Daily Archives: August 11, 2020
All Masks, All The Time, From Now On . . .
At Least in New Mexico
CDC statistics show through August 1, there were nationwide, a total of 45 deaths of children 14 years old and younger.
With 60.7 million children in this population demographic, the odds of dying from COVID calculate to about 1 in 1.35 million, well outside the top ten causes of death for this age group.
Conversely, during the past four years, over 100 children younger than five years old annually died of seasonal flu. In the 2017–18 season, influenza deaths for this age group were as high as 600; yet no schools closed.
More than halfway through 2019–2020, officially 186 have succumbed. Yet COVID has claimed only 25 lives of those less than five years old, or 14 percent of seasonal flu numbers.
The fifteen to twenty-four-year-old group remains nearly as bulletproof with a loss of around 225 people on a 42 million population base.
The CDC also discloses that in only six percent of all coronavirus deaths, “COVID was the only cause” mentioned.
For the other ninety-four percent, “there were 2.6 additional conditions or causes per death.”
New Mexico Governor Announces She Will Keep COVID-19 Practices in Place Even After Pandemic
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham is saying she’s going to keep the COVID practices in place even after a vaccine is available.
Grisham says, “Let’s hold these behaviors beyond the vaccine, because these are good public health behaviors that will prevent the spread of influenza, that will prevent the spread of colds… we should start thinking about this as the right public health path forever irrespective of COVID.”
Don’t you feel safer now. At least in New Mexico.
In 2009 we were still wandering around Massachusetts.
August 11, 2009
1759 and 99…
Today was a travel day. But first I had some maintenance work to do.
The circuit breaker on our 7.5 KW onboard diesel generator broke while we were in Williamsburg a few weeks ago, so I had to order a new one.
And it was waiting for me when we got to Joan’s this week.
And what should have been a 15 minute job took about 2 hours due to the bad design of the generator case. You should not have to disassemble the entire case of a washer-sized generator just to replace a component on the control panel.
After I got the generator back together and got cleaned up, we headed out about noon for our 100 mile trip east to Foxboro, MA near Boston.
Our park is called Normandy Farms Campground, and, as the sign says, it’s been here since 1759.
Yes… 1759!
Well, not the campground, but the farm itself has been owned by the Daniels family since 1759. The 7th, 8th, and 9th generations are now running the place.
The campground had been here for about 35 years
After getting everything set up, we headed out to get a bite to eat.
We had seen a new-to-us restaurant chain here in the East called 99 Restaurants and decided to give it a try.
And a good choice it was.
Jan had one of her favorites, Turkey and Dressing, and I had a Pecan-Crusted Chicken Salad. This place is now on our favorites list.
And they have their own version of chips and dip up here. When you sit down they bring out a big basket of popcorn. No dip, just popcorn.
After we got home, I got the satellite antenna set up. Due to tall trees, the last two parks we’ve been in have been ‘satellite-less’, so it’s good to have it back.
Tomorrow we head into Boston to see the sights.
Thought For The Day:
When you’re a child you make funny faces at the mirror. In middle age the mirror gets even.
In 2011 we were in Vandalia, IL for a big family reunion with Jan’s sister Debbie and her family.
August 11, 2011
Landon’s Heerrreee!
All Landon, All The Time.
Landon getting to know his 1st Cousin Once Removed, Christina, who will probably be called just Cousin Christina.
Resting up, sitting in Daddy’s lap.
Landon standing on his own.
“Cake Face”
It’s Mac N Cheese Time.
Landon discovers he really, really likes Yoo Hoo.
Landon with 1st Cousins, Once Removed Christina and Tana, and Aunt Debbie.
Landon with 2nd Cousin Gwen.
Landon recharging for the next round.
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Thought for the Day:
“I have not failed 10,000 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 10,000 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.” – Thomas Edison
In 2014 we were still in Gulf Shores, AL but getting ready to head back to Houston for another stint of Gate Guarding.
August 11, 2014
And the Meat DOESN”T Fall Off the Bone . . .
After our coffee, I started making a couple of phone calls. First up was the Galveston Bay RV Park to get our reservation in for this November. We’ve spent the winter there for the last six years, and see no reason to change. Except maybe for the cost.
The waterfront sites that we like, run about $525 per month plus another $100 for electric. Expensive, yes. But then we have views like this out our windshield.
The cheaper alternative would be to orbit back and forth between the Colorado River and Lake Conroe Thousand Trails parks, moving every two weeks. This would run us $240 per month, but would be a pain in the butt, and we’d be further from the kids.
So for right now it’s Galveston Bay.
My next call was to Jamie with Gate Guard Services. Jamie was our supervisor the first two years we gate guarded down in the Whitsett area. But now he’s over in the east Texas / north Texas area, and also Louisiana. So since we’ve been thinking about trying a different location this year, hooking up with Jamie was perfect.
I told him we would be available after the 25th of August, and he was pretty sure he would have something for us up in the Huntsville/Madisonville area north of Houston. It would be nice to be a little closer to civilization this year. We’ll see.
We headed out for Pensacola about 1pm for lunch and some shopping. Our first stop was a perennial favorite of ours, Sonny’s BBQ.
Jan and I go way back with Sonny’s. It was one of the first places we had dinner together when we started dating after we met down in Titusville, FL in 1967. And this one in Pensacola is a regular stop when we’re in the area.
Jan had her usual Big Deal Pulled Pork Sandwich with the BBQ Baked Beans and Homemade Mac N Cheese, while I went with my usual Pork Three Ways with BBQ Baked Beans, Corn on the Cob and two slices of Garlic Texas Toast.
The Pork Three Ways consists of Ribs, Pulled Pork, and Sliced Pork, all delicious. And the way it works out, I eat the Ribs and the sides, and then take the toast, pulled pork, and sliced pork home for later. Along with a to-go order of a side of the BBQ Beans, we’ve got another meal for both of us.
And Sonny’s Ribs are only slow-smoked, and are not pre-cooked or par-boiled first. This means they DON’T fall of the bone. And they shouldn’t. There should be some bite, some texture, to the meat.
Now that’s a meaty, tasty rib.
The other thing Sonny’s does right is their Iced Tea glasses. None of these dinky 16 oz. glasses, that after the ice is added, you get about a cup of actual tea.
No, these are big, honking 36 oz. glasses. (I checked the size on the bottom)
Leaving Sonny’s, our next stop was Artesana, a unique gift shop we’ve been visiting since before we moved to Texas from Alabama in 1978.
They have a little bit of everything, and Jan always finds something she wants. Except this time. Don’t know why, but she walked out empty-handed. Cheaper for me, though.
After a stop at Sam’s Club for some bulk stuff, we headed home via US98 through Foley, rather than the beach road like our trip over. Coming through Foley, we stopped off at Dodge’s to get gas for the truck and scope out rig access for diesel when we leave here this Friday. At $3.53 a gallon, their diesel is the cheapest around.
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Thought for the Day:
They say Laughter is the Best Medicine . . . Unless You Have Diarrhea.
August 11, 2015
Fan–Tastic . . .
About 2pm there was a knock at our door and it was the UPS guy delivering our new fan. I really love parks where they deliver right to to your door.
I had been looking for a better fan to circulate the cold air around the rig. Although our two roof AC’s are ducted together, the bedroom is always cooler than the front of the rig because it’s smaller and has less window area.
In the living room, the driver’s area is always 4 or 5 degrees hotter than just a few feet back. This is especially noticeable when we’re traveling and running both AC’s,.
So I was looking for a fan that would move the air around better, and this is what I came up with.
And boy, does it do the job. When I unpacked it and set it in the kitchen aimed for the front of the rig, it was 75 degrees at the sofa and 79 degrees at the dashboard. And 30 minutes later, it was 75 in both areas. Nice.
Surprisingly, even with all the air it moves, it’s very quiet. It measures 12” x 10” x 12”, and the output nozzle can be rotated from straight up to straight down. I think it’s going to make a big difference in keeping the rig more comfortable.
A little after 4pm Jan and I headed out to have dinner at King Neptune’s Seafood, another of our long-time favorites here in Gulf Shores. We’ve eaten here for years and always enjoyed it.
Until tonight.
Neptune’s has always been a place for good seafood, moderate prices, and great lunch specials. In fact at lunchtime you generally find more locals than tourists. But looking over the menu, the first thing we noticed was the big jump in prices since last year. Your first thought might be, well, prices are up everywhere. But, no.
For example, I had the Blackened Shrimp Po-Boy last night at Tacky Jack’s.
It was delicious, and only $11.
Tonight at Neptune’s I had the Shrimp and Oyster Po-Boy. It was not as flavorful, not as good, it was smaller, and it was $19.
Well, maybe the price difference was because I had both Shrimp and Oysters tonight. But no, their basic Shrimp Po-Boy is also $19.
Note the size difference too.
Next, compare the Fried Seafood Platter we had at DeSoto’s Seafood Kitchen our first night here.
It was $20, came with Flounder, Shrimp, Oysters, Crab Claws, and two sides, and was really good.
Neptune’s version comes with Flounder, Shrimp, and Oysters, and just Fries. And it’s $30.
For her meal, Jan got a mini Platter with just Catfish and Shrimp. The Mac N Cheese shown was a $3 extra order.
And it cost the same $20 as DeSoto’s for about 1/2 as much food. And Jan said it wasn’t near as good, either.
The one good part of the meal was the dozen raw oysters we ordered as an appetizer.
Paradoxically, at $10 a dozen, Neptune’s cost was less than any other place we’ve been.
Maybe that’s why everything else is so high?
Tomorrow will be our last full day here in Gulf Shores, and the week sure went quickly. Too quickly, really. Thursday we’ll leave for Houston and the Colorado River Thousand Trails with a one night stop in Breaux Bridge on the way.
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Thought for the Day:
“Unfortunately, in a very short period of time, these will be the good old days.”
