So Many Options!

Maverick Convenience Store

Alliance, Nebraska

November 25, 2022

If I am able, I tend to fill up Hi Ho each evening before calling it a day. These are the options I was faced with last evening.

I went for the yellow 85. My memory is the lower octane gas is available at higher elevations.

This part of the world (in particular I'm thinking Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming and South Dakota -- if memory serves me) have the non-ethanol option. It is noticeably more expensive than the ethanol option. Again if my memory is good, the non ethanol fuel is slightly worse in terms of overall emissions but gives you slightly better (~3 percent) gas mileage. The better gas mileage is offset by the fact that most folks seem to drive 75 mph on the highway out here. 🤪

This post reminds me of a topic -- observations. Almost daily (hourly), I ask myself what would someone else notice that I am not noticing. I realize it's a bit like asking what was there before the Big Bang. We each bring our biases and preferences to what we see. And while I can't see everything others might see, I try to "keep my head on a swivel" so I am experiencing all I can. This may explain why I am usually pretty tired at the end of each day!

It's unknowable how many cool observations I have not made -- or made and forgotten. I am thankful for my friend Bruce Blair was asked me before I started my wanderabout if I was going to keep a blog. At that time, I thought I might post a photo or two each WEEK with a short summary of that week. Obviously that didn't work out the way I expected. 🤪

I had no idea how much I was going to experience each day and how much I would want -- need -- to photograph and for that matter to write. The writing part has helped me to form stronger memories. And in realty prevented my mind from exploding. I know once I write about a day, I have captured (hopefully) most of the key parts about that day. And I have freed up memory space for new experiences.

I have enjoyed the writing part. I still write at a high school level but I enjoy the process of choosing the right words to describe my thoughts, feelings and emotions. I have learned how important it is for me to peel the onion - and not just rely on the first word that comes to mind.

I do regret that I can't write a caption for each photo. While I take a lot of photos, there is something I am trying to capture in each one. It may be apparent from each one what that is, although I think there is a nuance to each photo that only exists in my mind. Even with all the time in the world, I don't have enough time!

Funny what a photo of a gasoline pump can make me think about -- I'm not going to end this sentence with a preposition.