Changing of the Seasons....weather, sports, life, etc...

Even in this "Leap Year", February has flown by, and will turn into March before the week is finished....and it appears that this month will go out with a roar.  Wednesday, February 29th, we are scheduled to see 60 degree temperatures with a good chance of sever thunderstorms....March will bring cooler, but not below temperatures.  Nothing on the weather horizon would suggest any snow storms are likely, but you never know about March, I have seen some dandy snow events, although most are short lived, and with the changing direction of the Sun, usually the white stuff doesn't stick around long.

Dartball Tournament___

Shorthanded we kicked off the Dartball Season Ending Tournament winning the first in the best of three, 4-3 over Mt. Tabor, but were eventually knocked out, losing back to back, games 2 and 3, by 6-1 and 4-2 scores.  So with the exception of the All Star Game on March 12th and the ending Banquet the following Monday, my season is finished until early next November.  I reverted to tossing at the triple mark yesterday, since we were short a couple of our better players, and finished 6 for 14, with 4 triples and an equal number of RBIs...some changes will be forthcoming next season, as our mix of young players and real old guys, tries to find a winning formula.

Youngest son Hal, working out of the house since Thanksgiving, and the birth of their first child/our first grandchild, Kasyn,  went back on the road, this trip to Canada, yesterday, a quick turnaround, and he returns today or tonight.

In Basketball,  oldest son Sam worked video for the Ohio State/Wisconsin game yesterday, as the high rated Buckeyes lost again...their second home loss of the season, and their 5th Big Ten defeat....shooting 9 for 17 from the free throw line, in a close game, will get you defeated every time.  My Duke Blue Devils struggled at home as well, to lowly Virginia Tech, but managed to get the game to overtime where they prevailed 70-65....that game was played Saturday afternoon. 

Rain canceled the Daytona 500 yesterday, it is scheduled to run at Noon today, but just talking to my old horse training buddy Tom, who lives in nearby DeLand for the winter...it is still raining, and the race may be in danger again this afternoon, although with lights, they may hold that weather window open.

For all intensive purposes, my basketball officiating season ended on Friday night, as the Celina Bulldogs took both the JV and Varsity games from Lima Bath.  With the exception of a youth tournament at Parkway High School on March 8th, I am done for the season...and frankly glad it's over...all the season, temperature wise, was mild, the basketball season, least of my favorite to officiate, was a long one. 

With no games this week, my schedule is limited to doctor appointments on Wednesday and Thursday, and a baseball banquet and business meeting at Van Wert, where we will down Wings and Beer at Frickers Wednesday night, if we don't get blown away by the predicted storms.

back later>>>>

Photos-NASCAR's Jimmy Johnson holds his daughter waiting for the rain to end yesterday at Daytona...it didn't, and the race was postponed, hopeful to get it in today...Dartball season has all but ended for me, just the All Star game in two weeks on my schedule....and I spent a clear Saturday night trying to get a few evening and night shots of a waning Moon...with varying degrees of success, or not.

Shooting a Full Moon....

Yesterday's sunshine and early Spring like conditions have turned cloudy and cool....it seems each day brings something new weather wise, but the constant has been no brutal temperatures or large amount of snow at any one time this winter.  It appears things will get cold for the coming weekend, with highs not making it out of the twenties for either Saturday or Sunday.  Sunday is the day we will head for Hal and Lisa's place in Centerville, where the grandson, "The K-Man" will be presented to their church.  Many churches it seems no longer Baptize the young until they are able to participate in the ceremony fully...instead opting for this.  So this Sunday will be that day....with a gathering at the condo to follow to break some bread.

Shooting the Moon!

Late yesterday, before heading out to Dartball, where, while we won 2 of 3 games at a very good Hopewell Lutheran team, but where I had my worst night of the season, going just 2 of 13 with no RBIs, to drop to a .385 average{worst since my back issues in 2007-08}...I noticed a near full moon rising in the eastern sky above the nearby Mercer Landmark grain elevator...so I ran in,  got the camera, found a place to prop the small tripod I hooked it to, and began to shoot.

Taking moon photographs with a small digital camera, or any digital camera without a proper lens and steady hand is almost impossible it seems...some of this having to do with the rotation of the earth, as slow as it might be, and much to do with the "blow back" of the Moon's brightness.  The following link is a good example of what it takes...and as much as I enjoy shooting photographs on the lamb....I'm not about to invest in costly equipment, just to get a photo that I can just as easily grab {steal?} off the Internet:

http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Estonia/West/Raplamaa/Marjamaa/photo255902.htm 

I do however enjoy trying to get clear moon photos with the small Nikon set a various settings...the ones pictured today were done with the Dusk/Dawn setting, and pointed directly into the moon...the amazing thing is, I never changed the setting, but within a matter of a minute, the camera stopped catching blue sky and instead was clicking a totally black one.  The end results, especially when in zoom mode were nothing to write home about, but I will continue to search for that elusive "Full Moon"

Tonight it's back to basketball, this time a girls Junior High double at Spencerville...tomorrow a reset appointment with Amy the Nurse Practitioner, who has taken the majority of Doc Bergman's clientele.  Basically a look at my blood pressure, so I can fill the prescription.  I am sure she will eventually want to draw more blood, to check my Cholestrol levels, which with ditching the Zocor and turning to Omega 3 and fish oil tablets should be interesting...but I have made that decision, and will stick it out.  I will not be one to be stuck taking a dozen different pills per day the rest of my life.  Especially with Obama care on the horizon...because let's face it...That Marxist Kenyan bastard is out to kill all of us old conservatives and Christians off anyway, or anybody else that smells a rat in the White House.

Tomorrow night with no basketball, I turn my attention to baseball...our first local rules meeting, and organizational get together is scheduled for 7pm in Van Wert. Thursday and Friday it's back to roundball, with the upcoming weekend free and clear, except for the trip to Centerville on Sunday.  In fact looking at my schedule, no weekend games at all until baseball season begins on March 24th...just three Friday night boys JV games left, along with four Junior High double headers over the next couple of weeks, then I can put away the roundball uniforms until next November....frankly, it cannot come soon enough.

back later>>>>

Photos-I took 8 or 9 shots of the coming full moon, about 6pm last night, before the skies had completely turned black....the dark blue sky in the east quickly turned black within a matter of a minute if not less...at least in the eye of the camera.  I also used the Lexmark Imaging Program on the computer to work in various shades of sepia and black and white tones.  Nothing great, but about all you can expect with a single lens point and shoot digital.

Disater in Japan/Saudi "Day of Rage"/Super Full Moon Coming March 19th

Patricia woke me up about 7 to let me know what was going on in Japan and the Pacific Rim.  It seems a monster Earthquake of 8.9 and following Tidal Wave(why the Hell they now call it a Tsunami is beyond me?  In the west it's a freaking 'TIDAL WAVE")..early reports have 60 dead, but it sadly appears that this death toll will rage into the thousands:

:)  AND THANKS TO MY BUDDY COOKIE FOR REMINDING ME THAT IT IS "TITAL" NOT TITLE....COLOR ME RED

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110311/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_earthquake

The wall of water had reached the Hawaiian Islands around 8am this morning...but reports are that that wall has been greatly reduced, hopefully damage and personal injuries will be at a minimum.  Stay Tuned!
--------------
Day of Rage in Saudi Arabia_____

Meanwhile a world away...the crazy Islamics continue to burn their world....

Libya strongman Qaddafi (I seen this sorry bastards name spelled a dozen different ways, so this is good enough) has unleashed his military on the Rebels...while our weak knee Kenya born President, sits on his ass and along with Queen Moo-Shell talks about "Bullying":  Meanwhile today in Oil rich Saudi Arabia, the people are protesting....you gotta wonder how crazy things are going to get, while our own version of Nero, Barry Soetoro, fiddles:

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Day-of-Rage-Planned-for-Saudi-Arabia-117734268.html

http://www.mid-day.com/news/2011/mar/110311-President-Barack-Obama-urged-students-White-House-bullying.htm#

Barry, stick to what you do best...which is "Bullying"  America and it's citizens in the eyes of the world....you sorry puke.  Yes Bullying sucks..., but let the experts and parents take care of that...like with everything else, you are out of your league.

Super Full Moon Coming?

Perhaps if the disaster in Japan had waited for 8 days...the dire predictions of disasters coming on March 19th would really set the world on it's ear:  Next Saturday the Super Moon, a full one to be exact, will be on display:
http://www.accuweather.com/blogs/astronomy/story/46417/extreme-super-full-moon-to-cause-chaos.asp

It's a crazy world...today's events are just making it more extreme....
----------------

Tomorrow morning, if the world doesn't end{insert sarcasm}, I will head north to Rockford, where I am scheduled to officiate my final basketball of the season...5 morning games in a 5th and 6th grade boys tournament.  I will then pack away that gear, hang up the clothes, and get ready for baseball, which scrimmage wise is slated to begin next week.

Have a safe weekend and enjoy....

back later>>>>>>

Photos-Super Full Moons. Saudi and Middle East Crazies, and Japan under attack from Mother Nature.

On The Road Again

1:30 pm

Since Baseball season began(March) I've been limited in my RV delivery runs across the US. With working a couple of mornings as an independent contractor down in Greenville, baseball and football officiating...my runs have been short miles and few. Tried to get a Vegas run over the Labor Day, but with a big RV Show in Hershey, PA...I will run back and forth for the next few days doing that.....so the schedule is. Football tonight, run the 120 miles to Nappanee tomorrow, come home, Football Saturday morning, leave late Saturday afternoon, after the Ohio State crowd leaves Columbus, drive towards Pennsylvania...drop RV #1 off Sunday, come back home....run back over to Nappanee on Monday, deliver RV#2 to the show lot on Tuesday....drive back home....and rest up....will work a Thursday and Friday at Greenville.....

So much for the "retired" life.....great thing is, you pick and choose...whether it be RV runs or games you want to work....plus keep busy.

One last storm(for the next few days anyway) rolled through the area about 2 this morning....some good lightning, so jumped up a caught a photo off the front porch.[see photo].

Another song from the summer of 69 I really liked...here is CCR

BAD MOON RISING

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5590719664829798263

Hal working in Indianapolis today, home this afternoon, then they move some stuff down to Atlanta tonight and tomorrow morning....he is then done for the summer...back to Wright State to finish off his senior year next week.....after graduation this next spring he will head to University of Dayton to work on his Masters....hopefully he'll be teaching sometime in the next 10 years!!!!

Sam is in Memphis, then goes to Elkhart, picks up a Diesel Pusher, and heads out for San Bernardino, with a quick run that will need to be dropped off by next Thursday.....that will keep him busy and out of trouble.

prh