Declared...

 

Joan declared our household a "No HOA business zone" for the weekend...

 Good call.  

On this day in history...

 

... nothing happened.

I got this message when checking the "Facebook Memories" today...

 Not sure if that means I made no posts on November 7th for the past 15 years, or if Facebook is having an issue pulling them up.  It has been kinda fun looking back and seeing where we were and what were were doing in the past.

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HOA Board Meeting...

Yep, the board meeting was last night.  It was even more of a fiasco than usual: one board member had to be muted because she was screaming over anyone else who had the floor and actually used an expletive (F*** you!) when I told her someone else had the floor.  And then, she lied about saying it.  Fortunately, a homeowner was videoing the meeting.  There will be some action taken.  

It is disheartening that people have to behave this way.  There is a lot more to it than I will go into here, but there is a pattern of behavior with this board member; but last night was the worst.  I heard from homeowners after the meeting regarding this person.  They want her removed from the board so we can get through a meeting without all the rancor. 

 

Good Day For A Ride...

 

I wasn't the only one who thought so...

 It was around 70º when I left the house this morning - SO nice!  I took my small Insta360 Go3s camera along.  Even though it is in the company name, this camera isn't a 360.  To start, I had it mounted on my helmet.  It is small - about the size of your thumb, although it does have a slightly larger "docking" mount that makes it look more like a typical action camera.  Instead of using the screen on that mount, I used my phone to control the camera (you can see it in that lower image above).

I do like the twisty roads...

 Things are still pretty green around here, thanks to that big rain 3 weeks ago; check out the vibrant green on the ocotillo...

 I swapped the camera to a mount on my mirror, but this lens is a bit "longer" so it crops in a bit closer...

 Just enjoying the ride - and, another wave...

 Good for the soul.  I can use that - I have another HOA board meeting this evening.

 

Desert Sunset...

 

I think it's safe.  (Looking side to side.)  We may be beyond the 90º mark for daytime highs here in the desert; for today's date, the average daytime high is 81º.  The high today is supposed to be around 85º.  If you live in the frozen northland, that sounds hot.  Here in the desert, most residents find that delightful.  I would be one of those.

It was 55º when I took Murphy out this morning, shortly after 6:00 am.  Yes, I had on a "winter jacket."  I have acclimated.  Joan tells me that next week, we will see some daytime highs in the 70s.  I may need a sweater.  ;-)

Since we had the the big rain 3 weeks ago, it has been dry here.  There have been some pretty sunsets...

 And, a moon-rise (shot with my iPhone)...

 Not the detail I get with my Sony mirrorless camera, but you can see some color in the sky.

I may go for a motorcycle (or scooter) ride today... I have to let it warm up a bit.  Nice change of pace.  ;-)

 

Beaver Shot...

 

Yes, I am an adolescent in an aged body.  Of course, I am talking about the November Full Moon: known as the Full Beaver Moon...

 The actual peak is at 5:19 am Wednesday morning here in the Phoenix area.  So, tonight and tomorrow night will appear "full."  For more precision, this is the Full Beaver Supermoon; one of 3 Supermoons in 2025.

For decades, the Old Farmer's Almanac has referenced the monthly Full Moons with names tied to early Native American, Colonial American, and European folklore. Traditionally, each Full Moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred and through all of the Moon’s phases.

Why the “Beaver” Moon? This is the time of year when beavers begin to take shelter in their lodges, having laid up sufficient food stores for the long winter ahead. During the fur trade in North America, it was also the season to trap beavers for their thick, winter-ready pelts. 

This Moon has been called the Frost Moon by the Cree and Assiniboine peoples and the Freezing Moon by the Anishinaabe—for good reason, as winter is right around the corner!  The Old Farmer's Almanac isn't talking about the Arizona desert.  ;-)

A couple moon "fun facts":

Did you know: The spin time of the Moon on its axis is identical to the time it takes the Moon to revolve around Earth, which is why the Moon always keeps almost precisely the same face toward us.

How much would you weigh on the Moon? Just multiply your weight (it doesn’t matter if it’s in pounds or kilograms) by 0.165. You’d weigh about 80% less!

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Music today at Mark and Cindy's home, with the big group.  Cindy did shoot a couple video clips - these are stills "grabbed" from her video...

 These were taken after Carl had left for the day (would normally be 6 of us this time of year), and Ron and I had swapped places with playing guitar and cajon.  Ron also got to try my in-ears monitor - not really necessary with this group, since we don't play that loud.  But, depending on the way we're arranged, you may not be able to hear the vocals as well - they come in loud and clear with these wireless IEMs.  The small wireless transmitter I have will support two receivers, so we were able to give it a try today.

 

Two In One Week...

 

Yesterday, the local guys - I'm going to call them Allan's Group - played out.  This is more work, because there is more gear to be hauled.  But, it was for a good cause: Allan works with people who feed the homeless and those who are food insecure.  This gig was for the volunteers, then continued when the facility opened for the homeless.

Volunteers had brought clothing items, which were dumped out on several long banquet tables.  Joan came along with me to this (her photos coming up); while the band was setting up, Joan helped fold clothes.  She can't just sit around while there is work to be done.  Even if it isn't her work.

Speaking of setting up: this is the first time I've played out with these guys.  (I've jammed with them for months.)  There were issues: pieces for mounting the PA speakers onto the stands didn't come along with us.  I borrowed a rolling kitchen cart from the staff there, to give the speaker some height; and we put the other speaker on a chair; not ideal, but you work with what you have.  The small mixer that one of the guys brought didn't use the same cable connection as the powered speakers.  I brought other 1/4" cables, and we made that work.  Allan's bass amp wasn't producing sound; I brought along my Bose S1 Pro PA/amp as a back-up, or to use as a monitor (since this group does play loud).  It isn't meant to be a bass amp, but it's what we had.

The new situation with using that S1 as a bass amp: there is a limit to how much bass sound it can put out.  My solution: "Guys, we are going to have to bring the overall volume down with the guitar and keyboard amps to the level of what the S1 can put out."  From my perspective, this was actually a good thing... the room wasn't small, but we didn't need to be playing at ear-splitting volumes.

And, speaking of the room: the area we had to set up was behind a couple large pillars.  There was no way to arrange positions so that someone wasn't directly behind one of those pillars from the audience perspective...

 It was a different situation for us, since we generally play in a semi-circle at Allan's house, so we can each see all the other players.  Again, you deal.

We ran a quick sound check, since people were already there.  I balanced the PA with the volume of the amps.  A quick break, and then we started playing for real.

 From behind the pillars.  ;-)

The audience was good - nice applause and cheering.  When they opened it up for the crowd that had gathered outside, it was even better: more bodies to absorb sound, and more people clapping.  We were minus one guitar player, but Tony (the guy to the left, wearing a hat) picked up the slack nicely.

During a break, I got to visit with Joan for a bit; I asked her if the sound was balanced.  She said, "I recorded some audio for you - it's hard to get video because of all the people and you guys being behind those pillars.  But, the sound is good.  And you guys sound good!"  Kind of her to say. 

 

 

Gig done, we packed up and headed for home.  Joan and I had supper out before stopping at Allan's house to drop off the PA speakers that we hauled there and back.  Unloaded my gear into the house in the dark.  That was a lot of work.  Joan was a real champ in helping.

 

Playing out with Hip Replacements last Tuesday, and Allan's Group (I call it the Allan Lindsay Project) on Sunday.  In the same week.  I told Mark I had "one gig out per month in me," and this was now two in one week.  Two different groups.  Two different repertoires.  Same aching back.  Sliding into the hot tub last night was a relief.

 

 

Fall Fest...

 

Yesterday was our community Fall Fest.  The Social Director on our HOA board put a lot of work into this event: costume contests for kids and pets (Dicha won first place with her bee costume).  There was a clown/magician/balloon artist for the kids; live music for the grown-ups, a food truck, and an ice cream truck.  

 3 of the 5 HOA board members were there... that's all I'm going to say about that.

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Updates...

Since getting the HoverAir X1 Pro, there have been updates to the drone and/or beacon controller every couple weeks.  I got it out yesterday to download and install the updates.  And then, a bit of flying...

 Using the controller, I flew it around like a more typical drone, as opposed to using the automated flight modes built into it.  I tested that out by following Murphy around...

The furry boy wasn't frightened by the noise of the drone, but he did keep an eye on it...

 Look under the chair on the image above to find him.

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This afternoon, we are playing out with the group I call "the local guys."  The band doesn't have an official name, yet.  I have told Mark and the guys that I have "maybe one gig per month in me"... I didn't really expect any playing out at all with these local guys.  We'll see how this one goes.   This will be two gigs in less than a week.

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Did you "fall back"?  Switch from Daylight Saving Time to Standard Time at 2:00 am this morning?  Not me.  Arizona (and Hawaii) doesn't change.  Look at all the "time" we save by not messing with all the clocks in the house.  ;-)