Sunday, June 02, 2013

What is this?



What is this?

And what does it have to do with what I was doing on Saturday?


Clue #1. Posted 1:22pm Sunday.   I did something yesterday that I had only done once before in my life. And the thing in the picture is related to that activity.

Clue #2. Posted 5:24pm Sunday.  It's clear that many people are having difficulty working out the scale of this object. Guesses have ranged from a very fine file to a roll of carpet. Redstar's guess of a golf club grip is the nearest to imagining the correct size. It is cylindrical, about 4 inches long, and just under 2 inches diameter. It fits comfortably in my hand. Both ends of the cylinder are connected to other things.

Clue #3. Posted 6:04pm Sunday.  What I was doing was done outdoors.

Clue #4 Posted 7:33pm Sunday.  I wasn't actually holding this thing while I was participating in the activity. But the object is what makes what I did so unusual for me.

Clue #5 Posted 11:05pm Sunday.  5000.

Clue #6 Posted 7:08am Monday.  I brought this object home with me.


102 comments:

Genie said...

Well, it looks like a rope. You might have been sailing or playing Cowboys and Indians?

Tillerman said...

It does look a bit like a "rope". But it's not a rope.

And I wasn't playing Cowboys and Indians. But now I come to think of it there is a surprising link to some Native American/ early colonial history that I hadn't discovered until just now.

Keep Reaching said...

It might be some sort of decorative gold braid - like on a uniform.

Baydog said...

It's a thin round file and you were using it to clean out the holes in your trailer-light connectors.

Tillerman said...

That's a very intelligent guess Baydog, in that I was doing some boat trailer maintenance last week and connectors were one of the "issues" I was dealing with. Unfortunately your guess is completely wrong. It's not a file.

Tillerman said...

Hmm. It does look a bit like gold braid, doesn't it? But it's not gold braid and it's not on a uniform.

Genie said...

Is it part of an Escher drawing or a piece of jewellery?

Tillerman said...

Wow. You guys are making some great guesses.

But not part of an Escher drawing or a piece of jewelry.

Genie said...

Is it part of a reptile, perhaps a snake or lizard?

Tillerman said...

No, not a snake or a lizard or any kind of reptile.

All the previous guesses were correct in so far as they correctly believed it to be something man-made.

Baydog said...

Baywife guesses it's a wire shroud or sidestay.

Tillerman said...

I was hoping that someone would guess it is something like that. Because it's not.

I might have to give a clue soon.

O Docker said...


I think it's something you found while cleaning out your garage and that you have no idea what it is, either.

Tillerman said...

LOL. I was wondering when my old bloggy friend O Docker would join the fray. I wasn't sure whether he was desperately using his legendary reverse image searching prowess or whether he just gets up later on Sundays. Welcome sir!

O Docker is correct in that I do occasionally find things in my garage and think, "WTF is this and why did I keep it?"

But I did not find this in my garage. And I do know what it is.

Genie said...

Is it a stack of the paper cups used for cupcakes?

Tillerman said...

Well, Genie has the most creative guesses so far, but also the most wrong. Not a stack of the paper cups used for cupcakes!

Tillerman said...

OK. I will have mercy on you all. I have posted a clue.

O Docker said...


Did this involve the grandkids?

Genie said...

It isn't a tire of some sort, is it? Did you go bike riding? or scrambling? That doesn't exactly jibe with Native Americans, though.

Tillerman said...

No. No grandkids this weekend. Will make up for it next weekend I hope.

Tillerman said...

Well done Genie! You are absolutely correct. It isn't a tire of some sort.

I did not go bike riding, or scrambling.

splinter said...

something horse-related?

Genie said...

Is this a conveyor belt in a factory? Or is it a roll of fabric? Were you making curtains, Tillerman?

Genie said...

Or is it a roll of carpet. Did you lay carpet?

Bridget said...

Is it a spring? Did you go bungie jumping?

Anonymous said...

The grip on a golf club?

redstar

Unknown said...

It looks like a wire cable of some sort. Did you sail into a large moored object?

Tillerman said...

No - nothing to do with horses.

Tillerman said...

Genie you constantly amaze me with the fertility of your imagination!

Not a factory.
Not a roll of fabric.
Not making curtains.

Tillerman said...

No, not a roll of carpet.

Tillerman said...

Not a spring. Didn't go bungee jumping.

Tillerman said...

Not the grip on a golf club.

I don't plan to take up golf until I am too old for Laser sailing.

Tillerman said...

Not a wire cable. Didn't sail into a large moored object.

Tillerman said...

I might have to give you all a second clue soon.

Tillerman said...

OK. I have posted another clue letting you know the size of this thing.

Genie said...

Is this the handle of a racquet. Tennis anyone? Or possibly shuttlecock or badminton, though I think the racquets for these last two are smaller.

Unknown said...

Washing machine hose or plumbing tube to some sort of appliance.

Tillerman said...

No, but it's about that size. Fits comfortable in the hand.

Tillerman said...

Posted another clue. This is related to some outdoor activity - not finding stuff in my garage, or mending my washing machine, or laying carpet!

Genie said...

Were you playing cricket? Or was this the rope grip for tug-o war?

Genie said...

Were you hand gliding? Or playing lacrosse?

Tillerman said...

Good guesses. But no.

Tillerman said...

Good guesses but no.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm... I'm guessing it's used to join two pieces of garden hose... so for only the second time in your life you can water the flowers.

You know. Because of climate change.

Tillerman said...

Ahah. Welcome Mitch. The Internet Godfather of "Where am I?" and "What is this?" photo quizzes. We are honored by your presence.

It's a good guess. And I have just come in from watering the flowers. Which I have done many times in my life. So that is not the right answer.

Tillerman said...

Posted another clue.

Anonymous said...

Is it made out of metal?

O Docker said...


Is that the Blogulator 5000 ?

The Blogulator 5000 is a small, innocuous plastic object that can generate 50 comments or more when a photo of it is posted on a blog.

Some bloggers waste hours composing carefully thought out and cleverly written posts just to attract a handful of mildly bemused readers, when what they really need to drive traffic to their sites is the Blogulator 5000.

I think Buff Staysail has already secured North American distribution rights.

Tillerman said...

LOL.

O Docker is (once again) very close to the right answer.

Tillerman said...

Parts of the object look metallic, but I think they are actually plastic.

Unknown said...

You clearly posted a black and white photo to disguise the real color. Was it brightly colored?

Was it a stake of some sort that you drive into the ground to mark a position on a field?

Tillerman said...

Just posted a fifth clue. Almost giving it away.

Unknown said...

Is it attached to ropes at either end that secure some kind of structure?

Tillerman said...

No.

Unknown said...

AT-5000 Professional Underground Cable / Pipe Locator System

Tillerman said...

Did you just make that up or is there really such a thing?

No, it's not an AT-5000 Professional Underground Cable / Pipe Locator System!

Unknown said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVVwJIVoG-4

Tillerman said...

I think that link is bad.

Unknown said...

Hmm works for me. Google it on youtube. Really mean piece of machinery. The sort of thing that you only do twice in your life.

Baydog said...

Zipline

Tillerman said...

Another great guess. I do think I've only ever done a zipline once in my life before. But I didn't go ziplining on Saturday.

Tillerman said...

I haven't even used one of those things once in my life.

Unknown said...

Baydog, is this it: hhttp://bit.ly/10KGMAb

torrid said...

Baton from a relay race?

Unknown said...

May not be a zipline, but this piece of zipline equipment looks identical. Amazing.

http://bit.ly/10KGMAb

Baydog said...

Corzine

Baydog said...

Armadillo

Pandabonium said...

You went to an outdoor concert attended by 5,000 people and this object is the wrapped handle of the singer's microphone.

Anonymous said...

5000 psi pressure washer?

Anonymous said...

Pogo stick?

R

Unknown said...

Looks like an awesome wedding band - if it is then congratulations. :)

JP said...

Some sort of mincing machine to make food like burgers for a BBQ?

my2fish said...

Easy, that's the thermal coupling for the canooter valve.

Tillerman said...

You are quite right that I changed the color photo that I took with my iPhone to be black and white. That was purely to change the color of the background so as not to distract from the object itself. The object is black and silver, exactly as it appears in the photo.

It is not a stake. The cylinder is only 4 inches long. It is attached at both ends to other things.

Tillerman said...

It is nothing to do with ziplining.

I confess I did choose this photo for the quiz because it does look like a lot of other things.

Tillerman said...

Huh? Former Governor Corzine? Does he look like this?

Tillerman said...

No. This thing is man-made.

Tillerman said...

No. But 5000 is a very good clue and should lead someone to the right answer.

Tillerman said...

No. What's that got to do with 5000?

Tillerman said...

I accept your belated congratulations on my wedding to Tillerwoman in 1973. we celebrated our 40th anniversary a few weeks ago. But this is not a wedding band.

Tillerman said...

No.

Tillerman said...

No.

Tillerman said...

Not a baton from a relay race. I don't think I've ever run a relay race in my life. But you are getting warm.

Tillerman said...

Posted another clue in the original post. I'm totally giving away the answer now.

Lance A. said...

Part of a trophy. You finally won some hardware, congrats. Have you been following the regimen that I prescribed?

meech said...

Did you rent it?

BlueVark said...

Part of trapeze harness for Laser 5000?

Anonymous said...

As in: "1"-boing, "2"-boing, "3"-boing....."4999"-boing, "5000"-boing "YES! Done it!"

Obviously, not.

R

Anonymous said...

Oh, oh, oh - is it a prize for a 5km running race?

R

Tillerman said...

Ding, ding, ding!

Lance A. got it, (but is disqualified for using performance enhancing drugs and not using his real name.)

It is indeed part of a trophy. But what did I win it for and what is it that I achieved for only the second time?

Clue: I have a lot more than two sailing trophies.

my2fish said...

A sea salt grinder for seasoning at your BBQ grill.

Tillerman said...

No. See answer to Lance A.'s guess.

Tillerman said...

No. See answer to Lance A.'s guess.

Tillerman said...

No.

Tillerman said...

Well done R. It was indeed an award (for 2nd place in my age group) at a 5k running race.

As regular readers of my blog may know, I have been entering running races for many years, about 30 years I think. But I am even worse at running than I am at sailing, and this was only the second time in my life that I have ever won a trophy for running, the last occasion being in 1992.

Thanks to everyone who entered. I never knew you all had so much free time on a Sunday!

Bridget said...

Ha! Now PLEASE show a picture of the ENTIRE trophy!

Tillerman said...

Have done Bridget. See Twice in a Lifetime!

Tillerman said...

And just to explain the reference in one of my comments to native American/early colonial history...

I googled North Smithfield and discovered on the Wikipedia that this area was first colonized when a Native American, Quashawannamut, in 1666 deeded approximately 2,000 acres to John Mowry and Edward Inman who partnered with Nathaniel Mowry, John Steere, and Thomas Walling in dividing up the purchased tract.

And the guy who won my age group was from North Smithfield and his last name was Mowry. I didn't get a chance to chat with him but I wouldn't be at all surprised to find he is descended from one of those 1666 Mowrys. In Tiverton, where I live, many of the family names from the original land deeds are still represented in the population today.

Anonymous said...

Oops. I meant: "Obviously not."

R

Bridget said...

Saw that AFTER I had posted. Thanks!

O Docker said...


How clever of them to award Blogulator 5000's as trophies.

You can see that the claims made for this remarkable device are all true. It even works while you sleep.

Well OK, it even works while I sleep.

Anonymous said...

I think I have a Blogulator 6000 about to arrive in the mail...

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