Day 3936

I didn't see any coyotes today, but the rest of the White Pelicans seem to have arrived for the Winter. There were way too many to count today. I wonder whether these birds arrive at night. I never see them flying in, but there always seem to be additional birds when I arrive at Pelican Bay on my daily walks.

Dawn continues to take much shorter walks, so I am faced with making up the extra steps I need on my own. The park was busy today. There were people playing rugby and baseball on city maintained fields. There were lots of families having large picnics and barbecues. I passed a young couple having their wedding pictures taken. It really just seemed like a normal Fall day. A lot of people are still wearing masks, but it appears that Dallas has collectively decided that the virus is over.

One of the many changes I have noticed is that there are a lot of Airstream trailers in the neighborhood now. I counted four Airstream Internationals today. There are big, expensive trailers and seeing so many is probably a good sign that it's going to take a long time for air travel to recover. More and more people are taking car trips now. They say that National Parks have become overcrowded this summer. I thought about getting an RV when I first began contemplating spending a lot of time out at McDonald Observatory. That didn't last long. The bathrooms in an RV or travel trailer leave a lot to be desired. I like to take long showers and dealing with grey and black water tanks is disgusting. Even in a post-Covid world, I still think a nice hotel is much better.

Grocery shopping went smoothly today. I found most of the things on my list, but I have been noticing that there just aren't as many items on the shelves these days. There is plenty of food, but just not as much variety. It still feels like the entire supply chain is messed up. I wonder how long it is going to take for the world to return to normal. Maybe it never will. Sadly, we might just redefine what normal is.

My seasonal allergies have returned with a vengeance. Occasionally a cold front will bring a few days of relief, but it's pretty bad this Fall. I forget how long this typically lasts, but I've had enough. It's awkward having to blow your nose all the time when you are wearing a mask. I don't do well with antihistamines either. Those heavy duty blue shop towels are a lot better than Kleenex. I make sure to stuff my pockets with a few shop towels before I go anywhere. Seasonal allergies are probably one more reason I shouldn't attempt to fly anywhere in the near future. 

I went out and picked up a pizza for dinner tonight. I continue to be amazed at how full the restaurants are. Texas must have returned to full occupancy because a lot of the restaurants I passed on the way to the pizza place appeared to be full. Shopping malls and big box retailers seem to be full as well. It's weird. You turn on the television and you see one world. Then you drive around town and see a completely different world. 

Dawn seems a lot better now. Around the house she seem perfectly normal. She still won't take long walks though. It's kind of hard to tell whether she is becoming tired more easily or has just discovered that she's in charge now. Now that she has learned that we will turn around and head home again whenever she sits down in the road, it might have gone to her head. Dalmatians are high energy dogs, but they can also be very lazy.

Hobbs is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3583

I've got to go back to the dentist. They broke the impression of my teeth while they were making my new retainer, so I need to go back and get another set of impressions made. They're going to make two sets of impressions this time, in case they break something again. No wonder I hate to go to the dentist. Now, I've got to have that yucky putty like substance put in my mouth twice.

Ever since I lost my last website account, it's been bothering me that the client told me his website wasn't working correctly. The thing that bothered me most was that the client was right. I finally figured out why his site wouldn't scroll properly on some devices. I fixed the problem and uploaded the site for a final time. This little gesture wont get me the account back, but at least now I won't have to think about the whole thing any longer.

I guess a new cold front rolled through town last night because it was chilly when I woke up this morning. I had to turn on the furnace while I was eating breakfast. It was actually a nice day, but I wish it was a little warmer. I need the roof to dry out before the next rain arrives. I'm not sure my repairs will even work because the silicon coating doesn't tend to adhere to the roof very well. That's the main reason I've been having problems for several years. There aren't many alternatives unfortunately. Conventional patching materials won't stick to the silicon coating at all and the bids I've been getting to completely replace the roof are horrendously high.

As I continue to research conversion vans, the whole idea of living off the grid exploring observatories, launch sites, and dark sky areas is starting to seem a little less appealing. From what I've been reading, RV toilets are notoriously messy and prone to leaks. Cargo area air conditioners typically use too much electricity to to be powered by roof mounted solar cells. Fresh water tanks tend to develop a bad taste after a while. Grey and black water tanks can only be emptied at designated disposal stations. I could go on and on. It's all very complicated for a guy who prefers luxury hotels. A lot of van conversions just seem messy and poorly designed to me. I do like Airstream vans and trailers. Of course they would have to be the most expensive. I always seem to be attracted to the most expensive things. Too bad I can't afford them.

If I get approved to stay at McDonald Observatory for an extended length of time, I think I'll just rent a van for my first visit. Renting an RV is actually more expensive than staying in a nice hotel, but it is a lot less expensive than actually buying an RV. Renting a vehicle for several weeks is probably a good way of seeing if I actually like the whole experience. I already know that I like astronomy and looking at stars. I'm not so sure about living on a remote mountain in somewhat primitive conditions however.

I'm sure I've got plenty of time to think about all this. Opportunities to view rocket launches up close are few and far between. The whole process of getting clearance to stay at the observatory is fairly complicated too. It's hard to be patient when things take place slowly like this. At least it gives me the time to save for future adventures. I couldn't afford to go anywhere tomorrow anyway.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3579

When I was buying groceries this morning, the produce guy was putting out new strawberries. "These look terrible," I said. "Are you going to sell these?" The guy laughed. "They come from the grower like this," he told me. "Sometimes they're so bad we throw them away. Sometimes we use them for pies. People still buy these things though." At least the guy was honest. He helped me find a few good packages of berries and I continued my shopping.

You've got to be careful what you buy these days. Janet has taught me to always look at the expiration date. The freshest milk is often at the back of the display. I often buy stuff from the deli case because I don't like to cook. A lot of these easy to prepare items are made from things near their expiration date. Supermarkets hate to waste food.

It was a beautiful day but the roof still isn't dry enough to apply the coating that the roofers left me. I guess there's no hurry. I still can't figure out how to transfer the silicon from the big drum to small containers that I can carry to the roof. They make pump lids for five gallon containers, but these things are meant to pump liquids like motor oil and paint. The silicon liquid is so thick that it would quickly clog most of these pumps. I've started reading roofers forums on the Internet, hoping to get a few pointers. When roofers talk to other roofers most of them say that working with silicon is a disaster. Silicon is a natural release agent and won't adhere to anything except silicon. This is the problem I've been having since the beginning. The silicon won't stick to the roof.

It was cold last night. I slept under a blanket for the first time since last winter. Surprisingly, I slept very well. Maybe having the extra weight of a cover over you helps you sleep. Who knows. Cold weather changes a lot of things. The security light in the back yard stays on all night now. Apparently the light sensor doesn't work when temperatures are really high. It's weird hearing the furnace come on at night. It's also weird wearing a coat on my morning walks. I definitely need a coat when I left the house this morning, but after a few miles I felt warmer and tied the coat around my waist.

I've had my new storage warehouse almost a year now. The annual rent is due again in November. My plan was to get rid of a lot of stuff during the year so I could get a smaller space when it was time to renew. That didn't happen. My room is full and I really need a larger space. None of this stuff is all that important. I wish storage warehouses provide easy assess to a large dumpster. None of them do. They don't even let you use a trash can these days. It makes it hard to get rid of stuff.

I've looked at enough motorhome websites to realize that it will always be less expensive to just rent these things when I need them. Actually, I'd save money by renting everything. I just don't do that much. I'd even save money renting things I consider tools of the trade. How often do I actually use my cameras these days? Not that much. How often do I use my recording gear. Never. I just like gadgets. I like the idea of having something when I need it. Most stuff just gathers dust though. I do need a computer. That's something I use everyday. I'm using it right now.

Kuuipo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3562

I tried to tie up a few loose ends today. I called a roofer who promised me a bid back in March. He said he was still interested but was so busy that he probably wouldn't even have time to think about my roof until after the first of the year. This guy disagrees with another roofer who has already given me a bid about the best way to fix my roof. Probably my current roofer disagrees with both of these guys. It doesn't give you a lot of confidence when nobody can find a common solution to your problems.

I called about my unsold guitars and synthesizers. Just as I expected, they are still unsold. Evidently, people are interested but nothing has resulted in a sale. I'm not ready to give up yet. If I took these things back, they would just wind up in my storage warehouse again. At least a few of my guitars have already sold. I have an offer on one synthesizer, but it is ridiculously low. I've been a pack rat all my life and I thought that parting with this stuff would be hard. That turned out to be the easy part. Actually selling the stuff is the hard part.

Earlier this summer I noticed that McDonald Observatory always seems to be looking for retirees with an interest in astronomy to help conduct their weekly star parties. Since the observatory is so isolated, they specifically look for people who own an RV and can stay for several weeks at a time. It's a volunteer job, but the observatory provides a place to park the RV, electricity, and access to the observatory's facilities. This sounds like fun to a person like me. If you stayed at the observatory long enough, you are bound to have a few clear nights. Unfortunately, I don't have an RV. I'm not sure I'd like to drive one either. I was in a daydreaming mood this afternoon, so I started looking at RV's on the Internet. Jeez. These things are expensive. You could buy almost any luxury car for a lot less. A Porsche 911 and a well appointed Sprinter conversion van are about the same price. You could buy a decent house for less than some of those huge Type A motorhomes. So much for thoughts of living on the road.

I need to find a way to make my walks more interesting. The benefits of this type of exercise are obvious, but the walks are becoming boring. I guess I keep walking because being outdoors is still a lot more interesting than walking on a treadmill at the gym. The best thing about walking is the solitude. The worst thing is being drenched in sweat with sore feet. Maybe I'll enjoy things more in the Winter.

I noticed that the tree guys dumped all their lunch trash in my garbage can. Most people wouldn't be bothered by this, but I'm obsessive. I hate loose trash. I always bag and seal everything. I emptied out the can and put all the loose stuff in a big black leaf bag. I was surprised at how much food the tree guys eat on the job. I don't eat lunch at all. Falling branches and logs also damaged a few things in the yard. I expected that though. At least they didn't drop anything heavy on the roof while they were removing the tree.

I guess I'll watch the final episode of the Ken Burns documentary later this evening. I don't ever listen to country music, but I know a lot more about it now. I'm always fascinated watching the credits at the end of a Ken Burns movie. Hundreds and hundreds of people seem to work on these things. I wonder what Ken Burns actually does? I made a few documentaries back in the early 1970's. There wasn't much need for credits. It was just me and a sound man.

I got caught up on a lot of things today. That doesn't leave much for tomorrow. I'm sure I'll think of something though. I've got an entire day to fill.

Rosie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day