Sometimes Things Just Happen

Sometimes people are unlucky. Sometimes people don't watch where they're going. Sometimes it just isn't your day.

h/t WoFat

The Holiday

Last Sunday the family gathered for a traditional Thanksgiving so that the various components could have Thanksgiving dinner at their other family unit's homes. It's not the norm, but it works and so it is. I planned to spend Thanksgiving eating a hamburger or something. (Jack-in-the-Box is open)

However, my oldest girl invited me to her home for Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving day -- so I'll feast twice. My wasteline didn't need it, but it will be fun all the same.

My Grandson, Griffin, seemed to have a great time at the Sunday Thanksgiving. I'm sure that he is looking forward to double-dipping. He's a growing boy.

Griffin can say the alphabet and can count to thirteen. He's looking forward to the arrival of his little brother, Cannon, in March. He pats my daughter's tummy and talks to his brother. (very cute)

I don't have a septic tank.

My home is attached to the city sewer system.

And you may be wondering why I mention this at all. There are times when you simply have to wish that a truck like this one (below) was pumping in your neighborhood.

KOFA National Wildlife Refuge

Saguaro Cactus (background) near Crystal Hill

I spent a couple of days with a friend and his wife driving around the King of Arizona (KOFA) National Wildlife Refuge, located south of I-10 (near Quartzsite, AZ) and east of I-95. Crystal Hill is home to a long vein of quartz that runs up the side of the a couple of hills. I couldn't get a good photo to come out, but we spent some time there looking for specimens.

Little Horn Mountains

There wasn't sufficient time to see it all in the time alloted, so I concentrated on the northern part of the Wildlife Refuge. The animals and birds didn't seem to be much concerned with people. There were a lot of desert quail and I would have taken some photos of them but I didn't have a telephoto lens suitable for the purpose.

Palm Canyon -- yes, there are palm trees here. 
They're up in the canyon. 

I took photos but because of shadow, they didn't turn out.

The mountains are mostly Rhyolite, a volcanic rock that is rich in silica. The eruptions in ancient times also sent gold upward and there are veins of quartz bearing gold. The King of Arizona Mine produced tons of gold. There are still active mining ventures in the area.

KOFA Queen Canyon  The canyon road runs due east from the Palm Canyon Road for about 8.5 miles. The road continues beyond that but was closed. The unscrupulous can keep driving on the closed road around a blood colored butte to De Le Osa well, where there are Desert Big Horn Sheep because there's water and seepage from Tunnel Spring (a mine that struck water).

Overgrown Road

The road is overgrown in many places and it's difficult to determine where the road is/was. This is a photo of my friend, Gary, squeezing through an area I just drove through.

Skull Cave

In KOFA Queen Canyon, there is a cave that one may opine had been used by aboriginal people. The rock containing the cave is dome shaped (like a skull) and the area inside the cave is large enough to shelter several people. The roof of the cave is heavily carboned from fires over the years/ages.  There are not many visitors here.

The Scorpion (famous Toyota FJ Cruiser)

The KOFA Cabin can be used by visitors on a first come - first served basis I am pictured here, wearing my Oathkeeper t-shirt. The cabin is very old, made of stone and the iron window shutters can be opened.  We found the cabin clean and well taken care of, but didn't spend the night there.

Happy Birthday USMC

I was happy to go ashore ahead of the Marines and insure it was safe for them to land on the beach... However, they're a gallant bunch of Devil Dogs and deserve a rousing Happy Birthday (11-10-10).

From the Manitoba Herald - Shamelessly lifted from Jim McMahon's blog

The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration. The recent actions of the Tea Party are prompting an exodus among left-leaning citizens who fear they'll soon be required to hunt, pray, and to agree with Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck.

Canadian border farmers say it's not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, animal-rights activists and Unitarians crossing their fields at night.

"I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in the barn," said Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota . The producer was cold, exhausted and hungry. He asked me if I could spare a latte and some free-range chicken. When I said I didn't have any, he left before I even got a chance to show him my screenplay, eh?"

In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled them. He then installed loudspeakers that blared Rush Limbaugh across the fields. "Not real effective," he said. "The liberals still got through and Rush annoyed the cows so much that they wouldn't give any milk."

Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons and drive them across the border where they are simply left to fend for themselves.

"A lot of these people are not prepared for our rugged conditions," an Ontario border patrolman said. "I found one carload without a single bottle of imported drinking water. They did have a nice little Napa Valley cabernet, though."

When liberals are caught, they're sent back across the border, often wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumors have been circulating about plans being made to build re-education camps where liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer and watch NASCAR races.

In recent days, liberals have turned to ingenious ways of crossing the border. Some have been disguised as senior citizens taking a bus trip to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs. After catching a half- dozen young vegans in powdered wig disguises, Canadian immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed senior-citizens about Perry Como and Rosemary Clooney to prove that they were alive in the 50's. "If they can't identify the accordion player on the Lawrence Welk Show, we become very suspicious about their age," an official said.

Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating an organic-broccoli shortage and are renting all the Michael Moore movies. "I really feel sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian economy just can't support them," an Ottawa resident said. "How many art-history majors does one country need?"

In an effort to ease tensions between the United States and Canada, Vice President Biden met with the Canadian ambassador and pledged that the administration would take steps to reassure liberals. A source close to President Obama said, "We're going to have some Paul McCartney and Peter, Paul & Mary concerts. And we might even put some endangered species on postage stamps. The President is determined to reach out," he said.

They're Gnarley

It's difficult to make a decision at times. In the run-up to Surfing's Triple Crown, there were two surfing competitions today on Oahu, Hawaii. The IHC competition at Sunset Beach and the Longboard competition at Makaha (other side of the island) went down today in surfing conditions that were described as 'gnarley'. 

I started out at the Banzai Pipeline, sitting in the bowl section, watching a few rogue surfers hit the right slide. Then moved to Sunset Beach, where I found a parking place - dead center on the IHC competition. It rained a bit, but sitting on the sand, watching some very good surfers ride gnarley waves proved to be transcendental. 

The waves yesterday peaked at about 35' and were deemed unridable so the competition didn't open then. They waited a day for this morning when the waves were running under the 20' mark. Still, they were big and as an armchair surfer, I spent four hours out there. ###

Swell

The waves on Hawaii's North Shore ran between 25 and 35 feet today. There were some monster waves that bashed ashore along Hali-Ewa, the Banzai Pipeline and Sunset Beach.

You can see some large breakers -- standing east of Sunset Beach -- combing over way out about 200 meters from shore.

And even on the North Shore with monster waves, you can always find a calm place to take in the sun, walk on a pristine beach, and experience paradise. ###