Second Day

This time I'm going to try to get some pics in.  First -- just a roadside view south of Burns.  And from a billboard in Bend:  "Don't drive with chest pain" --  How could they have possibly known?  I consider it an invasion of privacy.  Also near Bend -- a ratty tent, tarp leanto, campfire encampment just off the road and very close to a nice faux-abobe building.  I suggested the building owner probably didn't like the tenter much but dw suggested the tenter was a second cousin from California who wasn't allowed to stay in the adobe house. 
   After the motel in Redmond,  we drove through Burns, Winnemucca, and are now in a Motel 6 in Fallon, Nevada.
   South of Burns we passed a cattle drive -- 50 cows (200 legs) three cowboys and a dog.  The West is alive and well.  In Burns we were up-close witnesses to a fender-bender between a giant red Ford pickup and a VW Beetle.  We just passed an intersection, found we were going in the wrong direction so I made a u-turn, which MIGHT have distracted the giant red pickup -- stopped at a stop sign --who pulled into the intersection and got broad-sided by the bug.  Everyone was going slow and damage was minimal.
   A noon highlight was the dead cow a mile north of Crane.  We don't really know it was dead.  We didn't stop to check it's pulse or anything, but it was either dead or was trying some sort of horizonal stiff-legged yoga trick. 
   North of Winnemucca a series of billboards advertised:  "A cold beer"  -- "A pretty lady to sit on your lap" -- "Truck access" -- "Wildhorse Saloon" --- Since we're in a small Honda 2-door sedan instead of a truck we decided not to stop.  Besides I didn't think dw would want a lady sitting on her lap, and If I have a woman sitting on my lap, I don't want her to be a lady either. 
   We  met some light snow flurries starting  at the Blue Mountain Pass (S. of Burns) and they continued through Winnemucca (with one heavy flurry)  -- in light of that we changed our planned route and have come through Fallon, instead of driving south from Winn.  to Austin and over a 7500' pass. 

   Here in Fallon we found a barber shop that could have been named for us:   And we passed an art gallery with a painting "Fortune Dreaming" that seems to be a pic of a woman getting it on with a carp.  We got some tex-mex for dinner and now we're watching "As Time Goes By" on PBS and eating an orange. DA

Road trip - again!

Yes, we are on the road again and I have been guilt tripped into blogging.  Well, it was originally my idea but that was because I wanted to keep a journal of our adventures and that was so easy when we had adventures.   Today's road trip began with an auspicious call from Vicki at work asking if I wanted the day off.  Hello.  Of course, I want the day off.  Checking in with Dennis about leaving early as we had spent the entire morning packing, organizing and cleaning he said "may as well".  We were on the road at 3pm and forty minutes later arrived at the hospital where I needed to stop before leaving town.  It wasn't as bad as I feared - the traffic, that is.  A sunny Friday afternoon is not the best time to try to get out of town.  Please note the first sun in weeks and we are leaving town!  Figures.  Let's remember the reason - upcoming 20 year anniversary of marital bliss and where better to spend it than the delights of Las Vegas?  The chosen route is through Bend, Burns, Winnemucca, Tonopah and eventually Las Vegas.  So far we've made it to Redmond, OR.   Flashy evening sun piercing the dark rain clouds off to the west was the best photo-op so far.  Audiobook is Flannery O'Connor short stories - a bit gruesome some of them but that's Flannery.  Plenty of snow at Government Camp but none of it on the roads.  Life is good.  Later, dw
   As dw said traffic out of town wasn't bad, and had totally thinned out by the time we hit Sandy.  We had looked at road cams before we left and most of the passes looked pretty bad but 26 was just wet from snow melt.  The warm afternoon did the trick.  E. Oregon is spring greenish, there's still low snow on the hills (roadside snow started at 1500') the air got chilly this evening and a few drops of rain fell.  All in all, no surprises for early April.  DA

On The Road Again

   We're getting ready for a short (one week) road trip.  Probably we'll drive to Las Vegas, perhaps attend a show, certainly do some desert hikes and then come home.  Mostly it's a trip to get away from Portland rain and gloom. (and also to celebrate our 20th anniversary -- it doesn't seem that long)   dw is working today so I tended to stopping the mail and newspaper, confirming the house sitter, getting some books on tape and car snacks, etc. etc.  (I went to the gym this morning -- rode my bike) And still have had plenty of time to do the errands.  Prep for traveling is routine by now. 
   The local Eagles Lodge is having their annual fund-raising carnival.  It's a modest affair with four or five rides, a fun house, corn dogs and cotton candy.  A four booth arcade completes the event.  All unremarkable except they have it every year at this time.  It's always cold and wet (but the neon lights on the rides and booths make nice reflections in the puddles and are nicely blurred by the rain) and I don't understand how they make enough money to make it worth while.  And of course the carnival (Clark Shows Northwest) takes their cut off the top.  It's a mystery.  Perhaps they're running a very subtle money laundering scheme.  Perhaps they're in cahoots with the next door Fabic Wod.  
   (Fabic Wod is a fabric store four blocks from our house.  It has been up and running for more than 20 years and yet we NEVER see anyone shopping there.  dw thinks they are laundering money.  Maybe as much as a couple of hundred a month.  Over the years their original sign, "Fabric World" lost several letters and became "Fabic Wod")
   I had a minor -- read the label -- wake-up call a few days ago.  I've been taking Metamucil three times a day for several months.  It's supposed to help reduce cholesterol and the Metamucil plus oatmeal and the statin drugs all have done their job -- my cholesterol levels are excellent.  (re: this topic, on another time I'll toss in a few fart jokes -- always welcome in moderation)   Back to the point -- Metamucil is HALF SUGAR -- glucose to be precise.  Glucose, fructose, sucrose, etc. they're ALL SUGAR.  So this supposedly healthful product is half sugar.  There's nothing wrong with sugar -- in it's place -- I enjoy the occasional candy bar -- I just had one three hours ago -- But making your colon-blow 50% sugar is over the top.  I've switched to a different brand. 
   I'm reading "The Science of Fear" by Daniel Gardner.  It's about how advertisers, politicians, etc promote and encourage fear to sell, or to get your vote, or to make you hate someone.  And I finished "I Am The Only Running Footman" by Martha Grimes.  I enjoy her books, she's not quite a cozy mystery writer and she generally suits my mood.  Actually, I read the book some time ago but I didn't recognize it until I was 2/3's of the way done.  Mysteries are good that way (for me).  I only need a half dozen or so because I never remember them.  On a six month cycle six novels will see me through a couple of years DA

Facebook

    I'm inching my way into the 21st century.  I have a cell phone, and I opened a Facebook page.  I'm considering Twitter.  I'm also sympathetic to the position of my friend Bob D. who refuses any of the above (except for the cell phone) because he fears that if he starts he'll spend all day tweeting and blogging.  Now that I have the Facebook page I think I should do something with it -- get more friends, post comments, post pictures and comment on comments -- and keep up with this blog. -- whew! connecting is a lot of work!  Particularly for someone who's basically asocial.  Everyone else has hundreds of friends and I have six.  My next step will be to get seven friends, then I'll stop and see how it's working out. 
   Yesterday I had another doctor's appointment.  It was primarily just a physical  (the internal medicine guy insists on that silliness before he'll renew my gout prescription -- He might  know me too well)  I don't have the lab work back yet but it'll probably be fine.  Nothing stood out during the hands on part of the event.  I rode my bike to the dr.'s office.  About 20 blocks from the office I had a flat tire.  A loud pop, and the tire came partly off the rim.  (I suspect the guy who fixed the rim the other day didn't re-mount the tire properly)
Anyway I didn't have time to fix the tire, so I walked the last 20 blocks.  I wasn't wearing my knee brace and the walk got pretty uncomfortable, and I had some words to say (mostly to myself) about the the world and the bicycle guy .  I was generally quiet with my comments (I didn't want to frighten the horses or the women and children) but I must say I was emphatic.
   This evening dw and I watched "Midnight Run"  from the library.  A fun movie (Robert DeNiro and Charles Grodin)  25 years old (smoking on an airplane).  And I just finished reading "Operation Mincemeat" by Ben Macintyre -- It's about a WWII allied spy operation designed to fool the Germans prior to the invasion of Sicily (it worked).  There was a previous book (The Man Who Never Was) as well as a movie but this book is more complete.  An interesting read.    DA

March Drearily Marches On

   I'm usually not bothered by the weather, but this month has gotten to be a bit much.  According to the weatherman we're on the way to having a month with rain every day but one.  I need some sunshine for a few pictures (of a couple of trees and bridges)  I plan to take but there's no particular hurry with the subjects.  It's not like they're going away or anything.  I'm walking and riding my bike -- it's just necessary to dress for the weather and I have all the needed clothing -- so the rain and gloom isn't actually affecting what I'm doing -- But it's TIME FOR A COUPLE DAYS OF SUNSHINE --
   I finished a painting today.  It turned out OK -- better than I thought it would.  It's for a window in a cabinet door that will be exposed to sunshine so I didn't give it a great amount of thought or effort --  but I don't want some dreck hanging around claiming to be my work. 
   I'm still going to the gym (with Bob D.)  three times a week, and a couple times a week I also do some weights here at home.  With that exercise, the cycling and walking, I'm beginning to get back into decent shape -- and about time -- I only now feel like I'm getting back to normal, physically.
   dw and I are planning some sort of small trip to celebrate our 20th anniversary .  It's amazing, it doesn't seem nearly that long.  About the only time it really registers is when I look at early-days pictures.  Good Lord! I was slim, trim and fresh faced  -- it's no wonder the dw babe went for me   :-)  .  Where we're going hasn't been decided but we'll doubtless head for some sunshine. 
   Reading wise:  I started "Boone's Lick" (Larry McMurtry) and after two-thirds or so I skipped to the end. The book was fine but I wasn't in the mood for it.  Now I'm reading "The Best American Science Writing" -- a collection of twenty essays.  The ones I've read have been interesting -- and if one is dull, I just move on to the next.  Reading light.  DA

  

Spring

    It surely hasn't sprung yet, although I did get the lawn mowed a couple of days ago and I've been doing some outside work.  I cleaned and re-arranged the back patio.  Using half of a broken laundry tub (I cut the edges to square, and cleaned up  some jagged places) and a piece of granite picked up for free some months ago I made a nice outdoor coffee table.  And I placed a couple of large planters on the west side -- we'll plant some climbing sort of plants and get  afternoon shade.  It'll be a pleasant space this summer. 
   The suet feeder has finally been widely discovered and is very popular.  The usual small lbjs (little brown jobs) still arrive in squadron strength and for the last few days a northern flicker and blue jay (separately) have been regulars.  A couple of times a crow has taken a few bites.  And the crow looks REALLY huge compared to the other birds. 
   (dw -- watching the crow -- "Where do crows nest, do you know?"  DA:  "I don't know, trees, tombstones, maybe."  dw:  " O, of course.  They nest in the top of masts."  DA:  "Well, I suppose but ---"
And I got it eventually -- fortunately I'm usually not that slow)
   Starlings come by and whenever I see them I chase them away -- a foul bird.  And so far I haven't seen any robins  (turdus migratorius -- an unfortunate name) -- For three or four years robins nested over the patio but they haven't for a while.
   And the marriage plans of Prince Bill and Kate are still closely covered in the news.  Why does anyone care?  At least on this side of the Atlantic, wasn't the Revolutionary War about this sort of stuff.  The Windsors pretty much define unearned privilege.  At least in this country the privileged are defined by their wealth -- which (for the most part) they stole fair and square.  DA

Pi Day

      Pi day has come and gone and no one sent dw or I a card.  Not a great surprise since we didn't send cards but doesn't Pi day have more significance than St. Patricks day?  After all, without pi, we wouldn't have circles.  Moreover, Pi day is also Einstein's birthday and without him we wouldn't have the space-time continuum.  To celebrate the occasion I bought a pie (mmmm, pie!)  which wasn't particularly good but it was on sale and was a PIE.  (mmmm, pie!).
    More bike trouble today.  The rear wheel started wobbling on my ride to the gym.  After climbing I looked at it and found a broken spoke.  I did some adjusting on the other spokes and rode home, passing three bike shops -- all of which were closed.  None of it was a big deal, I just rode more slowly -- enjoying the heavy rain that started when I passed the first closed bike shop.  This afternoon I put the bike in the pickup (rather than ride) and took it to a shop.  They replaced the spoke, trued the wheel and replaced the inner tube (the old one was heavily patched) for $28 -- seemed reasonable to me.  The bike mechanic said I might have damaged the spoke when I tightened it without holding the spoke steady -- putting too much twisting tension on the spoke.  Oh well.
   As part of the new healthier me, I'm buying low/no cholesterol margarine.  The next to last one I bought was Smart Balance.  Both dw and I thought it had a fishy taste (just what you want with a butter substitute) but I dismissed it as a taste aberrancy, until the other morning while eating fish-flavored toast, I looked at the ingredients label.  Smart Balance puts fish oil in its margarine.  Fish oil is a healthy oil, but I don't want in on my toast, or anywhere else it doesn't belong.  So I tossed the Smart Balance and bought something else. 
   Reading:  finished "Fermat's Last Theorem" (Amir Aczel) which is more interesting than it sounds -- although a bit heavy with math.  Nearly done with "The Horizonal Everest" (Jerry Kobalenko) a history of exploration of and J. K.'s hikes around Ellesmere Island -- very interesting (needs more pictures) writing about a place I'd like to see.  And I just started "The Grave of Alice B. Toklas" (Otto Friedrich) a collection of un-connected essays.  O.F. was (is?) a reporter -- Time, Newsweek, etc -- and I've read a couple of his other books.  He's a good read -- well written entertaining history.  DA