Back to the Monument

EDO had suggested that we ride the bikes on the Sidney Peaks Trail.  Unfortunately, the wind was gusting to 60 MPH and Sidney Peaks is very exposed.  So, we opted for the Alpine Pond Loop again.  Easy hiking, but sheltered.  Of course, with all the dead wood over-head, hiking in the wind is something like playing Russian Roulette.

Cloud Break

It has been consistently hot and clear since last week.  The sun is up at 6a, and blazes away for 15 or 16 hours without a break.  So, it was a surprise when I went to the IGA yesterday afternoon and noticed a bank of towering dark clouds to the north of town.  I quit what I was doing and drove to the top of the hill that hosts the cell phone antennae.  I was shaded by the clouds and battered by a strong wind.  It was very nice.  Unfortunately, the cloud passed by without dropping rain.

Sun Block

The back yard at 420 Grand is very shady:  There are several large fruit trees, not to mention a developing elm patch on the other side of the fence.  Unfortunately, the shade does not reach the back door until late in the day.  On hot afternoons when the sun is strong, the back stoop is a very unpleasant place.  I decided to block it with a triangular sun shade.  A square might have been better, but I don't have a place to attach a fourth corner.  At any rate, I have learned that it is difficult to block the sun.  As it moves from its apex overhead to the western horizon each day, it finds its way around the triangle.  It is an improvement though.

False Sense of Security

The house at 420 Grand has, unfortunately, been vacant during much of 2020.  Under the restrictions of the virus crisis, we have spent most of the past few months in Utah.  It is also unfortunate that the crime rate in California is higher than the one in Utah:  Vacant houses are sometimes targeted for vandalism, or worse.  I have installed improved locks, chains, and lighting to keep people off the property while we are gone.  It has not been completely effective, so I began researching security cameras.  After a while I decided that I didn't want to spend a bunch of time and money just to look at my (likely) empty back yard.  Do I really want to spend hours downloading images of stray cats and squawking pinyon jays?  So, I decided to fake it.  I installed a dummy camera in the driveway, under the motion sensor lights.  It came complete with a warning sign.  I'm not sure what I'll do when the ruse is discovered.

Peak Performance

Just about every day for the past week, we've driven to Brian Head Peak late in the afternoon.  In the valley it has become summer-like, but on the shoulder of the mountain it remains spring-like.  Today, I walked the Marathon Trail in a biting 49F degree wind while EDO ran from the highway to the summit and back.  You can't call her a quitter:  She took a spill in the rocks at the top and ran back down the road dripping blood.  At some point, a dude in a pick-up truck pulled up beside her and said, "You're a warrior princess."  I don't know what that is, but she is definitely a tough young woman.

Hand Wash Station

VSO has been involved with a program to provide medically useful supplies to the Navajo Nation during the virus crisis.  These pictures don't seem very medical, but the idea is that a simple wooden structure can be the base of a portable hand wash station.  VSO was given a blue print for construction and got some help from a neighbor, who cut the lumber (and also donated it).  She screwed the whole thing together and, voila, a nice prototype.  The idea is that other volunteers will construct more of these and that they can be used for ad hoc hand washing in locations without running water.