... jiggity-jog. I think that's how it goes, but memory ain't what it used to be. But, yes... we're home after what passes for the Grand Tour here on The High Plains o' New Mexico, which is to say P-Ville ==> The Big(ger) CityTM ==> Cannon Airplane Patch ==> P-Ville. The Tart has eight quarts o' fresh, sparkling Mobil 1 in her crankcase, her shoes have been rotated, and her vital signs have been checked, which were all good. Or so I'm told. We then went to restock the likker locker at Cannon's Class VI store and just for drill we checked the prices o' scotch even though we have a half-bottle of that 18-year old Glenlivet left, the object bein' to buy another bottle if the price was right. Well, the price was right but the Class VI was sold out. No surprise there, obviously. I should have bought two while the gettin' was good last week. Yet another missed opportunity. We contented ourselves with a bottle o' Woodford Reserve and a couple o' six packs and left somewhat chagrined.
It's a glorious day outdoors, just about two ticks to the left o' perfect... which is to say bright, bright, "hurt yer eyes it's so bright" and not quite 80 degrees. I'm gonna shock the neighbors and pop a beer out on the verandah just as soon as I check the remaining overnight mail.
Speakin' o' overnight mail, there's this:
I know the B-2 is stealthy but I didn't think its runways and taxiways were too. Ain't technology GRAND?
It's a glorious day outdoors, just about two ticks to the left o' perfect... which is to say bright, bright, "hurt yer eyes it's so bright" and not quite 80 degrees. I'm gonna shock the neighbors and pop a beer out on the verandah just as soon as I check the remaining overnight mail.
Speakin' o' overnight mail, there's this:
I know the B-2 is stealthy but I didn't think its runways and taxiways were too. Ain't technology GRAND?
The B-2 bombers age is the same as if the B-17 bomber were being flown in the 70's. It's a late 80's design, that has had billions of dollars in improvements, and useless junk thrown away. Designed without a toilet for 33 hour missions to drop nukes on Moscow, and then try to find someplace to land that wasn't nuked in retaliation.
ReplyDeleteToday we need a bomber that doesn't need to carry nukes, but instead carry 100's of directed munitions. Since cluster bombs, gas, and napalm have been declared too inhumane for killing the enemy.
I don't believe a replacement exists, but I do think the next airframe design has flown in both the wind tunnel and in mockups. The new B-2 radar is actually pretty new, and could be used another 20 years.
The B-2 though, can't remain stealthy without 100 million budgets every year to fix the plane after every flight. There's got to be something better. After all, people are starting to have 3D printers in their home :-)
I still think they should just rename the Minuteman the B-3 bomber, as that's a pretty nice supersonic bomber right there. Put some napalm on there and say we screwed-up...
All of this is taken with a lot o' north-south nodding, which is a left-handed way o' sayin' "agreed."
DeleteThis morning there was actual rain...
ReplyDeleteWhat? Rain in July in Shasta County!!!
Now the skies are clear and it's 92.6 °F w/ 29% humidity.
I have figured out what my issue with driving to our bigger city.
This time of year there are tourists on the road who believe hurrying will make their vacation longer.
I envy you that your city is only about 1/3 the size of ours.
I have nothing to say about bombers, except they make a fine deterrent as a more or less standoff weapon when fighting insurgents.
N4N scores a shack...except for the fact that Obama is making the Minuteman go away--at least by 2/3rds...SOooooo,,........yet another good idea that won't work..
ReplyDeleteOh, and about freaking the neighbors out? Just act like a true degenerate, er, typical New Orleanian and start guzzling, er, sipping your eye-openers on the "verandah" @ 0800.. :)
ReplyDeleteLOL, giving a 'bit' too much credit to the B-2 again??? :-)
ReplyDelete@ Skip: Rain is good, innit? Our humidity always spikes after a rain, but yours looks bearable. I appreciate our smallness, too. It's always interesting to go over to Clovis, which at nearly 40,000 people, is three times the size o' P-Ville. BIG difference.
ReplyDelete@ Virgil: I'm nearly always asleep at 0800, though. That wasn't true 20 years ago.
@ Jim: Heh. Yep!