Google "Chrome"

Seemingly rolled out with little fanfare- I happened to see a little blurb on a Google page- there's a new web browser in town. And it's excellent! Google Chrome.

I installed it yesterday, and so far it's performed flawlessly.  Every control is simple and intuitive.  I think there's a "help" button somewhere, but I haven't needed it.  There's very little garbage on the toolbar, which gives you a bigger screen area for content.  (See the screenshot of this blog page, above.)

And speaking of content, the web pages open at broadband speeds.. and I'm using EDGE/GPRS, which is only about twice as fast as dialup.  

It has a nice memory feature, that keeps track of the number of times I go to a website, and all the most - visited are shown on the front page when you open the browser..  so I better keep some variety in the porn surfing!

I tried Firefox some time ago.  It was OK, but there were some issues that irritated me.  I think it was a problem that had to do with .pdf files.  Haven't opened any .pdf's with Chrome yet, so I probably shouldn't speak too soon.

Give it a try.  It's free.   From download to your monitor only takes about 5-7 minutes; which is amazing in itself.

And now tonight's entertainment, which is in no way relevant to the subject, other than it has the word "chrome" in the title.  Take it, Melissa....

Mr. Happy Tooth No More.

I brush every day; use one of those Oral B spinning, vibrating brushes. Floss nearly as often, and use an anti plaque pre- rinse, and a Listerine clone after. I don't drink sugared soft drinks, and I avoid fruit juices. I visit my dentist every... uh. Hmm. Yeah, I visit a dentist every
20 years or so....?

Okay, so I have a scheduling problem. It's associated with a recurring financial problem.. I can't afford to go t0 the dentist. No big, I thought, having only one emergency since my last root canal, sometime in the early Nineties.

Well... last month, while parked in Texas, watching TV and eating popcorn, I noticed.. my tongue noticed.. a big hole in the middle of a molar that wasn't there before the second handful of popcorn. This was a cause for concern. But not enough for emergency concern. There was some pain, but not the kind you associate with exposed angry nerve endings... more just uncomfortable. I figured I could just chew on the left side until we got to our Wintering spot in New Mexico. Which just happens to be 30 miles north of La Paloma, Mexico. Home to several English-speaking dentists, optometrists, pharmacists, etc.

I made the appointment with Dr. Oscar Daniel Perez at American Dental Care, located just a block and a half from the border, behind the famous Pink Store, (where we would have an excellent lunch afterwards, and use our free Margaritas coupons).

Border crossing from New Mexico into Paloma is, we'll say, informal. Park the car at the Duty Free shop in the US, and just walk on in to Mexico. (Returning would take only slightly longer).

For reasons I still don't quite understand, Margaret requires a dose of antibiotics prior to dental work, so we went first to one of the many pharmacies on the main drag. It may be of some interest to dog owners, that we picked up a 50-count package of Cephalexin, 500mg, for all of $4 and change, US. Just about any drug that's not a narcotic is available over the counter at great prices. The prices in Mexico would continue to amaze us, after our visit to the dentist.

When we arrived at the office, there were only a handful of people in the waiting room; all Yanquis like us, and either full time RVers like us, or dwellers of the borderlands region. It's easy to see what Dr. Perez's target demographic is.

Margaret was just getting her teeth cleaned. I was getting my teeth cleaned and, I thought, getting my filling repaired. That's when everything started to go south... figuratively speaking.

Dr. Perez looked at the tooth and what remained of the filling, and found evidence of decay around the gum line. He advised that it would be better to get a crown, than repair the filling, because I would just be paying for work on the same tooth twice. That made sense to me.

Then Dr. Perez's partner (and wife), Dr. Karla Marmolejo, commenced to cleaning my teeth. She promptly hit a nerve in the wrong side of my mouth, swabbed on some topical pain killer and went to work again, then stopped. She had a long conversation with Oscar in Spanish and he then took over.

This is where the real bad news starts. He told me there was a line of brown material over most of the gum line, top and bottom. He thought at first it was tarter, except it wouldn't come off. It's tooth decay. He's not sure why it's so prevalent, hazarding a guess about minerals in water, but whatever the reason, it's there. It will need extensive filling.

The good news is... or part of the good news is, it's not an emergency situation, (except for the original crown thing). I can get it done in stages, and since we'll be living here it won't cause a scheduling issue. I'm getting the crown done in two weeks, before we pull out of Deming for the last big road trip with the Express. The rest will be done over the next year, after we've moved into the Mountain House.

He wrote out an estimate. That's the second part of the good news. To see what all this would cost in the US, click on the amounts:

Bridge. 4 teeth... $600

Extractions. 2 $50 each

Porcelain Crown. 1 $150

Fillings. 12 (yeah, TWELVE) $50 each

So there you have a brief report on my very first visit to Mexico. I'll be saving a lot of money, and tequila is unbelievably cheap at the Duty Free.

And speaking of Duty Free.. this one came as quite a shock to someone who's used to the Duty Free shops on the way to Canada. Here, you park your car in the lot, go into Duty Free, buy your $12 Cabo Wabo, walk into Mexico, cross the street, walk back into the US, get in your car and go home. Get drunk.

We're going to like living here.

MMmmm..... Aaaccc-c-c-kkk.. THUD!

HT to Frank Vigneri, who really really needs to avoid this place like the plague.


Watch CBS Videos Online

FREE is Good!

We're familiar with the local Denny's, because that's where the draw for local hunts is always held. Other than those events, we're not likely to breakfast at Denny's, or any other similar chain restaurant, preferring locally owned diners and restaurants.

But when breakfast is free, we're always there, dude. The above ad was one of the best of the Super Bowl, as well.

And so, we found ourselves in a very crowded lobby this morning, waiting for a table. The list was long, but the efficiency of the cooks, the waitstaff, and the table cleaners (which looked suspiciously like management), was impressive to observe, and soon we were seated, with coffee (no, the coffee price was not $5.99), and were placing our order with our waiter, Robert who, despite the frantic pace, remained cheerful. Or gay. Possibly both. Our free Grand Slams were in front of us in about 2 minutes.

That's livin'. Yum.

Weekly Bird of Prey.

Out on the ranchlands for our Sunday running of the hounds with Dutch, we popped this fellow up out of the tall grass. We see a lot of Burrowing Owls when we're hunting, but this is the second time in a couple of weeks we've seen this larger, Long Eared Owl.

We have our new friend, Zac, to thank for the identification. He'd seen them in a nearby field the previous day, and did the research to confirm the i.d. I admit, I did a lot of Googling last night, and initially was beginning to question that it really was a Long Eared Owl, because the habitat described on the various websites just didn't square with where we saw this bird. In the end, I decided it couldn't be anything else, and the "X" of white feathers on the face, just barely visible on the image below, did the trick.

We should have apologized for disturbing its sleep, as this bird is a nocturnal hunter. Sorry.

UPDATE 2/3/09: Heard from Steve Bodio, a man with much knOWLedge on the subject. He says, with about as much certainty as possible, that the above pictured bird is a SHORT Eared Owl. So there you have it. Good thing I hadn't checked anything off on my Life List yet.

Hyundai.

OK, I've been meaning to write something about this since I first saw these dumbass Hyundai commercials. You've seen them... they were a sober interlude in all the great, and funny Super Bowl commercials... They come off sounding so noble... "hey, if you lose your income we'll let you return your Hyundai". This is new?

I don't think so...


Yeah. It's called repossession.

Wrap Up.

The advantage of not being emotionally involved in the outcome of today's Super Bowl is that I can say, "wow... what an entertaining game".

That is all.





Because... if I was to ramble on, I'd probably whine about the only Buckeye on either roster ending up as the MVP.. Grrrrr. Defensively, ex-Wolverine, Lamar Woodley made some great plays.

That's really all. Seriously.

Super Bowl Pick.

Having no emotional connection with either team, I was in a quandary about who to pull for in tomorrow's Super Bowl. Everybody needs to pick somebody.

Using empirical research techniques, and scientific method, I.... oh hell... I just checked the rosters for former University of Michigan players. No contest, as it turns out. The Phoenix Cardinals have 5 former Wolverines, while the Steelers have only two, and considering the Cardinals are already the prohibitive underdog, the choice is easy. Go Cards! As a bonus, Alan Branch is from New Mexico.

And Go Blue! I'm sure no other University has, or maybe ever had, that many alums playing in a single Super Bowl!

"The Lincoln Bedroom."

Due to unprecedented requests for access to the future residents of Mountain House, we've decided to call the little guest cabin "The Lincoln Bedroom". The Clinton years weren't totally wasted on us! I don't have to explain how it works. When the DUTCH T-Shirt button is removed tomorrow, it will become self-explanatory. Nice little place. Small fridge and microwave, shower, sink and toilet. What else could the weary traveller ask for?

Of course, a "donation" does not have to be in the form of money. Food, alcoholic beverages, etc. are welcome as well. We're easy. ;o)

A Grand Old Man.

That's my boy, last weekend. The walk turned out to be a little longer than anticipated due to the lack of hares. About 3 miles, in fact, and he was pretty fagged when we got to the car, and the next day, he never got out of bed, except for the daily "walk". Three days later, he was as frisky as ever. What a freak of nature, to be traipsing in the desert, climbing the Express's stairs, and jumping into the bed at an age when... well, he doesn't have a lot of company.

I hope he survives until we move into the Mountain House, so he'll always be with us.

No Lawn Mower... No Way!

Mountain House. (Working title). New Slide Show available on the sidebar.

Best. Month. Ever!

By 1.

1365 to 1364. And climbing.

Thanks, visitors!

Putting Those Donations to Good Use.

No.

Not the donations sent here to help out Dutch Salmon's family. I'm talking about the money donated to PETA. (Not by anyone who reads this blog, of course, but those other people.) They're not going to be able to help out all those widdle cuddewy-wuddewy furry critters... you know, the ones they end up euthanizing... if they're blowing 3 million bucks on a pornographic Super Bowl commercial.

Alas, we won't get to see the cute lady do herself with a broccoli. NBC decided the ad was too racy. It's OK though... PETA was just going to lie to us.

Like always.

What Was It?

Even when you're underneath it, the T.A.R.S. Aerostat doesn't look twice the size of the Goodyear blimp. That's because this "weapon" in the so called "War on Drugs", is on a 25,000 foot tether.

The one in my picture is one eleven that the Air Force operates from the Carribean to Arizona. It is located, as you might guess, outside of Deming, New Mexico. It's purpose is not to catch "il-ee-gals" (sorry Todd), but "radar interdiction" of planeloads of illicit drugs coming from the south. So, while Rick correctly identified what it is, Cindy was the only one who got the hint.

There is no prize... you all should be proud of a job well done.

Fundraising Update.

Thanks to all who have ponied up and ordered the DUTCH T-shirts to help out with the Salmon family expenses in the wake of Buddy's illness. Thanks, especially, to those who also got quilt raffle tickets, and ordered items from Dutch's bookstore.

We got orders from local New Mexico residents, and also from as far away as Florida and Massachusetts, Eastern and Western Canada, including the Maritimes, and Great Britain! Dutch has a lot of friends, but also there are strangers out there who just wanted to help.

The T-Shirt orders have dropped to a trickle as of today, so we'll pull the plug on them on February 1st. I'll remove the "Donate" button then. That will give us time to order up the blank shirts and other paraphernalia Margaret will need to produce the final product, and get it to all who donated in a timely fashion.

We'll add our check to the one the quilt raffle folks will be giving Dutch at his Pack Hunt in mid-February.

Thanks again!

Shot On Site. Going...going... ??

The other day I posted a picture of a beat up 2-story barn in the middle of some very spacious ranch land. We had our listing guide in hand and used up more than a half tank of gas looking at various levels of abode.

Today, we got more serious, and called a realtor, so we could look at one place in particular that captured our fancy. She told us about another place that was just coming on the market, and not listed yet. It was, she said, "in the mountains". The price she gave got our attention.

We met the agent at a nearby crossroads, and followed her, as promised into the mountains. The North Florida Mountains to be precise. Which means one of the views from the porches is...

...The South Florida Mountains. Look behind, or to the North and the North mountains are practically in the yard. This little, (about a thousand sq ft) house sits between Rock Hound State Park, and Spring Canyon State Park. The view straight west from the front porch is of the Deming Plain, far below.

For people who would want to come visit, there's a bonus:

This little guest cabin sits behind the main house, on the 1 1/2 acre fenced lot. It has a kitchenette, bed, and 3/4 bath. The main house comes with a washer and dryer, side by side fridge with ice maker, dishwasher, 2 full baths, a perfect room for an office, and one bedroom. Yes just one, which is probably why the price for all of this on a nicely cactus-landscaped lot is.. wait for it.... $60,000. Margaret loves this place. So do I.

But we still wanted to see the house we originally called the agent about..

...an adobe "work-in-progress", 16 miles south of Deming. Also 1000 sq ft, with 18" thick walls, the owner/builder began this project in 2004. There's a detached workshop/garage as well. I really like this place, but it's priced considerably higher than the mountain house. But not out of reach. And there are miles and miles of jackrabbit habitat right out the back door!

Interior is still under construction, and is only two rooms. The bedroom is to the right of the bed, which had been moved to install the bedroom floor tiles. Next, this large main room will get tile on the right, which is the kitchen side, and the left will get hardwood. Love the exposed beam ceiling!
As if that weren't cool enough... he's put in Sherita's shower!

...and added a cedar plank ceiling. On 4 acres, this one goes for $79,000, has views of the Florida Mountains as well as the Tres Hermanas mountains near the border, which is only about 20 miles south.

We've probably never been closer to getting off the road, and settling down than we are right now, right here.

But don't worry. Shot On Site Photography is not going away... at least not completely. If we do this thing, we'll still have the Hare-Brained Express, and will continue to shoot the high profile sighthound events like the ASFA II, and breed specialty trials, and we'll probably continue to travel East to Georgia at year end. Margaret would insist. It's that grandchildren homing device implanted in her brain.

We'll be starting a new business in this neck of the woods, too, doing photo and video home inventories for insurance and estate purposes. In fact, Margaret ordered the software today.

And a photographer could make a career out of just recording the various faces of the Florida Mountains. Plus, there's so much more of New Mexico to explore and discover.

Just a heads-up. What a day.

Panic Much?

A few of my blogger friends have recently posted gloom and doom pieces about an animal rights whacko President Obama has placed in charge of something called the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Oh NO!! There goes our pure bred dogs. It'll be Tofu for lunch every- single- freakin'- day!

No?

Fortunately, we have people like "Terrierman" Pat Burns, to actually do the work to uncover the real story behind the viral email panic. Patrick is kind of a DC insider, and he's not panicking.

You should probably read the whole thing. I did and learned a new term: "Chain pull".

Home On the Range.

The other day we took a long drive around the Deming area, looking at land and homes for sale. This wasn't one of the places, and while the "house" is probably in our price range, the land most certainly isn't.

Search on...

What Is It? (With Hint)

Just a fun diversion from all the seriousness here lately. This is a little game that Patrick play over at Terrierman blog. Just post your answers to the comments section, and all will be revealed in a couple of days.

Playing isn't a requirement, and you don't need to whine about it. You can just say "no".

You People Are Great!

When asked to step up, you respond with vigor.

While we're not exactly swamped with DUTCH T-Shirt orders, we've gotten more, in a short time, than I would have expected. Some people have even donated the $28 and decided to fore go the shirt so the whole amount goes to Dutch, which is cool. Other people are sending cash, with no strings (or T-Shirt orders) attached.

Thanks to bloggers Steve Bodio and Todd Birchfield our original post went nearly viral. On the first day we broke all visit records, logging 247 visitors!
We received donations from Great Britain, as someone had cross posted Steve's post- which linked our post- to the British website, The Hunting Life. We're still getting several visitors a day from that site.. and a lot of them are off to the bookstore, as many of the comments were about Dutch's landmark book, Gazehounds & Coursing. I think he may be moving a few copies this month.

I've heard from the quilt raffle organizers, and they've raised over.. well, a lot of money, and that was before you all read about it here, so a lot of money may turn into a shitlo boatload of money.

And if you follow the live traffic feed over there on the sidebar, you'll see that a goodly number of blog visitors have left via Dutch's bookstore . Dutch has confirmed one book sale... a very expensive book, in fact.. as a direct result of our post.

So.. why not keep up with the good news:

Buddy came home from the hospital on Saturday, and in Dutch's own words, "is on the mend". The snowball effect of which is that Dutch was able to bring out his hounds yesterday.. hounds who hadn't run in nearly a month.. to put the fear of god your deity of choice into a few jackrabbits. We took this opportunity to give Dutch his own shirt. He likes it, and thinks everybody should get one! ;o)

Other than the fact we had to walk 2 hours before jumping the first one, a good time was had by all. We'll be doing it again tomorrow.