got off the exit to the high-school. Traffic was crazy. Police officers were directing traffic, carrying out their sworn duties on a day that was sad for them as well. Fallen fireman Mike Chiapperini was in his day job a Lieutenant at the Webster Police Department. We passed a crude sign in the snow, spray painted on a piece of plywood that simply stated "God bless the WWFD".
We made on turn, then another. People were craning their necks to get a glimpse of our destination. We enter the school parking lot to see marked fire vehicles from all over New York State. There are trucks from Canada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, everywhere. Then we saw it. It wasn't unexpected, it is a symbol at every firefighter's funeral. A sign of gratitude and service and sacrifice. Ultimate sacrifice. Two ladder trucks extended and a massive American flag draped between the buckets on the end of each ladder. It takes your breath away, draws tears, and reminds you: this is real.
Firefighters were everywhere, most in Class-A's and all with a black band over their badges: a reminder that life has been lost in the line of duty. We got off the bus and joined them. A boy stood at the end of the walk offering hand-warmers to each of us. After all it is 27 degrees out. A white tent stands on the sidewalk and volunteers are handing out coffee. For free. We approach the front doors, walking under the huge flag. A police mounted patrol stands guard. Police officers flank the doorways. A gruff older man in a leather biker vest covered with Vietnam patches stands at the door I enter. He holds a cane, and grasps the hand of each firefighter entering and simply says "thank you". I thank him back, amazed that one who probably got little thanks for his service would thank me for mine. We enter the school, up some stairs, and down a hallway. We head down another hallway, and another. There is a line approaching us in the opposite direction we are walking, a sure sign that this line is long. I look at the faces. Most are firemen, some are police officers, some are politicians. There are boy scouts, EMS, Coast Guard in dress blues, community members, friends. I watch the faces. There is a sadness, hard to describe. I see people I know, we quietly say hi, shake hands, hug. There is no telling how long we will be there.
We continue down hallways. The mood alternates. It is mostly quiet but there is some good-natured joking, some shop-talk, and some life discussion. That's what firemen do. But the mood is mostly somber. The line moves, slowly. One hallway turns into another, and another. It is stifling and hot, but no one complains. An elderly EMS worker rests against the wall. A disabled fireman carrying his own oxygen tank struggles, but continues. One hour passes. the line slows, then it stops. We don't know why. A half-hour passes. Faces are tired, everyone is hungry, but still the line of brothers never complains. Not once. A fireman approaches. He makes an announcement that two firefighters injured in the same incident that claimed the lives of firefighters Chiapperini and Kaczowka have been brought by ambulance and are visiting the families of the fallen. Their names are Joseph Hofstetter and Theodore Scardino. This news noticeably brightens the mood. We could wait a month in line for those men.
The line moves again, right turn, down the hall, down some stairs, left turn, right turn, left turn. We think we are nearing the gymnasium where the bodies of the fallen are held. An announcement comes: "Wayne County Firemen move forward". We merge left, and move down the hallway in single file, past civilians, past some firefighters, and into the open area outside the gymnasium. we line up in rows, 4 abreast. This is the last step before our destination. It is a work of sad, beautiful art. Event organizers are here, giving orders, directing a change of the color guard and those who stand watch at the caskets. Much of the Monroe County and Webster brass is here. I see the Webster Police Chief, many members of the West Webster Fire Department, Monroe County 911, and other municipalities here. The emotion is so thick we can feel it.
We are entering as a group to pay respects. We are our own detail. There are staff from Webster calling cadence. We are led to the center of the gymnasium. we line up in rows, 15 in a row and approximately 6 rows. We are ordered to stand at attention. At the front of the gym stand two flag-draped caskets. The body of Firefighter Kaczowka to the right, and Firefighter Chiapperini to the left. Plaques bearing the images of their smiling faces stand above the caskets. Firefighter Kaczowka young, vibrant, full of life, excited, and Firefighter Chiapperini experienced, family man, with an honorable career and a man of character. A girl in uniform stands guard at the casket of Firefighter Kaczowka. She can't be much older than 20. She stands brave, trying to be strong, but her eyes are swollen and tears run down her face. She is soon relieved by a man who isn't faring much better. To the right is Firefighter Kaczowka's family. His brother looks just like him. They are weary, greeting the thousands who proceed by. The emotion is still raw, and while they have cried all day they continue to do so. Firefighter Kaczowka's turnout gear sits on the floor, a haunting reminder that he will never use it again. I can't see Firefighter Chiapperini's family from where I stand, but I imagine they are struggling as much as his brother's family.
"Uncover!" We remove our caps. We bow our heads in a moment of silence. Two members of our group break off to address the families. It is not an easy task but they perform it with honor. "Cover!". Caps back on we prepared to salute, and do so upon order. We are directed to proceed to pay our respects. Single file we move, one row at a time. I salute as I pass the caskets, and emotion hits. It is ok to hurt for those who hurt, it even says so in the Bible. It wouldn't be human to remain unaffected. The smiling portraits look down as I pass, and I wish I didn't have to meet those men this way but I'm glad I met them. They are heroes and they never meant to be. They were just doing their job. As I passed the second casket I saw injured Firefighters Hofstetter and Scardino on gurneys. Firefighter Scardino was in Class-A uniform, there to pay his respects. His left arm was in a sling, and his injuries were visible. I hope I am half the man he is someday. We proceeded out of the gymnasium single-file. The silence was deafening. Grown men, brave men, shaken, grieving, but proud and humbled at the opportunity to in a small way thank men we never met for making the ultimate sacrifice. And it was beautifully awful.
We stopped outside. A few people lit a cigarette, and a few others paused for pictures of the mounted patrol and the massive flag. We visited the white tent for coffee. Everyone was processing what we had just witnessed. Soon we were back on the bus and headed home. I am proud of the brotherhood of emergency workers and have never witnessed a display of unity like I did today, and I hope I never do again.