We are Rainbow People...

We are Rainbow People. No, not like those Rainbow People I squatted in the driveway without at Anne's old house that time at a party as they spread crystals picked up from an Arkansas creek bed on a red bandana and explained all the energy captured within but the people selling Rainbow Vacuum Cleaners. One of them came to my house. She asked who did the house cleaning, they like the husband and wife to both be present for the sales pitch and we said, "Nobody."  

So after an effective demo showing how dirty we were we bought one. Not cheap but lives up to all the hype. Once you buy one you work a system where you get other people to sign up for a demo. We did that. If you get enough people you get a free set of cookware. We got the cookware and if enough people actually buy you get your Rainbow free, kind of like the crystal I got from those other Rainbow People that's laying around here seeping energy somewhere but just a lot cleaner. We got our Rainbow Vacuum free.   

 

Of course I could not resist having some fun so I sent a few people a photo of my Rainbow in the bathroom and extolled it's virtues unstopping a crapper.  Cathy made me tell them I was just kidding but it does do a lot of things. Cathy blew off the hot tub deck with it today. I've vacuumed the vehicles. We are cleaner than we have ever been. 

The camper is cleaner than it's ever been. 

Hopefully we won't suck up that crystal because no telling where that thing lays. There actually might be some disruption in the cosmic force just as there was that time we finally came clean. 

I'm Always Learning Something...

 In Cathy's family both parents were teachers. They had all that time off (ATTO) every summer, 5 kids and just enough money to make a camping vacation to popular state and national parks every year. When they pulled into a campground in the old station wagon those kids came boiling out of the back and dashed to inspect the toilets. Once inspected they stuck their little heads out the door and shouted back to the parents, "flush!" or "pit!" to announce their findings on the status of the plumbing facilities. I find it very cute that Cathy still does this even though she does not have to race her brothers and sister to be the first to know anymore. It's one of the many things that endears her to me.    

While in the Great Smoky Mountains we hiked up Clingman's Dome which is the highest mountain in Tennessee, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the highest point along the Appalachian Trail. At 6684 feet tall I was glad that I did not wait till I was any older to hike it. Though the trail is paved and easy walking but it's steep and I rested probably 6 to 8 times on the way up but made it down without a break. There are a lot of people on the trails and I would advise beginning early as the parking lot at the trailhead holds only so many cars. 

It was in this parking lot where we arrived early enough for a good space that I learned my thing for that day. I hit the bathrooms as a precaution (Pit! After a difficult plumbing repair in my own backyard what else would be expected way up in the mountains?) and came out to catch a little mini lecture from a guy that was probably a teacher himself explaining the workings of the pit or vault toilet which although I know there are those that don't trust it involves a good deal more science that you might imagine.

The fellow explained and I had complied with the instructions posted to close the lid of the commode after use that if the lid is closed the sun heats the black smokestack like pipe on the roof, black to increase solar heat which then draws the stink of the vault toilet out into the sky above our heads making the bathroom break more pleasant. This the experience of our youths of a pit toilet and a room full of stench is avoided. 

I did not get a photo of the toilet on Clingman's Dome but I later made a photo of this Corps of Engineers issue vault toilet on Lake Oakatibbee in Mississippi. You can see the black stack. The lid was not closed.     

I also noticed that the government wants men and women to use this restroom which is something a lot of people have their panties in a knot over lately but looks like they are mandating it in Mississippi. There were two industrial sized Corps of Engineer issue rolls of toilet paper in this facility which also seemed to be meant for unisex use.   

When we came down off Clingman's Dome the parking lot was full with many people circling in their cars waiting for a space. There were also lines at the toilets. Men and women. I don't know how the paper was holding out but the black stacks were reaching for the sky.  

Service Calls and Family Visits...

Yesterday afternoon I noticed some kind of malfunction alarm was sounding on the aerator sewer system that takes care of all the drainage, flushes and solid waste. I'm sitting waiting on 8am right now so I can give my installer Truss & Son Plumbing a call to request service. There were a lot of people at my house this weekend so there was a lot of toilet flushing, showers and so on. Some of these photos contain pictures and evidence of the culprits responsible and were either made at my house or at Mary and Miguel's home where they recently used Truss as their installer of a new septic system. I don't worry though. I'll get to the bottom of this one way or another.     

I'm sure some took this advantage to use the restroom so as not to overload the system. 

Meatball! Could be problems later. 

I had the fruit myself. 

Acting all innocent. 

Hot dog eaters. 

Lots of old hard candy probably swallowed whole. 

Many likely suspects. 

Time to make that call. 

 

The Little Changes...

I had a new boss once that told me, "you sure do handle change well." The new boss had taken over from the old boss whom everyone liked and decided to change everything. At that particular point in my life I was only on my second career but in the cold hearted glare of global corporation strategies had actually worked for at least six different companies. I had seen a lot of Monday mornings where people came to work reinventing the wheel. 

I'm kind of like that new boss when I talk to people about wind power, solar power electric cars and so on. Most are not inclined to handle change all that well and see no reason to convert to some other way of doing things and don't think it will work. In the case of alternative energy they are kind of right in the fact that it won't really work completely as we need it to like it is now but that does not mean it will never work. On my recent drive around the country I spotted various evidence of folks making alternative energy sources work for them. 

Here's a sail boat I photographed from the ramparts of Castillo de San Marcos which were completed in 1695 overlooking Matanzas Bay in St. Augustine, Florida. As a good contrast of the old and the new note the wind power propeller at the stern of the boat. The camera shutter froze the fan but I promise you it was spinning it's little heart our generating those kilowatts.  

       

As I have been contemplating adding a portable solar suitcase to our RV there's a lot more to this than meets the eye. An appliance will have some info it the owners manual about how much power it draws and then there are equations on what kind of battery you need to collect, store and deliver the juice. As a tuba player I don't really have to know all this but I have a son that is an engineer and a couple of son in laws good at math that will tell me what I need.  

So what's this guy running? Maybe a coffee pot? A fan? Could be charging and running a laptop on which he does remote consulting work that pays $100 an hour. That would certainly be low overhead costs and go a long way on making that sailboat payment. 

Driving through sunny Florida we saw a couple of fields of these solar panels. Seemed quite large and with the sunny local weather it should do well but it does take up land and other nearby areas were crops and hay production. People and animals have to eat. Something to work out.        

At the Fort Pickens National Seashore Park the bathrooms which had all flush, hot water as well as washer and dryer convivences had a roof lined with solar panels. I don't know why I did not take a photo of this. Maybe I felt self conscious standing outside the bathrooms with a camera but I have never shied away from taking a photo of an outhouse before.     

A priest told once as I helped him set up a Christmas Manger scene, "don't put the donkey too close to the front, they will think you are a Democrat." I know what you are thinking. Old Mudbelly, he's an all warm fuzzy tree hugging if it's mellow let it yellow donkey down front kind of guy. On our cross country trip we spent $528.37 on gas. That's .22 cents a mile and the bikes on the rack saved us a few bucks in addition to contributing to some heart health traveling inside the parks where we stayed to see the sights.

That new boss changes things quick some times but I've seen evidence of slow change coming and it's happening now.      

 

Look Out Science in Use...

 I've spent a good bit of time the last two summers swimming at old Ratcliff Lake. My parents took me there as a child and it's been a good place to take the grandkids. Pick a mid week day and there is usually few to no other people in the swimming area, the water is clear and cool and there are just enough fish eager to bite that fishing does not turn into work but stays interesting. My annual Forest Service parking permit that's good on Sam Rayburn boat ramps gets me in free.  

When I visited last week this sign was new about the monitoring of water quality. It's put there by the Angelina and Neches River Authority. The ANRA is a state agency, created by articles of the state constitution and has been around in one form or the other since 1935. They have their own lab here in town. I don't have this info so I'm guessing but I bet there are people with science degrees working there.  

I'm glad they are monitoring the water I swim and fish in. This info is not on the sign but I bet one thing they look at is if this lake has E Coli bacteria in it. E Coli occurs when there is fecal matter, that's poop to the non science people, in the water. Poop gets in the water, and it could be people or animal poop (see the dog sign, only allowed if you need it) from sewage overflows, sewage systems not working properly, run off from agriculture or polluted storm runoff. 

I have seen that Nacogdoches County has a program to replace septic systems in the Attoyac River watershed free of charge to prevent sewage runoff. Reports say that people are slow to take advantage of this because they think there will be a punishment for a non working system. There's not a consequence. They just don't want you doing dumb stuff like running a pipe that flows poo into the creek. 

I would be willing to bet, somewhere on a private property, an unregulated campground, a cow pond there is a septic system too close to the water or hay field run off. People are cooling off swimming, having a good time and are happy as clams. Maybe somebody had a little diarrhea but it could have been the potato salad or the Old Mil. Luckily it was nothing worse but ya'll come swimming next week end, you hear?    

Note there is also a sign warning of alligator activity in the lake. Someone with a degree in wildlife biology probably saw one and put the sign up so you don't have to scout the lake before letting the kids in or stand guard over them with a shotgun. Tie this back to the dog sign too. I have heard that gators think dogs are tasty. If you don't rely on a dog to get around, don't put him at risk. 

Science works. This is how it's effected my life this week and life is better for it. Now let's don't do dumb stuff and go swimming. 

           

Big Eddy, Eisenhower Park...

Seems like the wet weather and high water has kept me from outdoor activity lately. Maybe it's just that stage in a sportsman's career where he would rather talk about going fishing than really go fishing. With Morgan in Italy for his job we paid a visit to Ali and Parker this weekend and I took the time to pay a visit to a city of Houston Park, Dwight D. Eisenhower Park.  

This Park is at the lower end of Lake Houston where the dam empties into the San Jacinto River. There is The Lake Houston Wilderness area nearer to Morgan's house on the upper end which we have explored by canoe. I am very impressed with the quality of outdoor experience available near the city. The only sounds of civilization  is the occasional whistle of jet engines approaching Hobby International. On a foggy day like this one the jets could not be seen.  

This spot is called Big Eddy and is actually a branch off the main river. It is also a canoe launch. No motors allowed. 

Looking toward the mouth with the river somewhere down there. I was interested in the dam area because I has seen recent video of good white bass fishing by boat behind the dam. While I got close enough as I explored around to hear the rushing water of the dam I could not see it or find bank access. 

Good bit of wildlife to be seen. I saw deer on the road driving in as well as cormorants and blue herons. Usually a good fishing sign, lots of birds near the water but I caught no fish myself this day.

Nice river sand banks. Makes you want to dig. I flushed up a flight of wood ducks from a pool behind this sand bar. Looks like if you head up the eddy this way you reach a rip rap dam with a road on it. It's blocked by a locked gate and probably leads to the dam tailrace. 

A big white heron hands around waiting for winter to be over on the Great Lakes so he can head home for the summer. 

Nice foot path along the water. 

I saw about a half dozen people in the park. Three guys fishing a park pond that had beware of alligator signs, a guy walking a dog, a woman who looked like she was stretching to prepare for a trail jog and a Texas State Trooper who I swear was stealing the paper from the portapotty. I had urinated in that unit before fishing and duly noted that just in case there was toilet paper. After a drive around I returned to spot the trooper standing outside the unit with a roll of paper in his hand. I ask myself why as I kick myself for not making photos.  

So it seemed pretty isolated but I can guess that it might not always be so. Most every tree at the waters edge had corks, lures and plenty of mono fishing line wrapped up in it. If you zoom this photo you can see all the line. My guess is about 6 million people living within an hours drive of this spot. If they all get hungry and the grocery store is closed a few cormorants, a pelican, several wood ducks, two alligators and three deer are not going to go very far.    

No more fussing...

Lot of argument these days. About all kinds of stuff and here is a solution to the most classic argument of all time. Do you hang the toilet paper over the top or coming from underneath? 

Glad to see someone has solved this. There is no way to hang this toilet paper. Now there are arguments to be made of course. But they are a deeper kind of argument. An argument that reasons to ask why. 

I suppose you could say this roll of toilet paper was made to put the most possible sheets on the roll. Unlike a donut with a whole in the middle that you cannot eat there is paper in the middle that can be utilized. I don't suppose that somewhere on the shelf near this product some enterprising marketer was selling the cardboard tube just like the bakery sells the donut hole. 

I suppose it's good use of natural resources instead of cardboard you can't wipe your hinny on there paper you can. Nothing is thrown away in a landfill it just all goes to flushville. 

Of course you could say this paper was marketed to people who don't hang their toilet paper at all and that would be me. I know there are more of you out there. I can't be the only one that prefers the hand rolling.     

We know there are some that don't do well with change and let me assure you there is nothing to worry about. This is a top notch product with great comfort and good wipeability characteristics.  

Dirt Work Done Dirt Cheap...

Everybody remembers the blog post on the catastrophic septic system fail. I know that probably brought to the minds eye the vision of antique slop jars, porta potties and big old plastic 5 gallon buckets pressed into use but it really was not that bad. It was nothing that contacting a local reputable company and writing a big check could not fix. They did a fine installation and the burying of the new tanks left me with a huge pile of dirt to fill in settling. Here's old Ez and the pile  to give you an idea of it's size.   

We have had a little bit of rain so settling has been slow but I have worked diligently each day to shovel and spread the dirt. Here's my set up for work. I have not shoveled this much dirt since the summer I was 17 years old working for Richardson and Sons Construction. It's good to know at this age I can still shovel dirt for at least two hours every day. In fact if you take into consideration the my work ethic at 17 then I am probably as good now as I was then.  

So here is the final result. You might note there is still a slight elevation there but I think it will be fine and settle on out. I have a fig tree in a big pot that I have been nursing this summer and I might plant it there when the weather cools. Some years ago I humped up a big mound in the yard and made a raised tomato bed. I remember exactly when I did that. It was 1986, the year the Chernobyl nuclear reactor blew in Northern Ukraine. Best tomatoes I ever grew that year but in the 32 years since then that mound has settled down and I am not sure of the exact place I had it. Another 32 years I'll probably be on the other side of the river looking at what's left of this mound. 

I'll be glad when the grass comes back. This is clay soil and after the little rain it made a gumbo mud that added about 10 pounds to my boots as I walked through it. We are having a Wiley Family Reunion Fish fry this weekend with cousins from 4 or 5 states coming and while you can flush, shower and wash clothes as much as you want you might not be let in the house after a jaunt through the yard. I am thankful for cousin Wes and his wife Connie for hosting this weekend and I promise to show up with clean shoes. 

By the way, that's not my house, that's the barn.  

Multipurpose is How I roll...

 

This is something new. For the first time in our lives we bought a new fridge before the old one went out. I guess that's how you know you have really made it.

 

This is a Samsung. I don't know where it was made but it's a good possibility it was China, Hungary, South Africa, Germany Sweden, Luxembourg, Poland or India unless Trump has brought those jobs back and my internet research just does not know it yet. Hopefully this does not cancel my buy in America efforts but this sure seemed like a more solid item than the Frigidaire. Any way last time I checked most of those countries were still on our side.

 

 

 

 

This thing is the same brand as my phone so maybe there will be some duality discovered. Maybe it will take my calls, play music ,connect to the internet or write this blog for me. One thing for sure I think it could be used as a casket. Maybe if it will last me I'll be buried in it. If it craps out after a few years we could convert it to a porta potty to be used at fish fries.

 

It might not be made in America but that don't keep us from being ingenious.

The Response Was Overwhelming...

So many sent cards, emails, letters, called and of course there were those that actually came over to the house with big pick up trucks to cart away the prizes for our latest big screen give away I was just overwhelmed. So overwhelmed that on my way to play music at church Sunday evening I was distracted by more prizes found by the wayside of the decline of modern civilization.

Here's one for boob, who was worried about a real big big screen TV fitting in the house.


Just a couple of more miles down the road I just had to stop and photograph this great find. I mean what more could you want, it's seat and all. There was also a plastic package discarded nearby that according to the label had held a brand new toilet seat. Figure that one out, they threw out the crapper, but still have a new seat? Smacks of some R.E.D. neck business. I have given out a lot of crap, taken a lot of crap, but never give out the whole crapper.

Thank you, thank you very much for not thinking I am making all this stuff up.

Trapped...

We own a mouse trap that catches them live. With the arrival of cool weather I heard suspicious digging in the walls. Somebody was setting up a nice winter retreat. Could not have that, the no vacancy sign is out folks so I baited up this trap with a peanut butter cracker and the next day it had a prisoner. See, if you get in the trap, you can have all the peanut butter you want because one thing is for sure, you can't get out.

Doing the human thing (hey we are voting for Obama after all) we loaded up the trap in the back of the pickup (some mice are big) and drove to a near by dirt road. Not too far, (small carbon foot print) and tried to get a picture as we opeaned the trap.
He/she what ever did not exactly stand still so I only got a picture of the butt.

This mouse hit the ground in the middle of an East Texas sand dirt road, jumped the ditch and went straight into a small hole at the base of tree, right between two roots. It was almost like he knew that hole was there. I doubt that a glance at the tree base by human eyes would have noted this hole, but once he drew attention to it, it was easily seen.

The best comparison I can draw, kind of an allegory of life so to speak is like when you enter a public building and you are about to poop your trousers. A kind of sixth sense kicks in as quickly enter the building, a glance about sends information from eyes to brain that is hard to exactly qualify, over there it says, turn right, past the women's there it is, just in time. It rarely fails us because we all know how embarrassing it is to poop trousers publicly.

It's Time to Get Excite...

That's what Borat would say if he were going to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. He probably is, it is the number one place to be the last weekend in April, first weekend in May for live music.

Here you see our tickets. We are only able to attend Thursday and Friday of the second weekend but it looks great and there are so many great night time shows it's hard to make a pick. We bought tickets for a George Clinton P-Funk show and that's just to get us started.

If you want to know what's going on check out the world famous cubes.
Performers are usually announced early in the year, but things get excite when the cubes with the festival performance times come out the first of April. Click on May 1st and second to see who is there when we are there:
http://www.nojazzfest.com/
For night time club shows check the world famous jazz fest grids to see what is going on all over town:
http://www.jazzfestgrids.com/

The War is On...

The catfish war I'm talking about. Second time we have had the boat out this year and we rack up 11 keepers. Threw back at least that many maybe more. Good outing, kind of a shake down cruise to check things out. The spot we fished was not even in our usual area so looks like we are ahead of the game this year.


Just to place our presence in the confluence of national events there was the McDonald's Big Bass Splash going on yesterday. The main weigh in was way down the lake, but entrants could put in anywhere so the parking lot and campground were full. Not crowded at the fishing spot though, it's a big lake and if you choose carefully you can be by yourself, kind of like this person.


Our catch went into the freezer. We have folks coming soon and we need a little stock because you know as well as I do that somewhere there is a fish you cannot catch and this means fish fry in the event of a dry run. Instead we stopped and raided the oyster bed at Brookshire Bros. in Huntington and had poor man Rockerfeller and brochette. Hats off to Brookshires for maintaining such fine oysters in their meat department.

To further place us in the the national scene of events we arrived home to a a message on the answering machine. It's a cell phone call from a porta potty at a Jimmy Buffet concert. I'll just say that it was not Jimmy and leave it at that.