Cold, Gray, and Blustery

Coffee Break’s Over…Back on Your Heads! That’s the punch line from an old, old joke and it’s appropriate. We had beautiful weather this weekend, beginning with a mid-60s day on Friday, mid-70s on Saturday, and another mid-60s day yesterday. I was cruising around P-Town and vicinity with the top down all weekend. The weather, however, is fickle and can change in a heartbeat (or overnight), like every other place I’ve ever been. Here’s what we’re looking at today and tomorrow:

Coffee break’s over…

Speaking of coffee breaks… I was washing my coffee pot as the final act of doing the dishes last evening and was startled to see a chunk of glass about the size of a fifty-cent piece detach itself from the lower third of the carafe. Soapy water poured out of the bottom of the carafe into the sink as I looked on in disbelief. I’ve broken a few carafes before… mainly by dropping them or banging them into things, but I’ve never broken one by simply washing it! And, to top it all off, this coffee pot is only about two months old.

So. Get into the car and head off to Wally-World at 2000 hrs or thereabouts to see if they have a replacement carafe. I’m sure you can predict the answer, which is “Of course not.” I bought the broken pot, a Hamilton-Beach, at the Base Exchange. Wally-World doesn’t carry that brand. So, forty dollars later (reduced roll-back from $57.00!) I walk out with this spiffy lil Mr. Coffee item. Beautiful, ain’t it? The pic doesn’t do the analog clock justice…it’s a pale green, reminiscent of those neon clocks one saw everywhere in the 50s, particularly in diners. Very retro.

So…an unprogrammed purchase. And that’s OK, coz I hated that Hamilton-Beach coffee maker for its poor quality (the plastic parts warped almost immediately), its clunky cone-shaped filter basket (a b!tch to load), and its lukewarm, non-adjustable warming plate. Good riddance.

Today’s Pic: From the archives: a shot of the commissioning of the USS Mason (DDG 87). SN2 was the Chief Engineer (CHENG) on the Mason and was also part of the pre-commissioning (pre-comm) crew, living with her from the laying of her keel in Bath, Maine and onwards through shake-down cruises, commissioning, and her first operational deployment. Port Canaveral, Florida, April 12, 2003.

More later today…