I'm back!!!

This quick post signifies the fact that I am FINALLY back online at home after a 2.5-month absence. Also, I would like to announce the addition of the Photo of the Week, which can be found on the right-hand side of the blog home page. I intend to update this photo near the beginning of each week with a photo from the previous week. The first photo is already posted.

I'll see if I can get some storm photos the next couple of days. We have a classic Pacific storm bearing down on us, with winds offshore gusting to 60 knots and waves in the surf around 30-35 feet. I'm going to try to get down somewhere near the beach Monday morning before I go to work and get some photos if possible, but with the wind and blowing spray, it will not be easy. It's amazing how much extra workload a storm like this causes at the office. Here are some of the extra, non-routine products we dealt with at work today:
Snow Advisory (1st one I've ever issued)
High Surf Warning
Storm Warning (offshore)
Gale Warning
Hazardous Seas Warning
High Wind Warning
Hazardous Weather Outlook
Flood Potential Outlook

This is the kind of storm I have missed while being in Texas for over a year. There's nothing quite like a Pacific wind storm to help you feel the raw power of the atmosphere in motion. Anyway, I'm looking forward to it, to say the least.

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Goodbye Ol' Blue

After 19 years of faithful service in my family, it was finally time to say goodbye to Ol' Blue yesterday. Although it only managed to accumulate 68,000 miles in its long lifespan, Blue's age showed itself more and more this year, and finally the bills and repair estimates became more than the car was worth. This car got me back and forth to school in San Jose many, many times and held up well on its 4,000+ mile journey to Brownsville and back. But as of yesterday, Blue was retired from the family service and now belongs to the good people at Folsom Lake Dodge.

Ol' Blue back in some of its better days in Brownsville.
On the flip side of the story, I am now the proud owner of a brand new 2007 Dodge Dakota pickup that Folsom Lake Dodge had at a really good price in order to make room for the 2008 models. This truck is certainly bigger than what I originally had in mind, and I never imagined I would be able to afford a new vehicle, but with the special deal going on this weekend, this truck turned out to be very close to the price of most of the used ones I had looked into. The newcomer still does not have a name yet, but here are some photos to show what she looks like:

So I guess the story turned out to be a happy one after all. At least I know there is another Ol' Blue still driving through the streets of Brownsville and hopefully will continue to do so for a long time to come. By the way, any thoughts on a name?

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Yes, I'm still alive

I know it's been a while since I posted, but I don't have Internet at home still, so give me a break. I thought I'd post a few pictures today (on my day off) to show what things look like around here. The NWS office here is really cool looking, in my opinion. Check out all the wood on the outside of the building and the wooden signs out front:

I've also found a house to rent here in Eureka. I should be able to move into the house in the next week or two. For those who haven't seen pictures of this place yet, here is one taken by somebody I work with:

And then, just for fun, here is a photo of a sawmill in Samoa, CA, I took a couple days ago:

Well, if I want to finish the rest of my errands today, I guess I should get out of here and get moving. I sure am looking forward to moving into my place and having Internet at home again. Until then, I'll post when I can. See ya.

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Home at last!

Twelve and a half hours after leaving Phoenix, my dad and I made it home around 7:45 this evening. Although today's drive was roughly the same length as yesterday's, knowing home was the final destination made today's journey seem much quicker and easier. A wonderful home-cooked meal (my mom's world-famous chili) was waiting for us when we walked in the door. I thought I'd share a few of my photos from the trip along with a couple that my dad took, too.

Mammatus clouds in Arizona (through driver's-side window):

Phoenix sunset Sunday evening: A couple of lightning photos from a thunderstorm east of Phoenix Sunday night:

These last two were taken by my dad through the car window in Arizona Sunday afternoon - nice work!

I'll be staying with my family here in Folsom for the next couple of days. Wednesday, we are driving up to Eureka so I can start the process of looking for a place to live before I start work next Monday. At least I get a short break before it's time to start driving again!

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Trip Log-Day 2

1354 miles down, 686 to go. Phoenix tonight-home tomorrow. Had a great dinner at Crackerbarrel. Nice lightning show to the E 2nite.

Trip Log-Day 1

Made it all the way to Sonora to spend the night. The car even handled well in the 80 mph zone! Phoenix tomorrow. See y'all later!

Trip Log-Day 0

Ah, spending the night on the floor-gotta love that! Last night in my apartment-on the road in the morning. Next stop-Kerrville.

Going Away

Since all my stuff will be loaded up and taken away tomorrow, this will probably be the last blog entry until Saturday night on the road. Fred the duck's blog is coming along, but won't be posted for a few more days. So, see you later, Brownsville!

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Feathered Friends

I guess one of the benefits of living right next door to 3 ponds and a resaca is that there is never a shortage of birds to observe and take pictures of. (I hope my former English teachers didn't notice how I just ended that sentence!) That's just one thing (among many) I will miss about Brownsville. I've managed to fill up 6.5 gigs of my hard drive with over 2,000 photos of ducks in just about one year's time - these guys are by far my most popular photo subject. But how can someone resist taking photos of something so cute, especially the little ones. Here are some photos taken just today, for example:

So, I guess I'll have to find another favorite creature to take photos of soon. Maybe there are ducks in California, too. By the way, I have another feathered friend named Fred, but he's such an important bird, I think I'll hold off on talking about him for now and give him his own blog entry later.

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California, here I come...

Well, the big trip out west starts about a week from today. I'll be posting a quick message here on the blog each night along the way via my cell phone (my phone allows me to post 131 characters, or about 2 or 3 short sentences). Then, hopefully I'll be able to post some photos and a recap of the trip on Monday or Tuesday. Looks like I'll be stopping in Folsom for a couple of days, and then traveling up to Eureka on the 19th. Once in Eureka, blog updates may be infrequent for a while since I'm not sure of the Internet availability at my temporary housing (here).

(Photo above is of the Pacific coast in Florence, Oregon.)

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October-December 2008 Photos of the Week

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Feb. 2008 Photos of the Week

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