Monthly Archives: December 2020
Snoozing On A Sunday . . .
Jan and I left the right about 1pm this afternoon, in the middle of the rain that had been going on since Oh Dark Thirty this morning. And it didn’t really slack off all day.
The reason for all the rain is the front coming through, taking today’s mid-70’s temps down to 41° tonight, leaving us with daytime temperatures in the low-50’s in the daytime and the low-40’s at night, continuing for the next few days.
Our first stop was for brunch at our perennial favorite Snooze. And being Sunday, we had about a 15 minute wait before we got seated. We’ve eating here since they day they opened, long enough for several servers to wave and say ‘HI’.
After Jan’s Bravocado Toast
and my Shrimp & Grits,
both as good as always, it was on back down to the HEB for some groceries before we headed over to the Santa Fe PO to check our mail, ending up with a stop at the nearby Jack in the Box for Frozen Pumpkin Spice Lattes.
All still in the pouring rain.
I’ve been looking at a new service called Privacy.com.
It’s a service that allows you to generate your own personal credit card numbers to use online. They can be for one-time use only, i.e. burner cards. Or you can create cards that are locked to one Payee, i.e. your cable company, power company, etc.
You can also select a spending limit, with these limits per transaction, per month, per year, or total. So, if you’re Netflix bill is $10.99 a month, you can set your card to decline any transactions over $11. So you can’t get phantom charges that you’re not expecting.
And even better, if you’ve ever tried to cancel a service and they keep charging you until you finally had to cancel the card to get them to stop, this will solve that problem With a Privacy.com card, you can cancel it at anytime.
The reviews of the service seem to be pretty good, so I’ll be checking it out, and I’ll let you know how it goes.
And Now, From Around The CoVid World
Coca-Cola Tests Positive For CoVid
What’s the World Coming To When You Can’t Even Trust Coke
(right-click on page and select Translate To English)
Covid-19 vaccine: Australia stops trials after volunteers develop antibodies for HIV
CNN: ‘Don’t Be Alarmed’ if People Start Dying After Taking the Vaccine
“That won’t necessarily have anything to do with the vaccine.”
UK Health Workers Suffer ‘Anaphylactoid Reaction’ After Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine
New York Times: You Must Wear A Mask Even After Getting A Vaccine
The Vaccine Just Sounds Better And Better
Thought for the Day:
“A ‘Managed’ Democracy is a wonderful thing . . . for the Managers.” – Professor Bernardo de la Paz
December 13, 2011
Bingo and BBQ . . .
After coffee, this morning started out with chores around the rig, working on the Christmas tree, fixing a drawer slide, etc. Then about 12:30 Jan and I headed into Clear Lake to take care of some errands and see a couple of clients.
First thing, I dropped Jan off to get her hair done while I went by the bank, and then Brandi’s to pick up a package that had come in. Then it was getting gas and stopping off at Lowe’s for a few things.
Next, I checked in on a couple of clients, the last one being the one with the AT&T DSL problem. I called Customer Service to complain about being charged for a new DSL modem. They said they’d check it out and call me back within one hour.
Guess what? I’m still waiting!
By this time we’d kill enough time that it was time to go pick up our granddaughter Piper for Bingo.
We then ended up at Rudy’s BBQ for supper. Brisket and Jalapeno Sausage, MMM MMM Good!
Our friend Maria picked up Jan and Piper about 6:30 and I headed back to the rig for a couple of hours. Then about 9:30 I headed down to La Marque to pick them up.
And, as it turns out, Jan won a $100.00 jackpot. Not bad at Christmas time.
Thought for the Day:
I sometimes have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
December 13, 2012
We Missed It . . .
and I’m sorry I didn’t alert you ahead of time. This past Saturday was Time Traveler Day.
This was the day you are suppose to run up to someone on the street and frantically ask them, “What year is it, what year is it?”. When they tell you, you say “Thank God there’s still time”, and then run off down the street.
If you have my twisted sense of humor, you’ll think this is as hilarious as I do. Jan doesn’t.
Out walking the other day, Jan and I saw this small camper who apparently travel with their own rock garden.
The rocks don’t look like they’re from anywhere local so they must carry them around with them. But they’ve gotta weigh almost as much as the camper, and with all the plants, take up most of the space. Must be tight in there.
After three days of house repairs, I took the day off today, and except for juggling some client problems on the phone, pretty much did nothing but play on the computer.
Then a little before 5 Jan and I headed up to Clear Lake to meet Chris, Linda, and Piper, and finally get to eat at Franca’s. And we got an extra surprise when Piper brought her boyfriend Casey along.
As we left we got to talk with Franca for a few minutes and reminded her that when we first started eating there, she was 7 and running around playing with our daughter Brandi, who was 5 at the time. In fact this coming Monday the 17th, it will be 34 years since we first ate there.
After a great dinner, we all checked out Piper’s new car in the parking lot. She’s really proud of it as you can tell.
It’s a 2008 VW Eos, a sport coupe with a retractable hardtop that folds into the truck.
Leaving Franca’s Jan and I headed over to Brandi and Lowell’s to pick up our mail and get in our Landon hugs. It’s really rewarding the way his face lights up when he sees us.
Not sure yet what’s on tap for tomorrow. Just have to wait and see.
Thought for the Day:
Remember, a job not worth doing is not worth doing well.
December 13, 2014
Frankly, My Dear . . .
I went ahead and ordered the new Transfer Switch today, which should be here Tuesday or Wednesday. I had it sent to Brandi’s in Katy because I don’t know where we’ll be by then. We’re hoping to hear something from Galveston Bay RV Resort the first part of next week, but you never can tell.
We know we won’t be moving on Monday because we’ll be in Austin checking out the Gone With The Wind exhibit at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas. Commemorating the 75th anniversary of the movie, the exhibit showcases many of the dresses worn by Vivian Leigh, scripts used by the actors, and even screen tests of the many actors who auditioned for the movie.
Afterwards we plan on eating at Trudy’s, a Mexican restaurant near the campus where Brandi went to college, and where we used to eat every time we came to visit her. So we’re really looking forward to it.
About 3:30 we headed up to Peter’s BBQ for dinner. Peter’s is one place we always eat when we’re in the area. Great BBQ, and even better, are the many great sides they have. Green beans, corn on the cob, sweet potatoes, carrots, boiled carrots, pinto beans, and more. And for dessert, there’s banana pudding, peach cobbler and ice cream. All for the price of just BBQ and two sides at other places. Great!
A little while after we got home, Tom & Lily Christian came over from their rig across the street to talk about gate guarding. They’ve worked for Timekeepers the last several years and wanted to compare notes. But as it turned out, Tom and I had other things in common, both have spent time working at White Sands Missile Range and other places, Tom with the Army and me with NASA.
We stayed outside talking until we got so cold we had to come in for the night. Hopefully we’ll have a chance to get together again before we leave.
Lowell and Landon usually go out for Starbuck’s on weekends to let Brandi sleep in.
Of course Landon only has chocolate milk and a sucker.
Then later, the afternoon found Landon in a serious discussion with Santa concerning his upcoming visit.
Can’t leave anything to chance.
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Thought for the Day:
“There’s no point in being grown up if you can’t be childish sometimes!” – Dr. Who
December 13, 2015
Called On Account Of . . .
Tornados, Rain, and Wind.
Well, our 10am departure for Galveston this morning was cancelled due to all the bad weather running around the area. But since our friend Linda is leaving Galveston tomorrow morning, driving to Dallas, we decided that we would meet in Conroe for lunch tomorrow instead. And that works for us since it’s about 20 miles closer for us on the round trip than Galveston.
But since I was already up about 9am, Jan took the opportunity to lure me out with the idea of breakfast at Schobel’s Restaurant over in Columbus, so we headed out about 9:30. With all the rain we had last night and early this morning, I was interested to see what the river crossing coming into the park would look like.
In fact, early this morning, a little after 5am, I listened to some of the loudest rain hitting the rig that I’ve ever heard. It seemed to be lashing the coach in sheets, over and over. But what was very unusual is that there was no horizontal wind rocking the coach like you would expect with this blowing rain, so it must have been coming down vertically.
And when we got to the bridge it was easy to see that all the rain had had an effect on the water level
Even though it was several inches deep over the bridge, our Dodge Dakota with its high clearance, made it across with no problems. But the way the river crossing looked here reminded Jan and I of the Little Blanco River crossing near the home of our late friend Gina’s house near Wimberley, TX.
Like a lot of these crossings in this area, the water is flowing over the bridge most of the year, but usually not deep enough to be a problem.
But if you are careless enough to gun your SUV as you’re heading up the hill, you might find yourself suddenly sliding sideways off the road and into the creek due to the slick concrete. So, don’t do that.
Coming out after our really good breakfast at Schobel’s, I saw this very nice trike out in the parking lot. Nice looking V-8 engine.
It’s hard to see clearly, but it seats3, with the driver sitting in the middle steering using regular bike handle bars, while the gear shift appears to be a standard auto stick shift. The two passengers sit on either side of the driver.
I think a setup like this makes more sense than the Polaris Slingshot reverse trike we saw at the Lake Conroe Thousand Trails a couple of weeks ago.
While I guess the Slingshot is a little flashier, it’s certainly not very practical for inclement weather.
Our next stops were the Wal-Mart and HEB right across the street for a few things. With the cold, rainy weather I decided to whip up a batch of my famous (well, Jan really likes it.) Chicken Tortilla Soup so we picked up what we needed that we didn’t already have at home.
Back at the rig, I got out the slow cooker and got to work. First up was to slice and then poach the chicken breasts in chicken broth. Adding salt and pepper, I let it go for a couple of hours, until the meat was done and tender enough to be pulled apart with a fork.
Then I sliced up the jalapeno and Serrano peppers and dumped them in the cooker,
along with a can of Rotel Habanero tomatoes, a can of Hunt’s diced tomatoes, a can of black beans, a package of frozen kernel corn, and half a package of frozen chopped onions.
Next I added some coarsely chopped cilantro,
some cumin, and few other seasonings. Then, after a taste test, and Jan’s approval, I put the lid on and let it go for a couple of hours.
At this point, I took a very nice nap, and when I got up, the smell of the soup permeated the coach. Very nice to wake up to.
Checking the cooker, I saw it was looking good, and just about ready.
I started dishing it out into bowls,
and then garnished it with shredded Monterey Jack and Queso Fresco cheeses.
Mmm! Mmm! Good!
Finishing up, our son-in-law Lowell sent over these photos of Landon’s Santa visit for this year.
Looks like he’s trying to convince Santa he really was a good boy this year.
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Thought for the Day:
Walk in fear of no man
No matter what his size
When in trouble call on me
And I will equalize
Samuel Colt
It Was Jan’s Idea, I Swear . . .
Today started off when Jan and I drove over to the Victory Lakes area a little before 2pm so I could drop her off to get a haircut at the TGF place, while I drove over to Home Depot for a few things.
Then we were on the way up I-45 to the Webster area for another visit to Twin Peaks for lunch.
And just like last Tuesday, it was Jan’s idea, I swear. After she saw it on the menu last time, she really wanted to try their Turkey Avocado Smash sandwich.
But of course she had to start off with a cup of their Tomato Basil soup, and then was very surprised at how big the sandwich was.
Once she took out the center bread slices for a little less bulk, she said it was delicious.
Like last time, I started with a bowl of my fav Venison Chile. Hot and Spicy. Then I also decided to try something new, at least for Twin Peaks, their version of the Wedge Salad.
And it was just as good as the one we get at Saltgrass Steakhouse, maybe even better.
But I think the highlight of our visit was our server, Izzie.
But not for the obvious reasons.
It said on her name tag she was from New York, NY so I asked her when she left NYC and she said when she was two. But she still had family there and visited often. Then we ended up talking about Junior’s Cheesecake and a number of other Time Square places we both knew.
Then she mentioned that father was from Colombia and her mother was from the Philippines, so then we were off talking about Colombia since I lived there as a kid, and she had visited several times.
Based on her family background, I asked if Izzie was short for Izabella and she was surprised I knew, and said yes.
We also found out that she’s working on her BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) and wants to be a Nurse Practitioner. Remember what I said about the two Hooter’s waitresses we knew, one getting her M.B.A and the other one becoming a C.P.A, your ‘dumb blonde’ waitress may be smarter and better educated than you are.
So it looks like we have a new favorite waitress at Twin Peaks.
And speaking Bachelor of Science degrees, we just found out that our beautiful granddaughter Piper graduates this Tuesday with a B.S. degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, focusing on biology and psychology.
An Interdisciplinary Degree is where you are allowed to take two majors, in Piper’s case, biology and psychology, and combine them into one plan, essentially creating your own major.
She’s been doing psychological counselling for a doctor’s office, and has applied with the Austin Police Department to be a Psychological Counselor with the 911 system there. And the fact that she’s already done Drug and Alcohol Counselling at a women’s prison should give her a leg up on the position.
Congrats, Miss Piper!
Thought For The Day:
Ohio Governor DeWine’s CoVid Rules allow high school wrestlers to get down on the mat and grapple each other, but they’re not allowed to shake hands before or after the match.
And though they don’t to wear a mask when they’re wrestling, as soon as they stand up afterwards, they have to put their masks on.
it’s just amazing how smart that virus is.
December 12, 2010
Herons and Boudin . . .
Well, the wind is still blowing like crazy, but it has changed directions. Yesterday before the front got here, the wind was out of the south. This morning when we went out for our walk, the wind was out of the north.
Because it was also low tide, the wind blew water out of the bayou, leaving exposed mudflats. This attracted a lot of seagulls looking for a quick lunch.
It even attracted our old friend the Great Blue Heron that lives in this area.
And along with the wind, the weather has really changed. Yesterday the high was about 75 and the low last night was 41. Then today it got all the way to 55.
But the real change is tonight, with a low of 28 degrees. But at least by Tuesday, it’s supposed to be back in the 70’s again.
Our daughter Brandi sent over this video of Landon being fed his first solid food. She started adding some rice cereal to his formula a couple of weeks ago, but this is his first spoonful of the real thing.
Landon eating his first solid food.
About 2pm Jan and I drove up to Brandi and Lowell’s to take Landon off their hands for a few hours.
After we got him packed into the truck, we drove to Baybrook Mall to pick up some presents, and then down to Garden Ridge where Jan was looking for a vase and some decorations.
While we were there I got these photo of Landon and his big blue eyes.
Leaving Garden Ridge we went by the storage room to pick up some outside Christmas decorations for the rig, and then just drove around for a while until it was time to meet Brandi and Lowell at 5:30 for supper at Floyd’s Cajun Seafood, our favorite local Cajun place.
Although you wouldn’t know it by what everyone ordered. Jan, Brandi, and Lowell all had the Chicken Fried Chicken, while I was the only one who went Cajun with a cup of delicious Chicken and Sausage Gumbo and a grilled Boudin link.
Then reluctantly relinquishing Master Landon to his parents, Jan and I headed back to the rig for the night about 7.
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Thought for the Day:
”If life gives you lemons, and you got melons, you’re dyslexic” – Our Granddaughter Piper White
December 12, 2013
Problem Solved !
We decided to make today a fun day for ourselves so about 11:30am we headed down TX146 to Galveston. Our first stop was for lunch at Sunflower Café. We’ve had Sunday Brunch here several times with Brandi, Lowell, and Landon, but we’ve never had lunch there. And as it turns out, their lunch is just as good as their brunch.
We both ended up ordering the soup and half sandwich. Jan had the Chicken Salad with the Tomato Basil Soup, while I had a Chicken BLT, also with the Tomato Basil. My BLT, pictured above, was great, with the bacon thick and fried extra crispy. And we both agreed that the Tomato Basil soup was delicious.
After lunch, Jan picked out some cookies to take home from their in-house bakery. And just like what happens when we eat at Cracker Barrel, we spent as much in their gift shop as we did on lunch when Jan found a pair of vintage ear-rings that looked too good on her to pass up.
After lunch we drove around a bit, checking out what’s changed since we were here last year. It’s always interesting to see the old houses being refurbished,
and the ones that have already been redone.
It’ll be interesting to check out the first house in a couple of years and see what it looks like.
Then driving along the Seawall we saw the latest incarnation of Galveston’s Historic Pleasure Pier. It’s been very popular since it opened a couple of years ago. It combines several restaurants with a pretty complete amusement park.
Of course this is not the first version of an amusement park located in this location. In fact the first one was built in 1907.
Constructed after the previous seedy midway area was wiped out in the Great Hurricane of 1900, this one, ironically, only lasted until the next big hurricane in 1915. So it will be interesting to see how long the new one lasts.
Heading back up I-45 we took a detour through a new high-end subdivision on Galveston Bay called HarborWalk. The area is also the location of the newest Floyd’s Seafood, Floyd’s On The Water. We’ll have to check it out soon.
Those are some really big homes being built out on that island.
And you know it must be a high-end place if it’s behind a gate.
We also saw a lot of birds in the area, including these two.
And then there was this sign. Maybe you could feed the seabirds TO the alligators?
Coming back up to Webster we made a stop at one of my favorite electronics/computer places, EPO (Electronics Parts Outlet) to look for those soldering iron tips I need, and I was surprised to see this in the middle of the store.
Richard, the owner, buys and sells a lot of surplus stuff, but it’s the first time he’s ever bought a 1923 Model T Ford.
Later, after a quick stop at our storeroom, we made stops at Starbuck’s for lattes, Kroger’s for groceries, and PetCo for pet stuff.
Finally heading back toward the rig, it was after 6pm so we decided that some Chicken Tortilla Soup from Monterey’s Little Mexico sounded good. And it was.
We started out to have a really fun day and it worked out really well.
Thought for the Day:
“All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” — Arthur Schopenhauer
December 12, 2016
Cloudy with Meatballs . . .
The weather continues to be overcast, supposedly with rain on the way. Of course, just as I’m going back on a gate.
It was a short day for me. At least the ‘awake’ part. Trying to get myself oriented onto night shift, I didn’t go to bed until about 3:30am and then was back up at 11.
Jan had fixed up a delicious batch of her Crockpot Spaghetti and Meatballs for lunch, and this was possibly the best batch yet, probably due to the new meatballs we tried.
This time we used the Sam’s Choice Premium Angus Meatballs, and you could really taste the difference. At least you taste a lot more meat than breading, and the Romano cheese inside certainly didn’t hurt.
YUM!
And enough left for tomorrow.
And then after lunch I was back down for a nap until about 3:45. I need to leave for the gate by about 4:25 since it’s a 20 minute trip. I always like to get to the gate a little early the first day in case anything has changed since my last visit.
When I did arrive about 4:45 I found things had really built up since my last time here.
They’ve even got a flare stack going. At least it’s a pretty good piece away.
When we were down here in 2013 working a frack site near Whitsett, we had a big stack less than 100 yards from us. One afternoon oil got mixed in with the gas and the whole thing became a flaming oil volcano.
At first it started spurting the the flaming oil out, a couple of times even making a flaming ring, like a smoke ring. Then the flames just started rolling down the sides and out on the surrounding brush, setting it all on fire.
Alarms started going off all around and guys were rushing over to put the flames out. Even at that distance I could feel the heat. And luckily they go it out before it reached the storage tanks.
Thought for the Day:
In 1859 English settler Thomas Austin released 24 rabbits onto his property in Australia . By the 1920’s the population had increased to about 10 billion.
December 12, 2017
Awning Off, Awning On . . .
With nothing on our slate for today, we had a nice relaxing morning, reading and computing.
About 2pm I went outside to take down the other rear awning, Since I’d down the first one about a month ago, this one went faster.
First off I started by clamping the flange that connects to the torsion spring. This allows me to control the unwinding of the spring.
Next I removed the screw that fastens the flange to the tube.
Then I pulled the flange off the arm while holding the vice grips to keep the spring from unwinding. After lowering the arm to the side of the rig, I carefully unwound the spring, counting the turns so I would know how many turns to rewind it.
At this point I put the now-loosened flange back on the arm.
This let me now drill out the rivets so I could remove the spring.
Now pulling the tube from the other end, I could pull it off the bottom of the awning fabric.
So now I should have been able to pull the fabric off the top rail, but it wouldn’t budge. So I removed the screw right above the rail that holds the first link of the cover in place.
This let me pull the fabric and the cover segment out from the other side.
This let me see that the reason the fabric wouldn’t come out is the fact that the rail was crimped on each end.
Normally if they want to lock the fabric in place they just use a small screw through the rail and into the fabric.
But after I use a screwdriver and a pair of pliers to open the channel, the fabric slide right out.
Tomorrow I’ll drop this one off at Sundowner Canvas and pick up the new one. I am going to ask them to hold off on doing the next one until I reinstall the new one. That’s to be sure that everything is OK with how this one was done.
I did get a chance to check out the laundry room here at Petticoat Junction RV Park and it looks pretty nice. We normally don’t use a park laundry because we have our own washer/dryer, but Jan does occasionally like to do her throw rugs in one.
Really nice and clean.
I mentioned earlier that Jan and I have been going through a lot of old photos, many I’ve never seen before.
My father was a police officer in Birmingham AL starting the 1930’s until the early 50’s. During WWII he enlisted in the Navy and ended up in the Shore Patrol, guarding the Navy Pier in Chicago.
Here’s a photo of him in his uniform.
After the war he came back to the Birmingham Police Department as a Detective Sergeant until he retired in1951. Then he and my mother moved down to Gulf Shores, AL where they opened a motel right on the beach.
I always knew he was an excellent shot, starting when he began to teach me to shoot when I was six. Somewhere along the line I was told that he had won the Alabama State Pistol Championship five years in a row, until finally they pretty much asked him to stop competing and give someone else a chance.
But I never had any hard info on this until I came across this clipping from the Birmingham newspaper. I’m assuming this was from the 1930’s since they refer to him as a police officer and not a detective.
Since the clipping is kind of hard to read, I’ve transcribed it below.
Man, That’s Really Some Fine Shooting
Police Officer W. H. White today had a room all to himself in the Police Department’s Hall of Shooting Fame.
At annual target tournament this week, Sharpshooter White sent 30 slugs into the bulls-eye with 30 pulls of his pistol trigger, then followed up his perfect score with 29 out of 30 shots in the second round.
Capt. H. V. Early, director of target shooting said Officer White’s perfect 300 was the first ever scored by a member of the Police Department, which rates 250 out of 300 the work of an expert.
Shoot is at three speeds – 10 slow shots at 25 yards, with five shots required in five minutes; 10 timed shots at 25 yards, with 20 seconds allowed for five firings, and 10 rapid shots , with 15 seconds the maximum for five shots. A bulls-eye score 10, each succeeding ring one point less.
So for the first round he got all thirty shots in the bulls-eye, while on the second round he got 29 shots in the bulls-eye and 1 shot in the 9 ring.for a total of 299 out of 300.
The Headline of the Day: Another Human Foot Washes Ashore in Canada. That Makes 13 . . .
Thought for the Day:
“It is forbidden to calculate the total sum of barnyard fowls previous to the completion of their incubation.”
December 12, 2019
Back in the Groove . . .
Although we had a great time in New York, it’s nice to be back in Santa Fe in our own home and our own bed.
I did order our new Samsung TV from Amazon this morning, and it should be here on Monday.
I did double-check my measurements to be sure that it would fit first, but it looks like we’re good to go.
Jan says she’s good to go in the meantime since I bought our 22” TV from the bedroom and set it up on the end of the sofa.
One thing I did find interesting when I was looking at different models on Amazon is that I could buy a ‘Renewed’ model, which I assume means that it’s been returned and checked out, i.e. Refurbished.
Strangely though, the ‘Renewed’ one is only $1 cheaper than a brand new one. Why would anyone one buy the used one?
Certainly not me.
I also bought the 4 year warranty for $45, which includes ‘damages’, so Karma can do her worse now, I guess.
Speaking of Karma, she apparently doesn’t want us leaving her again. She spent pretty much all night actually sleeping on top of me, something she’s never done before. She sometimes will sleep beside me, but I guess she’s taking no chances now.
Even more so, she spent most of today sleeping on top of one of our suitcases just to be sure.
Heading out about 1pm we first had lunch at Snooze before heading over to WalMart to stock up the fridge now that we’re back.
Then it was over to the Sam’s Club next door to tank up the truck. Gas was $1.97, two cents more than the last time we filled up two weeks ago. But still not bad.
More tomorrow.
