August 1, 2023

Yesteryear
One year ago today: August 1, 2022, gas is still $3.69.
Five years ago today: August 1, 2018, got Blu-ray, never use it.
Nine years ago today: August 1, 2014, ordinary in Oregon, boys.
Random years ago today: August 1, 2003, no roads, no jobs.

           I get up to the sound of my new “emergency phone” ringing. Sure enough, my smart phone isn’t working. Incoming calls go directly to voice mail and my international calls are disbled. That’s millennial America for you. They will steal 50 cents from you if they can. Who remembers Wichita Falls, the place I got a flat tire on the sidecar ten years ago. Such a nothing town, I had to drive to Oklahoma to have it put on the rim. Well, guess what town has just been declared the third best place in the USA to retire?

           In fact, Wichita Falls is such a flunk that they literally built the highway right across it, on top. See this photo looking almost straight north, you can see the highway ramp across the city, east-west. That’s correct, they said to hell with this town and built the highway up on stilts. There are no longer any natural waterfalls, they washed away decades ago. The city built some fake ones, but I could not find them.

           Expect a gap in reporting, I headed into Miami this afternoon and may not return until the weekend. And there has to be something wrong with that picture I just posted because it looks like there are trees on the outskirts. There are no trees in this part of Texas unless somebody brought it with them. The city wouldn't doctor a publicity show, would they? I was late getting away due to banking, my phone not working, and having to make some stops.
           This also means I miss the Gunsmoke episode. I’m donating a better DVD player to JZ, again missing the remote but with more buttons on the player. Controls on the remote only. The millennial who came up with that one should be shot but the parents who raised these wimps and weaklings take such a dim view of that. They should still be shot for the crime of imposing stupidity on others. What? Stupidity is not a crime? That explains Google.

Picture of the day.
Colorado mining camp road.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           A late start found me in Clewiston at the Punta Roja, grabbing a coffee and empanada. That is one authentic restaurant, says me who used to live in Venezuela. I skirted Arcadia, then across from 17 to 27 to avoid the now wrecked “Route 66”. They improved the intersection at Zolfo Springs and that turned the shortcut into a trucking route. Pounded the pavement into potholes in no time.

           Here is a sign that proves I made it Miami today. Nothing reminds you more of political genius than a city like Miami. Flat, no hills, no valleys, no rocks, nothing but acres of level, empty land, and they create a parking shortage. JZ was out when I arrived, so I had coffee in the community center. It’s nice because I’m the only person who ever uses it.

           Am I gone bonkers, driving to Miami in the middle of summer? It’s that eye test, and I’ll tell you a secret. This trip is to as much to find out I don’t need expensive glasses as to find out I do. The best case scenario is to learn I don’t even need new glasses, meaning my vision has, focus-wise, not changed since I was twelve years of age.
           Before I left I confirm a rat has gotten my avocado. I knew sooner or later I’d forget to put the wire grill over the pot and I just took a rat to dinner. They love oranges and avocadoes. I got into Miami after dark. Even so, the lack of traffic and other telltale signs are that there is a recession. This town is America’s third-world indicator when things sink even a bit.

Last Laugh