Hot Weekend

Posted on July 10, 2021 by vanbraman

This weekend is a hot one. The temperature made it up to 109 today and the forecast for tomorrow is 106. Thankfully, next week will be cooler with temperatures in the 90’s.

Hot weekend temperatures, california central valley, triple digit tempsI am too lazy to get some new clips, but here is one from last July that is similar.

Mowed Back yard, yard work, Electric Mower, Winter Green LawnThe air conditioner has been running quite a lot this afternoon even with trying to conserve energy by keeping the thermostat set higher than normal. I want to help prevent blackouts. Better to be a bit warmer than not even having the ability to run a fan.

111 degrees, heat wave, california, hot weekendAgain a picture from several years ago (old car), but yesterday on the way home my car thermometer hit 111 degrees again.

cav sticker, bluey, clean carI also learned something new about my car.With the heat, combined with my car sitting in the sun all day the temperature of my car was too high and the engine turned on to assist the batteries for better performance.

weeds, side yard, tall grass, green grass springI should have done some yard work this weekend, but with the heat it will not get done. Perhaps one evening next week after I get home from work. I will be in the office ever day for the next two work weeks teaching a class. I really should have done yard work last weekend when it was a bit cooler 🙂

Hopefully the forecast will be correct, unless they change it to be cooler. I don’t look forward to driving in the heat while commuting. Friday was bad enough.

Steven

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Ziklag on Jeopardy!

Posted on July 9, 2021 by vanbraman

Tonight I was watching Jeopardy! and a clue popped up that had a very personal connection.

The clue came in the category of Lost & Found.

ziklag, jeopardy, archaeology, king david, khirbet al-rai

In 2019 Archaeologists in Israel said they found the town of Ziklag, used by this Hebrew King for refuge from Saul.

I definitely remember when this announcement was made two years and one day ago. I had just returned home from digging at Khirbet al-Ra’i with the archaeologists who made the announcement.

wheel barrow, balks, dirt, archaeologyAs I think back to the dig tonight I remember taking many loads of dirt to the dump site with a wheelbarrow. Working on a dig is very hard work.

archaeology, balk, dig, squaresWe removed a lot of dirt as we worked our way down through the layers of the site.

We found a lot of pottery shards that helped tell the story of the site.

Khirbet al-Ra’i, archaeology, israel, digWe also uncovered a lot of walls that helped tell the story of what took place on the site over time.

Ziklag, Khirbet al-Ra'i, Philistines, mapsYou can see here the location of Khirbet al-Ra’i on a map of Judah and Philistia. It was located very near that border and we could see in the different layers of the dig how it changed hands over the years.

I also had many conversations with the archaeologists while on the dig as we discussed what the site may be and knew that the announcement was coming.

Can you answer the Jeopardy! clue in the form of a question? I believe that many people know the answer.

I will give you an additional hint.

Khirbet simply means ‘ruin of’ but al-Ra’i means the place of the Shepherd. Which Hebrew King was know for being a shepherd?

The contestant who buzzed in responded with:

Who is David?

They of course had the right question.

Steven

 

 

 

 

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