Our RV Adventures

Jan and I were back walking this morning, since she was feeling back to normal after her migraine travails. And even though we’d been sidelined for a couple of days, we did bump our distance up to 1.52 miles.

By adding a couple of loops and swirls along the way, that gave us the additional distance without really modifying our basic route. We’ll probably  hold at this distance until we’re back at Lake Conroe after next Sunday.

Since we didn’t bump into anyone we knew, we were able to keep a good, steady pace at 27:38 min/mile. Not bad for old folks.

We did however split up the walk like we did the other day, by doing the top loop, about a mile, and then stopping for our coffee and breakfast bread. Then about 30 minutes later we completed the bottom loop. It was a perfect day for the walk, with a partly sunny sky and 50°, and couldn’t be much better.

Jan and I headed up to La Grange about 3:30 this afternoon, planning on having a light dinner at Sonic, and then a trip to Wal-Mart.. But as we came up SR71, we were lured by the siren call of the local Whataburger. It was almost like the truck was steering itself. And we just ate the Columbus Whataburger a few days ago.

But while last visit we stayed with our  tried-and-true burgers, this time we went off in a different direction. Jan had been wanting to try their Buffalo Ranch Chicken Strip Sandwich.

When she was almost done, I ask her how it was, and she said, “Good.” So I then ask, “Just Good, or Have Again Good?” She took another bite and said, “Have Again Good.” So there you have it, Jan’s Seal of Approval.

For my part I went with an repeat meal for me. one that I last had on the gate, their Apple and Cranberry Salad.

Topped with their really good, spicy Honey-Pepper Vinaigrette, it was a great meal. Of course I also had a large order of fries with it, just to be sure I was eating a well-balanced meal.

And with our last visit to the Whataburger in Columbus, there was absolutely no problem with my order. So beware of the Carthage Whataburger, I guess. Or just get it plain.

When I talked about the Bath & Body Works Touch Free SmartSoap Automatic Hand Soap Dispenser a few days ago,

Several blog readers mentioned that they had refilled different models of these soap dispensers, but I’m not sure how it would work with these cartridges.

There is a small hole, but you’d probably have to use a hypodermic or something like it, to put soap back in the cartridge.

Another reader mentioned that he had pried the lid off and refilled it that way, but I’m not sure how that would work. Right now it looks like that prying the lid off would break it.  So I’ll wait to see about doing that after the cartridge is empty.

One thing I did notice is that, although these soap cartridges are being sold online for about $15, according to the barcode price label, the retail cost is only $8.00. So that makes it not quite so important, at least to my bank account.

And besides, hacking the circuit would be a large part of the fun. I mentioned that I was going to try to modify the mechanism so that it doesn’t  put out as much soap. Since I figure that it might difficult to change the amount of time that  soap is pumped out, I going to see if I change the circuit so that it only runs when my  hand is in front of the sensor.

But I’ll have to wait until the first cartridge is empty before I explore further.

Thought for the Day

Bad Choices make Good Stories.
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or, How High Will It Go!

Well, as I said in last night’s blog, I decided to wait until next week to win the PowerBall, knowing would be over $1 Billion, and now it is.

They’re saying $1.3 Billion, but I suspect by next Wednesday it will be higher.

In case you didn’t follow yesterday’s blog link called Lucky You, you should. Even if you figure you’ll never win the lottery, it’s a very interesting read. And some of the things he suggests you do are kind of radical, but he gives good reasons for them.

The two most unusual ones are to legally change you name, and completely change your appearance – before you pick up your money.

Apparently it’s pretty quick and easy to change your name in most states. In fact you can even fill out the forms yourself and turn them in at the courthouse, and in 60-90 days you’re a new person. Then after a professional extreme makeover, you’re ready to go and pick up your money.

To show the change a professional makeover can make, here’s an example.

For my part, when I win I figured I’d go completely anonymous with some off-the-wall name like . . . I don’t know . . .  maybe . . . Nick Russell.

And as far as the makeover, I wonder if they can make me look like this.

I know it would be a really radical makeover, and obviously very expensive, but for $1.3 Billion, I guess it would be worth it to hide my identify so completely.

In yesterday’s blog when I was talking about EZ Tags, a blog reader reminded me that I didn’t tell you where to get your tag.
There are six locations around the city, all right along different toll roads.

EZ Tag locations

I really like the way Houston handles their tags. Other states are more expensive and not so convenient, especially ones the north and northeast.

We’ve spent a lot of time in Elkhart, IN, and would regularly drive over to the nearest big city, Mishawaka, a suburb of South Bend. And the quickest way to get there from Elkhart is to take I-80, which is also a toll road. So to make it more convenient for our traveling back and forth, I looked into getting a toll pass there.

But, first off, the tag itself costs about $15.00, and then there was a $1 a month fee whether you use the tag or not. We had hoped to get one and just use every year or so when we’re in the area. But the $1 a month fee would eat up any money left in the account, unlike our EZ Tag in Houston which we only use for a few months year with no monthly charges.

Recently I finally got around to updating and posting an About Us page here on the blog, so you can find out more about Jan and I, where we came from, and how we got here. You can find it on the menu at the top of the page, or use the link above. Check it out.

Jan was still under the weather from her migraine this morning, so we didn’t walk today either. It also didn’t help that it was 46° and windy outside. Maybe tomorrow, so we’ll see.

By the afternoon however, she was feeling a little better, so about 1:15 we decided to head into Columbus to try out the Sunday lunch buffet. I guess it says something that at 1:30, the parking lot was still full, but we did get seated immediately, and then headed over to  the very long buffet table.

We had previously only had breakfast at Schobel’s and always enjoyed it a lot, but this was our first time for lunch. And it turned out to be a really good choice. I know we’ve had friends say that they didn’t like Schobel’s, but our experience has been very different.

Everything was delicious, from the homemade salad dressing and croutons, to the many fresh vegetables. And the meats, ham, sausage, fried chicken and roast beef, were just as good. We’ll certainly go back for the buffet again.

Coming home, we stopped off at Brookshire Bros. for a few things, and while we were there I checked my four PowerBall tickets to see if I had one anything. And I did.

I won on 3 of my 4 tickets, with a $2 win, a $4 win, and a $12 win, for a total of  $18, which means I got back most of my $20 that I paid for the tickets.

So now I’m all set for my big win on Wednesday.

Let’s see, where did I leave that name-change paperwork?

Thought for the Day:

“I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long letter instead.” – Mark Twain

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