The Birds

OK, I was hoping to write about almost anything else but the problem we have been having with robins coming up to our sliding-glass door and pecking on it. Not only that, but they are making a real mess on the deck. (I am sparing you all from viewing the pics.) We have tried covering the sliding door with comic pages, red and yellow stripes, and we have hung a decorative twirly lighthouse and spiral from the soffit, but these robins keep coming. Kinda reminds you of Alfred Hitchcock's thriller, but not quite that bad. If anyone has any ideas that we haven't tried, please feel free to share them.

Astronomy Pic of the Day

I think this site is pretty neat. Of course some pics are better than others. Maybe I will be able to find a good pic of a new moon. I don't think I have ever seen a new moon, but I know it is hard to spot in the dark sky. Here is a shot of the Soyuz supply ship approaching the space station, taken Sept. 20, 2006. You might notice that this shot was the pic for a couple of days ago, but there is an archive where you can go back and pick up a multitude of pics. Enjoy.

3D Space Cadet Pinball

You can tell that I am the intellectual type by the games I play. Does anyone else out there play this game? I just played it once today--honest!! I just used the flippers; I never used the bumps at all.

I Get Around

Chris Livingston for The New York Times

Walter Biernacki, 60, had a golf cart specially made to resemble a 1966 GT candy-apple-red Mustang. It cost $10,000 to assemble. The above shot and caption, courtesy of the NY Times, yesterday (April 9) shows what many seniors are doing in some senior communities to get around. They can use it on the golf course or on the street, and even on the sidewalk. Who needs a hybrid? I don't think it will work well on the super highways, though.

Shark Attack Survivor

David Letterman had a guest on his show last night, and although it was a repeat, it wasn't all that old. The guy's name is Eric Nerhus, an Australian diver who harvests Abolone, a shellfish. He was going about his usual routine, when he was hit, and everything went dark, and he lost his regulator which provides air while he is underwater. His head and shoulders were inside the mouth of a Great White Shark! He knew right away that if he didn't act quickly, he could be eaten alive (or dead, but he would be dead anyway in another 20 seconds because of lack of air.) He reached up and found the eye of the shark with his left hand, becuase his right rotator cuff had been severed. He was able to gouge the eye enough to cause the shark to open his jaws slightly. (He had heard this trick from some older divers who had experiences with sharks.) He then wiggled out just a few inches and the jaws came down again, this time on his face mask, which broke his nose. He gouged the eye again as hard as he could, and the the shark opened up wide, and he was able to escape. He found his regulator, took the deepest breath of air and watched the shark and the shark watched him as he circled around him. He was then able to surface and call his son in the boat for help. He has to wait about a year for his rotator cuff to heal, but he wants to go back to diving and collecting Abolone.

Easter Weekend

I just had to show a few more pics of the 'hood during this chilly but beautiful Easter weekend.

British navy crew leaves Iran

This is really great news. What more can I say?

Kernersville Car Show

I went to a little car show in Kernersville on Sat. It was held at the famous Korner's Folly, a house in Kernersville that is somewhat strange. You see that the sign says it is the strangest car show, which the only thing strange about it is that it is held at Korner's Folly. I didn't show you all of the cars that were there, but you get a good idea of what was there.

More Spring

Here are a couple more shots of spring, that is, for those of you who like spring. I wonder what spring looks like in Alaska?