Frontal passage and random thoughts...

The weather weasels said there would be a frontal passage today that would lower the humidity... they were right... sorta. When the never-ending wind changed from the SE at 25 to the NE at 15, the humidity dropped from around 300% to about 278%. Maybe it's the fact that I've been up north for most of the last month, but I sweated through two shirts today. The truck is ready to go get the 5th wheel out of storage, the cargo trailer is loaded and ready. This will be a fairly "quick turn." It is rare that I look forward to heading north, but we are both ready.

It is terribly dry here in the Tropical Tip. I washed the car yesterday, it is already filthy - lots of blowing dirt/sand in the air. Unlike much of the country that has been getting inundated, south Texas is in the middle of severe drought conditions... no precip in months.

I have had to bite my tongue as we have fueled up the past few days... it's hard to not use the term "dirty, thieving bastards." While at my Mother's apartment, I saw a nearby station go from $4.09 to $3.98 to $4.19 (for diesel) in a 24 hour period.

Some folks have heard me talk about very humble beginnings. I had to laugh when some people in my industry said I was able to retire early because of an "inheritance." Here's a look at the house I grew up in, and where my Mother lived until we moved her into an apartment 7 years ago...


Those three ladies in the photo are: our daughter when she was very young, my Mother, and the Blonde. That black strip across the middle of the house is where the front porch fell off. It wasn't on the wrong side of the tracks, it was about 100 yards from the tracks. I found this photo while going through Mom's stuff. Even though she had it fixed up over the years, it was a delight to get her out of there when she finally consented to the move.

There is a lot of news coverage about a wedding on Friday. One of the news services had an on-line poll: "Will you get up early to watch the wedding coverage?" Um, no. But, I hope to take a break on Friday to watch the Endeavor space shuttle launch for its final mission.

We are looking forward to a great summer season in the mountains. I should be getting plenty of boat time in, and Joan will be booking passengers (and doing lots of other manager stuff).