Monthly Archives: August 2020
Whales and Carousels . . .
And a little HCQ/WuFlu info too.
Note the counties that use the HCQ/Z-pak/Zinc at the first sign of the virus.
To put hard numbers to it:
Via Worldometers:
The USA has 488 covid deaths per one million in population.
Turkey has 69 covid deaths per one million in population.
I wonder why that is?
And the Henry Ford Medical system continues to defend their positive HCQ findings, despite the fact that it is only an observational study, not the double-blind, randomized clinical trial that Dr. Fauci wants.
Henry Ford Health System researchers defend Hydroxychloroquine study, slam politics surrounding drug
A ‘double-blind’ study means that not only doesn’t the patient know if he’s getting the drug, but neither do the doctors managing the study.
So half your patients are getting HCQ and half are getting a placebo, i.e. no treatment at all.
If you thought you were in danger of dying from the WuFlu, would you want to take a chance that you were getting no treatment AT ALL during a study.
CDC director acknowledges hospitals have a monetary incentive to overcount coronavirus deaths
“I think you’re correct in that we’ve seen this in other disease processes, too. Really, in the HIV epidemic, somebody may have a heart attack but also have HIV — the hospital would prefer the [classification] for HIV because there’s greater reimbursement,” Redfield said during a House panel hearing Friday when asked by Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer about potential “perverse incentives.”
So apparently this is nothing new.
As we’ve passed on before, hospitals receive $13,000 per CoVid patient admitted, and $39,000 for each patient they put on a ventilator.
And Dr. Deborah Birx says that she really doesn’t trust what the CDC say about the virus. And the Washington Post reported that Birx and others feared that the CDC’s data-tracking system was inflating coronavirus statistics like mortality rates and case numbers by up to 25%.
In 2009 we were in Barnstable, MA finally getting to see whales after our dud trip in San Diego last year.
August 5, 2009
There be Whales here…
Today we took a whale watching tour boat out of Barnstable Harbor and unlike our whale watching tour in San Diego in February 2008, this time we actually saw whales… lots of whales… humpback whales everywhere.
We headed out to sea about 2:30 pm on the Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises boat ‘Whale Watcher’.
It’s a 130 foot jet boat that can carry almost 400 people.
It was specially built for whale watching, and the fact that it’s a jet boat means two things. It gets out to the whale area, the Stellwagen Banks, a lot faster, and once there, the fact that it has jet nozzles and not propellers, means that it can get in closer to the whales without worrying about them getting hit with the props.
And we did get close, like right along side.
Stellwagen Banks is a National Marine Sanctuary about 40 miles off Barnstable, MA harbor. It covers about 800 square miles and is basically an underwater mountain ridge that comes to about 120 feet of the surface.
The surrounding seabed is almost 400 feet deep. This means that ocean currents upwell along the steep sides of the ridge, bringing with them nutrients and minerals from the bottom, feeding the local ecosystem and attracting larger animals to the area.
On our way out to the banks, we past by Sandy Neck, an isolated but picturesque vacation area. And by isolated, I mean it can only be reached by boat or ATV and has absolutely no utilities. I guess if you really want to get away from it all, this is the place for you.
The lighthouse dates from 1852 and is still in use, but now it’s solar powered.
It took us about an hour to get out to the whales, but when we got there, they were everywhere.
At first we just saw tails…
and fins !!
Everyone crowded to the sides of the boat trying to get the best view.
And then there they were…
And then they were all around us…
We saw several different pods, or groups of whales, and about 15 or 16 individuals.
The whales are identified by their tail markings and the naturalist on board said they have a catalog that lists over 1000 whales that have been spotted in this area since 1972 when they started counting.
It was almost 7 pm by the time we got back to the dock with more scenic views of the small fishing village.
On our way back to the rig, we stopped for supper at a really good chinese buffet place called Cape Cod Super Buffet. By the time we got home was almost 9pm and time to call it a day. A great day!
Tomorrow is our last full day here on Cape Cod. Friday we will head out for Woonsocket, RI.
Thought For The Day:
I wish that people came with a 30 second trailer. That way I could see what I’m getting myself into.
And in 2010 we were in Logansport, IN checking out where Jan used to live when she was 8 years old. And we found her old house.
August 5, 2010
You can go home again…kind of…
We left for Logansport IN about 10 am, first stopping by McDonald’s for a chicken biscuit breakfast for Jan.
We made the 90 mile trip in about two hours and started driving around town. Our quest was to find the house where Jan lived in 1956 when she was 8. Her father was stationed at Bunker Hill AFB for about two years, after about a year in Logansport they moved to Peru, IN to be closer to the base.
Jan remembered her house was a block or so from the Eel River, and several blocks from Riverside Park, and its carousel. After 15 minutes or so we found her house, still at 75 18th St. The only real change beside the new siding was that when Jan lived there the front porch was screened in.
It still had the same barn-shaped garage in the backyard opening on the alley behind the house.
And across the street, what was just a vacant field when she lived there, is now a city park.
Next we headed about 3 blocks away to Riverside Park, where Jan, her sister Debbie, and their friends, would walk to ride the carousel there in the park.
And the carousel was still there too. But now it’s inside.
This carousel had a long and rich history. It was built around 1885 by Gustav Dentzel. Dentzel’s family had been building carousels in Germany since the early 1800’s. Gustav came to America with a carousel and set it up in Pennsylvania, PA in 1861, possibly the first carousel in the Western Hemisphere. And the Dentzel family still builds carousels today, with more than 30 carousels in places like Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, San Francisco Zoo, and Dollywood.
This carousel is one of the most complete Dentzel carousels in the world.
This ride still allows you try and grab the brass ring from this arm. If you grab a ring, you get a free ride.
In 1919 the carousel was moved from Fort Wayne, IN and placed in Spencer Park in Logansport. Then in 1949 it was moved to Riverside Park and placed in this building, where it was when Jan was riding it in 1956.
In 1987 the carousel was declared a National Historical Landmark and was moved inside a beautiful new building in 1995, where it resides today.
Jan also used to ride a train around the park, and it still runs today on this same track. The locomotive and two cars is stored in the small green building in right rear of this photo. When the train is running the buildings doubles as a ‘tunnel’.
We also found that Logansport has its own set of city mascots, and, of course, theirs is a carousel horse.
After a so-so lunch at Broadway Cafe in downtown Logansport, we headed back to Elkhart about 2 pm. We got back about 4, but stopped off at the new Martin’s Supermarket near the park. Very nice store.
Tomorrow we’ll do some more chores around the rig, and just enjoy the nice cool weather. Tomorrow the high is supposed to be 80 and the low tomorrow night 57. Just great!
Thought For The Day:
“In war, everything is very simple, but even the simplest things are very difficult,” or something like that.” – Clausewitz
Past Haunts . . .
Today was pretty easy going with lunch at Salata, gas at Costco ($1.62), a few groceries at HEB, and then home.
I did get a couple of new toys from Amazon today, but I’ll tell you about those tomorrow.
On this date in 2015 Jan and I were once again visiting relatives in Athens, AL and checking out some of our old haunts.
August 4, 2015
All He Wants For . . .
I spent some time this morning looking at my water heater problem some more. We have an Attwood 10 gallon LP/Electric model that has never given us any problems, except for a leaky T&P valve, in the 8 years we owned the coach. I flush it out every winter and it just works.
We’ve used it on LP maybe a dozen times since we bought the rig, usually one night a at time when we’re boondocking, which we don’t do very often. But because of the bad power at our last park, we used it for almost two weeks straight, again with no problems. But when we tried to switch back to electric when we got here on Sunday, zip, zero, nada hot water. So we’re back on LP while I track down the problem.
One thing we noticed is that when the water heater is running on LP, the water is MUCH hotter than when it’s on electric. So the possibility I’m looking at is that maybe the extremely hot water popped the ECO (Energy Cut Off) on the electric side. The ECO is essentially an Over Temp switch which opens like a circuit breaker when the water gets too hot.
It is resettable, but it’s located on the back side of the water heater. To get to it, I’ll have to open up the panel underneath the wardrobe in the bathroom. That’s also where the AC power comes in so I can check that too.
* * * * *
A little after 2pm Jan and I drove over to Huntsville for lunch at Rosie’s Cantina, our favorite area Mexican place. It’s just about as good as any place in Texas, and well worth a stop.
Jan got the Chile Relleno, which to her delight, was stuffed with ground beef, rather than the normal cheese.
Said it was one of the best she’s had.
I went with the Mexican Flag Enchiladas, which were also really good.
It was made up of a Beef Enchilada covered in Ranchero Sauce, a Chicken Enchilada covered in Tomatillo Sauce, and a Cheese Enchilada topped with Sour Cream. Very, very tasty.
If you’re in the Huntsville, AL area, Rosie’s is well worth your taste buds to stop.
* * * * *
Brandi and Lowell are in Costa Rica this week. Brandi’s BFF, Shawna and her husband Jason, wanted to renew their wedding vows on their 20th anniversary. So she rented a big house in Costa Rica for the week, and flew a large group of family and friends down there to help celebrate.
These are views from the house.
And apparently the place comes with built-in pets.
Landon stayed at home with Lowell’s parents and his Aunt Sherry.
Sonja, Landon’s grandmother, texted me yesterday saying that she and Landon were playing Angry Birds on his iPad, and he told her he didn’t want to play with her anymore because she wasn’t as good at it as his Papa with the truck house. (That[‘s his name for our RV.)
That’s my boy!
Then this evening we got this photo.
Looks like he lost his first two teeth.
I guess we now know what Landon wants for Christmas.
Thought for the Day:
If history teaches us anything it’s that history rarely teaches us anything.
And here in 2016 we spending time down in Gulf Shores, AL, a place I lived from the time I was about 2 until I was 13 and we moved to Colombia, S.A.
August 4, 2016
I Think I Just Sold My First Born Child . . .
Yesterday’s light rains became all night and all morning thunderboomers, enough to occasionally shake the entire coach.
And it looks like there’s more on the way tomorrow. In fact, The Weather Channel says we’re looking at Scattered Thunderstorms for the rest of our time here.
But it did keep it cooler
About 2:30 we headed into Foley to have ‘lupper’ at one of our all-time favorites, Lambert’s Throwed Rolls. We’ve eaten here for years, even before we started RV’ing in 2007, and it’s always worth the wait. And there’s always a wait.
Sometimes it’s only 10 minutes, while today was about 30. But we have waited as long as two hours when we were here with the whole family. There are not many places we’d wait this long, Lulu’s here in Gulf Shores, Salt Lick BBQ, near Austin, and maybe a couple of others.
While we were waiting, I checked my Galaxy Tab 4 for a Wi-Fi signal and found an open signal at the Ford dealership right next door. And like many open signals from businesses, there’s a disclaimer agreement you have to acknowledge before they will let you online. But I’ve never seen one like this.
It’s a page and a half of dense legalese, pretty much unreadable. But of course, I accepted it and went online. But I’m not sure if we still have a son. Or maybe I don’t have a soul anymore.
Getting seated, Jeff, our waiter showed up, and before he could ask what we wanted to to drink, I told him, “two unsweet iced teas”. He blinked a couple of times and said, “This is not how this works. I ask you what you want to drink, and THEN you tell me, not the other way around.”
Jan and I both laughed, and Jan said, “OK, you start.”
“Hi, welcome to Lambert’s. My name is Jeff, and I’ll be your waiter today. What can I get you to drink?” And after I told him again. he smiled and said, “See how much better that works.”
Jan always gets the Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes,
while this time I went with the BBQ Pork Steak with Turnip Greens, White Beans and Ham, and Green Beans.
And of course the PassArounds, like Fried Okra,
Fried Potatoes and Onions, Black-eyed Peas, and 3 or 4 more choices. If you don’t know about PassArounds, servers walk around with big bowls full of food and ladle out as much as you want. This all in addition to the sides that come with your meal. As usual everything was really delicious.
And because of the PassArounds, we ended up bring home more leftovers than we ate to start with.
And it’s a great deal too. My big pork steak with 3 sides was only $13. And Jan’s All White Meat Chicken with two big pieces and two sides was only $14. Nice. Especially since we’ll get a whole ‘nuther meal out of it.
And of course there are the rolls. And yes, they do throw them.
The size of soft balls, they come arcing across the dining room, 20 or 30 feet sometimes. And if you miss, another one is right behind it. And you’ll probably want to drop it quick, because they’re always hot out of the oven.
There is a place north of Houston called the Potatoe Patch that advertises ‘throw’d’ rolls, but when we ate there this past January, we found that they were more like ‘tossed’. Usually only a couple of feet.
When I mentioned this in the blog, one of readers, Joan said she used to be the Insurance Underwriter for Lambert’s and that they had seen a fair share of lawsuits from their ‘throw’d rolls’. It’s really hard to believe that someone could be injured by a soft, fluffy yeast roll.
A few years back, I think it was the Sikeston, MO Lambert’s location, I saw a roll come arcing overhead, right through the hands of the father, and hit a young boy in a highchair right in the face with a soft ‘plop’. The kid who also had his hands up trying to catch it, just picked up the roll from his tray and started eating it.
I think some people just want to sue.
Thought for the Day:
At least they stacked it nicely.
And in 2017 we were leaving Athens, AL and heading back to Houston, with our next stop in Meridian, MS.
August 4, 2017
I Tried To Tell Her . . .
We pulled out of the Northgate RV Travel Park here in Athens, AL about 10am this morning on our way to Meridian MS, about 240 miles away.
But our firs stop was about 3 miles down US31S to the Marathon station to fill up for the trip home.
Coming up from Houston, we did 940 miles and used 110 gallons, giving us a little over 8.5 mpg. Very good considering all the hills starting south of Birmingham and continuing on up this way. Of course this doesn’t count the generator usage.
The whole time we’ve been here, the Marathon diesel price has been $2.299/gallon, the same as all the other stations in the area.. But then yesterday it suddenly jumped up to $2.399, with everyone else staying at $2.299.
Bummer.
But even at 10 cents more a gallon, it right on the way to I-65, has separate diesel pumps off to the side for easy in and out, and plenty of room to hook up the toad when we’re done, so it’s hard to resist.
These are the old mechanical kind of pumps, but they look in good shape, having just been inspected this past May.. But I noticed as the little wheels were flying around that something didn’t add up. It looked like it was undercharging me, but the pump was so fast that the totals were kind of a blur.
And when I got finished, here’s what I had.
I had gone inside before I pumped to give her my credit card and have her turn the pump on. And when I went back inside I told her it didn’t seem like it was charging me the correct amount. But she said it was all done by computer and had to be correct. I again told her that it seemed to be undercharging me. A little snippy this time, she said, “Oh no. It’s correct’. So I dropped it.
And the amount she charged me, $305.87, matched what I had on the pump so I didn’t go any further with it.
But later this evening when we got settled in here at the park in Meridian, I took another look at the receipt, and I was right.
According to the receipt I paid $305.87 for 133.045 gallons at $2.299 a gallon, NOT $305.87 for 129.5 gallons at $2.399 a gallon like the pump said.
I figure that with these pumps being mechanical, someone adjusted the price at the pump, but not in the computer.So actually I got a little over 3.5 gallons free.
Nice.
And I did try to tell her.
It’s been a long day, what with 25 miles of bumper to bumper 2 miles an hour construction on I-20/59 in MS, so I’ll finish up tomorrow.
Thought for the Day:
Never own more than you can carry in both hands at a dead run. – Robert A. Heinlein
