A common RADAR site sight

While climbing up the stairs of numerous radar sites across the country there is something that seems to be common amongst all of them (besides being the same type of radar).... bird nests!

We frequently have bird nests in the corners of our stairs going to the antenna. Like this one:

(I believe it is a scissortail flycatcher egg)

Besides that location other popular locations include the corners on the top deck and the chain bucket for our hoist!


These little birds are a welcome sight, but a neighboring radar draws a breed that is a rather unwelcome type. This other site has a radome (something to protect the antenna from the weather). This radome also protects any birds under it... including the turkey vultures who have voted it number one roosting zone!! Definitely not a welcome sight when you have to ascend the stairs or even walk around the ground below the radar! The tower and handrails are white (and that is NOT paint). Many solutions have been tried few have suceeded. The bells are ignored. The owl with the spinning head had his eyeballs poked out. And Noise guns only seem to scare them off for a little while. So far the vultures are winning the war!


Anyway... just thought I'd share about the sights at sites.

"And when everyone is Super... no one will be"

While waiting for recordings and during lunch we passed by a piece of Taylor county history. Impact, Texas. Today Impact is basically another suburb in Abilene. It filled a needduring its'heyday and then time moved on.

History lesson: Taylor county had been dry for a long time. A man named Dallas Perkins saw a need for a liquor store, and to make it legal he started his own town! Apparently it started as not much more than his house, a city hall, and the liquor store. Needless to say he made a LOT of money! A bit prior to the 80s the town of Abilene finally passed legistlation to become wet, but even now (in a town with 3 church based universities...Baptist, Methodist, and Church of Christ) you will be hard pressed to find a bar.

After everyone was able to buy liquor, Impact started to fade. As we drove by today for a look at this infamous city it seemed like the final stake had been driven into Impacts' heart... . a gate barred our entrance to the city hall/liquor store. They are now gated off as a private drive. It appears they are now owned by a church... they probably have seen the end of their liquor days.

Impact, Google Earth view

Shall I bring the Car, or boat?

I get to travel to Abilene this week for work. Not far away so I thought I would drive. It was quite the journey. I was going to compare I-35/I-20 route to Wichita Falls route. It would be an unfair comparison as it rained for most of the time.

Towards the end of the trip I was leaving the last cloud, and the sights were very cool indeed. It was sunny in front of me and I could see patches of rain. Just like the cartoons where it is clear all around and one location has rain pouring down. I felt like a biker on a path when he sees those swarms of mating insects in front of him. There is no avoiding them on a narrow path, but unlike the biker I had windshield wipers that I could turn on full throttle while in the column of rain! There were a whole lot of these rain columns. Each one had a puddle which came complete with huge splashes from the rain pelting down.

On a different note, Things that made me laugh today:

1) Before I left I found a stowaway in my suitcase. I'm often reminded on Nermal when I watch Luna.

2) The billboard sign ~60 miles away from Abilene on I-20. It read "Feeling down, Look up. -God" Looking up I saw grey clouds. After I reached the top of the hill it began to pour (and continued for the next 40 miles).

3) The Lake sign. Don't remember name of lake but the jist was... "Lake [so-and-so] 1 Mile". This was during the period of time while rain was pouring down. Feeder roads were flooded in spots. Somehow I doubted the lake was that far away.

:D I'm sure there were more, but those were the highlights.

MuggleFest II

Another awesome event. It went on all day, but the kids and I showed up in the afternoon. Rosie was manning the front desk and checking people in at the Norman Library. Our friend Mary was manning the door for "Care of Magical Creatures".

I got the kids psyched up for "WIzard crafts", and they had plenty at the library. We learned about police dogs and reptiles in the "CAre for Magical Creatures" class. We made snitches (used feathers and golden styrofoam balls) in "Muggle Crafts". The kids got to pick out a wand which they had to swish and flick and when they picked up the right wand the basket on the desk would magically light up (the kids thought this really cool).

Even spun the wheel of fortune in "Divination". Jamie spun twice: Chaser, and Parselmouth. Cian spun Metal Charmer (maker of snitches etc.). I spun Librarian :D

They also had a potions class and herbology, but we ran out of time as we did the "Wizard's Challenge" that afternoon. Hobbit feet don't walk very fast when there is so much to see. The Wizard's Challenge dealt with a map of downtown Norman that had sponsors marked. If you visited at least 13 of the 22 locations you could be entered into a drawing to win a free copy of the next HP book. The kids and I visited 19 of the locations. Of those 19 only 16 were open by the time we got through. Most locations had a prize that they handed out. By the end Jamie and Cian were really good about spotting the sign in the window of each business that was participating.

Free things received: bag w/coloring book & water drip foam character, quartz crystals, toy snakes, cards w/ gum (and the kids managed to pick 2/6 of the one's marked w/free haircut), necklaces, temporary tattoos, lots of chocolate (which melted if we didn't eat it), snowcones, water, jelly beans, and plenty of popcorn!

After walking around in the sun we finally came back to the library where our check-in lady (one on the left in the picture) was skilled in the art of divination and miraculously knew our contact info! Finally made it over to be sorted by Dumbledore and the sorting hat. After giving me her toy snake, Jamie chose to be in Slytherin house. After sister went Cian changed his mind about going up and getting sorting and he too chose Slytherin.

After we picked up a bite to eat we ate at a park north of the police station in Norman. They had a cool water park w/ all sorts of sprinklers and nozzles and buckets etc. Have to mark this for later. Missed the Harry and the Potters meet and greet this year, but we had representatives: these folks look familiar.

Then it was finally time for the concert. The event we'd all been waiting for. We had listened to Harry and the Potters on the car ride over, and Cian has been belting all the tunes out on the porch and in our house. The band to perform before Harry and the Potters was named Refuje (band site). They were a local band that were not a wizard rock band, but they did rock! These guys were really young, but had a great sound. And all the songs they wrote themselves included a really good guitar solo by their lead guitarist! DAMN!

After an exceptionally large number of contestants in the women over 6 division of costume contest was over the Harry and the Potters concert began. Cian, who had been belting out all the tunes at home, was quiet and just listened. I tried to get him to join the audience participation parts, but he asked that I be quiet. HAHAHA but the next day he was reliving the concert with all the audience participation parts. Toward the end we were all tired, and for the last couple of songs we sat with mom and friends in the balcony seating (we had been down on the 6th row). We had a lot of fun. Would recommend it to all.

P.S. Will post my camera phone pics on my flickr eventually when I download images from phone. Link will be here.

Pics !!

Finally starting a Flickr account. Slowly adding camera phone pictures to it. Eventually I may actually scan some in, or get my decent camera working. Until then 320x240 resolution camera phone pics!!!

My Flickr Photos

Great lunch

I usually go home for lunch. And with the help of the DVR a 30minute show without commercials is just about the right length before I have to turn around and go back.

Today's entertainment involved HGTVs What's With That House. A show where they go inside those weird/quirky homes in neighborhoods. The host, George Gray, completes the show. His quick wit, geeky pop culture references, snarky remarks, and faces always have me cracking up throughout an episode.

While out in a Nevada house he was commenting on a couples low windows in their bathroom. As he mimed brushing his teeth and moved his rear closer to the window he said "wow, it doesn't matter where the sun shines the moon is right here!" Rose and I shared glances and then she joined me in my laughter. Of course it didn't help that she just took a big swig of diet coke. She's gonna have to print out another sock pattern, but I suppose that's why you don't use the original.

:D