A Hot Time In the Old Town...

 

If you said, "A popular American song from around 1896," you get 10 bonus points.  If you knew it was composed by Theodore August Metz and performed by McIntyre and Heath Minstrels, you get an additional 300 bonus points.  If you thought it had something to do with Old Mother Leary's cow, you get 3 bonus points.  If you said, "Who is Old Mother Leary and what does that have to do with a cow?" you are probably a whippersnapper.  No bonus points for being a whippersnapper.

The high temperature today in Phoenix is supposed to be 114º today.  115º tomorrow.  Neither of which is in "record territory."  That is hot... with a capital HOT.  86º when I got up at 6:15 this morning; 90º by the time I got Murphy outside at 6:40.  If we don't get outside first thing this morning, he isn't going to get any outdoor time.  He doesn't understand that it will burn his big furry paws.  Last night, it was nearly dark before he got to go outside again.

There is an Extreme Heat Warning from now through 8:00pm on Thursday.  You might think: "You live in Arizona - you get acclimated to the heat."  Sorta.  As of today, there have been 192 deaths in the metro area that are suspected to be heat related... 16 confirmed.  The Salvation Army has opened cooling shelters in places around the Valley.

Thank goodness for air conditioning.

 

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Broke...

You're out of money, Jim?  Well, Joan hasn't given me my allowance yet this week.  I'm kidding... I don't get an allowance.  Mostly, I get by on my looks.

So, you really are broke, huh?

Damn - you people are harsh.  In Sunday's post, I talked about my Gibson ES-335 TDC.  I have music with Mark and the guys tomorrow - I was thinking about taking it.  While playing it this morning, I bent a string and... snap!

Now, we're all aware that a broken string isn't a big deal.  Back when I was playing for a living, I broke strings several times a week.  I don't have any strings for that guitar, so it will require a trip to a guitar shop.  No, that isn't a hardship; I like guitar shops.  The problem comes after you change all the strings... the guitar tends to go out of tune frequently, until the strings settle in.  I don't want to spend all my time tuning tomorrow.  So, we'll see how that plays out.

I was thinking about taking the 335 to that guitar shop that has the amp I'm interested in... that would be downright embarrassing to bring in a guitar that's missing a string.  I know this for a fact: yesterday while at that guitar shop, a kid (well, looked to be in his 20s) brought in a guitar that needed a string replaced.  He seemed to think it was a technical operation to replace a string.  I was embarrassed for him.  He probably had no idea that he should be embarrassed.

For those of you who don't play guitar, first of all, I am sorry for you.  And second of all, changing a string should be one of the first things you learn.

When I was going out to the car yesterday, the kid was coming out at the same time - I held the door for him.  He asked me, "What kind of guitar was that that you were playing?"  I told him a little bit about Emerald guitars.  He told me about his Epiphone Les Paul (with the broken string now replaced).  Also told me he has been playing "about a year."

"62 years for me... and my first guitar wasn't anywhere near as nice as your Epiphone."  I also told him, "The music comes from the player... but, it doesn't hurt to have a nice instrument." 

Speaking of amps...

 

That's amplifiers, as in: to use with an electric guitar.

There is an amp I'm interested in.  The only place we found one in a search of the Phoenix area is at Bizzare Guitars & Drums.  Yes, that is the name of the place.  I called before heading there - yep, they have one in stock.

I took a guitar with me.  Also a couple of my other amps - just in case there is an opportunity to do some trading.  The manager isn't in on Mondays, so no trade today.  I did try their amp: very nice.  Perhaps a bit of overkill for my current use.  But, very nice.  A consideration, but noting came home with me.

 

Hello Old Friend...

 

This is a long-standing friendship.  Even before I met Joan.  In two weeks, it will be 60 years.

For those who don't know, that is my Gibson ES-335 TDC.  Received on my 13th birthday.  My brother-in-law John negotiated the price down from $500 to $350.  Including the case.

There is more to the story.  Before the 335, I had a Teisco Recco.  Teisco was a Japanese company.  Recco was a Japanese word meaning: piece of crap.  It literally made my fingers bleed.  I didn't care - I just wanted to play guitar and be in a band.

We did our first paid gig when I was 12.  We made $3 each.  I couldn't believe it: getting paid to play a guitar.  And making way more per hour than I made bagging groceries in the neighborhood grocery store.  Pretty sure there were no child labor laws back then.  ;-)

That band became The Spirit of '76.  Because we bought the jackets second hand...

 That's me with the tall boots.  And, the 335.  Back to the story of the 335: there was a music store in Sioux City that wasn't the cool place - they mostly sold pianos and school band instruments.  But, they had a few guitars... and one of them was this very 335, in the cherry finish.  I was determined to get that guitar.  I saved what I made from playing weekly gigs with the band and working in the grocery store.  My sister believed in me - she said, "I know you've saved some money - for your birthday, John and I will chip in to get you that guitar you want."

 That is my sister Joan and me, playing that gawd-awful Recco.

The 335 changed things for me.  Big time.  I discovered I could actually play the guitar - it was so much easier to play compared to the Recco.  The band sounded better.  We got better jobs.  As a 14 year old, we were playing almost every weekend.

I was 16 and Joan was 15 when we started dating.  I would like to say it was my good looks and charm that turned her head... pretty sure it was the guitar playing.

Other bands.  I quit college first time around to go on the road with the Flippers...

 Yep, even in that blurry snapshot above, you can see the 335 (and my Marshall stack to the left); the 335 and the Fender Bandmaster below...

Later, with Stinger...

The 335 with my Fender Twin Reverb (above); I had that Twin from 1974 to 2006; the 335 stayed. 

After 2006, I spent more time playing acoustic guitar - easy to do a solo thing with an acoustic.  A lot of other guitars have come and gone over the years.  When we moved to Phoenix a bit over 2 1/2 years ago, Joan helped me hang guitars in my music room... she said, "The 335 needs its own special place on the wall..."

 

 

The 335 has hung on that wall since.  Until today.  I got it down and tuned it up.  It felt... like home.  It needs a fresh set of strings, but I tuned it up and gave it some playing time.  Plugged in.

The 335 has been with me for a lot of years.  It helped feed our young family.  Hell, it is part of the family.  I thought it had worked hard and deserved time to kick back and let some of the other guitars have their time to shine.  Now, I'm thinking the 335 and I should have more time together.  Maybe it needs a different amp to show it off?

 

Quieter... sorta

 

So, how did it go last night?  The neighbors (behind Steph and Dan's yard) that were SO noisy on New Years Eve were absent last night.  I really thought people would heed all the warnings about fire danger and the ban on fireworks in city limits.

I did mention previously that we are right on the edge of city limits and the county.  There is a place up the mountain from us - last year on the 4th, they actually started two fires on their property with all the fireworks.  You would think they would learn...

 Umm... nope.  So much for that "no fireworks that leave the ground" ban.  This was just one small snippet.

Don't get me wrong - I enjoy a good fireworks display.  Especially when they are put on by professionals.  But, I no longer have any interest in dealing with the crowds and traffic to go see them.  It used to be easy when we lived in the Tropical Tip and could take our boat into the bay and watch "the biggest fireworks display in the State of Texas" from the cockpit.  And not have to deal with the traffic getting on and off the island.  Dock to bay, bay to dock - no traffic, no waiting.

I had anticipated that the majority of the noise here would die down after 10:00 pm.  That was the peak, but there was a bell curve on either side of that.

The most important thing: how did the kitties do?  Murph was totally chill; little Stella had concerns, but no panic.  I think it helped that Mom and Dad didn't react to all the popping noise out there.  I haven't visited with Steph and Dan yet today to see how their critters did.

So, Happy Birthday, America!  Other than Mother Nature causing some issues around the country, seems that the party went off as planned.

 

How do you spell R*E*L*I*E*F?

 

If you said, "R*O*L*A*I*D*S - from the TV commercials in the 70s and 80s," you get 15 bonus points.  No, this isn't about that kind of relief.  Joan's Xmax has been sitting a bit too long and the battery is run down - the heat here in the desert doesn't help that situation.

The battery in the Xmax is in an unusual place compared to most motorcycles and scooters: it sit under the front fairing, just below the windshield.  Most bikes have the battery under the seat or some other easily accessible place.  I have had the piece on the front of the fairing off twice in the six years Joan has had that bike.  Once was to wire an accessory USB attachment piece back to the handlebars... as I recalled, it was a real chore.  The other time was to replace the battery 3 years ago.  I couldn't recall the process to get to the battery, since that accessory attachment was stuck in my mind.

YouTube is my friend.  It took 12 seconds to pull up a video showing how to remove that piece and get access to the battery.  And about 90 seconds of watching the video to provide some relief to my mind for the process... two allen screws and about a dozen clips that hold that plastic piece in place (be careful not to break any of those tabs/clips).

 Before I get that charged and check the state of the battery, I will wire a pigtail to the battery connections so we can attach a Battery Tender without having to take that apart each time.  In the meantime, the Battery Tender is giving the battery a slow charge.  I will put a load on it and test it to see if the battery needs to be replaced.  Typically, I figure 5 years or so on a bike battery - things are different here in the desert.

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Happy 250th Birthday, America!

It was relatively quiet last night, as far as fireworks in the neighborhood.  Steph and Dan went to a ballgame with friends and left me in charge of Dicha for the evening.  With concerns about the potential noise and commotion, they put her crate in their huge walk-in closet, with a TV to mask any outside noises that could possibly stress out the pooch.  As it turns out, it wasn't an issue.

Now, if we can make it through tonight.  Our neighborhood is in a "No Fireworks Zone," but that didn't stop some neighbors on this past New Years Eve.  It just so happened that we were watching Dicha during that night - the noise was horrendously loud, as it was a group of adults setting off huge aerial displays right behind our house... with most of them going off right over the top of us.  We brought Dicha over to our house and sat with her on the floor that evening to try to keep her calm.

If the assholes start that again tonight, I will be calling the Police.  There have been Extreme Fire Warnings in place for almost the entire state of Arizona.  Fireworks have been completely banned in many areas (including ours).  I assume that our proximity to South Mountain is why our address is in that "No Fireworks Zone." There are local PSAs stating that there are "no fireworks allowed that raise above the ground anywhere in Phoenix."  There are also wildfires being fought in quite a few places in the state... people have to be aware of the potential danger.

That said, there is a lot going on - fireworks above the Diamondback's Ballpark again tonight (they did that last night, as well), with many other communities across the Valley having professional fireworks or drone shows.

This morning, before getting the Xmax battery charging, Murphy and I were outside in our courtyard.  Joan bought this yard ornament flag months ago...

 In the courtyard, we're the only ones who see it; but we've enjoyed it for several months now.

Right now, we're watching the tall ships (and aircraft flyovers) in New York Harbor.  In the words of the philosophers Cool and the Gang: It's a Celebration. 

 

Let's Cut To The Video...

 

This one was just fun: the video from yesterday's ride... the Burgman 200 scoot is a hoot to ride.  Very "flickable" (that's a motorcycle/scooter term meaning it turns fast and easy in the curves).  Then, there's the HoverAir X1 Pro - the drone that launches from your hand and performs "intelligent" maneuvers, like Follow Me, Zoom Out, Orbit, and a bunch of others.  No controller necessary, just click through the options then press the button.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I wasn't planning on a video - thought I'd probably just do a photo or two from a higher perspective.  With the lack of traffic, I could go as fast or slow as I wanted (within reason, of course); and see how the X1 Pro handled the situation.

Here's the video: about 3 1/2 minutes, with music and a voice-over, just for the fun of it...

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A music jam with "my local guys"... well, 3 of us are from Laveen.  As always, at Allan's house.  Allan on bass and vocals, Tony on lead guitar and vocals, Bob on keyboards, Joe on drums, and me on guitar and vocals.  We play classic rock 'n roll.

Some photos I took (and that's why I'm not in them)...

 Yes, it is a lot of gear.  I am fortunate: Allan has a Marshall amp just like mine, so I don't have to cart it back and forth.

 

Ride On The Mountain...

 

Out reasonably early on the Burgman 200 this morning.  At the last second, I grabbed the HoverAir X1 Pro (drone/flying camera) with the thought that I might get a "zoom out" image at the top of South Mountain.  Yeah, it's never just "a shot."

The traffic on the mountain was as light as I have ever seen - you could count the number of vehicles I saw on one hand... well, if you had 6 fingers on that one hand (3 bicycles, 1 motorcycle, 2 pickup trucks - and only 1 bicycle was in my lane, the rest were in the opposing lane).  So, of course, I felt the need to shoot more than one image, and take some video.

Here are some of the images...

 Zoom out at the upper parking lot (above); starting down the mountain (below)...

 You know you are at the top, with the "antenna farm"...

 I was using the Hover in Follow Mode.  And, this shot in Dolly Track Mode (from the front)...

 More follow shots...

 A few photos taken with my phone...

A ravine full of Saguaro cacti...

 A great ride.  And kinda fun capturing some of it with the HoverAir X1 Pro.  Video to follow.