More on Mt. Redoubt

Photo courtesy of AVO/USGS from the Hut Webcam at 19:55:58 on 3-23-09

For some reason the web cam came back online late yesterday and we got to see the 6Th explosive event, yeah!! They also posted some pictures from the flyover they did yesterday.

The pictures above are courtesy of AVO/USGS and taken by Game McGimsey

The above pictures are of the Drift Valley where it's obvious there were some mud flows. After the 6 explosive events Mt. Redoubt quieted down for a few hours. I've been watching the webcorders and for the past 2-3 hours she has slowly started making noise again. Could be the beginning of more. For more information and pictures go to the AVO site here http://tinyurl.com/dd42l3

Also, one year ago today was the day I took off work and drove to Crown Point, Indiana to watch them shoot part of the movie Public Enemies. It's been 1 year since Johnny Depp said Hi to me. I posted about it at the time and if I can get it to work I'd like to re-post it here. You see, that's where all this Blogging started. First I was following Public Enemies on a blog and heard they were going to shoot the Crown Point jailbreak of Dillinger's at he real location. One thing led to another and before long I was Blogging. Here's the story of my day, one year ago.

March 24, 2008 - I was lucky enough to go to Crown Point on Monday. Left home at 7:30est and drove the 3 hours to get there listening to Vanessa's Bliss and Sweeney Todd CD's, over and over, so I was pumped when I arrived. When I first got there, around 10:30 the crowd wasn't thick but it did surround the blocked-off area. Thanks to SurferMom's info and Google I was parked just 1/2 block from the trailers. I hadn't been there 30 minutes and I got my first glimpse of Johnny as they took him the 2 blocks to the jail! He is so kind to his fans. I know this has been said before but it's just so true!! Any time he was out in public he always acknowledged the crowd by smiling and waving.


Luckily, I happened to be along the road they used to ferry him back-and-forth. The only bad thing was my camera was having battery issues!!! UGH!! I had a whole new pack of 6 batteries but it was the camera, evidently not the batteries! I should have bought a disposable one...hindsight! I didn't get many pictures of Johnny but I did take some of the set before it pooped out on me. I watched from the front of the jail for awhile and saw Mr. Mann come out and wave and bow to the crowd. I found it interesting how they would yell 'Rolling' and everyone (the whole crowd) would immediately hush until we heard 'Cut'. It left you with a feeling of participating in the movie.


After awhile I went back to the side street, since most everyone was up in front of the jail watching, so I would have time to get my camera ready for when they brought Johnny back. It seemed that if I took the batteries out and put them back in it would work ok for a few pics and them quit again. (cold draining the batteries?) When I heard the crowd screaming up front I quickly got into position. As his SUV rounded the corner I realize my camera wasn't going to work again. As his SUV got closer, I saw he had the window down and he was on my side! I said 'Hi Johnny!' and he looked me dead in the eye, said 'Hi' gave his signature little nod of the head and salute with that gorgeous smile of his. If I had reached out, and he had reached out, I could have 'high-five' him, he was THAT close to me!! And I will say right now...He is much better looking in real life than on screen! He made my day!



I floated around the rest of the day seeing him go back and forth to the set. Talked to a lot of the people in the crowd, some of the extras and one very nice lady doing security. I especially enjoyed talking to all the kids that were there. I talked to one little girl, around 9 years old, who was there with her Grandpa and 2 older sisters. She was asking everyone if they had Johnny's phone number. She was just precious! When she tried to tell me Johnny was her boyfriend I quickly told her "He can't be your boyfriend because my granddaughter says he's my boyfriend." She was just too cute and swore she had seen ALL his movies. The Grandpa and I had a laugh over that one because she isn't even old enough to have seen or get into half his movies.


Unfortunately I couldn't stick around to see if he would come out after everything was done to do autographs since I had such a long drive home. I had already stayed 2 hours longer than I had planned but I'm glad for the fans that could stay and did get to shake hands with him.


I may not have the photo of getting that close to Johnny but I will always have the memory of him smiling at me and saying Hi.


Now I have to find a way to wrap my head around work enough to finish up for the day and get the heck out of here. Until next post....

Mount Redoubt

Hi Osh! Thanks for stopping by :)

I copied this picture above from the AVO-USGS site, http://tinyurl.com/dd42l3 , taken by Dennis Anderson of Homer AK on the morning of March 18Th. Last night Mt Redoubt had 4 explosive eruptions through the night and a 5Th one early this morning. AVO has reported that one seismic station and one web cam have stopped functioning. This could mean a lot of things but the volcano is fairly remote and they have a lot of darkness still this time of year so hard to get a handle on what's really going on visually. The one thing to keep in mind is that ash and electronics don't play well together. She is keeping things interesting. The poor vulcanologist's at AVO have to feel like yo-yo's about now. Redoubt would surge to activity and the warnings would go up. They began to staff the center 24/7 to keep a close eye on it. (I won't even mention a certain politicians remarks about 'something called volcano monitoring'...) Then she would quiet down and they would lower the warning only to have her rumble again and have to raise it...up, down, up...Well, last night I guess she got the last word...for now.

The latest wecorders show activity but not as strong as over night. Here's a couple links to the webcorders in case anyone wants to check them out. http://tinyurl.com/cxwypx and http://tinyurl.com/cww4tp I know the airlines have rescheduled and cancelled some flights in the area, schools are open and so far things seem to be under control. AVO is planning an over flight later today so hopefully I can get a glimpse or a picture or 2 when they post their findings. Will post more when I get an update.

Interesting Stories...

Here's a couple stories my Dad sent me. I found them interesting because of the locations of the stories. The tie in with gangsters and I guess a 'six degrees of Dillinger' and the Dillinger Era.

Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago ... Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.

Capone had a lawyer nicknamed 'Easy Eddie.' He was Capone's lawyer for a good reason. Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddie's skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.

To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but Eddie got special dividends, as well. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day.. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block.

Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him.

Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object.

And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was.

Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn't give his son; he couldn't pass on a good name or a good example.

One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done. He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al 'Scarface' Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great. So, he testified.

Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street . But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine.

The poem read:

The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour. Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will. Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be still.'

STORY NUMBER TWO:

World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare.

He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific.

One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank.

He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship.

His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet.

As he was returning to the mother ship, he saw something that turned his blood cold; a squadron of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward the American fleet.

The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the fleet.

Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber's blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent.

Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible, rendering them unfit to fly.

Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction.

Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier.

Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet. He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft. This took place on February 20, 1942 , and for that action Butch became the Navy's first Ace of W.W.II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Congressional Medal of Honor.

A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. His home town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man.

So, the next time you find yourself at O'Hare International, give some thought to visiting Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It's located between Terminals 1 and 2.

SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?

Butch O'Hare was 'Easy Eddie's' son.

Until next post...

Stick that in your pipe and smoke it!!

The announcement that AIG is to give their executives over $165 million in bonus pay has me seeing red!!!! These are the same people who put the company in financial trouble to start with and who's poor business practices and immoral lending began the tumble of the US into a major economic crisis!! Oh sure, 25 of these people had said they will work for $1/year. Well, hell, so would I if I knew I was getting $6+ million bonus to tide me over....grrrrrrrrrrrrr If you or I caused our company to be in such financial straits, we wouldn't HAVE a job. These people need to be put on the unemployment line and see how the real people live! It will never happen but they should be forced to live on the street like they have forced so many others to have to do.

I would love to go on CNN when they are talking to these bozos just so I can harrumph and snicker to their faces!!! I still blame this on Bush and Cheney. Bush was so focused on killing the man who tried to kill his Daddy that he lost focus on the homeland and the real war we should have been fighting, al Qaeda! Remember when a reporter said something to Bush about the gas prices, back when it was over $3 and $4, and he didn't have a clue what the reporter was talking about? He had lost touch with 'his subjects' just as surely as King George III did back in 1776!

Ok, stepping off the soap box. Just had to let that out. Besides, this is my blog. Don't like what I say? Get your own blog LOL

How about a trip down memory lane? A friend sent me an email full of wonderfully old pictures when things were less hectic...

25¢ Gas anyone? (yea, I found out where to find the cent sign!)






Anyone remember these?


We actually still have this McDonald's sign in town. Granted it doesn't say 15¢ anymore....






Anyone know what this






or this?

Did you go to a school with Fire Escape Tubes?










This is what you saw late at night when TV wasn't 24/7.









Thanks Lynn!! I really enjoyed the trip down memory lane....

Until next post...

Daylight Savings Time...

Spring forward....fall back. Indiana for the past couple years has observed the DST. Yesterday morning when I got up it didn't seem so bad to move the clocks up an hour. However, this morning was another day! Ugh, hate driving to work in the dark again. It's not that I don't like DST. I just don't understand why they can't start it later in the year. If they started it just a wee 3-4 weeks later then the sun would be starting up and at least the kids waiting for buses would be more visible. Yes, yes, you should always be careful and drive safely but we all know that things happen. I don't have kids at home any more but there are still quite a few that I see on my way to work that stand/play, in the dark, at the end of their driveway.

The local newspaper had an article yesterday by, what I can only assume, a pro-DST reporter. It stated the top argument from Hoosiers about DST is that their bodies have trouble adjusting. Let's get real here! It's only an hour, not jet lag!! I'm not a fan of DST but I adjust pretty quickly. My only problem is the darkness in the morning in early spring and the lightness at 10:00 at night in July-August. Hard to get to sleep with daylight peeking at you when your not used to it. That is one thing I guess I don't adjust to quickly. A long time ago, in another lifetime, I was a night owl. Thirty years of working 8-5 has completely converted me to a day person.

Grrrrr lost power here at work! Again!! Right in the middle of my train of thought! I was on a roll too. Or at least I thought I was lol...

Power went out this morning also for about 1-1/2 hours. This time it is was just a bleep. Just enough to have to restart everything. Can you imagine if you worked in a clock shop today? You would have had to reset clocks when you got to work only to have the power go out and have to set them again!! Ok, maybe I'm the only one who thinks that is hilarious...

Gotta go for now...until next post....

New Roof and Birthdays...

Back at work after being off to have a new roof and some siding repair done on the house. I'll have to say I am impressed with our Insurance Company. Reported wind damage on the 2/19. Had estimate in hand on 2/22 (a Sunday!). Had check in hand on 2/25. Then had to wait for good weather to get the actual work done but from start to finish....in less than 2 weeks! After listening to the people who had flood damage last year I'll admit I was leery of getting everything settled quickly. We had to add some $$ to it so we could have the garage still match the house and we put guttering up and it looks great!

March birthdays have begun...Hubby started them off on the 3/2. He got the flu for his birthday, gee isn't that a fun one.

Happy Birthday!!

3/2 Hubby
3/4 Krista (niece)
3/18 Alicia (sis)
3/20 Tom (s-i-l)
3/24 Kay (sis)
3/29 Jeremy (son)
Many, many more if I count Aunts, Uncles, cousins, in-laws and out-laws... Ok, now for some...


This Day in History:

How many of you remember when these first came out???

March 5, 1963

Hula-Hoop patented

On this day in 1963, the Hula-Hoop, a hip-swiveling toy that became a huge fad across America when it was first marketed by Wham-O in 1958, is patented by the company's co-founder, Arthur "Spud" Melin. An estimated 25 million Hula-Hoops were sold in its first four months of production alone.

In 1948, friends Arthur Melin and Richard Knerr founded a company in California to sell a slingshot they created to shoot meat up to falcons they used for hunting. The company’s name, Wham-O, came from the sound the slingshots supposedly made. Wham-O eventually branched out from slingshots, selling boomerangs and other sporting goods. Its first hit toy, a flying plastic disc known as the Frisbee, debuted in 1957. The Frisbee was originally marketed under a different name, the Pluto Platter, in an effort to capitalize on America's fascination with UFOs.

Melina and Knerr were inspired to develop the Hula-Hoop after they saw a wooden hoop that Australian children twirled around their waists during gym class. Wham-O began producing a plastic version of the hoop, dubbed "Hula" after the hip-gyrating Hawaiian dance of the same name, and demonstrating it on Southern California playgrounds. Hula-Hoop mania took off from there.

The enormous popularity of the Hula-Hoop was short-lived and within a matter of months, the masses were on to the next big thing. However, the Hula-Hoop never faded away completely and still has its fans today. According to Ripley's Believe It or Not, in April 2004, a performer at the Big Apple Circus in Boston simultaneously spun 100 hoops around her body. Earlier that same year, in January, according to the Guinness World Records, two people in Tokyo, Japan, managed to spin the world's largest hoop--at 13 feet, 4 inches--around their waists at least three times each.

Following the Hula-Hoop, Wham-O continued to produce a steady stream of wacky and beloved novelty items, including the Superball, Water Wiggle, Silly String, Slip 'n' Slide and the Hacky Sack.

Those were the days. Leave a comment on what your favorite childhood toy was. Until next post....