Verna and Bob's Weblog

Bob

A Troubling Gap

saguaro-gap.jpgA troubling gap appeared at the base of our giant saguaro cactus. The gap between the cactus and the ground is on the north side of the root. Verna noticed it yesterday but we don’t know for sure how long it has been like that.

Image – the gap at the base of the saguaro – courtesy of Verna. Click on the image to enlarge.

Needless to say, I immediately placed a call to the garden shop that sold us the saguaro. The owner indicated that he would get in touch with the expert from the cactus farm and that they would have a look at it tomorrow. It’s troubling, but they assure me there’s no reason to panic.

August 17, 2011 by Arizona Home & Garden Retirement Weirdness

Pistol Rack for the Safe

rackem.jpgThe “RACK’EM” pistol storage unit for the safe door arrived today. It only took a half-hour to install and load it up (after I charged up the half-flat 18V Battery pack for the power drill).

The manufacturer supplied the screws to secure the rack to the safe door but I replaced them with some better sheet metal screws that I had on hand. The rack itself is coated with a pliable plastic that won’t mar the weapons.

I loaded the rack with our two Smith & Wesson 686 revolvers (Jerry Lee and Bubba), the unnamed 9MM S&W 908’s, Verna’s Warthog (Miss Piggy) and my Glock 26 (Little Boy) with IWB Holster. You don’t see my Glock 30 (Fat Man) and Verna’s S&W 442 (Rosie the Riveter) because we carry those guns most all the time.

Image – rack with all sixteen hooks loaded with guns and accessories – click on the image to enlarge.

Below the pistols, I loaded the other ten hooks with our other holsters and gun carrying cases. Suddenly, there is a lot of room on the shelves of the safe for other stuff. Verna and I are both pleased with our purchase.

August 16, 2011 by Arizona Firearms Retirement

Ebbing Twilight

I had been threatening to get this image for a while now. I wanted to take the tripod and the little Canon SX110 Power Shot down to the road after sundown to capture the accent lighting we placed under the “Big Guy” 13 foot saguaro cactus. I think I succeeded and got some bonus items in the image. You can see one of Verna’s dark-sky-friendly sconces, the blue neon glow from the “Route 66” clock in the garage, the courtyard gate and a couple of stars among the passing clouds. Taken around 8:15 PM. Click on the image to enlarge.

ebbing-twilight.jpg

August 12, 2011 by Arizona Home & Garden Photography Retirement

The Time Sink Returns

football.gifPre-season NFL Football returns to the tube tonight. We watched the Seattle Seahawks play against the San Diego Chargers in San Diego at 8PM eastern (5PM Arizona time) on ESPN. Verna and I tuned in an hour early for the pre-game show. There will also be televised games tomorrow evening, Saturday and Monday.

Before we terminated our California DirecTV service, we had the full-on NFL Sunday Ticket watch-anything package. We did not opt for it in Arizona since our viewing habits changed due to time at the shooting range and other weekend activities. Plus, it was expen$ive.

We’re huge football junkies, so watching the games is a time sink that takes away from blogging. It will continue intermittently right up through Superbowl Sunday in February.

August 11, 2011 by Culture Leisure Retirement

Oversized Load Coming Through Town

oversize.jpg

I hope someone gets a picture of this heavy-hauling behemoth as it crosses the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge. I honestly don’t know how this rig will be able to navigate through the two traffic circles in Wickenburg but I guess they have thought it through.

Photo Credit : Precision Heavy Haul.

PHOENIX – What weighs 285 tons, moves uphill at 15 mph and takes eight days to travel from Hoover Dam to the mining town of Miami, east of Phoenix? It’s a huge anode used in the electrical process for refining copper.

The largest oversized load to cross the new Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge will enter Arizona from Nevada [tonight] and start a 380-mile journey that’s expected to create significant travel delays for some drivers who wind up traveling behind it.

A Phoenix-based hauling company, Precision Heavy Haul, is carrying the anode on a specially-designed truck and trailer rig stretching 225 feet long. The oversized load started its trip from Salt Lake City on Aug. 2.

It is now scheduled to cross the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge just after midnight Tuesday morning (Aug. 9) and continue a slow trek to its destination – the Freeport-McMoRan mine in Miami – about 80 miles east of downtown Phoenix.

Motorists should expect delays in the vicinity of the oversized load, which will take up to two lanes, and will be escorted by Department of Public Safety officers and pilot cars. There will be no traffic impacts for weekend travelers.

A complete travel schedule may be found here.

August 8, 2011 by Weirdness

Avalon 1998

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