Monthly Archives: June 2022

Pappasito’s Again . . .

I know some of you are still having problems with the blog, mostly not being able to leave comments. For some reason the firewall is not letting them through. I hope to have it fixed this weekend.


Jan and I were out the door by 10:30 this morning heading for the Pappasito’s’ Cantina up in The Woodlands/Shenandoah area, where we were meeting up with Debi and Ed Hurlburt for our monthly get-together

The traffic was a little heavier than usual, but we made it with about 10 minutes to spare.

Jan got the same thing she had for her Mother’s Day meal at the Pappasito’s down in our area, the Plato del Mar.

I got the  Pappasito’s Grill, with a skewer of Beef, Chicken, and Vegetables, along with some Broiled Shrimp, Rice, and Beans.

And as usual with these get-togethers, we talked for a couple of hours after we finished eating.

In fact we stayed around so long that, as I usually do, I tipped our server a little extra since we hogged her table for so long.

And after getting our hugs, we were on our way home by about 2:30. And of course we’ve already got next month’s location/date locked in.


Jan and I are still trying to get caught up with the TV shows we missed while we were on the road. And adding some new ones.

Catching up with Murdoch Mysteries, I signed us up for Hulu last night. At $6.99/month, it starts out with a 30-day free trial before you start getting charged. As I do with all these subscriptions, I created a Privacy card for this one. It only allows charges from Hulu, and only for the exact amount of the monthly amount.

And it can be closed at any time if I decide to cancel it.

We signed up for Hulu so we could watch the 3rd season of Orville: New Horizons, and also Only Murders In The Building, a 10-episode comedy/mystery with Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. It was supposed to be a one-time deal, but it was so popular that they’re doing a 2nd one.

Tonight we watched another episode of Star Trek Strange New Worlds. This series, the 11th one in the Star Trek Universe, has really come into its own, making it a worthy prequel to the Star Trek: The Original Series


Thought for the Day:

Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.

 


June 16, 2009

Great BBQ and Goodbye…

Today is our last full day in the Savannah area.  Actually, yesterday should have been our last day, but we decided to stay over an extra day to eat at a place we heard about on the radio,  Wiley’s Championship BBQ.

Wileys

While driving around last Saturday, we were listening to a radio show about BBQ and they were talking to a guy named Wiley McCrary.

He talked about traveling around the country and competing on the Championship BBQ circuit.

I didn’t realize there WAS a Championship BBQ circuit.

But apparently there is a large group of people that compete in contests for money and prizes all over the country, just like golf or tennis.

And Wiley McCrary was one of the top guys in the country. And now he has a small BBQ place just outside Savannah. It only has about 8 tables, but he does a lot of takeout business and party catering.

And the BBQ was some of the best we’ve ever had.  Jan had the pulled pork platter with potato salad and BBQ beans, and I had the rib platter with BBQ beans and sweet potato casserole, and then we shared the different dishes.

For dessert we shared the Bread Pudding with Pecan Praline Bourbon Sauce.  And let me tell you, there was definitely bourbon in the bourbon sauce.

All in all, another great meal here in Savannah.

Tomorrow we head about 85 miles north to an RV park just outside Charleston, SC.   We’ll be there for 3 or 4 days checking the place out.

 


June 16, 2010

Amarillo By Morning…

Speaking of that, here’s a little musical interlude – Amarillo By Morning by George Strait

We left the coach about 11:30 am heading for the nearest Kohl’s. We were going there so that Jan could find a pair of sandals for Brandi’s wedding, and luckily she found just what she wanted.

Leaving Kohl’s we headed down the street to have lunch at a Jason’s Deli we saw on our way there. We have always liked Jason’s and it’s the first one we’ve seen since we left Texas this past February. Jan had her favorite Turkey Muffuletta with Broccoli Cheese Soup, and I had the Southwest Chicken Chili and a salad.

After lunch we headed about 30 miles south to visit Palo Duro Canyon State Park, a place I’ve wanted to see even before we starting RV’ing.

The first thing we saw after entering the park was a Texas Longhorn.  No, not a college football player, but the real thing. According to the signs, there’s a whole herd of them out here, but this one is the only one we saw.

Longhorn

Then, as we started into the canyon itself, we came across this sign.  Glad we weren’t in the rig, although we took our coach up and down 12-15% grades in Canada on our way to Alaska two years ago.

10percent

Here’s a brief description of the canyon.

As the second largest canyon in the United States, Palo Duro Canyon is roughly 120 miles long and has an average width of 6.2 miles, but reaches a width of 20 mi in places. Its depth is approximately 800 ft. but in some locations it can increase up to 1000 ft. Palo Duro Canyon has been named “The Grand Canyon of Texas,” both for its size and for the dramatic geological features, including the multicolored layers of rock and steep mesa walls similar to those in the Grand Canyon.

The scenery was as spectacular as I had heard. We drove the loop out and back in about an hour, stopping at the Gift Shop on the way back where Jan bought a couple of books about pioneer women, and a Lighthouse postcard.

Palo 6

Palo 5

Palo 4

Palo 3

Palo 2

Palo 1

PaloDuro

But the real signature formation of the canyon is this – The Lighthouse. And unfortunately you can’t see it from the highway. It can only be reach via a hiking trail,  which, since Jan was wearing sandals, we took a pass on. So here’s an Internet photo.

PaloDuroLighthouse

Heading back toward Amarillo, Jan said it was nice to be back in Texas again after spending time traveling thru the desolation of Arizona and New Mexico. I said that a lot of Texas out there next to Arizona and New Mexico looked just as desolate.

Jan said, “That’s because they sucked all the life out of Texas”.

That’s my Jan!

Along the way home we stopped at a Tractor Supply Store so Jan could pick up a copy of the latest issue of CountrySide magazine, which as it turns out,  they did not have yet.

Closer to home we stopped off at a WalMart to get some groceries, and Jan also wanted to get a pedicure before the wedding. But this particular Walmart did not have a nail salon. We try again tomorrow in Abilene.

After we got home we decided that since we had such a big meal yesterday, and a good lunch today, we’d just have the rest of the Big Texan carrot cake from last night for supper tonight, along with a pot of coffee.

 


June 16, 2011

Pizza and Epoxy . . .

My morning started today a little before 9 with abrupt silence. Our white noise machine in the bedroom had gone quiet. And that means the power had gone off.

And that usually means that Jan has forgotten that we’re on 30 amps here.

“Jaaannn!”

“Sorrryy!”

As it was, it wasn’t Jan’s fault . . . this time.

I got dressed and went outside to reset the breaker, and discovered the real problem.

The breaker was hot, and wouldn’t reset. It was spongy like it had rubber bands inside.

I decided to let the breaker cool off and see what would happen.

In the meantime, I got my 30 amp to 20 amp adapter out of the electrical bay and move us over to the 20 amp outlet.

About 20 minutes later I went outside to check the breaker just as the honey wagon truck pulled up to dump our tanks.

I tried the breaker again, and, although cool now, it still would not reset.

I mentioned the problem to the honey wagon guy and he said he would get someone out as soon as he could. Said the only problem might be is that they were re-epoxying the family pool this morning and they had everyone called into work on it because once they mixed the epoxy they only had 20 minutes to get it applied. I told him no problem, and that we were doing fine on 20 amps.

But lo and behold, about 30 minutes later, a guy pulls up in a truck, checks the breaker, and starts to remove the screws on the breaker box. Luckily for him, the box was equipped with plug-in breakers, so he just had to pull out the old one and plug in the new one.

And less than 5 minutes later we had 30 amp again.

Now that’s great service!

About 12:45 Jan and I headed into Bend to see the movie Thor. I was somewhat leery about the movie because I grew up reading the Thor comic books in the early 60’s, and I always hated the way they sometimes change the story completely.

On the way I got a shot of Mt. Bachelor, one of the Three Sisters mountain ranges, west of us. This would be our view from the park if it weren’t for all the trees.

Mt Bachelor

Back to ‘Thor, I was pleasantly surprised. They did change some of the origin facts, but that didn’t hurt the movie. We both enjoyed it and look forward to others in the series.

Leaving the cinema, we drove over to the Boston’s Pizza we had discovered yesterday. We first ate at a Boston’s in Dawson Creek, BC, Canada in 2008 on our way to Alaska, and since then we’ve stopped to eat there whenever we find one.

Once again, Boston’s did not disappoint. I don’t know what their crust is, but it’s always crispy, never doughy, and never that slick wetness on top of the crust and under the sauce. They also apparently put the pizza under a broiler for a few minutes before serving it so the pepperoni is crispy on the edges.

Just delicious!

 


June 16, 2012

Snap, Crackle, Pop . . .

or Why is Jan all giddy?

Snap, Crackle, Pop, and a small puff of wet smoke is what happened this past Thursday when a strong, swirling gust of wind not only almost blew the fan off the table, but was so strong that it made the fan blades try to turn backward, and then, last, but not least, blew water from the misters back through and underneath the motor. At which point, after the aforesaid snap, crackle, pop, etc., the fan screeched to a halt and died.

R.I.P. Fan.

I quickly brought our smaller fan out of the coach to tide us over until I could pick up another one.

The wind here is really strange. Sometimes it seems to blow from all directions at once. This causes the dust devils we regularly see on the roads around us. The other strange thing is that while it blows pretty steady all through the day and evening, sometime between 1 and 3am, it just stops. One minute it’s windy and then the next it’s not. Like someone flipped a switch.

Weird. And it won’t pick back up until later in the morning.

Now, as to why Jan is giddy. Well, besides being married to me for almost 45 years, (I’m going to pay for that, believe me.) she’s giddy because we’re getting an afternoon/evening off. We found a lady who’s going to come in and work our gate this Sunday from 1pm to 11pm. Ten whole hours of freedom.

Of course we were off a couple of weeks ago for our granddaughter Piper’s graduation, but we were so on the go, we never really got any time to just relax. So it looks like dinner, some shopping, and a movie are in our near future.

We also got a new generator trailer on Thursday. Our old one had started leaking oil. Turns out to have been a cracked oil pan. Terry, the maintenance guy at the Whitsett yard brought the new one over, and to speed things up, I pulled the old one out of the way with my truck and he just backed the new one in its place. This minimized the time the coach AC’s were offline. On hot days, once they get behind, they sometimes can’t catch back up.

Also on Thursday, Jan whipped up a big batch of her crockpot King Ranch Chicken. Boy, did the coach smell good all day. Shredded chicken breast, Rotel Habanero Tomatoes, tortilla strips, and a lot of other good stuff, really hits the spot.

Really spicy, and really good.

Yesterday (Friday) I made a run over to the Gate Guard Services office to pick up some packages that had come in for us, and came back through Pleasanton for a Wal-Mart run, which of course included a new fan. Also stopped off at McDonald’s to bring us back lunch, which included an Iced Hazelnut Latte for me. I don’t care for their coffee very much, but I do like their lattes.

Today, Saturday the 16th, marks the beginning of our 2nd month here, and we probably have another 2-3 weeks here, maybe more if they have problems. This is kind of unusual for a drill site, but they’re doing a lot of extra testing and sampling here for some reason. It would be nice if it kept going until we leave here for Celina around the 20th of August. Then we wouldn’t have to move again.

But the odds are, it won’t.

 


June 16, 2013

We’re Two for Two . . .

After saying goodbye to our next-door goats, we headed out of the Garrity RV Park about 10 am and half a mile later we were heading east on I-84 toward the Village of Trees RV Resort near Declo, ID about 180 miles away.

Declo Trip 1

Declo Trip 2

Unlike yesterday’s trip, which had a lot of hills and curves, today’s was pretty much straight east, though we did steadily climb from about 2200 feet up to 4500 during the trip.

We got into the Village of Trees RV Resort about 1:45pm, and since we already had a paid reservation, we were led to our site and parked by a little before 2pm. And the park turned out to be just as nice as we had been told.

Every site is a long pull-thru, long enough to not have to unhook your toad if you don’t want to.

Village of Trees 1

Some of the sites are thick grass, but most are compacted asphalt and gravel.

Village of Trees 2

Village of Trees 3

Village of Trees 4

About 4pm we headed back down the Interstate about 5 miles to the big of Burley. Well, big enough to have a Wal-Mart, anyway. We had planned to eat dinner at the local Perkins Restaurant, but came across El Caporal Mexican Restaurant along the way.

Normally we’re kind of leery of unknown Mexican places, especially in southern Idaho! But the place was really busy, so we decided to give it a try. And are we glad we did.

El Caporal is another real find, just like Cinco de Mayo last week in La Pine. So now we’re two for two.

Every thing was good, from the chips, salsa and bean dip, to the iced tea. Jan had a 3 item combo, and I had a platter called Three Chiles, with pork chunks in tomatillo sauce, beef chunks in Colorado Red sauce, and a really good cheese Chile Relleno .

El Caporal - Burley ID

Another one for our Well Recommended List.

After that great dinner, we scouted out a couple of places to get diesel tomorrow morning, and settled of one that also has a busy diner right next door for breakfast and plenty of parking for the RV.

Diesel prices are all over the map around here. The Phillips 66 here at the park has it for $4.14, but the Shell right on the other side of the Interstate has it for $4.38!. But the Sinclair down the road a couple of miles has it for $3.95. Guess where we’re going.

Getting back to the park about 5:30, my day wasn’t over yet. I had a repair to make.

Yesterday when we got to Nampa, I found the battery in the truck dead. We had been on a lot of hills and the BrakeBuddy had really been working overtime. But normally this is not a problem because I have a charge wire running from the coach battery to the truck battery keeping it charged up as we traveled. But obviously, something had gone wrong.

Getting in the park today the truck battery was fine, but then we didn’t really have any hills to speak of. So checking the wire, I found I had voltage coming from the rig battery, but it was not making it from the truck side of the connector to the truck battery. And checking inside the split flex tube covering, I found the reason. The splice had come apart. A new crimp splice took care of the problem and we were back in business.

Tomorrow we’ve got about 190 mile trip to Victor, ID and the Teton Village Campground where we’ll spend 4 nights revisiting Jackson, WY and Grand Teton National Park.

And moose.

Jan says not to forget the moose.

 


June 16, 2014

Two Nights in a Row . . .

Well, the promised rain didn’t show up last night, so we again sat outside with our coffee and enjoyed the nice weather.

What did show up last night was a power outage. About 2:45am it got very quiet in the rig. We use a white noise machine, and when it goes off, it is very, very quiet. The first thing I did was throw on some clothes and go outside and check the pedestal. And there was no power there.

Looking around, I saw some dark areas and some areas that still had lights. So it wasn’t a total outage, and I figured it was not going to get fixed until morning.  So going back inside, I turned on the vent fans and opened the windows. It was cool enough that we had a nice breeze coming in. So throwing off the covers, we went back to sleep.

About 5:30 I woke up freezing. The power and the AC had come back on, so I got up and closed the windows and turned off the fans. And everything has been fine since then.

For dinner Jan heated up the last of the leftover Mancino’s Pizza from the other night. The toaster oven makes it nice and crispy, and very good. It just doesn’t get better than that.

My son Chris called today, and his new motorcycle is a Yamaha as I thought. It’s Roadliner 1900 S. Looks like a really nice machine.

Brandi sent over these pics of Landon at his daycare playing the Bubble Game. They have a bubble machine and the kids take turns trying to pop all the bubbles as they squirt out.

Landon Chasing Bubbles 1

Landon Chasing Bubbles 2

Landon Chasing Bubbles 3

Tomorrow we’ve got a day trip planned. We’re heading down to Peru, IN, where Jan wants to visit because she lived there when she was 10 years old, and wants to check out the area.

We may also try to visit the Monon Connection Train Museum in, where else, Monon, IN. We’ll see how it works out.

 


June 16, 2015

Now We Know Why . . .

We were up and out this morning a little before 9am so we could have breakfast here at the hotel before they shut it down at 9:30. Most other hotels seem to go to 10 or 10:30, so I don’t know why they quit early here.

But it is a really good breakfast – eggs, sausage, waffles, cold and hot cereals, bagels, English muffins, pastries, juices, coffee, etc. Very nice.

We had initially planned on driving over to the rig to see what was going on, but then thought about how it might just be a wasted trip when they didn’t know anything new. And we were right.

I called Affinity about 11am and was told that everything would be done by close of business today . . . or maybe first thing tomorrow.

Right.

They said to call back in two or three hours and they’d know more then.

Right.

But rather than just call back, we decided to do the ‘boots on the ground’ thing and go by on the way to supper, so about 4pm we headed over to Affinity.

And found nothing had been done. I was now told that everything would be completed by close of business tomorrow, or the first thing Thursday morning.

Right.

In anticipation of this happening, earlier in the afternoon I called the Verde Valley Thousand Trails and made a 50amp two week reservation starting this Friday, figuring there was no way we were actually going to get out of here tomorrow.

I also secured permission to stay here until at least Friday morning, no matter when they finish the rig, so we don’t have to find another place to stay before Friday.

So as it stands now, we’ll leave for Verde Valley Friday morning, stopping at the Sam’s Club for diesel at $2.43 a gallon (NICE!), with another stop a few miles down the road to get four new rear tires on the rig. The front two will already have been replaced at the shop. Then it’s on to Verde Valley about 50 miles away.

Our dinner stop was a place that our friend Barb Westerfield recommended, and boy was she spot on. The restaurant was Origin Bistro, out in Prescott Valley, and it’s a real find.

Origin Bistro 1

Like many of our favorites, it’s a pretty nondescript storefront in a small strip center, with only the words, “Gourmet Family Dining” belying its looks.

Origin Bistro 2

After all, how many places do you find Seared Duck, Pesto Seared Scallops, and Herb-Crusted Mahi-Mahi on the same menu with steaks and burgers. WOW!

We started off with an order of Trixie’s Shrooms, which are mushroom caps stuffed with Crab, Sausage, and Cheese. Really, really good, and very recommended.

After much consideration, Jan got the Pesto Seared Scallops, and after one taste she couldn’t stop raving about it.

Origin Bistro Jan

They make the pesto in-house, and the dish is served with quinoa and seasonal vegetables.

As usual, I went kind of old school and ordered the American Classic Burger.

Origin Bistro Greg

With grass-fed beef from a local ranch, bacon, cheddar cheese, mixed greens, red onions, tomatoes, pickles, and Thousand Island Dressing on a brioche bun, it was a whole new take on a burger. And boy was it good.

But strangely enough, as good as the burger was, the side I ordered, Corn on the Cob, was the highlight of the meal for me. I love Corn on the Cob, and this was really special.

They get Mexican corn from a local market, coat it in a little crème fresh and some mayonnaise, and then roll it in an herb mixture and put it on the grill. Then it’s served with a sprinkle of goat cheese for one last burst of flavor. Again, WOW!

Finishing up, we were too full to even share a dessert, but made the mistake of asking what they had. And when they said, “Fried Bread Pudding”, we knew why Barbara recommended the place. And, as full as we were, we knew we had to share an order.

Origin Bistro Dessert

They take a delicious bread pudding and then Deep Fry it until it’s crispy-crunchy on the outside, and soft and warm on the inside. Then they top it with caramel sauce and fresh-made whipped cream. it’s really hard to convey how good this is.

Everything was so good in fact, that we’ve decided that, since this place is right down the road from our tire place, that we’ll time things to eat lunch here while our new tires are being put on Friday.

I’ve already got my eye on their Sourdough Reuben, with in-house made Corn Beef, and if I’m really lucky, Corn on the Cob.

 


June 16, 2016

Cool Memories . . .

It may be that Jan and I are starting to regret not heading north for the summer this year, as we have every year since 2008.

The temps here in Houston have been flirting with the 100’s, when in 2008 we were in Fairbanks AK and the high temp for the day was 69°.

Jan and the Pipeline

And in 2009 we were in Savannah GA, eating at Paula Deen’s Lady & Sons restaurant, and the high was 84°.

Paula Deen's

Even in 2010, when were on our way back to Austin for our daughter Brandi’s wedding, it was only 78 degrees when we were in Amarillo, eating at the Big Texan Steak Ranch.

Big Texan 3

Nice, COOL memories!

I was hoping to find a cool time to get back up on the roof and at least screw down the AC shroud, if not actually finish up the cleaning, but even at 8pm this evening, with sundown about 8:30, it was still 90 degrees.

So it looks like I may have to get up at 9 tomorrow since it’s only supposed to be about 80 then.

When I was looking for the parts for my recent Sharp microwave repair, I was surprised to find out how expensive the round ceramic platter was. Depending on where you look, and whether or not they actually have them in stock, I found them priced from $65 (out of stock) to $95 (special order 3 –6 weeks), to $225 (in stock and ready to ship).

Jan said she’s going to be a lot more careful with ours. I hope so.

For dinner tonight we had our leftover fajitas from Mama Juanita’s the other night. Really good, especially when paired with one of Jan’s great salads,

Jan's Salad 4

and coated with Jan’s Homemade Dressing.

Jan's Salad Dressing

Tomorrow, besides the AC job on the roof, we plan on getting together with Dick and Judy Mott, grandson Logan, and hopefully Randy Lazarine, at Vernon’s Katfish Kountry out on SR105.

We have eaten here several times and it’s always been good, so we’re looking forward to it.

 


June 16, 2017

Worth The Wait In Line . . .

Jan woke up with one of her pretty-much monthly migraines, but with one of her magic pills, and a couple of hours of peace and quiet, she felt good to go.

So about 4pm we headed back west on US60 for Pawhuska and Ree Drummond’s Mercantile to have dinner.

Ree Drummond's The Mercantile 1

Getting there a little after 4:30, I dropped Jan off with the umbrella so she could get in line while I found a place to park the truck. We noticed everyone in the line was using umbrellas to ward off the sun, which is why we brought ours.

Ree Drummond's The Mercantile 2

But as it turns out the place has a big stash of umbrellas for everyone to use, as well as fans set up along the sidewalks and a lady handing out free bottles of water.

Great customer service!

When we got in line we were told it would be about 45 minutes, and it was, almost to the minute.

Ree Drummond's The Mercantile 3

Ree Drummond's The Mercantile 4

The place is enormous inside, and it needs to be to serve 6 to 15 thousand customers a day. And of course it used to be a big department store back in the day.

We started out with appetizers, sharing a Tomato Soup with Grill Cheese Dippers,

Ree Drummond's The Mercantile Tomato Soup

and a order of their Whisky Glazed Carrots.

Ree Drummond's The Mercantile Whisky Carrots

And even with this first part of our meal, we began to see that every dish is something special

The Tomato Soup was just plain delicious and the Grilled Cheese Dippers were a grilled cheese sandwich made on homemade bread and filled with 3 different cheeses, and then sliced up.

When our waiter set down the carrots the odor of whiskey just wafted over you. And yes, everything in that dish are carrots of one kind or another, even the white and black ones. Again, really delicious.

For her entrée Jan got the Fried Chicken Sandwich and made-in-house potato chips. And the bun was homemade too.

Ree Drummond's The Mercantile Fried Chicken Sandwich

Jan also got a side of the Fancy Mac N Cheese. And we both agreed that it’s the best tasting Mac N Cheese we’ve ever had.

Ree Drummond's The Mercantile Fancy Mac

I got the Beef Brisket Reuben, also with homemade bread and potato chips.

Ree Drummond's The Mercantile Beef Brisket Reuben

The brisket was melt-in-your-mouth good, as well as the entire sandwich. And because we had filled up on the appetizers, we could only eat half our sandwiches, so we had take-home.

After our great meal, Jan of course had to check out the Gift Shop area,

Ree Drummond's The Mercantile Gift Shop

and found several things she just had to have.

Then it was upstairs to the Bakery to get some of Ladd’s (Ree’s husband) favorite Chocolate Pie.

Ree Drummond's The Mercantile Bakery

And to Jan’s disappointment, she was told that Ladd had been in just a few minutes before to get him some, and Jan had missed him.

Maybe next time.

Tomorrow’s going to be a full day. First lunch at Monterey’s Little Mexico, then downtown to check out Frank Lloyd Wright’s Price Tower, Frank Phillips home, an old steam locomotive, and then the  Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve.

Then it’s out to the Drummond Ranch to take a tour of the Lodge where Ree’s show is taped. Tomorrow is the last day for being able to visit so we really lucked up.

Then it’s back to The Merc for dinner.

YUMM!

 


June 16, 2018

Busy, Busy Day . . .

Today was our busiest day in a good while, seemingly pretty much nonstop, starting with heading up to our son Chris’.

We were meeting up to unload the bed of our truck, so we could then load it up with a bookcase, a secretary, a cabinet, two sets of headboard/footboards, two sets of bedrails, the air compressor, and the battery charger.

I’m not sure how it all fits, but it’s packed in there like a Chinese puzzle box. I just hope we can get it unpacked when we get it to Illinois.

Just about the time we finished the unloading/reloading, Chris’ wife Linda got home from work, and in a very happy mood since this was her very last day on the job before they move up to Kingsland, TX on Wednesday.

So to celebrate we all headed right outside the subdivision to our longtime favorite, Barcenas Mexican Restaurant. We’ve been eating here since it opened in 1998, and some of the wait staff still remember us. Nice.

Jan and I shared the Mixed Fajitas tor Two and it was as delicious as usual.

Barcenas Mixed Fajitas

One thing that makes the beef so good here is that it’s all Certified Angus Beef. Very tender.

Next up we headed back down to the 646 area to see about getting a new tire put on the truck at the WalMart, but they were on a 2 to 2-1/2 hour wait. We’ll check back tomorrow. Then we hit Walmart, Target, and Kohl’s looking for some new shirts for both of us for our trip. Jan found something, but I’ll probably have to order online.

Then we turned right back around and drove up to Webster once again, with the first thing up, a haircut for me.

I went to the same shop I’ve been going to for over 20 years, but Lou, the longtime owner, sold out and retired recently. And unfortunately he apparently took my haircut records with him, as even after I told the new guy exactly how I wanted it, I came out with a LOT LESS haircut than I went in with. And you’all know I don’t have a lot to spare,

Jan suggested that I need to find a New Lou. We’ll see.

Our next stop was the Harbor Freight store right along the way. Jan came in with me because strangely enough she likes Harbor Freight. She also likes trains, science fiction, and guns, so what can I say. Then as we were checking out, Jan handed my bag with the 3 items I had purchased, and said, “Happy Father’s Day”.

Well, don’t I feel special.

Jan And Her Thompson 2

Note the big smile on her face. Of course it seems to run in the family.

Piper's First Gun

with Miss Piper too. I think that’s a Desert Eagle .50 cal. she’s shooting.

Next up was the real reason we came back up, and that was to meet Brandi, Lowell, and Landon at another longtime favorite, King Food. They had come down to drop of some stuff with us to bring up to Illinois with us. They’re flying up and didn’t have room.

Lowell and Landon at Kind Food

Brandi and Landon at King Food

Here Landon’s trying to tell Brandi a joke, but he’s laughing so hard he couldn’t get it out.

So we got to see everyone today except Miss Piper who’s still down in Florida with her boyfriend Connor and his parents.

Coming home it took us an extra 30 minutes on I-45 due to one of those ‘phantom slowdowns’, at least that’s what I call them. That’s where you’ve got three lanes of Interstate traffic putt-putting along bumper-to-bumper at about 5mph for 5 or 6 miles, but with no sign of any kind of accident. Then suddenly you come over the hill and everyone just speeds up to normal speed.

I’ve always figured that maybe there was a cleared accident there earlier and this is just the leftovers. But I don’t know for sure.

Tomorrow will be mostly trying to finish up moving stuff to the storage room, but we’ll see.

 

Back To Texas . . .

The biggest Buc-ee’s is coming back to Texas. Where it belongs.

Up until recently, at 68,000 sq. ft., the biggest Buc-ee’s in the world, was the one in New Braunfels, TX. But then the new one in Sevierville, TN surpassed it by about 6,000 sq. ft.

But now that honor is coming back home.

To Luling, TX.

But wait. There’s already a big Buc-ee’s in Luling, right?

Well, yeah. But now there’s going to be two. At least for a while.

Rather than close down the existing one to build the new one, or even try to remodel the old one while staying open, they’re actually going to build a completely new, bigger one right next door to the old one, and then just switch over.

Then I guess they’re just going to tear down the old one. But they don’t say.

But as busy as all of them are, maybe they’ll just keep both of them open.

Jan and I really enjoyed having the two ice makers in the condo, so we decided to break down and order one of those tabletop models, in this case, one that came highly recommended by our friend, Debi Hurlburt.

Vivohome Ice Maker

Should be here Friday.

And speaking of Debi,  tomorrow Jan and I are heading up to The Woodland area to meet up with Debi and Ed for our monthly lunch get-together at the Pappasito’s there.

Can’t Wait.


Nothing says “you’re a loser” more than owning a motivational poster about being a winner. 

 

Of Course, There Was A Gift Shop


June 15, 2009

The Lady & Sons…

Today we made a pilgrimage to Savannah’s holiest of holies, Paula Deen’s “The Lady and Sons” restaurant.

But it’s a two-part pilgrimage.

You can’t just show up and expect to get a table.  And you can’t make a phone reservation unless you have a party of ten or more.

So, starting at 9:30 am you show up at the restaurant and get your name on the list.  If you’re lucky.

Lunch is from 11 am to 3 pm.  Dinner is from 5 pm to 10 pm.

We got there a little after 10 am and were not able to get a lunch time until 2:30 pm.  If we wanted dinner, it would not be until 7:30 pm.

We picked lunch at 2:30.   Since lunch was only served until 3 we were lucky we didn’t get there a few minutes later.  And when we came back at 2:30 the earliest dinner opening was 9:30 pm.

Since we had about 4 hours to kill before returning for lunch, we headed over to a Babies R Us to pick up some baby gifts for our new great-niece and the soon-to-arrive baby of a friend.

After that it was to WalMart for our weekly ‘stuff’ acquisition trip.  Then we drove around thru some of the neighborhoods before heading down the Interstate to the local Camping World.

By now it was time to head back to downtown Savannah and Paula’s.  Her restaurant is a 3 story building that once housed the old White Hardware Company.  It’s located about two blocks from the Savannah waterfront.

Paula Deen's 'The Lady and Sons' restaurant

The Lady and Sons Dining Room

At lunch, you have your choice of ordering off the menu, or partaking of the lunch buffet.

Needless to say, we picked the buffet.  And it was a great choice.

Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, rice, cheese grits, sweet potatoes, collard greens, etc.

And great desserts.

It was all we could do to still walk when it was time to leave, but of course we had to leave thru the Paula Deen Gift Show.

And after that meal it was back to the coach for a nap.

 

Now We’re Up To 11


June 15, 2013

Cows and Goats . . .

Since we wanted to have breakfast this morning before we left for Nampa, we got all ready to go, and then about 8:55 walked over to the restaurant.

And the breakfast turned out to be as good as last night’s dinner. This is the #1 Combo that I had. Not a bad deal for $6.95. And all really good.

The Narrows RV Park 3

We had the same waitress as we had last night and were talking to her about her cow encounter. She said there was even more to the story.

After she hit the 6 cows, she called 911 and reported the accident.

When the 911 operator asked if she needed an ambulance, she said ‘No”. But they sent one away.

And the 911 operator forgot to tell the ambulance driver about the cows.

Oops!

The ambulance took out 3 more cows.

If you’re keeping score, we’re up to 9 dead cows now.

Then the police showed up at the scene of the accident.

Oops. They weren’t told about the cows either.

So now we’re up to 11 dead cows. About this time our waitress was picked up by her husband and left the scene.

But she said more cows were hit during the night. Apparently, the herd of over 200 wandered back and forth over the highway all night.

The next morning they were using forklifts to clean up the highway. Yuck!


“This is Oregon?”

We headed out from The Narrows RV Park about 9:50, but we considered it as 10:50 because about 70 miles down the road we’ll enter the Mountain Time Zone, so it’s easier to just think that way from the start.

About 25 miles after we left the park, we hooked back up with US20 and headed east for Nampa, ID about 170 miles away. But we quickly began to wonder if we were still in Oregon.

It looked more like what we’ve seen in Wyoming or Montana. Long sweeping vistas with wide valleys, steep climbs, and curvy roads following the Malheur River that runs alongside the highway.

And it made for some really nice photos.

Nampa Trip 0

Nampa Trip 1

Nampa Trip 2

Nampa Trip 3

Nampa Trip 4

Nampa Trip 5

Nampa Trip 6

Nampa Trip 7

A really beautiful trip. And even better, considering all the curves, no cat barf.

About 40 miles out of Nampa, we got on I-84E, and by about 3pm we were parked and getting set up.

A little after 4pm we were out driving around, thinking about what we wanted for dinner. Then we passed a Texas Roadhouse, and that made the decision for us. Texas Roadhouse it was.

Jan had the 12 oz. Sirloin Strip and I had my usual  16 oz. Ribeye. And both really good.

Getting home about 5:30 we found we had some new neighbors right next door. We have seen RV’ers traveling with cats, dogs, turtles, lizards, parrots, cockatoos, and even ferrets and monkeys.

But goats?

Meet (from left to right, Bonnie, Goldie, and hiding out in back, Clyde.

Garrity Goats 1

Their owner says that they’re Nubian goats.

Garrity Goats 2

And to Jan’s relief, they’re dairy goats, and pets, and not pre-cabrito.

Garrity Goats 3

Tomorrow we got a trip of about 180 miles to Declo, ID, and the Village of Trees RV Resort.

Hopefully we’ll have as nice a trip as we did today.

 


June 15, 2016

A Well-Fed Anaconda . . .

About 2pm, Jan and I headed back down to the Asian BBQ & Grill for lunch, but more of a business lunch. I mean we still had their delicious Vermicelli Bowls, Jan’s with Lemon Grass Chicken and mine with Grilled Pork and Shrimp,

Asian BBQ Lemon Grass Chicken

but I’ve been talking to the owner about setting him up a website for his restaurant. I showed him how his two nearby direct competitors, China Delight and East Buffet, both have websites, and how the other restaurants in his area also had websites.

Then I showed him samples of some of the other websites I’d done for clients, which he liked. He does seem interested but wants to talk with his wife when she gets back to town next week.

I told him we’ll be moving back to Columbus on Sunday and then would be back here in two weeks, but to give me a call in the meantime. He knows we’re RV’ers and are moving back and forth so that’s not a problem.

After we got home, I put the last panels and screws back in the microwave and then Jan finally got to finish cooking her Sopapilla Cheesecake in the convection oven that she’d prepared last week and then never got to cook.

It smelled great as it was cooking, and later tasted even better when it cooled. And, even better, the oven worked perfectly.

Sometime before we leave on Sunday I’m going to have to get back up on the roof and finish the AC evaporator coil cleaning. But with the forecast temps in the 97-98 degree range for the rest of the week, I’m not too enthusiastic about the whole thing. But I do at least need to get back up there and fasten the shroud down, because I don’t want to lose another one.

In 2008, a few weeks after we hit the road for the first time, we were traveling through the dunes between Yuma and San Diego, and a passing truck driver kept pointing to our roof. So I pulled over and took a look.

Even without getting up on the roof, I could see the rear AC shroud was completely gone. Figuring there was no use in going back to look for pieces, and hoping it hadn’t hit anyone, since no one was chasing me, we kept on going.

It was about a week later we were parked at the Moose Lodge in Escondido CA and I finally found a Camping World that had two in stock.

I needed two because when I got up on the roof, it was easy to see what happened. The fiberglass/plastic? of the shroud was so deteriorated by the sun that it was brittle and cracking all over. In fact the shroud had just broken away from the screws leaving small pieces of plastic underneath the heads. And the front shroud wasn’t far behind. So they both got replaced.

At the time they were replaced, the old ones were 9 years old, so the new ones are now 8 years old. But happily they show no signs of deterioration at all.

So it looks like they’re good for a while longer.

My new Zero-G hose is still working fine. Of course, it’s only been one day, so it’s not much of a test. I noticed my shower last night had a kind of ‘new plastic’ smell, but it seems to have been gone today.

At least I shouldn’t get any more kinks that start swelling up like balloons.

Kinked Hose

There were 3 kinks like this, and if the water pressure was high, the hose looked kinda like a well-fed anaconda.

 

The Mercantile


June 15, 2017

. . . We’re Not In Kansas Anymore . . .

After an easy morning, we pulled out of the I-80 Lakeside RV about 10:15, leaving our lake view site behind.

I-80 Lakeside RV Park 2

In about 10 minutes we were back out on I-135 south heading for Bartlesville, OK, about 230 miles away. 80 miles later, just south of Wichita, we got on the I-35 Kansas Turnpike for the last 40 miles before the Oklahoma border.

40 miles for $4.75. Not bad.

And 20 miles later we got off I-35 and onto US60 east for the next 80 miles or so. Then about 10 miles out of Pawhuska we passed the entrance gate to the Drummond Ranch.

Drummond Ranch Sign

Doing a little reading later, I was amazed how large the ranch actually is. At 433,000 acres, the Drummonds are the 17th largest landowners in the US.

WOW! That’s Texas big.

In fact, the Drummond Ranch and The Mercantile, home to Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman, is the reason we’re here in the first place. This has been on Jan’s bucket list for a while

Coming through Pawhuska a little after 2 pm, we passed the place, and as we had been told, saw the line around the block waiting to get in. According to the web, they serve about 6,000 customers a day, with peaks up to 15,000. All this in a town of only 3,500 people.

We pulled into the Lakeside Recreation Park a little after 3 pm and were led to our pull-thru site and got set up.

We had planned to go back to Pawhuska for dinner at The Mercantile, but then decided we wanted something closer and quicker, so we headed right down the road to have dinner at Montana Mike’s Steakhouse. And it turned out to be a really good choice. Great steaks, homemade salad dressings and rolls, and excellent service.

As we were pulling into the restaurant parking lot, we were surprised to see this sign on a restaurant right new door.

Monterey's Sign

Monterey’s Little Mexico is one of our favorite places in the Houston area, and we always thought of it as a Houston chain. And it is, except  for 3 locations in OK, 2 in Tulsa, and this one in Bartlesville. Don’t know if we’ll get to eat there while we’re here.

The only downside to this park, is that just like last night’s park, I can’t get a satellite signal. But they have a good cable TV lineup, so I’m hooked up to that.


I think I may have set a new record. Somehow I managed to use 1GB of data on my MiFi . . . without being online.

I received an email from Verizon at 6:26am yesterday morning saying that I had 1GB left on my MiFi account. And then at 4:29pm, I received another email from them saying that I had now used all my 10GB of data . . . so 1GB in only 10 hours.

The real mystery is that I wasn’t online during this time, or at least,  hardly any of it. We were on the road almost all day, traveling the 330 miles from North Platte, NE to Assaria, KS.

So who was using all my data?

 

How Did You Spend Yours?


June 15, 2019

I’m Pooped, But It’s Done . . .

After leisurely coffee, I went outside about 11:30 to tackle my Dodge Dakota’s front brake pad replacement.

Like most projects, prep work is key, and sometimes takes longer than the actual project.

Disc Pads 1

I knew my floor jack wasn’t going to go high enough to lift the truck so I borrowed a concrete block from the trash pile across from the dumpster to lift things up a bit.

Disc Pads 2

Then after putting the jack stand in place to hold things up in case the floor jack failed, and with the tire off, I was able to get to the caliper/pad assembly.

Disc Pads 3

And removing two bolts and a little prying with a big screwdriver to push the calipers back in a little, I was able to slide the assembly off and lay it up on top of the housing. You don’t want to let it hang loose.

Disc Pads 4

Then the pads themselves just pop right out. I then took a close look at the rotor surface and it looked fine. No grooves, scratches, or raised edges.

Disc Pads 5

I normally replace the rotors every other time I replace the pads, and they were changed out last time so I was expecting them to still be in good shape.

Next up I used one of the old pads and a caliper spreader to push them back in completely flush with the housing so they will fit over the new, now thicker, pads.

Disc Pads 6

Normally I would just use a big C clamp, but I couldn’t find mine, and when I went to buy a new one, I found the spreader was actually cheaper than a big clamp.

I then replaced the silver pad retaining clips with the new ones that came with the pads.

Disc Pads 7

And here’s what it looked like with the pads in place on the clips.

Disc Pads 8

Finally I put Anti-Seize lube on everything that isn’t supposed to seize, and then it was just a matter of sliding the caliper assembly back on the rotor, installing the two bolts, and tightening them down.

And I was done.

With the easy part.

Next comes the hardest part, at least for me. And that’s to lift the 80# wheel/tire combo and get it up on the lugs.

But with a lot of fussing, cussing, and tussling, I got it in place, and tightened down. Then after removing the jack stand, and lowering the truck, I did a final tightening of the lug nuts.

And I was done.

With the driver’s side.

And since it was getting hot now, I decided to wait until about 5pm to do the passenger side since it would be in the shade by them.

Then by around 6:30, I was done, had done a test drive, and was in a hot shower, after taking some Advil.

So that’s how I spent my Saturday.

How did you spend yours?


The biggest Buc-ee’s is coming back to Texas. Where it belongs.

Up until recently, at 68,000 sq. ft., the biggest Buc-ee’s in the world, was the one in New Braunfels, TX. But then the new one in Sevierville, TN surpassed it by about 6,000 sq.ft.

But now that honor is coming back home.

To Luling, TX.

But wait. There’s already a big Buc-ee’s in Luling, right?

Well, yeah. But now there’s going to be two. At least for a while.

Rather than close down the existing one to build the new, or even try to remodel the old one while staying open, they’re actually going to build a completely new, bigger one right next door to the old one, and then just switch over.

Then I guess they’re just going to tear down the old one. But they don’t say.

But as busy as all of them are, maybe they’ll just keep both of them open.

Jan and I really enjoyed having the two ice makers in the condo, so we decided to break down and order one of those tabletop models, in this case, one that came highly recommended by our friend, Debi Hurlburt.

TTICE

Vivohome Ice Maker

Should be here Friday.

And speaking of Debi,  tomorrow Jan and I are heading up The Woodland area to meet up with Debi and Ed for our monthly lunch get-together at the Pappasito’s there.

Can’t Wait.

Of Course There Was A Gift Shop


June 15, 2009

The Lady & Sons…

Today we made a pilgrimage to Savannah’s holiest of holies, Paula Deen’s “The Lady and Sons” restaurant.

But it’s a two-part pilgrimage.

You can’t just show up and expect to get a table.  And you can’t make a phone reservation unless you have a party of ten or more.

So, starting at 9:30 am you show up at the restaurant and get your name on the list.  If you’re lucky.

Lunch is from 11 am to 3 pm.  Dinner is from 5 pm to 10 pm.

We got there a little after 10 am and were not able to get a lunch time until 2:30 pm.  If we wanted dinner, it would not be until 7:30 pm.

We picked lunch at 2:30.   Since lunch was only served until 3 we were lucky we didn’t get there a few minutes later.  And  when we came back at 2:30 the earliest dinner opening was 9:30 pm.

Since we had about 4 hours to kill before returning for lunch, we headed over to a Babies R Us to pick up some baby gifts for our new great-niece and the soon-to-arrive baby of a friend.

After that it was to WalMart for our weekly ‘stuff’ acquisition trip.  Then we drove around thru some of the neighborhoods before heading down the Interstate to the local Camping World.

By now it was time to head back to downtown Savannah and Paula’s.  Her restaurant is a 3 story building that once housed the old White Hardware Company.  It’s located about two blocks from the Savannah waterfront.

Paula Deen's 'The Lady and Sons' restaurant

The Lady and Sons Dining Room

At lunch, you have your choice of ordering off the menu, or partaking of the lunch buffet.

Needless to say, we picked the buffet.  And it was a great choice.

Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, rice, cheese grits, sweet potatoes, collard greens, etc.

And great desserts.

It was all we could do to still walk when it was time to leave, but of course we had to leave thru the Paula Deen Gift Show.

And after that meal it was back to the coach for a nap.

Now We’re Up To 11


June 15, 2013

Cows and Goats . . .

Since we wanted to have breakfast this morning before we left for Nampa, we got all ready to go, and then about 8:55 walked over to the restaurant.

And the breakfast turned out to be as good as last night’s dinner. This is the #1 Combo that I had. Not a bad deal for $6.95. And all really good.

The Narrows RV Park 3

We had the same waitress as we had last night and were talking to her about her cow encounter. She said there was even more to the story.

After she hit the 6 cows, she called 911 and reported the accident.

When the 911 operator asked if she needed an ambulance, she said ‘No”. But they sent one away.

And the 911 operator forgot to tell the ambulance driver about the cows.

Oops!

The ambulance took out 3 more cows.

If you keeping score, we’re up to 9 dead cows now.

Then the police showed up at the scene of the accident.

Oops. They weren’t told about the cows either.

So now we’re up to 11 dead cows. About this time our waitress was picked up by her husband and left the scene.

But she said more cows were hit during the night. Apparently the herd of over 200 wandered back and forth over the highway all night.

The next morning they were using forklifts to clean up the highway. Yuck!


“This is Oregon?”

We headed out from The Narrows RV Park about 9:50, but we considered it as 10:50 because about 70 miles down the road we’ll enter the Mountain Time Zone, so it’s easier to just think that way from the start.

About 25 miles after we left the park, we hooked back up with US20 and headed east for Nampa, ID about 170 miles away. But we quickly began to wonder if we were still in Oregon.

It looked more like what we’ve seen in Wyoming or Montana. Long sweeping vistas with wide valleys, steep climbs, and curvy roads following the Malheur River that runs along side the highway.

And it made for some really nice photos.

Nampa Trip 0

Nampa Trip 1

Nampa Trip 2

Nampa Trip 3

Nampa Trip 4

Nampa Trip 5

Nampa Trip 6

Nampa Trip 7

A really beautiful trip. And even better, considering all the curves, no cat barf.

About 40 miles out of Nampa, we got on I-84E, and by about 3pm we were parked and getting set up.

A little after 4pm we were out driving around, thinking about what we wanted for dinner. Then we passed a Texas Roadhouse, and that made the decision for us. Texas Roadhouse it was.

Jan had the 12 oz. Sirloin Strip and I had my usual  16 oz. Ribeye. And both really good.

Getting home about 5:30 we found we had some new neighbors right next door. We seen RV’ers traveling with cats, dogs, turtles, lizards, parrots, cockatoos, and even ferrets and monkeys.

But goats?

Meet (from left to right, Bonnie, Goldie, and hiding out in back, Clyde.

Garrity Goats 1

Their owner says that they’re Nubian goats.

Garrity Goats 2

And to Jan’s relief, they’re dairy goats, and pets, and not pre-cabrito.

Garrity Goats 3

Tomorrow we got a trip of about 180 miles to Declo, ID and the Village of Trees RV Resort.

Hopefully we’ll have as nice a trip as we did today.


June 15, 2016

A Well-Fed Anaconda . . .

About 2pm, Jan and I headed back down to the Asian BBQ & Grill for lunch, but more of a business lunch. I mean we still had their delicious Vermicelli Bowls, Jan’s with Lemon Grass Chicken and mine with Grilled Pork and Shrimp,

Asian BBQ Lemon Grass Chicken

but I’ve been talking to the owner about setting him up a website for his restaurant. I showed him how his two nearby direct competitors, China Delight and East Buffet, both have websites, and how the other restaurants in his area also had websites.

Then I showed him samples of some of the other websites I’d done for clients, which he liked. He does seem interested, but wants to talk with his wife when she gets back to town next week.

I told him we’ll be moving back to Columbus on Sunday and then would be back here in two weeks, but to give me a call in the meantime. He knows we’re RV’ers and are moving back and forth so that’s not a problem.

After we got home, I put the last panels and screws back in the microwave and then Jan finally got to finish cooking her Sopapilla Cheesecake in the convection oven that she’d prepared last week and then never got to cook.

It smelled great as it as cooking, and later tasted even better when it cooled. And, even better, the oven worked perfectly.

Sometime before we leave on Sunday I’m going to have to get back up on the roof and finish the AC evaporator coil cleaning. But with the forecast temps in the 97-98 degree range for the rest of the week, I’m not too enthusiastic about the whole thing. But I do at least need to get back up there and fasten the shroud down, because I don’t want to lose another one.

In 2008, a few weeks after we hit the road for the first time, we were traveling through the dunes between Yuma and San Diego, and a passing truck driver kept pointing to our roof. So I pulled over and took a look.

Even without getting up on the roof, I could see the the rear AC shroud was completely gone. Figuring there was no use in going back to look for pieces, and hoping it hadn’t hit anyone, since not one was chasing me, we kept on going.

It was about a week later we were parked at the Moose Lodge in Escondido CA and I finally found a Camping World that had two in stock.

I needed two because when I got up on the roof, it was easy to see what happened. The fiberglass/plastic? of the shroud was so deteriorated by the sun that it was brittle and cracking all over. In fact the shroud had just broken away from the screws leaving small pieces of the plastic underneath the heads. And the front shroud wasn’t far behind. So they both got replaced.

At the time they were replaced, the old ones were 9 years old, so the new ones are now 8 years old. But happily they show no signs of deterioration at all.

So it looks like they’re good for a while longer.

My new Zero G hose is still working fine. Of course it’s only been one day, so it’s not much of a test. I noticed my shower last night had a kind of ‘new plastic’ smell, but it seems to have been gone today.

At least I shouldn’t get any more kinks that start swelling up like balloons.

Kinked Hose

There were 3 kinks like this, and if the water pressure was high, the hose looked kinda like a well-fed anaconda.

The Mercantile


June 15, 2017

. . . We’re Not In Kansas Anymore . . .

After an easy morning, we pulled out of the I-80 Lakeside RV about 10:15, leaving our lake view site behind.

I-80 Lakeside RV Park 2

In about 10 minutes we were back out on I-135 south heading for Bartlesville, OK, about 230 miles away. 80 miles later, just south of Wichita, we got on the I-35 Kansas Turnpike for the last 40 miles before the Oklahoma border.

40 miles for $4.75. Not bad.

And 20 miles later we got off I-35 and onto US60 east for the next 80 miles or so. Then about 10 miles out of Pawhuska we passed the entrance gate to the Drummond Ranch.

Drummond Ranch Sign

Doing a little reading later, I was amazed how large the ranch actually is. At 433,000 acres, the Drummonds are the 17th largest landowners in the US.

WOW! That’s Texas big.

In fact, the Drummond Ranch and The Mercantile, home to Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman, is the reason we’re here in the first place. This has been on Jan’s bucket list for a while

Coming though Pawhuska a little after 2pm, we passed the place, and as we had been told, saw the line around the block waiting to get in. According to the web, they serve about 6,000 customers a day, with peaks up to 15,000. All this in a town of only 3,500 people.

We pulled into the Lakeside Recreation Park a little after 3pm and were led to our pull-thru site and got set up.

We had planned to go back to Pawhuska for dinner at The Mercantile, but then decided we wanted something closer and quicker, so we headed right down the road to have dinner at Montana Mike’s Steakhouse. And it turned out to be a really good choice. Great steaks, homemade salad dressings and rolls, and excellent service.

As we were pulling into the restaurant parking lot, we were surprised to see this sign on a restaurant right new door.

Monterey's Sign

Monterey’s Little Mexico is one of our favorite places in the Houston area, and we always thought of it as a Houston chain. And it is, except  for 3 locations in OK, 2 in Tulsa, and this one in Bartlesville. Don’t know if we’ll get to eat there while we’re here.

The only downside to this park, is that just like last night’s park, I can’t get a satellite signal. But they have a good cable TV lineup, so I’m hooked up to that.


I think I may have set a new record. Somehow I managed to use 1GB of data on my MiFi . . . without being online.

I received an email from Verizon at 6:26am yesterday morning saying that I had 1GB left on my MiFi account. And then at 4:29pm, I received another email from them saying that I had now used all my 10GB of data . . . so 1GB in only 10 hours.

The real mystery is that I wasn’t online during this time, or at least,  hardly any of it. We were on the road almost all day, traveling the 330 miles from North Platte, NE to Assaria, KS.

So who was using all my data?

How Did You Spend Yours?


June 15, 2019

I’m Pooped, But It’s Done . . .

After leisurely coffee, I went outside about 11:30 to tackle my Dodge Dakota’s front brake pad replacement.

Like most projects, prep work is key, and sometimes takes longer than the actual project.

Disc Pads 1

I knew my floor jack wasn’t going to go high enough to lift the truck so I borrowed a concrete block from the trash pile across from the dumpster to lift things up a bit.

Disc Pads 2

Then after putting the jack stand in place to hold things up in case the floor jack failed, and with the tire off, I was able to get to the caliper/pad assembly.

Disc Pads 3

And removing two bolts and a little prying with a big screwdriver to push the calipers back in a little, I was able to slide the assembly off and lay it up on top of the housing. You don’t want to let it hang loose.

Disc Pads 4

Then the pads themselves just pop right out. I then took a close look at the rotor surface and it looked fine. No grooves, scratches, or raised edges.

Disc Pads 5

I normally replace the rotors every other time I replace the pads, and they were changed out last time so I was expecting them to still be in good shape.

Next up I used one of the old pads and a caliper spreader to push them back in completely flush with the housing so they will fit over the new, now thicker, pads.

Disc Pads 6

Normally I would just use a big C clamp, but I couldn’t find mine, and when I went to buy a new one, I found the spreader was actually cheaper than a big clamp.

I then replaced the silver pad retaining clips with the new ones that came with the pads.

Disc Pads 7

And here’s what it looked like with the pads in place on the clips.

Disc Pads 8

Finally I put Anti-Seize lube on everything that isn’t suppose to seize, and then it was just a matter of sliding the caliper assembly back on the rotor, installing the two bolts, and tightening them down.

And I was done.

With the easy part.

Next comes the hardest part, at least for me. And that’s to lift the 80# wheel/tire combo and get it up on the lugs.

But with a lot of fussing, cussing, and tussling, I got it in place, and tightened down. Then after removing the jack stand, and lowering the truck, I did a final tightening of the lug nuts.

And I was done.

With the driver’s side.

And since it was getting hot now, I decided to wait until about 5pm to do the passenger side since it would be in the shade by them.

Then by around 6:30, I was done, had done a test drive, and was in a hot shower, after taking some Advil.

So that’s how I spent my Saturday.

How did you spend yours?