Wednesday Is Thankgiving Eve

I got up early and went to Wednesday geocaching event in Chula Vista.  No one was there yet, so I drove down the street a couple of blocks to find a couple of caches.  One was really easy to spot, the other was not.  The easy to spot one was in a tree.  On the ground nearby was a small black angel figurine.  I placed it on the tree over the cache.  The other cache was hard to find, but I persisted and finally found it.  I also found a blue Blu Jenny II phone cell phone, with no SIM cards, no battery, and no back cover.  But it's real purty!  It goes into the collection of broken phones.

I got back to the event and everyone, nearly, was there.  And there was pie!  But the homemade whipped cream had not arrived yet.  But when it did...there was pie!!  It was nice to see everyone.  We swapped some stories, and I drank Starbucks coffee that I actually ordered myself.  Eventually the chilly weather got to me and I said my goodbyes.


Today I geocache mostly in or around Dennery Canyon, which is in an area of San Diego City that is south of Chula Vista.

This picture of Pt. Loma was taken near a cache aptly name Ocean View.

You may remember from last time I was in this canyon, the wrecked cars.  Well, there are more.  I only took pictures of two of them, there were several more.  Also, a motorcycle engine.  Honda twin, I think it was.

I WAS going to turn back here, but I felt, invigorated?  So I kept going.  I passed this car, which may have been a Rambler (EDIT: I saw a pic that showed a part clearly labeled "Volvo", so there you go.), and then that motorcycle engine I spoke of

I found the last two caches in the Spooky Canyon series.  I thought they were going to be awful, but they were no problem at all.  No bees, no poison oak, just a lot of walking.  So instead of quitting THERE I kept going.  There was another cache only five hundred feet away.  Uphill.  So up the hillside I went, a very very very STEEP hillside.  Part of it was a "road".  One wonders what could possibly have MADE that path.  Probably a bulldozer, I don't know.  I don't think I would want to be in a 4WD that was trying to do it.

So here I am at the top of the hill.  After I find the cache, which turned out to be not QUITE so far up the hill, maybe a hundred feet lower, I will need to make my way over THERE.  To the TOP over there.  'Cause that is where the vehicle is parked!

Well, eventually I did get myself all the way OVER and UP there.  Found this big square rock at one point.  I would have liked to take that home, but it was just too big and heavy.

The last cache of the day was not too far from this place.  It was pretty hard to find, but I persevered yet again, and thanks to a helpful hint I made the find.

Seventeen caches found today, including the event cache.

Thanks for reading!  I hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving Day tomorrow!

Thanksgiving Tuesday (and Monday)

Monday I went out to somewhere I've not been before, and found me some caches.

I found eight caches, I think it was.  It was a wonder I even got to the trailhead, though, as I got lost in a maze of twisty little streets, all alike.

Saw this bug, I forget what they are called, but it is a scary-looking critter, ain't it?

Saw these cans hanging on a fence.  Some sort of alarm?  Art? Or what?  Hmmmm...

Now, on Tuesday, I had an appointment to get the oil changed, an appointment quite early.  so while the oil was being changed I walked the neighborhood, geocaching.  Just over six miles of walking.

I found five cache today. Three of them I had looked for before and didn't find, one of them I had driven past twice and "Noped" it, and one was new to me.

Saw this pink beauty in my travels.  Looked like it had been lowered.  Or maybe the roof was chopped.

I think it was Matt who insisted there was a Der Wienerschnitzel (which has not been CALLED Der Wienerschnitzel since 1977) outlet here on University. While I insisted there was not.  Well, there is. They also have Tastee-Freez ice cream concoctions.

I bought lunch there, a Polish Sandwich, which I insist on calling a Polish Dog.

I ate the dog on the way to the auto repair shop, where I waited for another half an hour as they were not quite finished.

I was having the 30,000 miles (in ten years!) service done.  It cost $ 463.00, which is a bit more than I expected, but in researching it I find it seems to be not exorbitant.  It's changing the transmission filter that costs so much, I guess they have to drop the pan.  Too bad it's not an external filter!

That is about all I got for today!

A Nexus Of Negativity

After doing absolutely nothing yesterday, not even going outside, this morning I got up in the dark and drove out to do some geocaching.

Here is a map showing all the places I went.  I marked the geocaches I found in green, and the ones I didn't find in red.

 This here image is about half a meg download ffen you click on the thumbnail.  It's worth it, though!

The first cache I did was in a very tricky spot, right off the freeway, on the SIDE of the freeway.  It required pulling off onto a very wide dirt area where construction trucks used to park.  On a Sunday morning there is very little traffic, and that is what I planned for.  So there were no problems.

The second cache was an afterthought find at the spot where I turned around to go the other way on the freeway, just happened to be a quick find there.  The third cache was one I haven't been able to find twice before, but a recent find gave me a clue, and there it was.  In plain sight.  Where I had looked before.  Looked, but did not see...

The fourth cache was in a park across the freeway from the hospital district.  I had tried there before, but there was a couple sitting nearby.  Today there was no one, and I found it in the second, and easiest, place I looked.  Found a baseball, too, and tossed it into the nearby baseball field.

Cache five was near a Mexican restaurant.  It is usually very very busy there, but the geo-gods smiled upon me and I quickly made the find.  THIS time

Next I headed to the Midway district.  There was a cache there that I had not properly "found" before, having not signed the log 'cause I believed it was missing. Actually, I think I signed the ducky last time!  This time I was able to find the log container, and not just the ducky.

I drove all the way down to the park near the Home Depot in Imperial Beach (which turns out to NOT be in Imperial Beach, but Egger Highlands, a community of the City of San Diego. Huh.) and parked in the little park parking lot.  There were three new caches, ones that had appeared since I was here last.  Found all three of them.   A peloton of  bicyclists (what else would a peloton refer to?) snarked by without a by-your-leave, but every other cyclist who passed had a cheery "good morning!" for me.

The last cache in the bay area was over to the west a bit, not far from the bicycle path that goes around a good portion of the Big Bay. 

Taken in the city of Imperial Beach, where the Bayshore Bikeway crosses the Otay River

I made a stop at Palm and Desty because I noticed a new cache there. This is a potholed I hit while slowing down to park, going about twenty.  It went THUMP!  How that THUMP made me JUMP!
 \

I spotted the cache after a laborious trek through heavy brush, across a bee path (bees entering and exiting from their hive in a straight line), and across a dry crick on a rotting palm trunk, only to find that the last geocacher there, who I will not name, but I have had DEALINGS with her before, managed to break off a a major (rotten, as it turned out) branch for to climb the tree.  Where the cache was.  Way up there.  Where I could see it. 

Who am I kidding, I wasn't going to climb that thing anyway!  And I'm glad she didn't injure herself enough to need a trip to the ER, just cuts and scrapes and a bump on the her tookus when she fell out of the tree.


I parked at the Montgomery-Waller Park for the next group.

This is at ground zero (GZ) for the first cache.  Those hills way back there, and that island way out there, are in Mexico.

I found the second cache, near where many kids were playing soccer, and many parents were watching.  I found and signed the log about twenty-five feet from a lady watching her children, I'm sure she didn't give me a second thought.

After not finding the last cache in this area, I drove down the street a couple of blocks and parked behind a big rig.  I walked up and down the street looking for four caches.  Found three, didn't find one of them.  This flyer for a lost flying device was in the gutter.

 Finally, for some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to drive out Palm Ave. to Denery Road and hike up what seems to be named Dennery Canyon.  I really should have worn my SPF rated shirt, but I had chose to wear a denim shirt.  And so my arms feel like they might be sunburned.

 I found eight caches, I'm pretty sure, and there were lots of interesting things to see.  Like this vehicle, never to drive again.

And nearby, the interesting plant life.  Is this poison oak?  I may have brushed my way through it a little to exuberantly.

Another vehicle, cab only, in the dry stream bed.

The last cache I found was missing some parts, all that was left were these skeleton's bony hands. I found the skull sixty-five feet away, and put them together, with a new log sheet, and I am full of hope that the cache owner (CO) will find me worthy of a :).

I stopped off at Rally's on the way back home and bought me a LARGE diet Coke with TWO, count ;em, TWO Rally burgers with cheese.  While waiting for the food I overheard a guy telling a woman that he could sense the positive vibrations of this spot.  And of course I blurted out something to the effect of did he not sense the nexus of negativity that centers itself on me?  And he replied, "Now that you mention it..."

Thanks for reading!



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Countdown to Friday...

I'm collecting seeds from the dried examples of seed pods like this (but dried, not green!) so I can try to grow some more, but I don't know what kind of plant it is.  Do you?

Here's the whole plant.

I heard a banging on the window of the west-facing bedroom this morning, so I went to investigate.  It was a bird who had spotted his reflection in the shiny glass sun-reflecting stuff.  He kept it up for quite a while.  I couldn't figure out the video on the camera, but I managed to get a few seconds on the phone.  But it was crummy, so you don't get to see it.

I found one geocache this afternoon, on the Flume Road.  There is no flume there, why do you suppose it is named that?  Also did maintenance on a cache of my own.

That is all for today!

Post No Bills

I couldn't think of a better title.

So here are a couple of pics of the omelet cooking in the new pan, on Saturday, I think it was.

And here is the less than stellar finished product.

After "breakfast" I made my way to the La Mesa Block Party and visited all the booths, and turned in my answers to the geocaching booth.  I won a gift card to a pub in the drawing!

I lit the pilot to the floor heater when I came back.  First time in three years I've managed to do that task.  So now I don't have to wait for SDG&E to do it! And I have WARMTH!!

What else did I do?  Well, on Sunday I finally remembered to get the air in the tires checked at Costco, having bought tires there some years ago.  A very nice service that!

On Sunday I FINALLY bestirred myself to go geocaching in the Otay area.  Here is map that I put a GREAT DEAL of effort into editing.  I hope you appreciate it!

One of the caches had a guard-bear keeping an eye on the proceedings. Found this one before the rain started in earnest, thank goodness, 'cause that was one slippery leaf-covered hill.

Driving back in the rainy dark, on surface streets, NOT the freeway, was not a whole lot of fun.  This is what it looks like to my eyes.  You won't be surprised then that I tend to not drive at night.  I had to pull of in Spring Valley to answer the phone.

Now TODAY, Monday, I took picture of this origami one of the kids made.  And that is ME, there, that head.  I thought I had more hair than THAT!

I acquired this beaded coin purse that has been sitting in a lost & found for three years or more.  It will end up as a trade item in a geocache somewhere.

I have been quite industrious since I got home, having gone grocery shopping.  I took out the trash, recycling, and greens cans for collection tomorrow, and I wash the clothes.  I shall probably sleep the, uh, sleep, of the just.

Veteran's Day

I didn't know about the free cup of coffee for Vets at Starbucks so I purchased my own at McDonalds for the geocaching event I went to.  I probably wouldn't have taken advantage of it anyway, as I would feel silly about it.  Save it for the Vets who actually sacrificed something.  I figure I got a free education out of the whole deal, that's more than enough, and I don't remember sacrificing anything, except maybe my sense of fashion.  Actually, I looked pretty good in green, I think.

I wore the Air Force commemorative tee shirt that Bev gave me to work yesterday, along with my genuine Air Force Field Jacket, complete with battery acid holes.

So I was down in Chula Vista today for the weekly geocaching meetup event.  Afterwards I walked the hills above Olympic Parkway for caches, then along the Parkway for two more, then back to the vehicle and home.

CACHES FOUND
Before the event:  1
At the event: 2
In the hills: 11
Along the Parkway: 2
TOTAL:  16

The two along the Parkway, I've been looking them for two years.  In three trips.  The first one I looked for an hour before I finally spotted it.  The second one I found in five seconds.  I can't explain it.

I walked around three and a half miles today, but it seemed longer with all the up-and-down of the hillsides.

A view from the top of the first hill.  Looking to the west.

I also made a panorama image somewhere along the way. Here is the link to it.

Another view to the west.

And I zoomed in for a sort of close up, too!

Cute cache, I thought it had lunch in it, but it was plastic.

Blurry flowers, with walking stick for scale.

That VERY blue car looked like an MG Magenette.  Too bad the phone cam wouldn't focus on it.  And this was the BEST of the ones I shot as I drove past!!

Speaking of blue, who on EARTH would EVER allow their vehicle to be painted that awful color, eh?

I keep trying to remember interesting (ha!) stuff I wanted to put here.  The only thing I can remember is that I bought a new shower curtain liner yesterday.  I upgraded to the eleven dollar polyester one, even though it didn't have metal grommets, in the hope (probably futile) that Mr. Sun will not cause THIS one to disintegrate.  Next time I'll have to try the seventeen dollar one, I guess.  Look forward for a report of that in a couple of years!

I can think of nothing else at this time, so, have a happy rest of the week!

P.S.  Oh, I thought of something else, I want one of them omelet pans, the hinged kind, I'm gonna look at Wal Mart tomorrow, having not seen one at Target yesterday.

Sunday Morning

I went-a-lookin' for ten geocaches this morning, and found nine of them.  One is missing.  No smilies to add to the geo-map, I've found all these caches (including the missing one) before.  I had to re-find them to get the questions for the 2015 La Mesa Geocaching Urban Trails Contest.

Even though I had found all of them before, some of the caches were very hard for me to spot!  But I didn't give up!

I drove to all the caches except the last three.  I parked on a likely road and walked to the last three caches.  This involved going up (and down) the fabled Secret Stairs Of La Mesa.  Good exercise for the heart!

And that is that.

Yesterday I was waiting at a stop light when an SUV came to a screeching stop about thirty feet over the line.  I guess they didn't notice the light was red...

I found a dime while geocaching today!

I was trying to remember something that I wanted to share....Oh, I got a 1941S (a wheatie) cent in change from the Yum Yum Donuts store the other day.  How about that?

Saturday

I went geocaching yet again in the University City area. I parked near the library and walked 2.5 miles in various directions to find three caches and not find one.  One of the caches I found was a DNF from a couple of years ago, I spotted it in about fifteen minutes this time!

This open gate seems to present a clear path for any animals that wish to wander up unto the freeway.

I wonder if you can figure out where I took this picture.  One super spoiler hint: a railroad track is to my back.


Next I drove over to Uni High and parked there under their solar panels.  What a super idea, solar panels over the parking lot.  I wonder why a certain OTHER school didn't get to choose that option instead of putting holes in the classroom roofs and having giant leaks.  Eh?

I walked to the East and to the West, and a short jog to the South (twice) to pick up four more caches, and not find one.  Two of the caches I found were ones that I had DNFed back in early 2014.

Every so often the trains go by.  Here is a quick pic of one zooming past.

Same train, a quick turn to the west to get some sort of decent pic, which I failed to do.  I think these two pics were taken north of University High, in Rose Canyon, as opposed to way west of the school. But I could be wrong.

There was about 3.7 miles of walking involved in the Rose Canyon jaunt.  I was pretty beat, feet-wise, when I got back to the vehicle.

I made my way over to La Jolla Colony Drive to find an easy place to park and a luckily quick find, an accidental find at that.  A very clever hide, I could have spent a LONG time there.  It has 17 Favorite points for good reason!

The last cache of the day was that one that Matt and I couldn't get last week.  The Cache Owner had fixed it so I slipped in there to do the deed.  To my surprise there was an ambulance parked right there!  Well, I just waved at the driver, made the grab, signed the log, and left.

Total walking today was a hair over 6.2 miles.

When I came home I found the new super battery charger had been delivered, as promised, in only two days from Georgia, via the US Postal Service.  How about that?

I caught up on my blog subscriptions this evening.   I was very saddened to read of the passing of yet another classmate from high school.  Someone that I actually knew!  That is two that I've learned about in the past month.

John Scalzi wrote today a eulogy for his cat Lopsided Cat.  And that is why I won't have any pets, I cannot bear the heart break of their passing.

On a more happy note Citizen Rider writes of a customer at his place of work (a bike shop) who is 92 years old and still rides her bike.  And her name is Ruth

And that is about all I got for today!.

Friday Night Again

Those of you on the Facebook may have already seen this one.  And those of you not on the Facebook got it e-mailed to them.  That's covers everyone, right?

Someone e-mailed me to ask if I happen to have a manual for a Laminex AV-979 laminator.  I
Googled the model number but it did not look like mine. I looked for the model number on my laminator but couldn't find it right off hand, but after much lifting and tilting I finally spotted it.  It was the same number!  Well!  I couldn't find my manual, but I did find a threading diagram on the underside of the removable shelf, and here it is in case anyone else needs it. 

When we got our Apple ][+ computer the librarian bought one game, and it was Gobbler. The link goes to the Wikpedia article.  The game may remind you of another game.  Anyway, we would play it probably too much, trying to beat each others' high scores.  And here, preserved for all time, digitally, it is:

Well, that is about all I got for today.  Thanks for reading!

Thursday

I just have not felt the need to blog, or remembered anything interesting when I had the opportunity.

But, this morning I was looking all OVER the place for my keys.  And where do you think I found them?  In the deadbolt.  Outside.  All night. 

And not for the first, either!


I ordered a super battery charger for a princely sum to recharge the battery on the cheap flashlight I found in Balboa Park a couple of months ago.  I ORDERED it because apparently this city is not big enough to have a store stocks them.  This may not have been a cost-effective solution.  Oh, well, I'll have a fancy battery charger to show off.


I got an automated call from the IRS again.  I ignored it again.

I got an automated call from the med labs.  I call them back the next day to find out that their automated calling system had not caught up with the fact that I came in two weeks ago. 

That is about all I got at this time.  Cheers!

All About Sunday (Saturday Was Pitiful)

After doing absolutely NOTHING all day Saturday, not even going outside, I got up before dark and went to La Jolla for some geocaches.

Today is November 1, 2015.  A Sunday, the day after Halloween, and day that we change the clocks. 

The sun is peeking over La Jolla ridge. That is Pottery Canyon below. We have been there before, have we not?

This view is from behind the Allen Field soccer fields.  I think I'll be hiking on that ridge way down there in a couple of hours.  It's the one with the swinging bench.

From a very popular viewing spot.  Dozens of people come here every evening to watch the sun set.  I've seen 'em!

I think that is the NOAA Fisheries building down there.

I ran across one of the Secret Swings of La Jolla, not far from Expedition Way.  Here's a link to the crummy video I shot.  The seat was very slippery, it was hard, HARD, I tells ya, to hold on AND operate the camera!!


At a swinging bench a bit farther down the path and along a ridge.  I was trying to get my head in the shot, kind of a reverse selfie?  I took maybe twenty pics, but trashed most of them.

Finally, a reasonable amount of hat.  But not enough cove!



The view from the top of the ridge/hill just above the swinging bench.  That house is on Ruette Nice.

On the walk back to where I parked, at those soccer fields, I heard a LOT of water going into the canyon.  Here's a pic of the culvert it was running through.  I was standing on a little wooden bridge.

You may be saying, "But the waste!!!"   Well, I saw a City worker phoning it in at the other end of the leak earlier, so it was being handled.

\

Matt called and we met up for lunch, but the place wasn't open yet, so we went to someplace up the street which was The Seasons Islands restaurant, where we enjoyed some burgers, and I had onion rings, which were very good.

I forgot to mention we walked around the shopping mall parking lot looking for a couple of geocaches, of which we found one.  Just to whet our appetites!

Then we went geocaching for a couple of caches on an odd little road I discovered a couple of years ago.  One of the caches described the approach  as "a steep but short climb".  Well, they had the "steep" part right, but I beg to differ with their idea of "short"!

After getting back to the vehicle and driving Matt to his vehicle we split up and I went home, and here I've been ever since, working on this!

NOTE TO MATT:  I found a video demonstrating how to overcome the broken lock on the memory card.  You put a piece of tape over where the lock piece was.  There, now you don't have to watch the video!