Drat! (Sort Of)

Above, The Beast at Reseda Automotive last year. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For the past two years, I have taken The Beast to Reseda Automotive for its oil changes and pre-trip checks. I've liked their service since they did work on RVs.

I called them up this morning to set an appointment to bring it in for an oil change (I use synthetic oil for it) and a pre-trip check before I hit the road for Idaho to see the eclipse. Lo and behold, they are under a new name and management. In other words, a who new regime has replaced Reseda Automotive.

Well, I do have a regulat mechanic for the Mustang. I stopped by his shop and he says he can do the oil change and trip-check on the motorhome. So I'll bring it there.

It seems that almost every time I find a vendor I like, they go out of business (just like El Paso Barbecue Restaurant). Yeesh!

Lost Photos Found

Above, The Beast at Los Banos KOA. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For months my SD card was rattling around inside of my phone. Somehow, without me knowing it, it popped out of its slot.

The only thing I noticed was that I lost a lot of storage capacity.

Two days ago, I went with Jes when she went to get a new phone. While there, I opened the back of my phone to see whereabouts my SD card goes. As soon as I opened the phone there it was just sitting there.

I took a look to see where it was supposed to go and found it. After sliding it into its slot, almost immediately many photo files popped back up. I thought those photo files were gone due from accidentally deleting them.

Here's some of the "long-lost" photos:

Above, The Beast at Reseda Automotive. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Amoeba Music in Hollywood. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the Museum of Death in Hollywood. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, inside Amoeba Music in Hollywood. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, yours truly speaking on Godzilla locations in San Francisco. 

Above, The Beast at the Avenal-Coalinga Rest Area. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Superman at Santa Monica's 3rd Street Promenade. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Tokyo Skytree at dawn. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Dodger Stadium. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Rainstorm & The Beast

Above, The Beast at Reseda Automotive. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A winter storm has arrived, and it is the first real rainstorm to help relieve a parched California.

Sure, we've had some rains here and there, mainly light drizzles and occasional showers, but this is the first sustained rainstorm of the season, courtesy of El Niño. It has been long in coming.

I heard on the radio that California could get a foot of rain this month. That would put a big dent into the drought.

Of course, it had to hit on the day I had an appointment to have The Beast serviced (oil change, etc.) at Reseda Automotive. But, the job has been completed and The Beast is ready for the next road trip. I decided to switch from regular motor oil to synthetic oil. It will last longer and protect engine parts much better (The Beast has a Ford V10 Triton engine).

This rain also forced me to buy an umbrella to keep in The Beast. This was something I had intended to do anyway.

Now to dry off indoors.