I can’t add much to this photo except to say “Where else but California?” Click on the image for a closer look.
Culture
‘Patina’
Patina is defined as a fine coating of oxide on the surface of a metal. The term ‘patina’ is most often used in discussions about collectible artifacts from the past. In many cases, removing the patina from a collectible is a big no-no.
We once watched an episode of the popular “Antiques Road Show,” where a woman brought a nice, shiny Tiffany lamp to be appraised. She polished it up the brass and copper surfaces to a new-looking gleaming lamp. Unfortunately, without the patina, the lamp was worth a small fraction of the antique value.
Patina is not as revered on classic vehicles though. Damsel and I were on our recent vacation when we spotted this old ford truck from the 1950’s. As she was taking this picture she said “I think I need a tetanus shot from just looking at that P.O.S.
Click on the image to enlarge.
Rubik’s Cube Sandwich
Found on Kini’s Hawaiian Website:
We got a good laugh at this when we saw it. I guess the idea is to get all the cheddar, provolone, jack cheese, etc., in alignment in order to eat it. Right?
If, for some reason, you have no idea what a Rubik’s Cube is, visit Wikipedia, where the following description may be found:
The Rubik’s Cube is a 3-D mechanical puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernõ Rubik. Originally called the “Magic Cube”, the puzzle was licensed by Rubik to be sold by Ideal Toys in 1980 and won the German Game of the Year special award for Best Puzzle that year. As of January 2009, 350 million cubes have sold worldwide making it the world’s top-selling puzzle game. It is widely considered to be the world’s best-selling toy.
In a classic Rubik’s Cube, each of the six faces is covered by 9 stickers, among six solid colours (traditionally white, red, blue, orange, green, and yellow). A pivot mechanism enables each face to turn independently, thus mixing up the colours. For the puzzle to be solved, each face must be a solid colour. Similar puzzles have now been produced with various numbers of stickers, not all of them by Rubik. The original 3×3×3 version celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary in 2005.
That’s The Way It Is
Always a fan of the great Walter Cronkite, but seldom in agreement with his political leanings, it is with nostalgia and a bit of sadness that we acknowledge the life and works of a great American News Icon. We grew up and spent most of our young adulthood watching and listening to the way it was.
God bless the family in this hour of loss.
Walter Cronkite – 1916-2009 – Rest in peace.
Full Military Honors
Damsel’s Dad passed from us last week and today he was sent off with full military honors. He was a veteran of the US NAVY in the late 1940s through the early 1950s. The Cold War was fully in progress, and Dad’s Squadron was right in the thick of it all. He was a flight crew member and flew missions on the Navy version of the old B24 – the PB4Y-2 ‘Privateer.’ He flew missions all over the Mediterranean, Europe, the North Atlantic Ocean and back to the US for logistics and repairs.
The sailors who performed the honors were squared away and precise in their execution. We stood and saluted as one sailor sounded taps. The other sailor and the officer carefully and precisely folded the flag with crisp movements and presented the flag to Damsel’s Mom.
We will miss Dad, who was a wonderful family man and a really great guy.
Happy Fathers Day!
Happy Fathers Day to all the fathers out there! If you’re a father, take some time to let your kids admire your wonderfulness. If you’re a son or daughter, spend some time with Dad. If your father is no longer with us, spend some time remembering and thinking about him.
Have a great day everyone!
Ready for Gun Blogger Rendezvous ’09
For the last week or so, we have been making arrangements to attend the Gun Blogger Rendezvous which will be at the Silver Legacy Hotel in Reno, Nevada. The event is scheduled for September 10-13, 2009. We’ve sent off our registration and made the hotel reservations, so all we need to do is fill in some details for the trip (we’re driving from the Los Angeles area), like staying near Yosemite NP on the way up and the Owens Valley on the way back. We’re looking forward to going to Reno.
Over the years, we have visited Reno many, many times, enjoying every visit. We’ve been going to Reno ever since it really was “The Biggest Little City in the World.” Don’t get us wrong, we like the bright lights and big hotels in the New Reno, but we’re also quite nostalgic about the way it was.
In August of 2007, we posted about Reno’s famous welcome sign. Here is the original article repeated here:
Pigeon Dung and Reno’s Famous Sign
After reading news accounts about the contribution of pigeon dung to the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, I was reminded about how pigeons similarly factored into the destruction of the famous “RENO – The Biggest little city in the world” sign that spans the entrance to the downtown gambling district. I recall reading a the story in the 1980’s about how the old sign became inhabited by pigeons that roosted or nested in the sign. They got in through gaps in the sign and, of course, pooped while they were in there.
Image right: Reno sign, 1980’s – click to enlarge
Eventually, despite having been evicted several times by the city’s maintenance crews, the pigeon problem persisted until one day there was an electrical short-circuit in the sign. The methane from the dung ignited; there was a minor explosion and a fire afterwards that damaged the sign beyond repair. The sign was removed and subsequently replaced by a newer Vegas-style beauty which electronically beckons visitors to the downtown district. While it’s a beautiful sight, the new sign doesn’t have the old sign’s charm and breaks the promise for a “little city” beyond. Recent visitors to the new Reno, if they knew the old Reno, will know what I mean.
Image left: New Reno sign – click to enlarge
As for pigeons? They’re just rats with wings.