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Almost Cold Enough To Ice Skate

Destination - Ice Rink

In downtown Columbia, although in the mid-40’s, it was cold enough. From Thanksgiving to Mid-January they set up a small outdoor rink in a park next to the Museum of Art in downtown. I’m guessing they are using some of the ice setup from the Carolina Coliseum that the local ECHL team, the Columbia Inferno, used to use when they were in business.

After last weekend’s aborted trip to Florence to start back taking photos for the Moss Motoring Challenge, we decided to start smaller and earlier this weekend. We planned 60 miles one way where we were after two objectives, a skating rink and a roadside oddity.

First stop was in the Columbia suburb of Irmo at an indoor ice complex in a nondescript building on a dead end road near I-26. I’m guessing it was the practice ice for the defunct Inferno. We took a picture and could rightfully cross that “destination” off the list, but we weren’t too happy about it. Seeing as we were headed downtown for our oddity Donna mentioned that she saw where they had a temporary ice rink in a park off Main Street.

The oddity we were going for was the giant fire hydrant that is in the same parking lot as the mural we used for the tunnel destination. Interestingly, both pieces are done by the same artist, a fellow named Blue Sky.

When we took the tunnel photograph back in April, we did take a couple pictures of the Busted Plug Plaza thinking we might use them as a Sneak Peek. Never did use them because we had several nicer and more interesting ones to choose from. We took today’s photo because we thought we could do better and because Moss opened up a bonus slot worth two points for Roadside Oddities. The photo of the hydrant came out a lot better, but I still have to work on my facial expressions…

Started down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 1441

I’ll Get The Paperwork Started

I like cars and I like Jerry Seinfeld and I like coffee (as long as it is from DD), so I love Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee. Thursday was the Season 5 finale, a 2-parter with Jimmy Fallon.

Ever since Season 2 the show has been sponsored by Acura. Season 2 & 3 featured really off beat commercials for the MDX. Season 4 & 5 have featured a rotation of two different spots for the TLX. One has a female buyer and the other has a male buyer talking and riding with the same fast talking salesman. For the longest time I could have sworn the male and female were the same person, they have a certain look, just dressed up as the opposite sex with an appropriate wig. But upon further study it turns out they are more than likely different people.

I’ll Take Historical Fiction For $2000 Alex

This was the last clue in tonight’s Double Jeopardy round:

“Written In My Own
Hearts Blood” is the
eighth book in author
Dina Gabaldon’s series
about English Army
Nurse Claire Randal.

Nailed it!

Christmas in Hopeland Gardens

Hopelands

The last time we walked up to see the lights in Our Fair City’s Hopeland Gardens was 5 years ago (we tried last year, but were shut out.) Tonight we made the walking trip over to see if they had added anything new and they hadn’t. We were slightly disappointed, but in talking about it on the walk back, we decided that it is better if they don’t keep piling more stuff in there otherwise it would get too gaudy.

Learned Something

Replacing Blades

The instructions for Drone #3 were not only in English that was correctly translated, but they included something that the ones for Drone #2 did not, instructions on how to properly change out damaged blades. Turns out there are two different kinds of blades and they sort of go in certain spots!

While poorly flying Drone #2 around I did have to change out a couple of damaged blades, but because the quadracopter continued to fly after each swap, I must have gotten lucky twice. Little did I know, that when it was doing the one sided hop, if I moved two blades around correctly, it would have flown. What I did do, was swap one blade out, which caused the drone to just lazily spin while still totally earthbound. This is the point where I was allowed to buy Drone #3.

By the time I read the instructions for the correct blade replacement procedure I didn’t have enough of the proper type propellers to get Drone #2 airworthy again. But I did have the 4 back-up blades from Drone #3. Yeah, Drone #2 flies again! But not well, it makes a loud ticking noise and drifts hard right. One set of the blades are hitting each other. I guess the slightly larger drone must use slightly longer props…maybe next time I order something from Amazon, I’ll tack on a few bucks for some new blades for the smaller Cheerson CX-10.

Drone Driving Is Not For Dummies

One of our state’s maximum security prisons is getting 2 new surveillance towers and some thermal imaging cameras installed to combat further airborne attempts at getting contraband to inmates. Apparently someone with as much talent as I have, tried to fly a drone in that was loaded with smokes (legal & not-so-legal) and some cellphones, but instead ended up in the bushes outside.

3rd Drone’s A Charm

BangK CX-13

The other day when I broke my 2nd quadcopter in as many years after about a total of 2 hrs of “flying” both of them, I figured I would never get my Drone Driving License. I was moping around the house with a big ol’ sad face on when my wife took pity on me and said, “Oh, all right, go ahead and buy another one.” “But this is it,” she said, “three strikes and you’re out.”

I headed back to Amazon to go shopping. Last week when I bought a passel of K-Cups from them, they offered me a 30 free trial of Prime, I took them up on the offer. I was kind of surprised by this, because they did the same thing back in August when I bought the Kindle and I used it for 29 days then cancelled. I’ll do the same thing again, but first this will solve my having to wait a week or so for my next magnificent flying machine. All I needed to do is look for a little check mark under an item signifying that it was Prime Ready and two days later it would be here.

Started out looking to get another one identical to the recently my deceased drone, but couldn’t find it for the same low price and get it before Christmas too. Then I stumbled on a different model that already came with a built in propeller guard, something that should be very helpful with my spastic flying skills, for a little more than what the Cheerson CX-10’s were going for, the BangK CX-13.

The new one looks about the same size, i.e. real small, until you place them side by side. The CX-13 measures 1-7/16″ between motor shafts making the old broke CX-10 at only 1-1/4″, about 25% smaller. I’ve had it a couple days now, flown it quite a bit, crashed it quite a bit too, and I haven’t bent a single prop. Tomorrow I may venture outside where I have more room so I don’t have to panic and kill the throttle after drifting only a couple feet of course.

Started down, went up, went down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 1440