Fun and Games Dept

I’ve talked about this before and I shall do so again. One of my favorite memories, and feelings associated with the memory, is riding home from Grandma and Grandpa City’s house to our home “up north” via the back seat of my Dad’s 1971 Heavy Chevy. The four of us would be situated in our respective seats in the muscle car. The lights of Syracuse would fade behind us, the power lines running parallel to Interstate 81 would make a 90 degree turn to the west just south of Brewerton, and we’d cross over Oneida Lake and into Oswego County to make our trek home.

Dad would always have the radio on in the car. Always. In 1976 when we drove my great aunt home to Blackstone, Virginia after the annual family reunion, we listened to every Top 40 radio station from home to Blackstone in back. The radio was always on in the car and since it was an AM radio, we listened to 62 WHEN out of Syracuse. At the time 62 WHEN was known for their promotional vehicle, which was a Heavy Chevy. I figured we had to listen to WHEN because they had a Heavy Chevy and we had a Heavy Chevy. To my early elementary years mind, this made sense. I have always looked for patterns in life.

There are several songs I remember coming from the radio of the Heavy Chevy, but a few songs can actually take me back to one of those rides. I remember the summer time rides better than the winter time rides, probably because we didn’t make the trek as much in the winter. One of the songs that I can vividly remember hearing is “Love or Let Me Be Lonely” by the Friends of Distinction. The tempo changes, the groovy approach, and the moodiness of the track take me back to sitting in the back seat of the Heavy Chevy on Interstate 81. It’s a magical feeling. I have so many happy memories from my childhood. I have little to complain about. If this makes me boring, oh well.

Sometimes you just have to escape to Green Acres.

Living in the desert and in an area with light pollution ordinances provides an opportunity for night photography. I decided to climb up on the roof and play around with my Canon EOS Rebel XS with absolutely no idea as to what I was doing.

I need to put a time delay on the shutter, but I feel like I’m headed in the right direction.

I’ve been watching the clouds roll in late this morning and this afternoon. Since moving here nearly a month ago I haven’t seen much in the way of clouds. We had just a couple puffs of clouds over the mountains this morning and they’ve been building since. There’s little chance of rain in the forecast and as a weather buff, I’m interested to see if these clouds just go on their way later today. I might need to take a few shots of the sky from the roof tonight. I’m in the mood to try my hand at this.

One of the things I quickly discovered about Chicago when we moved there in 2017 was that the weather wasn’t too awfully different from what we experienced in Upstate New York. Now that we’ve moved to a completely different part of the country I’m looking forward to experience all facets of the weather here in the desert.

I find the change of scenery quite rejuvenating.

Jamie took a photo during family game night. We played “Catan”. Truman kept an eye on things. Chris won. We all had a good time.

Among many other perks, I enjoy being able to step out onto the roof and enjoy the view after a day back at work. Being able to hear the sound of the wind as it blows across the desert is a wonderful thing. I find it very relaxing.

The photo above shows the view from this relaxing spot as I look to the south. Without the urban sounds of living in a major city, I can almost hear Mother Nature sing.

We had a group (or squadron) of javelinas stop by the gazebo this morning. They apparently enjoy our rosemary bush and other small plants in the area. Truman was not amused, opted to puff up and then went running upstairs. They stayed around for a few minutes before sunrise, making a stop around front in the landscaping near the driveway before moving on to their next activity.

Truman remains upstairs.

I did two days of cycling this weekend. These were my first rides in the desert and I can say without hesitation that the air is quite dry.

Tucson has a nice assortment of cycling paths and lanes, at least in our little corner of the city limits. It can also be quite hilly in spots. Today I reached 31 MPH on a downhill. Coming back up the hill to get home was a bit of challenge but I was able to get my act together by taking it in “chunks” and riding from shady spot to shady spot along to road. Before I knew it I had completed 11 miles in 48 minutes. Not awful for an old guy.

It’s quite nice to ride bike again, but I already know I have to do it early in the morning. It’s a good thing this Mountain Standard Time thing has me on an earlier schedule during the work week; I just maintain the fun on the weekend.

I do love the City of Tucson’s desire to control light pollution. In Chicago I always felt like the new LED street lights would sear my retinas; here in Tucson the lights are doing their job but not intrusively. Plus, it’s wonderful to be able to see stars again.

Work hard, never take anything for granted, and enjoy life while you can. Happy Easter to everyone that has stopped by!