My wife and I were talking over dinner the other day and said "Bon appétit!". Then we got started talking about how we know several European version of that phrase but none in English. Does anyone know of such a phrase? For that matter, what about other languages? Is there something one should say in China or Japan or Serbia or???
Obviously things have been quiet around here. LOL We went to Las Vegas to return our pickup shell to the dealer for repair and to check out some trailers. The shell had a manufacturing defect that means it will have to go back to the California factory for repair. Our trailer is nine years old and has seen better days however, we didn't see anything we wanted to bring home with us.
This weekend we are going back to Las Vegas to celebrate our 25th anniversary with the kids being present. We carefully planned things way back in '84 so that they could both be with us when we got married so it's going to be fun having them around for this minor milestone. (Took them on the Honeymoon with us too but that's another story!) The actual anniversary was last Monday but this weekend is the time they could make it so that is the important thing. It won't be a big deal, just dinner then we wander off in our separate directions leaving a few bucks at the various casinos.
No one has offered to help me put a feed on the blog so I guess I'll have another shot at it next week. These 'Help' pages shouldn't be that tough to understand but I'm sure having trouble. At any rate, be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Help!
Someone suggested that I provide an RSS feed. I'd love to but I keep going around in circles trying to manage it. Can anyone tell me in REALLY SIMPLE WORDS what I need to do? Whatever Blogger is telling me just isn't working for me.
Thinking about the pioneers
Whenever I go for a drive around here I think of the folks who were here when walking or horseback riding was the mode of travel. I jump into the truck and head for Las Vegas thinking nothing of it. This was four or five days travel in olden times. I came across this historical marker on my last trip. The distance from Las Vegas to Blue Diamond was one day; Blue Diamond to the top of the pass at Mountain Springs was another day. You traveled from place to place out here based on the availability of water. I can hardly imagine the hardships faced by those early travelers.
There is another marker that I saw (but managed NOT to photograph) that indicated the next part of the trail after leaving the mountain pass was to a place where if you dug down a bit you would gradually get some water accumulation. That was twenty-five miles (forty km) from the pass. Then twenty miles (thirty-two km) further on you came to another 'real' spring. What a harsh, demanding life! Ten hours of walking through rough country with lots of dry stream beds to get to a place where you might get water by digging for it.
Here's another marker that shows the trail from Colorado to the coast.
You couldn't leave Colorado in the winter so it would be HOT by the time you got to the desert. At least that would mean it was dry. Here if there is heavy rain in the mountains, there are flash floods that still kill people. Not to mention that the clay soil becomes mud with any tiny amount of moisture. You would really need a good reason to travel this land; but, of course, once you started it would be just as tough to return to where you started!
Take it easy, it's still dangerous out there!
There is another marker that I saw (but managed NOT to photograph) that indicated the next part of the trail after leaving the mountain pass was to a place where if you dug down a bit you would gradually get some water accumulation. That was twenty-five miles (forty km) from the pass. Then twenty miles (thirty-two km) further on you came to another 'real' spring. What a harsh, demanding life! Ten hours of walking through rough country with lots of dry stream beds to get to a place where you might get water by digging for it.
Here's another marker that shows the trail from Colorado to the coast.
You couldn't leave Colorado in the winter so it would be HOT by the time you got to the desert. At least that would mean it was dry. Here if there is heavy rain in the mountains, there are flash floods that still kill people. Not to mention that the clay soil becomes mud with any tiny amount of moisture. You would really need a good reason to travel this land; but, of course, once you started it would be just as tough to return to where you started!
Take it easy, it's still dangerous out there!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
What were they thinking!
Went to Vegas on Monday to get the shell for the truck. $1500 later we have a nice fiberglass cover over the bed of the truck. We got one for our first truck back in 1982 and have had one on every truck since. You just get used to having all that protected space. It's doesn't do anything about someone who would like to rob you but then again I don't know that anything does.
I did do something I've wanted to do since we got here; I took a photo!
Now honestly, do you think it is a tree? Out in the middle of the desert like this; the stupid straight branches look real don't they. Jeez! I mean a cell tower is a cell tower; what were they thinking? I'd love to see the justification for spending the extra money for those 'branches'.
Gotta go. Be careful, it's dangerous out there!
I did do something I've wanted to do since we got here; I took a photo!
Now honestly, do you think it is a tree? Out in the middle of the desert like this; the stupid straight branches look real don't they. Jeez! I mean a cell tower is a cell tower; what were they thinking? I'd love to see the justification for spending the extra money for those 'branches'.
Gotta go. Be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Flag Day
Here in the U.S. it is Flag Day. A fairly odd holiday but why not? Our flag moved with us from humid Florida to the desert and mountains of Nevada.
Be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Death and whatever
I was over at Croft's site where he talked a bit about his brother's burial. It sound like the whole family was there for the occasion and were comforted by the ceremony. I'm happy for them.
It made me want to talk about the deaths of my mother and my mother-in-law. Mom died in September of 2005. She had been a victim of dementia for nine years. One day she just stopped eating or drinking; the home informed us immediately but there was nothing anyone could do. Mom died a couple of days later.
Nine years ago she had told me she wanted to be buried in her special dress but it was certainly nothing special and we wanted to get her something that fit better so we did. It was a simple deep red dress that complimented her nicely. She died in St. Petersburg, FL and was flown to Iowa for her internment. There was room next to my dad for her; he died in 1982. We had a quiet ceremony at the grave site for perhaps fifteen relatives and a couple of friends. The Presbyterian pastor, who had never met my mom, asked for people to talk about mom and I started things off by saying how I was sure she would have liked the gathering; just wished the occasion was different! Other people added their thoughts and the body was lowered into the earth. Then we went off to the local crappy diner and had coffee and cake. It was a nice gathering, as such things are like to be, and we dispersed going our own ways.
Just after we got home from the funeral in Iowa, my wife took her mother to the doctor with a complaint about her breathing. The doctor prescribed full time oxygen and suggested to my wife that she could enroll her mom in Hospice. (In this country the hospice organizations care for the terminally ill . Normally people in Hospice are expected to die within six months.) At any rate, she moved into a nursing home on November 31 and died on January 6. She was a Catholic but had not asked for any service. She wanted to be cremated in an old pair of short and a shirt. My wife couldn't let her go in those old clothes so substituted a nicer shirt and shorts outfit. Her remains were kept in our closet (with those of her beloved Doberman dog) until Easter of 2007 when we spread them in the desert outside of Bullhead City, AZ. Well, we put them both there; according to her wishes.
It is odd the difference, even for us atheists, between the formal leave-taking that marked my mother's internment and the less formal but no less meaningful distribution of my mother-in-law's ashes. The internment was a lot like "drawing a line in the sand". It is a place we could return expecting to have a rock with my mother's name and the years she was on earth. There is no such place or thing for my mother-in-law. My wife and I, alone, could possibly identify the place we left her. Her remains are now certainly blown all over the area.
We are comfortable that we treated each of our mother's in the way they wanted to be treated and with total respect. Is one way better than the other? Not for me and I don't believe for my wife. We did what our mother's wanted and both experiences honored their lives and their end. I must admit that her mother was a sort of drag on us until we had taken her to Arizona as we had promised. As the saying goes, funerals are for the living; in our experience, it doesn't have to be a funeral, simply a good bye is enough.
Take it easy, it's dangerous out there!
It made me want to talk about the deaths of my mother and my mother-in-law. Mom died in September of 2005. She had been a victim of dementia for nine years. One day she just stopped eating or drinking; the home informed us immediately but there was nothing anyone could do. Mom died a couple of days later.
Nine years ago she had told me she wanted to be buried in her special dress but it was certainly nothing special and we wanted to get her something that fit better so we did. It was a simple deep red dress that complimented her nicely. She died in St. Petersburg, FL and was flown to Iowa for her internment. There was room next to my dad for her; he died in 1982. We had a quiet ceremony at the grave site for perhaps fifteen relatives and a couple of friends. The Presbyterian pastor, who had never met my mom, asked for people to talk about mom and I started things off by saying how I was sure she would have liked the gathering; just wished the occasion was different! Other people added their thoughts and the body was lowered into the earth. Then we went off to the local crappy diner and had coffee and cake. It was a nice gathering, as such things are like to be, and we dispersed going our own ways.
Just after we got home from the funeral in Iowa, my wife took her mother to the doctor with a complaint about her breathing. The doctor prescribed full time oxygen and suggested to my wife that she could enroll her mom in Hospice. (In this country the hospice organizations care for the terminally ill . Normally people in Hospice are expected to die within six months.) At any rate, she moved into a nursing home on November 31 and died on January 6. She was a Catholic but had not asked for any service. She wanted to be cremated in an old pair of short and a shirt. My wife couldn't let her go in those old clothes so substituted a nicer shirt and shorts outfit. Her remains were kept in our closet (with those of her beloved Doberman dog) until Easter of 2007 when we spread them in the desert outside of Bullhead City, AZ. Well, we put them both there; according to her wishes.
It is odd the difference, even for us atheists, between the formal leave-taking that marked my mother's internment and the less formal but no less meaningful distribution of my mother-in-law's ashes. The internment was a lot like "drawing a line in the sand". It is a place we could return expecting to have a rock with my mother's name and the years she was on earth. There is no such place or thing for my mother-in-law. My wife and I, alone, could possibly identify the place we left her. Her remains are now certainly blown all over the area.
We are comfortable that we treated each of our mother's in the way they wanted to be treated and with total respect. Is one way better than the other? Not for me and I don't believe for my wife. We did what our mother's wanted and both experiences honored their lives and their end. I must admit that her mother was a sort of drag on us until we had taken her to Arizona as we had promised. As the saying goes, funerals are for the living; in our experience, it doesn't have to be a funeral, simply a good bye is enough.
Take it easy, it's dangerous out there!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Red Rock Canyon
Just outside of Las Vegas is a place that is really amazing that I got to visit yesterday. It is Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Here is the official government site. Apparently it is one of the top five rock climbing destinations in the U.S. The BLM (Bureau of Land Management - the overseeing government organization) claims there are over two thousand climbing routes and nineteen different hiking trails. I don't know, I've got acrophobia. But some of the rock really is red!
The part of the park that I really liked was a little side area called Red Spring. It shows, very dramatically I thought, what some water does to the desert. There are certainly many small springs like this throughout the mountains but this is easily accessible by over a million visitors a year. Here is a photo of the little canyon that is below the spring.
Quite different from the desert landscape that I'm always photographing, isn't it. Because it is so heavily visited one is required to stay on the built-up wooden pathway but that works for me; otherwise all this life would be trampled by people. Now to the cool thing. We do get some rain around here. Most hits the ground and runs off which can cause flash floods but some does seep into the ground. There is a lot of limestone and sandstone around here that lets the water into the aquifer and some escapes as a spring. Here is the spring that makes such a difference to the life in this little canyon.
That spring was perhaps a yard (or meter) across and maybe six inches (15 cm) deep but what a difference it makes! Can you imagine what finding a place like this meant to the pioneers. Today Nevada is claimed to be home to half of the countries population of wild horses and burros (about 15,000). Little canyons like these are where those animals can find the water to live. There are supposed to be wild horses and burros in the area and we did find some though I didn't photograph them. This area has some private residences including two small towns! We drove through one (Blue Diamond, NV) and saw some burros dining on someone's lawn. The population sign outside town said "Altitude High, Population Low, Burros ??". Cute little town but what a change it would be to work in a Las Vegas casino and live there!
Be careful out there, it's dangerous!
The part of the park that I really liked was a little side area called Red Spring. It shows, very dramatically I thought, what some water does to the desert. There are certainly many small springs like this throughout the mountains but this is easily accessible by over a million visitors a year. Here is a photo of the little canyon that is below the spring.
Quite different from the desert landscape that I'm always photographing, isn't it. Because it is so heavily visited one is required to stay on the built-up wooden pathway but that works for me; otherwise all this life would be trampled by people. Now to the cool thing. We do get some rain around here. Most hits the ground and runs off which can cause flash floods but some does seep into the ground. There is a lot of limestone and sandstone around here that lets the water into the aquifer and some escapes as a spring. Here is the spring that makes such a difference to the life in this little canyon.
That spring was perhaps a yard (or meter) across and maybe six inches (15 cm) deep but what a difference it makes! Can you imagine what finding a place like this meant to the pioneers. Today Nevada is claimed to be home to half of the countries population of wild horses and burros (about 15,000). Little canyons like these are where those animals can find the water to live. There are supposed to be wild horses and burros in the area and we did find some though I didn't photograph them. This area has some private residences including two small towns! We drove through one (Blue Diamond, NV) and saw some burros dining on someone's lawn. The population sign outside town said "Altitude High, Population Low, Burros ??". Cute little town but what a change it would be to work in a Las Vegas casino and live there!
Be careful out there, it's dangerous!
Monday, June 08, 2009
Hmmmm
“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.”
- Robert Heinlein’s character Lazarus Long in Time Enough for Love.
Ok, so how do you do? Well, here's my answers.
Change a diaper - yep.
Plan an invasion - untried but I imagine I could.
Butcher a hog - untried - I'm great at chickens though!
Conn a ship - small boats, yes; ship, maybe.
Design a building - I often wish I'd become an architect - easily!
Write a sonnet - nope - even with a BA in English from a pretty good school.
Balance accounts - yep, minor in accounting
Build a wall - yep - at least in wood; stone I don't know about!
Set a bone - haven't tried but....
Comfort the dying - I hope so; my parents and my wife's are all gone
Take orders - U.S. Army training
Give orders - see above
Cooperate - see above
Act alone - see above
Solve equations - yep, minor in math
Analyze a new problem - BS in Comp. Sci. - 20 years experience
Pitch manure - had a horse when I was a kid; also cows and goats
Program a computer - about that BS in Comp. Sci.
Cook a tasty meal - see yesterday's bbq salmon or I'll send you a recipe
Fight efficiently - U.S. Army training
Die gallantly - haven't gotten there yet; would prefer a quiet death but.....
Be careful it's still dangerous out there!
- Robert Heinlein’s character Lazarus Long in Time Enough for Love.
Ok, so how do you do? Well, here's my answers.
Change a diaper - yep.
Plan an invasion - untried but I imagine I could.
Butcher a hog - untried - I'm great at chickens though!
Conn a ship - small boats, yes; ship, maybe.
Design a building - I often wish I'd become an architect - easily!
Write a sonnet - nope - even with a BA in English from a pretty good school.
Balance accounts - yep, minor in accounting
Build a wall - yep - at least in wood; stone I don't know about!
Set a bone - haven't tried but....
Comfort the dying - I hope so; my parents and my wife's are all gone
Take orders - U.S. Army training
Give orders - see above
Cooperate - see above
Act alone - see above
Solve equations - yep, minor in math
Analyze a new problem - BS in Comp. Sci. - 20 years experience
Pitch manure - had a horse when I was a kid; also cows and goats
Program a computer - about that BS in Comp. Sci.
Cook a tasty meal - see yesterday's bbq salmon or I'll send you a recipe
Fight efficiently - U.S. Army training
Die gallantly - haven't gotten there yet; would prefer a quiet death but.....
Be careful it's still dangerous out there!
Trip out of Pahrump
I've finally driven up the mountain side on a gravel road known as Wheeler Pass Road. I suppose there is a pass up there somewhere but I didn't get there. I only went about 10 miles (16km) and turned around. It was really very nice but I need to remember that I'm retired and don't need to go up there on the weekend! Got tired of eating the dust from the various motorcycles and four-wheelers. At least you could see from the dust that someone was coming long before they showed up.
First we have a Joshua tree; there were a lot of them but this guy is pretty large:
Then a bit of a view - I liked the way the trees look against the blue sky:
Finally a view of the amazing striations of the rock in the mountain. Pahrump valley is in the distance.
Have a good one but be careful, it's dangerous out there!
First we have a Joshua tree; there were a lot of them but this guy is pretty large:
Then a bit of a view - I liked the way the trees look against the blue sky:
Finally a view of the amazing striations of the rock in the mountain. Pahrump valley is in the distance.
Have a good one but be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Another week!!!
Jeez, guess I just don't have a good sense of time. I see my last post was last Sunday - a mere four hours away from a week ago! Sorry about that.
Not a lot happening around here. Went to Vegas last Wednesday to order a cover for the back of the truck. You have to be careful because there are lots of options but I think we got it ordered correctly. I'll probably post a photo once we get the thing (in a couple of weeks). We also wandered around looking at the Strip. Our twenty-fifth anniversary is coming up and we hope to celebrate with the kids in Las Vegas. We've got reservations for dinner & a hotel but have never seen either so thought it might be worth checking out. It should be ok; one of our daughter's friends recommended the restaurant so we have some hope. Finally we went and spent money on various "necessities" at Sams Club.
One of the things we brought home from Sams was some shelving for the garage. We've had all the garage "stuff" lying around on the floor so now we have a place for it. Earlier in the week I bought some lumber from our local supplier to make into a workbench. Looked at a bunch of plans online and kind of sorted out what I want and have started building it. Nothing fancy just big with lots of storage.
We did meet the folks who live just down the street. Nice couple a few years older than we but not ancient. Turns out they have another home in Ocala, Florida - maybe a hundred and fifty miles from our old home. I've NO IDEA why they have two homes 2,300 miles (3,700km) apart - it's not like the climates are so different; not like Maine and Florida. Maybe I need to learn about these strange choices; just a matter of interest - I'd never tell anyone they were acting stupidly. (Think it, yeah, right!)
Next week should be equally uninteresting. More work on the workbench; reading my library book, etc. Have a great week but be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Not a lot happening around here. Went to Vegas last Wednesday to order a cover for the back of the truck. You have to be careful because there are lots of options but I think we got it ordered correctly. I'll probably post a photo once we get the thing (in a couple of weeks). We also wandered around looking at the Strip. Our twenty-fifth anniversary is coming up and we hope to celebrate with the kids in Las Vegas. We've got reservations for dinner & a hotel but have never seen either so thought it might be worth checking out. It should be ok; one of our daughter's friends recommended the restaurant so we have some hope. Finally we went and spent money on various "necessities" at Sams Club.
One of the things we brought home from Sams was some shelving for the garage. We've had all the garage "stuff" lying around on the floor so now we have a place for it. Earlier in the week I bought some lumber from our local supplier to make into a workbench. Looked at a bunch of plans online and kind of sorted out what I want and have started building it. Nothing fancy just big with lots of storage.
We did meet the folks who live just down the street. Nice couple a few years older than we but not ancient. Turns out they have another home in Ocala, Florida - maybe a hundred and fifty miles from our old home. I've NO IDEA why they have two homes 2,300 miles (3,700km) apart - it's not like the climates are so different; not like Maine and Florida. Maybe I need to learn about these strange choices; just a matter of interest - I'd never tell anyone they were acting stupidly. (Think it, yeah, right!)
Next week should be equally uninteresting. More work on the workbench; reading my library book, etc. Have a great week but be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Quiet morning
Here in the desert it's a quiet morning; well, except for the cat who decided he needed some human company at 05:00! Bastard! Anyway, after I threw something at him (missed by a mile of course), I was awake so got up. I was rewarded with a lovely pre-sunrise morning. Colors in the sky were wonderful; wonder why my camera doesn't capture that aqua color. It was very quiet with only the sounds of the doves cooing and an occasional rooster crowing. Yes, people have chickens out here!
Met one of the neighbors the other day. That is unusual, mostly they are pretty much loners. Anyway, I only got a glimpse of their backyard but they have: three horses; four or five miniature goats; a few chickens and a dachshund. I imagine there are more of everything but the horses. He seemed a nice enough guy but I've gotta say, you've never seen a finer mullet!
Anyway, to get back to the weather report... sorry to keep on about the weather but it is really fascinating for us to see how things change. We have another three weeks until summer solstice so the sun keeps heating things up earlier and earlier; we were having to close the house up at 10:00 and now it is more like 08:00. The windows on the North side of the house have started getting a little sun in the morning. Most days it is only in the 90's (maybe 33C) but it still gets cool at night and when we wake, having left the windows open, the house is about 72F (22C). Not bad at all!
Had a thunderstorm yesterday! It is the first time we've heard thunder out here. Then we got a rain shower that probably put down a quarter of an inch (half a cm) of rain. Our daughter was driving over at the time and she said the road was completely dry but she could see the cloud over our house. It did cool things down (to the low 70's) for an hour or so. Because of the rock we put in the yard, we could still go outside. If we hadn't, the mud would have made things a total mess.
Have a good day but, remember, be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
WTF!!
Well, excuse my language but I came across this little gem in my travels: in some Texas counties there are outstanding arrest warrants for more than 10% of the population! Here's a link to a state senator's comments.
What is the deal? I just DO NOT understand. Of course the fact that governments are expecting the police department to be a revenue source is the root of the problem. The cops have a really tough job in the first place but to make them "earn their keep" this way has to be counterproductive. Imagine what would happen if they actually executed the warrants on say, another 5% of the population. Dallas County has something like 2.5 million people. So you arrest 125,000 people? How? You'd need to call out the Army. There is something really wrong with this picture.
The same thing is happening even here in Pahrump if we can believe this guy complaining to the newspaper. He claims 50 tickets were written in the same general area over several days. Well, this is the same guy who claims to have driven 170,000 miles(275000 km) a year as a delivery driver. Hmmm, there are about 2000 working hours in a year so he was doing 85mph (135km) every hour he worked? I doubt it, even in California! LOL I suspect inflation in his story; verbal inflation that is.
So what's my advice? Well, I don't have any but the obvious: don't get ticketed. Duh. But if you do, you've gotta work with the system to pay your tickets. Because otherwise, you are on a downhill slide that won't be pleasant. Meanwhile, we need to change the system. Having $300 tickets for going a few miles over the limit is over the limit itself. Having 10% of the population with outstanding warrants is some kind of awful indictment of our society. Don'tcha think?
Have a good one, it's dangerous out there!
What is the deal? I just DO NOT understand. Of course the fact that governments are expecting the police department to be a revenue source is the root of the problem. The cops have a really tough job in the first place but to make them "earn their keep" this way has to be counterproductive. Imagine what would happen if they actually executed the warrants on say, another 5% of the population. Dallas County has something like 2.5 million people. So you arrest 125,000 people? How? You'd need to call out the Army. There is something really wrong with this picture.
The same thing is happening even here in Pahrump if we can believe this guy complaining to the newspaper. He claims 50 tickets were written in the same general area over several days. Well, this is the same guy who claims to have driven 170,000 miles(275000 km) a year as a delivery driver. Hmmm, there are about 2000 working hours in a year so he was doing 85mph (135km) every hour he worked? I doubt it, even in California! LOL I suspect inflation in his story; verbal inflation that is.
So what's my advice? Well, I don't have any but the obvious: don't get ticketed. Duh. But if you do, you've gotta work with the system to pay your tickets. Because otherwise, you are on a downhill slide that won't be pleasant. Meanwhile, we need to change the system. Having $300 tickets for going a few miles over the limit is over the limit itself. Having 10% of the population with outstanding warrants is some kind of awful indictment of our society. Don'tcha think?
Have a good one, it's dangerous out there!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Went to the big city!
Went to Las Vegas today. My wife got the gift of a massage for Mother's Day from our daughter and today was the big day. They both went off to be pampered and left me free to wander around. Had a great time!
Stopped at one of the casinos that isn't on the strip for lunch. I think I've said I'm not much of a gambler so haven't been in the casinos in a very long time. It was quite impressive. The casino's here in Pahrump are quite small; human sized. This place was huge with tons of mirrors and, of course, scads of gaming machines. We hear a lot locally about how lousy business is for the casinos but this place seemed to be doing pretty well. There were lines everywhere - a line for the buffet; a line to join the player's club; a line to get into the poker room. Now granted, they only had four of the six poker tables occupied but still, it wasn't bad for a Wednesday lunch crowd!
I drove down The Strip which was probably a silly thing to do. Traffic was awful and made only worse with some construction. Again though, there were a lot of people walking around. Maybe they weren't spending money but there were a lot of people out there. I know this isn't news but the strip IS amazing. These companies have spent tons of money creating these places to try and draw your interest. For me it was just too much but that's why I'm not "The Donald" (as in Trump).
I'd forgotten that one of the early draws for Nevada was the easy marriage - easy divorce laws. There were several little marriage chapels near downtown. Kind of funny actually, would you believe "Wee Kirk O' the Heather Wedding Chapel"? Whatever floats your boat I guess.
Have a good one but be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Stopped at one of the casinos that isn't on the strip for lunch. I think I've said I'm not much of a gambler so haven't been in the casinos in a very long time. It was quite impressive. The casino's here in Pahrump are quite small; human sized. This place was huge with tons of mirrors and, of course, scads of gaming machines. We hear a lot locally about how lousy business is for the casinos but this place seemed to be doing pretty well. There were lines everywhere - a line for the buffet; a line to join the player's club; a line to get into the poker room. Now granted, they only had four of the six poker tables occupied but still, it wasn't bad for a Wednesday lunch crowd!
I drove down The Strip which was probably a silly thing to do. Traffic was awful and made only worse with some construction. Again though, there were a lot of people walking around. Maybe they weren't spending money but there were a lot of people out there. I know this isn't news but the strip IS amazing. These companies have spent tons of money creating these places to try and draw your interest. For me it was just too much but that's why I'm not "The Donald" (as in Trump).
I'd forgotten that one of the early draws for Nevada was the easy marriage - easy divorce laws. There were several little marriage chapels near downtown. Kind of funny actually, would you believe "Wee Kirk O' the Heather Wedding Chapel"? Whatever floats your boat I guess.
Have a good one but be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Nothing Doing or is that Doing Nothing
Spent the morning and a good part of the afternoon surfing blogs. Came across a couple who built their own truck camper. Holly and Ryan built their own truck camper. (Building your own rv is something that fascinates me though I can't see me ever actually doing anything like that!) Anyway, after reading a bunch of that I figured out that they/she have more blogs and I spent a LOT more time reading about their real estate adventures in Nicaragua. They sound like an amazing young couple. They make living in Nicaragua with bats in the roof, guano here and there, bugs and all the rest sound fun. Hmmm, as if I needed more evidence of aging!
She has something kind of cool for comments. It's called Blipback. You click on the buttons a few times and it captures your camera & mic so you can leave a video comment. Amazing technology! NOW if it has taken over my computer I'm going to have to go down to Nicaragua and kill somebody! Hopefully, it doesn't spawn too many bugs. If I disappear for a while, you'll know it did! I must say that it was kind of fun leaving a video comment but to myself I sure sounded lame. Well, lame and stupid since it took about four tries to get the thing to record. In one of the photos she was using an Apple so maybe it is easier to use for those folks.
Smooth segueway goes here - new topic below!
Went to the store today and bought some ground pork. It says it is 4% fat - a leaner alternative to ground beef! Would you ever have thought you'd see the day? Speaking of amazing things, I have trouble imagining that people are actually eating ground turkey. I've prepared too many turkeys to consider eating it until there are a few standards in place. When they start putting the exact contents on the label (including fat content, what parts of the bird were used, etc.) I might consider it but until then - NFW.
Like I always say, be careful, it's dangerous out there (someone might offer you a turkey burger!).
She has something kind of cool for comments. It's called Blipback. You click on the buttons a few times and it captures your camera & mic so you can leave a video comment. Amazing technology! NOW if it has taken over my computer I'm going to have to go down to Nicaragua and kill somebody! Hopefully, it doesn't spawn too many bugs. If I disappear for a while, you'll know it did! I must say that it was kind of fun leaving a video comment but to myself I sure sounded lame. Well, lame and stupid since it took about four tries to get the thing to record. In one of the photos she was using an Apple so maybe it is easier to use for those folks.
Smooth segueway goes here - new topic below!
Went to the store today and bought some ground pork. It says it is 4% fat - a leaner alternative to ground beef! Would you ever have thought you'd see the day? Speaking of amazing things, I have trouble imagining that people are actually eating ground turkey. I've prepared too many turkeys to consider eating it until there are a few standards in place. When they start putting the exact contents on the label (including fat content, what parts of the bird were used, etc.) I might consider it but until then - NFW.
Like I always say, be careful, it's dangerous out there (someone might offer you a turkey burger!).
Thursday, May 21, 2009
More about Death Valley
I wrote the other day about our trip that included the China Date Ranch. I hadn't unloaded the photos I took (both of them!) but here's one of their trucks.
LawyerMom queried my comment about the fleshpots of Shoshone. Of course, that was totally tongue in cheek. Shoshone is a very quiet crossroads. But it got me thinking that many people aren't going to know much about this area so I took a little trip today out towards Death Valley, California.
Didn't go far, maybe 10 miles. Pahrump is actually the closest good sized town to the Valley; something the city is too stupid to point out. Yahoo maps say it is sixty miles (almost 100 km) from Pahrump to the Furnace Creek Ranger Station in Death Valley. I took this photo to illustrate the road.
This was taken at an altitude of about 2800 ft (850m). I THINK this is the highest altitude you reach on the trip to the Valley; which, of course, is something like 237 feet (72m) below sea level. But it's pretty quiet country. There is basically nothing out there until you get into the park: no farms; no ranches; no gas; no food; no water; no bathrooms. Maybe there are a couple of side roads that lead off who knows where. It's not a forgiving drive.
I am always translating our English distances & temperatures to metric because I do understand that we are backwards about this. It also helps me to get a better grasp of the whole metric thing. I must tell a story though. I read a blog by a Canadian named Croft. He lives part of the year up north then goes down to Mexico for the other part - not a bad life! Anyway, he was writing about the weather and said something like "it was 20 degrees, very comfortable" and I started thinking this guy's a hell of a lot tougher than me because 20 Fahrenheit is pretty darn cold! Well, gee! I guess 20C isn't that bad. Had to laugh though at my own thickheadedness.
Take it easy; it's dangerous out there.
LawyerMom queried my comment about the fleshpots of Shoshone. Of course, that was totally tongue in cheek. Shoshone is a very quiet crossroads. But it got me thinking that many people aren't going to know much about this area so I took a little trip today out towards Death Valley, California.
Didn't go far, maybe 10 miles. Pahrump is actually the closest good sized town to the Valley; something the city is too stupid to point out. Yahoo maps say it is sixty miles (almost 100 km) from Pahrump to the Furnace Creek Ranger Station in Death Valley. I took this photo to illustrate the road.
This was taken at an altitude of about 2800 ft (850m). I THINK this is the highest altitude you reach on the trip to the Valley; which, of course, is something like 237 feet (72m) below sea level. But it's pretty quiet country. There is basically nothing out there until you get into the park: no farms; no ranches; no gas; no food; no water; no bathrooms. Maybe there are a couple of side roads that lead off who knows where. It's not a forgiving drive.
I am always translating our English distances & temperatures to metric because I do understand that we are backwards about this. It also helps me to get a better grasp of the whole metric thing. I must tell a story though. I read a blog by a Canadian named Croft. He lives part of the year up north then goes down to Mexico for the other part - not a bad life! Anyway, he was writing about the weather and said something like "it was 20 degrees, very comfortable" and I started thinking this guy's a hell of a lot tougher than me because 20 Fahrenheit is pretty darn cold! Well, gee! I guess 20C isn't that bad. Had to laugh though at my own thickheadedness.
Take it easy; it's dangerous out there.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Something Completely Different
Had a good day today and got to drive on a bit of "new road". A little way from our town is a signpost pointing to Tacopa, CA. We've never been there so we put the dog in the backseat of the truck and hit the road. Am I glad we did! I'm also EXTREMELY glad we didn't take the trailer! The road from Nevada Route 160 to Tacopa was narrow and gently going up and down for about 95% of the time but that 5% was extremely twisty. I'm talking hairpin turns here and maybe a 10% grade.
At any rate, we made it over and found a area that gives you a new definition of desolate. The is a hot springs in Tacopa and a little resort built around them . There isn't a lot more. Maybe there are a bunch of snowbirds (rv'ers escaping the snow up north) who keep the place alive but in the heat of May, there ain't much there! The town even has a web site but it's a quiet place for sure.
We also visited the China Date Ranch. That's another amazing road! Single lane gravel road with a steep grade - remember it's just a family ranch. But the place itself is really ok. They grow dates and sell almost anything made from dates: bread; cookies; a milk shake. Whatever turns you on. They are also doing a good job growing (and hopefully selling) cacti. Had a nice little garden going. There are places you can hike; lots of abandoned mines and some nice rock formations.
After Tacopa we headed for the fleshpots of Shoshone, CA. (six miles away). They at least have a gas station, if they have one in Tacopa we missed it. Regular was $3.39 a gallon - vs $2.29 here in Nevada. I'm sure part of the difference is California taxes but some is just shipping the stuff out there. I couldn't find a website for Shoshone so you'll have to take my word on the features. There is a motel, two cafes, a general store (sells gas too), and a post office. I know there is more to the town but you kind of have to look and today just wasn't the day for that. There is also a small but interesting museum that we visited on an earlier visit.
So, if you want to see someplace completely different; I'd recommend Tacopa and Shoshone. Visiting gives you a new respect for those folks who settled the West.
At any rate, we made it over and found a area that gives you a new definition of desolate. The is a hot springs in Tacopa and a little resort built around them . There isn't a lot more. Maybe there are a bunch of snowbirds (rv'ers escaping the snow up north) who keep the place alive but in the heat of May, there ain't much there! The town even has a web site but it's a quiet place for sure.
We also visited the China Date Ranch. That's another amazing road! Single lane gravel road with a steep grade - remember it's just a family ranch. But the place itself is really ok. They grow dates and sell almost anything made from dates: bread; cookies; a milk shake. Whatever turns you on. They are also doing a good job growing (and hopefully selling) cacti. Had a nice little garden going. There are places you can hike; lots of abandoned mines and some nice rock formations.
After Tacopa we headed for the fleshpots of Shoshone, CA. (six miles away). They at least have a gas station, if they have one in Tacopa we missed it. Regular was $3.39 a gallon - vs $2.29 here in Nevada. I'm sure part of the difference is California taxes but some is just shipping the stuff out there. I couldn't find a website for Shoshone so you'll have to take my word on the features. There is a motel, two cafes, a general store (sells gas too), and a post office. I know there is more to the town but you kind of have to look and today just wasn't the day for that. There is also a small but interesting museum that we visited on an earlier visit.
So, if you want to see someplace completely different; I'd recommend Tacopa and Shoshone. Visiting gives you a new respect for those folks who settled the West.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Money and Investing
I don't talk a lot about money and investing here except to whine about all the money we are spending. One blog I read pretty religiously is RandomRoger. I don't understand everything he says much less agree with it all but he's obviously intelligent and trying to do a great job for his clients. He is also willing to discuss investing philosophy which I think is great. He believes in being more defensive than I do but that probably isn't a bad thing. Today I thought I'd talk a little about our portfolio.
First let me say that when my wife and I got married twenty-five years ago she had about $500 in savings and I had about $10,000. We didn't inherit anything. We both had good jobs though and were able to buy a house and save. Each of the three houses we have owned was modest. If either of us had lost our job, we could have scraped by on the one remaining salary. Most people in this country do the opposite and live in a house they can barely afford. I just don't agree with that philosophy.
I'm sitting here looking at a Quicken report showing the cost basis of our investments, the current value and the resultant gain or loss. There's a lot of red ink on the page! On the other hand, there are still some investments that are nicely in the black. Oddly, the stocks I have are doing better than the mutual funds. Some of these are simply because I bought the stock and have held it for years: Altria (Philip Morris tobacco) and Merck, the drug maker. Some are 'hot' even in this climate: Monsanto (genetically modifying seeds for farmers).
Of course there are losers. I've managed to lose a fourth of my investment in Intel (the pc chip maker). The financial stocks aren't doing well either but I have only HSBC (banking) and ING (insurance).
Among the other losers are stories I just don't understand. I have a gold miner and a precious metals fund - both are losers while gold is more than $900 an ounce. How can that happen? Gotta get rid of those lemons. I bought Siemens (electronics & telcom) and have lost almost half of my investment but I'm convinced it is a great company and will eventually repay my patience. I guess that's why I find the market fascinating; there are a million stories and it's my job to figure out which one to believe. BTW: we've got 74 individual investments. I'm doing some pruning here before long!
Hope this hasn't been too boring for you. Be careful, it's dangerous out there!
First let me say that when my wife and I got married twenty-five years ago she had about $500 in savings and I had about $10,000. We didn't inherit anything. We both had good jobs though and were able to buy a house and save. Each of the three houses we have owned was modest. If either of us had lost our job, we could have scraped by on the one remaining salary. Most people in this country do the opposite and live in a house they can barely afford. I just don't agree with that philosophy.
I'm sitting here looking at a Quicken report showing the cost basis of our investments, the current value and the resultant gain or loss. There's a lot of red ink on the page! On the other hand, there are still some investments that are nicely in the black. Oddly, the stocks I have are doing better than the mutual funds. Some of these are simply because I bought the stock and have held it for years: Altria (Philip Morris tobacco) and Merck, the drug maker. Some are 'hot' even in this climate: Monsanto (genetically modifying seeds for farmers).
Of course there are losers. I've managed to lose a fourth of my investment in Intel (the pc chip maker). The financial stocks aren't doing well either but I have only HSBC (banking) and ING (insurance).
Among the other losers are stories I just don't understand. I have a gold miner and a precious metals fund - both are losers while gold is more than $900 an ounce. How can that happen? Gotta get rid of those lemons. I bought Siemens (electronics & telcom) and have lost almost half of my investment but I'm convinced it is a great company and will eventually repay my patience. I guess that's why I find the market fascinating; there are a million stories and it's my job to figure out which one to believe. BTW: we've got 74 individual investments. I'm doing some pruning here before long!
Hope this hasn't been too boring for you. Be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Sad news
We got some sad news today. A friend of my wife's just died today; he was only sixty-eight. Discovered he had cancer a few months ago and now he's gone. They had been friends for over forty years. The good side of it is that he was in a lot of pain so hanging around was bad for him and everyone who knew him. RIP George.
Truck
Ok, I'm going to shut up about this new truck soon, I promise; just not today. Have to post a photo of it.
It's a big beast; much taller, longer and heavier than our previous truck but that's what we need for towing our trailer. Back East the mountain grades aren't like the grades out here and our old truck wasn't dealing with them very well. Still, it's a shock. Those running boards were an option but without them my wife found it very difficult to get into the truck - and she's 5'7" (170cm).
Gotta go - play with the new toy. Take care, it's dangerous out there!
It's a big beast; much taller, longer and heavier than our previous truck but that's what we need for towing our trailer. Back East the mountain grades aren't like the grades out here and our old truck wasn't dealing with them very well. Still, it's a shock. Those running boards were an option but without them my wife found it very difficult to get into the truck - and she's 5'7" (170cm).
Gotta go - play with the new toy. Take care, it's dangerous out there!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Can it be Thursday?
Jeez, time flies when you are having fun. No idea why I haven't posted anything since last weekend. It's been a doing things around the house sort of week. Putting up shelves, fixing a desk, you know the kind of stuff. Had to unload all the stuff that I carry around in the truck. That's a trip!
A couple of years ago we were driving on this dead end road up a mountain and it occurred to me that if, say a tree fell on the road and we couldn't get down, we'd be pretty uncomfortable. I do like my comfort so started carrying some emergency supplies - just a blanket & a little food but it might look pretty good if you were hungry! Now that we live in the dry west, I've supplemented that with a couple of gallons of water. Then there is the box of stuff for the truck & trailer - a manual, a quart of oil, that kind of thing. There is my tool box. Can't cart everything around with me but it's got the basics. And that's just the start!
Getting into the cab was really fun. I even found things that I can't identify; now that's bad! Lots of dirt; I really don't like cleaning the vehicle. Of course there was a dead flashlight; my ownership seems to kill them. I finally got one of those you shake to create power; it's kind of lame but I haven't killed it yet. Two maps of Vegas, one of Nevada and a GPS. Do you get the idea we like knowing where we are going? There were a million other things too, or at least it seemed so. But it's done. I think I'm going to go emulate the cat.
Take it easy; it's dangerous out there!
A couple of years ago we were driving on this dead end road up a mountain and it occurred to me that if, say a tree fell on the road and we couldn't get down, we'd be pretty uncomfortable. I do like my comfort so started carrying some emergency supplies - just a blanket & a little food but it might look pretty good if you were hungry! Now that we live in the dry west, I've supplemented that with a couple of gallons of water. Then there is the box of stuff for the truck & trailer - a manual, a quart of oil, that kind of thing. There is my tool box. Can't cart everything around with me but it's got the basics. And that's just the start!
Getting into the cab was really fun. I even found things that I can't identify; now that's bad! Lots of dirt; I really don't like cleaning the vehicle. Of course there was a dead flashlight; my ownership seems to kill them. I finally got one of those you shake to create power; it's kind of lame but I haven't killed it yet. Two maps of Vegas, one of Nevada and a GPS. Do you get the idea we like knowing where we are going? There were a million other things too, or at least it seemed so. But it's done. I think I'm going to go emulate the cat.
Take it easy; it's dangerous out there!
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