The Heat Is On

102F today and humid (for SoCal at least). Man it feels hot! Still 86F at 10 p.m. We are leaving for Big Bear on Friday, should be in the 80s there. Hopefully we can post updates from the mountains.

Any burglers who are reading this, don't bother coming to the house while most of the Grouches are gone. First son will be in residence and he has an M590A1 that he has been itching to try out so if you wish to volunteer by breaking in he will oblige you with some 00 for your efforts.

Congratulations Young Son

Young son took advance placement history in the sophomore school year just finished. He had the option of taking the national AP History test which if he passed would grant him college credit. Mrs. Grouch and I had our fingers crossed but we should not have been concerned, he passed with a 4 out of 5 score and rated 'Very Well Qualified'. Yea son! He is at Scout camp so until he either gets my message on his cell phone or one of our letters he won't know the extent of his triumph but he exhibited confidence before and after the test and the result probably won't be a surprise to him.

It's nice having four smart kids. I guess they got it from the Missus.

Happy 4th!

The fourth of July is my favorite holiday of the year. This year it is a little less happy since Mrs. Grouch is visiting eldest daughter and our cute as a bug granddaughter for a week. Youngest son is at Boy Scout camp doing his counselor duty for most of the month. The other two Grouch offspring are busy with their lives and not around today so I must make the best of it on my own...I started early with a great cook out at youngest Daughter's place on the 3rd. Great food and lots of dog talk. I had fun talking with a women from Murmansk Russia.

Now for the 4th.
I started the morning with the Lions Club pancake breakfast and then on to the community parade!
(click on the photos for a full-size view)

A parade has to have veterans..



old cars....

and motorized reclining chairs!

My camera wasn't fast enough to photograph the little girl riding the burro, the kids on bikes or Santa Clause in the rocket propelled sleigh. This parade is truly eclectic which is why I love it so! I wore my cut off ACU shorts and ACU boony cap which got the two Vietnam era guys next to speculating sotto voce if shorts are now part of the Army uniform. The one guy mentioned that the Navy used to have shorts so maybe the Army does too...?
After the parade I went to church for Sunday mass. The priest had asked me a couple weeks ago to wear my uniform to church today to be part of the military procession (and LEOs, Fire, Scouts, etc) at mass. Good thing I did since we had exactly one other military type (AF ROTC) one cop, four scouts, and the ever-present Knights of Columbus. I could get into being a KoC; I really like the fore-and-aft Nelsonian caps, the swords, and the dramatic capes. I wore the whole class A uniform with blouse (coat) which was a mistake. It was hot in church!

Yard work is waiting for me so I better wrap this up. God Bless America and happy 234th birthday!

Cars

I keep hearing a radio ad that says that the average American will own 12 cars in his or her lifetime. That seemed a bit low to me so I added up the cars that I (and the Missus) have owned since I started driving. The list comes to 14 for those who don't want to bother adding them up. They are a pretty eclectic group and they share a common trait of overall unreliability! But man, they were all fun and useful in their time.

Here goes in chronological order of acquisition:

1971 Plymouth Duster
1976 Fiat 128 sedan
1970 VW squareback
1979 Fiat Strada
1981 Jeep CJ7
1982 Mercury Lynx
1973 VW Thing
1985 VW Vanagon
1987 Suzuki Samurai
1994 Ford Club Wagon
1998 Jeep Wrangler
2001 Pontiac Aztek
2005 Pontiac Aztek
2008 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

I won't count the brand new 2010 Ford Hybrid Escape that the Missus just bought as her first brand new vehicle all her own. She let me drive it today and it is fun trying to get it to move along without the gas engine starting up.

Mrs. Grouch bounces back!

Mrs. Grouch will play the concert violin after all! her elbow is in fact not broken just bumped, bruised and battered. All of that milk drinking has paid off once again.

And the Missus turns 21 today (again). This is a case when repeats are worth watching. Happy birthday Mrs. Grouch!