Anecdotes, Antidotes, and Anodes

Controversy in Fruita, Colorado

 When I first saw this pink cap on my vanity that theHansman left there, you can imagine my surprise by seeing this logo embroidered across the front.

Then I read the fine print, which you probably can't see. 

It says, "Welcome to Fruita."

This is another one of those posts where I'll be asking for your opinion, if you choose to keep reading.

You probably already know mine, but let me share a childhood experience which made a big impact on me concerning the use of four-letter words.

It happened when I was eight years old,  playing the marble game, Wahoo, with my mom and dad. 

In Wahoo, with the roll of the dice, marbles move along the board headed 'home.'  But, if someone rolls the correct number and your marble just happens to be in that particular spot, your marble gets knocked off and sent back to the starting gate. 

That happened to one of my marbles. 

To which I blurted out, "That darn marble."  (Referring to the marble that knocked my marble back to the start.)

Well, that word darn immediately caught the attention of both my parents.

In the next few seconds, I learned what Ivory Soap tasted like.

Yup.  They made me wash out my mouth with Ivory Soap.

No tellin' what would have happened had I said, "Damn marble."

So, with that consequence of saying darn, to this very day, I choose my 'potty mouth words' very carefully.

Which leads us back to this:

The City of Fruita is in the process of developing a marketing strategy to attract more tourism to the area, and part of that strategy entails the design and production of promotional materials that will appear in fixed locations such as highway billboards, bumper stickers, and the like.

Here is part of an article  by Laura Bly, USA TODAY

WTF ?
Controversial tourism slogan bites the dust

In the mountain biker magnet of Fruita, Colorado, decals for a sports shop read FU ("Fruita, USA") and an annual festival is dedicated to a headless chicken named Mike.

But that free-wheeling vibe has its limits: After asking for public feedback on a potential marketing campaign incorporating the double-entendre "WTF" (as in "Welcome to Fruita"), city officials discovered that most citizens weren't LOL.

It all started when a local couple printed 500 "WTF" stickers and distributed them free to downtown businesses. While the slogan generated attaboys from as far away as Australia and proved so catchy the couple made up another 1,500 decals, the western Colorado town of 13,000 won't be giving it their stamp of approval.

The edgy campaign "is not dead," says city manager Clint Kinney, who predicts the business community will "pick it up and run with it" despite the lack of municipal support.

But, he adds, "the hard part is, the people you represent and the people you market to don't always agree."

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So, if you lived in Fruita, Colorado, would you be in favor of this marketing campaign or not ?

And, don't just answer yes or no . . . feel free to voice your opinion, in 50 words, more or less.

A Grand Junction Moon

 Here's what the moon looked like one evening and the next morning last week.

Evening Moon over Mt. Garfield

Morning Moon over The Monument

 

Captain Owen P. Honors

 Dear Readers in the Grand Junction Area:

As you know, this Sunday will be the 10th anniversary of 9/11. During the remembrance event at Stocker Stadium (1:00 p.m.), Navy Captain Owen P. Honors, former Commander of the U.S.S. Enterprise will be the main speaker. He was the fighter pilot who led the squadron that flew over Bookcliff Middle School just a few days after 9/11. The students and teachers even received a "wing tip!"

 

Many of you met him at the Special Needs Static Air Show and at Hans and Kathy's parties. 

The organizers of this special event encourage everyone to wear yellow or a yellow ribbon or streamer, or carry yellow helium balloons. 

Please let everyone know about this and invite them to attend.

 

Augusta's Tea Room

Whew !  Just now settling down to about three-thousand photos from my youngest daughter and her family's visit from last week.  OK. May not exactly 3,000.  

2,304 to be exact.

Where does one start ? 

One starts with Augusta's Tea Room for High Tea.

Little Miss Parker chose to wear a special outfit given to her by E-E, her aunt, and a very fashionable fascinator. 

Mom looks beautiful as usual and is also sporting a fascinator.

Miss Augusta provided a fancy pinafore for this special occasion.

Just a little bit apprehensive about this new adventure as evidenced by the look on her face.

Nothing like a fancy chapeau to complete the outfit.

Making some final adjustments to the pinafore.
(Please note the change in head gear.  She did this several times as you will realize a little later down the page.)

Smiles of anticipation for High Tea, which none of us have experienced before.

Precious.

Engaging in a bit of girl-talk before the tea is served.

Prim and proper with the legs crossed and the napkin positioned in the lap.
Precious.
Have I mentioned precious ?

Gammy just can't get enough of her.

Since Parker has never had hot tea before, she's just not sure what to expect as Miss Augusta pours her selection . . . Raspberry Royal.

 

Once all the sugar was added, the tea was almost the consistency of syrup. 

One can never add too much cream.

No caption needed !

These three tiers contained raspberry scones, dill & lemon scones, lavender & lemon scones, rose cookies, brownies, lemon tarts, jelly filled pastries . . . ok, you get the picture. 

Just lots and lots of treats that literally melt in your mouth.
(Brooke and I especially loved the dill & lemon scones.)

Cheers.  Oh wait.  Maybe 'cheers' isn't appropriate for High Tea ! 

Finishing off her first cup of Raspberry Royal Tea.

Seems as though drinking tea causes one to have an attitude.

One must inspect the sweets very closely before tasting.

One must smell the sweets very closely before tasting.

Just taste it.  It's good.

She's just not sure she wants to try the dill & lemon filling.

Taking a few seconds to pose for another photo.
By now, you may have noticed the beautiful jewelry.
Premier Jewelry !

 

Time for a second cup of Raspberry Royal and more cream . . .

 . . . and more sugar. 

Are we having fun yet ?

Gammy's freckled-faced little princess.

 Sharing a brownie.

After tea and sweets, it was time for dress up.

I looked at all the photos that were taken and tried to make a decision on a couple of them to post.

I looked at all the photos again and decided I couldn't decide.

So, here's a look at Little Miss P in each one of  the chapeaus she found in Miss Augusta's basket.

Now, you see why I couldn't decide which ones NOT to post.

August 7, 2011
High Tea at Augusta's Tea Room
Grand Junction, Colorado

A Memory Maker !

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Augusta's Tea Room ~ (more information on this link)
524 Colorado Avenue (behind Planet Earth ~ alley entrance)
970-242-5310
970-629-2916

High Tea served in the Secret Garden

Thursday 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Saturday  3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday  11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Reservations Required

Walk-in Times:
Thursday 3:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Friday 12:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 

You Know It's Humid When . . .

This post has come about because of something posted on Facebook.  

Something like the photo below with this caption, " Monsoon Season in GJ !  I love it . . . mornings and evenings around 70 degrees, no humidity, fresh air . . . putting on a jacket to go feed the critters and look for Wile-E Coyote.

Evidently, there are those here in Grand Junction who chose to disagree with the "no humidity" part of that caption.

They seem to be more than just disgruntled about the amount of humidity we are experiencing lately.

OK. So, it is more humid lately than normal because we are in the midst of Monsoon Season.

I do confess that I mis-spoke by saying NO HUMIDITY.  Sorry.

BUT, there is a difference in the humidity here and the humidity, let's say, in Oklahoma. 

Oh no, you say.  Humidity is humidity no matter where it's located.

That's where I beg to differ.

So, when one of my Facebook friends went so far as to check on the humidity here and the humidity there and then posted that Grand Junction had more than Tulsa, that's when vague memories of teaching eighth grade science came cob-webbing through.

Yes. Yes. I do remember.  There's a chart for humidity and temperatures.  A chart like the one below:

Let's see now . . . yesterday morning my themometer said it was 75 degrees.  Oops.  Seventy-five isn't even on the chart.  So, let's say it was 80 degrees. Even if there was 95%humidity (which it wasn't that high no matter how much those friends squawked). we're still in the yellow portion of the chart.  Even at 80 degrees and 100% humidity, it still only feels like it's 87 degrees.  Stop whining.

Now, let's talk about Oklahoma.  My daughter lives there.  I know she does.  I talked to her yesterday just after she mowed the yard at 6:00 a.m. (in Oklahoma).  At that time, it was already 95 degrees and it reached 102 degrees later in the day.  The humdity there was a mere 55%. 

OK. So, you've already found where those two numbers intersect on the chart. Yup. The red portion which denotes:  Extreme Danger !  Therefore, the temperature felt like it was 130 degrees.

WAIT! Humidity of  only 55%?  Why does it feel more humid than that.

What’s going on here there ? Meteorologists use the term humidity pretty loosely. Most of the time “relative humidity” is shortened to just “humidity”. But the word relative is very important to the term and can lead to confusion when dropped. 

You see, warm air can hold a lot more moisture than cooler air. As temperatures go up in a steady linear pace, the air’s ability to hold water goes up in a rapid exponential pace. So the “humidity” is simply “relative” to the temperature.

The thing to remember is an airmass at 100° can hold a lot of water. So even at a low 40% relative humidity, it feels just a wee bit sticky.

This is where the word "dewpoint" enters the scene.

ENTER:  Dewpoint.

 Remember the dewpoint is what the temperature would have to fall to for the air to be saturated at 100% relative humidity. This is why the temperature cannot fall below the dewpoint. There cannot be 110% relative humidity.

Using the chart above you see 94° with only 60% RH makes it feel like 110°. The dew point would be about 78°.

Now let’s drop the temp from 88° to 78° (wouldn’t it be nice if it were that easy). Keeping the dewpoint at 61° raises the relative humidity from 40% to 56%. So getting sweat to evaporate and cool your skin on the 78° day would take longer. However, you wouldn’t need to sweat as much since its only 78°.

Thus the day and the place with higher relative humidity doesn’t feel as humid since it goes hand in hand with cooler temps.

Enter another word . . . or two:  Heat Index

The heat index (HI) is an index that combines air temperature and relative humidity in an attempt to determine the human-perceived equivalent temperature — how hot it feels, termed the felt air temperature. The human body normally cools itself bysweating which evaporates and carries heat away from the body. However, when the relative humidity is high, the evaporation rate is reduced, so heat is removed from the body at a lower rate causing it to retain more heat than it would in dry air. Measurements have been taken based on subjective descriptions of how hot subjects feel for a given temperature and humidity, allowing an index to be made which relates one temperature and humidity combination to another at a higher temperature in drier air.

Moral of this story:

Evidently, everything is relative . . .even humidity !

But, I digress.  The title of this post is:

"You know it's humid when . . .

your glass has more water on the outside than on the inside."

you step outside and your glasses fog up."

your air conditioner acts more like a sprinkler system than it does an AC."

you are sweating just reading this post."

you washed the dishes yesterday, and they're still draining."

you lift your blouse so that the sweat running between your boobs cools your chest."

the only reason you take a shower is to rinse the salt off your skin."

after taking that shower on Monday, you're still wet on Wednesday."

there is moss growing on the shady side of your car and you drove it yesterday."

you drive through the car wash to remove the moss and it won't dry."

your naturally straight hair has taken on a life of it's own and is now in ringlets."

 . . . OK . . . you're next . . .

"You know it's humid when . . .

 

Continuing to Be Random

As boredom sets in and my inability to concentrate on anything continues, my twisted sense of humor takes over.

May I first suggest that if you did not read the comments from yesterday's post, that you do so NOW.

Right now.

Scroll down and find that little word "comments" after the post and click on it.  Several readers out did themselves with their comments.

While perusing through some photographs from last year's JUCO World Series, these caught my eye for some reason or 'nother.

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2)

3)

4)

5)

Nikki.  That last one's for you gal-friend !

Now.

Once again, you are more than welcome to caption these.

Find a theme that connects all of them or a couple of them or none of them . . .

Whatever.

I love it when those of you who stalk read here, and then finally give it up and leave a comment.

For now, I shall continue to be totally distracted and hope that a few of you will continue to visit.

Palisade Peach Festival

                                                                            

Because it's been a few years since HansMan and I went to the Palisade Peach Festival, we were unaware the venue location (is that redundant?) had changed. 

No wonder we were able to park the car so close. 

Once realizing no one was where they were supposed to be, we started looking around for tents, listening for the music, and smelling for the turkey legs and roasted corn.

Par for the course, HansMan said let's just follow those people.  After walking about ten blocks, we deduced those people either weren't going the the festival or they were lost, too.

Because those ten blocks were downhill, we realized the trek back would be uphill all the way. Never mind that it's a blistering ninety-eight degrees. But, it's a dry heat.  It's also my understanding that so is a blast furnace.

That's when I spotted a taxi.

Once we arrived back to where we started, HansMan said,  "Let's follow those people." 

(The bruise on his arm isn't that bad. )

Here's how the rest of the conversation went among him, me, and a couple of people directing traffic, AND a good reason why asking for directions won't always get you to where you need to be.

Let me set the stage for you... All the streets in this little community are roped off.  There are those bright orange cones everywhere.  There are people wearing glow-in-the dark orange and yellow vests and hard hats everywhere.  Any street without ropes across it have barricades across it. And, evidently, we are not the only ones who don't know where the peaches are.  There are cars going every-which-a-way.

Keep this in mind...very important...we are WALKING.

We approach one of those people directing traffic and has control today.  You know the kind.  Those people who have authority for a few hours and think they can boss everyone around.

HansMan:  Where's the festival ?

Young Man with Authority:  The what ?

HansMan:  The peach festival.

Young Man with Authority: The what kind of festival ?

HansMans: The festival that all these people are trying to find that you're directing traffic to.  (Or in this case. . . away from. )

Young Man with Authority: I don't know.

Period of silence as I look into his eyes to see if anyone is under that hard hat.

We continue walking and approach a young lady dressed in the same attire with the same amount of authority...these drivers' and their passengers lives are in the hands of these people with the vests and hard hats...

HansMans:  We're trying to figure out how to get to the festival.

Young Lady with Authority:  The what ?

Me:  There aren't any signs telling us where the festival is.

Young Lady with Authority:  There are signs EVERYWHERE (emphasis on EVERYWHERE) telling you where to park.

Now I know why they were both holding signs that said, "SLOW."

Grand Junction: Art on the Corner

Here's today's challenge:

Every town across America has something artsy about it. Most cities have a public art program, although it may take a little bit of research to find where all the displays are located. My idea is to seek out the artsy side of the towns we live in or near, post the photo or photos and maybe write a short description of the art and the artist. If there is currently no display of Public Art in your area, then show us how your town decorates to invite visitors to your area. Banners, Welcome signs, etc. 

CLINK this LINK for more of Round Robin's Public Art !

If you "connect" with any of these and want to add a caption, please feel free to do so.

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I love downtown Grand Junction. Sometimes I just meander up and down this serpentine little Main Street to savor all the sights, sounds, and smells.

The Art and Soul of the Grand Valley has more information and a virtual tour.

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MESSAGE from the EMERGENCY SWAMPCAST SYSTEM:

Be sure to come to a Surprise Birthday Party Tomorrow !

Have a Good Day

No time to blog but wanted to at least say, "Have a good day." 
And, I know, you're saying, "Don't tell me what kind of day to have."

So, let's start with the sunrise that I saw over Mt. Garfield this morning...

and end with the sunset I saw over Puget Sound and The Olympics Mountains this evening...

Now, go have yourself a Good Day, Good Afternoon, Good Evening, or Good Night...whichever one fits.

Amanda's Neon Smile at Country Jam

There are several "housekeeping" items that need to be taken care of here at The Asylum.  Due to the frenetic atmosphere here, the ""gifts" that arrived this weekend are not shown on this post. With more than eight (8) people wandering around the house, not counting theHansMan, Bubba, Bug, and myself, I am meeting myself coming and going at about 60 miles per hour.  I promise to show you what arrived from my blogger friend, Melissa in New Zealand, soon. It is one of the most thoughtful gifts ever given to me.

A couple of posts about Country Jam always show up this time of year with no less than ten photos, but not this year. I did make a promise to one cute little gal to post her picture here and planned on doing that several days ago. Unfortunately, I didn't have my good camera with me, so the quality is less than bad. Nevertheless, you will be able to see what a darling gal she is.

  

Please meet Amanda. Her neon smile could be seen from about a mile away, and farther than that as it grew darker. She was kind enough to let me take a picture of her and also gave me permission to post it on the Internet. So, do me a favor, and say hi to her and let her know from where you are posting. (Amanda: Be sure to click on the word "comments" at the bottom of this post to hopefully find some hellos to you from my blogbuds.)

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Now, for those of you anxiously awaiting the winners of the Naval Aviator Call Sign Contest. (See post below.)  His call sign is "Roto" and I asked for you to guess his last name since it completed a common 'phrase.'

Janet Who Resides on Her Own Planet guessed Rooter.

Equoni (who doesn't have a blog but should) guessed Router

DubYaT guessed Tiller (Tyler)

Alison guessed Reuter

Pamela guessed Plumber

Thanks to the five of you for playing the game. OK, here's the dilemma:  I said, "Whoever guesses it and spells it correctly, wins." 

Help ! 

 "Roto's" last name is:  Rueter.  (pronounced Rooter)

Who should win?  Please cast your vote. The person with the most votes by 6:00 p.m. Swampy Time on Tuesday will win something from my garage...possibly a box of Palisade peaches when they are ripe.  You may campaign and send your friends to vote for you. In fact, you may vote for yourself as many times as you wish.