Pilot's Log

Mom's writing desk as it was the last time she used it. I'm already beginning the long process of sorting it out, but only a little at a time, because there is really so much else that has to be sorted out as well.

At the Rusty Wallace Toyota dealership in Morristown, the showroom has on display this driving kit set of Mr. Wallace's; the helmet visor has his autograph. (For those of you who don't know NASCAR, he had been one of the stars on the track till just a few seasons ago; he's now a trackside personality for FOX Sports' coverage of the races, and his "ride" has since passed through the hands of Kurt Busch to Brad Keslowski.)

I tried taking a few photos of the suit overday for research and planning purposes, but as you can see, it was too bright around for me to avoid capturing reflections from the display case glass.

The weather causes this wireless connectivity apparatus to lose signals, especially heavy rain, or, as in today, wind blowing lots of stuff around the house. So a lot of times in the last few days I've wanted to go on line, I couldn't.

Now, I don't care so much.

Excitement for the day was a trek to take Mum up (and I do mean UP) English Mountain as a reward for her discharge. She'd never been there before.

I wanted to have pics here, but my camera was low on juice, again. Once we returned, I used the wonderful Radio Shack digital pocket multitester I got last year for mechanics class to examine every good AA battery I had and set aside only those with maximum charge for the camera. I'm sure I'll still need to buy new batteries soon, tho'. Don't want the heartbreak to happen again.

Today first thing when I get up I hear from my folks that family friend Jessica is having problems with her printer and her digital camera, and she wants me to come over and help. Turned out it wasn't really a problem as such...just the usual fact that computers are very logical and sophisticated idiots. But I got her systems back running, and she gave me a glass of iced tea and a file cabinet she wasn't using.

I am taking apart a paper blob that is strangling my inbox. I'll need to get a box of hanging folders.

"Witness the power of this fully-peripherized and operational information station..."

Camera and scanner work. Now I can finish old projects and move on to new ones.

Today we pick up the trail where we left off: 25E at White Pine's Main Street. North on 25E, past the Expo Center, over the overpass for I-81, (now into Hamblen County) over the Airport loop overpass, past Walters State College and College Square Mall, then cross Cherokee Lake out of Morristown and Hamblen County into Bean Station and Grainger County. Going Northwest, it merges with Highway 11W (which goes east to Rogersville) and then splits off of it again (11W going west to Rutledge). Bringing us to the Clinch Mountain Hill Climb. Cross the Clinch River after that...the highway here is still under construction but will likely be finished by Autumn by the look of it...when it happens it will be four lanes from Hamblen County to the State Line.

After the construction zone we're in Claibourne County and going through Tazewell. I wanted to stop at the Tazewell Flea Market, but today it was too busy and there was no parking anywhere. So I continued on to Harrogate and made a flypast of Lincoln Memorial University.

Since we're practically on the Kentucky State Line, I'd thought about crossing the line and visiting Middlesboro, but decided that the weather was too good to waste the opportunity to haul the backstretch of the Trail lap. So from Harrogate, we took Steiner Highway West through Speedwell, La Follette, and Jacksboro. This is pretty country and an okay road; it's likely even better in the Autumn with the leaves changing color because of the good visibility.

I wanted to stop in La Follette or Jacksboro for a photo opportunity but there didn't seem to be a good place handy. Just after Jacksboro, the Trail merges with I-75 South and that takes us to US 441 South at Lake City...the road through Norris Dam Park.

The View From Above Norris Dam:


( More Views Behind THIS )

Moonshine takes a well-deserved breather:


From Norris Dam, the Trail passes the Museum of Appalacia when it connects with State Road 61. I decided to refuel here (because of the proximity of I-75 and its various facilities) and take the "spur" to Clinton, where I made an official "break" in the lap. Distance: 112.5 Miles. Total Distance So Far: 147.5 miles.

The Comics store in Clinton:


It needs a "tidy" desperately but has a multi-million-dollar inventory!

Haven't decided when Stage Ⅲ will happen. This week, and possibly next, may be too busy for another maraud. Watch This Space.
FP

Under the hood:





Until just a few hours ago it was the last car in Tennessee to have a Freon-based air conditioning system. Now it has the updated, more environmentally-friendly internal climate control hardware.

Or "Tech Envy I Can Use".

Got a Father's Day circular from Radio Shack and saw the specs on a memory chip to fit my camera, for $25. SIXTEEN TIMES the memory I'm using now. Room for over 2700 pictures, or TWO HOURS of cheap-@$$ low-rez silent video.

I can dig it. Wonder if I can swing it someday.

* * *

Dad is over at our elderly lady neighbor's place, chatting and doing odd jobs for her and so on. When he finishes, he'll bring her beloved Chrysler Cordoba here overnight so he can take it to her mechanic tomorrow morning. Again, Dad jokes to me every so often that he'll lobby for her to leave the car to me in her will.

* * *

Mum is re-reading Black Tie Affair as prep for re-typing it for a re-issue. She got the rights back from Kensington and not only is it a slam-dunk for an e-book version, but a friend of hers who produces audio books wants it.

* * *

Inner Child got a huge helium balloon from the used-car branch of Ted Russell in Knoxville just as they were closing overnight. Dunno how big it really is as I had to deflate it down to 27" so it could fit through Moonshine's back door.

It's raining and Moonshine really needs a wash. Sometime this week, I promise.

*) All-Seeing Eye just heard back from the camera repair shop in Asheville. Olympus has been repaired, with a new part, and will be shipped back. Dad is paying the bill. Need to do something nice for him for Father's Day...so I'm open to suggestions.

*) The above is also good for my Reviewer Corps project because now I don't have to borrow somebody else's camera to photograph my work.

*) Sweet Tooth adores the Russell Stover Chocolate Sauce. It on bread is too decadent for breakfast...you might get away with it on a coffee break, but only if you've done something important that morning first.

*) I just inflated a 16" royal blue balloon for Inner Child.

Got my not-fixed digital camera back from Olympus. Going to see about getting it to a shop in Asheville that was recommended by a family friend.