Daily Archives: April 26, 2023
Cold, Brisk, and Brief . . .
After a cold, brisk, and brief shower last night I stayed home from work today to take a look at our water heater. It was working fine yesterday afternoon when Jan got her shower, so it must have died sometime later in the afternoon.
Since I just replaced it back in August 2021, I was hoping it wasn’t actually the heater itself. The original one lasted for 22 years before it started leaking from the tank due to corrosion. I tried to patch it with Epoxy Steel Putty but it wouldn’t hold.
But we certainly got our money’s worth.
We normally only turn on the heater 30 to 45 minutes before we need it, and due to the way the switch was acting, I was hoping that it would be something simple like that. Our switch had a handle that lights up, but it wasn’t working now.
I had already checked the circuit breaker and knew it was getting power. So I pulled the switch from its wall mount and found it was dead.
So for once it was going to be an easy fix.
I didn’t have another wall switch, but in thinking about it, I remembered that I had a Countdown Timer Switch like this one tucked away that I thought about using for another project.
But I found I had a problem. The wall box was too shallow to install the timer with all the wires behind it. So I ordered a box extender to make it deeper.
But to be sure it was going to work, and so we could take showers until the extender box shows up tomorrow, I just left it wired up like this.
The bare wire is just a ground, and all the other connections are completely sealed, so it should be OK for now.
After Jan received her first monthly batch of 8 CoVid-19 tests yesterday, I texted the Order No. from the shipping label to 773-823-0530 which is supposed to stop any further shipments. We’ll see, I guess.
Going to be interested to see if I now start getting them too.
And really, how many people are using using 8 tests a month? Every single month.
Hopefully, we’re getting together with long-time friends, Bob and Maria. We’ve known them since the mid-80’s, and we see them every month at our Alvin Opry lunch get-togethers, but it’s been awhile since it was just the four of us.
Looking forward to it.
Delayed from today due to bad weather, SpaceX is set to launch another Falcon Heavy from the Cape tomorrow evening about 6:30 pm CDT.
Unfortunately, due to the orbit they’re shooting for, and the weight of the payload, SpaceX does not plan to recover either of the side boosters or the centerline core. All 3 will be allowed to crash into the sea.
So we won’t get to see another of these great shots of both side boosters landing back at the Cape.
You can watch the launch live here.
Thought For The Day:
Life is so much more fun if you have a dirty mind.
April 26th, 2008
Today In History . . .
Today is the day we arrived in Fairbanks, AK during our 1st year on the road.
Leaving Tok that morning this is the view out the windshield.
Jan said, “OMG we don’t have to drive OVER those, do we?”
Thankfully, No.
Two days after we got to Chena Marian RV Park in Fairbanks we had this.
And it was starting to snow again when we left on September 20th, five months later, chasing us all the way back to the US where we entered on Oct. 8th at Sweet Grass, MT. Jan said she wanted to get out and kiss the ground.
And then two days, in Billings, MT, the snow again caught up with us.
April 26, 2010
Park of the Sierras…
We left the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds about 9:30 am heading for the Park of the Sierras Escapees RV Park right outside Coarsegold, CA and Yosemite National Park.
Our first leg was about 35 miles west on SR138 to hit I-5. That part of the trip went fine. Although the road was two lane, it was smooth and straight with no stoplights or stop signs, with just a few hills right before it joined I-5. And we were treated to more poppy fields along the way.
But it was a whole different story when we got on I-5 N. We immediately ran into a 5 mile long 6% downgrade. Normally that’s not a problem, but the road surface was awful. It was like driving thru a minefield and we had stuff falling everywhere.
In fact my laser printer was so upset that it decided to “end it all” by leaping off the table to the floor below. In hindsight, it had been feeling depressed lately. The prognosis is unsure at this point.
But once we got to the bottom of the hill it was smooth sailing. And we had some more great scenery, including hillsides covered in purple flowers.
We stayed on I-5 until about 30 miles out of Bakersfield, when we got on SR99 heading toward Fresno.
99 turned out to be a really good road, four lane all the way to Fresno. Along the way we started seeing signs for Apple Annie’s Restaurant in Tulare, and thought we would check it out. And we were in luck, as they had a large enough parking lot to accommodate us.
The food was good and we were on our way in about 45 minutes.
Unfortunately, it would have been better if we had been on our way in 35 minutes.
Coming into Fresno we split off onto SR41. SR41 is a good two lane road that got a little more hilly as we went along, but no real problems.
Until we got to the park.
We pulled in behind a 5th wheeler.and went in. And discovered that I been lied to.
I called the park earlier this week to see if they had an open site for us. They told me they had plenty of room and that I could make a reservation, but really didn’t need to.
And I believed them.
And then I found out that the 5th wheel in front of us had gotten the last site. They had had a lot of RV’s show up and there were was ‘no room at the inn” for us. If we had only spent 10 minutes less at lunch. Ah well.
They said they would have a site for us tomorrow and we could boondock in their dry camping area until then.
So here we are.
The park is really nice, with hills and trees, something we have not seen since February in Texas. Everything since then have basically been parking lots.
Here’s our most recent site in Lancaster..
And here’s our site in Las Vegas.
And here’s our site in Laughlin.
And here’s our site in Tucson.
So hills and trees are nice…as long as they don’t block the satellite dish, of course.
Anyway, here’s some pictures of here.
Not sure what we’re doing tomorrow yet. It depends on how early we can get into our full hookup site.
April 26, 2011
Riding the Winds of Change . . .
For a change, I got up before Jan, about 8:45, with Jan following about half an hour later. I got the coffee set up and got on the computer. Jan got up just in time for our daughter Brandi to call to tell us about Landon and his new toy.
Here’s some more shots of Landon enjoying his new Alphabet Train. Brandi says he doesn’t want to leave it, even to eat.
After lunch I went outside for a couple of more maintenance jobs. The backup camera on our toad had quit working and I wanted to take a look at it. After a little searching I found a bad connection on the wireless transmitter in the right taillight. A quick spray with CorrosionX fixed the problem.
Next I wanted to take another look at the leaking valve extension on the driver’s rear dual. I added some air and then replaced the extension with another type. We’ll see how it works.
Anyway, after Jan was finished with the tablet she left it on the sofa and Mister commandeered it as his pillow. I told her if she wants it back she’ll have to take it away from our 25 lb. Mister who still has his claws. Doesn’t look like he’s going to let go anytime soon.
About 4 pm we heard from The Talk TV show. We had originally wanted to attend the taping on the 2nd of May. But it turns out, the entire week of the 2nd is dedicated to mothers and Mother’s Day, so they are only having mothers in the audience. They then ask if we could make a later date and suggested May 11th. We said that would be fine. And even better, that day has two tapings so we’ll get to see two shows instead of just one.
But this would mean that we would have to drive back down from Coarsegold since we plan on being there at that time. But it will make a nice overnight trip into LA.
About 4:15 we headed out to Native New Yorker to have our last dinner here in Show Low.
And that’s when everything changed.
We had been talking about when we were going to head up to Coarsegold and what route we were going to take, when we decided to move up to Las Vegas for a couple of weeks.”
And that did it. Suddenly all our plans changed. As soon as we got back to the rigs we made reservations at the Thousand Trails park in Las Vegas and we were set.
So as it stands now, we’re leaving here tomorrow, heading about 170 miles over to Williams, AZ for 3 nights so Jan and I can take the Grand Canyon Railway and visit the Bearizona Wildlife Park.
Then on Saturday we’ll head north to Sin City to try and succumb to as many temptations as we can handle.
And I think between Jan and I, we can handle a LOT!
We still plan on doing The Talk taping trip, just from Vegas instead of Coarsegold.
But of course, all this could change tomorrow.
April 26, 2013
The Northern Migration . . .
After the busy day yesterday, today was a good bit quieter. I worked on a few things around the rig, while Jan read her Kindle. Like I said, quiet.
I bought some Reflectix foil shield the other day to help keep some of the heat out. We’ve got our solar screen up but they need some help. The way we’re parked we get sun in though the windshield all day, and with it supposed to hit 99 degrees on Monday, I’d like to give the AC’s some rest.
Jan and I headed out about 3pm for some errands and dinner. Our first stop was a nearby Home Depot for a few project things, and a spring clamps. It seems like every day it’s either Wal-Mart or Home Depot.
Or both.
Our next stop was CVS, and while Jan shopped, I sat in the Pharmacy waiting area and read a Kindle book on my phone. You gotta love modern technology.
Jan had been wanting to get her Red Robin fix, so that was our next stop. Jan got her usual Cheddar-Mushroom Burger while I went for my usual Burnin’ Love Burger, with fried jalapeno slices, pepper-jack cheese, and a cayenne-seasoned burger. But I spiced things up a little more by sprinkling on some ground dried Ghost Chili salt. Really good. And hot.
After we finished at Red Robin I used Gas Buddy to find the nearest, cheapest place for unleaded and filled up. $3.45 a gallon was good since I paid $3.59 a couple of weeks ago. Then I used Gas Buddy to track down and check out a couple of places to get diesel on our way to Las Vegas next Wednesday. Looks like a CircleK one block off the freeway will fill the bill, and the price right now is only $3.45 a gallon. Unusual for unleaded and diesel to be the same price.
A while after we got home we headed out for our walk around the park. It’s really evident that the northern migration of the Snowbirds is in full flight. Every time we walk there are fewer and fewer rigs, and now even park models are being closed up and summerized.
Sure seems like it’s going to paraphrase that old adage, “Will the last RV’er to leave Apache Junction for the summer, please turn out the lights.”
Landon’s Aunt Sherry is up in South Carolina, visiting daughter Grace and her husband, and getting her first chance to hold her new granddaughter Zoe.
All that hair makes her look older than just a couple of weeks. I know Sherry is happy to get to see her.
April 26, 2014
New Friends . . .
After our busy day yesterday, this morning it was really nice to just sit outside on the patio, drink our coffee, and enjoy the view.
While we were out there, our neighbor Maxine Phillips came by and invited us over for wine after supper, and we readily accepted.
Later I got back to my chore list.
First up was a drawer repair. Recently Jan tried to open the big drawer under the fridge that holds the big pots and pans, and when she did, the drawer front started to pull off.
So I emptied it out, pulled it off the slides, and took it outside to the picnic table.
I was happy to see that, like the rest of the wood cabinetry in our coach, the drawer was all wood with dovetail joints and an inset for the drawer bottom.
It looked like either the original glue had dried out, or was applied a little skimpily. So I dug out my bottle of Elmer’s Wood Glue and applied it to all the joints and dovetails.
Then I used some bungee cords to clamp it all together. I’ll let it dry overnight and put it back in service.tomorrow.
Later I spent some time going through the last of our plastic bins, pretty much just sorting things into my other bins. I also finished emptying some bags of books and tapes and also getting them sorted out.
Later for dinner, we heated up the leftover catfish, shrimp, oysters, and fries from our Sealand Seafood visit a few days ago. Along with a salad, it was a nice meal. Using the convection oven keeps everything crispy, almost as good as at the restaurant.
After dinner we grabbed a bottle of Sutter Home Moscato and a couple of wine glasses and headed next door to sit outside with Maxine and Cliff Phillips. They’re from Tennessee and some of the areas where I grew up, and are heading out west on Monday, so we spent some time talking about places to see, and especially, to eat. We finally gave up when the sun went down, and made a date to have dinner tomorrow night at Los Cabos down in Columbus.
We’re looking forward to it.
April 26, 2015
Leo The Lion . . .
Jan and I left out on our latest lion safari about 10am this morning, heading for the The Lion Habitat Ranch down in Henderson at the bottom of the Strip.
The park doesn’t open until 11am, in fact, it’s only open from 11 to 3 Friday thru Monday, but we wanted to have enough time to grab a breakfast sandwich somewhere beforehand.
Getting down to the area, we double-checked the Ranch location and then drove another couple of miles down the St,. Rose Pkwy to the Jack in the Box located in the M Spa & Casino there.
Ironically, the location of the M Spa & Casino was what led me to the Lion Habitat Ranch in the first place.. While we were still down at the Verde Valley TT, I read an article online about a guy who had killed himself at the M Spa on Easter Sunday.
A guy named John Noble won a lifetime of free daily buffet meals from the M Casino in 2010, but then in 2013 was banned from the casino because he kept hitting on some of the waitresses and showering them with gifts.
So to get back at the casino, on April 5th, 2015, Easter Sunday, the Casino buffet’s biggest day, John Noble went into the buffet area and blew his brains out all over the buffet, and I mean ALL OVER the buffet.
So after reading the article and wondering where the M Casino was, I found it on Google. But I also notice a place called The Lion Habitat Ranch nearby, and made note to check it out when we were in Las Vegas.
And today was that day.
We got back to the park a little after 11am and found visitors already lining up. Our admission was $20 each with the $5 senior discount, about in line with other small family zoos.
Our first stop was at a picture area. Visitors can sit in a jeep mockup and have their picture taken in front of a glass wall with a large lion right behind you. The lion is up there because a guy is off to the side throwing little chunks of meat to him.
I guess this is the main reason to never tailgate a lion.
Later we saw an example of this when one male decided he wasn’t getting his share of the meat chunks so he whirled around and sprayed. Luckily we were all able to scatter.
This young lady had a lot of good information about the facility and the lions. All the 40 something lions are descendants of Leo, the original MGM lion whose roar you still hear in movie theaters to this day.
In fact, up until a few years ago, the MGM Grand Casino here in Vegas had a lion exhibit, using some of the lions from the ranch here. They actually were transported back and forth every day.
Recently they’ve started adding other animals, including giraffes, ostriches, emus, and a number of parrots, macaws, and cockatoos.
The handler here said that a giraffe’s tongue grows an inch for every foot of height, so a 20 foot tall giraffe will have a 20 inch long tongue. Yikes!
I was able to get a lot of good shots of these big cats.
Back in the corner of this den box, are 5 of the 6 lion cubs born 23 days ago. Unfortunately, the 6th cub died a couple of weeks ago. These six cubs are only the 3rd documented time that 6 cubs have been born alive.
About 12:30 the owners came out and personally fed many of the cats, including the mother of the cubs shown here.
These cub shots were take through a thick pane of glass and were heavily shaded so I had to enhance them somewhat.
Notice how the cubs at this age still have spots, for the same reason that fawns and other animals have them: camouflage in the brush.
Every cat knew what they needed to do to get their meat snacks and were happy to perform.
This is Angel, a 7 month old lion, who only wanted to play. She was just all over the owner
Having visited a lot of small zoos, we were both impressed with the cleanliness of the place and how good all the animals looked. So if zoos and like-places are your thing, the Lion Habitat Ranch should be on your list.
Leaving the area, we headed over to the Sunset Station area to have lunch at an El Pollo Loco, another of our favorite places. We love their marinated grilled chicken, and often buy extra to have later. And we plan on coming back later this week to do that before we leave here next Sunday.
This was my 3 piece meal that was enough to have half to take home for dinner tonight. Yum!
Coming home, we stopped off for some Wal-Mart stuff, and then getting back to the park area, we stopped in at the Roadrunner RV Park right down the road to check it out since we stayed here back in 2009..
Tomorrow looks to be another nice stay-at-the-rig day. Looking forward to it.
April 26, 2016
Getting Stewed . . .
Starting out today, I found my Delorme Street Atlas 2015 software, and I think that’s the last of what I’m looking for as far as personal stuff to install.
Somehow I forgot to mention in yesterday’s blog about the great Beef Stew that Jan fixed in the crockpot.
Made with Stew Beef, Carrots, Potatoes, Onions, and Parsnips, Jan spiced it perfectly, with just the right amount of heat. And enough left over for . . . well leftovers.
Our son-in-law Lowell alerted me to the fact that one of our favorite places to eat in Houston burned to the ground this morning.
Cleburne Cafeteria has been around since the early 40’s in one building or another, and we’ve been eating here since the 80’s. In fact we just ate here a little over a month ago with Landon and his other grandparents, Sonja and Lendell.
Hopefully they’ll rebuild.
A friend called me this afternoon to let us know that we’ve gone viral again on the Internet. The last time was in 2009 when we visited Busch Gardens in Tampa, with this result.
After I posted this on our blog it showed up all over the Internet, on Awkward Family Photos and a number of other websites.
But this time it was our rig, on Facebook. It showed up on Guy Scrivner’s page.
That’s our rig, traveling in Washington state in 2011. There was construction up ahead, so we spent about 45 minutes, just creeping along. And note, despite the caption, there’s no shoulder to pull over onto.
A couple of days ago Jan tried out a new recipe she first had a few months ago when she had her yearly get-together with her ex-coworkers from the hospital.where she worked before we started RV’ing.
The dish is a dessert called Sopapilla Cheesecake, and Jan found a recipe for it on Debi Hurlburt’s Facebook group, Debi’s RV Cooking.
And it gets even better after being in the fridge for a day or so. If it lasts that long.
I’ll post the recipe on Jan’s Favorite Recipes later tonight.
April 26, 2017
This Date In History . . .
This morning we were once again out the door and on the road by 10:15 heading down to LA for another day of eating and shopping, this time heading down the 405.
So what else is new?
Jan has always been a big fan of the reality show ‘Sweetie Pie’s. Robbie Montgomery had a long career as a backup singer with groups from Ike and Tina Turner to the Beatles. But after a long illness and asthma forced her to quit as a singer, she open a restaurant in St. Louis in 1998 called Sweetie Pies.
Rated the #1 Soul Food Restaurant in St. Louis for years, Sweetie Pie’s became a reality TV show on OWN TV in 2011, and quickly became a hit. And recently Sweetie Pie’s started spreading out with other locations, including two in LA, and one in Houston.
We didn’t find out about the one in Houston until we were leaving last month, so Jan was determined to eat at the one down in Inglewood, so today was the day.
We got to the restaurant about 11:30 and found a corner location with plenty of on-street parking.
Inside it was high ceilings, a bright, open interior
and a delicious-looking cafeteria line.
Jan and I both went with the Fried Chicken and three sides.
We both doubled up with the Green Beans and Miss Robbie’s fabled Mac N Cheese, while we differed with Jan getting the Cornbread Dressing and Gravy, while I got the Collard Greens.
Everything was delicious, the service was great, and everyone was friendly, patiently answering Jan’s many questions about the show and Miss Robbie and her extended family.
This was great Soul Food, and Miss Robbie’s Mac N Cheese is fabled for a good reason.
Leaving Sweetie Pie’s we headed north on La Brea for about 10 miles to Larchmont Village, a shopping area near Beverly Hills where Landis General Store supposedly stocked Beekman Boys soaps and lotions.
Well, they used to, but that was before the store was flooded and closed by a plumbing problem and hasn’t yet reopened. But she did find several other things she liked, and we got Starbuck’s Cinnamon Dolce Lattes so it wasn’t all bad.
Heading back to the rig, we got on the 101N this time, and had a smooth trip back up to Acton with no real slowdowns. And being back by 3pm we had time for a nap.
Getting back, Jan took this shot of the view from near our site.
Until you’re actually out here, most people don’t realize how hilly the LA area actually is.
This day in history, April 26th, 2008, is the day we arrived in Fairbanks, AK during our 1st year on the road.
Leaving Tok that morning this is the view out the windshield.
Jan said, “OMG we don’t have to drive OVER those, do we?”
Thankfully, No.
Two days after we got to Chena Marian RV Park in Fairbanks we had this.
And it was starting to snow again when we left on September 20th, five months later, chasing us all the way back to the US where we entered on Oct. 8th at Sweet Grass, MT. Jan said she wanted to get out and kiss the ground.
And then two days, in Billings, MT, the snow again caught up with us.
Tomorrow we’re once again heading back to the Hollywood area to take the TMZ Celebrity Tour that originates from the Hard Rock Café located next to the TCL, nee Grauman, Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd.
April 26, 2019
On Our Way . . .
By the time y’all read this, Jan and I should be somewhere over the North Atlantic, heading for Frankfurt, Germany.
April 26, 2020
Rarely Seen . . .
Our daughter-in-law Linda caught this rarely-seen Painted Bunting at one of her backyard feeders.
Really beautiful!
April 26, 2021
A Sea Cruise . . .
Not much of a blog tonight.
I’m working on a new client’s website that’s taking up some time to get things set up and started.
Since we’ve had two Alaskan cruises cancelled out from underneath us within the last 9 months or so, I’ve had to live vicariously by watching this time-lapse video of a new cruise ship being constructed.
It’s interesting to see how the ship is actually assembled by stacking pre-built modules and welding them together.
I’ve also seen them build new hotels the same way. They assemble the steel framework, and then the already built and furnished individual rooms are lifted by a big crane and just inserted in place.
They’re designed so that the electrical, plumbing, etc., all interconnect automatically, and the rooms are ready to go. So ready to go that the beds are already made with sheets, spreads, and pillows.
April 26, 2022
Next Time I’ll Look More Closely . . .
Or Hot, Swollen, and Itchy!
I saw on Facebook last night that we were coming to the end of the line to see the Ramses exhibit at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the end of the line being May 23rd. So with our busy schedule, I decided to get us booked now.
We’re now scheduled for Tuesday, May 10th at 1:30 pm, with lunch beforehand at the Katz’s Deli up in Montrose, which is only about 10 minutes away.
Looking forward to it.
We would have gone next week but Jan is Landon/Dog sitting up in Katy at Brandi’s during that time. Brandi is having a girl’s week out up her long-time friend Shawna’s lake house with a bevy of other friends. So Karma and I will be batching for that week.
Jan and I headed out for lunch about 1pm, with lunch being at Los Ramirez once again,with Jan getting her Pechuga Rellena,
and for me, my usual Beef Fajita Taco Salad.
Then after our really good meal, we drove down FM517 to get gas at the Shell. GasBuddy showed it was the cheapest place nearby, except for the Sam’s and the Buc-ee’s on down the Interstate.
So parking at the pump, I opened the filler door and stuck my hand in to twist off the gas cap. And got what I initially thought was a bad shock on my right hand. But when I yanked my hand back out, a wasp came out with it and flew off.
Stung on my forefinger knuckle, my hand quickly started to swell up, heat up, and start to itch.
A lot!
The pain quickly faded, but the itching just got worse. And the swelling/heat started to extend up my forearm.
Jan quickly started asking me if I was having trouble swallowing/breathing, signs of a severe allergic reaction, I.e. anaphylactic shock. Which starts with severe itching. And can end with your tongue swelling up and your throat closing off. As well as a number of other symptoms.
None of which I had.
When I got home, I took a couple of allergy pills and Jan rolled on some anesthetic cream, which did help the itching a lot. Right now it’s not itching much, but it’s still hot, red and swollen all the way up to my elbow. And I can’t make a fist again yet.
Next time I’ll check carefully before I reach in for the gas cap.
