Holly Cole Trio - Que Sera Sera (Don't Smoke In Bed) Updated: Holly Cole - Train Song (Live) (The Best of Holly Cole) Holly Cole Trio - I Can See Clearly Now Theatrical Video Enjoy!

Happy Ray Troll Thursday!! Wear 'em if ya' got 'em!

The chronicle continues.... Delta variant sweeps through states that dialed back health powers The Delta strain of the coronavirus is racing across the country, driving a surge of new cases and hospitalizations. But local and state officials this time have fewer options to slow the spread. In Texas, where Covid hospitalizations are up 30 percent and deaths up 10 percent over the past week, Gov. Greg Abbott recently barred counties, cities and school districts from requiring masks. Montana did the same for vaccine and mask mandates, while letting local officials overrule health department orders. And Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose state accounts for one in five of new U.S. infections, asserted power to nix local health orders if he concludes they infringe on individual rights. Meanwhile, in related news... White House officials debate masking push as covid infections spike The talks are in a preliminary phase and their result could be as simple as new messaging from top White House officials. But some of the talks include officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who are separately examining whether to update their masking guidance, according to a Biden administration aide and a federal health official. Officials cautioned that any new formal guidance would have to come from the CDC, and they maintained that the White House has taken a hands-off approach with the agency to ensure they are not interfering with the work of scientists. But the high-level discussions reflect rising concerns across the administration about the threat of the delta variant and a renewed focus on what measures may need to be reintroduced to slow its spread.

@NickG T-Hocking ...Welcome to Redpoint Climbing!

most recent is easiest to keep track of..

They thought briefly about the Cirque of the Unclimbables, but realized that it was in another county, and would require far more than their limited funds would allow. A quick review of their resources, and a dim memory of a nearly forgotten axiom provided the answer. "If you have never climbed the Boar's Tusk, you have never climbed in Wyoming" went the saying. Hour after hour the aging van crept along and finally the landscape began to change. The change was subtle, but the endless rolling hills gave way to a harsher landscape of badlands with forested peaks in the distance. Lonely roads veered off from time to time, leading to unknown places. Glowing lights in the distance marked the last town. The van sputtered into the gas station where they counted up the last of their money. $36 would buy enough gas to get them to the Red Desert, and hopefully part way back to the highway, so it was settled. They stuffed their battered packs back into Mickey's broken down van and set off down the road, black smoke billowing from the exhaust from the burned rings. The busted shocks rattled with every bump on the highway. After an hour of pushing the van at its top speed of 43 mph, a poorly marked turn lead West into the heart of the Red Desert. Mickey turned left onto the washboard road and the van crept along rattling and squeaking with every minute ripple. Gill, sick of the noise, plucked a single cassette from his pack and stuck it into the ancient cassette player. The gentle refrains of the Dead Kennedys neutralized the sounds from the battered van, just as effective, and much cheaper than a white noise generator, and the rolled deeper and deeper into the Desert. There were no signs, just a battered copy of the Gazetteer, and dozens of spur roads, but the general trend led deeper into the desert, so they continued on. After cresting a small rise Mickey stopped the van and they stepped out for a look. Off in the distance, barely visible in the haze, a dark thumb of rock thrust itself skyward. With the objective in sight all question of its existence disappeared and they renewed their approach with Gill at the wheel. The tape played through, but no one moved to stop it. The tower grew larger as they grew closer, and finally they reached a final intersection, and a decision. Should they take the direct looking route, or would the longer, more circuitous one be better. Dropping the shift lever into 2nd Gill punched it, throwing a roostertail of dust that could be seen in Kemmerer, on the straight track. Not so far, but not so close either, a patch of soft sand barred the way. Gill floored it and the van floated over the soft sand, and then settled axle deep 50' from the edge. "Were kind of fucked now: Gill said. The only thing to be seen was sagebrush and the lone tower a short distance away. The other road could clearly be seen approaching on firmer ground, perhaps, in retrospect, it would have been a better choice. "Not the first time I've been stuck" said Mickey, as he opened the back and pulled out a shovel, some empty bags and an old climbing rope. .

I've no recollection of what I climbed there. Only that it was one of those wild hair kind of things to go driving all that way from Sand Point in Northern Idaho all across the state of Montana.... Plus, I had Team Husky so that complicated the hang once arrived. I bivvied at a site rented from the little corner store/bar. Where one could also buy sulfur shower tokens. Still, it is good to get the accumulated grime off of you from time to time. And you kind of get used to the smell. But other than Team Husky I traveled solo so what the hell, eh? I found most folks coming to the Towers were coming with partners. So I was a bit compromised there. Still, I'd have been up for pretty much whatever. Yippie yi-yo kiyah! So if you're ever in the general vicinity... maybe something you don't want to miss. Be cool to get back that way someday.... I will need to unpack some book boxes and find my guide. See what notes I may have scribed therein, eh?

Do any of you ever look at eatliver.com? Worth checking in the morning to get your day off to a good start. Most recent subject was "Really Strange Cat Books That Actually exist". The whole list is here: https://www.eatliver.com/cat-books/ (and has links to Amazon for each of the books) but here are a couple of examples.

caught Boo Boo the big bad wolf and a redneck. I wonder if the date stamp on that file reading about an hour past 4:20 on 4-20 had anything to do with the redneck hunters keen sense of awareness

that thing climbs pretty good its just that the leash is a total PINTA and the grip is too slippery to go leashless... It has a ton of reach.

@Happiegrrrl Great Update. Hope all is well.

This one's always been one of my favorites, so I decided to give it a go yesterday...(way better with earbuds...) Think of What You've Done

Kermit escaped her winter den behind the garden today she got a brand new Platinum AGM battery. biggest one the parts store stocks. made another compartment in the utensile door. Brakes are rusty but hopefully will smooth out with a bit of use. the big bummer is the roof vent fan stopped working.. it's still under warentee and it seems like Max Air is shipping me a new one but it will be a PINTA to replace..

@NickG said in A Dog's Life Redux: Just spent the lat hour pulling 18 quills out of Bernies nose. have the feeling he won'tlearn from this. Did you snip them with a pair of dikes first to "depressurize" them prior to pulling? Goes much easier on the dog if you do. But I have the suspicion you already knew this? I had a porggy come after my dogs food while they were napping which then sought refuge under my truck when they awoke. Poor Jory was full of quills. Many, many, many quills. Was not the first, nor the last. Bernie looks like a pretty tough and enthusiastic buddy - so yeah, he'll likely be game next time around as well. But maybe a bit more cautious now that he's "educated"

Sounds like an awesome day!

NickG says,"...no instructions.. How do I know? I seen the likes of some stellarsea type minds attempting a propane "thieving operation" on a drilling rig circa 1968. They were not in the need of advise, for cavaliers they were. A home propane yard tank filling worker told me the details of how to do it safely -- long time ago -- before 1968.

@David-Harris Well... since ya' got a pic of the climbing bit... I'd maybe go for a climbing/new routing thread, eh? But it's fine here and serves to highlight one of the best aspects of craggin' from back in the day: Hanging out 'round the campfire and sharing whatever. Alas, I don't think I was ever so decadent, or lucky. Salmon. Fresh. Oooh, la, la! But impossible for me to come by without road trippin'. I love "strips" prepped "The Native Way". Fresh chinook, sliced a certain way, soaked in a saline brine that floats a potato and hung on a rack to dry w/naught but a smudge fire to keep the flies away. Tastebud orgasms. Especially when you've been on standing on the runners for a couple hours at ten or twenty below and need a lil' warmer upper. All those concentrated oils don't just tickle yer' tastebuds but also give yer' bod a shot of long burn, fairly immediate access warmth. Yeah, I know I skimped on the biology here but ya' gets my drift, eh?! Ah, yes, those were the days, my friends.

I knew Fred for years. We climbed in Zion (rather unenergetically) and Snow Canyon (same). I last saw him standing by a stunning Albert Beirstadt (love the Hudson River School) in the Park Avenue duplex of David Koch. They're both gone now. RIP

Local Raptor I spied this local apex predator preening in my neighbor's tree. Pretty impressive wingspan. By the time I had camera in hand, alas.... focus shifted to checking me out.