Good morning, all.  I don't see much wildlife in NYC. There might be various birds of interest in Central Park, but I don't really notice. There are some raccoons, maybe the most exotic thing here. Occasionally a cougar or something comes down from upstate.

The rain cleared up and it should be two beautiful days. It's Fleet Week so I was talking to some sailors and marines last night. God Bless them all. Sadly a few were smoking. Most were in NYC for the first time. They said everyone they met treated them well. Glad to hear that.

Enjoy the day,

Paul

Good morning Paul, Kitty, and all.  Hope Susan is enjoying her vacation but I wonder about the heat

and humidity in the keys.  Hot here on Memorial Day. 

I watched that "Band of Brothers" show, yesterday while exercising.  I knew my dad was in WW2 but

didn't know he fought in all these terrible battles until he was almost gone.  Him and my uncle came

back from the war.

Could be be an egret, wife got me a bird book but it's been about 15 years when that bird came here.

My granddaughter was little on that walk the night before.  She's starting college now.  Helped talk me

into this last attempt at stopping smoking 15 years ago.

The part of the farm in the foreground my brother still owns but the barn and 83 acres in the back is

sold.  Guess it's just a thing to trade for money to my brother.  To me it represents my parents struggles

when they were younger.  But it's gone and was sold at a low price with septic pipes run through there. 

Would be twice as much or close to half a million before they would think about selling it back.  They are

growing ethanol corn on it so thousands of gallons of weed killer are being sprayed on it every year.  I was

there once when the guy was spraying, his kids were playing around the tank where they fill the sprayer. 

Think his wife was there also, can't believe that but I get lots of people in PA that don't think about poisons.

Kitty,  Brian keeps busy, hard to remember what you wrote over the years.  I know he picked up that

job in Florida when you moved down there year round.  Managing a store or something like that, jobs were

probably scarce on the island.

Paul, we're starting to get bears taring up bird feeders all over the place.  Has been going on in PA for many

years, now spreading up here.  I've only seen one bear go through here and he passed through quickly in the

daytime.  Never heard of Fleet Week before so that's a new one on me.  Guess the Navy ships dock and soldiers

stay there for a while.  I only rode on a Navy ship once and we landed on Virginia Beach in it's smaller boats, ones

with tailgates that swing down into the water.  I didn't fire the blanks through my rifle.  I had learned by then it

takes all day to clean the burned powder out of it.  Supply won't take it back until they think it's clean, usually all

day or all night.  Can't turn in the rifle and go home until the rifle is accepted by supply. 

A hot day for all of us.  Maybe I'll swim in the pool for the first time this year.

Enjoy the day.

Ernie.

Florida Keys

Hope everyone is doing well.  Today is the really hot day here.  Will be hot and humid tomorrow before the storm.

I had enough of cold and snow, this is good for now. 

It's so great we are smoke free and enjoying life.

Replaced some output power transistors in my Kenwood audio amp.  Found a shorted transistor in a IC also, but

still failing and going into protect mode at power on.  So continue troubleshooting.

I'm sure Brian is keeping busy, always has.

Ernie

My mom and dad's rotary phone from 1957.  I'm fortunate to have it.

it was 73 here at 6 this morning....no open windows for us....Brian will be mowing later and it is supposed to be getting up in the 90's too hot for so early in the season....I have no agenda as of yet....maybe I will play the piano.....see if I still can....haven't touched it in over a year.....used to be hard to play when I was smoking....a piece of music took a long time....used to have an ashtray on the piano.....no more....and no still can't believe it....

Good morning, everyone. Hot here yesterday also, the same today. I think it cools off tomorrow.

Ernie, yes, sailors, marines, & coast guard dock in NYC for a week before Memorial Day. I guess it's great for any of them who have never been to here. They also open up the ships for tourists, so it's a chance for civilians to see them. One of them told me, the NYPD gave them tours on their police boats. The FDNY opened up their fire houses to feed them.  

USS Bataan.

Good morning Kitty, Paul, and all.  62 here for early morn.  Think this is the second time we've approached

90 degrees already.  Cool down after the storm, cool temps coming from the east so gets to all of you first.

Kitty was wondering how smoking slowed piano playing at first.  I wasted lots of time smoking that could've

been better used.  I wasn't very musical except listening.  I learned the trombone in elementary school but

they sent a letter home eventually, had to purchase the instrument for around $260, a fortune in the 60s.

When a new car was around $1200.  Told my parents I didn't want it.  Glad you got back to your piano Kitty.

Paul that looks like some pictures of helicopters I used to see at work.  Mark 5, think we used to develop,

build, and test for the military, at IBM Federal Systems Division and Lockheed Martin in Owego, NY.  I also

worked on the Black hawk, Stealth, B52, B1B, F15, and surveillance aircraft. 

All our grandkids were here last eve to swim, was great to see them.  Also great to get some use from our

pool.  Takes some work to keep it up and it's initial cost was around $17k.  Almost 3 times that to put in now.

Put ours in in 89.  Our granddaughter went home but the boys are staying for couple days. 

Was checking voltages in the Kenwood amplifier I'm working on and found different readings for pins on two

ICs that were supposed to be connected to each other.  Eventually found a broken jumper, must have somehow

gotten broke in the last couple years while I was working on it, installing the modification kits.  So see how it works

today.

Stay cool and enjoy the day all.

Ernie

Yes, much nicer weather today.  Enjoy everyone. 

Good morning Paul and all.  We had storms with walls of rain yesterday, 64 in the AM so

cooling is just reaching us.  Humidity 99% but will drop.  Supposed to get more rain next

couple hours. 

Lost about $38.00 of parts in my Kenwood amp but lucky the guy I bought the mod kits

from gets me parts way below retail.  Would've been twice that.  So waiting parts again.

Grandboys are still here enjoying the pool.  Water has gotten up to 76 now, was 70 couple

days ago.   Our daughter is picking them up today so probably have some pizza. 

Our granddaughter graduates high school this month, happy to be going to her graduation.

We should have a graduation party for her.

Have a great day all.

Ernie

Wow, I have my dad's rotary phone from years and years ago.  When my Dad passed in 2003, I was astounded to find that he was still paying $5 a month rent of the phone and the phone company was actually billing/accepting the rental charge up to 2003.   I was very annoyed with the phone company for that and I let them know it too.  

My Dad's rotary is a cream colour phone.  Cheers to antiquities.

Good morning Anne and all.  I would be disappointed at the rent also.  My dad's had been stored in a backroom for many years

and I asked about it when my sister was living there and taking care of him.  It had stopped working and was replaced.  They gave

it to me and I fixed it with the help of another person.  I get the 4 wire phone service just to use it.  Tried to use it on cable phone

service for years but barely worked.  Now the receiver cord opens intermittently so I need to fix that.  My mom replaced the

standard receiver cord when I was a teen because I pulled it off it's stand many times while talking on it.  Guess I was the first

of us kids that talked on the phone a lot.

Have a great day.

Ernie