And The Cow Jumps Over The Moon

Things that go bump in the night.  Here's one.  Sometime last night there was something that went bump.  It looked like this around 7:00 a.m.

A deer, feasting on figs from the tree seen here apparently thought that the figs were better on the other side of the fence in the process taking out most of an 8 foot panel of fencing and a little bit of hedge.

No blood, only fur.  I hope it was worth the trouble, Ms. Deer. 

A trip to the lumber yard and a couple of hours later this portion of fence looked like new. . . because it was.

Rogue's Gallery

In August the Parks Service at Whiskeytown Lake asked for photos of "summer fun" on the lake.  I sent in several:  One of me at the helm of Sparkle Plenty and Gracie in the carbird seat, the other of Wifey reading inside the boat's cabin.  Just before Labor Day one wall of the visitor center was adorned with photos of summer fun.

Top row, front and center shows the boat tilted to one side and two sailors hanging on.

Wifey took these photos but chose to not snap the photo of her reading.  Why?  I have no clue.  You can find this photo in an earlier blog post made sometime this summer.

Dry Dock

Yesterday was the perfect autumn day to haul Sparkle Plenty from the lake. You could not have asked for better conditions.

Here's me (ladder), son-in-law Keith (bow) and son Scott securing the mast.

Keith is showing how skillful he is in catching a bridle I tossed to him.  The bridle attaches to the mast and is hoisted.  Another line is attached to the bridle and to a strap on the trailer winch.  The line is tightened to relieve pressure on the headstay (holding the mast to the bow).  A pin holding the headstay is taken off.  The mast is then lowered. 

It goes without saying that there are always adjustments and things that so sideways instead of straight up.  Here's one of them.

One of Grace's classmates and her family (grandmother Helen and mom Sherry) turned out to watch.  Gracie's helping her friend Kendall up onto the boat while I stand by in case she slips.

Shipmates!

Ain't they cute?

Now that the boat is parked in the RV spot alongside the house winter repairs, upgrades and shine can take place.   There's always something needing done.   New windows.  Replace the headstay.  Touch up the bottom paint.  Drain the outboard motor oil and put in fresh oil.  Replace one of the two on board batteries.  Replace the gas tank valve.  Re-wire the three mast lights.  Etc.  Etc.  Etc.  Wax top and bottom.  Put back in the water March or April. 

Haulin' Her Out

About this time every year whoever controls lake water levels starts dumping a bunch of it.  This is in anticipation of lots of rain.  A lower lake level translates into the ability to take on lots of run-off.  It also means not a lot of depth for pulling a keel sailboat onto a trailer. 

Check this photo out:  During the summer months the ramp is level to the dock.  It's anything but that today.  And they've just started releasing more water than what's taken in.  Now is the time to haul the boat.

Come Sunday, that's exactly what will happen.

Day before yesterday Wifey and I went sailing.  She loves to get action photos.  I'm scanning the horizon looking for shallow areas to avoid. 

The rest of the time, while motoring to our fav sailing area, I relax.

Ain't life grand?

Oh, the W on the hat?  It stands for WAHOOOO!

Smell My Feet!

This brings thoughts of a variation to, "Treat or treat!  Smell my feet!!  Give me something good to eat!!!  I'm thinking this guy is a plumber.  Ya think?

Someone asked just the other day what I was going to be for Halloween.  Being Bob is like Halloween every day of the year. . . my response to the question. 

Do people in prison dress up for Halloween?   How about soldiers fighting in the Middle East?  Perfect opportunity to dress up like the dudes fighting on the other side and party hardy with 'em.  Who know . . . maybe something like that would lead to ending the war(s).  Think cops dress up?  Okay, they might say, who wants to dress up like the bad guys and carry around an AK47?

I never wear a costume on Halloween.  Maybe a couple of times but mostly never.  It's for kids.  Isn't it?

It's In My Blood

Sailing a catamaran gets in your blood.  Having sailed a cat for well over 20 years I can honestly make that statement.  There's nothing like being at the helm of a multi-hulled sailboat.  Literally, they're the "hot rods" of sailing. 

Here's a video of America's Cup racing trials in Plymouth, England which was completed just this past month.  Elimination and/or match racing will continue in San Diego.

Typical Bob

Watch through the first credit roll (otherwise you won't get it).

October 10th

On this day and barely 18 years old, many years ago, in Oakland, California, I was sworn into the United States Air Force.  It was a matter of go in or be drafted.  Mom said it was a good thing I enlisted as it was her humble opinion I'd either die an early death or receive a lengthy prison sentence . .. yes, Bob was one wild child.  Mom wasn't always right but in this example she probably was.

October 10th.  How could I ever forget this date which brought a life changing experience. 

After our physicals at the induction center and interviews we waited for a bus to take each group to the airport.  While we waited I guess the idea was to set the hook so no one would change their mind and run off.  We were asked to stand and raise our right hand so that the oath of allegiance would be administered.  There were around 30 other guys raising their right hand.  All were headed for boot camp.  Some Air Force, many Army (draftees), a smattering of Marines, some Navy and a couple of Coasties. 

An Army sergeant administered the oath of allegiance.  When he finished he looked over at the Air Force group and asked, "Know what U.S.A.F. stands for?"

Huh?  Well yeah, it stands for United States Air Force.  What else?

The sergeant got that shit ass eating, lifer in the military grin on his face and said, "Nope.  Now that you've been given the oath it stands for U SURE ARE FUCKED!"

Not funny.

The photo here was taken on my selection as Airman of the Quarter.  I did some stuff that the base commander thought was worthy of this honor.  The public relations officer taking the picture for the newspapers asked me to smile. 

Me:  "I'm only smiling when I'm discharged from this man's air force.  Until then, this is what you get." 

The enlistment was for four years.  Three years, ten months, twenty days later I was released for an early out to attend college.  I was smiling big time.

The rest, as they say, is history.

All Fall Down

This morning's paper brought the news that Roger Williams had passed on at the age of 87.   Wow!  Was he really that old?! 

You might remember Roger and his rendition of Autumn Leaves.  Naturally, I had to check out Roger and Autumn Leaves on You Tube this morning.  Fitting, I thought, that Roger should pass away in the fall season when there are so many autumn leaves.



Of course, the next song that came to mind was California Dreaming. . . .as it begins with "all the leaves are down"......funny how word association works the mind.



Off to walk to dogs and enjoy the California autum leaves.

Happy Sunday.

How Did I Get Here?

Wifey and Grace on Monday frosting a birthday cake for  Gracie's dad Scott. 

After spending several minutes looking at this photo an old saying that forever haunts me popped up into my mind once again:  How did I get here?  If you knew my born on the other side of the tracks history you'd understand.

And of course, that's related to this:

Dirty Dancing

When romancing the bone takes hold of my senses, there's no choice but to indulge Wifey in a little foreplay. ...

It begins with a little dirty dancing . .. cheek to cheek. . .. twirling, dipping. . .. all around the patio deck. .. . wonder what the neighbors think?  Who care?  Not me.

This one:

Phantom Ship

Another photo I snapped at Crater Lake.  It's of an island named the Phantom Ship. 

As the story goes,  when a fog settles over the lake the island resembles a ship sailing through the "soup".

I guess you have to be there to believe it.

Space Junk

There's been a lot of hype about this particular piece of NASA equipment falling out of orbit and crashing somewhere on earth.  That happened last night with its splash down somewhere in the Pacific ocean.  You can relax now.

I found one reader comment this morning in a newspaper article on this subject that made me smile:

"Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, if a piece of space junk should whack my ex before I wake, I'll praise the Lord and bake a cake."

Damn.  I just love a good sense of humor albeit off the wall, don't you?

Are You Going?

Wild Blue Yonder

Yeah, it's been a while since I've sat and composed a piece for this place.  There's something about getting away. .. off into the wild blue yonder that breaks the cycle of civilized man.  During the week in the Cascade mountains we were without Internet or e-mail, and cell phone communication.  The RV park did not have cable TV nor was there any television reception via antenna.  Cut off from the world and loving it. . ..

Well, almost cutoff.  Don't ya know that Bob has to have his sports, news and entertainment?  Yup, he does.  The RV has a satellite dish. . .. so much for being isolated.  500 channels of unadulterated media bullshit.  Ahhhhhhhh, loved the vacation in the mountains.  Loved it.

Crater Lake was a bit overcast due to forest fires caused by lightning strikes.  1,900 feet at it deepest level, Crater Lake is number one for depth in America with second place to Lake Tahoe at 1,500.

Wifey wanted to pose for a photo and she did.

Then Wifey wanted me to pose, too.  Put one foot up, she said.  Put a hand on your knee.  She should have said, strike a pose that's unnatural, Bob!  You can see here that I'm so very happy to (a) strike a pose and (b) have a photo taken.  Two of my most unfavorite things.  Grrrrr.

So then Wifey had to get the freaking dogs into the posing act.  Let's put them on a rock, she said.  They'll love it.  I didn't like being posed and the dogs didn't either. 

If you've never visited Crater Lake do it.  Take the boat ride around the lake (we did several years ago).  Worth the trek from the rim to the boat dock (easy going down, not for the fragile coming back up).  Million dollar views.  Priceless. 

And there's a place nearby to buy trinkets and food, too!  Where else can you find a sandwich that goes for 3.99 anywhere in the USA but sells for 9.50 at Crater Lake? 

Don't ya just love capitalism?

September 11th

September 11th.  Here's where the two of us will be.  Crater Lake, Oregon.  1,900 feet in depth.  The deepest fresh water lake in America.  Ninth in the world.

Both of us will sit here for a moment of silence in rememberance of those lost on this day ten years ago, those who were lost in the years after and those who will lose their lives in the days to come.

We'll never forget.

Here Wifey sits during our last visit to Crater Lake in 2006.

We camped at Diamond Lake and we'll camp there again tomorrow. 

It was 108 in Cowtown yesterday. .. a record with an overnight low of 80 (that's a low?!).   Today a little after 2 in the afternoon it's 105 and headed toward another record heat day.  Spending tomorrow night in the Cascade mountains with a predicted low of 40 degrees puts a smile on my face.  From buck nekked sleeping to long john Bobby. . . .wow!

As the song goes, what a difference a day makes. . . .

I Feel The Need. . . the need for SPAM!

SPAM has been around since Christ was a corporal.  Forever and a day. SPAM was served as a side dish at the Last Supper.  I'm kidding?  Nope.  SPAM is mentioned in the Good Book.  Check it out.

As a young lad I was taken hostage by my mother and step-father and held for ransom in Anchorage Alaska.  If you know anything about Alaska or better yet, lived there, you know that food stuffs we take for granted in the lower 48 is in short supply up north.  Back in the day when supply lines were less than sophisticated, this was especially true.  Meat, eggs, fresh vegetables and fruit, and dairy products, if they were available, were and arm and a leg expensive.

Spam, salmon burgers/meatloaf/casserole/etc.,  and powdered milk was what was for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  While many look at salmon as a delicacy, I see it as being one step above what's served for those in solitary confinement . . . about as bad as a diet of bread and water.  Yuck.

 At the supermarket last week it was a surprise to find that SPAM is no longer just SPAM.  It's SPAM Hawaiian, SPAM Garlic, SPAM BBQ. . . and so on.  Hmm, I thought, after all these years out of Alaska, this new shit might be kind of tasty. 

After checking the labels for fat content (regular and unleaded plus saturated), I settled on SPAM Lite which is lower in fat and sodium than your run of the mill can of this stuff...still bad but not nearly as bad as it could be.

What brought this new appetite for SPAM was the planning for a camping trip we'll be taking this next week.  The thought of an open campfire, eggs in the frying pan with a side of SPAM just sounded hella lot good.  This scenario is so unusual and out of character that the wife says she will be snapping a photo to include a can of SPAM held alongside my face. 

If SPAM was eaten at the Last Supper then I might as well have some on what might be my last roundup.  After all, altitude does kill people younger and older than I.  Dining on SPAM at 7,000 feet might be considered risky business.

I've noticed that SPAM is served all over the place.  Popular in Asia, it's served  in more places than not in Hawaii and for probably for the same reasons it was served big time in Alaska:  Supply and demand. .. and its price. Can't be all bad.

I've packed my can of SPAM along with the other food we're taking along.  Burgers one night, chicken the next, steak, meatloaf, and turkey.  No telling how I'll work that can of SPAM into the menu.  SPAM and eggs is sounding mighty good but then so does a SPAM burger. 

You know the old saying:  WHAM, SPAM, THANK YOU MAM!

Leave it to the Americans

A spacecraft circling the moon has snapped the sharpest photos ever of the tracks and trash left behind by Apollo astronauts in their visits from 1969 to 1972.  Yup, trash.  Leave it to the Americans to be the first to liter the moon.

Images taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter from 13 to 15 miles up show the astronauts' paths when they walked on the moon, as well as ruts left by a moon buggy. Experts could even identify the backpacks astronauts pitched out of their lunar landers before they returned to Earth.

Two years ago, images from the same spacecraft from 30 and 60 miles out showed fuzzier images. But this year the orbiter dipped down to take about 300,000 more close-ups. The trails left by the astronauts are clear, but the places where backpacks were discarded, Apollo 17's moon buggy, and the bottom parts of the three lunar landers are blurry.
After 40 years there does not seem to be much moon dust covering the manmade trails. NASA thinks that it will probably take about 10 million to 100 million years for dust to cover them.