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I spent another three hours with my CERT Team today, filling and distributing sand bags to the citizens of South Plainfield who requested them.  I left an hour early as I came home to clean out the gutters, which had filled up with leaves (again).  Did I ever mention that I hate heights and I really, really hate ladders?  I fell off of one as a child, and have had an intense dislike of them ever since.  But you do what you have to do.

The garbage cans have been securely bungee corded to the fence.  All Halloween decorations have been brought in.  I also covered the grill and secured that in place with bungee cords.

All that’s left now is waiting for the “show” to begin.

To all of you in Sandy’s path, I wish you Godspeed and pray that you all will remain safe and directly out of harm’s way.  May we all wake up on Wednesday, and by the Lord’s grace, be able to say – “That wasn’t so bad!”.

I will post as I am able.  If you don’t hear from me – no surprise – the power will have gone out.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!

But during the past week, we had another family milestone event. The last of our parents, my mother-in-law, Nora Dunmyer, passed away last Monday.  The funeral was this past Friday. Needless to say, it was a hectic week – mostly for my wife Marianne and her brother, Tim.

Obviously, the photo above was taken on the day of our wedding (14 years ago, when I was much thinner and my hair had way less gray in it).  In the photo, my father-in-law, Joe is standing next to Marianne, and my mother-in-law, Nora is standing next to me.  She was a wonderful woman who was born in Donegal, Ireland into a large family.  Of all her brothers and sisters, only she and her brother Harry Gallagher came to the United States. As a young woman she earned a degree in teaching. She taught reading and English in the Catholic Schools system in New York City and in various communities in Northern New Jersey, for many, many years.

She was an inspiration to many of her young students, who have since grown up to lead responsible, productive lives.  And several of them contacted Marianne this past week, via Facebook, to let her know how important her mother, “Mrs. Dunmyer” was to them.  That has to be about the nicest tribute anyone can pay.  To touch lives in a significant way was her gift.  She will be missed.

On a side note, Marianne still has plenty of cousins and a few aunts and uncles still living in Ireland. One of her uncles was a Ham, although Marianne cannot recall his call sign.  From the times she has visited the Emerald Isle, though, she was able to tell me about the tower he had on the side of his house, and unfortunately, also about the time it was struck by lightning and how the house almost burned down as a result.

Needless to say, there was no radio activity of any kind this past week.  I had hoped to play in the 4 States QRP Group 4X4 Sprint yesterday, but that was not to be.  However, an e-mail today on QRP-L from Hank  N8XX reminded me that the QRP ARCI Fall QRP QSO Party is next weekend.  So while that is not a portable event by any stretch of the imagination (although there’s no reason it couldn’t be if you wanted) I hope to make a semi-significant effort if time allows. There’s no way in Heaven that I will be able to operate anywhere near the 24 hours out of 36 allowed.

A) I just have too much going on which precludes that possibility.
B) And even if “A” were not true, my butt would preclude the rest of my body from sitting in a chair that long.

So I will be happy if I manage to get 4 to 6, perhaps even 8 hours in of “giving out points”.  Hope to hear you  on the bands next weekend!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!

Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the surface of the Moon, died today at the age of 82. The cause of death was from complications from heart bypass surgery which occurred earlier this month.

Neil Armstrong was a humble hero, who did not seek the limelight; and was always eager to praise those who shared in the efforts to land an American on the moon.

You will be sorely missed, Neil.  You were larger than life to those of us who grew up with Mercury, Gemini and Apollo.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!

Skeeter logs are trickling in. So far, I’ve received 29. I know there were a lot more than 29 participants; so don’t be shy about getting your log in.  You have until September 12th – but why wait?  Beat the last minute rush.

Full logs (adif and cabrillo files) are not necessary. The following is more than enough:

Name
Call
Skeeter number (if you had one)
Number of Skeeter QSOs
Number of Non- Skeeter QSOs.
Number of S/P/Cs that you worked on all bands. For example, if you worked GA on 20 and 40 it counts twice.
Your station class multipler:
X1 Home stations – commercial equipment
X2 Home stations – home brewed or kit built equipment
X3 Portable station – commercial equipment
X4 Portable station – home brewed or kit built equipment

And whether or not you’re claiming the homebrewed key bonus of 1,000 points. Remember, the key had to have been built specifically for the Skeeter Hunt and you have to send me a picture. (So far, three entries have claimed the 1,000 point bonus and have sent photos).

All soapbox comments and photos will be posted.

On another note (totally unrelated to Ham Radio) I have recently taken efforts towards living a more healthy life style.  I was looking at some of the pictures that Marianne took while we were on vacation and I saw one of myself and thought, “You have GOT to be kidding!”.

For the past month, I have gotten out of bed extra early before work and have been going out for a daily two mile walk (about twice as far on Saturday mornings when I have more time). I have cut out sweetened beverages (still allow myself the very occasional cold 807, however!) and unhealthy snacks.  I am eating more fruit and fresh vegetables.

I have lost about 5 pounds so far; but my goal is to lose 30 by the time we head back to Lake George next summer. The ultimate test came today, when I got home from work. The kids wanted to indulge in a rare trip to Burger King.  While they ate their cheeseburgers, I munched on a grilled chicken salad with (zero fat) honey mustard dressing. I shouldn’t complain as it was quite good; but I was so in the mood for a Whopper!

I recently went for a physical and everything turned out well; except for the fact that my cholesterol is a tad high. The upper limit is supposed to be 200 and I came in at 211.  I am hoping the change in diet and the increased physical activity will take care of the cholesterol level as well as lowering my blood pressure, too.

I remember when I was a kid and was in such a hurry to be a grown up.  Sometimes, it ain’t what it was cracked up to be!

BTW, Doug Hendricks announced today on the QRP reflectors that Hendricks QRP Kits is re-opening as of tomorrow, 8/16.  For those of you who were unaware, Doug’s wife passed away a month ago on 7/16. It will be good to have him back; and it will probably be good for him to be back.  Our thoughts and prayers are still with you and your family, Doug!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!

236 years ago, a group of men from the 13 British Colonies of America gathered in Philadelphia.  It was an unusually hot and humid summer. These men were considered to be the “creme de la creme” of their colonies.  Some were lawyers, some were farmers, some were tradesmen such as cobblers, millers and carpenters.  One was even a minister. They were all held in esteem for their honesty and integrity.

They all had a vision and a dream.

They desired to break away from their Mother country, who they felt had grown to come unresponsive to their needs and wants.  Over time, the monarchy in England had become oppressive, contemptuous, and was on the verge of becoming tyrannical.

These men, 56 of them in all, signed a document known as The Declaration of Independence. It was a document that would become known as the finest expression of the American mind. It was a road map for the concept of “American Exceptional-ism”. By that term, it is not meant that the United States, as the new nation was to be called, was or is better than any other nation on the face of the Earth. What is meant by the term of “American Exceptional-ism” is the new form of government that was to eventually be embodied in the Constitution of the United States. You see, the Declaration and the Constitution are entwined. The seeds planted in the Declaration blossomed into the Constitution.

In those documents was the “exceptional” idea that men (and by that, we mean all people) were endowed by their Creator with certain “unalienable rights” including the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And that because of these rights, endowed by God, the power of the government was to rest entirely in the hands of the governed. This was a radical new idea! The people would never be threatened again by a despotic power who could give or take away rights as the result of a whim.

This IS a grand and noble vision that has withstood the test of time for 236 years. It is up to US, the descendants (in fact and in spirit) of those original Americans to keep the dream and vision alive and to never let it perish.

Have a Happy 4th of July!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!

The first day of Summer came as a prototypical Summer day – hot and humid!  The high temperature did reach 96F (35C) and is expected to be about the same tomorrow (maybe a little higher) and in the 90s on Friday. A heatwave is defined as a period of at least three days with temps in the 90s – so Summer is starting off with a bang!

Unfortunately, our air conditioning unit picked a heckuva time to give up the ghost!  We have a repairman coming tomorrow and I am keeping my fingers crossed that we will not need a new compressor.  Our Central AC unit was not brandy new when we bought the house 14 years ago, so it may be time for a new one. Eeep!

On the CW-Bugs Yahoo group, Donnie WA9TGT posted a picture of a beautiful (and I mean beautiful!) picture of a bug that he fabricated himself.  I would love to post a copy here; but the original is in his picture folder on the group, so  it is not public property.  If you are a member of the group, however, you can take a  look-see for yourself at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cw_bugs/photos/recent/1291589982/view  It is a thing of beauty and I wish I had the talent to make things like this.

Now for something not radio related: If you have a kindle and are also on Facebook, here’s a site to “like”:
http://www.facebook.com/EreaderNewsToday

Over the past few months I have been able to “buy” about 30 or 40 books for FREE.  There are all types of genres available and there may be days when it seems that nothing good is being offered except for a bunch of turkeys.  But then the days come when there are a lot of good mysteries, suspense novels, thrillers, etc. In true Ham fashion, stuff that’s offered for free can’t be all bad, can it?

This weekend is Field Day and the weather here in the Northeast looks to be perfect for it. I will not be participating this year as my sister and I have to finish clearing out my Mom’s apartment before the end of the month.  We’ve gotten a lot taken care of so far; and are about halfway done.  I think all the small stuff will be boxed up and moved out this weekend.  Whatever furniture is left over will be donated to charity and will be picked up next week.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!

Happy Memorial Day!

Although officially, Memorial Day will fall later this week, it will be observed this Monday.  So in the US, this weekend is always called “The Unofficial Start to Summer”.

There will be parades, B-B-Qs, parties, shore getaways, lake getaways, family gatherings, picnics, notable radio contests, etc, etc, etc.

No matter how you are spending your weekend, please be safe and have a very good time.  But somewhere during that good time, please take a moment to remember and pray for all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our Nation, during all the conflicts that we have faced.  That is what this holiday is all about.

Freedom is not free and we honor those who have paid the debt for us.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!