Slow Children

This is a really dumb sign and it sits at the intersection by our house. I should just sneak out in the middle of the night and take it down!

The sign harkens back to the days when our house was a popular daycare. I can understand notifying drivers that children are in the neighborhood but why insult the poor kids by referring to them as Slow? And, there are no kids here now, slow or otherwise. It’s like the sign you see entering the Victor Community School: Dead End.

Also, every time I see a No Shoulder Driving sign I picture a guy with no arms driving by it and saying, Damn!

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Categorized as House

The Smith System

Karen commented yesterday that I never see her wave when we pass each other on the road, and it got me to thinking about why that is.

I’ve attended several defensive driving courses over the years and most of them were based on the five rules of the Smith System. I incorporate these techniques into my driving now, without consciously being aware that I am. Here are the five rules:

  • Aim high in steering.
    • This means to look far down the road for any possible issues. It really applies on the wide open spaces of Hwy 33, and it’s easier for me because I’m higher off the ground.
  • Get the big picture.
    • I do this constantly while driving around town. I use my peripheral vision to identify vehicles and pedestrians as objects of possible contention. This is why I don’t see people wave as my brain is processing the moving vehicle (speed and direction) and not the person operating the vehicle.
  • Keep your eyes moving.
    • For a commercial driver this really means checking your mirrors every few seconds. It also improves your alertness.
  • Make sure they see you.
    • This is when I make eye contact. If someone is making a move that requires that they know I’m there, I make sure we lock eyes before I move.
  • Leave yourself an out.
    • My standard plan of action on 33 is to head for the right side ditch (snow bank now) if anyone veers across the lane at me. I actually expect every vehicle coming at me to do just that, and I’m ready to act.

There you go… I hope you derived some knowledge from this little synopsis!

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Categorized as The Bus

Kids and Tonks

Busy day today and about 1430 I thought “Well, all I’ve got left is Kids and Tonks“. The phrase cracked me up and I realized: blog post!

Kids refers to my Community School run from Victor to Driggs at 1500, and then I needed to pick up this really old guy named Cleon Tonks at the clinic.

Cleon has been in the Valley forever. When he showed up on our schedule my fellow driver, a Valley native herself, said “He’s still alive?” As I was walking him to the bus I tried to find out how long he’d been here. It must have been his bad ear because all he talked about was the weather, diesel fuel and tractors. He didn’t hear a word… :-)

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Categorized as The Bus

Silver Dollar

We have a lot of weird signs around here. They usually contain a catchy name for an abandoned sub-division, with some sort of trick construction.

Here’s a perfect example, and I have no idea what the Heads Up refers to.

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Categorized as The Valley

Valentines Day

When Steph and I had our first Valentines Day together, she bought me a huge card. It was almost three feet tall. Seriously!

I guess as people stay together over the years, the novelty of card giving wears off.

Here’s the Valentines Day card that she gave me today:

Looks like the bloom is off the rose…


Update: I also got some candy!

All in all, a pretty fine Valentines Day! :-)

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Categorized as House

Mickey Moose

I was heading to the Tanners house this morning and a young buck moose darted in front of me. He stopped and let me take this shot.

I told Tim about the moose on his property and he said this guy’s been hanging around for a few days. The dogs try to chase him off but the moose knows who’s bigger.

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Categorized as The Bus

Raphaël

I’ve been playing around with one of my favorite javascript libraries today. Raphaël is the best vector graphics library out there. I just wanted to establish the fact that I can implement this code into my blog. Sure looks like it works! :-)

It’s fun to be a computer programmer! I’ve been one since 1969…

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Categorized as Site Stuff

Piper Ocean

It’s Saturday, I’m hunkering down and I lifted the Piper off her warm bed and dumped her fluffy butt out into the driveway. She likes it: Here!

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Categorized as House, Piper

The Grill

I had a funny moment at the Victor Community School today. A bunch of kids were on board and I’m trying to figure out where I’m taking them. I’d just gotten off the phone with the Russell kids mom and I told them I’m dropping you off at the TVR Grill.

The kids said no, it’s W not V. I said no, it’s the Teton Valley Ranch Grill (it’s a relatively new place…). Again they insisted it was W. Then I realized who I was talking to and said wait a minute, you guys… and Ann the older sister smiled coyly and said own it?

Ok, it’s been a long week. I forgot that the Russell’s own the Teton Waters Ranch and the TWR Grill!

tgif :-)

Update: It’s Saturday morning and while working on this post I noticed they have homemade corned beef hash. I think it’s time to check this place out! I’ll grab pictures…

Alright, I’m back. When I walked in there was one couple there, who left before I was even seated, so I had the place to myself. Very nice interior, down home and comfy.

I believe this is the third resturant in this location since I’ve lived here.
The meal was served up quickly enough.
I flipped the eggs back to show the hash.
So here’s my review: The waitress was friendly and efficient without being over-bearing. Eggs and sourdough toast were good. The ingredients in the hash were top notch, which they should be considering that we live in potato country and these guys raise their own beef just a few miles away, and there were some peppers in there that gave it a nice kick.

It was delicious but a bit too wet for my taste. I don’t know what it was cooked in, but I like a drier, less oleaginous hash. I’ll mention it to Susy next time I see her :-)

I should also say that I am a connoisseur of homemade corned beef hash. I was even known to drive to Sacramento from the Bay Area, back in the early eighties, just to eat hash at a little spot off I-5. It was about a hundred miles, that’s dedication!

(Hi Jim, Susy here: We always welcome feedback and I will pass yours on to the chef. I am sorry your corn beef hash was not done completely to your satisfaction. You can always request things be cooked according to your liking and they will do their best to accommodate. The restaurant is still a work in progress (interior, exterior, menu) and I hope you will give us another try. Thanks for trying the TWR Grill!)

I’ll definitely be back to the TWR Grill, suggestions in hand! Gotta love a small town :-)

SlideShow (The Grill)

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Categorized as The Bus

My Brain

I’ve been having some weird neurological issues for the last couple of years. My hands don’t work like they used to. Normal things are just difficult, it’s frustrating!

So, I made an appointment at the local hospital for a cheap brain exam. I told them I have no insurance and I didn’t want to spend more than $50 bucks! They have a technique where they insert a micro-camera into your ear, so I did it. Here’s the result!

Who are those characters? I think I’m screwed…

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Categorized as Various

Freezing Pipes

Water pipes freezing in our neck of the woods is a big issue. Many of the homes here are unoccupied either from seasonal inhabitance or foreclosure. You have to keep a pencil lead sized stream of water running to keep the pipes from freezing! I do that daily…

I’m also managing heat maintenance for my other Pipes. You know, my cat!

This girl loves to be warm. When I can let her out in the sun, she thrives. But, most of the day I’m driving a bus! I can’t keep the house propane heated just for her during the day, so I keep the bedroom floor heater going along with her kitty bed heating pad.

She hangs out with me here in the warm office for a while when I get home, chases plastic mice attached to strings and chews up my hand before going to bed.

Then she crawls all over me when I finally come to bed, just to find the warmest spot.

And she stays there all night! When I start to stir around 5am I look for her under the covers with my hand. She attacks, we’re up!

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Categorized as House

Glasses and Herbs

I’ve been working sick for the last two days. Picked up the crud that’s been hitting this town lately and the biting cold hasn’t helped a bit…

I was bummed out that I had to bail on Monday dinner, then my buddy Karen came to the rescue with an herb compound she assembled at her office today. Master herb concoctionist she is! I’m feeling Ok. I ate it with a stick in the Brolums parking lot.

My new glasses also came in. The sun on the snow has been hurting my eyes lately and these things are shaded and polarized. Sure beats the expensive clip-ons.

Hey Karen, maybe you could leave a comment detailing this mysterious herb mixture?

Or is it a trade secret? :-)

SlideShow (Glasses and Herbs)
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Categorized as Various

Chicken Adobo 4

I nailed it! This batch was so good I ate a plate and a half. The secret was the coconut vinegar and the veggies added to the Pancit. It was even better than the market version due to the quality of the chicken!

Marinated the chicken for more than 24 hours. Added onions, garlic, carrots and cabbage to the rice noodles for the Pancit. After removing the bay leaves from the marinated chicken I cooked it for 45 minutes, starting other things along the way.

I think I need to have Karen and Dave back over for another taste test!

SlideShow (Chicken Adobo 4)
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Categorized as House

Pipes

This is my new nickname for Piper. It’s weird how nicknames evolve, it’s just what I started calling her. Here’s a cute little Video I shot yesterday while soaking up rays.

Site work: Added a new category called Utilities on the right and moved the new stuff down there off the Menu. Also added a Calendar to the site. Now off to make Adobo and maybe attend a Super Bowl party!

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Categorized as Piper

Cold

My inner body temperature is really cold. I’m trying to keep the air around me somewhat warm without driving me into debt, but it’s hard. The temp outside is 9 degrees now. We warmed up to 30 midday and Piper and I hung out for a while in the garage enjoying the sun, but it’s plunging downward. I better turn the water on…

I can’t keep the house warm without burning through a ton of propane so I hunker down in my office with the electric space heater. I warm the house up for a bit with the Rinnai, but as soon as I turn it off, frigid!

Piper hangs out and plays with me here in the office for a while, but she soon bails for the bedroom where I keep the floor heater and the electric blanket running.

I remember a summer back in the seventies where I spent two weeks in Mexico and then two weeks in Hawaii, back to back. My inner core was very warm, skin was brown.

One day I was hitching out of Georgia, trying to get back to California, and this nerdy older guy picked me up driving a brand new Cadillac. As we’re cruising through the countryside he decides to pass another car.

Not good, he wasn’t using the right gear to do it, so I reached over and snapped his shift lever into what I’d noticed was a passing gear. Saved both our lives! He then pulled over, confessed he was a terrible driver, and asked me to take over.

I did. Driving has always been my thing. I know I have well over a million miles under my belt by now, approaching two!

We were heading to Houston and along the way we stopped at a Mexican restaurant for lunch. He bought because I didn’t have a dime in my pocket. Really…

Then he told me his story. He was a rocket scientist, recently hired by NASA, given a rental car and summoned to Houston. Over lunch he drew a diagram on a napkin illustrating how NASA planned to put a man on the moon. This guy was going to be part of the project! It still gives me a chill and I really wish I’d kept the napkin.

That was a good chill, this one sucks…

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Categorized as Piper, Travels