If diesel electric power works so well in locomotives, why not in cars? It seems counterintuitive that you could run a diesel motor to produce rotating power, then use that rotating power to drive a generator to produce electricity, which you could then use to drive electric motors. Conversion of one kind of power to another usually involves losses due to inefficiencies. But if multiple conversions works for locomotives, why not run an internal combustion engine hooked to a generator to drive an electric automobile? That’s what I’ve wanted all along; an electric car which would have a limited range as all electric cars do, which would cover 90 percent of expected trips, but with a backup motor something like a lawnmower engine and a generator to provide enough electrons to extend the range when necessary. There wouldn’t have to be any complicated drive train and switching mechanisms like on a hybrid car. The backup motor wouldn’t need a wide power band for performance, it could just be designed as a single speed stationary engine. I figured the reason we didn’t do that was because it would be too inefficient to add that additional conversion of energy, but not anymore since I’ve thought about diesel electric locomotives.
The operation was a success
But… The drip system for the porch flowers worked flawlessly while we were gone. Unfortunately, something else happened as well. It looks like someone used a hose in our back yard, then not realizing the intricacies of our irrigation setup, turned off all the valves on that faucet. The plants in the hanging pots didn’t last very long after that. 
The other three drip zones worked just fine though, so the loss was minimal. 
And there is an upside; this gives Judy an excuse to go buy more flowers and do more planting! (And I’ve figured out how to make the next inadvertent shutoff less likely.) Warm weather; in the nineties, with a breeze. Very comfortable.
The other three drip zones worked just fine though, so the loss was minimal. And there is an upside; this gives Judy an excuse to go buy more flowers and do more planting! (And I’ve figured out how to make the next inadvertent shutoff less likely.) Warm weather; in the nineties, with a breeze. Very comfortable. It’s kind of funny
It takes us days to get everything loaded into the RV for a trip. When we get home, it takes about an hour to get everything we need back out of the rig and into the house. It’ll take a little longer than that to get everything put away in the right place, but here we are, safe at home for a 21-day sabbatical from our summer trips. 2018 Arizona Trip Map In three weeks we leave for Oklahoma City and beyond…
There is just something about trains
Train This was on my quiet walk along the Salado Creek Greenway in San Antonio. Now we’re at Choke Canyon State Park. 2018 Arizona Trip Map We got our favorite spot. 
It has a very nice yard. 
It has a very nice yard. Time zones
Because Arizona is goofy with its time, we crossed two time zones in two days on the trip home. Actually, it’s because Arizona is *not* goofy like everyone else is, and eschews daylight savings time. Crossing time zones though has great impact on what time dawn arrives. From one side of any time zone to the other, sunrise and sunset times vary by about an hour. In Phoenix, the sun rose an hour before we got up each morning. This morning in Fort Stockton, close to the western edge of Central Time, it was still way dark when we got up at exactly the same time! We’re glad to be back in Texas. We’re deep in the heart now; almost home. 2018 Arizona Trip Map