Merry Christmas to all my friends inthe West

 

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2020 what at a year... Merry Christmas in the West - Jan 7 in the East

 

Sad to say... the time ran out to finish the pizza oven.  You are all welcome to attend the first fire this spring!

Party politics have reached a global level of stench. Globally I think everybody knows this.  What happens next is really pioneering.  A real test of the academic mind vs the real world (academics are not too stand-behind-you-by-the-way).  2021 will be an interesting year.

Snow again, good cheer again, prayers for all.

OK... favorite meal of the year in 24 hrs!

As a year in review let me say this to my technical visitors.  Overlap of a diesel is not too good for Si, and THINK about when you ever saw an endfed manifold on an SI engine... just think about that.  As for overlap - think "fuel slip."

This summer - COVID accepted - was exceptional.

My air miles are enormous, just let us on a plane and we're there.  Italy

we miss you!

Yup, hearing newbies miss gears and light up these beauties on the test track are music to motor alley.

See you soon

Stay tuned for an amazing prediction post...

 

Wooooof

 

 

 

 Merry Christmas!!!

 

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I suppose we won't see waves until April...

 Yup, another trip around the Sun with the usual tilt... and the usual result.

The last spots to freeze are the zones nearest the springs that feed this lake...

 

Looks like that darn axis tilty-orbity thing this planet does... did it again! - DARN! 

For October, the average contiguous U.S. temperature was 54.4°F,  a whopping 0.3°F above the 20^th century average. This ranked in the middle third of the 126-year record.

That is of course if you consider heat islands created by progressively growing cities over those 126 years, the accuracy and location of 126 year old thermometers and what the accuracy was of the bespectacled readers of those devices.   Meh, looks like winter.

 

 

Well, Merry Christmas everybody!!!

 

As for what lies ahead... some advice from the past. 

"History is full of good competent men (and women) who in a moment of weakness (or confusion) did not follow their instincts, who did not take the hard road, who did not challenge their bosses when they saw a horrible decision handed down from above." 

...

"Put another way: Before you relinquish your common sense to a group of people in control, you'd better jolly well understand that people can behave far more badly in a group than they can alone." - George Tulloch

and this gem...

"Perhaps the most important question facing our civilization over the next 40 years is not how inadequate leaders become inadequate leaders, but what characteristics of human nature causes us to so consistently choose the most inadequate among us and elevate them to positions where they can inflict the greatest harm."  - Charles Pellegrino

Finally...

"And when havoc strikes, it is the ones who are officially in charge who often freeze or come unhinged... that's when the true leaders, who might not be near the top simply because they have the good sense to avoid competitive, back-stabbing people, rise to the occasion and assume the role of hard, risky leadership that no one else, in time of crises, really wants." - Stanley Resor

I'm bringing back the prognostication post this year!  The spotted one thinks 2021 will be a little more unusual than 2020 was.

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Fall getaway to the beach!

 Apart from Italy, the Atlantic coast along the Carolina's is my favorite place to be. After a pretty amazing summer, we made a little time to get to the beach before winter sets in.  

The light on Hunting Island outlived yet another storm season!

With COVID-1984 mania there were big beautiful empty beaches to explore!

The Spotted One got a chance to run in the surf and chase birds! What could possibly be a better vacation than that?

We've stayed here a few times, so beautiful.

Look at the crazy root system Hurricane Irma revealed... Storms do funny stuff depending on how they track, how much rain they bring and of course - how strong the winds are.  Fortunately Irma was far enough away so that erosion was the biggest set back here.

Morning along the inter-coastal waterway...

Charleston has such a great vibe. Leyla's is still the best!

Hope you are all doing well out there in the world!

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What to make of it all

I recently read a really interesting book by Thomas Rid.  It  resonates well considering the times we now live in.  Mr. Rids assessment of two common understandings of truth (and opposing realities) is truly enlightening when contrasting the tensions and ideologies projected at the general public around the world.  The first being a sort of reductionist view that truth can be derived from analytical assessment, objective reasoning and when these mechanisms align with facts, real and honest data and with experimental results we can agree on the "truth of the matter." There is another truth however... this one corresponds to beliefs, ideologies and personal values/opinions... exploiting one or the other can create a sort of chaos that keeps us divided, unaware and misguided.  The useful idiot can be manufactured so easily. Sadly. 

Ideology matters.  Integrity matters. I like to think that the rigorous definition of truth outweighs the "beliefs."  But Feelings based on manipulation with carefully constructed lies cause wars, deeply divide populations and harm the relationships we have.  AND while we're all caught up in that emotional conflict, crazy things can and do happen.  Social engineering is nothing new.

These days it's harder than ever to stay objective. To filter out the noise and winnow out the truth. 

Let us hope society can evolve form this state of affairs. 

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Tiny vs LARGE

 Just a quick comment about the situation we find ourselves in this year with "the virus."

Hope all stay well, just try to put it all in prospective.  0.12 Microns is tiny;  0.0000039 inches so unless you have awareness and safety protocols that follow something like this... your best strategy is to avoid crowds if you can.  Stay home if you're sick. Be good to each other. It will all go away eventually.

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The neighbors came to dinner

 This has been a cold and snowy month.  So called "unseasonable weather" - and we're on track for a record snowfall for the month of October...

So one of those fall weather traditions like bunched corn stalks, pumpkins and harvest time decorations are common at this time.

It all started when I let Hazel out for the morning and *bang* the front door bonked into something and wouldn't open.  Hmmmm, that's curious.  Looking down quickly revealed one of the pumpkins on the doorstep was moved!  Hmmmm, who would do that? 

Well a few seconds later, and after flipping on the outside lights... there it was.  Another pumpkin had been removed from the steps but was now half eaten and had been moved to the walkway!

Ahhh, mystery solved.  The deer managed to grab the smaller pumpkin by the stem and drag it down where they could stomp it open and enjoy a fall treat!  This one was too heavy - LOL...

So unusual to see Hazel quietly watching and the deer so trusting!

Dinner for three on the sidewalk... earlier this fall they got into one of the apple trees.  Now the cage is higher and wider.

Soon after this, they managed to snatch Pumpkin number 2! Deer really are pretty smart when it comes to acquiring food.

Well, it's been cold and snowy.  I hope our neighbors enjoyed the tasty treats. We just got the old Larson out of the water - my wet-suit kept me comfortable, but that last cruise around the lake was darned cold!  Time to finish up the re-wiring and winterizing and put the boat back in its squirrel proof chamber - NOT.

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First snow...

 More to come this weekend...  

The juxtaposition of vibrant summer time life falls to the icy slumber of winter...

Frost on the pumpkin...

The seasons come and go. I hope all are well!

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Fall has arrived...

It has been a remarkable summer, and now the fall colors and coole temps have arrived.

Throw the ball!

We can play catch all day...

One or two more times 'round the Lake then it's time to pull the boat and dock for another winter.

Throw the ball!

Just for fun I set the ole Nikon up and held the trigger down...

Hazel, loves to leap up when she plays catch.

She really enjoys snagging a ball or frisbee out of the air this way. 

A beautiful world!

 

 I hope you enjoy the pics! 

 

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Science is usually a quest for the truth...

Just a quick post to share what seems to be a well written call for debate and rational thinking in a world that is dominated by spin...

Summer turns to Fall and life is good!

 What a wonderful summer... let's hope we have a nice fall too.

The pizza oven is progressing!

All of the black krim tomatoes are either canned or frozen for yummy sauces to be made this winter!

A little get-away at an old train station right on Lake Superior.  So amazing!

I have lived a good part of my life on the beautiful lake... so fortunate.

The converted train station is now an AIR B&B and you can spend the night here.  The sandstone was quarried in the 1800's.

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Forms done, first course is in!

 Labor Day 2020 

The forms are to set an interior dome height of 18 inches and an oven door opening of 18 inches... and the interior diameter is 36 inches... I seriously thought about going with a Golden Ratio of 29 but the bricks fit better this way!

To cut all of the complex angles we used a miter saw with a diamond blade. This is the first time we've mixed high temp mortar.  It takes a little getting used to.

At this pace, looks like an October "first fire."

The rest should go pretty fast - good thing too - it's September in Northern Wisconsin so cold weather is just around the corner.  As I said in my earlier post, I can't remember a nicer summer.  We raised Black Krim tomatoes this year from seeds.  Soooo good!  If you've never had this heirloom variety you are missing a very pleasant taste treat!

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Rodolfo Ragonesi has a point!

The age of everything fake...

(Human evolution has taken a very strange twist in our times)

I ran across this article and thought it made some good points! Over the past decade or so, the slide from a world view based on facts to agenda driven opinions has accelerated and corroded so many parts of our lives that I wonder if the age of deductive reasoning has been firmly supplanted with "active measures." Most of which are poorly contrived but seem to be effective in, to borrow from Noam Chomsky, manufacturing consent.  Where are the critical thinkers?  How bad does it need to get before there is a cultural renaissance that drives towards truth? 

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Some times.... when you work really hard

You can change EVERYTHING!  I've seen it - I've lived it. I just saw it again!

As an engineer and these days as a leader of a company, I reflect on having been a part of the technical problem solving effort that made a difference.  As a young man I was a part of a handful of team efforts that changed business models... (V-22, Ford Edge, JLTV, CAT 3600, DME, DCTs and Hybrids - think Ballard and maybe how to do proper FEA or dynamics and the WLB and WLM) changed product trajectories and turned grim into victory. I've been privileged to come along at just the right time. Really - I have been blessed. It's made me so appreciative to my profession.  So many great people I have worked with along the way!

Every now and then, and now admittedly as an old guy no longer doing the heavy lifting...  now just responsible for putting the team together, for mentoring or crafting the teachable moment for the team to succeed, I get to see when magic happens.  Stars still rise to the occasion, problems melt away, success - always paid for by the hardest  work - it still happens.So take heart. You can do it too.

I have to say, to you, my visitors, you can change so much if you run flat out.
If you apply your gifts and when you get tired, you double down... never give up or be content with mediocrity.

You can change the world. I know you can!

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What anexcellent summer this has been!

We love our Hazel, she's grown into a beautiful young lady!

This summers flower garden is amazing...

Beautiful

Just the right amount of rain and sun...

All day long these little guys visit...

The summer of 2020 has been one of the nicest I can remember!

 The dome is slowly rising! 

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Re-powered '59 finally back in the water

This took a lot longer than I thought it would! We decided to re-power our old '59 Larson run-about with a cleaner, quieter and more reliable motor last year.  This is one of those kinds of projects that just keeps getting bigger until you finally get it all done.  New controls, upgraded steering, re-wired which meant a new wiring harness in a new loom...

Now that it's back on the water it's really so much nicer.  No oil slick from the old Johnson v-4, super quiet, no exhaust smoke either.  Hazel approves!

Maiden voyage under new power.  Smooth, quiet and a little misty. I kept the old Larson All American steering wheel but am replacing the old gauges. 

Not finished yet with mounting the fuse panel, but so much fun to be back on the water!

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COVID = Pizza Oven

Yeah that's right. Let me explain...  with all of the pandemic related travel restrictions, the stay at home stuff and the lack of any travel plans in vacations pretty much world wide, people all over the place are doing more at home.

The home improvement places are doing great business as it seems everybody has some kind of project going on.  Well here at the house - we do too.

These folks, caught my eye maybe 6 or 7 years ago.  I was traveling to Italy on business a lot - over the past decade and perfected a scratch pizza recipe that can hold its own against any Italian pie.  Yup, I've got some special tricks, learned about cross linking and sauce...  even had a cooking class in Sienna. 

I've conquered pizza. Crushed it.  Best pie you've ever tasted. Come on by JRO or NLO! 

With stay-cations being the current reality - it was time to get a proper out-door oven built.  So far I've completed 3 phases of construction and I have to say things are starting to shape up.

The dome is next!

I'll post the fire brick dome next...  and of course the final product in a few weeks.  This oven is in the Pompeii style and is a home made COVID inspired use of stay-cation time!

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