Media Laser Island Voyages Back In The Day

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Round #2 of mural pics:

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Round #3 of mural pics:

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I like how the muralist painted himself into the Kartchner Caverns number, LOL... some notable caverns just south of Benson, I visited them in my "trucking daze." The longhorn mural is cool too. :rolleyes:
 
Last but not least, some shots of the kittehs:

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Ah, yes, life is rough for my furry little friends... look closely at that last pic and you can see Crackhead's snaggletooth, the product of a minor facial deformity. No worries, round here we judge our animals by character, not appearance, and we're not the kind to cash in a critter or send it to a shelter just because it doesn't meet someone's expectations of perfection. Little Crackhead is quite entertaining when he's rocketing around the house like a meteor, probably why he needed his rest in these pics, LOL. Sage, he's older so he has an excuse, he's nearly 20 years old and we've been through a lot together, including some memorable camping adventures. Well, time to hit the hardware store and carry on with the home rehab, sometimes I feel as if I've been pulling home rehab for 100 years, aye? :eek:

HASTA LUEGO, NAUTICAL HEROES!!! I'LL DRINK AN ICE-COLD BEER FOR Y'ALL LATER... CHEERS!!! ;)
 
Made more progress yesterday on the property, my old sailor's rest home will be STYLIN' once I'm finished, LOL. Gotta rework some PVC plumbing today, some idiot put the water line directly over the 4" cleanout for the section of buried sewer line, so an auger thrashing about over the cleanout can easily break the PVC... clearly the work of some methhead, the freakin' rocket scientist. Just one more item on the home rehab list, but it's easy enough to fix... I helped install marine plumbing aboard more than one boat, including a burly PVC system for a live bait tank aboard a sportfisher, so it's nothing new to me. Little by little, the house is brought up to speed, kinda like bringing a boat up to speed under challenging conditions, LOL... ya start by tossing the methheads overboard, along with all the f/u "work" they've done, aye??? It still blows my mind, the fact that we have two trash pickups per week and I've filled the large bin to overflowing every time for at least nine weeks... damn. But the house looks WAY MO' BETTAH, and that's what counts, while the trash pickup rates remain the same no matter how full the bin. I've been getting my money's worth since I moved in, I can tell y'all that much... :confused:

WELL, TIME TO CLIMB BACK ABOARD THE HOME REHAB HORSE... AND WITH THAT THOUGHT IN MIND, WE GOTS HORSIES!!! :)

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Well, that last pic shows the outer wall of a local pharmacy, but I liked the old school theme, LOL... CHEERS!!! :cool:
 
The plate below is broken, part of it is MIA, but it's still classic, LOL. Heaps o' cacti are blooming this time o' year, including this little guy in my yard... I like the bright colors!!! That last pic is for youse bikers out there in cyberspace, the funny thing is that there's a NEED for such a sign in Tucson, AZ, where I snapped the photo this morning on my way to Star Aluminum. DANGED REDNECKS, KEEP OFF THE SIDEWALK!!! :eek:

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Youse nautical heroes have a good weekend, I'll do the same... CHEERS!!! :rolleyes:
 
Well, it was a comfortable weekend, LOL. :cool:

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Sage in a camp chair on the deck: "Yo, while you're up, grab a beer for me outta the fridge!!!" :confused:

Crackhead in his favorite tub, he likes to stretch out in that one, LOL. :rolleyes:
 
And one more round of kitteh pics:

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Well, that first pic is of my bar at zero-dark-thirty, couldn't sleep so I got up to have a beer or two before lying down again. Crackhead can be quite stealthy, but the ceramic panther has him beat, LOL. Both kittehs approve of the carpet, inside and out, they flop down on it to take catnaps and provide obstacles, 10-4? :confused:

TIME TO RESUPPLY WITH BEER AT WALLYWORLD, THEN DREDGE UP THE MOTIVATION TO TACKLE THE LAST OF THE HOUSE PAINTING... UGH!!! :eek:

WHEN THIS IS ALL OVER, I NEVER WANNA SEE ANOTHER PAINTBRUSH OR ROLLER AGAIN, LOL. ;)
 
Got the table up and running, along with the cue racks, chalk holder, etc., so we're in business with the billiards. Went ahead and paid some hand $300 to make the table sweet again, it's now perfectly level and the felt is nice and smooth:

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We're not particular, we set up our 9-ball racks either way, LOL. Looks like the Star of India on that black coaster, I want folks to have places to set down their beers before making shots. That small table in the corner also lets us have a beach in the Pool Room, LOL. CHEERS!!! :rolleyes:

P.S. This Pool Room is larger than the one I had set up in Show Low, so there's more cue room... which is good. Easy decision for a confirmed bachelor to make: largest room in the house, that's where the pool table goes, LOL. ;)
 
I'm a bit distraught today, my cat Sage is MIA and he didn't turn up for breakfast, which he NEVER misses... until this morning. Poor ol' Sage, I hope he didn't get picked off by coyotes, I've seen those varmints in the 'hood before. Maybe he's just disoriented and lost, but I've already searched the neighborhood twice with no results, and I even left a descriptive message with the Animal Control officer, just in case he somehow got scooped up, which seems unlikely since he's wary of most strangers. Man, it would suck to lose him, it was bad enough losing Jingle Belle in Show Low... Sage has been with me for a LONNNNNG TIME, sure hope the little guy is alright. Here's hoping that he'll turn up later today, otherwise it'll break my heart... :(

C'MON HOME, MR. SAGERS, WHEREVER YOU ARE!!! I STILL LOVE YOU, MAN!!! :confused:
 
No sign of Sage, and Crackhead is in a funk because he has no playmate... only thing to do is jailbreak another kitteh from the local shelter, even if Sage turns up we have enough room for another cat. Maybe a young female cat to keep Crackhead company, house sure is depressing with Sage gone... never knew how much he meant to me after all these years. :(
 
Sorry to read about the loss of your cat. 'Outdoor' cats typically don't live as long as indoor ones for a variety of reasons. As an example, one of our cats was hit by a car.
 
Well, in this Forge of Life, that hammer blow came outta nowhere... and there's still no sign of Sage, the best four-legged friend I ever had. There is the remote possibility that he will make some sort of miraculous reappearance in the future, but I'm thinking he may have bought the farm... the harsh reality here in rural or semi-rural Arizona is that the outdoors can be a dangerous place for small domestic animals, particularly at night when predators tend to step up their game. And this place is thick with predators, coyotes & raptors (including owls) constituting the main threats, but there are also venemous snakes, Gila Monsters, etc., to test a cat's mettle... I've searched the 'hood several times, stopping to call out Sage's name, with absolutely zero response, just an empty silence. Poor ol' Sage, I reckon he slowed down a tad too much due to his age, and some varmint(s) jumped him from ambush or whatever. Maybe he'll still turn up, I've alerted the Animal Control officer and I'll check the "Found" ads in the local rag, but I think I've lost my little buddy for good... and as it has happened too many times in the past with friends & loved ones, I never got to say "Goodbye" to my pal of so many years, didn't even get to bury him at the Stronghold, the way I buried Jingle Belle in the White Mountains when I lost her, 10-4? :(

These are the hard facts: there's an attrition rate in life, and nobody here gets out alive, that much is guaranteed. Seems like half my high school class (mid-to-late-'70s, Class of '79) has already died, with good friends dying bizarre untimely deaths in their 20s, 30s and 40s... way too early to be checking out, but that's the way it goes, Death comes to all of us in the end. I know I've cheated Death on several occasions in the past, enough to make me reconsider and reevaluate certain personal behaviors and extreme sports activities in which I participated... one can cheat Death by taking calculated risks, but like a good poker player, Death always wins in the end. My only consolation here is that I gave Sage 15 or 16 good years on this planet, and he lived to be around 20, might have even been a bit older, hard to tell since he was "rescued" at least twice during his life. I did the best I could, and henceforth all my other cats will be locked down in the house at night, it's just too dangerous out there after dark with all the critters in this high desert country. Oh, yeah, I didn't rescue just one animal on Friday, I chose to jailbreak two young kittehs so the house wouldn't feel so lonely in Sage's absence... they've been hiding under the couch for three days now, but they're eating well, taking water, and thankfully using the litter box which I placed (temporarily) at one end of the sofa. Here's the new blood:

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That's Tiger on the right in the first two photos (his shelter name, he lacks the scrappy disposition of Sage the Tyger), and Tabby on the left with the white markings. I may keep Tiger as the young male cat's name, but the young gal will undoubtedly receive a new moniker, I'm thinking "Phoenix"---not as a nod to the metro dump, that ghetto hellhole, but as in rising like a phoenix from the ashes of Sage's memory, yeah??? :confused:

Here are some shots of Crackhead, he has been kinda sad over Sage's disappearance, and he's not sure about the youngsters yet:

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Poor Crackhead, like me he has been in a funk, but hopefully he makes friends with the new blood and they can be playmates... there's been a hiss or two over the weekend, but I reckon that'll soon pass and they'll get along famously, it's only a matter of time. I did note that one of the youngsters was already exploring the house at night, saw the kitteh as I visited one bathroom in the wee hours, but I couldn't tell which cat it was in the dark, I think maybe Tiger. So that's a good sign, they should both be cruising around their new home before long, and they seem happy enough under the couch for the present. :rolleyes:

Who knows? In time, they may even venture into the yard, but only during daylight hours... I meant what I said about locking 'em down in the house at night, but they can go out during the day. Sage disappeared overnight... that's when the coyotes creep up the wash by the boneyard and work their way up to the level of my street. Anyway, the walk-through gate to my yard (east side, where the deck and BBQ area lie) now sports this sign, a gift from me to one of those friends I mentioned earlier, he passed away at age 41... he was one hell of an archer, shot a primo Black Widow longbow at the tournament level, and he dug this sign when I first presented it to him. Now it's on my gate, go figure, but it'll serve as a reminder of our friendship. We met in high school as young skateboarders & social outcasts... skateboarding was still a crime in those days, aye??? :eek:

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Some friends visited over the weekend and we had a chance to BBQ some burgers and shoot a few good games of pool... made some excellent combo shots, which helped ease the grief over Sage's disappearance. I also climbed back aboard the home rehab horse, had to keep busy so I wouldn't dwell too hard on Sage. Got more painting done and put up some more decor, including these primo decorative plates & tiles with lighthouses on 'em:

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That kitchen island looks so much better all whited out, instead of that ugly, dark, dingy blue it used to be... it reflects more light into my home too, as you'll see in a moment. I like that Greek tile with the old sailing ship, that thing has my name all over it, LOL. I was trying to balance out the plates and tiles, hence the placement as shown... one thing's for sure, whoever enters my home will know that a sailor lives here, aye??? :rolleyes:

P.S. Oh, yeah, that old Pt. Loma Light in the third pic is the same as the one you see in the collection in the fourth pic, and its position can also be seen on the chart on my wall in the dining room... kinda ties together a whole slew of good memories. :cool:
 
I added some lizards to the kitchen island, they look cool on the columns, LOL. They fit perfectly too, which is how I'm doing this decor number: if something fits, then THAT is where it goes, aye? Same way the mermaids are now over my wet bar, they fit nicely in that wall space:

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I put up that Dixie Land plate as well under the bar counter, reckon we'll have to call it the Dixie Land Mermaid Bar, that should keep EVERYONE guessing, LOL... damn, I LOVE living in Redneck Land!!! That's the South Tower of the Hotel Del Coronado on that one tile, I may still hang that somewhere, but for now it's resting on the bar counter. There's that galleon tile art that ya like, I repainted the frame and stuck it there on that wall by the bar so visitors can see it as they approach. That's some nice tile art, always liked that number... :cool:
 
Here's a closer view of that galleon:

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I put up the Cremona Stradivarius poster in honor of me dear departed mum, she played violin for Tommy Dorsey back in the day... and there's a story behind that old photo you see in the third pic, it was taken aboard a Finnish steamer back when I was 6 or 7 years old. Remember how I told ya that my family would load up the VW Bus and go camping every summer when we lived in Europe? Well, that summer we drove from Athens to Scandinavia, taking hydrofoils and steamers (or ferries) en route... I met that kid aboard the boat, we had a grand time exploring every deck, compartment, etc., during the hours-long voyage, and pics were taken by both sets of parents for a rather unusual reason. You see, as my folks were chatting with Harry's folks while sitting on the fantail or afterdeck, they discovered that we not only shared the same birthday, we were born in the very same year!!! Classic coincidence, and perhaps the reason why we got along so well during the voyage... Harry stood for Harold or Harald, his family was Finnish and there was a language barrier all the folks managed to overcome. I can still remember running everywhere aboard that boat, being admonished by the crew for running as that kid & I poked our noses into every compartment and void, often being told to move on if we were in an unauthorized area, LOL. That was some voyage, and the multi-deck steamer was just large enough to keep us occupied for hours... the pic was taken toward the end of the voyage, after we'd had so much fun exploring every deck. You can see how happy we were, I'm the fooliot on the left with the bad haircut and lousy sense of fashion style, LOL. :eek:

What else do we have in this last round of pics? Hmm, the Wells Fargo Pony Express plate which went up in the dining room, that always garners attention here in Arizona where there are so many horseback riders. We also have the shot taken in a local RV/trailer park, some dude had that pet tyrannosaur chained up in his yard... Ol' Tex (short for T. Rex) was pulling guard duty out front, you see, gotta love redneck humor, LOL. Meh, it's only 98% redneck, a pink plastic flamingo in Tex's jaws would boost it to 100%, yeah? Still worth taking a free pic, not every day ya see a tyrannosaur on guard duty in an RV park, 10-4? The last five pics are of some redneck rig in the parking lot at WallyWorld... not exactly my choice for rims & wheels, but the suspension will do the job out by Cochise Stronghold, and the Iron Cross hubs get extra credit. WTF, it's not a bad truck... for a Ford, LOL. I'm a Chevy man myself, and occasionally a Dodge fan, but I wouldn't turn down this rig if I won it in a contest or whatever... it would work just fine for camping, no doubt. Anyway, that's all I got today, I'm off to WallyWorld (again) to resupply with food, gonna make some spicy homemade chicken burritos after I finish painting this afternoon... I hope to have the kitchen entirely done before the week is out, then it's on to the bathrooms to get them done as well, I've about had it with the painting in this home rehab, LOL. :confused:

Y'ALL HANG LOOSE, I'M OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD... THAT JACKHOLE OWES ME A HUNDRED BUCKS AND I INTEND TO COLLECT, LOL. CHEERS!!! ;)
 
Been busy, trying to keep my mind off Sage's absence... here are some recent pics, including shots of last night's sunset:

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There's Crackhead saying, "DUDE, WHEN'S THE BBQ???" ;)

Dunno what kind of plant that is in the last pics, but it looks pretty cool in my yard... :rolleyes:
 
Another round:

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That's a prickly pear cactus flower, also in my yard... looks almost like a rose, me dear departed mum would've liked it, she was always a green thumb gardener, 10-4? Some more decor shots back toward my room or in my room, gotta have my wall decor, it's the only real clutter I allow myself to have, LOL. Everywhere one looks in my home, he or she will see some unusual item of decor... just the way I like it. Woke hungry this morning, so instead of the usual fruit smoothie I had a big ol' chicken burrito for breakfast... it was damned delicious too. WTF, I have another long day of house painting & beer drinking ahead, so I wanted something substantial... plate probably had 12,000 calories on it, but no worries, I'll work it off, LOL. :rolleyes:

MAHALO, NAUTICAL HEROES!!! KEEP ON TRUCKIN'... ER, I MEAN SAILING, LOL. CHEERS!!! :cool:
 
Funny how things work out... even here in the high desert, upon a shelf in the Benson Public Library, this lifelong sailor finds ship models to remind me of voyages made in the past:

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Got a matching set of totems above the huge DVD collection as well, the library in this little burg is surprisingly well-stocked with books & DVDs. I've been watching movies in my home theater as a way of unwinding after home rehab, and as a way of keeping my mind off Sage's disappearance. Still no sign of Sage, but I can't write off the possibility that he might make some sort of miraculous comeback, kinda like Dennis Conner back in the day, LOL. For the present, I miss my little four-legged friend... :(
 
The youngsters I rescued to fill the void have begun to stray from under the couch, I've seen Tiger & Phoenix exploring the other rooms, with Tiger doing most of the exploration. That crazy little cat is a tremendous leaper & climber, on more than one occasion he has sailed across my vision as he leapt from a high perch... he does this at night as I walk down a darkened hallway or through a darkened room, so he's livening things up a bit in Sage's absence. Phoenix isn't quite as intrepid, but she is making strides as the shy cat of the group. I'm not rushing things either, the two youngsters can stay under the couch as long as it takes for them to feel comfortable in their new surroundings... they usually emerge at night once I've crashed in the back room, I can hear them stooging around as they test the waters, so to speak. Here they are in nap mode, Tiger on the left and Phoenix on the right, with a few shots of Crackhead thrown in for good measure:

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I tossed in some plant pics, everything is going off now and the colors are beautiful. I have one ocotillo in my yard, while my elderly widow neighbor has three, they look pretty cool with those flame-tipped branches. I have several young Joshua Trees in my yard, while another neighbor's agave has that huge spear growing out of it, looks like a medieval lance, LOL. If I didn't already have a large bottle on my bar, I'd make some tequila out of that thing... :eek:
 
This library also has some plane models, but they hang so high that the only way to get a close-up would be to stand on a chair or table, LOL... :confused:

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That last shot shows some cool astronaut patches, perhaps donated by somebody involved in the space program, or somebody retired from the space program. Might have to bag some close-up shots of those patches later, some are quite impressive... you members of the Flat Earth Society, disregard the last pic, LOL. Well, time to head back to the ol' hacienda and carry on with the kitchen painting, I made a serious dent in it yesterday and I'd like to break the back of the job today... it's a very tedious task, painting the kitchen, since it has so many cabinets, corners to cut in, etc., but like all the other rooms in the house, once I'm done it will look great (and I'll never have to do it again). Y'all be good, I'm off to pick up brush & roller... :eek:
 
Knocked out *most* of the kitchen painting over the past few days, still have to widen the window sills for the kittehs and paint two small trim strips... that'll get done today after I have a cold beer. :rolleyes:

Here's the not-quite-completed kitchen, I also have to install the clear panels for that overhead light fixture... got the panels in my storage room, just haven't trimmed 'em yet, and I won't until the painting is entirely finished. This room was tough, and losing Sage had an effect upon my motivation during the process. Here are the pics, all that loose clutter will be cleared away once I'm done:

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My beloved niece made that rabbit sketch when she was young, perhaps with a little help from her mom... I'm gonna hang it on one kitchen wall, there's a spot just the right size next to the refrigerator. :cool:

Some shots of the kittehs, the youngsters are doing fine but Phoenix is elusive and shy, every time I reach for the camera she's off like one of Goddard's rockets, LOL:

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Tiger has a beautiful coat, I just haven't gotten a good broadside shot of it... both Tiger & Phoenix are flourishing with good food, saucers of milk, etc., and they're both venturing forth to explore their new home, which is a good sign. In that third shot, Crackhead is saying, "DUDE, TIME TO CHANGE THE WATER IN THE BIRDBATH!!!" Knucklehaid likes to drink outta the birdbath, so I change the water every day as I water the fruit trees I planted, those are also coming along nicely. As a sailor, I planted citrus trees, of course... no scurvy allowed on my property, it is VERBOTEN, LOL. Meh, life is a voyage, and it's also whatcha make of it... some fresh juice and lemonade in the hot months will be good in years ahead. :)

Oh, yeah, in that fourth pic of the last set, Crackhead says: "GET THAT GODD@M CAMERA OUTTA MY FACE!!!" :confused:

LOL. Here's a shot taken in the "Whetstone Room" of the Benson Public Library, look closely and you'll see a nice view of Cochise Stronghold:

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TECHNICAL ROCK CLIMBERS' PARADISE!!! [And only half an hour from my home, not counting the approach on foot, LOL.] CHEERS!!! :D

P.S. Forgot to add that the door to the pantry closet in the kitchen needs to be rehung, it's outside on sawhorses... it's a louvered wooden door, so I removed it from its hinges, cleaned it up and painted it using rattle cans, only way to do louvered doors on the cheap. It's done and it looks good, I just need to rehang it today...
 
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I had a small collection of drawings from the Middle East, so I decided to hang some of 'em in my home. I put the camels over the gas range... if the unthinkable happens and I burn my signature lasagna in the oven, my friends and I can BBQ those camels instead, LOL. Probably use NAPALM for the task... KA-BOOOOM!!! :eek:

"OKAY, THEY'RE DONE!!!" :rolleyes:

[Flaming camel bits everywhere...] :confused:

No BBQ fork or spatula required, LOL. ;)

Anyway, here are the Middle Eastern drawings, some will go up on the wall of my back bathroom:

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That last drawing actually made it to my bar, it looks good hanging on that side of the cabinet which faces outward, LOL. Remember what I said, all visitors will know that a SAILOR lives in this home... life is a voyage, and I'll always have the perspective of a small craft sailor no matter what tasks I face, aye? Whether I'm pulling rehab work on a home I bought in the high desert, or whether I'm visiting family in Dago and spending a few days on the water... I'll always think like a SAILOR. I'd sail the heck outta that craft right there, with large coolers full o' beer lashed to the deck and a stainless steel BBQ mounted to the stern rail, LOL. No worries, I'd go easy on the crew, only a dozen lashes with the cat-o'-nine-tails for every infraction... :D

RECKON I'LL HEAD HOME AND KNOCK OUT THE REST OF THAT KITCHEN WORK, I CAN HEAR A COLD BEER CALLING MY NAME FROM THE FRIDGE... CHEERS, YOUSE NAUTICAL HEROES!!! HASTA LUEGO!!! :cool:
 
Tiger lounging in a chair:

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Looks rather comfortable, doesn't he? Chair's a bit thrashed, I let the cats sharpen their claws on it... bought the chair for $15 at some thrift shop in Show Low, AZ, so no worries. When the kittehs sharpen their claws on my $1100 leather reclining sofa, THAT earns a caustic comment, LOL. :confused:
 
Gonna buy another dirt bike for recons and better access on the west side of Cochise Stronghold... there's a dirt (Forest Service) road that runs along the base of the Dragoon Mountains, and a dirt bike would keep my car from getting thrashed on that rocky road, LOL. Even a pit bike or mini would work for this specific purpose, might even be easier to hide once I took to foot... we used to pull this sort of climbing in the Valley of the Moon many years ago, riding up to outcrops and climbing straight up from where we parked the bikes, LOL. Of course, that was back when there was still some vestige of freedom in what has now become the Socialist Republik of KaliMexiFornia... :eek:

I'M OFF TO CHECK CRAIGSLIST... ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY, AYE??? :confused:

AT LEAST I FINISHED WORKING ON THE KITCHEN, IT NOW LOOKS GOOD... LOSING SAGE REALLY MESSED WITH MY MOTIVATION DURING THIS EFFORT, MADE THE KITCHEN A TOUGH ROOM TO PAINT. :(
 
Ah, another glorious day in the 'hood, with temps forecast in the 70s... thinking of going climbing this weekend, been awhile since I've been on the crags but I still have a quarter century or more of experience behind me. The real question is whether these permanent injuries will hold me back... bashed my left knee outside Show Low while riding insanely fast on a dirt bike (Rim Road 300, an excellent venue on the Mogollon Rim), and I have some torn tendons in my right shoulder, the injury unrelated to any extreme sport. Meh, ya get older and things fall apart, that's just how it is. Reminds me of that hand who said that perfectly-designed IACC boats would fall apart as they crossed the finish line... even though many years have passed since the IACC boat era, I still remember that line, LOL. And now for something completely different, a shot of Tiger eating at his end of the dining room table:

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He's a funny little cat, but he's coming along alright... problem is, Phoenix went MIA after I fell asleep last night and left the sliding glass door to the deck cracked open, so I'm a bit concerned about her safety. I think she's hiding somewhere in the house, or perhaps under my home, since the skirting isn't completely buttoned up yet... she was very shy, so I don't see her going too far, but those damned coyotes are dangerous predators, and they'll jump fences if they think they can catch small domestic animals. Hopefully she turns up later today, I don't seem to be having much luck with cats lately here in southeastern Arizona, even though I treat 'em like royalty... it just isn't enough, ya gotta watch those damned predators. I'm off to C/L to check the dirt bike scene, HASTA LUEGO, NAUTICAL HEROES!!! :cool:

P.S. Hey, Margot, if you see this post, I put your drawing up over the fridge, here it is:

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It fits perfectly in that space, so that's where it goes, LOL. I luv ya, CHEERS!!! :rolleyes:
 
Nothin' like a hammock for relaxation under a clear blue sky, LOL. Hey, I went to some redneck music festival and made some new friends, wasn't ever a large crowd but the music was great, while the sunset & moonrise were primo. My Canon cam didn't do justice to the evening sky, maybe I should've tried the "Creative Shots" mode... meh, a good time was had by all, and the four-band concert was a welcome break from home rehab, LOL. Here we go:

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See what I mean about the crowd? LOL... I don't think there were ever more than 200 spectators at any given time, but the music was good and so were the beverages. This was the inaugural event, maybe there will be more folks in attendance next time... I had a blast and made some new friends, so no worries. That's a neighbor's home in the fourth pic, it's a tidy little place with a fantastic view of the Stronghold, but it lacks the interior roominess of my double-wide, LOL. He paid more for it too... :rolleyes:
 
Round #2 of pics:

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There's little Phoenix, safe and sound back under the couch... thank goodness I managed to coax her back indoors before she got picked off by those miserable coyotes, this country is hard on small domestic animals. She's a shy creature, but she's beginning to explore the house, which must seem huge to her since she's so small... no worries, she'll soon have it wired and be ready for daytime trips into the fenced yard, as Tiger is pulling already, the bold little adventurer, LOL. Well, I'm off to WallyWorld to resupply with beer, gonna make an effort to finish the painting this week, as I am heartily sick of it, LOL. Meh, only two smallish rooms to go, and I'm freakin' DONE with it... CHEERS!!! :cool:
 
I'm on my 18th tube of caulking material in this home rehab war... 18 TUBES OF CAULKING!!! LOL, and I'll probably go through 20 before I'm done with the interior of my home, I've yet to caulk the cracks and seams in the two bathrooms. Anyway, my little Tiger is quite the leaper & climber, same way Sage was a tremendous leaper and climber in his youth... there's a wooden privacy screen to one side of the deck, and due to the nature of its construction the screen has an internal ledge or walkway just the right size for kittehs, so I slapped an outer shelf or ledge between my window and the privacy screen. Later, when I put my window screens back in place (all need to be redone), I'll install a cat door in the wall at the end of that outer shelf. Here's Tiger strolling back and forth while having a good time, LOL... he likes to sit or lie out at the "pier end" of that walkway and watch the birds at the various feeders. Bear in mind that I have NOT painted the exterior of my home yet, that comes later when the interior is done. I already widened every interior window sill for the cats, think I'll add high walkways and bridges to interior walls sometime in the future. Here's the ferocious little Tiger, lord of his new realm, LOL:

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He's a funny little kitteh, sure is developing into a real climber's cat... he's fast too, faster than Crackhead, a regular streak of lightning, LOL. He would've made a good topman in the Golden Age of Sail, aye??? :rolleyes:
 
A few more pics of Tiger & Crackhead, they're now getting along famously:

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Crackhead the Devil Cat!!! LOL... actually, the camera caught him yawning in that fourth pic, he looks like a saint praying in the two following pics. There's little Phoenix in the last two pics, she's now exploring the entire home but it's hard to snap a shot of her elsewhere, she's so shy all I catch is a fleeting glimpse of her running away, LOL. She's slowly learning that I don't pose any danger, so she should be more sociable in weeks and months ahead... I'm just letting her get accustomed to our new home at her own pace, no stress, no worries. She'll approach to within a few feet of me at times, and I'm trying not to make any sudden moves which might scare her and set back our program of socialization. Otherwise, she's eating well, drinking plenty of water and milk, perfectly healthy in all respects... I catch her and Tiger chasing each other throughout the house, which is exactly what I want to happen. Don't know why those weird colors appeared in one photo, some trick of the camera, I reckon. CHEERS!!!
 
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Man, what fine weather here in Cochise County, I almost dropped everything to pull another recon of the Stronghold... but home rehab work doesn't get finished that way, LOL. I'll be rolling out both bathrooms when I return to the ol' hacienda, good news is I'm gonna farm out the skirting work on the double-wide if I can find someone sufficiently competent & reliable who doesn't overcharge. So-called and self-proclaimed "tradesmen" in this area leave much to be desired... worst case scenario, I do the skirting work myself after I finish the bathrooms. :confused:
 
Should be painting today, but I had to answer an ad for a stellar job opportunity here in Benson... which meant writing a letter to the hand in charge and delivering it personally, along with a couple of climbing guidebooks, LOL. There was a reason for submitting the letter and books, so we'll see what happens. Sure, right now I'm working for myself and finishing this brutal home rehab effort, but I will eventually need to go back to work, since I'm not retired. This job has nothing to do with my CDL-A either, I won't jinx the opportunity by squawking about it but it would be a REALLY COOL JOB, and most site members know that work is good for the soul, LOL. Meanwhile, here's Crackhead messin' with my Cochise Trading Post rag this morning, the blasted varmint... cue the Yosemite Sam expression!!! :eek:

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"YA BLASTED VARMINT!!!" :confused:

That hose is usually wrapped in a Flemish Coil on the concrete slab, but I had not yet made it so when Crackhead jumped up next to me and gave grief to the local rag. Morning & evening, I water the four citrus trees I planted a few weeks ago, they are all thriving in the high desert... Crackhead not so much when I blast him with the hose, LOL. And now, back to the ol' hacienda for a few cold beers... CHEERS!!! :cool:
 
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Started tackling the ugly job of painting both bathrooms... rolled out one coat yesterday, gonna finish rolling the second in each bathroom today, then all I have to do is cut in each bathroom and I'll be DONE with painting the interior of my home, WAHOOO!!! Y'all have no idea how TEDIOUS this task has become, particularly after I lost my cat Sage, poor little guy... but he would've wanted me to soldier on and finish the job. Rehabbing this train wreck of a fixer-upper has been a job of work too... it ain't easy to convert a former friggin' tweaker palace into a neat & tidy home, but I will "git 'er done." Once I'm finished, I'll have the ultimate Cochise Stronghold Base Camp, and I expect other technical rock climbers to join me for beer, billiards & BBQ after sending routes at the Stronghold... that will be cool. Anyway, here are some pics of the ugly start to the bathroom project:

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Not very impressive yet, but when I'm done it will all look good, LOL. That ugly (pre-existing) shower curtain will be $h!tcanned the nanosecond the painting is finished, anybody want those funky old shower rings for his or her Sunfish? :confused:
 
A couple of mirrors hung from independent wooden frames, so I simply hauled 'em out to the carport and set 'em on the sawhorses... way easier to mask & paint 'em that way using the latest modern rattle can technology, LOL. Nothing I like more than huffing paint at 0800, don'tcha know? :eek:

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Look how bright those two small towel racks are... is there such a thing as "neon white?" LOL. Meh, they were still serviceable, so I simply repainted them as well... probably use that smaller one in the kitchen for a hand towel, I need a rack there. See the lovely skirting left behind by the tweakin' crackerheads? THAT will be redone here shortly, AFTER I correct the plumbing lines... look where one idiot tweaker put a PVC water line right over the cleanout for the 4" sewer line, as soon as I put an auger down the cleanout the PVC will get snapped like a toothpick, so I have to reroute that line for starters, LOL. Idiot tweakers, thankfully they got busted by Johnny Law and hauled off to jail... I was told they were also chopping stolen vehicles on the property, and the other day I found a bunch of parts and old floor mats in some brush beyond the carport fence, presumably all that cr@p was tossed from stolen vehicles. See that "WANTED" poster featuring the Cochise Trading Post? It should show the tweakin' crackerheads, but I guess it would be too late, since they are already enjoying life in the Crossbar Hotel, LOL. There's one of my own doormats, it's taking a beating during this home rehab effort, but I can probably salvage it and clean it up afterwards for further use. :rolleyes:

WELL, I'M OFF TO RESUPPLY WITH BEER FOR THE WEEKEND, PLUS I GOTTA PICK UP MORE PAINT, CAULKING MATERIAL, BLUE PAINTER'S TAPE, ETC. I'VE ALREADY BEEN THROUGH 24 TUBES OF CAULKING, AND I DON'T WASTE THE STUFF, I LAY A BEAD DIRECTLY ON EACH OPEN CRACK OR SEAM. 24 TUBES!!! THAT IS A PERSONAL RECORD... 24 TUBES!!! :confused:

OF COURSE, MY HEATING & COOLING BILLS WILL BE WAY LOWER, AND THERE WON'T BE ANY ANTS, SCORPIONS, ETC., CRAWLING THROUGH CRACKS TO SET UP SHOP IN MY HOME AND SHARE MY QUEEN-SIZED DENVER MATTRESS WITH ME, LOL. I HATE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS... NO FUN AT ALL. ;)

I'M OFF TO BUY BEER, AND I'LL PROBABLY VISIT TOMBSTONE SOMETIME THIS WEEKEND, "THE TOWN TOO TOUGH TO DIE" IS HOSTING "WYATT EARP DAYS" FOR THE HOLIDAY, CHEERS!!! :cool:
 
Took these shots over the weekend, pics of my home and the fine time I had in Tombstone yesterday, LOL... :cool:

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As you can see in the last four pics, little Phoenix is overcoming her shyness and gaining trust, LOL. :eek:
 
This wooden game could easily be replicated by those site members who possess woodworking skills, it's a fun game for kids and adults, though it can get a bit loud & raucous when drunken fooliots hurl the discs downrange, LOL. Object of the game: to slide those wooden discs from the far end toward the scoring slots or bays, each person takes a turn sliding all 20 discs and then tallies his or her score, highest score wins. This game has been in my family for 50 years or more, I think my pop picked it up in Scandinavia or India, can't remember which... too much has happened since those days, and both parents have been dead for years. Anyway, here's the game:

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Fun game, anybody who builds a copy can draw conclusions regarding measurements, I put a tape measure to one disc and it read 1.75", the openings to the scoring slots or bays are slightly larger. One wouldn't really have to do the routing work or make containment covers for the discs, unless one wanted to store the game vertically in a closet as it was designed to be stored. I usually leave it lying atop the covered pool table, my friends & I will toss a few rounds before shooting stick, aye? There's Crackhead eating atop the kitchen counter, blasted varmint couldn't wait for me to put the dish on the dining room table... so I let him slide, just this once, LOL. :cool:
 
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