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The Huntsman Springs Celebrate America 2014 fireworks display, shot from my front yard 2.1 miles away, as the raven flies. The background sound is Teton Creek across Ski Hill road on the left and our irrigation creek on the right.
If you’re in a hurry and don’t care for background ambiance, you can watch the whole thing here at three times the speed with no sound:
The great Huntsman Springs event happened today and your intrepid reporter was on the scene as the crowds flowed in from all over everywhere. Last year we had 20,000 people and this year it’s projected at 30,000.
This is the best fireworks show in the west and the word is out. Steph and I arrived as the gates opened and parked in a spot we could easily escape from. The photos in this set reflect the early crowds as we bailed soon after so I could shoot the fireworks from the comfort of my front porch.
Click on the photo below to view the set, or watch the SlideShow.
That would be shiht.com of course, a brand new front end for my direction programs and it scales nicely across all mobile platforms. You can type in a from and to address and generate point to point directions or step by step directions. You can also select either address directly from the map.
I programmed it to put Driggs, ID into a blank From Address when Sel (Select) is clicked because I can and I’m the primary person that’s going to use this app :-)
Here’s a walkthrough: Enter a city into the From field and click Sel. A marker is placed on the map over that place. Click on the marker to show more options. Select Zoom Down to go down to city level and then find a street you want to go to, then click the map to reposition the marker. Click the marker again and select Set Location which will determine the nearest address and place it up in the field for you. Highlight the To Field, repeat, and then try out the two direction apps by selecting Juhnk or Steps.
…example
I finally did a walk-around the house today with camera in hand. I like the new darker brown and the sort of red trim. That’s funny, I thought the front door was supposed to be red, I better talk to Steph. This was a professional job btw. (Skoge :-)
I talk too much. I’m discovering that the less I say, the chances of my words being misinterpreted reduce exponentially. By eliminating the espousing of my opinion on a subject brought up by someone speaking to me, and then converting it to a simple response, I’ve uncovered the great truth that most people really don’t give a flying …. what you think, they just want to mouth off about something and then look like they care about your response.
I was born smart with great genes and I’ve acquired an amazing amount of knowledge and experience that currently resides at the tip of my brain and my tongue. Often I find that it satisfies my ego to espouse knowledgeably about something or share a story that makes me seem cool. I’m finally realizing that it comes off as bullshit that people don’t want to hear because it doesn’t expand their own ego, and in fact deflates it.
So here we go, expect less words out of my mouth, and more here…
I’m more convinced than ever that the blue walkways at the new Tourist Center plaza represent the Teton River and the grey swatches that intercept them are bridges.
The view from my desk has improved. There’s a new dark stain on the house with red trim, and it looks great. I suppose I should do a walk around and take some pictures, oh well, someday…
I’ve been admiring the construction of some very cool walkways in front of the new tourist center. I took some shots today as I did my power walk around Driggs and when I got home and looked at them, I got it!
The Teton River that flows through our valley is a world-class trout fishing destination and these sidewalks represent the river. Brilliant!
Now, if I can just figure out where the Farmers Market and the Ice Sculptures, events that used to happen here, are going to end up…
Steph and I were pleased to attend the Summer Solstice barbeque yesterday hosted by my niece Catherine and her husband Dave. The kids played while the boys built a burning man from scratch and Dave showed off his new lift and a screaming hot Mustang he traded for a motorcycle. Here’s the photos from the event.
…and I shot a bunch of video clips and spent this morning buried in my video editor putting together a video I call Burning Man.
Sharing some good times up here at Norris Hot Springs with my new friends John and Taylor. Here’s some more photos from yesterday.
There is a latin phrase I live by: quod tibi non vis fieri, ne aliis feceris which translates to What you do not want done to yourself, you should not do to others. I combine this philosophy with the principle of causality where the intent and actions of an individual influence the future of that individual, otherwise known as karma. I also embrace the concept that without expectation, there is no disappointment.
It’s really quite a simple way to move through life. I’m not encumbered with all of the baggage of organized religion, and it works with my belief in reincarnation as I’m paying forward towards the next one.
Having said that mouthful, and to reward myself for being such a cool piece of work, I’m heading back to my Montana hot springs because I feel like this:
I’ve been hunkered down for a couple of days, writing code. My creativity has been hampered lately by the sad realization that hardly anybody uses the code that I write. So, I’ve taken a different approach with my previously uncoded domain, pehpsi.com.
Steph has been mentioning that her co-worker Dusty, the guy that drives the truck and delivers the propane, has been having a hard time finding new addresses around here. I relate since I’m the local bus driver and I’ve had the same problem since they messed up the county addresses a few years back!
My new program is now centered around Suburban Propane in Driggs, ID. The name Pehpsi fits perfectly since Steph is a Pepsi drinker and most every workday I drop a tall Pepsi from Basin Travel off to her around noon.
The input field accepts an address or a place and it’s not limited to this area. If you wish to play around with it, enter something and click the resulting marker…
I was talking to my Silverstar rep Jamie yesterday about a couple of issues when she asked me if I’d like to double my internet speed for another $5 bucks a month.
Hmmm, let me think about that… Ok, done thinking, Of Course! I’m amazed at what kind of speed they can pack into a DSL connection over two thin copper wires. She said it could be up to two working days to get hooked up but I ran the test this morning and here’s our nice new speed. We’re also on their best line, they like me :-)
Fast internet is crucial for our house with two Rokus and a Fire TV supplementing our off the grid TV setup.
I was in Casper Wyoming last Saturday. The weather sucked, cold and windy it was, and there was a rodeo going on somewhere so all of the hotels were booked except the Bates Motel, and I got the last room. Note to self, no matter how bad you want to check out a place, do not accept a smoking room. Move on to another town.
I asked the clerk if it had been aired out and he said it was a smoking room since the place was built, and no. I pulled off the bedding, set up my computer, ignored the fact that towels had not been washed and went walking around town.
Casper’s not a bad place I suppose. The downtown is old and eclectic, it has a good bar (whose name escapes me) and it has the tallest Wells Fargo sign I’ve ever seen.
I had planned to continue East but I needed to be de-liced and scrubbed smoke free, so I headed back home. The photoset is available by clicking the photo below:
I drove to Casper, WY yesterday, because I’d never been there. Here’s the route. Along the way I was impressed by some awesome cliff formations and I was determined to photograph them on the return ride. I just did.
There are a total of thirteen photos in this set. (click the photo below to view the set)
