h20skibum

So, with our taking the grandkids on a cruise this summer, Susan wants to encourage duck hiding. She thinks the kids will have fun with that. Not saying I approve, but after getting this email today, I volunteered to pick up some ducks. I wonder how many she needs? My work may be cut out for me.

Yesterday was a beautiful day for a hike. It has been a while since we have been on a nature trail. Somehow, when I change up the type of terrain, I find muscles that haven’t been getting a workout. The turtles were out sunning. After the heavy, all day rain we had the other day, I expected the trail to be muddy. The trail was pretty dry This is the easy walking part Stream was a little muddy. The falls were flowing full. So, I guess I may need to do a few more of these if I want to do a 20km hike with @aussielozzie18 We did 10km on an afternoon walk, only stopping briefly for a couple photos, and it took us 2 hours and 40 minutes. Pace is low when you need to watch for roots and rocks on the trail. IMG_0850.mp4 Meanwhile, my daughter and her family went hiking about 25 miles from where we were. I think I know where our next hike will be. It looks beautiful there.

Beautifully written. Thanks for sharing.

Sorry to hear you are battling the flu, Dani. Susan had something on and off for almost a month. Thankfully, I didn’t get whatever she had. Hope you get rid of it soon.

I think you mean Virgil. Yes, he is a character I enjoy.

@FromSea2ShiningSea Beautiful photos. We have done a few of those types of hikes here. I am enjoying your photos.

Those are cool. I agree with you. I like the first one.

We have been watching The Blacklist, on Netflix. I can’t believe they had 10 seasons, and we never watched one episode till now. We are now up to the middle of season five.

Got an email from United, saying they had $99 fares from Pittsburgh to EWR. I started looking at cruises from Cape Liberty, but none around the cheap dates. I did find a couple nice cruises I am trying to talk Susan in to.

We are in the path, and our schools are not cancelled. They do get out early to watch it. According to one of the forecasts, we have a 68% chance of cloud cover, so we may not see it. Will have to watch the forecast as we get closer.

That is pretty ambitious for a day hike, especially over uneven terrain. I would spend a couple days, enjoying the scenery along the way, rather than rushing to finish in a day.

I don’t recall what your engineering background is, but you may find this interesting. I know I mentioned earlier that the collapse reminded me of the ship impact related collapse of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge collapse in 1980. I remember several papers being presented at the International Bridge Conference in the early, mid 80’s about that incident. This link is to the NTSB investigation and report on that collapse. https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/MAR8103.pdf NTSB will be doing the same thing for this investigation. It took them about 10 months to complete that report. Unfortunately, the construction of the Key Bridge predates some of the recommendations to address ship impact possibilities.

+1 We have been watching coverage all morning. Reminds me of the collapse of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in 1980. The Key Bridge was built about 3 years prior to the Sunshine collapse. Several recommendations came out after that ship impact collapse, related to pier protection and warning systems. No doubt that they will be working to clear the main channel as soon as rescue and recovery operations are complete.

@Ozark_Kid John, happy birthday from me too.

Or wheel me in a stroller.

Ricky misunderstood when they said to put a sweet treat in the Easter basket.

I think Nick Weir shared this just for OB

Those cookies look great. I am sure they will be enjoyed.

+1 @1ANGELCAT prayers for all involved or affected.

The one in my son’s Tesla X is huge. Think of a computer monitor in a vertical orientation. I like how his can have rear traffic view in one section, plus navigation and other functions in split screens below.

Trade in value is still pretty good. It was in the range I expected, for the age, miles, and the added costs I knew it would take for inspection. It has all the same safety features as our Highlander, plus a few more. I like the Apple car play and that big display screen. I think Susan will like that for her trip next month.

Last weekend, Susan and I went new car shopping. More cars on the lots, and some dealers were actually having some deals again. We were going to replace our 13 RAV4 with a 24 RAV4. We found a dealer that had 4 of the Premiums on the lot, but only two of which we would consider. A dark gray, or a black one, both with black interiors. So, we get to the dealer, and they try to find the gray one. No one could find it, and they didn’t know where it was. We drove the black one, but told the dealer it was really at the bottom of my color list, because they are so hard to keep clean. Of course, then Susan mentions she would really like a white one better than the gray they couldn’t find. So they did some searching, and found a white one with the same package and options on another dealer’s lot. They got that one for us, and we picked it up yesterday. I called our insurance company to let them know we replaced that vehicle. I was shocked when they gave us the new insurance numbers. Buying that new vehicle, and it went down by $3. If I keep saving money like that, I may be able to book that Sea Dog cruise. 😂

Our granddaughter won Artist of the Month award for this. I think she did pretty good for a third grader. Now I have to have her make a new one for me. She was doing some amusing interpretations of famous paintings in her sketchbook, when we had her out to dinner. Having snails appear as the Mona Lisa, the Scream, The last supper, American Gothic, and, of course, Dogs playing poker.

Wishing you the best in your surgery. Hope all goes well, and you have a speedy recovery.

Do you know what year those pictures are from? Looks like maybe late 80’s to mid 90’s