Randomness on the smartphone camera

The pics in this post are just some random shots. Each has its own little story. I will try to keep them short and concise so as not to bore anyone too much. 

This is the caboose of a hoopty train in Victorville. I was listening to music on my phone, so by the time they all passed me (I was in the slow turn lane) I missed all of them but this one. This is what car culture has become in Cali. Just kidding, there are some cool cars rolling along 66 still. 

Who says the desert doesn't get cold?! It dipped down into the 20s this night but the farmer left the sprinklers on in the field. As I drove by on the way to work it was already in the 40s but this ice refused to give in. The light reflecting off it looked like a pile of diamonds from a distance. 

As I walked out of the theater i heard a familiar squawking above me, I looked up and these two were walking ON the bird spikes. They had even built a nest there. Nature will overcome. 

they grown em big in Palm Springs

but they wear some granny panties. 

I wonder what Marilyn would wear today?!

Palms in Palm Springs

Sign in one of our child facilities. I wonder if this is too deep for most like kids to fully grasp. Most adults still don't grasp it. 

There is a chain restaurant called Pappadeuxs New Orleans kitchen. The first one I went to was in San Antonio. This one is in the Dallas Fort Worth airport. When I fly through there, I make a point of stopping by. On my way to IL in May, I hit it up again. As I walked a few gates out of my way, I passed lines at chain restaurants and it brought a smile to my face knowing these beautifully decadent oysters were waiting for me. There are 2 kinds. One with crab meat, spinach and hollandaise. The other with bread crumbs and ooey gooey melty italian cheeses on top. Oh so good. If you are passing through, check it out at Gate A24 in the A Terminal. They were even playing Kermit Ruffins on the radio. 

This beauty was in the parking lot in Decatur IL. Land rover pick up. Oh so lovely.

I tend to break things and then have to fix them. This trip home was no different. i helped mom with the lawn and broke the riding mower, the electric weed eater and the push mower. Personally, I think they were all waiting for me to show up to break. Getting a replacement belt seemed a herculean effort. We bought 2 wrong ones first before finding the right one at Farm and Fleet. 

Ammo was selling like hotcakes, but I was there when this shipment showed up. They said boxes were basically sold out the same day for 22lr and pistol ammo. I think these manufacturers are happy every time Congress starts talking gun bans and background checks because there is a virtual run on the stores. Craziness. 

This was in grandpas garage. Its an old circuit tester. Imagine hauling this thing around as an electrician years ago. The new ones are so much smaller and more convenient. 

Grandma busted out the history of Nokomis IL and showed me the pages about her parents. Very interesting, especially since my friend lives less than a hundred miles from the place they came from in Italy. Gotta go see him soon and look up some distant relatives. 

I was very fortunate to make it back to Illinois for Mother's Day. I had a wonderful visit and things just seemed to fall into place when it came to scheduling time to see everyone I missed at Christmas. I certainly miss my family. Just gotta be patient and eventually I'll find something close to home with the Army. Until then, bring on the adventure.