Sunday, December 30, 2018

Texas Thanksgiving Trip!! Days Four, Five & Six

When we last left the Geofamily...

It's now Thanksgiving Eve and nothing special on the docket for today.  The three of us do spend some time around Seguin, including a visit to the new public library building.  

Then Wednesday gives way to Thursday.  No turkey in this house, however.  

My folks were more than willing to break with tradition and serve BBQ brisket instead of a stuffed bird.  Fine with me!  I recall many years ago, going to a steakhouse in downtown Tempe, AZ expecting to munch on turkey and dressing only to learn that we could indeed order off their regular menu as well!  I returned home having stuffed myself on prime rib.  

We also enjoyed a visit from Geosister (the elder) and her family.  Good conversation, BBQ and beer.  What more could a guy want?  

Food scorecard:

BBQ
Tex-Mex
Chicken-fried steak

Does that mean it's time to head home?  

Actually yes.  I had long planned/intended to head back to Kansas on Black Friday.  The philosophy being that having both Saturday and Sunday to recover from the road trip would be optimal.  Plus there appeared to be a winter storm headed our direction on Sunday and we'd rather not chance any delays on the road.  

So-- family visit done, college visits done, and Texas cuisine consumed, we loaded up the Suburban and left Seguin at 6:55 a.m.  We know the way well, just get on Texas 130 and drive north until we merge with I-35, then it's through Fort Worth, Oklahoma City and finally Wichita before using Interstates 135 and 70 to get us back to Manhattan.  

Since we ate so much the day before none of us felt the need to stop for breakfast until reaching Waco.  Cracker Barrel made for a satisfying late breakfast/early lunch stop.  I got back behind the wheel until our next gas-and-bladder break, in Denton.  I also grabbed my last Texas gustatory treat, a bottle of Big Red.  Then it's into Oklahoma.  

Geogal took over the driving from Denton onward.  She surprised me by leaving the satellite radio right where it was, on the Texas-KU football game.  (I'll spare all of my readers a rant about how this matchup the day after Thanksgiving is all sorts of wrong.  This day is supposed to be Texas versus Texas A&M!  Grumble, grumble, grumble....)  

We decide to stop in Wichita and have the late meal at Applebee's.  Even though it's only a little after 5 the sun already said goodbye in the west and it feels later than it is.  

Meal was good and after topping off the tank it's time for the homestretch.  Podcasts and regular conversation help me stay focused (I again resumed the driving duties).  Soon we're back to familiar territory and then comes the dyad of Junction City and Manhattan.  

Pulled into the driveway at 8:35 p.m.  I also kept track of the miles.  765 odometer ticks since leaving Seguin.  

I can still do this.  I just don't want to do it often. 

I also came to this conclusion:  You will take Geoguy out of Texas but you'll never take the Texas out of him.

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Texas Thanksgiving Trip!! Day Three

Day Three dawns.  

The hotel breakfast is only adequate.  Yep, this is one of those places that seems to think cheese is a required ingredient in the hot offerings.  I make do with the more “continental” alternatives (i.e. cold cereal and fruit) but decide this doesn’t have to dampen my day.  

I’m more concerned with how long it will take us to get from our location to Rice University.  Since the time I resided in Houston the sprawl and matching traffic have since taken on a dimension of their own.  

But before setting out for the next institution of higher education I got out the Sangean and took a listen to the terrestrial radio offerings, mainly on the AM band.  

I wanted to take time to do this, as Houston is where my DXing and overall radio listening as-a-hobby really took off.  As I expected, and since the Internet makes getting current radio listings a breeze I heard what I already knew:  while the frequencies are the same, most of the stations have changed formats.  And on the AM dial, which even back in the early 1980’s had several Spanish-language stations, I heard less espanol and more Asian.  

Time to put away the device and get the luggage into the Suburban for our venture into the university-heavy area of the Bayou City.  Turns out the traffic flow was smoother and faster than predicted and we got to the brainchild school of William Marsh Rice sooner than anticipated.  

Long story short:  After finishing the nearly hour-long introductory session, all three members of the Geofamily elected to leave and head to our next road-trip destination.  Sometimes you just know right away when a school won’t be a good fit.  Enough said.  

It’s only midmorning and we all agree that returning to Interstate 10 and heading towards Seguin is the plan!  And if we play the cards right and don’t encounter any significant delays it will allow us a little time to visit Texas Lutheran University.  

Back to the Katy Freeway we go!  I’m behind the wheel this time and can’t wait to see the sight of houses, apartment complexes, strip malls and industrial parks give way to brush and grassland.  Once we cross the Brazos River I know we’re back in real Texas.  

And for once, the audio accompaniment synced well!  Between Sealy and Columbus the classic country station on SiriusXM (Willie’s Roadhouse) offered Asleep At The Wheel’s “Miles and Miles of Texas.”  

Yes, I sang along.  The ladies probably rolled their eyes.  

High noon has come and gone and we’re all feeling hungry.  Now think:  On the road in Texas where should one have a fast food lunch?  

Of course—Whataburger.  

It wasn’t on my food scorecard list I shared in the previous entry but hitting Whataburger at least once was always part of my master food plan for this trip.  The Columbus location didn’t disappoint, either.  

Geogal takes over the driving task and in about 90 minutes we approached Seguin.  Rather than exit on 123 and head to Geomom and Geodad’s house we went straight to the TLU campus.  

This visit proved more worthy of our time than Rice, even though we didn’t have an appointment and would not be able to sit in on any classes much less get a formal campus tour.  No matter.  Suffice to say the admissions office was happy to accommodate us.  

Then it’s time to see the family members.  After relaxing and talking for a while, Geodad asks what we’d like for supper:  Mexican food at El Ranchito or chicken-fried steak at The Grain Bin.  

Choice for us was easy and it was north on 123, just past Geronimo.  So my scorecard now reads:

BBQ
Tex-Mex
Chicken-fried steak


Time to now truly relax!  No more hotels for the remainder of our journey….

Sunday, December 09, 2018

Texas Thanksgiving Trip!! Days One and Two

Time to take a break from the mundane!

Thanksgiving week offered the whole Geofamily a chance to get away from the work or school routine.  Geoguy’s family in Texas was more than receptive to a visit and we also wanted to visit Rice University.  This institution (among many others) expressed interest in Geoana and dangled a nice offer to boot.  

Plans in place, we hit the road south during the early afternoon of the 18th.  Our destination for the evening was Sherman, in north Texas, a place I have never been.  Although it was tempting to take a more scenic and direct route given I like seeing new places and southeastern Oklahoma appears to be rather hilly and green, I instead chose the interstate 35-to-Gainesville-then-east-to-Sherman option.  Why?  

Two reasons:  Time and daylight.  

Since Geoana was wrapping up a 4H function on the 18th that meant we couldn’t begin the trip until her commitment was complete, which happened around one in the afternoon.  Had we been able to start earlier I certainly would choose the road less traveled.  And since we’re in November the sun sets just a little after 5 so we knew the latter part of this day’s drive would be in darkness.  Better to stay on the familiar and four-lane routes.  

Still, a bit of a shame as I would have loved to see the scenery along U.S. route 82 between Gainesville and Sherman.  Would not be surprised if it was reminiscent of Texas’ Hill Country region.  

Why Sherman?  

Since we weren’t able to get to Houston in one day we all agreed a Monday visit to Austin College would be worth our time.  It’s another school listed in the tome Colleges That Change Lives by Loren Pope and also fits the daughter’s criteria of a smaller institution with a religious focus.  

As expected, we hit darkness on I-35 around the vicinity of Purcell, Oklahoma.  And, as hoped, our drive was uneventful save for witnessing the recent remnants of what appeared to be a horrific accident along 35 near Blackwell.  

Arrive in Sherman, make a quick stop at Wal Mart Neighborhood Market for healthy supper salads (need to counteract the KFC we ate for lunch).  Then we check in a the hotel and settle down for repose.  

Monday morning arrives.  We finish the Austin College visit/tour in the early afternoon and begin heading south (again), this time with Houston as the destination.  But before we’re out of the greater North Dallas/Plano/McKinney region we need to grab some lunch.  Geogal consults her Yelp app and we agree on Tex-Mex.  

Thank you Yelp!  Anasofia’s Mexican Grill was a delight and we left with not only full stomachs but also enjoyed the conversation with the owner who was pleased we stopped in and mentioned we drove by no less than six Mexican restaurants between the freeway exit and his establishment.  

That meal also took care of one of my personal “important three” Texas cuisines, the other two being BBQ and chicken fried steak.  (Save the Asian fusion for some other destination…)

So for this trip here’s the food scorecard:
BBQ
Tex-Mex
Chicken-fried steak

I get behind the wheel again for the trek around Dallas (via 75 and 635) before intersecting I-45 and turning south toward Space City.  

Before reaching Corsicana (a convenient stop to switch out drivers and also view the offerings at the Collin Street Bakery store) I have the only “yikes!” moment of the whole trip.  I’m driving along, minding my own business when a pickup/fifth wheel combination encroaches into my lane with no warning or signal.  

Geoana perked up when she heard me exclaim:  “Aaaaahhhhh!!!”  Sometimes you can’t retain something in your inner monologue.  

Fortunately I had a free and open lane just to the left so no damage done.  Truck-and-fifth-wheel-combination moves back to the right and I pass him.  Geogal (who is riding shotgun) takes a casual look over and sees a, well, rather geriatric driver.  

I choose to shake it off.  We arrive at Corsicana and sadly realize that Collin Street Bakery no longer makes or sells their rum pound cake.  Rats!  I had my mouth all set for that gustatory delight.  

A bit of history:  For Christmas 1989, Geoguy, along with Geoparents and Geosister the Younger did a road trip beginning in Albuquerque, New Mexico with the destination of Houston.  Our first day saw us reach Wichita Falls on a freakin’ cold (albeit clear) day.  We got a good start the next day and stopped in Corsicana for a BBQ lunch (awesome!—wish I could remember the name of the place although it might not exist anymore) and then went to the downtown location of Collin Street Bakery.  Both the BBQ and Collin Street Bakery were a recommendation from Geomom’s coworker who grew up in Corsicana.  

We walked out the door with a fruitcake (natch) and a rum pound cake.  A few days later in Houston these items were a hit, to put it mildly.  Geobrother-in-law commented on the pound cake, “You could (or should) pour your morning coffee through it.”  

Another memory of my youth, now gone.  

The drive from Corsicana to Huntsville is routine.  Geogal took over behind the wheel after we left the Collin Street Bakery store.  Quick stop at Buc-ees for gas.  Us and about half the world.  Might not ever visit a Buc-ees again.  Never even had a chance to go inside and see the offerings.  

After Huntsville the traffic increases significantly on I-45.  By the time we get to Conroe we wonder if we will ever see Houston.  All we see right now are taillights.  

I navigate Geogal through the mess of cars/trucks/etc onto the Sam Houston Tollway and we finally get to our hotel on the Katy Freeway.  Which looks a lot different than the Katy Freeway I grew up with.  Fortunately our hotel has a social hour which has not only libations (including Shiner Bock!!) but also appetizers which we make into a meal.  

However Geogal is so stressed from the Greater Houston segment that she isn’t making casual conversation about anything related to the drive.  


Next segment:  Day Three—Rice University and one other institution of higher education!

Sunday, October 21, 2018

New Gadget

My birthday was earlier this month.  Geogal had great sense in getting her gift-giving inspiration from looking at what I'd saved in our Amazon shopping cart.  

Clearly the inverter generator (3000-watt version) wasn't feasible given camping season is all but over around here.  Besides, hauling that thing around in the Suburban while the camper is hitched would be problematic as that truck's rear door doesn't clear the camper's electric jack.  (Camper generators and the accompanying gas can are much better suited for a pickup truck bed.)  

Nor was the Shop-Vac foam filter (great for vacuuming up anything wet) bound to be a present resulting in the "oh, wow!" exclamation.  

She did, however, locate another item I've been wanting for some time.  It's a Sangean PR-D5 radio.  

For a few years I've known I needed a replacement for the venerable Radio Shack DX-375.  I've had that device since Christmas of 1995 and used it to listen to AM, FM and short wave in many locations around North America.  While it's been reliable and given me hundreds of hours of joy in pulling in distant stations it is clearly showing its age.  The power cuts out periodically which then requires a shake to bring it back to life (obviously a problem with the internal circuitry) plus the headphone jack, while designed for stereo capability, has only been functional in one channel for at least 10 years.  Time for something new.  

I learned there isn't quite the selection of quality AM/FM/short wave units as in the past.  The Grundig Yacht Boy is no longer being made and some of today's offerings scream cheap.  Looking around the 'Net yielded a few options for under $100.  I found the Sangean had good reviews and some noted they were impressed with its ability to pull in the distant AM stations.  Even in today's streaming and on-demand world I still often prefer the old-fashioned Ancient Modulation as an entertainment choice.  

So, the big day arrives and Geogal surprises me a day early with a 49-inch smart TV.  The "day early" bit was due to it arriving at the house on that date and Geogal having no place to hide it.  Then on the real anniversary of my birth I was treated to the radio.  

So far I'm liking it.  I was surprised to learn it was somewhat larger than the old Radio Shack tuner.  However the larger size likely explains why it does well in receiving distant AM stations as the compartment has room for a longer-than-usual internal ferrite antenna.  The Sangean also feels just downright solid.  When you hold it it doesn't give the impression of cheaply made.  I also like using a rotary knob to tune the frequencies although sometimes I did miss the ability to go to a keypad and punch in a specific station.  However the preset buttons should make going to a particular kilohertz or megahertz frequency easy enough.  

Since we're now well into autumn I've enjoyed the nighttime AM offerings that are more plentiful due to the decreased solar interference.  Favorite stations from Chicago, Minneapolis, Nashville, Louisville and Detroit are easy catches.  I've also heard north of the border broadcasts from Manitoba and Ontario and to make sure our other neighbor doesn't feel left out, tried and grabbed both XEW from Mexico City and XEROK from Juarez.  

Last Saturday morning I even got one that was a true surprise.  Clicking around the dial I landed on 750 AM and heard a very clear garden show.  I thought, no, couldn't be.  Went online and sure enough, it was Atlanta's WSB.  Confirmed it a bit later with local weather and traffic reports.  While WSB is one of the blowtorch AM stations in the southern U.S. I've never been able to receive them until now.  

Daytime reception is also indeed a bright spot.  Last Saturday (I really bonded with that gadget that day, didn't I?) while spending time cleaning up the garage I enjoyed listening to the play-by-play of the Nebraska Cornhuskers game.  KXSP from Omaha came in almost sounding like a local.  Even Geogal was impressed.  

So farewell, my DX-375.  You served me well for lo these many years.  Time to make way for the new blood.  


Wednesday, October 10, 2018

From The Idiot Box

One more point to make from the July road trip:  

That Suburban is the best vehicle to use for expeditions (wait, isn't that the Ford version of the large utility vehicle?)....excursions (wait, another Ford product of the same variety which is no longer manufactured)...uh, journeys?  (Think we're OK there.)  Plenty of room, comfortable ride, numerous amenities.  And the ability to put E85 fuel in it when we're in corn country makes for a cheaper fill-up.  

Now the child needs to make her college choice.  Won't be an easy one.  

___________________________________

A couple of weeks ago I did something I haven't done in I don't know how long.  I watched the premiere episode of a TV series on its first airing on the network.  

The promos for "Manifest" looked interesting enough to catch my interest.  And so far, so good.  

That's saying quite a bit as I'm something of a tough customer when it comes to TV viewing.  I've decided to only watch what's worthwhile and drop a series when it's obviously getting stale.  (Learned that lesson from "The Simpsons" and "Cheers.")  Of course I thought the pre-season promos for "Dark Angel" (remember that show?) looked equally awesome but that program turned out to be a  royal piece of fecal matter.  

As with everything, time will tell if Manifest holds my interest.  Sorry to say I had near-equal anticipation for "New Amsterdam" but all it took was my watching the first installment to decide I was done.  

I don't even want to get into the reasons why.  

Wednesday, October 03, 2018

I Wouldn't Mind Having A Drink With This Fellow

Continuing where we left off yesterday...

My week away from work draws to a close, but there's one more destination to be had.

As a family, and on my own a few times (work-related), we've been to Kansas City.  So while this visit doesn't entail any first-time experiences in regard to the metro area, the Geofamily has never been to the Harry Truman Presidential Library and Museum.  (For shame...)

Therefore Saturday afternoon found us at said site, following a lunch at Five Guys.  Family readers of this blog know I'm quite the history nerd and I truly have no excuses for being dilatory in visiting this site and the Eisenhower Center in Abilene.

While aware of Truman's background and knowledgeable of his presidency, including his decision to use the A-bomb on Japan and pulling off a surprise victory in the 1948 election, I sure learned much more about the man during this visit.

And I loved seeing his office, even if it was through a window.

Even though we wouldn't agree on everything, I left this place with the desire to sit down and have a glass of bourbon with Truman.  Don't know if I can say that about any other occupant of the Oval Office.  I came away with the impression he was a very likable man.  Honest, humble and not afraid to speak his mind.

Later, back at the hotel, I viewed portions of his funeral on YouTube.  I then remembered seeing at least some of it on live TV, at our house in Baltimore.  Mom had it on and at one point said to me:

"You see that American flag?"

"Yes."

"Harry S Truman is under it."

For a few moments I felt creeped out, taking her comment literally.  Thinking the flag was draped over a dead body.  Shortly I realized he was in a casket, under the flag.

The things I remember.




The next day Geogal and I visited the neighborhood where Truman's house is located.  While we couldn't enter the former president's house we were delighted to go across the street to the Noland Home (his cousin's house) and view the exhibits there.  

Then it was time to head home.  Not a bad way to spend a week.  

Tuesday, October 02, 2018

Summer Summary

Summer vacation?

In the Geohouse the closest we got was loading up the Suburban and heading to Minnesota to visit a few institutions of higher learning.  Geoana is now in her senior year of high school and while Kansas State University is still on the table, she thinks she'd be better in a small liberal arts college.  

She's probably right.  Despite the sometimes-downright fun atmosphere of the larger schools (such as Saturdays during football season) I think her personality would be a better fit for a small pond.  And she doesn't care much for athletics anyway.  

So we journeyed towards the Land of Paul Bunyan but first we waited for the child to take her ACT at K-State.  (She took it during the spring but wanted to better her score.  It was a good call.)  After she finished that task it was hit the road!  Quick late lunch at Wendy's in Topeka then get on the turnpike into Kansas City.  Skirt around the north end of the metro area (and realize how much I don't miss city traffic) and reach I-35 which will take us all the way to the Twin Cities.  

But not all in one pop.  Given the lateness of the day we planned an overnight stop in Des Moines.  Late supper at Zombie Burger followed by hitting the hay at the hotel.  

From that point on it's the familiar route.  North to Ames (fill up Suburban with E85--yesss!!), then pass by Clear Lake before entering the Land of 1000 Lakes.  Exit at Faribault and snake through the town before taking highway 3 and reaching Northfield.  

We have a leisurely lunch at Hogan Brothers, then explore the downtown area.  

Later in the afternoon we head to our hotel in Burnsville.  But the next day it's back to Northfield.  Yes.  The first college visit is to St. Olaf.  

Takes a good chunk of the day but we still manage to get in a visit to....

Of course.  The Mall of America.  

The next day sees us darken the doorstep of two schools.  Concordia and Macalester, both in St. Paul.  

Now we're to Wednesday and it's back on I-35, going south this time.  Ames, Iowa is the destination. Time to make a second campus visit to Iowa State (go Cyclones!!)  

That takes most of Thursday.  Our original plan was to drive from Ames to Kansas City then stay the night to allow Geoana a chance to meet up with her friend and attend the Halsey concert.  However, since Geoana scheduled the Iowa State visit for Thursday instead of Friday and Halsey would perform on Saturday, we elected to head straight home from Ames once we finished with the ISU business.  

Followed the same route described earlier in this entry.  However timing was now my friend, as we were in Kansas City around the dinner hour.  

You know what that means.  

BBQ!!

A stop at Arthur Bryant's hit the spot.


After gorging ourselves and packing up the remnants in a to-go box, we are back home in a little less than 90 minutes.  

Nice to sleep in one's own bed and get some laundry done.  And on Saturday we again packed (just an overnight bag this time) and made our way to K.C.  

I'll detail that portion of our "vacation" in a different entry.  

Saturday, September 22, 2018

A few items, none of which really justify their own long narrative.  

First, I'm writing this as the morning temp is 47 degrees.  The first truly crisp morning of the season.  I'm looking forward to the additional warm beverages during the day, the increased number of big-pot-on-the-stove dishes that just seem out of place during the summer months, the ending of weekend mow-the-yard routine, the interim season of needing to run neither the air conditioning nor the furnace at home, sleeping with the windows open at night, doing any activity outdoors and not be drenched in sweat, the continuing of football season (might even attend another K-State game or two) and the lack of houseflies and other insect pests.  

Reminder to self:  Re-read the above when it's late January/early February and you're sick to death of the bone-chilling cold and brutal accompanying wind.  

________________________

Visited the Kansas State Fair two weekends ago.  Headed that direction on the afternoon of the 8th, walked the midway and some exhibits during the evening.  Learned a great lesson as well:  If you search long enough you will find decent food for the evening meal.  Since I'm now in my 50's I don't care for fast/greasy food quite as much as in my younger days.  As one may expect, the midway area was loaded with offerings ranging from fried (you name it) on a stick to moink balls.  Definition?  Meatballs (moo) that are bacon-wrapped (oink) and cooked up good.  While my palate might enjoy such a thing as my evening meal, the rest of my body would not.  

Finally hit on the right place.  In one hall there was a variety of food vendors, all of whom were local.  This included church groups and other organizations.  Geogal and I wound up buying salads from one stand and meatloaf with mashed potatoes from another.  Hit the spot and the old adage remains true:  No beating home cooking.  

Stayed overnight in McPherson and returned to the fairgrounds on Sunday morning.  Easily in time for the 10:00 Lutheran Layman's League church service.  

Headed home by midday, stopping for lunch at Cozy Inn in Salina.  Not only are the sliders to die for but if you eat at the counter (which we did) you have the added benefit of your clothes smelling of grilled burgers with onion.  Reviewers on Yelp and elsewhere view this as a negative.  Not me!!  

Why the overnight stay, you ask?  Geoana had 4H commitments.  First she had to work the T-shirt booth Saturday from 6-8:30 (the crummy shift) and then had a Kansas 4H Ambassadors action team meeting at 9 on Sunday.  Even though our house near Manhattan is MUCH closer to Hutchinson then when we lived in Norton, it still made better sense to just stay overnight in the immediate area.  

_________________________

College football?  Now it's week 4 and the fun (i.e. conference) games really go into high gear!  Not that the first three weeks didn't offer some good armchair entertainment.  Even though I don't bleed burnt orange as do some of my other family members I still enjoyed seeing the Longhorns punch USC (The University of Spoiled Children) right in the mouth last Saturday night.  

I also read UT made the first move toward resuming matchups with Texas A&M.  The Aggies however, gave them the blow-off with the rationale that their schedules are already set for the next several years (which is true) and then added their philosophy that "our SEC opponents mean much more to us than playing you," (Geoguy paraphrase).  Seems the powers running the maroon and white wish to continue sending the message to Austin:  We don't need you anymore.

Sunday, September 09, 2018

Not Gone!!

I didn’t intend to go on hiatus these past several weeks.  However….

While on a college-visit-tour-vetting-how-much-money-will-this-cost sojourn in July I got a call from my supervisor.  Just seeing the name on the caller ID took my BP up many notches as no one wants to get a call from work while out on PTO.  

I won’t go into details but the news involved significant changes with my employer.  Only now is the dust beginning to clear but one result was a significantly high level of stress during July and August.  I also was occupied with paperwork and other required tasks, all of which served to suck away not only time but also my creative juices.  

Then last week I had an epiphany:  What if returning to writing has a therapeutic effect?  

Many adults are aware of the healing power of journaling.  What if I do the same, especially here in my “online journal?”  

I decided it certainly couldn’t hurt.  

So my commitment for September is to do several entries during the month.  Perhaps not daily but more than one per week.  And as always, there’s no limits with my subject matter.  Could be sports-related, a summation of a road trip or even the discovery of a new (to me) eatery.  I’ve got several topics lined up.  So thank you for returning to Bucolic Blogger.  


Heck, I even started the process last week when I updated the theme and picture.  Hope you enjoy the “Eastern Kansas” scenery.  

Sunday, July 22, 2018

And now, a little kitsch

I'll pause briefly from my writings about broadcasting (television in particular) to mention this next subject.  

Geogal brought to my attention a few days ago that the house used in the exterior shots of "The Brady Bunch" is on the market.  

I'm well aware the establishing shots were done sometime in 1969, no doubt after the pilot was accepted and the series green-lit.  I also know the "second story" window was fake, nailed on to portray the house as a two-story (although true BB fans will quickly tell you the exterior view in no way matches the layout of the house as done on the soundstage).  

I finally got a chance to see the domicile for myself in either 1996 or 97.  Geogal even snapped a photo of me out front, now I've got to shuffle through our bin of prints to find it.  

Yet I've always wondered what the true house actually looked like on the inside.  Thanks to Zillow one can see how the house overall, while well-kept, is rather dated.  However I'm particularly impressed with the backyard and overall this dwelling looks oodles better than many family structures approaching 60 years.  

And it can be mine for just a little short of two million!  Zillow estimates my mortgage would set me back about 7,600 each month....

Sunday, July 08, 2018

Nebraska TV oddities

Today I'll be turning focus to the state of Nebraska. You may notice with this blog that I am interested in broadcasting but only for certain geographical regions. Certainly Texas plus states where I lived or visited often such as Kansas, Arizona, New Mexico and to lesser extent California and Colorado.

And then there’s Nebraska.  Even though I never lived there it's a rather interesting state TV wise and I’ve traveled through much of it, often with my DTV stick and antenna helping me see what’s available over the air.  

Going from east to west the television landscape changes dramatically given most of the population is in the southeast corner.  First you have the Omaha television market which is very straightforward. Then heading west you have Lincoln, which begins the DMA known as Lincoln-Hastings-Kearney.  This market covers a huge chunk of the central and western part of the state. After that you have one of the smallest markets in the country, North Platte. Continuing west the communities are served by either the Denver or Cheyenne Wyoming markets.

Back to Lincoln-Hastings-Kearney, an interesting thing to point out here is this market has a rather high number a full power TV stations that broadcast on the low VHF band. Starting in Hastings you have KNHL which now broadcasts religious programming but for a long, long time was the NBC affiliate for the western part market under the call letters KHAS, RF and virtual channel 5.  This area also has a newer full power station broadcasting on channel 4. This is the old KSNB, licensed to Superior Nebraska but in reality serves the area immediately surrounding York.  This station replaced the NBC coverage formerly provided by KHAS.  KSNB, however, is not limited to the VHF channel 4, as it also is carried on the .2 subchannels for KOLN (Lincoln) and KGIN (Grand Island).  Both of these stations have robust coverage on channels 10 and 11 respectively. In North Platte long time NBC affiliate KNOP broadcasts on RF channel 2.  South of North Platte is KWNB, a full-power satellite of Kearney’s KHGI with ABC affiliation.  KWNB operates on RF channel 6 and its COL is Hayes Center.  I haven’t researched this too deeply but I suspect this community of only a few hundred souls might be the smallest COL for a full-power, network-affiliated television station anywhere in the States.  

To sum it up— in a certain geographical region you have several stations that are using low band VHF.  

For those that are not TV historians, some explanation: In the old days of analog broadcasting the VHF band was very coveted. It wasn't until the mid-1960s that TV’s were required to have a built-in UHF tuner. Even with that, VHF stations still had superior coverage area. In the switch to digital engineers quickly learned that broadcasting on the low VHF band (channels 2 through 6) was not desirable due to the potential for interference. High band VHF (channels 7 through 13) was still acceptable provided the power output was good and the transmitter antennas had sufficient height over average terrain.  But ironically the ATSC digital TV standard performed much better on UHF.  So in most communities if their local channel was previously 2 through 6, this channel simply stayed on their UHF digital companion channels. 

At least for the majority of stations. One of the unfortunates was Philadelphia’s WPVI, which used channel 6 for its analog broadcast.  However, the companion digital signal was on the channel that would be out of core once the digital switchover was complete.  Since there was no other available UHF channel in the area WPVI had no choice but to use their digital signal on channel 6. Almost immediately viewers in Philadelphia complained about not being able to receive the signal.  

So in a complete 180-degree turn, channels operating on UHF were no longer considered inferior and in fact became highly desirable.  

Why then, are several of the stations in this one area using low band VHF?  Central and western Nebraska is not exactly heavy with population or have numerous TV stations so one thinks there will be enough space on UHF dial.  After giving this a lot of thought I can only come up with two answers.

(Keep in mind I am not a broadcast engineer. I'm a hobbyist. Plus I don't know anybody at any of the stations so I have no inside knowledge.)

Answer number one: Economics.

I suspected, but didn't know for sure until recently that the same transmitter antenna could be used for analog or digital broadcasting. However after reading about WIBW's transmitter and antenna replacement I concluded it it it is cheaper to use your existing antenna at the transmitter rather than purchase an entire new one. Given none of these operations are owned by corporations flush with cash it makes sense to use as much as you can from that which you already have.

Answer number two: Poor engineering advice.

Maybe the stations all use the same engineering firm but it seems the opinion at the time was to keep your digital signal on VHF if possible. With the information then available perhaps the engineers predicted the VHF signal would provide better coverage than the UHF signal. While this was true in the days of analog broadcasting it appeared to not be the case for digital. There also is the well-known “digital cliff” so a somewhat watchable picture on analog turned into no picture at all for digital. Also the low band VHF full-power stations, in the analog days, transmitted using 100,000 watts of power. With digital the maximum you can go is 45,000 watts.  Again, no signal for many viewers.

I can attest to this last part. In the spring of 2009 I took my laptop and DTV stick and ventured into central Nebraska to see which signals I could receive. In North Platte I had no luck with channel 2 even though I could easily get the local low power stations and KPNE on channel 9. Then I drove south but could not receive KWNB at several points even within 20-30 miles of the transmitter.  I could not get any signal for that station until I was literally at the tower.

I also took a couple of pictures while I was there. Sorry I didn't get a picture of the base but there wasn't much to see. Just a small shack surrounded by fencing.





A bit to the east I always had difficulty receiving the erstwhile KHAS.  Even in locations as close as Grand Island nothing would show on channel 5.  Last summer I camped at Fort Kearny State Park, well within the putative range of KNHL.  Yet even with my camper’s outside amplified antenna I could not pull in KNHL while the other area stations (KGIN, KHGI and KLNE) were clear as could be.  And yes, I tried rotating the antenna and every other trick in the book.  Nothing.  

I noticed KWNB’s owners applied to the FCC to change their RF channel from 6 back to 18 (together with co-owned KHGI in Kearney moving from channel 13 to 21).  I haven’t looked deeper into the FCC’s database to see if these still under consideration.  


Maybe there’s hope for OTA viewers in the Cornhusker State.  

Sunday, July 01, 2018

Closer To Home

This entry also is devoted to television broadcasting changes/updates but this time I’ll focus on my home DMA (Topeka).  

Since installing my antenna there’s been little change in the channel lineup or offerings.  49.4, which used to be a dedicated weather channel is now Justice (which I don’t ever watch).  KSNT added a 27.4 subchannel for Bounce, of which I watch very little.  

However a few weeks ago I noticed that WIBW’s UHF fill-in channel was no longer on the air.  Not surprising, since it was on RF channel 44 which will soon be out-of-core (see the previous post about the repack).  A check of the FCC database shows WIBW applied for a digital replacement translator on channel 33.  For kicks and giggles I also went to WIBW’s website to see if they had any information about a timeline.  To my surprise they had quite a bit of information from the station engineers and as it turns out they are not just moving the translator channel, they’re upgrading the main signal’s antenna and installing a new transmitter to match that antenna.    

I learned a few things.  First, antennas back in the day were apparently very well-built, as I’m amazed anything continues to function well after being exposed to the elements for 55 years.  (And Kansas weather being what it is, this antenna has survived numerous brutal cold spells/griddle hot temps/wind speeds that would even challenge the best turbines.)  Second, I applaud WIBW for being proactive with ATSC 3.0 technology. Third, the differences between VHF and UHF transmitter antennas might explain why Nebraska has more than an average amount of low-VHF full-power stations.  (More on that in my next post.)  

I’ll leave it to WIBW’s engineers to give the details.  And for those who are interested, they also have some really awesome photos of the antenna replacement (still in progress, by the way).  


Some of you who have only a passing interest in this stuff might be wondering: What is ATSC 3.0 anyway?  This page explains it fairly well.  As a hobbyist I’m looking forward to being able to again watch over-the-air TV while in a moving vehicle.  Haven’t been able to do that since the analog shutoff back in 2009.  ðŸ˜€ðŸ˜€ðŸ˜€

Sunday, June 24, 2018

Smaller Operations, Beware!

After a significant down period, yes, I’m returning to this blog.  

As happens sometimes, life or other factors gets in the way of either making the time to write for recreation/relaxation or the creative juices simply aren’t there.  However as things in the Geohouse have calmed down I intend to give my readers regular entries.  

I also look at page hits and noticed when I create entries about general observations or simple update about my daily life it’s about the same 10 or so views but my entry about the putting up an outside antenna and seeing which over-the-air channels I can see gained much more interest.  So perhaps it’s time for me to dedicate this space to topics that are appealing to folks with the same hobbies/interests as me.  That would include broadcasting, camping/RVing, shooting sports, and 70s/80s pop culture.  Today, an entry devoted to a broadcasting topic. 

One might think since the digital television switchover of 2009 and the following months of stations realizing their channel (usually VHF) is not sufficient and thus moved to a UHF frequency or increased their power that DTV might not be the hot topic it once was.  

One might think, but one can be wrong.  

Today I’ll take a look at something happening in the great state of Texas.  In the Waco-Temple DMA there is news that KNCT (RF and virtual channel 46) will be leaving the air entirely.  KNCT functions as the PBS outlet for the market.  

Wait.  I need to correct and clarify things a bit.  The market is actually labeled “Waco-Temple-Bryan” and KNCT is one of two PBS stations, the other being KAMU in College Station.  And at one time there were three in the market.  Waco had KWBU until 2010 when it left the air due to constantly running in the red and very little community support.  Given the market still had the aforementioned other stations many viewers probably took little note of the loss.  Also KWBU wasn’t a heritage station, only having been on the air as a full power station for a little over 10 years.  

KNCT, meanwhile, is a different story.  It’s been around since 1970 and seems to have a loyal (if small) following.  However KNCT appears to be a victim of red ink and the upcoming spectrum repack apparently put the final nail in the coffin.  This is an article that originally appeared in the Killeen newspaper.  Very telling is the quote from the Central Texas College chancellor:  

“KNCT never failed. What happened was it outlived its time,” Yeonopolus said. “Time passed it. The technology has passed it.”

Indeed the television landscape changed significantly in the last few decades and one wonders if more of the smaller PBS stations may suffer a similar fate.  Consider the noncommercial broadcast outlets don’t have the advantage of being able to accept even the lowest-tier advertising (just take a look at some of the “if you took this pharmaceutical please call us at 1-800-WE-SUE-EM” spots on your .3 or .4 subchannels).  

Some may be reading this and wondering “what is spectrum repack?”  Here’s an explanation and some background.  People my age and older remember when television sets had tuners that covered channels 2-83.  Sometime in the late 1980’s channels 70 through 83 were removed from television use and likely few people noticed as that range didn’t have any full-power stations of which I’m aware and communities that had translators in those frequencies simply saw the parent stations use a different translator channel.  Then with the analog shutoff in 2009 the FCC removed channels 52-69 from the spectrum, citing the space was needed for more wireless uses.  Now again due to increased demand, channels 37 through 51 are slated to go by 2020.  The result?  Some stations (such as KNCT) are required to change their RF channel and as seen in the above linked article, this is not a free or inexpensive process.  Some stations are opting to leave the air entirely or partner with another station to share broadcast bandwidth.

One last thought:  Is PBS indeed becoming (or already is) outdated?  Think about this—when is the last time you heard your local PBS station referred to as “the educational channel?”  (That was my dad’s only vernacular for Houston’s channel 8 when I was young.)  No longer does public television air classroom programming.  Nor do they have a monopoly on British shows as they did in the 1970’s.  While PBS still has prestige offerings such as Nova and Antiques Roadshow they (together with the commercial “Big 4” broadcast networks) offer a significant amount of their programming via streaming.  Do the PBS stations serve a purpose and fill a niche?  Yes.  Are they the only game in town in regard to their programming?  No.  Another point worth mentioning here—unless one counts coverage of some high school sporting events or even college-level sports (NET in Nebraska does great work with their telecasts of Nebraska Cornhusker volleyball games), PBS doesn’t have the lucrative deals with NBA/NFL/MLB/NHL/PGA/World Cup Soccer/NCAA football that attracts and keeps millions of viewers.  


Remember, I began this entry discussing issues that pertain to smaller PBS stations.  Obviously the larger players in public broadcasting aren’t going anywhere soon and likely don’t have the cash-flow issues plaguing the medium size and smaller operations.  Still, one does wonder if KNCT’s fate might not be unusual for smaller operations, noncommercial or not.