There are some Santa’s that always bring good cheer.
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It is beginning to look like Christmas when the tree is up and the train is out.
Elizabeth with Tree and Train from gdpalmer on Vimeo. Knowing that the sun was going down soon, I woke up Elizabeth after she had been napping for over an hour. She was not happy. She even told me that she was not happy. However, I quickly put her in the stroller, and she gave me a smile. I soon whisked her out the front door and we were on our way. It was a nice walk of almost five miles. Elizabeth was awake for about half of the walk. She likes looking around. The walk was great. We did have to hurry to make it up the down road to the windy place to catch the sunset. Then again, there is nothing wrong with a brisk walk.
As a child I spent time at my grandfathers home in Kaysville Utah when we went on vacation. One of my favorite places to go was to the “Farm” which was a plot of land that grandpa built a shop and storage building on. It was always a fun place to go. I remember when I was a barely more than ten years old at best there was a discussion about a tricycle with my grandfather. My cousin Scotty, a couple of years younger asked grandpa to cut the two hoses that were attached to the back step of a tricycle off. Grandpa asked, “Are you sure that you want me to remove those exhaust pipes off that tricycle?” Scotty replied, “Of course I do. Why would I want them on there?” Grandpa than explained to Scotty, “When you were younger you told me that this tricycle had to have exhaust pipes so that it could go faster. Are you still sure that you want to have them removed?” Scotty told grandpa that he was sure. Grandpa walked over to the large tool chest on wheels that he had made. He reached in and grabbed a pair of side cutters to cut the bailing wire that held the two short pieces of old garden hose off the underside of the lower step on the tricycle. I do not think that the tricycle was any slower because all we wanted to do is tow the tricycle behind the small tractor that grandpa built. Today, the large tool chest got new wheels. The existing tires were Goodyear 6″ x 2″ solid rubber tires on small split hubs. I tried to see if Goodyear still sold 6″ x 2″ tires and had no luck. The next challenge was that the rear wheels had a 1/2 inch bore and the front wheels were 3/8 inch bore. I went to a couple of places and found a large set of casters that had the right size wheels and 1/2″ bore. I thought I may be able go to plan B and just replace the casters. Upon my arrival back home further investigation showed the existing casters as welded on. No torch and plan A was back in order. A visit to another store and I had piece of steel with a 1/2 inch inner diameter and a 3/8″ outer diameter. Within about a half our after having all the parts as well as the lunch the project was done. New wheels for the large toolbox and it rolled great. For a moment I though about attaching a couple of exhaust pipes to see if it would roll faster. Then again, I was not really into pushing it around the yard to find out if it really helped. Elizabeth is now four months old and just getting cuter. She has made it past Thanksgiving and soon after Christmas and New Years she will be five months old. It is amazing how big she is getting. Before we know it, she will be crawling around the house.
It has been a couple of weeks from the last time I hiked in the Box Springs Mountain Park. The last part of the year has been dry and much of the annual vegetation has turned brown for the season. Even many of the perennials have shown signs of stress as the dry summer wore on. As I made my way up the trail towards Cassina Springs, I noted that I could hear water running. I had not heard that for several months. Even if it is somewhat of a trickle, it was a welcome sound. At the trail point where the trail crosses the often dry creek there was running water.
I continued up the trail. As I gained elevation, I was closer to the clouds. I made my way up to the parking area and then down the road to Springs Trail. Of course I had made my way into the clouds. What was interesting was the contrast from the dray and dead vegetation and the brightly colored moss and or lichens.
Of course the fog shrouded their brilliance so I went closer for a picture. What seemed so colorless earlier in the season has taken on a certain brilliance of color among the browns and grays of the surrounding landscape.
On once what appeared to be dead vegetation, green growth and flowers seemed to eke out a show of presence. I will have to check back to see if they continue to grow through the winter or if this is some annual that will soon pass on.
The bright green moss and or lichens seemed to be in great contrast to the great brown canvas of vegetation. There were subtle green hues on the hills as grass has begun to germinate and pop into view.
Even the bush with the still dead leaves from a dry summer has popped with new green growth. I began to wonder, is this spring? Knowing that the colder months are ahead and freezing temperatures could come the early parts of next year, this must either be a display of what happens in a more temperate climate when water is added.
Then there are the grasses that show up on the trail, except that they come up in a place where they are somewhat protected from footsteps.
On the side to the trail, out of what is considered dry and dead, life seems to spring fourth. The contrast of the green was such that they new plants really stood out.
Further down the trail I came across a section of rock with greens and yellows that seemed to jump out at me. I really had not imagined all the new color that was to be showing brightly after a few light rain storms in our area.
I continued down the trail and came to the spot where I heard the trickling of water. Usually the area is full of vegetation of the poison oak variety. That has kept me wandering off the trail 25 feet to see the source of the noise. Today, I went to take a look as the poison oak as lost its leaves. I will have to stop back by when the water is flowing a little more and the vegetation has begun to show some green.
It is certain that a little water has given new and continued life to the flora and fauna in the Box Springs Mountain Park. Just add a little water and the color begins to jump out. Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Got up, fixed a wonderful family breakfast of biscuits, old fashioned sourdough pancakes, bacon (3 lbs.), and sausage. We had milk and orange juice to drink. Of course there was jams and jellies along with the butter, real maple syrup as well as the fake stuff. It was a great breakfast. Dishes are for the most part done and now it is nap time. Attendees were Emily, Walter, Elizabeth, Janet and myself. This afternoon Elizabeth and I went for a walk. I took her up to get a picture at sunset with the cross on the top. A group called Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which sent the city a letter threatening to sue if the cross is not removed. We began our walk at home. Knowing it was going to be a 5 plus mile walk, we were prepared. About three quarters of a mile out, we passed a young couple getting out of a car to make there way up Mt. Rubidoux. They passed us a little later running. We passed them again at the crossroads, just before we go up the down road. We made our way up the road to the windy place and it was windy.
We quickly got back on the road to make up time for the stop. I began to notice that pushing a stroller uphill puts a lot of force on the arms. No wonder my arms were a little sort last time I went on a five mile walk pushing a stroller. We crossed over the bridge and kept going up the down road. The west side of the mountain seems to always have a breeze or a good wind. Sometimes it is from the West, however, tonight is seemed to be more from the North. We reached the junction that leads up to the very top and noticed that the flag was blowing straight out.  Flag on Mt. Rubidoux From the picture you can see that the sun is low in the sky. I wanted to get the picture of the sun setting and the cross on the top of the mountain.
Elizabeth was a good sport for another 15 minutes. Then she started crying so I found a place to stop. Warmed up the bottle on the backpacking stove and found that she was not really interested in a bottle. Changed her diaper and she still was not happy. I put her back in the stroller and bundled her up. Within a couple of minutes she was fairly quiet. She had a few fits as she went to sleep. Elizabeth was happily sleeping away as we made out way down the mountain. Close the entrance we passed the young couple again, this time for good. We made our way down Mission Inn Avenue to the Fox Theater and then back towards the North to home. As for the fate of the cross on Mt. Rubidoux, time will only tell. The story is in the local paper here. I sure hope the cross is still there when Elizabeth hikes to the top on her own. Today was a holiday so I decided it was a good day to go to the range. It has been several years ago when I went to the rage with Scott, my oldest son. He has never shot handguns before so we took a few to try out. He started with the Ruger MK III Hunter. It is a nice 22 caliber handgun that has a little weight to it. It is one of my favorites to shoot. From there it was to the Ruger GP100 with 357 Magnum. Scott was a bit surprised by the difference. Then came the Smith and Wesson 340 Airlite in 38 special. The .38 Special round is not as powerful as the .357 Magnum round. However, when you shoot it in a gun that weighs a lot less, the felt recoil can be similar.
What happens when you put .357 in the S&W 340 Airlite? Nothing, until it goes boom. All I have to say is that .357 is not something you shoot for the fun of it in the 340. I only put two rounds in for Scott because any more could be considered torture. I told him he would have to dry fire the 340 until rounds appeared. He pulled the trigger once, then twice and then on the third time, boom. He turned his head and looked at me like, that hurts. He fired off the second round, made sure the gun was safe and set it on the bench. He showed me the pinkish marks on his hand and in the area between his thumb and pointer finger. If that was not enough, I had already fired several rounds from the M&P 45 and the Ruger Super Redhawk in .44 Magnum. Scott put ten through the M&P, which brought a smile. He then put 6 through the Ruger Super Redhawk. That also brought a smile. However, soon enough he was back shooting the Ruger Mark III Hunter. He wanted to try some 9mm so I got out the Browning Hi-Power. He ran two magazines full through the Browning which he liked as well.
But then he was back at the Ruger MK III. I cleaned up a few of the firearms as Scott continued to run through .22 cartridges. I think it was the fact he could load up 4 magazines and deliver 40 rounds in short order that helped with his decision. Then again, it is a pleasant firearm to practice sight picture, breathing and trigger squeeze. At the end of the time at the range, Scott came to the conclusion that he needed to practice his breathing and trigger squeeze. He noticed that whenever the slide locked open and he pulled the trigger, the end of the firearm would dip. You cannot be accurate if the end of you firearm is dropping everytime you fire a round. The day continued as we drove away from the range. We stopped in a grove of oak trees, washed up and ate our Subway sandwiches that we picked up on the way to the range. We then headed back to home. Scott took several pictures of the Lake Mathews on our way back. We stopped by the plaque and I checked to see if there was a geocache present. There was, so we looked for it. Overall it was a great day for Guns and Geocaching. The three month picture got away from me. I knew last week it was the three month mark for Elizabeth and I thought a picture at Dia de los Muertos may work. By the time we got home, there was not time to take a picture. So here it is a week later and the official picture is not up. Three months and a week. Yes the sign has some small print after “today” that states (or a day or two). Need to have that disclaimer. However, there is nothing wrong with a smile . . . And check out those monkey feet . . . They all match that hat from last week when she was actually three months to the day.
I have to admit that I have never heard of Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead Celebration), or at least never understood what it was all about. As for the setup of the evening, on Thursday evening Janet and I were out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Zacatecas. Our waitress mentioned that they would be selling tacos downtown on Friday from 6:00 to 8:30 on Friday for Dia de Los Muertos. I was to pick up Jacob Friday evening and I thought that would be a thing we could go to, at least for some food. On the way back to Riverside tonight, I mentioned that the traffic getting off downtown must be for that “dia de something mortos.” He quickly corrected me and mentioned that his Spanish teacher told the class that they could get extra credit by going to Dia de Los Muertos.” So we drove home and let the others know our plans. Walter, Emily, Elizabeth, Jacob and I set out to find tacos. I was still clueless on what Dia de Los Muertos was all about. There were others walking towards the area downtown that the event was taking place. As we got closer, it became very crowded. I noticed tables set up with candles and pictures. As for a good description, I will defer to the text on the flyer. “Although celebrated in many cultures, Día de los Muertos, is an important Mexican holiday honoring deceased loved ones. It is celebrated every year as the holy days of All Saints Day and All Souls Day (November 1st and 2nd). On All Soul’s Day, adults who have died are honored through altars displaying their favorite foods, drinks, personal belongings, flowers, candles, and incense. The rituals surrounding Día de los Muertos have been practiced by Mexican Natives for thousands of years.” There were tables and tables set up. There were cars with alters in the trunks set up. A stage with music being played. Another stage set up for dancing. Lots of faces were painted. There was even a children’s area for kids to decorate sugar skulls. As for me, I wandered looking for the tacos. I found the taco stand. As I stood in line, Jacob went down the street to capture pictures for his extra credit. I and ordered asada tacos for Walter, Emily and myself which we decorated with onions, cilantro and salsa. As for Jacob, he took lots of pictures and even some video.
For the extra credit, I thought Jacob should be in the picture as well.
The flash was turned off so I looked for another photo opportunity. I asked another young lady and she said “sure” with a smile. She had a basket of bread that was broken into to chunks about 2″ big. She held out the basket and asked us if we wanted some “dead bread.” We both promptly said “no” as I had no idea what constituted “dead bread.” As for the picture, she then struck a deadly look.
In the picture you can see a table with candles on it as an alter to the dead. Tonight was the official “I am three months old” day for Elizabeth. A couple of pictures were taken, but I will need to take one later with a sign.
And of course a picture of her towards the end of the evening taken by Jacob.
As for an Friday evening, it was fun. The food was good, the opportunity for people watching was good and of course the company was good. As for learning, I learned about Dia de Los Muertos. I also went home and Google searched “dead bread” and found that it is nothing more than sweet bread baked in the weeks or days leading up to Dia de los Muertos. There is nothing cuter than a little monkey skeleton out on Halloween. Elizabeth got to do a little “Trick or Treating” around the neighborhood before she fell asleep. Being carried around and smiling is tough work . . .
Tonight I wanted to go on a five mile walk. Emily needed to get some homework done. Walking up Mt Rubidoux pushing a stroller can be a good workout. Elizabeth and I set out with a couple of blankets for her and two jackets for me. We also had a water bottle for me and a water bottle, stove, pot and cold milk for her. We made quick time moving towards Mt. Rubidoux from home. We passed people as we headed up the down road to the windy place. We made it in time to watch the sun go down.
Of course the sun going down in the background would not be complete without a little sunshine in the foreground.
Soon enough we were back on the trail again passing a few people as we went. We made it all the way up the down road and then headed down the up road, which is half as steep as the down road. We got back around to the front side of the mountain and there was a little fussing. No place to stop so we pressed on to the back side of the mountain where it was windy and not really a place where I wanted to stop. Finally we made it to a good place to stop and not all parties were happy. Out came the stove, the pot, the water and the bottle. The stove was lit, the pot went on the stove and the water went into the pot and then the bottle went into the water. I tried to explain to Elizabeth that I was hurrying. I bundled her up, held her the patiently waited as I kept checking the bottle and putting it back in the pot. In due time I had a warm bottle and soon enough had a happy grandchild. After she finished the bottle she was happy. Then I changed her diaper. She was not happy about a cool breeze and an unprotected backside. She was quickly bundled back up and back in the stroller with a full belly and a dry diaper. What more could she want? She fussed for a few minutes and was soon a sleep. I still had about two miles before I made it back home. We moved quickly and as soon as I stopped to open the front gate, she started to fuss. We got inside where she was happy to see mom. As for the rest of the evening, she has been full of smiles. Nothing like a good nap on the long walk to put a smile on ones face. From the house it is a little difficult to see the sun go down. We took a walk towards the river bottom. It is a bit easier than a walk up Mt. Rubidoux to get to the other side of the mountain. We were a little late on catching all of the sunset. However, we do have a picture with a little color in the sky.
Of course there is a little color in the stroller as well. Some may want to see the sun set and others may just want to see the baby.
One thing I can tell you is that Elizabeth was watching the colors in the sky as we were walking. She enjoys getting out and looking around. Then again, who does not?  Shave of the Day – Cyril R. Salter Sublime Citrus Luxury Shaving Cream, Simpson “Chubby” 1 Super Badger Brush, Giesen & Forsthoff, #500, 5/8 wide and Musgo Real No. 1 Orange Amber Fall is upon us as the cooler weather replaces the hot summer that we have had. It is also the time where in the not too distant future the green fruit on our citrus trees will begin to show their color. As for the color of the have today, I decided to use one of my new favorites, Cyril R. Salter Sublime Citrus Luxury Shaving Cream. I have been using this shaving cream for about a month now with a Gillette safety razor. Today, I would check it out with a straight razor. The brush I chose to use was the Simpson “Chubby” 1 Super Badger shaving brush. The Cyril R. Salter Sublime Citrus Luxury Shaving Cream will lather up well using most any brush as it has that ability to do so. I just really like the Simpson brush. As I worked the Cyril R. Salter Sublime Citrus Luxury Shaving Cream into a nice lather, I took time to note the light citrus fragrance. It is a nice fragrance and is pleasing. The lather is rich and works well. Today I was using a Giesen & Forsthoff, #500, 5/8 wide. As I have not been as active using the straight razor in the past few months, I took my time. With the slick shaving cream and a good edge on the straight razor, it was a pleasure to make my way across my unshaven face. I finished up with a clean shave and a smile on my face. I cooled off my face and applied a generous amount of Musgo Real No. 1 Orange Amber. What a wonderful shave with the citrus fragrance breaking through the grey fall sky of this morning. |
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