We may have posted a classic Chevy like this one years ago on the Minstrel site when we saw it in Torrance back then. Today, however, this classic rolled up into the parking lot while we were collecting mail from the PO Box. A very nice gent allowed as how he would be OK with Damsel taking these photos of his treasure.
Images: 1958 Classic Chevrolet Impala Convertible with Continental Kit in mint condition – credit Damsel – click on any image to view enlarged.
This will be the first in a series of posts that address my memories of serving in the U.S. Naval Reserve. My original enlistment (at age 17) was for six years as a reservist with two years of active duty with the regular Navy. The timeline was
This first installment covers 1) and the beginning of 2) above.
I pulled some old records out of the hard copy files we keep here and scanned them in to PDF documents for posterity. Electronic files can last a lot longer than their paper counterparts.
Since I had the hard copies out of the file folder, I scanned through my service records and came to realize that my Naval Service was more of an adventure for me, rather than a job. I can think of quite a few highlights that took place in the span of about four years. My recollections follow below.
I enlisted in the US Naval Reserves in 1960 while I was still in high school. I attended weekly evening drills at the Naval Reserve Center in Santa Monica, CA. During my active reserve time before going on active duty I went to serve for a couple of weeks in USN Boot camp – NTC San Diego and also a couple of weeks on an amphibious Navy fleet vessel, the USS Pickaway, APA-222, during what the USNR referred to as “cruises.” What a contrast to what is considered a “cruise” today. I got my transfer to active duty delayed by a year in order to attend Junior College and work part-time my first year out of high school. I also got my private pilot’s license during the first year out of high school.
I reported for my two-years of active duty in June of 1962. I had a brief stay at the US Naval Station in Long Beach, CA on TDY (temporary duty) pending assignment to an eventual duty station. That service was interesting since it introduced me to Navy life as a full-time sailor. We (there were a lot of sailors on TDY) did odd jobs which included working at the commissary (base grocery store), cleaning up the barracks and even being selected as a shakedown cruise crew member for a vessel being transferred to the Iranian(!) Navy.
Finally, the interim duty at Long Beach was concluding and I had an interview with a recruiter to determine the remainder of my active duty assignment. I opted to extend my service by a year in order to attend “A” School at the US Naval Air Technical Training Center, NAS Memphis, TN. It just so happened that my older brother was on the staff of the USNATTC as an instructor, so we could be close and in touch during my schooling.
In August of 1962, I arrived at NAS Memphis for “A” School Training. While attending school, I went to church every Sunday to sing in the Bluejackets Choir which, conveniently, got me some perks (like light duty) for the duration. School went well and I scored number four in my class of 96 students in Avionics Fundamentals school (AFUA), and as number one in my Avionics Technician Com/Nav (ATNA) class of 26 students, I got to choose my next duty station as a result of class standing. I chose somewhere on the west coast of the US.
My orders came through and I found myself assigned to the US Naval Missile Center Command, Point Mugu, CA, which was located just 44 miles from my parents’ Mar Vista home in the West Los Angeles area. I will report more about my tour of duty at NMC and NAS Point Mugu in the next part of this series.
Damsel and I drove down to the West Valley today for what has become and annual checkup of my bladder. The urologist and crew use a cystoscope to take a peek into my bladder via the urinary tract to examine for any possible recurrence of the cancer that was resected a little over 10 years ago. The image above shows the monitor where the video is displayed when the ‘scope is connected to it and inserted into the urinary tract.
Today’s procedure went well and detected no cancer recurrence. I do have a sub-optimal condition in my right kidney and the size of the ureter (tube connecting that kidney to the bladder) was a bit smaller than the left side ureter, but the Urologist seemed to think this was no big deal.
The procedure was quick and mostly painless save for a little discomfort during the exam itself and the slight burning sensation when urinating the first couple of times afterwards. I have had this procedure many times (I estimate 15??) since the original diagnosis and never have had to been anesthetized. At any rate, we’re done with it for another year.
I am still working on my US Naval Service History and will be posting those blogs sometime soon.
This past Monday evening, I photographed the above image after I noticed the normally flat-bottomed cumulus cloud had these predominantly rounded protrusions below. I recognized them as mammatus.
Mammatus is a cellular pattern of pouches hanging underneath the base of a cloud, typically a cumulonimbus raincloud, although they may be attached to other classes of parent clouds.
I remember from my days as a commercial instructor pilot that these cloud formations were to be avoided. There can be up/down drafts, microbursts, wind shear and possible other airborne hazards.
Not long after the photo was taken, we got some steady rain for about fifteen minutes. The ground got a good soaking with little runoff. Last night, however, several thunder cells rolled through the area and left plenty of rain. There was no evidence of flooding afterward.
Now, speaking of weather, I saw a couple of interesting articles on the topic of the Farce of Anthropogenic Climate Change. The first one “Greenhouse Gases Are a Scientific Myth” from American Thinker, discusses, as the title indicates, “climate stupidity” with regard to so-called “greenhouse gasses.”
The most recent climate stupidity suggests that American factories report their greenhouse gas emissions. As we learned from our country’s first cap-and-trade rule in California, reporting led to required reduction of clean-burning natural gas. Most factories in California have closed because of that rule. It required a 75-percent reduction of natural gas — the factories’ only heat source — over five years.
The next article, from long-time blogger “GREENIE WATCH,” discloses a study debunking CO2’s adverse effect on the weather.
A powerful peer-reviewed scientific study delivers substantial evidence that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the atmosphere have zero impact on the Earth’s global temperatures. The study concludes that even though most publications attempt to depict a catastrophic future for our planet due to an increase in CO2, there is serious doubt that this is, in fact, the case. Instead, the study authors deduced that their research unequivocally means that the officially presented narrative that human activity is causing a detrimental CO2 increase on Earth’s climate is merely a hypothesis rather than a substantiated reality.
We’ve long known that the notion of man-made climate change is as follows:
Today, we celebrate the Gaelic Cross-Quarter Feast of Lughnasadh, which, in ancient times, marked the beginning of harvest season. We’re going to celebrate with a traditional feast consisting of Corned Beef (Round Cut) and Cabbage with some lower carb vegetables (Squash, Turnips, Brussels Sprouts, etc.) to keep closer to our Keto diet.
As in past posts about Celtic celebrations, we issue the disclaimer that we are not bound by Wiccan or other Heathen religious traditions since we are Christians and practice the only true religion in our daily lives. We only celebrate their traditions since our ancestors were mostly Gaelic and Celtic. The feasting is awesome.
The weather today here in Wickenburg is much the same as yesterday, with thunderstorms over the mountains east and north of here, but still dry here. We have a 20% chance for showers before 8 PM. We could use a little gentle rain.
OK – time to go and slice the entrée for the feast. Enjoy your Sunday — the Lord’s Day!
Update: we’re getting some of that rain now. Big drops far apart but covering the ground and soaking in.
As of a few weeks ago, our Monsoon Season has brought us a few showers, but not in the usual summertime quantity nor have they been very intense. We’re not complaining about the lack of damaging rainfall at all, but as to not getting a good soak now and then. The image above (I later learned) is of a cell located over Yarnell, AZ, a town 30 miles north of here. They had a good prolonged rainfall just up there around eleven AM local, while we have had didley squat.
Later in the day, some intense, dark clouds drifted over us, but again, no significant precipitation. Damsel took the following photo of a Turkey Buzzard circling overhead beneath the clouds:
After the time of the previous photo, I took the dogs for a walk and distinctly smelled wet creosote, but observed no rain. I presume that the Good Lord will eventually bring gentle, soaking rain our way as He always does.
This morning, while walking the dogs, I photographed them inspecting the myriad of bean pods recently fallen from the Mesquite tree in front of our house. You can get an idea of how numerous the pods are under this and other trees in the area from the (clickable) image above.
During the spring and summer months, the Mesquites produce these pods, which are said to have been a staple food source among the native Indians and this area’s early settlers.
From American Outdoor:
The yellow pods were once used by all the indigenous inhabitants of the desert regions, usually ground into a flour and eaten. The ripe pods are sweet, and when ground into flour, can be used to make a variety of tasty and nutritious dishes.
This shrub, or one of its close relatives, can be found throughout the deserts of Southern California, southern Nevada, parts of Utah, in Arizona along the full lengths of both the Colorado and Gila Rivers, southwestern New Mexico, and even east to Texas along the Rio Grande River.
There is no point in attempting to clean up the pods since the desert critters and other conditions do it eventually for us. Moreover, it is too warm to be handling a rake in the 105+ degree daytime temperatures here.
By the way, Cabela (on the right above) will celebrate her SIXTEENTH birthday tomorrow. Other than partial blindness due to cataracts, she is still going strong. We expect that she’ll be with us for quite a while longer.