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 Piper and Bailee playing  Buno. 157057 of VT-26. I was in this outfit in 77-78
 Piper, Bailee and Georgia(min-pin) The top one I found doing some surfing. It was one of two bicentennial birds we had. The other one was more red.
I figured to put new ones of the granddaughters in as I am heading west later today. The Missus and I are going to Oceanside to see Jerri and Hector before starting the house hunt. On next Monday we are heading to California City to do that. I will have a minimum of stuff to live on the cheap after getting a house. The bed is one of those Aerobeds and the nightstand will be a plastic milkcrate. It will do until Sharon gets there and the PODS pod shows up. Then we will set up housekeeping for real.
 I searched for a song for tonight that felt right. A Buffett song that would fit the mood. There were a few candidates, but this one finally won out. OK, maybe it doesn’t quite “fit the mood” but it’s what’s getting me through until better days Some out there are no doubt wondering how this qualifies as a Buffett song and I can’t blame ‘em. The semi true story is that I first heard this song while working at Captain’s Cove. We always had Buffett or local Parrothead type bands on the stereo in there and one of the CDs in the rotation was Buffett Live: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Southern Cross has become a regular song in the setlist at Jimmy’s overgrown parties some call concerts and it’s on that CD – track two to be precise. It was only much later that I found out that it wasn’t originally a Buffett song, but I still prefer Jimmy’s version Back in my (even more than now) cash strapped days, this song was frequently featured in the set list known as the Soundtrack of Life as Adrienne and I barnstormed around San Diego County in whatever vehicle was handy at the time with her sailboat as our home base at the Coronado Cays Yacht Club. Those were some very good times that I will always treasure and that’s the truth For those of you who don’t know how this song goes just yet, here’s the lyrics From Buffettworld.com:
I even found a video of Jimmy performing this song live Some songs seem to mark a period in time, but this one’s a bit different than that. There’s a few lyrics in there that I can sure relate to. Like some other Buffett songs, this one’s got a bit of a personal side for me with the relationship aspects. I may not have been on the midnight watch, but I’ve had similar revelations. Then there’s that part about lookin’ for that special someone… Southern Cross not only reminds me of good times, it also serves as inspiration on days when I need some sort of dream to hold onto. I’ve never seen the Southern Cross or any of the other constellations in the southern hemisphere for that matter, but I sure want to someday. I also still happen to harbor the dream of traveling on a sailing ship beyond the sight of land and hopefully crossing the equator in the not too distant future. To quote Jimmy, I don’t have a plan, it’s not that kind of thing. Someday I will… So it’s getting late and I think it’s time for me to go and dream pleasant dreams of crossing the Pacific near Papeete on a sailing ship of some sort while I gaze upon new constellations for the first time Fair winds and following seas, friends I have a confession to make. I don’t know if it’s due to having been keel-hauled by Captain Morgan a few times too many over the years or if it’s just because of the accumulation of imaginary stamps for my trips around the sun, but I just can’t drink straight hard alcohol like I used to. Heck, there was a time when I considered Bacardi 151 to be a wonderful drink all on its own! Thankfully I never made a habit of it, but there were a few times when I found that I’d had a bit more than maybe I should have and I had to struggle mightily to ensure that I did not fall victim to highly localized gravity storms Don’t get me wrong here, I still love margaritas and I’ve found that real Belgian chocolate liqueur is a thing of beauty. Thankfully, I’ve found that I can still enjoy Jeremiah Weed if it’s straight out of the freezer I can’t quite tell you just when I started getting the idea that it might be fun and even a good idea to learn how to home brew beer, wine, and mead, but I’m getting pretty interested in it lately. I’m by no means a big beer drinker, but I do enjoy a bit every now and then and I figure even if I can’t drink it all myself, I have friends I know who will. As for the wine, cider and mead, well those probably have more to do with Cindy and Harry Potter than anything else. You’re probably just a touch confused by that last bit. OK, I should clarify it a bit. Cindy’s no big drinker by any stretch of the imagination, but she does love fruit. One of her favorite fruits happens to be Gooseberries. She had them as a kid growing up and loves the tart taste So that covers Cindy, but you might still be a bit puzzled by the reference to Harry Potter and I wouldn’t blame you. Well, I’ve gotten into a bit of a Harry Potter mood lately and have started reading the books along with re-watching all the movies. One of the things that’s mentioned in and which plays an important part in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is a bottle of Mead. I’d heard of the stuff, but had never known just what it is. I did some research and found that it’s basically wine that’s made with honey instead of fruit juice, but can have fruits and other flavors added to it as well. Now that sounds like something good As for the cider, it’s also mentioned in Harry Potter and I figured if I’m going to be making wine and mead, why not cider Those who know me already know I’ve been shopping around a bit for equipment. It’s been just window shopping for now, but that will likely change in the not too distant future. I’ve found that a beginner’s setup for wine, mead, and cider making (which are all very similar) will cost somewhere between $100 and $150, but I might be able to bring that down in a few ways. Much of the equipment for wine making also works for brewing beer, so it shouldn’t be a stretch if I decide to do that as well. One thing I puzzled over was how I could make a press for apples and berries and such that wouldn’t break the bank. Commonly available fruit presses start at about $150 and go up from there and I don’t want to spend quite that much. I have a juicer, but I don’t know how well it would work for berries. I found my answer in some lumber (or possibly pipe) and a simple $10 bottle jack like you’d use to change a tire This whole idea is still under consideration, but it’s growing on me. If I do go through with it, I’ll make sure to keep everyone posted here on the blog Any suggestions from the peanut gallery? Is it fall or winter? I can’t tell for the most part aside from the overnight low temps being only in the 30s and 40s instead of the teens and 20s. Today started OK, but I need to find some way to drop the stress level. That’s all I have to say about that
 28 October 2009 - First thing this morning - It's going to get even colder Climbing into my car, I found that it really was as cold out as I thought. Yeah, it’s still only in the 40s…
 28 October 2009 - Clouds over the mountains on the way to work This picture’s probably getting pretty familiar by now  28 October 2009 - Clouds blowing over the top of Mt. Charlseton in the evening  28 October 2009 - A closer view I stopped by Best Buy after work to pick up a new keyboard and mouse, but I found a pretty picture or two when I left I wouldn’t have minded being up there in the fog. I find that it’s the strangest things you miss after a while. Don’t get me wrong – I still hate the thought of driving in pea soup fog, but fog by itself is a fond memory of San Diego  28 October 2009 - Last light of the day Ah, the last light of day Catch y’all tomorrow I just got this in the ol’ email inbox from Channel 8 News:
With “Global Warming” like this we need everyone to go out and buy a 427 Shelby Cobra to pump out more CO2 At least that would help the economy if nothing else So I got an email from Dad today with a picture and I just had to share it  28 October 2009 - Snow falling in Prescott, AZ That’s Mom’s horse in the pasture. His name’s Toby and he’s getting up in years, but he’s a good horse. He was actually her Dad’s horse before she inherited him. But just look at the snow – and it’s still only October Sure would be nice if we could get some of that here in Vegas Yep, it’s that time again. I’ll be down on The Strip at midnight on a Tuesday again so that I can buy the newest Jimmy Buffett album when it first becomes available The album is titled “Buffet Hotel” and is apparently not a play on Jimmy’s last name, but instead is a reference to a place.
This won’t be the first time Jimmy’s gone to Africa as anyone who’s heard Far Side of the World well knows  Jimmy's new album, Buffet Hotel, is due to be released 8 December 2009 Margaritaville.com had this to say about the new album:
I’ve heard three of the songs on the album, but I’m looking forward to the other nine tracks From BuffettNews.com:
So there’s something else good to look forward to This is a really fun song and yet another that I can readily identify with. Some say that I really should be more careful of what I say and around whom I say it, but I just can’t seem to get the hang of doing that Ever since my second grade teacher told my parents that she was “appalled” that I would correct her in front of the class I’ve been saying something to the effect of, “But it’s true, isn’t it We seem to have become accustomed to people saying that it’s OK to lie, cheat and steal these days but I still can’t just let go of the ideals of Honour, Honesty, and Character. Being the Parrothead I am, I knew just the perfect Jimmy Buffett song for this post 8) Here’s “Cultural Infidel” from his 1996 album, “Banana Wind” From Margaritaville.com:
Oh yeah, I’m a Cultural Infidel if there ever was one Have fun and keep up the Cultural Infidelity, y’all About a year ago I purchased a wireless keyboard and mouse combo pack at Wal-Mart. It’s been OK I guess – it’s done what I wanted it to. Until lately that is. Some of the keys on the keyboard have become a bit temperamental. Of course, these wouldn’t be the keys I never use – those work just fine. It’s keys like the arrow keys and the enter key on the number pad that have gone screwy. Sometimes I have to really pound them. Sometimes they still don’t work. And then there’s the mouse. It started acting up by double and triple tapping on the normal left click button unless I clicked very quickly. If it were a firarm, I’d be a federal felon due to its repeated action with only one action on my part. But that wasn’t the end of it. It began to continuously re-click when I held that button down unless I held it down very firmly. And sometimes even that didn’t work. I won’t even discuss the durability of the silver color on the plastic – it didn’t last as long as a Barack Obama campaign promise or even as long as a dollar in a casino. I figure there just has to be some way these two items can be put to good use one last time. After much pondering and long deliberation, I’ve decided that this keyboard and mouse could best be used to enlighten us as to the effects of high speed metal striking them by the examination of the effects of said impacts. Not only would it be educational, it would also be a wonderful supplement to a session of Heavy Recoil Therapy™ With that decided I face another difficult decision – just what tool to use in the application of said testing? A few AK-47 and 9mm rounds will probably find their way into this testing session as will some .22 rounds. Of course, I can’t leave out the Mosin twins or the Swiss Army Rifle. I figure a round of 3″ 000 buckshot should finish off the keyboard. I must confess that I’m rather curious as to the effects of a target load from the Maverick 88 on a computer mouse while it is in a ballistic trajectory itself This should be fun So today went better than yesterday. I’d hate to think how it could have gone worse, but let’s not dwell on the negative It was a fairly typical day – wake up, go to work, do my job, grab something fizzy to drink, go home. But something’s changed as you’ll see shortly…  27 October 2009 - A wee bit nippy heading into work this morning Today brought the wind as was promised, but it also brought slightly cooler somewhat chilly FREAKING COLD weather! I actually used the heater in my HHR today I figure Cindy, Kath, and Glenn are all probably pointing at their computer screens and laughing right about now and Kerry might be doing the same. Go ahead, it’s OK. Just remember that it wasn’t all that long ago that it was somewhere between 100° and hotter than Hades here in Vegas This truly is a land of extremes as I’ve said many times before.  27 October 2009 - The winds were blowing strong as I left work  27 October 2009 - I was on the northern edge of the clouds and it was pretty dark down south About those winds – well, take a look at that flag and flagpole. Sure, some of the bending of the pole might be due to the wide angle of the lens, but I do recall a pronounced bend when I saw it in person, too. Not only were we treated to cold weather and wind, but we also had honest to goodness clouds I may not really be a cold weather person, especially with so little time to adjust from summer to winter as it stands right now, but I will say that I hope we manage to get at least two feet of snow in one night if not more sometime this winter. No, I haven’t gone completely off my rocker – that happened long ago. I want that much snow because I know we don’t have a single plow in all of Las Vegas and even living two miles from work I know that I won’t have any way to get there if that happened  27 October 2009 - I don't know that I'd want to be up there today - winds were gusting well over 45 knots! Remember that wind we were talking about? Yeah, well, I don’t know that I’d have wanted to take my chances in a single engine plane today even if it is a big turboprop. Someone was in a hurry to have wanted to do this.  27 October 2009 - Back at home - It never really warmed up today, did it? Finally back at home, I noticed something odd for Vegas – it hadn’t really ever warmed up. I also noticed that I’m getting pretty close to 15,000 miles on my car That’s it for me today/tonight/whenever this really is. Time for some R&R before I head back into the office tomorrow for round three of this week Have a great day, everyone |
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Somehow, I figure Glenn probably already knows this song 
?!?!?!” when someone seems annoyed by inconveniences such as truth or facts 