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The front gate is finished, except for a few little details, like lights, and looks wonderful. The gate code has to be punched in but not for too long, I hope. Miss my clicker doing the work.*
The new chipper has a huge pile, a mountain, of debis to chip. What a savings for trash collection...much more room in the dumpster!*
Dave & Evelynn's double wide was sold and moved a few days ago. The air was blue from Spanish curses...it was quite a job to get the two pieces out of here.*
Other projects are in the works, but haven't started. If and when, you'll be the first to know.
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Now, on to vacation reports. (and if you want to contribute just email me.)
From John & Mary #5
On our day off on Tuesday we went to Corning, New York. There we toured the Corning Museum of Glass, operated by the Corning Company.
There we saw examples of glass making dating back some 4000 years to present day. It also included the various techniques used throughout the centuries. Glass was first made in Western Asia and the middle East, from there it spread to China and to Europe. Another wing of the exhibit featured the most extensive collection of art glass. These object d'art were sculpted by various artists from around the world. Many were intriguing pieces so much so that we spent several minutes looking at the glass from various angles to discover the perspective of colors that were refracted as well as the visible features the artist included but were only visible from different angles.
We sat through a demonstration of glass making and blowing from beginning to end. A demonstration was also presented on the functionality of fiber optic cable versus copper wiring. One single fiber optic, the size of a human hair, can transmit 500,000 telephone calls simultaneously. For copper wire to do the same would require two pairs of copper wire bundled together measuring about six feet in diameter.
We highly recommend anyone traveling in central New York state to take the time to visit Corning and the Corning Museum of Glass.
The weather here has been cool for the last 3 weeks and the nights are even cooler. As we drive to various places in the area we see rolling hills and valleys that are dotted with farm lands, silos, barns and lush vegetation. And I must add I am delighted to see so many fir trees, a memory of growing up in Canada.
We are told that we will be able to buy fresh locally grown fruit and vegetables. Oh and before I close we are most delighted to see a variety of fresh breads that remind us of the bakeries in Montreal.
More later, Take care of each other.
Mary n John
There we saw examples of glass making dating back some 4000 years to present day. It also included the various techniques used throughout the centuries. Glass was first made in Western Asia and the middle East, from there it spread to China and to Europe. Another wing of the exhibit featured the most extensive collection of art glass. These object d'art were sculpted by various artists from around the world. Many were intriguing pieces so much so that we spent several minutes looking at the glass from various angles to discover the perspective of colors that were refracted as well as the visible features the artist included but were only visible from different angles.
We sat through a demonstration of glass making and blowing from beginning to end. A demonstration was also presented on the functionality of fiber optic cable versus copper wiring. One single fiber optic, the size of a human hair, can transmit 500,000 telephone calls simultaneously. For copper wire to do the same would require two pairs of copper wire bundled together measuring about six feet in diameter.We highly recommend anyone traveling in central New York state to take the time to visit Corning and the Corning Museum of Glass.
The weather here has been cool for the last 3 weeks and the nights are even cooler. As we drive to various places in the area we see rolling hills and valleys that are dotted with farm lands, silos, barns and lush vegetation. And I must add I am delighted to see so many fir trees, a memory of growing up in Canada.
We are told that we will be able to buy fresh locally grown fruit and vegetables. Oh and before I close we are most delighted to see a variety of fresh breads that remind us of the bakeries in Montreal.
More later, Take care of each other.Mary n John
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From Jon & Donna #221
Hi Everybody,
We are now in Las Vegas staying at Sam's Town RV Park. Our time in Tempe was great and passed quickly. We drove down to Tucson one day and explored Biosphere 2. This is the place that was built around 1990 and 8 individual lived inside physically isolated from the outside world for 2 whole years. Built for 150 million dollars by a wealthy Texas oilman to experiment and develop new technologies and procedures that could be sold to NASA, this role was abandoned in 1993 after a second group spent 7 months inside. Columbia University took over the management of Biosphere 2 and used it for various experiments until 2003. It sat virtually idle from 2003 until 2007 when the University of Arizona took over the management of the facility and has embarked on a 10 year renovation and expansion program. Inside the sphere is a tropical ocean, a desert, a savannah, and a tropical rain forest. Really worth a visit if you get a chance.
We are now in Las Vegas staying at Sam's Town RV Park. Our time in Tempe was great and passed quickly. We drove down to Tucson one day and explored Biosphere 2. This is the place that was built around 1990 and 8 individual lived inside physically isolated from the outside world for 2 whole years. Built for 150 million dollars by a wealthy Texas oilman to experiment and develop new technologies and procedures that could be sold to NASA, this role was abandoned in 1993 after a second group spent 7 months inside. Columbia University took over the management of Biosphere 2 and used it for various experiments until 2003. It sat virtually idle from 2003 until 2007 when the University of Arizona took over the management of the facility and has embarked on a 10 year renovation and expansion program. Inside the sphere is a tropical ocean, a desert, a savannah, and a tropical rain forest. Really worth a visit if you get a chance.
We spent a lot of time with our friends, laughing, loafing and reminiscing. Backyard cookouts, floating in their pool, discovering new places to eat - it doesn't get any better than that. Oh yes, we explored the surrounding mountains and lakes and Rick even took us out for a day on the lake in his spiffy Sea Ray boat.Speaking of places to eat, Donna and I found a Greek restaurant called Byblos and enjoyed a very good authentic meal along with - get this -
a belly dancer! Who would have thought?We also ran into an old friend of mine from Racine - Carlton Ruud. He owned his own electrical contracting firm (Ruud Electric) which he sold in 1985. His son Alan followed in his father's footsteps in the electrical field by creating his own company in 1982 called "Ruud Lighting". This company has now grown to a 50 million dollar plus enterprise with manufacturing facilities in Racine and in Italy and a worldwide sales and distribution network. Coincidentally, it was Carlton's and his wife Phyllis's sixty-third wedding anniversary and we joined them for a wonderful dinner to celebrate their many happy years together.
We were treated to dinner at a place called the Organ Stop - a restaurant/entertainment venue that houses perhaps the world's largest Wurlitzer theater pipe organ. Originally installed in a Denver theater in 1927, it was used until the "talkies" took over in the early 30's. This organ now over 6000 pipes, percussion instruments, drums, xylophones, and hundreds of other effects powered by wind. The wind is generated by 4 huge turbines housed in a separate building. The various pipes and instruments are displayed in full view of the audience (some contained within a glass enclosed room with rotating "doors" to control the volume). The 43 foot high ceiling provides exceptional acoustics and the console (containing 4 manuals, 276 keys and 789 stops and controls) is breathtaking.
Our brief stay in Vegas ends when we leave Monday morning and head for Utah, but until then we will enjoy time spent with long-time friends, Dennis and Helen......
Hugs,
Jon and Donna
Jon and Donna
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From Irwin & Margaret #332
We are planing a trip to Grand Forks the third week of June, and a trip to see George and Pauline the end of July.
We will be going though Medicine Hat so we might get to see Russ and Betty
Take care
Take care
Irwin & Margaret
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