D-Day

Today is the 63^rd anniversary of D-Day. The folks at Real Clear Politics have published Ronald Reagan’s speech “The Boys of Pointe Du Hoc,” delivered on June 6, 1984 in Normandy, in its entirety. If you’ve never seen, heard, or read the address I recommend you do so now. And remember those heroes from so long ago. Too few of them are left, and those that are left are leaving us at a rapid rate. We owe them so much…

Via blog-buddy Morgan…How NOT to Use Powerpoint. Lord, how I wish this video had been around back in my day! Anyone and everyone who’s in management, be it civilian or military (and I hear the military is QUITE bad, in this respect) has been there and done that…sitting through an interminable PowerPoint presentation where some dolt literally READS all his slides to you, cheerfully ignoring the fact that his audience can read quite well on their own, thankyouverymuch. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’m sure you’ll relate, Gentle Reader…

More Politically Correct BS…this time it’s the British Ministry of Defense and the RAF, banning nose art.

In killer heels and little else, they have a definite deadly charm.

But the risque images of women that have decorated warplanes since the First World War have been scrubbed out.

The Ministry of Defence has decreed they could offend the RAF's female personnel.

Officials admitted they had no record of any complaints from the 5,400 women in the RAF.

[…]

Nose art enjoyed another surge in popularity during the 1991 and 2003 Gulf Wars, when risque images appeared on many British warplanes.

The decision to ban the images followed a visit by glamour models to southern Afghanistan before Christmas. During the trip they signed paintings of themselves on RAF aircraft.

Commanders decided the images were sexist and insisted there was no place for them in the modern armed forces.

There was also concern that they could cause offence in a muslim country where until 2001 all women were forced to wear the head-to-toe burkha in public.

Glamour model Lucy Pinder, 23, who visited the RAF detachment at Kandahar last November and signed a painting of herself on a Harrier jet, said such images were only "harmless fun".

No complaints from RAF women, you’ll note… but a fear of offending muslims.

Good grief.

Network issues… You may recall, Gentle Reader, that stopping by Yucca Telecom to get the story on the long-anticipated but yet to be delivered fiber connection was one of the tasks I was going to address yesterday. I got part of the story, which is the fiber still hasn’t been turned up in my part of P-Town. Less clear was why my on-premise equipment hasn’t been installed. I was promised a call-back with an explanation but have yet to receive it.

Coincidentally, my network speed dropped off to dial-up rates last evening and then disappeared altogether this morning after a period of steady degradation. I was dead in the water from about 0700 until 0845 hrs, but the service is still painfully slow. I am NOT a Happy Camper today!

Today’s Pic(s): Are you tired of Arches yet? No? Well…here’s two more…

The first pic was taken at the first viewpoint on the park road, overlooking the Visitors Center (which isn’t visible in this pic). I shot the picture for a couple of reasons; firstly to illustrate the nature of the road, which is wonderfully curvy as it climbs about a thousand feet in a mile or three; and secondly because of the colors in the rocks juxtaposed against the brilliant blue of the sky. Oh yeah, and to get the ‘Zuki in the picture, too.

The second pic is taken from the same vantage point but one can see the Visitors Center far below, as well as the highway leading into Moab. The highway, by the way, runs right on top of the Moab Fault.

As always, click the pics for the larger versions...which are actually 50% of the originals.

From the La Quinta Inn in Beautiful Downtown Moab, Utah

An alternate title would be: "On the Road Again." All y'all can just hum along with Willie as you read this.

So. Yesterday worked out pretty much as expected: graduation came off without a hitch, speeches were delivered by faculty, valedictorians, and other dignitaries (ho-hum-- they're all the same, right? or am I jaded?), the proud graduates moved elegantly across the stage (some more so than others), parents cheered, friends blew off those obnoxious air horns, and -- finally -- mortarboard tassels were moved from left to right. Out into the world...

That was the graduation ceremony. The rest of the day was about as atypical a graduation day as one could imagine. SN1 and extended family worked late into the night on the move, still disassembling, still packing, still loading. The process isn't complete as I write. I spoke with SN1 a few minutes ago and the load-out continues. Hopefully all will be complete by the target departure date: tomorrow. Knowing Buck as I do, it will.

As for me... I left SN1's place at oh-dark-thirty (0605 hrs, to be precise) this morning and made much better time to Moab-- five hours flat--than I anticipated. The 'Zuki simply hummed along at speeds varying between 75 and 85 mph. It was something of a chore to hold the speed down to a reasonable-- and semi-legal --rate, given I was motoring in the Great Wide Open. It seemed like every other time I looked down I was doing 90 mph...or better. The authorities tend to frown on that sort of behavior, even out in the Great Wide Open. I held the 'Zuki in check and got 52 mpg...even at the speeds indicated, by the way.

Once I arrived in Moab I spent the better part of the day motoring through and around Arches National Park, which is just about as spectacular a park as there is in our National Park system. The vistas, the rock formations, the geologic wonder of it all, are simply amazing. Add in the fact that the roads winding through the park are simply made for motorcycles and you have a close approximation of YrHmblScrb's vision of Heaven on Earth. I have some great pictures to share with you once I return home.

One minor downside: it was about 95 degrees in Moab today. I didn't mind the temps when I was rolling; I made "adjustments" by turning the sleeves on my leathers up and leaving the zipper on the top part of my leathers half-open...evaporative cooling really works. But when I stopped and stepped out on one of the numerous trails I followed to various vistas: Sweat-City! Suffice it to say I really, really needed that long shower when I checked in to the motel. Now I have to figure out how to deodorize my leathers. I think Febreze will be my friend.

Ah, but the end of the day just might be the best part of the day. As luck would have it, I stumbled on to The Moab Brewery, which was just a five minute walk from the La Quinta Inn. Like Rooster's (which I blogged about previously), the Moab Brewery had great food, great service, and GREAT beer. I dined on smoked Texas tri-tip BBQ, accompanied by wonderful home-made rolls (big enough to choke the proverbial horse) and a salad dressed with a lime vinaigrette that was superlative. AND I enjoyed two pints of their fine hefeweizen, followed up with a pint of Derailleur Ale ("six types of malt and four hearty hop additions") for dessert. All this enjoyed on their patio, graced with balmy breezes, and capped off with a view of the Moab skyline...which was created by God, not man. It doesn't...can't...get any better than this, Gentle Reader.

And so to bed. I feel so good this evening I may motor on back to P-Town in one sitting, rather than two as I originally planned. I really am hot to get home, but who knows what the road holds? I certainly don't...and that's part of the beauty of not having to be anywhere at any particular time.

Life is good.

Temple Square

Today’s Pics: SN1 and I did a little touristing this past Sunday, in addition to sampling the local beer. We spent an hour walking around Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake, the site of the Salt Lake LDS Temple. I was impressed. VERY impressed.

Temple Square is well laid out, very well maintained, and is beautiful. I told Buck I felt it was a little like visiting the Vatican, but on a much smaller scale. I was much taken with the landscaping, the architecture, and the general environment…including the many, many young missionaries walking the grounds.

Most impressive.

SLC... Sunday, May 27, 2007.

A Photo Essay

1. Peruse
2. Sample
3. Select
4. Order (two pints of beer [each] AND excellent food)
5. Enjoy

Result: Two Happy Campers.

Rooster's. Layton, Utah
Sunday, 5-27-2007

A Quick Update

So. Hanging out with SN3 is pretty cool, to say the least. The day has been fairly low and slow, and that's OK with me. We've not gone for an extended ride today. As a matter of fact we only rode from the bike shop back to the hotel...a distance of about four miles, and that was it. As I told The Second Mrs. Pennington last night: I didn't even want to look at the 'Zuki today, let alone do any extended riding. She replied that Bobby probably didn't care, and that has been the case. And I'm glad. There will be plenty of time for riding tomorrow and Sunday...especially Sunday, when SN1 is here with his new Kowalski.

Some random notes...

I don't like composing in the Blogger "post" window. It takes time for me to organize my thoughts and edit...and I don't get that when using the "create" window in Blogger. So forgive me if this post seems sorta disorganized and rambling, more so than usual. I sure do miss my very own PC. And MS-Word. And I can't post pictures using this public workstation in the Courtyard... of which there are more than a few that were taken today.

In the "It Happens Every Time" Department: Whenever I leave P-Town I always, without exception, wonder just why it is that I stay in Portales. Case in point: SN3 and I walked to Safeway late this morning. I left home without packing my razor and needed to buy one, which will be the third Gillette Mach III in my personal inventory (I always forget my razor. What does this mean?). But I digress. The local Safeway, while not an equal to Wegmans (for instance), is pretty danged cool. There's a Starbucks on the premises, a full-service deli (with sushi!), a sandwich shop that goes beyond the term "sandwich shop," and so on and so forth. So: We had lunch at Safeway, I got my (belated) Starbucks fix, and life was good. Just can't do that at home.

I mentioned this to SN3 (e.g., "Why do I stay in Portales?") and he replied: "Because you don't like snow." Good point. The best, actually.

Out of the Mouths of Babes Dept: A brief conversation. The setting: outside of Safeway at an al fresco dining table. Eating lunch and watching the people come and go, especially the women.

SN3: (Something)
Me: What? I was distracted.
SN3: Distracted?
Me: Yeah, sorry. I was looking at that girl.
SN3: You were looking at chicks.
Me: Well, yeah, but more than chicks, Bob-O. Women. It's one of life's greatest pleasures.
SN3: But isn't that double-crossing Mom?
Me: What?
SN3: Double-crossing Mom by looking at other women.
Me: I don't get it.
SN3: I think you're in love with Mom, so you shouldn't be looking at other women.
Me: You're half right. Let's change the subject, 'K?

Interesting logic, and an implementation of a blatant double-standard! The conversation above may not be verbatim, but it's damned close. I was stunned...to say the least.

And I'll leave it at that. We're off to dinner as soon as I hit "post." Bobby has never eaten Italian food and there's an interesting looking Italian place just around the corner from the Courtyard.

More tomorrow.

Off the 'Net

Big flurry of activity last evening. I got an e-mail from The Second Mrs. Pennington early last night suggesting that SN3 just might prefer spending time with his brother and me over camping, should I find it within my power to be in Colorado tonight.

I think I can do that.

So…all packed up and working on my second (and final) cup of coffee; departure in about half an hour. Everything I’m taking is encased in plastic bags except the ‘Zuki and me (I have my rain gear, but it’s not plastic). Rain seems unavoidable according to the WX Channel forecast; the current radar map tells a different story. My route looks clear all the way into and through Colorado to my destination…let’s hope it stays that way. Hah. With my luck?

I thought about taking the laptop but there’s just no room. So blogging will be light-to-non-existent until I get to SN1’s house Monday night. But I might find a PC, somewhere. One never knows.

By the way…Pronger got a one-game suspension and won’t be playing tonight. I hope the Courtyard has Versus…