Don't Tread On Me. (And I Mean It!)

Just a quick note to explain why I haven't posted anything for awhile. Two weeks ago, a powerful thunderstorm moved through my area and lightning struck my computer, rendering it totally unusable. But, I'm back online now with a new computer and equipment from my internet provider, (which got taken out, too). As you can see, I've got one of those Gadsden Flag stickers on my bumper, which I blogged about here. Be sure to get one of your very own!

Does it look familiar? Oh, no.... now the State Police are gonna start profiling me as a terrorist!

Of Butterflies And Things

Just a short post to note that somebody who studies Monarch Butterflies passed through town today for a look at my little winged paradise. Nathan Miller, above on the right, is traveling from Ontario on his way to the Gulf of Mexico taking samples of milkweed and getting specimens of Monarchs where he can. He happened to see my reports of Monarchs on BugGuide.net, and got in touch with me. Although it had been raining here on and off for three days, the sun broke through just about the time Nathan drove into town. We didn't see any Monarchs, but he was amazed at the variety of Butterflies that popped out in such a short time. We saw several Sulphurs, Cabbage Whites, Pearl Crescents and the first Eastern Tailed Blues I've seen of the season. One of them is pictured below. Nathan says he might be back through my area in late May, so hopefully, the Monarchs will be out by then.

Road Construction Bonus

Just a little bonus - a 1:64 scale steam roller framed by the real-life version in the background.

Road Construction

It's not often you get to see the road in front of your house being repaired. That's why I thought it was the perfect opportunity to get some shots of the process. I have to say, the crew that did this particular job, E.T. Simonds out of Carbondale, performed the task in unison like a well-choreographed ballet. Their equipment was moved in so they could start on a Monday, but it rained for two days and they didn't get started until Wednesday. But, they paved the two lane road that went in front of my house and for about 3 or 4 miles in length in just 3 days! I thought it was pretty amazing.

They started by laying down a good coating of oil on top of the old road's surface. You can see that layer above, along with a truck holding the asphalt mixture.

Here is one of the many trucks that would line up with the asphalt mixture dumping it into some kind of conveyor machine on wheels. The conveyor would place it into the actual vehicle that would spread it on the road in a fairly smooth coat.

Those trucks would really raise their beds high into the sky to make sure all of that sticky, black stuff would come out!

Here you can see the conveyor machine dumping the black substance into the asphalt-spreading machine. It chewed up and spit out this mixture at a pretty fast clip and therefore had to keep being filled.

Here is the process as it moved down the road. In this shot, they are moving from the right to my left.

This is a shot of the machine that put the asphalt down. A couple guys rode on the back of it - I presume to see that it kept going in a straight line.

Another view of the conveyor machine filling up the asphalt hopper.

Once the asphalt was laid down, it looked pretty smooth to my eyes. But....

They had two heavy rollers following along behind, pounding it down even smoother and more compact.

Here is a close-up of one of the rollers. Of the two, you could feel this one coming blocks away because it had "oscillating action."

It said "oscillation" right on the side of it and felt like an earthquake when this thing went by. And trust me, I know what earthquakes feel like!

Both rolling machines were driven by women and as I took pictures, this one asked as she drove by, "Are those pictures going to be on the internet?" She had driven on past before I could answer, "Well.... maybe!" I wonder if she's single?

Tea Time

You've probably heard the term "Tea Party" being used in the news these days. Just so you know that I'm up on things and "hip," I love tea. And everything it stands for. You can see my tea of choice above - iced tea.

Don't Tread On Me

I just wanted to post this so you could get a good look at it. If you remember your high school history lessons, you'll know it is the Gadsden Flag, made famous in our Revolutionary War. The one where we fought for that little thing called "freedom." You may remember it well!

You're probably going to be seeing a lot more of this particular symbol in the coming days and weeks because the federal government of the United States has now decided that it stands for domestic terrorism! Exactly why are we paying these guys and gals!? To try and get us to fall for propaganda such as this?

You haven't heard the last of this story.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I just had to comment on this amusing little exchange.

A user over on the Joepedia wiki made this little comment on his user page:

"I get around - mostly minor edits, so the only reason I have a username is that nobody respects a string of numbers."

I couldn't leave well enough alone, so I made a reply to this statement. When you realize the user name he chose for himself is "ButtButt," you'll see why I had no choice but to say:

"Good point about people not respecting strings of numbers. Now, a name like ButtButt is something they certainly will respect!"

Do people actually use that thing between their ears anymore?