page started 2/8/16
This will be a photo diary of Keith - WA8ZWJ's trip to Yuma and back.
Here is the Yuma Hamfest Flyer...
Saturday, February 6, 2016
Keith left the Farley Flophouse near Dayton in the morning.
He arrived in Germantown, Tennessee in the afternoon. Max - K1MAX picked Keith up at the motel and they went for a ride. The first stop was at Max and Lee's place.
Max - K1MAX and his buddy Gabe
After a tour of the antenna farm (2 delta loop wire antennas) out back we went inside to get a tour of Max's ham shack.
Here's Keith with Gabe...
Max is showing Keith his HF station set up...
Then we went for a ride around town. In the midst of our conversation Tom - W5KUB's name came up. Max said we were not that far from Tom's QTH. One thing led to another - Max made a call and the next thing we knew we arrived at Tom's place!
Impromptu Mini-Gathering L-R Keith - WA8ZWJ, Tom - W5KUB,
Max - K1MAX
As many of you know, Tom - W5KUB puts on a weekly broadcast about an assortment of ham radio related subjects! He also interviews an assortment of folks who are quite knowledgeable. It is always an interesting program! Here's a link to Tom's web site:
After looking at Tom's collection of wire antennas out back Tom took us inside for a tour of his studio and ham shack.
Here we are in Tom's studio looking over his shoulder at
his displays of the composite video...
This is a close up of one of the monitors and since I have
zoomed in it is a bit blurry. It looks like we are in Tom's control room -
two views side by side. However, the background is totally of Tom's choice from the list of
background shots at the bottom of the screen.
Max is sitting in from of Tom's ham shack.
Tom is sitting at his control position. His workbench
is behind him here.
As you can see now, the background is actually a blue
screen that Tom uses so he can insert his background of choice electronically.
Here's a better look at the composite video. Max is
still sitting in front of the ham radio station.
Here's a shot of Riley - K4ZDH when he was on Tom's show as
a guest.
There are several laptop computers as well as a desk top
computer that are all being used to create the images for the video.
We had a great visit with Tom and really appreciate his impromptu hospitality and tour of his incredible control central! Many thanks Tom!
Max and Keith left Tom's after a very enjoyable visit! Later went to dinner with Max's wife, Lee, two of Lee's sisters and one of the sister's husband. Fantastic Mexican food and a fun interchange with the gang!
What an incredible day!
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Sunday morning Keith headed back over to Max's place to get on the IOOK skeds and talk with the gang.
Here are Keith - WA8ZWJ, Gabe and Max - K1MAX in front of
Max's station
Max was not the only IOOK'er with a guest in the shack this morning. Lew - KC4US also had John - N5AAA and Lou - N8KXM as guests in his shack!
Here are a couple of shots that John - N5AAA shared from the Florida Mini Gathering!
John - N5AAA, Lew - KC4US and Lou - N8KXM
Lew - KC4US, Lou - N8KXM and John - N5AAA
Thanks for sharing John!
Max is taking a turn at the microphone to talk with the
guys!
Here's a shot of Max and Lee in a golf motif frame.
After we finished playing radio for the morning Keith headed to Tyler, Texas. Many thanks to Max for his wonderful hospitality! We had a great visit!
Keith checked into his motel in Tyler. This swan
towel display was on the counter in the room.
A little later Gordon - WA5GM came to the motel and picked up Keith and we headed to dinner. Great dinner!
Here's a shot of Gordon after dinner!
We had a great visit and learned a lot more about each other and our interests. It turns out we have a lot in common. We met for the first time last year at Tom - WN5TL's. Many thanks to Gordon for filling in for Tom - WN5TL who was called away out of town at the last minute. His generosity is greatly appreciated! We had a wonderful visit and great time!
Yes, we missed the Super Bowl. However, as you can imagine, neither of us is really interested in sports!
Monday, February 8, 2016
This morning Keith headed towards Valley Mills, Texas and the Lazy K Ranch!
Along the way Keith made a stop at the Collin Street
Bakery! Can you guess who Keith found drinking coffee there when he
arrived?
It was Wil - WB5YFX! What a surprise, eh?
Actually we had coordinated our meeting to spend some time together.
:-)
Here's a shot of Keith and Wil.
After coffee and some visiting we did our shopping and then we headed towards Wil's repeater site near Hillsboro!
This shot was taken into the sun so that is why it is kind
of washed out...
The rack on the left has Wil's UHF repeater on top.
His VHF Fusion repeater is in the middle of the rack.
Wil maintains much the equipment at the site. He also organizes all the tower work that is necessary from time to time.
Wil's VHF repeater antennas are at the top of the tower at
the 455 foot level. The UHF repeater antenna is located at the 340 foot
level.
After a fantastic tour of the repeater site we headed to lunch.
Our extended visit continued through lunch! We had a great time! Many thanks to Wil for taking the time out of his busy schedule to meet up with Keith and share some great times!
After lunch Keith continued his trek towards Valley Mills! Later in the afternoon Keith arrived at the Lazy K Ranch!
Yes, their place is also called the HOSScienda! :-)
Here's Hoss - WA5ZAI is relaxing while we started our visit!
This afternoon and evening was spent catching up with each other and reminiscing! Fun times!
Keith started working on photos and this web page.
The day has flown by! It was a beautiful sunny day and even though a cold front had come through we got up to around 60! The forecast is for it to warm up some later this week.
Those of you who have been following my progress on APRS are seeing that the Internet linking on the local APRS stations seems to be lacking a bit. It would seem that even though it would appear that my APRS signals are being relayed by the local APRS stations the latest reports do not seem to be making it to the Internet.
http://aprs.fi/#!mt=roadmap&z=11&call=a%2FWA8ZWJ-9&timerange=3600&tail=3600
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
This morning Keith was up a little before dawn. It was 29 degrees when he headed out for his morning walk.
Upon his return it was time for breakfast. After breakfast Keith and Hoss worked on a crossword puzzle. We are making progress!
Our enjoyable day was augmented by the fact that not only did we go to the Bunkhouse BBQ for dinner this evening, but also, we were joined by Wil and Gail!
Wil - WB5YFX, Hoss - WA5ZAI and Margareth
Gail and Keith - WA8ZWJ
A special thank you to Wil and Gail for driving down and joining us for a great dinner and wonderful visit!
It was another gorgeous day! Bright sunshine all day and we got up to 66 this afternoon!
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
This morning it was 34 when I headed out for my morning walk.
Here's a shot of the beautiful sunrise getting ready to
occur!
Hoss and I worked on another crossword puzzle after breakfast this morning. It amazes me all the incredible knowledge Hoss has stored in his mind. We were nearly able to complete the puzzle.
This afternoon the neighbor's donkeys Lucy and Dolly were
up by the road.
It got up to 70 this afternoon. Another delightful day!
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Today is Margareth's "Day Off". She and Joanne (Ron - AA5RT's XYL) headed off to spend the day at the casino early this morning.
It was a bit warmer this morning when I headed out for my morning walk.
This is not something you typically see when out for a walk
in Ohio.
Hoss and I headed off to a late breakfast at the Coffee Shop in
McGregor.
We had a dandy breakfast!
When we got back to the Lazy K Ranch I decided to wash the Ohio salt that was deposited on the van during the break in period back in December and January.
Then Trooper and I decided to take advantage of the sunshine and near 80 degree afternoon!
(I found out the following day that nearby in Waco the temperature officially got up to 83 and set a new record!)
Here's a shot of Trooper and I while I am sitting on a
stump out front enjoying a cigar!
Delightful!
Later in the afternoon Ron - AA5RT stopped by. He was in the area to meet the gals and pick up Joanne after her day away with Margareth.
The gals had a disappointing day at the casino. Some kind of computer error caused things to get so messed up at the casino the gals ended up coming home early.
Here's Ron and Vernon!
After Margareth dropped off Joanne (at the planned meeting place) the three of us headed to the Bunkhouse BBQ for dinner.
Wow! What a great day!
Friday, February 12, 2016
During my morning walk these antique wagon wheels on display caught my eye!
Margareth had heard about a prime rib special at Golden Corral.
She made arrangements for the 5 of us to meet for dinner there this evening as a pre Valentine's Day celebration!
It was a good thing we met early because when we were leaving the line was rather long to get in and it seemed that there were hardly any parking spaces remaining in the parking lot!
Here are Joanne and Ron - AA5RT...
Notice the heart shaped cookie that has been covered in chocolate?
Here are Keith - WA8ZWJ, Margareth and Hoss - WA5ZAI...
As Big Al would say we are now all fed up!
What an incredible dinner! Happy pre Valentine's Day!
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Looking at cactus along my morning walk this morning!
This is another item you just won't see in Ohio!
Here's an Emu! It was finally near the fence this
morning during my walk.
After I got cleaned up I headed towards Salado, TX to meet my high school buddy, Don Snoots!
We were surprised and disappointed by the fact that our favorite restaurant was closed. We found out later that they are remodeling.
Hopefully it will be back open when we get together next year!
After chasing our tails around a bit we ended up at the Lively Coffee House & Bistro.
Here are Don and Keith after our enjoyable lunch!
Yes, it was into the 70's today! Delightful!
Many thanks to Don for making the effort to meet up with me!
I spent a large part of the afternoon downloading photos on the slow Internet connection here from Bob - N0BIX of part one of the HamCation snap shots.
It won't be too long and it will be time for the debate. I think I will wait until it starts to go out to the van for my evening cigar. :-)
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Happy Valentines Day!
Sunday morning playing radio...
Here's Hoss at the microphone!
It must be Keith's turn!
Here are Keith and Hoss listening to the guys on the air.
Monday, February 15, 2016
Here's a look at the horizon as the sun prepares to rise
during my walk this morning...
After my morning walk and breakfast Hoss and I worked on another crossword puzzle.
His knowledge of a variety of languages and expressions simply amaze me!
It was another beautiful day here! The high got up into the low 70's but it was a bit breezy!
Here are Waylon and Willie in the pasture behind Hoss and
Margareth's house.
Here's Hoss's multi band beam.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Here's a panorama shot of the pre dawn horizon from Hoss
and Margareth's yard. Actually, it was even prettier a little earlier
while I was dressing!
This afternoon while I was sitting on the stump out front I
noticed that some of the trees are already starting to leaf out!
I cannot imagine why I haven't noticed the leaves on the
trees before now!
Here's a small patch of Blue Bonnets popping up in the
yard. They are like this all over the yard!
Can you guess where dinner was this evening?
Yep, the Bunkhouse BBQ! Yee haw!
Here are Margareth and Hoss before we went inside!
We had a delightful dinner! Hoss and Margareth know what I like!
I will be out of touch for a few days. I head to Yuma tomorrow and doubt I will have time or connection to check e-mail or load photos!
As it turns out I won't be able to post photos this evening. Hoss and Margareth's Internet system is down. They were told that the entire system is down due to a power outage in goodness knows where! UGH!
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
"On The Road Again!"
I made a traditional stop at the Country Kitchen &
Bakery in Lampasas, TX this morning.
I don't normally do breakfast but exceptions must be made once in a while! Breakfast was great!
Yes, these two old guys are still playing poker!
Sorry, I just can't help myself!
I heard Ron - AA5RT on his repeater after I left the Country Kitchen. Too bad he could not hear my signals but I was pretty far away from his repeater!
Later I heard bits and pieces of a conversation between Ron and Wil - WB5YFX.
Here I am on I-10 where the speed limit is 80 and the
temperature was also 80! Such a deal!
I actually saw the temperature as high as 84 today! Yee haw!
Chas - AI0OK who lives in El Paso, Texas met me at La Posta
de Mesilla in New Mexico!
We did a bit of shopping before dinner.
Here is an interesting collection of bottle holders to keep
the corks wet! They each have an interesting name as well!
Chas and I had a great visit and delightful dinner! Many thanks to Chas for meeting me!
Chas will meet up with me tomorrow morning and we shall head towards Yuma together!
I arrived at the motel in Lordsburg about 7:30 local time. That makes it a 14 hour day for me on the road today!
Thursday, February 18, 2016
When I opened my curtain at the motel this morning I noticed that Chas was already here!
Before too long we were headed towards Tucson to meet up with Jim - AE8R and Sue - AI8Q for breakfast at Cracker Barrel.
Sue - AI8Q and Jim - AE8R
Keith - WA8ZWJ and Chas - AI0OK
We had a nice breakfast and delightful visit. It is too bad but Jim and Sue have other plans for the weekend so they will not be making it to the hamfest.
Once we got checked into our rooms Chas and I headed to the fairgrounds where the hamfest will occur.
When we arrived at the fairgrounds we were surprised to see so many campers in line to be taken one at a time to their reserved parking space for the weekend.
Naturally, the first person we saw was BJ - KD7WBH!
My flea market packet was ready to go!
Our primary order of business was to get the IOOK Banner
up!
Yee haw! Another task is complete!
Before long Jack - KC7DUU stopped by!
Here's Erv - N8YEA! I also often see him at the Ft.
Wayne Hamfest in November!
Chas and I went back to the motel to have a bit of liquid refreshment.
Before long Charlie - NN3V arrived!
We enjoyed some spirits together and then headed over to the Golden Corral to meet the gang for dinner.
We had quite a crew at dinner. See below...
Ti - NJ6T and Tom - KD7QDF
Ron - W6KJ and JoAnne - N6YLO
Robert - KE8DM and Helen - KA7VLV
Charlie - NN3V and Chas - AI0OK
"Mr. Cat In The Hat" Joe - K0NEB and Keith -
WA8ZWJ
Joe is the one who takes a lot of pictures at a bunch of hamfests and then makes a slide show out of them put to music and they get posted on YouTube.
We had fun time and managed to get all fed up! Many thanks to Ti - NJ6T for organizing our "Welcome To Yuma" dinner!
Friday, February 19, 2016
Four of us met at IHOP for breakfast but I failed to take a breakfast photo.
So, as soon as we got to the hamfest and got our stuff on the tables I took this "Breakfast Group" photo.
L-R Flat KBob, Keith - WA8ZWJ, Charlie - NN3V, Ron - W6KJ
and Chas - AI0OK
From time to time you will see assorted photos like this one of the volunteers who make the Yuma Hamfest happen.
I take their picture because I appreciate their efforts in
making this an incredible hamfest! It is really very well organized!
Here is Ti - NJ6T and her little dog, Puppet!
Ti - NJ6T and Ron - W6KJ visiting!
Chas - AI0OK playing with his cell phone...
Yes, we had incredible Vice Presidential Air Cover.
As you can see, the day started off pretty cloudy.
Lunch time! Ron - W6KJ has made a trip to In-N-Out
for the gang! Thanks Ron!
Here are a few shots of the indoor vender area...
Chas - AI0OK and Ron - W6KJ are visiting in the
shade. Ron has made a few purchases.
Wow! This couple has matching call signs - W6WOW and
W7WOW! Wow!
Kristen - K6WX has arrived!
Laura - KA8IWB and John - W8RXX. John is the OO
Coordinator for Ohio!
Here's a photo that Charlie - NN3V has sent along.
Chas - AI0OK, Keith - WA8ZWJ and Ti - NJ6T
Here is Sandy - KK6EED. She is the secretary of the
Poway club that Charlie - NN3V is a member of.
The day has flown by. We have made a number of sales and it is time to put the sales items away and head to the Village Inn pizza place!
Charlie - NN3V, Kristen - K6WX, Rick - N6DQ, Ti - NJ6T
JoAnne - N6YLO, Ron - W6KJ, Chas - AI0OK and Keith - WA8ZWJ
Bruce - W6RBM has arrived! Keith and Bruce are school
chums from many many years ago!
Pizza and Beer! What more can I say? Yes, we got all fed up again!
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Here's a look at Bruce's ham radio call sign license plate
that I took as we were gathering for breakfast.
Here's this morning's breakfast group! Keith -
WA8ZWJ, Chas - AI0OK, Bruce - W6RBM and Charlie - NN3V
This photo must have caught Charlie by surprise! :-)
After breakfast we headed to the hamfest to begin setting things up.
Before too long Ron - W6KJ arrives!
Chas took some photos of the Near-Space Balloon launch. I will insert them when I get his pictures.
Here's our booth from one angle...
Yep! This table doesn't have much stuff left on
it. That is a good thing!
Here's our booth from another angle...
Hmm, looks like Chas is checking his eyelids for leaks!
Jim - W5JCS has finally arrived! Here he is with
Bruce - W6RBM.
Mark - KF6WTN has arrived and brought along his nephew
Henry.
This is Mark's friend Mike.
Kristen is helping Ti with a computer issue.
After lunch we took our group shot.
Because of the bright sunshine it was difficult to see the display on my camera.
It would appear that I actually should have placed the tripod closer to the group.
Hall - KC7RAF told me on Friday that he and Anne - KC7RAG would not be able to be at the hamfest on Saturday so I took their photo on Friday to add into the group photo. Somehow, Jack - KC7DUU got tied up and missed the group shot as well, so I added him in on the other end.
So, here is the official 2016 IOOK Yuma Hamfest Group Shot!
Mark - KF6WTN had brought along some items to sell. As he was trying to price them people kept stopping by and purchasing the items!
Many of the things he brought to sell never got a price tag
on them!
Jim - W5JCS is visiting with Ti - NJ6T
The gang headed off to hear Kristen - K6WX's seminar.
Here's a shot that Ti - NJ6T shared on Facebook.
Some members of the IOOK attending the Yuma Ham Fest Waiting for Kristen, K6WX (far right) to begin her talk on Transistors.
L-R Ron - W6KJ, Chas - AI0OK, Bruce - W6RBM, Charlie - NN3V and Kristen, K6WX
Bruce - W6RBM shared these photos of Kristen's
presentation.
Pink - K7ILA arrived shortly after Kristen's seminar
began. After this shot she hurried off to join the group!
This guy brought a home made capacitance checker. He
is measuring an open air capacitor.
It turns out that the capacitor he was checking ranged from 25pf to 90
pf. Sadly it did not go low enough for what he needed!
Jim - W5JCS has stopped by for a short visit!
Here's Brent - AC7H! He only came by the booth once
before on Friday when I was away and did not know what time the group photo was
so he missed it.
John - W0NEV and Jim - W5JCS have been out shopping.
John is Jim's brother.
Photo op with Flat KBob!
By the way, Ti - NJ6T donated the beads and ducks to Flat KBob that she
originally got from John - KF8KK some time ago!
The sales seemed to slack off in the afternoon. We figured it was probably because of the heat.
It was near 90 both Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon.
Delightful for a guy from Dayton!
No, we did not sell everything! It is after 5PM and
the flea market has closed and the remaining stuff has been packed into the van.
It will soon be time for the Old Buzzard's BBQ dinner!
Some of the gang went inside a bit early to reserve our seats together. Many thanks for doing that!
Dinner time! Here are Bruce - W6RBM and Ti - NJ6T.
JoAnne - N6YLO and Ron - W6KJ
Henry and Uncle Mark - KF6WTN
Pink - K7ILA and Kristen - K6WX
Charlie - NN3V, Keith - WA8ZWJ and Chas - AI0OK
Rick - N6DQ and Tom - KD7QDF
There were over 400 people in attendance!
Yes, another great meal and yes, we got all fed up once again!
Now it is time for the prize drawings!
Mark won this item!
Here is Joe - K0NEB with a new IC-2730A
Here is Joe - K0NEB again. This time he has won a
Yaesu FTM-400XDR/DE.
Third time is the charm! Joe has now won a Yaesu
FT-817! What incredible luck!
Or, maybe he purchased a BUNCH of tickets?
Charlie - NN3V had a couple of friends who had already left the hamfest and headed back towards Poway who won prizes as well!
Thankfully, for those prizes, they did not need to be present to win!
After the prizes were all handed out things broke up pretty quickly.
We met in my room for our last sprits celebration of the
Yuma Hamfest! Cheers!
Charlie - NN3V, Chas - AI0OK and Keith - WA8ZWJ
Good night y'all!
Here's a link to more Yuma Hamfest photos that Jim - W5JCS sent along in case you want to see more...
These are from last year...
http://www.yumahamfest.org/photos2015.html
Sunday, February 21, 2016
This morning instead of going to IHOP we decided to go to Cracker Barrel for a change.
Here are Ron - W6KJ and Chas - AI0OK
Keith - WA8ZWJ and Charlie - NN3V
After an enjoyable breakfast they all headed off to their planned destinations.
I headed back to the motel to work on photos and the web page.
In the mean time, back at the Lazy K Ranch, Lou - N8KXM and John - N5AAA has joined Hoss - WA5ZAI for the IOOK schedule!
Jan - KA9VQS shared these shots from Hoss's ham shack...
Lou - N8KXM, Hoss - WA5ZAI and John - N5AAA
Many thanks to Jan for sharing these!
Now, back to Yuma, Arizona...
Here is how I have spent the rest of the day so far!
It is turning into yet another gorgeous day here! The temperature this afternoon is into the mid 80's!
Yes, it is tough to take!
Here is a look at the pool outside my room! It is
looking very inviting!
Once I have posted these photos and sent out the e-mail I may take a dip before going to dinner with Jack and BJ.
We shall see what develops.
=====
I did spend some time in the pool this afternoon. It was a nice way to relax after getting things posted and answering some e-mail that has been accumulating.
Dinner this evening was at Tacos Mi Rancho!
Here are Jack - KC7DUU and BJ - KD7WBH...
Across from them are Keith - WA8ZWJ and Tim, Jack and BJ's
nephew!
Tim has been helping Uncle Jack and BJ with some projects and also helped out
with the hamfest!
We had a wonderful visit! It was a lot of fun catching up!
Many thanks to Jack and BJ for buying my dinner! You guys are too much!
Monday, February 22, 2016
Well, I left Yuma this morning about 5:30ish. That's in the Mountain Time Zone
Here are a couple of shots of the scenery along the way as I headed east that I thought might be something different from the shots I have posted in previous years.
This is in New Mexico.
This is in Arizona.
As I neared Ft. Stockton, Texas I saw this neat rainbow in
the distance.
What was funny is I never seemed to get any closer to it and after about half
an hour it faded away.
I arrived in Ft. Stockton a little after 5PM Central Time. So, it was around 11 hours on the road today.
Yes, dinner this evening was at K-Bob's Steakhouse in Ft.
Stockton.
After dinner I took a short drive and filled up the gas tank.
While I was running around we had a thunder storm. By the time I got back to the motel it had quit raining.
While I was working on today's pictures the lights went off. Then I realized that the TV was still on as well as the power to the laptop.
Also, the bathroom light is working and the heater/air conditioner has power.
So, I am guessing they had a surge and it flipped some breakers.
The gal at the front desk said her office is totally dark and her computer is down. They have called the manager and maintenance man.
A short while later ALL the power went off!
I decided to spend some time smoking a cigar in the van. While out there I also made a couple of phone calls and listened to the radio.
At bedtime I went back inside my dark powerless room and went to bed. About 30 minutes later the power came back on!
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
It was 42 degrees when I headed out from the motel this morning. Plus it was windy! BRRR!
Here are a couple of shots of the IOOK Vice Presidential
Highway!
Nobody in front of me.
Nobody behind me!
Of course, that is typical for the IOOK Vice Presidential Highway!
As I proceeded north and east I started having some light drizzle off and on. The drizzle quit before I reached Menard, Texas.
I ate brunch at Mama Jo's in Menard! It was UP to 44
degrees.
This has been a favorite stop for us for many years.
From conversation I overheard it appears the place is now being run by the daughter of the Mom and Pop who had been running it for many years.
The crosswind was even stronger after brunch.
As I approached Valley Mills I encountered more off and on drizzle.
When I arrived at the Lazy K Ranch and the first guys I saw
were Lou - N8KXM and John - N5AAA! John was kind enough to come out and
open up the gate for me!
The temperature was clear up to 46 degrees and the wind was blowing like crazy! BRR BRR!
Hey Keith! Welcome back to reality!
Inside I found Sandi and Jan - KA9VQS! Yee haw!
Another mini gathering has begun!
Well, Margareth informed me that the Internet is out.
Before too long the repairman showed up.
After checking a number of things here he decided to check some items off site and then come back here tomorrow.
So, no Internet here.
Guess where dinner was this evening?
Yep! The Bunkhouse BBQ! FANTASTIC!
L-R Sandi, Lou - N8KXM, John - N5AAA, Jan - KA9VQS, Margareth, Hoss - WA5ZAI
and Keith - WA8ZWJ
Here it comes again! Yes, we did manage to get "All Fed Up!" :-)
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Good morning! Here's a look at the setting moon over the Lazy K Ranch as I headed out for my morning walk!
Here's the Lazy K Ranch when I returned from my walk.
A little closer look at the campground here...
During breakfast this morning I was telling the guys about some hot sauce that Chas - AI0OK purchased in the gift shop
at La Posta restaurant when we were there last week.
It is called Holy Jalokia. The Jalokia Pepper is also called the Ghost Pepper and rated at one million Scoville Heat Units.
Chas said that he added one drop to a crock pot of chili and it was too hot! I asked Chas if he wanted to take it out to his car before we ate dinner.
He said no and handed it to me. He said "You go out and put it in your van!" Thanks Chas!
I had thought about purchasing some chips and letting the guys try it at the Yuma Hamfest but Chas's description of the heat scared me off.
Lou - N8KXM decided to give it a try with his breakfast crepe's anyway.
Keith is opening the bottle for Lou...
Lou is ready to give it a try...
Lou has placed a couple of drops on the right side of his
plate...
With one drop he said he could hardly tell there was anything there. Two drops he could tell he had some hot sauce but it was not bad.
Three drops and he said it gave the bite some heat.
I got brave and tried a drop on a chip.
No problem. Two drops no problem. Three drops the same. Four drops managed to give the chip's aftertaste some character.
Obviously, this bottle was not nearly as hot as what Chas had experienced.
It does have a great flavor and will be quite tasty for some future added flavor and heat.
The Internet provider repairman has returned and has run
his bucket up to the antenna on the tower.
Working on the antenna device...
Still working on the unit...yes, there is also a receiver
and transmitter in the unit with the antenna...
The bad news is the unit is old enough that it is not practical to do further
repairs.
If a new device is available then the new device may be installed by as soon as Friday.
However, if it has to be special ordered then it will most likely be Monday.
Here's an afternoon stitched shot of the campground.
Both have water and electric!
We got up to 61 this afternoon! However, it was a little breezy!
Dinner this evening was at the Chinese Buffet in Waco.
L-R - Ron - AA5RT, Joanne, Sandi, Lou - N8KXM, Margareth,
Hoss - WA5ZAI
Lou snapped this quick photo on the sly...as you can see,
no fun is being had here! :-)
L-R - Keith - WA8ZWJ, Wil - WB5YFX, John - N5AAA, Jan -
KA9VQS, Gail
Man! If you don't get all fed up at this buffet you have no one to blame but yourself!
This is always a highlight for me! Truly an incredible place to eat! Plus they can accommodate our large group easily!
Also, we had a great visit and a lot laughing out loud fun! What a great time!
I got a telephone call from Jim - W5JCS this evening.
It turns out he now has a conflict with my arrival in Stillwater, Oklahoma on Friday.
Margareth says that extending my stay here by one day is no trouble.
So, we have delayed my departure from the Lazy K Ranch until Saturday.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
This morning it was 37 degrees when I headed out for my walk.
I came across these deer crossing the road during my walk.
When I got back one of the long horn steers and one of the
horses were up by the fence.
Here are a couple of shots that Jan - KA9VQS took.
Here's Lou - N8KXM and his dog Sammy...
Here's Sammy with her new friends from the other side of
the fence!
After breakfast we decided to take a group picture!
L-R - John - N5AAA, Jan - KA9VQS, Hoss - WA5ZAI, Margareth, Sandi, Lou -
N8KXM, Keith - WA8ZWJ and Trooper in front!
Then it was time for last minute preparations for Lou,
Sandi, John and Jan to head out.
One last look at the Lazy K Ranch Campground!
Jan pulls the Jeep out to cue it up for a little later...
Hooking up the Jeep. It is obvious that John and Jan
have done this many times. Lots of teamwork here!
John and Jan are going to lead the way...
Lou and Sandi are following! It is going to be a lot
quieter here at the Lazy K Ranch!
What a fun visit! This has been a pretty special visit! Incredible!
I am so glad that things managed to time out so I could be here during their visit!
The repairman for the Internet provider called this morning. He says it will be Tuesday before the Internet will be restored here!
We got up to about 60 this afternoon.
It has been a relaxing day here on the Lazy K Ranch!
Delightful!
Friday, February 26, 2016
It was about 30 when I headed out for my morning walk.
There also was some light frost on the grass that disappeared as soon as the sun came up!
Here are some wild turkeys crossing the road that I saw
during my morning walk!
After breakfast, crossword puzzle and then my shower I took a little walk around the yard and played chase the stick with Trooper.
The other day, when Lou was still here, he and I were doing a bit of walking around and saw what looked like a Bluebonnet blooming.
I found a couple of them. Here's one of them.
Here's another! It sure is early for Bluebonnets!
It won't be long and the yard will be covered with them!
It was another relaxing day here!
It was a gorgeous sunny day the high got up into the low 60's!
Many many thanks to Hoss and Margareth for their delightful HOSSpitality! I had a wonderful visit!
Saturday, February 27, 2016
I left the Lazy K Ranch around 7AM this morning and headed north.
I was around 12:30 PM when I pulled into Jim - W5JCS's driveway.
Here's a shot of Jim who met me in the street before I
could pull into his driveway!
We spent the afternoon running around and looking at this and talking about that. It was fun just hanging out together.
This evening's dinner was at Joseph's!
Here are Jim - W5JCS and his mother, Carolyn!
Jim took a shot of me in front of the entry door to
Joseph's!
Carolyn ordered fried chicken for dinner.
Her dinner was a large salad, four beautiful pieces of
chicken and a huge baked potato! Incredible!
As you can imagine we had a dandy visit and managed to get all fed up! Yes, Carolyn also had a left over! :-)
It was another beautiful sunny day and I saw a high of 77 this afternoon.
I am crossing my fingers so I can get this posted this evening so I can catch y'all up!
It has got to be tough on Margareth to be without the Internet for such an extended period of time! I hope they get things resolved soon !
Here goes!
Yee Haw! I was successful! I love it when a plan comes together!
Jim and I spent the rest of the evening having a time catching up with each other!
Sunday, February 28, 2016
This morning we were able to check into the IOOK nets. 20 Meters was kind of rough. 40 Meters was a lot better!
Jim - W5JCS took a few shots of me operating his station.
He caught me in mid sentence here!
Here are Jim and I as we finished playing radio for the
morning.
Jim and I then stopped by his office so Jim could take care of a couple of items.
Then we headed off to Yukon, Oklahoma and met up with Joe -
WA5FLT for lunch at Alfredo's Mexican Cafe!
After a great lunch we headed to the Wilshire Gun shop where they also have an indoor range.
The range was quite busy so all we did was look
around. Here are Jim and Joe in front of the entrance.
Stan - N5JFQ and Liz stopped by here at Jim's for a short visit before we headed out for dinner this evening.
Here are Liz and Stan - N5JFQ...
Dinner this evening was at The Hideaway! Pizza at
it's best!
Here are Jimmy - N5HOL and Dan - K5FVL...
Here are Tad - KC5DPT and Linda...
Here are Cathy and Joe - WA5FLT...
Here are Stan - N5JFQ and Liz...
Here's Jim - W5JCS and Keith - WA8ZWJ...
Jimmy was joined by his XYL, Merry!
Stan - N5JFQ did it to us again! We were all wondering where the checks for dinner were.
Stan finally said "It won't be coming! I already took care of it! Hey Jim! How about you get the tip?"
Many thanks to Stan for his great generosity! It is greatly appreciated!
We had a really fun evening and managed to get all fed up! :-)
Monday, February 29, 2016
We have a beautiful start to another great day here in Stillwater!
While Jim was in the shower, I decided to take a walk around the back to check out his progress on his antenna plans.
Hmm, it would seem that Jim has not done anything since
Bill and I helped get this much done several years ago.
However, it does appear that he does have plans!
I don't know what this large free standing tower will be
used for but it appears to me that with proper support and guying it could be
put on the roof!
In addition to several sections of tower there is what
appears to be a tri band beam so things do seem to be in readiness.
Here is Jim's antenna farm! It looks like a G5RV at
the top with a VHF beam under that and a UHF beam under that!
I hope that things work out so Jim can improve his antenna farm in the not too distant future.
Jim's mom was not feeling too well today, so, we elected to cancel our sightseeing plans and hang around the house today.
We managed to take care of a number of computer related chores that Jim was having difficulty with.
As it turns out, we were pretty successful!
Many thanks to Jim and his mom for their splendid hospitality!
It has been a fun visit!
I head towards Missouri tomorrow morning.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
I got a fairly early start this morning.
It was kind of windy and chilly with the temperatures in the low 40's.
The best part was traffic was pretty light today!
I arrived at Bob and Sue's in the early afternoon!
After school time here at Bob and Sue's.
Landon is doing homework!
Cael managed to get his homework done at school.
Catie has a bunch of homework this afternoon!
Trenton is done with his chores for now.
Caleb has arrived after his R.O.T.C. activity after school
today.
The grandkids stayed for supper this evening. Moms and dads were otherwise occupied.
What a great feast! Imagine the 8 of us getting "all fed up" and there were still left overs! :-)
Sue is sharing some items they brought home from their
recent Florida. Here is a beach gal! I think this will end up in the
flower garden.
Bob was sharing a bunch of sea shells he had picked
up. Here is a Star Fish!
Before too long the kids all went home. Bob was quite tired and went to bed early.
Sue and I sat up and talked for some time. We are having a dandy visit!
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
It was 32, partly cloudy and calm this morning when I got up.
Sue had left to pick up the boys and take them to school.
Bob was up for a while but decided he was feeling a bit tough and decided to go back to bed for a while.
We shall have to wait and see just what we get into today.
Here's a shot of a mural Bob had painted a number of years
ago on the wall of the bedroom I am in this trip. Pretty cool!
VERY comfortable bed!
The wind picked up and was quite strong.
Bob seems to be feeling better and we spent a lot of time reminiscing over old times today.
Beautiful sunset this evening looking across the fields to
the west.
This is a commemorative item from a trip Bob and Sue took back in 2011 on Route 66 from here near Nevada, Missouri to California and back!
It is on display in the bedroom I was in this trip. It caught my eye this evening.
That would seem to indicate that this year is the 90th
anniversary for Historic Route 66! Pretty cool!
I think Bob is feeling much better this evening. He stayed up to what he says is his normal bedtime.
We shall see how he feels come tomorrow morning!
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Good news! Bob is feeling much better this morning!
Around 7AM Bob, Sue and I headed towards Kansas City.
After dropping Sue off at a doctor's appointment Bob and I
headed to the Bass Pro Shop! Here's Bob!
Some of the static displays...incredible!
Just a small portion of the Fishing Center...
1951 Chevy pickup truck!
While Bob went back to pick up Sue, I managed to continue shopping.
Bob and Sue also did some shopping after they returned to the Bass Pro Shop.
These are live - not static!
We had a great time at the Bass Pro Shop. We all managed to find a few items that we could just not live without!
From the Bass Pro Shop we headed to lunch.
We had a dandy Mexican lunch and then Sue did some more shopping at Sam's Club while Bob and I wandered around Lowes.
Bob is feeling much better! After we returned to their place Bob decided we needed to run some farm related errands.
At Lincoln and Trin's the hired help were working on
filling the tanker truck.
Here's Lincoln and Trin's family sign by the road.
Now we are several miles south and the sprayer is being
refilled by the tanker truck.
A while later we managed to make our way up to Ronnie and Janet's. Ronnie is Bob's brother - another cousin of mine!
Here are Bob and Ronnie!
Golly, what a great day!
I am so glad Bob is feeling better!
We have had a very full day! Lots of fun and fellowship!
I head east tomorrow...yes, I am suffering from short timer's! :-)
Friday, March 4, 2016
Bob and Sue were both up early this morning! We said our goodbyes and I went out to get on the road about 6:30 AM.
Many thanks to Bob and Sue for their warm hospitality! I had a great time!
I am so happy Bob is feeling better!
As I was preparing to leave I noticed this pretty pre
sunrise view across the field.
It was 32 degrees and I had to scrape frost off of the windshield.
As I drove east I noticed some occasional fog and temperatures as low as 27. Brrr!
I arrived at Ruby Tuesday's near where Bob - N0BIX lives in Illinois about 11:30!
Bob caught me right after I got out of the van!
Here's Bob!
Here I am at the salad bar! Delightful!
Eating my salad!
Hmm, I should have used the flash. This is a bit
fuzzy!
Our waiter took this shot for us! I am copying files to Bob's thumb drive so he can make the Yuma Trip 2016 DVD!
We both had the soup and salad lunch. Mmm Mmm good!
We had a dandy visit and managed to get all fed up!
Many thanks to Bob for meeting me and buying my lunch! He beat me to the punch!
As I continued to drive east it became partly cloudy.
I have no clue where this was taken but I can say it caught
my eye some distance away so I had plenty of time to get my camera ready.
I believe this is somewhere in eastern Illinois.
I saw temperatures as high as 42 this afternoon.
As I approached eastern Indiana is became overcast once
again. Yes, I am back in Ohio!
I topped off the gas tank and still made it home before 7PM Eastern Time!
We have a trace of snow in the front yard and the forecast for this evening is for up to 1/2 inch of snow by morning.
Marian is off playing First Friday Mass this evening.
I am hoping to get this posted before she arrives home!
I would like to thank all the photo contributors - KA9VQS, N0BIX, N5AAA, NJ6T, NN3V, W5JCS, W6RBM & WA8ZWJ!
According to the trip odometer on the new van I drove a total of 5,074.5 miles during this trip.
According to the computer in the new van the overall average speed is up to 53.8 MPH.
Many thanks for hanging in there and reading all the text and looking at the photos from my trip!
I have had a great time but it is good to be back home too!
Ebedit Ebedit Ebedit That's All Folks!
There ain't no more!
