Author: acraigwalker@yahoo.com

As a boy growing up in the 1960’s I enjoyed watching Home Run Derby on television.  Each episode two top home run hitting baseball players would square off to see who could hit the most home runs in nine innings.  Here is an example episode:

The winner would earn a whopping $2000.  Watching it today, I am entertained by the campy conversation, as well as the subdued, almost shy attitudes of the ballplayers.

As kids we would play our own versions of home run derby, setting up a lawn hose to mark the outfield fence and pitching a whiffle ball to each other.  Great fun.

As a nostalgic adult I became curious about the setting for the filming of Home Run Derby, and discovered it took place in Wrigley field in South Central Los Angeles, probably during the off season.  It was built in 1925 and named after the same chewing gum magnate as Wrigley Field in Chicago (built in 1927), and was used by the Pacific Coast League Los Angeles Angels until 1957, as well as the Holllywood Stars in the late 20’s and 30’s.  The ballpark was used for various movies, such as “Damn Yankees”.

The Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958 and considered using Wrigley Field, but opted instead for the L.A. Coliseum for their first home before Dodger Stadium was constructed.  The newly formed Los Angeles Angels major league team did settle in Wrigley Field in 1961 for one year.  Demolition of the park began in 1969 to be replaced by a recreational facility, Gilbert Lindsay Park.

During a trip to Southern California 20+ years ago we drove through Los Angeles and took a few pictures of the site.  I was amused at seeing the same roof line of the houses that stood beyond the left field fence.

I commute to work by bicycle year round.  When November comes around there is an abrupt change in conditions, mostly due to loss of daylight saving time, bringing on darkness for my commute home, but also the colder, wetter weather than November ushers in.  My ride is 8 miles each way, on quiet neighborhood streets and wide bike lanes on busy streets.  So I get a good hour of exercise each day I commute and avoid any slow traffic the car commuters encounter.

There are several components to riding successfully and safely this time of year.  First, you need the right frame of mind.  So what if it is wet out.  The air is fresh and the exercise great, and the cold is only momentary.  Second, you need the right equipment–clothes and booties for the wet conditions, and lights, both front and rear.  Third, you need to ride safely for the conditions.  In November that includes watching out for slick dead leaves on the roadway.  And if the weather is particularly stormy, meaning gusty winds that might blow me around, or excessive rain to reduce visibility, then I will opt to drive a car for safety reasons.  Also, if the road is snowy or icy I will skip riding the bike.

I mark my calendar at work, circling the days I commute by bike.  I normally don’t work on Fridays, but pretty much every other day is circled this year.  (I worked from home a lot in July and August, and wasn’t consistent with marking the calendar.)

I’m pretty confident that I am more visible to cars in the dark than I am in daylight, due to reflectors and bright, flashing lights on my bike.  I have noticed cars slow down and give me wide berth.  I’m glad that Oregon is a very bike friendly state, and especially the Portland metro area.  Technology has increased dramatically in recent years with high efficiency, bright bike lights.  In addition to one or two blinking rear taillights, I have two headlights, usually setting one to blink to increase my visibility to cars, and the other solid to help me see the road ahead.  Even in daylight I will set my headlight to flash to increase visibility and safety.  Here is my bike with both headlights on.

Here is some of the winter road debris that collects on my bike.  It is worse in November due to the particles from leaves on the roadway.

This summer I purchased a quadcopter and we’ve had a lot of fun with it.

I’m amazed at what $50 can buy in a quadcopter.  This includes a camera mounted on the underside which can take still photos or movies.  Not great quality, but it is still exotic to get a view from up above.  The grandkids had a lot of fun chasing it around in the back yard, and also at the park at Sunriver.  They took turns flying it.

Here is a video clip from it flying over our house:

I worry about it getting away from me and having it fly into oblivion, or it getting stuck high in a tree.  There are two challenges when flying it–wind, and disorientation.  Both were factors when I did stick it into a tree once, but I was able to reach and free it with a long pole.  This past weekend I had a narrower escape.  Flying in more wind than I should have in our back yard it scraped along the grass and got turned around, so I was unsure which way was forward and couldn’t correct it as it flew away from me.  When it got about two houses away I cut the power and hoped for the best.

It was getting dark when we went looking for it, which was a good thing.  Because we were able to see its lights blinking through a neighbor’s fence across their yard and in a swamp area behind it.  I was very lucky it didn’t stick high in a tree or be lost forever in the brush.  I doubt I would ever have found it without its lights blinking in the fading light.

So the quadcopter survives to fly another day.

Here is one of my all time favorite movie clips:

And another.

Enjoy!

Daniel has a passion in life:  Collecting bottles and cans for the five cent Oregon redemption payment. He trolls the neighborhood on recycling day looking for discarded bottles and cans.  He wonders whether there will be more bottles and cans on mornings after a big TV event, like the World Series.  A neighbor held a wedding reception so he was keen to get the empty bottles from that event.

This isn’t one of the more glamorous pastimes one could have.  And it isn’t all that lucrative, relative to the hassle and time required.  Nor is it convenient for us parents to drive him and his cache to the store to redeem them, often leaving the car smelling like beer afterwards.  While his inventory builds up the side yards gets pretty junky looking.

Still, it is a good thing that Daniel is excited about something productive he can engage in.  He even has a growing clientele that feeds him a regular supply of bottles and cans each week.  Here he is at the neighborhood grocery store ready to redeem his supply.  He has four large shopping carts full.

I think on average he pulls in $25 to $30 every other week.  It’s not a big financial reward but he takes pride in the accomplishment.

Here is the wagon we bought him for his birthday a few months ago.  He uses this on his collection rounds and it works well.

Sometimes we’ll wonder where he is, and discover he is in the side yard counting and sorting his inventory.  We think this is not a bad alternative to traditional employment, which hasn’t worked out for him.  Nice job, Daniel!

I chuckle when I remember that Simpsons episode when they go to the DMV where Homer’s sisters in law, Patty and Selma, work.  Patty and Selma are portrayed as lazy, unpleasant deadbeats, and one of them remarks she has developed repetitive stress disorder from scratching her bum all day at work.

Which of us hasn’t experienced the unpleasant task of visiting the DMV to renew a drivers license, or register a car?  The usual experience is you take a number upon entering, take a seat (if they aren’t all occupied), and wait up to an hour or more to be helped.  If you are fortunate your case will be straightforward and you won’t have to fill out a different form or return later with missing information.  You may also be lucky to be helped by a friendly and competent attendant.

I had to renew my drivers license so steeled myself on Friday morning and went to the closest DMV office.  Upon entering I was notified that their computer system was down and I would need to return a different day, or visit a DMV office in a neighboring city.  Hmmm.  Well, I was already in the mindset to get this done, so I went online on my iPhone to find the address of another DMV office.  I found one in Sherwood that was indicating a 45 minute wait.

After a 25 minute drive on freeway and some country roads, I arrived.

The parking lot was pretty full and I approached the front door.

I will sidebar for a moment.  Notice the automatic door on the left entry?  I grabbed the handle to open that door and about pulled my shoulder out of its socket trying to open it, and it banged against me as I tried to squeeze through.  The same thing happened to the guy after me.

Here was the scene inside.

A large seating area is off camera to the left, and it was totally occupied, with numerous customers standing and waiting.  They were currently serving number 167, and I got number 223.  No problem, I did bring a book to read.  And figured the wait was long enough I could just go sit in my car for a few chapters.

I wasn’t able to use the facilities, though.

My turn came after about an hour’s wait, and everything went smoothly, including passing the eye exam without my progressive lens glasses.  I had a 30 minute drive home through mostly country roads, so it was pleasant enough.  All told, it was a three hour adventure, and I’m good for another eight years.

A year ago I wrote this post about my weight loss.  At that time I was very pleased to drop below 180 pounds.  I had fears that, with the winter season coming on, with holiday feasting and reduced outdoor activity, that perhaps my weight would drift back up and I might lose motivation to continue my healthier eating habits.

Well, good news!  I continue to waste away.  Nothing dramatic, mind you.  The best part is that my weight has remained low all year long, and even drifted lower.  I typically weigh in around 177, and have drifted as low as 175.4.  So I’m anticipating that magical morning when the scale will read below 175.

I don’t really have a goal to stay below 175.  I think staying below 180 is more than fine, and I feel really good about that, and love how my clothes fit.  If anything many of my clothes have the waist too large.

During most of my corporate working life my “office” at work has consisted of a smallish rectangular cubicle with 5 foot high partitions in a large open area.  The cubicle would house my desk, some shelving, and cabinets.  I often had space to park my bicycle in it.  It was perhaps 8 feet by 10 feet.

In recent years it seems the cubes have been downsizing, until this year at my workplace the standard cube was reduced to 6 feet square, with 4 foot high partitions, and very minimal furniture (desk, chair, and small rolling file cabinet).

The downsides of the downsizing are reduced personal space and privacy, fewer places to store your stuff, and more distractions from those talking nearby.  I’ve noticed the higher occupant density also puts strain on the restrooms, with stalls frequently fully occupied.

The modern technical office doesn’t need as much space for books and paperwork.  And it is true that the open space with the lower partitions does yield a brighter environment.  Especially so for those too short to see over the previous 5 foot partitions.  An effort has been made to provide more informal meeting space and some private small rooms for phone calls and small meetings.  And we have ample separate lab space for working on computers and other equipment.

This photo was taken during the construction of the new office space.

And the finished product, including my personal cube.

I’ve coined a new description for our typical November weather here in the Pacific Northwest.  3D.  For dreary, dark, and damp.

The change is made all the more stark because it comes after a usually marvelous Indian summer of October (especially this year), and ushers in the early darkness of Pacific Standard Time all at once.  On November 2 this year I left work in the dark, instead of the daylight of the previous week.

It can also be disheartening to think this is only the beginning of the winter season, with lots more 3D to come for four months.

But November is not without its merits.  I don’t mind the cool, relatively modest temperatures in November.  And I love the fall colors.  Here is a 3D view out my window at work.

Truth be told, I really like our climate here.  We have four seasons, but the temperatures are very moderate.  The moisture gives life to the bounteous plant and tree life.  If you set your mind to it, and dress appropriately, there is still so much you can do outdoors.  It is rarely so cold you dread going outside, nor so hot it saps all your energy when you go outdoors.

 

Each June we visit a local u-pick field several times get our fill of delicious Oregon strawberries.  When we have them fresh I love putting them in my breakfast cereal each morning.

We also maintain a small strawberry patch on the side of our yard.  We planted a Day Neutral variety, which bears all summer, and especially late summer, so we continue to have a few fresh berries until well into October.  This is how it looks this week.

I think I gathered our last crop this week.  There are numerous berries trying to grow but just not enough warmth and sunlight now to get them ripe.