Year: 2007

Missing Post Office Found

Almost, we still have to drive over there and capture it, but I have directions to the long lost Hilda Post Office.

After not being able to find the one in Paxville three weeks ago, my more intelligent half suggested that I go ahead and write to the Postmaster of the missing POs and ask where they are. I didn’t figure it would work but what did I have to lose, but a couple 41¢ stamps. Two weeks ago I addressed a short note requesting directions to the Post Offices in Paxville and Hilda. I addressed the envelopes simply Postmaster, name of town and zip code. Inside the envelope was that short note and a SASE. Two days ago I received a reply from Hilda. There was a crude but effective map added to the bottom of my note along with these instructions: “The Hilda Post Office is located inside a car garage store.”

I remember the building and it has no outward sign that it is in fact a Post Office. We may ride over there tomorrow during the morning when they should be open and see what we can see.

Rode the tandem to work today, now 2 Fridays in a row, and about halfway there the headlight started to fade fast. Fortunately it was light enough to see, but unfortunately it was worthless in letting oncoming traffic know we were there. We have had the Night Hawk Dual w/SLA for a half dozen years or so and I afraid the batteries are shot because they no longer stay bright for even the 30 minute commute. They sell replacement batteries for $50 each, but that sounds steep when you can get new, brighter and lighter technology for around twice that. Of course $50 is pretty cost effective if we can get another 6 years out of that investment…

Started up, went down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 346

Retired Post Office

Old Walterboro Post OfficeThis is obviously Walterboro’s old Post Office just from the architecture of the building and it must still be mistaken for an active one, even though the “new” PO looks about 10-15 years old, because there is a sign in one of the windows of the door that says, “Post Office Is Three Doors Down!” with an arrow pointing to the right.

I just finished “Sudden Mischief” (my 14th Spenser novel, 21 to go) and got another Crime Buster Tip. It is actually called:

Spenser?s Tips For Successful Gumshoe-ing #6: If nothing is happening and you haven?t any idea what you?re doing, go someplace and sit and look at something and await developments.
   Subparagraph A: Most good detectives bring some coffee and a few donuts with them.

There was already one numbered #6, “Go with the flow.” from Bad Business, but it was called #6 on the Spenser Crime Stopper List.

We have had an Amazon.com credit card for awhile now, we got it because we got 30% off a purchase if we opened an account, but never used it again after that purchase. Recently we started using it again because they offered a really low rate on balance transfers until they are paid off. We took our normal CC with a higher interest rate and paid it off with the Amazon one. As with most cards there is some sort of rewards program, but I never paid attention to it because it was a non-factor in choosing the card, plus I never expected to use it again.

Yesterday I got a $25 Amazon.com reward certificate in the mail for passing some milestone of consumerism and promptly spent it (plus $8 more) on 6 used Spenser novels in a mix of hardcover and paperbacks. That will bring my total Spenser library to 20. I had better hurry and get those last 15, because on October 23rd I’ll get one more book behind when the next Spenser story, Now & Then is published. (source Robert B. Parker’s Blog)

Started up, went down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 345

Beaufort Mermaids

Mermaid de LiberteCarolina Car Trek has fallen back a notch and Beaufort’s Big Swim is now in second place on the Bogardi must-see-’em-all list (right after SC Post Offices.) And not just because the Mermaids are sans clothing, but mostly because the base of the cars is a 55 gallon drum that makes the whole thing look like a public trash bin with a funky top.

The new camera is here and I’m busy monkeying with it. I’ve taken about 20 pictures trying stuff out and so far absolutely none are worth saving, let alone posting here. Too bad I’ve stopped keeping score on the meals out thing because now I could have posted marvelous pictures to go with the prices because this camera has a special “Food” setting.

As much as I hated the Kodak Easyshare software, it made short work of transferring pictures from the camera to the PC. This camera came with a couple different programs for camera to PC connection and I hated the first one I tried, Lumix Simple Viewer, but the second one, Photo Fun Studio, seems a little better. One other thing the Kodak camera made simple was keeping the batter charged, it happened automatically every time the camera was in the dock. The Panasonic came with a separate battery charger, but you have to remove the battery from the camera to charge it. There is an optional AC adapter (DMW-AC5PP), but it doesn’t even charge the battery, it just runs the camera. Definitely won’t be getting that because they want $80 for it.

Started down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 343

Philanthropic Lawyer

One afternoon a lawyer was riding in his limousine when he saw two men along the roadside eating grass. Disturbed, he ordered his driver to stop and he got out to investigate.

He asked one man, “Why are you eating grass?”

“We don’t have any money for food,” the poor man replied, “We have to eat grass.”

“Well, then, you can come with me to my house and I’ll feed you,” the lawyer said.

“But sir, I have a wife and two children with me. They are over there, under that tree.”

“Bring them along,” the lawyer replied.

Turning to the other poor man he stated, “You come with us, too.”

The second man, in a pitiful voice, then said, “But sir, I also have a wife and SIX children with me!”

“Bring them all, as well,” the lawyer answered. They all entered the car, which was no easy task, even for a car as large as the limousine was.

Once underway, one of the poor fellows turned to the lawyer and said, “Sir, you are too kind. Thank you for taking all of us with you.”

The lawyer replied, “Glad to do it. You’ll really love my place. The grass is almost a foot high.”

Armadillo on the Half Shell

Hampton OuttakeI was tempted to use this for the Hampton Post Office, but in the end decided to go conventional. I’ve got all last weekend’s PO photos up in the gallery and on Flickr!, but no descriptions yet. Except for the Port Royal one where I couldn’t resist a TDPM quote.

In our back road travels we pass a bit of road kill now and again, sometimes the turkey vultures are circling and others they are already gathered around the “meal.” This Sunday was a new one though. A hundred yards ahead of us there was one big black bird off the side of the road in a half a foot tall grass. As we approached him his head ducked down and he started to back out into the road. At 50 yards away with a mighty backwards hop the vulture drops something big and flies up into a nearby tree. At 25 yards away we can see that the bird’s prize, now laying about a foot into our lane, is a very dead, but intact armadillo. I’m guessing that he/she couldn’t get at the good stuff, so it dragged the hard shelled animal into the traffic lane so a car would come by and hit it creating instant Armadillo on the Half Shell.

I swerved to avoid the armadillo and thereby foiled it’s plan.

Started up, went down, back up, down again, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 342

Long and Winding Road

Back at the end of April the badges on the back of the Emperor came off or were removed and I have never done anything about it. I tossed around a couple of ideas, like stickers or custom lettering, but a couple of weeks ago I hit on an idea that seemed just offbeat enough for me to try, Pontiac Solstice badges. I figured with all the Miata enthusiasts taking their badges off, there were bound to be a few Solstice owners doing the same. Off to the nation’s flea market, eBay.

There were no Pontiac Solstice badges for sale, but I did find some old script style badges that say Ford & Deluxe. Hey, Ford owns a controlling interest in Mazda… And for 98¢ plus shipping, how could I go wrong?

Well, shipping was $6.40 for Postal Service Priority Mail 2-3 day delivery and maybe I wouldn’t have taken umbrage with how long it took the items to get to me if the item and shipping prices were reversed:

Auction Ended, 3:16 pm, August 05, 2007
Paypaled Seller, 10:43 am, August 06, 2007
Electronic Shipping Info Received, August 09, 2007
Mailed, August 10, 2007, MURRIETTA, CA 92653
Enroute, August 13, 2007, 11:57 pm, BELL, CA 90201
Enroute, August 18, 2007, 9:28 am, ATLANTA, GA 30369
Package arrived, August 20, 2007 4:30 pm

My new camera is doing some traveling too.

MISSOULA, MT – 8/15/2007
BILLINGS, MT – 8/16/2007
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – 8/17/2007
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – 8/20/2007
LEXINGTON, KY – 8/21/07
GREENSBORO, NC – 8/21/2007
WEST COLUMBIA, SC – 8/21/2007
AIKEN, SC – 8/22/2007

Started up, went down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 339

Infedelity Uncovered

A man returning home a day early from a business trip got into a taxi at the airport. It was after midnight. While en route to his home, he asked the cabby if he would be a witness as he suspected his wife was having an affair and he intended to catch her in the act. For $100, the cabby agreed.

Quietly arriving at the house, the husband and cabby tiptoed into the bedroom. The husband switched on the lights, yanked the blanket back and there was his wife in bed with another man.

The husband put a gun to the naked man’s head.

The wife shouted, “Don’t do it! This man has been very generous! I lied when I told you I inherited money. He paid for the new golf clubs I bought you. He paid for the Corvette I bought for you He paid for our new cabin cruiser. He paid for our house at the lake. He paid for our country club membership, and he even pays the monthly dues!”

Shaking his head from side-to-side, the husband slowly lowered the gun. He looked over at the cab driver and said, “What would you do?”

The cabby said, “I’d cover him up with that blanket before he catches a cold.”