Catching up with Pictures

Here are some pictures from trip a few weeks ago. I lost my camera for a few days, put it someplace 'safe' and forgot where that was. Finally found it today. So, first picture is of a street in the town just north of here.





Second is a pavilion in the park in that town.




Third is me participating in the silliness in the pavilion. Guys set these props up and charge to take your picture. Us Gringos just barged in and started taking pictures since no one seemed to be around. Later a couple of the guys found the photographer and made it up to him with money he should have made for the use of the props.

With talk among the bloggers of computer issues, I am currently pulling a backup image of my main laptop. I'm typing this on my netbook. I like the netbook, but here at the apartment it seems to not do Skype with the same clarity as the Dell. The image just stopped due to a bad sector, so now I do some troubleshooting, and kick myself for not making the backup sooner. At least I won't be off line if that computer breaks.

The following pictures are of my water filter. I was feeling badly when I was first down here about all the trash that drinking bottled water was creating. Drinking the water straight from the tap is not recommended. Finally, when my stuff got here I was able to start using my backpacking water filter, which is a Platypus gravity flow model. I'm thinking about getting an actual water purifyer. First Need water purification system isn't gravity flow, but pump, but takes everything out and also makes the water taste better, which the filter doesn't do. It's $112 at REI, and is on my list of things to get.







The Platypus system uses 2 4L water bags, one for 'dirty' water and one for 'clean' (filtered) water. I don't use the clean bag except to hold the clean end of the tubing. I fill the dirty water bag from the tap and hang it from a hanger in the bathroom and unscrew the top from the clean bag and drop it into a jug sitting on the floor. In a few minutes the water has dropped through the filter to the jug below. I have a separate silt filter to put inline with the main filter, but since I'm filtering tap water I haven't used it yet. this is much better than constantly buying and toting the bottles of water.

Changing topics, I am in the process of sorting my yarn stash and putting it into 2 gallon ziplock bags. These bags are big enough to hold several skeins of yarn, keeping them together and protected. I did not do this before the move. When the truck of my stuff showed up finally that night, after dark, and they opened the doors, all I saw was my yarn and needles all strewn all over the back of the truck. The plastic crates I'd used to store my yarn and knitting/crocheting supplies had been crushed in shipment, and popped open. I was almost hysterical, thinking that all my stuff was equally tossed about and, most likely, lost. So far, only the yarn totes seem to have had that fate. However, I'm remembering some of the other plastic totes that may not have been repacked into cardboard boxes (I really don't remember at this point...) that may have just plain not made it. That rambling paragraph brings me to two requests. First, if any of you see 2 GALLON Zip Lock bags, please pick them up for me and I'll reimburse you for the bags and shipping in a Priority rate envelope to my APO address. Second, for the knitters: I have a lot of partial skeins of yarn, different colors and mostly acrylic. I have no idea what to use these for. If you want them, or have ideas of what I can make and donate, please let me know. At some point I may post pictures of what I want to get rid of.

I think that's it for today.