Daily Archives: October 5, 2020
Another Year, Another Sweet Spot . . .
If you haven’t already figured it out from Facebook or elsewhere, today is my birthday, my mumble-mumble birthday. And as I mentioned in our 53rd Anniversary blog last week, it’s also the beginning of our yearly Sweet Spot.
The Sweet Spot is the 20 days a year when Jan and I are the same age. As I mentioned in that blog, Jan didn’t know she was almost a year older than me until we were at the courthouse getting our marriage license.
I had thought that she might be older than me, because I was ahead in school because I skipped the 1st grade and started directly in the 2nd. And I knew Jan was behind a grade due to a bad car accident when she was 7. Bad enough that she lost a grade and even had to learn to walk again.
But I learned at a young age that you never ask a woman how old she is.
Since we had just done the Saltgrass Steakhouse thing last week for our Anniversary, we just did Spring Creek BBQ tonight for mine. But it was delicious just the same.
We both got the Baby Back Ribs with Beans and Beans. Our favorite.
But for Jan’s birthday in 20 days, we’ll probably be back at Saltgrass.
Following up on my Amazon Fire TV Stick blog yesterday. this is what the Home Screen looks like.
The blocks along the bottom half are apps where we stream various show. But the most important one is probably YouTube TV.
This is where we watch the regular TV networks and shows, and also DVR them, just like our old DirecTV service. Except it has unlimited DVR recordings, and at $75 per month, it’s less than half the cost of DTV.
As I said yesterday we’ll probably cancel our DTV subscription at the end of the year when the suspension is up.
October 5, 2010
Landon and a Big Green Frog . . .
Once again the morning started out with coffee and sitting around the coach just enjoying our life together.
Brandi sent over some pictures of Landon and a big green fuzzy frog we bought for him on the way to San Antonio last week.
I don’t think he’s too sure about it. I mean it’s about as big as he is.
We also got to watch several Dr. Who’s on BBCA that we hadn’t seen before, so that was a real treat. We’re both big Dr. Who fans.
We left the coach about 2:30 pm for some errands, stopping at Target, Sam’s Club, and Wal-Mart. Then I dropped by a client’s office to work on a problem he’s having. Still didn’t get it fixed, but I think I know what’s wrong now. I’ll go back tomorrow to try and finish up.
Jan’s always good about patiently waiting in the car on these calls, and I really appreciate it.
We were supposed to meet Lowell, Brandi, Landon, and Lowell’s sister, Sherry, who’s down from Oklahoma for a short visit.
But since we had some time to kill, we stopped off at Starbuck’s for a Pumpkin Spice Latte for Jan and a Cinnamon Dolce Latte for me. Jan’s always glad when Fall rolls around so everyone has their pumpkin stuff available. She really likes pumpkin.
After making a quick stop at the bank we headed over to Floyd’s Cajun Seafood to meet everyone for dinner.
It was good to see Lowell’s sister, Sherry again. We first met her at Brandi’s wedding back in June, and we always enjoy her posts on Facebook.
Finally I want to give a big congratulations to my great-niece Stahlie Calvin on being accepted as a finalist in the Documentary category at the San Antonio Christian Film Festival. She is one of 15 finalists out of 250 entries in the category. Her entry, “Peaceful Betrayal” is about the history of gun control around the world, and its real effect on people. An earlier film of hers, “Legends of the Lost Gold”, won the youth category in the Athens Shorts Film Festival in October 2009.
Stahlie, along with her sister Darby, and brothers, Luke and Harland, are home-schooled by their mother on the family farm in Athens, Alabama. Stahlie does her videos using both a Canon HD video camera and a Canon HD still camera.
Once again, congratulations to a beautiful, talented young lady.
LEGAL DISBLAMER
Void where prohibited by law. Your mileage may vary. Not valid in all locations. Tax, Title, License, Dealer Preparation not included. It wasn’t me, it was the other guy; I just look like him. I am not a lawyer, I don’t even play one on TV. You must be at least this tall
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to read the story. NO REFUNDS. Not responsible for items lost or stolen. Alternate side parking. Do not feed the animals. Construction area. Restricted area – Authorized Persons Only. No warranty expressed or implied. All employees must wash hands before returning to work. Dealer participation may vary. Double coupons on Wednesday. Allow 6-8 weeks for delivery.
Having A Great Time At Smith’s Campground in Loudonville, OH
October 5, 2011
Strawberries and Street Fairs . . .
A little while after our morning coffee, George Smith, one of the campground owners, stopped off with some of the Amish rolls and strawberry freezer jam we had last night.
For lunch, we had the leftover broasted chicken from Lost in the Fifties the other night along with some of the rolls and strawberry jam. Delicious!
The rest of the afternoon we pretty much did nothing, just goofed off. Jan read on the Kindle and napped, and I played on the computer, read, and watched kayakers float by on the Mohican River in front of our rig.
About 4:30 we all headed into Loudonville for dinner at Mohican Tavern and then a walk though the Loudonville Free Street Fair.
And after a good meal, we spent some time walking along the close-off streets of downtown Loudonville.
In these last two photos you can see more of Fall coming to Ohio.
Tomorrow our host, Amy Smith, is going to give us a guided tour of the area, and we’re really looking forward to it.
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Thought for the Day:
“Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.” — Ronald Reagan
Still Gate Guarding In East Texas
October 5, 2014
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood . . .
(Now try getting that song out of your head.)
But it was a really nice day today, about 82°, sunny, a few clouds, and low humidity.
And it got off to a really great start too. Jan came out to relieve me this morning at a little before 6am, rather than the normal 7am.
An extra hour of sleep this morning. A very nice birthday present, indeed.
Our gate traffic picked up today with 117 vehicles coming through the gate, with most of the increase being big trucks coming and going, hauling out parts of the rig in back that’s starting to tear down and move on down the road. But I haven’t heard where yet.
Two Sheriff’s Deputies came by the gate today. The first was looking for kids on 4 wheelers, but he didn’t say why. I told him the only 4 wheeler we had seen was the landowner’s, and that was about a week ago.
The second came by about 6:30 pm after I had gone to bed. He said folks up the road had complained about the trucks driving too fast on the road.
What can I say? We tell’em it’s 15 mph on our side of the gate, and 10 mph leaving our gate. The 10 mph is because of the families and kids that live along the road heading out. And coming in, for that matter.
They’ve learned that we’ll (especially Jan) will yell at ‘em if they go past us too fast, so they creep past us until they’re about 25 yards away and out of sight due to the trees, and then you can hear them speed up.
Well, all we can do is tell them to go slow. Maybe the Sheriff’s deputies can make it hurt a little in their pockets.
It always seems to be boom or bust as far as the dusty roads go. Either the water truck guys water the roads down so many times during the day that everything is just muddy, or like the last couple of days they don’t show up at all. Which means that the dust is everywhere when any vehicle comes by. So maybe tomorrow.
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Thought for the Day:
“It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself.” – Thomas Jefferson
More Gate Guarding in East Texas
October 5, 2015
Dang It!
Well, I had planned to let this one slip by this year, but with Jan spilling the beans on Facebook, the word leaked out.
So I want to thank everyone for the many birthday wishes. They’re much appreciated. It’s really amazing how many friends you can accumulate over the years in the RV world.
We still don’t have any word about whether or not we’re moving to the new frack site right up the road. But now that I know where it is, I drove up there about 12:30 to scout things out for possible parking spots for the rig if we do move. I’d rather have a spot picked out and not need it, than to have to find one on the fly if we’re told to move at the last minute.
I first drove all the way down to the pad and found a couple of crews hard at work installing the two ‘frack stacks’ that came in early this morning.
The delivery guy showed up at our gate because he was lost, so I had to get him turned around and headed back to the right place. So I guess he made it.
After checking out the pad, I drove back out, checking out possible parking sites for us on the way.
I found three locations, all of which had pluses and minuses, but if I had to pick one today, it would be this one.
It’s shaded, fairly level, and the ground seems pretty firm. It’s also at kind of a high point, so water (rain) should drain off OK. The only real downside is the fact that it’s on the right side of the road instead of the left, which means that we’re not on the driver’s side as they come in. But all three possible sites are that way, and we’ve had gates that way in the past, so it’s really not that much of a problem.
Heading back to the rig, I saw where they had run the big water hose along the power line right-of-way from the frack pond next to us up to the new pad.
As far as our frack here, we’ve heard Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday to finish up. Personally we like Thursday, or a week from Thursday. Or even a Thursday near the end of November when we want to head back to Houston anyway.
We’ll see how it goes.
Later in the afternoon I started filling up our water tank from the well next to us. This well is what keeps the frack pond topped off, but they must be sucking up all the pressure, because at the faucet, I’ve only got about 20 psi. So it takes several hours to fill our 500 gallon tank, but it’s worth it because it’s really good water, very soft, with a good taste. And I know that Todd, our GGS service guy, is happy to only have to bring us diesel every two weeks, and not water too.
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Thought for the Day:
At The Conroe Texas Thousand Trails
October 5, 2017
The Sweet Spot . . .
First off, I want to thank everyone for their many kind birthday wishes. I was trying to fly under the radar this year, but my beautiful wife went on Facebook and announced it to the world.
Thanks a lot, Jan.
Jan’s always happy when my birthday comes around for another reason. We’re now in that 20 day sweet spot period every year where Jan and I are the same age. So I can no longer accuse her of robbing the cradle. But just wait until Oct. 25th comes along.
I’m one of those people who think that the best way to get what you want for your birthday is to buy it for yourself. I don’t normally buy T-Shirts with pictures or patterns on them but I just had to get this one for my birthday.
You can get yours here: You’re Now Leaving New Mexico T-Shirt
About 4:45 we headed out for dinner at Asian Grill, a favorite of ours, and where we haven’t eaten since last year. We were going to eat here back in August but forgot that they don’t open for dinner until 5pm.
We started out with an order of their delicious Shrimp Spring Rolls, made to order, as well as their homemade peanut sauce.
Really good and fresh. You can always tell when they’re not fresh, because the wrapper gets tough and chewy.
Next up was a couple of their Vermicelli Bowls. Jan got hers with Grilled Chicken and Shrimp, and I got mine with Grilled Pork and Shrimp.
We sauced it with Sriracha, Hoisin, and Dragon Sauces, and wall as the last of the peanut sauce. Jan and I both thought that the Dragon Sauce wasn’t as hot as in the past, so I warmed mine up a little more with a few shakes of my Volcanic Pepper Flakes.
All really, really good.
The Word of the Day is: Ensconce
Thought for the Day:
The only thing worse than an intermittent problem, is an intermittent, intermittent problem. – Bill Lear
Back In My Old Hometown of Gulf Shores, AL
October 5, 2018
Jan Spilled The Beans . . .
So I want to thank everyone for the many Birthday Wishes I received, from the blog, email, and Facebook. It does somewhat cushion the realization.
And besides being my birthday, Jan enjoys it for another reason. She calls it her Sweet Spot. It’s twenty days a year when we’re both the same age.
Then come October 25th, she’s a cradle robber again.
We’re really enjoying our site here at the Escapees Rainbow Plantation, except for a couple of things.
The Verizon data service is kind of sucky here, and then there are the noisy acorns thunking on the rig roof day and night. Though I guess it could be worse.
We could be parked under the magnolia trees like some nearby sites, with their large, heavy seed pods the size of golf balls.
And these are heavy enough to hurt. When I was a kid we’d use them playing soldier and throw them at each other, pretending they were hand grenades. And they do hurt.
About 2pm we headed down to the Intracoastal Waterway, and another of our long-time local favorites, Lulu’s at Homeport Marina.
For those who don’t know, ‘Lulu’ is what Lucy’s brother Jimmy used to call her. And ‘Jimmy’’ of course, is famed singer Jimmy Buffett
Unlike past visits in August, when the place is jam-packed, we were seated immediately and got a table out of the deck.
And the view of the canal is pretty nice, too.
Looking over the menu,we discovered a new addition, and it’s one of our favorites – A Wedge Salad.
Delicious, but as I told Jan, it’s the the first we’ve had one that was a ‘kit’ and had to be assembled. And with about 3/4 of a head of lettuce, it was definitely the largest we’ve ever had.
And along with the Bleu Cheese Crumbles, the chunky Bleu Cheese dressing made this probably the best Wedge Salad we’ve ever had.
Jan got her favorite Grilled Shrimp Tacos
while I got my usual Shrimp and Oyster PoBoy.
One thing about Gulf Shores seafood is that you know it’s all going to be fresh, fresh, fresh. The texture is a dead giveaway.
And of course for dessert, we had to split an order of their famous Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding.
The perfect finish to our meal.
Finishing up, I recently sent out a Change of Address postcard to the folks on our Christmas Card list. It looked like this.
Our first new address in almost 30 years. A big change.
Tomorrow we’re going down to the beach and do some shopping and then have dinner at De Soto’s Seafood Kitchen, another of our local favorites.
Thought for the Day:
As I always tell Jan, if I say something that can be taken two different ways, and one of them makes her mad, I meant the other one. Unfortunately for me she doesn’t always do it this way.
October 5, 2019
Thanks To Everyone !!
First off I want to thank everyone for the many Happy Birthday wishes. It almost makes up for the fact that I’m a year older.
And for the record, that ‘year older’ leaves me at 71.
And it also leaves Jan and I in our yearly ‘sweet spot’. At least that’s what Jan calls it. This starts the 20 day period where we’re the same age. Then on October 25th, Jan’s birthday, she’s back to being a ‘cradle robber’, and I’ve got my own personal ‘Cougar’ back.
I spent most of the day trying to make sense of this HP laptop that I’m trying to upgrade for a client/friend. It came with a 256GB SSD and she’s running out of room, so I was going to put in a 1TB one.
So after checking online I ordered a new WD 1TB SSD because that’s what the manual said it used. But when the drive came in and I finally got the laptop case open, which like most of these, is more of a Chinese puzzle than anything else, I found something I didn’t recognize.
The SATA drive bay was empty, and the SSD located under the battery looks like nothing I’ve ever seen. It’s not SATA, M.2, or NVMe, the 3 types of SSD drives. So the only thing I figure it’s some kind of proprietary drive that’s HP only. But it looks like I can buy a new cable and mount to let me use the SATA drive that I’ve already purchased. So right now I’m waiting on a price quote on those items.
About 4pm Jan and I headed up to Webster to have my Birthday dinner at that Saltgrass, rather than the Kemah Boardwalk one from last Saturday’s Anniversary dinner. And we went to this one for two reasons.
It’s closer, and it’s cheaper. I noticed last weekend that pretty much every steak on the menu at the Kemah location was $2 more that the same steak at the Webster one.
Good enough for me.
We both got our usual Wedge Salads, along with Jan’s 9oz. Center-Cut Filet and my 16oz. Ribeye. All just as delicious as usual, and $4 cheaper.
Then after a quick Costco stop we got home about 6:30 after a very nice day.
And once again, thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes.
Thought For The Day:
Global Warming: Britain Braces for ‘Coldest Winter in 30 Years’
WHO: 10% of world’s people may have been infected with virus
Low-dose hydroxychloroquine therapy and mortality in hospitalised patients with COVID-19: a nationwide observational study of 8075 participants
Use of Hydroxychloroquine in hospitalised COVID-19 patients is associated with reduced mortality: Findings from the observational multicentre Italian CORIST study
Sweden’s Coronavirus success: How nation went OWN WAY to ‘lead fight against Covid-19’; There’s been a price now but it could be worth paying for the future
(Be kind to each other, unless the other guy is a dumbass.)
