Here's what I'm getting for my birthday next month:

[trof]

A few days ago Miz t. and I had the annual conversation.
She: "So...what do you want for your birthday?"
"I dunno."
"Well, I'm going to get you SOMETHING, so what would you like?"
"I dunno. I don't really need anything. I'll think about it."

The next day I noticed that the flimsy Walmart windsock on our dock was pretty shredded. We'd had several days of high winds. I like having a windsock out there. It tells me a lot about what weather to expect. And then it hit me.

I want a real, heavy duty, all weather, airport type windsock.
So that's what I'm getting.

"What makes our aviation windsocks different? Two major things make a windsock, its material and its construction. We start off with a premium nylon fabric that is made right here in the USA to our exacting standards. Nylon offers unparalleled windsock durability to the elements and will not become rigid in cold weather, keeping our windsocks extremely responsive in even the slightest of wind.

From there it gets urethane coated and UV protected, giving the windsock superior fade resistance and color retention. The material is subjected to a variety of tests by an independent lab to verify its structural integrity and UV resistance. This superior material is then cut and sewn right here in our own facility. Our reinforced double stitched hems and heavy duty brass grommets, assures our windsocks long life reliability."

[struggle4progress]

1. grommets! hoo-boy!

[Tuesday Afternoon]

3. and its urethane coated, too

and guess what rhymes with grommet

[struggle4progress]

6. i think the only word that rhymes with grommet is gourmet

[trof]

23. comet, vomit, but maybe not gour-may?

[struggle4progress]

25. nitzy picky picky picky

[Tuesday Afternoon]

2. will it be orange like the one you posted?

and did you mean Dock or Deck?

[trof]

5. Dock. We live on a bay north of the Intracoastal Waterway.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

9. I think a Sock on a Dock is a wonderful thing

Happy coming soon Birthday, trof

[trof]

10. 'Tis. A drink by the sock on the dock is even better.

And we use the windsock to decide if the dock is people friendly.
If it's 90 degrees, 90% humidity, and the sock is flaccid we stay inside.
But if there's a nice breeze, it's very pleasant out there.
And the wind keeps the noseeums away.

Thanks.
I'll be 72.
whew

[trof]

24. Oh, absolutely orange. High viz.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

26. but, of course, mon ami !!

[antiquie]

4. Congratulations and

thanks -- another new thing I learned about today:

[trof]

7. Yes. A good thing to know.

[antiquie]

8. I might need to know

in my next life.

What I am curious about is if there is a standard length that should be frameless and if that indicates the presence of gusts or if you can estimate wind speed. Keeps me awake at night.

[trof]

11. I used to know that number.

"If a standard airport windsock is straight out, then the wind speed is at least ____ knots."
Sure, it indicates gusts, steady state wind, direction.
This morning it was light and variable, favoring north-northeast.

[trof]

15. OK, here ya go: Fully extended windsock indicates winds of 24 mph or greater.

Federal windsock guidelines say that a fully extended windsock indicates winds of 24 mph or greater. If the windsock is at a 45-degree angle, winds are at 12 mph. If the windsock flips up and down, winds are gusting. If it holds steady, winds are steady.
http://www.huffyswindsocks.com/page6.html

[trof]

12. In summer, if the wind is out of the north, we're usually in for cooler weather.

If it's out of the south, off the gulf, warmer.

[JitterbugPerfume]

13. Happy birthday trof!

is that better than a pair of socks? (groan)

[trof]

14. HEY JIT!

Yep, it sure is.

[MuseRider]

16. That sounds like a perfectly wonderful

birthday present! Our dock would not be large enough nor is our pond or I would think that would be a great idea that I never thought of and would be on my list for next year.

Enjoy it, it sounds like you live in a wonderful place Happy Birthday!

[trof]

17. It will be mounted on a half inch PVC pipe.

Works great.

[trueblue2007]

18. make sure it's MADE IN THE USA

[trof]

19. It IS! Even the nylon fabric.

[Bertha Venation]

20. Nice. I'm happy for you.

When I hear Alison Krauss and Union Station's "Never Got Off the Ground," I think of you, Trof. A sample:

We all dream when we're younger
That we will do great things
Me, I used to have a hunger
To wear a pilot's wings

(that was my dream, too)

But that's the only part of the song that makes me think of you; the rest really is about dreams that never got off the ground. Anyway, it's a good song.

[trof]

22. Thank you Bertha.

Yes, I got my wings.
And I got off the ground more times than I can count.