Thursday, February 13, 2025

Moonrise Kingdom

This picture of the moon rising was taken by our neighbor John, in his backyard.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2024: Wandering The Place Of Deer
2023: Sorry, no post on this day.
2022: Sorry, no post on this day.
2021: Sorry, no post on this day.
2020: Sorry, no post on this day.
2019: An Icon Of The Old South
2018: 
Free Spirits
2017: May Your Guiding Light Be Strong
2016: Rock The Moc
2015: Hustle And Bustle In Ancient Guatemala
2014: The Flakes Got Up Early And Stayed All Day
2013: Headed For A Slow Boat To China
2012: A Roaring Forties Tasmanian Devil Of A Blue
2011: Waiter! There’s A Beer In My Soup!
2010: I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Wolf
2009: Eddie Getting His Licks Friday
2008: The Place Is In Ruins
2007: Winter Shadows
2006: The Angels Of The New York D.O.T.
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Driving Him Up A Wall

 

A flashback to 2008 when Ed climbed a rock wall on a cruise ship. I think he was trying to get away from me, but really, how far did he think he was going to go?  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2024: What Are You Looking At?
2023: Sorry, no post on this day.
2022: Sorry, no post on this day.
2021: Sorry, no post on this day.
2020: Sorry, no post on this day.
2019: Remembering The Shrine Of Texas Liberty
2018: Healing, Herbs, And Community

2017: This Is Everything
2016: Shocking
2015: Waiting For Turistas
2014: The Still Before The Storm
2013: Sizzle, Drizzle, And Pour
2012: Dreams Explored Over Dinner
2011: I’m In Love And It’s Not Even Valentine’s Day Yet
2010: Eddie As Fisherman Friday
2009: Birds And Barbells On Muscle Beach
2008: A Girl On The Shores Of Cozumel
2007: I’m Not Exactly Sure What You’re Proposing Here
2006: The Blizzard Of 2006
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Blazing Across The Night Sky

Last night while on a rest break in Bagdad, Arizona, from the side of Highway US-93, we saw the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket!

It 
launched 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, 521 miles from where we sat!  

We’ve seen one of these launches before but the skies are very dark in this part of the state so the visibility was great and seeing it come over the mountain was pretty spectacular. 



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2024: Personal Space
2023: Sorry, no post on this day.
2022: Sorry, no post on this day.
2021: Sorry, no post on this day.
2020: Sorry, no post on this day.
2019: The Worst Bar-B-Q In Texas
2018: Bestie In The Caldera

2017: A Living Snapshot Of Another America
2016: C'mere, Give Me A Hug
2015: La Bufadora And Almejas Gratinadas
2014: In The Nick Of Time
2013: This Business Means Business
2012: A Nodding Donkey On The Hill
2011: What A Croc
2010: Flash Of Pole
2009: They Hire ‘Em Young These Days
2008: Setting Sail At Sunset
2007: Happy Bee
2006: It’s Not Unusual
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Monday, February 10, 2025

Morning Rush Hour

Back to the grind.

This was the extent of the traffic this morning when we left our  house. About 15 cars ahead of us. 

Here we go, people!



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
2024: Floating Into Victoria
2023: Bienvenido A España!
2022: Sorry, no post on this day.
2021: Sorry, no post on this day.
2020: Sorry, no post on this day.
2019: Moto Cop
2018: ¡Salud!
2017: Eddie On Ice
2016: My God, This Reminds Me Of Why I Love Adele
2015: Making Friends And Dinner Plans
2014: It's So EXHAUSTing Being Right All The Time
2013: A Marriage Of Two Loves
2012: I Love A Man Wearing A Damn Good-Looking Workboot
2011: MMXI At Full Throttle
2010: Maybe There’s A Reason Ed Never Lets Me Out Of The Truck
2009: Napolitos
2008: Pull Up A Chair
2007: The Story Of The Uppity Barista: Otherwise Known As A Texan Gittin’ Above His Raisin’
2006: Rock, Paper, Eddie
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Sunday, February 09, 2025

Shen Yawn

Today we attended Shen Yun at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall in Tucson, Arizona. 

My friend Kim bought tickets for her and her boyfriend to attend but they were both sick so she gave us her tickets. 

I’d love to be able to say as many nice things about it as these reviews do, but I’m seriously wondering if they saw the same show we did.  

Sure, the dancers are talented. Yes, the costumes are colorful. And the orchestra played as an orchestra does. But the show was boring with a capital B. We left at intermission. An hour was enough. I don’t think I could have made it through the second hour. The guy next to Ed was asleep the entire time. I nodded off a few times, and Ed even said he had some trouble staying awake. 

I read a little about Falun Gong a little before the show, but other than the quick Wikipedia scan, I’d never heard of it. Not AT ALL my kind of people. I’m glad I didn’t give them my money or more of my time. I about the controversy regarding their labor practices

During the performance Ed leaned over and whispered in my ear, “They should call this Shen YAWN.”  Best thing I heard the entire hour we sat in that venue. 

On the way out we saw several other people escaping the show. In the elevator we spoke to another couple, asking them if they were there for the gem show - it’s being held at the adjacent convention center - because we saw them holding a pamphlet with gem show info on it, and they said they were also there for Shen Yun. They told us they were from Los Angeles, go to a LOT of performances, and this was the most boring thing they’d ever seen. 

We were not alone. 


Saturday, February 08, 2025

I Don't Know Who Needs To Hear This Today, But...


I'm not very Jesus-y but I do like uplifting, bordering-on-spiritual motivational sayings and song lyrics.  I heard this song on my cousin's Instagram, where she reposted this guy's video

This is the actual video for the song:

And these are the lyrics:

Don't let anybody tell you that you're not great
Or that you're not fearfully and wonderfully made

You are special, a designer's originalIt doesn't matter what they say or what they doAll that matters is how you feel about youYou're amazing, the moment that you think so
So don't you dare say that it's overUntil God says that it's doneYou still have a life to liveYou still have a race to runAnd with each stepKeep moving forwardAnd He'll be there for everyoneAnd whatever you doDon't forget
You have enoughGod gave you enoughYou are enoughAnd you will get through thisYou have enoughGod gave you enoughAnd you are enoughWhoa, and you will get through
Every single detail about youYour smile, your personality and looks, tooIs what makes you such a gift to those who love youBy the time that this is done I hope you realizeHow incredible you are in God's eyesWhen He made you, I can tell He really took His time
And don't you dare say that it's overUntil God says that it's doneYou still have a life to liveYou still have a race to runAnd with each stepKeep moving forwardAnd He'll be there for everyoneAnd whatever you doDon't forget
You have enoughGod gave you enoughYou are enoughAnd you will get through thisYou have enoughGod gave you enoughYes, He didYou are enoughOoh, and the truth isYou've always been enough
You have every reason to hold your head high, yeahYou'll never know what's possible if you never tryAnd it doesn't matter who's against youOnce you realize who's on your sideI am here to remind youRight here to remind you
You have enough, whoa!God gave you enoughYes, He didYou are enough, yeahAnd you will get through thisYou have enough, yeahGod gave you enoughYes, He didYou are more than enoughOoh, and you will get throughI promise you will get throughThrough this
You're gonna be fine, yeahBetter than fineGet ready to shineYou will get through this



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2024: Sooner State Wind
2023: Sorry, no post on this day.
2022: Sorry, no post on this day.
2021: Sorry, no post on this day.
2020: Sorry, no post on this day.
2019: Punctuation IS Important
2018: Wipeout!
2006: Pool Shark
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Friday, February 07, 2025

Smokin' Birthday

We went to dinner at Sullivan’s Steakhouse in Tucson, AZ for one of Ed’s many birthday meals this week. He ordered a dry-aged steak and Smoked Old Fashioned.  

This is how the Old Fashioned came to the table - in a box, a sprig of rosemary, a thick peel of an orange, and smoke billowing out before it was served.

Very on trend. 



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2024: I Love You
2023: Sorry, no post on this day.
2022: Sorry, no post on this day.
2021: Sorry, no post on this day.
2020: Sorry, no post on this day.
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Thursday, February 06, 2025

Half A Century In The Books

 

Today is Ed's 50th birthday!!  I've been fortunate to be with him for 20 of those 50 years and I am looking forward to the many years we have ahead of us.

He's been busy during his pre-birthday week and this birthday week. 

Last weekend we were in Las Vegas where he attended a stock market boot camp, visited Sim Coaches, and went to our very first timeshare presentation.  

He went to California for a week with his buddies the week before - spending an entire day at Disneyland going on rides and attending musical shows that our neighbor's son plays in.

And this week he went to Top Golf and had lunch with a friend, tonight we'll have dinner with friends and family, go to another dinner on Sunday with our friends Kim and Brian, and then he'll get to have dinner alone with his beautiful wife, yours truly, at a special place I picked out to celebrate my sweet husband.

Us at The Fontainbleu Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ed is a man to be celebrated.  He's one of the best humans I've ever known.  He's honest and kind, loving and generous, reliable and hard-working, handy and smart, shares his time and experience with others, is an excellent provider, and has the patience of all the saints combined.  This is not to say that he isn't a pain in the ass at times and that we don't have some very spirited arguments, but overall, he's a blessing in my life and I'm fortunate to have him by my side through everything. 

When it comes down to the most important things, Ed ranks at the top of my list.  I love him, I know he loves me, and I'm thankful to have him in my life.

Later this year we will embark on a grand vacation to celebrate his 50th in style.  We've already started planning!  We haven't been working since June 2024 and plan to head back out on the road next week. 

We've had a great time being home these last nine months; we got a lot done and were able to spend time with the family, fit in a little vacation, and check things off our to-do list,  but we are also looking forward to getting back in the truck for a bit.  

It's nice to end our time home celebrating Ed's milestone birthday.  

Happy birthday, Baby!  You're really a classic now.

Ed with a gift from Cousin Deana

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2024: Hanging Around
2023: Sorry, no post on this day.
2022: Sorry, no post on this day.
2021: Sorry, no post on this day.
2020: Sorry, no post on this day.
2019: An Inflatable Party
2018: 
First Birthday As A Married Man

2017: Established 1975
2016: Happy Birthday, My Sweet Prince!
2015: Celebration At Sea
2014: Winter Baby
2013: Let Me Count The Ways
2012: He’s Been Waiting For This Day For Thirty-Seven Years
2011: Twisted Raoul
2010: The Spring Chicken Celebrates His Big Day
2009: Eddie It’s My Birthday! It’s My Birthday! Friday
2008: As Pisghetti Gains Another Year, I Lose Eight
2007: Happy Birthday My Sweet Eddie!!!
2006: The Many Faces Of Ed
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Wednesday, February 05, 2025

Man Cave Material

 

Earlier this year I showed you the racing corner Ed set up in our family room to entertain the holiday visitors (and himself, of course).  He's really getting into the racing simulators and games that are part of the simulator system.

This place was in Las Vegas and we visited it while we were there.  It's called Sim Coaches.
The racing rig in the photo costs more than $40,000.00.  It's a flight simulator that's being custom-built for one of their customers.  It's way more rig than Ed needs and there's no way I'm agreeing to a forty-thousand-dollar toy.
The staff at this facility was fantastic.  Gyssell greeted us and immediately asked us if we wanted to see the workshop.  She led us to the back, where the magic happens, and Ed was in racing geek heaven.  She was extremely knowledgeable, as she's one of the assemblers, and was able to answer most of his questions.  It was as if they were speaking another language, I was completely lost.
We popped out for a bit of lunch and came back to speak with the founder, Lawrence Thomas. He is very high-energy and super knowledgeable about the simulated racing world.  He also raced real cars in his life and had some information about that, too, that he shared with us.

Ed tested out one of the units they had in their showroom, which had curved screens, an adjustable clutch pedal, and a seat that had something called Buttkicker, which replicates the feeling of the vibration and motion in a vehicle in the simulator seat, using haptics to provide a more immersive experience for the gamer.
They even have a simulation for truck driving!  Which, of course, we really don't need as we can just step outside and drive off in our own big rig, but it is fun for the person who doesn't get to do that on a regular basis.

I have a feeling I'm going to see one of these in our house someday in the future.  Lord, help me.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2024: The Shape Of Gaudi
2023: Sorry, no post on this day.
2022: Sorry, no post on this day.
2021: Sorry, no post on this day.
2019: Second In Line
2018: Binging On The Box

2017: Ghost Town Patrol
2016: Steakhouse Din
2015: Water Is Precious
2014: Who's That Behind Those Foster Grants?
2013: Where Are The Cushy Couches And Fat Laps?
2012: The Stealth Trucker
2011: Aisles Filled With Q-Tips
2010: Lights, Camera, Action!
2009: Desktop Material
2008: C’mon In
2007: Eddie Hits The Bricks Friday
2006: Built With The Organization Gene
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Tuesday, February 04, 2025

It Can Be A Slippery Slope

 

While in Las Vegas this past weekend, Ed and I attended a timeshare presentation for the Hilton Grand Vacations Club.  We went in with a plan - say no to everything.

In the back of our minds was the hilarious King Of Queens episode where Doug tricked Carrie into going to a timeshare presentation because he wanted the big-screen TV they were offering.    

It wasn't like that TV episode at all.  We left impressed with the presentation, intrigued by the offers, and now have a completely different view of timeshares.  We didn't buy anything and we're still not sure it's for us, but it gave us something to think about.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2024: The Original Man Cave
2023: Sorry, no post on this day.
2022: Sorry, no post on this day.
2021: Sorry, no post on this day.
2020: Chronicling Our Taco Consumption
2019: Ornamental Iron

2018: Quonset Quartet
2017: Baltic Gold
2016: 350 Days Of Sunshine Per Year
2015: Tenderly
2014: What Else Is There To Do When It's One Degree Outside?
2013: Packing Up
2012: A Man Can Do All Things If He Will
2011: Spinning Our Wheels
2010: It Takes Two
2009: Buona Sera King Louis
2008: The Newest B & B Trend Might Not Take Off As Expected
2007: Pirelli
2006: Classic Sal
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005! 

Monday, February 03, 2025

An Attraction That Can’t Be Missed

A view of The Sphere from the parking structure at our hotel in Las Vegas. This thing is beautiful. When you see it for the first time, your reaction will likely be “What is that??”  And then you remember that you heard about this cool new venue in Vegas. This is it. 

From Canyon Tours, here are some facts about The Sphere:

  1. The Sphere was built by the group behind Madison Square Garden (hence “MSG”), and is owned by the same guy who also runs the New York Knicks and New York Rangers.
  2. The site was provided by The Sands. Approximately 110,000 cubic yards of dirt and rock were excavated to prepare the site for construction!
  3. Construction required the 4th largest crane crawler in the world. Brought in from Belgium, the crane alone required 120 tractor-trailers to transport to Vegas, and it took 18 days to assemble using a separate secondary crane. Once construction of the dome trusses reached their midway point, the crane had to be moved to the southern side of the property to install the remaining trusses. This relocation alone took 2 days!
  4. 6,000 cubic yards of concrete were pumped into the roof once the steel frame was completed, forming a layer 10” thick weighing approximately 10,000 tons.
  1. The Sphere measures 366 feet tall and 516 feet wide at its widest point.
  2. The Sphere could easily hold the entire Statue of Liberty, from base to torch.
  3. With 875,000 square feet of space, the Sphere has an interior capacity of 18,600 seats and standing room for 20,000 people.
  4. The exosphere is 30% taller than the interior dome. The dome’s roof required 3,000 tons of steel to construct, and includes 32 trusses that weigh a whopping 100 tons each. It weighs a total of 13,000 tons, with a surface area of 220,000 square feet.
  1. Out of 18,600 total seats, 10,000 seats provide a fully immersive experience, including specialized sound systems, haptic seats capable of making guests “feel” sound vibrations, and 4D machines that create wind, temperature, and scent effects.
  2. The exterior display is made up of over 1.2 million programmable LEDs, featuring about 580,000 square feet of programmable lighting. The Sphere’s owners say you can see it from space!
  3. Manufactured by Canadian company SACO Technologies, the interior high-resolution LED screen is the largest on earth, wrapping halfway around the 18,600 seats inside. It measures 160,000 square feet and covers an area larger than three football fields!
  4. The interior screen also features 268 million video pixels with 16K resolution, making it the highest resolution screen in the world—at 19,000 x 13,500 pixels, it’s 100x clearer than today’s best HD TVs.
  5. The Sphere is home to the world’s largest concert-grade audio system, comprising 1,586 loudspeaker modules, 167,000 speaker drivers, amplifiers, and processing channels, as well as 300 mobile loudspeaker modules that deliver a “crystal-clear” multi-layered audio experience through “beamforming” technology and wave field synthesis.
  6. A one-week advertising campaign could set brands back a whopping $650,000. A one day campaign (which works out to about four hours of screen time) will run $450,000.
  1. The Sphere requires 28 megawatts to function at peak energy usage, the equivalent to supplying power to 21,000 homes.
  2. Around 70% of the Sphere’s energy will be obtained from solar power!


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2024: I'm A Sucker For A Nice Hotel With A View
2023: Sorry, no post on this day.
2022: Sorry, no post on this day.
2021: Sorry, no post on this day.
2020: Sorry, no post on this day.
2019: One Thousand Grams Of Flour
2018: The Land Of Little Water

2017: Urban Creep
2016: Ed's View
2015: Place Of Refuge
2014: A Story Told In Stone
2013: Eddie Sandwich
2012: Finally – Freight To Buzz About!
2011: For The Crybabies
2010: Chillin’ In Utah
2009: Taking The Peas For A Ride In A Cozy Little Shell
2008: Wyth Jane’s Kin In Wytheville
2007: Color In Architecture
2006: Living On
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!