What Did You Do This Weekend, Old Dog?

Well, this weekend has been devoted to grandkids and their pre-season T-ball & “Coaches Pitch” season warm-up tournaments. Lots of sun, fun, tears and trophies. Congratulations to the “Rangers” and grandmonster Caleb for their 2^nd place in the tournament championship. “Good-for-yous” go out to the “Pretty Princesses” and grandmonsteresses Abby, Emily & Gabby upon their first win ever with “Special Recognition” for the divine Miss Em's first run scored. May you all have many more as the season progresses. Also, the grandmonster Braydon looked mighty spiffy in his new cleats and batting gloves.

Got some sun on Sunday and also took in the 3D version of “How To Train Your Dragon”. I thoroughly enjoyed the show and the 3D animations were great. And one point I was snatching puffballs in the sky in front of me. Shades of '68, I kid you not!

Time to be moving on. Want to see the desert in bloom this year but don't want to burn to a crisp, so time to go is now. Preparations in Very Serious Mode are on the agenda Monday, weather permitting. The better half has decreed that Iggy the itchy dog is overdue for a flea bath, so I suspect that will also occur – he sleeps with me, so enlightened self-interest dictates a prompt follow through on that suggestion.

Spring has sprung, my nose is still running and the moon is almost full. Be careful when you go out in the woods and fields ... hibernating snakes are emerging now and the newborns should also be appearing before long.

Happy Spring Cleaning, y'all.

The Birth of Commercial Spaceflight: The Early Years

Boing-Boing: Virgin flight of Virgin Galactic's VSS Enterprise: Photo Gallery

Happy Spring musings

I got a little bit of a sunburn today while watching some of my grandkids practice T-ball. Seems it didn't occur to this old duffer to apply sun screen until after the damage was done. And they say you can't teach old dogs new tricks...

Bangor, Maine was (considerably) warmer on Sunday (68°) than it was here in Baton Rouge (44°).

There was freezing rain in Shrevesport, LA on Sunday morning. Darn funny weather we'all've been having lately.

Leaving in a week for the desert. Next Sunday forecast for here is 89° ... imagine how hot it'll be in Death Valley!

'Tis the season

for my nares to run like water spigots, my eyes to glow red and itch like fire and the sneezes are like the hits on the oldies station - "they just keep on coming." In a word - ALLERGIES. The layer of pollen visible on the hood of the truck is indicative of the arrival of Spring in the southland. But I already knew it was imminent ... I doubled my dose of Claritin® and added 25mg of diphenhydramine (Benedryl®) every 6 - 8 hours for the nasal drips a week ago. Still, over-the-counter drugs can only do so much. Just one more cross to bear.

Happy Spring, y'all.

Life List Addition: Golden Eagle

Photo credit: Zoologická zahrada Ostrava from Wikipedia

A week ago on Thursday, February 25, while driving on Hooper Road in Greenwell Springs, Louisiana, I spied a flash of gold above me and then he opened his wings to the sun. Absolutely stunning. I slowed as much as practical, but the lack of shoulders and heavy traffic precluded stopping for a better look and he was soon gone from view, dammit. It was a mature male Golden Eagle of the North American sub-genus. I suspect he was just on a "flyabout" as this is outside the eastern limits of the species usual range. Then again, he may have a Cox Cable feed of CNN and fell for Al Gore's nonsense. Or perhaps he was just trying to escape the snows in Houston...

I may have seen some Golden Eagles in California 42 years ago, but my recollection of that period is, shall we say, a mite shaky.

Stupid Is As Stupid Does...

Photo Credit: Bits And Pieces -- A .45″ caliber round makes a pretty big hole

More photos and information can be found at Bits And Pieces

Shaggy Dog Story

Photo credit: Scottish Mountain Photo Gallery

Two thoroughly chilled paddlers in a kayak lit a fire in the craft. It sank--proving that you can't have your kayak and heat it, too.

See also: Killer Whale Crushes Kayaker at http://broadbandsports.com/node/607


Shamelessly stolen from Patrick Phillip's Twitter postings and modified to suit my needs.

Advertising in an Internet Age

Here's a spectacular advertisement for Pedigree dog food which I just came across on Boing-Boing. While some of the commentors find it derivative or outright imitative of other videos, I find it to be a strangely fascinating view of dogs in motion. Technical details are available in the discussion at Dogster, along with an explanation of the original "charge" from the advertising firm. But for me, it is all about the dogs...