A Hand In Time

Last night I was trying a new black-and-white photo app on the iPhone and took this silly photo of my hand. It had me thinking about how life was back in the 1980s, my favorite decade, and wondering where the heck all of the time has gone? Wasn’t I just 21 wonderful years young? And what happened to Joan?

Bird House With A Metal Roof

These country birds have it pretty darn good, don’t they! They seem to have brought their own home all the way from California too. I guess they too got sick and tired of the taxes and statewide mismanagement…

Well, I’m heading home tomorrow after eighteen days away and I am so ready to go! But, it was very difficult to say goodbye to my dad this evening. A big hug, and  an I love you so much dad and off he went to bed. So difficult.

The Crick, The Wood

These serene scenes are a far cry from the streets of Las Vegas. I grew up surrounded by forests and farm fields full of soybeans and field corn. Cows and farms. today, I live in a city of around two million people. Which lifestyle would you choose?

What amazes me when driving around this little country town is (I don’t like saying this) how dirty everything is. It has been raining on and off for four days straight, making the roads so dirty that dirt transfers to your car. Homes and lawns are so unkept and seem to be falling apart.

The gray sky keeps me feeling exhausted! On a positive note, the people of my hometown are much more friendly than many but not all of the people of Las Vegas. Which life would you choose?

The Big Cinnamon Roll!

Have you ever seen a Cinnamon roll this big? Four people had a good serving from this monster. Being a type 2 diabetic, I had to refrain which was most difficult. It has been raining all damn day here and more rain is in the forecast for tomorrow. What a lump of coal, and the constant gray sky has made me feel dreary and tired. I miss the sunshine and palm trees of Las Vegas!

Scooting Across The Intersection

Stopped at another traffic light on Tanaya, this woman was waiting to cross this very busy intersection. There was another person directly across from her waiting to cross. I always worry about people crossing intersections in this city since the traffic volume is very high. God forbid they are injured. A quick check for statistics found this page, there doesn’t seem to be a page that just shows the numbers.

Thanks For The Memories, Bob!

I am saddened today to learn that Bob Barker has passed. Everyone knows who Bob Barker was. I remember staying home from school when I was sick as a child and watching Bob on The Price Is Right. Such a fantastic show! Rest in peace, Mr. Barker, you are loved by millions.

On The Way To The Ham Store

You never know what you’ll see in Las Vegas when driving around. I feel bad for the old fella asking for money at Valley View and Sahara Avenue. I went to the only ham radio dealer in the valley for two mobile antennas. I need to get back on the air a lot more than I have been lately, I have a lot of money tied up in radio equipment and antenna systems…

So This Is Hilary?

I am aware via the weather channel and other sources how badly California is getting hit by Hilary, but so far here in Las Vegas there has been rain overnight and just sprinkles or no rain. Is the worst yet to come for the valley? A high wind warning has been issued which should have begun around two pm, but there is no wind at all. How accurate are the weather forecast folks? So far it seems that they’ve missed the target…

Update: California just had a magnitude 5.0 earthquake. No thanks, California!

Well look at that, a typical Michigan sky over Las Vegas!

To Henderson And Back

It was a long drive south to Henderson, Nevada which bumps up against Las Vegas. The 215 freeway is the best way to get to the Pedego bike store down there, the trip went quickly. These photos are from the Sony A7C on the way home. The Strip is partially seen in one or two of them. I’ll try to keep this short.

The guy running this store took my bike immediately since there were no customers or bikes on the rack for repair. In about ten minutes, the guy had my gears back to normal. He knew exactly what was wrong with the gearing! And, there was no charge for the work which is amazing.

He also gave me a water bottle bracket for the bike at no cost as compensation for the long drive, wonderful! Upon arrival, I gave the man the full rundown on what had taken place at the other store which is almost within walking distance of my home.

And, his helper knew exactly what I was talking about regarding the joker who worked on my bike and messed up the gears when there was never anything wrong with them! That guy had in the past worked on bikes at that store too and caused the store more problems than he fixed.

That’s vindication for me. My new store is now a long drive away. Life… You never know what is going to happen do we. I’m just happy that my bike is ready for cooler weather and lots of rides.

Magnifying Native Americans, Two

Here is a slightly different version of the previous post’s image. A high of 98 degrees is up for the valley today, I like the cooling trend! But, I have to head south to Henderson this morning to drop the bike off at a different shop where I hope this person can repair the damage to the gear system that the other person did. There was zero wrong with the gears! So damn ridiculous.

Magnifying Native Americans

I’m happy with this one. For many years I have believed that we Europeans (English and other countries?) basically destroyed the culture of the Native American Indians. I feel shamed sometimes. I only picked up the reading-enlargement device and pointed the 28-60mm lens through the glass.

Or, plastic. Ya never know these days. Many other photos of this scene landed on the cutting room floor but that’s a fact that will land on the floor too. My second wife was 1/4 Cherokee genetically which is so good but there becomes another story, right?

There Be Rain Over The Valley!

I have seen a few rain shafts earlier this afternoon, and some sprinkles are tapping my skylight. Well, the bike is back home but the guy that worked on the bike completely screwed up the gear system. I called the shop and told them what happened.

I told the guy that I will be taking the bike to a different Pedego store next week since I would never allow this guy to touch the bike again. Then about twenty minutes later I get a call from the guy that worked on the bike! I told him in no uncertain way that he will not work on my bike again.

He tried to get me to bring the bike back to that shop but I refused, and also reminded him of what he said today while I was there. I asked if he has had any formal training to work on electric bikes. No, he has not and he stated that he was learning as he goes. Boom!

I reminded him of his words. After being adamant about him not working on the bike again, he gave up. Thank you. Such drama, eh?