THREE-TEN TO YUMA

Three-Ten To Yuma was a great movie about a train bringing prisoners to the Yuma Territorial Prison.  My 3:10 flight to Yuma had some similarities.  You are strapped to and trapped in a seat just like the prisoners. Yuma flights are special transports because  big planes don't go there. These small puddle jumpers do. Actually better, less hassle, less people,  and comfortable enough. We won't be visiting the Territorial Prison this trip, though. I blogged it in 2009.

Sitting by the window presents a rare opportunity to take aerial photos.  Interesting if you can recognize some of what you are seeing as in the once controversial California Aqueduct near the bottom right of the photo.

Which gave way to desert...

...and the Salton Sea.

After being met at the airport by my Sweetie, we went out for an early dinner and celebrated back in the motor home with a bottle of Cooks.

The weather in California is expected to turn stormy and cold. Winter at last.  I got out just in time. Back on the road, with temperatures in the 70's.  We're living the good life.

SOLAR PLANES AND FRISBEE GOLF

  Solar-powered plane ready for first international flight

Solar Impulse is on standby for its first international flight this week. Brussels has been chosen as the destination for the first venture outside Swiss borders, which follows the solar powered aircraft's maiden flight and first overnight flight last year and will mark another important step towards the goal of flying around the world in 2012.

Yesterday was cold and windy in the morning and rained hard most of the afternoon. We decided to tuck in, watch a movie and for me, catch up on e-mails, some small housekeeping chores and play on the computer. Some trivia I saved for a rainy day:
There have been so many earthquakes and storms of late. But, the deadliest earthquake occurred on Jan. 23, 1556 in central China. In that area, most people lived in caves carved from soft rock. In fact, when I visited China in 2007, we viewed a cave residence. Cave dwelling is still popular in some parts of China. But, that earthquake killed an estimated 830,000 people as the mountain crumbled.

Did you know the term sarcophagus means flesh eater? I didn't either. It is the name Greeks gave a special marble found in Asia Minor near ancient Troy and was used in caskets. The marble, so goes the lore, had the power to destroy the entire body except the teeth within a few weeks. Makes you wonder who "determined" that bit of nonsense. I have a ceramic sarcophagus in my living room that I dearly love. Of course, its a work of art.

Before porcelain teeth were perfected in the 19th century, dentures were commonly made with teeth pulled from the mouths of dead soldiers. After the U.S. Civil War, teeth were shipped to dentists in England by the barrel full. I didn't know that. Yuk!I thought false teeth were made of wood.

On a more fun note, the Brooklyn Dodgers were named the Dodgers after the local folks ability to dodge trolley cars. They were called trolley dodgers.

 Late, about five, we finally got out for a walk to stretch our legs and breathe the fresh, clean air.

This park has Frisbee golf, something I'd never seen nor heard of.

This is what a "hole" looks like. It also looks like fun. Jim said he used to have a frisbee but he doesn't know what happened to it.

Horse tail was poking up between the rocks on the bank of a creek.

Liatris is a water lover and grows lush here. I have it at home and it struggles on woody stems and crawls tight to the soil in our hot sun. Even so, its beautiful.
We had a nice hot pea soup for dinner last night and expect to get out and about today, weather be damned.