Undecided...

 

What to title this post... I considered "Holy Week" or "Cheating Death."  Only marginally related.

This is Holy Week on South Padre Island.  It is an event, like Spring Break, except this is more Mexican Nationals who used to come in droves this week before Easter.  The last few years, it has been less of an event; the Mexico economy hasn't kept pace with the US.  Last year, Covid shut down everything... pretty much the entire island was shut down during April.  This year, we hear the border is "closed," but there are apparently people going to Mexico from the US, and goodness knows there are people from south of the border getting across (in record numbers), most illegally.  Those wouldn't be the ones coming to SPI to stay in condos.

Driving around on the island today, it wasn't hopping.  There were a few cars with Mexico license plates, but nowhere near what we've seen in the past.  Not that much traffic, either.

Which leads me to that other title I was considering.  If I didn't know better (not sure I do), I'd say the drivers who were there were out to get me.  This was a first: I got passed on the right.  No, that isn't the first.  The main road on South Padre Island is a 4 lane with a median in the middle (which is kinda what "median" means).  There is a nice bicycle lane on both sides.  Yeah, you know where this is going: I was in the right lane.  Doing the speed limit.  An asshole (using that term loosely, because an asshole is a necessary part of the body) in a cab passed in on the right.  In the bicycle lane.

I got off the main road, driving north on Gulf Blvd, and a dumbass (no dumbasses are not necessary) left turned in front of me.  It wasn't a close call, because I slowed down as he approached, no turn signal on, he was on a cell phone and very obviously not looking where he was going.  I looked to make eye contact, and when it was apparent he couldn't see anything because he had his head up his ass, I covered my brakes.  Yep, he left turned.

Further up that same road, a guy "right turned" me.  He came out of a condo driveway and stomped on the gas to get out ahead of me.  Yes, I was, once again, not surprised.

The final driving insult came when I was at the stoplight to head for home.  The light for me turned green, I looked to my right and there was a car that was going to run the light.  That one wasn't close, because I've seen it happen frequently at this light... it is the light just before heading across the causeway - people are fixated as they're heading to South Padre Island.  Or, just stupid.  This one was the most serious, because the guy was accelerating through the red light.  Not yellow, not pink, but fully red.

That is 4 potential accidents in about an hour and a half.  None of them a "near miss" because I really do ride defensively.

On the bright side, I had a good ride - I would call it a mental health kinda day.  Yeah, you have to watch out for the assholes, but it was good to get out on the Vespa.

And a few fun images...

 

Looking up the nose (well, that's where my phone is mounted)...

Another "World Premier Music Video"...

 

Mark and I started this one with the idea of another parody in mind: people staying at home, and not having a "Wild Night."  As I got into the video clip assembling and editing, I thought better of it... seems that there are plenty of opinions about masks, distancing, big gatherings... I just didn't want to deal with people on either side of these issues.  We just want to make music.

The song is a cover of Van Morrison's Wild Night.  It's a good old song from my era, so the next one will likely be Mark's choice of a song from this century.  LOL

We started this one with tracks on the Spire Studio.  I did vocal tracks, guitar tracks (acoustic and electric), and drums; Mark added a bass track, electric guitar, and keyboards, including a saxophone and horn section synth tracks.  He moved it to a digital audio workstation, where he mixed the sound.  Sent the completed sound track to me, and I started working on video tracks.  With a general idea of what I thought the performance video should look like, I gave some shot suggestions to Mark and he put Cindy to work.  Then, the editing and cutting begins.  Having a few of these under my belt now, I have developed a work flow that puts it into hours instead of days.  Then, syncing all these different clips with the main music track.

And, the result is...

Let us know what you think.

Another SpaceX launch...

 

We watched as the countdown got to 4 minutes until launch.  Are they really going to launch in the fog this morning?  T minus 1, all go for launch.

We stepped out onto our deck, where we can usually see the rocket after it clears the houses across the canal from us.  Five seconds after liftoff, we could hear and feel the rumble of the rocket engines.  The view...

 You can feel the rumble in your belly as the three rocket engines lifted SN11 up to the determined altitude.  Since we couldn't see anything from our deck, this is how we watched...

Hoping to get a view as we looked into the fog.  At the determined elevation, the engines shut down and the rocket began its freefall... only SpaceX's onboard camera had a view.  As the rocket reached the time to fire-up again and right itself, there was another rumble, a brief pop, and then nothing.  Obviously some kind of failure as the report came of debris falling.  Apparently, SN11 came apart 1km above the pad and "came down hard."

During the climb, while Joan and I were outside, trying to see something, Rufus was at the door howling... he didn't know what was going on, but he knew he wanted to be out there with us.  I opened the door and he came out onto the deck, under the table.  Shortly after, the three of us quietly went back inside.

No doubt, SpaceX officials will spin this as "further learning," but this didn't seem to go as planned, from a casual observer who couldn't see anything.

Rest in pieces, SN11.

Screen captures after...

Debris fall above, the launch pad view below...

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After the SpaceX launch this morning, I got a bicycle ride in, then settled in to work on another Mark & Jim music video.  Cindy did an outstanding job with Mark's video clips, giving me good stuff to work with for editing.  I dived into it, and when I looked up next, Joan was just finishing up cooking us chicken/bacon/ranch sandwiches that rival Chick-fil-A in tasty goodness.  Then, back to the video editing.  When in "the zone," it seems the edits and cuts just come together.

I heard from Mark late this afternoon, after I sent him a text, with a request for a couple more specific angles on some video clips, and I will wrap this up.  We both have lives, so it isn't a fast process as we work back and forth.  We had a basic premise in mind before starting this project, but I made an executive (producer) decision.  It is coming together nicely.

Aftereffects...

 

Not talking about the vaccine.  This is about the last month's big freeze.  Riding my bike around the resort since the freeze, you notice the brown... at first, it was the flowers and the rubber trees.  Then, some of the smaller palm trees.  Now, the tropical evergreen trees - I call 'em "Dr. Seuss trees" because they sure don't look like the Ponderosa Pines from the northland.  I think they may be some form of a Norfolk Island Pine, but they are cool looking.  Well, the ones around here are showing a lot of brown, and after yesterday's wind and rain, at lot of that brown is all over the streets and yards.

On this gray day, it's hard for the camera to pick up the brown in that tree (behind the palm tree).  Whatever the tree to the right was looks bare, as well; it's generally green year 'round.  The grass that went brown is back to mostly green again.  The hibiscus and another small palm at our place look like goners to me, but Joan cut them back and thinks they'll come around...

We'll see.  According to the calendar and the Vernal Equinox, spring has arrived.  I'll be anxious to see how all this recovers.

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It was a bit "spitty" out today.  The rain happened yesterday, this didn't amount to anything, but it was damp outside when Rufus and I went out for a walk.  Chilly, with a northeast wind, as well.  Rufus needed to stretch out and relax after being out in the cold...

Scrubbed...

 

No, I'm not going to tell you about me cleaning up this morning.

SpaceX potentially had another test launch in store today.  They don't really make a public announcement about it, but there are notices posted when the road leading to the facility from Brownsville is closed, and when the airspace for a 5 mile radius around it closed.  That was happening today.

When that does happen, Joan gets online to see, as SpaceX does have a feed that shows what step they are in for the launch process... lots of steps to go through before it ever gets close.  And this afternoon, the scrubbed the process.  It happens.  Regularly.  We did hear a very short test firing this morning, which alerts us that something is up.  And what's up today isn't another SpaceX rocket.

 

---------

Can you hear me now?

Not doing a cell phone commercial.  I took the Vespa out for a ride; got the current Scooter Tag, rode around a bit, just enjoyed being out.  When riding, I generally put in ear plugs... even as an old rock 'n roller, my hearing is still good; I want to maintain that.  A alternate between highly rated foam plugs and more high-tech silicone plugs.  Both do a decent job, neither are particularly comfortable and secure.  A guy on my scooter forum recommended Surefire Sonic Defenders (EP4), a brand I hadn't heard of.  I looked them up - good reviews and less money than I paid for the plain old silicone plugs.

Joan ordered me a set; they came in this afternoon.  Too late for my scooter ride, but I wore 'em around the house and while taking garbage to the compactor... decent.  They seem to cut more noise than either pair I've been wearing, and they are more comfortable...

 

I'm looking forward to trying them on the scooter, but tomorrow is supposed to be another blowing-like-stink kinda day.

 

Exercise...

 

Yeah, I ride my bicycle, walk, take Rufus for a walk (not much exercise, really), and occasionally do indoor exercises.  But, that's not what this is about.

Joan hasn't ridden her scoot in a while; I do take it out now and then to keep the battery charged up.  Time to exercise the Xmax today.  Joan hemmed my new riding jeans, so it seemed like a good time to give 'em a try.  I went outside around 1:00 and the wind was blowing 27 mph from the north, gusting higher... yeah, maybe I'll consider going for a ride in a couple hours; it is supposed to ease up after 3:00.

I did make a garbage run with the e-scoot, but rolling along at 10mph is a bit less challenging in the wind compared to running at 60 over the causeway.

By the time 3:00 rolled around, the wind was down to 19mph.  By the time I got the scoot out and geared up, it was down to 17mph... heading the right direction.  Heading across the causeway is a good way to get up to speed without having to go west, out of town.  I was surprised by how light the traffic was, both on the causeway and all along the island.  70º and windy is a bit chilly for the beach; I did see about 5 golf carts full of people (from 5 to 10 people), but it was all families; nothing that looked like the typical college age spring breakers.

I rode up to the Convention Center, with a loose plan to stop and get a photo.  Not only a different scoot, but the opportunity to use my Pocket Tripod - yes, you really can carry it in your wallet.  No, it isn't really a "tripod;" more of a handy phone cradle that is adjustable.  Here's the shot...

 Taken just around the corner from the main part of the Wyland Whaling Wall.  Interesting perspective.  I was told that supper would be ready at 5:15 so I knew when to get back.  I walked through the door at 4:55, just in time to get Rufus's late afternoon meal ready before we sat down.  Slow cooked roast beef, potatoes, green beans, and fresh baked bread... the smell of the bread had me drooling before I sat down.

--------

UPS delivered a new camp chair to me this evening.  It's pretty cool: it rocks and/or sits still.  It's comfortable.  But here's the fun part: it came in a long, skinny box.  Rufus is not a long, skinny cat.  I can see how he got in there - no idea how he got turned around...

He's a good boy.  ;-)

100 years...

 

My Mother passed away in 2011, just a few weeks after her 90th birthday.  Today would have been her 100th birthday.

Before her birthday, I asked what she wanted to do to celebrate.  She told me that she had never had an actual birthday party... I said, "I did not know that - looks like we'll be having a party!"

She said, "What if nobody comes?"  I assured her that wasn't going to be the case.  She still had doubts about the whole party thing.

I told her, "Here's the deal: your nieces and nephews are going to do something for you; it may not be what you want.  How 'bout you and I plan something so you can have it the way you want?"  She agreed. 

When the date came, we had rented a party room, and over 100 people showed up.  She got to be "the belle of the ball," and I know she truly enjoyed it.  It was a nice celebration.  Just a few weeks later, she had a stroke, lingered for 9 days, then died.

I was able to be there with her before and during the party, went home a couple days later, then flew back as soon as I was told about the stroke.  Joan and I were there with her when she took her last breath.

I think of all she experienced in this world during her lifetime: the Great Depression, World War II, the advent of television, accessible travel by airlines, space travel, the internet (although she never partook).  Before her birthday, I showed her how to read a book (happened to be the one I wrote) on an iPad... she asked, "Will it ever be a real book?"  ;-)  On her birthday, I gave her the first paperback of that real book.

She was born during "the notch years," when Social Security was first set up, there were three years where those born in those years didn't get the full benefit of SS.  She always thought "Social Security will take care of me when I retire..."; it didn't even cover the rent on her apartment.

Speaking of that apartment, she saw the neighborhood where she lived for 51 years go downhill.  When I say "downhill," the neighbor across the alley from her was a drug dealer.  I'm not casting aspersions - he went to jail for it.  I had a discussion with him, where I let him know if any of his "customers" ever hurt or stole from my Mother, I would take it out on him... he assured me, "We all look out for Miss Nellie.  I wouldn't let anything happen to her."

She had a gentleman friend who came for supper almost every night, then would leave after they watched the 10:00 news.  When he passed, I knew it was time to get her out of that neighborhood.  My sister Joan and I found her a nice apartment in a good neighborhood... it took the threat of "no more financial support" to get her to agree to the move.  Once moved in, she loved it.  Her apartment had two bedrooms, a fireplace, and a garage... with a garage door opener; she was thrilled about that.  The apartment was fairly close to where my sister (Joan) and brother-in-law (John) lived.  It was a great arrangement.  A heart-breaking day when my sister passed 5 years before Mom.

She lived independently in that apartment, even drove her car the day before she had the stroke.  From time to time, I worried about her being lonely, but she had visitors (friends, nieces and nephews) who visited regularly.  I wouldn't call her "worldly," but she lived a good life.

From her 90th birthday party...

Simple pleasures...

 

There was some discussion on one of my forums regarding vaccinations.  No good can come of that.  Not vaccinations - the discussion of them.  Some flat-earther will say that "Vaccinations are a government plot... blah, blah," and things will go downhill from there.  The discussion of "science" will come up, and his response will be: "Yeah, the same science that used to think the Earth was flat..."

I played guitar for a while, while Joan cleaned up and went to the Post Office - we had 2 packages to pick up, one with $15.50 postage due.  Seems that Passport America sent us a box with a new guide book and some other stuff we didn't need (mugs and masks as a thankyou for getting a Lifetime Membership).  Twice.  Both with the same tracking number; one with the postage paid, the other with postage due.  Joan had to send them a photo because they said they didn't do that.  There's a lot of stupid out there.

Some simple pleasures will set things right.  Next stop: Burger Fi.  Yes, we're still dining in the car, but the burgers are my favorite and the fries were fresh out of the frier.  Topped it off with a cruise through the car wash.  Might as well take that freshly washed car to the beach.  Another simple pleasure...

A foggy day, so you don't see out very far.  But nice all the same.  When we got home, I took a nap.  Our neighbor David came by with an envelope that was put in their box by mistake (a lot of that going around)... he was taking their dog Tessa for a walk, so Rufus and Tessa got some nose-to-nose time on the landing.  And now, Rufus is taking a nap - he looks so darn sweet you just want to go over and rub that furry belly.

Simple pleasures.

Slider...

 

Not talking about a small version of a regular hamburger.  This particular slider is the heavy glass door that opens to our deck.  It has been rolling hard lately, and when Joan asked me to help her clean under the door last week, it stopped rolling completely.  A giant pain in the ass to try to raise up that heavy door to get it open.

I called our friend Pete, the guy who built our house, to ask if he could fix it or if I should contact a door company.  He said, "I'm out of town right now, but I'll be back on Monday.  I have rollers for that door, so I will get you taken care of."  We are fortunate that Pete has been there when we've needed any work done on the house that is beyond our pay grade... looking at a Youtube video for how to fix this door, I did not want to take on the task.

Pete came out this morning just after 8:00, and before 9:00, he had everything disassembled, rollers replaced, everything put back together, and the door and the large glass panel next to it all back in place.  You can now slide the door with a very gentle push... I think it may move easier now than when it was new.

You tend to take functional things like doors for granted until they don't work like they're supposed to.

Pete said, "I'm glad you called me - that door company is out of business, and I may be the only one around who has parts for it."

I jokingly asked, "What do we do in another 17 years if it needs to be fixed again?"

He said, "It will be a bluetooth, wife-capable door replacement door by then."  ;-)

Nice to get that done early today - somebody wants Chick-fil-A for lunch, so a road trip to Brownsville may be in the cards.  I'm good with that plan.

Testing...

 

No studying involved.  Well, not for us.

There was a series of rumbles this morning.  Not thunder - plenty of blue skies.  SpaceX is conducting some static fire tests on their latest rocket: SN11.  Being less than 5 miles from their launch facility, you notice when they fire up a rocket engine.

I heard it a couple times while in the house, and another while out on my morning bicycle ride.  I'm guessing there will be another medium altitude launch in the near future.  And the beat goes on.

 

I don't think that looks like me...

 

Not talking about an avatar to use on Facebook.  This is something Rufus said...

Rufus asked me if that pillow was supposed to be him.  "Well, my big furry boy, consider it to be an avatar.  We know in real life, you are much more handsome than that representation on the pillow.  I'm guessing there wasn't a graphic choice that looks as good as you.  But, that cats looks sweet and it acknowledges that you are a "good boy," and loved.  See the heart?"

He was OK with that explanation.

Later on, he and I went for a walk.  A couple stopped in their golf cart to tell us "how cool" it is that he walks on a leash... "I told my son about this guy on our street that walks his cat - he has three cats and loves that idea..."  We visited for a bit; Rufus is used to people stopping to talk and gawk.  And occasionally take photos.  This leash-walking is what he knows: we started on it right away after we adopted him.

My Facebook memory this morning was from 3 years ago - I was selling my RainSong Shorty (first carbon fiber guitar I bought) and working with Ruf on the leash...

I carried him about 30 to 40 feet from the door of the motorhome, and he would walk back to the door, on the leash.  He wasn't keen about leaving the motorhome while on the leash, so I carried him over and over, so he could get used to the whole idea of the leash.  Now, he waits by the door to get his harness and leash on so we can go for a walk.

And, some grass munching...

Then, after lunch, time to relax - the boy is really good at relaxing...

Time for the new e-scoot to earn its keep.  It's a garbage hauler...

That blue thing with the ramps leading to it is our community trash compactor (named Jaws).  It takes the place of dumpsters located in various places.  We had dumpsters about a block from our house, now this compactor is about 7 blocks away.  A little too far for carrying garbage, but the e-scoot makes it almost fun.  Well, it is fun, but I can't say that out of concern for getting some other chore.  I took the long way home.  ;-)

Equinox...

 

If you said, "A Chevy SUV model," you get 10 bonus points.  If you said, "The Vernal (spring) Equinox occurred this morning in North America (4:37am in our time zone)," you get 20 bonus points.  If you said, "What's the Equinox?" you need to get out more.

 

The graphic above shows the relation of where the sun is during the Winter Solstice, Equinox, and Summer Solstice.  Today is the day that (depending on where you are in latitude) there is an equal amount of daylight and darkness.  In the Northern Hemisphere, days will now gain time of daylight; in the southern hemisphere, the daylight will get shorter.  That is because the Earth is tilted on its axis in relation to the sun.  If you live on the Equator, you'll still have about 12 and 12.

The beginning of Spring... a time of birth and renewal.  Read what you want into that in this time of Covid.  The term equinox comes from the Latin word "equinoxium," meaning "equality between day and night." And vernal also comes from Latin and means spring.  Cultures around the globe celebrate in different ways... I think I'll pet a cat.  ;-)

Scootin' With a Purpose...

 

Out to the storage unit today, on the Vespa.  I haven't been out to check on the motorhome since that nasty cold spell last month.  We dumped all the water before the cold hit, but you have to wonder if you got it all.

It was a NNE wind at 15mph, gusting higher, and mostly east/west roads to get to the storage unit (40 miles inland).  Cool, at 63º, but a pleasant ride.  I got to the storage unit, parked the Vespa, and got the coach out...

I had a list of things to do there, but first to put some water on to see if there are any issues (like leaks or broken water lines)... all seemed good.  While getting water onboard, I put some Sta-Bil in the gas tank and fire up the generator.  A bit of bleach in the water, and it was time to put the coach back in the storage unit.  We had moved a bunch of stuff out of the "trunk" of the motorhome to get at the coveralls and trouble-light in our "RV stuff" bin, so I put all that away.  The last time we used the motorhome was to get to Austin for some service on the Vespa, so I took the trailer hitch/ball off and put the car tow-bar equipment back on.

Then, time for lunch...

Joan packed me a lunch.  I didn't think that would be necessary, but it was nice to have a bite and relax in the coach before heading back.  Yeah, I miss being out and about in the coach... this doesn't qualify as "out and about," but it was nice to be messing about with it.

Then, time to head back home.  This being the Friday of Texas Week Spring Break, I thought the traffic might be heavy, but it was pretty much like a typical Friday (pre-Covid) with the traffic rolling through town.  The highway between the storage unit and PI was nicely traffic-free.  Oh, there was one guy in a pickup truck to started to pull out from a driveway, right in front of me... the ABS brakes work fine.  And another guy in a pickup who came up quickly behind me, then sat too close back there.  I was doing the speed limit, so I slowed a bit to let him pass.  He didn't.  I slowed a bit more, keeping a close eye on him, since he was so close.  He didn't pass.  I accelerated back up to the speed limit, and after a short time, he finally passed me... while texting on his phone.  I guess I'm lucky he didn't run me down when he first came up behind me.

Once home and the Vespa unloaded, I hopped on the e-scoot to go check mail.  Joan called it my "three bike day"... the e-bike for my morning exercise, the Vespa for the 80 mile round trip to storage, and the e-scoot for the short ride to check mail.  Not a bad way to pass the day.

Lean into it...

 

Riding through the twisties on the new e-scoot?  Not hardly.

Yesterday morning, when I went out for my bike ride, it was 70º, sunny, and a light southeast breeze.  This morning, it was 62º... 8 degrees shouldn't make that much difference, right?  Wind is out of the north at 23mph, gusting higher.  Sometimes, much higher.  And, it is a cold wind.  Yesterday, it was a pair of short, t-shirt, and a bike helmet.  Today, I added a fleece pullover and swapped out a warm stocking cap for the bike helmet.  And, still got chilled.

Looking up my nose from the phone on my handlebars.  I did my usual miles, but that last mile had my fingertips burning (yes, I was wearing gloves).  That wind has a real bite to it.  First time I remember having to "lean into" the crosswind while on my bicycle.  With the road layout here, I would get a reprieve from pedaling into that north wind when I would turn south.  Then, take it on the side when going east or west.

Joan had an icy fruit smoothie waiting for me when I got home... I may need another hot chocolate, after.  ;-)

"Jim, you are becoming a wimp with the cold," you say?  Can't argue with that.

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Butt prints...

The wind died down and it got pleasantly cool this afternoon.  Enough so that I took the e-scoot to check mail, wearing shorts and a sweatshirt.  Yes, I remembered my mask before I left the house.  When I got back I installed the bike seat Joan ordered.

It was one of those discussions: "Well, if it isn't good on my bike, maybe you'll like it..."  We won't know if it is good on our e-bikes because those seats are on a rail (allows adjustment forward and back), and this new seat is designed to fit on a typical bike seat post.  I happen to have a bike seat post on the e-scoot.

This seat doesn't have the forward protrusion on it... or the more medical term: nad poker...

I didn't realize the non-nad-poker seat doesn't hold you as securely as a more typical bike seat.  Elevation (forward/rearward tilt) matters.  I did a short test run up and down the street... it will probably be OK once I get over the initial "this doesn't feel quite right" impression.

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What the hell was that sound??

Rufus got his first exposure to another cat while we were out walking this evening... no one around that cat, it kinda looked like it wasn't quite right: eyes a bit too close together.  It started walking towards us slowly... and Ruf turned into the Hulk - he puffed up his shoulders and chest and let out an ugly growl!  A spitty, guttural growl!  I tried to scoop him up and he brushed me off with: “Leave me alone puny human - this cat is a danger to us!  I must slay it!”

Not the sweet, easy-going Rufus that plays nice with all the dogs.  I steered him away and got him to the other side of the street.  Big tail, ready to spring.  "Easy, big fella."

We went home and he was all sweet again.  So, that was fun.

I guess that means we won't bring home a little sister for him.  (No, that wasn't a plan.)

Git yer motor runnin'...

 

If you said, "Born To Be Wild by Steppenwolf, 1968," you get 25 bonus points.  If you said, "Used in the movie Easy Rider, 1969," you get an additional 50 bonus points.

If you asked, "Does that little e-scooter of yours have a real motor?" you get no bonus points.  Yes, it has an electric motor.  I took the e-scoot out today, after my bicycle ride, just to see how far it would go before the "low" light came on.  It doesn't have an odometer; it doesn't have a speedometer.  It doesn't have any kind of accessory on the handlebars.  It barely has a brake... well, to be fair, I did adjust the brake this morning, so it does have a brake.  Sorta.  Sure doesn't stop as fast as the disc brakes (front and rear) on our e-bikes.

But, the e-scooter is a bit of a hoot.  I don't think I look like a circus bear on a bicycle on it, but you be the judge...

The documentation says it has an 8 mile range.  People on-line were saying they get between 7 and 12 miles with it.  Without an odometer, it is hard to know, but I do have "a route" that I often ride on my bicycle, so I am estimating I got between 10 and 12 miles (over two days) on this first charge.  I did pull out my phone and opened the Waze app to see what 10 mph feels like, so I can try to stay at the speed limit here and at Hart Ranch (where they actually patrol and will fine you for going over 10 mph; here, all the rules are off).  10 mph is about half throttle.  Of course, on an unoccupied bit of road here, I "opened it up" to see what she'll do... it topped out at 17mph.  The documentation says 18 mph, but I would imagine that is with an 80 pound girl riding it.  I am a bit more than 80 pounds, so 17 doesn't seem out of line.

The "motor" is about the size of my fist; 500 watts.  36 volts, with 3 small lead acid batteries.  Some people have added another battery, making it a 48 volt system.  Some have swapped out the lead acid batteries for lithium ion (probably costs more than the scoot).

No suspension other than springs in the seat.  The tires are 16", but the handlebars and seat are sized and positioned for an adult.  No handlebar height adjustment, but plenty on the seat.

So, after messing with it for a couple days, it is pretty much what I expected.  8 miles of range doesn't sound like much, but it will give me a half dozen trips to our mail box and garbage compactor before it needs to be recharged.  Plus, riding it is fun... in a goofy sorta way.

Eeeeee...

 

If you said, "That's how Izzy meowed when you first got her," you get 500 bonus points as an early reader of this blog.  I am able to smile now, thinking about how sweet that little furry girl was.  Reminiscing.

If you said, "Reminiscing - that was a song by Little River Band, released in 1978," you get 100 bonus points.

"Eeeeee" is my reference to electric things.  I added an e-scooter to go along with my e-bike; not it place of - the e-scooter will be used to check mail, take garbage, and any other errand running on this small island.  It isn't in place of the e-bike.  The range on the e-scooter is supposed to be between 8 and 10 miles, depending, of course, on weight of rider, road surface, terrain (don't have to worry much about that with living in Flatistan), and how much you twist the throttle.

After putting it together...

Moved off the deck this morning and ready to roll...

Not much to it; it has a throttle on the right grip and a rear brake on the left.  Twist the throttle and you go, let off the throttle and pull the brake to stop.  It has 3 lead acid batteries under the footboard.  The footboard has that oval shaped logo on it that is made of non-skid material.  The seat is a typical bicycle seat, and there's a basket/rack on the rear.

I ran into my buddy Mike who was out on his bicycle; we rode together for a while, getting a chance to visit (haven't seen him in a while).  I didn't have any way of attaching my phone to the bike, so I couldn't see how fast I was going... it is supposed to do about 18mph top speed; more than enough for our 10 or 15mph speed limits on this island.

Rufus got some leash time this morning...

The e-scooter was parked by the steps... he wasn't real sure what that thing was all about... some concern about it being a cat killing machine, but I assured him it wasn't.  No, I didn't put him in that rear basket to take him for a ride.  ;-)

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Scootin' to Brownsville...

The new e-scooter?  With an 8-10 mile range and a top speed of 18mph on "the most dangerous road in Texas," with a 75mph speed limit??  Um, no.  Vespa.  Honda has come out with a motorcycle that I wanted to see: the new Rebel 1100 DCT.  There are plenty of Youtube videos and reviews, but I wanted to see one in person...

Very cool bike.  It is surprisingly compact, reasonably light, and easy for an old guy to toss a leg over (low seat height).  The DCT is Dual Clutch Transmission; essentially, and automatic transmission for a motorcycle.  Honda has been putting that on other models for almost a decade, so it isn't anything new... just new on what I'd call a cruiser type bike.  It feels weird when you reach for the handlebars and there is nothing in front of that left grip... no clutch lever.  That deep burgundy color or black - and this dealer has both.

No, I'm not in any hot pursuit of another bike; still thoroughly enjoying my Vespa.  This was more about somewhere to ride and seeing one of these in the flesh... um, metal.  Good looking bike!

Beware the Ides of March...

 

If you said, "From the Shakespeare play Julius Caesar," you get 25 bonus points.  If you said, "The Ides of March were a horn band whose biggest hit was Vehicle in 1970," you get 100 bonus points.  If you said, "What are the ides of March?" you don't get any bonus points, but 'ides' is Latin for: dividing.  March 15 was the middle of March.  Julius Caesar was warned by a soothsayer in 44 BC, but he didn't heed the warning.  It became notorious as the date of the assassination of Julius Caesar which made the Ides of March a turning point in Roman history.

It also marks the busiest week of spring break in south Texas.  

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A foggy start to the day today: 68º, 99% humidity.  A bit drippy out as I prepped for my bike ride...

Not a lot of people out, except for the dog walkers - they are out regardless of the weather.  At the west end of the resort, I couldn't see the turning basin.  Later, riding on one of the streets closest to the Intracoastal Waterway, you could barely make out anything on the other side...

The railings in the image above look out of focus, but that's what about 40' in the fog looks like.  I got in a good ride, but felt like I needed to clean off my eyeballs.  ;-)

Kiss me, I'm Irish...

 

Well, this year: "Wave from 6 feet away, I'm Irish!"  ;-)

I've said it before: any reason for a golf cart parade here.  Today was the St Patrick's Day Golf Cart Parade.  While everyone wants to be Irish on St. Paddy's Day, the turn out for this one was a bit less than the more recent Trump Supporters Golf Cart Parade, Christmas Lighted Golf Cart Parade, Valentine's Day Golf Cart Parade... well, you get the idea.  I think people are looking for any reason for some kind of outdoor, distanced activity since the pandemic shut down activities here in the resort.

So, here's a look...

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Can you have cake on Pi Day?  (3.14 at the date)

Happy Birthday...

 

... to our sweet girl!  It seems to happen every year around this time.  I think back to the night she was born.  The nurse brought her out and said, "It's a girl!"  She looked more like a slime-baby... you'd think they would have cleaned her up just a bit.  But, I digress.  Life hasn't been the same since.  In a good way, of course.  ;-)

We'll get to talk later, but today is a work day for her.  The last day before their spring break.  After having parent conferences all week.  She's going to need some time off.

This is the first time in quite a few years that we haven't been there with her for her birthday.  A lot of "not together firsts" this past year.  We are so looking forward to getting to see them soon; over Easter.

Happy Birthday, Stephanie!  We can't be with you in person today, but we hold you close in our hearts. 

 

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Zen and the Art of Bicycle Maintenance...

Joan decided she was going to start riding her bike again.  Good for her.  It has been a while.  In fact, I swapped bikes with her last year to try to even out the wear, since my bike had about 5 times as many miles on it (I ride almost every morning).

We got the bikes out and she started lubing things while I topped off tires.  Looked over brakes and gears.  General clean up.  Made some seat and handlebar adjustments.  Put her phone holder on.  She's ready to go...

She took it for a short test ride, more adjustments, then she was off for a while...

She rode several miles for her first outing.  Rufus and I stayed in the air conditioning (I got my ride in this morning), so she could go as far and fast as she wants without any "coaching."

Everyone knows...

 

... it's windy.

If you said, "The Association, 1967," you get 25 bonus points.  If you said, "It's always windy on the south Texas coast," you are correct, but no bonus points.

We are in day 3 of windier than normal weather, and it looks like it will be around for at least 3 more days.  I have been getting out early for a bicycle ride, before the wind builds.  Then, pretty much cocooning the rest of the day.  Lots of dust in the wind (if you said, "Kansas, 1977," you get 10 more bonus points), so it isn't much fun to be out in it.

According to our local TV news, it hasn't stopped people from heading to the beach.  Yesterday was the first day of "Texas being open 100%" by our Governor.  So much for the plans that the City Council on South Padre Island had in mind for a more "family friendly" spring break.  Next week will be Texas Week, the week that the majority of Texas schools will be out for break.  And no restrictions on occupancy, crowd size, or distancing... just recommendations.

It was right after spring break last year that our county clamped down on closures and restrictions... yeah, get the money, and worry about the public health later.  I guess they didn't learn anything from this past year.

 

Back in the classroom...

 

For years, we have volunteered in Steph's classroom when we are in Arizona, during the winter (usually February and March).  With the pandemic, our trip to AZ didn't happen; we had reservations that we cancelled.  Except for about 8 days last fall, Steph's school has been all on-line.  That 8 day period was pretty much a failure, because the number of cases continued to climb, pushing it beyond the limits for in-school teaching that the school district had pre-determined.

Steph has been teaching from home, with an office set up in one of their rooms.  This week, teachers had to go back into their classrooms, but still teaching on-line.  Their spring break happens next week, and after that, they are back into the classrooms.  Pretty much full-on... classrooms full (they tried hybrid before, with classrooms half full, the other half on-line).  Their 4 teacher team for the grade level will be two teaching in person, 2 continuing to teach on-line.  Steph will be teaching in person after the break.

That's the background.  We found out that they are having a "Cutest Pet Contest" in their class, and I felt it was only right, since we are family, that Rufus should be included in that contest.  I sent Steph one of Rufus's photos...

 ... that I feel shows off his handsomeness, along with a short essay (Steph called it "campaigning") explaining all about Rufus.  Joan sent another photo of Rufus to Steph this morning, since today is the vote.  Not long after, I got a text from Steph, asking if I would like to speak to her class via a Google Group (similar to a Zoom group).

A few minutes later, I was on with her class.  When we have worked in her classroom in the past, there is always that introduction period, where the kids have questions... generally about what Steph was like when she was their age.  Yep, we did a bit of that, where I answered things like, "What bad things did she do?" and "What was the most embarrassing thing she did?"... I guess they want to know if she was a real kid, complete with all the things kids do.  Yep.

After that, I answered some questions about Rufus, then picked him up so they could see him on the laptop camera.  It was a nice visit, the kids were polite.  No idea how the vote went, but it was fun to be in her classroom again, even if it was on-line.

They will be having a section on ecology in her science class (Steph teaches math and science) and Steph asked if I'd do another on-line visit to talk about issues with the endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtles in our local waters and the Southern Resident Killer Whales in the Pacific Northwest, sometime in the near future... of course.

While it is fun to experience their inquisitive minds, what I enjoy most from these classroom "visits" is getting to see my kid in action.  Teaching on-line is a whole different situation.  I can appreciate the risks involved in going back into the classroom (with full attendance); both Steph and Dan have had both vaccinations (Arizona put teachers into the first category), and there will be precautions taken, such as masks and hand-washing, but they can't have 6' of distance with 26 students in the classroom.

We'll see how this plays out.

Chicken War...

 

Not to be confused with the Pig War, which was a confrontation between the United States and The United Kingdom 1849 to determine who owned the San Juan Islands.  The only casualty of this conflict was a pig.  Both the United States and Britain had camps on San Juan Island for years.

What does that have to do with the Chicken War?  Thanks for asking, but how often does a guy get to talk about the Pig War if you aren't on San Juan Island?  But, this post isn't about that - the "Chicken War" is the fight between fast food outlets to get their share of the chicken sandwich sales.  Popeye's upped the conflict when they offered their chicken sandwich to compete with the perennial favorite: Chick-fil-A.

We have tried Popeye's, and they are good... but not Chick-fil-A good.  If you've read here, you are aware of my taste for the Chick-fil-A sandwich.  In the Port Isabel/South Padre Island area, we have neither - we have to go to Harlingen or Brownsville for either.  And, we have.  Regularly.

Today, I saw on Facebook that someone is bringing a Chick-fil-A food truck to South Padre Island!

Rumor on Facebook is it is already there on SPI - no confirmation of this by me.  Yet.  If true (and I read it on Facebook, so it must be true), this is going to save me a lot of gas money and miles.  ;-)

About that variety...

 

We ordered me some new riding jeans this morning.  I've been looking at different ones for a while, and a regular participant on the Vespa forum got taken off the road by an Uber driver who didn't look before they went to make a U-turn.  He is banged up, the Vespa is likely totaled, but the photo he posted of his swollen knee made my ass pucker.  Yeah, it's time for some new riding jeans with armor on the knees and hips.  I figure I need to protect that $100,000+ hip of mine.

We placed the order on-line with a place called motorcyclegear.com.  First time we've ordered from them.  I say "we," because I was sitting next to Joan while she did the order (she has the credit card numbers memorized).

Then, I took off for a ride.  The wind built as I rode, eventually gusting over 25mph.  Only a few photos...

 Artsy above, photo realistic below...

Lots of brown along the roads...

Brown is not typical here in the Tropical Tip, but that gawd-awful cold spell we had last month did in a lot of our plantlife.

While getting mail on my way home, I got a message to call Joan - "Not an emergency, just call before you come home."  Seems that immediately after placing the order with motorcyclegear.com, someone called our credit card company to change the e-mail and password on the account.  Their fraud department called Joan and she verified that we did NOT make that call.  Account closed, card cancelled.  They we get a new card out to us ASAP.

To add to the fun of that, when I got home and checked my e-mail, I had over 200 spam e-mails... that came pouring in right after I got a confirmation e-mail from motorcyclegear.com.  Coincidence?  We called motorcyclegear.com, but "all lines are busy and we left a message on their voice-mail.  I got on their site and had a chat session with Will... who immediately typed that they don't ever see any of our credit card info, because they use PayPal as their credit card processor.  When I asked if they also use PayPal for their e-mail server... "No, but we'll check into our server right away to see if there has been any irregularities there."

So, I'm not making any accusations, but the timing sure looks bad for them.  In the meantime, we will wait for the new cards and update any recurring bills.  And I started sorting through the variety of junk e-mails... pretty sure that's going to go on for quite a while.  So, that's fun.

Those better be good riding jeans.

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I am rarely at a loss for words.

This evening, I was walking with Rufus.  A lady with a dog was coming up the street from the other direction.  I don't know what breed the dog was, but it was scrawny with short fur sticking out here and there like a bad haircut.  I'm guessing it was a cross between a rat terrier and a shih tzu... I would call it a rat-shit.  As they passed, the lady said, "What a beautiful cat!"

I didn't know what to say.  After a moment of stammering, I said, "He really likes dogs."  What was I going to say: "Did someone take a weed whacker to that poor dog?"  No, that wouldn't be nice.  "Hey, your dog may not be much to look at, but he sure makes fun snorty noises."  Nope, that wouldn't be nice, either. 

Based on what I said, she let her dog move towards Rufus.  The dog was a bit taller, but Rufus outweighed him by a pound or six.  They got nose to nose, the dog went to sniff Rufus's butt... Rufus gave him an "Oh, no - you don't know me that well!" look, and the dog retreated.

Hey, not every encounter is a love-fest.  ;-)