Dec 29

 

Week: 1 Day: 363

Ave. Sky Cover:  98%Visibility: 10miles

Local Temp:   26°\ 21° Wind: 3mph\ Gusts: 3mph

Low risk of fire Active fire: 254mi. \ Lightning: 1717mi.

Dec Averages: 43°\17° (5 days w/moisture)

Today’s Quote

Weekly Observations

25-31	It's About Time Week
26-1/1	Kwanzaa

Daily Observations

 

Favorite Memes

 

Have a laugh

Why is it dark in Apple stores?

They don't have Windows.

 

Arizona Trivia

The only place in the country where mail is delivered by mule is the village of Supai, located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

Located on Arizona's western border, Parker Dam is the deepest dam in the world at 320 feet.

South Mountain Park/Preserve in Phoenix is the largest municipal park in the country.

Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, located about 55 miles west of Phoenix, generates more electricity than any other U.S. power plant.

Oraibi, a Hopi village located in Navajo County, Arizona, dates back to before A.D. 1200 and is reputed to be the oldest continuously inhabited community in America.

 

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

I’m back in snowy Flagstaff. All good…we need the moisture.

My holiday break was the best. Lots of time with my brother…and his wife. The weather was great…most days were 85 and most nights were in the 60’s. When I arrived, there were 20 workers finishing several projects. They have worked over 5 years on renovations and are almost completed. A new wing has 3 guest rooms, each with its own stone bathtub/shower in a huge bathroom. My room had a king size bed and a huge built-in closet assembly, a writing desk, a that is one of Laura’s designs and two nightstands. Christmas Eve we had turkey and all the sides with about 14 of their friends and the big reveal of the newly completed living room. It has three 12’ glass double doors that take one into the garden. Two full length couches, a huge chaise, and a dining room table for 8 do not begin to fill the room. Laura designed most of the furniture. Words and pictures can’t show the beauty.

We decorated a small palm tree for Christmas on the front portico.

My flights and shuttle went well. United does a great job. I got my Covid test at the airport a day before my flight…about $20 and got the negative email about 30 minutes after taking the test. The plane from Houston to Phx was delayed about an hour…the QR code machine was down so all 100+ passengers had to line up for paper boarding passes. Then at boarding they tore off the bar code. After we were all on board, they had to hand enter the bar codes before the pilot could take off. Gotta love technology.

I got bad news on my phone when I got home. The head of our discussion group passed away just before Christmas. Bill was in his late 70’s and got pneumonia. He was in Cuba as a teenager and was involved with Che and Fidel. Then he became an American spy of sorts. He was a leader in Flagstaff during the early AIDS work. Until COVID came he was a reader for the blind at a local nonprofit. He had a great life and will be missed.

 

Historical Events

1851 – The first American YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) opened in Boston, Massachusetts.

1890 – The US Cavalry killed 146 Sioux at Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota.

1916 – James Joyce’s book Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man was published

 

Birthdays Today

83 – Jon Voight, American actor

@80 – Mary Tyler Moore, American actress (d. 2017)

75 – Marianne Faithfull, English actress and singer

74 – Ted Danson, American actor

@66 – Andrew Johnson, 17th President (d. 1875)

62 – Paula Poundstone, American comedian

@59 – Charles Goodyear, American chemist, engineer (d. 1860)

49 – Jude Law, English actor

42 – Diego Luna, Mexican actor