Finally got the frozen pool cover off, then I inspected everything. Glad Cody Pools includes a freeze protection package with their pools. Since we didn't lose power, all pumps and features came on when the temps were below 39 degrees F. No leaks and pool is good. I will fire up the spa for a cleansing dip for us tonight before we get too smelly for our own good. Thanks to our daughter and a friend, we have over 80 liters of drinking water today. We should be good beyond Friday. Still hoping the plumber makes it here by Wednesday.
Edit: Plumbing company called and said they had a plumber available to work overtime tonight for $200.00/hour. I know there is over 3 hours work under the house in the mud so I told them to go help someone who is in more dire straits than us, we will wait for a day or two. Just got out of the spa and feel squeaky clean.
Difficult to fathom the "Climate Change" from just a few days ago. Chandler and I flew this evening in light jackets and watched the sun set over the lake. On the aviation front, Wednesday a broker is bringing an A-36 to McKinney for a demo, just came, literally, out of the blue, Weebeesee!
Ray Swindle wrote:
Finally got the frozen pool cover off, then I inspected everything. Glad Cody Pools includes a freeze protection package with their pools. Since we didn't lose power, all pumps and features came on when the temps were below 39 degrees F. No leaks and pool is good. I will fire up the spa for a cleansing dip for us tonight before we get too smelly for our own good. Thanks to our daughter and a friend, we have over 80 liters of drinking water today. We should be good beyond Friday. Still hoping the plumber makes it here by Wednesday.
Edit: Plumbing company called and said they had a plumber available to work overtime tonight for $200.00/hour. I know there is over 3 hours work under the house in the mud so I told them to go help someone who is in more dire straits than us, we will wait for a day or two. Just got out of the spa and feel squeaky clean.
What no "Polar Bear" plunge Ray? Darn I thought you "Alamo" guyz had an outer skin layer! ..Just funnin' ya!!!!! Glad to hear things returning to some semblence of "normal" whatever that is today
Dan
Ray Swindle wrote:
Now that we have plenty of toilet paper...we don't have water for the toilet!
7 Days without water and we continue to survive in better fashion than 'Little House on the Prairie'. I shaved yesterday and it felt good; funny how we can appreciate the little things in life when faced with change (is there a pun in that statement..."shaved"..."faced with change"). I am wondering if I can heat up the spa for a warm rinse for the wife and I, or will I just flood the backyard? 66 degrees F and things are trying to dry up.
The big box stores with plumbing supplies are limiting customers in the plumbing isle and the photo I saw had a long line waiting for access. I don't like lines with the COVID thingy, so I rang up my favorite plumber and got on the list. I am hoping I may see him around Tuesday. We can handle another week at least. I cut the 3 pan Boy Scout washing process to two. Saving more water. If the pool goes dry we have the creek with about 3' (one meter) of water flowing. Think I will boil that water a little longer with the farm and ranch lands draining into it. You know, fertilizer/herbicide residuals and livestock dung. But the water is clear, I can count the rocks in the bottom.
I grew up in the cornfields of Iowa Ray. Farming is in my blood!!!
Many of my Maryland(1957-) friends are still farmers and struggling! I think deep down I always wanted to be a farmer of some sorts. Dairy or corn/grains...Maryland is great horse and dairy country..at least before my small country town became a megaopolis for DC!!
It is a lost art!!!!
Love the smell of dirt and manure!!!!!! The Country air!!!!
Dan
Danpbphoto wrote:
What no "Polar Bear" plunge Ray? Darn I thought you "Alamo" guyz had an outer skin layer! ..Just funnin' ya!!!!! Glad to hear things returning to some semblence of "normal" whatever that is today
Dan
I do that in April on my birthday to see if the water is warm enough to swim. It is usually 70 degrees then, last night it was 45 degrees! "A man's got to know his limitations." - Dirty Harry
Ray Swindle wrote:
I do that in April on my birthday to see if the water is warm enough to swim. It is usually 70 degrees then, last night it was 45 degrees! "A man's got to know his limitations." - Dirty Harry
Back to normal with hot and cold running water after 10.5 days and a $1107 plumbing bill...and worth it! Our plumber did a completely thorough job inspecting every inch of our plumbing system for defects including our 2 tankless hot water systems. I was happy to pay this guy. He is as thorough with his job as Jim Wilson! Why I waited for him.
To keep me occupied, I got to shoot a softball game and a boys basketball playoff game. Next up is a NCAA DIII Women's Basketball and Football. Life is good.
Danpbphoto wrote:
Jim I have to ask..are you going to have a "wind sock" on your strip
Seems they have gone by the wayside in modern times!
Maybe JW3 can be your LSO..."Call The Ball grandpop"!!!!
RD
Hi Dan,
Gotta have a windsock, JIII brings them to my attention and considers a wind check an integral part of our aviation experience.
I'm looking at the weather as we speak, trying to see if I can get the Cub over to the factory in the morning before the weather rolls in. Annual is due in a few days so I want to get it there before I have to mess with a ferry permit.
On that subject, I really need to get something James can fly in, it's going to be a while before I'd be comfortable with him in the Legend Cub.
Fortunately for me, I was in Florida last Sunday thru Tuesday, photographing this jet, while all of Texas was a frozen tundra.
Thankfully, we only lost power for two days, while I was out of town. I did offer my wife to join me on the trip, since I have a companion pass on Southwest Airlines, but she declined. Probably best, with all the bad weather.......thankfully, no pipes burst in our house, unlike so many other people.
The man who owns this jet is upgrading to a Gulfstream G-550 and it will be painted black, too.
Can't imagine how hot that is on the ramp in Florida, in the summer.
So happy to be under the basket shooting again. Normal February weather, cold, wet and not freezing. Division III Women's Basketball...Tomorrow baseball then American college football! Life is good!
Great images Ray! Glad that you are back in the midst of doing something that you love! I've done a pretty thorough evaluation of the FJ400 strobe and it's the real deal. Our F16 shoot got pushed off again because of the weather and now that I have had an opportunity to see the light in the flesh, I'm rethinking my strategy. I'm sending it back to B&H, only because I think I'm going to order a three or four head set, instead of the single that I have.
I got the Cub over to the factory yesterday morning, cold, windy, bumpy and a sporting crosswind on arrival, but no problem for a stepper as they say. Chandler got a couple of hours of instruction in as well and I rode home with him. He's real close to soloing and yesterday's conditions tell me that he's ready, everyone of the landings that I watched were smooth as glass, even in that crosswind.
BTW, my Buddy Darin Hart, father of Legend Aircraft, was pleased to show me the production board yesterday. American Legend Aircraft is completely sold out for the year 2021, if you ordered one today, January 2022 would be your delivery date. That is such great news for a group of people dedicated to GA. The shop was packed with Legend Cubs of all colors and price ranges in varying stages of completion. There are a number of fuselages sitting on Tundra tires that are 3' tall!
Legend is planning a 3 day event on the Red River int the Fall of this year, should be a blast!
Brian, the video dubbing is going pretty well. No response from Lifflix after I have contacted them in every way possible, looks like I'll have to trouble shoot that on my own. Elgato seems to work pretty well, it crashes periodically and you have to start over on that particular tape, but it works ok. No matter where you set the preferences it records to an MP4 file, then I use another program to convert it to a .MOV. Slow going, but slow and steady wins the race. Man has video come a long, long way.
The A-36 is a no go, not anywhere near what I would expect for $310,000. I'd need to spend another 100K to make it what I would want, so why not just buy one in that price range? I don't learn quickly, but one thing I have promised myself is to run from any sort of project that takes longer than a day or two. Every once in a while I get the urge to build the perfect biplane........then I come to my senses.
Sorry for all the sports stuff, but that is all that is going on these days in Central Texas.
One baseball photo I always try to deliver to my editor for a baseball shoot is the pitcher and his thrown ball in focus as he throws to the batter. I have only been able to achieve this during daytime games given the light that allows a smaller aperture, but I always think it is cool. It is the polar opposite of a blurred prop.
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Darn I thought you "Alamo" guyz had an outer skin layer! 
Glad to hear things returning to some semblence of "normal" whatever that is today
