Daily Archives: September 3, 2022
Miss You, Sweetie . . .
Jan and I were on our way up to Katy about 11am for Jan’s dog-sitting gig, but our first stop was at the El Pollo Loco up on Mason Rd.
We got 3 Piece White dinners (I already ate my wing) to eat there, and 1 more dinner to go for Jan to have another day.
We’ve been eating at El Pollo Loco since we discovered them out in California in 2008, and we were glad to see them working their way east a while back. We actually had two down here in our area, one in Webster and one in League City, a couple of years ago, but they only lasted about 6 months or so. They were very badly managed, unlike the one up in Katy.
Finally heading down Mason Rd toward Brandi’s, we made a quick HEB stop so Jan could pick up a few last minute things. Then after getting her set up, I headed back to toward home, hoping to stay ahead of the rains coming in.
On our way up there we hit one heavy patch of rain for about 10 minutes, but we could see more was heading our way. And it held off until about Baybrook Mall when it really started coming down. And getting close to our RV park, I could see all the ditches were full.
And checking our rain gauge showed it had rained over 1.5 inches by the time I got home about 3pm. And it looks like more is on the way.
Here’s another couple of shots of the U.S.S. Texas heading down the Houston Ship Channel and passing under the Fred Hartman Bridge.
Coming home from Galveston Thursday afternoon, we got gas at the La Marque Sam’s Club for a new low of $2.97. Well, today, two days later, it’s now $2.82.
Now it just has to drop another $1.40 to be where it was in November 2020 when I bought gas at Costco for $1.42.
Thought For The Day:
What Happens When California Bans Gas-Powered Vehicles By 2035
And Then Tells You Not To Charge Your Tesla Due to Power Shortages.
September 3, 2009
Fresh Haddock and Fortress Louisbourg…
Today we packed up and headed toward Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, which is about 40 miles from where we will catch the ferry tomorrow…or rather, tomorrow night at 11:00 pm for the 15 hour ferry ride to Argentia, Newfoundland.
Our park here in Antigonish is actually right downtown, and is pretty nice.
And it came complete with a bridge and a babbling brook.
The 135 mile drive to Louisbourg, to put it plainly, just sucked!
We had long stretches of bad road, intermixed with shorter lengths of really, really bad roads. And we had a 25 minute wait for construction.
And I’m really dreading the trip back to the States after we return from Newfoundland, because we’ll have to go back on the same road. There’s only one.
Anyway, we pulled into the RV park about 3 pm and got set up. The park is right on the water next to the docks. Talk about scenic!
That’s our rig in the very front.
This time I didn’t even try the satellite since there was a building in the way. And since we’ll only be here one day before we head to Newfoundland, I won’t worry about it.
Later we drove over to the Fortress View restaurant for a great meal of Fish and Chips. This was fresh haddock, right off the boat. Really good!
After dinner we took a drive around the town. One of the sites to see is Fortress Louisbourg, built by Louis XV when the French held this area.
And of course, more great views.
Coming back to the park, I walked down to the docks in front of the park. It’s easy to see why the fish at dinner was so fresh.
September 3, 2013
104.7
Well, although ‘officially’ it only made it to 99 here today, our thermometer said it made it to 104.7. But what’s strange is that it did it in a fairly sharp spike. About 3pm I noticed the temperature starting to climb and in about 15 minutes it was up to the 104.7. Then it started to fall, a little more slowly than the rise, but by 3:45 it was back down to 99.
The thermometer hadn’t moved, the sun wasn’t on it. Nothing changed but the temperature. I might put this down to a strange coincidence, but I’ve seen this happen on other days too. And it didn’t even happen during the time of the ‘official’ high of 99 which was a few minutes after 5pm.
Strange.
But according to the 10 day forecast, by next Friday our temps should start trending down into the low 90’s. Nice.
They were supposed to start the fracking today, (Actually they were supposed to start it yesterday.), but so far nothing’s happening. We were told that they would crank it up about 3:30 using the sand that they already brought in, and then the replacement sand would start coming in, 4 trucks an hour, 24 hours a day, until they’re done in a month or so.
But nothing so far.
However the good news is that we got our first catered meal. A little after 1pm, a van from Hell Fighter’s Kitchen pulled up and handed me a large Styrofoam container filled with our dinner. He also said he’d be coming through pretty regular. YUM! We’d heard that the catering is more frequent on the fracking sites, so we’ll see how it goes.
Our meal consisted of sliced brisket, jalapeno/cheese sausage, carrots and peas, Cole slaw, potato salad, fruit salad, and peach cobbler for dessert. And although we only got one serving, it was so large that there was more than enough for both of us.
Once more. YUM!
September 3, 2014
New Adventures in Gate Guarding . . .
or Go Left to Turn Right.
We finally pulled out of the East View RV Ranch in Georgetown, TX at 9:20, about 20 minutes later than we planned because of an emergency repair.
Jan followed me in the truck to the front of the park where I hitched up. I had started the generator running to let it warm up a little before I put the AC loads on it, but when I came back in and turned them on, I had no power to the back on the coach, which meant the back AC and the refrigerator weren’t working.
So lifting up the bed, I dug into the transfer switch and I found I had power on both sides coming from the genset, but it wasn’t getting to the breaker. Wiggling wires around I found a loose connection on the bus panel that feeds the breaker so I went back up front to turn off the genset. Tightening the connection fixed the problem and a few minutes later we were on our way.
We took the SR130 Toll Road south for about 8 miles and then got on US79 east which took us all the way to Hearne. This was mostly 4 lane with only a few small towns along the way. At Hearne we turned south on US190 heading for Bryan,
Getting into Bryan we turned east, still on US 190, heading for North Zulch. (still looking for South Zulch) In North Zulch, we were told to turn right on FM39. But you can’t. Despite what Google Maps and Delorme Street Atlas tells you, you have to go left on FM39 which loops back over US190.
After we got turned around and heading in the right direction, we turned off FM39, and after passing an Emu ranch and a Llama farm, we arrived at our gate.
Pulling in we found Todd, who we knew from last year at Whitsett, waiting for us. The other couple had already left, so we got parked and I started setting up while Todd briefed Jan on the sign-in requirements.
And that looks to be pretty simple, just like last year. We get first and last name, company, tag number, and which of the 6 sites they’re going to. And as far as any passengers, it’s +1, +2, etc. Easy, Peazy.
The only slight complication is that we have to remind them going and coming that the speed limit is 15mph. And they’re really cracking down on it.
We’ve got a nice big oak tree that keeps the rig in the shade for most of the day, so that’s nice. But the nice big oak tree also blocks our view of the DirecTV satellite so I’m going to have to dig out my longer cables tomorrow so I can get the sat dome in the clear.
I’ll have pictures tomorrow.
September 3, 2015
Jan’s Exhausted . . .
We had a blistering 11 vehicles through the gate today, and three of them were repeats. And of those eight, one of them was the landowner. But we did have one driver show up with a load of pipe about 8pm. Said he was sorry he was running late, and he’d be back tomorrow with more.
I’m not sure how long we can keep up this torrid pace.
But we did pick up a lot of new info (rumors?).
Cudd Energy Services is the name of the company that will be moving over from Louisiana and doing our frack. Supposedly they will start moving in the frack equipment the middle of next week, and start fracking next Monday, the 14th.
The guys came in with the big hose reels today and ran hose from the frack pond down to the site. It’s amazing how far they will run these hoses to get water. I’ve seen them running for miles along the highway down in south Texas.
A number of our regulars are getting a four day weekend and won’t be back to work until Tuesday, the day after Labor Day. They’re working 40 hour weeks to hold down costs, so with 12 hour plus days, they’re done today for the week.
But it looks like we won’t be completely shutdown this weekend since a few have confirmed they will be working. Darn It!
I noticed my sewer connection into our trailer septic tank was leaking gray water while Jan was doing laundry. Turns out that one of the 3 lugs had broken off the elbow connector that normally goes into the park sewer.
The application of a little Gorilla Tape took temporary care of the problem. I’ll try to get a new one tomorrow at the Wal-Mart in Carthage. This is only the second one I’ve had in 8 years so they’re lasting pretty well.
I came across something today that almost makes me want to go back to Canada. It’s the CN Tower EdgeWalk in Toronto. For about $150 you can put on a harness and walk around the top of the restaurant on the CN Tower, 1168 feet above the ground.
You can literally ‘hangout’ while you’re up there.
You can also propose,
or even get married.
Even supermodel Kate Upton and her boyfriend did it.
You remember Kate Upton from those Game of War TV ads, don’t you.
At least I guess that’s what you should remember her for.
September 3, 2017
Don’t You Just Hate It When . . .
That Happens!
I found another, longer article about the Magic, or Dialog Oven with more information about the actual cooking process. Interesting.
So now, how about a microwave-sized unit that not only cooks your food, but will also cool it, or even freeze it.
Called the Frigondas, it was developed in Spain, and unlike the Dialog Oven, it should only cost about $1000, rather than $10,000, when it finally comes to the US.
It will flash-freeze fruits and vegetables in just a few minutes, or chill your beer to a perfect 37° in just six minutes. And then make you popcorn, all ready for the big game.
BTW it’s probably very apropos that the very first food cooked in a microwave during development was popcorn. The second thing was an egg . . . which promptly exploded all over the inside of the oven.
Been there, done that.
Several nights this last week Jan has fixed us chicken salads. Well, not chicken salad, but salads with chicken on it.
Now normally we get a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store, and Jan puts shredded pieces on our salads. But with the storm, none were available this week, so she used canned chicken from the pantry.
Turned out to be really, really good, especially with the creamy poppy seed dressing.
Tomorrow morning I’ll drop Jan off at Brandi’s in Katy, and then head down to the Clear Lake area to spend the day at my client. Then I’ll come back to the rig while Jan spends the week Landon-sitting since his school doesn’t start back until next Monday, the 11th.
We had DVR’ed the TV series Fargo this past spring, so tonight we were going to start watching it. That was when I discovered that that we had somehow missed two episodes, the third one and the ninth one.
Don’t know why, or what happened. The DVR just didn’t record them. Luckily we should be able to stream them both when the time comes.
Now we’ve also been DVR’ing The Guest Book, on TBS, and it looks like that we missed an episode of that one too – Story Five. But that one we knew about because we missed it when the coach was being repaired.
Haven’t looked yet, but we’ll probably be able to stream that one also. I hope.
Don’t you just hate it when that happens.
September 3, 2018
Not A Wedge . . .
About 2pm we headed out through the drizzle up to Webster to have lunch at Saltgrass Steakhouse, our toss-up winner for local steakhouses.
As far as steaks go for us, it’s pretty even between Longhorn and Saltgrass. Strangely enough for picking steakhouses, the clincher is the salads. Saltgrass’ Wedge Salad has become our new favorite, and since Longhorn doesn’t normally have a Wedge Salad, they lose out.
I say ‘normally’ because sometimes they do . . . kind of. Occasionally they have what they call a Wedge Salad, but it’s not really.
Unless you call a stalk of Romaine a ‘wedge’. Now I like Romaine lettuce (Jan doesn’t), but a wedge it’s not.
This is a Wedge.
And yes, I like a lot of pepper on my salads. Actually I like a lot of pepper on pretty much every thing.
I got the 16 oz. Pat’s Ribeye with Steak Fries, first time for potatoes in a while.
And since I really can’t eat 16 oz. of steak anymore, the first thing I did is to cut it half for leftovers.
Jan got the 6 oz. Charlotte’s Center-Cut Filet with the Grilled Green Beans, Unfortunately for photo purposes, she got started on it before I could get a picture.
Note how ‘red’ Jan’s steak is. And it only took me 50+ years to get her here.
When I first met Jan she liked her steaks WELL-DONE. Note the CAPITALS. And by WELL-DONE, I mean Burnt. Shoe-Leather Burnt. But it was baby steps to get her to this point.
After many years I finally got her to Medium-Well. Then a few years back she segued all the way over to halfway between Medium and Medium-Well, which is sometimes hard to meet.
But today was a watershed moment. She actually ordered her filet Medium. And then proceeded tell me repeatedly how ‘tender and juicy’ it was.
Well, duh. I’ve only been telling her this for more than 50 years. She said that she always ate her steak like that because her father ate his that, so that’s all she ever knew.
Now she knows better.
September 3, 2019
I Blame Crows . . .
The other day while I was doing my rear brakes, I was using an 15mm, a 13mm, a 10mm, and an 8mm. And after doing one wheel I moved everything over to the other side, then came inside to cool off and hydrate.
And when I came back out my 15mm, 13mm, and my 8mm were missing, but the 10 was still there. As was the rest of my Crescent 1/4” and 3/8” drive metric and SAE which was right there too. But the only ones missing were 3 of the 4 loose ones.
We’re are the only RV’ers here, with most of the other residents working at the Texas City plants so I doubt anyone just walked by and picked up 3 sockets. And they’re no kids around either.
So I blame crows, who are known to like and steal shiny things. At least that’s my story and I’m sticking with it.
So I came in and got cleaned up a little and Jan and I headed out to have lunch at Yummy Yummy, pick up our Amazon packages from work, and buy some new sockets.
But first couple of stops, Harbor Freight, and Lowes, didn’t sell individual sockets, so I ended up at the O’Reilly’s on the way home and found just what I needed.
September 3, 2021
It’s Here!
Well, as I had hoped my new Atwood Water Heater showed up this morning, so I know how my long weekend is going to be going. At least if it doesn’t keep pouring down rain all weekend like it did today
I mean, we’re talking gullies being washed and pets falling from the sky, type of rains.
Tomorrow I need to pick up a tube of caulk to seal around the outside door, and that should be all I need. Except time, I guess.
I’ve mentioned before that I’m setting up a new computer for our Shipping department, and one of the programs I’m trying to move over is our copy of USPS’ Click N Ship Business Pro. And it should be really easy.
All I should have to do was to install a new copy of the program, and then export the Address Book from the old computer and then import it into the new computer. But someone at the PO doesn’t know how to program, because every time I tried to export the list, the export crashed with an error message.
Turns out that though the Click N Ship program allows you to have a ‘ in a name or address, like O’Neal, it won’t let you export names or addresses with a ‘ in them. Nor will it let you import them either. And it won’t let you chose another export format like Tab Separated rather than CSV.
Of course I’ve figured out a work-around, but it’s going to be a little time-consuming since there are over 4000 addresses in the file. Oh, well.
Continuing with yesterday’s rocket video’s, here’s a really unusual launch technique, if you can call launching sideways a ‘launch’.
Turns out that one of the two engines shut down right at the launch, and the software did a great job of recovering. However with only one engine, it was never going to make orbit, but they wanted to get as much data as they could before they let it crash back into the ocean. And since the launch was from Kodiak, AK, they weren’t likely to hit anything.
Originally the Space Shuttle was supposed to use a Flyback Booster for the first stage instead of the flawed SRB’s that brought down the Challenger in 1986. The Flyback Booster consisted of the 5 main engines from a Saturn V mounted to a Shuttle-like manned glider that returned to the Cape after separation
This next video is an amazing animation on a Shuttle utilizing the Flyback Booster concept, It’s so well done it’s hard to believe it’s not real. From the flickering of the helicopter blades overhead, to the scratches in the film segments, to the heat waves rising from the landing strip. Really something.
Tomorrow we’re thinking Los Ramirez for lunch and then back home to work on the water heater changeout, assuming the weather holds.
Thought for the Day:
