Wednesday, March 10...Shining Star (Earth, Wind and Fire)

     Kim and I took the kids for a walk this morning to let their parents pack up camp in peace.  Kim pushed Charlie and Shelby pushed in the stroller while Dylan, Clayton and I kept our eyes open for ‘treasures’.  But they learned to be careful because my rule is that “if you pick it up off the ground thinking it’s a treasure, you can’t throw it back down if it turns out to be garbage...because throwing it back down makes you part of the litter problem. You have to carry it until you can put it in the garbage.”   And believe me, hanging onto a piece of junk until a garbage can is available can be a tiresome but it makes an impact.  Anyway, we found a marble and a bolt with a washer.  Treasures that went in a pocket.

  We went down to the tractor for one more climb and then down the side road where we had raucous fun playing ‘the shadow game’.   It consisted of Dylan, Clayton and I running around trying to keep Grampa and the girls from running over our shadows with the stroller.  Oh, the giggles!  When Shelby and Charlie got out of the stroller to run around with us, it got really chaotic.  It was all fun and games until Shelby tripped on her own feet and hurt herself. But the damage was minimal and a kiss made it feel better.   Back in the stroller to continue back to camp.

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   Almost right at 11 a.m. the Ramblin’ Pumba was hitched to the truck and ready to roll down the road.  After lots of hugs, kisses and giggling Marshal, Callie and the kiddos were on their way...and all we could hear were the birds, the highway traffic and the trains.  No arguing, no giggling, no yelling...the lack of human voices was almost deafening.

   Willie and Ann left at about the same time...they’re continuing onto Ajo to do some boondocking. They’ll be returning on Saturday. 

   During the good-bye process Shelby was quite concerned when she learned we were not coming with them.  No, we’re staying here for a couple more weeks and you’re going to Tennessee. And eventually we’ll see you again in Michigan....you’ll get there before us but don’t worry, we won’t be far behind.  That seemed to satisfy her. 

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   So after a couple of days of using the French press method of making coffee which produces a good cup of coffee but just takes longer Kim decided to try the Keurig again.  Voila! it’s working like a charm....for now anyway.  The descaling button was still flashing so he ran some more descaling potion through it.  The button continues to flash which is irritating Kim but I suppose as long as it makes a quick cup of good coffee it’s all good.

   And as we are now watching multiple cups of water run through a machine we thought was dead, I chuckle that is how we’re choosing to spend our time.   Aren’t there bikes to ride?  Time to get out and take advantage of the sunshine!  We can watch water run when darkness falls.

Update: Oh, but Kim’s joy was short lived.  Came back from a bike ride at about 6:30 p.m. to discover that the Keurig no longer wants to brew a cup of coffee....at all.  Guess that little spurt of brewing earlier today was just its last gasp.  Now it's back to using the French press.  

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   We jumped on the bikes for our first ride to Gu-Atchi Trading Post on the Tohono O’odham Reservation in 2021.  We usually make this ride 3 or 4 times during our stay in Picacho.  It’s about a 70 mile ride to the Trading Post and we usually use the restroom then buy nachos to eat outside at the picnic table.  Last year our last ride there was just before we left for home but after COVID hit so it was temporarily closed.    

   Of course, we know so much more about COVID than we did a year ago so today it was open with a listing of COVID safety measures taped to the door.  But before we got as far as the door it was noticeable that there was no picnic table.  Quickly scouted the area to see if there was somewhere other than the sidewalk to park ourselves while eating our nachos that we could actually get up from when finished.   Maybe we’ll just have to sit on our bikes. Then we walked in and found that the nacho counter was bare and a sign on the restroom denied public use.  Ding Dang!!  But there were other snack options so Kim got the job of picking something out while I went back out to make use of a port-a-john.  Not my first choice but when you gotta go, you gotta go.    

   I was back at my bike sanitizing my hands when Kim came out and called to me to follow him.  What I found around the back of the building was a picnic table with nachos sitting on it...and Kim trying to catch some napkins that had blown away.  Turns out that nachos were still available...it just isn’t self-serve anymore; the cashier has to fix them.  And when Kim mentioned the missing picnic table he was told it wasn’t gone, it was just out back.  So we were able to enjoy our regular routine with a twist.

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   Got back to camp while there was still some daylight left; after it got dark Kim was able to show me how much easier it is to do an alignment with his new equipment.  What used to take him an hour and a half with no guarantee of success was done in less than twenty minutes.  Technology, it’s all about the technology.  Tonight’s target is the Seagull Nebula which he’s never imaged before. 

   Yes, the technology is great but technology doesn’t run itself; it still needs human input.  The process looked fairly intricate to me, not intuitive at all but Kim just buzzed right through it.  He’s spent hours learning how to use this newer equipment.  The amount of astrophotography knowledge he’s crammed into his head in the last 5 or 6 years is amazing.

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   We passed a billboard yesterday advertising a heating and cooling business that used the word ‘alaskafication’.  What?! I had to google it to see if it’s a real word and, if so, what it means.  The only use of the word I found was on the website of the Tucson based business Alaskan Air Conditioning and Heating.  It not only uses the word ‘alaskafication’ but also ‘alaskafy’.  Both are used in their advertising and sound important but they’re not really defined. And further, Webster’s dictionary didn’t seem to know what I was asking when I typed in ‘alaskafication’...it changed it to ‘classification’.  Perhaps it’s a slick advertising gimmick.  This is one of their ads:

ALASKAFY!

It’s not too soon to get your HVAC system ready for cooling season. Hot weather is on its way!

We don’t tune up. We Alaskafy! That means getting in deep to making your system look and run like the day it was born. Your Alaskafied System will save you money, last longer and we guarantee it will NOT BREAK DOWN for a whole year!

Call to schedule your Alaskafication today! Visit www.alaskanac.com  to learn more.

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I also found the word ‘alaskafication’ in the title of an article from 1993 about the ‘Alaskafication of America’.  It’s an article about animal conservation and the main subject is The Wildlands Project but I didn’t find mention of the word in the article itself.  So perhaps it's a concept rather than an actual word.  Hmmm.....

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Today’s bike miles: 137

Total miles:  522

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