sherpa

Pulled pork. Brine Thurs-Friday. In rub Fri- Sat. On at 225 in my Primo at 11pm Sat night. Done by 11:30 Sun morning. Wrapped and in the cooler for 1.5 hour rest. Kids arrive Sunday at 12:45. Plates out at 1.

Sports Illustrated...... Bring your playbook.

Regardless of his stats, or the fact that he was responsible for AFL credibility, the man was a simply great "thrower." I used to go to those games two hours early, because a friend's dad was an usher. I watched all of the QB's throw during warm ups. Nobody, Bills QB or visitors, threw lasers like he did. His ball was like a snap. Incredibly quick release, almost no trajectory. It was a string, whether a five yard out or a thirty yard post. He's in the Hall of Fame because he beat the Colts, but that man could throw.

With full understanding that it doesn't directly provide an answer, depending in how much time you plan to spend there, have you considered simply finding a rental you like? We do a Thanksgiving thing every year in the Virginia mountains with kids, grand kid etc, and have a great time without the issue of non occupied ownership, transaction costs and real estate taxes. If we were going up there every week it would be different, but if once a month or so, I would consider finding a place I really liked and working out a rental deal.

I lived in Raleigh for a few years and it was quite hot. I had a similar idea in the early 90's. When the first Gulf War broke out we went over to the Maggie Valley area thinking the war would dampen real estate prices. That didn't happen. Tons of retirees form the midwest. Blowing Rock and Cashiers are each 3500' MSL or so, so that would certainly be a lot more comfortable in the summer. Cahsiers is getting built up. I got some promotional add for a new development there last week. The homes were 1 mil a piece.

Could be in for rather large fine if located. That's controlled airspace and requires a clearance, which would never be granted.

Barring a turnover, first drive against the Jets is a touchdown. We go from there.

I don't think it's that complicated. The Bills organization was not a desired destination for the top talent in the coaching/GM world for years under Ralph, and that is grossly understating the situation. Things have changed for the better. Treating the current staff with respect by rewarding a job well done, (so far), along with vast improvements in other areas not always visible to the casual fan is a step in the right direction, and has many peripheral benefits..

Make no mistake. The NFL at the organizational level is a relatively small fraternity. If the Bills showed anything but respect and appreciation for what has has happened the last three years, we would hve great difficulty attractive competitive, highly respected staff. Buffalo is not Dallas.

You can see it at 50,000', with a good window. Again, it starts getting dark there as well.

Need to get to around 50,000' to clearly notice it. Starts to get a little darker at that altitude as well.

I like roundup. Pretty effective when used properly.

Much, much more practical to charter from an airline, especially this year. 767's are extremely expensive to store and maintain when not flying, and NFL teams have nowhere near the demand to justify it. These transportation solutions are in place and work well. Late thought. They can get the same pilots to fly their charters to all away games. It's not normal, but a few teams have done it. Costs a little more, but they get folks on the airline's seniority list that they charter from. Makes a bit more sense than paying someone full time with all the training and other costs associated. Still, almost every team doesn't care, and who flies them varies week to week, and is handled through normal contractual rules.

All NFL teams charter for all games. One slight change may be that the airplane stays put instead of gets swapped out as some are, to lessen the chance of contamination, but that would be part of the agreement, and it would be treated again regardless.

No. Flew into Madrid, took the train to Malaga, picked up at the train station and went to the cooking class location, about an hour an half west.

If you're in Ashland, you're a little less than 38 north latitude, so that should be about the slope of the solar installation. That can be tweaked a bit to obtain a little better efficiency. I'm in Charlottesville, so not much different. If you do the geothermal, seriously consider the desuperheater for water. I did it in mine and it worked great. Existing duct work is usable. The ground source heat pump should cost about the same as a normal air source heat pump, but the vertical closed loop is going to be quite expensive. I would really press for information on how they intend to ensure contact is made and maintained with the plumbing, as the heat exchange is purely by conduction, and over time heating and cooling can separate the "ground" from the plumbing. I'm sure the contractor will do a great job, but it is something I would want to know. Virginia's clay soil is pretty good at transferring thermal energy, but it can pull away. Good luck. I went a different route with this house, but I had no complaints with my geothermal, especially in the summer.

Glad to. I've had geothermal and solar hot water, and have built a house expecting to do solar eventually. Not ignorant on the issue. First, solar. I don't know how much you know about it, so I will presume you don't know much. Not an insult, just establishing reasoning for what I post. Solar efficiency is very dependent on the install. Optimally, what you want is total sun access to true south, (not magnetic-I can explain that if you want, but there is a difference), at an angle that is equal to your latitude. So if you are at 36 north latitude, you want your panel installation to reflect that, and aimed at true south. Obviously, no tree or other barriers, especially in the winter when the sun is lower. If considering, pay close attention to the annual loss of efficiency of solar panels. Not loudly reported, but a serious issue. Without getting into the details of converting DC from the panels through the battery/inverter process to AC for use, there needs to be a storage capacity and conversion. In my situation, my garage is oriented true south, at about the exact slope as my latitude, framed for the increased weight of solar panels, connected to the house, and I haven't done it yet because it still isn't competitive with on the grid systems. In other words, I have the perfect set up for photovoltaics, and haven't done it. I have a 30x40 barn, and even looking at that, I opted for a gas powered standard generator for power, as I don't use it much. Geothermal. I did a geothermal in the last house we built. Great system. By far, the best in the summer with dissipation of humidity, and free hot water, as the fluid goes through the water heater for pre-cooling before it is sent out to the field. My house was set two-three degrees warmer than my neighbors, but it was far more comfortable, as geothermal really removes moisture. The issue is the method with which you do the heat exchange, and there are many options. Dirt, ponds, deep wells etc. The problem is that the method for dealing with that heat exchange has gotten far too expensive, for no apparent reason. When I did our geothermal in our last house, it was about $5k for an incredibly effective system-five foot deep, packed in rock powder that would guarantee contact and heat exchange. If you use normal dirt, it will eventually separate from the plumbing with repeated heat/cool cycles.. That's not the total cost, that's the grid plumbing to transfer the heat. Internally, the air handler and duct work are not expensive. When I bid for our current house, the cost tripled for the outside heat sink, so I opted not to do it. Anyway, I'm very familiar with both.

We did a Spanish cuisine cooking class vacation to that area, although west of Malaga, not east where Nerja is. After an entire career of travel, I have to do something on vacation rather than just tour around or visit famous sites. Bike trips and cooking classes have been the most fun.

Really? Pretty hard to get around W2 or 1099 income. Another myth.

An example of this happened to a very good friend of mine just last week. He is a black guy, mid 50's, lives in Northern Virginia. His is a very close family. A relative in Minnesota became ill, and he and another relative rendezvoused in Ohio and rented a car to drive to MN to visit. Crossing Wisconsin, a cop pulls him over for no apparent reason. He asks what he was being pulled over for, and the cop tells him "You were following another vehicle too close in a work zone." Knowing this was BS, he figures nothing will come of it. The cop asks if he will allow the car to be searched, and he says "Sure." The cop asks him and the passenger to get out, which they do, and he's a bit worried when the cop looks at him and says, "Now what will I find in here, drugs?" He says no, he has never even had a drop of alcohol in his entire life. He's a marathon runner, vice principal of a high school in Loudin County VA. The cop suggests they are going to MN to participate in some protest. He explains they're doing nothing of the sort. Anyway, they are delayed for an hour. He videos the "search" of the car. Eventually two other WI. state troupers show up, and he can tell by their body language that they know this "stop" is complete BS. After the hour of accusation and search, the cop tells them their will be no ticket and lets them go. Complete nonsense.

Last night was a particularly good night for planet observation. Even with the dew point in the low 70's here in Central Virginia, the vis was great. I had the Celestron Skymaster glasses on. I don't have low Southwest horizon access because of trees and mountains, so the comet is not a possibility. For those who enjoy sky watching, I highly recommend downloading "Stellarium," available free at: http://stellarium.org It is a free, open source great asset that shows the full night sky, slew-able to all directions from your exact location. It knows the time, so shows the exact sky with names of all the starts, constellations and planets if you select them. I always check it before going out, as it orients me very quickly to what is out. If you have a programmable telescope, it will provide the data you can load into it for whatever you want to see. Coincidentally, tonight is the exact night Saturn will be in opposition, (earth between sun and Saturn), which is the closest it will be for the year. The exact time of opposition is 2200Z, which is 6pm eastern this evening. I'll have my scope on it tonight. Good gazing to all.

Indicted, but not convicted.

Pho is quite easy to make also, once you have the broth down. Asian food places usually have the stock ingredient. A fall/winter staple in my house, but basil is a necessary addition.

Guy goes from enlisted to Captain of the Red October.

The Mrs. and I did our traditional trek around Jefferson's estate, Monticello, today at 7am. They always have a big event there on the 4th, naturalizing new citizens to the US in a usually very emotional ceremony. This year, isn't going to happen but they have another thing planned. Still, best to be out of there by 9, and there is a great walk around the place. Simply a brilliant document by a brilliant man.