Jan Wouldn’t Let Me . . .
Be sure and check out our 2017 blog on this day a little further down, about the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert.
I was on my way up to the Westpark area about 10:15 to retrieve Jan, drop off my latest repair project, and pick up another one.
When Lowell passed it on to me after our Sunday lunch at Floyd’s, it looked like this.
It’s an Idylis HEPA Air Filter, a pretty expensive one even when it was bought back in 2014. So when it got knocked over recently and died, it was worth me taking a look at it to see if I could bring it back to life.
And a few minutes after I got it back home, it looked like this.
Of course this was after I had plugged it in and confirmed that, yes it was dead.
One thing I noticed was that, I guess since it’s pretty expensive, it’s actually made to be serviced. Or at least they have a ‘Wiring Schematic’ on the base.
Of course it’s more of a block diagram, but hey, it’s something.
Looking it over, the first thing I noticed is a micro-switch, that from the size of the wiring, is routing 120VAC power, and was a perfect candidate to cause this problem. Especially after the unit was knocked over.
So as a quick test, I plugged the unit in, triggered the micro-switch with a screwdriver, pressed the power button, and with a beep, the unit came to life.
And looking more carefully at the switch it was easy to see it had been knocked out of position by the fall.
The switch is triggered by the removal of the front panel, something you have to do to changeout/clean the filters. But it also exposes the motor and the squirrel cage blower fans. So it’s a safety system.
This turned out to be one of those easy ones where it takes me longer to open the unit and then put it back together than it did to actually fix it.
And getting it all back together, plugging it in, and turning it on, gave me this.
Next up, a dead video game console.
Anyway, coming home, we made a Sam’s Club stop to pick up a prescription and then it was on to Twin Peaks again, and again it was Jan’s idea.
No, really.
And as it turns out, this week’s theme was Santa’s elves – Naughty and Nice.
And there was a whole lot of Naughty, believe me. And not much Nice. Though I guess it could be said that Nice is in the eye of the beholder.
Back few years ago, this was the Naughty outfit worn by our favorite server then, Lauren.
Who as I said before, was a Senior in Engineering at U of H.
But it was Nice compared to what many of the girls were wearing today. Which were basically thong panties and skimpy bras. Think Victoria’s Secret, but skimpier.
Maybe that explains why they were so busy on a Tuesday afternoon. Which is the idea, I guess.
Jan not only wouldn’t let me post any of today’s outfits, she wouldn’t even let me take any photos.
You know, for posterity and all.
She said she’d never seen so many cheeks, and she wasn’t talking about, well, the ones you’re usually talking about when you talk about ‘cheeks’.
So you’ll just have to use you imagination, I guess.
Sorry, guys.
December 22, 2011
An Unusual Day . . .
This was definitely a very unusual day.
For the first time in quite a few days I didn’t have to be anywhere or do anything away from the rig.
No shopping, no clients, no nothing.
Well, I did get a call from a client, but I was able to take care of his problem over the phone, so no biggie.
But I did have stuff to do around the rig. I started out by replacing several bulbs in the floor lights that we use in the rig at night, Then I started to prepare the cabinet area for the re-installation of the washer later this weekend.
I replaced the old rubber water hoses with new steel mesh ones. The old ones are almost 13 years old, and although they look to be in good condition I would hate to have to pull the washer back out in 6 months to replace a leaky hose.
Better safe than sorry.
Next I got the vacuum out and cleaned all the dryer lint out of the vent hose. There wasn’t a lot since I had cleaned it from the outside about 6 months ago. I also replaced the 16 x 20 air filter that filters the fresh air coming into the coach. It can be replaced from underneath the washer cabinet, but it’s easier to do it now.
While I was puttering, Jan was back in her cookie baking frenzy. This time it was rum balls, walnut chocolate chip cookies, almond crescents rolled in powdered sugar and pumpkin nut cookies.
Hmmmmmm!
And although not cookies, tomorrow she’ll wrap things up with her famous Sausage Balls.
More Hmmmmmm!
On another note, I ordered myself a new toy for Christmas – a new Garmin nuvi 1490LMT GPS for our toad.
We’ve used a Lowrance iWay 500c since we started RV’ing in 2008 and it’s been a real workhorse.
And it’s still working fine, but since it originally came out in late 2005, it’s no longer being updated. We haven’t had a POI update in two years, and though we got a map update this past February, it is the last one they’ll offer.
So when I got an email from Amazon last night with a great deal on this Garmin GPS – Reg. $340, now $170, with free Next Day Shipping, I bit.
The other big selling point is that all updates are free for life. Of course they don’t say whose life they’re talking about. But at least they’re free as long as they’re available, unlike the Lowrance where they were about $75.00.
The only problem I foresee is coming up with a way to transfer all my waypoints from the 500c to the new Garmin. I’ll do it manually if I have to.
I’ll let you know how I like it after I play with it for a while.
About 5pm Jan and I headed up the road to La Brisa for a quick dinner, and then a stop at Kroger’s for a few things before heading home.
After we got back, I installed the new fan motor in the washer, put the cover back on, and then checked it out by plugging it in and setting it to dry. And it works.
Sometime in the next few days I’ll stick it back in the cabinet, though I’m still not quite sure how I’ll get the vent hose connected, but I’ll figure something out.
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Thought for the Day:
Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness.
And then what do you have?
Nothing!
December 22, 2012
Jabba the Catt . . .
or, this is why keeping the dog was a bad idea!
Here’s Mister in his “Jabba the Cat” pose. He likes to sit like this in my computer desk chair. Kind of Master of All he Surveys.
Tonight Jan talked to the lady that took in the dog we found. They’ve named him Opie and said he’s doing fine. Seems like he’s found a good home.
Just as long as it’s not ours.
Brandi said Landon has become the front page poster child for the Children’s Lighthouse Childcare Center where Landon goes. You can see him here.
https://www.facebook.com/childrenslighthouse#!/clightbayarea?fref=pb
Jan and I headed about 1pm to first have lunch at the Chili’s up in Kemah before doing some errands.
Our first stop was at Fry’s Electronics looking to purchase 3 copies of Microsoft Office 2010 for a client, but all they had was the Student version which does not have Outlook which the client needs. So I’ll have to see about ordering it, or downloading it.
My next stop was right up Hwy. 3 at EPO – Electronics Parts Outlet, to find a replacement switch for a client’s computer. They had what I wanted but I found a little something extra.
A G-Maxtec 860 Quad-Copter at 40% off.
You can fly it inside or out, and it will do flips and rolls. Check out the video below.
Our next stop after EPO was Brandi and Lowell’s for a little Landon time, and also to pick up our mail. Then after a nice visit we headed over to Kroger’s to pick up some things before we met our friend’s Bob and Maria, and Connie at Coffee Oasis, a local coffee shop. We had a great time talking and drinking coffee. In fact we spent about 2 hours without even realizing it.
All in all, a nice day, well spent.
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Thought of the Day:
The NRA set off a firestorm suggesting that we put armed guards in schools.
If we can’t have armed guards in our schools, why do we have them in our Federal and State office buildings?
Why will we protect our politicians and not our children?
December 22, 2014
Batteries and Balls . . .
I woke up to the delicious smells of Jan baking Christmas cookies, candy canes and chocolate chip, so the day was off to a good start.
And coffee and a few cookies (we did have to test-eat a few), and working on a few other things, I drove into Columbus to pick up our prescriptions at Wal-Mart,, as well as a couple of other things. I stopped off at the hardware store to get a spray bottle to spray vinegar on the rig roof to help remove the drilling mud, and also three conduit rings for the case of my new transfer switch.
The case just has three 1-1/4” holes for the shore power input, generator input, and power out cables, so I need something to shield and cushion the wires.
It’s amazing how much smaller these units are now than in 1999.
After I got back from Columbus, I went next door to talk to Randy about his electrical problem. I have about come to the conclusion that this problem was almost certainly caused by whoever wired up the solar system, and possibly because he ran out of wire.
Here’s a photo of the engine battery bay.
The solar system output comes in from the upper left on the red wire which goes to the positive terminal on the engine battery. The black tape-wrapped bulge is an inline splice. The large red cable runs from engine battery positive terminal through the wall to the positive terminal of one of the house battery banks, thus tying the two systems together. So both battery sets are being charged by the solar output.
He then rewired the isolator system, so that rather than being between the engine batteries and the house batteries, the isolator is now between the two banks of the house batteries. But since the two house banks are connected together by another cable, the isolator does nothing.
The real mystery is why the power converter output was left unconnected. Did he think that it wasn’t needed anymore since the rig had solar? I don’t know.
Tomorrow Randy and I are going to disconnect the batteries and the shore power and try to get things rewired halfway right. We’ll see how it and the weather goes.
Later after supper, I changed over the hallway fluorescent fixture to LEDs. I can do the change out for little more than the cost of one new bulb, much less two. And the light is brighter and whiter.
2 ea Super Bright COB White Car LED Light 12v
It only took about 30 minutes.
First thing I just pulled the plastic cover off the fixture, exposing the bulbs.
Next just remove the bulbs and discard them.
Then just squeeze and pull the ballast cover off, exposing the wiring.
Clip away all the wires except for the two black and wires coming into the fixture from one end. Cut these two off as close to their connecting points on the ballast (the circuit board), and strip the ends. I did not remove the ballast because it was riveted on and I would have had to break it to get it out. Too much trouble, and not necessary.
Peel off the backing on the self=adhesive strip on the LED’s and mount them in the fixture. Then connect the two red wires from the LED’s to the black wire in the fixture. Now connect the two black wires from the LED’s to the white wire in the fixture. You can use wire nuts, solder, crimp, whatever floats your boat to make the connections.
Now ty-wrap the excess wire together and tuck it away as you replace the metal ballast cover strip that you removed earlier.
Put the plastic cover back on and you’re done.
Quick, easy, and cheap. Three of my favorite things.
When the time comes, I’ll see how many sets it will take to replace the four 4ft fluorescents tubes in the two living room/kitchen fixtures.
Tomorrow Jan will be wrapping presents and making her famous sausage balls for Brandi’s Christmas party Christmas afternoon. So more good smells and maybe a couple of samples.
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Thought for the Day:
In order to train a dog you must be smarter than the dog.
December 22, 2015
Livingston Bound and BBQ . . .
Jan and I were up about 8:00 and on our way to Livingston by 9:00. Dennis and Carol Hill had invited us over to their place at the Escapees park there. We had been promised one of Dennis’ smoked pork butts for lunch, so we were really looking forward to it.
Although it was sunny when we left the coach, by the time we were on FM1097 after passing through Willis, we started running into a lot of fog. And although it didn’t slow us down much, it did presage a much bigger slowdown as we came into Goodrich, TX on US59, planning on turning off on FM1988.
A couple of miles before our turnoff, traffic came to a stop, and then began inch forward. When we finally got up to our turnoff, we saw that the police had US59N blocked off and was routing all traffic onto FM1988. Which then was backed up all the way over to FM146.
All 5 miles of bumper to bumper traffic. Which took us over 30 minutes to get through. It was only after we got back to the rig that we found out what happened.
Turned Over 18 Wheeler Blocks Traffic on 59 North at FM-1988…
GOODRICH, December 22, 2015 – At around 5:15 am on December 22, 2015, an 18 wheeler hauling wood shavings was north-bound on US-59. According to the driver, a car cut in front of him causing him to suddenly brake, then causing his rig to turn over on the slick roads. Another 18 wheeler behind him swerved to avoid colliding and went into the center median and got stuck. Nobody was injured. Deputy Glen Edwards with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the scene along with Trooper Chris Cain with the Texas Highway Patrol. North-bound traffic on 59 is being rerouted to the FM-1988 overpass. Riley Wrecker Service out of Corrigan was dispatched to clean up the mess. At time of press (6:35 am) the mess is being cleaned up, and traffic is still being rerouted.
But finally we got to Dennis and Carol’s about 11am, just in time to meet up with a number of other RV’ers, and dig into a lunch of Dennis’ great BBQ. Really, really good as always.
We all had a great time talking over past and future travels, including another upcoming Alaskan trip for Dennis and Carol. Jan and I also got a tour of the Class C that they’ll be taking up north this time instead of their Winnebago Journey Class A.
We finally all wound down about 3pm and Jan and I headed home, but this time without all the traffic problems.
We both want to thank Dennis and Carol for the invitation, along with the great food, and fun. Thanks again.
Coming back into Willis about 4:30 we made a stop at the Fish Pond Restaurant to pick up the Coconut Cream Pie we had ordered the other day.
We got one for our family Thanksgiving get-together, and it was so good that we wanted another one for Christmas.
Before leaving the ‘Pond’ I called the Wal-Mart Pharmacy to see if our prescriptions were ready to pick up, but since they weren’t, we just headed back to the park for the night. Along the way we saw a lot of the tornado damage left over from last week’s storm. Roofs torn off, campers turned over, and even smashed flat, it was a close call for the restaurant with damage all around.
Getting back to the rig, I checked out my latest repair project. I was redoing the mounting of Jan’s “Oh Sh$t! Handle” that previously resided right by her chair. But over a period of time, and a lot of use, she broke it completely off.
The problem was that whatever mounting system was being used to hold the handle in place fell down in the open space between the inside metal wall and the outside metal wall, leaving only two empty openings.
That’s the inside of the outer wall in the photo below.
Back in November while we were still gate guarding, I used the toothpicks and Gorilla Glue trick to provide new mounting points for my outside lighted grab bar. You can read about it here. Chore Day.
But that won’t work here because there’s nothing really there for the toothpicks to grab on to. Just the 1/16” or so internal metal wall, and nothing else. But after thinking about it for a while, I came up with a new idea. Or at least an improvement on the toothpick idea.
Why not just use one really big toothpick, i.e. a 5/8” dowel rod.
My thought was to use Gorilla Glue to fasten the end of the dowel rod to the inside of the outside wall, and also glue it around the circumference of the rod and the inner hole.
So I glued in all together yesterday afternoon and let it sit overnight
So after we got home this evening, I was going to drill pilot holes in the dowel rods and mount the handle, only to discover that the screws I had planned to use weren’t really long enough.
So there’s probably a trip to Lowe’s in my future tomorrow, when we hopefully are able to pick up our prescriptions at Wal-Mart. And while I’m at it, I’m also going to pick up some White Oak Pickling Stain to redo all the handles.
Finishing up, I mentioned in Sunday’s blog how far forward the power pedestal is on this site, and only the fact that our rig was ordered with an extra-long power cord let me hook up at all. And here’s what I’m talking about.
As I said we may be one of the few Class A’s that can park here. So this may be our go-to site every time we’re here.
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Thought for the Day:
Those of you preparing Christmas dinner for people with a lot of different food requirements will appreciate this.
December 22, 2016
Never In The Right Place . . .
At The Right Time . . .
Today was a ‘turn-around day’ for me, getting fully adjusted to the next four days of night shift on a gate. Of course since I’m normally up until 2 or 3 in the morning anyway, it’s not a big problem, anyway.
I did stay up until after 3:30 this morning, Then got up at 11 and had coffee. Jan heated up the delicious leftover Bella Sera pizza about 12:30, and then I went back down for a nap from 1:30 to 4pm, and was on the gate by 5:15pm.
I’ve got one night here and then three nights at the Mocyzgemba Gate I’ve been at before. So we’ll see how it all goes.
Tomorrow we’ll go out about 11:30 or so to have the Chicken Fried Steak Strips/Fried Catfish Lunch Buffet at Barth’s, and also pick up our Turkey and Dressing Christmas Dinner takeout while we’re there. We have to do it on Friday because they close at 2pm and then don’t reopen until Monday morning. But turkey and dressing always taste better as leftovers anyway.
Now in other Dakota Access Pipeline news, some new info has come out in the last few days confirming one of the ‘conspiracy theories’ I talked about in The Dakota Access Pipeline – Pipeline Politics article I did a couple of weeks ago.
Here’s what I said then:
Why, out of over 50 tribes, are the Standing Rock Sioux so against the path of the pipeline when it’s not even going through their land?
Well, the thought is, because it’s not going through their land!
The Standing Rock tribe is broke. They received a $48 million settlement from the Federal Government in 2012, but spent it all. They had a $6 million deficit in their 2015 budget. So now the tribe is playing hardball.
Stay with me here. It’ll all make sense in a minute.
The pipeline took the path it did, following an already-existing pipeline, because that’s where the Corps of Engineers said it should go. It would be the least disturbance to the environment, and bypass the Indian lands completely.
But remember those 50 other tribes? Many of them got millions of dollars because the pipeline right of way went through their land. But because of the Corps of Engineers’ decision, the Standing Rock Sioux got left out. So the theory goes that when enough zeros show up on a check, suddenly they’ll be perfectly fine with the pipeline.
After all, the Standing Rock Tribal Chairman, Dave Archambault, owns a convenience store and gasoline station on the reservation and is happy to sell gas to both protesters and police alike.
Of course the more cynical among us might say that the entire problem with the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Keystone XL Pipeline will be made moot sometime during the afternoon of January 20th.
So here’s the rest of the story.
The Indians used to get paid per barrel for the oil to trucked across their land before the pipeline came along.
The pipeline was originally going to go through their land, but they wanted the same per barrel fee for oil in the pipeline that they were getting from the trucks. The oil companies offered a lesser amount and the tribe turned it down.
Note that this was the oil companies, not the pipeline construction company.
So, with the approval of the Corps of Engineers, the pipeline was routed around the Indian land. But the tribe still demanded to be paid, and were told No.
The tribe then promised to protest and stop construction, which is where we stand today.
The original pipeline still would have crossed the river at the same spot, but they were OK with it then.
Next up, an interesting article from WDAZ-TV in Grand Forks, ND. Dated back in November, and entitled What Dakota Access Pipeline protesters aren’t telling you it details the many meetings and consultations the pipeline company and the Corps of Engineers tried to have with the tribe. The article is an interesting read.
Here are some highlights, the information coming from Federal Court records.
Protesters claim that the pipeline was “fast-tracked,” denying tribal leaders the opportunity to participate in the process. In fact, project leaders participated in 559 meetings with community leaders, local officials and organizations to listen to concerns and fine-tune the route. The company asked for, and received, a tougher federal permitting process at sites along the Missouri River.
. . . . .
Protesters claim that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers failed to consult tribal leaders as required by federal law. The record shows that the Corps held 389 meetings with 55 tribes. Corps officials met many times with leaders of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, which initiated the lawsuit and the protests.
. . . . .
The Corps alerted the tribe to the pipeline permit application in the fall of 2014 and repeatedly requested comments from and meetings with tribal leaders, only to be rebuffed over and over. Tribal leaders ignored requests for comment and canceled meetings multiple times.
. . . . .
In September 2014 alone, the Corps made five unsuccessful attempts to meet with Standing Rock Sioux leaders.
The next month, a meeting was arranged, but “when the Corps timely arrived for the meeting, Tribal Chairman David Archambault told them that the conclave had started earlier than planned and had already ended,” according to a federal judge.
Remember as I wrote before, the Standing Rock Sioux tribe lost both times in Federal Court. Then they started protesting.
Finishing up, I’m never in the right place at the right time.
Why is it that when I’m in Vegas I never get to see Half Naked Hookers in a turf war fight on the Vegas Strip?
Now when Jan goes to New York she managed to get groped by the Naked Cowboy,
and seemed to really enjoy it. Said it was on her ‘bucket list.’
But when I’m in Vegas this is what I get to see on Fremont St.
Of course, it seems to be my lot in life. Jan once talked me into going to see one of the Sex and the City movies with her by promising me nudity.
The only nudity in that movie was some guy’s bare butt.
Thought for the Day:
“Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.”
― Mark Twain
December 22, 2017
We Get TSO’d . . .
As I mentioned last night our attending the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert got off to a very bumpy start. In fact for a while it looked like we wouldn’t even be able to go.
During the night I remember just turning over and getting very dizzy for a few minutes. Then when I got up around 10:30 I was very dizzy and nauseated. I told Jan if I didn’t get to feeling better I didn’t think I would be able to go, so I went back to bed.
But when I woke up at 1:40, I felt much better, not dizzy or nauseated, but just a little washed-out. So we were out the door by 2pm, heading for the Toyota Convention Center in the downtown Houston.
We made really good time, and were at the parking garage about 2:35 and got in the line to enter the garage, where we had already paid for parking. And 30 minutes later we had moved one whole block. The problem was that unlike the location where we got in line with police directing us, there were no cops at the first corner. So you had cars coming from three different directions all trying to get in the line, which led to complete gridlock, with no one moving for minutes at a time.
I was hoping that when we finally made the left turn onto the next street we see would the ‘Yellow’ entrance. But no luck. The line just wrapped around the next corner at the end of the block.
At this point I noticed that, out of the blue, my truck started overheating, so we pulled out of the line and looked for another place to park, maybe one of the many private lots nearby.
We finally found one about 4 blocks away and started walking back toward the Center, finally getting here about 3:30, which is when the performance was scheduled to begin. But there was still one more problem.
We had great floor seats, but we didn’t realize that the arena floor was about 30 feet below ground level with those steep stairs leading down.
Jan doesn’t do steep stairs in the dark very well, but by the time we realized it, we were stuck in line and not able to turn around and look for an elevator.
But finally we were on the floor and in our seats which lucky for us were on the end of the row.
I guess to all the parking problems they didn’t start the concert until 3:45, about 15 minutes late, so we only missed the first couple of sounds, though we heard them coming down the stairs.
it’s been a while since we’ve been to a major concert like this, so the advancements in laser effects was amazing. I figure if they group all there lasers together, they could probably shoot down one of those North Korean ICBM’s that Little Rocket Man keeps lofting.
The first 90 minutes of the show is built around a movie shown on the multiple large screens about a young girl runaway who seeks shelter from the weather in an old abandoned theater.
Watched over by the old caretaker, played by Ossie Davis, the girl is shown dreams of her life, past and future. Interspersed with TSO’s amazing Christmas music and theater effect, the story ends with the girl finding money and a bus ticket in her notebook, and running out the theater to go back home. A real tear jerker.
The last hour of the show was mostly music and lights from some of their other rock opera presentations, like Beethoven’s Last Night., Night Castle, and Dreams of Fireflies.
And you thought they only did Christmas music. What do you think they do the rest of the year?
The staging of the show was just amazing with more movement than you can imagine. Everything tilted, turned, raised, lowered, swung, and spouted flames. There was also fog, glitter bombs, and giant sparklers10 feet high.
In between the two segments they talked about the staging. The unit travels with 15 Prevosts, 13 semi’s, and about 100 people. And this is just the West Coast unit. There is another identical troupe that does the East Coast.
The MC said that at their first date this season, in Omaha, NB, about 6 weeks ago, the crew spent 30 days doing the initial setup and fine turning.
Now they do it in 7 hours.
One funny is that TSO doesn’t actually travel with an orchestra as such. TSO’s performers are the band members, drums, keyboards, piano, guitar and bass guitar, and the violin. Plus about 10 female singer/dancers.
The orchestra, about 15 musicians, horns, saxes, flutes, etc. is recruited locally ahead of time at each location.
I’ll tell you more tomorrow, but I’ve run out of time and energy, plus about our dinner last night at Longhorn Steakhouse, and our dinner tonight with Wil and Cyndy Olsen at Stomp’s Burger Joint..
The Headline of the Day: Elderly couple busted transporting $336,000 worth of ‘Christmas gifts’, i.e. Pot.
Thought for the Day:
A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good.
December 22, 2018
Finally Done . . . For The 3rd Time!
Jan spend the morning putting together a Green Bean Casserole for tomorrow’s Christmas dinner, before getting started on her much-requested pièce de résistance.
Some time in the early fall she starts getting requests for her World Famous Sausage Balls, so this time she did 8 dozen, which still probably will disappear very quickly. Certainly the 4 dozen she made for Thanksgiving didn’t last long.
This time, due to popular request, she used 3 Hot and I Regular Sausage to bump the Heat a little.
Jan originally said all our Christmas shopping was done with the last of the arrival of the last of the Amazon orders. That’s the first one.
Then we were done when we got some last minute stuff on Thursday. That was the second one.
We were finally done today when we braved the WalMart for a couple more things. And surprisingly it wasn’t that bad. They had 11 of the 12 checkouts open, and of course all of the DIY versions were open.
I did have my first real People of WalMart sighting during today’s visit.
At least I think that wearing Cat Suit Jammies to shop here should qualify, right?
Tomorrow morning we’ll head up to Brandi’s about 9am for our Christmas get-together. Really looking forward to it to seeing everyone again.
Thought for the Day:
Mirrors can’t talk, lucky for me they can’t laugh either.
