No real subject tonight. Just some Friday evening rambling.

1. I joined the Mount Washington Observatory (MWO) Summit Club today. When I was a kid, my parents took us camping in NH several times each summer. I’ve been to the summit of Mt. Washington a couple of times, although I have to confess I drove up both times. I’ve enjoyed the MWO webcams for a couple of years now, so I figured it was my turn to give back. Money well spent.

2. This is not only Indy 500 weekend, it is also the weekend for the Formula One Grand Prix of Monaco. Despite what you might hear in these parts about the Indy 500 being the greatest spectacle in racing, any racer worth his or her salt will tell you that the most prestigious race is the F1 GP in Monaco. And in true F1 style, the parties are in constant competition for the title of “the place to be.” This year it was apparently on the yacht (at 93 meters, really a ship) belonging to the owner of India’s Kingfisher Airlines (and, I believe, Kingfisher beer). This is a serious dingy.

Nice boat

3. Weird weather, eh? Yesterday it was hovering around 90, but was very dry. It was comfortable to be outside. Today it barely got into the 70’s, but late this afternoon it was sticky and felt tropical. I’ll take dry any day.

4. This weekend is the unofficial start of summer. Not as significant to me now as it used to be when I was a kid, because this was usually the weekend of our first camping trip of the season. We’d go up the NH for the weekend and it’d be chilly in the morning, warm or even hot in the afternoon, and cold enough at night to really enjoy the campfire. If we were really brave, we tempt fate by swimming at Sabbaday Falls. Sometimes it was so cold that your jaw muscles would instantly cramp when you hit the water. But the pool under the falls was crystal clear and so deep you couldn’t reach the bottom even if you jumped off the surrounding cliff. But you could clearly see the bottom like it was 4ft away. I miss those days, especially the smell of bacon and eggs wafting through the trees first thing in the morning.