[ithacaartist]

Maybe I'll just see about that, Tom...! A friend's friend once told him he had to go to Ohio and bring his newly purchased Mustang home. What year did he get? Hard top or convertible or fastback? Nuh-uh, a P-51! ... Been meaning to see if the guy is still alive and has the aircraft. More Iconic metal! This craft touches me in the same way the Luger always did/does.

I'm sensitive about the "lifer" biz. I've traditionally made two donations every year. One to the JREF, and the other to the Lugerforum. It's a brutal winter overall, so far, which accounts for the ability to spend time doodling around at the work bench. But it also means the enterprises by which I supplement my retirement check have been kinda frozen to the ground for the duration. Consequently, I cut my gift to the JREF in half. I was holding off on the Lugerforum endowment because I really didn't want to reduce it. Then it dawned on me that if I divided the usual amount by 12, and rounded up, I could PayPal J.D., our fearless leader, that amount every month! The forum makes out a tad better, due to the rounding, and it eliminates the anxiety involved with scraping together the $ lump all at once. As I told John, I'll simply do it every month from now on, and it all works out great. And then this Lifer stuff appears under my mug on every post...

I find it a little embarrassing to be called a Lifer, because, to me, the connotations bring to mind a guy who has been drooling over Lugers since waaay before the internet--back when it was done with phone calls and Kodak prints and handshakes and conversations at gun shows. So, I am a relative novice as a Luger sleuth, and there is always a tinge of humility in regarding the heavy hitters (You know who you are. You've done amazing work to help the interest bloom over the decades, a flower to be passed on to the next wave/generation.). Nonetheless, those I recognize in this category have always made me feel welcome and supported on the forum, despite the occasional (?) whacky idea I may have, or if my posts are long-winded. Anyway, thanks, all.

When one considers the arrangement, I am indeed a Lifetime Lugerforum Patron. And how could I not be? This forum provides so much opportunity for learning about you-know-what, and provides the occasional chance to help someone out by sharing observations and knowledge--though my contributions to most discussions are more centered on materials, processes, and crafts than specific, right-on scoops of Luger expertise. And I guess I am a Lifer in that discovering this community was like being born: They both share the same end point!