Monthly Archives: August 2020
All Masks, All The Time, From Now On . . .
At Least in New Mexico
CDC statistics show through August 1, there were nationwide, a total of 45 deaths of children 14 years old and younger.
With 60.7 million children in this population demographic, the odds of dying from COVID calculate to about 1 in 1.35 million, well outside the top ten causes of death for this age group.
Conversely, during the past four years, over 100 children younger than five years old annually died of seasonal flu. In the 2017–18 season, influenza deaths for this age group were as high as 600; yet no schools closed.
More than halfway through 2019–2020, officially 186 have succumbed. Yet COVID has claimed only 25 lives of those less than five years old, or 14 percent of seasonal flu numbers.
The fifteen to twenty-four-year-old group remains nearly as bulletproof with a loss of around 225 people on a 42 million population base.
The CDC also discloses that in only six percent of all coronavirus deaths, “COVID was the only cause” mentioned.
For the other ninety-four percent, “there were 2.6 additional conditions or causes per death.”
New Mexico Governor Announces She Will Keep COVID-19 Practices in Place Even After Pandemic
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham is saying she’s going to keep the COVID practices in place even after a vaccine is available.
Grisham says, “Let’s hold these behaviors beyond the vaccine, because these are good public health behaviors that will prevent the spread of influenza, that will prevent the spread of colds… we should start thinking about this as the right public health path forever irrespective of COVID.”
Don’t you feel safer now. At least in New Mexico.
In 2009 we were still wandering around Massachusetts.
August 11, 2009
1759 and 99…
Today was a travel day. But first I had some maintenance work to do.
The circuit breaker on our 7.5 KW onboard diesel generator broke while we were in Williamsburg a few weeks ago, so I had to order a new one.
And it was waiting for me when we got to Joan’s this week.
And what should have been a 15 minute job took about 2 hours due to the bad design of the generator case. You should not have to disassemble the entire case of a washer-sized generator just to replace a component on the control panel.
After I got the generator back together and got cleaned up, we headed out about noon for our 100 mile trip east to Foxboro, MA near Boston.
Our park is called Normandy Farms Campground, and, as the sign says, it’s been here since 1759.
Yes… 1759!
Well, not the campground, but the farm itself has been owned by the Daniels family since 1759. The 7th, 8th, and 9th generations are now running the place.
The campground had been here for about 35 years
After getting everything set up, we headed out to get a bite to eat.
We had seen a new-to-us restaurant chain here in the East called 99 Restaurants and decided to give it a try.
And a good choice it was.
Jan had one of her favorites, Turkey and Dressing, and I had a Pecan-Crusted Chicken Salad. This place is now on our favorites list.
And they have their own version of chips and dip up here. When you sit down they bring out a big basket of popcorn. No dip, just popcorn.
After we got home, I got the satellite antenna set up. Due to tall trees, the last two parks we’ve been in have been ‘satellite-less’, so it’s good to have it back.
Tomorrow we head into Boston to see the sights.
Thought For The Day:
When you’re a child you make funny faces at the mirror. In middle age the mirror gets even.
In 2011 we were in Vandalia, IL for a big family reunion with Jan’s sister Debbie and her family.
August 11, 2011
Landon’s Heerrreee!
All Landon, All The Time.
Landon getting to know his 1st Cousin Once Removed, Christina, who will probably be called just Cousin Christina.
Resting up, sitting in Daddy’s lap.
Landon standing on his own.
“Cake Face”
It’s Mac N Cheese Time.
Landon discovers he really, really likes Yoo Hoo.
Landon with 1st Cousins, Once Removed Christina and Tana, and Aunt Debbie.
Landon with 2nd Cousin Gwen.
Landon recharging for the next round.
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Thought for the Day:
“I have not failed 10,000 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 10,000 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.” – Thomas Edison
In 2014 we were still in Gulf Shores, AL but getting ready to head back to Houston for another stint of Gate Guarding.
August 11, 2014
And the Meat DOESN”T Fall Off the Bone . . .
After our coffee, I started making a couple of phone calls. First up was the Galveston Bay RV Park to get our reservation in for this November. We’ve spent the winter there for the last six years, and see no reason to change. Except maybe for the cost.
The waterfront sites that we like, run about $525 per month plus another $100 for electric. Expensive, yes. But then we have views like this out our windshield.
The cheaper alternative would be to orbit back and forth between the Colorado River and Lake Conroe Thousand Trails parks, moving every two weeks. This would run us $240 per month, but would be a pain in the butt, and we’d be further from the kids.
So for right now it’s Galveston Bay.
My next call was to Jamie with Gate Guard Services. Jamie was our supervisor the first two years we gate guarded down in the Whitsett area. But now he’s over in the east Texas / north Texas area, and also Louisiana. So since we’ve been thinking about trying a different location this year, hooking up with Jamie was perfect.
I told him we would be available after the 25th of August, and he was pretty sure he would have something for us up in the Huntsville/Madisonville area north of Houston. It would be nice to be a little closer to civilization this year. We’ll see.
We headed out for Pensacola about 1pm for lunch and some shopping. Our first stop was a perennial favorite of ours, Sonny’s BBQ.
Jan and I go way back with Sonny’s. It was one of the first places we had dinner together when we started dating after we met down in Titusville, FL in 1967. And this one in Pensacola is a regular stop when we’re in the area.
Jan had her usual Big Deal Pulled Pork Sandwich with the BBQ Baked Beans and Homemade Mac N Cheese, while I went with my usual Pork Three Ways with BBQ Baked Beans, Corn on the Cob and two slices of Garlic Texas Toast.
The Pork Three Ways consists of Ribs, Pulled Pork, and Sliced Pork, all delicious. And the way it works out, I eat the Ribs and the sides, and then take the toast, pulled pork, and sliced pork home for later. Along with a to-go order of a side of the BBQ Beans, we’ve got another meal for both of us.
And Sonny’s Ribs are only slow-smoked, and are not pre-cooked or par-boiled first. This means they DON’T fall of the bone. And they shouldn’t. There should be some bite, some texture, to the meat.
Now that’s a meaty, tasty rib.
The other thing Sonny’s does right is their Iced Tea glasses. None of these dinky 16 oz. glasses, that after the ice is added, you get about a cup of actual tea.
No, these are big, honking 36 oz. glasses. (I checked the size on the bottom)
Leaving Sonny’s, our next stop was Artesana, a unique gift shop we’ve been visiting since before we moved to Texas from Alabama in 1978.
They have a little bit of everything, and Jan always finds something she wants. Except this time. Don’t know why, but she walked out empty-handed. Cheaper for me, though.
After a stop at Sam’s Club for some bulk stuff, we headed home via US98 through Foley, rather than the beach road like our trip over. Coming through Foley, we stopped off at Dodge’s to get gas for the truck and scope out rig access for diesel when we leave here this Friday. At $3.53 a gallon, their diesel is the cheapest around.
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Thought for the Day:
They say Laughter is the Best Medicine . . . Unless You Have Diarrhea.
August 11, 2015
Fan–Tastic . . .
About 2pm there was a knock at our door and it was the UPS guy delivering our new fan. I really love parks where they deliver right to to your door.
I had been looking for a better fan to circulate the cold air around the rig. Although our two roof AC’s are ducted together, the bedroom is always cooler than the front of the rig because it’s smaller and has less window area.
In the living room, the driver’s area is always 4 or 5 degrees hotter than just a few feet back. This is especially noticeable when we’re traveling and running both AC’s,.
So I was looking for a fan that would move the air around better, and this is what I came up with.
And boy, does it do the job. When I unpacked it and set it in the kitchen aimed for the front of the rig, it was 75 degrees at the sofa and 79 degrees at the dashboard. And 30 minutes later, it was 75 in both areas. Nice.
Surprisingly, even with all the air it moves, it’s very quiet. It measures 12” x 10” x 12”, and the output nozzle can be rotated from straight up to straight down. I think it’s going to make a big difference in keeping the rig more comfortable.
A little after 4pm Jan and I headed out to have dinner at King Neptune’s Seafood, another of our long-time favorites here in Gulf Shores. We’ve eaten here for years and always enjoyed it.
Until tonight.
Neptune’s has always been a place for good seafood, moderate prices, and great lunch specials. In fact at lunchtime you generally find more locals than tourists. But looking over the menu, the first thing we noticed was the big jump in prices since last year. Your first thought might be, well, prices are up everywhere. But, no.
For example, I had the Blackened Shrimp Po-Boy last night at Tacky Jack’s.
It was delicious, and only $11.
Tonight at Neptune’s I had the Shrimp and Oyster Po-Boy. It was not as flavorful, not as good, it was smaller, and it was $19.
Well, maybe the price difference was because I had both Shrimp and Oysters tonight. But no, their basic Shrimp Po-Boy is also $19.
Note the size difference too.
Next, compare the Fried Seafood Platter we had at DeSoto’s Seafood Kitchen our first night here.
It was $20, came with Flounder, Shrimp, Oysters, Crab Claws, and two sides, and was really good.
Neptune’s version comes with Flounder, Shrimp, and Oysters, and just Fries. And it’s $30.
For her meal, Jan got a mini Platter with just Catfish and Shrimp. The Mac N Cheese shown was a $3 extra order.
And it cost the same $20 as DeSoto’s for about 1/2 as much food. And Jan said it wasn’t near as good, either.
The one good part of the meal was the dozen raw oysters we ordered as an appetizer.
Paradoxically, at $10 a dozen, Neptune’s cost was less than any other place we’ve been.
Maybe that’s why everything else is so high?
Tomorrow will be our last full day here in Gulf Shores, and the week sure went quickly. Too quickly, really. Thursday we’ll leave for Houston and the Colorado River Thousand Trails with a one night stop in Breaux Bridge on the way.
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Thought for the Day:
“Unfortunately, in a very short period of time, these will be the good old days.”
Chip Off The Old Block???
First up, a couple of interesting videos.
This one is a video of SpaceX’s recent 500 foot test hop of their Starship SN5.
And, yes, it does look like a grain silo. But that’s because it’s the top of a future 400 foot rocket, minus the nose cone. It will sit atop a Super Heavy Booster and will take 100 people or 120 tons of supplies to the moon or Mars.
This is what it will look like when it’s all put together.
Now that’s the way a Starship is supposed to look.
The next flight is supposed to be about 20km or 12 miles up. Soon.
Next up is a really interesting 4K video of the recent explosion in Beirut,Lebanon. The first part is in real-time, the second part is in slow-motion, and the third part is in super slow-motion.
Unfortunately the video wouldn’t allow me to imbed it into the blog so you’ll have to click on the link itself.
The resulting shockwave in slo-mo is devastating. Be sure and read the accompanying text from the guy who shot the video from his apartment balcony.
I mentioned in yesterday’s blog how I had started computer programming at the age of 10, albeit one made out of Masonite. And as it turns out Landon’s doing pretty much the same.
His 10th birthday is in 10 days and for his big present he asked for this one-on-one Roblox online computer programming class. In case you’re wondering, Roblox is an online gaming platform that let’s you create and market your own games.
The course will not only teach him how to create and program his own games, but also how to market them.
A Chip Off The Old Block???
In 2010 we were in Massachusetts where Jan was catching up with one of her old high school friends.
August 10, 2009
Best Friends and Bears…
Today is our last full day here so we wanted to make the most of it.
After picking up a bolt at the hardware store, we headed back over to Joan’s about 3pm.
Jan and Joan have had a great time recalling stories about each other. Here’s the two trouble makers themselves.
Joan had said Charlie, a friend of hers, was coming by to take us on the base at Westover.
Jan had a great time finding her way around the base. Some buildings she remembered were still there, but many had been torned down.
After stopping by Walmart again to pick up my prescription, the four of us drove over to Tavern on the Hill for dinner. This restaurant is built on the peak of Mt. Tom in Easthampton, MA and the view is fantastic.
And so was the food!
After saying our goodbye’s to Joan and Charlie, we headed back home.
On our way I took some pics of the bear mascot statues in Easthampton.
During our travels, we’ve seen pelicans in Seabrook, TX, mermaids in Beaufort, SC, moose in Cour d’Alene, ID, and horses in Kentucky.
Here it’s bears.
And even a Wanted Poster for a bear that’s been ‘Bear-napped”.
We had a great time catching up with Joan and hope to see her again in a month or so when we come back thru here on our way back from Newfoundland.
Tomorrow morning we head east to Boston.
Thought For The Day:
Being a man is not easy. No makeup, no wig. If you’re ugly, you’re just ugly.
Here in 2013 we’re in Athens, AL catching up with some of my many relatives in the area.
August 10, 2013
Family Fun . . .
Today started out slow and easy, but quickly got busy.
While Jan was in the shower and I was still asleep, Sonja Morrison called and left a message for Jan. Sonja is Lowell’s mother and Landon’s other grandmother. Jan called her back so that they could talk about Landon’s birthday party on Saturday, August 17th, a couple of days after we get back to Houston. Sonja, and Lendell, her husband, will be in Houston for the party, and she wanted to coordinated with Jan about some things.
We’re really looking forward to getting back and seeing everyone next Thursday.
Around noon, my aunt Janis called and invited us next door for homemade fresh peach pie and ice cream. But even better my Uncle Tom and Aunt Lanette were over there too. Due to their busy schedule, we hadn’t been able to get together our last two visits here, so we were really glad to see them this year.
My Uncle is probably the only person I know, and certainly the only family member I know, that has his own Wikipedia page here at Tom Calvin, and is also listed on several other pages like here – Oldest Living Pro Football Players, and here – Alabama Football Coaches
Tom was a star fullback for the University of Alabama from 1948 – 1950. and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the ‘51 NFL draft. He turned them down because he didn’t like the contract he was offered, and so he took over the Head Coach position at a south Alabama high school, taking them to their first winning season in years.
Here he is at Alabama in 1949.
He even had his own football card.
Months later, he received a personal call from Art Rooney, famous owner of the Steelers, offering him a better contract. This led to him playing 4 years for the Steelers, from ‘52 to ‘55, as a star fullback and kick returner.
Finally, after 4 years of hating the bitter cold Pittsburgh winters he returned to Alabama and began a 33 year high school coaching career ending with a 201-130-11 record, making him the winningest high school coach in Alabama history. During that time, he took 3 losing school football programs to Championship status.
And his wife Lanette is no slouch in the sports world either. She’s a well-known gymnastics coach who’s worked with world-famous coach Béla Károlyi at his Houston facility, and taken teams to several Olympics herself.
Hopefully it won’t be another two years before we see them again.
As a sad update, my uncle Tom died at the age of 93 this past January 2020.
While we were over there I finally got the kids to sit still for some photos. My Uncle Ed and Aunt Janis are their grandparents, which makes them my 2nd cousins.
This beautiful young lady is Stahlie. She’s a wonderful artist and a budding film-maker who’s had several films win prizes in local contests.
And this also-beautiful young lady is Darby. Darby is the family dancer, from Ballet to Swing and Ballroom.
And this handsome young man, who just turned 13, is Luke.
They are all homeschooled, and are smart as whips. Their father, Wes Calvin, owns the RV park here where we’re staying.
After getting in all our hugs and hellos, Janis served us her delicious warm homemade peach pie along with ice cream, which cut down on the conversation for a while until everyone got their fill. Hmm, good.
Finally, after several hours of catching up, we all headed home, giving Ed and Janis some peace and quiet.
Later, after some nap time, Jan and I headed out to 306 BBQ, a couple of miles east of town on US 72. We always eat here every visit just for their wonderful pulled pork BBQ.
Tomorrow afternoon we’re getting together with a couple of my cousins (my grandmother’s sister’s daughters. Not sure what that makes them) for a while to catch up with them.
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Thought for the Day:
“Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy that did not commit suicide.” – John Adams
And in 2017 we’re having our RV’s hydraulic cooling fan pump replaced over in Louisiana.
August 10, 2017
No News Is . . .
well, no news, I guess. Which is what we heard about our RV repairs today. But I wasn’t really expecting anything until later this week anyway.
I like to drive fast.
Jan can attest to that. But not in the RV of course. That’s 55 – 60 mph all the way. But on the track, and on west Texas roads, it’s another matter.
Back in the day, I raced SCCA in my very souped-up ‘65 Triumph Spitfire and hit a little over 140 mph on the track. Above that, the front end got a little squirrely. But I did have the pleasure of beating a couple of Vette’s when I was running in the Unlimited Class.
And when Jan and I were dating in 1967, I did ‘test drive’ Jan once, hitting over 130 on a long deserted stretch of Florida four-lane highway. When she didn’t scream or faint, I decided she was the one for me. A ‘Keeper’
And actually I’ve been faster than that. In 1966 and 1967 I took both the Basic Road Racing and the Advanced Road Racing Classes at Bob Bondurant’s Racing School when it used to be at the Atlanta Raceway in Georgia, to get my SCCA Racing License.
But part of the fun was the final exam, where we got to take a Porsche (or Porsche ‘Ah’ as Alan says) out on the road track and had to match or beat a specific time during one of three tries. I passed the second time, and was clocked at over 160 on the straights. But with all this background in speed, and still feeling the ‘need’ now and then, I’m often amazed, and sometimes ‘scared’ by Houston drivers.
Coming home from Louisiana this past Monday night about 11pm, I’m on I-10 passing through downtown Houston, and doing about 70. Of course the speed limit is 60 mph, and it’s been raining, but no one else seems to care. And even driving 70 I’m the slowpoke of the bunch, with people passing me on both sides, sometimes flashing their lights, apparently because I’m in the way and slowing them down. Most were doing 80-85, but I swear that some were bumping up against 100 mph.
Makes me think the Texas State Motto shouldn’t be ‘Friendship’, but maybe it should be ‘Punch it, Margaret’.
And on that note, how in the heck is one word a ‘motto’? That should be the the Texas State Word, if anything.
I contend that it takes at least two words to make a motto.
‘Be Prepared!’ Now that’s a motto.
Thought for the Day:
“Medical stuff is so expensive. Doctors should use cheaper equipment. Like an X-ray machine that takes four poses for a buck.”
