. . . to see these beautiful Winchester 9x19mm Luger Parabellum rounds. Parabellum is from an ancient Latin credo – “Si vis pacem, para bellum.” Translated, it means “if you seek peace, prepare for war.”
Damsel took this artistic photo last weekend when we were doing gun maintenance after our weekly target practice. I use the big version for a computer background picture.
When you are on an island, everything you consume has to be barged over from the mainland. In the case of groceries and gasoline, the entire delivery truck is loaded onto the barge and brought to the island and barged back empty. This causes the prices for such commodities to go way up.
While you can’t cut down on groceries and such, you can do something about fuel consumption. In order to cope with 5-dollar-per-gallon-plus gas prices, most Catalina Island residents drive small golf-cart sized vehicles since the town is rather small. You also see motor scooters and we saw a Segway while we were there.
One interesting vehicle we saw was this motorized stand-up three-wheeled solution which the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department uses to patrol the streets of Avalon. Click on the picture below for a large close-up.
Well, not actually, but this little “Butterbug” perching on one of Damsel’s Zinnias reminded me of the Star Wars shuttle craft when it folds it’s wings back for a landing on the flight deck of the Death Star.
To get the inset Shuttle Tydirium photo, I did an Internet search on “star wars shuttle” and found reference to it on WOOKIEPEDIA, the Star Wars Wiki Site. I never saw Wookiepedia before, although I’m sure many readers have.
NOTE: Due to a transition in my work assignment, you will be seeing less content and more pictures for the remainder of this week. Next week we will be blogging from romantic Catalina Island for our annual anniversary pilgrimage.
Damsel took this picture over the weekend.
After some early chores, we’re planning a nice BBQ later, similar to the one we had on Memorial Day. Meanwhile, this nice patriotic centerpiece dresses up our table and puts us in the holiday mood.
After nearly eight years, my little Chrysler Sebring Convertible has finally passed 10,000 miles on the odometer. I know – most people have that sort of mileage after a few months of ownership, but I got this little car just about the time I retired from the daily grind, and settled down to take care of the domicile, the puppies, my gardens and my husband. Not a bad gig after all those years of wiping noses and butts raising the kids as a mother and wiping noses and butts taking care of customers as a sales representative.
I only drive it for recreation, when I need to run an errand by myself or when the truck is in the shop. That was the case last week when the SUV had a flat tire, and my little car had to go to work for a day. When it went, the odometer read 9999 on the way out of the driveway.
We went shopping at our local discount emporium today looking for a new clock for the family room. While we were there Damsel brought my attention to this little beauty. I guess they must have been a popular item, ’cause this one, which was on display, was the last one in the store. Damsel went and got a clerk to get it off of the wall for us, and it now hangs above the entertainment center like a majestic beacon. Oh – and it tells the time too.
Our recent vacation took us along parts of old Route 66 in Arizona; this little nostalgic trinket brings back fond memories. Not just from the last trip, but over the years back to before the 1970s when the old Route still thrived. Click on the thumbnail for a larger view.
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.
