|
|
 The website I bought my new Lenovo laptop on was very clear that Lenovo (formerly IBM) was still a Made in U.S.A. product with select parts from overseas. I see by the tracking info that this is indeed not the case. Oh well.
VN:F [1.8.4_1055]
Yesterday I really screwed up.
There is no good excuse for missing tornadoes 100 miles from home. Sure, I had a couple serious business items going on but likely nothing I couldn’t do from the road and by phone. I’m officially “0 for 1″ on the 2010 season and I have no one to blame but myself for not getting out.
I want to congratulate Erik Burns, Connor McCrorey, David Reimer , Shane Adams and Bridget Geaughan on their find chase yesterday. They had a great vantage point, used the zoom lens and got in there. It was impressive video on the LCD’s last night at the post-chase dinner as the group passed through Moore. I look forward to seeing more of it in the coming days as they get time to edit it down.
Also, major props to the Gabrielson, Comstock, Cooper, etc.! Their intense video will most definitely have serious staying power; perhaps to the extent of the “roof-off-house” McPartland video from Attica, KS! I’m sure one of you will get killed at some point doing that shit but if that’s how you get your rocks off, more power to you! Again, killer video!
 wrfSP_2_dewp_48  wrfSP_2_dewp_36 So, given my my state of mind, having missed the first event of the year, my attention turns to Wed the 10th when system #2 blows through. This is looking more intense than the Monday event and will certainly have more moisture to work with. Question is on this day; do I want to chase the jungle of Eastern Oklahoma? The short answer is yes. If I miss another close-to-home event and within the same week, well, that’s just not acceptable.
I have posted the same map for 00z tomorrow based of the 36hr and the 48hr WRF for comparison purposes. This morning’s 12z run brought in a little more moisture and strengthened the low. You can see the wraparound clearly extends to the 10 o’clock portion of the low. This gives me a focus of between Henryetta, OK and Pryor, OK at this time but that will certainly change and refine as models continue to get a better grasp as we move closer to the event.
The GFS surprisingly is not far off the WRF which makes me happy. Aside from surface winds not backing on the 36hr charts, I think this looks like a more intense set-up than Mon and am somewhat fired up about the potential. Let’s hope this slows just a tad so low-level winds will cooperate.
VN:F [1.8.4_1055]
I’ve been watching what appears to be the first potential severe threat of 2010 on the plains and so far it looks impressive for a low-topped Cold Core chase. Since I have never had luck chasing CC, I will probably sit it out unless the system slows and it happens extremely close to home. Not sure what it is about chasing something that requires more luck than targeting skills but it’s not for me. Sure, sure; you can tell me it’s all about skill but c’mon, you have a 1500 square mile target area, a broad area of spotty thunderstorms and you have to pick a cell and hope you can stay between it and the rain from the cell 5 miles to your south. Oh, and tornadoes are rarely photographic.
Regardless, I’m going to be following this one closely since its the first time in a while I have seen the look of severe weather in the models. I wish we were a little closer and could throw the NAM into play because the GFS has been all over the place while the ECMWF has been solid but slower with a northerly placement. I won’t get too carried away with posting maps from all over the place this far out. Click the above images for more from the GFS.
There should be severe on Monday. There.
VN:F [1.8.4_1055]
 We are inching closer to release of the all new ChaserTV!
Dubbed CTV2010, the new site has been under construction in one form or another for over 2-months with some of our new tech having been reviewed and tested over the past year!
Right on schedule, CTV2010 will become ChaserTV.com tonight at 8pm CST. Tune in and see Scott go over all the new tech toys. Enjoy!
www.ChaserTV.com
VN:F [1.8.4_1055]
While on our photography tour around Grand Lake Colorado on Feb 16, we made it a point to stop in at Grand Lake Brewery to enjoy a few beers; mainly one of my favorites, White Cap Wheat. This is a typical growing Colorado micro-brewery that, while many of it’s operations have moved a mile down the road into a larger facility, still maintains a bar in it’s original building.
 With 10 varieties and only about an hour to partake, I didn’t do my trip justice and will, of course, be back.
If you have the opportunity to visit this tiny bar, do so! The bartender’s are hilarious, helpful and full of knowledge about the beer. They are locals and always willing to talk about mountain life, tourists, tall tales, etc.
If you can’t make it to Grand Lake, GLB brews can be purchased at various liquor stores in the high country.
Make sure you click on these pictures and note the names of the beer. Good times.
VN:F [1.8.4_1055]
 Slushfest 2010 Okay, at some point tonight and early tomorrow morning there will be some snow in central OK. On either side of this snow will be rain; plenty of rain. What does this forecast mean? Slush.
Yep, get your strawberry, grape and cherry flavoring prepared – tomorrow will be a perfect slushie day! Enjoy.
VN:F [1.8.4_1055]
 My lawn with a wheat grass sample Tis the season for the scalping of my yard, soil testing and resulting chemical application. This year the lawn guy threw curve ball my way with a sample of wheat grass (see pic).
For those who do not know me, I’m a yard freak. No, I’m not out there pushing the mower, pulling weeds or applying chemicals but I pay handsomely for someone else to do it and produce an amazing result.
This year my lawn dude is moving to organic fertilizers, pest control and pre/post emergents. This is cool to me and ultra cool to my wife since I’m positive she has some hippie in her. I hope it works as well as manufactured chemicals though…
One of the other items he is testing right now is wheat grass. Wheat grass is green year-round and requires 5 mows per year. It is soft and obviously durable. It requires less water than my Tiff Bermuda so maybe my 50,000 gallon water usage in the summer can be reduced to 25k. Question is, do I pull the trigger next fall and have the yard re-done? I’m anxious to see the lawn guy’s test patch throughout the summer. If all is good, I may switch and try this stuff out.
Anyone have experience with wheat grass as a lawn?
VN:F [1.8.4_1055]
VN:F [1.8.4_1055]
I’m just now getting around to writing about our post NSCC trip to the mountains. Hans and I attended the NSCC (National Storm Chaser Convention) last week, yes there really is a convention for everything. We flew the wives up on Sunday (last day of convention), picked them up at DIA then headed west for relaxation.
Shopping, skiing, eating some killer food, drinking some really killer local brews; all was on the agenda and all were accomplished. Oh yeah, and we relaxed a little too which was they primary reason for the trip.
A week ago today we were running around Grand Lake snapping pictures left and right. Seems funny to me that I shoot so many pics and only 20 or so ever get used. If you click on the image below, you will be taken to ta slide show with a few from the GL area which is basically located at the west entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park.
While I do not have pictures of the damage, the Pine Beetle has really taken it’s toll in the northern Colo Rockies. I’m unsure of efforts to curb the bug or maybe if it’s too late at this point. Regardless, watching the progression and severity of the damage, I will venture to guess that tourism will be greatly affected in the next decade if these tree killers are not suppressed.
VN:F [1.8.4_1055]
VN:F [1.8.4_1055]
|
|
The website I bought my new Lenovo laptop on was very clear that Lenovo (formerly IBM) was still a Made in U.S.A. product with select parts from overseas. I see by the tracking info that this is indeed not the case. Oh well.
