Peregrinating
2017

June

1 June
Ridge Park RV
Tyrone, NM

We had another small rain squall yesterday afternoon, luckily it was after our walk. It was also not much of a rain, no official record that it happened. That Friday forecast for rain, that was made yesterday, has now been pushed forward to next Monday.

The most important accomplishment for today was getting laundry done as soon as we finished our morning walk. There is a chance that I will also finish phase one of the pentagonal tile drawing before the day is done. Then I move on to phase two which is to draw the Penrose overlay lines which I think will be much easier than what I have done so far.

I did some pixel art drawing yesterday and maybe do some more today. That and reading another Wells novel on my Paperwhite while keeping Patches company on the couch is about the extent of my ambitions.

The United States Ministry of Propaganda has selected what fits their narrative from Vladimir Putin’s interview with Le Figaro. I have quoted that question and answer below which has been their focus. However, there were far better questions and answers in the interview that the 'media' ignored in their obsession with the 'collusion' story.

Question: You are saying that right now, the political storm in Washington rests on absolutely unsubstantiated allegations.
Vladimir Putin: It is not based on allegations, but on the desire of those who lost the elections in the United States to at least improve their standing through anti-Russia attacks, by accusing Russia of interference. The people who lost the elections do not want to admit that they really lost, that the one who won was closer to the people and better understood what ordinary voters want.
They are absolutely reluctant to admit this, and prefer deluding themselves and others into thinking it was not their fault, that their policy was correct, they did all the right things, but someone from the outside thwarted them. But it was not so. They just lost and they have to admit it.
When they do, I think it will be easier for us to work. However, the fact that this is being done using anti-Russia tools is not good, as it brings discord into international affairs. Let them argue among themselves, so they can prove who is stronger, who is better, who is smarter, who is more reliable and who sets a better policy for the country. Why involve third countries? This is very distressing. But it will pass, everything passes, and this will pass as well.

2 June
Ridge Park RV
Tyrone, NM

I am one of the Deplorables although not necessarily a strong President Trump supporter. I am also a climate change Denier, one of those people that should be arrested, jailed or shot depending on which climate change believer you ask.

Therefore, when I saw that Leonardo DiCaprio, George Takei, Chelsea Handler, Leslye Headland, AlGore and Barack Hussein Obama (former president) have all condemned President Trump for withdrawing the United States from the Paris Agreement on climate change I knew that he had made the right decision.

If 'The People' want the Agreement in four years they can elect a president that will sign onto what has been described as a 'United States wealth redistribution scheme' (follow the money). Or, if Vice President Pence becomes president before then perhaps he will sign on; meanwhile President Trump has kept a campaign promise (which is a good thing) and perhaps one of the reasons he was elected.

Speaking of climate change. We had a non-forecast thunderstorm yesterday just about sundown. This time there was enough rain to dampen the ground and it registered an official 0.08". Came complete with the lightning and thunder and Desperado rocking winds. There is now no rain being forecast during the next 10 days; either there will not be any or the experts have quit guessing.

I wish President Trump would also do something about the 'fake News' that continues to be spread about jobs. He wants to point to them as evidence that he is Making America Great Again just like Barack Hussein Obama (former president) did when he was claiming a strong Recovery. It was a lie then, it is a lie now.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics claimed that there were 211,000 and 138,000 new jobs added in April and May respectively. However, the Net Birth/Death Model added 255,000 and 230,000 'fake jobs' to those months which if subtracted would mean that there were job losses during those months. This lie is going to blow up in President Trump's face soon. It would be far better for him to call it a lie NOW and show how bad the employment situation has been during the past 8 years and drain the BLS Swamp.

Trump Has Dirt on Comey: STRATEGIC FIRING of Swamp Rat James Comey at Kevin Jackson's blog is a very long posting that I have not quoted but do recommend that it be read.

3 June
Ridge Park RV
Tyrone, NM

We had another brief shower yesterday about ½ hour before our scheduled walk. When we went out I could see that it was raining hard across the valley around the Chino Mine and southwest in the direction of Lordsburg. We stayed dry but within less than ½ hour there came another brief shower. Either of those would have got us wet but nothing like what we got caught in while out at Quail Ridge. Neither of the rains merited an official recording, not even the combined total.

Went into Silver City this morning and arrived at Albertson's a few minutes before they opened at 7:00. There were a few things on my list that I do not buy every week so shopping took a bit longer. Not long enough that keep me from arriving at La Mexicana a few minutes before they opened.

I had their Chipotle Omelet this morning with some so-so home fries that could have withstood some more browning and could have been cubes rather than sliced rings. The omelet was good, the beans were good and the coffee was not bad. I may have this omelet again but not next week.

I am almost finished with phase two of the pentagonal tile drawing. In phase one I drew just the regular pentagons and since they do not tile the plane there were thin diamonds, boats and stars appear in the gaps. I drew the pentagons as groups and then fit them together like a jigsaw puzzle.

When I did this with the thick and thin rhombi everything fit well when I used geometry to locate the (x,y) coordinates for the groups. This time with the pentagons that was not true, I had to 'adjust' the location to get a fit to appear correct. That worked well enough that phase one looks good. However, when I added the overlay lines the 'adjustment' become magnified and it does not look so good. I am not going to throw it away but maybe I learned something.

I made a start on the pixel art drawing but have been engrossed in doing this pentagonal one. Maybe get back to it later today or tomorrow. I think I'll have better luck doing it right than I did with the regular pentagons. However, there are 15 monohedral pentagonal tiles that do tile the plane without any gaps and I'm going to give them a go next.

Today completes my Verizon billing cycle and I am well within my limit without any restrictions on what I wanted to do during the period. That included a lot of Google Map research for routes to my next camp. That uses a lot of data that I would not normally be using. Continue to be very pleased with Acer Chromebook and Chrome as well as having my Toshiba now with Linux/Ubuntu as the operating system with Firefox although I have it online on a very limited basis.

4 June
Ridge Park RV
Tyrone, NM

I went online to see if my RV insurance billing was posted yet for its annual renewal in June. Yes, it was and I almost fell over when I saw that it was actually LESS than last year. I get a discount for each year that I don't have a claim but that is usually offset by increases in the premium. Yes, I paid it with the hope that it was not an error and I'll get another billing. Then we fight! HA

It was not in the forecast but we got the biggest thunderstorm yet about an hour before our afternoon walk yesterday. It hit fast and hard and then was gone. I guess it was very localized because none the three closest Weather Underground stations are reporting any official rain measurements. I sure glad we were not out there doing our walk, this one would have matched the soaking we got at Quail Ridge.

These are the two regular pentagon tile drawings that I have been working on. The one on the left has a brown background that shows through the gaps that are formed as the regular pentagons are tiled. It looks pretty good although there are some 1-2 pixel alignment problems. They became much more apparent when I tried to do the line overlay of Penrose thick and thin rhombi shown on the right. It still does not look TOO bad but it is not some of my better work. I think I have learned something which is what this is all about - that and keeping me sane.

I made significant progress on the pixel art drawing after we got back from our afternoon walk. It is now starting to look like something which is always encouraging. Maybe get more of it drawn today.

I am not alone (however the media is not with me) when I say that the The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is publishing 'fake News'. Morningside Hill, a capital management firm, has published a 'paper',THE US JOBS MARKET, that goes into great depth how fake it has been since 2008. One take-away from their summary says it all: "The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has been systemically overstating the number of jobs created, especially in the current economic cycle." But, they go on to prove it, showing that 93% of all jobs created during the past 9 years have been due to the 'business birth and death model' which I have repeatedly focused on.

5 June
Ridge Park RV
Tyrone, NM

An easy one color pattern from the cross stitch web site where I am getting them all. I have found 6 more patterns there that require only one color but plan on drawing only 5 of them. I will then see what is available in two colors. This one was very easy because there was not that much outlining that needed to be done and the 'bucket fill' did most of the adding color work. I think he turned out looking good.

The 10 Day forecast continues to show high temperatures to be mostly in the upper 80s. But I think those are Chamber of Commerce forecasts because it was 92.7° yesterdays and Weather Underground says today will be WARMER than yesterday but predict a high of only 91° - HUH? They now also think there is a chance for thunderstorms on Wednesday.The good weather news is that my next camp is forecast much cooler temperatures.

It is getting to them that is going to take some doing however. I usually only travel 1-2 days between camps sometimes 3. This time I'm going to be 4 days and have prepared 3x5 route cards for each day as I researched the routes. I may have to change the routes as I go but do have a plan as well as identified breakfast stops which may happen or they may change also.

I couldn't resist adding this fictional dialog to my posting. Note: Larry didn't say this.
TIGER WOODS: " Nobody could screw up their career like I did this weekend."
KATHY GRIFFIN: "Hold my beer, and watch this."
"Now that's funny right there I don't care who you are. That there is funny." - Larry The Cable Guy

6 June
Ridge Park RV
Tyrone, NM

I started another of the more difficult stained glass panel drawings a couple days ago. I am making progress but it has been slow. Then yesterday I started another pixel art drawing that is all outline no 'bucket fill' so every pixel must be drawn. There are a lot of straight lines which makes it somewhat easier but it is also going to take some time to finish. I'm still trying to understand how to draw the monohedral pentagonal tiles for those projects. Someone has drawn them so there has to be a way.

We were out there again during the hottest time of the day yesterday. It was 96.8° when we started but did cool down a little by the time we finished. The weather guessers are expecting in to be COOLER today at 89° but I think it will be over 90 again since it was already at 76 by 8:30. Probably have 90s, or nearly so, until I leave here. My next camp is still forecasting high temperatures to be 10°cooler - Yes!

Not doing much and don't have any plans to do much. I will be drawing on one or more of the projects that I have underway and continue to read the latest Wells novel that I have on my Paperwhite.

My web host has changed the appearance of their site where I do all my posting. Everything seems to work the same when/if I can find what I am looking for. I see no reason what so ever for the change. It is all about 'full programer employment' from what I can see. They need to make changes to justify their employment. Then what they do is all form/appearance over function. If there was some improvement I could see a reason for it but there does not seem to be any functional improvement. Grrrr

7 June
Ridge Park RV
Tyrone, NM

I was right again yesterday and the weather experts were low balling the expected high temperature. It was not as hot at 94.6° as it had been on Monday but it was in the 90s. Then the rains came around 2:00 and the temperature dropped 20° within an hour. It was then that we went for our walk. It was still raining heavily far across the valley to the southeast and south with lighting and thunder but we stayed dry except for some spray off the road as cars went past.

This is one of the first 5 types of pentagonal tile that Reinhardt found that will tile the plane i.e. no gaps. The only 'rules' for this type is that angles B+C must equal 180°and angles A+D+E must equal 360°. To draw this I arbitrarily selected a length from A to B, B to C and C to D as well as selecting the angles for A, B and D. Thereby the 'rules' determined the angles at C & E as well as the lengths from D to E and E to A. The next step will be to try and put these shapes together in a tiling.

I did nothing more with the stained glass panel drawing yesterday but did get another section of the pixel art drawing done. I may get back to the panel today but the pentagonal tile project has captured my interest. I'll see.

I am beginning to think that my next camp selection may have been made in error. They do not answer emails. That is usually a fairly good indication of how well the Park is maintained and operated. Too late now but I have a couple of questions that I would like answered before arriving so will send repeated emails.

8 June
Ridge Park RV
Tyrone, NM

I made a little more progress on the stained glass panel drawing yesterday. Also got some more of the pixel art project done. I could not let the pentagonal tiling project go and have started on it. Simplified the irregular Type 1 pentagon that I showed yesterday but it still complies with the 'rules' for a Type 1, just much easier to draw as a tiling. I'll finish it today and post it tomorrow.

Another couple of Great Divide Mountain Bike Route riders stopped in the Park yesterday after getting a bit wet in the afternoon monsoon showers. This time it was truly a couple, husband and wife, from Slovenia. They are not newbies to doing mountain bike tours but probably nothing like the Great Divide.

During the past 10 years they have been riding the The Camino de Santiago , or The Way of St. James, through the various countries of Europe to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain. They had an adventure just getting to the start in Antelope Wells; air flight to LAX, then PHX where the hooked up with a Mexican van shuttle that was packed with Mexicans going back to Mexico through Antelope Wells. The shuttle was probably going to Nuevo Casas Grandes, Mexico.

My prediction that we would have high temperatures of 90 and above until I leave here is being met so far. It was 90.7° yesterday before the rains came and cooled it down some. That is another thing that I don't understand; it sure seems like we have entered monsoon season but the official forecast keeps expecting clear days with no chance of rain.

I don't think anything has been hyped like Comey's testimony today since Geraldo Rivera opened Al Capone's Vault. I suspect that what is to be found will be the same - NOTHING.

9 June
Ridge Park RV
Tyrone, NM

Today was my last shopping trip in Silver City during this stay in the area. I first went to the station at Wal*Mart and filled Desperado with gas. Then to Albertson's for groceries for the week which will find me shopping along the route to my next camp. I have done this a few times and it is always 'interesting'.

A final breakfast at La Mexicana where I had their Huevos a la Mexicana. This has always been good in the past and did not disappoint me today. The home fires where better, the beans are always good and the coffee is not too bad.

The last stop, which is conveniently located almost across the street from the restaurant, was to fill Desperado's propane tank. There was a woman at the pump in a pickup when I got there that must have been filling a dozen 5-10# propane bottles. She took forever to get what it was she was getting but I did finally get my chance at the pump and was soon on my way.

My predicted string of 90° and over high temperatures was broken yesterday with a high of only 89.4. The way it feels this morning the high will be back above that. The experts think it will be 89 today and tomorrow then cooling a little before I leave. The forecast high at my next camp on arrival day is 83 but the day following is also expected to be 89 so Iḿ not getting away from the hot days.

As I said on june 7th this irregular Type 1 pentagon was easier to draw. Angles B+C must equal 180° and do because both are 90°and angles A+D+E must equal 360° which is accomplished by making them all equal to 120°. I changed the length from A to B and made it equal B to C and C to D and filled the pentagon with red. I then drew a 'reflection' of the shape and filled it with white. This formed what is called a 'primitive unit' or a section of the tiling that generates the whole tiling using only 'translations', and is as small as possible. Using that 'primitive unit' (called a Pill by some) I then drew the least-perimeter pentagonal unit-area tile pattern Prismatic. It does not look very exciting but I have found a website that show how this Pill can be combined with other shapes to form appealing patterns. I'll now be moving on to Type 2 but will eventually get to those combined shape patterns.

10 June
Ridge Park RV
Tyrone, NM

As I predicted the high temperature went back above 90 to 94.3° yesterday. The weather experts are not giving up however. They forecast a high of 89 for yesterday and again for today and that it will be COOLER. They just can not break through that 90°barrier in their forecasts. No afternoon rain here for the first time in 4-5 days but I could see some around the valley. The good news is that they revised their high temperature forecast at my next camp down into the 70s after my arrival (only for a few days however, it will still be hot).

This is Panel 34 the second of the more difficult patterns. What made this one difficult was the spiral which was not too bad but a lot of quadratic curves and bezier curves. It does not seem that they get any easier. I then added some color linear gradient just because I can but that made it a little more difficult. I think it turned out looking good.

Panel 34

11 June
Ridge Park RV
Tyrone, NM

I decided that I would try and finish the Wells novel yesterday and did so sooner than I thought. The Paperwhite shows a % of the book that has been read and I am always surprised to reach the end before reaching 100%. There is always a lot of the 'small print' legal stuff at the end of Gutenberg Project ebooks and I never can judge what % that will be.

Then before finishing the pixel art drawing I completed the these two drawings. They are steps #1 & #2 as I prepare to do a tiling drawing with the Type 2 pentagonal tile. On the left is a single tile with the angles and sides identified. The only 'rules' for this Type are that angles B+D must total 180° and sides 'e' & 'c' must be of equal length. This leaves a lot of room to draw many different shapes but I have tried to replicate what is shown on the Wikipedia web page for Pentagonal Tiling. The one on the right is one Primitive Unit which when pieced together with other Units becomes a tiling.

I had trouble drawing both of these because of the angles but have come a long way from when I started drawing quilt blocks using Javascript and Canvas in January 2016. There was NO WAY that could have drawn these back then!

I did finish the pixel art piece last night. I'll be showing it as well as the Wells book review and a day or two.

Another 92.4° day with no rain yesterday. The weather gurus now think that today will be only 84 and MUCH COOLER. The way it felt this morning they may be right that it will be cooler, maybe even less than 90, but I think higher than 84.

I have started doing household chore today with the bathroom and kitchen done this morning. I'll get the living room carpet vacuumed this afternoon or tomorrow. Desperado's cab and windows tomorrow or maybe put that off until Tuesday. Cooked up some breakfast meals that will last me until I get to my new camp because I'll be eating at restaurants while enroute.

12 June
Ridge Park RV
Tyrone, NM

All my household chores are done, I'm ready to get back on the road. Maybe getting out just in time. The weather guessers think it is going to be 90° here for the high the day I leave. They have consistently been low in their forecast so that is going to be a hot one.

They said yesterday was going to be 84 and the high was 88.9; cooler as the said but higher than predicted as I said it would be. They are guessing that today will reach 83 whereas I think it will hit 90 again. The predicted high for the day of my new camp arrival is now 77 with some lowering of the subsequent highs, not by much still in the upper 80s.

I finally got an email reply from the RV Park at that camp. I wanted to know if they accepted packages and was assured that they did. So, tomorrow I order some 'stuff' from Amazon that will be delivered a day or two after I arrive. The most important being a new pair of shoes. The pair of Asics Walker Neo 4 that I last bought are falling apart after 8 months. I have replaced shoes with a different brand every time for the past 3-4 years and have not found any that can last for 1,000 miles. Some years ago that was not true although all of them have been made in China. Lower quality to keep the price down?

This is another of Wells philosophical books wrapped in a novel cover; not that it is bad. It was written and published while the war was still ongoing and became a bestseller at the time in England. Not a novel that you would associate with H. G Wells but worth your time reading just for a contemporary description of WWI by an English author.

Mr. Britling Sees It Through tells the story of a renowned writer, Mr. Britling, a protagonist who is quite evidently an alter ego of the author. The garrulous, easy-going Mr. Britling lives with family and friends in the fictional village of Matching's Easy, located in the county of Essex, northeast of London. The novel is divided into three parts. Book the First, entitled "Matching's Easy At Ease," is set in June–July 1914 and is at first narrated from the point of view of an American, Mr. Direck, who visits Mr. Britling's establishment in Dower House and falls in love with Cissie, the sister of Mr. Britling's secretary's wife. Also in the company are Mr. Britling's son Hugh and a visiting German student, Herr Heinrich, who is forced to leave when war breaks out. Book the Second, "Matching's Easy at War," covers August 1914 to October 1915, when Mr. Britling's son Hugh is killed at the front. In Book the Third, "The Testament of Matching's Easy," Mr. Britling learns that Herr Heinrich has also been killed, and writes a long letter to the dead German soldier's parents. - Wikipedia

13 June
Ridge Park RV
Tyrone, NM

This pixel art is the widest one that I have drawn but may also be the one with the least colored pixels. It was shown on the cross stitch site as a 'sampler' with the name of the town/location stitched along the top. I thought that took away rather than added to the appearance and have left it off. I like how it looks as pixel art.

I have started another pixel art drawing that is similar to this with lines and very little 'fill'. The difference is there are a LOT more lines and it is much more complicated. This one is going to take quite a bit more time and I will not get much done while on the road. I'll also get the next stained glass panel panel set up but probably not do much if any drawing.

I get a lot of email unfortunately most of it is SPAM. There has been one IPS (with the first part xx.xxx.xxx.???) the same and 8 different numbers for the ??? arrive within the past 24 hours. They all just get added to my SPAM filter so if they try again it goes directly to Junk. Most of them do not try a second time but I now have 87 messages in my Junk file. When it reaches 100 I clear it out and start building up another 100. I'll probably have a lot of them to be added by the time I get to my new camp. I hope the Spammers are having as much fun as I am.

The Faith and Freedom Coalition's annual gathering was mentioned by the Lame Stream Media only as a News story because President Trump was a speaker there at the same time that Comey was testifying i.e. doing his damnedest to bring Trump down.

My prisoner of war hero Senator McCain, AZ has been getting a lot of Media coverage as he travels around the world and bad mouths President Trump. But a senator that stays in the United States and has good things to say about the president's policies gets scant mention. I did not find this in the Media: “We have a majority in the House, we have a majority in the Senate, we have a Republican as president, how about we act like it?” - Senator Cruz, TX.

14 June
USA RV PARK
Gallup, NM

This Park looks a lot different from what I remembered it. But that was 11 years ago when I stopped here while on my Deming Loop Teardrop Trip. I followed almost the same route getting here with just the starting location slightly different; both from near Silver City. The landscaping has grown up a lot and it is a really nice Park but too rich for my blood as a monthly stay.

My breakfast stop was at the Golden Girls Café in Glenwood, NM. It is nothing like the sitcom that was on TV and my waitress was no Betty White. However, the omelet I got was good, the home fries were excellent although they were cut in rings they were very thin and cooked well.

I got involved in a conversation with an old codger ( I say that and then stop and think that I might have been the oldest) and the waitress about Kindle ebooks. The waitress was trying to explain hers to him and then brought me into the conversation because I was reading my Paperwhite while eating. I don't think he understood what we were telling him but we did have a good conversation. The waitress was rather 'cold' towards me until the conversation got going.

Total miles today were 268 on this route: NM90, US180 By Pass, US180, NM12, NM32, US60, NM36, NM53, NM602, NM610/2nd St & Old RT 66.

These traveling days don't leave me much time for drawing and reading. Patches needs her walks even more than when we are settled for a month or two. She is not one of those dogs that goes to sleep for the duration of the trip. Not a problem traveler but a very nervous one!

This is what approximately 50 of the Type 2 Primitive Units look like when they are pieced together using translations (that is just shifting the units with no rotation). There is probably a great mathematical formula that would have determined the x,y coordinates for each of the units. I used my heuristic technique, which some would call trial and error, by putting one unit in the center and then surrounded it with 5 other units by fitting them as you would a jigsaw puzzle (this is the trial and error or heuristic technique). The x,y coordinates of those 5 units were noted and using that data I could place units around any other one using its coordinates as the center. Most of the tiled examples that I found on the web were rather small so I made this drawing large enough that the pattern can be easily seen. I have colored it as shown in Wikipedia but by changing the colors I get some patterns that look very different - some of them much better than this in my opinion.

15 June
High Country RV PARK
Naturita, CO

I picked this Park as an overnight stop because I had never been in this part of the country before and also wanted to see if the Park might be a place for me to stay for one or two months. To paraphrase what Mark Twain said about his trip around the world - I'm glad I did it for the most part that I don't have to do it again.

The market is VERY convenient, right across the street, which is great because they have almost no parking available - certainly not for Desperado. I have stayed in worse Parks but not many. The spaces are not level, at least the one I selected is not, mostly gravel and weeds. I do have a tree on the west side that is giving me some shade - reason for selecting the space. No one in the office so I dropped a check in the lock box.

The office being unattended is not a big issue EXCEPT I could not get a Verizon connection. The best I could do is get a extended service 3G that would show One Bar that would come and go. There was a WIFI shown for the Park but I needed a password and no one in the office to give it to me. That is a BIG ISSUE.

To get here I went down Slick Rock Hill on CO141. This is a 7% 5 mile switch back drop to the Dolores River. What goes down must go back up but the climb up the left bank is not as steep. I went past a bicyclist that was climbing back up and would have really enjoyed to hear his story about the ride down Slick Rock Hill.

A little shorter day, doing 234 miles on this route: Old Rt 66, NM610/2nd St, NM609/Montoya Blvd, US491 & CO141.

The breakfast stop was at Nataani Nez a Navajo restaurant a few miles north of Shiprock, NM. That was a bit farther than I like to go in the morning before stopping but there are not many, if any, choices between Gallup and Shiprock. I got an omelet that was sizable and a heap of hash browns. The plate that they served on was a platter and they covered it with what most restaurants would consider 3-4 servings. I clean my plate but not this morning - I left some of the hash browns.

Le Bon was writing about religious and political beliefs in France over 100 years ago when he wrote this. However, today in the United States it is just as true when you look at the dogma of the left regarding President Trump and climate change.

When any question gives rise to violently contradictory opinions we may be sure that it belongs to the province of beliefs and not to that of knowledge…As soon as a new belief extends itself, we see grouped round it many persons who are indifferent to the belief, but who find in it a pretext or opportunity for gratifying their passions or their greed. - Gustave Le Bon, The Psychology of Revolution

16 June
The Old Mill Gift Shop & RV PARK
Hanna, UT

Yesterday when I was trying to get an Internet connection I saw a library show up in the listing of WIFI available. Tried to connect to it and it disappeared then came back again later. I thought it needed a password so when Patches and I went out for our walk we went by the library and on the way back I stopped and asked if I needed a password.

No, it was open. Tried again when I got back to Desperado and it did not show up on the WIFI available list so I assumed that I was out of range. Took my Chromebook with me to a bench by their front door and was able to get a connection and do my posting. That is about all I did other than check email and found 5 more SPAM but there were two real messages also. One of them telling me that part of the Amazon order had shipped.

Today was another 'interesting' one. I got it started by missing my first turn and adding about 10 miles onto the total for the day. Then at the end of the driving day the Park that I wanted to stay at but did not have a reservation had no one in the office and a family reunion in the Park. Remembered that there was a second choice.

It is only slightly worse than where I was yesterday but the grandmotherly woman got me into a space. Unfortunately there is 50amp and 15 amp service but no 30 amp. That is good enough to run my refrigerator and the A/C did kick on but I shut it down. I don't think it is good to run it on 15 amp and with all the windows open it is very nice.

The way out of the valley that the San Miguel River runs through is just as difficult as getting in. The climb to the west is not bad and the drop back down to the Dolores River was easily done. It is the climb up the right bank of the Dolores that is very similar to Slick Rock Hill. I think it is just as steep with the switch backs being even sharper. I have decided that these two river valleys are what Galt's Gulch looks like. If I were to Go Galt, even more so than I have, you would find me living in Paradox, CO; sight unseen that would be the place, the Paradox Valley is lovely.

I then had a long climb up to a summit at 9,114' on US 191 north of Price, UT. It was not that steep but it was long and I was stuck behind a big truck that was going slower than I could go but but could not pass.

The total miles today, including the misadventures, was 291 on this route: CO141, CO90, UT46, US191, I-70 (25 miles), US191, UT87 & UT35.

The breakfast stop was at Denny's in Moab, UT where I also filled Desperado with some expensive gas. Moab was wall to wall people that reminded me of a ant hill when you kick it. All of them with their toys.

I asked the good lady here at the Park about a Verizon connection and she gave me a very blank look. But I saw that she had a computer on her desk and I asked how she was getting a connection to the Internet. She said they had a landline but also WIFI and gave me the password. I was too far away to even see the WIFI on my computer list but I then tried my MIFI and got a good solid connection.

There has been a lot of media hype about the coming civil war in the United States. What would be the two conflicting sides? Would it be the 'deplorables' that want the culture to Be Great Again and the United States to be a sovereign nation versus the supporters of a One World government and a coerced world wide culture? Which of those two sides is the discontented and likely to revolt per Le Bon's description?

"Although toleration is with difficulty possible between individuals, it is impossible between collectivities." - Gustave Le Bon

As soon as discontent is generalised a party is formed which often becomes strong enough to struggle against the Government. Discontent must generally have been accumulating for a long time in order to produce its effects. For this reason a revolution does not always represent a phenomenon in process of termination followed by another which is commencing but rather a continuous phenomenon, having somewhat accelerated its evolution...To the contrary of what might be supposed, the very conservative peoples are addicted to the most violent revolutions. Being conservative, they are not able to evolve slowly, or to adapt themselves to variations of environment, so that when the discrepancy becomes too extreme they are bound to adapt themselves suddenly. This sudden evolution constitutes a revolution.

17 June
Cowboy RV PARK
Pocatello, ID

Today I drove in 3 states which is hard to do if you are west of the Mississippi River unless you really try. I drove more than the 276 miles that this route requires and have not included the extra that were added by not reading my 3x5 card correctly. The route if you follow it on a map will show that I not only drove in 3 states but was in two of them twice. The route: UT35, UT32, UT150, WY150, WY89, UT16, UT30, WY89, US30, Interstate 15 (20miles), 5th Ave & Barton Rd.

There are two seasons as you drive north, Winter and Road Construction Season. I had to stop for a pilot car everyday since leaving Tyrone but today was the worse with two of them the first requiring a 25 minute wait.

But the routing was worth it. The day started by climbing to a summit at 9,485' on UT35 that has the headwaters of the Duchesne West Fork on the south side and the Provo South Fork on the north. Then after an expensive but very good Greek Omelet at The Mirror Lake Diner I drove the Mirror Lake Highway UT150/WY150.

This is the highest paved road in Utah and was just opened a few weeks ago. It reaches its highest point at Bald Mountain Pass which is at 10,715'. The climb is much like that up to Monarch Pass near Gunnison, CO about 8 miles of 7-8% grade. It was all downhill from there but the scenery was great. This is a beautiful part of the country which in my opinion is greater than the National Parks. "Yellowstone National Park is no more representative of America than is Disneyland.” - John Steinbeck, Travels With Charley

It is late in the day, I'm tired and Patches need to go walk. I may add some other thoughts about the past 4 days of travel as them come to me it the next few days.

What Le Bon said when he wrote The Psychology of Revolution is just as true of the United States now as it was of France then. Do you doubt that there are not 'creatures of political creed' on both the right and left in the United States that would spread their faith if given the opportunity. What better opportunity than when the country is undergoing financial chaos and a revolt of 'The People'.

The mystic mentality of which Robespierre was the most celebrated representative did not die with him. Men of identical mentality are to be found among the French politicians of to-day. The old religious beliefs no longer rule their minds, but they are the creatures of political creeds which they would very soon force on others, as did Robespierre, if they had the chance of so doing. Always ready to kill if killing would spread their faith, the mystics of all ages have employed the same means of persuasion as soon as they have become the masters.

18 June
Cowboy RV PARK
Pocatello, ID

It has been a rather hard 4 days of driving for me. It has been even harder on Patches, she has never had to travel for 4 days in a row and it has wore her out. But she has found a new interest while we are on our two walks here - squirrels. She has seen so many rabbits that they have become 'old hat' and she tends to ignore them unless they are real close and run. But squirrels are new to her and would be just as much fun to chase as a cat.

I didn't know what to expect to see here in Pocatello so was a little surprised/pleased to find that the town is in a long narrow valley. I have a big ridge almost in my front yard and have a great view of the mountains across the valley. There is also a collection of walking/bicycling trails that I can get on across the street from the Park entrance. I think we are going to like it here.

The RV spaces are a little narrow but I have some good shade in the afternoon. Yesterday there was a very nice breeze until about sundown with the high temperature only reaching 73.9°. That will change during the next few days with it expected to reach the upper 80s but then cooling again within the 10 Day forecast. It compares VERY favorably to Sierra Vista that is expecting every day this next week to be over 100 and Silver City to be in the mid to upper 90s. So far I think I have made a good decision.

Patches is resting this morning which I think is a good idea. I don't plan on doing much other than cook up some 'linners' and make a batch of dessert. Probably spend some time on the couch with her and my Paperwhite as I near the finish of The Psychology of Revolution.

Le Bon saw no difference in how people acted be they believe in a religion or politics both have dogmas and sectaries of both will attempt to impose their beliefs on others.

This opposition between principles and conduct results from the intolerance which accompanies all beliefs. A religion may be steeped in humanitarianism and forbearance, but its sectaries will always want to impose it on others by force, so that violence is the inevitable result. The cruelties of the Revolution were thus the inherent results of the propagation of the new dogmas…
Intolerance arises above all from the indignation experienced by a mind which is convinced that it possesses the most dazzling verities against the men who deny those truths, and who are surely not acting in good faith. How can one support error when one has the necessary strength to wipe it out?

19 June
Cowboy RV PARK
Pocatello, ID

My new shoes, Keen Voyageur, were waiting for me when I checked in here at the Park on Saturday. I have worn them on 4 walks now with yesterday afternoon's walk being the longest that Patches and I have done in a long time. They are comfortable but I am experiencing some leg soreness.

This is due to how I was walking with my old shoes. Although I wear orthotics as the shoes wear I have excessive supination (walk on the small toe). Then when I get new shoes I suddenly realize that I'm feeling weight on the ball of my foot and the big toe again and that different muscles and tendons are being worked.

The walking trail is great but so is 4th and 5th streets. These are both double lanes, one way, mostly with sidewalks and/or bike lanes and lots of tree shade. Patches thinks the new routes are great also with all the new and different smells. This morning there was what I am reasonably sure was a beaver cross the trail in front of us some distance away that she did not see. However, when we reached that part of the trail she was on the scent immediately.

She is rested and has settled into this new home now that our routine is back to what it should be. She was 'talking' to me this morning before we started our walk and then had something to say when we got back to Desperado. This is always a good sign that she is a happy dog.

Le Bon got this wrong. There have been Socialism experiments since he wrote this where people were convinced that renouncing the progress of civilization would create a utopia. They have failed but that will not stop future hucksters from selling the low ideal to other suckers. The promise of getting free stuff just can not be ignored as well as the idea that the 'rich' will be punished and have to pay for it.

One of the most solid foundations of Socialism is an intense hatred of the elect. Its adepts always forget that scientific, artistic, and industrial progress, which creates the strength of a country and the prosperity of millions of workers, is due solely to a small number of superior brains. If the worker makes three times as much to-day as he did a hundred years ago, and enjoys commodities then unknown to great nobles, he owes it entirely to the elect. Suppose that by some miracle Socialism had been universally accepted a century ago. Risk, speculation, initiative—in a word, all the stimulants of human activity—being suppressed, no progress would have been possible, and the worker would have remained as poor as he was. Men would merely have established that equality in poverty desired by the jealousy and envy of a host of mediocre minds. Humanity will never renounce the progress of civilisation to satisfy so low an ideal.

20 June
Cowboy RV PARK
Pocatello, ID

Yesterday was a hot one with the high at 90.5°. It was not that high when we started our walk to an espresso coffee shop near the University. But, it reached that high by the time we got back to the cooling A/C in Desperado.

It is forecast to be even hotter today so we did our long walk this morning. That is the Red Hill Trail to the University and then to McD's where I stopped for a cup of coffee. That is slightly farther than to the espresso shop but I can get a latte there at 6:00 am whereas the shop does not open until 7:00. McD will be receiving my patronage just because of that fact.

I did some more drawing on the latest pixel art yesterday. The first that I have done since starting the trek north. It is starting to look like the picture on the cross stitch web page which is encouraging. I might get started on the stained glass panel drawing today or within the next few days. Another pentagonal tile is forthcoming but I have done nothing but perpend so far.

"Men judge with their intelligence, and are guided by their characters. To understand a man fully one must separate these two elements...A generation of men very rarely realises the task which it is accomplishing. It is preparing for the future; but this future is often the contrary of what it wishes.'' - Gustave Le Bon, The Psychology of Revolution

21 June
Cowboy RV PARK
Pocatello, ID

Yesterday afternoon I knew it was going to be hot so we did the Shady Side & Taysom Trails with maybe 100 yards of the AMI to read a trail side sign. It was partial shade but still hot at 93.9° with more humidity than I am use to, not high at 20% but higher than this desert rat likes it.

We did a modified Trails walk to the south this morning. Part of it was along 5th st then through a small cemetery (Mountain View is a very large one north of the Park) across to the Trail and finished with a little more on 4th st and back on 5th. This may become one of our 'standard' routes.

We were soon off to see some of the town. First I found Jumbo's Restaurant which serves up a huge platter of home fries and an omelet to match. It was probably more than most people would want but I ate it all. It is a good place with limited RV parking being the only negative.

Grocery shopping was the done at the Ridley's on Main St, there are two of them in Pocatello. Got almost everything that I wanted except salmon or cod, they had neither and very seldom get any. No large curd cottage cheese but that is not uncommon, why I don't know.

I then had a 45 minute wait for Wells Fargo to open, also on Main St. That gave me an opportunity to exercise my generator which I fail to do often enough. It started a bit hard and rough but smoothed out and ran well for about 40 minutes. Maybe it is fixed but I am not at a high altitude so don't know what it would do there.

When I got back in my space at the Park and checked email I found one from the Park office. They wanted to know if I had left because my space was empty this morning. I went to the office and explained that would happen at least once a week when I went shopping. They gave me a red safety cone to leave in the space when I'm gone. HA

The many quotes that I have posted from this book should tell you what it is about and that I liked it. The only thing that I would add to what the Customer Review has to say is that The Crowd be read before reading this one. Le Bon makes so many references to what he said in that prior book that it is helpful to have read it.

The Psychology of Revolution is as apt and revealing today as when psychologist Gustave Le Bon wrote it with the knowledge of the bloody French Revolution in mind. It is as true as if he were explaining why the Nazis took power in Germany, why the so-called "Arab Spring" occurred, why the theatre of the streets in Egypt turned sour and brought in the wrong government. It even gives psychological reasons for dictatorship in Iran and terrorist groups like Hamas which they fund. It is highly likely that Lenin read it as well as Hitler, as a book of instructions on how to whip up a mindless crowd to a frenzy. It is not a political book but an explanation by a psychologist of how crowds take leave of their senses and turn into a many-tentacled monster. - Customer Review at Amazon

22 June
Cowboy RV PARK
Pocatello, ID

Yesterday afternoon I chose the path less traveled. This was a trail up and along the ridge of Red Hill which is about a mile from the Park. The Red Hill Trail is paved, with a couple gentle ups and downs. The ridge trail is unpaved, rocky and has some steep ups and downs.

The first climb is about 300' in less than a ¼ mile and I had to stop and rest 3 times. During the last rest a young man came running down the trail like a mountain goat. I reached the summit and was enjoying the view and he ran past me again going the other way; he had just run up that climb and was not even breathing hard. I think I might be getting old but don't feel too bad - there wasn't anyone my age up on that ridge.

I'm not as sore this morning as I thought I would be. We did our usual 2 miles but did it a little slower than usual. The high yesterday was 86.2° but there was a very nice breeze up on the ridge it only felt hot when we were walking back to the Park on the Red Hill Trail. If the weather guessers get it right we will have highs in the upper 70s for the next 3 days then back to upper 80s and maybe low 90s. Much better than Sierra Vista that has an Excessive Heat Warning.

Good News! I use a lot of olive oil and would hate to think what my memory would be like without it. HA
"Temple University research shows extra-virgin olive oil protects against memory loss, preserves the ability to learn and reduces conditions associated with Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers at the college's Lewis Katz School of Medicine found mice with EVOO-enriched diets had better memories and learning abilities compared to the rodents who didn't eat the oil."

H. L. Mencken did the translation of this book and wrote an introduction. He expresses admiration for Nietzsche in much of his writing so this is not out of character for him. Upon its publication in 1895 it was met with a lot of opposition, mostly from organized religion which Nietzsche severely attacked. I think it was mis-titled; it is not so much about the Antichrist as it is an attack against what was done by those that took advantage of the teachings of Christ for their own advantage. It is a short book that can be quickly read but may make you stop and think.

The incendiary tone throughout separates this book from most other well-regarded philosophical texts; even in comparison to Nietzsche's earlier works, the tone of indignation and conviction behind each argument made is plain to see. There is little by way of lofty ponderousness; the book presents its arguments and points at a blistering pace, placing this book among the most accessible and easily understood works of philosophy.
The Antichrist comprises a total of sixty-two short chapters, each containing a distinct philosophical argument or angle upon the targets of Christianity, organised religion, and those who masquerade as faithful but are in actuality anything but. Pointedly opposed to the notions of Christian morality and virtue, Nietzsche vehemently sets out a case for the faith's redundancy and lack of necessity in human life. - Book promo at Amazon

23 June
Cowboy RV PARK
Pocatello, ID

We walked to McD's this morning where I got a latte. I would have enjoyed a bagel to go with it but that is not on the menu. The low this morning was 46.8° at the time we started our walk. I had on my flannel shirt and with the slight breeze it was almost not enough while sitting outside.

The route went out 4th st and back on the Red Hill Trail. This was just short of 3 miles and with the stop at McD's it is just perfect for a morning walk. This is on the list for every week, maybe twice.

I got more of the pixel art drawing done yesterday but it is still going to take more time. I thought I had finished the hardest part a couple days ago but have found that not to be the case. What I thought was going to be easier has been just as difficult. It is starting to look good.

If I were to suggest any of Mencken's books as a 'starter' this would be the one. It is short but provides a very good sampling of all the topics that he covered in all of his writing. As another customer review pointed out "He was regarded as a leading scholar on Nietzsche, as well as being quite well-versed on classical music", both topics are included in this easy to read book. Recommended!

Has anyone ever managed to write so clearly from a personal conviction as Mencken did? "Damn, A book of Calumny" is a collection of writings by H.L. Mencken without a clear narrative. Unless of course we consider the personality of Mencken as the real narrative of this collection. He writes with conviction and eloquence, a man who convinces you of his point simply by explaining it and without shying away from sensitivities and conventions. His interests are extremely wide and his opinions both nuanced and seemingly absolute. Even when he writes something that lost relevance and even defendability in the 1930's, he shows grace and intelligence. Reading one of Mencken's points of view that you disagree with wholeheartedly, you will still feel a deep respect for the man. And when you agree with him, you are delighted and entertained. You feel as if you are in the presence of a great mind and yet, an equal who has written this specifically for you, as a personal letter among friends where no topic needs censorship. - Customer Review at goodreads.com

24 June
Cowboy RV PARK
Pocatello, ID

This was another pixel drawing that had no fill. It was like the last one I did except this one was much more complicated. I like the way it looks and there are some more flowers that are only one color. I'll be doing another one but will draw a stained glass panel first and maybe a pentagonal tile.

We walked up a hill that is parallel to and north of Red Hill yesterday afternoon. It is not as steep, not as high and has a sidewalk. It is an out and back route but gives me a route that includes some climbing but not a severe as the Red Hill Ridge.

Then this morning we walked south to the Zoo, Park and athletic fields. This also goes to the train switching yard that stretches through town. That is the original reason for Pocatello to be here; the railroad and the switching yard. I'll be doing both of these routes some more.

The FBI briefing about what they have found with regards to the Republican Congressmen baseball shooting should put to rest any questions about they being a significant part of the Deep State. I suggest reading The FBI’s Briefing On The GOP Baseball Shooting Couldn’t Have Been More Bizarre by Mollie Hemingway. In that article she presents all of the findings versus the Ministry of Propaganda headline that he 'acted alone". The FBI has declared it open season on Republicans. Any Republican must now publicly repudiate their beliefs and even that may not protect them. I quote the closing paragraph.

The FBI’s briefing appears so contrary to the facts as to be insulting. When a man with a history of hating Republicans cases a location, takes pictures, verifies the targets are Republicans before opening fire, has a list of Republican politicians in his pocket, and shoots and nearly kills Republicans, it’s hard to swallow the FBI’s contention that the shooting was “spontaneous” with “no target.” The agency should reconsider whether it wants to troll Americans about something this serious.

25 June
Cowboy RV PARK
Pocatello, ID

The most intriguing thing about this book is to guess which parts were written by Mencken. There were 3 authors; Willard Huntington Wright, George Jean Nathan & H. L. Mencken with Thomas H. Benton as the Illustrator. The book is not up to Mencken standards except for those sections which I thought had been written by him. There are virtually no reviews of the book. The only thing I can say for it is that it provides a good feel for what Europe was like just before World War I. Those day were never to return and Mencken wrote very critical commentary about the war.

I will finish Panel 35 today and have started drawing a Type 3 pentagonal tile. If it is anything like the Type 2 it is going to take me some time. I have also got another pixel art flower started which looks to be easier than the first one.

The animal that we came across on the Trail last week that I thought was a beaver was most likely a badger. That one was some distance away but I have now briefly seen 3-4 more of them. They are quick for being such an ungainly looking creature and I have not had a good look at one of their faces but I'm now sure it was not a beaver and they are badgers.

This mornings walk was up to almost the top of the gentler hill to the RISE (Research and Innovation in Science and Engineering) Complex. This is about a 2.25 mile and 200' climb route but so much easier than the Red Hill Ridge.

RISE is an applied research and development facility and part of ISU (Idaho State University) funded for the most part by Department of Defense and Department of Energy grants. Their past research has been in particle accelerator applications, the production of portable nuclear energy sources and nanocrystal wavelength shifting. From what I have seen so far ISU is a big part of Pocatello's economy.

26 June
Cowboy RV PARK
Pocatello, ID

There have been only two days that the high temperature has been in the low 90s since I have been here. The low temperatures, when we walk in the morning, have been wonderful! This compares so favorably to Tyrone that had highs in 6 out of 9 days of over 100 and Huachuca City was over 100 for all 9 days with what I think could be an all time record of 115.3°. I managed to time it right for a change.

We went to McD's for our morning walk today via the Red Hill Trail out and 5th Ave on the way back. The police were working 5th Ave hard this morning. I saw the lights 3-4 times on the way back to the Park and they stopped another one right in front of me. I need to be extra careful tomorrow, it is getting close to the end of the month so they are vigilant or is it that the city needs the money to meet budget.

OK, this is now definitive. The beaver that I saw that I then decided was a badger was a yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris), also known as the rock chuck. They are called rock chucks here locally and are related to the woodchuck aka whistle pig OR I was not entirely wrong, some places call them land beavers. I had considered marmots but thought the elevation here in Pocatello was too low, associating marmots with higher elevations.

This is Panel 35 which was not as difficult as it first appeared. The hardest part was getting the measurements correct. I drew the panel twice with a reversal of colors just because that looks better than the solo panel. I also thought when I originally looked at them that Panel 35 and 36 were the same. When I draw #36 I will color it differently so that it is easier to tell them apart.

Panel 35

27 June
Cowboy RV PARK
Pocatello, ID

We had all the makings of a thunderstorm last night except for the rain. Strong winds that did some damage and scattered 'stuff' all over the neighborhood. Cloudy, warm and humid this morning during our walk.

We were then off to ButterBurr's for breakfast. There I had an Italian Skillet that was sizable and good with some weak and not so good coffee. I selected them because they are not too far from Wal*Mart where I wanted to pick up some ammo.

Next stop was at Tractor Supply were they had two big bags of Earthborn Meadow Feast, Patches' food choice by my suggestion. I wanted three bags but took all they had and will try and get another bag before I leave here.

Last stop of the day was at Albertson's where I got some cod but they had no salmon either. Or I should say no frozen wild caught salmon. They did have some fresh farm raised, with color added, that I do not buy. No frozen chopped green chili either but they did have a bigger selection for everything else which was my biggest complaint with Ridley's last week - no selection and poor produce.

Got into my space, fired up my Chromebook and found that the Arbuckle's coffee had been delivered. Went to the office and picked that up and started whipping up a batch of dessert. I need to cook some more 'linners' but think I put that off until tomorrow, I have one left. HA

This is Type 3 Pentagonal tile and Primitive Unit. On the left is a single tile with the angles and sides identified. The 'rules' for this Type are more restrictive than for the Type 2. The choice that is made for the length of 'c' & 'e' will obviously determine what the length of 'd' will be but those choices also determine angel B and E as well as lengths 'a' & 'b'. The one on the right is one Primitive Unit which when pieced together with other Units becomes a tiling.

I thought the tiling would be easier than the Type 2 but when I tried to piece them together my 'fudging' to get the Unit together showed what I had done. The Units as drawn would not fit. I probably spent 3-4 hours trying to put 3 of the tile together as a Unit and failed every time. I had chose d=50 with c=35 and e=15 which made a & b ~=46 but I had to the 'fudge' some of the angle and lengths to get a Unit to fit together.

Then I had one of those Eureka moments. The three tile form a regular hexagon with each side equal to 'd'! I was able to redraw the Unit and then tile the plane with them in a little over an hour. I had some self-reproach for not seeing this sooner - it is plain as day, but I was focused on the irregularity of the pentagonal tiles. The actual measurements with d=50 are c=36.6, e=13.4 and a & b=44.8 which I would have never arrived at without that Aha! moment.

28 June
Cowboy RV PARK
Pocatello, ID

This is the Type 3 tiling of the plane created by piecing together the Primitive Units. Very easily done compared to the Type 2 tiling much the same as the Type 1.

I also kept looking at the Unit drawing thinking that it still did not look quite right. I realized that I had used the incircle radius of the hexagon for the length of a & b but that would only be true when line b was at 270°. Since it was at 255° in the top left tile that length was wrong; the correct lengths are d=50 are c=36.6, e=13.4 and a & b=44.8. Not a big error but enough that I could see it in the Unit whereas it gets 'covered up' in the tiling drawing.

It was trying to rain when we went out for our morning walk. I could see virga to west and north of us and felt a few sprinkles. Almost turned around a cut the walk short at one point but continued on the halfway point where I was committed even if it did rain. Stated dry and we had a clear sky by 8:00.

Cooked up some more sardine potato patties for my 'linners' and scorched the pan when I boiled it dry. It wasn't too bad I have done worse but it needed my tried and true treatment of boiling enough vinegar to cover the scorch and then it is almost a wipe clean operation. No hard scrubbing!

I also cooked the second portion of pollock that I had bought at Ridley's. These fillets I put in the Roaster - rather simple. The cooked fish is then reheated with some stir fry vegetable when it is 'linner' time. I'm now set for another week or 6 days; just throw together a salad every day.

I got some more of the next pixel art flower drawn yesterday. Might get more done today but need to get next month's Will Rogers weekly articles copied and formatted also. So maybe not that much drawing during the next couple of days.

29 June
Cowboy RV PARK
Pocatello, ID

I completed the Will Rogers project yesterday. I think it is now easier to do with Chromebook/Chrome than it ever was with Windows/Firefox. It has taken me a couple months to develop a routine but now established and the job is not as daunting as it has been.

The new computer has not changed how I do laundry. That is what I did this morning. For me that is not the chore that many people seem to think it is. The only times that becomes a chore is when I have to put the sheets back on my bed in the overcab. It is then not the laundry part it is the 'putting back' which is so difficult.

I opened the bag of Arbuckle's coffee this morning and surprise, surprise I got whole beans. I'm sure it was my fault by not checking the correct grind, the default is whole beans. I'll see if I can get a coffee shop here to grind them for me. If I can not find someone that will do it for me then I'm not sure what I will do, I certainly don't want to send the beans back. First time that I screwed that up in about 7 years so I'm not doing too bad.

Fred Reed has an interesting posting concerning the technology advances being made by China: China Tech: Interesting Bits and Pieces. I have quoted his closing paragraph.

For whatever reasons, the American media do not much cover technological advance in China. Ignorance? Arrogance? Is it just the American tendency to regard the rest of the world as unimportant? Maybe a little attention would be a good idea. A steady stream of advances comes out of the Middle Kingdom. In some fields, the Chinese lead the world. In others, they are behind but not be much, and gaining. Could be important. Especially if they learn to innovate.

30 June
Cowboy RV PARK
Pocatello, ID

My right side neighbor left this morning. I am reasonably sure that he was working on the Interstate 15 construction south of Pocatello which I don't think has been completed. Perhaps his part of the job is finished? Whatever, he is gone today.

I have only said hello to the left side neighbor and found out that he is here with his sister. They are gone almost every day for most of the day. I hope I can stay lucky with good neighbors although it is very rare that I do not. I have found that people that stay in RV Parks are better neighbors than those that I have had in apartment sticks-n-bricks.

I am trying a new SPAM filter. For the past few weeks, maybe a month, I have been getting 10-15 spam messages every day from the same IPS addresses except the last 3-6 digits i. e. xxx.xxx.xxx.??? Or xxx.xxx.???.??? I have been adding every every one of them to the old filter that I had but never saw any subsequent messages getting caught by the filter and directed to Junk. I'll see if this new idea works.

Paul Craig Roberts has another scathing blog post http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2017/06/29/washington-war-16-years/. I am very surprised that the CIA has not neutralized him by now, maybe he does not have enough readers to be considered a threat. Here is just a sample.

Clearly, American democracy is a fraud. It serves everyone but Americans.
What is the likely consequence of the US government serving non-American interests?
The best positive outcome is poverty for the 99 percent. The worst outcome is nuclear armageddon.