Saved by Technology

My rental property went vacant recently so I had to change the utilities into my name until it rented again. The gas and electricity I could do over the internet but I had to go in person for the water. When I got there, I had to prove that I owned the house by showing a property tax bill. Luckily, I remembered that I had taken a picture of my most recent tax bill for another reason and it was still in my phone. The clerk gave me her email and I attached the picture to an email and sent it from my Android phone. Thirty seconds later....problem fixed.... and I saved about 1 hour in wasted time going home to get the documents.

This old dog can learn new tricks.

USS Cassin Young

If you visit "Old Ironsides" you get the bonus of a WW 2 destroyer as well: USS Cassin Young, DD 793.

Who was Cassin Young, you say? He was commander of the USS Vestal (AR 4), a repair ship that was moored inboard of the "Arizona" on Dec 7, 1941. He was blown off the deck by bombs but swam back to his ship, and in spite of taking on water from bomb damage, he moved the "Vestal" to shallow water and beached her to prevent her sinking. He was awarded the CMH for this action. He was then given command of the cruiser USS San Francisco (CA 38) but was killed at Guadalcanal.

You can only tour the decks but it's an interesting place to visit.

WW 2 Museum

I was forced into retirement in July. One of the benefits is being able to go places during the week when the crowds are small. I took one of the grandsons to the WW 2 Museum. Here are a few pics to tease you.

When I asked grandson what he wanted to see first he said, "The submarine". That's an exhibit where they simulate the last mission of the USS Tang. It is a mock up of a submarine interior. You are issued cards with crew positions and you man their station. At the end, you get to find out if you survived. Because it was early and a Tuesday, we had the whole thing to ourselves and out pick of duty stations.

And an insiders tip......you can see the PT boat by signing up at the front desk. Small groups are allowed in to the workshop area at noon.

Taxes, and More taxes

The Dems will always look for new ways to raise taxes. In New Orleans, Mary's brother Mayor Mitch wants to tax portions of houses that overhang the sidewalk. What? This is New Orleans, a city famous for its balconies and they all overhang the sidewalk and have done so for years. But now the city is eyeing them as a new source of revenue.

You Can't Choose Family

Last Sunday the family held a party to celebrate my mother in law's 90th birthday. The usual drill is that everyone brings a dish as we could easily field a mob of 40 to 50 people. Some of my in laws are pretty good cooks so the food is good and you appreciate the time and money they spent. Others just go to the store and buy something and think they have fulfilled their obligation. And then there are the leftovers.......With the family containing LEOs and shift workers, not everyone can attend and plates are made a put aside for them. However, there is one sister in law who thinks she can bring store bought bread (literally) and then abscond with all the leftovers. We got wise to her when she took ALL of the leftovers from our Thanksgiving Day dinner last year. We went looking for turkey and realized she had taken it all. We then saw that she did the same thing at every family function. This time we started picking up early and hid the leftovers we wanted to save. She comes in and starts packing up some food and has the gall to ask if there are bigger plates (so she can take more) but by that time all the good stuff had been distributed and packed away. Gotcha.

Head Count

Saudi Arabia collected heads on 18 murderers and drug dealers last month making up for Ramadan. Their year to date total is now an even 110.