Scored another 200A

[eamarquardt]

Chris came up from his place to visit me here is Simi Valley yesterday (40 miles north and west of him).

We had a great time exchanging our original and "outside the box" ideas.

However, pretty much all conversation stopped when I showed him my Coleman collection! He fondled, caressed, and drooled all over the three single mantle lanterns in my "collection". Of course, I would have GIVEN him any one of my two mantle lanterns!!!!!

He was UNAWARE of the existence of the single mantle variety!

I did my best to assure him and REASSURE him that there are plenty of them out there at garage sales and we WILL find him two so that he is fullfilled!!!! We will pay very reasonable prices!! I'm now (after his quick purchase) not entirely convinced that he believed me.

I have located one nearby and have been in contact with the seller and will make arrangements to go see it. I have also located a collection (unknown vintage) that is available.

I WILL buy them! My wife WILL NOT understand but that doesn't bother me!!!

When I finish my construction I will take all my lanterns to gatherings and offer the "surplus" to anyone interested for little more than I paid for them (mostly cause I can't remember exactly how much I paid and my wife (after a proper accounting - shes a professiona "bean counter") will ensure that I have not lost any of "her" money).

I just spoke with Chris and we both had a good LAUGH about his need for an instant Coleman single mantle FIX. He is now on his way (as I understand it) to go in quest of a mantle (and probably genuine Coleman fuel, as it is truely the "Breakfast of Champions, IMHO) for his new lantern and I'm sure that he will LIGHT his lantern as fast as humanly possible.

If there was any doubt that we are CRAZY, this factual accounting of the events of the last 24 hour should remove all doubt.

Angry, no. Dissatisfied, yes.

Cheers,

Gus

[High Desert]

Gus, I think you have inadvertently pulled the trigger that has created a monster that shall grow rapidly with Chris.

[teardrop_focus]

Thanks, Gus... or not.




Tom! Forgive me! I seem to have hijacked your thread!

I'll start my own thread and post pics of this, my first-of-many single-mantle-lanterns acquisition.

[TLC]

No problem Chris, it's for a good cause!!
Tom

[hotrod]

chris, walk twards the light buddy.....

[eamarquardt]

There were several more developments in the saga of "Chris and the Coleman Lantern Disease" today. All of them good for a laugh.

Stay tuned! Tomorrow I'll share all of the events of the past 48 hours with pictures!!!!!!!

And, there appears to be "more to come".

Chris has it really bad (I think he caught the bug from me). It may, in fact, be a chronic case of the disease with no effective treatment (except continous aquisitions of more and more lanterns).

So far this story has had episodes in two counties and perhaps a third will be added tomorrow!

Reporting live from California,

Gus

[eamarquardt]

When we left off Chris had purchased a lantern less than 24 hours after learning of the existence of single mantle lanterns and was refurbishing it.

To feed his new insatiable habit I located a couple more "collections" which included some single mantles. I got his 'permission" to act in his behalf and scheduled a meet with one of the sellers for Sunday. My wife, upon hearing of this told me, with a bit of utter disgust: "I guess you're going to Oxnard tomorrow". I don't know why she wasn't happy, I inivted her to come along! Maybe it was the thought of her getting half interest in some more lanterns she doesn't want!

Anyway I left to go buy them (let's not kid ourselves I was going to buy them, not just look) and called "Big" Guy (Teardrops for Vets) to check in. He was on his way to visit and was just a few minutes from my home so I tuned back to meet him. We then went to Oxnard and purchased said lanterns for forty bucks! I asked the seller if he was "flexible" and he said, yeah, I'll take $50 for all three. I was surprised and reminded him the ad said $40. He then added: "That works too". Wanting to quit while I was ahead, I paid him $40 and left quite happy.

Here's a pic of me and the three lanterns.



Guy and I then checked out the campgrounds at Port Hueneme Sea Bee base and the Point Magu NAS and returned home via the senic 118 highway.

Just as we were pulling in the driveway Chris called with an update on the status of his first lantern and I broke the news that for $13.34 he could have a second "lantern of his dreams" (1956 200a in near perfect shape).

He could not contain himself and IMMEDIATELY left his home in Culver City and drove to my place in RECORD TIME. He quickly paid me for the 200a (including a bit of gas money and a small gratuity, ha). We fired up his original purchase but it still needs to have the generator cleaned out a bit.

I when I inquired as to the purchase price of his first lantern all I could get out of him was: "I PAID THE I WANT IT NOW PRICE", HA! "Instant gratification" costs extra!!! That was the answer I was looking for, ha! He eventually "fessed" up but I wont share what he paid to save him "face". He did say he checked out EBay and paid less than what some of the 200As were selling for there.

Here is a pic of Chris, his lanterns, and a huge tripod (that may turn into a lantern stand) I got garage saleing Saturday for $5.

He had "made" a new oring for the fuel cap of his purchase but we found a better fit in my collection of orings and he glombed onto two of them!



We may go look at another collection of 10 lanterns today.

Are we CRAZY. I think the answer to that is "self evident". Are we having fun and laughing at ourselves. YES.

Cheers,

Gus

[TLC]

Gus:
I too am a big fan of the one lungers. I have a bunch of 200A's and another bunch of 502's and 500 stoves. Nice score on the 3 lanterns. Looks like you made Chris a happy camper.

But what brought back memories for me after reading your entry was the mention of Port Hueneme. I was stationed there in 1967 going to "A" school. Found myself in Vietnam a few months later. Boy have the years flown by since those days.

Tom

[Zollinger]

You boys got it bad. No cure other to keep buying and collecting. Haven't got any 200 A's yet. Gonna haveta do sumthin bout that!

[eamarquardt]

But what brought back memories for me after reading your entry was the mention of Port Hueneme. I was stationed there in 1967 going to "A" school. Found myself in Vietnam a few months later. Boy have the years flown by since those days.

Tom

Guy and I felt very "at home" on base. It was quiet, well kept, everyone drives the speed limit, people are friendly, and it was a pleasure to see all the young folks in uniform again.

I have been to Camp Pendleton (my old haunt) several times in the past couple of years. Visiting the last of my generation on active duty (a Major General), visiting my son there, and visiting my son's friends there. I experience the same "calm" while aboard Camp Pendleton.

It must be a function of passing the batan to the next generation!

Cheers,

Gus

[TLC]

Gus:
I spent several weeks at Camp Pendleton after "A" school for weapons training. Why we had to hike those tank trails is beyond me, but I think I climbed over every hill on that base at least once.

BTW, thank you for your service to our country and thanks to your son too.

Tom

[eamarquardt]

Why we had to hike those tank trails is beyond me, but I think I climbed over every hill on that base at least once.Tom

The Marine response to the question above is simple: "The more you sweat during peace, the less you bleed during war".

My favorite military quote is: "War is hell, but actual combat is a MF!" Kinda sums it up!

As far as I know, my father was the only one to experience actual combat (although a few mortar rounds fell "inside the wire" while my son was in Iraq). My son's only "wound" came from hitting his head on an Iraqi truck they were loading. Two stiches, ha!

Many parts of the country are pretty flat and the training there is limited to the terrain on hand. When in OCS at Quantico, Va. we had what was called the "hill trail". Really not much to write home about. Even our DI was in awe of the hills that were availble to "hump" at Camp Pendleton! Kinda like your comment about the tank trails. Being from So. Cal. they were nothing new to me for as a kid I hiked in hills like that all the time.

Now, when I got to the Mountain Warfare Training Center at Bridgeport, Ca. I was introduced to real "hills" for that provided the opportunity to do some world class "humping". They were so steep we were forced to traverse exclusively! Plus, the added bonus of being at about 10,000 feet added a new dimension to the experience, ha. Now that was some humping!

Few PFCs have any concept of the pride of "service" and the "brotherhood" of having served. My best friends are mostly from my period of service and we are in constant contact.

My older brother completed half of Marine OCS before he decided to drop out to go to dental school (the Marines do not have doctors in their ranks as we rely on the Navy for all medical personnel). We joke that, having been raised by Marine's Marine (Dad was a Raider and the XO of the only Reconn Bttn (an honorable mention in the book Swift, Silent, and Deadly by Col. Bruce F. Meyers) in the Pacific war going ashore on Japanese held islands with a KBar and 45, taking prisoners and questioning them before departing in their rubber boats) my brother considers himself a Marine! I do, of course, tease him about this delusion, ha.

A hearty thanks to all who have served. My family is now at three generations! My mother (Navy Nurse), her sister, her brother, my father, his brother, and my son included!


Cheers,

Gus

[TLC]

Gus:
Very well put. My family has a history of serving also. My father was a Marine tank commander in the South Pacific during the "Big One" until he was wounded. My brother was in the Submarine service during the Cuban conflict. He served aboard what he calls a "smoker" (Diesel/electric) sub. And I was in the Sea Bee's as an equipment operator during the Vietnam conflict. Also various cousins and uncles served during their era's.

Again Thank You
Tom

[eamarquardt]

I just realized my mother's father was in the Army during the "Great War". So we're at 4 generations now!

Cheers,

Gus