Sleepy and powerless

I confess: My (blogging) muse comes and goes.

When she's around, I'm quite productive. Just take the recent example of the once-and-still forthcoming analog TV shutdown. Gave me quite a bit of material for several entries. Yet sometimes my inspiration is just nowhere to be found.

But lately, between my day job and the evening tasks of cooking, cleaning, making sure the child does her homework, and other odds and ends I find little time to write. No matter, sometimes I just have nothing to share.

Right now, though, a couple of things.

First, it's just about spring in Kansas, which translated means it can be balmy one day and frigid the next. For example, the middle of last week saw temps soar to the 70's. Almost criminal to be working inside with no windows on a day such as that. Then came Saturday where we saw no sunshine. Yesterday afternoon I worked in the yard toying with taking off my shirt to get some semblance of a suntan. (I didn't.)

Today? Maybe in the 50's at lunchtime. Suppertime: 30 degrees and falling.

I do notice the trees here aren't budding as yet. They've been around long enough. They're not fooled.
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The other thing? Daylight Savings Time.

Since we haven't participated in the "spring forward fall back" regimen since the first term of the Clinton administration, losing an hour of sleep Sunday morning was not greeted with enthusiasm in the Geohouse.

To make things worse, the town had a power failure just before sunrise. Several digital faces throughout the casa were flashing various times, causing me to think: "Gee, I'm glad I changed all of these right before bedtime." I got my cell phone, figuring the carrier would have changed the time readout.

I was wrong. And didn't learn that until a little later.

We were rushed.

And trying to get little Geoana up and ready for school this morning was a worse chore than usual. Asleep on the couch, fully dressed, backpack at the ready, and the engine idling.

But the extra light at the end of the day is well worth it.

They're Not Supposed To Have A Sense Of Humor

A story such as this deserves comment.

As many readers know, I went to school at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, NM. There are four directions out of town, and only four (which is not unusual in the desert southwest). And in three of those directions (towards Alamogordo, Deming, or Truth or Consequences) you will encounter a Border Patrol checkpoint. Even though college students are known for making poor and sometimes notoriously dumb decisions, one thing everyone knew was not to be a smartass if you had to go through one of the Border Patrol stations.

Geogal knew of some students once, who, upon being asked by Border Patrol officers if all in the vehicle were U.S. citizens, prompted one to reply: "Si, senor."

The car was forced to pull to the side, then it was emptied and searched. The folks involved were eventually allowed to proceed, three hours later.

Don't mess with these folks. Nowhere, anywhere, does it say peace officers have to be polite in the line of duty.

And the world did not end

Back from the road trip, 2600 miles later.

First, my thoughts on yesterday's anticlimactic DTV transition (for some of the country, anyway). While my reasons that most stations would go ahead and switch on 2/17 are still valid, it seems the major corporations and the FCC took the decision out of the station manager's hands.

Still, looking through the websites of newspapers where many stations made the transition yesterday it seems the problems were minimal based on the dearth of stories featuring old Aunt Millie and how she can't get "One Life To Live" anymore--it's just snow now. (Truth be told, Aunt Millie has had cable for years.)

Mid-June should be interesting, though. I'm in agreement with numerous experts in the field--if some folks weren't ready by yesterday they still won't be ready in June.

But on to other DTV-related stuff. I took the road trip as a great opportunity to see DTV in three different markets: Albuquerque, Phoenix, and Colorado Springs. I'm still in awe of the picture quality and enjoyed seeing the multiplexed channels. I also had fun switching back and forth between the analog and digital channels (fuzz/static/ghosting versus crystal-clear). No reception issues with the full-power channels, there was some drop-out with KAZT in Phoenix but they are a CA station with a lot less juice than their full-fledged neighbors on South Mountain. Still, I could aim the antenna just right and watch a little of the RTN network ("One Adam-12, one Adam-12"). The viewing in Colorado Springs was just about perfect--mainly due to our room location. Top floor, window facing the transmitter towers. (Hotels nowadays are notorious for interference probably due to the massive amount of RF needed for wireless communications and networking.)

That's all for now. I don't know when I'll take my laptop and DTV stick on the road next, but it shouldn't be too long.

Back in AZ, briefly

Finally, a chance to create a post. I've been busy the last several days with trip preparations, working, more trip prep, picking up the Girl Scout cookies my daughter already sold, and then there is the small matter of the jaunt itself. 1100 miles, 5 states, two days. (Sounds like that should be the title of a travelogue on the New York Times bestseller list.)

We are in the Phoenix area for a friend's wedding and since our time here is short there will no doubt be some friends/regular readers of this blog who will feel put out that we didn't see them. Sorry, but time and abilities are finite.

While Geogal and little Geoana are out taking advantage of the myriad of retailers available here I have some alone time here in the hotel room. Prime opportunity to check the radio dial to see who's doing what and which stations have changed format since my departure from these parts almost a year ago. (A law of broadcast communications: Frequencies usually stay the same but programming will always change.)

Then, of course, there is the fun of plugging in the DTV stick and watching the new, improved form of over-the-air television. First Albuquerque (where we made the first overnight stay), then Phoenix. I'm still in awe of the picture quality when I watch a high-def show (the Albuquerque stay offered the opportunity to watch "American Idol" in HDTV). And as before, I'm just using a simple rabbit ear antenna. Reception is a little more challenging in a hotel room but it's still possible. (Methinks it might soon be time to find a powered indoor antenna....)

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What's it like to be back here after having been away for nearly a year (in my case) or at least many months (the Geo ladies)?

Surreal, in a word. Geogal and I hadn't even been here 24 hours before we were homesick for our friendly Kansas home. Yes there are more conveniences here but the downsides are too many to mention. No doubt we made the right decision to move away when we did.

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Any other thoughts from the journey? A few.

Southeast Kansas and the Oklahoma panhandle are flat flat flat. (Leads one to think thoughts such as "Dear God, just kill me now.") Like the image most outsiders have of Kansas, but not a valid one when it comes to our northwest portion of the state.

Dalhart, Texas, is one friendly town.

Tucumcari, New Mexico, is a burg that has definitely seen better days.

The 75-miles-per-hour speed limit on Western interstates is a godsend.

Love's has the best coffee.

I should be extremely thankful, the Geofamily travels pretty well.

Albuquerque is slowly turning into Phoenix but El Pinto still has its rural charm. (The food ain't bad, either.)

Welcome to the Southwest: Snowy and 32 degrees in Flagstaff, but nary two hours later we're in the desert basking in 65-ish temps.

I'll still be glad to see my front door after all this is said and done.

DTV viewing report, first one!

This afternoon I drove for an hour, found a place to park, then set out on a new phase in my over-the-air TV viewing.

I left my handheld TV at home, as this was the trial run for my Elgato EyeTV hybrid. I just took my Mac, the aforementiond DTV stick, and a set of rabbit ear antennas. Today's reception report comes from Holdrege, NE. I chose that town due to its relatively close (in a matter of speaking) location to my own home, its range to a variety of TV signals, and it has the transmitter for KLNE-TV just a few miles outside of town (although Lexington, not Holdrege, is the COL). Sometimes I think the residents of Holdrege could pick up KLNE on their fillings. But maybe not once the analog signal is shut off.

I set up the rabbit ears on top of my truck for the best unobstructed reception I could get in the area. (This town has a five or six-story building in the downtown area--one wonders what I could receive from that height.) I then went through the regimen of setting up a new device for the first time--detecting, going through the setup menu, then it was time for channel detection.

I was not disappointed. Two DTV channels: KLNE-DT (of course!--3-1, 3-2, and 3-3) and KGIN-DT (11-1 and 11-2). I also induced the auto scan to search for analog signals as well. No surprises: KLNE (3), KGIN (11), KHGI (13), plus some noise on UHF channel 20. (Holdrege apparently had a translator for KHAS-TV at one time on channel 14 but this seems to have since been turned off as the FCC query shows no TV licenses of any type for the town of Holdrege. I also never received any analog signal on channel 14 a few months ago when I used my handheld set to keep me apprised of the Texas-OU game.)

Channels 3-1 and 11-1 were broadcasting in HDTV, with the former showing the closing minutes of a Creighton University men's basketball game and the latter airing final round coverage of the FBR Open (from Scottsdale, AZ!!)

What can I say about the picture quality? Superlatives just don't seem sufficient enough. Once I got home and was telling Geogal about how well the stick worked, I summed up the experience in one word: "Wow." I went on to tell her that I think I could see the sweat droplets on on the basketball players, that's how good the definition was.

I'll be testing reception from Holdrege again, next time will be after the analog switch-off date. I hope to pick up KHGI-DT as they should be at full power and tower height by that time. And yes, I know The Big Game is today and it's ironic that I could not pull in a NBC affiliate this time around. However I don't think either NBC station in this area (KSNK or KHAS) is broadcasting in HDTV. But you never know--they might pull out all the stops for the Super Bowl.

Overall, though, I'm glad with the ease of use of the EyeTV stick and the picture quality of the Hi-Def broadcasts. Methinks I will get a lot of on-the-road enjoyment out of this combination.

Yes, it's time to make the pick

Cardinals or Steelers?

Remember last year, Major League Baseball? The Tampa Bay Rays? Worst to first in the AL? Sentimental favorites to win the World Series?

They didn't get the job done. End of the line for the postseason Cinderella story.

So my prognostication? Same fate for the Cardinals. Steelers will win big.

End of week quiet time

The house is empty and I'm left alone to do my blogging.

Finally!

I cherish these alone times. (I've already written about that, so no more elaborating here.)

Yes, I know. The Senate voted to move the mandatory analog TV switch-off date to June. Then the House defeated the measure. Now it's headed back through the Senate. (Kinda reminds me of that old Schoolhouse Rock piece "I'm just a bill, yes I'm only a bill...")

Sure enough, it's on You Tube.

Back to the subject at hand. Even if a delay is agreed upon by Congress, the buzz around the media boards is that most stations will still switch as scheduled on 2/17, mainly for the reasons enumerated in my post here. Since I posted that entry I've heard, just as an example, that KAET-TV, the Phoenix area's public TV station has to pay an additional $10,000 per month to the local electric utility to power the extra transmitter.

It should get very interesting in the next few weeks. Speaking of which, my Eye TV hybrid USB TV stick arrived earlier this week. I haven't used it yet since there's no over-the-air to be had around here. Therefore I'll take a drive either Saturday or Sunday and take a gander at broadcast TV in both analog and digital. Who knows, I might even pick up a hi-def program.

I could rant about the lack of signals here at my casa but I won't. Face it, I can drive an hour in almost any direction and pick up something with the laptop. Come to think of it, I can go not very far and have my choice of stations. That's something many folks don't have the luxury of doing. I remember back to when I lived in Houston as a young lad. Seems you could drive quite a while and still be in the Houston TV DMA. Same with Albuquerque and Phoenix. At least out here I get variety in exchange for an hour's drive.

I hope the device works as it should. I'll certainly post my results here. Maybe even include some screen captures if I understand the software.

If you could go back in time...

Back in August, who would have thought this NFL season would yield such surprises? Consider:

1) A team would go 0-16.

2) Pat Bowlin would fire Mike Shanahan.

3) The Cardinals would be playing in the Super Bowl.

That's the fun of organized sports.

A tough goodbye

It's time to say so long, old friend.

We've traveled together for so many years now, you're like second nature when I packing my bag of electronic items.

(To the readers: Because of the analog switch-off, my hand-held, battery-operated LCD TV will soon be obsolete.)

I knew this day was coming. When I bought you in 1998 I already was aware of the upcoming digital TV broadcasts and that the old analog signals would leave the air forever. Back then January 1, 2006 was the projected turn-off date.

While you got a bit of a reprieve I now have to tell you that you will be relegated to the shelf in the basement where an old cable modem (not compatible with the system where we now live) and a Zip drive sit.

This will be hard. How many places have we been together? The answer doesn't even take into account the number of times you traveled with Geogal or were used by little Geoana to keep her occupied in the back seat while on a road trip. How we purchased you for Geogal's train trip to San Francisco?

How many different TV markets have you been in? Nearly every one in the southwest United States, and you were starting to make a dent in the Midwest as well.

I'll always have the memories. What about the time I was surprised I could pick up the TV stations licensed to Wailuku, on the island of Maui, Hawaii. While these are full-power stations I was confused as to how I could pick them up on the western side of the island (specifically Lahaina). It wasn't until much later that I learned the towers were on Haleakala, rather then near the town of Wailuku. Ahh, that explains it. Or when I brought you to work a couple of years ago, the day after Thanksgiving? I anticipated (correctly) it would be a slow afternoon so I got to enjoy Texas playing Texas A&M, not to mention Colorado versus Nebraska.

And one memory I wish wasn't there. I remember grabbing you and the AA batteries as I headed to work, watching the unfolding events of 9/11. On your screen I watched the twin towers fall, feeling emotions I never knew I had.

What about all the times I spent in airports watching programming via nothing more than your antenna? Or just powering you up while I was sitting in a vehicle riding shotgun? Such as the time Geogal and I were driving to Las Vegas. We had to wait for a construction project near Hoover Dam, one of those scenarios where vehicles have to stop for a pilot vehicle. To ease the boredom and satisfy my own curiosity, I clicked you on and entertained Geogal (who was driving) with cheesy soap opera dialogue. It also reminded me we weren't far from Sin City, not too much more car time.

I could go on and on with these memories, but that's enough for now.

You will be a hard act to follow. But what will replace you? I did consider looking for a comparable handheld LCD that is digital, but there's hardly any on the market right now. But doing some research revealed another solution. Today I placed the order for the EyeTV Hybrid from Elgato.

Now my trusty Macbook will double as my digital TV when I'm on the road.

But no matter what happens, old friend, I won't be forgetting you anytime soon.

Further chatter on DTV

While the digital TV switchover/analog turn-off/transition/changeover hubbub continues in the media, I'm feeling the urge to share more of my thoughts and (non)experiences.

First, to those who are hopeful President-Elect Obama delays the analog shut-off date, don't hold your breath. Why? Several reasons. Notwithstanding those that have already made the change (Hawaii, Wilmington, NC, the stations I referred to a couple of entries ago, and others that I just don't know about), all of the remaining full-power stations have already started or are preparing to begin a power-down. It seems this is necessary for the engineering folks to climb the towers and switch out the analog and digital antennas for some stations. Even though these stations have operated the two signals simultaneously, for several years in some cases, now that the deadline is near the focus is on getting the digital antennae to their maximum height and power, essentially replacing for good the older signals. These tasks are not spurious nor are they inexpensive. No doubt station managers and chief engineers have spent months if not years planning the timetable for such drastic changes. Even if the government moves back the mandatory analog switch-off date, the majority of stations will not revise their transition plans.

Second reason: money. Bean counters don't like paying a higher-than-normal electric bill to power both analog and digital signals. When you consider a full-power VHF can have around 100,000 watts effective radiated power, and a UHF could potentially go as high as five million watts, you're talking big bucks to the local electric provider. This cannot continue indefinitely.

Third, what good will delaying the switchover do? Some may cite the lack of (current) funding to continue the $40 coupon program, but this can be remedied without changing the February 17 date. (Shoot, the government seems to want to bail out everyone from Wall Street to Joe's Plumbing Supplies, let them cough up a little more dough for a converter box.)

Last but not least, the change needs to come. Why delay? Just makes it worse for everyone involved. If you cannot pick up digital signals now, you still won't be able to receive them in May. Or October. Or 2013.

Enough of my ranting. It is true that this is the most significant change for television viewing since the invention of the idiot box and I won't argue that point. Yet there was a significant event that brought changes to many TV viewers around the country.

Happened in 1994-95.

Remember?


If not, you probably weren't living in one of the markets affected. What happened is this: New World Communications acquired many televisions stations in various markets. (How this occurred and the related timeline is beyond the scope of this blog post. There are several web sites which can explain this in detail. Use a search engine.) The fallout meant many UHF stations which had been affiliates of the Fox network since its inception in 1986 were switched to VHF channels, with the Big Three now finding one of their stations now on the UHF dial. You can think Fox's acquisition of the NFL for being the driving force behind all these transactions.

I didn't live in an affected market at the time (I was in Tucson if you're curious.) But our larger neighbor to the north, Phoenix, saw its ABC station wind up on channel 15, Fox going to channel 10, CBS moving to channel 5, and channel 3, the previous ABC outlet in the Valley of the Sun becoming first a WB station, then an independent operation. Other markets had equally dramatic changes: Denver, Atlanta, and Birmingham stand as good examples.

Just a reminder that you can fool around with people's TV habits and they will adjust accordingly. In other words, make the adjustment and move on!

Coming up: Saying goodbye to an old friend.

List with potential

I won't spend much time writing my thoughts about the deaths of Ricardo Montalban and Patrick McGoohan, both of whom entered eternity yesterday.

I will, however, bring up another subject that has fodder for good blogging. Geogal and I enjoy listening to Hugh Hewitt even if it's via podcast. (Since leaving Phoenix for the Kansas hinterlands, podcasting or streaming audio from a Salem affiliate station is the only way for us to catch his show.)

Most Fridays he spends the final hour with a movie critic: Emmett of the Unblinking Eye. Emmett always includes a "Top Ten" list of some topical importance. In the January 2nd show he and the guest host allowed callers to give their ideas for future Top Ten lists. I remember one in particular:

Top Ten Science Fiction Movies That Are Not "Star Wars" or "Star Trek" Related

What would my list be? I have some ideas, as does Geogal. We'll share them in a future post.

Just for all to know: My favorite Star Trek movie is indeed "Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn."

DTV, but for me....

Several posts and many weeks ago I wrote about building an outdoor antenna for a couple of reasons: to see just what I could receive in this area and to enjoy multiplexed digital TV signals.

The result: I got the thing agglomerated to my liking, connected all the cables, powered up the booster, and turned on the TV with the digital tuner.

But no signal. Not for digital, anyway. Switching over to old-fashioned analog I could pick up several channels, but faint, ghosty. Well no wonder I couldn't pluck the DTV signals out of the air. For those of you who are slightly familiar with the concept, DTV is an all-or-nothing venture. The only signal drop-off you will notice is some pixallation, but if the signal is too weak your set will just give the message I saw: "No channels detected."

(Maybe not a verbatim quote, but you get the idea.)

Since I am not an engineer and don't have access to high tech equipment to judge signal strength from any given location I have to operate on guesswork and the data provided by TV Fool. Taking a closer look at my situation, it seems I am a victim of topography and distance. The nearest towers are KSNK and KLNE and I thought those two would at least give me a viewable DTV picture. Yet considering my house is in a creek valley (but not a floodplain) seems to affect the line-of-sight from these transmitters.

Now I am left to wonder how the signals can be picked up in other areas near here. Such as the neighborhoods that are on the open prairie rather then the creek cracks.

But at least I no longer have to wonder what I can pick up from my house. A few weekends ago (before the cold and snow REALLY hit) I took down everything and packed them in their assigned boxes. I'm keeping everything as you never know where you might end up.

So I find it ironic that this big transition, just about a month away now, will occur with me on the sidelines. Watching my DirecTV (and local channels via the cable company.) Truth be told, the transition is already happening around here. KSNK and KSNC (both on the cable system) have already shut off their analog signals. Given the high cable penetration of this area, it's not surprising I've noticed no complaints in local media.

Here's an amusing side story: A couple of Sundays ago we played hookey from church and headed to Grand Island to do some serious (i.e. Sam's Club) shopping. I brought along my handheld LCD TV (it's a few years old, and totally analog) because I am the type of nerd that just always wants to see what I can receive. (I even did this on the island of Maui some years ago.) The results were what I expected: Channels 11 and 13 come in fine. But why can't I get KHAS, channel 5? I'm only 20 or so friggin' miles from the transmitter?

Once home I go on to RabbitEars. That answers the question! KHAS already completed their transition. According to the Wikipedia entry management decided to take care of things early before weather became a factor.

So the transition out here in the sticks seems to be going just fine!

More to come...

It can't be....

Not only are the Cardinals playing in the NFC Championship game, but they're hosting it!

I'm scouring the 'Net today to see if hell did indeed freeze over.

More here. And here. (The Cardinals, not H-E-double hockey sticks)

A good way to begin a DTV discussion

I wasn't around then, but it's still worth mentioning

Fifty years ago today, something happened that made Texans of the era very depressed indeed.

Insert generic New Years greeting here

It's amazing how one's creativity comes and goes. Like any person who writes strictly for the fun of it, I get tired, lethargic, and sometimes venture into self-pity because I cannot generate an uproariously humorous blog entry whenever I think I ought.

Last night I kept thinking: Last day of 2008, you really should write something. But the demands of a workday, followed by dealing with little Geoana and her overnight guest, plus grilling some burgers outside, left me drained. Tired. So I chose to sit on the sofa and read.

I think it did me good.

Yes, I fired up the propane beauty and cooked outdoors. At the end of December. In Kansas. Yes, it was dark and cold, but the result was worth it. When I resided in Arizona I grilled year-round and never gave it a thought. Some habits die hard, especially when they're food-related.

Moving on to other stuff: I drove home from working out Tuesday evening, clicked my radio over to KOA in Denver just for the heck of it (its 50,000 watt signal comes in quite well in these parts, particularly in the wintertime where the sun doesn't cause much interference). It was the top of the hour, time for news. I was as surprised as anyone else when I heard of Mike Shanahan's firing.

Just goes to show there is no "head coach for life," unless you own the team. (See: Connie Mack)

And I couldn't agree more with Pat Forde's conclusions.

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I can't help but chuckle when I see all these news stories about 2008 being a terrible year. Hmmmm, I guess that depends on one's perspective. For the Geoclan this was an eventful year but the end result was very positive. Is the quality of our life better now than it was January 1, 2008?

A very emphatic "Yes."

And that response has nothing to do with politics, $$$$$, or anything the media deems important. Just take care of yourself and your own household, be sensitive to the needs of others (but don't neglect your own needs in the process), pay attention to what's going on, and don't worry about what other people "may think."

That's my pearl of wisdom for the new year.

Merry Christmas (natch!)

'Twas a good Christmas at the Geohouse. Plenty of electronic stuff.

I'm nervous today. I'm cooking a rib roast for the first time. Found a good deal on rib eye roast at the local grocer, so the last few days I spent scouring the 'Net for recipes. I liked the way one site described this type of meat: tender, flavorful, and expensive.

So there's no margin of error for today's big meal. My only saving grace is that this will be cooked only for myself, Geogal, and little Geoana. They tend to be forgiving especially when I'm trying something new. Who knows, this might become a holiday meal tradition. Better than bone-dry turkey.

To all of my readers, have a happy (remainder of the) holidays!

(Funny anecdote regarding today's picture. I put on the jacket and told Geogal: "I'm going outside to write something in the snow." Thought for a split-second, then added: "With a stick, not the other way.")

It's 5:05 on this Sunday afternoon and the sun is just about to set.

Must be late December, right near the winter solstice. Yep.

That's OK, the days will start getting longer now. I've got to keep telling myself that. Yet I cannot forget a news item from our local paper which stated: "In Kansas, the coldest winter weather usually occurs in late January and early February."

Oh, great. Like what we're having now isn't the worst of it. I drove to Kearney, Nebraska yesterday to wrap up the last of my Christmas shopping (the stuff I couldn't do online) and was amazed by how quickly skin can go numb in low temps combined hard wind. It was single-digit temperatures all day (and no, I'm not talking about Celsius, either). While the roads were fine (well plowed), parking lots were hit and miss.

Perhaps that's not the best term to use for yesterday. Just kidding, although I did slide just a little around a couple of the parking areas. No contact with other vehicles.

Shout out to little Geosister--Remember that scarf you gave me for Christmas eons ago? It's being used now. And Geodad, some years back you gave me a pair of Thisulate gloves. They do come in handy whenever I venture outside now.

And we will have a white Christmas, as this stuff on the ground definitely won't melt before then.

Thunderice?

That's the term I would use to describe last night's meteorological event. There's something unsettling and a bit surreal when ice fog becomes sleet. Punctuated by thunder and lightening.

But as I mused yesterday, bad weather sometimes creates good photo ops just a few hours later.

Arctic, it just continues

Several times this week some friends and acquaintances ask me how I like the cold.

My response: "A 25 below zero wind chill is a bit much."

Pause for laughter. That's also what I hear after saying my piece .

I'm still trying to get my feeble brain around the fact that I was outdoors as recently as last Saturday-- in shirtsleeves, no less.

Sunday that all changed. Very cold. Blowing snow. Frigid.

Here we are, Thursday evening and the stuff is still out there. I think we might have gotten above freezing for a few minutes yesterday. I swear, I have two deep freeze units (one in the garage, one in the basement) and I don't think the interior of either is as cold as it is outside.

But in the midst of all things frosty this splashing of white does make for some appealing-to-the-eye vistas of things I see and take for granted every day. Such as the bare trees, lonely ballfields, and wheat fields waiting to spring their crop when the balmy temps make their comeback.

I'll try to get some photos of the stuff on here in the days to come. Meanwhile, I'm learning how to drive in snow.