Of dragons and cows....

From time to time, since I am such a latecomer, I go sauntering back through some of the old threads that I wasn't around for, and I have been coming across a recurring and potentially disturbing theme that I hope some of you might be able to give me some background on: the inexplicable tendency for Phil the Gerringer's name to be brought up in the same post and/or sentence with cows.

Could someone fill me in on the background for this? Did he mistake a cow for one of the rocket gods and offer up a rocket to it?

(I have this icky feeling that I'm going to get in trouble for bringing this up) :kill:

Well, I wasn't at this launch so, I'll let Milo provide the gory details but, Phil is a little intimidated by cows.

Geeeesh!!!

Lets set the record straight. I'm not intimitated by cows. There... I said it... Here is the story:

My first experience into MPR involved an AeroTech Mustang on an E15. (My favorite kit, since then sacrificed to the rocket gods) Anyway, its maiden voyage took it straight and perfect. Over a line of trees and into a cow pasture. No biggie right? I walked into the entrance and there was a horse. Nicey horse. Again, no biggie. Walked into the next pasture, saw a few cows a short distance, no biggie here either, they are just cows right? I go and retrieve my prize, no biggie. Turn around and there is a cow staring me straight in the face at close distance. No horns but "she" looked unhappy. Again no biggie, except, I would take a step and she would take two steps. So, I did what any self respecting rocketeer would have done.... I ran.... Course she didn't run after me which makes me less of a hero and more of a coward. And I have yet to live it down...

But that's OK, cause I have taken the guise of the dragon cause everyone knows what dragons eat right? Cows, unsuspecting virgins, and the occasional knight that pisses 'em off.

Ahh...got the story straight from the cow's...err...horse's mouth. After the cow-tipping fiasco, in which we WERE chased, I can thoroughly respect your cowardice...err...heroism...err...whatever you wanna call it.

Regarding the dragon thing, I'll try to find the picture for you, but it has a dragon holding a knight in one hand (claw?) and a knight-sized can opener in the other. How appropriate.

Phil *might* have neglected to fill you in completely on his phobia regarding cows.

Not to say that Phil isn't a manly man, but at Whitakers, which if you haven't gathered by now is a thousand acres of COW PASTURES, Phil has been known to send his children off to fetch his rockets. His young children. His very young children. Some of the rockets he sends them after are bigger than they are.

Phil has also been known to ask "friends" to put his rocket on the pad when the cows are grazing close to same.

Now, I do have to give Phil credit for one thing... he never seems to be afraid to step in the cowpiles..... 'nuff said.

Well I was there....

That cow was as harmless as a butterfly. What Phil failed to mention was that I was between him and the cow and if he would have just listened to me it would have been ok. I tried to show him that if he would have stepped towards the cow it would have taken THREE steps back.

Poor Phil and his bovinephobia... tisk, tisk. That's ok we are all afraid of something...

Now you guys got me in trouble. I caught those last two posts while at work, and my laughter caught the attention of about 30 coworkers.

Phil is now a celebrity here at work.

<still chuckling>

LOL!!!! I'm famous!!!

Ken's a liar: I send the kids out cause I'm lazy not because I can hear the droning of all those cows saying, "Phiiiiiiiiiiiiil".

Craig's a liar: Walt was with me. Craig was in the other pasture. Neither of them had the cows attention. I did...

Oh, and BTW, the story does have a happy ending... That night I had a big ole juicy steak for supper. I like to think I got even...

Uhh...Phil. I don't know if "famous" is the word you're looking for. Infamous might be a little closer. Remember, we're sitting here in Wisconsin, America's Dairyland, and if you gotta problem with cows here, you'd better find another state to move to. Outside of Milwaukee or Madison, the two largest cities, there is nowhere in the state you can go where you're more than 5 miles from the nearest cow.


I do have to say that I'm really glad I asked the question! Really really glad!

Laughing so hard I teared up there

Man, I am really missing out... I launch in dry lake beds where nothing is living for miles, it is impossible to start a wild fire, and you can drive after you rocket

-Brian Barney

Hey Phil, I've found just the thing.... if you hurry....

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2032906535



-nathan

That is great. Should I use the cattle prod on the cows or on my lying friends...

Originally posted by PGerringer
That is great. Should I use the cattle prod on the cows or on my lying friends...

Click to expand...

Uhh...your call. I think I'll just go back over to the corner, grab some popcorn and watch the show.






(I've always been such a good instigator <chortle>)

You guys forgot to mention a very important fact....

I was told indirectly that the cows really miss Phil...When I was setting up the big way...way...frigg'in...far away pad, I was surrounded by about 40 of them, each gradually moving in closer to see what I was doing. The leader, a white smaller cow, the one kicking up some dirt now and again told me he wanted to see his boyfriend Phil again, as they ALL missed their "biatch"!!!

Funny thing is, Phil sent two of Mark's girls out and I couldn't get the rest of their story as the GIRLS frightened them away!!! Pretty strange how he attracts em but a little 9 year old makes em scatter...kinda makes you wonder WHY he wanted to camp out there last time, huh???

So don't let Phil's COW-ardice fool you, he is missed by Bubba Bull and the clan!

Carl

You guys are going to get me fired!! Okay, so it's a slow day today, and after seeing that cattle prod, I just had to:

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2113501838

I'm not a liar

I'm simply stating the facts as I remember them. If I remember them wrong does that make me a liar? Sorry Mr. Senator I can't recall.

I think Phil has watched too many Stephen King movies or something and thought that the cow in question was a Cujo Cow.

Come to think of it he did have the cooler and all in the trunk at Whitakers. I bet if we dug into it we would have found a nice checkered table cloth, bottle of wine, some cheese and fried chicken.

Originally posted by KermieD
... my laughter caught the attention of about 30 coworkers.


<still chuckling>

Click to expand...

What's a cow-orker, anyway?

OK, I finally quit laughing. But, I'm not going to believe any of these allegations without photographic proof.

Lee, you never had a cow-worker as a co-worker?

ROTFLOL!!!!!

Ouch... I think I hurt myself.

From those who were at the car lot watching the faraway pad, it looked like Carl was out there frozen in fear when all those cows came around. Is there anything else you want to share with us?

If this was rmr, it would be time for someone to claim to have invented cows.....

Originally posted by rstaff3
If this was rmr, it would be time for someone to claim to have invented cows.....

Click to expand...

Al Gore is not a member of the forum so we probably won't see this. (I hope the moderator doesn't think this is too political)

This is Phil's reaction when he was helping Ken set up a rocket at Whitakers in February and he heard a cow moo:

https://www.rocketryforum.com/jmyers/album/?display=Whitakers 2-23-02/Ken's Arreaux.jpg

Would Phil be the one in the blue doing his impression of that puffer-fish fight or flight reaction?

Phil is on the left and Ken's the one on the right looking like a Wisonsin refugee.

It was quite frigid here that day in February. As I recall, the high was in the mid or upper 30's. One of the coldest days we had if I'm not mistaken.

Originally posted by Jase
This is Phil's reaction when he was helping Ken set up a rocket at Whitakers in February and he heard a cow moo:

https://www.rocketryforum.com/jmyers/album/?display=Whitakers 2-23-02/Ken's Arreaux.jpg

Click to expand...

That picture makes it look like Phil crapped his pants after hearing the cows! What a Hoot!!!

Now that one hurt. Jase, you are off my Christmas card list....

Seriously, that was Ken's Arreaux. Notice how it looks like a large cow sopository. I was just trying to protect Ken's investment.

Gasoline to get to Whitakers: $9
Launch fee: $5
K550 reload kit: $90
Cattle Prod on eBay: $22.85
Seeing Phil chased around field by a herd of cattle: PRICELESS

Originally posted by gothique_97
Gasoline to get to Whitakers: $9
Launch fee: $5
K550 reload kit: $90
Cattle Prod on eBay: $22.85
Seeing Phil chased around field by a herd of cattle: PRICELESS

Click to expand...

Hehehehe, good one!

<h3>O M G !</h3>
...still laughing

We really do lubs ya Phil!!!

So I guess Phil doesn't set his AIM account to MOOOOO at him when a new message comes in?