• Category Archives Life in the USA

  • 60 years ago today, but yesterday in Australia

    Posted on by beno Comment

    Thats a pretty mixed up title for todays post… But you get that over here pretty often……

    Let me explain………

    60 years ago today, Edwin Hubble took the first official photos through the Hale Telescope. Please read about it on Scotts blog. (And dont forget to bookmark his blog and pop back once a week to keep up with whats been going on up on the mountain. Its sort of unofficial required reading for all the Docents. Besides which, Scott is a great writer of all things Palomar!)

    Yesterday in Australia, but here today, it’s Australia day.
    I really wanted to make some Auszi food to bring to work, but we had a pretty busy day yesterday and so by the time we got done with what we had to do it was about 9pm and I really did not want to start cooking at that hour. Perhaps next year.
    Amy is wearing my Bundy Rum t-shirt to school. Not sure what Terry has planed. Probably nothing. I totally bailed on the food and clothing thing. I know, I am letting the team down a bit.
    The only thing that I can say to try and make up for it was that Freddy and I ordered a bunch of food from the Australia shop over here and its due to arrive today. We got milo, custard power, cordial and a bunch of other things. So tonight will be a real Australia celebration in a house in Temecula.
    I will blog the list of all the food we miss from over there, its surprising.
    The list came about because cousin Jo wanted to know what food we missed, it got us thinking. She also asked what food from here we would miss if we went back. It was an interesting exercise to think about. (If I remember I will try and take a photo of our little food purchase before its all ‘et).
    Anyway, its a day of history, both here and there…….
    Well done Hale and Hubble.
    Ozi Ozi Ozi Oi Oi Oi !!!!!


    Astronomy Life in the USA

  • Thanks Dan.

    Posted on by beno 1 Comment

    My Canadian mate from Ballarat came to visit over the weekend.
    He was on his way back from visiting his family in Canada with his daughter Ebony. They are now on day 2 of three days at Disneyland.
    I worked up some extra time and left work a little early on Friday, Amy and I drove up to LAX to pick them up.
    We then got stuck in the usual Friday evening traffic and it took about 2 and 3/4 hours to do a 1 and 3/4 hour trip…… But no matter, we had a great time talking in the car and the extra time was not noticed at all.

    Once we got back Dan handed over a nice gift of white chocolate and a bottle of port. The port was wrapped in bubble wrap. I thought it was ‘just an Australian port’, but after getting the bubble wrap off, I found that it was nothing less than a bottle of white port from Mount Buninyong winery…… I have to confess that seeing Dan again, and knowing that he had bought this bottle, then lugged it to Canada and back for me was all a bit much and I had a little cry. It was a very moving moment in the kitchen. Thanks Dan.

    The next day Ebony was happy to chill for a bit and so the kids and Freddy hung out at home while Dan and I went for a drive….. No guesses where I took him……..

    Dan meets the hale telescope

    It was a beautiful day up on the mount. I’m pretty sure Dan enjoyed his visit. We met a few of the other Docents and had some time on the dome catwalk.
    We headed back the ‘long’ way to show Dan some more of the country that is around Temecula. He is under strict orders to try and give Gary a feel for the roads that I love so much to ride….. The YouTube and videos can only impart so much (when they get posted).
    We did not waste the time, having a fantastic conversation about the different things we have been challenged with in our lives over the past 10 months.
    Once we got back home we had a food platter in the back yard under the gazabo when we got back. Ebony saw her first humming bird. Dan bought us Mexian food for dinner which we enjoyed by the fire pit.
    We all really enjoyed the beautiful SoCal winter weather.

    The next day we just hung out at home as we needed to leave after lunch to get them up to Disneyland around 3pm.

    dan and ben have coffee

    (Right click on the photos to save a high res version to your computer).
    It was fantastic to just hang out together.
    We spent some time on the computer and got a few things sorted. It was just like no time had passed at all. This time I sort of kept up with some of the Linux commands, and made notes of the commands that were new to me….. It was a little hard not knowing when he was going to be back to bail me out of trouble again.
    We tinkered in the garage a little, looked at some woodwork I need to do.
    Before we knew it, it was time to say ‘see ya’ out the front of the motel over the road from Disney.

    Thanks for making the time to stop by Dan, and thanks for the port.


    Life in the USA

  • Snow wing

    Posted on by beno Comment

    snow wing
    Went for a ride. Could not find the road I was looking for (am thinking of trying to find the other end of it and seeing where it comes out), so ended up at Palomar (I have a personal theory that all roads do not lead to Rome, but rather Mount Palomar Observatory).
    There was a little snow left.
    The road was icy in two places, I’m not sure about 2 wheels on ice.
    There are some more photos of the snow in the Palomar album.
    (This was the ride I took before we went to the Rave, so its a little late in posting. The computer upgrade has slowed down the blogs a little).


    Goldwing Life in the USA

  • 2nd one.

    Posted on by beno Comment

    We just had an earthquake.
    Mag 5, just up the road.
    I was sitting at home on the computer.
    Amy was in her room, Terry was in the kitchen, Freddy was sitting on our bed reading. It was very short this time. Just one big jolt and then a few little wobbles. Did not last any where near as long as the last one.
    I suspect that there will be no damage. It was about the same size as the last one, but this one was a LOT shorter.
    Anyway, its still a little unnerving for this blogger…….


    Life in the USA

  • Come on people, its not hard……

    Posted on by beno Comment

    Indicators, blinkers, winky-tinks, call them what you will, they really make driving in traffic just that bit safer and smoother when used…….
    I know, I know, its a SoCal thing…… Im sure every other place in America uses their indicators, but for now, Temecula is NOT one of them.

    There are two clear modes of use here;
    1. Not at all.
    2. Pick some random direction in the morning and leave it there all day.

    I’m really confused as to which is the more anoying. Alls I know is that this blog entry has been brewing for many a month!!!!!
    How hard can it be to flick the stick on the left of the stearning wheel and let people know what you are thinking / planing, and when you are done, flick it back???
    Anyway, I could rant and rave here for a lot longer, but its all to no point. Perhaps I should not have even started, but some one (I remember who, but she will remain nameless) recomended one way to de-stress yourself is to write down what it is that is pushing you closer to the edge….. Im guessing that she was not advocating making those rants public………

    My point is, when visiting Temecula, don’t expect to see any use of the humble blinker…… Except from a silver goldwing and purple passat….. (I hope).


    Life in the USA