Our RV Adventures

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They Haven’t Given Up Yet . . .

Denny’s and Wal-Mart went off right on schedule with no changes or missteps for once.

* * * * * * *

Well, despite Elon saying that they might not be able to get Ship40 to Australia,

they’re still trying.

The problem is that there’s a lot of bad weather out in the Indian Ocean, which means that it’s very difficult to tow in a straight line.

Hence the path shown here.

The problem is that they can pretty much only tow into the wind, or with no wind. Otherwise Ship gets blown sideways.

The bad weather is supposed to peak tomorrow and then calm down. So hopefully things will go better after that.

In other SpaceX news, at a recent shareholder’s meeting, Elon reiterated that they hope to launch StarShip #14 by the end of this month, with a first-time catch of the upper stage Ship.

Then on #15, they want to catch both the Super Heavy Booster and Ship.

Extending a little further out, Elon said they hope to land the first cargo ships on the Moon by next year, with, as he says, “Boots on the ground” in 2028.

Sounds like a plan.

* * * * * * *

Next week looks like another quiet one, with nothing really on the schedule.

Nice.

Thought For The Day:

Never mistake my silence for weakness. I mean, why would I plan a murder out loud?

Your Retro-Preview Highlights –

2009 – Best Friends and Bears

2010 – Sex and RunPee

2011 – It’s Almost Landon Time

2013 – More Family Fun

2015 – Not As Good

2016 – Shoney’s and Showers

2021 – Nothing New Under The Sun

2023 – Jan’s Other Heartthrob

And Now On To today’s Retro-Blogs.™

August 10, 2009

Best Friends and Bears…

Today is our last full day here, so we wanted to make the most of it.

After picking up a bolt at the hardware store, we headed back over to Joan’s about 3 pm.

Jan and Joan have had a great time recalling stories about each other. Here are the two troublemakers themselves.

Joan had said Charlie, a friend of hers, was coming by to take us on the base at Westover.

Jan had a great time finding her way around the base. Some buildings she remembered were still there, but many had been torn down.

After stopping by Walmart again to pick up my prescription, the four of us drove over to Tavern on the Hill for dinner. This restaurant is built on the peak of Mt. Tom in Easthampton, MA, and the view is fantastic.

And so was the food!

After saying our goodbyes to Joan and Charlie, we headed back home.

On our way, I took some pics of the bear mascot statues in Easthampton.

During our travels, we’ve seen pelicans in Seabrook, TX, mermaids in Beaufort, SC, moose in Coeur d’Alene, ID, and horses in Kentucky.

Here it’s bears.

And even a Wanted Poster for a bear that’s been ‘Bear-napped”.

We had a great time catching up with Joan and hope to see her again in a month or so when we come back through here on our way back from Newfoundland.

Tomorrow morning, we head east to Boston.

August 10, 2010

Sex and RunPee…

*** The link for RunPee has been fixed ***

After a lunch of sandwiches and chips here in the rig, we decided to have another try at seeing Sex and the City 2 over in Mishawaka at the same theater we saw Iron Man 2 the other day.

We left about noon, but first stopped off at CVS Drugs to purchase an I-Zoom toll road pass to use while we’re here in Elkhart. Not only is it faster, but the toll to Mishawaka is $.40 instead of $.50.

Since Sex and the City 2 is a long movie at 2 hrs. and 30 minutes, Jan used RunPee, a website that lets you enter the movie title and then it gives you the time into the movie and how long you have to…wait for it…Run Pee.

And it worked great. At 74 minutes into the movie, Jan made a break for the restroom and was back before the end of a scene where nothing really happened.

After the movie, we stopped off at a nearby Michael’s and then a Sam’s Club right down the street.

Getting back to the park about 4:30, we headed out to supper at North Garden Chinese Buffet about 5:30 pm.

Al Hesselbart also joined us for dinner. Al is the historian at the nearby RV/MH Hall of Fame and recently returned from a trip to China as a guest of the Chinese government.to discuss RV’ing and the budding RV industry in China.

We had a great time at dinner listening to Al as he regaled us with the tales of his travels. We had a great dinner and a lot of fun.

We got back to the coach a little after 7, after a nice dinner.

We did get some more photos of our daughter’s bridal shower, wedding, and baby shower, and some more granddaughter Piper pics.

Here’s a photo of our beautiful daughter Brandi at her bridal shower.

Brandi, Brandi, and Shawna at Brandi’s baby shower.

And here’s our daughter-in-law Linda, our granddaughter Piper, and our son Chris at Brandi’s wedding.

And here’s Piper in Times Square in July of last year.

And here’s Piper at F.A.O. Schwartz Toy Store in New York City, also last year.

August 10, 2011

It’s Almost Landon Time . . .

We really enjoyed our stay here at Kamp Komfort. It’s a real gem, especially when it’s only $14 a night for 30-amp full hookups with Passport America. Nice.

We pulled out about 11 am, heading for Mulberry Grove, about 140 miles away. We’ll be spending a week there visiting Jan’s sister, Debbie, her family, kids, and grandkids, and of course, Brandi, Lowell, and Landon coming in tomorrow afternoon..

We got into the Timber Tails Campground about 2:30 and got set up. We stayed here last year, and it’s nice to be back.

The park even has some of Jan’s favorite fauna.

A little after 4 pm, we headed over to Debbie’s, about 25 miles away. After everyone showed up, we all headed back into town to have dinner at the Pizza Hut in Vandalia, the nearest big town. Surprisingly, the pizza was really good, especially the Stuffed Crust.

Jan got this shot of these three beautiful young ladies. That’s Gwen on the left. She’s Tana’s daughter, and our grand-niece. Next is Christina, our niece, and then Avery Jane, Jason and Laura’s daughter, and also our grand-niece. Missing from the picture is our other grand-niece, Ella.

To try and keep things straight without a scorecard, Debbie and Jim, Jan’s sister and brother-in-law, have three children. They are Jason, Tana, and Christina.

Jason and his wife, Laura, have Avery Jane and Ella, and Tana has Gwen.

Glad we’ve got that straight now.

After a fun dinner, Jan and I headed back to the rig for the night. We’re all getting together at breakfast tomorrow, and hopefully we’ll get to see everyone else.

Answer of the Day:

Although there were several guesses, no one got the right answer to last week’s question, “What was Starbucks called before it was called Starbucks?”

The name of the coffee chain was originally going to be ‘Pequod’s’, after the sailing ship in ‘Moby Dick’. However, one of the founders didn’t like it, said it sounded like they served ‘Pee’. So they called it ‘Starbuck’s’, after the First Mate in the book.

I think they made the right choice. But I’m surprised they didn’t call it ‘Ishmael’s’.

August 10, 2013

Family Fun . . .

Today started out slow and easy, but quickly got busy.

While Jan was in the shower and I was still asleep, Sonja Morrison called and left a message for Jan. Sonja is Lowell’s mother and Landon’s other grandmother. Jan called her back so that they could talk about Landon’s birthday party on Saturday, August 17th, a couple of days after we get back to Houston. Sonja and Lendell, her husband, will be in Houston for the party, and she wanted to coordinate with Jan about some things.

We’re really looking forward to getting back and seeing everyone next Thursday.

Around noon, my aunt Janis called and invited us next door for homemade fresh peach pie and ice cream. But even better, my Uncle Tom and Aunt Lenette were over there too. Due to their busy schedule, we hadn’t been able to get together during our last two visits here, so we were really glad to see them this year.

My Uncle is probably the only person I know, and certainly the only family member I know, who has his own Wikipedia page here at Tom Calvin, and is also listed on several other pages, like here – Oldest Living Pro Football Players, and here – Alabama Football Coaches

Tom was a star fullback for the University of Alabama from 1948 – 1950. and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the ’51 NFL draft. However, he turned them down because he didn’t like the contract he was offered, and so he took over the Head Coach position at a South Alabama high school, taking them to their first winning season in years.

Here he is at Alabama in 1949.

He even had his own football card.

Months later, he received a personal call from Art Rooney, the famous owner of the Steelers, offering him a better contract. This led to him playing 4 years for the Steelers, from ’52 to ’55, as a star fullback and kick returner.

Finally, after 4 years of hating the bitter cold Pittsburgh winters, he returned to Alabama and began a 33-year high school coaching career ending with a 201-130-11 record, making him the winningest high school coach in Alabama history. During that time, he took 3 losing school football programs to Championship status.

And his wife Lenette is no slouch in the sports world either. She’s a well-known gymnastics coach who’s worked with world-famous coach Bela Karolyi at his Houston facility, and has taken teams to several Olympics herself.

Hopefully, it won’t be another two years before we see them again.

While we were over there, I finally got the kids to sit still for some photos. My Uncle Ed and Aunt Janis are their grandparents, which makes them my 2nd cousins.

This beautiful young lady is Stahlie. She’s a wonderful artist and a budding filmmaker who’s had several films win prizes in local contests.

And this also-beautiful young lady is Darby. Darby is the family dancer, from Ballet to Swing and Ballroom.

And this handsome young man, who just turned 13, is Luke.

They are all homeschooled, and are smart as whips. Their father, Wes Calvin, owns the RV park here where we’re staying.

After getting in all our hugs and hellos, Janis served us her delicious warm homemade peach pie along with ice cream, which cut down on the conversation for a while until everyone got their fill. Hmm, good.

Finally, after several hours of catching up, we all headed home, giving Ed and Janis some peace and quiet.

Later, after some nap time, Jan and I headed out to 306 BBQ, a couple of miles east of town on US 72. We always eat here every visit just for their wonderful pulled pork BBQ.

Tomorrow afternoon we’re getting together with a couple of my cousins (my grandmother’s sister’s daughters. Not sure what that makes them) for a while to catch up with them.

August 10, 2015

Not As Good . . .

Once again, I spent some time trying to remove the bottom access panel so I could get to the back of my water heater. Despite the label saying to remove the panel to access the unit, it sure doesn’t look like it’s supposed to come out. But I’ll get it off eventually. We’re still doing OK on LP so it’s not an urgent problem.

About 4:00 pm, Jan and I headed out for another of those something ‘old/new’ things. We were going to have dinner at Tacky Jack’s, but not the one in Orange Beach that we’ve eaten at for years, but the newer one on the south side of the Intercoastal Waterway, diagonally across the canal from Lulu’s At Homeport.

I started out with a cup of Seafood Gumbo, which didn’t measure up to what I had at Lulu’s the other night. It wasn’t nearly as flavorful, and it was even thicker. It didn’t have any okra in it, which I know is normally added for thickening, but it does add flavor. Ironically, although I like the taste of okra in gumbo, I don’t really like it thick, as in gravy-thick. I prefer the thinner, almost broth-like gumbo. But I’ll have to wait till we get to Breaux Bridge this Thursday for that kind.

Jan got their Grilled Shrimp Tacos, which, like my Gumbo, did not measure up to the ones she had at Lulu’s the other night. Lack of flavor was also a problem with these, too.

I’m starting to see a pattern here.

But I must say, however, I really enjoyed my Blackened Shrimp Po-Boy.

I think this is where all the flavor from the other dishes went. Very good. I’d have it again. But maybe we ought to go back to our old reliable one in Orange Beach next time.

Finally heading back to the rig, we made a quickie Wal-Mart stop to pick up a prescription on the way.

Then, later, about 7, we headed back out to the Boardwalk area in Gulf Shores, just to sit out on the beach and watch the ocean and the sunset.

There must be some dust in the air to the west of us, because I was surprised at how bright the sunset was. But it only lasted a few minutes before it faded away.

Before heading back to the park, we made a stop at Scoop’s Olde Fashion Ice Cream, a place we have been going to for years, and it’s still good.

All in all, a very nice day.

August 10, 2016

Shoney’s and Showers . . .

First up, for those of you with Yahoo email addresses, change your password.

A hacker recently put what he claims are 200 million Yahoo email usernames, hashed passwords, and birth dates on sale on the Dark Net, asking about $1,800 for the entire data dump.

Even if it’s not true, it never hurts to change your password. Here’s more about it.

http://arstechnica.com/security/2016/08/yahoo-email-data-breach-dump/

I spent the morning working on website stuff, while Jan read her Kindles. Yes, Kindles. She had 3 – a Fire, a PaperWhite, and a second PaperWhite, which is mine. She trades between them, with one or two of them charging while she’s reading the other one.

I don’t use my PaperWhite anymore, doing all my Kindling on my Galaxy Tab 4.

A little later, Helen, my cousin Wes’ wife, came by to say Hi and catch us up on all the family news. Between her kids, Stahlie, Darby, Luke, and Harlan, she’s got a lot to keep up with.

About 5 pm, Jan and I went next door to check in with my Aunt Jan and Uncle Ed, whose home is right behind the RV park. And although they may not realize it, Jan and Ed have a lot to do with Jan and me being together.

In June of 1967, I left Athens and drove down to Florida to bum around for the summer. I ended up in Sanford, FL, where my Uncle Ed had a veterinary practice. I stayed with them for a few days while I looked around for something to do.

Checking out the Florida Today paper, I saw a want ad for someone to do the shows and to take care of the animals at the Marine Life area of Florida Wonderland, an amusement park in Titusville, FL.

Yes, that’s me with hair.

A couple of days later, on July 5th, I started working there, and that afternoon I met Jan, who was working as a Saloon Girl in Miss Kitty’s Pleasure Palace, the western town’s soft drink saloon.

It took me a while to get her to go out with me. She said later she thought I was just a stuck-up college kid with a red sports car.

And this coming September, we will have been married 49 years.

Leaving Ed and Jan’s, my Jan and I headed out for dinner. Jan had seen an ad for Hot Fudge Cake, and I wanted a big juicy hamburger. And we were able to get both at the local Shoney’s.

Although they weren’t really busy, it took almost 30 minutes to get our food. But it was hot and delicious anyway.

Jan got a Mushroom-Cheddar Burger while I went with a Double-Decker Burger.

Really, really good, hot and juicy, just like I wanted.

For dessert, Jan got her Hot Fudge Cake,

while I got the Hot Apple Crisp.

Well worth the wait.

Wrapping up, tomorrow night is the big night for the yearly Perseid Meteor Shower. And it’s supposed to be a doozy.

Where you would typically see 80 to 100 showers per hour, tomorrow night should be 160 to 200 per hour.

The Perseids are actually remnants from the comet Swift-Tuttle that orbits the Sun every 133 years. As it rounds the Sun, it is constantly shedding small particles in its wake. And once a year, the Earth sweeps through that trail, giving us a spectacular show in the sky.

Hopefully, our skies will be clear enough here to give us a chance to see the show.

Check it out where you are.

August 10, 2017

No News Is . . .

well, no news, I guess. Which is what we heard about our RV repairs today. But I wasn’t really expecting anything until later this week anyway.

I like to drive fast.

Jan can attest to that. But not in the RV, of course. That’s 55 –  60 mph all the way. But on the track, and on west Texas roads, it’s another matter.

Back in the day, I raced SCCA in my very souped-up ’65 Triumph Spitfire and hit a little over 130 mph on the track. Above that, the front end got a little squirrely/bouncy. But I did have the pleasure of beating a couple of Vettes when I was running in the Unlimited Class.

And when we were dating, I did ‘test drive’ Jan once, hitting over 120 on a long deserted stretch of Florida four-lane highway. When she didn’t scream or faint, I decided she was a definite possibility.

And actually I’ve been faster than that. In 1966 and 1967, I took both the Basic Road Racing and the Advanced Road Racing Classes at Bob Bondurant’s Racing School, when it used to be at the Atlanta Raceway in Georgia get my SCCA Racing License.

But part of the fun was the final exam, where we got to take a Porsche (or Porsche ‘Ah’ as Alan says) out on the road track and had to match or beat a specific time during one of three tries. I passed the second time, and was clocked at over 160 on the straights. But with all this background in speed, and still feeling the ‘need’ now and then, I’m often amazed, and sometimes ‘scared’ by Houston drivers.

Coming home from Louisiana this past Monday night about 11 pm, I’m on I-10 passing through downtown Houston, and doing about 70. Of course the speed limit is 60 mph, and it’s been raining, but no one else seems to care. And even driving 70, I’m the slowpoke of the bunch, with people passing me on both sides, sometimes flashing their lights, apparently because I’m in the way and slowing them down. Most were doing 80-85, but I swear that some were bumping up against 100 mph.

Makes me think the Texas State Motto shouldn’t be ‘Friendship’, but maybe should be ‘Punch it, Margaret’.

And on that note, how in the heck is one word a ‘motto’? That should be the Texas State Word, if anything. I contend that it takes at least two words to make a motto.

‘Be Prepared!’ Now that’s a motto.

August 10, 2018

My Sweetie’s Back!

Yay!

I spent most of the day at work trying different ideas on how to move the company website from our old in-house Linux server up to a dedicated GoDaddy server.

One of the problems I’ve been having is that the previous IT guy had not updated the Zen Cart shopping cart software since it was installed in 2013. So we’re 18 updates behind, ones that came down when he was still working there. And now I’m kind of stuck. Everyone warns me that trying to update now might be fatal to the shopping cart.

I’ve set up a test area on GoDaddy using the latest version of WordPress and Zen Cart installs they use. But the shopping cart doesn’t work correctly when I move the databases from the old cart to the new one. And I now think that the problem is caused by the different versions.

But now I may have a solution. Burrowing into the Zen Cart site, I found that old versions of the program are available, including my 6-year-old version. So my idea now is to manually install the old version of Zen Cart on the GoDaddy server. Then I’ll try to move the database files over and see how it works.

Then if it does, I’ll start trying to update the version until I get it to work. At least I hope that’s the way it will work. We’ll see.

Looks like we’re going to the Texas Renaissance Festival again this year. This will be our 3rd year in a row. Kind of unusual since we’re normally either traveling or gate guarding that time of the year. But it just worked out.

I got an email last week announcing a half-price sale on tickets this past Wednesday, starting at 2 pm, with only 20,000 going on sale. They were only for the first 3 weekends, but that was fine with us.

I figured the tickets would sell out fast, so I was all ready to go right at 2 pm. But the half-price tickets didn’t show up on the website until about 3 minutes after. And I immediately ran into a problem.

The website asked for a password before it would let me buy the tickets. Thinking I may have missed something about this in the email, I checked it out. But nothing about a password.

So I first tried no password, hitting Return. No luck. Then I tried ‘password’, but that didn’t work either. Then I went with Texas Renaissance Festival. Again, No.

Then, one at a time, I tried Texas, Renaissance, and Festival. Nada. So then I tried ‘renfest’, the abbreviated nickname for the event.

And it worked!

So I got 5 tickets and a Preferred Parking Pass, and I was done. Later in the afternoon, at home, I checked the website again, and they still had tickets and still had the password request. I would have expected the tickets to go pretty fast, but I guess the password thing slowed people down. But I still don’t understand what the purpose of it was.

Tomorrow, Jan and I will make some more trips to bring stuff from the house to the storage unit because it’s now possible that we’ll close as soon as this coming Thursday, over a week earlier than expected. So tomorrow and Sunday look to be busy.

August 10, 2019

Getting The Boot . . .

Landon’s starting off school this year with a bang. Or at least a boot.

A month or so ago, he was at a trampoline park and said he hurt his foot. But then didn’t say much more about it. Then the other day it was hurting again, so Brandi took him to the doctor. And X-raying showed a stress fracture.

So now he has to wear the boot for a couple of months, though he can take it off to swim and bathe. I predict that as soon as he gets back to school, it’s going to be covered in girls’ autographs.

Brandi did have this to say later.

“We had barely left the parking lot, and he asked if I could buy him a bell so he can ring me when he needs something. I was a nice mommy and did not tell him what he could do with his bell.”

I went through the OTA TV signals from our new antenna this morning, logging all the channels we’ll be interested in. Here’s what I got.

2-1 Channel 2 – NBC Network

2-2 MeTV – Old TV Shows

2-3 H&I TV – Old TV Shows

2-4 Start TV – Old TV Shows

8-1 Channel 8 – PBS Network

8-2 Create TV – PBS Specials

11-1 Channel 11 – CBS Network

11-2 Bounce TV – Movies

11-3 Justice TV – Crime Shows

11-4 Quest TV – Various

13-1 Channel 13 – ABC Network

13-2 LivWell – Health & Food Shows

13-3 Laff TV – Movies

20-1 Channel 20 – My TV Network

20-2 Movie TV – Movies

20-3 Decades TV – Old TV Shows

20-4 Buzzr TV – Old Game Shows

26-1 Channel 26 – FOX Network

26-2 Light TV – Old TV Shows & Movies

39-1 Channel 39 – CW Network

39-2 Ant TV – Old TV Shows

39-3 Comet TV – Old Movies

39.4 TBI TV – Fail Factory

45-3 Escape TV – Crime Shows

46-3 Nudu TV – Old TV Shows & Paid Prgms

46-4 Heartland – Country and Cooking Shows

46-6 TCN TV – The Country Network

46-7 NewsNet TV – 24 Hour News

49-1 ION TV – Old TV Shows

49-3 ION Plus – Old TV Shows

57-1 KUBE TV – Old TV Shows

57-4 COZI TV – Old TV Shows

57-7 This TV – Old Movies

67-2 Get TV – Old TV Shows

67-3 Grit TV – Old Movies

One of the unusual ones is on 39.4. Called the Fail Factory, it seems to be a channel that just shows Funniest Home Video-type clips 24 hours a day.

The gasket that I hope will fix my rig’s oil leak problem will be here on Monday, so I went ahead and ordered a new oil filter from Amazon that also should be here Monday. I was thinking about reusing the old filter since it only has about 500 miles on it, but I’m not sure about reusing the rubber gasket on it. But I decided not to take a chance.

I did tell Jan that once I do get it all changed out, I’m not going to worry about doing a test drive, since the problem has never occurred on a test drive, just on a real trip. I will let it run at high idle for 30 minutes or so to check for regular leaks.

This afternoon, we headed out about 4 for dinner at Los Ramirez Mexican Restaurant once again. Then we stopped at the tire store and made an appointment to come by at 12:30 tomorrow afternoon for them to take care of my stuck lug nut problem. Then, after a Wal-Mart stop, we headed home.

August 10, 2020

Chip Off The Old Block???

First up, a couple of interesting videos.

This one is a video of SpaceX’s recent 500-foot test hop of their Starship SN5.

And, yes, it does look like a grain silo. But that’s because it’s the top of a future 400-foot rocket, minus the nose cone. It will sit atop a Super Heavy Booster and will take 100 people or 120 tons of supplies to the moon or Mars.

This is what it will look like when it’s all put together.

Now that’s the way a Starship is supposed to look.

The next flight is supposed to be about 20km or 12 miles up. Soon.

Next up is a really interesting 4K video of the recent explosion in Beirut, Lebanon. The first part is in real-time, the second part is in slow-motion, and the third part is in super slow-motion.

https://www.newsflare.com/video/371810/unseen-footage-shows-moment-of-beirut-explosion-in-4k-slow-motion

Unfortunately, the video wouldn’t allow me to embed it into the blog, so you’ll have to click on the link itself.

The resulting shockwave in slo-mo is devastating. Be sure and read the accompanying text from the guy who shot the video from his apartment balcony.

I mentioned in yesterday’s blog how I had started computer programming at the age of 10, albeit one made out of Masonite. And as it turns out, Landon’s doing pretty much the same.

His 10th birthday is in 10 days, and for his big present, he asked for this one-on-one Roblox online computer programming class. In case you’re wondering, Roblox is an online gaming platform that lets you create and market your own games.

The course will not only teach him how to create and program his own games, but also how to market them.

A Chip Off The Old Block???

August 10, 2021

Nothing New Under The Sun . . .

Jan and I were on our way into Houston by 9:45 this morning, meeting Brandi, Landon, and Sophie at Cleburne Cafeteria. We got there a little before they opened at 11 to be sure that we didn’t have to wait in line.

Cleburne’s is fabled in the Houston area, having been around for over 80 years and surviving two fires during that time.

This place is not your Luby’s or Piccadilly’s, but a high-end restaurant that’s also a cafeteria. You can even order a custom-cooked Ribeye or Prime Rib. All of their veggies and fruits are fresh, never frozen, and all the sauces and salad dressings are made from scratch. And they’re known city-wide for their desserts, with all the pies, cakes, and puddings made daily.

We did park Landon and Sophie in their own booth, just so we could have an actual conversation.

Getting to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, we parked in the parking garage (worth the $20) and headed inside. For some reason, when I bought the tickets online, I was only able to select Will Call and not Digital Tickets.

But there was no obvious Will Call booth, just a long line of people buying tickets. I thought that’s why I got my tickets online ahead of time. I even asked an employee, and was told that this was the line for Will Call.

Of course, 20 minutes later, as we all walked down the long hallway to the actual entrance to the museum area, what do I see but this.

Well, isn’t that special!

Inside, we came across Victoria the T-Rex from the ads.

and also a T-Rex skull.

Finally, in the Pompeii exhibit area, we found a lot of neat items, many demonstrating that there’s nothing new under the sun.

These are Roman keys from there.

And some of the glassware looked like something you could buy at Wal-Mart. Especially when you consider that the art of glassblowing had only been introduced to Roman culture in the last 50 years before.

The horn-shaped piece on the left is a wine glass.

But the cooking utensils were even more amazing.

The iron skillet looks like it could have been my grandmother’s.

And the two ladle-looking pieces are actually colanders.

I’m gonna wrap up tonight’s blog with Landon and Sophie watching the movie about the 79 A.D. eruption of Mount Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii, on August 24-24. So an anniversary coming up.

It also destroyed nearby Herculaneum, but Pompeii gets all the press. Probably had a better agent.

I’ll finish up our fun day in tomorrow’s blog.

August 10, 2022

Tracking? What’s That?

Except for Amazon, I’m not sure tracking a package with UPS or USPS really does much good.

I recently reposted this from 2012 about a package shipped through USPS, and after getting from CA to TX in one day, it then proceeded to orbit around Texas for 5 more days before it finally got delivered to me here in Houston.

Processed through USPS Sort Facility
2012-08-08, 00:07:00, SAN ANTONIO, TX 78284
Processed through USPS Sort Facility
2012-08-07, 13:28:00, DALLAS, TX 75398
Depart USPS Sort Facility
2012-08-07, 00:00:00, DALLAS, TX 75398
Processed through USPS Sort Facility
2012-08-06, 16:04:00, MCALLEN, TX 78501
Depart USPS Sort Facility
2012-08-06, 00:00:00, SAN ANTONIO, TX 78284
Depart USPS Sort Facility
2012-08-06, 00:00:00, MCALLEN, TX 78501
Processed through USPS Sort Facility
2012-08-05, 21:58:00, SAN ANTONIO, TX 78284
Processed through USPS Sort Facility
2012-08-04, 21:20:00, SAN BERNARDINO, CA 92403
Dispatched to Sort Facility
2012-08-04, 14:37:00, MURRIETA, CA 92563
Acceptance
2012-08-04, 13:39:00, MURRIETA, CA 92562

And more recently, I ordered something from eBay on August 5th, and it was shown as being picked up the next day by UPS.

And that’s it.

There has been no more tracking info, so I have no idea where it is.

And even calling UPS didn’t help.

So I guess I wait.

For dinner tonight, I stopped off at Whataburger on the way home to pick up a free Bacon Bleu Cheeseburger. Well, it was free with a coupon if I bought a medium fry and a medium Coke.

Since the drive-thru line was pretty long, I just went in and ordered to-go at the counter. And had my order in less than 5 minutes.

Much faster than going through the long line of about 10 cars.

But the funny thing was that right before I got my order, a guy walked me to throw his trash away, and I noticed he was wearing a Five Guys employee badge and T-shirt. And it’s not like he was far away from work.

The Five Guys is only 1/2 mile away. Guess he knows who has the best burgers.

August 10, 2023

Jan’s Other Heartthrob . . .

For some reason, last night’s blog, Bring Your Own Chainsaw, didn’t post correctly. But it’s up there now. Or you can just click the link.

You never know when you might need a chainsaw.

I was out the door by 9 am this morning for a two-part trip. First up was to pick up Jan at our daughter Brandi’s up in Katy. Then it was on up to The Woodlands area to meet up with long-time friends Debi and Ed Hurlburt for our monthly get-together, this time at the Twin Peaks there. Jan and I have eaten there a couple of times in the past when we were staying up at the Lake Conroe Thousand Trails.

And after reading our blog posts about the good food at Twin Peaks, Debi and Ed decided they wanted to check it out.

Now, when you take friends to a place you’ve recommended, you’re always worried that they won’t like it. But based on the empty plates at the end of the meal, everyone liked it a lot.

Ed got the Philly Cheesesteak with fries,

while Jan got her usual Chipotle Chicken with Double Broccoli.

Debi got the Fish and Chips, which I didn’t get a shot of, while I got my usual Soup and Sandwich.

Jan and I both agreed that what we had was better than the same versions we had at our Webster location last week.

Jan and I were on our way home by about 2 pm, and after a smooth trip for a change, got back to the rig about 3:15.

Next month we’re set for the Katz’s Deli up there in The Woodlands. Though we’ve eaten at the Montrose locations a number of times over the years, this will be our first time at this location.

Already looking forward to it.

Jan’s all excited about tomorrow night’s Alvin Opry, because her other Heartthrob’s going to be there. And he would be John Mark Davis

John Mark is the full-blooded son of the Chief of the Adai Caddo Indians of Louisiana, and has performed all over the country. He has opened for Mark Chesnutt and Tracy Byrd, and was offered a slot opening for Dwight Yoakum, but due to a prior obligation, was unable to accept.

He was also twice an award winner in the Nashville’s Music City Song Fest, and really knows how to work a crowd and keep you entertained. He’s also known for his hilarious versions of Kaw-Liga, Running Bear, and Please Mr. Custer.

Here’s him doing Running Bear.

Jan relates how the last time we saw John Mark at the Opry, she almost knocked down his wife to get a hug from him.

And even better, tomorrow night John Mark is the Pre-Show feature, which means that rather than 5 or 6 songs over two sets, he’ll be singing from 6:10 to 6:50, so 40 straight minutes of John Mark for Jan’s giddy pleasure.

Luckily for me, I’m confident in my masculinity.

August 10, 2024

Full Circle . . .

We saw a week or so ago that Marjorie Morgan, our long-time friend and owner of Gator’s Bar & Grill had recently bought the nearby Monterey’s Little Mexico just a block or so away from Gator’s, with her Facebook saying that she was going to get the place squared away. And the place really needs ‘squaring away.’

The location was flooded out during Hurricane Harvey in August 2017, and then didn’t reopen until a year or so ago. And it was never as good as it was before. And we had something to compare it to, pretty much every month.

When we make our monthly Alvin Opry visit, we always eat at the Monterey’s in that area. And the difference is noticeable. Hopefully, she’ll be able to set this location on the right path.

And this is full circle for Marjorie. We first met her back in the 1990’s when she was the manager of this location. Later, she worked for corporate, traveling around helping to open new locations. After that, she headed up catering for one of the big casinos in Las Vegas. Then somewhere in here, she and her husband opened Gator’s.

Looking forward to the improvements.

So today we decided to check it out. And it was definitely better already.

Jan got her favorite Large Beef Fajita Nachos, which we shared,

while I got my Large Chicken Tortilla Soup, my favorite also.

Looking forward to going back.

Apparently, when you walk the beach after a hurricane, you can find more than just a lot of pretty shells.

This is the first low tide on Fernandina Beach, FL, after Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

But Hurricane Debby’s recent pass through Florida left something a little more lucrative.

Hurricane Debby blows $1 million worth of cocaine onto Florida beach

More than $1 million worth of cocaine washed up on a beach in the Florida Keys after Hurricane Debby battered the Gulf Coast’s Big Bend Monday morning, officials said.

Debby, which made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early in the morning, carried more than two dozen 70-pound packages of cocaine ashore as winds topped 80 miles per hour, the US Border Patrol said.

“Hurricane Debby blew 25 packages of cocaine (70 lbs.) onto a beach in the Florida Keys,” US Border Patrol acting chief patrol agent Samuel Briggs II said in a social media post.

A beachgoer discovered the drugs – wrapped inside a trash bag – among seaweed, leaves, and other debris that washed up on the beach, according to photos posted in reply to Briggs’ post.

Who knew the drug cartels have their own product logos?

August 10, 2025

Sunday With Family . . .

We got to Brandi’s this afternoon a little before 12:30 to find lunch waiting for us.

Lowell had just gotten back from picking it up from Pollo Bravo, so it was hot and fresh.

Jan and I both got the 1/2 Chicken, All White, with Mexican Rice and Sweet Plantains for me, and the Avocado Salad and Pinto Beans for her.

Really, really good, and we had half to bring home.

Landon’s in the 10th grade this year, and school starts this Wednesday, the 13th.

And his 15th birthday shows up a week later, on the 20th.

And here’s his schedule for this year.

1. Spanish 3 KAP
2. AP World History GT
3. Lunch
4. English 2 KAP/GT
5. Chemistry KAP/GT
6. Algebra 2
7. Study Hall
8. Digital Art and Animation

The KAP stands for Katy (his school district) Advanced Placement, and GT stands for Gifted And Talented.

Way to Go, Landon!

* * * * * * *

One funny thing is that Brandi asked Landon why he never responds to the videos she sends him. He sighed and said, “They’re all cat videos. All of them”.

Then Jan asked him if he ever reads our blog, since there’s almost always something about him in it. He sighed again, and said, “No, but all my friends do.” When we asked further about this, he said, “When you Google ‘Landon Morrison Katy’, your blog comes up. Every time.”

LOL!

* * * * * * *

We had a great time getting to know the new kittens, Bella and Tommy. So Cute!

I had to search Jan before we headed home.

* * * * * * *

Regular readers will remember that coming back from Galveston a week or so ago, the output temperature from the Jeep’s A/C started to climb, going from the normal 55° up to about 70 while we were coming up the Interstate. But then it dropped back down into the 60’s after we got off on the city streets.

When I checked it out a few days later, the only problem I found was that the Freon was a little below 1/2 full, so I topped it off, though it shouldn’t have made any difference.

But I couldn’t really check it out until our trip up to Brandi’s today. And the A/C worked fine the whole trip, going and coming. So I think it’s fixed.

For now.

* * * * * * *

On tap for next week is Wal-Mart and Doggone Crazy Hot Dogs on Tuesday, and then El Palenque Mexican up in Spring with Debi and Ed Hurlburt.

A very nice week coming up.

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Fall is Nigh?

It seems like Stella’s Fresh Brunch has become our new Saturday go-to place for lunch.

And their Migas has become our new go-to meal.

* * * * * * *

I read an article late last week about how temps should start dropping here in Texas as Fall moves in over the next few weeks.

And we’re already seeing it.

Over the last month or so, our daily temps had stayed in the mid-90’s, with only one bump up to 100° so far this year. But then this past week, the temps started dropping into the low 90’s, pretty much 90 or 91°.

Then today’s high was 89, and Monday’s is predicted for the same.

Nice.

* * * * * * *

The Blue Danube Is Showing Its Secrets.

They’ve have been reporting on Europe’s summer from hell, where they are battling high temperatures, wildfires, and droughts.

One of the most dramatic cases if the mythical Danube river that is so low that the Nuclear Power Plants in Hungary and Romania had to be shut down.

Now the situation has worsened even more to the point where remnants of the past are arising from the bottom of the river: dozens of WW2 ships and boats – and a mystery from a 10,000 years ago.

The ships, some still laden with weapons, belonged to Nazi Germany’s Black Sea fleet that the Germans deliberately sank as they retreated from Romania and as Soviet forces advanced deeper into Europe near the end of the war.

To a much lesser extent, this happens every year in Europe along the Danube, Rhine, and Main Rivers.

When we were booking our Viking River Cruise in 2018, we noticed that the fares in the early Spring and late Summer were much cheaper than the middle part of the Summer. And a little research told us why.

In the early Spring, the melting winter snows caused the rivers to be so high that the cruise ships cannot pass under the many low bridges along the route. So you spend a lot of time on buses, staying at hotels along the route, moving from one cruise ship to the next one past the low bridges.

In fact, even during good water levels, it can be such a tight squeeze that everything on the upper deck lies down or is retractable, including the wheelhouse and the white auxiliary control panel shown below.

Then in the fall, the normal, every-year droughts set in, lowering the river levels to where it’s too shallow for the ships, so it’s back to the buses.

Knowing this, we booked our cruise for the first part of May and had no problems.

* * * * * * *

According to the Retro-Blogs™, today in 2022, gas was $3.29, exactly what it is today.

But today the high cost is supposedly because of the Iranian conflict.

What was it back then?

* * * * * * *

Tomorrow, Denny’s and Wal-Mart

Thought For The Day:

Just because I’m empathetic doesn’t mean I can’t feel for your problems and dislike you intensely at the same time.

Your Retro-Preview Highlights –

2009 – High School Friends

2014 – A Shucker’s Dozen

2016 – Catfish Cabin, Again

2020 – Geniac and Fortran

2023 – Bring Your Own Chainsaw

And Now On To today’s Retro-Blogs.™

August 9, 2009

High School Friends and Memories…

Today we spent the day with Jan’s high school friend, Joan, checking out old memories.

We started off with breakfast at the Blue Sky Diner, not an old memory, but still good.

After breakfast, we headed over to what used to be base housing at Westover AFB when Jan lived here, which was 1962-66.

When Westover downsized a while back, the old base housing was sold off to a private investor and turned into condos. And they looked good.

Here is the front of the unit that Jan and her family lived in.

The front door is to the left inside the alcove to the left of the garage.

Here’s the backside.

After driving past where Joan’s parents used to live, we headed over to Chicopee Comprehensive High School, where Jan and Joan went to high school.

But this is not the school building that Jan and Joan went to. That one was torn down in 2007 and replaced with this one.

The old building was located where the new football field is located.

I think Jan was kind of shocked to find her old school replaced, since it was brand new when she went there. In fact, her class was the first one to attend all four years there.

Next, we drove over to nearby Springfield, where Jan attended church.

Then, after dropping off a prescription at Walmart, we drove over to the Yankee Candle Store in Deerfield.

This store is really something, and they sell a lot more than just candles. And it’s the size of a small shopping mall all by itself. Jan had a field day stocking up on decorations and knick-knacks for Halloween. And she bought a couple of candles too.

By this time, we were getting hungry, so Joan suggested Spaghetti Freddy’s, a restaurant that’s part of the Union Station complex in Northampton, MA.

And a great suggestion it was. We had a wonderful Italian meal and dessert.

After dropping Joan off at her house,

we headed back to the coach where we’re parked at Windy Acres KOA park.

More reminiscing tomorrow…

August 9, 2010

Rainy Day Monday…but then it got better!

Today started off as a cloudy, rainy morning, but things got better as time went on. By later in the afternoon, it was warm and sunny. Very nice.

Jan got up around 9 am, but I slept in a while longer, a good while actually. But Jan likes the ‘ME” time it gives her, and I’m perfectly happy to help out by sleeping late.

About 11:30, I talked to Michele Henry of Phoenix Commercial Paint, who was in the park and wanted to come by and check out the bodywork and repainting we want to get done on our rig while we’re here.

Most of the work is on the cargo bay doors, and after talking, we decided it would be easier for me to just take the doors off and bring them to her shop three or four at a time. So I’m going to take the first set over this Thursday.

After lunch, and fighting off a headache, I took some aspirin and went back to take a nap.

Then, about 5 pm, we drove up to Edwardsburg, MI, to Lunker’s, one of the largest fishing, hunting, and outdoor stores in the country. And they have a very popular restaurant there, as well.

I mean, where else can you get an Elk, Ostrich, or Buffalo Burger?

After dinner and back at the park about 8, we drove around among the rigs, checking out all our neighbors before heading in for the evening.

August 9, 2011

Carlock . . .

After a quiet, restful morning, we finally left the Janesville, WI, Moose Lodge about 11 am, heading for Kamp Komfort RV Park in Carlock, IL, about 160 miles away.

The trip was pretty easy, a little windy, and with the usual Illinois bad roads as soon as we entered the state. And in this case, the worst one was a toll road. At least it was only $2.85.

It never got hot enough to have to use the house A/C’s, but when we got here, I found the front A/C wouldn’t come on. The rear one works fine and cooled us down with no problem.

Not only does the A/C not come on, but neither does the fan by itself, which means the unit is not getting power. I checked the breaker, and it’s fine.

So it looks like I’ve got some troubleshooting to do after we get to Vandalia tomorrow.

We pulled into Kamp Komfort, just west of the Bloomington/Normal, IL area, a little before 2 pm, and got set up.

This is a very nice park, and even with all the tall shade trees, the satellite works fine.

We had planned to do the dinner and a movie thing again, but after getting here, we decided to just stay in, and Jan fixed dinner here.

Tomorrow we’ve got about a 140-mile trip to Vandalia, IL, for a week for our family reunion, and our first time with Landon since February.

Yay!

August 9, 2013

Cat Food . . .

When we were at the Timber Trails Campground up in Vandalia, IL, the other day, there was a newish rig parked next to us for the first day or so. On the side was a small door labeled ‘Cat Food’, but unfortunately, I didn’t get a photo. But I did wonder why anyone would store cat food in an outside bin. Then

DOH!

A door labeled ‘Cat Food’ is where you feed a Caterpillar engine its diesel.

Today was pretty much a rest-up day after the long trip yesterday, just sitting around enjoying our coffee and the view of the green pastures surrounding us. We can see goats, cows, geese, ducks, chickens, and even pigs. And of course, Dottie the RV park dog, who comes out to visit every new arrival.

Later in the morning, we saw my 2nd cousin Luke come by on the riding mower, trying to finish up before the approaching thunderstorm arrived, but he didn’t quite make it. There’s always tomorrow.

Unlike yesterday, today’s rain only lasted about 30 minutes before the skies cleared up. Glad it wasn’t as bad as before.

One of the chores I wanted to do this afternoon was to disassemble the Fantastic Vent Fan in our bathroom. First, I wanted to find out why the motor stalls while lifting the cover. It sounds like a gear is slipping inside the motor drive housing, but I first wanted to be sure the lid lift mechanism wasn’t binding or sticking.

But after removing the motor, I could operate the lid manually with a pair of pliers with no problem, so that wasn’t it. This leaves the motor drive itself, which is definitely possible, since I replaced the same one 3 or 4 years ago for the same reason.

I also wanted to clean the fan and the housing from the accumulated dirt before putting it back together. But I’ll have to wait until I take a further look at the motor and see if I can take it apart.

A little before 5 pm, Jan and I headed out to have dinner at one of our favorite places here in Athens, Catfish Cabin. Don’t know how they do it 400 miles from the ocean, but they have some of the freshest seafood around. And their hushpuppies are fantastic. As soon as you sit down, they bring you a big basket of them, hot out of the fryer. YUM!

Coming home, we stopped in at my Aunt and Uncle, Jan and Ed Calvin’s house, which is right next door to the RV park. It was good catching up with everyone since we were here last year. All my aunts and uncles are in their 80’s and 90’s, so I don’t want to miss out on any time with them.

Tomorrow, more family time, I hope.

August 9, 2014

A Shucker’s Dozen . . .

After a quiet, easy day, resting up from yesterday’s almost 400-mile trip, we headed out about 5 pm to have dinner at a new place, at least for us. Called Ginny Lane’s Bar & Grill, it’s located on the Intercoastal Waterway at The Wharf, a shopping/entertainment area in Orange Beach. They had really good ratings on Yelp, and even better, $6 a dozen raw oysters, our favorite.

Since we had the Seafood Platters last night and couldn’t finish it all, we decided to go a little lighter tonight. So we started out with a dozen oysters on the half shell for each of us.

Sorry, I forgot to get a picture until I was done. We noticed that we both received what’s called a “Shucker’s Dozen”. Like a “Baker’s Dozen”, it means you order and pay for 12, and they throw in an extra free. Nice.

I noticed on the menu that they listed a Sriracha Aioli for another dish, so I asked for a bottle of Sriracha to try with my oysters along with the cocktail sauce and horseradish they furnish. It was really, really flavorful and added a lot to the oysters.

For our next course, Jan had a delicious cup of Shrimp and Artichoke Bisque, and I went with their Seafood and Sausage Gumbo. Again, really good.

Wrapping up a great meal, Jan had the Strawberry Shortcake,

and I tried the White Chocolate Bread Pudding. Really good, and I had enough to take home.

A really good meal, and we weren’t stuffed. Perfect.

Ginny Lane’s is really good, and it’s now on our list of great Gulf Shores restaurants.
Leaving the restaurant, we drove around the beach area for a while, checking out all the changes since we were here two years ago. A lot of new condos, new stores, and new restaurants.

I think I liked it better in the old days.

One of the places we drove by was some beachfront property my parents used to own at Orange Beach.

At one time, my parents owned this 300-foot / 6-lot section of beachfront, all the way down to where the condo is now. Then in the early 70’s they traded four lots to a builder in return for him building them two beach houses on the remaining two lots, which they then rented out.

Later, sometime in the 80’s my parents sold one of the cottages. Then in 1993, after the death of my father, my mother sold the remaining one.

The people who bought the first cottage tore it down to build a modern-looking two-story home. The couple who bought the second cottage also wanted to build new, but they bought a lot right behind theirs and moved the cottage about 100 feet away to the new location. This is it now.

Then they built a 3-story brick home on the beachfront lot. At that point, there were 6 homes along here.

Then in September 2004, Hurricane Ivan passed through the area, bringing a 27-foot tidal surge up and over the sand dunes.

And then there were none. And it still remains that way to this day.

And the original cottage that my father designed and had built to his specifications, with strapping and reinforcements, is the only thing still standing.

About 8 pm tonight, I started getting emails and phone calls saying that Jan and I had gone viral on the Internet.

Again.

And this time we made Yahoo.

This was taken in 2009 at Busch Gardens in Tampa, FL. I posted it on our blog at the time, and then somehow it was picked up by the Awkward Family Photos site. It made the rounds all over the Internet, and we had friends telling us that they had seen it online.

In one case, a friend’s son was in class on the last day of school, and the teacher was killing time by showing some stuff from the Awkward Family Photos site. He finished up by saying, “And this one is my very favorite.”

And our picture popped up. After a double-take, the son spoke up and said, “Hey, I know those people.” And the class roared.

Here’s the full picture.

As I always say, one of us is having fun. The other one isn’t.

Jan won’t admit it, but the Cheetah Chase is the ‘baby’ coaster at Busch Gardens. It’s in the kiddie area with the Merry-Go-Round and the Bumper Cars.

August 9, 2015

Something New, Something Old . . .

The park really started thinning out today as people headed home after the weekend. I had really expected it to be a lot busier this weekend, but many schools start this next week, and this weekend is Alabama’s Sales Tax Holiday.

Every year, Alabama cancels Sales Tax on pretty much anything related to Back to School, i.e., clothes, computers, school supplies, etc., so there was a lot of shopping going on. Too busy to camp, I guess.

Around 2:45, Jan and I drove down toward Orange Beach for something new and something old. The ‘new’ was to have linner at Wintzell’s Oyster House, a local chain where we’ve never eaten. With almost a dozen locations around the state, Wintzell’s has been around since 1938, but most of that time was with a single location in Mobile. It’s only since the 80’s that they’ve expanded.

Actually, the last time we ate here, this was a Ruby Tuesday, but that was a number of years ago.

Jan and I both started out with really good salads, hers with Bleu Cheese dressing and mine with Jalapeno Ranch, both dressings homemade and delicious.

For our entrees, Jan tried out their Blackened Cajun Shrimp Pasta,

which she said was one of the best pasta dishes she’s had. So much so, I thought she was going to lick the bowl when she was done. But I guess propriety won out.

I went with something I haven’t had for a good while, mostly because it’s the first time I’ve seen it on a menu in a long time: the Low Country Boil.

With Boiled Shrimp, Conecuh Sausage, Corn, and Red Potatoes, it made a great meal.

In fact, we’ve decided to eat here again before we leave here on Thursday. It was that good.

Leaving Wintzell’s, we drove on down toward Alabama Point, checking out old haunts and new businesses. My parents owned a number of pieces of property down here at one time, and it’s always interesting to see what’s being built, rebuilt, or torn down.

We did make a stop at Tallulah’s Treasures, an Orange Beach gift shop that’s one of Jan’s favorites. We’ve been coming here for years, and Jan always finds a couple of trinkets she likes.

Our last stop before heading home was the something ‘old’: Ron Jon Surf Shop. Although it’s a new store in Orange Beach, only opening a few months ago, it’s something ‘old’ for Jan and me.

I used to rent boards from the Ron Jon’s in Cocoa Beach in 1967. At that time, it was a hole-in-the-wall place about 25 feet x 40 feet, and filled with surfboards. Jan and I came here a couple of times when we were dating, and the place was so crowded with boards you could hardly walk around.

Now the Cocoa Beach location is two stories tall and covers 4 acres. And I doubt you can still score a little ‘alternative’ tobacco from the guy in the back like you used to.

Times change, I guess.

August 9, 2016

Heading North . . .

Since we had a 375-mile trip up to Athens, AL today, we were up at 6:30 am, and I was pulling out by 8 with Jan following in the truck. We were going to get diesel at the Wal-Mart on Fort Morgan Rd, and although we’d filled up there before, we scoped it yesterday to be sure we could still get in and out.

But all the planning was for naught. When we pulled into the parking lot, the diesel pump area was blocked off with cones because workers were redoing the canopy over the station.

Crap!

So I headed on up to Foley to Dodge’s to fill up there. We’ve gotten diesel here before, but they were 6 cents a gallon higher, so Wal-Mart was my first choice.

Once we were done, we got hitched up and were back on the road a few minutes after 9 am, right on schedule.

One thing that slows this trip down is that you’re pretty much just putt-putting along on mostly two-lane, stop-and-go roads for the first 60 miles until you finally get on I-65. Then we just stayed on 65 until we got off at the RV park exit, 307 miles later.

We started running into some rain just south of Montgomery, mostly just light drizzle interspersed with only a few minutes of heavy rain. Then it was alternating rain and sunshine all the way to Athens.

We got into the Northgate RV Travelpark about 3:45 pm, said Hi to my cousin Wes, and then got parked and partially set up, just plugging in shore power for now. Since we’d only had a breakfast sandwich before we left, and then just peanut butter crackers along the way for lunch, we wanted to get an early dinner.

So about 4:15, we headed out to Catfish Cabin, our usual first-night dinner spot here.

I guess it’s strange that we come 400 miles from the Gulf Coast and then have more seafood, but Catfish Cabin does it great, getting in fresh seafood daily. And they do a really great job with the basket of homemade hushpuppies they bring out when you sit down.

Jan usually gets the Cabin Platter with a whole catfish, shrimp, oysters, and a baked potato,

while I got the Combination Platter with catfish fillets, oysters, fried shrimp, boiled shrimp, and a stuffed crab.

Getting back to the rig, I finished hooking everything up and got the satellite set up and working.

Tomorrow we’ll start trying to get together with everyone. Looking forward to it.

August 9, 2017

Saturday at the Earliest, Monday at the Latest…

Which, for us, means we’ll probably plan on picking up the rig on Tuesday. Don’t know where that leaves Sunday.

I heard from Gary, the Big Wheel service rep, this afternoon, and he said the new fan motor should be here tomorrow or Friday. They’ve already got the old one out and confirmed what I thought. Not only is the motor leaking, but the top hose coming into it had been rubbing against the top of the motor mounting bracket and was actually starting to weep fluid a little.

So he’s already got a new hose made and ready to install when the motor goes in. In addition, he’s reworked the U-joints on the driveshaft due to excessive wear.

And he’s going to pressure wash the underneath and rear of the rig, which are pretty much covered in hydraulic fluid.

What a deal! Now I just have to wait and see how much all this is going to cost me.

Either way, we’ll pick up the rig on Tuesday, and make the 95-mile trip to Poche’s RV Park in Breaux Bridge to spend the night, using that as a test drive so we don’t get too far away in case of a problem. Then Wednesday, we’ll come on into the Lake Conroe TT.

But due to the shortened time schedule, we’ll only be there until Sunday, when we’ll move back over to Colorado River TT. Then we’ll be back on our normal two-week schedule.

This morning, Jan and I drove down to Webster to do some computer work for an old client who apparently wants me back. But we’ll see.

While we were down there, Jan and I had lunch at our favorite King Food. Hot & Sour Soup, Hot & Spicy Garlic Chicken with Jalapenos, XXXXXXXX spicy. YUM!

Tomorrow I’m going to make another trip back down there for some more work, but unfortunately won’t have time for King Food, especially with Jan staying at Brandi’s this time.

August 9, 2018

The Last Time . . .

At least I hope it is.

Today was another ‘errand/chore’ day, and luckily for me, it’s also my last full day of being Janless for a while.

Tomorrow afternoon, after work, I’ll drive up to Katy to pick her up from her Landon-sitting duties and then bring her home after we all have dinner together. It’s a good thing because both the cat and I are lonely.

Once I was up and had some coffee in me, I went outside to caulk some spots on the rig’s passenger-side windshield. It had separated slightly at the top, and rain would leak in.

This has been a problem ever since our blow-out in May 2015. The ironic thing, though, is that the windshield wasn’t damaged during the blow-out, but during the repair process.

They used one of these 10-ton lift jacks to pick up the front of the rig about 4 feet off the ground so that they could remove and replace the damaged 150-gallon diesel tank.

And as they were letting it back down, the passenger side windshield cracked. They replaced it a couple of days later, but it’s never been quite right since then.

In fact, I suspect that by lifting the rig like this, it may have torqued the frame because the glass has never quite seated right since then. In fact, I even checked the part number of the new windshield to be sure it was the right one.

I’ve had a couple of glass places look at it, and they all say it’s in no danger of falling out, so now I just want to stop the leaks once and for all.

Someone had recommended this Great Stuff Multipurpose Black Sealant. It’s very sticky, stays flexible, and resists UV rays.

So I thought I’d give it a try. Since the stuff expands about 50%, I just sprayed a line of it on top of the gap, and then once it expanded, I used a popsicle stick like a spatula to spread it into the opening and smooth it over. I’ll come back later when I know it’s good and dry and use a razor blade to level off any bumps or protrusions. But I guess I’ll have to wait for the next rain to see how it works.
Or there’s always the hose. We’ll see.

About noon, I headed up toward the house to try once again to move some stuff from the house down to the new storage unit in Dickinson. My previous attempt was foiled by a rainstorm, but today looked to be clear. But looking over the stuff the other day, I saw it would be easier to move all this stuff if I had a hand truck. And after finding out that I could buy a hand truck cheaper than I could rent one for just 4 hours, I decided to stop by Harbor Freight was in order.

Yeah, like I need an excuse.

And besides a nice 700# capacity hand truck for $38, I also found a cut-off tool on sale for $26.

I’ve had a couple of rusted bolts on the rig that I want to cut off, so I grabbed this too.

Finally getting to the house, I loaded up the truck and headed back down to the storage unit and dropped the stuff off.

Only about 10 more loads to go.

I did a couple of things today that I hope I’ve done for the very last time. I paid the power bill for the house and told the yard guy to mow it one more time.

For the last time, I hope.

See You Soon, Sweetie!

August 9, 2020

Geniac and Fortran . . .

I mentioned before that in trying to find the problem with our rig’s taillights, brake lights, and turn signals, I’m working with two different sets of schematics, one set from Spartan, the chassis manufacturer, and another set from American/Fleetwood, the coach manufacturer. And not only don’t they always agree, but sometimes they’re just plain wrong. For instance, this one.

Now I’ve only been doing electronics and computers since I was 10, but I don’t think the circuit outlined in red is ever going to work. I mean, you’re going to need a power source in there somewhere between the two grounds. And this is not the only mistake I’ve found.

And, yes, I was fooling with computers in 1958 when I was 10. But a lot different from what you think about today. My computer looked like this.

It was a Geniac analog computer that you could program and make sounds, add numbers together, play games, etc.

My parents got it for me for Christmas that year from an ad like this.

Here’s some more info on the Geniac computer.

And then 7 years later, I was writing programs in Fortran on an IBM 360 computer at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN.

Doesn’t really seem that long ago.

August 9, 2021

A Big Day . . .

We were outside again this morning, enjoying the coolish weather and the bunch of new hibiscus blossoms that showed up this morning.

However, it seems kind of inconsiderate that all the blooms didn’t bloom on the same side, so I could get them all in the photo. But I did get this close-up.

We’ve got a big day tomorrow.

We’re meeting Brandi, Landon, and his BFF Sophie first at the famed Cleburne Cafeteria for lunch at 11. Then it’s on right down the road to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, first for their special Pompeii exhibit.

It starts with a 15-minute 4D movie, and then you move into the exhibit itself with hundreds of actual artifacts from excavations at Pompeii.

And of course, dinosaurs.

Just the thing for a pair of almost-11-year-olds.

August 9, 2022

5229 . . .

I had my last Physical Therapy session today, at least for a while.

The last 3 sessions have just consisted of Jennifer, the tech, watching me do the same series of exercises I’m doing at home, with no new ones added. And it costs me $20 a session for this.

So I’m going to take a break for a month or so and just work on my own. And save the $80 a month.

Finishing up a little before 2 pm, I just went right next door to have lunch at King Food once again.

Yeah, I know we were just there this past Sunday, but it’s that good, OK?

Gas prices have been all over the place recently, but mostly trending lower. This past weekend, the Buc-ee’s and the Sam’s Club, just south of us in La Marque, both had regular for $3.03

Yes, $3.03!

Then yesterday it was up a little to $3.08. But today, while Sam’s still has it for $3.08, Buc-ee’s has jumped to $3.21.

While up in Webster, Sam’s and Costco are both locked in at $3.29.

So where it goes from here is unknown. But hopefully down.

Jan and her new Chromebook are both doing fine up at Brandi’s. Jan was able to get it connected to their WiFi and is really enjoying it.

A couple of days ago, I ordered Jan a set of Wireless Bluetooth Headphones like these to use with her Chromebook.

Not only are they wireless, but they can also be used wired.

I also noticed that they had both an FM radio and an MP3 music player built in, but didn’t pay much attention to it.

And when I tried them out, I really liked them. They connected very easily to both my phone and my desktop with no problem.

And then I noticed the Micro SD Card slot and discovered that it was for the MP3 player. So, grabbing a 32GB SD card, I copied a couple of songs over to it and gave it a try. And it worked great, cycling through the songs and then starting back over.

So, pulling the card back out, I plugged it into my desktop and began copying our entire music library over to it.

All 5229 songs, totaling a little over 24.5 GB. Yes, GB’s.

That’s every LP record we’ve ever bought, every DVD, and all songs that we bought and downloaded directly from Amazon. All have been converted to digital MP3 format over the years.

We did have music that we bought on records, cassettes, and even 8-tracks. But we later duplicated all those on DVD.

So now we have our entire music library in one pair of headphones.

Neat!

August 9, 2023

Bring Your Own Chainsaw . . .

It seems that the Grand Central Café in Kingsland is no more.

On our family visits up to Kingsland to visit Chris and Linda, Grand Central Cafe has pretty much been our go-to place for breakfast at least once a visit. But besides the great food, its other claim to fame was that before it was moved to Kingsland, it was located up in Round Rock and was used in the filming of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 1974.

Then, toward the end of last year, a group bought the restaurant, renovated it with a chainsaw theme, and renamed it Hooper’s after Tobe Hooper, the director of the film.

The owners asked fans to donate a chainsaw for an art installation – telling them they’ll get it back in a year’s time.

Diners’ chainsaws will be stored on display at the restaurant, complete with the owner’s name and their tool’s backstory.

So bring your own. And not one of those dinky electric ones, either.

I’m heading out about 9 am tomorrow morning, on my way up to our daughter Brandi’s in Katy to pick up my Jan after her recent Landon/Doggie-Sitting gig since this past Sunday. Then we’ll be on up to The Woodlands area to meet up with our friends Debi and Ed at the Twin Peaks up there.

Then on Friday night, we’ve got the Alvin Opry once again, with dinner beforehand at the local Monterey’s.

Did You Know?

The very first text message was sent on December 3, 1992.

It was “Merry Christmas.”

August 9, 2024

One-Upmanship. . .

A couple of days ago, I posted this photo comparing SpaceX’s new Raptor 3 engine with the previous ones,

noting the large reduction in the complexity of the latest version.

However, Tory Bruno, CEO of ULA (United Launch Alliance), SpaceX’s biggest competitor, made this passive-aggressive put-down about the new Raptor 3 engine.

Elon posted, “LOL’ and then posted this from Gwynne Shotwell, the SpaceX CEO.

It shows the Raptor 3 engine on a test stand firing its little heart out with no controllers, fluid management, or TVC.

That’s One-Upmanship, and shows why SpaceX has left everyone else behind.

Apparently there’s a big internal battle going on between NASA and Boeing, and in some cases, between Boeing and Boeing.

Boeing Not Happy With NASA Plan to Return Stranded Astronauts on SpaceX Craft

NASA is still hemming and hawing over how to return its two astronauts currently stranded on board the International Space Station.

Rumors continue to swirl that the space agency is considering making room for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on board a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, which is now scheduled to arrive at the station in late September.

As an alternative, Boeing wants to keep the two astronauts up there until sometime next February.

And as the Wall Street Journal reports, that potential plan has enraged Boeing officials as tensions continue to grow – and time is running out.

According to the WSJ, a review of Starliner’s readiness for its return flight was postponed, suggesting not everybody at NASA is convinced that it’s safe to fly.

In short, the agency is stuck between a rock and a hard place. It’ll need to either risk Williams and Wilmore’s lives by sending them back on board Boeing’s leaking Starliner, or undercut its multi-billion dollar contract with Boeing by opting for a ride from SpaceX instead – an admission that NASA’s over-budget and much-delayed alternative to SpaceX’s Dragon still isn’t ready.

August 9, 2025

Leave It To Jan . . .

Recapping yesterday –

Our Friday evening started about 6 pm with dinner at the Monterey’s Mexican in Alvin.

And as is usual, we both got our favorites.

Jan’s was the Pollo Feliz, with a Grilled Chicken Breast on a bed of Grilled Onions, Mushrooms, Spinach, and covered in Melted Cheese, along with Rice and Charro Beans.

And, of course, I always get a big bowl of the Chicken Tortilla Soup.

Their Tortilla Soup is the Tortilla Soup against which all other Tortilla Soups are compared and come up short.

Then it was on over to the Alvin Opry House for this month’s show.

This young man is Tommy G, and it’s our first time seeing him.

He’s 13, has a really good voice, and really knows how to work the stage.

Next up was one of the reasons we came tonight, a brother-sister duo that we first saw here at the Opry last year.

Maddie & Colton

She’s 16, and he’s 14, and they’re really talented. They both have great voices, and he can hold his own on the guitar.

We look forward to seeing them again.

Next up was the other reason we came tonight, Rickard & Sharon Arnhart.

We have known Richard & Sharon for about 20 years, when they used to perform at the old Alvin Opry.

It’s always good to see them, and we had a good time talking over old times.

Next up was Eric Diamond, a Texas Swing singer. Really good, but somehow I failed to get a photo.

The Feature Artist for the night was Brooke Alyson.

Another first-time artist for us, she also headlines a Stevie Nicks Fleetwood Mac tribute band called Nightbird. Though tonight she was country/rock and really brought down the house.

Especially when she did Blue Bayou, and absolutely nailed the high note at the end, something that not all singers can hit.

Hope we get to see her again.

Of course, leave it to Jan to go to an opry and come home with new earrings.

Sharon Arnhart had a jewelry sales table set up, and Jan found this pair of Black Turquoise earrings that just had to come home with her.

* * * * * * *

Getting back to today, it was Denny’s, HEB, and HEB gas.

* * * * * * *

And tomorrow, we’re heading up to Brandi’s to get together with them and have Pollo Bravo chicken.

Can’t wait.