I went out on our patio this afternoon and noticed the moon above this pencil cholla (pronounced choy-ah) cactus. I went and got my camera to capture this photo of the half-moon in the blue sky with the cactus in the foreground. Click on the image to enlarge.
First, there is the matter of General Motors taking the government bailout. And now, there is a candid admission by GM’s North American President, Mark Reuss that they really don’t care what their customers think.
From Henry Payne via Planet Gore:
The Government Auto Show
With four inches of snow blanketing Detroit outside Cobo Convention Center and flakes falling on 49 of 50 U.S. states (Florida excepted), GM announced at the Detroit Auto Show this week that it is developing an all-electric vehicle fleet to combat . . . global warming.
Americans are flocking to snow-covered dealer lots to trade in their compact sedans for four-wheel drive SUVs, but The General also rolled out a new Chevy subcompact and the first Buick compact.
GM’s North American president, Mark Reuss, made it clear what’s driving product development. “Forget about gas prices. The regulatory environment through 2016 is going to dictate what we do,” he said. “You got to plan your portfolio to be there from a CO2 greenhouse gas standpoint.”
In a rare candid moment, a major auto executive admitted that what motivates today’s auto production is not the consumer — it’s the government.
For complete auto show coverage, go to The Michigan View.com.
Emphasis added.
This is the real deal. We went outside last evening just after dark and took this image of one of our seven new custom sconces illuminating the house and garden. They look just as I expected. Click on the image to enlarge.
I felt sorry for the technician who performed the installation because he had to install a temporary coaxial cable in a trench he had to dig because the PVC pipe to the cable terminal was blocked. The company will send a special unit later this week to complete the permanent installation.
But, as of today, we have our high speed internet and can watch the BCS college championship game between Oregon and Auburn!
This afternoon, I walked across the road from the house and snapped this panoramic image of the new house. On the left edge of the image, you can see the RV drive-through exit. The contractor graded and compacted the drive all the way from the concrete apron (right side) through the RV parking space (with full hookups) in the rear and back down to the main road. Click on the image too see the full panorama.
Damsel bought a couple of really nice beef tenderloin steaks (a.k.a. Fillet Mignon) at the supermarket this morning, so we decided to break out the camping cookout gear and grill ’em up. All of the appliances are installed and working but we like steaks cooked outdoors, so this was the setup depicted in the image. Click to enlarge.
Damsel also bought some microwave steamed veggies and some microwave macaroni and cheese. We usually prepare our meals from scratch, but we don’t have all the cookware and utensils to do a good job, but in a few weeks we will.
So, for today’s sumptuous cuisine, we sat on camping chairs, ate from plastic plates served on a fold-up table. Despite all the improvisations, today’s first dinner at the new house was a huge success.
