Camper Services Reopens At Grand Canyon's South Rim

Above, The Beast at the South Rim's Trailer Village last year. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It appears that the water situation at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park is easing a bit. Breaks in the Transcanyon Pipeline caused water delivery problems to the South Rim.

The Grand Canyon News reported:

GRAND CANYON, Ariz. – Residents and visitors to Grand Canyon National Park continue to reduce water consumption and implement sustainable water conservation practices. These efforts have allowed the park to continue to refill water storage tanks to sustainable levels. As a result the park is modifying Level 3 water restrictions to allow Camper Services to reopen. 

Camper Services, operated by Delaware North Companies, provides showers, laundry and an RV dump and fill station and will be open for business today at 2:30 p.m. The park will continue to monitor water levels in storage tanks to ensure they remain at sustainable levels and may modify water restrictions in the future to address water sustainability.

To read more, go here. 

Home Accessory

Above, this nice accessory is in my back yard. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Yesterday, I posted the above photo on Facebook and commented that the only thing missing is a noose.

If it were used for hangings, it would have to just used for short people as the thing stands only six feet high.

It came with the house and is in the back yard.

Some interesting comments were posted about it:

That's your field dressing station ready to go. 

Yes. AKA deer skinning pole. (They come portable and truck mounted now. The one on Armand's property was built before New Mexico was a state I believe.) 

Poelzig pole. 

"How does it feel to hang on your own embalming rack, Hjalmar?"

Bit by bit! 

My pal here can bring you the rope...

 Rope a dope! 

 A nice lantern? 

Mail bag pole? Make sure you get out there before the train goes by.

Foreign Visitors Now Occupy 40% of Kyoto's Hotel Rooms

Above, Kyoto's Kinkaku-ji "Golden Pavilion". Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If the latest news on the percentage of foreign visitors in Kyoto's hotels is any indication, it appears that more foreigners are visiting Japan's ancient capital.

According to Japan Property Central:

A survey of 36 leading hotels in Kyoto has found that the percentage of foreign guests has exceeded 40% for the first time since reporting began in 2014. According to the Kyoto City Tourism Association, the share of foreign guests in 2017 was 40.5%, up 3.2 points from 2016. The busiest season for foreign tourists was April, with a share of 50.9%, up 5.3 points from the previous year. 

The hotels reported an occupancy ratio of 88.8%, down 0.1 points from 2016. January, which is typically the worst month for tourism, had an occupancy ratio of 75.7%, up 4.3 points from 2016.

To read more, go here. 

Best Evening Yet

Above, a full moon. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Tonight is the nicest, and warmest, evening since I've moved here. Right now, it is a comfortable 55­­­° outside.

There's also a nice full moon and guns are going off over at the shooting range.

This motivated me to go out and shoot some photos. I am looking forward to summer!

Above, the mountains across the valley. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above and below, with the deck lights on. Photos by Armand Vaquer.

Playing With My Camera and a Discovery

Above, while aiming my camera at Interstate 40, something moving caught my eye. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Before strolling around my second acre to see where would be the best location to build a RV garage/shed, I did some playing around with my camera and zoom lens.

I discovered something that I hadn't noticed before: horses three doors away to the north of me. I was aiming my camera at Interstate 40 when something moving caught my eye.

Later, when I went to the Flying J to pick up my mail, I saw at least 3 more horses there. The neighbors must have had the horses inside their corral/pen during the cold weather. Since today was warm, they were out.

Here's one of them:

Above, looking north down the street. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, same photo as the previous, but with my equine neighbor zoomed in. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the homestead. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the back of the property and the gully. I was told that rattlesnakes live there. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a zoom shot of the mountains across the valley. The Navajo Nation 
community of Iyanbito is behind the trees. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Teacher Tells Students To Write Anti-Gun Letters To Congress

The Looney Left Report

The nuttery from the Left keeps marching on.

The latest is from a middle school in Georgia. (What?! Left-leaning teachers in Georgia?!)

According to Fox Opinion:

Boys and girls at Hampton Middle School in Georgia were instructed by their teacher to write letters to lawmakers calling for stricter gun control laws.  

"You are trying to persuade lawmakers to have stricter gun laws to help prevent another school shooting from taking place," the assignment declared. "For this assignment, you are writing a letter to the lawmakers of the United States. The purpose of this letter is to pressure lawmakers to have stricter gun laws in the United States. 

Blue Lives Matter obtained a copy of the social studies assignment from a police officer whose son was in the classroom. 

"I asked him what he had for homework that night, and he said he had to write a paper on gun control," William Lee told Blue Lives Matter. "I looked at it, and I told my son, 'No, you're not doing that assignment.' Then I emailed his teacher the next day and told him that my son would not be writing that." 

Good for Officer Lee! 

The teacher told Officer Lee his son would be excused from the lesson and would not be penalized.

Additionally, the school district says they never approved of this (they said they don't approve any politically biased assignments) and the there was "never any intent to send them."

To read more, go here.

RV Garage Potential Locations

Above, the humble abode today. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It was a nice warm day to stroll around my second acre.

The other acre was inspected by me to find a suitable location for the storage garage/shed for The Beast.

There's plenty of room on the acre, but I need to have a level spot for the garage to be erected on and near enough to run a 30 amp power line from either the house garage or from the electric meter pole (there's two outlets there) so I can have power to the RV and for lighting.

I walked through the lot a second time in the after noon with my neighbors Jerry and Jonni Brown (of Warrior Women Gun Supply) to get their opinions on a location. Jerry suggested having the garage more even and slightly closer to the street than the house so I can keep it in better view. I mentioned that I want to run a power line to the RV garage/shed so I can power the RV and a lighting system.

A spot near the electric meter pole would be good except it is too far back. Another location more in front and even with the RV in the driveway would be ideal. It would be close enough to run a power line from the garage to that spot (the power line can be buried).

Anyway, here's the locations I am considering:

Above, this area is flat and close enough to the power pole to be feasible. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, this is the location a little more north. A power line can come from
 the house garage or the pole in the background. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, this is the most promising location as it is further north and can be seen from the house. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the location in the photo immediately above this one is even
 with the RV currently in the driveway. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the present outlets below the electric meter. It shouldn't
 be difficult to add a 30 amp outlet here. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Second Acre

This morning, I did some wandering around my second acre of land. The walk around was for the purpose of seeing what areas would be suitable for building a storage garage for The Beast. Several areas are promising. But that will the topic of another blog post.

I took some pictures as I strolled around. The acre is relatively flat, despite it being on a hill.

Here's some photos:

Above, the view from the street looking south. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a view from the street looking more southwest. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a view looking west. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a view looking east towards the house and garage. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the view looking north towards the street. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a view looking south near the property line and a gulley.
 The electric meter is on the pole at left. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a northern view. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Lisa Marie Presley and Cissy Houston To Appear At Elvis Week

Above, the main gate of Graceland. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A notice on this year's Elvis Week set for August showed up and it says that Cissy Houston, a former back-up singer for Elvis Presley and the late Whitney Houston's mother, will be attending as a special guest.

According to the Memphis Business Journal:

Graceland is expecting this fall's Elvis Week in to be its "biggest Elvis Week in history." 

Beginning Aug. 9 and spanning 10 days, the event will include Lisa Marie Presley, gospel and soul legend — and former Elvis back-up singer — Cissy Houston, Elvis '68 Comeback Special performer Darlene Love, and Elvis' drummer from the TCB Band, Ronnie Tutt. 

It will be the first Elvis Week appearance for both Houston and Love.

Unless global warming is more severe than we all thought, I always thought that the month August was in the summer. Whoever wrote the article goofed!

To read more, go here.

Drought Expands In The Southwest

Above, the front of the house on February 20. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I first moved to New Mexico in February, the locals told me that it has been a dry winter in the Gallup-Jamestown area. After this was said, it seemed like we were hit by one snowstorm after another. The most recent snowstorm came three days ago.

It appears that the whole Southwest region of the U.S. is in a drought to some degree.

According to Yahoo News:

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Drought is tightening its grip across a wide swath of the American Southwest as farmers, ranchers and water managers throughout the region brace for what's expected to be more warm and dry weather through the spring. 

A federal drought map released Thursday shows dry conditions intensifying across northern New Mexico and into southwestern Arizona. Every square mile of Nevada and Utah also are affected by at least some level of dryness. 

On the southern high plains, Oklahoma is ground zero for the worst drought conditions in the United States. 

The exceptional drought in the Panhandle — an area dominated by agriculture — has more than doubled in size. Many farmers rely on precipitation to help water their crops as pumping groundwater is the only other option.

To read more, go here.

Hawaii Saw Increase In February Arrivals and Spending

Above, surfers at Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

February isn't usually known as a prime vacation season for Hawaii, but this past February saw an increase in visitor arrivals and spending.

According to Pacific Business News:

Hawaii’s tourism industry enjoyed a particularly strong February during a typical shoulder season month, according to preliminary statistics released Thursday by the Hawaii Tourism Authority. 

Visitor spending surged 12.7 percent to $1.52 billion and arrivals increased 10.3 percent to 778,571 in February, boosted by double-digit air service growth and an 8.4 percent increase in cruise ship visitors. Year-to-date spending increased 8.5 percent to $3.21 billion, while arrivals are up 7.7 percent to 1.57 million.

To read more, go here.

Cheapest Transport To and From Narita Airport

Above, the Keisei Skyliner. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For those of you who are flying to Tokyo and are landing at Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture, there are a number of ways of getting transported from the airport to Tokyo (and vice-versa).

Of the transports available, I have used the Narita Express and the Keisei Line trains. In 2014, I was going to try the Keisei Skyliner, but heavy snows shut down the train. I then took the regular Keisei Line, but made it only halfway to Tokyo before those same snows shut that train down. I didn't get to my hotel until 22 hours after landing.

Above, the Narita Express. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

There are other ways of being transported to and from Tokyo and Tokyo Cheapo has posted a comprehensive guide to all of them.

They begin with:

For newcomers to Tokyo, it can come as quite a surprise that Tokyo’s main international gateway—Narita Airport—is not really very close to Tokyo at all. In fact, it’s so rural and remote that the view on the first part of the train journey from Narita to Tokyo is predominantly of rice paddies—oh, and a faux-Dutch windmill. 

As Tokyo is such a vast city, there’s no “one size fits all” answer as to which method or route is cheapest/best. However, for certain major locations in Tokyo, it might help to have a look at our mini guides—they cover the fastest, cheapest and easiest transport options.

To read the guide, go here. 

Fox News: Fabio: Why California Is Falling Apart

California was once "The Golden State". Thanks to the one-party rule of Governor Jerry Brown and the Democrats, California is fast becoming "The Shithole State".

Model Fabio discusses this with Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson:

Mar. 29, 2018 - 4:07 - The Golden State is losing its glitter, rapidly. California has the nation's highest poverty rate. homelessness is rampant. State officials are focused on protecting illegal immigrants from deportation rather than reversing the flight of the state's middle class. Actor and model Fabio, an immigrant, weighs in on California's decline.

For more, go here.

Russia To Expel 60 U.S. Diplomats and Close Consulate

The government of Russian President Vladimir Putin (Vlad The Invader) is retaliating for the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats by expelling 60 U.S. diplomats and closing the U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg.

According to Bloomberg.com:

Russia said it’s expelling 60 U.S. diplomats and closing the American consulate in St. Petersburg in a retaliatory move linked to the poisoning of a former Russian double agent in England. 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the measures against the U.S. “include the expulsion of the same number of diplomats” as the Russian envoys ordered out by President Donald Trump. Other countries that recently kicked out Russian diplomats also will face mirror-image retaliation, Lavrov told reporters in Moscow on Thursday. 

The measures came in a crisis over a nerve-agent attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter that the U.K. government is blaming on Russia. 

I texted Asya, asking her if she is aware of this and if she needs to get her visitor's visa at the consulate in her hometown of St. Petersburg. She replied that she applies for her visa there.

To read more, go here. 

Larry King Says Second Amendment Was For Slave Owners

The Looney Left Report

The radicalism of the far Left is coming out into the open, folks! Some are openly stating that they want to eliminate the Second Amendment!

TMZ caught up with former CNN host Larry King and King made the most incredible statements on the Second Amendment and the NRA, right on camera.

According to The Hill:

Former CNN star Larry King said Wednesday that he would support repealing the Second Amendment because “it’s poorly written” and represents an outdated time. 

“What’d they mean by militia?” King asked TMZ. 

The Hulu host said the Second Amendment was included in the Constitution at the insistence of "Southern senators so they could ward off slaves uprising." 

“And the [National Rifle Association] is the worst,” King added.

To read more and see the video, go here. 

Roswell Movie Influences

Above, a crashed UFO in the arctic is discovered in The Thing From Another World (1951).

When The Roswell Incident took place in July 1947, it spawned a genre of science-fiction movies that began in the 1950s and continues to this day.

A number of movies were influenced by The Roswell Incident.

According to The Robot's Voice:

Everyone knows about this one: in summer 1947, a UFO allegedly crashed a few dozen miles from the New Mexico town of Roswell. Though there were a few press reports that mentioned “flying discs,” the Air Force quickly identified the debris as a weather balloon and the entire incident was forgotten until 1978, when the Army Air Field officer responsible for investigating the incident suggested there was something amiss about the debris, and that it may have been covered up by the military. 

This led to an explosion of interest in the Roswell incident. The story grew as more and more witnesses came out of the woodwork. According to this version, the balloon story was a cover-up for an actual UFO crash. Roswell has been the subject of the 1994 TV-movie Roswell (above) and the TV series Roswell (1999-2002). The Roswell incident also plays a role in the films Independence Day and Men in Black, as well as the classic Futurama episode “Roswell That Ends Well,” where Zoidberg turns out to be the alien the military attempts to vivisect.

Above, a crashed UFO in the Arizona desert is found in It Came From Outer Space (1953).

There are two movies from the heyday of the 1950s that immediately come to mind that The Roswell Incident influenced: The Thing From Another World (1951) and It Came From Outer Space (1953).

Both movies involve crashed UFOs. These two movies are considered classics today. These are the only two UFO movies I can think of involving crashed space ships. I considered Invaders From Mars, but that movie's flying saucer landed inside the quicksand bog, not crashed.

If anyone else can think of other movies involving crashed UFOs, feel free to state them in the comments.

News From Graceland

Elvis Week 2018 Schedule Announced Elvis Week 2018 will be the biggest and best Elvis Week yet! We look forward to welcoming fans from around the world to Memphis as they make the ultimate pilgrimage to be with us during this annual celebration of the life and legacy of Elvis Presley. See the Elvis Week 2018 Schedule of Events See Ticket Packages and Pricing Ticket on-sale dates are as follows: FOUNDERS PRE-SALE: Thursday, March 29 at 12:00 p.m. CDT GRACELAND INSIDERS: PRE-SALE: Friday, March 30 at 8:30 a.m. CDT GENERAL ON-SALE: Friday, March 30 at 12:00 p.m. CDT For questions on tickets, call Graceland Reservations at 800-238-2000 or 901-332-3322, or email Reservations@Graceland.com. For more information, visit the Elvis Week Ticket page.