RenegadeRider

Would you recognize a "skimmer"? The scammers and thieves are getting very good. Customers beware. This particular skimmer was found Dec. 6, 2009, attached to the front of a Citibank ATM in Woodland Hills, Calif. Would you have been able to spot this?

I wish a very happy and prosperous new year to one and all.

We wish all of you the most merry Christmas.

As I had mentioned in a previous post , three weeks ago burglars paid us a visit. They broke into our house through a small window. Among items that were taken included laptop computers two digital cameras, and a cell phone, and, by the way, also our Corvette. It happened in the middle of the day. Our neighbors had witnessed the crime. The burglars were driving a pickup truck that had been stolen from the local Toyota dealer two days earlier. The dealership confirmed this information. Three days later the stolen pickup crashed and the occupants fled on foot and were not apprehended. Still no word on the Corvette. I suspected that the Corvette had gone to a chop shop and I would never see it again. Two weeks following the crash I received a call from a sheriff's detective. He had just returned from vacation and was beginning work on the case. We discussed relevant aspects of the case. He told me that he would keep me informed about any progress. About 2 hours later the d...

Cheeseheads riot over cartoon images showing the Prophet Lombardi (PBUH) as somewhat less than a deity. Green Bay, WI - Like a pot of bratwurst left unattended at a Lambeau Field pregame party, simmering tensions in the strife-torn Midwest boiled over once again today as rioting mobs of green-and-gold clad youth and plump farm wives rampaged through Wisconsin Denny’s and IHOPs, burning Texas toast and demanding apologies and extra half-and-half. The spark igniting the latest tailgate hibachi of unrest: a Texas newsletter's publication of caricatures of legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi. Protestors demonstrated against the images throughout the Badger State yesterday, with violent egging and cow-tipping incidents reported in Oconomowac, Pewaukee, Sheboygan, Ozaukee, Antigo, Oshkosh, Waubeno, Wauwautosa, Waunewoc, Wyocena, Waubeka, and Washawonamowackapeepee. Read the whole story. But check this story to see what is really happening in Iraq.

My sister was visiting. We just returned home from an outing , mid afternoon. But, why was the garage door open, and, oh, by the way, where was the Corvette? Yes, that's right. Burglars had paid us a visit. They gained entry through a bathroom window and the rest is history. They rummaged through my desk and found the keys to the car. They also profited by two cameras, one cell phone and items still not discovered missing. Now, the interesting part of the whole story was that our neighbors had witnessed the crime. We believe that they were driving a truck that had been stolen from a local dealership two days earlier. The dealership confirmed what the witness had seen. Three days later we learned that the same truck had crashed, and the occupants fled the scene on foot. One thing we will probably never see reported in the local fish wrapper; these folks are doing the jobs that Americans just won't do.

I just thought this was interesting.

As a follow-up to the previous post on Africa I thought I'd post this video that demonstrates an ingenious approach to solving problems and making do with what one might have available. Now, I must add that even though we saw some examples of what we might consider primitive, we never saw this. Another point was that we visited a very arid climate and it appears to be raining in the video. The picture quality is marginal, at best, but the idea is great.

The air travel was long and grueling. The Delta segment from Detroit to Amsterdam had the most unpleasant flight attendants I have ever encountered. Anyone that asked for a second bag of peanuts was turned down and informed that Delta had snacks for sale. About 2/3 of the distance across, while most of the passengers were asleep, we observed the flight attendants scurrying toward the rear galley carrying unused meals from the first class section. I had gotten up to use the lavatory facility and to stretch my legs. While waiting for the next vacant lavatory we were chased out of the area. My perception was that they did not want us to see them "living large". It all made us want to fly Delta again, soon! Cellular telephone coverage appears to be far superior to anything we find in the US. Serengeti National Park is a huge area (Approx. 30,000 sq km) that appears virtually empty of human habitation. In addition it is surrounded by vast areas of nearly vacant lands. I r...

Our dearest friend and mentor, Jack Miller, passed away Friday morning. I'm sorry to report sad news this morning. Jack Miller passed at 8:33 am on Friday, October 9. Jack was diagnosed with cancer in June and fought valiantly to beat it. We all believed he would overcome it but he lost the fight. Jack was scheming, plotting and planning up to the very end. Just last weekend Jack showed me a brilliant tax strategy, which I will utilize in the near future. I've never met anyone who loved people or enjoyed life more and he lived his life to the fullest. He will be missed by all. Here is a final message that Jack wanted me to pass on: To my Friends, Students and Subscribers, "I have concluded that the treatment for my illness will not be successful. However, I am thankful that I have had the friendship and support of many of you. It has been rewarding for me to see you grow and prosper and I hope I was of some help in that process. It is my hope that you wil...

Celia has left this plane and is now in doggie heaven. She was one of my sisters dogs and now can chew her bones forever. The report was that she was suffering from bone cancer. May she RIP.

Does this look like a happy crystal miner? -- or even a crystal miner? Well yes! She is, both. A crystal miner and a happy crystal miner. We joined a group of friends on an excursion to an abandoned crystal mine located on Forest Service land northwest of Reno. According to the "experts" crystals mined from this location had been used for radios in WW II. The others at the mine raved about this specimen. It was within about two inches of the surface. It was somewhat yellow and also somewhat cloudy in appearance. Other, much smaller specimens were clear and colorless. A fun day was had by all.

Yesterday I, along with my trusted companion, Riley, hiked to the top of Mt Rose. The hike had one of the items on my to do list for quite a long time. The weather conditions were ideal with mild temperatures and light winds. The trip was much longer and more arduous than I had expected. The last two miles were very slow going indeed. I seemed to stop to rest about every 100 feet or so. And I don't mean vertical feet. We made it to the top in about 4 hours. Here we are at the summit of 10,776 feet. My GPS agreed very closely. Lake Tahoe in the distance. The entire trip, including a half-hour rest at the summit took about 7.5 hours. We both moved very slowly today.

We got this cactus about 5 years ago from our friends in the San Diego area. It was growing by their front door and had become very large. Barbara invited me to lop off a few branches. We took it home and stuck it in a pot. We have subsequently transplanted it in a larger pot and it seemed to be happy with that move. This year I noticed a strange growth. At first I had thought that it was something like lint that had fallen at that spot. But then the spot began to grow larger until it became obvious that it was a flower spike. The budding flower grew into this. And then opened into this. Once the flower opened it began to wither away. It had lasted only a few hours in its' full splendor. Within a few days the flower had fallen to the ground leaving behind a mere hint of where it had been.

Where was this when I needed it?

Yesterday, August, 6, it snowed in the mountains . Here in Reno a chill wind blew persistently. I neglected to bring warmer clothes as I participated in an event for "Hot August Nights" classic car celebration. None remained for photos this AM. Clearly it was a sign of global warming.

Well, here it is. Dianne has sent this photo to all her friends. So I might as well join the festivities. This blog was originally started to report on our travels, but it might be changed to health concerns of the decrepit and infirmed. I went to urgent care for initial treatment. Dianne was concerned enough to later shuttle me to the emergency room because she was concerned about the possibility of a concussion or fractured skull. A CAT scan put her mind at ease. The swelling was extreme, largely from internal bleeding due to the blood thinners prescribed by my cardiologist. My eyelid, which was completely black (much more so than in the photo), was so large that I could not open my right eye. As swelling subsided enough to open the eyelid slightly we could see that the eyeball was bright red from blood. That too has mostly returned to normal. Anyhow, there appears to be no long term damage to report, except, possibly for pride.

Today we attended the Tea Party here in Reno. The turnout was much better than I had expected. Because the area was sort of spread out, I was not able to make a very good estimate of the attendance. I also noted some people coming later and others leaving earlier than the duration of the event. It's persistence.

I once again read the Declaration of Independence . As always, I am in awe of the brilliance of our founding fathers. Read it for yourself in celebration of our heritage.

We went to the Reno Rodeo last night. The stands were full and they put on a superb show. I recognized a wholesomeness that seems to have disappeared from the city and from anything that comes from the mass media.