it has wheels, it is cool... I present something I've never even heard of before, the SSM Series Rail-Bound Forging Manipulator, from Dango & Dienenthal GmbH & Co., Siegen, Germany
Siegen, on the Sieg river, near Siegburg in the....you guessed it, Siegerland! So in the 10th century the Counts of Launenberg/burg? (old castle ruins can't ever remember the spelling) decided for near clear reason to call themselves the Counts of Nassau.
This town was their base, and after Wilhelm or William the rich fell ass backwards into a pile of money (source unknown to me) they were elevated to the Princes of Nassau-Siegen. County Nassau being the county that contains Siegen.
Yes, that Nassau family. Nassau-Siegen was the founding root family of half of the modern royalty in Europe. Nassau-Orange Dutch, Nassau-Oldenburg Norway, and a half dozen smaller houses. Even the English Queen's consort who you just recently died was from this line hence the joke "I'm as German as the Kings of England".
Anyway, sometime back when Johann of Prince of Nassau Orange became through family lines Prince of Nassau-Siegen (he's buried in the nearest Dutch town to Siegen, Cleve), hed had the male line of Nassau Siegen declared extinct.
This was called primogeniture and though Siegen had a princess at the time (Charlotte?) she could not inherit any greater titles because of gender.
Anyway...this is the Town that in the land with a river that bears our family name. This is where my great-grandpa, a Junker, and a Prussian Cavalry Officer was born, and where my Grandpa whom I'm named after was born.
The German royalty of Siegen relinquished their titles and helped to form the Weimar Republic at nearby Bonn in order to give the people control over their own destiny.
The Weimar eventually failed and Great Grandpa could see the writing on the wall and began planning his trip to America where men are what they make themselves not what others tell them they are born into.
Long story short Great-Grandpa was a second in duel near Essen. (Essen is the industrial town on the Ruhr, next river over, that formed the Krupp manufacturing giant that fueled Germany's war effort in two world wars and the Franco-Prussian war.(see William Manchester's 'the Arms of Krupp')
Anyway both 'seconds' participated in this duel and supposedly they both missed terribly, with his protagonist hitting and wounding a footman and Wilhelm (yes great grandpa and grandpa were both Wilhelm until my grandfather' was changed here in America) hit the betrothed to one of Alfred's uglier female household members.
Legend has it that in order to make restitution he was ordered to marry the young lady himself. However he was less than pleased with her legendary homely appearance and so having felt like he'd been betrayed by the genetic 'fairies' in her regard he skipped town.
Great Grandpa eventually found his way to London and together with a comely widow from somewhere near Devonshire he hopped a liner and they skidded the big puddle to arrive on the golden shores of America and the rest is...family history.
Bet you didn't see that story coming when you posted this, now did ya?!
Wow, I didn't! I feel I owe you a beer for that story alone! It has all my favorite things, history, humor, connections, a great ending, locations, etc! Thank you! And if you know a nice way for me to get a beer delivered to you, let me know and I'll make it happen. Or, when you come to San Diego, I'll treat you!
I don't think I'll be back to Cali*******fornia, I lived there a million years ago. I used to live right on Venice beach, a little apartment upstairs off Thorton Court overlooking the whole circus!
I lived in Venice, Anaheim, Santa Barbara and San Bernardino at various times in my youth.
But now I'm one of Danial Boone's adopted children so if you are ever in G-Town, Kentucky on a holiday, I always have a big open barbecue on my front porch. We have beer, brats and burgers for all major parades through town, and anyone that cares to stop by is invited!
Can't guarentee a good seat though. I live right next door to a historic church, (in fact the rock for the foundations of both my house and the church were culled from my property which used to be a quarry), and well here's a story for you.
I'm the edge of the historic district. There are three properties on this block, an old historic home to my left that one of our first governors lived in and is now an apartment building, my house in the middle, and the church next door built in about 1865. My house used to be the rectory of that church. Across the street is one of the, if not the oldest, houses in Kentucky, the Elijah Craig house.
Baptist Elijah Craig if you don't know is credited by some to have invented Bourbon/God's own drink, right on the banks of Royal Springs behind my house.
Anyway, the people of that church are forever a thorn in my side, the worst neighbors ever. They used to block my drive on Sundays by parking across the opening, right in front of my car. I, in turn would stomp right through the middle of their service and yell loudly for the owner to move his car!
So in retaliation I believe (though I can't prove it) the old mayor who used to attend that church, had the towns parade route changed. It used to go right passed my house and turn up the block. Now it turns just short of my house!
So, again I can't promise a great view of the parades anymore, (Fourth of July/Christmas/Festival of the Horse) but I can offer a cold drink, a hot burger, a warm handshake and a lukewarm view of the festivities!
Ahh funny, we were just speaking of Grandpa......
ReplyDeleteSiegen, on the Sieg river, near Siegburg in the....you guessed it, Siegerland! So in the 10th century the Counts of Launenberg/burg? (old castle ruins can't ever remember the spelling) decided for near clear reason to call themselves the Counts of Nassau.
This town was their base, and after Wilhelm or William the rich fell ass backwards into a pile of money (source unknown to me) they were elevated to the Princes of Nassau-Siegen. County Nassau being the county that contains Siegen.
Yes, that Nassau family. Nassau-Siegen was the founding root family of half of the modern royalty in Europe. Nassau-Orange Dutch, Nassau-Oldenburg Norway, and a half dozen smaller houses. Even the English Queen's consort who you just recently died was from this line hence the joke "I'm as German as the Kings of England".
Anyway, sometime back when Johann of Prince of Nassau Orange became through family lines Prince of Nassau-Siegen (he's buried in the nearest Dutch town to Siegen, Cleve), hed had the male line of Nassau Siegen declared extinct.
This was called primogeniture and though Siegen had a princess at the time (Charlotte?) she could not inherit any greater titles because of gender.
Anyway...this is the Town that in the land with a river that bears our family name. This is where my great-grandpa, a Junker, and a Prussian Cavalry Officer was born, and where my Grandpa whom I'm named after was born.
The German royalty of Siegen relinquished their titles and helped to form the Weimar Republic at nearby Bonn in order to give the people control over their own destiny.
The Weimar eventually failed and Great Grandpa could see the writing on the wall and began planning his trip to America where men are what they make themselves not what others tell them they are born into.
Long story short Great-Grandpa was a second in duel near Essen. (Essen is the industrial town on the Ruhr, next river over, that formed the Krupp manufacturing giant that fueled Germany's war effort in two world wars and the Franco-Prussian war.(see William Manchester's 'the Arms of Krupp')
Anyway both 'seconds' participated in this duel and supposedly they both missed terribly, with his protagonist hitting and wounding a footman and Wilhelm (yes great grandpa and grandpa were both Wilhelm until my grandfather' was changed here in America) hit the betrothed to one of Alfred's uglier female household members.
Legend has it that in order to make restitution he was ordered to marry the young lady himself. However he was less than pleased with her legendary homely appearance and so having felt like he'd been betrayed by the genetic 'fairies' in her regard he skipped town.
Great Grandpa eventually found his way to London and together with a comely widow from somewhere near Devonshire he hopped a liner and they skidded the big puddle to arrive on the golden shores of America and the rest is...family history.
Bet you didn't see that story coming when you posted this, now did ya?!
Wow, I didn't! I feel I owe you a beer for that story alone!
DeleteIt has all my favorite things, history, humor, connections, a great ending, locations, etc!
Thank you! And if you know a nice way for me to get a beer delivered to you, let me know and I'll make it happen. Or, when you come to San Diego, I'll treat you!
I don't think I'll be back to Cali*******fornia, I lived there a million years ago. I used to live right on Venice beach, a little apartment upstairs off Thorton Court overlooking the whole circus!
DeleteI lived in Venice, Anaheim, Santa Barbara and San Bernardino at various times in my youth.
But now I'm one of Danial Boone's adopted children so if you are ever in G-Town, Kentucky on a holiday, I always have a big open barbecue on my front porch. We have beer, brats and burgers for all major parades through town, and anyone that cares to stop by is invited!
Can't guarentee a good seat though. I live right next door to a historic church, (in fact the rock for the foundations of both my house and the church were culled from my property which used to be a quarry), and well here's a story for you.
I'm the edge of the historic district. There are three properties on this block, an old historic home to my left that one of our first governors lived in and is now an apartment building, my house in the middle, and the church next door built in about 1865. My house used to be the rectory of that church. Across the street is one of the, if not the oldest, houses in Kentucky, the Elijah Craig house.
Baptist Elijah Craig if you don't know is credited by some to have invented Bourbon/God's own drink, right on the banks of Royal Springs behind my house.
Anyway, the people of that church are forever a thorn in my side, the worst neighbors ever. They used to block my drive on Sundays by parking across the opening, right in front of my car. I, in turn would stomp right through the middle of their service and yell loudly for the owner to move his car!
So in retaliation I believe (though I can't prove it) the old mayor who used to attend that church, had the towns parade route changed. It used to go right passed my house and turn up the block. Now it turns just short of my house!
So, again I can't promise a great view of the parades anymore, (Fourth of July/Christmas/Festival of the Horse) but I can offer a cold drink, a hot burger, a warm handshake and a lukewarm view of the festivities!
Until then cheers!
If I ever get on the road, I will certainly stop by!
DeleteThat is a beast of a machine.
ReplyDelete