Tuesday April 12, 2011

April showers...  bring soggy days and nights.
The forecast for EveryBus (a VW camping weekend outside of Greensboro, NC) was for clear and 78º... it could NOT have been more off.  We were chased down the Virginia escarpment into NC by a thunderstorm, only to have it land on the park at about 2330 Friday night. We arrived one hour earlier and were able to set up camp near our Friends Randy and Chuck who had been in attendance for three days prior.

Randy in shorts! and Chuck all layered up.

Chuck was already tucked in his van and Randy and I visited around until the rains made it impossible to even talk top other campers. Colleen and Spencer enjoyed a movie on the DVD and I waited for the downpour to abate and then headed back out to see old friends.  By 0030 it was only drizzling...  omens come to those that see them for what they are.

The front tarp covered Randy's parts FS, the rear firewood.

Morning came in shades of gray and hues of mist. We were never to see the sun until the ride back up the mountains and into VA.  The turnout was around 90 buses and vans. That's a little lighter than the normal 150 or more.  I suppose $3.89 per gallon of petrol changes one's perspectives and purses.

Most of the day was almost but not rain.  It held off until after dinner when all the skies opened and we got a lot of rain. And then it rained really hard and we got a LOT of rain and then it rained buckets, coating the ground with at least 2 inches of water in the high spots and everywhere else was deeper! There was absolutely no where for the water to run off.  It reminded me of the monsoon rains in the Caribbean, except it was 48º and windy as _ell.

Sunday morning we were blessed with no rain and were able to pack up without getting more wet.  The trip home was a caravan (carabus) up to a stop at Beckley and the Tamarack for a very tasty lunch at their buffet line (staffed by Greenbriar trained chefs!)
The sun at the VA border was a blessing and very welcomed after our NC drenching.

Sunday evening I took Jack for a run at the cabin.
More later.

Thursday April 7, 2011 Trying

TRYING TO:

• Catch up on this blog.
• Keep up with my Lenten pledge of no soft drinks.  The substitution of tea and lemonade hasn't helped with my weight loss goals... up to 180# since Shrove Wednesday.
• Maintain sanity among fellow workers given the insanity of the "Senate Bill 5" and "24/7 fire watch" times. We have held "be good days" of no disparaging remarks for 12 hours at a time, with $1 penalties for offenders. Ice cream with monies afterward... ALSO hard on the weight control.

Retirement Cake and C___ party.

The '85 Weekender beside an EMPTY coop

• Get a bike ride or two in with March leaving like a lion and April showers. 
• On last Sunday's Roadie Ride I "forced" the group(16) to stop and take in the sites at the Heron Rookery on Three Locks Road. Good ride at 17 mph µ in hills and wind.

• Spring Clean around the cabin and garage.  Fred used the Ford tractor to plant his new pasture field in rye.  A few days later a resultant flat, or nearly flat, tire was a bit of a challenge for this contrary non-farmer.  Helped Fred hang a gate for sectioning off his old pasture into paddocks.
• Prepare for this weekend's EveryBus outside Greensboro, NC.  Weather forecast looks GOOD!
• Patch or replace the Koi pond liner.  Looks like it's time to replace it, maybe today.
• Finish up the repairs on the previously crashed, totaled '02 Jetta TDi wagon.. Now officially not Colleen's car.
• Help JCP get the '85 Weekender back on the road.
• Finish up all of the reams of paperwork for two Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) for one of my rental buildings and the Temple. Of note, I ran into an old friend last week at the Keys who may be an answer to a prayer. He is a registered PE, EE who retired from AEP from a job as a systems designer... JUST who we need to jump start a projected replacement of the entire dual 3-phase service to our 1905 Temple building. Yahoo!
• Remember to enjoy every day and the blessings it brings.  Thank you, Lord.

Thursday March 31, 2011 RRR and Crazy at Work

Good time at Rooster Redneck Rendayvooz '11.

A little colder than we would like so Colleen opted to allow Spencer and I to go "bachelor camping".

A little more than a dozen families showed even though the forecast was for snow and high winds.

We had a great time hiking into the valley of caves. Unfortunately, the caves are all closed to the public due to an outbreak in a probable fungi caused disease,White Nose Syndrome, among the bat population.

Busy at work, reading* a little more than normal.
Too many crazy things at work. We now have to man a 24/7 fire watch in the station  because our administration not only allowed the fire alarm system to go defunct, but then had it removed in a needless remodeling.  Someone informed the State Fire Marshall, who came in on an inspection ( we normally are allowed to self inspect). CFD got hit on the alarm system and dysfunctional sprinklers.  MAJOR violations which prove incompetence and malfeasance. We'll see if the lame duck mayor does anything to mitigate this.
How embarrassing to be the cause of such a fiasco!?  NO conscience nor strength of character there, though.
On the bright side  two recent retirees left and two of the laid off firemen have been brought back to work; but we're still eight people short of our legislated complement.

*Creeker biography of an Eastern Kentucky girl growing up poor but not knowing it and
Caravans Michener's 1963 novel of Afghanistan.