started 2/4/2014
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Greetings from near Valley Mills, Texas! Monday morning at about 5AM Keith - WA8ZWJ left Union, Ohio and headed south.
The roads were fine until he got into northern Kentucky where there was some snow on the roads. The closer he got to Louisville, the more snow there was. There ended up being a bunch of cars off the road from earlier in the day when Louisville had gotten about 4 inches of snow and there was a short delay for an accident clean up area and Keith went around Louisville. The further south he went the less snow there was until when he crossed into Tennessee the snow was gone but now there was some fog.
Keith made it on time at noon to meet Max - K1MAX for lunch in Memphis, TN. Of course, one saving grace was the fact that Keith had crossed into the Central Time Zone and gained an hour.
Max - K1MAX
Many thanks to Max for making the effort to meet Keith for lunch!
After a very enjoyable lunch, Keith Headed towards Tyler, Texas. As he left Tennessee the fog lifted but then as he entered Arkansas he saw evidence of freezing rain that had passed through earlier that morning. There was tons of ice on all the trees for 100 miles!
Ice on the trees...
Ice on the trees...
Keith continued towards Tyler, Texas and the sun actually came out in the afternoon. He arrived at Tom - WN5TL's around 8PM. It had been a very long travel day but it was worth every mile!
Tom - WN5TL says "Welcome to Texas!"
This is Tom's Ham Radio operating position.
Tom's XYL, Hillys, was out of town for the evening, so, the two guys were on their own. Tom had waited dinner since he was "Batching" it! FANTASTIC dinner!
Here's Maddy, one of Tom and Hillys' Bedlinger Terrier's
This is Merlin...
Here's Tom at another computer station in the radio room -
or maybe it is the radio/computer room?
Tom has a number of computers all set up to either boot from Windows or
Ubuntu.
We had a dandy visit!
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It was after 7 when Keith finally woke up Tuesday morning. He was well rested and felt fantastic!
After some more quality visit time we headed towards the
Mercado for breakfast in the rain.
Many thanks to Tom for his fantastic hospitality! Keith really had a
great time!
As has become a tradition, Keith headed to Corsicana to make a stop at the Collin Street Bakery.
Yes, Keith found a number of items that he just had to take along. :-)
Keith arrived at Hoss - WA5ZAI and Margareth's around 1:30
PM. Here's Hoss with Trooper!
Here's Callie. She is giving herself a bath!
It was sunny and beautiful here at the Lazy K Ranch this
afternoon. The temperature was about 55! Delightful!
Yeah, Hoss says the weather is too cold for human consumption! :-)
As was stated in the e-mail sent out Sunday afternoon, Ron - AA5RT recently had a heart attack. They did a series of tests on him on Monday and decided he needed a stint which they went ahead and installed. The FANTASTIC news is Ron got to come home from the hospital early this afternoon!
Here's Margareth's new car.
Trooper and Keith are out enjoying some sunshine!
Margareth came out and joined in soaking up a few rays as
well!
Guess where dinner was this evening?
Yep! Keith's favorite restaurant!
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Keith took his morning walk this morning even though it was 30 degrees outside.
After breakfast and Keith's shower we heard Wil - WB5YFX
call Hoss on the radio, so it was time for a chat!
Notice the monitor in the background...more on that later.
This is Keith's Texas bedroom!
This is a shot of the monitor mentioned above. It is
Hoss's Ubuntu/Xastir machine. Keith got it restarted this morning.
We were very happy to see it doing it's thing.
The catch is the machine locked up later in the afternoon. Keith tried
to reboot the computer and it cannot find the boot sector so the hard drive is
corrupted! So, the APRS here is off the air again! Dang!
This is Annie. She is snoozing in the chair!
Annie is being a lot more social this trip than trips in the past.
Here's Margareth with Trooper and Callie!
Hoss and Keith managed to check into the 40 Meter net this evening. They were able to copy all of the guys but one on the net, but, the net was nearly done before they managed to be heard!
Yep! It has been cold here in Texas today so
Margareth has had a fire in the fireplace going most of the day!
Here's a rare shot of Maya! She is Callie's sister.
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Well, today was an "inside" kind of day. The temperature has remained in the 20's today. BRRR!
Keith spent the day checking through stuff in Hoss's ham radio room for items that will go to Yuma and the flea market.
He also looked for another hard drive for the Ubuntu/Xastir computer. No luck yet.
Limited opportunities for snap shots today. Here's a
nice shot of Trooper and Callie napping together.
Trooper looks at the camera...
OK, Trooper says time to go back to my nap! Callie
never moved! :-)
Dinner this evening was at Outback Steakhouse in Waco. Delicious!
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This morning it was cold again.
As we were finishing breakfast we were pleased to hear Ron
- AA5RT calling on the radio. It turned out he was on his way to the Lazy
K Ranch!
Tweedle Dee! Tweedy Dum!
We had a dandy visit! As you can see, Ron is doing
well after his recent heart attack!
Ron heard from his wife on her way to work and she said they were getting freezing rain down there. So, instead of staying for lunch, Ron headed back towards home.
A short while later we heard from Wil - WB5YFX and he and Gail had decided to pass on lunch as well because of the weather.
Keith decided to go out and pick up lunch. All we ever had was a few light sprinkles. The temperature is up to 33.
Yep! Keith picked up lunch at the Bunkhouse
BBQ! :-)
Some of our friends along Tweedy Road...
Another friend on Tweedy Road...
Keith found a hard drive in one of Hoss's storage bins.
Installing a different hard drive on the APRS machine.
Yep, Keith tried to replace the hard drive in the APRS computer. The catch is Ubuntu requires at least 4.4 Gig of space on the hard drive and the largest spare drive that Keith has located so far is 4.3 Gig! UGH!
Great news! Keith found a 400 Gig hard drive out in the garage this afternoon!
The 400 Gig hard drive has been installed and Ubuntu is
loading! Yee haw!
Hoss took this photo...
Once Ubuntu was loaded and restarted there were 528 files that needed to be downloaded and installed to update the software.
It took most of the afternoon for the computer to download them and install them.
OK! Xastir has been downloaded and is currently
installing! This will take a while.
Keith hopes to configure Xastir this evening between watching the opening
ceremonies of the Winter Olympics!
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Today was warm up day in Central Texas! We started off about 35 so Keith took his morning walk!
Another one of our Tweedy Road friends...
Patriotic entrance to a driveway on Tweedy Road...
These things all on both sides of the road all along Tweedy
Road. They are used to cross the fence without damaging the fence.
Another Tweedy Road friend...
And another...
Keith met his high school buddy, Don in Salado, Texas at
the Stagecoach Inn for lunch today!
We had a great lunch and a dandy visit! Don is looking great!
After lunch we posed in front of this antique sewing
machine.
Don prepares to leave....Notice the U.S. Air Force Retired
sticker on the back window? Many thanks to Don for his service!
This unusual tree grows in a courtyard beside the
Stagecoach Inn.
Yes, we got up to 60 today! Yee haw!
This is either Waylon or Willie!
One of the neighbor's Long Horns in the back pasture!
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This morning it was 35 when we got up this morning.
Here's Keith and Hoss playing radio this morning.
Hoss's amplifier made some kind of pop when Keith turned it on this morning and the aroma of ozone filled the room for a while. I reckon Hoss will be running barefoot for a while.
The neighbor's horses were out in the pasture beside the
Hosscienda later this morning.
Trooper says he is tired of chasing sticks and thinks he
will just sit here for a while!
Lunch was at the Chinese Buffet in Waco this
afternoon. Here's Ron, Margareth and Hoss!
Here's Keith, Margareth and Hoss!
Needless to say, we were all fed up!
Things that fly over Hoss's house.
We got into the upper 60's today! It was very nice!
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This morning it was 35. Keith took his morning walk. It was kind of windy.
Here's Hoss checking his e-mail this morning.
Since it was a cold day in Texas, we have basically spent the day inside. Keith did run a few errands this afternoon.
This evening Keith took Trooper out for a little outside
time. While they were out the Long Horns came up near the fence.
Here's one...
Here's the other...
This evening will be a quiet evening spent soaking up the heat from the fireplace and watching the Olympics.
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Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Even though it was cold this morning Keith went out and took his walk.
Here's an interesting collection that one of the neighbors
has by the entrance to their driveway.
A patriotic attitude on the rope at the mailbox!
Here are a couple of Emus!
Joseph - WA5FLT has arrived! It was about an hour
before lunch! Nice and early! Yee haw!
Here's a shot Joe grabbed when he crossed the state line!
Two old friends with the IOOK hug!
Hoss says "Take the picture today will you?"
Joe, Trooper and Margareth...
Catching up...visit time!
Keith and Joe put their heads together and managed to
figure out how to get the TNC back into KISS mode on the APRS set up! Yee
haw again!
Hoss took this photo!
Dinner at the Bunkhouse BBQ! Here are Gail, Margareth
and Hoss - WA5ZAI!
Here are Wil - WB5YFX, Joseph - WA5FLT and Keith - WA8ZWJ!
In addition to getting "All Fed Up" in true IOOK fashion, we had a dandy visit that lasted nearly two hours!
What a FUN time!
It is too bad that Ron - AA5RT and JoAnne could not join us.
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We left Valley Mills, Texas about 6AM. It was cold. When the sun came up it started to warm up some.
We stopped in Lampasas for breakfast. Here's Joe in
front of a mural on the side of the building.
These two good ole boys are still playin' pojer!
The clouds were starting to thin out some as we left the
Country Kitchen.
Joe is previewing our travel plans on a printout.
Keith is "On The Road Again!"
A bit later we saw the temperature get up to 68. Now
we are starting to warm up some!
Here's your first look at the Vice Presidential Highway in
west Texas.
Another look...
Looking back...
Typical scene along the road to the side...
We started noticing frost on the trees as we approached
Brady, Texas. In the distance you can see a tower.
If you look closely you can see frost on the guy wires.
Center of town in Brady...
Another look at the Vice Presidential Highway!
Look carefully and you will see frost on the trees...
More frost on the trees...
Frosty trees...
This guy was drinking some water as he was taking a brake
from his walking...
He has a 4 wheel cart with his stuff on it...
More frosty trees...this went on for over one hundred
miles!
It seems amazing to us that you can go so far and not see
another vehicle on the Vice Presidential Highway!
We are getting near I-10...only another 10 or 15 miles till
we pick that up!
As we approach I-10 we catch our first looks at the wind
mills..
I-10 is coming up on the right!
Scenic view from I-10...
We are going to stop in Fort Stockton and fill up the gas
tank...
More wind mills in the background...
Yes, the speed limit is 80!
Interesting murals on the over passes...
Neat place to stop and have a cook out...
Another interesting structure by the over pass...
We have reached El Paso and the next exit is for the
University of Texas El Paso (UTEP) where Chas - AI0OK works.
UTEP
UTEP
UTEP
UTEP
UTEP
UTEP
UTEP
UTEP
UTEP
We are finally out of El Paso and headed into New Mexico!
Here's a billboard advertising La Posta where dinner will
be...
Keith had Joe take this shot of the tractors for his
cousins in Missouri!
A helicopter in a parking lot near the restaurant!
Chas - AI0OK is waving "Hello!"
Chas and Keith
Chas...
Joe snuck in the shot from the hip of Keith getting ready
to take a picture...
Joe and Chas...
Chas and Keith
IOOK hug time!
Here's where we will eat. But, first, we need to walk
around a bit. Too many miles just sitting...
We visited the gift shop next door...
A bit of information for you...
How about some hot sauce?
Keith bought a post card and walked down to the post office
to m ail it. Joe is shooting from the hip again...
Keith taking a photo of Chas and his car...
Chas is a true blue IOOK'er! Who else would change
his call so it tells everyone he is an IOOK'er?
Joe taking a photo of Chas' front license plate...
Time for dinner at La Posta!
A bit more history...
The food and service here are great!
Dinner is over. Time to get back on the road.
Because there is a lot of construction in this area of
I-10, Chas leads the way so we can find our way back to I-10.
Chas heads back home to El Paso...
Joe catches a couple of airplanes doing some kind of
training exercises...
He's pretty intent on taking his pictures...
Another shot of the trainers...
Sunset as we head towards Lordsburg for the night.
We stopped for fuel when we got to Lordsburg, New Mexico and then went to the motel where we usually stay. The catch is, every motel we stopped at had NO VACANCIES! We found out that the local copper mine was working BIG TIME and the rooms were all full of mine workers. We found a motel with one room left. However, he wanted to charge double the normal rate for the room. He told us that there was nothing else available until we would get clear to Tucson, Arizona. Something about that did not sit well with Joe and Keith so they decided to continue westward. Keith called Chas to let him know our situation. Then Keith called Jim - AE8R in Tucson to fill him is as well. Jim told us he would check on room availabilities and call us back. Shortly he called and told us he had two rooms reserved for us in Wilcox, New Mexico which was the next major town. So, the motel guy was trying to get us to pay the high price for the room! UGH! Many thanks to Jim for helping us out!
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Thursday, February 13, 2014
We were on the road by 7 and heading towards Tucson and later Yuma this morning.
Here's Joe reading the manual for his new to him
camera. His is just now learning about it! So, all of those photos
he took before were before the manual! :-)
Keith and Joe stopped at the rest stop at Texas
Canyon. Joe is taking a few shots.
Here's a panorama shot Keith made...
Yo! Joe!
A little history...
An antenna installation on a mountain top...
Welcome to Arizona!
As we approached the greater Tucson area we got to chat with Jim - AE8R on the local repeater. We decided to meet Jim in Tucson for breakfast. Joe called Chas to fill him in and found out that Chas was only 4 miles behind us so he would join us for breakfast too!
We met Jim - AE8R at the Cracker Barrel in Tucson.
That's Jim waving by the post!
Here's Jim...
Chas and Jim...
After an enjoyable breakfast with Jim, Chas followed Keith
and Joe on to Yuma.
Another look at Chas in the rear view mirror...
Here is the beginning of a huge solar array...
More solar panels...
And more...
This array is a couple of miles long! Incredible!
We are getting close to Yuma.
There is one very ambitious bike rider!
Our first view of Yuma!
Another look at Yuma from the distance...
We have arrived at the motel. Chas is getting out of
his car...
Here are Joe and Chas checking in at the motel...
Once we got settled in our rooms, we headed to the hamfest site...
As soon as we arrive at the hamfest, we are welcomed by the
Vice Presidential Aircap!
Here are B.J. and a couple other volunteers checking us in
for our space...
There are many volunteers that make this hamfest happen and run smoothly! We appreciate their efforts!
This camping area will soon look a lot different!
There are a ton of campers ready to pull onto the grounds!
Once at our booth, Keith and Chas begin working on the IOOK
banner...
Joe snapped a shot of the back of the van with the flea
market stuff packed inside...
Notice Flat KBob on top of the pile to the left?
Working on the banner...
Jack - KC7DUU is directing campers where to park...
Finishing up the banner preps...
Getting ready to hang the banner...
Hanging the banner! Yee haw!
Group shot with Flat KBob!
Jack - KC7DUU stopped by. He had just popped the
chain of the sprockets. Joe helped Jack put the chain back in place.
Group shot with Jack!
Jack gets ready to head out for more work...
A sneak peak inside the vendor building. This will
look a lot different tomorrow!
Getting ready to head out...
Hanging the banner is all we will do today...
Yep, the temperature was a LOT warmer here in Yuma.
After the guys left the flea market we went to Walmart so Keith could buy a pair
of short pants. Yes, he failed to plan that far in advance!
Notice Chas in the rear view mirror?
Back at Keith's room, Chas and Keith break the seal on the
bottle of Scotch that Chas brought along.
Before too long Ti-Michelle - NJ6T and Harold - WJ1B arrive
for a visit!
Ti is showing Joe her web cam. Very cool!
Streaming video!
Charlie - NN3V arrives just in time for dinner!
Dinner was at the Golden Coral. There we met up with
JoAnne - N6YLO and Ron - W6KJ.
JoAnne must have been making a trip to the buffet...
L-R - WA5FLT, AI0OK, WJ1B, NN3V, W6KJ, NJ6T, Tom - KD7QDF
After dinner, Charlie - NN3V and Keith - WA8ZWJ decide to
enjoy some special visit time and some more Scotch!
It has been another fantastic day!
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Friday, February 14, 2014
Friday morning breakfast at the IHOP!
NN3V, WJ1B, NJ6T, AI0OK
WA8ZWJ, WA5FLT, W6KJ
After breakfast we headed to the flea market to begin set
up...
Here's Dave's new pickup truck with his call plate.
Above the airplane to the right is a small item that is
actually a remote controlled drone - helicopter device one of the guys in the
flea market is flying.
Here's a shot of the drone and it's pilot.
Set up continues...
Seminars and Forums...
Joe slipped inside before the doors actually opened and
took a few snap shots.
Set up continues...
KC7DUU, NN3V
Set up is complete! Of course, we have already made a
number of sales!
The doors are officially open!
Dave - K7DRM
This friend of the IOOK (Erv - N8YEA) always sees Keith at
the Ft. Wayne Hamfest!
Quality visit time...
AC
Yes, it is a real parrot...
Must have gotten his call sign about the same time frame as
Lou - N8KXM...
Ti-Michelle - NJ6T
Brent - AC7H
Just read the shirt...
Heidi and Ti
Hal - KC7RAF
Joe has decided to take this hobby a bit more seriously!
Actually, he bought the book for his granddaughter. :-)
Dave - KK6CTF and Charlie - NN3V
Inside the main building...the doors are officially open
now!
Harold - WJ1B is visiting with this group of ladies...
We understand that this was HRO but they didn't have any banner up...
Another tailgating area...
Not a very good shot of it...
Tom - KD7QDF
Kim - KA6KIW and Danny - W6AQZ
We never did figure out what the crane was hoisting up on
top of the water tower...
This guy is checking out Ti-Michelle's web cam...
Kristen - K6WX
Yep! It got hot! We made it up to 94!
Incredible!
Keith was very glad he bought shorts!
Kristen and Ti...
'Tis late in the afternoon and things are slowing down...
Time to head to dinner...
Cathy - KK6CTG and NN3V
WA8ZWJ and David - KK6CTF
AI0OK and K6WX
KC7DUU
KB7WBH
W6KJ and N6YLO
Jack and BJ
K7DRM
WA5FLT
Charlie decided a while back to assimilate Dave and Cathy. He ordered the shirts some time ago so Keith could bring them along.
Here they have received their shirts and now are officially Vice Presidents!
Congratulations to Dave - KK6CTF and Cathy - KK6CTG!
Dave showed off his shirt right away!
What a great day! Time to rack them and stack them!
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More to come!
