Springtime is beautiful in our back yard. We’ve been inviting hummingbirds and other flying friends into the area with our various feeders. It was a tradition started by the previous owners and we are continuing the practice.
The Palo Verde tree is particularly enjoyable. I enjoy the sound it makes when the winds blow across the desert.
My husband and I drove northwest of the city to do some exploring. I wanted to check out Marana Regional Airport and get a feel for the landscape out in that direction.
While driving around we stumbled across the remains of a Boeing 747-300 situated not too far from Pinal Air Park, where many no longer airliners are landed in the desert. This B747 was a mile or two away from the boneyard.
A quick Google search revealed the 747 was purchased to become a retail establishment. I found this article online with more information: Not quite a sky mall: Tucson inventor setting up shop in old airliner.
I look forward to doing more exploring out in that direction, both from the ground and the air.
I have several geeky hobbies. Master-slave school clock systems from the first half of the 20th century. Computers of all sorts, especially older technology. Early point of sales systems. Roads. Washing machines.The list goes on and on.
For many years I thought I was the only one on the planet with this weird combination of hobbies. Ultimately it comes down to at the very least a passing interest in things that are networked, connected, and/or structured. With the advent of the Internet, especially the past 15 years or so, it turns out I am very much not alone with these interests. I find comfort in this.
Over 20 years ago I was contacted by my now good friend Tim in Cheyenne, Wyoming. His home is wired with a school clock system that worked very much like what we had when we lived in Upstate New York. Recently I was contacted by Nathan near Ottawa, Ontario. His interest in early point of sale systems very much mirrors my interest. We’ve since combined forces, so to speak, and are trying to figure out what cash registers Kmart Canada used in their stores up until the chain went out of business. They’re nothing like anything I’d ever seen in a Kmart in the states back in the day. We’ve seen a few hints and pictures but have never been able to find anything definitive. It’s a fun little challenge.
I’m curious about the sharing of these various hobbies with others. We all seem to be men of a certain age, and a certain sexuality. I find this fascinating. I’m curious as to what in our genetic wiring predisposes us in this direction.
As Mr. Spock says, “fascinating”.
PS. If you know what make and model cash register is pictured above, let me know.
Our new home has nite lights wired throughout the hallways and stairwells. These little lights have LED bulbs, are fit into a standard-sized outlet box, and have downward pointing shades so the walkways are illuminated. When we moved in they were all wired to standard three or four-way switches.
There’s three circuits of these lights. The third circuit illuminates the stairwell that goes to our guest room. I was going to replace the switch this evening; when the project was completed then all three sets of lights would be controlled by home automation.
Except the stairwell bannister passes directly in front of the switch in question. There is a one-inch gap between the wall and the bannister. I decided tonight was not the night to tackle this. I’m pretty sure I’m going to need to take the bannister off the wall to swap out this switch.
There are several interesting design choices in this house and this is one of the examples. At times we’ve found the wiring to be equally creative, but we’re getting that part figured out.
I just don’t understand why someone would install a switch and then place a bannister directly in front of it.
My husband and I will be officially fully vaccinated at the beginning of next week. The entire family in our Desert Compound will be fully vaccinated effective the 19th of this month. I am happy that we’re all getting our shots. It was not an easy feat to accomplish in Chicago; it was easy to accomplish here in Tucson. Apparently we got here at just the right time. There are people here in the city that we look forward to meeting in person.
We stopped at the supermarket after dinner this evening to pick up a few things for meals scheduled for the rest of this week. The Safeway wasn’t particularly busy, but most everyone was wearing a mask, whether they were a shopper or an employee. There was one man flinging packages of hot dogs around the display case that wasn’t wearing a mask. To be honest, he didn’t look too happy to be rearranging packages of hot dogs. I can only assume he leads a miserable life (judging by his expression) and isn’t really concerned about his longevity, therefore no mask. I wouldn’t expect him to have any regard for his neighbors or other people in the stores.
It’s not that hard to wear a mask. I mean, it’s a piece of cloth across your mouth and nose anchored to your face by straps around your ears or head. At no time do I feel deprived of my life, liberty, or my pursuit of happiness. I can still recite the Pledge of Allegiance through the cloth that is providing some protection for those around me. I can still sing “Yankee Doodle Dandy” if I so desire.
With so many people opting to not get vaccinated or wear a mask in public the burden of common sense falls onto the folks that care about the society, themselves, and the longevity of the species. Like the folks that completed the group project on time while everyone else in the group goofed off and made fun of the smart people, we’re left with the chore of dragging the idiots through their miserable lives.
I sound cranky about this. I’m frustrated but not cranky. I just figure I’ll out live them and will ultimately have the last laugh.
How awesome is it that we can watch the return of a crew from the International Space Station aboard a commercially built, autonomous spacecraft live from an application on our personal computer?
I sometimes forget we live in amazing times. We need to focus on the amazing.
My husband and I decided to go for a ride today. We enjoy spending time together in the car and getting to know our new stomping grounds; our first date, over 25 years ago, involved going for a long car ride together and it seems we’ve continued the practice for over a quarter of a century.
This keeps us young.
We drove down Interstate 19 to Nogales, opting to not cross over to Mexico but drive around Nogales, Arizona a bit before heading back using “back roads”. We came back home via State Routes 82 and 83. We stopped at Patagonia Lake State Park for a bit. It was our first visit to an Arizona State Park.
After we stopped in our home neighborhood for dinner, we decided to continue our adventure and drive to the top of Mt. Lemmon just after dusk. There are many places to get an awesome view of Tucson and the surrounding area.
The drive up and back took about two hours and some change. The twisty road is signed at 35 MPH and that’s a safe speed. Some folks like to go faster. I let them pass. I have a bit of a lead foot, but not while driving up and down a mountain on a very twisty road.
It was a wonderful day!
Just a guy with a husband. We’ve been together 28 years and he still makes me see fireworks on a daily basis. Hiker. Storm Chaser. Private Pilot. Tech Guy. Hackerish.
Weird? Eccentric!
