Nylon Capital

 G'Day Friends

I have to write a post that doesn't mention my medical challenges. And now I guess I just mentioned them.    A few weeks ago I was trying to unclutter my bedroom closet and I had a few rifles from days gone by.  Just .22's.   They were stored safely but not properly.  They were not valuable.  But one was kind of interesting.  It was a .22 called a "Nylon".   I had bought it years ago because when I was a young tyke my father had come home with one of these and we kids were amazed.  The stock was nylon.  The color was green.  It was like a toy.  We got to shoot the rifle and my father was really ratcheting up the safety rules "this is not a toy!"   The Nylon that I bought years later was the color of wood.  I took the Nylon and another vintage .22 to a pawn shop in Seaford De. about 9 miles south on good old Rt. 13.  The folks at the pawn shop were nice and they rejected the old bolt action .22 as it needed a minor repair.  But the Nylon they were keen about.  They said "you want to pawn or sell it or what"  just like the guy on the reality show.  I said sell and we had a deal.  The guy writes up my receipt and says:  Do you know about this rifle and where it was made?  I said not really.   He says  "The Dupont factory two miles from here was built for the purpose of manufacturing these rifles."  Seaford is known as the nylon capital of the world and Seaford is all about the Duponts.   When I was flying light twin airplanes out of Baltimore on charter I used to fly some of the Dupont family members.  Also the Dupont farm and summer cottage at Horn Point ties into my aviation life and career.  I could write many a chapter about Horn Point my fond memories of the fly ins there.  I'm digressing. 

I leave the pawn shop with a new used set of binos,  Bushnell.  Well, right next to the pawn shop there is a music store which I have been going to for 30 years.  I stroll in there.  I ask them about mini guitars.  Minies are often 3/4 scale guitars.  For a child or someone acting like a child.  I wound up buying a "Yamaha Jr." in "like new" condition.  It is cute I love it. It had about the same value as the rifle I had just sold.

As I drove back north on Rt. 13 for home, a phrase kept running through my mind   Their swords into plow shares,  or something like that.  Is it from the bible?       Does my life have to be a metaphor.            I said goodbye to a firearm and hello to a cute little guitar.

"They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.   Nation will not take up sword against nation.   They shall study war no more"     Isaiah 2

                           LLITTY      :::::+:::::