Day 3972

There was a heavy fog when we started walking this morning. As the fog started to lift, the sun appeared as a pale white disk behind the thick clouds. A little later, patches of blue sky began to appear overhead. There was a light breeze and falling leaves rustled along the ground. With each passing day, I see more Fall color as the trees continue to turn. The temperature was a little warmer than yesterday and a light jacket kept me warm. Basically, it was a perfect Fall day.

With weather like this, it's hard to imagine that there's a hurricane developing just south of Miami. No one seems certain where tropical storm ETA will go next, but there's a growing chance that it might impact next weeks Crew-1 launch. The launch is still on schedule, but Kennedy Space Center is definitely going to get some rain in the next few days. I hope the storm weakens or changes direction. I'd really hate to arrive in Florida in the middle of a hurricane.

NASA doesn't appear to be worried at this point. I watched the astronauts arrive at the Space Center on NASA TV this morning. I paid a little more attention than usual to this broadcast because some of these virtual events will wind up in my story about the launch. Covid restrictions have reduced the number of in-person events prior to the launch, but I'm going to try to see as much as I can. I got an e-mail with badging instructions and a list of events today. There are still a number of events I can participate in as long as tropical storm ETA doesn't decide to spoil the party.

I wasn't very industrious today, but I did try to fix the shower drain so it couldn't get clogged by hair anymore. I failed. When I took a shower later in the day, the hidden mesh filter I installed under the drain cover immediately clogged and the shower floor filled with water. It's back to the drawing board with this idea. Unfortunately, far too many of my projects end this way. 

Since it was a nice day, the park was crowded this afternoon. I've noticed lots of people taking family and engagement pictures. Every afternoon there are dozens of photographers taking pictures. Why now? It's as if everyone decided to do these portraits at the same time. There are lots of things I don't understand at the park. I certainly don't understand the hammock people. On a nice day there will be dozens of hammocks strung between trees. For the most part, people just sit in these hammocks and look at their phones. Often they bring dogs with them The dogs don't get walked, they just sit under the hammocks or are tied to a tree.

I prefer to stay active. After several long walks, I methodically begin charging batteries. I'm still not sure which cameras I'll take, so I just charged everything. I'm wondering if I should go buy a light weight raincoat. I thought I had one, but I can't find it. I don't like the idea of shooting pictures in the rain, but I have no control over the weather. Realistically, if the weather is bad, they'll just cancel the launch. Rockets have launched in the rain before though. I need to be ready for anything. I will bring a tripod this time. You definitely need a tripod for a night launch.

I have few complaints today. The weather was beautiful, Janet fixed a delicious dinner, and Dawn was in a good mood. Hopefully, tomorrow will be more of the same.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3895

There was no need to go to the gym today. After walking and mowing the grass I felt like I had all the exercise I needed. Around this time of year I start thinking that I might not need to mow any more. I even thought that today. Late August is ridiculously early though for these type of thoughts. The leaves are still on the trees and the Fall rainy season hasn't even started yet. Our grass is often still green in December.

We got a late start this morning on our walk and the park was already filling up with people. We probably should have started earlier, but it was clear that we needed the extra sleep. Without an alarm to wake us, we slept two hours longer than usual. Dawn certainly wasn't interested in getting up. The only thing that gets her out of bed is the sound of her breakfast being fixed. It was a little warmer than we would have liked, but we all did pretty well. I think we'll go back to pre-dawn walks tomorrow.

I wasted a lot of time today watching a static fire test of the SN-6 Starship prototype. It took three tries and most of the day before the rocket motors actually fired. The guys who put this coverage together on their YouTube channel have a lot of patience. There were several false starts today. The rocket would be filled with fuel and then emptied again when something didn't go right. Basically nothing happens for hours at a time and then eventually the rocket fires for about five seconds. Watching these events is definitely an acquired taste. I didn't watch today's tests continuously, but I kept a window open on my browser and checked in on progress throughout the day. I think next week this rocket will fly on a short hop, just like its predecessor did a few weeks ago. If I go down to Boca Chica, I think I'll wait until the program is a little further along. Before the end of the year, Space X is supposed to be making much longer hops with a more polished looking rocket that has fins, a nose cone and two extra Raptor engines. The more I watch this Boca Chica channel on YouTube, the more interested I become in seeing a Starship launch. I'm going to try to make some contacts and see what happens.

When I walk in the park on weekend afternoons, I always see tons of people sitting in hammocks. I don't understand the fascination with hammocks. On a nice day, they're everywhere. Young people string them between two trees and then spend the rest of the afternoon taking selfies and looking at their cell phones. I don't get it. If this is what passes for enjoying nature these days, we're all doomed.

Can you believe it's going to be September soon? What a wasted year. Maybe next year will be better.  The cynical side of me says the virus will disappear from the news right after the November elections. Realistically, I think it's going to be with us for a very long time. New cases keep cropping up in countries that supposedly have already eradicated it. What's going to happen when everyone gets the flu this Fall and thinks they've got the virus instead? The hypochondriac's are going to be panicking. I'm going to continue to keep my distance. Seems to have worked so far.

Janet and I eat a traditional breakfast together on the weekends. Tomorrow it's back to my fruit smoothies though. Where am I going to find uncontaminated peaches. I've got plenty of strawberries, blueberries and bananas, but good smoothie has got to include a peach.

Mickey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3664

It felt a lot more like the first day of Spring than the middle of Winter today. The temperature was in the mid-seventies and I was able to wear shorts and a t-shirt on my walk. On days like this the gym is usually empty. Everybody is outside.

I did my usual workout, but spent quite a bit of time outside as well. I took advantage of the warm weather and made some more patches on the roof. I've used most of the silicon material now and what little remains has started to harden in the can. I patched a bunch of very small holes today. After today's patches dry, I've probably got just enough coating left to do this one more time.

The park was packed with people today. There was a traffic jam on the trails as joggers, cyclists, dog walkers, and families out for a stroll competed for space. The weather was nice, but in a way, I like bleak, cold days better when I have the entire park to myself.

You notice things on busy days. More people have small dogs than large dogs. Drivers prefer Japanese cars to American or European ones, but they prefer pickup trucks even more. Kids don't like long walks nearly as much as their parents. Dogs wish their owners would slow down so they could smell things. I'm sure there's more but I'm really not that observant.

I always see lots of hammocks on a nice day. I've never understood their popularity. Why would you go to a park and spend all your time sitting in a hammock looking at your phone? I saw dozens of hammocks strung between trees today and the occupants were all looking at their phones. Of course, I see lots of cyclists and joggers looking at their phones as well. It is that hard to just put the phone away for a while?

I'm thinking about getting one of those Universe2Go AR viewers. These things are dirt cheap compared to other alternatives and I've got an old iPhone without a SIM card that I could use with it. Some reviewers love this thing and others think it is a piece of junk. There are enough good reviews to make me think that the bad reviews were mostly from people who didn't read the instructions. It would be cool to be able to look up at the sky and see constellation names and planet locations superimposed on your field of view.

I need to call the observatory next week and find out about living arrangements. If living in an RV or travel trailer is the only alternative, it's really going to complicate things. It's easy enough to rent an RV, but I hate the thought of driving it to the Davis Mountains from Dallas. I'm still hoping that I can rent a little house or cabin on the mountain somewhere. We'll see. Basically I still don't have a clue how this all works yet.

I also need to find out whether I'm going to get press credentials for Kennedy Space Center. I though I would have heard something by now, but again I don't have a clue how this all works yet. One way or another, this Spring ought to be interesting.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2651

It's hard to believe that it's still snowing in some parts of the country. The temperatures reached the high 80's here in Dallas. Unfortunately, this is already too warm for Dot. I'm dreading this Summer. Dot never liked hot weather even when she was young and healthy. Now, high temperatures are punishing. Even though there was a nice breeze, Dot had trouble on her afternoon walk. She seemed exhausted. We had to stop and rest several times, even though all we did was walk to the end of the block and back. We probably should have just stayed home, or waited until dusk when the temperature started to drop.

It looks like working on weekends is going to be a regular occurrence. I don't really mind. It just seems odd. Years ago when I was busy all the time, I never worked on weekends. Now, when virtually nothing happens at all, weekend gigs are common. It's not so much that my clients have changed. The entire workplace has changed.

The park was full today since the weather was so nice. There were hammocks everywhere. I still don't understand the popularity of hammocks. To me, enjoying the outdoors means taking a hike or paddling a kayak. Apparently, an entire generation thinks that enjoying the outdoors means lying in a hammock while looking at Snapchat on your phone. Older people still hike and bike, but the young ones are all lying in hammocks.

I'm surprised at how predictable Texas wildflowers are. Often if I look at a previous years blog post, I'll find a picture of exactly the same flowers I'm seeing now. Today, the Blue-eyed Grass emerged. The little blue flowers were everywhere. I don't know who named these things. They aren't in the grass family at all and the eye in the center is yellow instead of blue. Next week there will be a whole new batch of wildflowers to photograph. Things are starting to get colorful.

It was overcast this morning, but the sky cleared completely by sunset. This was a pretty good evening to look at the stars. Tonight there was a conjunction of Mercury and Venus that was visible right after sunset. After dinner, I took my binoculars to a nearby hill to look for the planets. I found them both, although if I'd waited another ten minutes they would have been lost in the haze near the horizon. Venus was a thin crescent and Mercury just looked like a bright star. I need to start looking for Saturn now.

It just occurred to me that I hadn't seen any White Pelicans this Winter. These large migratory birds are a common site at the lake and usually arrive in late Fall. I didn't see any this year. It's probably too late for them now. They usually continue their migration and move somewhere else in late Spring. I wonder where they went? I haven't seen the green Monk Parakeets this year either. It's probably a sign of the apocalypse.

It's time to go to the gym again. I should be developing some serious upper body strength, since I'm having to support more of Dot's weight as her legs become weaker. I used to just guide and steady her as she walked. Now, I need to lift the rear part of the harness a bit to keep her rear legs from crumbling under her. I need to take weight off her legs while still letting her feet touch the ground to provide tactile support and encourage her to move her legs. It takes a while to learn to do this so she can still walk naturally, but we're getting there. We'll do a lot better tomorrow if we get some sleep tonight.

Nick is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1880

I've noticed that I get a lot better response to these posts when there's some sort of point to the day. You guys like an adventure. I've been an advertising writer for long enough that it would be pretty easy to make each day seem like a voyage of discovery. What would this prove though? If you like embellishment, you've already got Brian Williams? I'm comfortable when nothing happens. Much of life is uneventful and that's OK. When I was younger I would have been embarrassed to share a succession of uneventful days with you. Now I hope you enjoy your uneventful moments just as much as I do. As far as I'm concerned, the occasional challenge builds character. Constant challenge just wears you down.

Today was a pleasant non-event. I enjoyed seeing the ghostly disc of the sun through thick fog as we walked the dogs this morning. I took some pictures, but thought you'd prefer seeing flowers blooming in February. There was a small patch of Pink Thrift in full bloom along the trail this morning. I think these are the first flowers of the year.

I ran my usual Saturday errands, filling the car with gas and buying bulk items at Sam's Club. I stopped at a pet store and got the dogs some more biscuits and treats. I did my stretching exercises, although it's hard to tell if my shoulder is improving much. Since it was warm enough to wear shorts this afternoon, I got out the hose and washed the car. Washing the car is much more satisfying than cleaning the house. In less than an hour I can have a shiny, clean car. I could spend days working on the house and it still wouldn't look very different.

I must have seen a dozen hammocks strung between trees near the lake this afternoon. When did it become cool to spend your weekend lying in a hammock? I never used to see hammocks in the park and now they are everywhere. Some people read books in these hammocks. Others seem to string them up just to watch the sunset. Seems like a lot of trouble to me. If I'm outdoors, I'd rather keep moving.

Janet brought home ribs from Backcountry Barbecue for dinner. I love ribs and brisket. When you've got a big rack of ribs in front of you, along with some beans, home made potato salad, and cornbread, you don't need much more excitement. After tonight's dinner, it seems like a trip to the gym tomorrow is almost mandatory.

Stortz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1503

On our walk today, the dogs and I passed two hikers wearing surgical masks, a little further down the trail we saw someone nailing a big cardboard sign to a tree with a magic marker message that simply said FOUND TOOTH. There was no explanation of who lost the tooth in the first place, or why finding it was important. On our way home we passed three Japanese girls creating an elaborate tableau in the woods out of red and white paper lanterns and crepe paper. Why? Your guess is as good as mine. Did I mention that it was a very nice day? On a nasty day none of this nonsense would be taking place. In inclement weather, the dogs and I pretty much have the park to ourselves.

We also saw a lot of people in hammocks this afternoon. When did spending the afternoon in a hammock become trendy?  I see people spending forever carefully stringing a hammock between two trees with rope, and then as soon as they are situated inside the hammock, they get out their phones and begin texting someone. Is this today's equivalent of communing with nature. I don't get it.

Admittedly, I don't get much these days. Somewhere in another room of house I hear the Grammy Awards playing on a TV. I used to really like the Grammys but I seldom watch the show anymore. I just don't understand the appeal of performers like Macklemore. Is this even music? About the only thing that will stop me from channel flipping when I hear music on TV lately is when I accidentally encounter one of those Kennedy Center extravaganzas where they are giving a lifetime achievement award to a group like Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin. Where is this generation's Stairway to Heaven or Welcome to the Machine? I haven't heard it yet.

Dot and Dash had a great time at the dog park today. The temperature got up to 73 degrees and it was warm enough to wear shorts. Shorts in January is almost always preferable to ice storms in January. I did a little yard work when we got home from the dog park, and then I went to the gym. After my regular workout, I shot free-throws for a while. I have no interested in basketball as a game, but I'm fascinated by throwing free-throws. To consistently dunk the ball time-after-time, you have to perfect your hand-eye coordination. The tiniest little deviation will send the ball to the left or the right. I still haven't been able to shoot five "nothing but net" free-throws in a row, but I'm getting closer.

Has anyone noticed that I've passed the 1500 day mark? 1500 posts in a row without missing a single day ever is somewhat of an achievement. It's an odd little achievement, but it would be hard for someone to duplicate. The blog is slowly but surely becoming popular. Most people just read it on Facebook or Google+, but at least they read it somewhere. Probably by the time I reach Day 5000, people will be placing bets in Vegas on what the final day number will be. It won't be tomorrow. That's for sure. Tomorrow is just another day filled with blood tests and boring assignments. Mondays always make Tuesdays look exciting.

Jazz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day