Dino Saga 081109 _ Nice Quiet Week

Dino Saga 081109 _ Nice Quiet Week

Weather has been good past few weeks. Had three toy storms come by, last a couple of days, drop ¼” to ½” inch of rain and move on. Nice and sunny in between. Perfect for the mountains hit by the last fire. Seeds will start to germinate and we will have instant green. I took some pictures from the pool deck. Will take some more as the weeks go by. The telephoto shot shows the orchards behind the houses. Then the burn area. So nice to have a South facing mountainside and a good supply of agricultural water. In the old days Santa Barbara grew Oranges, Lemons and Walnuts. Goleta was the Lemon Capital of the world. Those old farmers pushed for the water supply we have today and Ag gets special rates. The flatlands now only grow houses but Avocados do wonderfully on the mountainsides. Not much water and great fruit. And fire protection as a bonus for all the flatlanders. All we have to worry about now is heavy rains. The little ones soak in and start the seeds. Heavy rains run off carrying seeds and dirt. That debris plugs, then releases streams down low. Floods are the result. If the new grass and bushes get a good foothold, they are locked in place. We want toy storms until the new year.

Car was looking pretty bad after the last toy storm. The canopy keeps the big stuff off but flying dirt and spray find their way into nooks and crannies. Grabbed Candi and the camera and we headed for the little car wash on State Street. Don’t like the high volume shops. These guys take a little more care and appreciate the business. Candi hates to drive the Dino. She loves her new Honda Fit. She wants quiet, high seating, power steering, easy gearbox, light clutch, great music system. The Dino is sorely lacking in every respect. But she is game.

I rode as passenger and photographer. Warned her about the occasional leaks the the pressure washer finds around the doors. I bailed and shot while the guys did their thing. We were the only ones there so nice amount of TLC. Just as I was getting back into the clean car, two new customers showed up. Perfect timing.

I wax the car every 3 months or so and just wash in between. Meguiar’s Cleaner Wax done by hand is fine after the DI water rinse. Easy on and easy off. No swirls or scratches. So far, so good on the polished wheels. The wash shop uses a special spray on the wheels just before the soap. Gets everything off and the shine is hanging in there. I find that the new PPG clear coat is more reflective than the old clear coat. Maybe a higher index of refraction. Anyway, I like it and so does the camera. The shots at Avila Beach worked out pretty well. All you need is sun.

Daughter Donna and her husband Raymond are here for the month. Their home is Zandvoort in the Netherlands. Cold and rain this time of year. California sun is OK. They usually come in the middle of December and go skiing with us at Heavenly. I can’t go this year so condo is up for rent and they came for Thanksgiving. Donna’s paintings and sculptures are coming along fine. Take a look: http://home.hetnet.nl/~corbani/

Until next week,
John
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