Tonight's Flavour For The New Year

This was on the shelf in a gas station/convenience store in Paso Robles on our way back home from Monterey this past Sunday.
It is so very good!

It is best enjoyed in a Bubba Gump Glass!

Happy New Year

Best Wishes to all for a Happy New Year from Missus ORPO and I!

What It's Like To Drive A Zamboni

This was on Jalopnik.
I am an unabashed hockey fan as everyone knows.
I watch the Zamboni during the intermissions at the games that Missus ORPO and I attend in Bakersfield at RaboBank Arena.

The author was given the chance by the New Jersey Devils recently........Lucky Man!
Her is the video from the post at Jalopnik........
https://youtu.be/V0m7G_HJD10?list=PLsgqwTEPG-_0xL4yqrtzB34VpQ5QYoISv

For the entire piece, hit the link below and enjoy!
http://jalopnik.com/what-its-like-to-drive-a-wild-zamboni-in-its-natural-ha-1750133495

Dinner in Monterey

Missus ORPO and I had dinner at a neat little seafood place in Monterey today.
We were going to the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose but Missus ORPO came down with a fever and chills.
We did go out to have something to eat for dinner, though.
Monterey does have a lot of really good places to eat.
Tonight's fare was at the Sea Harvest in Monterey...........................Damn it was good!

Winter solstice as seen from Stonehenge | Earth | EarthSky

Interesting little piece I happened upon this evening. It's kind of cool.
I have always wanted to visit Stonehenge. I have no aspirations of any kind about it. I just think it would be something to see.




Comet PANSTARRS above the Stonehenge monument in March, 2013. Image via Simon Banton
The rest of the story is at the link below. I hope all enjoy.
Winter solstice as seen from Stonehenge | Earth | EarthSky

A Taste Of Winter This Morning.

I finally got a few shots of the Tehachapi with snow this morning on the way home from word at Eddie's Airplane Patch and a low temperature of a balmy 21 degrees..................
I stood in the bed of The Titan at the intersection of California City Boulevard and CA 58. I have to admit that it was a really nice morning here in The Southeast Kern County Desert.....................

First sign of Winter in The Southeast Kern County Desert

I grabbed a few shots a little while ago with my phone. I was on a Rite Aid run and they were slowly covering the Tehachapi and Southern Sierra Nevada Range.
We are in a Wind Advisory today so I have no idea how this is going to turn out.

I do think that perhaps it is that first sign of Winter out here.

Photos: Hanukkah celebrations from around the world

This was on The Jewish Telegraphic Agency site this morning.



Lighting menorahs earlier this week in Krakow, Poland. (Shavei Israel)
There are observant Jews all over the world.
I wish the blessings of the season to all.
Photos: Hanukkah celebrations from around the world

Here's How To Detail A Boeing 707 That Was A Piece of American History

One of the three VC-137B's that were at the service of the President of The United States. This one is currently on display at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Arizona. One is at the Nixon Library in Simi Valley and I do not remember where the other one is. I believe it is in the Air and Space Museum part of the Smithsonian. These are the aircraft that brought the Office of President of The United States into the jet age.
The full skinny on the project is at the link below.

http://drive.jalopnik.com/heres-how-to-detail-a-boeing-707-that-was-a-piece-of-am-1688059453

Skywatching from Space.com: The 'Big Moon' Illusion May Be All in Your Head

I figured some science stuff was appropriate today after all the recent bad stuff happening lately.

"If you've ever seen the moon as it's just coming over the horizon, you may have wondered why it seems to look bigger than when it lies straight overhead. The answer may have more to do with the human brain than an external effect."

Always wondered about that ya know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I do live in an area that is outstanding for skywatching.........

A full moon rising over the Rocket Lab is an awesome sight to see!




The full moon looks massive as it sets behind the Very Large Telescope in Chile's Atacama Desert, in this photo release on Jun 7, 2010. Why do observers report that the moon looks larger near the horizon than it does high in the sky? It may be nothing more than a trick of perspective. 
Credit: Gordon Gillet, ESO


The full piece is at the link below. Enjoy your day!

The 'Big Moon' Illusion May Be All in Your Head

The Sierra Nevada and The Tehachapi wrapped in Clouds

I took a couple of hours leave to get home and off my feet sooner..................
Coming down the hill on Cal City Boulevard, the Clouds on the Southern Sierra Nevada Range and The Tehachapi presented me with an opportunity to fire up the Nikon D3000. The tops of the mountains are wrapped in cloud.

Plane Pr0n of a different sort....................From the Daily Mail.......................

I was a kid when this jet made it's debut. Every 11-13 year old was jealous.........................puberty ya know.......................

"In the late 1960s Hugh Hefner was in his prime and his magazine empire was at its peak with around a quarter of US college men reading Playboy each month. 

What else would an extravagant magazine publisher want to do than buy his own giant private jet to live out the A-list lifestyle?

Naming the plane The Big Bunny, Hefner proceeded to transform the $5.5 million (£3.65 million) stretch DC-9 into his dream party jet, with on board showers, a round bed covered in fur and even a disco area for Mile High soirées."

It was even used at the end of The Vietnam War to bring War Orphans to the USA.

This was no normal jet, which was clear from the moment you were greeted by the air hostesses on the tarmac, who wore bunny ears and tails

I love the "no normal jet!"
Barbi Benton was seriously hot..................................................................
More photos, some videos and the rest of the story is at the link below..............................

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3336270/Fur-covered-beds-board-showers-wild-discos-fascinating-look-inside-Hugh-Hefner-s-glamorous-private-Playboy-jet-Big-Bunny-swinging-Sixties.html#ixzz3sjYcdsUe
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

The One Word That Explains Why America Has Been A Thankful Nation

This was at Western Journalism this morning.

Providence. It is something we need to recognize these days.

I will leave the reader to make his or her understanding of this..............

The One Word That Explains Why America Has Been A Thankful Nation

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you all have a pleasant and fulfilling Thanksgiving.
ORPO1 sends

Current Events: Anti-Israel UT students hijack a lecture, scream for Israel to be erased, and now demand UT takes action against the professor.

Rant Starts
"Anti-Israel UT students hijack a lecture, scream for Israel to be erased, and now demand UT takes action against the professor."
The head hunters in academia are at it again...................
I guess pre-emptive is the new norm in disruption that allows the crybabies to disrupt and not face consequences...............................

The Anti-Israel, Low Information Voter crowd has decided that they are above all and will use any and all means to get the professor fired. 
The Palestinian Solidarity Committee? Hmmmm? Reminds me of things concerning the Communists when I was a child in the late fifties and the sixties.....................

I'm Jewish, but this sort of thing is getting out of hand, even for the Christian population and the Secular population.
These folks use whatever they can to stop some perceived "offense."
Downright disgusting............................................

Full story at the link below.

http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/students-want-ut-prof-fired-for-disrupting-their-anti-israel-disruption/2015/11/18/

Rant Complete

Marlies, IceCaps combine for 17 goals | The American Hockey League

No lack of scoring in this one!

Imagine being in a game tied a 8-8

Marlies, IceCaps combine for 17 goals | The American Hockey League

https://youtu.be/Tr5kjjSAq0I

Why We Wear Poppies On Remembrance Day | Imperial War Museums

This is an outstanding read.

Having lived in The Commonwealth as a high school student in Alberta, Canada one learns that this is a very important day in the year.
In Canada it is still called Remembrance Day....................

Why We Wear Poppies On Remembrance Day | Imperial War Museums

Things People Ask When They Know You're From Kansas

A good piece on being from Kansas!



My favorite!

2. “Doesn’t Kansas get a lot of tornadoes?


Yes; literally EVERY SINGLE day Kansas has another tornado...it's quite incredible that I'm even here to tell the tale!




Things People Ask When They Know You're From Kansas

Plane Pr0n: Updates on the 1st 727's Last Flight Interior Photo Tour - AirlineReporter : AirlineReporter

I loved the old workhorse 727.

My first jet airliner ride was in a 727 of the old Northwest Orient in February of 1968. We were heading to Germany to meet up with Dad at his job working the old Interservice communication system in Europe. I was 13.

It's a good thing that the first one has been preserved and now undergoing a restoration process so it can be flown to DC and the Smithsonian Air Museum.



Photo by David Parker Brown-AirlineReporter.

Updates on the 1st 727's Last Flight Interior Photo Tour - AirlineReporter : AirlineReporter

B-29 “Doc” Funded For Takeoff

"Doc" is going to fly soon!
If I were still living in Wichita, I would have spent time volunteering on this restoration!
I saw a video of the first engine runs awhile back and it was so amazing to hear those big compound radials come to life!

"Doc, which was one of a squadron of World War II-era airplanes named after Snow White’s seven dwarfs, was rescued from the Mojave Desert in 1987. Doc’s Friends, a non-profit organization, formed in 2013 in Wichita, Kansas, to see the restoration to completion."

http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/B-29-Doc-Funded-For-Takeoff-225086-1.html

Impressive shots of Russian Su-24 and Su-34 jets launching at night from Latakia airbase in Syria

From a personal perspective having played "Cold War Chicken" with Ivan in the Seventies this is an interesting piece at a site that some give the shoulder shrug to.

Ivan is apparently kicking some ass in Syria against ISIS.

The Su-34 is an impressive airplane. It is a big old son of a bitch from my limited point of view.

I like airplanes. I really like airplanes that blow stuff up and kill the bad guys.

A sample to get you, the reader, interested.

Su-34 in full afterburner 

Impressive shots of Russian Su-24 and Su-34 jets launching at night from Latakia airbase in Syria

Milestone on this journey

It's official.
I am a Tool Room Attendant.
No more flight line or jets for me.
The foot issues enabled me to obtain a reasonable accomodation to get off the line.
For the record:
ACC on 83-1120, 80-3666, 80-0584 and 88-0445. DCC for a time on 88-0456.
It was a good run. Father Time finally let me know that it was time to do something else not as strenuous, as well did my doctor..
The main bragging point: Oldest Crew Chief on the Line at Red Flag 12-2 at the age of 57!

Plane Pr0n: These may be the best Mig-21, Mig-29 and Su-25 air-to-air images you’ve ever seen.

Stumbling through the favorites list and look at this!

Last week, aviation photographer Anton Balakchiev was among a group of reporters who were given the really unique chance to take air-to-air photographs of the last operational Bulgarian Air Force MiG-21 Fishbed jets.

The type should be retired at the end of this year after 52 years of active service in BuAF.

There is a plethora of outstanding air to air shots in the post! 

Closest northern views of Saturn's moon Enceladus

How about a cool space exploration post?

Found this in the Saturday afternoon while wandering through the interwebs....
Interesting piece.



Sometimes a break is needed from the usual politcial crap is needed.
Closest northern views of Saturn's moon Enceladus

Autumn Thunderstorm In The Southeast Kern County Desert and the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains

A rather substantial storm front came through the So Cal Mountains into the Desert this afternoon/evening. It was short and very intense!
At the CA 58-California City Boulevard Intersection is a pull off area that I use from time to time. I got done taking pictures with my trusty Samsung Galaxy Note 3..........just as the rain arrived over me.

At one of our two traffic lights in town.

We need the rain for sure. I hope some is ending up falling in the San Joaquin Valley.
Tomorrow, it's off to the VA ACC in North Hills in the San Fernando Valley. I have the initial consult for Sleep Apnea.

Seeing stars, again: Naval Academy reinstates celestial navigation

Classic one sentence paragraph.................................After all, you can't hack a sextant.
The article is from the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland.

Lt. Christine Hirsch, who teaches navigation at the Naval Academy, explains methods of celestial navigation taught to midshipmen this year. The threat of cyber warfare has led academy officials to reinstate instruction in celestial navigation, the ancient methods of steering a ship by the stars. (By Tim Prudente / Capital Gazette)

I think the Navy should have always kept celestial navigation as part of the core curriculum at the Trade School on The Severn River.................................

6 years

As a little note.......................
Old Retired Petty Officer is now 6 years of age...............................
Dang, still at it....................................
Thanks to Joy, Christopher, Jeff and to the two no longer with us, Buck Pennington and Carroll Lefon..............................................

North American A-36 Apache: The Plane That Saved the Mustang

Article by Scott Schwartz at The Aviation History Online Museum

Powered by an Allison V-12 engine equipped with a single stage supercharger, the A-36 Apache was essentially an early model P-51 Mustang fitted with two dive brakes on each wing. Other modifications to the airframe included strengthening of the wings, movement of the bomb racks closer to the main landing gear for less wing “flexing” while the plane was taxiing, and the installation of small vent windows in the windscreen side panels. In addition, two Browning M2 .50 caliber machine guns were mounted in each wing, and two more .50 cal. guns were mounted in the lower nose to fire through the propeller. Naturally, the A-36 inherited the Mustang’s clean aerodynamics; but why did North American turn the P-51 into a dive-bomber? To answer this question, we must look at the Mustang’s origins. 

The rest is at the link below but first a gratuitous picture.......................................

The A-36 Apache dove at speeds approaching 500 mph, and
during one test, an airplane lost its wings during a dive.

http://www.aviation-history.com/north-american/a36.html

RailPictures.Net Photo: NS 911 Norfolk Southern EMD SD60E at Tipton, Pennsylvania by CR6377

Gratuitous Train Pr0n on a Friday Evening....

Got the Kings v Coyotes game on with some OK Malt Beverages.....Miller Genuine Draft........Yeah, I know.............................

 EMD SD60E in the 9-1-1 commemorative paint scheme.

More info at the link below:

RailPictures.Net Photo: NS 911 Norfolk Southern EMD SD60E at Tipton, Pennsylvania by CR6377

Lonesomeness.........................Out there

The signal gantry at the East Crossover Cadiz on the BNSF Needles Subdivision. Yes, that Needles, about 10 miles into California from the Colorado River. The Needles Subdivision is one of the busiest rail lines in the world. Stack trains and grain trains going East and West....................
The last stretch I did was on the Needles from Danby to almost the Colorado River in about six trips to the load out at Newberry Springs. or maybe it was seven...................................
This was at RailPictures.Net which is a great site if you like trains. The Old Retired Petty Officer Loves Trains, perhaps more than Airplanes.......................
I think this guy David Carballido-Jeans did a bang up job on it!

EBCS East Cadiz looking West toward Amboy, Siberia, Bagdad, Ash Hill and Ludlow..........

The Mother Road, Old Route 66 parallels this rail line all the way from Needles to Barstow.

Chinese firm plans L.A.-to-Vegas train | CalWatchdog.com

Found while checking my news list......................................

"For bemused Californians, there’s another bullet train in town, thanks to the Chinese government.

More specifically, credit — $100 million worth — goes to China Railway International USA, a venture spearheaded by Beijing’s national railroad, China Railway. The consortium has ponied up funds for XpressWest, “the transportation arm of Marnell Companies, a gaming resort development firm,” as the Sacramento Business Journal noted.

Formerly known as DesertXpress, the company has labored to send a high-speed track toward Las Vegas since “at least 2007,” reported the Los Angeles Times.

According to Chinese officials cited by the Times, passengers would travel “a 230-mile route with an additional stop in Palmdale and eventual service throughout the Los Angeles area using some of the same track that would be used by the publicly backed California high-speed rail project.” Past plans envisioned a run of 185 miles alongside I-15.

The logic behind the idea drew from some straightforward numbers. “About one-quarter of Las Vegas’s 41 million visitors in 2014 came from Southern California, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, many via a several hour highway drive,” Quartz noted. Vegas has been without a passenger train since Amtrak shut down its Desert Wind line in 1997."

27 Sep, 2015-James Poulos

Those big numbers tossed around like it's no big deal. If this system in both California and Nevada are built, I still have a minimum one hour drive to use it from where I live.
I'm thinking that Moonbeam is going after other sources of funding for the High Speed Train(Moonbeam's Crazy Train).
Just a thought.

The entire article is at the link below..............................

Chinese firm plans L.A.-to-Vegas train | CalWatchdog.com