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Behind the rock tower is a cliff that drops about 1000 feet (305 m) to the Colorado River. That drop-off was spooky enough to keep me on this side of the tower.
This is slightly upstream from Horseshoe Bend and downstream from Glen Canyon Dam. The city of Page is out of view to the right. Power towers on the horizon carry electricity from the Navajo Generating Station. This was a cross-country hike to reach the apex of the first bend upstream from Horseshoe Bend, an area I explored the previous year.
Joe Tripod performed his usual magic by holding my camera rock-steady for this exposure.
Mugzie brand name traveling cups integrate the exceptional insulation and also water-proof buildings of neoprene wetsuit product as well as the effectiveness of a spill-proof, stainless-steel traveling cup. The Mugzie's special, hand-sewn material cover is made from 1/4 inch closed-cell neoprene that is covered operating soft,
A huge urban heat accumulator is a device that can store excess heat from the city and use it later for various purposes. For example, it can provide heating for buildings, hot water for showers, or electricity for appliances. A huge urban heat accumulator works by capturing the heat from sources like waste water, industrial processes, or solar panels, and transferring it to a large tank filled with water or other materials. The tank is insulated to prevent heat loss and can store the heat for long periods of time. When the heat is needed, it can be released from the tank and distributed through pipes or wires to the users.
Source: AI Generated Text
In the blink of an eye, fall gives way to winter weather at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Before the leaves even have a chance to drop, snow swoops in to dust this gorgeous landscape in a dramatic white blanket. Don’t worry, though. The end of fall doesn’t mean the end of fun. Visitors can enjoy snowshoeing, skiing and sledding in the park. Just plan ahead and be sure to layer up with insulating, waterproof clothing, wear sunglasses, use sunscreen and carry water. Photo of Hallett Peak and Flattop Mountain by Jacob W. Frank, National Park Service.
American lunch container that's supposed to keep cold things cold in the bottom section (with a built-in cold pack), and hot things hot in the top section (the top is insulated and microwaveable). Top holds 12 fl oz of soup, bottom holds 2 cups of salad, and the lid to the bottom section has a built-in salad dressing dispenser that holds 2Tb. Exploded view here, and fully assembled view here (with carry strap). Got it for $15 at Bed Bath & Beyond. For my blog. EDIT: Not recommended as the gel circle broke/leaked upon second freezing (and others on Amazon reported the same problem).
To keep the house warm over the winter, we put insulation on most of the windows. This means it's a lot harder to see outside (some windows are set up so we can still see out) but when the sun shines directly on the window, the colors of the insulation are actually quite pretty... This is a window that is split between the aisle and the stairs (this is an "interesting" house). We closed to the door to the stairway to keep the cats from going upstairs where it's a lot cooler.
These now unused insulators are all along the side of this building and continue on a building across the street. A part of the history of Old Town Lansing.
Title / Titre :
An insulating and fire-resistant asbestos suit used in firefighting, made by the American H.W. Johns-Manville Corporation /
Vêtement ignifuge et isolant en amiante, utilisé pour combattre les incendies, fabriqué par la société américaine H.W. Johns-Manville
Creator(s) / Créateur(s) : Unknown / Inconnu
Date(s) : November 27, 1940 / 27 novembre 1940
Reference No. / Numéro de référence : MIKAN 3581696
collectionscanada.gc.ca/ourl/res.php?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&...
Location / Lieu : Unknown / Inconnu
Credit / Mention de source :
Canada. Department of National Defence. Library and Archives Canada, PA-063766 /
Canada. Ministère de la défense nationale. Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, PA-063766
Some background:
The origin of Rescue Labors dates back to 1998, when both the Tokyo fire and police departments were called out for a high risk job when a fire broke out at the Tower City skyscraper under construction in Tama.
As the fire fighters dealt with the fire, the police's AV-98 Ingrams carried out a rescue of the personnel and dignitaries trapped high in the tower. The impressive potential of the Labors in this scenario led city officials to publish a tender for a dedicated fire-fighting Labor.
In 1999, a design competition was held, with three contenders. These were the ARV-99 Rescue Labor by Shinohara Industries (based on the AV-98 Ingram chassis of the police Labor), the CRL-98 “Pyro-Buster”, produced by Hishii Heavy Industries, and the SEE (Schaft Enterprise Europe) Type-8FF Rescue Labor.
The latter was a civil adaptation of the military Type-8 “Brocken” labor for the German Bundesheer (Army Forces). All designs offered sophisticated solutions and equipment for the fire-fighting job: Because the Rescue Labor works in high heat environments, the units were designed to be fire and heatproof to protect the pilot. To fulfill its main role of extinguishing fires, the Rescue Labors were to be equipped with a pair of water cannons, one on the forearm and one on its shoulders, fed by an internal tank and/or by an external source.
Additionally, the competition’s rescue Labors were to deal with hazardous chemical situations. A respective protection system had to be provided, too, as well as precise manipulator fingers for delicate handling.
Detecting life under harsh conditions, in any weather and at day and night, necessitated a complex sensor suite, including a telescopic camera boom.
Schaft Enterprise Europe’s Type-8FF was the most impressive design, standing more than 10 metres tall. It was also the most powerful – but also the most bulky type, since it was originally developed for more spacious European cities.
Beyond the standard requirements the “Florian”, how the Labor was unofficially dubbed (after the Christian patron saint of firefighters), offered a huge array of extra equipment, including an extendable hydraulic crusher, an extra CO2 tank, a high performance water pump (the Type-8FF could be operated as a water manifold when it was not directly involved in rescue duties), a powerful searchlight array and a winch.
Two prototypes were delivered to Japan and took part in the evaluation process, which encompassed both clinical trials as well as field tests that would prove the concepts and uncover strengths and weaknesses of the three designs.
In December 1999 the ARV-99 was chosen as primary Rescue Labor for the Tokyo Fire Department – and the rejection of SEE’s Type-8FF was even more bitter as the CRL-98 was ordered into production, too – only as a supportive vehicle, but it was also promoted to private/industrial fire-fighting units in the Tokyo region.
The “Florian” did not enter production for Japan, since it was deemed to be too large for the Japanese urban environment – but it was developed further for the European market, eventually entering rescue services in Germany, France and Great Britain.
A final, rather disturbing note is that it is uncertain where the two Type-8FF prototypes ended up. SEE took them back into custody after completion of the competition process in early 2000, but there has been no official record or documentation that the vehicles actually left Japan. Rumor has it that they are still on private SEE ground in the Tokyo region.
Technical Data:
Code name: Type-8FF "Florian"
Unit type: fire emergency labor prototype
Manufacturer: SEE (Schaft Enterprises Europe)
Operator: SEJ (Schaft Enterprises Japan), proposed to the Tokyo Fire Department
Rollout: April 1999 AD
Number built: 2
Accommodation: pilot only, in heat- and ABC-insulated cockpit in front torso
Dimensions:
Overall height 10,50 meters
Overall width 5.40 meters
Minimum revolving radius: 6.0 meters
Weight:
Standard 7.05 metric tons
Full 8.81 metric tons
Armor materials:
none
Powerplant:
unknown
Maximum weight lifting capacity:
4.00 metric tons
Equipment and design features:
Visual and acoustic sensors, range unknown
Highly articulated manipulator hands
White and IR searchlights
2x water cannon, mounted on shoulders and on right forearm
Extendable hydraulic crusher on left forewarm
Auxillary CO2 tank, mounted on backpack
Autonomous water turbo pump for in- and external operation
Winch (2.00 metric tons)
Fixed or optional armaments:
none
This model is a thorough conversion of a 1:60 "SEE Type-7 Brocken" IP kit from Bandai, and it is part of a Group Build at whatifmodelers.com under the theme "De-/Militarize it" (which still runs until the end of August 2015).
The mecha belongs into the Patlabor anime TV series. Anime is certainly not everyone's business, but it has a lot to offer.
The charm of the Patlabor universe is that these vehicles exist (these are no robots, except for rare cases there's a pilot inside) in everyday life. When the series was conceived in the 80ies it was a near-future setting in the nineties - SF, but VERY down to earth and "realistic".
The 'Labors', how these more or less humanoid vehicles are called, are special duty heavy machinery, e. g. for construction, loading, hazmat handling. They are also employed by the police (hence the title of the series, Patlabor, which circles around a police unit which fights labor crime) and by the military.
The Brocken is one of the dedicated military designs. It actually comes from Germany, hence probably the plate mail armor design. I am not certain if its name, Brocken, is the German word for hulk, or the mountain close to the inner German border in FRG/GDR times, because the Brocken was designed to patrol and protect this border - the Cold War was still part of the series' script!
There are actually firefighting Labors in the TV series, and the background story is built around the two types I am aware of. And in order to de-militarize the Brocken and change its look so far that the kit appears like a different vehicle, a lot of things had to be modified.
The head is completely new and supposed to remind of typical firefighter helmets. The cockpit section (in the breast) was changed, too, as well as the knee sections and different hands. Parts from other mecha kits (e. g. from a 1:72 Battroid VF-1 , a 1:100 Gerwalk VF-1, a 1:100 Destroid Phalanx, a 1:144 Gundam Zaku and even from an NGE EVA) were intergrated, but a lot of details were scratched.
For instance, the head with its sensor booms and the complex shape consists of ~30 pieces and putty, and the flashlights were completely scratched from clear sprue, styrene sheet and parts of PET toothbrush head protectors!
Having a dedicated duty, a lot of special equipment had to be integrated - in a fashion that it looks plausible and as an integral part, not just an add-on. Therefore, several light installations were added, two water cannons (one on the shoulder, one on the right forearm), a scratched winch, plus several protection bars all around the hull.
A CO2 tank was added on the back, plus a turbo pump installation that would drive the two water cannons and allow external water supply. An extandable hydraulic crusher on the right forearm was added, too, when knocking on the door simply does not meet the situation. Integrating the stuff into the hull meant much body work, and all the devices were meant to appear plausible and functional.
The paint scheme was simple: an all-red livery, inspired by typical German fire engines which wear RAL 3000 as official color. With some shading this eventually turned into a rather orange hue, but the Florian still looks like a fire fighting vehicle.
The yellow trim for a more international look was created with decals from several HO scale firefighting vehicle aftermarket sheets. Finally, after a black ink wash and some dry-painting, the kit received a coating with semi-matt acrylic varnish, and some pigment dust around the legs.
From the autumn 2016 trip to Vietnam:
Touchdown brings me ‘round again to find…solid ground. Though I sometimes do feel like a rocket man. Including layovers, this trip to Vietnam consisted of 8 separate flights. The third one brought me to tiny Phu Quoc Island, a tropical island 40 kilometers west of the southern tip of Vietnam (and less than 5 kilometers from Cambodia on the mainland). The island, then, is actually west of the southern tip of Vietnam, and less than an hour flight from Saigon. The flight goes something like this: “Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated as it’s time for take…and now we’re landing.”
There are actually two tropical islands off the southern coast of Vietnam that I would have liked visiting, Phu Quoc being the more appealing of the two. (The other, for those curious, are the Con Dao Islands which actually are south of the mainland…but there doesn’t seem to be daily flights to/from there, which took it out of this trip’s consideration.)
Compared with Thailand, you would probably never think of coming to Vietnam for a tropical island experience – mainly because it’s not developed – and you’d be correct. I can easily name a handful of islands in Thailand (or Malaysia) that I would prefer to visit from an island standpoint.
However, that’s not to say that I was disappointed by Phu Quoc. On the contrary, I love the island. I found myself thinking, many times, “If I were an investor interested in developing a tourist resort, this would almost be at the top of my list.” (So, any investors reading this…feel free to take a slightly closer look at this island.)
It’s an easily accessible island with many daily flights to Saigon, and also flights to Hanoi. It claims to be an international airport, so I assume there are flights from Cambodia, as well, though I can’t say for certain. I can only say…it’s easy to get here.
Once you get here, you’ll find Vietnam’s largest island (though not large in comparison with many others). It’s 50 kilometers from north to south and 25 kilometers at its widest. It’s triangular in shape and, poetically speaking, can be said to look like a tear drop. Located in the Gulf of Thailand, the island also includes smaller neighboring islands as well.
Phu Quoc has slightly over 100,000 full-time residents, mostly living in Duong Dong, the island’s main town on the midpoint of the west coast of the island. Other than tourism, the economy here is driven, obviously, by the sea. Fishing, seafood, and so on are the staple here. Phu Quoc is the producer of the most famous fish sauce coming out of Vietnam. (Phu Quoc’s fish sauce can be found on grocery store shelves around the world.)
It’s also an island of hills. Our tour guide claimed that Phu Quoc has 99 mountains and, while I can’t (or won’t) dispute that, it struck me as a curious claim. There are hilly parts, though, and they include two waterfalls, one of which we visited on a day trip.
I mention that Phu Quoc struck me as being somewhat underdeveloped. I’ll elaborate by saying that they have a solid foundation – lots of restaurants (catered to foreigners; western food, pizza joints, etc., in addition to local/Vietnamese cuisine) – and hotels ranging from budget to top end. The basic utilities on the island (electricity, internet, etc.) are also completely stable and reliable. Where they could develop more is in the following: infrastructure and the actual amenities of tourism.
The roads weren’t shoddy, by many standards, though there’s still a lot of room for development. Once this is improved, it’ll make getting around more comfortable for anyone who wants to be completely insulated from “natural.”
The other thing that struck us as a little odd is that there doesn’t seem to be much going on at night (unless you’re a fisherman). It’s still a very quiet island and there weren’t many options for bars, clubs, live music, for example. (This is a huge difference between here and, say, Koh Chang in Thailand; the only other nearby island I have for comparison.) There aren’t convenience stores here that are open 24 hours a day and they don’t have much to offer after dark…besides the Night Market. Perhaps that’s the way they want to keep it, but there’s certainly potential here.
During the daytime, though, there’s plenty for tourists. As a photographer not equipped with waterproof gear, I was much more limited, but for the typical tourist you have options of fishing, diving, snorkeling, and swimming. The beaches were, in my opinion, a little dirty, but there are others on the island that are better, I think. (All in all, it would be nice to see things cleaned up a bit…)
In addition to water pursuits, there’s Phu Quoc National Park (that we didn’t visit; apparently better other times of the year) and – though the crux of the economy is tied to the sea – there are also other aspects of the economy that they represent well: pearl farms, pepper farms, cashew plantations, fish sauce factories, and local wine (wine aficionados, don’t get your hopes up).
For the land-loving folks, this is far from a crowded island. There are a number of beaches, the national park in the northern part of the island, and a few small waterfalls (one a classic, the other more of a rapids where you can swim). In short, there’s not a lack of things to do during the day.
With the long-winded generalities about the island out of the way, time to carry on with our experience. We took an early flight out of Saigon, around 9 or 10 o’clock. Flying into the airport, in the heart of the island (on the south side), my first impressions were “green” and “hilly.”
Naturally, it’s a small airport – everything here is small – which made it easy to get our things and be on our way to the hotel. I paid about $5 for the ride into Duong Dong. Our hotel, the Sea Breeze, had very friendly staff. (I can actually say that about every hotel we stayed at, with the New Moon in Danang being the least friendly…and they weren’t bad by any means at all.)
Anyway, the Sea Breeze was a fine place to sleep, though the Cat Huy was slightly nicer. But, for three nights, this hotel was perfect. Comfortable bed…and they did same day laundry service. I don’t remember the cost, but it was probably between $20-30 USD/night.
The hotel wasn’t one that had a restaurant or breakfast included (Saigon, Hoi An, Hue, and Hanoi all did), but there was a restaurant attached and a few feet away. I had breakfast there two of the three mornings and, while not the best western breakfast I’ve had, the staff were exceptionally friendly. I think that’s a Vietnamese quality…be really cordial to folks.
We had most of Friday on the island, plus the entire weekend, with a Monday morning flight to Danang (via Saigon) around 10:00 in the morning. Friday, then, was a completely unplanned day. So we spent Friday toddling around Duong Dong.
The first place we went (besides the hotel, obviously), was to find something to eat. We ended up going with was a decidedly non-Vietnamese restaurant named Buddy’s, walking there via the Night Market street. For me, I loved ‘em because they had milkshakes with real ice cream. Didn’t matter what else they had. That was enough to get me to go back 2-3 times.
After lunch and sitting around Buddy’s for a while, we walked across the street and followed the river out to its mouth in the Gulf of Thailand. (The river is why the main town was built at this spot.)
At the river’s head is a curiously named spot called Dinh Cau Castle. There is nothing about this place that shouts out “castle” if you were to just chance upon it. It’s actually a combination lighthouse-temple. The temple aspect is just a small room with a statue dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea. The lighthouse, obviously, has its practical purposes. It’s more a light station, though; there’s no house for a keeper.
However, this was a very enjoyable spot (much nicer than the Thien Hau “Pagoda” in Saigon) and would end up being the spot where we watched the sunset on Friday and Saturday. The lighthouse-station-temple was built in 1937. There are a few tables benches on an upper platform to sit and enjoy the view of the sea (or the river mouth with its fishing fleet behind you) and there’s also a jetty going out into the sea that gives some nice perspectives. I can only say that I was surprisingly pleased with both Friday and Saturday’s sunsets.
Staying at Dinh Cau well past sunset, we strolled back towards the Sea Breeze via the Night Market, which is rather clean as far as Asian markets go. (I mention this to contrast it with Phu Quoc’s Day Market, mentioned below.)
Before getting back to the hotel, we stopped at the recently (2015) established Crab House (Nha Ghe Phu Quoc) on the main road at the south end of the market. The owner was – as all seem to be – very friendly and talkative. I was curious to know why the interior had banners from a handful of SEC schools (US folks will know what this is) along with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Turns out, the guy used to live in Muskegon, Michigan, which isn’t terribly far from where I was born (and a town I’ll be passing near in about 3-4 weeks’ time).
Junebug & I split the Crab House battered garlic pepper fries (65,000 VND); miniature crab cakes with sweet mango coulis (175,000 VND); and com ghe: hot, steamy jasmine rice with fresh, sweet crab meat, julienne cucumber, and nuoc mam cay (Phu Quoc fish sauce) for 175,000 VND. Add in two cans of Sprite at 20,000 VND a pop and that’s a happy stomach. (The exchange rate, while we were there, was around 21,000-22,000 VND to the US dollar, so we’re looking at…$20-25 for a fresh seafood dinner for two.) With a thoroughly happy stomach, it was time to call it a night, even though it was barely 8:00.
Saturday brought with it another day trip with a small group. This was similar to the Saigon trip with Bao in terms of time and what we did, though I think Bao was a better guide than the girl here. She seemed disinterested half the time, though was never rude or mean, per se. Anyway, at $11/person, it wasn’t a bad way to spend the day.
Since the one part of this tour I was looking forward to most was a waterfall, I was grateful that it was overcast almost the entire day. For parts of it, rain was pretty heavy. (It even made me mildly – albeit very mildly concerned about the flight out on Monday as it was the first of two for the day.)
First up, though, was a pearl farm where I found it interesting to see them pulling pearls out of oysters. That thrill lasted for about a minute or two. However, we were scheduled to be here for close to an hour. (They were hoping that people would buy pearl jewelry.) Given that we were in a fairly heavy rain, I was surprised that there were so many people here. It made me think the entire day would be like this with overcrowded spots. (Forunately, that didn’t come to pass.)
With no interest in buying jewelry, I spent the hour on the back patio looking out at the very rough and stormy sea, and a few of these shots are from there. Finally ready to go, we were waiting on two Vietnamese women from the group (a recurring theme for the day) before we headed off to the next stop: a pepper farm.
To call it a pepper farm would be to stretch one’s imagination to its utmost. It was about 5 rows of pepper trees with each row being no more than 10 meters long. (I’d like to hope this is just the “sample” section they show us dopey tourists.) Much more attractive was the attached shop where they hoped you’d buy pepper. This time around, I pulled out my wallet. There’s one of us born every minute, you know. I bought four separate jars of pepper, one of which wasn’t a powder (and was subsequently confiscated in Guangzhou as I rarely check luggage and this trip was no exception). At about a dollar a jar, it wasn’t a bad deal.
From the pepper farm we were off to the wine shop. This tour was beginning to feel like just going from one spot to another to buy local goods. This wasn’t grape wine, but was a berry wine and was, for the most part very sweet. Don’t think port or sherry, though. It wasn’t quite that sweet, but it was close. Certainly not bad, but also something I could’ve done without. However, they seemed proud of their wine, and I don’t blame them. (It’s better than most of what I had in Korea.) Once again being held up by the Vietnamese ladies, we finally all settled back into the van and went off to Suoi Tranh.
The waterfall was actually much nicer than I expected. Apparently, half the year, it’s dry, so it worked out well that we came at the end of the rainy season. The fall is a classic cascade in a very nice, wooded setting. (Even if it were sunny, it probably would’ve photographed rather well because it had enough cover to give it shade.) We were given 45 minutes to walk the 600 meters up to the falls and back, which meant a bit of a rush for me, but…fortunately, the Vietnamese ladies were even slower than I was.
The creek leading up to the falls had some nice rapids, too, but it also had some unfortunate eyesores: a manmade fall at the entrance (why would you need that when you have the real thing a few minutes away?) and, worse, some fake animal statuary. Count my lucky stars, but these all disappeared after the first 100-200 meters, and you were left with a tasteful and well-made natural path leading up to the falls.
After this – it was around 12:00 or 12:30 by this point – we hopped in the van and headed to Sao Beach at the southern tip of the island. To get here required driving down a very bumpy road for a few minutes at the end. (As I said…they can still do a little infrastructure work here unless one of the unstated tourist goals is to make people feel like they’re bouncing around in a bag of popcorn.)
The beach was…pleasant, I guess I can say. It wasn’t a large beach. In length, it covered a small cove, so it had a nice setting. It also isn’t a wide beach; only about 30 meters from the restaurant to the water, and maybe even less than 20 meters. I saw a little too much trash around which disheartened me, though we aren’t talking dirty to levels that I’m accustomed to seeing in China. I didn’t go swimming, and the lunch at the restaurant here – though Vietnamese – was among the most unimpressive meals we had in the entire two weeks here. The best part of the time at the beach is that the weather cleared up from overcast and rainy to mostly cloudy. So it wasn’t crowded here, nor was it raining.
We left the beach at 2:00 and drove to a nearby fish sauce factory. This was a lot like the pearl farm, pepper farm, and wine shop. “We make this here. Please buy it.” Of the four of these places, the pearl farm is the only one who actually had some kind of “demonstration,” and that lasted about a minute.
If it seems I’m being critical of the roped in commercialism of these types of tours, perhaps I am a little jaded. The spots in and of themselves are actually quite interesting and I just accept this as an unnecessary evil. They need to survive somehow, and for that, I guess I’m grateful that they do this. Back to the actual tour, the fish sauce factory was quick and interesting. (Though I don’t like seafood that much, I do like fish sauce to add flavor.)
The last “scheduled” stop was Nha Tu Phu Quoc – Coconut Tree Prison – right across the street. This isn’t a place that I would otherwise go out of my way to visit, though in conjunction with the beach and the fish sauce factory, it was perfect. (Individually, none of the three spots amazed me, but as a whole, they were quite pleasing.)
The prison was built by the French in the 1940s and this was one of the ARVN’s POW camps during the Vietnam War. Apparently, prisoner treatment here was quite inhumane, as detailed by the signs around the barracks. The recreations of people, though, aren’t the most lifelike I’ve ever seen and seem kind of cheap. There aren’t any period photographs, so there’s a little “oomph” missing here, but it’s still a good effort all around.
Our last stop before being dropped off back in Duong Dong was at Ham Ninh, a small fishing village on the east coast of the island (almost directly across the island from Duong Dong. We didn’t do anything here except have 15-20 minutes to walk to the end of the pier and come back. As uneventful as that may sound, I enjoyed it a lot because the surrounding scenery and seeing the fishing fleet up close (along with a lot of small floating restaurants) made it unique and worthwhile to me.
When we got dropped off, we went right back to Buddy’s and repeated the same thing from Friday night (minus eating at the Crab House). I can’t recall what we ate for dinner on Saturday night and perhaps we didn’t. Lunch at Buddy’s was late enough that I doubt we were terribly hungry by evening except for some snacks.
The only difference between Friday & Saturday was my positioning to photograph the sunset. Friday night was from up near the lighthouse, and Saturday was a little ways out on the jetty. Skies were equally moody both nights.
I’m easy like Sunday morning. No rush to wake up since there was absolutely nothing whatsoever on the agenda. Brunch, around 9:00 or 10:00, after stopping by the post office to send off some postcards, was at Buddy’s. From there, we crossed the river to the day market and spent about an hour or so wandering up and down the street photographing a variety of things.
Going back to the west side of the river, we spent a little while at Dinh Cau, but decided not to watch the sunset there for the third night in a row. We had a late (and small) lunch of a wood-fired pizza, which was surprisingly delicious – so much so that I considered going back for dinner.
Instead, we went to one of the few access points for Long Beach (the beach nearest the hotel) to watch the least spectacular of the three sunsets in my opinion. Sunday night’s was cloudier than Friday and Saturday’s. However, there are still some interesting pictures. It’s just the most muted of the three, by far, and there’s simply less to work with.
After sundown, we walked the few hundred meters north up the main road, passing the Sea Breeze, and stopped at a local restaurant. (I suggested it not because it was local, but because they proudly talked of the ice cream that they have.) The food was not terribly great. I had fish and chips that didn’t have enough tartar and was a bit bland. I also ordered some smoked cheese that, when they brought it, they didn’t say what it was and, since it looked more like noodles than cheese, didn’t eat it. The ice cream, however, was sorbet, and it was wonderful.
All in all, Phu Quoc was about as good as I wished it would be, and I was lucky enough to have three reasonably good sunsets and decent weather for the weekend. Also, the waterfall was actually nicer than I had expected, we ate well (for the most part), and it was a relaxing weekend. Not a bad way to spend life.
After breakfast Monday morning, we grabbed our bags and headed to the airport at 9:00 for the first of two flights on the day.
As always, thanks for dropping by and viewing these pictures. Please feel free to leave any questions or comments and I’ll answer as I have time.
Cooper Vineyards in Louisa, VA, is the first winery on the East Coast and the second in the country to be awarded the fourth and highest, Platinum certification by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
From a Virginia Wine Board Marketing Office press release, “The process of building a LEED platinum certified building was initially more expensive and arduous than co-owners, Jacque Hogge, MD and Geoffrey Cooper, MD expected, but they were able to get financial assistance from the United States Department of Agriculture. “Know that there are grants available to help with the costs of sustainable building projects,” Hogge advises to other potential green wineries. Cooper Vineyards received 2 of the 3 USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development (RD) Rural Energy Financing program) grants awarded in Virginia in 2010 to help with the expenses of their construction.”
Rural Energy Financing program focuses on loan guarantees, loans and grants to agricultural producers, businesses, cooperatives and rural residents for renewable energy systems and to make energy efficiency improvements.
The tasting room and building collects rainwater from the roof; uses low flow water fixtures to reduce usage by 40%; utilizes structurally insulated panels for the roof and walls; heats and cools the entire building using a geothermal system that includes pipes that are embedded in the parking lot; low-voltage LED lighting with daylight and occupancy sensors provide ample light when it is needed; a solar panel array provides more than 15% of the energy needs for the building, and much of the construction materials are from local and recycled material sources. For more information about USDA please go to www.usda.gov, Rural Development and Rural Energy Financing. LEED was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a 501 c3 non-profit organization committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.
Insulated lunch bag with wide base for carrying bento lunches flat (not on their sides). Bought at the Sanrio store in Stonestown Mall in San Francisco for $15.
Communication of hazard?
Facility owner attempting to communicate possible asbestos hazard by labeling insulated pipe material as, "Insulation MAY Contain Asbestos"; apparently indicating a possible choice in the matter.
There is practically an endless list of materials that "MAY" contain asbestos, we already know that. However, there are specific regulations already in place for many circumstances in buildings that either require materials to be inspected or assumed and treated as asbestos-containing.
In this older building, the labeling as shown "may" not necessarily comply with certain existing U.S. standards, especially when dealing with thermal system insulation (TSI) and applying the definition of a "Presumed Asbestos-Containing Material" or PACM. For example, OSHA's Asbestos Standard for the Construction Industry (29 CFR 1926.1101) indicates,
"...building and facility owners shall determine the presence, location, and quantity of ACM and/or PACM..."
In basic terms, if the pipe TSI has not been properly inspected and asbestos content is unknown, then it must be automatically treated as PACM. This is essentially a "guilty until proven innocent" approach when dealing with such an issue, for the safety of workers and building occupants /employees; not to mention, in an indirect manner, this is also for the safety of those beyond the workplace to help prevent asbestos exposures to the general public and contamination brought home to families on work clothes.
Further, building and facility owners are required to notify others of the presence, location, and quantity of ACM/PACM at the workplace, including:
-- prospective employers applying for or bidding for work;
-- employees of the owner who will work in or adjacent to areas containing such materials;
-- all employers on multi-employer worksites whose employees will be performing work within or adjacent to areas containing such materials (i.e.- "sub-contractors", etc.);
-- tenants who will occupy areas containing such materials.
OSHA also requires asbestos awareness training for certain building personnel, such as operations and maintenance, service and housekeeping staff, etc.; essentially, many of those that work around, potentially disturb, or may come in contact with such ACMs.
In addition to OSHA, the US-EPA also has certain asbestos inspection requirements for building owners and operators. For example, under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), all K-12 schools are required to have comprehensive asbestos inspections and periodic re-inspections. The asbestos management plan (inspection report) and all documentation of asbestos-related activities in each school building are considered public documents and are available to be reviewed at the respective school (usually in the main office area).
Under Clean Air Act (CAA) provisions, the EPA also regulates asbestos inspections in the majority of all remaining public, commercial, and most "private" facilities and buildings, primarily through the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP), particularly with respect to renovations and demolitions.
Prior to beginning renovation or demolition activities of a facility, a properly trained, certified, accredited, and licensed asbestos building inspector must thoroughly inspect the facility or part of the structure where the renovation or demolition operation will occur for the presence of asbestos, including friable and non-friable asbestos-containing materials.
For all demolitions (even when no asbestos is present) and renovations, activities involving certain threshold amounts of regulated asbestos-containing material (RACM), the Asbestos NESHAP agency overseeing the project site (typically state-level governmental EPA) must be provided with a written NESHAP notification at least 10-working days prior to the demolition or renovation activity.
Tens of millions of tons of ACMs still exist in our nation's homes, buildings, & infrastructure. Asbestos inspections are essential in finding out how to avoid exposures by learning where ACMs are present or absent. Know where asbestos could be in your everyday places.
All puffed up against a cold spell... Normal high for today should be +13℃ but its only +4℃ with snow in the forecast... 8^((
Micor 300: Provides a non-combustible insulative later the meets and exceeds the manufactures k value specs/requirements for fire prevention and safety.
Here I am with my winter commuter bike just coming home from work. Notice the saddle bags which contain my work clothes, some tools and two spare tubes. The handlebars sport a "Lights In Motion" halogen light and there are red flashers on the seat post. I'm wearing jeans over lycra insulated biking tights. The jeans are just to make me fit in with the crowds a little.
I'd prefer a mountain bike with front suspension but this hybrid bike seems to work just fine. I don't ride in the snow because I haven't purchased the steel studded tires that many folks use here.
The bike is an old Trek 720. Not a racer but certainly well suited as a commuter.
And yes, I am 20 pounds (5 kgs) over weight! But I'm loosing....
The insulators are made up of individual units that are linked together. Each glass disc is about 12 inches in diameter and is comprised of a metal cap on the top side, and a metal pin on the under side. The glass in the middle acting as the insulation. Believe it of not, these caps and pins are glued (cemented) to the glass and can support a pull of about 12 tons!
A pulley hangs ready for the pull of the new wire.
Press L to view large.
FRUIT GROWERS EXPRESS
Insulated Boxcar
CSXT 198994
ex-Solid Gold
This image is better viewed: LARGE
"NOT A SOLID COLD, BUT A SOLID GOLD!
The name, solid cold comes from my all time favorite boxcar: The mechanically refriderated Solid Cold "reefer". The story of the Solid Cold is as follows: In 1982 Fruit Growers Express, or FGE (owned by CSX) needed to repair and upgrade their 20 year old existing fleet of RBL boxcars (insulated plug door cars with moveable load dividers). 2500 of these RBL cars were to be retrofitted with a modified load divider system, as well as installing Chemply fiberglass resistant lining to the sidewalls and upgrading the cushioned underframe and plug door system.
The new refurbished RBL cars cost a fraction of the price of what a new car would have cost ($12,000 vs $60,000). These rebuilt cars were as good as “gold” and as “solid” as a new car. To market these new cars to shippers, FGE had the new cars re-painted with a 3D looking scheme that read Solid Gold.
The first prototype out of shop (in Alexandria, VA) was to be stenciled “Solid Gold” on the right side. During stenciling however, part of the ‘G’ had slipped and the horizontal leg of the ‘G’ was missing therefore making it look like a ‘C’. The stencil blunder gave FGE the idea to market their mechanical reefer cars in companion-like fashion to the Solid Gold and at that moment the name SOLID COLD was born.
In 1987 CSX replaced their marketing director with someone new. In an effort to establish his “identity”, he changed the “Solid Cold” to “Real Cold”. About 50 cars were repainted in this new scheme. The concept and the individual behind it were laughed off the property. As another interesting note, in 1983 FGE retrofitted 50 RPL cars for Stroh’s beer, in which they installed a 20,000 gal stainless steel tank for moving product at a protected temperature. These 50 cars had “The Chiller” logo in the same script as the Solid Cold cars.
During later years and subsequent changes in ownership, Solid Colds began to bare reporting marks such as SFLC, BNFE, ARMH and UPFE. These days, catching a Solid Cold is like finding a peice of hay in a needle stack. The majority of Solid Colds these days have been retired or upgraded/rebuilt under OT-37 or greater to make interchange rules. Rumor has it that many of the Solid Colds have been refurbished into the new UP Chilled Express cars. But that is another story. If anyone knows more on the whereabouts, history or even wants to trade photos of Solid Cold's feel free to drop me a line anytime."
Benched in Los Angeles County, CA
Today we made a HUGE run to the scrapyard; we sold insulated copper wire, #2 copper wire, brass, electric motors, radiators, aluminum, and steel / iron, including a dishwasher, oven and a basketball goal. I made more than I expected! Later on I ran some packages for my auctions that ended on eBay. Then I picked up the kids and Amelia really wanted to talk about her hat while Jacques wanted to vlog! We made a pitstop at Wal-Mart and Jacques and I were on a mission to find the Karo Syrup and something to strip wire with. That night Amelia rode her big caterpillar! Subscribe: ift.tt/1fxosCc Yesterday's Vlog: ift.tt/1dRdK8t Mystery Video: ift.tt/180VCS0 LaneVid Video: ift.tt/1dNMSGq Year 1: ift.tt/1dRdK8v Year 2: ift.tt/1d0TE7o Year 3: ift.tt/1d45vBT Year 4 (2012): ift.tt/1dRdK8x Vlogging Channel: ift.tt/XhTpg4 LaneVids Channel: ift.tt/Lbu9Um iPhone Channel: ift.tt/108WAJf Get a Text when I upload a new video, sign-up here: ift.tt/1elLNne You guys are AWESOMELY SHIGGITY SHANK! Help Us Get Out of DEBT: ift.tt/1cARtdz SOCIAL LINKS --------------------- Twitter (Lane): ift.tt/10aL8jw Twitter (Krista): ift.tt/10aL8jz Instagram (Lane): ift.tt/1fxosSB Instagram (Krista): ift.tt/1fEITea Facebook: ift.tt/108WAJg Google Plus: ift.tt/1fgUqQQ Pinterest: ift.tt/1fxosSz LANEVIDS SHIRTS: ift.tt/10aL6YX OWN YOUR SHIGGITY SHANKNESS by Subscribing to The Shiggity Shank List: ift.tt/1elLNni WEBSITE: www.LaneVids.com lanevid thefunnyrats shaytards shaycarl shayloss katilette cute kids family happy families fun funny happiness sontard princesstard babytards rocktard children father mother parents mom dad youtube video love youtube.com "cute baby" hot sexy wife husband baby kid child mommy daddy home videos "hot wife" "sexy wife" daughter son toddler hilarious comedy
50-pound bag of a vintage asbestos insulation, labeled as: Baldwin-Erhet-Hill (BEH) #1 Plus Insulating Cement. Although not specifically indicated on the bag itself, this vintage insulation material was lab-tested and confirmed to contain asbestos.
BEH was formerly known as Erhet Magnesia Manufacturing Company and was later acquired by Keene Corporation, but evetually declared bankruptcy due to overwhelming asbestos lawsuits.
Insulated down jacket with a fully closed, zip-up hood. Stay warm in your own privacy!
Total enclosure from the waist up - pair with warm softshell bottoms knowing that you can always hide yourself away!