Is That Frost On My Car Windshield ???

I researched the winter weather here, before I decided to move to Southeastern Arizona. I plugged in small towns from New Mexico to Arizona. I didn't want to live in Yuma, Phoenix or southern Texas. I did not care that it would drop into the 30's while I was sleeping if the sun would warm the day up to the 50's in the months of December, January and February. So I chose to live where I do because there was just too many positive things to pass up. Yet it was a little surprising to glance out the window this morning and seeing frost on my car windshield as I opened the vertical blinds that Stella loves. I guess I should have kept those ice scrapers I threw away last May before I left Indiana.

I am going to start posting late afternoon or early evening Arizona time again ... kind of wraps of the day with photos and commentary. I like that better than spreading days over different posts.

It doesn't bother the hounds one way or another. They have the same routine 1,710 miles away. Get up, go outside, eat breakfast and then get back to sleep as soon as possible. Based on the tossed blankets and REI small camping pillow, which is out of the photo, Heidi must have gotten too hot last night and kicked everything to the side off of her bed.

Stella was sound to sleep when I left the computer room for my second cup of coffee. She must have heard me unlock the front door to step outside to take that photo of the car and truck windows. She doesn't like to miss food or walks and can hear both in a deep sleep. I wonder sometimes if she would like to put me on a leash so she can stay near me all the time. She never sleeps too far away from me after four years and three months of rescuing her.

We are going for her walk this morning, the temperature will not matter since it's not as drastic as winter temps in Indiana were, plus the sunshine is bright this morning. I like morning walks more than afternoon walks, less traffic, less distractions for her and Heidi.

While I was getting ready to watch my day of college football, Stella decided to soak up some warm sunshine, which had not been around since last Tuesday morning. She evidently found the warmest part of the yard and wasn't going to move. She sat motionless for a long time before laying down.

During one of the commercials of the game I didn't see Heidi or Stella anywhere inside. They were not on the patio soaking up the sunshine. Look where I found them. It was in the low 50's but at 4,300  feet elevation the sun is hot and it feels much warmer than the temperature. This is the temperature range I found on climate data for a winter day. I can live with that.

After my team blew a 24-10 lead, something I have seen too many times over my lifetime, I was swearing to my friends online that if they end up losing this game "that is it, I'll never watch another ... ever". Well I grew up watching Indiana football and basketball. My dad was a coach and graduated from Indiana U, as I did and my younger brother. So I am use to terrible football records and blown games. But damn ... heading for one of the best seasons in Indiana football history ... then blowing this game would put me over the edge of insanity.  When it was 38-38 starting the 2nd overtime I came so close of turning the game off.

My friend in Chicago, also an IU alumnus, texted she was leaving the tv on with the sound turned off in the other room that she could not watch anymore. "If they win ... I'll go in rewind and watch the game, IF they lose I'll delete what was taped."

IU beat their hated rival 44-41 for their 8th win ... for the only the 8th time in 130 years of playing football, winning that many games. They have only won 9 games in a season TWICE in 130 years. Maybe now you can understand my intensity, when "it's just a game Steve".

After the game, I planted that ugly patio chair of mine out in the center of my backyard facing the sunshine and still able to see the mountains, smoking my 'victory cigar' ... it could be my last. Not because they may never win again ... I just don't like smoking that much, plus cigars are not healthy.

I didn't have my phone with me to take a photo but Stella was passed out on the patio, hanging over the side of it, sleeping in the sunshine. She had a rough day moving from place to place inside and outside to find the perfect place to nap.

Remember when I said that food could wake her up from a deep sleep. Well she was smelling steaks on a grill. Not our grill. Not her grill. The neighbor's grill. But to her or any bloodhound based on the "Bloodhound Property Laws" ... that is her steak, not theirs. Once she found out that she was not eating steak on a Saturday afternoon to celebrate the IU victory ... she headed inside JUST IN TIME .... to see the Papa Johns Pizza delivery man at the door. How lucky could she get.

She and Heidi took their normal portions whenever I am eating something while sitting on the couch, which usually involves watching a football, baseball or basketball game. They don't move an inch, they don't blink their eyes ... they are focused on nothing else but getting a piece of the pizza crust or a plain breadstick. Just one piece will not be enough either and I'm not sure they even taste it since it disappears so fast in their mouths. Let's just say they had a good snack.

Just because I had nothing else on my plate did not mean that Stella was finished begging. She always tries to get closer to the action if she thinks she can sway me into giving her one more piece of whatever she has been sharing with me. She will also sit there for a long time, not blinking ... once she figures out the snack is over and nothing else is going to be served ... she pouts with her head lowered.

Commercial time or halftimes of football games are always a nice time to head outside and see what the sky is doing. In this case I just barely caught the sunset.

All iPhone pictures today.

Just in case some readers may not know that use a phone or table to read the blog ... at the bottom of your screen you will see a link called "web version" .. if you click that link you will see the normal website as you would on a computer which includes the sidebars. There you can see other bloggers listed or the blog archive for posts all the way back to 2011. I also added some old favorite blogs I followed in the past back on the sidebar. Take a look, maybe one that you followed is back there on the list.

I am not a coffee expert. I always thought it was the water, filtered or tap, that made the difference in how the coffee taste. Some friends reminded me it wasn't that at all, it was the coffee maker that makes the difference. How could it ... there is hot water being poured over grounds then into your pot no matter if it is a Mr. Coffee, a Bunn or a Cuisenart coffee maker. Well after almost 20 years using a Bunn, two different makers, I found out the maker does make a difference in taste ... a big difference.

I tried the cheap route and bought a Mr Coffee. I returned it after two days of use. I hauled the leaking old Bunn coffee maker out of the garage trash to hold me over until Amazon shipped the Cuisinart maker I bought. After the FIRST CUP of coffee made by the Cuisnart I found out my friends were right ... the coffee machine makes a difference in the taste of coffee. One of my best purchases even if I only drink two cups per day.

I like riding my bike in the morning, right after getting back from Stella's walk. That was the summer routine up to the point of my crash. By the time I was back to riding after my surgery, the temperatures had cooled enough in the mornings where I didn't want to ride until the afternoons so the temps were above 50°. So I am in a little bit of conflict ... if I wait for warmer temps in the afternoon, by that time I have found something else I want to do besides ride a bicycle.

If I ride in the morning like I want, I am going to have to wear cycling clothes, which I have, to combat the temps in the 30's and 40s, depending how early I ride. I find that riding that early in the morning kinda sets the day up for me. I feel better whenever I ride, mentally and physically. Then I have all day to do what I need to do whether it be errands, hanging out with the hounds, reading books or possible roadtrip ... there is not that interruption in the day to change into cycling clothing and riding for an hour or two. In the mornings it does not feel like I am interrupting anything ... just getting a start on the new day.

I ended up not riding. By the time the afternoon rolled around to where I planned to ride I was on a different project. Cup of coffee in hand, two sleeping hounds in the sunshine, I parked my chair on the edge of the patio and enjoyed the day.

It was a nice relaxing day today, where we didn't do much as you can see. In retirement sometimes you don't have to do anything to enjoy what you have.

Sunny days are back here in the 'Wild West'.

My First Basset Hound - Harry

In 1987 I decided that it was time to buy my first basset hound. I always wanted one after seeing a basset hound on the show Columbo with Peter Falk many years before. When I saw that ad posted on the bulletin board in the lunch room at work I called immediately. Mark had a small number of pups to choose from.

Why did I pick Harry?  He was off by himself in the square pen padded with blankets on one half and newspapers on the other half. He didn't need his littermates, he was independent, a free thinker. Soon I would find out what that meant.  Ha Ha

He was a loyal companion and very adaptable with change. To him change just brought him a new adventure At the time I was living a few miles from Coupeville WA ... in the area of Ft. Ebey SP. Little did I know that he was a "wanderer". I can honestly say there was not a person he met that didn't like him. Many wanted him. Everybody loved Harry.

A few years later we took a break from Whidbey Island moving to Boise Idaho, we were not there too long at all. The boss of a friend called me offering me a job in Keystone Colorado, salary and a ski pass. Who could pass up a chance to live near 6 ski areas during ski season? Before Harry even got to know his Boise neighbors we were loading the U-Haul truck, putting the car on a trailer and heading to Dillon Colorado. He loved riding in any car or truck, even if I wasn't the driver or passenger. He'd go for a ride with anyone.

It didn't take to long for him to figure out if he wanted to stay warm in that small cabin south of Breckenridge Colorado, that wood stove would be his best friend. Only one time did he make a mistake of a lifetime.

While sleeping he rolled over on his back from one side to the other catching his rear paw under that metal lip on the front of the wood stove. Hotter than hell would be an understatement. Needless to say the sound from Harry scared the crap out of me as I sprinted his direction, with a sound I had never heard from any breed of dog.

He also figured out that the warm waterbed (remember those? Ha Ha) that  I used to sleep was THE best play to sleep. He was notorious for crawling up on the bed, lowering his nose under the down blanket and moving into his sleeping position.

While in Colorado he proved that people were not the only living creatures that had big dreams. I'll let this photo explain it better than I ever could.

By the end of ski season that included too many close calls with Harry falling through the high levels of snow on our daily walks plus hit by a porcupine only once, we decided that Whidbey Island was where we wanted to live and moved back to Oak Harbor Washington.


We found a rental that we could not pass up. It was a little small but not bad for me and two basset hounds. At the end of Jones Rd. was a fantastic view and Hope Island so close you could almost touch it. We lived in the bottom unit. The owners lived in their house on top, spending their winters in California. We basically had the whole place to ourselves.

Harry thought the view from the couch wasn't bad either.

By this time he had a running mate but Barney was a little more in control. A homebody if you will. He didn't wander nor did he follow when Harry would take off to who knows where. Barney was the one that would come and get me with that look "Harry's gone."

While I was at work my landlord that lived in the house above us, told me Barney and Harry were very quiet dogs that didn't do much more than this all day long. Harry thought if he was going to explore late at night without telling me, then he needed his rest.

Harry was the type of basset hound that might wander off for long periods of time but he would always come back on his own, no matter how long or how many miles he covered. There were many times I'd let him out late at night for that last pee trip and he would leave. I couldn't find him either on foot nor in a car. He was gone !!!  A regular occurrence.

Two examples.

I get a call about 2am on night letting me know that Harry was at his house, someone that I did not know. He found my phone number on the dog tag Harry wore. The interesting thing was, this guy was calling from three miles away!!! He laughed at the end of the call.

"My wife and I don't have a dog but we heard a dog barking non-stop and it sounded like it was coming from our patio. So as I pulled the patio curtain back and here is Harry (he didn't know his name). I opened the door and without hesitation Harry walked in like he lived here, walked over close the wood stove, laid down and went to sleep."

Yes ... true story.

The second example is a little more local and didn't take more than an hour. He would always go to the door to go outside and his last trip was usually around 11pm. I started noticing that every time he would come back that winter he smelled like smoke. Like campfire smoke or even a fireplace smoke ... could it be??? Surely not.

That spring there was a construction crew on the property doing some work. As Harry, Barney and I walked out for our early Saturday morning walk on the Ala Spit a few hundred feet away, this young guy goes "Hey, there's Harry." We exchanged stories, he knew he was my dog but Harry felt like his .... those winter nights that Harry would come back smelling like smoke ???

Well he would end up down Jones Rd a little ways at this guys house, go on the deck to their patio door, bark non-stop until they let him inside then he would take a short nap by their fireplace. When he was ready he would walk over to their patio door, they would let him out and he would return home a little after 1am.

He still like spending time looking out over the water. Luckily he did not figure out the crab pots were within a 100', he liked fresh seafood, bones and all in some cases. Salmon especially.

I had one those times where I will make an off the wall decision like I have spoke about recently. Well don't ask me why but for some strange, very strange reason I decide I did not want to rent anymore, wanted to live closer to town and ended up buying a condo in the middle of Oak Harbor Washington. Basset Hounds and all.  (terrible decision)

He decided the best place to sleep was not in the bedroom on a pile of Mexican blankets that he loved but behind the row of books, under the tv in the living room.

In December 1994 we moved to Bloomington Indiana. Soon after Harry had lined up a modeling job through a neighbor. Fine Light Advertising paid him beer money for a photo session in town. He loved every minute under the bright lights with the sounds of cameras clicking nonstop for that perfect picture. People pampered him all afternoon making sure his hair and collar looked just right.

Harry learned that type of work fast. He wasn't going to work for peanuts, he had demands. He wanted a break every hour so he could go outside and pee, or walk around the backyard while the camera crew were inside laughing so hard they couldn't stand up straight. They all loved Harry.

A couple of years later we moved to the house we reside in today. The field looks about the same. The yard looked a little rough compared to what it looks like today. You could not tell the borderline between the field and yard.

The yard and tall grass didn't bother Harry though, he had a whole new planet to roam. He was easy to find out there by the white tip of his wagging tail.

It's pictures like these where I can answer my own question?  "Is the field and yard eroding or has it always looked like that?" Actually it has not changed much in 20 years and my house is not being swallowed up by moving land, like I imagine sometimes. That's an old Prime Star satellite dish you see there. They were bought out soon after I moved by some company in 1999 by the name of DirecTv.

Of course living in the country expanded Harry's explorations tenfold. I cannot tell you everywhere he went and I'd have to go rescue him. With my location I wanted it all to stop with the highway so close to us. Thankfully in the years he lived here he never had any close close calls getting hit by a car. He would cross that highway at all hours of the day or night if he was in the wandering mode.

I guess the one highlight of his roaming ... this time he found something he could do when it was hot in the summer. He would head north in the field, walk behind my neighbor's house where Sadie and Stella use to roam, then over to the neighbor north of them. He preferred to lay on the top step of their swimming pool since he found out that laying down on the second step the water was too deep for him to sleep under the sun.

The first time the neighbor called me, she was laughing so hard she could barely tell me that Harry was at their house in case I was looking for him.

His official AKC Name on his "papers" was Harry Gonso of Indiana … the starting QB of the 1967 IU team that went to the only Rose Bowl in school's history, January 1968. I sat in front of the real Harry Gonso at an IU basketball game once but didn't have the heart to tell him there was a nationwide famous basset hound named after him.

He liked all dogs big or small and all people, especially if they were willing to let him have a couple of sips of their beer. Healthy minerals you know.

Not a Lot To Blog About

One thing that has changed since I retired in April, the hounds get to go outside a lot more than when I was working. They also seem to like to go outside at the same times day and night. Just recently Heidi has been going outside every time the other two go outside and that's a good thing. Just this past summer she rarely got off of her dog bed on the floor and usually that was just to move to the couch.

But she is evidently feeling better now because not only does she go outside even for short trips, she is barking at 4pm every day to be fed.

It may take some coaxing to get her to get off the couch and go on the daily walk but once she starts the walk, she insists that she be the leader of the walk and will do anything to keep in front of Sadie to maintain the lead.

Little does she know that Sadie could care less who leads. Sadie is only conscious of what scent is in front of her nose and yesterday it was good I had her on a leash, the deer scents were stronger than normal.

Winston on the other hand is getting older and consequently is needing to go out more times than this time last year. I can tell that his aging process seems to have increased this past year and in a way that is a sad thing.

He will also put his nose to the ground as soon as he steps outside. He is stubborn, will not listen if a scent has him busy and is slow in everything he does. He is on his own clock and will not move faster no matter how much I voice commands.

In this picture around noon today he is enjoying a cool 65°. His favorite position is laying on the concrete in the sun and will spend hours sleeping, at times so long that I forget that he is outside.

Sadie have has never liked having her picture taken. I was able to when she was just a few months old, but after that she would turn her head or take off running. She definitely does not like the camera.

In this case I took eight different photos trying to catch her looking at me and every time at the last split second she would turn her head.

She might not like cameras but she LOVES outdoors. She loves going outside, will stay out for a while or there will be times that she will want to come back inside two minutes after wanting to go outside. She never barks but will just stand still until I come outside to find her.

She will even sit sometimes in the field not moving, thinking she is stuck or her rope is tangled up. The funny thing is, she is not on the rope that is anchored. The one time she was attacked by the neighbor's dog, she just sat down and didn't move while the other dog was moving around her in circles barking.

All of these photos were taken today around noon with an iPhone 5S.

It's another beautiful day here in the 'tropics' of southern Indiana. It was all weekend actually and it is the norm for this time of year, yet it's strange seeing all the different kinds of weather hitting other parts of the USA, the fires in California, flooding in Arizona and tornadoes yesterday in Michigan. Still very nice here and one of the reasons I hardly have the urge to travel in the fall seasons in the Midwest. Plus it's football season.

Saturday was the normal college football marathon. What can I say, I'm addicted to that sport even though there are still things outside the game I don't like about it. I am hesitant to say what I don't like about the current game because it also spreads into the NFL, and society in general. It would take too long to type and discuss all the different aspects of some sad situations and wold only lead to more discussions on subjects I am tired about hearing in the news.

I'll talk about the games only and not the news outside the games.

My local team (IU) had a major upset at Missouri Saturday. They have a little split personality in them the past couple of years, meaning they can play great one weekend and next weekend they might look like they have never played the game. I'll take the win on Saturday though. Those type of wins are very very rare in football.

I only have one tv but flip back and forth to different games during commercials. I also have my remote set up to a set of sports channels on DirecTv. It's amazing how many games are televised at one time. I don't want to see all of the games but a lot of times there are a couple of games going on at the same time, so I'll record one and then watch it later IF it turns out to be a good game. My Saturday viewing starts at noon eastern time and ends after the late Pac12 game usually around 1:30am Sunday morning. I'm a night person, so there is not a problem with the late finish time.

Sunday I watched only a couple of NFL games. The local Colts games and then a Super Bowl rematch where Denver was in Seattle, a game that went into overtime. Great game to watch.

Some might be asking what do the hounds do during all of these football games? They sleep most of the time which is their normal daily activity. Throughout the day they will have me take them outside, more trips during the day since I am retired. We can usually fit those requests to go outside during commercials and we still do the daily walk either at game halftimes or between games.

Their daily routine is not changed just because I am watching football. It's good they have the room to spread out during the day, each hitting their favorite sleeping spots and those spots do change during the day. That is one thing I think about deciding whether to buy a trailer or not ... the available room. The interesting thing is their sleeping spots are the same every day and change by what time of day it is.

Heidi is feeling much better. She is actually going outside every time the other two hounds go out, where she wasn't during the summer. She hardly got off of her dog bed during the summer, only getting up to move to the couch to continue her sleeping marathons. She takes her time deciding whether to go on the daily walk but then will insist she leads the way once the walk starts.

With all the news about Apple's release of the iPhone 6 and the OS upgrade to 8.0, I am seeing today in the blogs I follow that 8.0 seems to be too frustrating so they are showing people how they can revert back to OS 7.2. I usually wait before upgrading operating systems on my phone or computer and I think I'll still follow that until the bugs are worked out. It's tempting but I'm sticking with the 5s I bought in June. I remember when I decided to renew my contract and upgrade my phone, I had decided not to wait for the iPhone 6. I wasn't sure I would like the size of it.

Really, I have no desire to be carrying a small tablet all the time when I am out and about. In fact I have been tempted recently to selling my 1st generation iPad, my iPhone 4 and my new iPhone 5s ... then going to a cheap flip phone to use for emergencies and making the few calls I make every month. When I thought about that, the only thing I could gain by selling the 5s, is part of the cost of the phone. I would still have to have the same monthly plan with Verizon, so I would not be saving anything there. I might as well keep the 5s.

Reading Rick's blog this morning, I started thinking if I should go back to a Google+ account. Unlimited storage for iPhone photographs is a pretty good deal. I have plenty of room on my iMac, so storage is not an issue for photographs, same with my 16Gb iPhone. I have 1,000's of photos on my iPhone and have barely used the amount of storage available. I still remember the reasons I stopped my Google+ account before and still feel the same way about it.

Rick did bring up an interesting point when he was talking about cameras. He said with digital photography and posting photos on blogs, it really didn't make a difference if those blog photos were taken by an iPhone or a bigger digital camera. Recently I've been thinking of buying a bigger digital camera to get back into photography as a hobby. It's been almost 20 years since I had a larger camera and interchangeable lenses. The only other camera I have besides my iPhone is a Nikon CoolPix 3100, that I bought years ago for my online sales business.

Many times I would have to use a tripod with that camera because I was not able to hold the camera still enough when I used two hands. Would it be that way if I were to buy a larger Nikon? I think a larger camera would be easier to hold and less chance of blurred photos that the CoolPix has at times.

That's about it ... nothing really going on ... and I apologize for the lack of excitement in this post. It's just part of the laid back lifestyle outside a small rural town. I'm spending less time on the computer recently, looking and reading about different cameras, and on occasion trailers and camping equipment. I have thought more about traveling this winter. I still don't see traveling is possible with my three hounds and two hands.

Smooth Blog Merger

The merging of the two blogs went pretty smoothly until I made a major mistake and didn't back up my old blog. It was simple to transfer the newer blog posts and comments, by exporting them and importing that file into the old blog. It even sorted them by date without changing any formats of the older blog. I chose the option of posting the new blog posts automatically.

The mistake was made when I didn't back up my old blog, then tried something different for the blogs I follow on the left side. I thought I would have 'traveling bloggers' and a separate section for 'retirement bloggers' that I had moved from my new blog. It looked ok but I decided to even merge them into one section because it would be hard to see both sections due to the amount of blogs I have added.

With a quick glance I thought I had the correct section that I wanted to delete but I didn't see that the newest section 'retirement bloggers' was at the top when I added the gadget. So without a blog backup, I deleted all of the blogs I have been following for 2+ years, of people RVing. It took a while but with the help of other blogs I follow and using their blog lists I remembered most of them I think. Other's I found by typing their blog names and having my browser memory bring them up automatically.

I think this is a good move getting back to one blog. It will be easier for the readers, myself and will follow what I said I was going to do last month ... blogging about the three subjects in the title. Which you will notice I did a slight change to the blog title.

One post that you may not have seen on my other blog, will show why I have had a hard time trying to decide over the years to move, sell out, stay part of the year, etc. This blog post and photos will give you a good idea what at times I have a hard time deciding what to do.

You can read about it here: Some things that keep me here.

I will say I have not looked at any RV sites recently nor Craig's List for something to buy ... but I have thought about traveling off and on. With only 2 hands available and the DNA of the hound breed, I still feel it would be too hard to travel with 3 hounds.

Tonight on the daily walk was a good example as 3 deer hopped out of the woods that border the field we walk through, totally unexpected, while Sadie and Heidi came close of pulling both leashes out of my hands as they were taking off to catch the deer. Even when I held them, I could almost feel the retractable leash break with the strength that Sadie was pulling. The leash held up but it was a struggle to keep 2 of the hounds from breaking away. Winston in the mean time was walking his slow pace and with eye allergies I don't believe he saw the deer.

Still, some short trips will be made locally with the hounds.

Thoughts on a Saturday

Some of you may have witnessed my blog was changing its template and format about every 15 minutes Friday night. I went to bed with the template I thought I liked but changed it the first thing Saturday morning. It now looks just like that RV and Hounds blog that I stopped writing on. I am still undecided about the two column format on this blog but I believe this template will stay around. I like the colors and the feel it has while I'm reading it. Feel free to send any suggestions.

I went to bed last night with major plans this morning. So far at 10:38am local time I have not started anything except the usual. That usual is two cups of Starbuck's coffee as I read online, maybe do a blog post and read what little email I get. I am not really happy with that start because it is becoming more and more routine. Like a daily routine. No worries, my plan of weed eating the rest of the hay around my rope anchor will get done but it will cost me because the temperature will be much higher when I am doing it ... unless I push it to Sunday morning.

One of the things I notice in retirement, I usually don't know what day of the week it is and if I do, it's very rare. It's only an observation, doesn't really matter but a change when you have lived a pretty structured life for 40+ years. At times I wonder if I am bored or am I just content with my life? After all, I have never lived anywhere as long as I have in this house. That seems very strange because I use to like to move and in the past that use to be costly not only in starting over but the funds used to get there. So for me being here in this house since 1997 is hard to believe at times.

Still, I find there is plenty to do around here but it only happens when I get out of this desk chair and get outside or down the highway. I see myself falling into a rut that I don't want to happen and at times find I don't have the motivation to make the change. That concerns me a little. It's something that I thought might happen during those days off in a 3-day weekend when I had a job.

Like last night I completely forgot it was Friday. I woke up dreaming, trying to figure out why I was at work and why I needed to work 14 hours to get caught up. I was thrilled to open my eyes and see Sadie standing next to the bed giving me a look "I need to go outside". It was nice to know I was no longer working a job.

I'm usually a late starter anyway. I am much more of a night person than a morning person but the hounds have their routine and that has not changed since I retired. They still get up around 6:30 for their first of many trips (depending on weather) outside. This morning I could not believe it was June after seeing this horizon. I had to take a photo of it.

2014 June 21

Then after waking up to a very confusing dream and glad it was only a dream, the hounds go back outside for a 2nd time. I wonder if they do this because the want to go outside or that they know once they come back inside they get their "milk bone", that I buy at Costco where they are hand packed into a 15# box. I am beginning to think they like that 2nd bone of the day.

Speaking of Costco, I usually make the 90 mile trek to the north side of Indianapolis for dog food, milk bones, some groceries and that also puts me in the vicinity of Trader Joe's. I use to buy Costco's brand of Nature Domain dog food. It is made by Diamond Foods. They also manufacture Taste of the Wild along with their dog food under the Diamond Name. The Nature Domain food at Costco has the same ingredients as the much more expensive and smaller bag Taste of the Wild. Here is my typical trip to Costco.

Dog Food & Dog Bones

That's a lot of miles to drive just for that but it's nice to wander around Costco at times as long as I keep the billfold closed. After one of my infamous spreadsheet analysis on dog food costs, including gas to travel, I decided it was best to buy at my local Bloomfield Feed Store. I buy the Diamond Natural for Large Breeds. Dog Food Review ranks that food as a 4-Star and it's $33 for a 40# bag ... Your credit or debit card is not good there, it's either cash or check.

Another thing I like to do in Indianapolis is not going to the Indy500 race but I like going to Indy500 practice. No traffic problems, usually plenty of sun, good food and a lot of loud laps. No, I am a fan of the other races at Indy, just the Indy500.

During practice you can get a little closer to the cars. I like seeing the designs that will change from year to year. A drastic change was made from standard body design for many years to this design in 2013.

This is a 2002 Model

2002 Red Bull Team - Tomas Scheckner

This is a 2012 model which was the most drastic change in decades, with the body wrapped around the rear wheel. Just for towing purposes, the nose is not attached on the car below.

Body Behind Rear Wheels

Besides racing and basketball, Indianapolis has a professional baseball team, currently the AAA affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. A new stadium was built in the past 14 years by the same company that designed Coors Field in Denver. This stadium is easy to get in and out of located a few blocks north of I-70. Tickets are much much cheaper than the MLB prices and you can get better seats. It's a nice way to spend a night watching baseball, if you are a baseball fan.

Indianapolis Indians

One of my favorite towns of all time is Bloomington Indiana. It was one of the reasons I moved back to Indiana in 1994, besides the employment reasons. I attended college here in 1970, just after all the anti-war protests in the 60's. During my time on campus they had great concerts by big time 60's bands, have a highly ranked School of Music, Business School and of course all IU sports are in the BigTen Conference. I've attended IU Football and IU Basketball games since I was I a kid growing up. I was born my dad's senior year on campus and spent my first year of life on campus, maybe that is why I "bleed", IU.

Assembly Hall

Memorial Stadium

Even thought I am a graduate of Indiana University, I attended many games in Seattle watching the University of Washington Huskies while living on Whidbey Island. I still think the most beautiful surrounding area to watch a college football game has to be the UW stadium on Lake Washington.

University of Washington Stadium

In a rare IU appearance in Seattle, I was able to fly out in 2003 and watch the Huskies pound the Hoosiers in football. It was nice to see that the surrounding Husky fans understood and told us Indiana was a "basketball school" and not known for football, they understood who their opponent was that day. They were more interested in beating Oregon that fall, as many of the cheers during the IU - Washington game were about beating the Ducks of Oregon.

IU vs UDub 2003

I've talked about my change in diet since I retired in April 2014 and most of my meals look like this with no limit in amounts of veggies or fruits. This is a typical lunch or dinner.

Daily Salad

Yet in Bloomington is one the 'all-time' favorite places for IU fans and alumni that has been located here since the 1940's. They keep expanding the building by adding floors. On the wall going to the 3rd floor are autographs of the 1984 Olympic Basketball team, who trained in Bloomington that summer since Bob Knight was the Olympic Coach for that year. Just a few of the names are Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. No doubt a few drunk patrons have tried to get that piece of wall out of there and into their collection.

Just called Nick's and people from IU know nationwide what you are talking about.

Nick's English Pub

That is not what Nick's English Hut is noted for, the autographed wall. What they are noted for nationwide by any IU alumnus is what I eat about every 3-4 months just to keep my cholesterol up.  lol It is their world famous strom. I've been told by the bartenders I am one of the few that orders the 12" strom and finishes the 12" strom. I usually make it home 25 miles away just in time for an afternoon siesta after eating one of these. It is full of provolone cheese, Italian sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, and pizza sauce. It has been slightly changed by new ownership in the amount of ingredients they fill the Italian bread with, just like most restaurants in today's economy.

"The" Strom

It doesn't matter where I am in Bloomington nor what I'm doing, if it isn't the strom I buy ... I will drive out of the way to the SE corner of Bloomington to 5Guys to have one of these. The last time I visited, I decided to change up on the order and buy my normal cheese burger (standard is double) and a "Jr's Cheeseburger" which turned out to be a single cheeseburger. No fear, I ate them both and never felt full. They tasted great!!

5Guys

I realize for the purist in good diets NEITHER of those are good for me ... but I like the word I see most people say ... MODERATION! I guess I'll keep eating them with possibly a longer period of time between meals.

So as you see, I don't do a lot around here but there is enough to do once I make an effort to get in the car. I think that since I have all kinds of time on my hands now, I don't feel as rushed doing different things because I am not trying to fit everything into a weekend between the work weeks. I like doing all of these things during the work day now ... less crowds, less traffic.

The thing is, these are all fun things to do, but I've been doing them for a very very long time. At times it feels like it's time to move on to other NEW things, NEW places. I want to see the stars at night where is absolutely no traffic sounds, unlike here. I want to wake up in places that have no one around for miles. I want to sit out in the early morning heating water up for a cup of coffee or tea.

So we will see what happens.

Still, as my other blog Hounds and RV's shows a 2+ year history, I have had a very strong urge to travel these past couple of years. I can't decide how to go or where to go, but the options have always changed. The hounds have played a role in those decisions or lack thereof. I believe they deserve to be considered when I am thinking of traveling and/or making major decisions.

That's about all I have for today. One good thing about retirement, if you don't get your next item on your 'to do' list finished as planned, there is always tomorrow.

BTW ... I finished what I had planned this morning. No photos but I did cut all the hay the farmer chose to leave around Sadie's rope anchor. Of course for the 3rd year in a row, I got so close with my metal blade on the weed eater that I caught her rope. It's been shortened enough from my previous two mistakes that I cannot tie it back together and have it long enough to reach the house. The length was based on two things, short enough to keep her out of the trees and long enough that it would reach the house so I can hook the rope to her collar without me going out into the yard in bad weather.  :)