Our RV Adventures

Lunch today was at Texas Huddle once again, but minus Juana this time. I was expecting the place to be pretty busy, what with March Madness and all, but the place was not even half full. And since it was so slow Juana had gone home early. But we ended up with Cassidy who was a great replacement.

Jan got her usual a Side Salad

and a Bacon Cheddar Mushroom Burger, Keto style (no bun) with the remainder of her salad.

I got the Entrée version of the Garden Salad along with Jan’s Bacon from her burger,

and their really good made-in-house Jalapeno Ranch.

Just as good as always.

Heading home we normally would have done our HEB shopping today, but we did it yesterday coming home from Conroe since we had to drive right back there. So today it was just lunch and home.

Nice.

For you fans, the fifth and final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel will hit screens on Friday, April 14, 2023. The last season will begin with a three-episode premiere, and the following six episodes will air weekly following the premiere.

Mark your calendars.

On our trip up to Conroe yesterday I got to try out my Visor Phone Mount.

And it works great. The phone is very visible, but out of the way. And even better, it’s only $10.

Tomorrow morning/afternoon I’ve got the second of my two PDT (Photo Dynamic Therapy) treatments. Or as I call it, The Devil’s Easy Bake Oven. And I say ‘morning/afternoon’ because I have to be there at 11am when they will apply the photoreactive agent to my head, which then has to dry for two hours before the treatment. And that only takes 10 minutes.

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Thought for the Day:

When you’re at Walmart and your Support Possum refuses to wear his little vest and walk on the leash.

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March 19, 2009

Another quiet day in Gulf Shores, AL …

Another quiet day of retirement. We read, watched TV, and played on the computer.

Sometime during the early afternoon we lost water pressure here in the park, but we turned on our water pump and ran on our internal 100 gal. tank until it came back on later.

About 2:30 we headed to up Foley to see Inkheart at a local theatre. It stars Brendan Fraser, the guy in the Mummy movies.  It was strange, but good.  I like a movie that you can’t really anticipate what’s going to happen, and this was it.

After the movie we had foot long chili cheese dogs at Sonic and then headed home to more reading, watching TV and playing on the computer.

What can I say?

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March 19, 2010

Hoover Dam Fine Mexican Food…

We headed out about 11:15am for a day of fun and frolic. Well, maybe just fun.

Our first stop was WalMart for Jan, while I ran into a RadioShack next door to look for some parts for a project.

Then we headed out toward Boulder City, which is on the way to Lake Mead and Hoover Dam.  And we very quickly hit the bumper-to-bumper traffic leading up to the dam.

It took us about an hour to creep our way to the Dam area, but the spectacular scenery made up for it.

We were going out here, not to see the Hoover Dam, since we had toured it two years ago, but we wanted to see the progress on the new suspension bridge being built to bypass traffic around the Dam.

I had heard the bridge was going to open in November of this year and we wanted to see how it had changed in the last two years.

When we turned the corner and got a first glimpse of the bridge it looked like they were almost finished.

Then we saw this.

In doing some checking, I read that the bridge is supposed to be finished in August and the approach road will be finished in November, when the entire thing is supposed to open.

Somehow I don’t think the bridge will be finished in 5 months. Beside these two unfinished sections, there is a smaller unfinished section on the left side.

The article said the project is on schedule.

I’ll say this. If they do manage to finished it in 5 months,  I’m not sure I want to drive over it.

We turned around at the Dam and headed back, encountered much less traffic. Stopping off at the Lake Mead Visitor’s Center to use the bathroom, we also enjoyed the scenic view and the desert landscaping.

We also saw what we think were a family of Cactus Wrens in the palm trees around the Visitor’s Center.

Leaving the Visitor’s Center we headed down to the Lake Mead itself.

Then leaving Lake Mead, we headed back toward Las Vegas and a Camping World along the way.

By this time we were getting hungry, so we headed over to Lindo Michoacán, a restaurant listed as the best Mexican restaurant in Las Vegas.

And they were right.  It was great!  Jan said her Shrimp Enchiladas were fantastic and my Carnitas a la Coca Cola, pork chunks cooked in a sauce containing Coke, was a real treat.

And the view looking out over the city was something too.  We will definitely come back here, hopefully at night to see the city lights.

After stopping off at a NAPA Auto Parts store, we headed home.

Then a couple of hours later, when we thought we were settled in for the night, we went back out for ice cream.

Isn’t RV’ing fun!

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March 19, 2011

Da Boyz and Skyping …

After coffee about 10, and leftover Da Boyz spaghetti and pizza at 11, about 12:15 we did our first two-way Skype call with Landon, Brandi, and Lowell. We had done a Skype call two weeks ago, but Landon couldn’t see us since we didn’t have our camera yet. But now we do.

And it was obvious he could see us now, as he kept laughing and reaching for the laptop screen when we talked to him.

And he’s sitting up pretty much on his own now. And at 7 months, he’s gotten so tall he’s wearing 12 month sizes now.

Day before yesterday, Brandi sent this really cute video of Landon waking up in the morning. I finally decided to set up a YouTube account to make it easier to post videos here.  Enjoy!

After our adventure in Skyping, I got back to work on pulling up the last of the carpet so I can finally start laying our new Allure laminate flooring. The only carpet left is what’s under the driver’s seat, so I removed the four bolts holding the seat to the mounting plate,

and then the single large bolt that holds the plate to the coach floor.

Work, work, work.

On another note, one of our favorite TV shows is “My Life is A Zoo” on NatGeo Wild. On DirecTV, it’s channel 283. On Dish or cable, your mileage may vary. 

It’s the story of Bud and Carrie, who own and operate the DeYoung Family Zoo in the Upper Peninsular of Michigan near the town of Wallace, which is only about a mile or so out of Wisconsin. And it’s a place we hope to visit later this year as we head back in that direction.

Anyway, in one of those weird coincidences, a 5’er had pulled in next to us earlier in the day, and then later I was outside talking to them.

When they said they were from the UP, I mentioned that we had heard the area was beautiful, and planned to visit there this year. I then commented that one of the places we wanted to visit was the DeYoung Family Zoo near Wallace.

The husband smiled and said he knew exactly where it was, because Carrie, was his son-in-law’s niece.

(Cue the Twilight Zone theme here)

Later, I went back to carefully pulling up the carpet. I say carefully, because I need to leave the carpet that rises up under the pedals, since the laminate won’t bend up like that.

Dinner tonight was at eegee’s, a local chain that has great sandwiches and fruit drinks.

Coming home, we stopped by Wal-Mart for stuff and then were home by about 7.

Around 10:30 I went outside to get some photos of the Supermoon that occurs tonight. The Supermoon is just where the moon happens to be full when it’s also at the closest point to the Earth in its orbit. And this is the closest its been in 18 years.

Despite all the hype about earthquakes and other natural disasters because the moon is so close, it’s only 1/4000 of a percent closer than it was last year. So fat chance.

Tomorrow looks to be another “work around the rig” day. I want to keep working on the floor, and I need to check the water level in our coach batteries.

More tomorrow from sunny Tucson . . .

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March 19, 2012

It’s SNOWING! Well, kind of . . .

or

One mousy down, ??? to go

According to the weather radar, it was snowing all around us today, and even right above us. But since it was only in the mid-40’s, it never reached the ground here.

About noon Jan and I headed out for lunch and a hardware store run. Our first choice for lunch was Chuy’s, a few miles north of here on Houghton Rd, but it turned out to be out of business. I’d swear I saw cars there a few days ago.

So our second choice was a nearby Bruegger’s Bagels. We first ate at a Bruegger’s up in Fairbanks, AK in 2008, and later, several others around the country. They have great soup and sandwiches, and are well worth a try.

After lunch we made a spur-of-the-moment trip to the Fry’s right across the parking lot for a few things, then it was down the road to Ace Hardware.

I was looking for two things . . . a water hose quick connect set, and mouse traps. Yes, we have a mouse, or maybe mice, I don’t know yet.

Jan had noticed holes in a couple of chip bags, but since one of our cats has been known to nibble on bread bags, etc., she got the blame (the cat, not Jan). But after checking the bottom of the lower slide-out pantry, we found holes in cracker boxes that had not been out of the cabinet, and after removing the basket and looking at the bottom of the cabinet, we found droppings. Rut, Roh.

Coming back into the fairgrounds, we pulled in behind Tom and Barb Westerfield and their RV, as they pulled in to register at the fairground’s office. Then a few minutes later they were parked two spaces down from us, getting set up.

Getting back to our rig, I baited two of the four traps I bought with peanut butter, placed them in cabinet and closed the door. All I had to do now was wait for the loud ‘snap’.

About 5:30 Jan and I headed out to meet with Tom and Barb, at Texas Roadhouse for dinner. We had our usual great meal, along with a lot of fun and conversation.

Jan and I got home a little before 8pm and found there had apparently been a loud ‘snap’ while we were gone, and a dead mousy was in one of the traps. That’s one.

After disposing of the mousy corpse, I reset the trap and put down the other two in the open wall space behind the cabinet. We’ll see what we find tomorrow morning.

The Weather Channel says it’s supposed to go down to 33 tonight, but since it’s already 35 here at midnight, I think it might get colder. We’ll see.

“SNAP!”

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March 19, 2013

The Circus Must Be In Town . . .

A Camp Host showed up a little before noon with some packages from Amazon. One of them was my dually tire extensions

It only took a few minutes to get them installed and ready to go. Next time I have some tire work done I’m going to make sure I get my own extensions back.

A little after noon Chris and Charles headed out in their rig to the Freightliner shop to have some work done.

After they got back a few hours later, Jan and I went next door so I could work on Chris and Charles’ website for the GMAC insurance and Good Sam’s RV products that they sell. We made a good bit of progress before we decided it was time for supper.

So a little before 5pm we all headed out to have dinner at Silver Saddle SteakHouse, rated one of the best steakhouses in Tucson. And if you don’t believe it, you can watch them grill your steak right off the dining room.

Chris, Charles, and I all had the Combo Platter, which had ribs, chicken, and steak. You can’t get much better than that. Jan had a Sirloin Steak that she said was delicious.

This is one place we’re sure to go every time we visit Tucson.

As we were leaving the restaurant, Jan was talking to a friend on her cellphone and was trying to get outside so she could hear better. But as she was waiting at the door, a string of about 20-25 people came streaming in, one after the other. Finally, frustrated that she couldn’t get outside, Jan turned to me and said, “Are they coming out of a clown car?” Unfortunately she said it a little louder than she intended and the guy holding the door open for everyone gave us dirty look.

I tried to see if he was wearing really large shoes but he clopped away before I could get a look.

Getting back to our rigs, we sat around for a while at Chris and Charles’ before finally heading home about 8.

Tomorrow we’re meeting our local friends Al and Adrienne for lunch at Grimaldi’s Pizzeria. We haven’t seen them since last year so it will be good to see them again.

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March 19, 2014

BLT’s and Brûlée . . .

Jan and I headed down south for Clear Lake about 9:45am, with our first stop planned for lunch at King Food. But with just a couple of blocks to go, Jan decided she wanted Twin Peaks instead, so I turned right instead of left. Fine with me. Good food and a beautiful women to take care of me.

And the waitresses are kind of cute, too.

Unfortunately, Lauren, our usual waitress, wasn’t there, so we had to make do with Tabby, but she was great. And as Lauren mentioned the last time we were there, they no longer carry the Average Joes, the mini sausage dogs.

So I had to make do with their new Sourdough BLT that comes with a cup of Spicy Tomato Soup. Really good, and my new favorite.

Leaving Twin Peaks, we stopped at the storeroom so I could drop off some of the stuff I’ve been removing from the basement that we still want to save. Then after a quick stop by a client’s office, I dropped Jan off for her doctor’s appointment while I ran more errands, with stops at Sam’s Club for our prescriptions, Wal-Mart for groceries, and our son’s house for the mail.

Then it was back to wait for Jan to get finished at the doctor’s. I used the time to catch up on my magazine reading for a change, rather than my Kindle.

When Jan was finished, we headed up to Katy, to have dinner with Brandi, Lowell, and Landon at Little V’s Vietnamese Bistro, our new favorite Vietnamese place (well, it’s actually our only favorite Vietnamese place).

Everyone pretty much got their usual, including my Shaking Beef Bowl.

Tender beef, vermicelli noodles, and crispy fresh veggies. Really good.

One thing we did different this time was to have dessert, but just a little bit, kind of along the lines of those dessert ‘shooters’ that some places have now. ‘mini’ desserts.

And this one was a delicious Crème Brûlée, but on a small scale. The dessert consist of six large serving spoons resting on a plate, each one filled with the rich cream custard.

Next sugar is sprinkled on top and then caramelized, usually with a propane torch.

So what you get is a creamy custard, capped with a thin crunchy caramel shell. Very, very good, with a spoonful for everyone. (well, some of us got more than one.) Just the right way to finish off a great meal.

After saying our goodbyes, and getting gas next door to the restaurant, we headed back up to Willis, getting home a little before 9pm.

When we got to Brandi’s I was happy to see all the stuff I had ordered. Besides the things from Amazon, I got my new Fantastic Vent Motor and Fan kit,

and finally, the shear pins for fixing the slide.

Hard to believe one of these small pins could cause so much trouble.

The fan motor should be pretty easy to replace. Just 4 screws, remove the old and install the new one. We’ll see

I’ve got so many things on my plate that it might be a couple of days before I get around to replacing the pins.

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March 19, 2015

AJ and Santa Fe . . .

Jan and I were up about 6:30 this morning, getting ready to move up to Apache Junction, and the Santa Fe RV Park. Although we weren’t leaving until 10-10:30, and I’d already stored the water and sewer hoses, and packed other stuff away, we were up this early so we could meet our friend’s Al & Adrienne for breakfast at the Voyager Grill.

The couple of other times we’ve eaten here, it’s been very good, and this morning was no exception. Plus we got to spend a lot more time with Al & Adrienne. But finally it was time to get on the road.

We pulled out of our site a little before 10am, and hooked up the toad in a special lane set up near the park exit. Then a couple of miles down the road we stopped off at the Pilot/Flying J for diesel. And I was happy to see a $2.60 a gallon price, too.

I again really appreciated our Good Sam Pilot RV Plus Card because it gave us 7 cents a gallon off the Cash Price. Why anybody who RV’s doesn’t have this card, I don’t know?

Note the difference in the prices between the Good Sam’s Loyalty Card and RV Plus Card. 3 cents a gallon vs. the 7 cents a gallon I got today. And the regular Pilot MyRewards that a lot of RV’ers have, only gives the same 3 cents. And the RV Plus card doesn’t cost anything. Just apply.

Back on the road, we took the back way up to Apache Junction, using SR77 and SR79 as our route. Much more scenic than the Interstate. We had some traffic before we left the outskirts of Tucson, but it wasn’t bad. Then it was just miles and miles of saguaros and chollas.

We pulled into the Santa Fe RV Park around 2pm and got set up. We’ll only be here for three days before we move a few miles away to the Countryside RV Resort, an Encore park, where we’ll stay for another 2 weeks before heading up to Verde Valley.

Later we had dinner at the #1 Eastern Chinese Buffet off of Signal Butte. We’ve eaten here several times and it’s always really good. The place stays so busy that the food doesn’t stay on the steam tables very long before it’s replaced. And they have a very wide selection, too. So hopefully we’ll have a chance to eat here again.

Don’t know that we have anything really scheduled for tomorrow, so I’ll probably work on a couple of projects.

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March 19, 2016

Thought I Had It Fixed . . .

But No.

It was really nice to sleep in this morning for the first time in months, or maybe it was just since last week, but anyway, it was nice.

After goofing off most of the morning and early afternoon, I went out to the truck to take a further look at my AC / Condenser Fan problem. But before I did anything else, I thought I’d take a minute to check out the relays and fuses in the Power Distribution Center under the hood.

And for a few minutes I thought I’d found the problem, and a quick, easy, and no cost fix. The perfect kind of fix.

When I started checking the relays, this is what I first saw.

This relay, labeled ‘AC’ was just sitting there, only barely plugging into its socket. Could it be this easy?

Well . . .  No!

I plugged it back in, started the car, and still had no AC. Bummer.

Note that all these relays are identical, so as a further test, I unplugged the one labeled “Fog Lamps” (it wasn’t foggy) and plugged that one into the AC spot. And again, no luck.

So next I started trying to track down where the condenser fan gets its power. I can see it coming out of the bottom of the fan and going back under the radiator, but can’t  find where it comes out. It may be that I’ll have to put power into the output contacts on the fan control relay socket, but I’ll need more time with the schematics before I can be sure.

I’ve got both the Chilton and Haynes manuals, so between the two I should be able to trace it out.

Back after Christmas I was complaining about the cost of the refills for the Touch Free Soap Dispenser our daughter Brandi gave us for Christmas.

The refills run anywhere from $8 to $15 so I was looking for a cheaper solution. We finished our first one up a while back and so I saved the empty one to play with later.

The first thing I discovered is the plastic lid just pops off, and was not press-fitted on like I figured, so I got a bottle of SoftSoap to refill it with.

Overall the refill works pretty well, but it doesn’t foam up like the original stuff. So I may experiment with different brands. But $1.98 is a better price than $8 to $15.

I noted several of you bought the book I recommended, The Toaster Oven Mocks Me, and wondered if you enjoyed it as much as Jan and I did.

Let me know.

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March 19, 2017

Mark The Date On Your Calendar . . .

Oil Field Gate Guarding for Fun? and Profit

Wednesday, March 22nd

11:30 – 12:30

Old Pueblo Rm 4

Mark your schedule for our seminar

After our morning coffee and a little quiet time, Jan and I headed over to the Escapade at the Pima County Fairgrounds. Surprisingly we had no problems finding a parking space very near Old Pueblo Hall, where all the vendors are set up.

We weren’t even in the door before we started running into old friends, in some cases, ones that we haven’t seen the the last Escapade here two years ago.

We spent next couple of hours wandering the vendor aisles, again running into old friends. Jan went one way and I went another, making a first pass up and down the rows, mentally marking booths I want to check out further at a later time.

I did go ahead and sign up for an Arizona Concealed Carry class on Tuesday afternoon with Bryon Hibshman of TravelingCCW.com. Bryon, a former LEO for 29 years, is a NRA Certified Instructor, and gives CCW classes at RV rallies around the country.

In fact I got my Utah non-resident CCW with him at a rally’s back in 2010. But when it expired in 2015 I was unable to renew it due to a change in Utah’s rules.

Later we ended up having lunch with Daisy and Chip Cartright, old friends of Chris and Charles Yust. It was a lot of fun getting to know them and talking about all the same places we’d been over the years. Nice People!

About 2:30 we headed over to Thurber Hall for the Escapade Opening Ceremonies. I don’t know yet how many rigs are here, but the hall was pretty full.

A little after 4pm Jan and I headed up Kolb Ave. to Poco & Mom’s Cantina to meet up for dinner. We’ve eaten at the original Poco & Mom’s for years after being introduced to it by our long-time friend’s Al & Adrienne Cox.

Then a couple of years ago they opened up a new, much larger place a few miles away. The same great food, with a much more extensive menu.

While everyone went with something different, I got my usual Best of New Mexico Combo.

With a fried egg, one green‏ Chile chicken enchilada, one Chile Relleno topped with sour cream green Chile enchilada sauce, one red Chile shredded beef taco, served with homemade beans and rice, it’s a pretty good overview of New Mex-Mex/AZ-Mex cuisine.

Once again our dinner was great with our friends.

From the left, we had Jan, Sherry Bennett, Clark Bennett, Donna Huffer, and Bob Parker. I didn’t manage to leave Bob out of the photo tonight, because I only had one beer this time.

On the Amazon front, I had 3 orders that were supposed to be delivered to the Escapade. Yes, they  specified Sunday delivery by the Post Office. At 10:28 I got a text message saying the packages were out for delivery. But then at 11:01 I received another text message saying they could not be delivered because the ‘business’ (the Pima County Fairgrounds?) was CLOSED.

Curious about why they thought the park was closed, I asked the two gentlemen at the front gate if a US Mail truck had come by. They said they had been there since 6am and hadn’t seen any mail truck at all. I think the mailman just didn’t want to get up early on Sunday morning. Hopefully it will be delivered tomorrow with the rest of the mail.

But hey, at least nothing broke on the rig today.

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March 19, 2018

Two Down, One To Go . . .

Jan and I were up at 6:30 and out the rig door by 7:15am, heading up to Friendswood for our GP Doctor yearly checkups, mine at 8am and Jan’s at 8:30. It helps that we both use the same doctor.

Jan and I always try to make our appointments for the very first thing in the morning so we don’t get stuck waiting around as the times start slipping as the day wears on.

Both our blood pressure (mine was 113/74) and our blood glucose readings were good, but we won’t know our A1c’s until the tests come back. But we don’t expect to have a problem this time.

Now all we’ve got left is Jan’s oncologist appointment Thursday at noon to go over her lab tests and mammogram which should be pretty much pro forma.

We were done with doctors and back on the road by 9:30, a new record I think. Our first stop was at Brock’s Car Care to give Dennis a deposit on the all the special order stuff for our truck repair. Hopefully it will be ready Thursday or Friday.

Then it was on to have breakfast at The Egg and I over in Webster. Probably our favorite upscale breakfast place, we been eating here since before we started RV’ing in 2008. And it has always been delicious. We always start off with a big pot of their Hazelnut Coffee, really fresh and flavorful. One of our favorite parts of eating here.

This time Jan had the Bacon Avocado Scramble with Ranch Potatoes and an English Muffin.

And this time they got her bacon right. Jan calls it “Glass Bacon”. So well-done(burnt) that it shatters when you touch it.

I had my favorite Deluxe Egg Sandwich with 2 fried eggs, smoked ham, bacon, tomato, mayonnaise and Havarti dill on grilled sourdough bread, along with Dressed Greens.

This is the first time I’ve had the greens as a side, (Jan calls them ‘weeds’) and they were really good. The dressing was so good I had to ask what it was, and it turns out it was a Lemon Vinaigrette. Really good.

Finishing up we headed home for the day, with reading for Jan and website stuff for me.

Catching up on a few things, I mentioned a week or so ago that I was upset about how our rig/truck insurance had jumped in price, from $287 to $351 per month. Normally it only jumps $10-$15 per month, even after our 2015 blowout in Arizona. If you’re new here since then, you can check out the link above for the story.

But by raising our policy’s deductible from $500 to $1000, it dropped the payment from $351 to $317, a $34 per month savings. Not great, but not bad.

Since in 11 years of RV’ing we’ve only had that one 2015 claim, I think it’s a pretty safe bet. And in 15 months the savings will cover the $500 increase in deductible.

A recent Alexa update apparently gave her some manners. I’ve always been in the habit of thanking Alexa after she does something for me, I.e. “Alexa, TV On.” She then turns on the TV, and says, “Sure”. And most the time I will say, “Thank you.”

Before now, I gotten dead silence from her. But a couple nights ago, she came back with, “You’re Welcome.” Gave me a jolt.  Since then I’ve gotten, “No problem.”, “Anytime.”, “Don’t Mention It”,  and “My Pleasure.”

At least our new robot masters will be polite when they take over.

When I got root (full access) and also solved the SSL certificate on the webserver I promised myself a steak dinner, so tomorrow we’re going to Saltgrass Steakhouse so I can collect my award. YUMM!

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March 19, 2019

He Never Speaks . . .

Yesterday Jan and I headed up toward Sugarland about 4pm, with our first stop at our favorite Floyd’s Cajun Seafood for dinner before our Puddles Pity Party concert.

We took our time with dinner, finally heading up to the Stafford Center about 6:30, finding people already lining up for the 8pm show.

We were in our seats by 7:30 (5th Row, Center,  Very Nice!) and around 7;45pm we hear the audience stirring behind us. Turning around we see Puddles working the crowd, shaking hands and giving hugs to everyone, even going up into the balcony for a bit.

As he wanders the audience it’s easy to see how tall he really is. At 6’ 8”, he’s over 7feet in his clown shoes, but as Jan says, he’s not a scary clown. And he never speaks. In some cases it’s kind of like charades.

He started out with a favorite of ours, The Sounds Of Silence.

Really love it, especially the very end.

Besides another favorite of ours, a Smashup of Pinball Wizard, sung as Johnny Cash doing Folsom Prison Blues,

he also did one of ELO’s Telephone and Adele’s Hello, singing with himself.

There was also a lot of audience participation with people up on the stage, but he seemed to be very careful not to embarrass or make fun of anyone.

I had taken my new Panasonic Lumix camera with me for its first really use. And starting out, I was very disappointed at the results I was seeing.

The photos weren’t near as bight as the ones as I was getting with my cellphone. In fact, they were downright dingy.

Then about 3/4’s of the way through the concert I discovered that somewhere along the line that the Exposure setting had gotten set to –3.5 from the standard 0.0. And when I reset it, I got this.

Much better.

Wrapping up the two hour show, there was a slide on the screen advertising “Puddles Cuddles”. I.e., hugs, photos, or autographs with Puddles in the lobby. Since Jan said she only cuddles with me, we headed home, arriving a little after 11pm.

This afternoon was Jan’s mammogram, so we headed out a little after noon for her 1pm appointment. Or alt least we thought we did.

Turns out we actually left the rig a little after 11pm . . . because our clock suddenly decided to auto-adjust for Daylight Savings Time.

Our clock is supposed to auto set  and update, based on the US Government’s WWV radio time signals. However last weekend it didn’t update for DST, so to correct I just changed it back to the Eastern Time Zone, which had the effect of making the time correct.

But I guess the clock suddenly decided to correct its mistake, leaving us heading out an hour early. Better than an hour late though, I guess.

But it did give us time to have a bowl of our favorite Hot & Sour Soup at King Food. Then it was right down the road for Jan’s appointment, which as usual took almost exactly two hours.

And she walked out with a big smile on her face. Everything was OK. At least on the really important part, the mammogram. Important because she had breast cancer 5 years ago.

She won’t have her Bone Density results for a week, but doesn’t expect any problems with it.

Jan wants me to remind every female reader to get their mammograms. Jan had never had any previous problems and almost decided to skip it in 2014. But she didn’t.

And that’s why they discovered her breast cancer as a Stage 0. And a out-patient lumpectomy took care of it, with no Chemo, and no Radiation.

She really dodged a bullet. So it’s every year from now on, without fail.

Tomorrow it’s back to work, and then on Thursday we’ve got our yearly checkups with our GP. Then Jan has her appointment with her oncologist next Thursday, and we should be done for this year.

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March 19, 2020

Wife Held Hostage . . .

Our Rubbermaid shed was supposed to be delivered between 9am and noon this morning, and when I got up about 8, I could see my delivery truck wandering about Galveston Island about 20 miles south, making other stops before finally heading up my way, They showed up about 10:45 and I had them leave it on the patio where Jan and I will start putting it together, probably this weekend.

I was surprised how big the box was, much larger that the box that contained the Arrow metal shed that we first looked at.

While I was waiting for the delivery truck, I took a look at another problem. Last night when I got home, I moved the satellite dish closer to the rig so I could park the truck there to make room for the shed delivery. I had already planned to realign it anyway, since I was noticing more weather drop-outs than usual.

So after I moved the dish, I unplugged the 12 volts and plugged it back in, expecting to hear the dish motor start whirring.

Nothing.

After giving it sharp WHACK (Hey, it fixed the Mars Rover!) with no luck, I checked the power plug and found the correct 12v going into the dome. So grabbing my power screwdriver, I removed the bolts holding the dome onto the base.

I was thinking that maybe the drive belt had broken or come loose, but it was fine. Looking over it I couldn’t find a fuse for the drive, only for the amplifier. I double-checked that I had 12v going right into the drive assembly, but it was OK.

My next thought was to head down to our storage room to grab my spare dome. I have a spare because a few years ago when we were staying at the Lake Conroe Thousand Trails, I was dropping a bag of garbage at the dumpsters, and found a Winegard dome, complete with power cord, just sitting there.

Figuring it was dead, I thought maybe I could use it for parts someday. But when I got it back to the rig and checked it out, the only problem I found was a broken wire in the 12v plug. So I have a spare.

But since my goal was really just to get the dish working again, I figured that the elevation setting hadn’t changed, just the azimuth, I.e. the direction it’s pointing. So I turned up the volume really loud on the TV in the rig, and slowly moved the dish back and forth until I heard sound. I then went inside to check the signal level, thinking I probably would have to fine-tune it a little, but found 95’s across the screen.

I won’t need to have it working, aiming-wise until we head out to Alabama/Florida in June. In the meantime I’ll continue to look at the motor problem to see what I can figure out.

I got Jan back a couple of days early this afternoon, but I had to ransom her with a 12 pack of Charmin Ultra-Soft Mega Rolls. Jan was afraid that Brandi, et. al., would run out, so I gave her a 12 pack from our private stash we keep hidden in the truck.

I originally was supposed to pick up Jan either tomorrow night or Saturday morning, but Brandi said she was going to start working from home tomorrow, rather than Monday. So I headed up there about 4:30 to meet them in the Cheddar’s parking lot where we met Brandi for lunch last Thursday.

Like selling drugs out of the back of my truck, I surreptitiously slipped the contraband to Brandi, who after looking around carefully, hid the package in her vehicle, hoping not to be hijacked on her way home.

When I was heading out to pick up Jan, I noticed our favorite Los Ramirez Mexican Restaurant was still open, though I knew it would be closed to only take out starting tomorrow. So coming home, Jan and I stopped there for one Last Supper until further notice, I guess.

Takeout just won’t be the same.

---

March 19, 2021

She’s HOME! . . .

I left work at a little after noon, heading up to Katy to finally pick up my Jan. I got there about 1, and found her all packed and ready to go, waiting at the kitchen door.

Brandi had already called and said they were about 45 minutes out, so we loaded up and got on the road. One of the dogs, Jack, has be to be put in his cage when there’s no home, otherwise he gets a little destructive. But Jan hates for him to be locked up for too long, so we try to time it close.

Coming back down the Tollway we turned off at the Pearland Pkwy to get lunch at the El Pollo Loco that we just found was in the area. As usual, we each got a 3 piece meal, with their Charro Beans, and the new Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice. Really good.

And we got some more to take home for later. As usual.

Getting back to the Clear Lake area, we swung by the the office to pick up my AC control box that had come earlier in the afternoon. Then it was back to the rig with quick detour through Cowboy Coffee to enjoy out on the patio when we got home.

Lately it seems to be a recurring theme. Someone decides that something/someone ‘offends’ them, and the baying of hounds of cancellation commences.

In this latest cancellation, it seems to be Dr. Seuss. In at least one example, he depicted a Chinese person eating with chopsticks while wearing a conical hat.

Oh, the horror.

And it did seem to make any difference that Chinese publications still show Chinese peasants working in the rice paddies dressed exactly the same way.

It ‘offended’ someone somewhere so it must be destroyed.

So with Dr. Seuss in the crosshairs this time, Amazon stopped selling some of his books, and said they’re looking at the rest of them. But then there’s this.

Or the Communist Manifesto, Mao’s Little Red Book, or a number of other similar tomes.

But as happens, this caused a backlash from people apparently not so easily offended, leading to the shirt I just ordered, ironically also from Amazon.

But  I have other items with the same theme.

‘Molon Labe’ is what the 300 Spartans told the Persian leader, Xerxes I, when he demanded they lay down their weapons and surrender at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. It pretty much means, ‘Come and take them.”

This was also used at the Battle of Gonzales in the War for Texas Independence in 1835, when the Mexican army wanted their cannon back. And for that, I have this.

And then, just on general principals, I also have this shirt.

Kind of conveys a similar meaning.

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March 19, 2022

Dig World . . .

Lunch today was at Spring Creek BBQ right out on I-45. We wanted to stay in this area because Jan had a hair appointment at the Cost Cutters down here

And as usual, Ribs and Brisket, with Beans and Beans.

Really great!

Then after Jan’s hair was done, it was back across the Interstate for a few things at WalMart, before heading home.

Recently I came across this new theme park at Katy Mills Mall right near Brandi and Lowell’s.

Called Dig World, it allows anyone, including kids, to operate full-size Caterpillar mini-excavators, skid steers, and UTV vehicles on 3.5 acres.

Little ones can operate machinery themselves (of age and height appropriate) or with adult supervision.

The park has a partnership with construction giant Mustang Cat. Dig World has also partnered with Texas A&M’s Department of Construction Science to educate and spread awareness about the construction industry.

Along with construction equipment, the park will also boast a playground, a gem-mining station, a turf field with yard games, and other attractions.

They have plans to open 10 Dig World parks throughout the U.S. over the next few years.

Glacial Archaeologists Just Uncovered Ancient Reindeer Hunting Tools Atop A Mountain In Norway

Recently this article showed up online, and while it’s interesting in itself, to me it’s more interesting in what it doesn’t talk about.]

As glaciers shrink in Norway, they’ve pulled back the curtain on humanity’s ancient past. Upon the mountainous peak of Sandgrovskardet, glacial archaeologists have found a number of reindeer hunting tools from 1,700 years ago that were once hidden by the ice.

“There is a lot of melting going on due to climate change, and we had to prioritize other sites in the short time window for glacial archaeological fieldwork,” explained Lars Pilø, an archaeologist at the Department of Cultural Heritage, Innlandet County Council, Norway; co-director of the Glacier Archaeology Program; and editor of the Secrets of the Ice website.

The thing that’s never directly mentioned in the article is the fact that 1700 years ago there were no glaciers here. So the melting glaciers, supposedly caused by global warming global cooling climate change is just putting us back where the climate was almost 2000 years ago.

But now we’ve only got 15 years 10 years 9.8 years until we’re all doomed.

Jan and I were on the road this morning about 9:45, heading up to Conroe to meet up with Debi and Ed Hurlburt, and also, long-time-no-see, Janice and Dave Evans.

After making our usual bathroom break at the Flying J along the way, we got to La Pizca (The Pinch) Grill & Cantina right at 11:30, with Janice and Dave showing up a couple of minutes later, and Debi and Ed a few minutes after that.

Ed said this place had only been open about six weeks, and before that had been a bad BBQ place. Our server, Rob, was so attentive and informative that we all assume he was a manager/owner type. But it turned out he was the bartender who just took some tables when he wasn’t busy.

Really good server.

And the food was really good too.

Dave had the Pork Tamales with Charro Beans,

while Ed had the Steak Burrito.

Jan got the Pollo Ranchero covered in Verde Sauce with a side of Grilled Veggies.

I got a bowl of their Chicken Tortilla Soup,

that was just full of chicken.

And a side of their Grilled Veggies too.

The service was great, and the food was even better. So good in fact that we’re coming back next month.

We had a great time, and we’re already looking forward to next month.

After saying our good-byes, we headed back down to Santa Fe, with a quick stop at our local HEB, finally getting home about 4pm.

Really, really nice day.

---

Thought For The Day:

Sometimes, the amount of self-control it takes to not say what’s on my mind is so immense, I need a nap afterwards.

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March 18, 2009

Settling in at the Gulf Shores State Park . . .

First off, check out the new tab at the top of the page  ‘Tour Our Beauty’.  It will give you a pictorial tour of our home.  Check it out!

Jan and I spent today settling in to our new site. You know, the usual stuff, putting out the flamingo and the brass moose, hanging the windchimes, as I said, the usual…

As I mentioned yesterday, we’re now on a quiet cul-de-sac at the end of the park.

Our new Cul-de-sac home

Nice wide spaces

Apparently the group of RV’ers here have regular get-togethers.  They were having a weenie-roast lunch when we got here yesterday, and today we were invited to a potluck dinner on Sunday evening.  We’re looking forward to it.

The guy next to us is from Canada and spent some time telling us all the must-see places in Newfoundland / Nova Scotia when we get up there later this summer.

For dinner today we tried a new place for us, Firehouse Subs.  We both liked the Italian sub we had.  We’ll go back, I’m sure.

More news from Paradise tomorrow…

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March 18, 2010

Da Boyz and Hooters…

Jan and I slept late this morning. It was the first time in about a week or so that we didn’t have something to do early in the morning.

I fixed coffee and we set around and just enjoyed life. Then about 11 Jan heated up the last of the Da Boyz pizza leftover from Yuma. I think it was even better than it was originally.

After cleaning up a bit, we drove over to check out the Las Vegas Hooters. It turns out that this Hooters was actually in a casino. I don’t know if that affected their menu, but it was certainly different from the ones in Texas we frequent. They had no wings hotter than 911, and did not have the Honey BBQ, Cajun Spice, or Garlic Flavored like we have found in other Hooters. But what we had was pretty good so all was not lost.

Leaving Hooters, we stopped off at an AutoZone to pick up some fuses and fuse holders to wire up a new charge line for the toad.

After that, we decided to call it a day and head home, as we have a full day planned tomorrow.

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March 18, 2011

Lorikeets and Ostrich Fishing . . .

First off, I forgot to post this St. Patrick’s Day photo of Landon yesterday, and was chastised by our daughter Brandi.

Mea Culpa.

This morning was an early start, with absolutely no coffee to help.

About 10am  Jan and I headed north on I-10 about 55 miles to revisit the Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch, located near Picacho Peak.

Here’s a better photo of Picacho Peak from the Web.

We got there about 11:15 and waited a few minutes for our friend Jeanne Sparks to arrive from Casa Grande to visit with us.

We were last here in February 2008 on our way to Alaska.

After collecting our animal feed cups and lorikeet nectar, we entered the animal enclosure to first encounter the Fallow Deer area.

Jan was very popular, and it was funny to watch try to feed each one separately and be sure that everyone got their share.

Then it was on to the ostrich area to try and feed these hungry birds while retaining all our fingers. And it wasn’t easy, believe me. Sometimes it was like feeding a nest of snakes.

Is this a kind and gentle face, or what?

They had a photo of what a baby one looks like. They sell all their fertilized eggs overseas so they don’t have any babies at the ranch.

One treat was getting to meet Rooster himself.

Next it was on to the goats. Known as the Hole In The Wall Gang, the goats are a lot more fun (and safe) to feed than the ostriches.

The Sicilian Donkeys weren’t really hungry, but they did like to be petted, and were a big hit with the little kids.

Then finally, it was Jan’s favorite, the Lorikeets.

They give you little cups of nectar which the Lorikeets love, and will swarm all over you to get it.

Our friend Jeanne certainly has her hands full.

These are really beautiful, colorful birds, and much friendlier than the ostriches.

It was funny to watch them dive under the water in their bathing pond, then fluff up their feathers and fly up to the top of the cage in the sun to dry off.

All together now. “Awwwww”

Our next treat was the Monster Truck Tour around the ranch, something we had not done last time. The Tour is a combination of sightseeing and motocross jumping.

The 50 minute ride took us around the feeding and breeding areas of the ranch, interspersed with wild bumps and jumps across and over ditches and ravines.

We also got to see an ostrich nest in the wild, although they usually take the eggs from the next and incubate them as soon as possible because of local predators like javelinas and bobcats.

Our next adventure was Ostrich Fishing.

There is a bolt on the end of the string, and you stick it in quarter section of grapefruit, and let the fun began.

They said if you could land one on the platform, you could have it. I wanted to ask if I could just shoot one and reel it in, but Jan wouldn’t let me.

Bummer!

They’re supposed to be real tasty.

We had a great time here, and it’s well worth your time if you’re in the area.

We left Rooster’s about 1pm and headed across the Interstate to the Bowlin’s gift shop, one of Jan’s favorites. She loves their earring selection, and found another pair she really likes.

Then we drove back into Tucson to have lunch at the Lucky Wishbone.

It’s kind of a fast food place, but serves things like steak fingers, and chicken livers and gizzards, along with chicken strips, shrimp, fish, and fried chicken.

Really good.

We got home about 5:30, and it seemed like a good time for a short nap.

And of course, about 7:30 we drove over to the DQ in Vail.

---

March 18, 2012

A Nice, Cold, Dreary, Rainy Day . . .

And windy, very windy.

I finally got up about 6:30am to let in our bedroom window awnings, not because of possible wind damage, but just because they were so noisy that it was hard to sleep.

And then later in the morning the rain part of the incoming cold front came thru. Never really hard, but pretty steady for long periods. And as far as the cold part, it never got out the 40’s all day.

But it was a perfect day to stay bundled up at home, cuddled up with hot coffee warming our insides and the floor heaters keeping us warm outside. The perfect day to just curl up with a good book.

I did gather up enough energy to install Jan’s new LED reading lamp over the sofa. The old one used an incandescent blub that Jan said was too hot sometimes.

I had looked for a CFL or LED bulb to fit the old lamp, but since it used a non-standard ‘intermediate’ base, I was never able to find one that would fit.

But while we were at Lowe’s yesterday I came across the one pictured above. It’s LED so it stays cool and is a little brighter than her old one, so she really likes the new one.

For lunch Jan fixed sandwiches and chips with muffins for dessert while we listened to the rain hitting the top of the coach. And the steady rain coming down made it a good afternoon for a nap. (Really, is there a bad afternoon?)

Jan fixed us dinner about 6pm, warming up our leftovers from Luckie’s Thai a few nights ago, and if anything, it was even better than originally.

And that pretty much rounded out what turned out to be a very nice day.

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March 18, 2013

Delorme and Silverleaf . . .

After Jan and I had a nice, quiet morning here at the Pima County Fairgrounds RV Park, we headed out a little after 1pm for a couple of errands, the main one being Sam’s Club to pick up one of Jan’s prescriptions, and a couple of other things. Coming back in the direction of the park we drove down Campbell Ave to check out the location of the new Grimaldi’s Pizzeria here in Tucson. After our visit to the one in San Antonio a week or so ago, we certainly want to eat here before we leave.

Chris Yust, our GMAC Insurance rep had called earlier in the day to say they were heading this way and wanting directions to the park here. They were coming in from Yuma to a rally that starts here on Wednesday.

Later in the afternoon I stowed away the Acer laptop that I used to display my Delorme Street Atlas GPS mapping program and my Silverleaf engine computer display.

In checking the display before I shut it down, I was surprised to find that, even with the heavy headwinds we encountered coming to Tucson from Las Cruces, I used 31.2 gallons of diesel for a total of 259.1 miles traveled. This makes it 8.3 mpg, not bad for the trip at 55-60 mph.

I also finished mapping out all the RV parks we’ve stayed at in the last 5+ years. That’s 267 parks ranging from Key West, FL to Fairbanks, AK, and from San Diego to Nova Scotia, Canada.

We’ve actually been all the way out to Newfoundland, but we left the RV in Louisbourg, NS and just took the truck over on the ferry, staying in B & B’s as we traveled down the 500 mile length of the island.

Of course in 5 years we’ve spend more than 267 nights on the road, but we’ve stayed at many of these parks multiple times. For example, we’ve stayed here at Pima County Fairgrounds RV Park 4 times, and other parks as many as 5 times. When you find a good park in an area, you tend to stick with it.

Later, after Chris and Charles Yust had arrived and got parked and set up, we all headed out to Luckie’s Thai, our favorite local Chinese place. And yes, I know it’s says Thai, but they have a full Chinese menu too. We’ll go back again.

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March 18, 2014

An Asian Two’fer . . .

Well, the bin situation is finally coming together. I rearranged my categories, combining some and expanding others and also ended up using a combination of the 64 Qt. bins and the file boxes to fill in some odd spaces in the bays. I’ve still got a couple of bins left over filled with miscellaneous stuff that doesn’t really fit into any of my categories. So I’ll have to come up with something else.

While I was outside working, Don Couvillion came over and we set up plans for getting together Thursday night, before they leave on Friday. We’re looking forward to it.

About 4 I headed out on a few errands, dropping off garbage, and then down the road to the convenience store to pick up Powerball & MegaMillions tickets for tonight and tomorrow night. Then coming back, I stopped off at a rock pile behind the Activity Center. I had brought a couple of empty kitty litter buckets with me, along with my entrenching tool. I wanted to get a couple of buckets of rocks and dirt to help fill in the water-filled ruts at the front of the rig. If we get much more rain before we leave here on Monday, I might have some problems getting out of this site. I figure it will take 8 or 10 bucket loads to fill it all in.

For dinner Jan fixed us a salad and then heated up the left-over pizza from our  Grimaldi’s Pizzeria visit yesterday afternoon. When you reheat it in the convection oven, it’s just about as good as it was originally. And I’ve found a new favorite salad dressing – Hidden Valley Bacon Ranch. I had a Bacon Ranch dressing when we ate at Applebee’s last week, so I decided to pick some up for home. Really good.

Tomorrow Jan and I are heading down to the Clear Lake area for a doctor’s appointment. We’ll go down a little early so we can have lunch at King Food one more time before we leave the area. I’m also going to drop off some more stuff at our storeroom, and pick up our prescriptions from Sam’s Club.

Then we’ll come home by  way of our daughter Brandi’s in Katy to pick up our mail and packages. We’ve got some stuff from Amazon, as well as our new Fantastic Vent fan motor that should be here. And hopefully the replacement shear pins for the slide will be there too.  And we also want another chance to eat dinner at Little V’s Vietnam Restaurant  near their house. So our day will be an Asian Two’fer.

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March 18, 2015

On to AJ . . .

After coffee and Munchkins this morning, I started packing away some stuff to get ready to move up to Apache Junction tomorrow morning.  Then with Jan grabbing the magnets inside, I took down the solar screens and stored them away in the truck. Hopefully I’ll some more time to work on them up in Apache Junction.

‎Later, about 4:30pm Jan and I headed up Kolb Rd. to Dry River Company Pizza. It’s a order it at the counter, they bring it to the table kind of a place with a nice atmosphere and a friendly staff.

It does have couple of quirks, however. They only have one size of pizza, 13-14”, and they only have 12 different kinds of pizza, with no additional items listed. It may be that you can order different ingredients, but they aren’t on the menu and we didn’t ask.

Instead we ordered the Traditional, with Tomato Sauce, Sausage, Pepperoni, Banana Peppers, and Mozzarella. And even better, this pizza is normally $11, but since we were there during Happy Hour, I.e., before 5:30, the pizza was only $8. Nice.

The pizza is thin crust, cooked in a wood-fired (with pecan) brick oven. And pretty much everything is fresh. As in the pizza dough is made daily, all the sauces are made in house, as well as, believe it or not, the mozzarella cheese.

They also make all their salad dressings (except Ranch) and the bread for their sandwiches and garlic bread is baked daily around the corner at  La Baguette Bakery.

You can’t get much fresher than that.

And it showed in the food. We all agreed it was some of the best pizza we’ve had in a good while. As far as I’m concerned, it’s not quite up to Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, but darn close. Grimaldi’s coal-fired oven may be a little hotter, because their crust is lightly charred on the bottom and the edges, really adding to the favor.

They also have a wide variety of salads, pastas, and sandwiches if you’re not in the mood for pizza. (How can anyone not be in the mood for pizza, he asks?)

Sure wish we hadn’t discovered this place on our last night in Tucson.

Later, finally heading back to Voyager RV Resort, we made a detour a couple of miles up I-10 to the Pilot/Flying J to get gas in the truck. Yesterday unleaded was $2.19, but today it was $2.17. And even better, with our Good Sam’s RV Plus card discount, it was only $2.12 a gallon. Nice.

Tomorrow we’ll be stopping again the Pilot/Flying J to get diesel for the rig. And unless it goes down again overnight, it should be about $2.61 with our Plus card discount.

Getting home I went ahead and disconnected our water and sewer. One less thing to do tomorrow morning, especially since we’re meeting Al and Adrienne at the RV Park Café for breakfast at 8am, before we head out about 10.

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March 18, 2016

Another One Bites The Dust . . .

We were heading down to Brandi’s this morning, so I got up a little early to see if I could kludge up something to get the truck AC going.

The AC is not working because of the problem with the condenser fan that supplies extra cooling for the radiator when the AC is on. But in most cases, it’s really only needed when you’re driving slow or idling. Otherwise at highway speeds there is enough airflow to keep things cool.

So my idea is to temporarily hard-wire 12 volts directly to the AC compressor coil, bypassing the problem with the fan that is shutting down the AC. But by the time I  figured out how I was going to wire it up, and found some wire that was heavy enough, it was time to get ready to drive down to Katy.

But luckily for us, it stayed pretty overcast the whole trip, so we were pretty comfortable the entire time. But the noise of the windows down at 70mph gets kind of tiring.

We headed out about 11:30, and after a smooth, fast trip, got to Brandi’s in Katy about 1:00pm. Then after looking over movie times, I went online and bought us all tickets for the 2:45 showing of Zootopia, the latest Disney offering. So we had some time to kill until we needed to be at Katy Mills Mall.

The first thing Landon had to show us was his new missing tooth, but this time it wasn’t Miss Kitty’s fault. Back last November, Landon and Miss Kitty, their 120# Black Lab, bumped heads and Landon lost two teeth.

Well, this time Landon hit his mouth on his daddy’s knee and another tooth hit the floor. So this is what he looks like now, showing off with Grammy Sonja.

Looks like corn on the cob is off the menu now.

Later Landon was showing off on his new trampoline out in the backyard.

Looks like it could be another lost tooth situation.

About 2pm we all drove over to Katy Mills Mall to see Zootopia. I was afraid that the theater would be really crowded due to Spring Break, but we had no problems getting prime seats.

As far as the movie goes, it was really good and everyone enjoyed it. Like the best movies, it’s written on several different levels, and had something for everyone, including enough action  so that no one fell asleep, unlike when Jan, Landon, and I went to see SpongeBob Square Pants, and we ALL fell asleep.

A really good movie, and well recommended.

Getting back to the house about 5, we found Brandi and Lowell already home, and with everyone hungry, we did a quick turnaround and were off to Little V’s Vietnamese Bistro right down the road.

We try to eat here as often as possible, just because it’s so darn good. And Tuygen, the owner knows us all by name, and always takes really good care of us.

From left to right, Lindel and Sonja, Lowell’s parents, my Jan, Sherry, Lowell’s sister, and Brandi and Lowell. Master Landon is on the floor under the table, using the chair bottom as a stand for playing games on his iPad. He says we’re too noisy and he can’t concentrate.

Finally a little before 7, after getting our hugs, Jan and I headed back to Conroe, making a “too much iced tea with dinner” stop at the Flying J in north Houston, before we arrived home about 8:15.

Tomorrow if the weather holds, I’ll take a closer look at my truck condenser fan problem. Besides hotwiring the AC itself, I’ll start doing some troubleshooting on the problem, with the first thing I check being the fan itself.

I’ll disconnect power going to it from the truck and then put 12 volts to it directly. This will tell me whether the problem is with the fan, which I suspect it is, or somewhere in the control circuitry.

But since the fan was making a lot of racket before it quit completely, that’s the best way to start.

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March 18, 2017

Voyager Bound . . .

Since we only had a 33 mile trip this morning, we didn’t get up until a little after 7:30 and then took our time getting ready to roll.

But after calling Voyager RV Resort and being told we couldn’t come in until after 11am, we decided we had time for breakfast. And remembering the extensive breakfast menu at the Horseshoe Café & Bakery from our visit last Thursday, we headed into Benson to give it a try.

And we weren’t the only ones, with a 20 minute wait before we got seated. But the service was fast, and the coffee was great.

Jan got her favorite Mushroom and Cheese Omelet with Country Potatoes, Bacon, and a Biscuit.

I  went with the Wagon Wheel Breakfast, with Eggs, Bacon, Sausage Links, and a Belgian Waffle.

Really, really good, and we both had plenty of leftovers, too.

Back at the rig a little after 10, we finished packing everything away and cranked up the rig a little after 10:30, planning to leave in about 10 minutes. But first we had to get the slide in.

Although we had no problem bring it in when we left Las Cruces last Tuesday, putting it out when we got here at Cochise Terrace in Benson was a different story, with a lot of jerking and groaning.

And this morning didn’t get any better. The right side only went out about 3 inches and  then stopped, while the left side kept going. So it was outside and into the bay under the slide to check out the problem.

At first everything looked fine as I had Jan move the slide in and out a bit. But finally looking down on the floor of the bay, I found a sheared-off bolt, and nearby, the broken nut end.

This led me to pull back the square shaft from the inside round shaft, so now it was obvious where the bolt came from. But why did the bolt shear off and the shear pin right behind it was fine. A little further investigation told me the reason.

The shear pin on the manual drive shaft to the left was sticking out a little too far and was jamming against the round base on the other shaft and maybe occasionally hitting the other shear pin too.

So now it was off to the Ace Hardware in Benson for a new bolt. Actually four new bolts. One for the repair and three for spares. You know me.

The guy at the hardware store confirmed what I thought I remembered, that the six lines on the bolt head indicated that the old bolt was a Grade 8, the hardest and strongest of standard bolts. So I was careful to get replacements of the same grade.

Getting back to the rig, I knocked the offending shear pin back out of the way a little and then jogged the manual drive to line up the two shaft holes, installed the bolt, and I was done.

I hoped.

And after cranking up, the slide came in smooth as silk.

So a few minutes later we were on our way, with Jan following me in the truck. No need to hitch up for a 30+ mile run.

We were checked in at Voyager and waiting to be parked by about 1:15pm. Unfortunately the lady who guided me to our site thought she also knew how to park me.

Now Jan and I have been doing this for over nine years and we’ve got it down to a science. I tried to tell the lady that Jan and I could park just fine by ourselves without her ‘help’. But she was insistent that it was going to be done her way.

Jan said later she wondered why I kept jogging back and forth and ‘didn’t just pull in and park like we normally do”. I said it was because you weren’t guiding me, she was, and she didn’t know what she was doing.

But we did end up parked right next to our friend’s Chris and Charles Yust, so it all worked out for the best.

After we got parked, and after just plugging in power for the AC’s, we headed down the the Pima County Fairgrounds to get registered for the Escapade. Then it was off to the nearby Wal-Mart for a few things. The last time Jan had been to a Wal-Mart was about two weeks ago and she was starting to have withdrawal pains.

Later, we headed out with Chris and Charles to have dinner with some friends at a favorite place of theirs, Rigo’s, off 1-10 West, just south of the Silver Saddle Steakhouse.

And with a delicious Mexican buffet, Rigo’s is now a favorite of ours. Though Jan stuck with her Chile Rellenos, I did try the buffet, and it was great. And it was 2 for 1 Beer Night!

Caldo (Beef and Vegetable) Soup, Cheese and Potato Soup, Beef Fajitas, Shrimp Fajitas, Tacos with all the fixin’s, and a lot more. Plus Sopapillas and Rice Pudding for dessert.

And they also have a Breakfast and Lunch Buffet.

I did manage to get a picture of the whole motley crew. Well, almost the ‘whole’ crew.

Somehow I manage to leave Charles out of the photo on the front right. My excuse?

I had two beers. But then I wasn’t driving.

On the left, we have Jan, Bob, and Sandy. And on the right, there’s a small part of Charles, Chris, Mickey, and Lynn.

We had a great time, and what’s more amazing, we weren’t the loudest group there. Very unusual, believe me.

Tomorrow is first day of the Escapade, although the seminars don’t start until Monday. so Jan and I will get to spend some time roaming the Vendor area, buying stuff we want, but probably don’t need. Sounds like fun.

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March 18, 2018

Last One . . .

Catching Up on Catching Up.

Jan and I headed out yesterday afternoon a little before 3pm to meet everyone over at our son Chris’ in Heritage Park. Brandi, Lowell, and Landon were coming down from Katy and we were all going out for dinner at the Birraporetti’s over in Friendswood. And even better Miss Piper and her boyfriend Connor were meeting us there.

But on our way we made a detour by the Taco Cabana to see if I could perhaps recover my lost driveshaft. Since my mechanic was having to order me a new one, I thought I would check around to see if I could find the old one and maybe reuse it, hopefully saving me some money. But no luck. I guess some found it and threw it in the trash. Oh well.

We all spent a couple of hours just talking and laughing. We even got to FaceTime with Jan’s sister Debbie and her family up in Illinois. We talked about our upcoming family reunion there the end of June, and also about some furniture that we’re taking up there when we go.

We left for Birraporetti’s a little after 5:30 for our 6pm reservation. And we were glad we had one because the place was jam-packed. Literally wall-to-wall, so much that it was hard to get to the restrooms in the rear of the place.

This was our first time to meet Connor, seated at the other end of the table. Jan later told Piper that he was a ‘hunk’. Seems like a really nice guy.

It was so noisy that I had no idea what anyone else had, but Jan had the Chicken Alfredo with Mushrooms Sandwich with a Side Salad.

She had asked for Pesto instead of Alfredo sauce. But they forgot it and had to bring the Pesto out separately. But she said it was delicious.

I had a really good bowl of Tuscan Bean Soup with pasta.

The soup already had cut up Italian Sausage in it, but I got the two extra pieces from Miss Piper who didn’t want the serving that came with her meal.

With everyone’s varying schedules it’s always good when we can get the entire family together now and then, and we really had a great time.

Today:

The only thing significant that happened today is that I finally got to install the last window awning of our new set. Jan came outside and supervised while I went up and down the ladder.

I asked her if she was going to catch me if I fell off and she said, ‘NO”. But she would call 911 for me.

That’s my Sweetie!

Tomorrow starting at 8am, Jan and I have our yearly GP checkups and prescription renewals. Then that finishes me up, though Jan has one last appointment with her oncologist for a follow-up on her mammogram last week. But since that came back clean, there should be no problems with that either.

Then we’re done until next year. YAY!

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March 18, 2019

Puddles Was Great!

Got Home Late!

Will Catch Up Tomorrow!

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March 18, 2020

Rest In Peace, Charles . . .

Jan and I were deeply saddened to receive the news this afternoon that our long-time friend, Charles Yust, had passed away.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Chris. It’s hard to believe that all this happened so quickly, and how quickly our lives can change.

Rest in Peace, Charles.

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March 18, 2021

Homeward Bound . . .

Both Brandi and her family, and my Jan are all homeward bound. And even better, a day early. They left Colorado this morning and are spending the night in Amarillo, before coming on back tomorrow afternoon.

So I’ll be able to pick Jan up tomorrow afternoon, instead of Saturday.

YEA!

And of course you shouldn’t pass though Amarillo without eating at the Big Texan Steak Ranch at least once

Don’t know if he did the 72oz. Challenge or not.

I stopped off at HEB this afternoon after picking up some Amazon orders, and finally found out why I can’t find Coke Zero Vanilla anymore, and Coke Zero Cherry almost never. It seems there’s an aluminum can shortage.

But Googling didn’t really clear up the cause. Some sites said it was due to the pandemic of course, while other sites said it was the Chinese Trade Embargo. ???

While I was in line to check out, the lady in front of me reach over and place the divider thingie behind her stuff. When I thanked her, she smiled, nodded, and then I said, “You must be having a sleepover this weekend”.

She looked at me in amazement, and I think a little concern, and said, “How do you know that?”

“Well, you’ve got your cart piled high with bags of candy bars, chips, Goldfish, PopTarts, soft drinks, and juice boxes. Probably not stuff you would usually buy for YOUR kids. But anything to keep them quiet, right.”

“And then for you, you’ve got those two REALLY big bottles of wine.”

She looked at me and started laughing, along with the checkout clerk, and said, “I only hope I’ve got enough wine! There’s 10 of them.”

For her sake, I hope she does too.

Crossing our fingers, I sure looks like they’ve started resurrecting the Monterey’s Mexican Kitchen over on I-45 and FM-517. I noticed both yesterday and today that there was a dumpster out front and a half dozen work trucks.

The place was flooded during Hurricane Harvey in August 2017, and we kept hearing that they were going to rebuild it SOON. But SOON has stretched out to 3-1/2 years now.

Here’s hoping.

Wrapping up, here’s something kind of creepy for you.

Yikes!

But why?