Well, I made it home safely.  Because of that famous Texas weather, I ran
out of time at the end and couldn't revisit some people, but I'll be back
again by summer.  I also missed--through no fault of my own--the San
Diego people, and sincerely apologize.  I will make it up later.
 
Besides meeting some wonderful people, the trip had some exciting parts
as well.  Outside Phoenix AZ, a gravel truck dropped a part of their
load, denting the hood of my pickup, chipping paint in numerous
locations, and mortally wounding my windshield.  When I was spending the
night in a motel near Twentynine Palms CA, some joker siphoned my gas
tank and thoughtfully inserted a drywall screw between the center treads
of all four of my tires.  I noticed the loss of gas, attributing it to
being a side-effect of the high cost of fuel in California, but missed
the screws until I was in Banning CA.  There, on a stretch of highway
60 having narrow lanes, minimum shoulders, and a concrete barrier, the
presence of the screws in my tires suddenly became quite clear.  At 70
mph, with barely a warning, the left rear tire exploded, throwing the
truck sideways enough to barely kiss the concrete barrier, marking the
black plastic trim around the tire well.  But, three repaired tires and a
new $220 tire later, and all was well.
 
While touring the San Diego Zoo, I returned to my vehicle after the zoo
closed (1745), only to find someone had smashed into the front of my
pickup so hard that a hole was punched into the bumper, and the bumper
was pushed into the front tire.  I waited in the parking lot until the
police arrived to take the hit-and-run report (2015), which took
additional time (2205).  I then had to wait for a tow truck to come and
bend the bumper away from the tire so I could leave (2310).  By the time
things were done and I could leave, it was almost midnight (2350).  The
next day, I had to have the truck checked for driving safety and didn't
leave the SD area until afternoon rush hour, making my arrival in Las
Vegas quite late.  I was beginning to wonder if the CaCaLand Fishin'
Gestapo had some sort of agreement with Satan.
 
But I am safely home, and my pickup is scheduled for repair next week.
AND it was worth it!  The people I met and the dedication they have to
ferrets was inspiring.  I asked everyone to sign Linda Iroff's petition
and everyone promised to do so.  I saw outlaw ferrets in a Nazi State.  I
saw outlaw ferret owners freeze in fear when a couple of police officers
arrived at a meeting to check a burgler alarm.  SOMETHING has to be done
about California, and I don't mean about the price of gasoline.  I've
watched this go on for 10 years (my FML time) and nothing has changed.
In a few weeks, once I've caught up at home, I'll write up my opinions
on the California issue (at the REQUEST of numerous CaCaLand Residents!)
and post them here.
 
For the first time in 10 years, I'm changing my email address (the school
changed it once, but I never have).  The amount of email I wade through
is astounding (well, NOT compared to Bill's load, I'm sure!) and
important stuff gets lost in the deluge.  So, I've started two new email
accounts at Yahoo, one specifically for questions, and one for day-to-day
email exchange.  So, if you just want to chat, please use the "Talk to
Bob C" email, but if you have a question, please use the "Question Bob C"
account.  By the end of the week, I will NO LONGER USE THE MIZZOU ACCOUNT!
 
Bob C
 
To ask a specific question, write to "[log in to unmask]"
For all other email, write to "[log in to unmask]"
[Posted in FML issue 4479]