Finally getting around to replacing the Nikon Coolpix S10 VR I had that got run over by a truck back in August. I had set it down on the top of the car while getting some bags in and forgot it was there. Halfway down the highway at seventy-plus I saw something black sail into the air behind us and realized immediately that it was the Nikon in its case.
I turned around and went back to it and ran out in the road to retrieve what turned out to be the cushioned case alone. The camera had somehow come out and smacked into the asphalt. I located it and started to dash out for it just as a semi approached. My prayer didn’t work. The truck’s front wheel ran over it. Not enough left for a souvenir. So far I like this Canon model the best. It’s got some of the same features, has a viewfinder for use in bright sunlight, looks like it will fit in the old case, and it is a lot cheaper. In case it winds up getting run over someday.
Via Instapundit.
Another chill night at the rancho, which brought out a duet between a Hoot Owl and a Screech Owl, high in the maples of the upper forty a while ago. The cry of the hooty sounds like his name. The cry of the Screech is more bizarre–rather like the repeated whinney of a horse.
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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Weather/Climate
Tagged Screech Owl cry
Sunday morning’s low was only about forty at the rancho, but the airport recorded two degrees below freezing. After a blistering summer, I was looking forward to a mild fall. Instead… Was only thirty-one in the back forty by first light today. Brrrr. All part of what the LCRA’s Bob Rose says looks like an early winter. The good part is his forecast of normal fall rain, though we haven’t seen it yet.
ONE GOOD THING: LCRA has updated their Hydromet Web site to make the maps easier to read.
Comments Off on Another chilly night
Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Texana, Weather/Climate
Tagged LCRA Bob Rose
Posting will be minimal, if any, for a while. My DSL modem is on the fritz. AT&T has promised to come Monday and check the line, if not necessarily replace the modem. The thing’s warranty is out, and it seems to be the major difficulty, so I hope they replace it.
If not, I may consider switching ISPs, though that would be a major hassle and AT&T has provided good service up to now. We think a thunderstorm a couple of weeks ago, which knocked out the landline service (which contains the DSL connection) may have been the culprit here. The techs said the line was the victim of a power surge. We were thinking about having the landline disconnected anyhow. We use the cell phones most of the time.
ADDENDUM: Yes, we were disappointed by last night’s Texas loss to Texas Tech. But Tech, a longtime in-state rival, played a great game and deserves to be No. 1, even if the BCS computers don’t agree. The Horns also beat themselves, with too many dropped passes (and one almost-interception), costly penalties, an OL that couldn’t stop Tech’s D, etc. Hope Texas stays in the top five. They’ll be back.
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Posted in Blogosphere, Rancho Roly Poly, Site building, Texana, Texas Football
Tagged AT&T, DSL modem, landline, power surge, Texas Longhorns football
Family room’s new porcelain ceramic tile, paid for by sale of the family sloop. A fair trade, we think.
Best analysis I’ve seen so far, and there are more than a few out there. Be sure to vote, especially if you’re voting for Mac and Sarah. The drumbeat "news" about Barry’s juggernaut lead is highly suspect, as per usual in the Dems-media symbiosis. Including longtime Dem pollster Zogby International, to mention just one. Followed by this utterly contradtictory AP poll.
Could be the "news" audience is finally catching on. How else to explain this?
Closer to home, the rancho is in a precinct that, in recent years, has been solidly Democrat–unsurprising in Austin’s blue anomaly in a very red state. Yet I have noticed this month quite a number of McCain-Palin lawn signs–a few of them already detached (accidentally?) from their supports. Something is up, and the national polls and the local "news" are not reflecting it.
Via Instapundit.
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Posted in Blogosphere, Rancho Roly Poly, Scribbles, Texana, Uncategorized
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 