4th of July - Camping, Deer Babies, Wake Boarding

-
Image
We have had a new resident. Actually there several new residents. A deer decided to have her kids in the back yard. They are here often. I can see them from my Zoom Room, so I apologize if I seem a little distracted sometimes when I am on a video call. We went canoeing and camping in South Carolina. We were exploring without a lot of planning, so you get what you expect- adventure and discovery. We stopped by the Tallulah Gorge lookout. When I rode my motorcycle through the area in the early 80's, I vowed I would come back. And I have come back-- again. I ate my traditional moon pie there as well. The Tesla is a great camper. Charge the battery, run the AC and enjoy the filtered ventilation with a nice entertainment system. Crazy. The paddleing wasn't that good. We found ourselves in Lake Keowee. The campground was good if you speak Spanish, and only enjoy power sports on small boats. I am a bit disturbed by the new trend of wake boarding. Instead of skiing being towed by...
Post a Comment
-

Another story about the dire straits of Upstate NY. http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/111709/us-cities-running-out-of-people. Two out the 7 worst cites are in Upstate NY.

Upstate NY is being drained like a malnourished African tit for downstate pension and entitlement needs. It has never been more apparent. When times are good people can look the other way. What do people do when do when things aren't going well? It is well past the time to have Upstate succeed from the rest of NY. I cannot tell you how often I run into someone from Upstate NY. I was in Paris, France and I ran into someone from Irondequoit. I was on the Appalachian Trail and I ran into someone from Mendon. I was in Kroger in Georgia and met someone from Fairport. Like my boss says (he's from Fredonia) "they have ruined that state". None truer words. Remember the "I Love NY slogan"? Where has that tourism effort gone? Sadly it has been abandoned. Where are the lower (even just reasonable) taxes, fuel prices, or other incentives (favorable legislation duh!) for business? Your answer is as good as mine since none of these economic stimulating conditions exist.

Similar to the the African Country Sudan being split where the north is preventing the sale of the south's oil, NY is in a similar situation. Moratorium after moratorium on gas drilling permits in the Southern-tier (the most depressed part of the state) has gotten to the point of being criminal and has brought levels of regional tensions that the area has never known. I think the word "flashpoint" is a good one. http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2010/12/23/1302325/control-of-sudans-oil-a-big-issue.html

DJ and I went downtown Atlanta for New years eve. We did the "Peach Drop" experience along with 150,000 of our now close friends. The crowd is very well behaved. There is concern for each other in a scene like that even when the mobs are moving as waves with distributed pressures. We are all connected. The MARTA trains really behave differently when they are jammed with thousands of riders. http://www.tripsmarter.com/travelinfo/atlanta/events/new-years-eve-peach-drop.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

4th of July - Camping, Deer Babies, Wake Boarding

-
Image
We have had a new resident. Actually there several new residents. A deer decided to have her kids in the back yard. They are here often. I can see them from my Zoom Room, so I apologize if I seem a little distracted sometimes when I am on a video call. We went canoeing and camping in South Carolina. We were exploring without a lot of planning, so you get what you expect- adventure and discovery. We stopped by the Tallulah Gorge lookout. When I rode my motorcycle through the area in the early 80's, I vowed I would come back. And I have come back-- again. I ate my traditional moon pie there as well. The Tesla is a great camper. Charge the battery, run the AC and enjoy the filtered ventilation with a nice entertainment system. Crazy. The paddleing wasn't that good. We found ourselves in Lake Keowee. The campground was good if you speak Spanish, and only enjoy power sports on small boats. I am a bit disturbed by the new trend of wake boarding. Instead of skiing being towed by...
Read more

Knives and Septic Systems

-
Image
I went to the largest knife show anywhere. It was in Atlanta. https://bladeshow.com/home/ It's not like I am crazy about knives. I am however, interested in intense human efforts and world class passion in particular areas. I find myself having very involved discussions with folks that are sharing their passion and expertise. I met with folks about knife making from the US and Western Europe of course, but also South Africa, Finland, Australia. It's a effective and pleasant way to learn. I had an issue (sewer pipe was broken by my stump grinder) with the septic system here in Duluth. Of course, I had to ask lots of questions and do inspections and assessments myself. Septic technology is interesting. Nothing to be scared about and although the technology is ancient and sometimes unplesant there is a lot to know. https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B1421&title=a-beginners-guide-to-septic-systems Having that knowledge is especially important if you...
Read more

Commercial Items Identified on my Commute

-
Image
I see a lot of interesting commercialitems on truck on I-75. When you make the commute many times you start to see the same items over and over again. Sometimes it is huge equipment tires, sometimes heavy equipment of different types. I see these huge blocks of aluminum going North. I think about what the mill must look like and where it is going. And how much aluminum foil a block like this will make. Using the Tesla Full Self-Driving (supervised) allows me to look for these things on the highway. The FSD also helps me through the crazy stop and goes. Easily over 70MPH and then sudden traffic at dead stops, frequently. I see accidents every trip. It is amazing there aren't more. A side note- aluminum foil has a shiny side and a dull side. The reason why is that the foil is folded as it goes through massive rollers. The shiny side is the side that faces the steel roller. The dull side faces itself - aluminum.
Read more

Ditches, Vents and Drains

-
Image
Beautiful morning on the lake. I needed to put some vents in the basement. It's never about just one thing. The vents through the brick was one thing. Getting a window well to allow proper airflow and a drain to ensure the window well doesn't fill with water are other things. I had some fun with my bobcat and digging in the dirt. I am glad its over. We went out to dinner at the American Legion Post in the neighborhood. It only made sense to drive my M998 and pose next to the tank. The humvee has been my grocery-getter lately.
Read more