Happy Stump

While Geocaching, saw this smiling stump and just had to get a picture of it. I wanted to share it with you.

Icicles All in a Row

Been going through old photos and trying to organize them and came across this one. Had to share. One of my first favorites.

Oh They called School out today. Guess this is the one and only for the year. The temp dropped to 9.

Snowman Crossing Guard

I have been working at this school for 14 years. Kingsport City Schools rarely lets out for snow. All the surrounding school systems let out yesterday at lunch. We got 1 to 3 inches so far tonight, with temp dropping to 12 degrees. Dreading to go to work in the morning with the wind chill being below 0. BBBbbrrrrr!

This Snowman was made by kids before going into school several years ago. I dressed him up in my vest and let him hold my sign.

Ground Hog Family

Don't knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while. ~Kin Hubbard

We have ground hogs living under our smoke house. I caught them sitting on the steps. I tried to get closer for a better shot....guess what, they took off. So a cropped picture is all I got.

Fox Hunt

Group of the Hams from the KARC BMRC Ham Club that made antennas for Fox Hunting.
Showing a few of the steps in making the antenna. Here the coax is held in place on the plastic pipe with a wire tie and tape. The coax is split and bringing out the copper braided wire.
Soldering the coax to the cooper wire.
Attaching the soldered wires and measuring tape with clamps.
Tightening the clamp while keeping the tape straight.

Radio direction finding is used to find sources of interference to any form of wireless electronic communications, including broadcast and two-way radio, television, and telephones. It is also used to track missing or stolen cars and other property. Search and rescue workers use it to find persons in distress. Emergency Locator Transmitters in downed aircraft are tracked with RDF techniques. As a game Ham Operators call it Fox Hunting.

Sculpture Walk

This is one of the sculptures in the Sculpture Walk in Kingsport. Thanks to my husband for taking it for me. I will put more of them in here as I get more pictures of them. This one reminds me of an antenna that someone has talked on way too much and it just melted, then laid down. Well that is from a hams point of view.

Sorry for so long between post, just been busy.

BLACK ICE

This is my first blog entry without picture. So I will try to paint one with words.

I got home last night around 11:30 pm, with misting rain and temps in the mid 20's. With the cold temps that we had for 2 days had everything freezing. All this caused black ice build up. Turned on the police scanner and it had already started. First there were cars slipping here and there, and running into everything. Second it was muli car pile ups. Then the Police were dispatched out to the wrecks, not getting there because they couldn't go. Fire Trucks were having the same Bad luck. All major roads were getting impassable because of the ice and vehicles blocking and the pile ups. Then they call the salt truck workers in. They couldn't get to the garage, to get the salt trucks out. Then I heard that there were 18 wheelers jack-knifing here and there. Ems were having the same problems themselves. Wreckers were refusing to get out (don't blame them at all). Finally the salt trucks were getting salt out. This went on for hours, I got tired and went to bed around 3 am. I got up this morning at 9 am, the surrounding counties were still having problems. The insurance companies will have fun this week.