Out Early...

 

Out before 7:00 this morning, taking the Burgman for a ride...

 

I let the AI do the editing once again, even on the photos.  It seems to like this "tiny planet" stuff...

Back from the scoot ride, I swapped out riding gear for shorts and got out for some miles on the bicycle; I am an equal opportunity 2-wheel kinda guy.  It is supposed to get up to 105º - earlier is better.

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AFW delivered the new "listening chair" for my music room today.  They give you a "window" of when they will arrive and constantly update it with "how many stops" before they get to you.  They were ahead of schedule today when I got the text that said, "Your delivery guys are 3 minutes out."  It was two guys who delivered here before (they remember the desk in the music room); fast, friendly, and efficient.

While waiting for them (it was an early afternoon delivery time), I fired up my Spire Studio and recorded some tracks... something I haven't done since we've been here.  Yeah, just for the fun of it...

https://soundcloud.com/captainjimb/stand-by-me-cover

It's a cover of the Ben E. King song, Stand By Me.  I did 3 guitar tracks and a bass track, all with the Emerald Virtuo and an octave pedal.  Added vocal tracks and a drum track (with the new smaller e-drums).  Nothing fancy, just trying to get back into it with this good old song.

 

Are We Going Camping?

 

You mean like pitch a tent and sleep on the ground?  No.  We won't ever be doing that again.

Joan got some "sun covers" for a couple of her plants.  This morning, when I took Murphy outside, he discovered them...

 "This looks like a tent... it's just my size... hey, there's a plant in my tent!"

I told him, "In the next month or so, we're going to go out in the motorhome."

He said, "Oh, that sounds like fun!  What's a motorhome?"  I explained it to him... "Oh, I changed my mind - that doesn't sound like fun."  The boy can be fickle.

I got out on Joan's scoot today.  A very short video...

 

Another good ride before the heat of the day settled in.

 

Here We Go Again...

 

If you said, "Dolly Parton," you are close, but no cigar - that song is "Here You Come Again."  

A couple of people in the admin building where Steph and Dan work tested positive for Covid... which means, out of caution, we are distancing again.  Steph tested positive last night (she is not having any symptoms other than some sinus stuff, which seems to be a regular thing this time of year in the desert), Dan is negative.  Joan and I are fine, but I am not going to Mark's to get together with our music buddies today.  I am going to miss that.

Over Christmas, Joan, Dan, and I tested positive; Steph never got it.  It could be that our antibodies are 6 months out of sync.

I did get out on the scoot this morning; it's been a couple days.  I was anxious to "feel the breeze."  It was a warm breeze: 81º when I got out around 7:30; 92º when I got back around 9:00.  If I had gotten out any later, it would have been good to soak my cooling vest in water and put it on.

The ride was great - always a good start to my day.  I didn't take a camera along - I was out early enough to enjoy some Breakfast With The Beatles on Sirius/XM.  When I stopped at the upper parking lot on the mountain, I enjoyed some ice water and took a couple photos with my phone...

I really enjoy the views from up there, both of the nearby mountain scenery, and the valley and other mountains in the distance.

On the way back, I turned south on 35th Ave to see how things are progressing on the housing development south of us, in the foothills of South Mountain.  From the vantage point of our yard, we only see a couple houses under construction.  I was surprised by the number of homes going up there - I'm guessing around 40 homes in process... and very pleasantly surprised that we can't see all of that from our yard.  Seems that our view of South Mountain won't be affected by the new construction.

Predicted high today: 104º.

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I heard from my music buds this afternoon - I did miss the camaraderie and the music.  We had a text discussion.

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Murphy has been far more angle cat than devil cat today.  I took a short nap this afternoon... I patted the bed beside me and called his name - to my surprise, he hopped up and laid down beside me.  That is a first.  I can't speak for him, but it was a big deal to me.  He frequently lays beside Joan.

This evening, after the sun went down, it was still 98º - Murphy wanted to go outside.  I went out there and felt the pavers: not too hot, so we let him go out and wander a bit.  Joan and I sat out there, keeping an eye on him... somewhat marveling that at 98º with a very slight breeze, it was bearable.  After a bit, Murphy was ready to go back in (his choice), so the 3 of us went back into the air conditioning to settle in for the evening.  Yes, Murph is laying by Joan.  He's a sweet boy.

Does he always look surprised like that?  I like to think of it as very alert rather than surprised - the boy keeps track of what is going on around him, even if it appears he is relaxing.  I recently read that cats have the largest size eyes compared to their head size of any mammal... Murph sure fits that description.

Sold!

 

After dealing with a few low ball offers and the usual "Is it still available?" questions (even though I said in the ad very specifically: "If the ad is still up, the drums are still available."

I met the guy in an In & Out Burger parking lot.  He was apparently anxious: he handed me an envelope with the cash before he even looked at the drums.  I took him to the back of the Equinox, opened the box and showed him one of the drums - "You can see it is in perfect shape."

"Yes, I will take it.  Please double check the money."  I counted it out... there was $5 too much in there.  I gave him back the $5, shook his hand, and he and Dan (Dan came along with me - Joan and Steph are on their way to hair appointments) carried it to his car.  Fast and easy transaction.  He first contacted me on Saturday evening, agreed to the full asking price, and was willing to meet wherever I wanted to complete the sale.

If they would all go like that, I'd probably sell more stuff.  ;-)

 Any seller's remorse?  No - I appreciate having some space back in my music room, and I am enjoying the smaller drumset I got a couple weeks ago.  You can't play them with the "gusto" of a full set, but they sound great.

Enjoy it...

 

The high temperature today: 98º.  Enjoy it, because after today, the high is forecast to be in triple digits for the next two weeks... and no doubt a LOT longer than that.  It is summertime in the desert.

Joan wanted me to make steak and grilled salmon on the griddle this afternoon.  She moved one of the patio umbrellas over the griddle to keep me out of the sun as much as possible...

 Even with that shade, it is still hot out there.  She offered to set up a portable mister she got, but I took a pass on that... even the umbrella made things around the griddle feel a bit crowded.

Joan made fresh corn on the cob and scalloped potatoes to go with my steak and her salmon... it was a fine meal.  Then, back into the blast furnace to clean the griddle and put everything away.

17% humidity, so you don't sweat much if you can stay out of the sun... and if you don't stay out of the sun, you will be a grease spot on the pavers.

The next 10 days...

All That Jazz...

 

If you said, "From the musical, Chicago; a semi-autobiographical fantasy based on the life of Bob Fosse," you get 15 bonus points.  If you said, "You decided to move on from rock 'n roll, Jim?" you lose those bonus points.

Another concert at MIM last night: the Kurt Rosenwinkel Jazz Quartet.  Jazz is not my thing, but we thought we'd see some fine musicianship... we were not disappointed.  Kurt Rosenwinkel is a noted jazz guitarist.  The man is a true virtuoso of the fretboard.  The three other members of the band, a stand-up bass player, drummer, and tenor saxophonist were equally talented.  I was mesmerized by each of the players... it was like watching a 4-ring circus, seeing each of these musicians do their thing.

I've told the joke before: What's the difference between a jazz guitar player and a rock guitar player?  The rock guy plays three chords for a thousand people and the jazz guy plays a thousand chords for 3 people.  This show wasn't sold out, but there were plenty of jazz enthusiasts there.  Rosenwinkel lived up to that "thousand chord" expectation.  Afterwards, while visiting with Mark and Cindy, I said, "That guy played more chords in an hour and 45 minutes than I've played in 59 years of playing guitar."  I think all 4 of us appreciated the musicianship... the "show" was more typical of what I expect from jazz players: very little talking to the audience between songs.  Joan said she missed hearing vocals - this was strictly instrumental.  Then added, "At times it seemed like each of them was playing their own song, then it came together again."

I was expecting improvisational playing, but this was all very carefully rehearsed.  The drummer changed timing repeatedly on each song - I found myself thinking, "Where is he going with that beat?" and then it would all come together and make sense.  The bass player was all over the neck of that stand-up bass, even playing 3 note chords occasionally.  The sax player was in perfect sync with the guitar.  The bass player and the saxophonist both used sheet music; all memorized for the guitarist and the drummer.

It was an entertaining evening (yes, another "date night").  Glad to have been there, but I still prefer my good ol' rock 'n roll.

Game-Changer...

 

That term gets over-used a lot these days.  After experimenting with the new Insta360 X4 camera and the Artificial Intelligence editing feature, it is the best description I can come up with.  Using the "1-click" AI editing saves me a couple hours of going through each video clip frame by frame to decide where to put a key-frame in to get the view I want out of that 360º sphere that the camera captures.  Assemble the clips, add some music and titles, then drop in a voice-over... this whole thing (an admittedly short video) took me minutes instead of hours to create, start to finish.

 

It was a lovely start to the day, out on the Burgman 200 this morning.  I did shoot some video with the Insta360 X4 and Go 3.  As you can see in the video, blissfully empty of traffic on the roads today; upper 70s when I left, upper 80s for temp when I got back.  This is the first time since I started shooting 360 video that the editing was shorter than the time spent riding - that is a real treat!

A couple stills...

 Back home about the same time as when Joan came home from the store.  She likes going early to avoid the crowds - I feel the same way about getting in a ride.

I made us a late breakfast on the griddle - getting pretty warm out there by the time I was cleaning it up after we ate.

While working on this post, Joan came into the music room to tell me there was another offer on the drums I have for sale.  I've had a couple offers, but no one has plunked down $$ on them, yet.

Also while I was typing away, Joan had invited Tango over, and he and Murphy were happily playing together.  Another first...

Tango was inside that wood box, while Murphy was on top.  The little white thing between them is a furry ball.  They started nose to nose, then moved to a game of cat tetherball with it.  They are cute together... when it isn't the World Cat Wrestling Federation.  ;-)

Day Off...

 

Yes, I took a day off from the blog.  Which brings up the question: Is it a day off if you're retired?  It is, if you don't do something that is an everyday occurrence.

I really like being retired.  The Facebook Memories remind me each day of our time working in the Tetons and the Pacific Northwest.  That was 8 years of "fun summer jobs," and I am reminded on those FB Memories about what we did with our days off.  Frequently, the boat jobs were the subject of those almost daily posts.

When I think back to those times, I enjoyed the beauty of the Tetons.  The boat job could be grueling, with hours of overtime every week.  Five trips a day; 6 breakfast trips each week, 5 dinner trips, and scenic trips in between the meal trips.  On days when I wasn't driving one of the cruise boats, I was doing maintenance and/or driving the rescue boat. 

The best part of the boat job in the San Juan Islands was getting to see the amazing wildlife, specifically: the Orcas.  The toughest part of the job was the times we didn't see Orcas.  The scenery is beautiful - running a boat in that area was never routine.  Unlike the job in the Tetons, there was no "route" or destination: when looking for the opportunity to get guests to the whales, each day was like a chess game - some days were challenging, other days were a near leisurely delight.  The whales, if in the area, were always on the move.

I had a motorcycle in the Tetons - some days, that short drive to work was all the riding I'd get.  On San Juan Island, it was scooters and more of a ride to get to the boats, especially when working out of Roche Harbor... which became my favorite job site - partially because of the 14 mile ride to work, sometimes because of the fresh donuts at the Lime Kiln Cafe, and no Washington State Ferry or other commercial boats to work around (although having our dock right next to the dinghy dock presented other challenges).

All of the above was on a schedule.

I don't miss being on a schedule.  :-)

 The view above is from the Tetons - the Marina Office before the start of the season.  Orca viewing in the Pacific Northwest below...

Another Angel Cat...

 

No, we didn't get another cat - Murphy was on his good behavior again this morning...

 Those are some big paws you have there, Murph.  The Angel Cat phase ended when I told him it was time to go inside... then it turned into a game of "Catch me, if you can, old man!"  I am not a big fan of that game.  I enlisted Joan's help... and Murph was faster than the both of us together.  We eventually corralled him and got him to go through the door.

Prior to going inside, I was sitting on the patio couch, keeping an eye on the furry boy and enjoying the view of South Mountain...

After getting Murphy back inside, I geared up and headed out on the CTX.  I took my camera case (another Vine purchase) along that has my Insta360 X4 and the Go 3 in it.  I didn't mount up a camera on the way up the mountain, but took a moment to get the X4 out for the ride down.  I've written before about how much time it takes to download and edit even a short 360 video clip; again, today, I let the AI handle the editing.  I did take a few minutes to load that into iMovie so I could add the music I wanted, along with the sound of the bike, get a couple transitions, and some ending titles.  This was all done in just a few minutes, cutting more than 90% off the typical time it would take.  Rather than make it a couple minute video, I let the AI cut it down to about 18 seconds - fast and easy...

 Time for a leisurely lunch out at In & Out Burger, and maybe even get a nap in.  :-)

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Weigh in...

"Getting ready for a prize fight, Jim?"  No, but thanks for asking.  I mentioned to Joan today that I think Murphy is starting to fill out.  He isn't as big as Tango (yet), but I feel more "heft" on him when I pick him up.  We don't have any means of weighing him by his little lonesome, but I did get on the scale, then stepped off and Joan handed Murphy to me, and I got on the scale again.  While perhaps not necessarily accurate, it showed that he now weighs 11 pounds.  Up significantly from the "just over 9 pounds" when we first got him.  And, coming up on his 6 month anniversary as part of our family.  Our little furry boy is growing up.

Simple Pleasures...

 

I enjoy Monday mornings.  While the rest of the world is heading off to work, we retired folks can enjoy the day like it is another Saturday.  I really appreciate not being tied to a schedule.

This morning, after my routine (take pills, check blood pressure, have a hot chocolate and a Biscoff, then get Joan's pills ready for her), I took Murphy out in the courtyard for some outdoor time.  The little furry boy enjoys wandering around; it's fun seeing him go from a tall lean feline to a "crouching tiger" when he sees potential prey: usually a bug or sometimes a bird on the wall.  It's nice to feel the relative cool of the morning before the heat of the day kicks in (it was 75º when Murph and I went out).

Back inside, Joan is up and I get a morning hug and kiss - the best start to the day.  While I get ready to head out for a scooter ride, she invites Tango to our house so he and Murphy can have some playtime.

I really appreciate our location: having a nice view of South Mountain and being less than 5 miles away from some fun, twisty riding.  The ride up the mountain is familiar, but never the same thing twice.  I stop at the top of the road, take a moment to get a drink of ice water, and take in the views from up there.  This morning, there is one other guy on a bike parked there: Al, who I often see here (rides a Honda CBR 300)... he reminds me a bit of Rick Moranis... and, like me, he appreciates the quiet mornings here.

I tossed a camera bag in the Burgman 200, but didn't feel the need to get a camera out on today's ride.  An enjoyable ride back down the mountain, then west on the surface road back to our house.  Opening the door from the garage, I am treated to the smell of bacon frying - Joan told me she was going to make scrambled eggs with bacon and cheese for breakfast, and that process is underway.  She added sausage and potato to the eggs, as well.  And on the plate: sliced tomatoes and a cup of fruit (sliced apples, bananas, and strawberries), and a fresh toasted bagel.  The colorful variety is as pretty to look at as it is tasty to eat.

After breakfast, I am now working on this post, while Murphy gets some outdoor time with his Momma, and she enjoys another cup of coffee on the patio.  A lovely morning.

I didn't take any new photos or videos today, but here's a worked-up shot of the furry boy...

He has been mostly an "angel cat" today.

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I packed up the Alesis electronic drum set this afternoon.  Listed on Facebook Marketplace, they are officially for sale.  It took me an hour and 20 minutes to get them packed into the original boxes...

They sound great, but this isn't a fast set-up/tear-down.

Date Night...

 

I know: two Saturday nights in a row... do we know how to party or what?

Another concert at MIM last night.  Joan and I met Mark and Cindy there.  The concert was 3 somewhat local singer/songwriters for what was billed "in the round"... not what I think of as in the round, where the stage is in the center of a venue, with seats all around it.  Rather, this was each of the performers taking a turn at playing one of their songs.

Two Erics and a John: Eric Ramsey, Eric Erdman, and John Coinman.  Each had their own unique style, with personalities that came out in their song-writing.  It was an entertaining evening, with songs that ranged from touching to humorous.  The prominent instrument for each is guitar, although Ramsey also played a dobro and a Weissenborn lap guitar.

7:30 start time for the concert, and they tend to be very prompt.  It's a 25 mile drive for us, and two different freeways on our route were closed for construction; Joan does a good job of navigating while I drive.

It is a "date night" for us.  The number and variety of concerts at MIM is impressive - something happening almost every evening; sometimes two shows a night.

https://mim.org/concerts/upcoming-concerts/

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And more guitar content: yeah, the octave pedal I had been researching (last Thursday's blog post) showed up today.  It's a Boss OC-5...

I couldn't wait to pull a guitar off the wall and fire this up.  I had watched enough YouTube videos to know how it works.  And, it works... great!  It sounds like there is a bass player playing along with me.  Or adjust the dials a bit and it sounds like a 12 string guitar.  Kinda.  Or just dial in a little bit of the effect, and it makes your guitar sound like it has more bottom end.  Yes, that is a good thing.  "Can't you just turn up the bass on your guitar?"  Yes, and thanks for asking; but, that doesn't drop it an octave like an actual bass guitar does... or, like this pedal does.  And, when you play individual notes, it can be an octave below and above if you want.  And, man, does that sound more full than just the single note on the guitar.

One of the reviews said, "You have to play clean with this - if you make a sloppy chord, it will confuse the pedal and the note you want may not be the note you get.  I expect it will take some time to get comfortable with it in anything besides playing in my studio.  Nahh - this is coming with me when I get together with the guys!

The Weekend...

 

If you said, "A Canadian singer/songwriter," you are probably a whippersnapper.  If you said, "Weekends were made for Michelob," you're probably somewhere beyond a whippersnapper.  If you said, "An escape from the working world," you are probably still a working stiff.

I am not a working stiff, nor a whippersnapper; weekends are different when you are retired: you tend to avoid things that bring out the non-retired... like malls, restaurants, parks, etc.  I will sometimes skip riding up South Mountain on weekends; well, for sure on the 4th Sunday of each month (Silent Sunday).  But, this isn't a Sunday and I felt like a ride.

The traffic on the mountain was different.  Quite a few bicyclists.  Not the usual riding-for-exercise folks I see during the week; this was a lot of 30-somethings wearing Spandex.  Slender people, who actually look good in Spandex.  Chugging away up the mountain and enjoying the "free ride" down.  A few other motorcyclists; sport bikes and a couple dressers.  Two cars of note that pulled away from me in the twisties: a late model Mustang GT and a BMW Z3 with historic license plates.  Historic plates?  That doesn't seem right - but, yes that car was first made in 1996 (in AZ, a car has to be 25 years old or more to qualify for historic vehicle plates).  The Z3 looked brand new, in a bright red.

The thing with the bicycles isn't just dodging them - it is cars coming at you passing them, especially on the many blind curve, putting the car well into your lane.  And there was one pickup in front of me that came to a complete stop as a sport bike came roaring around a blind curve.  That same bike had blasted around me on the way up the mountain - I heard the roar/howl of the bike coming up behind me; I slowed down, got to the right side of the lane, and waved him around me.  This guy was hauling.

Even with the traffic, I still enjoyed the ride.  The Beatles Channel playing in my Air Pods, running the B200 through the curves... in my mind, I'm going like the guy on the sport bike.  In reality, I'm not.  But, it's still fun just the same.

Gimbal...

 

No, that is not the past tense of gamble.  I took the DJI gimbal along on today's ride, with the plan to get a photo by the scoot (to update my profile photo on a scooter forum).  The gimbal has a small tripod that connects to the bottom of the handle, allowing for a low vantage point image...

I think that is a bit more dramatic than an eye-level photo...

Using the Apple Watch, I could set the gimbal down and trip the shutter with the camera app on my watch...

Beside the scoot...

I have come to appreciate the style of the Burgman - not as aggressive as Joan's Xmax, but it is style that is functional.

It was a warm one on this morning's ride: 84º when I left around 8:00, 91º when I got back around 9:30.  The weasels are predicting 100º for the high today.  Looks like we are into summer now.

Tango had come to visit when I got back home...

Measurable...

 

"Your IQ, Jim?"  Funny.  OK, more hurtful than funny.  I like to fly under the radar... besides, those IQ tests are biased in favor of smart people.  But, I digress.

Just as I was ready to head out to the garage to gear up for a ride this morning, it started to rain.  I had already taken Murphy outside for a while; it was cloudy, but didn't look like rain.  For the whole event, we got .01"... for those of you who don't do decimals, that's 1/100th of an inch.  On the local weather, they said that is "the minimum for measurable precipitation."

I scrapped the ride.  By 10:00, it was sunny and the humidity was up to 41%.  I knew we were going out for lunch (pre-determined), so I wasn't concerned about cabin fever.  Lunch was good; we at at the Garden of Olives... after a stop at a special club we belong to, run by my buddy Sam.  Joan had a short list.  The club was pleasantly lightly occupied.  We weren't able to use Scan & Go because, according to one of the associates: the wifi here sucks.  I like Scan & Go: you use your phone to scan the items as you shop, when you're done you click "pay", show your phone to the big burly woman at the door (who makes sure no one tries to get out with absconded goods, and you're done.

Along the way there and back, there was some discussion about the guitar tone on the duo we saw at MIM last Saturday... I don't remember which of us brought it up.  Joan did remember the guitar sounded particularly good on one song (it sounded good on all of them), where the guitar player was using an octave pedal to add bass notes to what he was playing on guitar.  There was a motion and a second that I should form a committee of one to look into it.

When we got home, I looked into it... so many pedals doing so many things.  I have concerns that it is a rabbit hole that will lead to the center of the Earth, while throwing $100 bills all along the way. 

 

All we need is a drummer...

 

... for people who only need a beat.  If you said, "From the song 'Dance to the Music' by Sly and the Family Stone, 1967," you get 20 bonus points.  If you said, "Who is Sly and the Family Stone?" get off my lawn ya damn whippersnapper!

The new compact drum set proved to be a worthy addition.  That means I will take the next step and get the full e-drum set photographed, packed up, and listed for sale.  To a local buyer, 'cause it would cost a fortune to ship that huge box.

For those keeping track, this is an Alesis Command X mesh electronic drum set.  It is a special edition made for Guitar Center and Musicians' Friend, comes with an extra cymbal and upgraded command module.  It's a nice drum set, used only for recording.

Here are the specs from Alesis:

The Alesis Command X Mesh Special Edition features all mesh-head pads that deliver an authentic drumming experience. This kit includes an 8" mesh kick with pedal, a 10" dual-zone mesh snare drum and three 8" dual-zone mesh toms. The set also features a 10" ride cymbal with choke, two 10" crashes with choke and a 10" hi-hat with foot pedal. The included Command Advanced Drum Module features 74 drum kits (54 preset, 20 user) with 671 sounds. You can build a custom kit from your own sounds by loading them via a USB thumb drive. Plus, with 60 play-along tracks and a built-in performance recorder, you'll have an endless source of fun and creativity.

 

Making music, with a change of pace...

 

Five of us got together this afternoon to make some music.  Two new additions - not personnel, although this is Carl's second time playing with us.  I brought the new small e-drum kit and Mark brought out his keyboard.  I let Ron play the drums most of the day, and Mark went back and forth between keyboard and guitar.  It just so happens that when Joan and Cindy came back from their afternoon out, these are the photos Joan took (and it was during the short time I was on drums)...

While Joan and Cindy went out for lunch and did some shopping, the guys took turns suggesting songs.  I am very partial to Mark's keyboard playing; he was feeling "a bit rusty" since he hasn't played much keyboard in the past couple years - his playing sounded great!  I think Ron had fun playing the drums - they sound better and are more natural feeling compared to the old Yamaha set I brought before; technology has definitely improved in the past 10 years.

A different form of "tag"...

 

Sitting out on our patio this morning, enjoying the cool start to the day.  It is forecast to get to 100º later... it is important to take advantage of the cool while you can.  It is the 3 of us out there: Joan, Murphy, and me.

Murph gets to wander while one of us keeps an eye on him.  I don't think he is a flight risk, but we still watch what he is doing... and occasionally get up to "steer him back" to where we can see him.  When Joan and I are sitting on the patio couch and chairs, we each have a different view.  As Murph walks around, the conversation goes along these lines: "Can you see him?"  "Yes, he's over in front of the shed."  "He went to the other side of the hot-tub; I can't see him, can you?"  "Yep, I've got him."  "He went to the other side of the tall table, can you see him?"  "Yes, he's sitting between the chairs."  "He went behind the shed - it's your turn to get him back out here."  "Got it."  "There he is - you're up for keeping an eye."

It's a bit like a game of tag.  Since we are sitting facing different directions, one of us generally has an eye on him.  But, the boy moves around a lot.

It takes a village.  Well, a small village.  A small, watchful village.

 Tag?  Well, maybe more like a police surveillance operation.  ;-)

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Out for a morning ride before it gets hot.  A short timelapse view of the ride...