Laser Island Voyages Back In The Day

[Coastal Redneck]

Round #3 of pics:



Goldurnit, I rotated those last six cards in my camera before transferring them to my computer, now they're on their sides again... torpedoed by my dad, no doubt. Hey, there's the Queen Mary again, before she wound up in Wrong Beach, Kalifornia. Guess no deck of ship cards would be complete without the obligatory chumpish Russian vessel named "LENIN"---pfffffft, looks like the typical ugly Russian rustbucket, LOL.

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Round #4 of pics:





That knucklehaid Tiger sure likes to sprawl across the kitchen floor... last seven shots are of the fireworks show, the show was excellent but I had a hard time catching the bursts on camera, there's a lag between pressing the camera button and having the shutter open... and I watched the show from my front yard, so I wasn't as close as I could've been, aye? Still, it was a good show which went on for some time, not a bad display for a relatively small town. I was also trying to catch the crescent moon in these pics, but my Canon cam wasn't up to the job, LOL... hey, that one pic looks like an atomic bomb blast, complete with mushroom cloud!!! I can see today's headline in the local rag:

"BENSON DESTROYED BY ATOMIC BLAST!!!"

Hate it when that happens, LOL. Gotta run, I'm fixing the door on the shed and I need a new handle, it's one of those cheesy RV doors so a regular screen door handle will work. That means a run to Home Depot in Sierra Vista, perhaps by way of Tombstone, 10-4? I'm thinking a cold beer in Big-Nose Kate's Saloon might taste pretty darned good, even though my fridge at home is chockablock with beer, LOL.

Y'ALL BE GOOD, I'M OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD... CHEERS!!!

 

[Coastal Redneck]

My holiday weekend went well, I managed to fix my shed door and I added a bulletproof new hasp for security, plus I rerouted that water line I've been meaning to do for some time. The rerouting task was easy enough, just had to wait for the right conditions under the carport. Had a pleasantly cool morning yesterday, so I knocked out the rerouting... PVC work is quite simple, really, somehow it reminds me of making models as a youth back in the '60s & '70s, LOL. I only have two tasks left on my home rehab list: replacing all window screens and repairing the skirting down the west side of the double-wide, I'll do the screens first and save the ugly skirting job for last, LOL. In fact, I'll start the screens today, I can put some thin plywood sections atop the covered pool table and use the lot as a workbench, doing the screens one at a time in the comfort of indoor A/C, yeah? I'll do the skirting in the early morning hours, taking as many days as necessary to complete that ugly task... it'll probably go faster than expected, once I actually get started on the job. This final stretch of home rehab is always the toughest... one gets burned out on doing it after 4+ months of rehab work.

Took some pics of the sky the other evening, and as it grew dark I flipped the Canon cam into "Creative Shots" mode, you can see the results as the timeline progresses:



Pretty cool, huh? The clouds are real, but I guess the Canon cam threw in a fake moon in some pics... we just had a new moon on 7/2, so no way it's that big yet, LOL. Which reminds me, I noticed on my wall calendar that there are TWO new moons this month, kind of like an offset parallel to the better-known full "Blue Moon" in astronomy. Perhaps we can call this a "New Blue Moon" or a "Blue New Moon" on 7/31, I'm sure the New Age folks will be overjoyed, it'll be a bonus for them... according to New Agers, the kind of day one has on the day of the new moon determines what kind of month lies ahead. Roman calendar months don't really figure into this equation, it's all based upon the lunar cycle. However, I imagine the interval is roughly the same as it is for the regular "Blue Moon"---2 years and 9 months if I correctly remember my astronomy, no reason why it should be any different for the new moon when one counts the calendar months. Just an odd bit of trivia for youse nautical heroes, and a "heads up" for New Age types, LOL.

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Round #2 of pics:



Tiger sure likes those camp chairs on the deck, they are supremely comfortable, LOL. Middle shots show Tiger & Phoenix sharing a bowl of milk, I let 'em have a small bowl every so often so their bones grow strong... Tiger is almost as large as Crackhead now, while Phoenix remains the smallest of the trio. There's Crackhead "break dancing" on the carpet, all the cats do this but Crackhead does it the most, I guess he has rhythm in his soul, LOL. I like the way the afternoon sun shines on my bottle collection this time of year, won't last long at the northern end of the building with the sun already heading for more southerly latitudes after the summer solstice... another week or two and the sun will no longer angle through these north-facing windows. Last but not least, we have Phoenix lying atop the covered pool table, all the kittehs do this so they can enjoy the spectacular view, LOL. Little Phoenix always looks so SE-WIOUS, one would think that like Atlas she had the weight of the world on her shoulders... she has come a long way since her arrival, only took two months for some of that shyness to wear off, she was practically feral when I rescued her.

Y'ALL BE GOOD, I'M OFF TO PICK UP A FEW ITEMS IN TOWN BEFORE I GET STARTED ON THOSE WINDOW SCREENS... CHEERS!!!

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Well, my window screens are all done, except for those I'm deliberately leaving off: the window closest to my rack in the master bedroom, the kittehs like going in & out of that one when the temp is cool, plus the kitchen window which is in a crooked frame anyway, I like seeing all the birds in the yard without looking through a screen while I'm prepping food or doing the dishes, aye? Even a new screen, but there's no point in swapping out the old one for the kitchen, I'll never open that particular window anyway, the smaller slider next to it works just fine on breezy days. Here are some shots taken over the past two days:



There's my "workbench" for fixing the screens, LOL... I didn't bother buying the little wheeled tool for the screens, I just used that driver & that flat washer you see in the photos. Took a few shots between beers while watching "HAMBURGER HILL" last night... another free DVD from the Benson Public Library. Little Phoenix sure is a cutie, but Tiger is on track to rival Sage in size, he's already about as large as Crackhead and he's growing every day, LOL. That plant with the flowers started life as a weed in my yard, but now that it's blooming I'm giving it a reprieve, LOL... probably transplant it over by the fence and see if it survives, I like the colorful flowers in the high desert.

 

[Coastal Redneck]

A couple more shots of that flowering plant, a "volunteer" as me dear departed mum used to say:



Dunno what kind of plant that is, I'll have to look it up in my guides, but anything with flowers is a keeper in my book, LOL. That sign was given to me by Friend Doug (not a Quaker), he's the one who cooks that kick@$$ craft moonshine, guy ought to cook shine for the masses and make some serious money, LOL. Anyway, Doug, if you read this, there's your sign, 10-4? The kittehs like those walkways I put up for them, and that "ladder" to the roof... I used cedar fence planks for all that, the planks are only $2 each plus chump change, no worries. I used odd bits of hardware to mount them, stuff I scrounged from the property and "repurposed" to save a dollar or two, LOL. I'm gonna wrap those walkways round the corner and create another "ladder" to the roof, that way the kittehs will have two ways on & off, always good to have options when you're a cat, LOL. The walkways also make fine ledges for the kittehs to lie on and sun themselves (or grab some shade), the breeze usually makes these aerial walkways quite pleasant... I'm probably the only fool in Benson who does this sort of thing for his cats, but WTF, this is their home too and I want them to enjoy it as much as I do, aye?

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Another run-of-the-mill AZ sunset yesterday evening:

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Kitteh shots for the weekend, I'm still using free library Wi-Fi as I finish the home rehab, free library DVDs on the 65" curved screen for entertainment at night, LOL. Football season is fast approaching, gotta get that rigged up at the house before the regular season opener. This library is closed on weekends, go figure, but one can still get on the Interwebs by parking in front of the building and glomming onto the web, provided one is willing to sit in a hot car (loud denial buzzer sounds here). Arizona sun is FIERCE: even though the A/C cranks in the Mighty Camry, it's hard-pressed to counter the sun beating down on metal and glass.



Kittehs love rolling in the dirt, but they seem to shake off most of it before entering our home, so no worries. Little Phoenix sure is a cutie, but she can't keep up with Tiger's growth, he's already a monster for his age. There's Crackhead messing around during playtime, my favorite activity is "BOWLING FOR KITTEHS!!!" That's where I hurl those jingle balls downrange (indoors) and watch the cats pile up on one another as they chase each ball, LOL. Our home has a floor plan ideal for bowling, there's a long corridor angling between architectural islands. Last shot shows "Undercover Crackhead" asleep between camo sheets on our rack, dunno if that camo pattern is helping him much, LOL.

Was gonna drive up Mt. Graham today, but the questionable cloud cover put me off... I want nice clear pics showing 150-mile views from the summit, which lies over 10,700' in elevation. There's even an observatory high on the mountain because the night skies are tremendously clear, one can see a million stars overhead, and the stars are BRIGHT like freakin' LEDs... hard to beat stargazing at elevation in Arizona, away from all the cities and other sources of pollution. I'll probably drive up Mt. Graham early next week, I wanna catch a day when the long views can be recorded with my Canon cam, it might've been okay today but I wanna be sure, since it'll be an all-day excursion, aye???

GOTTA HIT TOWN & RESUPPLY FOR THE WEEKEND, NO POINT IN HAVING A BACHELOR PAD WITHOUT BEER & BBQ, LOL... CHEERS!!!

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Wait, for those unfamiliar with the Stronghold, here are some pics from the best set of guidebooks available:



Could go on here, but ya gets the picture, LOL... not only does the Stronghold have world-class climbing, the views from the crags, domes & spires are INSANE, this huge natural stone fortress is truly amazing!!! These guidebooks are excellent, very well done in the compilation with good clear route descriptions & markings... some of those hardcore gals climb better than most guys, "Sturm und Drang" all the way, LOL.

REMEMBER, KIDS, TECHNICAL ROCK CLIMBING WILL MAKE YOU A BETTER SAILOR!!! YOU'LL BE MORE FIT, KNOW MORE KNOTS, HANDLE LINE & GEAR MORE EASILY, ETC., ETC!!! JUST SAVE THE BEER FOR AFTERWARD, THAT WAY YOU'LL LIVE TO GO SAILING, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

 

[Coastal Redneck]

My cat Crackhead has been hittin' the sauce lately, caught him this morning sprawled across my bar:



First it was beer missing from my fridge, now it's bottled booze levels sinking like the Titanic [sob], if this keeps up I'm gonna revoke his driving privilege and lock him down, LOL. Might even present him with a bill for booze consumed, 10-4? The blasted varmint!!! I don't care so much about the cheap vodka, but leave my rum & tequila alone!!! And stay outta my Wild Turkey!!! BAD KITTEH!!!

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Angling for catfish with "the tail thing"---a plastic wand with a long fake tail attached, had the darned thing for years now and it's looking frayed but it's still hanging tough, LOL. Other pics are bonus kitteh shots:




Penultimate shot shows Tiger practicing for the ghetto riots: "HANDS UP, DON'T SHOOT!!!"

Last pic shows some flowers in my yard, don't ask me what they are, but they look pretty cool, LOL.

Oh, yeah, gotta keep the cue racks covered in the Pool Room this time o' year, otherwise the sun strikes the cues and leaves "tan lines" on the wood, LOL.

CHEERS, YOUSE NAUTICAL HEROES!!!

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Tiger in the long grass, just like his larger namesake, LOL...

View attachment 33388View attachment 33390

Phoenix is growing fast, she can now reach the birdbath, LOL. Feeding time at the zoo in the last two pics. Hey, I had to dig up this video link for folks at "The Cat Site"---might as well throw it down here, it's freakin' HILARIOUS!!!

Video: How to stop cats pissing on your car | GrrlScientist

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Check out these signs my elderly neighbor has on her fence... gal must be in her 70s or 80s, but she's alright in my book, LOL. One more reason why there's virtually no crime in my neighborhood... even Grandma is strapped & packin', aye?



Check the wording around the pistol bore... LOL.

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Sunset yesterday:



And some bonus shots of the crew:



That's Tiger doing his best Tyson impersonation in the last photo:

"I IZ DE CHAMPION!!!" [Sees Crackhead] "WHOA, A CONVENIENT EAR TO BITE!!!"

 

[Wavedancer]

Those sunsets are incredible.

PS: Your kittens are being spoiled!

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Damned right... they drink my beer & booze without asking too, the blasted varmints!!! However, I've done some soul searching lately and I *might* head back to the coast, possibly to live aboard a boat, I dunno yet. If I do that, and it's a big IF, I'll probably rehome the kittehs. I like Arizona, there's a whole heap of personal freedom here in the boondocks, but my staying here hinges upon finding steady year-round work, as I'm not retired... wish I were, but I'm not, 10-4? Between my age and the fake charges in Kalifornia, I'm having a rough time finding a decent job. Sometimes I feel like sailing away to Costa Rica, maybe clear to Australia to try my luck elsewhere... or I may just buy another home here in AZ, back toward the White Mountains, I dunno yet. I think I was born in the wrong century, should've been a pirate back when that meant something... board the phat Spanish treasure ship, grab the swag and make a "slow getaway" aboard my old wooden schooner, aye? "CONFUSION TO THE SPANIARDS!!!" LOL...

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Might as well toss in some kitteh shots before I bail:




Nice mug shot of Phoenix with her nose all scratched up... she has been learning the fine art of scrapping with Tiger & Crackhead, LOL. They usually have fun doing this, looks like someone went overboard. Then there's Tiger, stepping on Crackhead and putting the "Dragon Claw" on his throat while sleeping, 10-4? That little Tiger is something else, LOL. CHEERS!!!

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Tiger pulling hiking practice aboard the wooden privacy screen:



"Just one sit-up, just one... I can do this!!!" LOL. Woke to some back pain this morning, dunno why except for old age, tossed some of that Cuervo into my breakfast smoothie to take the edge off, aye? ObamaCare at its finest!!! And that ridiculous Hawaiian birth certificate??? "FUHGEDDABOUTIT!!!"

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Had a storm blow through on Friday afternoon & evening, took a few pics of the sky between downpours:



Okay, that last pic actually shows the youngsters macking on the dining room table, but the sky shots were dramatic, LOL. Had some thunder & lightning as well, but never captured any bolts on camera, too hard to time 'em with the slight delay. Meh, these shots will work... CHEERS!!!

 

[Coastal Redneck]

My kind of stickers, LOL...

 

[Coastal Redneck]

TIGER RIDES THE WALL!!!

These video clips were taken toward the end of his wall-riding session, when I finally figured out how to shoot video with my Canon camera, so he doesn't get quite as high as he did at the outset, but next time I'll catch him when he's fresh, LOL. He's pretty stylish when he "carves" through the corner and makes the transition from one wall to another... a real skateboarder's cat!!!

 

[L&VW]

Don't know how I ended up here, but the first two pages have been some awesome reading!

I didn't see any reference to the book,
"Fly Like A Brick".

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Thought you'd like the Island Trilogy, those voyages were heaps of fun!!! I still remember each of my three initial voyages to Los Coronados, those were EXACTLY what Laser sailing was all about with me... getting away from the Big City and sailing into the unknown to explore the wilderness. And those islands are WILD, no doubt about it, the Mexican gubmint was actually on the cutting edge when the islands were designated as wildlife sanctuaries back in 1924. Too many "pinche gringos" blasting everything in sight for target practice, you understand... the same idiotic & wasteful mentality that helped wipe out the buffalo in America. Trust mankind to ruin what was once a great country full of wildlife and natural resources... it all boils down to greed, I reckon.

Spending the night atop Isla Norte still stands as the greatest solo adventure of my life, that was a real treat for this lover of nature, watching a bad@$$ meteor shower while I was literally surrounded by thousands of sea birds, seals, sea lions, etc. A truly amazing night, I wouldn't trade that experience for all the tea in China... "ISLA NORTE" is still my favorite story in that Island Trilogy, although each voyage was heller fun, the scenery magnificent and the solitude extraordinary. My "stealth voyages" are still remembered by friends in my own small circle... nowadays, with tensions ratcheted up between the U.S. and Mexico, I don't think one could do what I did without winding up in a Mexican jail, the boat permanently confiscated and the skipper NOT having a good time, LOL.

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Just as I was about to flip my home and move closer to "population" and more numerous work opportunities, I received a call about a good steady full-time job here in the wilds of southeastern Arizona... the job mere minutes from my home (no highway driving at all, LOL), with full benefits and accrued vacation, which means I could rip out to the coast every so often to visit family & friends, and cram as much sailing into each trip as possible, LOL. I have an interview tomorrow morning, and there's more than one slot open so I reckon I have a good shot at one of those positions. This is good news, as I've been trying hard to move past the fake felony out of Kalifornia... these particular Arizona folks don't care about any jive-@$$ CA felony, they already know about the rampant corruption out there, LOL. Just one more reason why so many Kalifornians have bailed from that state, and continue to bail in droves... but I'm not ruling out some stealth trips back to my home county for the purpose of sailing, aye? Visiting friends and family too, I haven't seen any of them in three years, though I've been in touch over the phone. Of course, y'all will catch a break if I score a job with these folks, I won't have time to spend on the Internet... not much of it, anyway. Needless to say, I'm excited about my prospects, I already own my home free & clear so a good job right nearby would make life much easier, and I wouldn't have to juggle four cats in yet another relocation.

I DO like my million-dollar view of Cochise Stronghold too, one reason why I haven't flipped my home yet. Two nights ago, I decided to bite the bullet and sell the property, just to free up cash and buy more time here in Arizona... part-time cashier work at WallyWorld till 0100 every shift wasn't gonna cut it, not with a CDL-A burning a hole in my wallet. The call for the good job came the very next day, which HAD to be some sort of cosmic intervention... I reckon something or somebody wants me to stay right here in this burg, LOL. It is a cool little town, I really like it in many respects, while the dirt biking and world-class technical rock climbing are phenomenal, paradise mere minutes away... I've ridden out along the base of the Dragoon Mountains with the Stronghold towering above the trail, and it's friggin' AWESOME!!! The trail is actually a Forest Service road, dirt with some rocky sections, and the views are SPECTACULAR!!! I camped out there (with two cats) while I was waiting for escrow to close on my home, remote camping is free and well worth the effort on the West Side, just gotta bring everything you need: food, beer, firewood, etc., and don't forget to haul out all your trash. I enjoyed some fine sunsets while I was "roughing it" (glamping) below the Stronghold, burning steaks and drinking craft beers by my campfire, LOL.

GOTTA RUN, WISH ME LUCK, THIS JOB WOULD SEE ME FULLY ESTABLISHED HERE BUT I'D STILL BE WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE OF THE COAST...

P.S. This job wouldn't involve driving big rigs, just operating tractors and riding mowers in an aesthetic environment, complete with wildlife, LOL.

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Just had my interview and it went pretty well, so I hope to bag one of those openings in the near future... the guys who conducted the interview appreciated my candor, and we got along alright during our 45-minute conversation. I'm excited about this opportunity, even though my CDL-A doesn't have much to do with it, I'll be pulling maintenance and wrenching on tractors, riding mowers and the like, with some landscaping thrown in for good measure in an aesthetic environment, complete with wildlife and primo scenery, LOL. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but I also think I may have scored one of the slots, since these guys don't give a damn about the bogus "felony" out of Kalifornia. Maybe I'll finally get that monkey off my back once and for all, aye? If so, it won't be long before I'm riding a big ol' thumper out to the Stronghold for some climbing adventures... and planning a stealth trip to the coast to go sailing, LOL. I'm a happy camper today, think I'll head back to the ol' hacienda in awhile and crack a cold beer... CHEERS!!!

P.S. Here are some shots of clouds & rays of sunshine visible from my yard and view deck this morning as I had a hot cup of Twinings English Breakfast Tea, Twinings has been making teas for over 300 years so they're good enough for this kid, LOL.



See that saddle in the range at lower left? Look closely and you can see some of the primo crags, domes & spires of the Stronghold, there's world-class technical rock climbing out there in that huge natural stone fortress. Usually one can't make out various crags, domes & spires until the sun rises high enough to illuminate the western side of the Dragoon Mountains... there are radical multi-pitch routes out there too, hundreds of feet high with insane views of the surrounding country. Meh, beats looking at Compton, North Philly or the Lower Bronx...

I LIKE MY LITTLE ADULT PLAYGROUND HERE IN SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA... LIFE COULD DEFINITELY BE WORSE, LOL.

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Holy Cow!!! That didn't take long, I got the call a few short hours after my interview and I'm hired, I just drove to Tucson to get my drug screen out of the way and I start working on Monday. Boy, that buster-@$$ traffic in Tucson reminded me of Kalifornia... ugh. Going home now to crack a cold beer and celebrate... y'all catch a break next week when I vanish from the Internet, disappear like a Democrat when the bill is due, LOL.

CHEERS!!!

 

[Coastal Redneck]

What's this, a platform change? Just logged in to post a few pics of Union Pacific Steam Locomotive "Big Boy" which paid a visit to this little burg this morning, it was quite a sight and drew a crowd of several thousand, though you can't tell from the photos. Shook hands with the mayor, a down-to-earth man unlike the common run of politicians... told him I just scored a decent job in town, and he laughed. Regular Chamber of Commerce weather too, a glorious fall morning in the high desert. BTW, you hands who live east of southern Arizona, the Big Boy is headed your way, you can Google "Union Pacific Big Boy Tour Schedule" to learn more, this is the last operational Big Boy, No. 4014, you can also Google "UP Big Boy 4014" to see pics and videos. The locomotive is making a circuit tour of the West to commemorate the 150th anniversary of completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. Had a regular freight train and a Slamtrak special roll through before the Big Boy appeared on scene:



Gotta run, I'm heading back to the ol' hacienda to knock out some chores and eventually crack a cold beer, LOL. Figured I'd post these today because I'll be busy next week. CHEERS!!!