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Its Finished

Got done reading book #11, Valediction, this evening, thereby completing my quest to read every one of Robert Parker’s Spenser novels. I’ve got all 34 books on a shelf and maybe in a couple years I’ll read them through in order, instead of randomly like this time. It was never required, but it might make some of the references fit together better.

This book didn’t have any crime buster secrets, but it did have one of Spenser’s Laws of Dining:

In high restaurants the food never lives up to the view.

The second to last book I read, A Savage Place, did have a Dick Tracy Crime-Stopper reference:

I had a full file of Dick Tracy crime-stoppers at home, but none of them that I could remember covered this. What would Allan Pinkerton do? What would I tell the Bel-Air Patrol if they put the arm on me here in the bushes? My palms felt a little sweaty. I squinted a little to blur things and took a quick peek. They were still at it. Private eye was one thing, Peeping Tom was another. I headed for the car.

Seeing as no specific rule is mentioned it didn’t make the cut.

In case you missed it the FRS didn’t lose to the Indians in game seven of the ALCS, like I expected, so they are on to the World Series (or more appropriately the MLB Championship Series.) They now get the privilege of playing the Colorado Rockies of the National League who have won 20 of their last 21 games and swept through both of their playoffs series. I hope Mark is right in that if the Rockies ever lose one, they’ll collapse and not win another until next year some time and that the FRS can win the first game on Wednesday to start that slide.

Started down, went up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 454

How’s Your Butt?

Butt Memorial BridgeWe did go to the zoo yesterday, beautiful day and a nice time was had by all.

Today we went over to Georgia and took a boat tour on the Augusta Canal. We rode in an electric powered replica of a Petersburg Boat and passed under several bridges, including this 93-year old span that is a memorial to a victim of the Titanic disaster and Augusta native, Major Archibald Willingham Butt.

By the way, mine is hasn’t turned colorful enough to warrant a picture posting, but its still pretty sore.

Company’s Here

Donna’s sister, her husband and his mom are in town for a weekend visit. We spent the evening sitting on the screened porch, drinking wine, conversing and playing Liverpool Rummy. I only had slight pangs of withdrawal from my usual time hanging out on the internet.

The visit up was to see us and to see some fall color, which is non existent in their native Florida. Trouble is with this year’s drought, and the lack of cold nights, that fall spectacle, right now, is only available after about four hours of driving further north. Not wanting to spend that much time in the car after spending so much time in it on the way up, we have opted for a visit to the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia tomorrow which is only a little less than an hour up the road. Expect pictures of pink flamingos or red-ruffed lemurs in the Saturday Evening Post.

I am up later than usual blogging tonight because I need the practice staying awake for tomorrow’s ALCS game 6.

Started down, went up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 452

One Cheek Landing Redux

Unlike a year ago, I wasn’t on rollerblades his time. I was on a ladder, so my fall was from 5-6 feet instead of 3.

I was on the roof of the house blowing off the little branches shed from the trees and the hickory nut carcasses left behind from squirrel meals with a leaf blower. When it was time to come down, I got on the ladder carefully, as always, to keep my weight centered so as not to tip sideways. After two steps down the ladder feet slipped backwards and the next thing I knew I was sitting on the deck on top of the now horizontal aluminum extension ladder. My left cheek hit the I-beam stile and took the full force of the landing. Oooouch!

I sat, mostly leaning right cheek way, for a few minutes collecting my thoughts on a chair on the porch. I then got up and finished blowing off the deck and then the driveway (company’s coming you know.)

It hurts to sit on it (naturally) and 90 degree bends are not real comfortable, but I’m probably alright. Standing and walking feels nearly fine. But that side is pretty swollen right now, so I’m sitting on a pack of ice while I type this. We’ll see what it feels like in the morning, and whatever happens, I know that area will be looking multi-hued from the shorter wavelength of the visible light spectrum in a couple days.

Started down, went up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 448

Sunset Photo

Sunset, SC 29685 Most folks are suckers for a nice sunset photo, this one probably won’t won’t be on a lot of favorite list.

Our original plan was to take a couple of PO photos on Saturday evening before checking into the hotel. I thought that maybe if we timed it right it would have been cool if we took the Sunset, SC Post Office at sunset. We didn’t do any photographs before settling in for the night and it was no great loss as the sun would have been setting at the wrong angle to have shown in the picture anyway.

I’m down to my last three Spenser books, having finished “The Judas Goat” this afternoon. No Spenser Crime Buster Rule, but I did get, for the first time in several books, a reference to a Dick Track Tracy Crime Stopper. I added it to the page, but I think it is going to have to be re-thought out. Might just change the title to “The Private Eye’s Reference Room” or “Directions for Detectives” or some other thing with shamus in it and just list all the tips whomever said them.

Started down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 445

What?

I’m not blogging tonight. You can’t make me. So if you’ve come here to read about my ‘exciting’ day there will be nothing here for you.

I didn’t go out to eat with friends tonight. So there will be no stories of how my Fillet Gorgonzola was very tasty, but the pasta and veggies that served as side dishes were not palate pleasers. Or how Donna’s Veal Saltimbocca while not visually appealing was very good.

The FRS didn’t win their playoff game. So there will be no trumpeting about the 10 runs the Bosox scored nor Beckett’s 6 inning mastery of the Indians only allowing one run with the bullpen finishing the game allowing only two more.

I am definitely not going to tell you about our drive to work this morning with the top down, but the windows up because it was down right chilly, nor, how on the way home from the restaurant we didn’t eat at this evening we put the windows up again, but not the top.

Nope, not going to do it.

Started down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 440

Postal Withdrawl

We have hung around the house the last two weekends and couldn’t stand it anymore, we made some reservations in Anderson for Saturday night. We have two missions, 1) to take pictures of the last 8 Post Offices in the northwest corner of the state and 2) check for fall colors in advance of next weekend’s visit from the Florida branch of Donna’s family.

We have photographed 290, leaving us 170 to go. Of the 170, I have printed out 131 maps and of those I have placed 86 on the Google map below.


View Larger Map

I may go back and add all the Post Offices I have done and use a different color icon. I would definitely do it if I could link to my Flickr images (seeing as Flickr has me cut off at 200 on their map.) here are a couple of Flickr add-ons to the map, but not one that would limit it to just my photos…

Started down, went up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 440