Today Is The Day...

 

Two things happening for us today: first is the results of the recall effort.  By law, the HOA board had 30 days to arrange the vote and hold a Special Meeting.  Today is Day 25, and the meeting is scheduled in person at the Caesar Chavez Community Center at 1:30.  It is supposed to be just to count and announce the results.  I think most people voted online through the Homeowners' Portal, so those votes should already be counted.  There were a handful of votes that were turned in to a lockbox that was available at the gatherings last week.  There will be the opportunity to vote in person at the meeting.  We encouraged homeowners to use the online option, and it appears that is the way it went.

We will find out the results at the meeting, but based on what people were saying at the gatherings, I have expectations.  Word is out in the community that the board member being recalled plans to contest every single vote.  That has been her "M-O" all of last year and into this new board's year: argue and delay.  Don't do the work she volunteered for, but argue about everything.

I will be glad when this ugliness is done.  I expect the recall to be successful, as long as enough homeowners voted so there is a quorum.  I don't expect her to go away quietly.  And I expect she will be retaliatory and continue to walk the neighborhood looking to turn in violations against her neighbors.  But, if the vote goes the way I expect, she will no longer be able to delay board business.

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The other thing happening today is FAR MORE upbeat: the Hip Replacements have a gig this evening.  The event is the annual fundraiser for the Valley Women's Ensemble, being held at First Church UCC in downtown Phoenix:  https://valleywomensensemble.org/#announcements

Tickets are $22 at the door (advanced sales are closed).  This is their show.  We will be backing them on 4 songs (one with the entire ensemble, three others with 2 different individuals singing).  We will also be doing a half hour set on our own.

 This has been a lot of "arranging" - not in the musical sense, but in coordinating rehearsals and getting different stories on gear to be used.  (They will use their own PA... no, they'll be using ours... no, they will use their condenser mics with our PA... no, they'll use their own PA... and back to: they will be using their mics with our PA, plus we'll need to have a couple extra mics for them to use).

We rehearsed our set on Wednesday, so we're ready to go.  We can get in two hours early to set up our gear, while they will be doing one last run-through before the performance.  We've heard them sing (a couple songs at a joint get-together, where we also did a couple songs) - they are good.  Not our style of music, so it will be interesting to see how their audience does with a rock 'n' roll band.

 

Stash It...

 

Out to the storage place to take the Stowaway2 off the back of the RoadTrek.  And we have a good place to stash it.

How it looks on the back of the van...

 Swung away for access to the doors...

 Cranked further out...

 We took the Stowaway off the RoadTrek and rolled it into the cargo trailer...

 Out of sight, out of the Arizona sun, but ready to go when we are.

Moon Me and May Day...

 

No, don't.  Today (well, it will be visible tonight) is the first of two full moons in May.  The moon would have appeared full last night, but there was enough cloud cover that it didn't make for a good photograph.  I will try again tonight - it is supposed to be clear.

Today is also the first of May.  May Day.  I called my brother-in-law John this morning, who had a life long career as a professional pilot.  We had a good "pilot talk" visit.  I asked him if he ever "declared a Mayday"?  No; in all his years of flying, he had a couple what are considered emergency situations, but never a "Mayday."

I had one time when a door popped open in flight, causing a "shudder" when making a left turn.  The slipstream was such that I couldn't pull the door shut.  When I spoke with Approach Control, I asked for "right turns" due to that shudder.

"Are you declaring an emergency?" they asked.

"No - I just want to avoid left turns."  They let the tower know that I had requested a non-standard approach for landing.

When they turned me over to the tower, they asked, "Do you want the equipment standing by?"  That means: rolling the fire trucks.

"Definitely not.  No emergency here."  If you declare an emergency and it turns out to be nothing, you are responsible for any costs incurred in "rolling the equipment."

As I made my turn to final, there were two fire trucks with lights flashing ready to roll with me on the parallel taxi-way.  I reiterated that I did NOT request "the equipment."

The tower came back with, "We're just playing it safe - plus, they can use the practice."

I had a flashing light escort as I pulled up to the FBO (fixed base operator).  No declared emergency, no cost to me.  But, was winter and it was damn cold in the cockpit.

I was taking the plane from our home airport in Spearfish to the Rapid City Regional Airport just 55 miles away - I had a set of engine heaters that I was having installed by the FBO mechanic there.  It was a cold winter day, and I had taken my coat off while warming up the plane with the cockpit heat on while still on the ground.  Right after takeoff, the passenger door popped open - and stood out about 6" in the slipstream.  I considered returning to that airport, and that is when I discovered the "shudder" in a left turn.  Also, the pressure differential was pulling my coat that I laid on the co-pilot seat toward the door.  I grabbed the coat and shoved it under my leg.

To add to the fun, the engine heaters were in a box in the second row of seats... packed with styrofoam peanuts.  When the door popped open, the styrofoam peanuts swirled around the cockpit like snow.  And, yes, I tried reaching across the cockpit to pull the door shut - too much pressure differential.  So, I made the chilly choice to get the plane to Rapid City.  I pulled my gloves out of the coat pocket... did I mention: it was cold. 

And that led to my discussion for "no left turns" with Approach Control.

Another "emergency situation," which was definitely more of an emergency was when Joan and I were heading from Jackson, Wyoming, to Denver, Colorado, and the plane was hit by lightning while at altitude over the Rocky Mountains.  It took out all our electronics, including the heated pitot tube (which is used to determine air speed).  While in the clouds.  In icing conditions.

Fortunately, the de-ice equipment was still working.  With the radios knocked out, I knew Air Traffic Control would be trying to contact us, since I had let them know about "flying into convective conditions" right before the lightning strike.

At the moment, my job was to fly the plane and determine what equipment was still working.  In instrument conditions.  And icing.  I was flying by sound and feel.  I could see the airspeed indicator dropping, but the sound of the engines was normal... that previously heated pitot tube was icing over, making it look like our airspeed was dropping.

Joan was in the co-pilot seat and was fixated on that dropping airspeed - if it gets too low, the plane will stall (not the same as the engines stalling).  She was very concerned that the airspeed would get too low and we would "fall out of the sky."  In the turbulent conditions, I was working hard to keep the plane "straight and level."

35 years later, I still have the bruises on my arm where she was gripping me so tight. (Humor)

I said to her, "I need to fly this plane and I need your help - my flight bag is in the seat behind you.  Get me the handheld radio and the pad of Post-It notes out of the bag."  I put a Post-It note over the airspeed indicator so she couldn't see it and told her the frequency I needed put in the handheld radio.

I was able to get Air Traffic Control on the handheld... they asked, "Are you OK?  Your transponder went away."  I explained the situation and asked for vectors to where I could safely get lower to get out of the icing conditions.  The plane had de-ice for the wing leading edges, props, and windshield, but I could tell that we were picking up ice on other surfaces.

Within a few minutes, we were able to descend.  With no navigation gear and still in instrument conditions, I didn't know what was right below us... other than the Rocky Mountains.  I shut down the electronics bus and tried bring up nav and com gear.  Nope.

We eventually got below the clouds... and started shedding the ice.  All good.  I asked for and got vectors to Centennial Airport - just south of Denver, where I knew they had a good aviation electronics shop.

Emergency situation?  Oh, yeah.  And no one to declare it to in the worst of it.  After getting all the electronics repaired, we added a StormScope to the plane: it shows you where lightning is in all quadrants around you.  And, yes, it got plenty of use (for avoidance).

 An old photo from our flying days.  Look at those youngsters.

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The Full Flower Moon.  It reached its peak at 10:24 am today (Mountain Standard Time) and will appear full tonight and tomorrow.  The appearance of flowers in abundance inspired the name for this Moon, a term used by Algonquin and Ojibwe peoples.  Similarly, the Cree names of Budding Moon and Leaf Budding Moon celebrate the awakening of plant life . Egg Laying Moon and Frog Moon are other Cree terms for this period.  Moon of the Shedding Ponies is an Oglala term.  Planting Moon (Dakota, Lakota) marks the time to plant seeds and start the year’s crops.  (Thanks to the Old Farmer's Almanac for this information)

It is a clear night tonight, allowing for this view...

Sleepless Nights...

 

If you said, "The Everly Brothers, 1957," you are probably vintage, like me, and you get 25 bonus points.  If you said, "It sounds like the country song 'I have tears in my ears from lying on my back, cryin' at night over you,' thanks for the chuckle, but no bonus points.

Yes, I am talking about the SoundCore Sleep A30 Special earbuds again.  SoundCore sent me out a second unit to replace the first one that just shuts off when it damn well feels like it.  I like having podcasts play while I'm sleeping - better for me than "white noise."  These A30 sleepbuds are supposed to play bluetooth streaming through the night, OR play bluetooth streaming until it detects you are asleep and then switches to "local" which is a variety of sleep sounds that you choose: from raindrops to beach sound (lapping waves) to crickets to city noise, etc, etc.  That hasn't worked.  And, if it did, the sound level between the podcasts and the sleep sounds is so far apart, that one would be blaring while the other wouldn't be audible.  Oh, sure, you can adjust the volume on the sleep buds by "triple tapping" them... while they're in your ear... guaranteeing that you will now be wide awake.

That said, I don't want them to switch from streaming to sleep sounds.  And, I really don't want them to turn off indiscriminately.  I have been dealing with this annoying purchase for about 10 days now - what I would really like is a good nights sleep.

I sent another email to their customer service people letting them know that both of these units will be going back to them if I don't hear from them in some way for a solution to the problem.  I fully expect them to call this "user error," but these are not that complicated.  Checking online, I am finding I am certainly not alone with these things being frustrating.

And what I am hearing from others is that using them to stream music or podcasts won't last through the night - a battery issue.  First world problem?  More like a product that doesn't perform as advertised.

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I heard from their Customer Service this morning: they are refunding my purchase price.  They did give me a list of things to try, which I did.  No difference.  I reset the earbuds.  I deleted and re-loaded the app.  It wasn't from lack of trying on my part; and I do appreciate their customer service person (Shane) for the responses - I felt they were trying, too.  Sometimes, it is best to just cut your (sleep) losses.

 

Stowaway 2...

 

No, that is not a sequel to the movie with Tom Hanks where the FedEx plane crashed and he wound up on a deserted island.  That is Castaway.

We went to Tucson yesterday, met with the couple who have the "like new" Stowaway2 Max for sale.  Nice people and the cargo carrier IS like new.  If they used it, it wasn't much, and it was obviously stored out of the Arizona sun.

The husband's name is Randy - he and I mounted the cargo carrier in our RoadTrek's hitch.  It is a good fit for the van; sits plenty high enough that there is no concern about it dragging on steep driveway entrances; it is well-made...

 It is just what Joan was wanting, and the price was right.  I was relieved to find out that there is no interference with the safety features on the van, like the proximity warning when something is coming up on either side of the van.  The LED lights on it are plenty bright, and you can still see the van lights.

If you're wondering how we will get to the rear doors of the RoadTrek, the rack the storage box sits on swings to the side; giving you access to the doors and the receiver hitch.  It all locks in place; a clever design. 

Back to Phoenix, we parked it in our storage space, up close to the cargo trailer...

 No, we can't use the cargo trailer and the Stowaway2 together - they each use the receiver hitch on the back of the van, so... one or the other.  I think this is going to make traveling easier and better for us.  Now, we just need to get out and about!

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Band rehearsal for me today.  We have a gig on Saturday evening with the Valley Women's Ensemble... they will do their thing, we'll play several songs accompanying them, we'll do our thing, then they will come back on to finish the evening.

In the grand scheme of things, preparing for this gig has been a lot of time and effort.  I have not been "in the loop," and was told different ways how this was to happen.  Frankly, it has led to some strained relations in the band, but I trust we have that all worked out now.  The four of us went to one of their rehearsals; two women from their ensemble have been to 4 of our rehearsals.  Ron and I went to check out the venue.  Multiple discussions of how many songs we're doing together, with the number changing each time.  Really, I am thinking a number has been determined.  Probably.  The pay for the gig will probably work out to minimum wage, considering all the time invested.  That happens.

The next gig we have coming up after that is far more simple: here's the venue, here's the time, here's the payment.  Show up, set up, play, tear down, go home.  My preference.  Just like my solo gig on Saturday.

I like making the music.  Not a fan of fussin'. 

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Cindy shot some video while we were rehearsing.  Straight from her iPhone.  I just put it together with some fade-to-black transitions, no other editing...

 I need to fix her up with one of my video cameras and a couple external mics for her next video shoot.

 

Ride, Captain, Ride...

 

If you said, "Ride Captain Ride is a song recorded by the American rock band Blues Image.  It was co-written by the band's singer-guitarist Mike Pinera and keyboardist Frank "Skip" Konte and was included on the group's 1970 album, Open," you get 93 bonus points.  10 bonus points if you were able to name the band.

I got out for a ride yesterday on the CTX.  In the afternoon.  Notable because it was only in the 80s mid-afternoon.  I didn't take a camera or a video camera along, but I did stop to get a photo of a canyon with scads of saguaro cacti...

  And, of course, the obligatory photo of the CTX...

 I had considered putting a ride off until the next day - good thing I didn't...

 There are parts of the road where the edges are crumbling away - I am hoping that will be part of the repairs they will be doing.  I hadn't seen any other notice of that road closure previously, so I'm glad I got in that ride on Monday.

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Plus, there is another reason we will be occupied today: Joan and I have been having discussions about what we want to do this summer.  I would like to haul the scoots to the Black Hills for a month or so.  We haven't tried the cargo trailer behind the van, but the Gross Combined Vehicle Weight seems to be in line.  The cargo trailer is getting long in the tooth, but some new tires and getting the wheel bearings serviced should bring it up to snuff.  Assuming "snuff" is a good thing.

Joan, on the other hand, would like to do a road trip; possibly going north into California, Oregon, and Washington.  She saw an article that told of a good loop trip to see different things going north, then south.  No scoots along.

The downside of "no scoots along," besides the fact that there would be no scoots: no trailer for extra storage of stuff.  The RoadTrek is a great size.  The only thing lacking is storage for extra stuff for any extended outing.  I am not talking about just having extra clothes, but stuff like kitty litter, tools, easy access to camp chairs and a patio mat.

Now, I will admit that towing a cargo trailer changes that whole "easy size" thing - we would no longer fit in a typical parking space.  There are some campgrounds that have sites where a Class B van will fit, but not the additional 15' of a cargo trailer.  Some compromises are in order.

Joan has been lobbying for some kind of storage pod that would attach to the van hitch.  I would be leaning more towards something that attaches to the rear door hinges, giving it that rugged outdoorsy kinda look.  Those cargo boxes that attach to the door hinges are pricey - like in the $3k+ range.  One of the nicer pods that attach to the hitch would be about half that and give more storage.

She found a couple used Stowaway brand storage pods (her preference) in Arizona.  One is in the Phoenix area, but the photos of it look well used.  Another looks brand new, but is about 2 1/2 hours away.  This week is not packed with things in our schedule, so... road trip.  Well, day trip.  We'll see how that timing works.

The Last of the Four Gatherings...

 

Last night (from 4:00 to 7:00 pm) was the fourth gathering (Thursday through Sunday) in our community.  Another food truck, another opportunity for homeowners to vote on the recall, and another evening of getting to visit with folks we know and meet new people.

The food truck last night was the one I have been looking forward to the most: Juicy Lucy Hamburgers.  Hamburgers made with cheese in the middle...

 

This was the only gathering held in a driveway.  In combination with a birthday celebration for Shannon's husband Steve.  I was told that the food truck sold out - obviously a success for them.  With this being the 4th of 4 consecutive nights, I wondered what the turnout would be; but there seemed to be a steady flow of people coming and going through the evening.  I can vouch for the Juicy Lucy burger being tasty... and they warn you to be careful when eating it because that melted cheese in the middle is hot.  I can see how you could burn your lip when it comes oozing out.  Available in regular or spicy.  Served with fries.   

Former board member Shannon has been the powerhouse in putting all this together.  I have no doubt that she will call it a "community effort," but without her leadership, it would not have brought everyone together like it has.  So many nice comments from homeowners in the community regarding these gatherings.

I'm not counting any chickens before they're hatched.  There is still a large majority of homeowners who do not participate: they don't vote in board elections and they don't attend board meetings.  There were naysayers who said those favoring the recall couldn't get 25% of the homeowners to sign the petition; that was exceeded by over 10%.  Those same people are saying that there won't be enough people for a quorum that will vote: 20% needed for that.  I don't have any insider information, but going from what I am seeing on social media, that quorum should have already been met.  And there are 5 days left to vote - the special meeting on the recall is on May 2nd, this Saturday, and will be in person.

I am hopeful.

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Murphy and I enjoyed some time in the courtyard this morning.  Yes, like almost every morning.  It is often time for me to check out what is my latest interest on YouTube on my phone while I keep an eye on Murph.  Today, it was time for a bit of attention for the hot tub... check chemistry, clean filters, and add some water.  All good.  This hot tub, Eco-Spa, has been great!

 I really appreciate the solid 2-piece top that cantilevers open - no lifting off a cover, and no vinyl to deteriorate in the desert sun.  When hot tub shopping 2 1/2 years ago, this one seemed the most practical.  Not the shiny fiberglass of some, nor the elegant thermos-bottle look of the Hot Springs Spa (what we had in Boulder Canyon and Spearfish).

When I visited with the dealer at a Home Show where we bought it, he said, "This is the brand that people buy as their second or third hot tub: well-built, always ready to go, energy efficient.  It isn't 'showy', but it is the easiest to live with."  It made sense to me then, and has proven to be just as advertised.

I use it almost every evening.  I like to look at the stars and count airplanes flying over in the night sky.  Very relaxing.