Porky’s Railroad

There’s a scene in the movie where a railroad telegrapher is sending a message in Morse Code… which I can copy. I pulled out a pad and rewound.

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I just finished watching “Porky’s Railroad,” a 1938 Looney Tunes classic.

Why did I watch it? Because, Internet.

Sequence 01.Still001There’s a scene in the movie where a railroad telegrapher is sending a message in Morse Code… which I can copy. Landline guys wouldn’t have used the Morse variant I understood, but this was obviously being sent by a radio guy. I pulled out a pad and rewound.

QST QSL LEON SCHLESINGER HOLLYWOOD FOR PICTURE OF PORKY

QST and QSL are telegrapher’s abbreviations. QST originally meant calling all stations. QST was in 1938 and is still the name of the ham radio magazine of record. QSL asks for verification of reception. Leon Schlesinger was the producer. The rest is obvious.

The code was very rough and ‘sparky,’ which even by 1938 was disappearing from real radio communications.

This is really obscure. I wonder if I’m the first to discover it?

The Indoor Snowball Fight

They come from China. It’s probably some kind of mercury/lead paint mix. Held in your hand the snowballs feel just like good packing snow, without the need for gloves.

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Of the Irvine Foxes, Helaine is the most attentive. She can see something and immediately understanding its broader context. What I’m saying is Helaine saw non-snow snowballs on TV and immediately knew we needed them. The snowballs made the trip to Wisconsin with us as a gift to Judah and Gabby, my niece Jessie’s kids¹.

IMG_5971The ‘sell’ on the balls is they’re safe to use indoors. They were Saturday, even though Judah has a very impressive five year old fastball (really). Nothing was knocked over–though I’m sure than can (and does) happen.

I scanned the package to learn what they’re made of. No disclosure!

IMG_5960They come from China. It’s probably some kind of mercury/lead paint mix. Held in your hand the snowballs feel just like good packing snow, without the need for gloves.

Once Judah and Gabby started throwing the adults joined in. There’s something wonderfully childlike in throwing these round missiles in the house. Pretty soon everyone was smiling and laughing.

Got little kids on your Christmakukkah list? These went over big!

¹ — Jessie’s husband Evan had loads to do with this too, but I’m never quite sure how to introduce cousin spouses when writing. Where’s an editor when I need one?

Into The Alley

Stef’s ball curves ever so slightly left. Helaine’s goes straight. I try and aim a light right from the center to hit the pocket. I seldom do.

forest lanesSunday. Memorial Day weekend. We went bowling with the other Irvine Foxes. Six Foxes. Two lanes. Ninety minutes.

The last time we bowled was in Wallingford, CT. It’s been a while.

Everyone bowls differently. We all share lack of control!

Irvine Lanes first. We arrived at eight. They close at nine.

What kind of bowling alley closes at nine?

Next stop Forest Lanes in Lake Forest, just south of us. They’re open to 11:00 PM.

Michael, Melissa and Max bowled on 13. We were on 14.

Stef’s ball curves ever so slightly left. Helaine’s goes straight. I try and aim a light right from the center to hit the pocket. I seldom do.

Stef bowled a 135! That was tops for all of us and an all-time best for her.

In the car on the way home she discussed strategy for next time. She’s going with a heavier ball. My daughter is very competitive. That will serve her well.

Good times. Great seeing the cousins. It’s been a while since we lived near family.

94 Seconds With My Hummingbirds

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I was fooling around with my GoPro camera this afternoon. It’s perfect to suction near the hummingbird feeder.

Notice how amazing agile they are and how they always hit the right spot with their long beaks. Each bird feeds a little differently.

The Hummingbirds Are Drinking Us Out Of House And Home

At one point this afternoon five hummers were blissfully sipping nectar at my window!

The problem is, the feeder was filled this morning. There’s still another hour of daylight. It won’t last through tomorrow night.

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Our hummingbird feeder is suctioned to a window off the family room. I turn and stare each time I pass by. Lately I’ve noticed a whole lot of hummingbird activity.

At one point this afternoon five hummers were simultaneously sipping nectar at my window!

The problem is, the feeder was filled this morning. There’s still another hour of daylight. It won’t last through tomorrow night.

That’s crazy. The hummingbirds like Helaine’s cooking as much as I do! Not only that, they’re not scared of us. I get buzzed while filling the feeder. These shots were taken handheld, no more than two feet away.

I thought with loads of flowers in bloom our tiny friends would opt to eat organic. No such luck. If anything, they’re getting thirstier.

Maybe I can post a note asking them to slow down a little?

Awaiting Results

“Clicky” is on a tripod pointing toward my family room window. Its lens is focused on the hummingbird feeder that’s suctioned on. All the photo settings have been manually dialed in. The shutter is fast, trying to freeze wings that are always in motion.

“Clicky,” in real life a Canon 7D camera, has been loaded with aftermarket firmware called Magic Lantern. With its new extra brainpower it has been commanded to photograph the bird feeder only when something in the shot is in motion–like a hummingbird.

This is really a learning experience. There are many steps before a shot like this works. It’s doubtful all will be right on the first try.

Hopefully, some nice hummingbird shots before the day is through.

They Play Poker Here

hawaiian-gardens-poker-tableCard rooms are legal in parts of SoCal. They are mostly poker rooms. Other table games are played, but with lesser odds than ‘real’ casinos. Poker dominates.

The nearest rooms are in the south end of Los Angeles County, less than a half hour from here. I’ve been to Commerce Casino in… wait for it… The City of Commerce. The largest card room in the world. It’s like a bus terminal!

If you’ve been to beautiful casinos, like in Vegas or Connecticut, you’re in for a letdown. Commerce doesn’t seem to be the exception. I’m told none of the card rooms are showplaces.

This afternoon Helaine and I drove to Hawaiian Gardens Casino in… wait for it… Hawaiian Gardens, CA. There’s a little more room between tables than Commerce, but it too borders on bus terminal.

The casino occupies what looks to be two huge tents! Surfboards hang from the ceiling marking the different poker games dealt. It’s like a United Nations get-together.

wider-shot-poker-roomWe go to Hawaiian Gardens because of the food. Oh my God!

You order from a roving waitstaff with red shirts. Just like the deck of an aircraft carrier, everyone working at the Gardens wears a shirt colorcoded to describe their specific job.

The menu is wondrous. It’s a spiral bound, plastic encased affair with at least ten pages. Along with breakfasts and dinners are pages for Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean food.

The food comes hot. The portions are large. The taste is incredible.

Helaine had a shrimp and asparagus dinner. I had their Thursday night lamb chop special. We both had large Diet Cokes.

I gave the waiter a twenty for both of us, which included a nearly 25% tip. I’m not sure we can eat home for that price?

As for poker, one of us won twice what the other one lost. A fun adventure for us while Doppler kept guard at home.

A New Respect For Wrestling

Our cousins asked if Helaine and I would go with them to their son Max’s match this evening. Max is a sophomore at Beckman High School&#185. He wrestles!

My knowledge of wrestling is limited. I watched wrestling on TV as a kid. When I worked in Charlotte, we actually taped wrestling in the studio!

One evening I walked past a guy wearing a wrestling singlet, reading the Associated Press wire. It was a surreal moment.

What I experienced was meaningless. That’s not wrestling. What I saw tonight was and it opened my eyes.

What a crazy, brutal sport.

Beckman was visiting Northwood High School, also in Irvine. Think nice campus for a small liberal arts college and you’ve got Northwood.

The wrestlers are divided into weight classes. The idea is to pin your like sized opponent, though there are other ways to score points.

Wrestling on TV is violent, but it’s fake. This wrestling is violent too. No chairs are being thrown, this is much more controlled.

“Do people get hurt,” I asked? Max proceeded to explain they do and it was surprising there was no blood tonight!

It’s obvious while you watch, all the participants are deep in the zone. Everyone is pumping out maximum strength. Some, in pain and obviously losing, had an “I wish I was anywhere else” look on their face as their matches progressed.

Max won his contest. The Beckman Patriots won the meet. No one questioned my lying on my belly like a reptile to shoot 399 photos. It was a good night.

&#185 – As it turns out the Beckman High School wrestling team has a website designed by me.