Morning Cup Of Coffee And Weather

NICE!

I have a blackstone -- I dont' use it anywhere near as much as I thought I would. Its fine at home, but camping --- its kind of a pain to clean compared to a grill --- grill I just burn off and brush....done. The blackstone takes a good amount of water to clean properly.

In the 'class a life' where I had 80+ gallons not an issue. Also, where I had belly-bays that I could stuff with ...stuff. In a teardrop -- not as appealing. Although you never said you were taking it on the road, you were just putting it in the garage...

 

I won’t be taking the Blackstone on the road. I had a 36” BS and used it a lot. It never was cleaned with water just a brush and then oiled slightly. It was perfect for pancakes and a second smaller one was for meats. The big one could starve 40 people in two hours.

Edit: serve 40.

 

47F and raining. I was going to the junk dealer in town but the ground will be muddy so I’m going to install the mailbox post in the ditch which is also muddy with running water. It’s always muddy so I might as well do it on a rainy day.

I can’t wait to get a few of these must do projects so I can go camping.

 

I've got a small one -- 2 burner portable. the trouble with them is not the fault of their product, they are well made and are great griddles....

The trouble is in campgrounds is limited water, and limited sewage. on a concrete patio at home --great to use!!!

My wife and I both have insulin resistance --- so we dont' eat much grains --- so pancakces are pretty much out of the question -- This was the reason I bought mine initially --- and I have to admit --- eggs and pancakes are definately the griddles strongpoint

 

I'm in a danger zone with coffee - we use a "super autoamted" machine which brews individual cups -- Grinds the beans, makes a puck, presses the coffee -- amazing machine. The only trouble wiht it is, beans that are very oily (on the surface) "stick" in the chute and dont' work as well.

I'm done to about 3/4 pound of beans...and the beans I usually get havn't been available.....this may be a true coffee emergency.

The good news is, the temperatures are coming up --- we have bright sunny blue skies today, at least now, and the highs will be in the 80s by mid-week. No plans for the coming weekend except taking care of a few odds and ends here at this house and maybe helping my parents out with their life issues....

Meanwhile, yet another semi-annual shuffling of the deck chairs on the Titanic exercise at work....no idea what I'll be doing in 2 months.

I really wish I had the courage to jump into the deep end of the pool -- Who is John Gault style -- I'd love to tell my current employer I'm done. I'm sick of the reorgs every 18-24 months, and tired of their politics being pushed down my throat. I do have options -- but both would be a career start over....not sure at 54 I want to do that. I was almost (ALMOST!) hoping they "RIF'd" me (Reduction In Force -- laid off, let go, sh*t canned...) with a decent severance package. Would have likely paid off the house and let me not worry about it for a few months.

Currently, I work in IT -- and I know once I ring that bell, it can't be un-rung and the reality is 54 year olds are antiques in IT, and finding work is near impossible.

 

I'm taking the early retirement option when I turn 50 next year...I can't wait!!! My next (retirement) career will hopefully be something in avionics. I don't think I could ever NOT work, I just want to be able to keep getting pickier about what work I do and how much I have to do it. The common thread across my career has been electronics; retail electronics for my first job many moons ago, then military nuclear reactor electronics, then automation & controls electronics, then hi-tech manufacturing electronics, and currently national lab research electronics (listing all of these different things one can do with electronics makes me feel like Forrest Gump talking about shrimp!). Avionics would be a really interesting career-growth path for me, and I really like the idea of more instruments, radios, and radar toys to play with. Chasing electrons is fun stuff, and as my grandfather (who had a TV repair shop) used to say, "...it's half detective work and half gambling!" Turns out, LIFE is half detective work and half gambling!

Life is to short to NOT do something you love, if you have the choice.

 

I retired at age 54 and never looked back. That was 18 years ago. I bought my first teardrop in 2006 and second in 2017.

The teardrop/raindrop lifestyle fits me to a T. I don’t do a lot of camping but rather travel in them. Especially my first. For about ten years I would spend between 5 and 7 months traveling in it each year. Lately I’m lucky to get a month in. That will all change the summer of 2023 when I’m fully moved into Wisconsin and have my projects done.

Since I’m new to Wisconsin I don’t have to go far to see something I’ve never seen before. That was the problem in Washington. I had to drive 1,000 miles to go where I haven’t already been 20 times.

 

I love the Midwest, born and bred up here in Illinois, but if I'm going to get bored looking at scenery I think I'd prefer the PNW scenery haha.

 

Heard of Open Source Avionics? I hanv't put much time into it recently, but I know at one point there was a team building an open platform....experimental market of course. I never got a formal eduction in electronics, but I know enough that I can get in there and fix a lot of problems....create a few too Probably more 75% gambling on my part I've let the magic smoke out of a few things in my career

I wish I could go back in time and talk to an 18 year old me -- But I wouldn't listen now, then I was worse. My challenge is that I found the knack by mistake -- you know --- the ability to fix things and engineer solutions --- The knack came before the education. Now I've got tons of knowledge but am competing with a bunch of 20 somethings with degrees who will work for peanuts (read off-shore)

I'd never recommend IT today to a kid today. Indians are training them faster than we can print work visas....one thing governments and big business love is cheap labor.

@Tour 931 - retire? Thanks to some really bad decisions both by me as well as (theoretically) voters a few years ago, and the politicians who've ran this country into the dirt --- I'll be lucky if I ever can. My only goal right now is to dump money into the hosue and get it paid off....maybe then I'll be able to breathe.

 

I haven't, but I'll definitely be looking into it. Thanks!

 

EAA member? Been to Oshkosh? Truly -- an amazing experience if you havn't. Pre-covid, it was impossible to see in 1 day...impossible. Not sure about now.

As a bonus its only a 90 minutes from the nest....almost close enough to camp there, and just drive into oshkosh....you can't get a camp site within an hour last time I tried.

I'd say meet you there -- but my schedule isn't going to permit this year. MAYBE next year.

 

Been Oshkosh a few times. Attended Lakeland in April. Number of airplanes aren’t what they used to be. Still a good time!

 

thats right --- I remember you posting that. People are less scared than they were even 6 monhts ago --- lets hope people continue to gain courage.

 

I've wanted to go to Oshkosh air show for over 30 years, but haven't had any luck making it work yet. One of these years, I'm definitely going. I'm not a member of the EAA, though I'm very aware of the organization. Back in the 80's in high school I used to work as a volunteer at an aircraft fuel efficiency race called the CAFE 400 here in Northern California...there were a lot of EAA types running around that event, often with their aircraft. Us youngsters would help out in various logistics roles. My favorite memory of the races was meeting Burt Rutan and Mike Melvill, and later getting to direct them down the runway at the beginning of the race. They ended up winning for both fuel efficiency AND speed in a plane called the "Catbird". Super fun.

 

I’m officially a Wisconsin farmer now that my tractor was delivered today.

2410CBC5-3FB6-41FD-9A0F-91BDF4C24BA6 by Tour 931 posted May 9, 2022 at 8:59 PM

 

Y'all aught to make it a concerted effort --- Its a long haul from northern Cali, but worth it -- at least once. The museum (on the airfield) is open year round, and that alone is worth a deviation...I'm actually surprised catbird isn't there, a number of other Rutan's are...

The airshow is pretty interesting, even if you don't see the performances. You'll never know what or who you'll get to see, or where. I have heard stories from people I trust who reportedly met Apollo astruanuts just walking down the flightline.

True? maybe. Of course the kit-makers are all there, as are the "big boys". I'm curious if the open avionics project has been there -- probably.


I DO know I was able to see one of the last flights of the SR-71 -- they made a stop when I was there a few visits ago -- seeing that inky black plane make a high speed pass was a once in a lifetime experience, of course it was all scripted but the banter between the pilot and the announcer was quite entertaining -- I'm overdue to go back, I try to go every 5 years or so.

I really like the Icon - But I have yet to purchase a winning lottery ticket, and I simply can't afford a toy that is that expensive.

I have a Zenith CH750 set of plans -- much more affordable -- But, without debt, I just can't seem to get money, time and ambition to all line up. I have an absolute searing HATE for debt. On the way back from "hanger days" and buying the plans, the engine blew in my truck. That engine replacement took most of the money i was going to use for the kit, then life attacked with ailing/elderly relatives making it necessary to move in a soft housing market....so...I have the plans.

I considered buying the kit and avionics instead of my CampInn...I think they call these "modern problems"...and realized I would enjoy the campinn for many years, and my wife with me. An airplane would probably take me 5 years to build and at this point, I'd like to travel now -- though be it a little slower.

 

I know, I know...I promise, I've been trying to go! I'm going to make an effort to try for next year. This year is already booked for another big trip: my wife and I, who have been to all 50 states together, are only missing a tiny handful of states on the East Coast that we haven't ye camped in. We're going to resolve that issue this year.

The SR-71 is a cool plane. I was at the decommissioning ceremony at Beale Air Force Base in January 1990, and got to see a Mach 3 flyby at 80,000 feet...it was pretty awesome. They had some U-2's scattered around the airfield, too, though they weren't flying the day I was there. The SR-71 was later raised from the dead to do some more flying in the 90's after that decommissioning...guess you can't keep a good plane down.

Like you, I also hate debt. I think we'd get along great if we met in real 3D meat space. Maybe one of these day's we'll meet up on the road somewhere.

 

"I fly o'r the valley of the shadow of death, and fear no evel! For I am 80,000 feet and climbing..." My SR71 sightning was in the 1997. They did not do a supersonic pass, but they did attempt a high speed climb --- only 1 of the 2 "blue diamonds" formed...still amazing performance even with 1/2 not working

The sound of the SR71 is what stood out to me --- it sounded almost unearthly. It had an odd rattle in the exhaust note. Of course, the Art Bell fan in me wants to say "They SAY the U2 isn't flying today, or the SR71..."

When you pass through the midwest look us up -- There are some really interesting travel destinations close to us

• The Indianapolis 500 Track/Museum
• Wright-Patterson AFB museum a little to our east
• Armtstrong Museum (Dayton)
• Indianapolis Muesum of Art
• Eideljorg Museum.
• The worlds largest ball of paint (its a thing...they'll even let you add a layer. Last I saw it, it was nearly the size of a room, suspended by a ibeam constructed gantry)

Looking forward to that meeting!

 

Ya, that sound...definitely memorable. Such a cool plane.

I've been to the Air Force Museum in Dayton...one of my favorite aerospace museums of all time, right up there with the National Air & Space Museum in Washington DC. I'll have to check out the other ones you mentioned.

 

That's true of hotel and motel rooms during AirVenture at Oshkosh, and has been for many years, but
camp sites at Osh are actually not too difficult to get unless you want one down front and show center or in the trees. Those get rented about a month before the show, and paid for that whole month right on through the show. But if you are willing to take one out closer to the entry gates, they are almost always available, and they have shuttles that run regularly to take campers from those areas to and from the show area on a regular schedule. There are also a couple of private campgrounds adjacent to the EAA's as well, and I haven't had any problem getting a spot in one of those either. If you are real lucky, you might find a spot with some trees for shade, which you are not likely to find in Camp Sholler (EAA campground) unless you have that paid month ahead reservation.

When I started flying in 1994 I use to go every year, but it's been down to about every other for the last decade. The airshows are fantastic the first few times you see them, but now I usually go visit the exhibit buildings during the airshow because they are a little less crowded then. They added a nighttime airshow about 8 years ago, with pyrotechnics and elaborate lighting on the planes, which is really something to see as well. The seaplane base across the lake from AirVenture is another fun place to visit if you are interested in amphibians like the Icon, or float planes, and they have a shuttle running all day that will take you out and back from there as well.
Depending on how close you want to look at things, you could easily be there the whole week, and not see everything there is to see.