Monthly Archives: November 2022
Well, That’s Weird . . .
Our Old Faithful Dodge Dakota truck cranked right up this morning, pretty good for having over 309,000 miles on it. I keep Stabil in the gas tank and a float charger on the battery, so it’s always ready to go.
I forgot to mentioned yesterday the suspected reason for my Jeep’s engine overheating. When Joe started looking for the problem, he found the radiator completely empty.
And the reason for that was that the radiator drain plug had come loose and was laying on the frame crossmember underneath. And Joe agreed with me that it had to have fallen out along the way, since I never would have made the Interstate without it overheating.
But of course that would have been better since I would have had somewhere to pull over when it first started overheating, rather than being stuck on I-45 in a long section with no way to pull off.
Leaving the rig our first stop was at the Santa Fe O’Reilly’s Auto Parts to pick up some oil for the truck, before heading on up to Joe’s to grab a couple things out of the Jeep before it gets towed up to Roland’s Precision Machining in Alvin who are going to take the engine apart.
Lunch today was at Torchy’s Tacos with both of us getting our usual. Jan’s 2 Chicken Fajita Tacos,
and my 2 Cheddar Jalapeno Sausage Tacos.
Both really good.
Then I dropped Jan off to get her toes done, while I drove over to get a haircut. Later coming home, we made a HEB stop before heading home.
Another nice day.
Tomorrow morning, in a 2 hr. window starting at 12:04am, NASA is again going to try to launch Artemis I, their version of a lunar rocket.
It recently weathered Hurricane Nicole while sitting out on the launch pad, sustaining some insulation damage. But NASA says it good to go. The third times the charm.
As usual, we’ll see.
Thought for the Day:
“People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don’t realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world.” – Calvin.
November 15, 2010
Monkey Butt
The rain was still holding off so we were able to get our walk in without getting damp. I started coffee before we left so it was nice to come back to the coach and have a hot drink waiting for us.
Starting a little before 1 pm I spent about 30 minutes on the phone with AT&T trying to get my email problems straightened out. For the last several days incoming email has been intermittent and outgoing has been impossible. I knew the problem was on their end because I also could not login to my Webmail thru the browser. But sometimes convincing them that the problem is on their end and getting them to look for it, is a problem in itself. But finally I got them to go in and do a complete reset of my email account and that fixed the problem.
At least so far.
While I was on the phone, a gentlemen showed up at our door to say hi. Either Jan didn’t get his name, or didn’t remember it, but he knew us.
He’s staying down the road at Green Caye RV Park in Dickinson and found our blog and recognized where we were. Since I was on the phone, Jan did most of the talking to him. Hopefully if he reads this he will leave us a comment with his name.
About 2 pm I drove up to Kemah to pick up some wine for dinner from Spec’s Liquor. They have a great selection and seem to be the only place that carries our favorite. It’s a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc called ‘Monkey Bay’, but after a few glasses, it ends up as Monkey Butt.
About 5:45 pm we headed up to Pasadena, wine in hand, to have dinner with our good friend, Barbara Cutsinger. It seems like I’ve known her forever, but it’s only been about 5 years. She even visited us in Alaska in the summer of 2008 when we were workkamping up there, and she was on a cruise.
I met her when I was doing IT support for the organization she works for, Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership (BAHEP).
Barbara is a fantastic cook and we always have a good time. She got a new laptop and wanted me to get it set up for her.
In return we got a great meal of Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Roasted Vegetables, Green Beans, Salad, and for dessert, Ice Cream with Kahlua on it. HMMMMMM!
We had a really great time, and didn’t get home until about 11:30.
November 15, 2011
Tuesday in Gulf Shores . . .
Today consisted mostly of just taking it easy. The weather forecast said to expect a lot of rain, but we lucked out with a beautiful sunny day.
So Jan, Mister, and I spent a good while sitting outside enjoying this fantastic view and listening to the ocean waves about 1/4 mile away. Jan was reading her Kindle and I was doing it the old-fashioned way, with paper and ink.
Mister mostly laid in the grass waiting for a passing wildebeest, or maybe a gator.
About 3:30 Jan and I headed up to Foley to have ‘lupper’ at Lambert’s Throwed Rolls, another of our favorite restaurants in this area. And they really do throw the rolls at you, and they’re huge, bigger than a softball.
After we placed our orders, we got ready for the pass-arounds.
Pass-arounds are delivered by servers in big bowls as they walk around the tables. My favorite is some of the best Fried Okra you’ve ever put in your mouth. Hot, crispy, and crunchy on the outside, and melt in your mouth on the inside.
Other pass-arounds include Fried Potatoes & Onions, Macaroni & Tomatoes, Black-Eyed Peas, and Apple Butter & Sorghum. And they’re all delicious. The big problem is filling up before your food even gets here.
I ordered the BBQ Pork Steak with White Beans, Turnip Greens, and Baby Carrots.
Jan ordered her favorite Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans.
Lambert’s is one of those places where you can eat your fill and still have plenty to take home. Our kind of place.
On our way home we stopped off at Books-A-Million to stock up on magazines. Jan and I both like BAM because they have probably the best selection around. Always better than Barnes and Noble.
On another note, I was very surprised to find that we have Verizon 4G here, still very fast.
Neat.
November 15, 2012
Big Daddy’s Grill . . .
We got another photo of our new Great-Niece Annisten, along with her sisters, Avery Jane, and Ella. Three beautiful young ladies!
Thought I’d post some more pics of my growing up in Gulf Shores.
This one is my father and I right after we moved to Gulf Shores in January 1951. I had turned 2 the previous October.
This is me and my best friend David Duddy. Note that I’m still wearing my favorite cowboy outfit.
I didn’t realize that I got dressed up to play outside.
About 1:30 Jan and I headed up to the Escapees Park in Summerdale about 25 miles north. We were meeting our friends Lu and Larry Tillotson for linner (lupper?), but on the way we made a detour to the Camping World a few miles further up the road.
I wanted to get a new step cover to replace our old one. We got the first one 5 years ago and it’s finally worn out, so it’s about that time.
I like these because they’re made from heavy-duty Astro-Turf and do a good job of cleaning off your shoes, and last a long time (or at least 5 years).
Then it was on to the Escapees Park to meet up with Lu and Larry. When we got there, we also met Paul and Margery Zeller, who were parked right next door to Lu and Larry. We were all interested in Paul’s recent refrigerator upgrade where he replaced his RV unit with a residential one. This is what we will probably do if(when?) our Dometic finally dies. Paul and Margery are readers of our blog, and it’s always nice to them in person.
Then it was on to Big Daddy’s Grill, about 5 miles away. Big Daddy’s was highly recommended, and boy, were they right.
We all had the Fried Shrimp Dinner, and Lu, Jan, and I started off with a bowl of gumbo. Because we got before 4pm we got the lunch prices. $9 for a Fried Shrimp Dinner, with hushpuppies, Cole slaw, fries and onion rings. Really good, and even better for the price.
Susan, our waitress, was a hoot, and also the baker of the delicious pies they have for dessert. But after the big meal, everyone was too full, so we all got pie to go, with Jan and I picking the Turtle Pumpkin Pie.
And along with the great food, we had these beautiful views of the Fish River. Lucky for us it was warm enough to eat outside on the deck.
And here’s Lu and Larry, our dinner companions for the evening. One of the great things about RV’ing is running into friends over and over as we travel around the country. We first met them in Cody, WY, and have kept in touch. No telling where we’ll meet up next time.
We saw this sign on the wall at Big Daddy’s. For some reason Jan thought it was a lot funnier than I did.
November 15, 2014
Saturday Update From The Gate . . .
Well, with our last full day on the gate, we’re all packed up and ready to go. We’ve actually been gate guarding out of the truck for the last several days and it’s worked out pretty well.
I’ve already disconnected water and sewer, so all I have to do is take down the satellite later tonight after all our shows have recorded, and then disconnect from power tomorrow morning right before we leave. I’m going to go ahead and pull out of the way and into the pad so the new guards can pull right in.
Then, once we go over some specifics about the gate, we’ll have the official “Passing of the Logs” ceremony and then we can be on our way. And to Jan’s delight, it’s probably going to be closer to 10am when we leave rather than noon.
Our first stop will be the Buc-ee’s over in Madisonville, for diesel and breakfast kolaches. Then it’s on down to Huntsville to the Two Texans Truck Wash to hopefully get all the drilling mud washed off before we arrive at the Lake Conroe Thousand Trails later in the afternoon.
Jan’s already got supper planned at the El Bosque Mexican Restaurant in Conroe, our favorite local place.
November 15, 2015
Seven More Days . . .
Jan says giddily.
And More Chores, I say kind of giddily.
Jan had a hankering for Chicken Express chicken today, and I always had hankering for their catfish, so a little after 11, I drove into Carthage to pick up lunch.
I also made a stop to pick up some more of the Hot Hands foot warmers, since I only bought two packs the other day to try out, and now I wanted more. But I discovered last night that after I stuck the foot warmers further toward my toes, that my toes were what was really getting cold and needing warming. So instead of the full foot warmers, I got their toe warmers, which were a good bit cheaper.
$5 for a pack of 7 vs. $2 a set for the full foot warmers.
I’ll see how they work tonight.
This afternoon the first thing up on my chore list was to fix my Brake Buddy toad braking system.
We’ve had this one since our very first day of RV’ing almost 8 years ago and it’s been a real workhorse. The only problem I’ve had with it was that the cigarette light power plug started falling apart about 3 years ago. When I called Brake Buddy they sent me a new one for free. In fact they sent me a whole new power cable, which is what makes today’s job easier, since I had to open up the Brake Buddy then too.
The problem today was that the large plastic nut/ring that holds the pressure regulator adjustment knob in place had come off, which let the regulator fall down into the case.
It still worked just fine, but I didn’t want to take a chance on it getting in the way of the pneumatic piston that pushes the brake pedal.
Getting the case open is not difficult, but hey, do they really need 9 screws with 3 different TORX sizes?
Inside it looks like this.
On the right is the little air compressor that runs everything, and the big black tank is the air tank that supplies the pressure to the piston. And the black/silver at the bottom left is the pressure regulator that came loose.
Behind that, the green circuit board is the brains of the thing, including the accelerometer that senses that the rig is braking and applies the brakes on the toad.
And on this side,
the big silver tube at the bottom is the pneumatic piston or ram that physically presses the brake pedal on the toad.
Not really complex when you break it down, but a nice clean design anyway.
Once I had the case apart it only took me a couple of minutes to put the regulator back in place and lock it down. Then it was the 9 screws again, with the 3 different sizes.
When I’ve got a job to do that requires several different bits, this is my go-to case.
It’s got just about every different type of drill bit and screwdriver bit that you could want, so I had no problem with T10, T15, and T20 sizes that I needed for the Brake Buddy.
Before I stowed it away until next Sunday, I plugged it into the power socket on the truck, and after it aired up, rocked it back and forth to be sure the piston was still operating.
Next up was to top off the antifreeze in the rig. The green diesel type is getting harder to find since everyone is using the red now. But I had the NAPA Auto Parts here in Carthage order me a couple of gallons.
I had bought some at the Cummins dealership back in Amarillo earlier this year, but ending up using it in the leaky radiator in the truck before I could put any in the rig.
Getting the engine compartment open I was glad to see that my coolant tank repair was still going strong after 6 years.
It had cracked down the side back in 2009 when we were doing the east coast. I check with Cummins and found a new one costs $275.
IT’S A DARN PLASTIC JUG!
Made out of the same polypropylene that they make milk jugs from. My next thought was to glue it, but I found that pretty much only a special industrial glue made by 3M would stick to it. And a tube of that was almost as expensive as a new tank.
I had heard however that Eternabond Tape would stick to just about anything, and once you put it on, it wasn’t coming off.
Checking out the RV department at a Wal-Mart before we first hit the road, I had seen a package of this and picked up a couple.
So I decided to give it a try. After cleaning the tank with alcohol and letting it dry, I peeled the backing off a piece and stuck it on.
Six years later and it’s still stuck. As the package says, “Peel – Stick – Stuck!”
And I saved $275. Neat!
FYI Wal-Mart doesn’t seen to carry this anymore, at least I haven’t seen it in a long time, but it is available at Amazon above.
Around 3:30 this afternoon I went back around to the generator trailer to check to see if we have enough diesel to last us until Sunday when we leave, and our service guy, Todd, will be here to hook up our replacements. Turns out we don’t, so Todd will come by earlier this week to top us off.
But in check the level, I found we had another diesel leak, this time from the diesel-water separator attached to the side of the diesel tank. Kinda look like this.
At first I thought the petcock drain at the bottom was loose, since that was where it was leaking from, but tightening it didn’t help. Next I tried to tighten the nut that locks the petcock in, but that didn’t help either.
About then I touched the plastic bowl and discovered it was wet with diesel all the way around. Due to the coloring of the plastic it was hard to see, but easy to feel.
I got some paper shop rags, and after drying the bowl off, tried to tighten it down. And it did snug up a good bit. Hoping this was the fix, I dried the bowl off again and left a clean piece of paper rag underneath to check for any more drips.
Coming back about 10 minutes later, I found not a single drop of diesel on the paper. Since it had been dripping about one drop every ten seconds or so before, I decided this problem was fixed.
Wrapping up, although we’ve got Scattered Thunderstorms forecast for Monday, and Heavy Thunderstorms for Tuesday, the weekend still looks good for us packing up and getting on the road to Lake Conroe.
Hope it holds.
November 15, 2016
A Whole ‘Nother Ball Game . . .
Or more Electoral College stuff. Will it never end?
Last night’s short 11 hour turnaround shift was nice, but not really necessary.
I think I would have appreciated it more if it had been a really busy gate, but I only had two vehicles come in, both before 9pm, and about 10 vehicles left, all before 10pm. Then nothing the rest of the night. Nice.
There is a cat who lives in this area, I think it’s a barn cat at the farmhouse about 100 yards away, And once a night, like clockwork, she(he?) comes trotting up the road past the guard shack heading back toward the landowner’s farmhouse, and always with a mouthful of some squirming rodent. I’ve called to her a couple of times, and she’ll look over at me, but never even slows down. Must have kittens in the barn.
I noticed a couple of days ago that the passenger side high beam on our truck had gone out. So I ordered new ones from Amazon last night and they should be here Thursday.
For the last 10 years or so, before we started RV’ing in 2008, I’ve been using the Sylvania SilverStar Ultra halogen bulbs in the truck. They’re very bright, and they usually last a long time. In this case the last time I replaced one was almost 5 years ago. So I get my money’s worth.
Even though only one bulb is bad, these should always be replaced in pairs, mainly because of the way these bulbs age. If one goes, another one is probably not far behind. Although at $31 for the pair, they’re not cheap, but parsed out over 5 years, they’re a real bargain.
And really bright.
About 1:30 Jan and I headed out for lunch, and also to pick up our VISA bank cards that had finally come in. We needed to be at the bank in Karnes City before they closed at 3pm, but we still had time for lunch, so we decided to try TK’s Pizza and Burgers. With 5 Stars on 11 reviews on Yelp, we figured it was definitely worth a shot.
But we actually drove past the place, because there isn’t a big sign out front, only on the building, and the place really looks like a somewhat run-down bar from the outside.
But inside it’s very nice. And the food is very good.
Driving up, they were advertising a Lunch Buffet. My kind of place
At 1:30 we were toward the end of the buffet time, but everything was still hot and delicious. With two kinds of pizza, chicken fried steak, meatloaf, fried okra, pinto beans, and fried cabbage, it looked good. Oh, and cinnamon rolls for dessert.
I think this was the first time I’ve ever had fried cabbage, but I’ll have it again. It was really good.
The pizza was very good too, with a tasty crust. A lot of pizza crust is not very good by itself but needs sauce and cheese. TK’s crust stands on its own, almost like a chewy bread. Every thing was very well-seasoned, especially the meatloaf. The cook certainly knows his way around a spice rack.
Jan, on the other hand, was in a burger mood, so she went with their Cheddar Burger with Onion Rings.
After one bite, she said, “This burger’s delicious and there’s something different about it.” Turns out there was something different. The waiter said all the burgers are done outside on a grill/smoker. And it certainly shows.
And tastes.
We’ll go back.
Next we drove over to Karnes City to pick up our bank cards. Glad to finally be able to get some money out of our SiteWatch account.
On the way home we drove a detour out into the country to show Jan where my last gate was. Finally coming home we made a quick HEB stop for a few things.
Todd texted me about 6:30 with another gate job. Or actually the same gate I was at a week a while back at the end of October. The gate where the cow ran off with the sensor cone. But this time I’m on Day shift.
Semi-Bummer.
November 15, 2017
Coming Out of The Closet . . .
I didn’t get much done today at work, ending up kind of stuck, and in fact I ended up leaving a couple of hours early.
I couldn’t do anything on my computer because I had started a system image backup to the external HD and the 785GB backup was taking a lot longer than I figured because I found I wasn’t plugged into a USB 3.0 port. And in fact looking closer, this computer doesn’t even have any 3.0 ports.
USB 3.0 is about 10 times faster than 2.0, so it really makes a difference on a 785GB backup. That’s why I just went online and ordered a 3.0 PCI card for $16. Should be here by Friday.
I had also planned to move the Zen Cart/Email Server out of the closet, and on to my desk where I can hook up a monitor/keyboard/mouse to it. That way I can continue trying to hack directly, instead of teleporting in from my machine.
But I quickly ran into problems when I realized that I already had everything running off of one 20amp outlet, and I’m not sure how well it would handle another computer, et. al. The other visible outlet was dead, (not a circuit breaker, I checked), but I was told that there was another outlet behind the big metal desk that I use.
So pulling it out and crawling up and laying across the top I was able to reach down and plug in a power strip. And when I check it I had power. But . . .
Was it on the same breaker as the original outlet? Since the circuit breaker panel wasn’t really marked, I was on my own. I could start popping breakers at random, but then I’d probably end up cutting off power to one or all of the other computers.
So I gave up,left early and stopped by Harbor Freight for one of these.
You plug the transmitter into the outlet in question and then run the sensor up and down the line of breakers in the panel until the sensor beeps. That’s the breaker that controls the outlet. Neat.
About 5:30 Jan and I headed back up FM646 to once again have dinner at Pho20, our new favorite places. It was nice to be recognized and greeted by the owner, especially since we’d only been here once before.
We started off with an order of their Shrimp Spring Rolls. Normally these come with Peanut Sauce, but since we had mentioned that we like things spicy, this is what they call ‘J’ sauce. Really good, and REALLY spicy and flavorful.
Unlike other places that make these ahead of time, these are made when you order them. Delicious.
Then we shared one of their Crunch House Salads, big enough for two, covered with Tempura Crunchies.
For her entrée Jan got the Lemongrass Chicken, XX spicy.
And I got the Jalapeno Chicken, XXXXX spicy and very good.
And the owner sent us home with dessert. Nice.
All really delicious and a hidden gem. If you’re in the area, check out Pho 20 on FM646, a little west of I-45.
Looks like it’s a go for our new awnings. Should be about two weeks since they’re pretty booked up.
Sometimes I come across a headline that you don’t even have to click on. The headline itself is enough. So every now and then I’ll substitute a good one for the Word of the Day.
adfadf
And then there’s this
Woman kicked off AMERICAN AIRLINES flight after ‘Support PIG’ becomes rowdy.
I told myself I wouldn’t follow this further, but I weakened. Now I have to share the photo of the women and her pig leaving the plane.
No more words needed.
November 15, 2018
It’s Bacccckkkk!
Today I reluctantly had to give up the 2018 Malibu that we’d rented for the last three weeks. Really sorry to see it go.
Jan and I headed out a little before 11, first down to the Capital One Bank by the Interstate to get the cash for the truck repair. When I asked the other day about a ‘cash’ discount, they made the extra trip worth my while.
Then it was back down to Snider Transmission in Santa Fe to retrieve our Dakota. And since I didn’t have Jan on the rental agreement, she got to follow me over the Enterprise office in Dickinson to give back the Malibu. Sob!
It took a little longer than normal because the girl checking me in was in training, plus they do all this on iPad’s and they were giving them problems. As usual, it seems.
We saw the same type of issues with them when we HAD to use them while gate guarding last year. Seems like we fought them all the time, when paper and pencil were so much quicker.
Back in the Dakota we headed north on I-45 to the next exit to again have lunch at Slim Chickens, our new favorite chicken place. Jan likes it better that Cane’s because she says the batter is lighter, and we both like it better because they have a lot of other sides, rather than the just fries and Cole slaw like Cane’s.
Jan got the 7 piece dinner with a side salad and her fav mushrooms,
while I got the Cayenne Chicken Sandwich with a side salad. She said to tell you that she got 7 piece because she was sharing some with me, not because she was that hungry.
I got the ‘spicy’ cayenne sandwich because it was free. When we were there last time, on opening day, I signed up for their mobile app which came with a free sandwich. Plus we earn points for every visit.
Their ‘spicy’ cayenne sandwich needs a lot more cayenne, believe me.
Driving the Dakota again after the Malibu is kind of like running in lead boots. It just feels heavy. But it’s running, and shifting great, and it’s really nice to have 3, 4, and 5 gears again.
When I ask Kenny if the new transmission would last another 282,000 miles like the first one did, he laughed and said it would probably last longer than the rest of the truck.
He’s probably right.
I’m really disappointed in my recent 16:40 (not 16:39 and not 16:41) experience in the Devil’s Easy Bake Oven. Based on how much it hurt to start with, I kind of expected more obvious results. but so far, pretty much nothing.
After 48 hours, there’s no pain, no peeling, no scabbing, no ‘my scalp sliding down over my eyes’, and I don’t even glow in the dark.
I mean, what was the point? And it cost me $120.
And then I get to do it all again next month.
Oh boy!
I know all of you out there are desperate to know what you can get me for Christmas. Well, Costco has just the thing, and it’s on sale.
And it’s only $15,999!
Even better, it comes with a $3500 Costco Gift Card, as well as $5000 in flight time credit. Of course, that $5000 only buys you 2/3 of an hour of Citation Jet time.
But it’s a steal at $7,495 an hour.
Of course, if everyone gets me the same thing I’ll have plenty of hours to use.
November 15, 2019
Just #$@#$#@# . . .
We pulled out of our site at the Petticoat Junction RV Park at about 8:10 yesterday, 20 minutes ahead of schedule, so the day was starting off on a good note.
Heading up on I-45 and then west on the SH Tollway, the only slowdown was at the US59/I-69 interchange, and then it was on out on to I-10W with our first stop at the Katy Buc-ee’s for breakfast kolaches and coffee about 70 miles along.
But the first thing we did was to check the truck for any oil leakage. We were very happy to see any sign of oil on the truck, unlike last April when we after ready had oil showing when we stopped here.
So it looked like our long-term oil leak problem was finally fixed. In fact the oil pressure was actually showing a couple of pounds higher at 63-64#, rather than the previous 61-62#.
But then about another 70 miles, the other side of Columbus, the oil pressure started dropping, and dropping much quicker than it ever had before. In fact, within about 20 minutes it was down in the high 40’s, so I quickly pulled over to check things out.
And now I had oil all over the tarp covering the truck’s windshield and streaking down the sides.
DAMN!
I went ahead and added the gallon and a half of Shell Rotella 15W-40 I had with me, and we headed out again. Getting off I-10 at Luling, I stopped off at the Love’s Truck Stop there and bought 4 gallons, all they had in stock.
And then got my second big shock of the day when the price for the 4 gallons was $112 including $8 sales tax. That made it about $26 a gallon, slightly more than double the $12.99 I normally pay at WalMart or Tractor Supply.
OUCH!
Trying to gauge how much oil I was going to need to get to Kingsland, I made another stop at a Valero in Lockhart and got two more gallons. This time it was a little better, at $22 a gallon.
But as it turns out, I didn’t need the last 2 gallons.
We got into the Granite Rock RV Park in Kingsland about 5pm and got set up. Chris, Linda, and Miss Piper showed up about 5:30 and drove us over to Alfredo’s, a really good Mexican place.
Probably tomorrow I’m going to crawl back under the rig to see If I can find any problems. Obviously something came loose or gave way.
Odds are that I won’t be able to do anything about until we get home, but you never know. I sure would like to find a tiny hole punched in the oil filter from road debris, but I’m not holding my breath.
On a better note, we have really enjoyed spending time over at Chris and Linda’s lovely place, including just sitting out in the yard that Chris has worked so hard on.
Brandi, Lowell, and Landon got up here tonight and we’ll all be getting together for breakfast tomorrow morning.
Really looking forward to it.
November 15, 2020
Chipotle Bowls . . .
About 2pm Jan and I headed out, first for lunch at the new Chipotle that just opened in our area. Unfortunately it’s a mixed blessing because it opened in the old location of our long-time favorite El Pollo Loco.
We both got a bowl, Jan’s with Chicken and mine with Carne Asada, along with Cilantro-Lime Rice, Black Beans, 3 or 4 different types of Salsas, and Cheese, and well as Guacamole on Jan’s.
Really good, and close by. We’ll go back soon.
Then is on to the nearby WalMart for a few things, and then on across the street to the car wash to give our new baby a wash, wax, and a thorough vacuuming. She looks really spiffy now.
I spent an hour or so last Friday on the phone with DakotaPost up in Sioux Falls, going over all the paperwork and money I need to send off to them to get our new (to us) Jeep registered and tagged. I’ll send it off via Priority Mail tomorrow and hopefully I’ll get it back in a week or so.
Hopefully.
November 15, 2021
Out and About, And A New Toy . . .
Since this the 3rd day since my operation on Friday, I was able to get a shower for the first time since then. Jan wrapped my neck with a WalMart bag to keep the incision dry.
The shower was also the first time I was able to take my cervical collar off which was also nice, though it hasn’t been as uncomfortable as I had anticipated.
Then about 12:30 we headed out for the Denny’s on I-45 for lunch. In addition we were also meeting the DJO rep who was dropping off my Bone Graft Stimulator.
I’ll be using it 30 minutes a day for the next 4 to 6 months. And ONLY for 30 minutes ONCE a day. It’s got a clock in it that resets at midnight so you can only use it once every 24 hours.
The disc fits on the back of the neck and is held in place by the straps around your neck. Then you just press the button on the control box. It beeps and then starts a 30 minute countdown clock on the display. When it reaches 00:00, it beeps twice, and shuts off. And I’m done for another 24 hours.
Easy Peazy.
As far as improvements, last week before my surgery I could not tear open a single sugar packet with my fingers. Today without thinking about it I was able to tear open two packets with no problem.
It’s the little things.
It Doesn’t Sound Good . . .
Going into work this morning, just as I got on the Interstate, I notice that the heater had stopped putting out warm air. But the coolant temp was fine. But not for long.
About the time I was into the section of I-45 without any shoulders, the coolant temp redlined. Since there was nowhere to pull over, I slowly nursed it off the Interstate and into a nearby Wells Fargo parking lot and turned the engine off and let it cool down.
But when I tried to crank it up again, it didn’t sound good at all. So I’m thinking blown head gasket, or worse. So I called Good Sam Roadside Assistance to a tow down to Joe’s Hwy 6 Automotive, my go-to car repair guy.
The tow truck showed up in 90 minutes right on schedule and I called an Uber for a ride down to Joe’s, since there were already two guys in the tow truck. Somehow I beat the tow, so I had time to brief Joe on the problem.
And it showed up a few minutes later, he immediately started checking it out. And the news was not good. Sounds like a major engine problem, and he suggested I take up to another place in Alvin to take a look at it.
So I’ll have it towed again tomorrow.
So now we’re back to using Old Smokey/Old Faithful until we get a better handle on things.
Tomorrow Jan will be getting her toes done, while I’m getting a haircut, with lunch beforehand at Torchy’s Tacos.
Thought for the Day:
When your wife says, “Do whatever you want!”, do NOT under any circumstances do whatever you want.
November 14, 2009
Tom Sawyer on the Mississippi…
Well, today was certainly better than yesterday. And we got to travel thru 4 different states…AR, TN, MS, and AL.
We woke up this morning to a beautiful view of the Mississippi River from the rear of our coach.
We arrived at Tom Sawyer RV Park in West Memphis, AR after dark, so Jan had no idea how close to the water we were. She was really surprised when she stepped outside this morning.
Later in the evening I kept hearing trains go by, but I didn’t remember seeing any tracks nearby. It turned out this is what I was hearing.
After enjoying the view we headed out about 9:30 am across the Mississippi thru Memphis, TN to Athens, AL, about 215 miles away.
It was a much smoother trip than yesterday. No problems at all, really. We did stop for breakfast / lunch (it was lunch time, but we had breakfast) at a Huddle House restaurant in Corinth, MS. Lucky for us, their parking lot was big enough for us to park the rig in back with no problems.
We pulled into Northgate RV Travel Park about 3pm, and got hooked up. We’ll be here for a few days, visiting relatives here in Athens. And, lucky for us, one of my relatives owns the RV park.
We plan on staying here until maybe, Wednesday before heading down to Gulf Shores, AL for a few days, on our way back to Houston.
November 14, 2010
Hooter’s and Hot Sauce . . .
Today was the first day we’ve had in a few days with pretty much nothing on our schedule, so that was nice for a change. Of course tomorrow it starts back up again.
We started out with a walk around the park about 10:30. It was overcast and in the high 50’s so it was a nice time for a walk, not too hot.
Getting back to the rig I made coffee (a combo of Snickernut Cookie and Pecan Praline) and then we just enjoyed the view out the front window.
About 2:30 we headed up to Seabrook to have a late lunch at Hooter’s. We both ordered our wings (actually Jan gets the Chicken Strips) with their new ‘XXX Obscene’ hot sauce, which is now the hottest they have. But IMHO it’s still not as hot as Buffalo Wild Wing’s ‘Blazin’ sauce, or even their second hottest, ‘Mango Habanero’, which is my favorite because of the sweetness.
While we were there we got to watch the Houston Texans lose a then-tied game to the Jacksonville Jaguars with a deflected pass in the last couple of seconds of the game. Jacksonville had the ball and threw a pass to a guy in the end zone. A Houston defender jumped up right in front of the receiver and batted the ball away…right into the hands of another Jacksonville player just as he crossed the goal line.
Talk about your bad luck.
As usual Jan’s looking forward to her two favorite shows tonight, Amazing Race and Desperate Housewives.
Me, I go into the bedroom and read.
On another note, no reoccurrence of our generator ghost. Hopefully, the exorcism will keep him away.
November 14, 2011
Jimmy and Lulu . . .
While we’re here in Gulf Shores, we staying at the Gulf State Park right across the road from the Gulf. You can here the waves from here.
The sites here in our favorite area are along a large lake and are half circles off the road, so easy in, easy out.
Our rig door is about 20 feet from the bank, giving us a great view of the lake.
If we don’t keep Mister on his lease, he goes right down to the edge of the water. We think he’s gator hunting.
Brandi and Lowell sent us some photos of Landon at a park play area this weekend. Looks like he mostly had a pretty good time.
Check out those blue eyes.
Landon falls into the clutches of a predatory female. Brandi said he wasn’t too happy about the hug.
That’ll change someday.
About 3:30 Jan and I drove up to the Intracoastal Canal to have an early supper at Lulu’s at Homeport.
Lulu, or Lucy, is Jimmy Buffett’s sister and has had a restaurant in this area, first on Weeks Bay and now here in Gulf Shores, since the late ‘90’s.
With its great view of the Canal, Lulu’s is one of the most popular places in Gulf Shores. We’ve watched it grow, and almost double in size in the last few years.
The food is always great here, so the choice was hard. Jan ended up having a Shrimp Loaf, or Po-Boy, and I had the Shrimp and Oyster version.
But it was important that we leave enough room for our favorite dessert – Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding.
That’s right. Bread pudding made with Krispy Kreme doughnuts. It’s really hard to describe how good this is. It just melts in your mouth.
On another note, as it turns out I had another brush with celebrity growing up here. Well, pre-celebrity, actually.
A while back I read in one of Jimmy Buffett’s books that, growing in the Mobile area, he and his friends used to come to Gulf Shores and surf at Alabama Point.
If you surfed at Gulf Shores, you did it at Alabama Point because the crosscurrents generated by the Gulf entering Perdido Bay produce the highest non-storm waves in the area.
Jimmy Buffet is a couple of years older than me, and when I was surfing at Alabama Point with my friends, there was usually a group of older guys from Mobile and Fairhope there too. So I figure that more than once I was surfing along side Jimmy Buffett.
Who knew?
November 14, 2012
White’s By The Sea . . .
Jan and I have been really enjoying these days of just doing nothing. Reading, napping, watching TV, playing on the computer, pretty much nothing.
For lunch we had the last of our Lambert’s leftovers, and then it was back to doing nothing.
For dinner we met Jeannie and Eldy at Sea N Suds, one of only two restaurants here that is actually right on the beach (the other one is The Gulf, where we ate last night).
We started out with a dozen raw oysters, (Eldy got a dozen, too), then Jan had the Fish Sandwich made with fresh cod, along with the salad bar, and I had a bowl of gumbo (very good) and the Fried Shrimp Dinner. For their part, Jeannie and Eldy split the Seafood Platter along with the Gumbo.
Then we spent the next two hours just talking. Toward the end of our evening a couple at a nearby table came over and asked if we were RV’ers. When we said we were, they said they were too, and had a lot up at the Escapees Park in Summerdale.
As we sat and talked, we got to watch a lovely sunset over the beach. And from personal experience, the beaches at Gulf Shores are some of the most beautiful around.
But besides the good food and great views, this place has more personal meaning to me.
Where this condo and the Sea N Suds now stand was the location of my parent’s motel in the 1950’s.
Here’s an aerial shot taken about 1956. I remember seeing this photo, but hadn’t seen a copy for years. So I was very surprised to find a copy hanging on the wall at the Sea N Suds when we were here in 2009. When I explained things to the manager, he let me take the photo back to the rig to scan it.
The “Tackle Shack” is now part of the Sea N Suds building. The pier, the longest on the Gulf Coast when it was built, was mostly wiped out during Hurricane Fredrick in 1979.
My parent’s motel was called ‘White’s by the Sea”, and here’s yours truly in front of the sign.
Tomorrow we’re going up to the Escapees Park in Summerdale to meet up with some friends, with a side detour by the Camping World.
November 14, 2013
Not So Fast . . .
or Not At All
And Jan says “Ten Days and Counting.”
After my rejoicing a week or so about the increased speed on our Verizon signal, it all went to . . . well, crap. For this past week the Internet keeps dropping in and out, sometimes going to 1X, sometimes nothing at all. Other times it gets into this cycle where it will work for about 5 minutes, die for a couple of more minutes, and then work again. I’ve reported it, but no fix so far.
Like I said before, “Ten Days and Counting.”
Well, apparently we broke Jamie, our long-time Gate Guard Services supervisor here at the Whitsett office. We found out yesterday that he’s turned in his resignation and will be leaving at the end of the year. Bummer.
He goes out of his way to take care of his people and does everything he can to make this job a little easier. And he’ll go out of his way if necessary.
Earlier this year, about 7pm one Saturday evening, our generator just up and died. I called Austin, our support guy, and left a message. About 15 minutes later Jamie called and said Austin was off that weekend and he would take care of the generator. After asking me about the problem, he and his wife showed up about 20 minutes later. Turns out he was home cooking dinner when I called and dropped everything to take care of us
It turned out that the alternator had died, letting the battery run down until everything just stopped. He showed up with a new alternator and a new battery and had us going again in about 30 minutes. Now that’s support.
He’ll be missed.
On another note, I got polled by Gallup the other day. They called on the phone and spent about 15 minutes asking questions about my (our) life, some yes or no, others on a scale from 1 to 5, or 1 to 10. Sometimes, I guess as a control question, they asked the same question again, just worded a little different, with a different way to answer. Interesting.
November 14, 2014
Friday Update . . .
Still Busy.
Our drill rig has pretty much all moved out to a new local location about 8 miles away. Jan, bless her heart, confirmed that someone had Russell, the rig dog, and he wasn’t going to get left behind again.
And it looks like we’ll be gone before the frack gets started there. Good.
Still Cold.
The HIGH today was 40 degrees.
The canopy and all of our outside stuff are packed away and ready to travel, since it’s supposed to rain Saturday and Sunday.
We still have the truck parked out front and we’re working out of that. It’s actually pretty comfortable, since we have heat when we need it, and we’re out of the wind.
We hope to be on the road to the Lake Conroe Thousand Trails by Sunday noon. If possible, we’re going to stop at a truck wash in Huntsville to get all the drill mud and other dirt washed off the rig.
November 14, 2015
Chores Again . . .
With the weather still holding, though it’s supposed to rain a little tonight, I thought I’d take care of some more chores.
Although I had already put my leveler pads away, when I packing some other stuff away, I came across some heavy rope and decide it would make great handles for my pads. Originally I had used 3/16” nylon rope when I put the pads together, but I quickly found that with the weight of the pads, the rope would cut into my hands when I carried them. They worked great for their other function though, which is for me to hook them with the awning hook and drag them out from under the rig.
Since this was going to be a heavy duty drilling job, I got out my Black & Decker Corded Drill, one of three different ones I own.
Besides the WORX Power Screw Driver I used yesterday, I also have this Coleman 18v Cordless Drill.
I’ve had it for about 10 years or more, and though it came with two batteries, neither one will hold a charge very long any more. So I always have to plan ahead to charge the batteries before I use it.
But since I was going to be drilling six holes in six layers of 3/8” marine plywood, I figured I needed a little more long-lasting power.
I built these pads several years ago after a spur-of-the-moment purchase of several big pieces of 3/8” marine plywood that I found in the scrap sale area of a Home Depot. Enough for them to cut me out eighteen 18” squares, and it only cost me $5. What a deal!
I then glued and screwed them together into 3 six layer pads, and fastened two of these Camping World Jack Pads to each one for added protection from moisture on the ground. Here they are with the new larger rope handles installed.
You can see the smaller, pinkish cords too.
Although they are heavy, they’re definitely strong enough to support the 12,000 pound weight on my front jack without breaking.
About this time, Billy dropped off my replacement transfer switch. Pretty fast service since it didn’t go out until this past Tuesday. Here’s what it looks like inside.
It’s really pretty simple, with two heavy duty 50amp contactors and a control board. (BTW a contactor is just another name for a relay, but generally means a heavy duty, high power one.)
When no power is coming in from the generator, nothing is happening. The contactor for the generator is open, and the contactor for the shore power is closed, feeding shore power to the rig. But when power comes in from the generator, the control board senses it and tells the shore power relay to open, and then after about a half second delay, the generator contactor pulls in, putting generator power to the coach. The delay is to be sure that if you’re still hooked up to shore power, then you don’t end up with shore power AND generator power coming into the coach at the same time, and feeding back into each other.
In my case there is some kind of problem with the control board, and it will only switch over WHEN we’re still hooked up to shore power. Which was a problem if we’re driving down the road and decided we want to run the AC’s. Then I have to start the generator, stop the coach, go back to the bedroom, and then lift the bed and push the contractor down with a big screwdriver until it locks in. I did this often enough that l just left the cover off the transfer switch.
I’ll ahead and install this new one in the next couple of days, probably Monday or Tuesday since it’s supposed to rain and I won’t be able to do a lot outside.
Right now our weather still looks nice for next weekend, so hopefully we won’t have to pack up in the rain. It’s not fun, and as soon as we get to the park I have to unpack everything and let it dry so it won’t mildew.
So we’re keeping our fingers crossed on the weather.
November 14, 2016
Charged Up. . .
After last night’s 12 hour shift on a gate, it’s amazing how fast the 12 hours off the gate goes by
I didn’t get home until about 7am this morning, about 10 minutes later than usual, due to the heavy fog covering the area. And the deer that kept wandering onto the road didn’t help things.
Jan was just getting up as I was getting home, so we talked for a little bit while I unwound. Then I was in bed by 7:30. Getting up about 11:30, I did some internet stuff until about 1pm when we headed out for lunch, and to hopefully pick an Amazon package that was out for delivery, but not yet delivered.
Our destination once again was Barth’s for Monday’s Chicken Fried Steak and Chicken Fried Chicken Lunch Buffet. Just as delicious as last time. At $8.50 for the meal and drink, you can’t eat at McD’s for that.
And while we were there, I got a text message saying UPS had delivered the package. Perfect timing.
Back home I went to bed for a couple of hours more sleep, getting up about 5pm, and then heading back out to the gate about 6pm. But this is going to be a short shift. Only 11 hours instead of 12.
They’re changing the gate over from a 6:30 to 6:30 shift to a 5:30 to 5:30 shift. I assumed that’s so that the day shift guy/girl can make the morning safety meeting on the pad. But I don’t know for sure.
When I got up Jan said that the bank had called and said that our bank cards had finally come in. We’ll probably go over to Karnes City tomorrow and pick them up.
One of the things that came in the Amazon order was a portable charger for our phones and tablets. I got it because it seems like I’m often getting caught away from home and away from the truck, with the charge my Galaxy S5 draining down. So if I leave it in the truck, I can just tuck it in my pocket and I’m good to go.
Anker PowerCore 13000 Portable Charger
It has over 2700 reviews with a 5 star rating. Very unusual, and better than the competition. It will charge our phones or tablets 3 or 4 times before it needs to be recharged. It’s about the size of a large pack of cigarettes and not as heavy as some I’ve seen. I’ll let you know how it works.
November 14, 2017
Stompin’ Grounds . . .
When I woke up this morning, Jan had flown the coop. But it was only down to Janice and Dave Evan’s nearby coop. They had come down from Conroe yesterday and are parked just a few spaces down from us.
Jan wanted to pick Janice’s brain about the Instant Pot, and also get some cooking tips and recipes.
After Jan found her way back home, we headed out about 12:30 for the afternoon, with our first stop at Stomp’s Burger Joint over on 146 in Kemah. We’ve been eating here since 2011, and in fact it’s where we first met Janice and Dave Evans in December 2011.
After the fabled Tookie’s never reopened after Hurricane Ike in 2008, Stomp’s was opened in 2011 by some of Tookie’s ex-employees, duplicating much of the look, feel, and tastes of the original.
Then about a year later, Tookie’s itself was reincarnated by a new owner. But Stomp’s has continued to flourish and even grow. And some people think the new kid on the block is better than the original.
http://www.houstonpress.com/restaurants/burgers-off-the-beaten-path-stomps-vs-tookies-6430232
Jan got her usual Outlaw Burger with an 8oz. 100% Angus Beef patty, Cheddar Cheese, Grilled Chopped Jalapeno And Onions and Salsa Picante, Served On A Bun With Mayo, Lettuce, Tomato.
All of their patties are 100% Angus Beef, and ground and formed in-house.
I got the double-meat Hog Wild, with two 8oz 100% Angus Beef Patties, Mixed With Rendered Bacon And Topped With Melted Cheddar Cheese Served On A Bun With Mayo, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, And Pickle. That’s 16 ounces of Angus Beef.
I don’t even try to eat this by hand. It’s fork food all the way.
We also got an order of their Half and Half Onion Rings and Fries.
Their onion rings are almost as famous as their burgers, cut, battered, and fried all in-house. Delicious as well.
Stuffed to the gills and more, we drove on up to Sundowner Canvas, also in Kemah, to see if they could do our new awnings.
They were kind of hesitant, but said they could do them if I furnished the filler rods. No problem since I planned to take all the old panels to them anyway, and the rods are reusable.
The only problem seems to be how busy they were and how soon they could get to them. The owner is supposed to give me call with timing and prices.
They did give me a scrap sample to bring home so I could hang it on the old awning and see what it looks like, color-wise.
And I think I nailed it.
This is what I photoshopped a couple of months ago.
And this is what I got today.
The sample looks darker due to the sun going down over my shoulder, but up close it looks identical.
The sample is Sunbrella Ocean Blue, which I think will be perfect.
I just received my new PayPal Card, this one with the chip in it. And the first thing I noticed is that there are no numbers on the front any longer. They’re only printed on the back, and much smaller than usual. I guess it’s been years since anyone has hand-swiped my card, anyway.
Don’t know if this is the new norm, but it’s the only card I have like this.
In other news, Surf’s Up . . . on Lake Tahoe?
Every fall the southeasterly winds come down off the Sierras and kick up 3 – 5 foot waves all across the lake. Running from one end to the other, they just keep building, making for some great surfing. Very cold surfing, wetsuit-cold surfing, but great surfing, nevertheless.
Back to work tomorrow, with more phone time with Godaddy, I’m sure.
November 14, 2018
Medical Updates . . .
Not much of a blog today. Just some medical updates.
I was at my 2:15 ophthalmologist appointment this afternoon by 1:50, but they were really overloaded. Or at least my doctor was.
So I didn’t get called in from the lobby until a little after 3pm, only to end up sitting in a waiting room with 10 other people for another 30 minutes or so. Finally about 3:30 I was called into a treatment room where a tech ran some tests on my eyes.
Then the Dr. came in, spent about 10 minutes looking at my eyes through various machines, and then asked for my eyes to be dilated. Then it was back out into the waiting for another 45 minutes for the drops to take effect.
Finally I was called back in, and after looking at my eyes again for a few minutes, said I was going to have to make an appointment to see him at his other office where he had some different instruments. So I was finally out of there by about 5:30 and on my way home, with another appointment for Dec. 18th.
The problem with my left eye is that it can’t be corrected to better than 20/60, while my right eye is 20/20 corrected with glasses. The doctor said it’s most likely a slightly warped cornea, which can be corrected with a temporary contact lens that would mold it back into shape. But he wants to be sure, hence the new appointment.
Jan and I both seem to have come through getting our Shingrix shingles shots with no real side effects. Just some swelling, tenderness, and heat at the injection site. But it’s mostly passed. So it’s good so far.
I’ve actually been kind of disappointed with the results from my extreme tanning session yesterday.
Although it was tingly, hot, and sensitive yesterday, not much is happening today. It’s not even red or peeling. Just feels like I got a little too much sun. But I guess we’ll see over the next couple of days.
November 14, 2020
Alvin Opry Redux . . .
Last night Jan and I attended our first Alvin Opry performance since last January, and it was good to see a lot of old friends. And what was interesting is that, despite the majority of regular patrons being our age, or even older, as far as anyone could tell, no one had succumbed to the WuFlu. Though a couple of people had contracted it, they had recovered in just a few days with no problem.
By the time we said our goodbyes and got on the road home after a great performance, Jan had an epiphany. Or maybe it was just hunger pains.
Or more likely, it was the memory of how back in the old days of the Alvin Opry a bunch of us, including some of the performers, would all go out and have a late breakfast after the show. And since Jan decided tonight was going to be a ‘cheat’ night, she wanted ‘sweet and gooey’ pancakes. So we headed back over to our usual Denny’s for our late-night treat.
Now this is unusual for Jan, since she’s not normally a night person, but she was gung-ho tonight. I think the pancakes were calling her name.
Sitting there in the busy Denny’s with more and more people coming in, we were talking about the first time Jan got a taste of the late-night life. It was in the Montgomery, AL, probably in the mid-70’s, and I had been out of town for some reason.
Getting back late, I talked her into going out about midnight for breakfast at the nearby Sambo’s. And after we ordered she looked around in amazement at the crowded restaurant.
“What are all these people doing up this late?”, she asked. Laughing, I explained to her that not everyone fell asleep by 8pm like she did, and that there was a whole ‘nother world out here at night. Shift workers, truck drivers, and a lot of drunks leaving the bars early, all were in the crowd.
And tonight, true to her word, Jan got the ‘sweet and gooey’ she wanted, with the Cinnamon Roll Crunch pancakes, along with eggs, bacon, and fruit.
The fruit being a pretense of sticking with our diets, since it replaces the Hash Browns.
Hey, every bit helps.
For my part, I got the Salted Caramel and Banana Cream version, also with eggs, bacon, and fruit.
Another fun day.
November 14, 2021
Slow, But Steady Progress . . .
I’m seeing slow but steady progress with my condition. Everything, especially my hands and fingers, seem to be working a little better.
Still no real pain, so I’ve avoided my prescribed pain medication, Tylenol with Codeine. But I did take a prescribed muscle relaxer yesterday afternoon to see if it would do anything about the tightness across my back.
Big Mistake!
I should have heeded the warning on the label MAY CAUSE DIZZINESS all in bold caps. It did reduce the tightness a little, but not enough to offset the severe dizziness that I had for about the next 12 hours.
I won’t do that again. From now on just a couplie of regular Tylenol now and then.
Houston Physician’s Hospital where I had my procedure done is just a couple of doors down from our favorite King Food. So Jan got some hot and sour soup to bring home for me to have, so I had a couple of cups of that today and some peanut butter right out of the jar. The first thing I’ve had since lunch yesterday at the hospital. And that seemed to fill me up pretty good.
Tomorrow I’ll get a shower for the first time so that will be also the first time I get to take my collar off. Just have keep the incision area dry.
And then if I’m still feeling up to it we’ll probably go out and grab a bite to eat just so I can get out of the rig a little bit and move around.
That’s about it for today.
Once again, thanks for the outpouring of concerns. It is much appreciated.
