I wear what they call NATO straps on two of my watches: one-piece nylon straps that loop underneath and buckle on the side. They’re cool in the heat and the colors go really well with the black cases and cream dials of the watches. They actually do have something to do with the military (and maybe even NATO), in that troops are said to prefer them to regular two-piece leather or rubber straps — they keep your watch from sliding around on your wrist, and if one side of the watch comes loose the other’s still secure and it won’t get lost in no-man’s land or the trenches or whatever. Here are my NATO-ized Timexes:
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It’s always bothered me, though, how the metal loops and buckles stick out to the side. It makes the watch & strap combo too wide, and I can’t get used to the look. I posted one of these photos to a watch collecting forum today, mentioning my issue with the side loops and buckle. Members chimed right in, pointing me to (what else?) a YouTube video explaining different methods of threading watches onto NATO straps, including one sort of tricky way that repositions the loops and buckle to the underside of the wrist. I followed the instructions, and here’s the result:
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Happy to report our air conditioner is holding up under 24/7 use (knock on wood) and that Tucson Electric Power hasn’t resorted to rolling blackouts. Of course that could change in an instant, and there’s plenty more hotness ahead. By now, in what they used to call normal years, we’d be getting some rain, but so far this monsoon season we’ve had not a drop. Our electric and water bills are going to set records of their own.
We’re driving to Flagstaff next week, where we’ll stay at a cabin in the woods with our son and his family for a couple of nights. It’s too hot in Tucson for them to come visit us; too hot in Las Vegas for us to go visit them; Flagstaff, besides being cooler, is a good midway destination for all of us. We did something like it two Julys ago when we all met at Big Bear Lake in California. Greg and Beth are bringing our grandson Quentin, granddaughter Taylor, Taylor’s S.O. Jason … and their little dog too. We’re bringing our three pups. Sadly for our electric bill, Polly’s staying behind at our house and we won’t be able to set the thermostat higher when we leave (but maybe I will anyway and see if she notices).
I don’t know what we’ll do in Flagstaff. Probably everyone has different ideas, but I hope I’ll be able to make a side trip to Meteor Crater near Winslow. Probably a gigantic tourist trap, but sometimes that’s fun too, and I think it would be cool to see it before watching the latest Wes Anderson movie, Asteroid City. Then again, I see on Google it’s been privatized and there’s no longer free access to the site. You have to pay to get in, and it’s $27 per person. Hmmm. Maybe I’ll just wait to see the movie.
I’m sure Aussies suffer through as much crap TV as we do, and only the good stuff makes it to us via streaming TV. But the good stuff is really, really good, and if you’re not watching Deadloch on Amazon Prime you’re missing some brilliant comedy, great acting, and barbed social commentary.
All for now. Stay fresh, cheese bags!