Friday Travels To The Rock Tents...!

I thought we would stay close to home on this addition of Friday's travels.

Since this location is in New Mexico, it's close enough to visit in person should you wish.

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks

New Mexico’s Kasha-Katuwe tent rocks were formed around seven million years ago as a result of ash deposited by pyroclastic flow from a volcanic explosion. As is the case with most rock formations, weathering and erosion can be credited with creating the area’s remarkable geography. The markedly pointy phallus-like stones receive their interesting name from the area’s native language and means “white cliffs”. The rocks vary in height from only a few feet to over ninety feet tall.

You know, if we just take the time to explore a bit, there are some outstanding places to visit! I'm thinking that this would be another place to spend a couple of days!

We can have our coffee outside this morning. I'm thinking it's warm enough, and the weather isn't too bad!

Stardust? What Stardust...?

There are so many unexplained things here on earth, sometimes we forget that space can hold mysteries that put ours to shame!

With modern tools like the Hubble telescope, we can see and marvel at a few of the majestic sights that await our explanation.

The Vanishing Stardust

TYC 8241 2652 is located 450 light years away in the constellation Centaurs. It is believed to be around the same size as our sun – but a mere child, at 10 million years old, compared to our 4.5 billion-year-old star. From 1983 to 2008, astronomers searched a bright ring of dust around the star for possible planet formation, believing they were getting some insight into how our own solar system formed. But when the star was due for a check up in early 2009, astronomers were astonished: when they looked through their telescopes, they saw nothing but the star itself. The once-visible, glowing disk of dust was gone. It did not leave behind any planets, or any signs as to where it had gone; it had quite simply vanished. Scientists were baffled. When asked about it, astronomer Carl Melis simply stated, “We don’t have a really satisfactory explanation to address what happened around this star.

Sure does make for a pretty picture, doesn't it? What's more, it makes for a real puzzle for scientist!

Coffee in the kitchen this morning. Kinda cool and damp outside, ya know?

Guess What? It's Western Wednesday...!

I just know your week wouldn't be complete without some Western Wednesday!

I think we can thank the cowboys for teaching us most of what we know about the rodeo. I'm not sure that I would have wanted to try ol' Bill's technique for bringing down the steers, but it must have been entertaining!

Dec 5, 1871:

Rodeo star Bill Pickett born in Texas

On this day, the great steer wrestling rodeo star Bill Pickett is born near Austin, Texas.

The son of black and Indian parents, Pickett learned his roping and riding skills working as a cowboy on a Texas ranch. He attracted the attention of the Miller brothers, who ran the 101 Ranch Wild West Show, the successful touring extravaganza that also made stars of Will Rogers and Tom Mix. The 101 Ranch, and other Wild West shows, played a key role in the evolution of rodeos from small local competitions among neighboring ranch hands into stylized Hollywood-influenced entertainment productions. The Wild West rodeos even created new events like wild bull riding that—in contrast to real ranching skills like roping and bronc-riding—were never widely practiced by sensible traditional cowboys.

Bill Pickett introduced bulldogging, now better known as steer wrestling, to the world of rodeo entertainment. As a special attraction for the audiences of the 101 Ranch, Pickett rode his horse, Spradley, alongside a running longhorn steer. He grabbed the steer's head and bit its upper lip—an unorthodox but effective means of forcing the steer to follow Pickett's commands. Since bulldogs were known to control cattle by biting onto their lower lips and ferociously hanging on, Pickett's steer wrestling method became known as "bulldogging." Of course, it is unlikely that any working cowboy ever attempted to control a steer by "bulldogging" it, but the audience loved Pickett's stunt. Steer wrestling became a standard rodeo competition, although few cowboys were willing to copy Pickett's lip-biting method, which was replaced by other techniques.

Pickett's bulldogging performance made him a national rodeo star, but the American fascination for Wild West shows and rodeos faded after World War I, and the 101 Ranch closed in 1931. Pickett died a forgotten man not long afterwards, at age 70, from injuries suffered while working horses for the 101 Ranch in Texas. His contributions to the sport were recognized in 1972, when he was posthumously inducted into the National Rodeo Hall of Fame.

I would imagine that many of the older cowboys passed away from the injuries caused by their choice of work. Hard way to make a living, I reckon!

Coffee in the kitchen this morning. The rain keeps showing up for short little showers, so we better not take a chance!

The Mighty Opossum...!

Mother Nature takes care of Her creations in some marvelous ways!

Any animal that can make itself immune to nearly any snakebite has my respect! He may be ugly, but if we all had his immune system, we would be much better off, I'm thinking! Wonder if this ability would work against Zombies?

Self-immunizing Opossum

The most well-known defensive trait of the common North American opossum is its overwhelming instinct to simply fake death when confronted with danger. This is called Thanatosis, and while somewhat effective against predators other than cars, it just sometimes isn’t enough. That is why opossums were also created with a protein called LTNF (Lethal Toxin-Neutralizing Factor) that all but makes them immune to the venom of snakes, bees, and scorpions. The way this works is just as it sounds: Once venom is detected within the opossum’s body by the protein, it actively seeks it out and sets to work neutralizing it. Amazingly, the marsupial is not only granted immunity to local snakes, but also to snakes on other continents with which it has never had contact.

Interesting note: The LTNF protein has been injected into rats, and has apparently been successful in granting the rodents immunity to otherwise lethal venoms.

Ugly or not, this little guy might have some enduring qualities we could share. Hey...just saying!

Let's have our coffee on the patio this morning. My cat has gas, and the fresh air is necessary, if you get my drift!

Monday Mystery In New Zealand...!

Nothing like a mystery involving aircraft...early aircraft! Throw in a government keeping secrets and you have the makings of something very interesting!

Sometimes we forget that governments in other countries have been involved in hiding things for a long time, so it's not just ours!

North Head and Boeing One

The very first Boeing plane ever built was called Bluebill, and its creator, William Boeing shipped it to New Zealand along with its sister plane (Mallard) in 1918 – making it the very first sale of the Boeing company. Upon their arrival they were put to use in commercial flights delivering mail and carrying passengers. In 1924 when the N.Z. Flying School closed, a compelling body of evidence, including a letter written to the Boeing Company in 1959 by pioneer aviator George Bolt, points to the two Boeings having been taken to a military base at North Head, Devonport and placed in a vacant storage tunnel. When the officer in charge decided that the doped fabric and spruce airframes were a fire risk, he ordered the tunnel walled off, and there, the evidence suggests, they remain till this day. The stories of the sealed off underground military complex have since been supported by hundreds of first hand witnesses. Attempts at locating the planes have been suppressed by the military and government and the whereabouts of these most historic planes is still unknown. Pictured above is Bluebill taking off.

I'll bet that some collector somewhere would pay a pretty penny to have those planes! Maybe even a museum!

Coffee on the patio again. We better enjoy this nice warm weather 'cause in Texas, things can change real quick!

Another Fun Sunday...!

In keeping with our tradition, here are some Sunday 'toons for you!

It was my late friend Ben that suggested I do cartoons on Sunday, as he always did the comics Sunday mornings! So here we are and here we go...!



I have to give ol' Wiley credit. He never gives up! Another? Sure...!



That should get the day started with a chuckle or two! At least, I hope so!

Coffee out on the patio today. It's nice and warm and sunny! Gingerbread cookies on the plate!

How About A Paradox...!

Nothing like a paradox to make you work the brain a little!

I found a list of some paradoxes over at Listverse.com and thought I would share this one. Just because it's Saturday doesn't mean we should shut down entirely, right? Right!

The unexpected hanging paradox

A judge tells a condemned prisoner that he will be hanged at noon on one weekday in the following week, but that the execution will be a surprise to the prisoner. He will not know the day of the hanging until the executioner knocks on his cell door at noon that day. Having reflected on his sentence, the prisoner draws the conclusion that he will escape from the hanging. His reasoning is in several parts. He begins by concluding that the “surprise hanging” can’t be on a Friday, as if he hasn’t been hanged by Thursday, there is only one day left – and so it won’t be a surprise if he’s hanged on a Friday. Since the judge’s sentence stipulated that the hanging would be a surprise to him, he concludes it cannot occur on Friday. He then reasons that the surprise hanging cannot be on Thursday either, because Friday has already been eliminated and if he hasn’t been hanged by Wednesday night, the hanging must occur on Thursday, making a Thursday hanging not a surprise either. By similar reasoning he concludes that the hanging can also not occur on Wednesday, Tuesday or Monday. Joyfully he retires to his cell confident that the hanging will not occur at all. The next week, the executioner knocks on the prisoner’s door at noon on Wednesday — which, despite all the above, will still be an utter surprise to him. Everything the judge said has come true.

If that one doesn't make you think a little, nothing will this morning!

Coffee out on the patio this morning. I'm baking cookies, and we'll share them when they are done!