Weblogging from www.davesmock.com

local picks

A few months ago our local post office had a very handy machine in the lobby - a package mail drop box, where one might weigh a package, buy the postage, and drop it in the box - thereby avoiding the inevitable long wait in line. Is there any time the line isn't long? It seems that if the line gets too short, somebody goes on break...

Well, that handy machine went away a few months ago, and no one could tell me why? I suspect it was a threat to someone's job security. So, back to standing in line to mail a package.

Also in the lobby was a coin operated stamp dispenser - don't all P.O.'s have this? Maybe not. Ours certainly doesn't, anymore. It disappeared last week, so that the more profitable post office BOXES could expand into the lobby area. Now one must wait in the interminable line to merely buy a stamp. And, this is for MY convenience? I seriously doubt that. Customer Satisfaction - riighhht...
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Welcome!

A daily Blog - Pictures and news of/from family and friends. So, please feel free to send along anything that you might have found interesting in your internet or lifetime travels. There are also the occasional links to absolutely fascinating (IMHO) information, scattered throughout. These links are underlined in blue and usually accompanied by a picture. The picture, hopefully, gives you an idea what to expect when you click on the link. However, accompanying picture or not, hyperlinks should be followed on general principles.
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Thanks for visiting -

These two have made it into the shipyard, now that the Otto Candies has been successfully floated.

Today's photo weirdness - and we're not sure which of these two individuals is the weirdest?

This fellow seems to have a handle on the worst of one's childhood fears - and is able to capture them in a photo.

Went back the next day and got these of Laura at the Yard Art Craft deal~ where she sold some of her beautiful pottery!

You've no doubt been wondering about your reaction times - don't we all?
If you want to see how yours might be doing, click on this

The Walter A. Brodniak Cultural Education Award was created in 1977, upon Mr. Brodniak's retirement as Superintendent of the Anacortes School District, "to foster growth of the cultural arts in the District." The award is given each spring to a student, faculty member, administrator, school director, community member or community organization that has made an outstanding contribution to the cultural arts in the Anacortes School District during the current year. Richard Mitlyng exemplifies the spirit of this award and it is our pleasure to present him with this honor.

Congratulations to Richard, whose talents are finally being recognized! You can hear Richard's reply by clicking here

Nice weather has kept us outside and away from the computer -- which isn't really a bad thing...

Among other projects, we can finally store some lawn equipment outside and out of the rain. Thanks to Dick for the fiberglass~

Speaking of Dick, here he is with the family -- only a few years ago. That little cutie on his lap is my lovely wife.

Laura has some of her work on display downtown. We hope to get a picture of that a bit later today. We did get this shot yesterday - Yard Art, is the theme~~

We inherited this wood burning stove -- circa 1940? It seems to work fine providing against the chill of these pre-summer evenings~

And got a couple good shots of the dogs in the back yard -- she's trying to get pictures of the puppies with their tails (such as they are) up. Here are Leo and Lily...

Dick has sold the 10th St house. Thus, a trip to the dump and the acquisition of the stove. He is going to use the money for...?? Ann gets the aquarium slicked up for her office. Evelyn continues on her mural, which now goes around most of her room.

Here is Ron with one of the adopted puppies -- Baxter, the largest of Tizzy's brood. He is about the size that Tizzy is (9.5 pounds) and almost full-grown. Perhaps Ann and I did the right thing keeping the smallest two, hoping they would remain small like the dad, Jake the Stud Dog, who weighed in at about 5 pounds. Leo and Lily will have to be weighed, but I'm guessing they are about six or 7 pounds already.

Here's Chico, for the record, back up to about 10 pounds~ "Hey, Chico! Over here!"

Our former neighbor's youngest, Lucas, is now one-month-old. Here he is with dad, Matt, a Navy pilot - who would appear to be breaking in his son early on.

Since the invention of the reciprocating gasoline engine nearly 130 years ago, there hasn't been a serious competitor until the Wankel came along. It was first manufactured in the 70's, and still powers some Mazda automobiles today. Here is the secret to its success - no pistons - the moving combustion chamber rotates. A 1.3 liter (souped up) Wankel powered Mazda runs the quarter mile in just over 7 seconds at nearly two hundred miles per hour.

What were we doing four years ago? Enjoying much warmer temperatures, that's for sure - well into the 70's by now. We spent some of the early part of the year on the beach in Florida.

This Logo, for a UK treasury department, The Office of Government Commerce - is interesting if rotated 90�

The last minutes of the Valentines balloon~~
It was playing in the living room when an updraft sent it into the ceiling fan...
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What do you suppose turned up when I Googled Gideon Phillip Schwulst? Google's web crawlers are amazing!
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As you might imagine, as an ex-smoker with smoking-related diseases, it distresses me to no end to know that there are those in the family that continue to abuse their systems with tobacco. Therefore, we found this picture especially poignant...
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These fishing boats showed up over the weekend - trying to learn a bit more about them - other than they are owned by a local seafood factory.
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Homemade soup! Short end beef ribs, etc. Evie continues to paint a mural in her room!

Dakota Creek Industries made good on their threat to get Grant Candies' new vessel, the Otto Candies, in the water today. And they didn't let a little rain mixed with snow stop them... though it nearly stopped US.

Ann took this out the car window while we were drying out/warming up for round two of the boat launching.

The boat was pushed back onto the launch platform a couple weeks ago. It travels on railroad type tracks. Then today, 26 synchronized electric motors, 13 on each side, lowered the nearly complete vessel -- launch platform and all -- into the bay. Dakota Creek diplomatically split the tugboat duties between two local firms -- Foss and Crowley. A large tug from each of these companies gently maneuvered the now floating Otto Candies to a nearby wharf, where the remaining work will be done over the next four months. Three long ceremonial blasts of the ship's whistle were given as the vessel floated for the first time.

Niomi got a picture of this all electric boat's unique propulsion set up - push/pull screws on twin rotating propeller shafts - no rudders needed.

It was a surprisingly jovial and celebratory crowd that turned out in the dismal weather. They were rewarded in the end of the 2 1/2 hour launch procedure with some sunshine poking through the clouds.

Yesterday marked the 50 year anniversary of the first lighting ordinance ever enacted, which restricted searchlight advertisements from sweeping the night skies above Flagstaff, Arizona, USA. Flagstaff now enjoys the status of being the first International Dark Sky City, and maintains a lighting code that limits lights from polluting this majestic nighttime view. The current dark skies over Flagstaff not only enable local astronomers to decode the universe but allow local sky enthusiasts to see and enjoy a tapestry contemplated previously by every human generation. The above image, pointing just east of north, was taken two weeks ago at 3 am from Fort Valley, only 10 kilometers from central Flagstaff. Visible in the above spectacular panorama are the San Francisco Peaks capped by a lenticular cloud. Far in the distance, the plane of the Milky Way Galaxy arcs diagonally from the lower left to the upper right, highlighted by the constellations of Cassiopeia, Cepheus, and Cygnus. On the far right, the North America Nebula is visible just under the very bright star Deneb.

Yesterday, we took another picture of the Valentines balloon that Laura brought over those many weeks ago. We don't recall another helium balloon staying aloft for quite this long. It has traveled pretty much on its own from the dining room into the kitchen.

Alas, today it has neutral buoyancy -- and seems to be on its way down to earth -- finally. Perhaps we brought this on when we turned off the furnace a week or so ago as the temperature got near 70. For that moment of optimism we were rewarded with a week of below normal temperatures. This has sorely tested our resolve, but the furnace remains off. Needless to say, the fireplace in the living room has seen heavy duty.

Why is getting a router going so difficult? Nice enough to ride a couple times. Ann and I do a mall run this morning. Small dogs growing, get new harnesses. Lily bolts into the street - manages not to get hit by speeding truck. Need another monitor for computer repair table - got one?

Congratulations to Eric and Debra on the birth of their first child: Gideon Phillip Schwulst
Born this day in Bellingham, WA.

It seems there is no end to the number of things that may go amiss. Along those lines, then, a couple more of the 'OOPS' series - of which we have previously had the train variety, truck variety, and a plane oops or two...
Boat oops:

Dick's router fired up at last. Barely hit fifty today. Criminal Intent - Law and Order - my new favorite rerun.

Happy Birthday to old friend Jim, The Slippery Eel. If you see him today, by him a cold one on me.

After record setting temperatures (in Seattle - 79 degrees) yesterday, it was more normal for spring, today. A very pleasant near sixty kind of day. So, when I saw smoke pouring forth from someplace up the hill, I could investigate on the scooter. Who should I find at the 'controlled fire'? My darling wife, and friend Niomi - who had been out walking a few of the dog fleet. This was a city run 'practice fire', which they (the fire department) were watching burn itself out, when we arrived. This would make it, practice arson, I guess...
2 megapixel Iphone picture

The boat is moving! It has moved a boat-length or more down the slip towards the water. One of these mornings, it will be afloat for the first time, nearing the end of a several year construction effort by the Dakota Shipyard.

Thanks to Kurt for this quiz. He got 14 out of 16. I got only ten. See how you fare~~

Spring weather and Fae's visit have conspired to make posting a hit and miss proposition. Fae arrived only half a day late, due to all the flight cancellations. It could have been worse...
photos by Ann

Thanks to Neil~
What would happen if your animation took life? Well, it could be very funny, and this is!

It's becoming more and more expensive to fly, as fuel prices continue to rise. Three airlines have folded in the last week or so. It becomes apparent that some airlines have been cutting corners on maintenance, to try and stay afloat/aloft. With most airplanes totally dependent on computers to even stay in the air - this is worrisome, to say the least.

Trying to find a position that will show the cellulite on my face... ah, this is it...

It's OK to speed, when missiles have locked onto your vehicle~ yes, this is a re-post~

Signs indicate that the shipyard is getting ready to let this boat slip into the water for the first time. We would like to see that... Maybe we'll email them (Dakota Industries) again? They were very helpful about describing the boat, in an earlier post. Type 'Dakota' into the Jrank site search engine and see the boat take shape over the last year or so...

Welcome to April blogging from the Great Pacific N'West. By starting today, we have successfully avoided all that April Fool's stuff. Ni had us going for a bit, there, on her blog.

It has been nice enough to get outside - walking the dogs, for example~ Lily still has (on occasion) one floppy ear.

Saw this old fellow while walking locally - Nash Rambler - later to become American Motors, and absorbed by Chrysler. Who dropped the line, except for the Jeep - The wisest acquisition Nash Rambler ever made.

The fine weather also brought the cats out, into their wirehouse - where Ann has made them a cedar chip pillow.

We rode the scooter over to Barb's and picked spring nettles. Good steamed or dried and as a tea.