Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Scenic Drive

We took an unscheduled scenic drive today. We took the dogs to the Wickenburg Dog Park and after that, we went to the recycle center to dispose of glass, plastic and paper/cardboard.

Since it was a very nice, clear day, we decided to take the scenic loop drive north of town. At one point along the drive, I took this image of Vulture Peak with the town in front of the Vulture Mountains. In the near foreground are the local native vegetation including saguaro, creosote, palo verde and a couple of varieties of cholla. Click on the image to enlarge.

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14 Sep 2011 by Arizona Photography Retirement

Lightning and Thunder

tstm.jpgOver the past several days, monsoon season has been in full swing in Arizona and other areas. We listen to a local radio station where the National Weather Service has the capability to override regular programming with NWS warnings. They have interrupted a couple of times today with alerts for severe thunderstorms in Maricopa and Pinal counties.

Damsel and I were out walking Cabela a few minutes ago when we observed a four-engine jet airliner flying above us (VERY unusual). Since the plane flew overhead eastbound and then turned to a southeast heading toward Phoenix, I can only guess that the crew diverted to this area to avoid the severe storms in progress in west-central Maricopa county and were proceeding toward Phoenix Sky Harbor.

We haven’t seen lightning shows as awesome as those depicted above, but the past several days and evenings have put on a pretty good show of lightning flashes and rolling thunder. We have had a little rain including a steady downpour for a half hour or so two or three evenings ago.

13 Sep 2011 by Arizona Environment

The New Entertainment Center

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The cabinet makers delivered our entertainment center today. We asked them to match the knotted alder wood cabinets that they installed while the house was being built. I think they did an excellent job. We’re watching football this afternoon, so this will be a short post. Click on the image to enlarge.

12 Sep 2011 by Entertainment Retirement

9/11 Tribute Passes 75 Million Hits

never.jpgJust in time for the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America, the hit counter for the Never Forget Tribute rolled past 75,000,000. We believe that the American People and the World can Never Forget the attacks that happened a decade ago. To do so would lull us into the complacency that was set up by the Clinton Administration which allowed the Islamic threat to materialize into the terrible events of 9/11.

About the Tribute

The animation was originally inspired by an anonymously-produced PowerPoint slideshow making the rounds on the Internet and via emails after 9/11. I gathered some of the graphics and produced the prototype of the graphic to display on my personal website. After refinements and improvements suggested by Damsel and others, it appears as it does today. This is the graphic seen in the right sidebar depicting the attacks on America by terrorists.

In August of 2005, I made the animation available to anyone. The offer was only taken by a few sites at first, but since then, many more have begun displaying the animation. As of December 2005, there were over 200 sites linking to it, and that number has been growing since. Sites in the US, Canada, Australia, the UK and Italy (and several other countries) display it on their pages.

The statistics counter in the sidebar just below the tribute indicates the approximate number of times that the tribute has been delivered to websites all over the nation and the world. Watch it for a few seconds to see it increment each time the tribute gets downloaded.

11 Sep 2011 by Islamic Terrorism Never Forget

Blogging Holiday

football.gifNo blogging today. We had a great day of football and cooking one of our favorite steamed Chinese chicken and rice with veggies meals.

If you missed the Notre Dame at Michigan football game, well that’s your loss. It wasn’t over until it was over with Michigan getting the victory they deserved.

10 Sep 2011 by Food & Dining Sports

More Xeriscape

Last week when we visited the Glendale Xeriscape Garden, I took this picture of a giant saguaro surrounded by a yucca (left), ocotillo (right) with an evergreen elm tree in the background. All of these are examples of low-water consumption vegetation.

The holes in the saguaro are usually burrowed out by flickers or woodpeckers but can be occupied by cactus wrens, elf owls and a variety of other desert birds. We really are enjoying learning about our desert environment. Click on the image to enlarge.

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09 Sep 2011 by Arizona Home & Garden Photography

The UV Flashlights Are Here

scorpion-light.jpgWhen I checked the PO Box today, I discovered that the Scorpion UV flashlights had arrived. We drove home and I opened up the package to find these little, but powerful, units.

The light is powered by three AAA batteries. There are 32 UV LEDs that produce a very bright reflection when directed toward items that fluoresce in UV light. I found a few things in the office that lit up nicely under the UV light.

Image: one of the new UV Flashlights. Click to enlarge.

We’re anxious for nightfall so we can take the UV lights outside and see if there are any fluorescent critters around, or, maybe some fluorescent minerals around the area. It will be interesting to see what glows in the dark.

08 Sep 2011 by Retirement Something Shiny Technobabble

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