California Madness

Just when I think California politics cannot get any crazier, they will begin providing their 700,000 illegal immigrants free medical care at an estimated cost of $3.1 billion per year. Considering they are projecting a $68 billion deficit for 2024, this is sheer madness. And in addition to the cost, imagine what this will do to an already overburdened health care system.

My experience has been anything that is offered for free is almost always abused

Annual Christmas Parade

Newt Gingrich Quote

"I think that the left is deeply committed to taking your money and spending it on their friends. Think about the irony. You go to the Middle East, the center of producing oil and gas, in order to have a conference about why you shouldn’t produce oil and gas. And they’re good enough that they say it with a straight face. This is an amazing Broadway show which goes all over the world playing from place to place. It’s John Kerry flying into the next five-star hotel to go to the next gourmet restaurant in order to be deeply worried, at which point he has to go back, get on his plane to go to the next five-star hotel, to the next gourmet restaurant, to be even more worried. 

This whole thing is an elite ripoff of everyday workers. And that’s why you’re seeing in Argentina and Holland and Italy and across the planet, a move towards the right from people who realize they’re the ones paying. When John Kerry talks about giving away money, guess what? That’s your money. John Kerry is cheerful about taking money from you to give to these people he’s never met. Who will then, by the way, mostly squander it. They won’t achieve anything. It’s an absurdity. And historians will someday look back and say, how could they have been so stupid for so long?"

Angel Wings

I rode shotgun with Clay and the Jeep group up to an old asbestos mine in the mountains north of Globe, Arizona that from a distance looks like angel wings...

The last couple of miles of the trail is a rugged, rocky section that requires a high clearance, four-wheel drive vehicle with lockers and ideally some armor as you will do some "rock polishing" along the way...

There were also some serious off-camber spots that created a bit of a "pucker factor"...

Here's the view from the mine...

Lastly, this old mining equipment has become the victim of a lot of target practice...

Tree House

I joined the park's Jeep group for a ride to an old miner's cabin where the tin roof was built around a tree. Hence the name "tree house"...

Click on images to enlarge

Most of the trail was rocky shelf roads with panoramic views of the mountains...

Once again, my old body does not tolerate rough terrain as it once did. It is going to be a two Ibuprofen night!

Update (11/25/2023): I just discovered the ability to capture screenshots from my Garmin Tread Overlander. Here's a graphical image of the ride...

Constitution Omission

Electric Vehicle Problems

In my opinion, this is a great analysis of the problems associated with electric vehicles (EVs)...

Sad News From Minnesota

The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection and trauma complications from repeated pokes to the belly. Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin with the gravesite piled high with many flours.

Numerous celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, Betty Crocker, the California Raisins, the Hostess Twinkies, and Captain Crunch.

Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded.

Born in 1965 and bread in Minnesota, Poppin’ Fresh rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers. He was never considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half baked schemes.

A little flaky, he was known as crusty man, but still considered a positive “roll” model to millions.

Doughboy is survived by his wife Play Dough; three children – John Dough, Jane Dough, and Dosey Dough…plus, they had a bun in the oven. He is also survived by his elderly uncle, Pop-Tart. The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 15 minutes.

If you enjoyed reading this, rise to the occasion and share it with a friend who’s having a crumb-y day and kneading a lift.

Pool Shark

Here's why I do not use the park's swimming pool...

Video shot with my Insta360 GO 3

Thomas Sowell Quotes

I recently came across an old blog post of Thomas Sowell quotes that I thought would be worth repeating...

• It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong. (think EPA, IRS, etc)
• It is amazing that people who think we cannot afford to pay for doctors, hospitals, and medication somehow think that we can afford to pay for doctors, hospitals, medication and a government bureaucracy to administer it.
• Much of the social history of the Western world over the past three decades has involved replacing what worked with what sounded good.
• Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it.
• In liberal logic, if life is unfair, then the answer is to turn more tax money over to politicians to spend in ways that will increase their chances of getting reelected.
• The old adage about giving a man a fish versus teaching him how to fish has been updated by a reader: Give a man a fish and he will ask for tartar sauce and French fries! Moreover, some politician, who wants his vote, will declare all these things to be among his 'basic rights'.
• People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything.

Roadrunner Feeding

Trail cam video of roadrunner grabbing a meal out of mid-air and then bragging about it (first time I have ever heard a roadrunner make a sound, other than "beep beep")...

I recommend watching on YouTube to see more detail

Rabbit & Quail

My Wyze cam continues to capture some interesting sights around the A/C. Here's a short video of a rabbit "streaking" a covey of Gambel's quail...

Bathroom Surprise

This was in my shower stall tonight...

I think I need to have a long talk with my exterminator

Fantastic Body Painting illusions

Once again, I am amazed at the imagination and creativity of some artists. The following video depicts animal illusions that were created by using body painted models...

Bizarre Tattoo

Toad Snack

Here's the upside to having hungry toads around the house...

Rising Gas Prices

The cost of gasoline has risen dramatically here in southern Arizona and is now averaging around $4.49/gallon. Back in March of 2022, I posted an article on how an abundant, affordable source of energy is the basis for a modern economy to grow and prosper. Even Elon Musk, perhaps, the smartest man on the planet and a proponent of electric vehicles, believes we should increase domestic production. 

As far as I can tell, Biden's war on fossil fuels has done virtually nothing to improve the environment. It has, however, created high inflation (fuel affects the cost of all goods & services) and made our enemies richer by raising the cost of the oil we import (in a way we are funding the Ukraine war). Until China, India and Russia quit building new coal-fired power plants, the "green new deal" is simply hurting the U.S. The rest of the world has to be laughing their collective asses off watching our own government destroy the country.

Hypocritically, the Biden administration continues to fly all over the world for political junkets, fundraising and vacations. As usual they are never subject to the actions they impose on the rest of us.

Orwell's 1984

I just re-read Orwell's 1984 and the similarities between it and what is happening with our government today are simply frightening. When I first read the book many years ago, I thought this would never happen in America. Little did I realize how prophetic it would be. In my opinion, this book should be required reading in school. Click here to download a free copy in a pdf format.

If you enjoy 1984, then I would also recommend Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. It's long and a little wordy for my taste, but tells a great story.

Wyze Time Lapse Video

I have been using Wyze Cams for some time now. They are inexpensive and loaded with features. It's how I recorded the quail and roadrunner videos. Here is a time lapse video that shows the clouds moving across the sky...

Photos were taken every 3 seconds

Gambel's Quail

A family of Gambel's quail at the watering hole...

Roadrunner

Here's a video of a young roadrunner drinking from a pool of water created by the A/C...

Update: the next day the roadrunner returned and I was able to create another longer video...

Showing Respect

I don't play golf but 3 of my friends do. I went with them just to get out of the house on a nice day. They invited an older man whom I did not know. They all played and I kept score. We were near a highway and the older gentleman was about to tee off when a funeral procession passed by. The older man stopped, put his club down, took off his hat and bowed his head. We all noticed that and did likewise. The funeral procession passed and he took his stance when I told him that was a nice, respectful thing he just did. He looked at me and said, "It was the least I could do. She was a good wife for 47 years".

The Mystery Continues

Back in May of 2022, I wrote about people parking right next to my new car regardless of how far away from other vehicles I parked. Well, here it is over a year later and I am still having the same problem...

If you have any idea as to why people do this, let me know in the comment section below.

Monsoon Season

We had our first monsoon storm of the summer last night. It tore the large solar screen off the front of the house, but that appears to be the extent of the damage...

The power went out about 9:00 p.m. and Salt River Power estimates it may be 4:00 p.m. this afternoon before it is restored. I am using my Honda generators to run a window A/C and my computer. Here's my Rube Goldberg approach to powering critical devices while trying to stay cool...

Update: Power was restored around 1:15 p.m. but I am keeping the window A/C in place just in case. The solar screen has been replaced and everything is back to normal. 😀

Arizona Museum of Natural History

I had heard the Arizona Museum of Natural History has ancient fossils on display almost as old as my cousin Chris, so it seemed like a good place to escape today's 115 degree temperature. It starts with an impressive facade...

Click on images to enlarge

In addition to the dinosaur exhibits, there are a lot of cultural artifacts from the area going back thousands of years.

Desert Spa

It has not rained here for several months, so water has once again become a precious commodity for anything that has to live in the desert. Fortunately, my A/C has created a water hole and spa for some of the creatures of the night (and no, I am not talking about my rowdy neighbors)...

Root Canal

Most of my life I had heard horror stories about root canals and how painful they were, so you can imagine my concern when I was told that I needed one. Well, it was all for naught as mine went extremely well and took about an hour. The only pain I experienced was paying the bill. Between my regular dentist and the endodontist, it was a little over $1700. If you would like to know more about the procedure, checkout this American Association of Endodontists website.

Garmin Tread Overlander

For over 10 years the Garmin Montana has been my go to GPS for off-road travel. However, time has taken its toll and it is beginning to fall apart. In looking for a replacement, I came across the Garmin Tread Overlander, a GPS with both on-road and off-road features. It even has a Garmin inReach satellite communicator which allows you to get help in emergency situations when cell service is not available. It's a bit pricey, but provides the latest in GPS capabilities.

Eastern Oregon

Now that I do not have any doctor's or dentist's appointments for several months, I have started looking for places that I might like to visit this summer. Here is a video from TrailRecon showing a beautiful area in eastern Oregon where I have never been...

Checkout the photos on "A Hiker's Guide To The Owyhee Canyonlands".

Bidenomics

Pix-Star Digital Frame

If you are looking for a unique gift for family and friends, may I recommend the Pix-Star digital frame. It has the ability to display photos sent to it via email. This would be a great way to share photos of the grandchildren with their grandparents.

Arizona Summers

After an unusually cold winter, normal summer temperatures have returned to southern Arizona...

It's finally warm enough that I can go outside without a jacket

One advantage to living in Arizona in the summer

Political Hypocrisy

Washington, DC is full of hypocrites. They are constantly telling us what to do while they do just the opposite. My favorite example is John Kerry, Biden's Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, who flies all over the world in private jets even though he states climate change is an existential threat to human civilization and the environment. You can add Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Pete Buttigieg and others to that list.

I am currently waiting on the mainstream media to point out that although Joe Biden says the rich should pay their fair share of taxes and that guns should be banned, his son, Hunter, has been charged with failure to pay taxes on millions of dollars and a felony firearm offense (something that would put you and I in jail). I suspect it will be a long wait.

If it were only this easy

Mormon Crickets

My friend, Keith, sent me this note and photo of a swarm of Mormon crickets in northern Nevada...

A plague of biblical proportions

Here's a video that gives you a better idea of the scope of the infestation: https://youtu.be/lsZqXkts2fk

Hall of Flame Museum

The Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting in Phoenix has the largest collection of fire fighting equipment in the world. It starts with a pumper built circa 1725 (I believe my older cousin, Chris, helped design it) and continues up to modern, motorized fire engines. I tried finding a photo of that world famous firefighter, Terry Averett, but apparently, they had not gotten around to putting it up yet. Here's a slideshow of just some of the equipment...

 

If you would like to view the slideshow via a fullscreen, click here

Slinky T-Shirt

Huh?

When government gives you directions...

Musical Instrument Museum

Keith, Jayne and I visited the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix this morning. This is an extremely impressive facility with over 4,200 instruments on display from every corner of the globe. I would recommend it to anyone who is in the area. One of the unique features of the tour is getting a set of headphones at the front desk that allows you to automatically listen to the instruments while looking at a television monitor showing people playing them...

Click on images to enlarge

The vast majority of instruments I had never heard of much less seen. I played the trumpet in high school but never saw one like this...

There is even an area where kids can play on their own including the 25-foot-wide "Apollonia" orchestrion...

There is no way you can see it all in one visit, so I would suggest allotting several hours at the minimum. We were told that they are continually adding items to their collection which means there will always be something new to see. 

Heart Attack Grill

When I lived in Las Vegas, one of the most unique places to visit on Fremont Street (particularly, with friends from out of town) was the Heart Attack Grill which is known for their extremely unhealthy high calorie/fat food and drinks. A competitive eater that I occasionally follow on YouTube recently ate there and here is his video...

Political Divide

Here's a post from 2021 pointing out that here in Arizona a couple could collect $94,792/year for sitting home doing nothing! That's probably more money than most people were making when employed.

Return Of The Toads

Recent rains have brought the desert toads back out....

My air conditioner has created a "toad spa"

Tough Decision

This guy had to choose between getting a new OHV or a new pair of underwear. Clearly, he made the right choice...

Prostate Cancer

Late last year, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Fortunately, it was detected early and had not spread beyond the prostate. This allowed me to undergo a procedure called brachytherapy where radioactive seeds are surgically implanted into the prostate which in turn kills the cancerous cells.

I chose not to post anything about the problem until I had a better idea of what the outcome might be. Yesterday, I learned that my prostate-specific antigen (PSA) had dropped from 9.1 to 1.2 which indicates the seeds are working well. I will continue to be checked every six months, but hopefully, this is the end of it.

As you might imagine, it has been an emotional roller coaster. When you first hear the words "you have cancer", your mind kind of goes blank. It takes a while to process and of course, there is that immediate fear of the unknown. Once I learned more about prostate cancer and my options, I began to feel more comfortable that it could be treated successfully. The key is to catch it early before it metastasizes to other parts of the body.

My Kind Of Diet

I used to eat 6 slices of pizza, now I eat only 3...

Crazy Gas Prices

If I drive 15 miles west to Apache Junction, gas is $4.99/gallon. If I drive 18 miles east to Superior, gas is $3.79/gallon. Both towns are in the same county and less than 40 miles apart, yet there is a $1.20/gallon difference. Guess where I filled up.

Apache Trail

One of my favorite drives was the Apache Trail (Route 88) from Tortilla Flat up to Roosevelt Lake. Unfortunately, landslides closed the road several years ago. I had heard that the state was not going to re-open it and now, after looking at the following drone video, I can understand why...

Umbrella Drinks

While my next door neighbors are enjoying those fruity, umbrella drinks in Cozumel, Mexico, my other neighbors and I are having our own "umbrella drinks" here in the park...

How Not To Get Your Ass Kicked By The Police

McDonald's Job Interview

RV Park Humor

Snow In The Desert

Woke up to 35 degree weather with snow on the mountains...

Can You Decipher This

More Cold/Wet Weather

One of the reasons for spending the winter in southern Arizona has traditionally been the warm/dry climate, but not this year as we are having the worst weather I have experienced in the 11 years I have been coming here. If this had been my first winter, I am not sure I would have returned.

It's getting harder and harder to avoid "cabin fever"

RZR Accessories

Now that I have a RZR again, I am always looking for ways to improve the looks of the machine...

Click on images to enlarge