Our RV Adventures

Checking outside around 9am, we saw two ladies in lawn chairs on the 2nd floor balcony, waiting for the Eclipse. One was from Wyoming, and the other one was from North Carolina, both here just for the Eclipse. And like us, they also made their reservations a year ago.

Breakfast this morning was at our next-door Golden Corral at 10am, since we didn’t want to get early enough to make the motel breakfast that ended at 8:30.

You can tell it’s Golden Corral breakfast when you’ve got Fried Chicken and Fried Okra, along with your Scrambled Eggs and Bacon.

We were outside our room about Noon to experience the forecast panic, pandemonium and chaos.

Otherwise known as The 2024 Total Eclipse.

And things were looking up, and so were we.

With the Eclipse supposed to start at 12:19, this is what we had at 12:07. The white areas are the clouds floating by.

Then this is what we had at 12:21.

Bummer,

But things cleared again and we had this at 12:38.

And at 12:54.

At 12:59, 38 minutes before Totality, we had this.

13:09

13:17, 20 minutes before Totality.

 

Closing in, this is 13:24.

 

At 13:36, one minute before, the streetlights were on.

 

But then the heavy clouds moved in and the Totality played PeeK A Boo for a while.

I did finally get this shot at 13:39, halfway through the Totality.

 

We actually saw it with our eyes really well, we just couldn’t get a good shot of it with the camera.

Of course, by 13:42, 1 minute after Totality, the clouds cleared somewhat, and we got this.

 

And this at 13:46.

 

14:01

 

Since the rest of the Eclipse continued on until 2:59, at this point we called it a day,

In talking with people today, besides the two ladies from Wyoming and North Carolina, we met folks from Salt Lake City, Colorado, Venezuela, Australia, and heard about two ladies from France. All here for the Eclipse.

And we thought we were doing good to make the drive up from Santa Fe,

When I checked our hotel a couple of weeks ago, it was fully booked. But it sure didn’t turn out that way, I think that what with the bad weather forecast, and the multiple county disaster declarations, many people took a pass.

So many so, that Fredericksburg, told to expect 100,000 extra people or more, had what was called, “just a busy weekend.”

On a personal note, things really worked out for us. We got to see the Eclipse, heard from both our kiddos today, and checked another item off our bucket list.

Now on to August 12, 2045, the next Eclipse visible from the lower United States. Of course, we’ll be in our mid-90’s. But who knows?

I’m marking it on the calendar.

Here’s a much tastier Eclipse, courtesy of long-friend Virginia Hickox,

Just add milk.

About 6pm we headed next door to have dinner at Golden Corral. Just as delicious as this morning.

Then afterward, I got gas at the Wal-Mart right behind us. For $2.85, this is the lowest I’ve seen in months. And we also found this.

The first Wal-Mart Convenience Store we’ve seen. This, even though the full-size WM is right behind it. Makes sense (cents) though when you think about it.

Tomorrow before we leave, we’re making the 20 minute drive over to Kempner to have lunch at the Kempner Brick Oven, a really good German restaurant that our son Chris introduced us to a while back. We plan on getting there right at 11 when they open, so it won’t delay our trip home too much.

A really great time was had by all.

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Thought For The Day:

The reason we get total solar eclipses with a corona is that the sun and the moon are the same apparent size in the sky. God made it that way so He could freak us out every so often making it look like the world ended. “Ha! False alarm… this time.” – Frank J. Fleming

For a Retro-Preview –

2013 – My First Crush died today. Also check out the old-time ads in the same blog.

2017 – Snakebit in Phoenix. Again.

And Now On To Today’s Retro-Blogs.™

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April 8, 2010

Mmmmmm. Bacon!

First off, Jan is on schedule to check off another item on her bucket list.

She really likes Bonnie Hunt of “The Bonnie Hunt Show”. Well, this morning Jan got a call from the show saying that our tickets have been approved for April 20th for the 2 pm show.

And this means we now know when and where we’re going next. We’ll leave Las Vegas Saturday and drive to Barstow to spend the night. Then on Sunday we’ll head over to Lancaster, CA. We’ll probably stay there until right after the 20th before we head north toward San Francisco.

Complete change of subject:

Yesterday driving down the Strip we saw this new billboard and it just illustrates the difference between men and women.

Jan looks at the sign and goes “Ahhhhh. Look at the cute puppy”. I looked at the sign and thought “Mmmmmm. Bacon!”

Then both of us wanted to go get a steak.

After eating in for lunch, we ate supper right down the road at the Coco’s Bakery & Restaurant located in the Boulder Station Casino.

Tomorrow is our last full day here in Las Vegas so we have to get started getting things ready.

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April 8, 2011

Coonskins and Muffins . . .

I thought we had used the last of the blueberry muffins that our friend Gina Ellis had given us, so I was really delighted to have Jan fix the ‘real’ last two for breakfast this morning. Along, of course, with a big pot of hot coffee.

And the hot coffee was really needed. It was COLD this morning, in the 40’s, and it wasn’t supposed to get that much warmer during the day. And to top it off, it was very windy, with gusts in 30-40 mph range.

Saturday’s weather just gets worse. The high tomorrow will be in the mid-40’s with rain, and the low tomorrow night in the low 30’s with possible SNOW! I want my Global Warming, now!

But I would settle for just some Global Warmer.

Lunch was a little after 12 with a rerun of cheese toast and chips.

I know what you’re thinking. Boring, you say. But it’s quick, easy, and we both like it. And of course, it’s homemade bread.

Later in the afternoon, I drove up to the Guard Shack at the park entrance to pick up a package waiting for me from Amazon. It was our coffee order, and just in time too, since we were about out of our favorite flavors.

A little later, our SIL Lowell sent these pics of Landon ‘Crockett’. I think in this first one, he’s thinking “I’ve got WHAT on my head?”

About 5 pm when we headed out to supper at the Sizzler Steakhouse once again. We liked it enough last week, we thought we’d try it again. And still good.

Getting back to the rig, we took the last of yesterday’s ice cream to finish off the evening and the ice cream.

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April 8, 2012

Moving Day in Whitsett . . .

Today was moving day here at the Whitsett yard. A 5’er pulled out this morning heading for their new gate, so after double-checking with the office, we moved our rig over to the full hookup area. So now, we also have water and sewer, as well as the 50 amps we had before. We’ll be here until we go out to our gate, probably sometime this coming week.

We’re parked backed up to a scrub brush area, complete with a lot of cacti.

And a lot of blooms.

After we moved, I was talking to Terry here at the lot, asking about some of the utility setups. This large tank is used to deliver water to the individual gates. It holds enough water to fill up three individual tanks.

I also asked about the capacity of the diesel generators that are on the trailers.

I did notice that each one has 2 – 50 amp receptacles, 2 – 30 amp, and 2 – 20 amp ones. Terry said the generators are rated for 13KW intermittent, and 11KW continuous. In comparison, the Onan diesel generator in our rig is rated for 7.5 KW.

Terry said that occasionally gates are so busy that two rigs with two couples are parked at a gate, and the one generator is capable of supporting both.

Later, about 2:30 we headed into San Antonio to have dinner at another of our favorite places, La Fonda on Main.

Opened in 1932, it’s the oldest Mexican restaurant in San Antonio. Over the years, a lot of famous people have eaten here, including Generals Eisenhower, MacArthur and Hill. Even American presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson enjoyed La Fonda’s fare. And movie stars like Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Yul Brenner, Veronica Lake, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans have all dined here.

We’ve been eating here since the early 80’s.

I had the La Fonda Platter with 2 cheese enchiladas, a pork tamale, and a beef tenderloin taco. All very delicious.

And for dessert, Jan and I split probably the best Tres Leches we’ve ever eaten. It was so good, we got another one to go.

Brandi and Lowell sent over some pictures of Landon’s first Easter Egg Hunt.

“I just know there’s one in here, somewhere.”

Looks like a pretty good haul.

As a final note, in yesterday’s blog, I talked about Bob Miller BBQ. That was a typo.  It should have been Bill Miller BBQ.

But Bob or Bill, it still wasn’t very good.

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April 8, 2013

How Far We’ve Come . . .

My first crush died today.

In fact I think Annette was most guys my age’s first love. This picture from Facebook says it all.

I think it was the sweaters. Annette’s very tight sweaters. It was certainly noticeable that she was filling out her sweaters better than the other female Mouseketeers. In fact, the story goes that it was because Walt Disney was so cheap.

The Mickey Mouse Club was run on a very tight budget, especially for the wardrobe. A Mouseketeer would get in a lot of trouble if they damaged, or even got a costume dirty. So the wardrobe lady was very leery about replacing a costume, and as Annette continued to ‘blossom’ so to speak, the wardrobe lady tried to stretch/modify her old sweaters, rather than replace them with new, larger ones.

Walt, busy in trying to get Disneyland up and going, was not paying a lot of attention to the MMC until one day he showed up on the set and almost had a heart attack. He immediately ordered that Annette get larger sweaters as needed.

Party-Pooper!

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As the cold front came in last night, the high winds came along for the ride. A lot of debris was blown around the park, palm tree fronds,  potted plants, and even a satellite dish.

So of course Jan decided it was a good day to go shopping, so we headed out after lunch, first over to SanTan Village to the Bath and Body Works, then a clothing store and a couple of others before we finished up at a Fry’s Market for a few groceries and a Starbuck’s Cinnamon Dolce Latte.

The high winds didn’t cause any real problems, but it was raising a lot of dust in the area, enough to make it a real overcast afternoon.

Later, a little before 6, Jan and I drove out for supper. We ended up having a very good meal at a Golden Corral. We both agreed they have the best fried chicken around, and everything else was good also.

By the time we got home it was getting close to 9pm, and past Jan’s bedtime. It was also getting much cooler, in fact it dropped from 59 to 53 in just an hour or so.

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Don’t know if any of you watch the Mad Men series on AMC. It’s the story of a 1960’s Madison Avenue ad agency, and there’s been a lot of controversy about a fictional ad for a men’s slacks line called Mr. Leggs.

Viewers are apparently outraged that the show would even think about depicting an ad like this, one so obviously false and unreal.

I can only assume that these ‘outraged’ viewers weren’t around in the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s. They would have really gotten an eyeful.

Check out these print ads from the time period in question.

Yep, I bet she’ll never buy stale coffee again

Maybe she should try “VitaMeataVegamin”. I’ll bet that would really ‘pep’ her up.

But he’s still upset that she burns the OJ every morning at breakfast.

Maybe it was just a really hot day. She might have enjoyed it.

Is this like having a tiger in your tank?

So if you wear a really ugly tie, you’ll get ‘breakfast’ in bed? Or maybe you just need to wear a really ugly tie TO bed.

This one is the top of the box for Milton-Bradley’s Battleship. Note the wife and daughter in the corner doing the dishes. Apparently playing Battleship is ‘men’s work’.

This one is really more true than most husbands will admit. We just don’t like to see it actually written down. I know if Jan starts crying, I better do something quick, even if it’s wrong.

Well, maybe she’ll follow him after the coughing fit subsides.

Will she polish them while she’s down there?

This one actually has a more modern version.

Somehow I don’t think a bath is going to fix things.

Yep. A Hoover under the tree. Just what she wanted.

Maybe that’s why they make ketchup in those pop top squeeze bottles now.

And finally, from the WW1 time frame, just what every young man wanted.

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April 8, 2014

No Brûlée . . .

We left the park this morning about 8:15 heading down to Clear Lake. Unfortunately, our timing took us through some of the heaviest Houston traffic, but we made up for it by having lunch at Twin Peaks after the appointment. And this time our favorite waitress, Lauren, was there.

Jan got her usual Chicken Ranch Sandwich with the Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce, while I tried something new, the BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders, and of course, my usual Venison Chili.

The sliders were really good, especially the tart slaw on top. The only weakness was that the BBQ sauce could have been a little spicier. But then that’s just me. I think pretty much everything could be spicier.

After a delicious lunch, we did a few errands, including stopping at the storeroom to drop off the floor dolly that I used for the washer repair last week, and then getting the truck washed at our favorite place.

Next up was a stop at Buc-ee’s for some of their great Cranberry Nut muffins and a couple of coffee/cappuccinos, and then on to Barnes & Noble, for a magazine Jan wanted.

After a quick Wal-Mart stop, we headed up to Katy to Brandi’s to pick up my new Fantastic Vent fan, and an Amazon package that had come in. And of course, our visit had to include dinner at Little V’s Vietnamese Bistro.

As a special surprise, Brandi’s BFF, Shawna, and some of her family were able to join us. Brandi and Shawna have been best friends since the early 90’s, before either of them were married, and with Brandi and Lowell’s move to Katy, they now only live a couple of miles apart.

Some of us had a little something different this time. Jan had the Fresh Pan Grilled Tilapia, and Brandi had the Crispy Salmon, while Lowell and I stayed with our favorites, Pho, and Shaking Beef Bowl, respectively.

Why mess with perfection?

While last time the owner had us try the Grilled Artichoke Hearts, this time it was the Curried Prawns. And this coconut curry was probably the best I’ve ever tasted. Along with the huge prawns, the dish had onions, green peppers, red peppers, and broccoli, plus steamed rice. A really fantastic dish.

When it came to dessert, we were disappointed to find out that they were out of Crème Brule, but this Crispy Fried Banana and Walnuts dish, more than made up for it. The perfect end to another great meal.

Finally, about 7:30, after saying our goodbyes, and getting Landon hugs, we headed north to Conroe, getting home about 9pm

A long day.

Tomorrow, fan replacement up on the roof.

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April 8, 2015

Sealing the Deal . . .

This afternoon I got back on my magnetic shade project (my cheapie version of the Magne Shade product. I had been trying to come up with a good (easy) way to hold the magnets in place.

I thought about sewing them in place (a pain in the rear), or stapling them in place (might scratch the glass or the trim), but after a test, I decided to glue them in place using Permatex Black Silicone Adhesive Sealant.

I had tried some other glues, but this was the first stuff I found would stick to the shade fabric. So I positioned each magnet in the correct position and then worked the adhesive into the fabric with a small paddle and then let it dry.

Next I’ll fasten a couple of magnets down the sides and then glue some pockets on the corners to lift the shades in place.

Later in the afternoon I went online and made reservations for the Verde Canyon Railroad Train Ride for next Monday afternoon. It’s a four hour ride and everyone says it’s worth the trip, so we’re really looking forward to it.

We had planned to do the Out of Africa Wildlife Park tomorrow, but we couldn’t get one of the tours we wanted, so we’ll probably wait until next week to avoid the weekend crowds. We visited the park when we were here in March 2011, really enjoyed it, and are looking forward to going back.

Tomorrow I think we’re going to make the drive up to Jerome, have lunch at the Mile High Grill, and then do some sightseeing in the area.

For dinner tonight we finished off our Famous Dave’s BBQ leftovers from last Saturday night. Guess now we’ll have to eat out again and collect more leftovers.

Don’t know if I’ve mentioned it yet, but if you shop at Wal-Mart, you might want to check out their Savings Catcher Program. Just download the Wal-Mart app for your phone and then use it to scan your Wal-Mart receipts.

There is a QR Code at the bottom of every Wal-Mart receipt that looks like this:

Just use the Wal-Mart app to scan the code and then WM will compare what you paid to prices at other stores in the area. If they find a lower price, they credit you with the difference.

So far in the last several months, we’ve gotten a little over $17 back. You can collect it by printing out an e-card at home and then use it at the checkout.

So, check it out.

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April 8, 2016

The Fifth Time’s the Charm . . .

After coffee this morning, I headed over to Barbara’s 2001 National Seaview to take a look at her taillight problem.

But first I want to check out her new residential refrigerator. A Haier, it’s the only one she could find that would fit in her 60” x 24” x 24” opening. Although the reviews for it weren’t terribly great, several blog readers like theirs, so hopefully it will work out for Barbara.

It certainly looks nice,

and certainly has a lot more room than her old Dometic.

Getting on the taillights, Barbara had told me that the rear driver’s side lights were dead. But when I checked, I found that the taillight worked, but the turn signal didn’t.

Of course, the first thing I checked for was a bad bulb, but it was OK. I even swapped bulbs with the taillight with no change.

So next I removed the turn signal housing to check the plug behind it. And when I tested it with my digital VOM, it sure looked like I getting some on-off voltage there, but only a couple of volts. Unfortunately this is one test that an old analog meter is better for, but my old one died awhile back.

So now I was pretty sure that the wiring was good going back to the light so I went inside to check things out there. One thing I had noticed was that the flasher speed was the same for both right and left sides, since normally the side with a bad bulb or other problem blinks faster than normal. So obviously something else was going on here.

And when I got the cover off the fuse panel in the driver’s seat left armrest, I got the idea that I might be on the right track.

Popping off the cover I found this.

And, yes, the wires and the switch were hanging out in the open like that.

Somewhere along the way, a guy installed some front and rear running lights for Barbara, and this is how he hooked them up.

Some people should not be allowed near anything electrical, or pretty much anything else, really.

Since the fuse block wasn’t marked, and there was no diagram on the inside of the cover – like there should be, I started going through all Barbara’s manuals looking for one. And completely struck out.

There was a photo of it, but nothing that told me what fuse was what.

So that was pretty much where I stopped for the day. When I got back to the rig, I posted on RV.net to see if anyone had a diagram of the fuse panel, but nothing so far.

So if anyone out there has one, let me know.

The Fifth Time’s The Charm!

After three previous failures, and one almost-landing – a landing gear leg broke, SpaceX did what some people said was impossible.

They launched over 3 tons of supplies up to the International Space Station, and after the first stage separated, it returned to earth and landed (oceaned?) safely on a wave-tossed barge in the middle of the Atlantic ocean.

They made a safe touchdown on land previously, but this is the first time on the water. They’re practicing this, since with some launches and some orbits, they won’t have enough fuel to return to the launch site.

Check it out!

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April 8, 2017

Snakebit . . .

We were hitched up and on our way by about 8:15 heading for Las Vegas 320 miles away. As Jan says, maybe we’re just snakebit.

But as in the past, one of the things about getting out of Phoenix is . . . getting out of Phoenix. The metro area just goes on and on. Once we got off Loop 101 at Sun City about 9:30, and on to US60 heading northwest, it became bumper to bumper. And by bumper to bumper, I mean this.

I was in the far right lane (of 3) when signs started saying, “Right Two Lanes Closed Ahead.” Checking my side mirror and rearview camera, I saw I had clear lanes to my left and started moving over, pausing a little in the middle lane before moving into the left-through lane. There was a left turn lane just to my left, with several cars passing me to queue up at the light.

Just as I was moving into the left lane, a maroon truck starts to pass me on the left and then just cuts to the right into my lane, or almost into my lane. Since I was coming up on a red light I was only doing about 10mph so it was just a ‘crunch’. In fact Jan wasn’t sure we had actually hit together.

But on a positive note, isn’t the rig nice and shiny from my wax job?

We had to move our vehicles before the Highway Patrol got there, but I got a bunch of photos of the scene. And when the Highway Patrol came over to talk to me and I told him what had happened and told him I had photos, he asked to see them.

As I clicked through photos, the officer said, “Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Uh-huh,” When I said if she had just gone a little further she could pulled in front of me with no problem, he said, “Yeah.”

What was kind of funny is that when the lady got out of her truck, I lowered my window to be sure she was OK, and before I could say a word, she started yelling at me. My first thought was that maybe she was kin to the guy in the Ace Hardware parking lot a week ago.

But unlike the Ace Hardware guy who sulked the whole time, within about 10 minutes the lady was very friendly and asking questions about RV’ing.

Weird.

After we were there about 40 minutes the officer gave us our ID and stuff back and sent us on our way with each other’s insurance info. Neither of us got a ticket and no blame was assessed, I think due to the fact that I didn’t have any real damage and she had very little.

I’m just gonna need a lot of spit to rub it out.

But the trip stayed snakebit, with the rough roads causing two of our bin doors to pop open. Then somewhere we started hearing a banging noise that sounded like it was coming from underneath the rig about six feet back from the door.

I stopped twice to get out and look under the rig but saw nothing. I even checked all the awnings, again finding nothing.

Heading north out of Kingman, a truck pulled alongside and the passenger yelled out that the TV antenna on the roof was flapping up and down. He pulled on past me and before I could find someplace to pull over, I saw in the rearview mirror something small and white fly off and land in the roadway. Luckily no one was behind me.

A little thinking told me it was this.

A Winegard Wingman Digital UHF Booster that clips to your standard crank-up TV antenna and boosts the signal on the new digital UHF channels. Since it just clips on, I figured at some point it had ‘unclipped’ and started banging around until it came loose.

But strangely it never sounded like it was coming from the roof. And as soon as I saw the piece fly off, we never heard the sound again.

We got into the Vegas Thousand Trails about 3:30 and got parked and set up. And which point Jan gave a big sigh of relief.

She had told me before we left Apache Junction that she was really nervous about this trip, since we’d had two big breakdowns in this area over the years. But I reminded her that both of them had been coming BACK from Vegas to Flagstaff, and not going TO Vegas. Plus the fact that we were going nowhere near the part of I-40 where we had our breakdowns. So we were perfectly safe, right?

The first one was in 2008 when our radiator fan decided to shed its blades and puncture the radiator too.

And the second, of course, was our big BlowOut in May of 2015.

So this was going to be a smooth trip, right?

I must say though that Jan was much nicer with her ‘I told you so” than I expected, and used a lot less naughty words, too.

There had been some talk of high winds along the way, but except for about 10 miles on either side of Kingman, and then as we started the climb up and over the Colorado River and the Dam area, it wasn’t bad at all.

At least something went right.

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April 8, 2018

Sunday Morning with Friends . . .

Unusual for us on a Sunday morning, we were up by 7am and out the door about 8 heading over to the IHOP on Marina Bay Dr. to meet up with our friends Tom and Barbara Linklater for breakfast.

It takes a lot to get me out of bed that early on a Sunday, but breakfast at IHOP, and getting together with Barb and Tom will do it.

While I went with my usual Two Egg Breakfast, Over Easy, with Bacon, Grits, and an English Muffin, Jan did the build-your-own-omelet thing, putting together one with Mushrooms, Cheese, Onions, and Avocado,

and an order of her favorite (glass) burnt Bacon.

Barb’s thinking about getting a website to sell her large inventory of vintage clothing, jewelry, hats, and other collectibles, so we spent a lot of time talking over web stuff.

One thing neat was we were waited on by our long-time favorite waiter, Dean. We’ve known Dean since before we started RV’ing. My mother was in an Independent Living Facility nearby, so we’d pick her up and come hear for breakfast quite often.

And then after we started RV’ing and were staying down TX146 at the Galveston Bay RV Resort we came fairly often too.

Coming home we made a Kroger’s stop for a few things before getting back to the rig about 11am, ironically the time I’m normally just getting up.

It never even made it to 60° today, so we both had to dig some winter shirts back out of the closet.

But with Texas weather, you never know.

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April 8, 2019

Bluebonnets and BBQ . . .

Except for the usual mess coming across the bottom of Austin on 290/71 it was a pretty smooth trip today coming home from Kingsland. We stopped at the Bastrop Buc-ee’s for coffee and BBQ sandwiches about 11, and then after a La Marque Buc-ee’s stop to top us off with diesel, we were parked back at Petticoat Junction by about 3pm.

Everyone had a really great time, and we’re all looking forward to doing it again.

And everyone really enjoyed all the Indian Paintbrushes and Bluebonnets everywhere. Though we didn’t drive through any of the areas where there were entire fields and hillsides of blue and orange, we see them everywhere lining the roads and covering people’s yards. However, in some cases, it looked like it was just an excuse not to have to mow the yard.

Someone should have mentioned to Piper that when you’re posing with your black dog, it’s probably not a good idea to also be wearing a black shirt, since all you can really see is Violet’s tongue.

And of course, there’s the metal one we brought home from Pottery Ranch. It’s going to look great on our patio.

Wrapping up, I’ve been researching VPN (Virtual Private Network) services for use on our Europe trip, since in many/most/all cases I’ll be using public WiFi. And no matter where I checked ExpressVPN came out on top, or near the top of every list.

They’ve got over 3000 servers in 93 countries, they don’t log, and they support pretty much every device, or at least all that we have. And on a month to month basis, it’s $12.95.

Or if you sign up for a year, you get 3 free months, making it $6.67/month. Not bad pricing.

Glad to be back home.

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April 8, 2021

New Toys . . .

Jan and I left the rig about 2pm, first heading up to Webster to pick up a prescription at Sam’s, and also to get gas while we were there. While I was there I asked why they were still requiring masks and WalMart wasn’t. They said they didn’t know, but they wish they’d hurry up and drop them too.

Then before we decided our next destination, I checked the Amazon app on my phone to see where my orders were. And seeing they were 6 Stops Away from the office, we headed over that way to pick them up. And the Prime van showed up about 10 minutes after we got there.

Then it was on down El Dorado to FM646 and the Denny’s at I-45 for a late lunch. Our Ultimate Omelets as usual. Then after a quick HEB stop, we headed home.

But as we were getting close to Hwy 6, Jan reminded me that we hadn’t picked up our mail at the PO, so we made a quick detour by there, and it was a good thing, too.

When I turned the key in the box, the mail literally exploded out onto the floor. Guess we shouldn’t wait so long next time. But in my defense, a lot of the mail is for the previous box holder, even though we had the box for over 3 years.

For the first 6 months or so, I wrote ‘Not For This Box’ on each piece and dropped it back in the slot. A number of times I even took it up to the counter. But all to no avail. So now I just dump it in the garbage can at the PO with the rest of the junk mail.

Getting home I started going through my new toys.

First up was a new Foodsaver VS3150 Vacuum Sealer. Our old one would no longer lock closed since the latch on one end had broken off.

It seems to have all the bells and whistles, both Dry and Moist functions, one for Marinating, and one I especially wanted – Pulse.

Pulse lets you start and stop the vacuuming manually, so you can vacuum seal something delicate without crushing it. In addition, it has the external hose for vacuum sealing containers, as well as internal storage for a roll of bag material and a built-in bag cutter.

Unpacking it, the first thing I tried was to vacuum seal the half head of lettuce that was left over from last night’s wedge salads. And using the Pulse button I was able to do it without crushing it into Cole Slaw.

But the real reason we got a new Foodsaver is because when we’re using our new Inkbird Sous Vide Cooker, everything has to be vacuum sealed before cooking it.

And speaking of our new immersion cooker, I plugged it in and then connected it to the Inkbird Pro phone app so I can control it remotely. The app lets you set the time, and the cooking temperature, and then it tells you when it’s done.

It also helps you figure out how long to cook different foods, and suggests a lot of different recipes.  Looking forward to trying it out soon.

We talked to our son, Chris, this afternoon to catch up. They’re in Clovis, NM today visiting Linda’s relatives, and plan to be home in the next day or so. Looking for to hearing more tales of their adventures.

Jan and I are going to the Alvin Opry House for the show so we won’t be home until late, so probably little or no blog tomorrow night.

We’ll see.

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April 8, 2023

Beef And Bird . . .

A number of blog readers got back to me to say that yesterday’s tip about holding down the SHIFT key while clicking on the Refresh icon showed them the latest blog. Try it for yourself.

Lunch today was at Torchy’s Tacos once again. And there was something new.

These.

Every time we’ve been here before they’ve had these little metal trees on your table that you would hang the number tag they gave you at checkout. Then the person with your food would wander around the dining room until they found your table.

But now they give you one of these.

At first I thought it was one of those beepers for when your table (or food) was available. But looking closer, I figured out that it was actually a table tracker. And in fact that’s what it’s called.

Table-Tracker.com

Each table has a small RFID sticker underneath the table. Then the unit reads that and transmits the location back to the kitchen, displaying it as a list –

or an actual table location.

Tomorrow Jan and I are heading up to Brandi’s for an Easter get-together/dinner.

And it looks to be Beef and Bird meal. After brining the turkey in a saltwater marinade, she’ll be smoking it in their wood-fired smoker, while at the same time she’s also doing a brisket.

Double Yummmm!

For her part, Jan fixed up a Jiffy Corn Casserole and a Green Bean Casserole, both of which be found under Jan’s Favorite Recipes. Plus we’re bringing some of those fantastic Keto Blueberry Muffins we like so much.

Should be a real feast.

BTW I was just checking, and since 2017 when I set up her Recipe Page, over 10,000 people have checked it out.

Way to go, Sweetie!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were on our way at the stroke of 10:30 this morning, heading for our Eclipse Rendezvous up in Killeen, about 220 miles away. Our first stop was at the Waller Buc-ee’s for coffee, breakfast kolaches, and a potty break, not necessarily in that order.

The only real slowdown was coming out the other side of Brenham when the heavy construction brought all the traffic down to one lane, going and coming. So we’ll have it going home too. Lost about 20 minutes through there.

We did see one traffic sign along the way saying, “No Parking For Eclipse April 8th”. Now this was way out in the countryside, 20 miles from nowhere, with wide shoulders on both sides of the 4-lane, the perfect place to park. So what, they want everyone parking in town?

Our last stop was in Milano for just a potty break, and then it was on to the Days Inn in Killeen, getting there a little after 3:15.

Normally, in a case like this, we go eat first and then go to our room so we don’t have to go back out again. But since I had made this reservation a year ago, and pre-paid it, I wanted to be sure we actually had a room, and it hadn’t been given away.

But everything worked out fine. And we have a very nice room.

Then it was on down the Interstate a couple of miles to the Little Italy Family Italian Restaurant. Jan really likes Beef Ravioli and it can be hard to find.

Cheese, yes. Lobster, yes. And even Shrimp. But not Beef.

But when did a Google search, we found it here. Turned out to be a really nice place.

First up was a plate of Hot, Fresh-Baked Bread,

which segued into our Dinner Salads.

With really delicious home-made Ranch Dressing.

Then, of course, Jan’s Beef Ravioli.

Normally when I do Italian it’s pizza or spaghetti and meatballs, but I saw this Sunday Special on the menu, and went for it.

The Pork Chop Carbonara, with two pork cutlets, bacon, mushrooms, and onions, all in a creamy carbonara sauce, over a bed of linguini.

Really good, and I had more than half left to bring home, or bring motel, I guess.

Since the hotel breakfast is over at 8:30, and we don’t want to get up that early, we’ll head next door to the Golden Corral for breakfast at about 10 when they open.

On the Eclipse front, not sure what we’re going to see tomorrow. The weather seems to be all over the map.

Here in Killeen, the Moon is supposed to start nibbling at the Sun at 12:19, with the Totality starting at 1:37 and ending at 1:41. Then everything will be back to normal by 2:59. But we’ll see.

It is what it is.

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Thought For The Day:

Always Take Life With A Grain Of Salt . . . And A Slice Of Lime, and a Tequila Shot.

For a Retro-Preview –

In today’s blog in 2018, The aftermath of wrecking my Ford Ranger on the Atchafalaya River Bridge in Louisiana back in 1994.

And Now On To Today’s Retro-Blogs.™

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April 7, 2010

Hot Wings and Dragons…

About 11:30 am we headed out to lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings for a good batch of Mango Habanero wings. Then it was on to Fry’s Electronics and then next door to Borders Books. I wanted a new computer magazine and Jan was looking for the latest Charlaine Harris “Dead” book.

Coming home we stopped off at Sam’s Club to pick up our prescriptions for this month.

About 4 pm we drove about a mile down the road to the theater at Sam’s Town Casino to see “How to Train Your Dragon” in 3D. We both really enjoyed it, and noted that recently, some of the best movies we’ve seen have been animated, particularly ‘UP” and “Wall-E”. Says something about the quality of most movies these days.

After the movie, we decided to try a new Mexican restaurant we had seen around town called “Macayo Vegas”. And we were pleasantly surprised by the great food, although the service was somewhat lacking. But they were busy with some large groups, and we’re retired, so we didn’t really care.

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April 7, 2011

Vacuums and Green Tea . . .

As hoped this morning started our about 10 with coffee and some homemade toast.

Delicious.

Then for lunch, we did it again with cheese toast and chips, again with the homemade bread.

More good.

About 1:30 I drove into Cottonwood to check out a vacuum cleaner store I had seen.

I was looking for a standard vacuum hose to hook up to my new Eureka 71A Handheld. I had checked online and local stores, but if they had a hose it was more than I wanted to pay, in some cases the hose was more expensive than the vacuum itself. So I thought I might try a small vacuum repair shop.

And I lucked out and found one. Used, of course, but only $5. Just what I wanted.

My next stop was Fry’s, to pick up some Lipton Diet Green Tea, and some ice cream for dessert tonight.

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April 7, 2012

It’s Alive . . . It’s Alive . . .

We’ve really lucked on the weather here in Whitsett the last couple of days. When we got here Thursday afternoon it was about 98 degrees, but yesterday and today, it was in the mid-80’s with a lot of clouds, which made it very comfortable.

Landon is pretty much back to his old self

For lunch, Jan fixed us leftovers from last night’s visit to the Magic Time Machine up in San Antonio. Then after lunch, I went outside to talk to Terry, the mechanic here. I wanted to find out where we took our garbage. I could see he was building out the generator and sewer trailers, like this one below.

I said I was surprised to see him working on the weekend. He laughed and said he was worked 7 days a week to keep up with the demand, and said he’d had two days off in the last month.

Certainly bodes well for the gate guard business

I was able to bring my Samsung Color Laser Printer back from the dead this afternoon.

It had been feeling depressed and jumped to its . . . well, actually, I hit a bad bump pulling into the Gate Guard Services lot on Thursday afternoon and it fell off the computer desk, ending up in about 8 different pieces.

So finally this afternoon I decided to take a shot at putting it back together and seeing if I could get it working again.

I finally got it back in one piece and powered it up. And power up it did, which was something. But it would not initialize and give me the green light. I just had a flashing red one. But before I gave up I decided to take it back apart even more and see what I could find.

And after a few minutes I found a connector that had pulled apart. Plugging it in and putting everything back together, I turned it on, and happily got a green light. And pressing the button gave me a test page.

It’s Alive . . . It’s Alive . . .

At this point, I decided to reward myself with a nice nap. I also justified it by figuring I was just resting up for our upcoming gate guarding.

Yeah, right!

About 5:30 Jan and I headed about 25 miles north back to Pleasanton, where we planned to eat dinner and pick up a few things at the HEB. We had seen a whole lot of Bill Miller BBQ places in this area, and wanted to check them out. Well, based on us, it’s hard to see how they have so many locations.

Jan’s Chopped Beef Sandwich was so finely chopped it was like mush, and mixed with a pretty tasteless sauce.

I had the Rib and Sausage Combo Plate with potato salad, Cole slaw, and pinto beans. The sausage was good, but they probably didn’t make it. The ribs were dry smoked, and although, very meaty, were very dry. And even dunking them in the sauce didn’t help things.

And the sauce itself was pretty tasteless, just kind of ‘tomatoey’, with absolutely nothing spicy at all.

The potato salad and Cole slaw were pretty generic, but the pinto beans were pretty good. Or maybe they were only so-so, but stood out next to the bland food surrounding it. It’s hard to say.

But to make the meal even worse . . . they charge 50 cents for iced tea refills. WTH?

All in all, a very disappointing meal.

Leaving the restaurant we drove across the street to the HEB. Our first stop was at the gas station to fill up our truck. Gas was $3.75, about 14 cents a gallon cheaper than the Shell station down in Whitsett. Then after grabbing some cat food and frozen pizzas, we headed back to the GGS lot for the night.

Our daughter Brandi called this afternoon saying Landon was doing fine, and they were taking him to get his first haircut this afternoon.

We were supposed to get pictures, but haven’t seen any yet (hint, hint). Hopefully, we’ll see some soon. (hint, hint).

Not sure what we’re going to do tomorrow. Jan may fix something, or we may go out for dinner. We’ll see.

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April 7, 2013

Skype and Chili . . .

I was up at my usual 10am, got the coffee started and then Jan and I headed out for a walk around the park. We did about 1/2 mile before coming back to the rig to a good cup of coffee.

I worked on a couple of projects, then about 1pm we did our first Skype call of this year with Brandi, Lowell, and Landon.

Landon never slowed down so all the pics are a little blurry.

Brandi said Landon is growing like a weed, a tall weed. He’s 26 months old and now wears 3T clothes. Looks like he’s going to be tall like his father, Lowell.

Kitty, their Black Lab is the only one that sat still for her photo.

After about 15 minutes we said our goodbyes for this time. We’ll try to do it again in a couple of weeks.

About 2:30 I headed out for a few errands. After dropping off the trash at the dumpster, I drove down to the Camping World to pick up some new Leveler Pads and then it was right down the road to a RadioShack to pick up an LED panel light to finish up my Taillight Test Box.

Getting back to the rig I worked on some website stuff until about 5 when Jan and I fixed a supper of Chili Taco Salads using Skyline Chili. Really good.

Then about 6 we headed out for another walk, this time for a mile, since it was cooler outside than this morning.

Hopefully, we’ll be able to walk every day unless it gets too hot. We’ll see how it goes.

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April 7, 2014

Well, Isn’t This Helpful . . .

Yesterday, after finding out that I still did not have the correct shear pin for my slide, I emailed Power Gear the following email on their website.

My 1999 American Eagle NS has a single Power Gear slide. A month or so ago, due to a loose floor tile under the kitchen cabinet, we popped the shear pin on the motor end of the slide.

I have gone back and forth with American Coach since then, trying to get the correct replacement pin.

The first one they sent was labeled this: 238957 PIN, 1-1/2″ SLIDE, PART OF POWER GEAR B50-0240. This one, at 1/4″ diameter was way too large.

Based some of your docs I assume this is a 18-1038 or 1039.

The next time they sent me an 18-1036. It’s not only too small, but it’s not a roll or coil pin, but a tension ‘C’ shaped pin. I actually tried one just like this from Tractor Supply. It lasted about a second.

So the only one that seems to be left is a 18-1034. American Coach doesn’t have any in stock and says it will take 3-4 weeks. PPL here in Houston also is a no go.

I’ve also called several other suppliers listed on your website, also with no luck.

Part of the problem is that even American Coach can’t give me the actual model number of my slide unit.

I can’t find any number on the slide itself, but I have found the following numbers.

The Inside Control Panel Part #530052
The Current Limiter under the slide Part #510116

Can you tell me what model slide I have, and what pin I need?

And who has them in stock without waiting 3-4 weeks.

Thanks for your help.

Greg White

And then early this morning, I got this ‘very helpful’ email back from Power Gear.

We wouldn’t know what system Fleetwood installed on the coach, only they can tell you this sorry.  We don’t have info on who stocks what, I doubt any one will stock shear pins.  Thank you.

Bill

Power Gear/Kwikee Technical Service

No. Thank you.

So Power Gear is basically telling me to go away and leave them alone. And note that they completely ignored my question about where to find a 1034 pin, and apparently don’t care if my slide ever works right again.

You can be sure that if we ever buy a new coach, I will pick one that uses Power Gear products. And yes, in case you missed it, that’s sarcasm.

Several people have mentioned checking out McMasters-Carr or Grainger and finding some the right size. And I may end up doing this as a last resort.

The problem is that according to the Power Gear docs I do have, the same size pins can have different tensile strengths, and thus, different breaking points. They’re kind of like mechanical fuses, and PG warns you to be sure and get the correct pin for your model slide.

So tomorrow it’s back on the phone with American Coach.

After Jan and I had breakfast one last time at Schobels’ Restaurant this morning, we left the Colorado River TT park about 12:30pm, heading back to the Lake Conroe TT for two weeks.

The 125 mile, 2-1/2 hour trip went very smoothly with no problems, not even with Houston traffic. We just came in on 1-10, turned north on the Sam Houston Tollway, and then got on I-45 north.

With the weather getting warmer, we definitely wanted 50 amp and were lucky to get a nice level 50 amp site, right next to where we were two weeks ago.

About 4:30 we headed out to have dinner at El Bosque, a place we’ve eaten at before and really liked. And we still like it.

Jan and I had the Fajitas Poblanas, with Beef and Chicken Fajitas, with onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, and bell peppers, all grilled up with chunks of crispy bacon and covered in melted white cheese.

HMMMMMM   Bacon!

We also ordered their special ‘mucho caliente salsa’ like we got last time. Made with smoky chipotle peppers, it was hot and delicious.

Finishing up, we picked up some stuff at the Wal-Mart across the street before heading home for the night.

Tomorrow we’re going to head down to the Clear Lake area and then on the way back pick up some UPS packages at Brandi’s.

We might even have dinner again at Little V’s. You never can tell.

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April 7, 2015

Going Hog Wild in Cottonwood . . .

It got down to 35 degrees last night, and it’s supposed to be about the same tonight. But it’s going up into the mid 70’s in the daytime, so it’s been really nice. And fortunately for us, it looks to stay that way.

We have run into two problems here at the park though. The first is what’s happening with the water pressure. In the morning, when Jan takes her shower, and the rest of the day, the pressure is fine, about 80# according to my gauge. But by the time, I take my shower, usually between 1 and 2am, the pressure is much, much lower. Low enough so that I have to turn on our rig water pump to get a decent shower. Then the next morning, the pressure is back to normal. What’s up with that?

I haven’t gone out at 2am to actually check the pressure at the faucet, since I’m not sure my neighbors would appreciate me skulking around in the dark between the rigs. But it’s happened now two nights in a row.

The second problem is with the sewer connection. The sites in this section are side by side pull-thrus, with the rigs facing the opposite directions, and the hookups are between the rigs. The electric pedestal and the water connection are in the center, but the sewer connections are on the far ends.

I guess they figure you will not pull all the way to the front of the site, but stay toward the back. But if I did that, then I would not be able to open our slide due to the conveniently-placed sharp, pointy trees.

So the 20 feet of sewer hose that I have came up about 10 feet too short. But ever prepared, I had an unopened box with another 20 feet of hose in the back of the truck. I bought it last year when I thought I might need it for one of our gate guarding gates, but never did.

The only small problem is that it comes without the connectors installed, but that only took a few minutes, and we were good to go.

About 3pm Jan and I headed out to drive around for a while, and then have dinner. We drove all the way out to Clarkdale to check out the Verde Canyon Railroad, since we plan on taking the 4 hour ride while we’re here.

As we were driving out that way, we passed Hog Wild BBQ, and the delicious smells emanating from it, and decided then and there on our dinner location when we came back that way.

And it was well worth the stop. We had eaten here in 2011, the last time we were at Verde Valley, and it was on our list of repeats.

Jan had the Pulled Pork Sandwich with Cole Slaw, and I had the Beef Brisket Plate.

Really good, and we both love their hand-cut fries.

Finishing up and heading home, we made a Wal-Mart stop for a few things along the way.

Fortunately, there were no parking lot shootouts while we were there.

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April 7, 2016

I Forgot . . .

Well, that didn’t last long. Apparently Verizon is tweaking (or maybe twerking?) the new XLTE installation here, since for the last two days, the signal on my phone has alternated between 1X and 3G, with not a 4G bar to be seen.

But the increased 3G speed that I’ve been getting on my AirCard hasn’t dropped off, with the 2.5 Mbps still the norm, so that’s still working out OK

I mentioned yesterday about how much data I’ve used so far this month – a little over 45 GB, noticeably higher than our normal 25 GB or so. I attributed the increase to the 3 or 4 TV shows we had streamed, but this morning I suddenly realized the real reason for the increase.

I forgot that Jan recently got hooked on the HBO series Big Love. On the air from 2006 to 2011, it details the life of a fictional fundamentalist polygamist Mormon family, Starring Bill Paxton, the series revolves around Bill Henrickson, his three wives (Barb, first/legal wife; Nicki, second wife; and Margene, third wife) and their (combined) nine children.

Featuring stars such as Ellen Burstyn, Sissy Spacek, Harry Dean Stanton, Mary Kay Place, and Bruce Dern, it received critical acclaim during all its five seasons.

Anyway, about a week ago, Jan started watching the series, streaming it for free through Amazon Prime. She’s now up to Season Two, Episode 9 now, so that’s 21 episodes of HD video Jan has streamed in the last couple of weeks.

So that’s where my extra GB’s have come from.

I  also forgot to mention in yesterday’s blog that for dinner we drove into Columbus to get our Whataburger fix. And this time we both with something a little different. Jan tried a Chop House Burger with two patties, bacon, tomato, grilled onions, melted shredded cheese, and creamy steak sauce. while I sampled the A-1 Thick and Hardy Burger burger, with two patties, bacon, tomato, grilled onions, cheese, and of course A-1 Steak Sauce.

We both liked our choices, but agreed we really liked our normal Whataburger Jr’s better. We did get a Root Beer Shake to go to have later as dessert. All in all, a nice meal.

For dinner tonight, we had our leftover steak from Monday’s night Texas Roadhouse visit, which Jan sliced thin and put it some of the rolls we also brought home. Along with a baked potato, it made a really good meal.

I talked to Barbara Spade, the park ranger, this afternoon, She said they had got her new residential refrigerator installed and she really loves it. I’m going over to her rig tomorrow to take a look at her taillight problem. And then maybe a carwash/rig wash using my pressure washer may be in the cards.

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April 7, 2017

What? I Don’t See Anything . . .

After a nice, slow morning, about 12:15 Jan and I headed out for our lunch date over in Tempe with our friend’s Dick and Phyllis Schell.

They had picked Oregano’s, an Italian place in the heart of the Arizona State University campus, that was about halfway between where we were in Apache Junction, and where they are parked in Sun City.

We started off by splitting a half loaf of their Cheesy Garlic Bread.

Then everyone went in a different direction with Dick getting a small Cheese Pizza.

Not sure where the rogue piece of pepperoni came from.

While Phyllis got one of her favorites, the Big Chicken Salad.

After talking with our waitress, Hallie, Jan got the Big Chicken Parm with Alfredo Sauce.

Wrapping up, I got the 16” Meaty Pizza with Pepperoni, Sausage, Meatballs, Canadian Bacon, and Mushrooms.

Big enough to have plenty to take home for both of us.

Although they have a deep dish, thick crust pizza, their specialty is a thin crust, even thinner than Grimaldi’s. But unlike many really thin crusts that snap like a crisp cracker, Oregano’s stays soft and flexible. Really good.

For dessert, Dick and Phyllis ordered us a Hot, Gooey, Chocolate Chip Cookie topped with Ice Cream.

Really great finish to a great meal.

Oregano’s is really great, and goes on our list for places to visit again.

Saying our goodbyes until next time, we headed home. Getting back to Apache Junction, our first stop was at the O’Reilly’s for a new air chuck. Rather than get another locking one, I went with a straight line that I knew it would work.

We finished up with a few things from Fry’s before getting back to the rig a little before 5pm.

About 6pm I went outside to finish up the last of the tires with the new straight chuck. Of course, it means that I have to stand hunched over to hold it on the valve stem, but I’ve only got two tires so I’ll work through the pain.

Finally, I topped off the four tires on the truck. If you have a 150# compressor like this one. be aware it only takes a few seconds to raise the tire from 25# to 35#. And only a few more seconds to . . .  BOOM!

I could have backed the output setting down to 40# but then I’d just have to raise it again. Rather just leave it alone and be careful. I finished up by packing away the chairs and the hoses in the truck so I don’t have much to do before we leave tomorrow for Vegas.

Totaling up, I never heard back from any of the awning companies I called and left messages with, including several recommended by blog readers.

After I repeatedly told the glass people that we were leaving for Vegas this weekend, they finally called me back Tuesday afternoon and were surprised to find out that we weren’t available this weekend for them to come by and look at the windshield. We’ll try again in Vegas, I guess.

And so far, my parking lot adversary has not filed a claim with my insurance company. I guess it might be hard for the claims adjuster not to laugh in his face.

Blog readers will remember that while the police officer was watching, I wet my fingers, and in about 30 seconds, rubbed the smear almost completely away.

As one blog reader, said, Spit, the new rubbing compound.

We plan on heading out for the Las Vegas Thousand Trails about 8am, hoping to make the 320 mile trip in about 6 hours and get in around 2pm. We wanted to go this early so it will stay cool, since I still haven’t had a chance to work on our transfer switch.

Yeah, yeah, I know,. It’s on the list.

This means that we won’t have the generator available to run the AC’s. But when we leave here at 8am, the temp is supposed to be 66, and only 73 in Vegas when we get in at 2pm.

Here’s hoping.

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April 7, 2018

A Short Trip on a Long Bridge, Part Deux . . .

When we last left our hero, that would be me, I was in a cab on the way to the Lafayette, LA airport to rent a car. After my Ford Ranger did a RUD, a Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly for you space fans, on the Atchafalaya River Bridge in Louisiana, I had decided to continue my trip to Birmingham to look in on my mother.

While I was waiting for the cab at the wrecker yard, the 2nd wrecker showed up with all my discarded parts. As the two guys piled them into what was left of the truck bed, I realized that there were more parts in the bed than left on the truck.

While I was waiting I managed to find a bottle of aspirin in what was left of the truck’s glove compartment and took a couple. And by the time the cab arrived, my headache was gone.

Walking into the airport I found a pay phone and called Jan who was at work. I told her what happened and that I was fine. I said I was going to rent a car and continue on to Birmingham. I also said I wanted her to meet me at the Lafayette airport Sunday afternoon so I could get home. I then called my mother and told her I was going to be a few hours late, but didn’t tell her why since I didn’t want her to worry.

I decided to visit the restroom before heading over to the rental counter and as I was washing my hands I looked into the mirror. And I suddenly knew why people in the airport had been looking at me funny. Well, funnier than usual, I guess.

From the half golf ball-sized lump on my head about an inch behind and two inches above my left ear, blood had flowed down the side of my head and was caked from my ear down onto my collar and had soaked my shirt with a large red stain.

No wonder people had been looking at me funny. Well, funnier than usual, I guess. But you would have thought that someone, one of the tow truck drivers, or the cab driver, would have said something to me. Thanks a lot, guys.

Using paper towels soaked in warm water, I cleaned off my head and neck as well as I could, and pulled a windbreaker out of my overnight bag that I had grabbed from the remains of the truck to cover my bloody shirt.

The remainder of the trip to Birmingham was uneventful and I managed to conceal my shirt from my mother when I got there. And likewise, my trip back to Lafayette went just as smoothly.

Meeting Jan at the airport we drove back over to the tow yard to retrieve any remaining personal items from the truck, since I was sure that all the king’s soldiers and all the king’s men were not going to be able to put it back together again. Or anybody else, for that matter.

When we got to the yard and saw the truck, Jan said her knees got weak and she felt faint.

Me too.

It was easy to see that the frame was cracked open and the body was bent in a slight U shape. The rear axle was gone, as was the tailgate, bumper, and the right rear part of the truck bed. The windshield and the rear window were both cracked as was the passenger side window. And walking around to the other side the right front wheel was broken and tilting at a 45° angle.

Two weeks later, I got the check from the insurance company and went right out and bought a new Ford Ranger, this time a new 1994 Ford Ranger Crew Cab 4 Door. I figured that since the first one held together long enough to keep me in one piece, another one was in order. And I guess that I had gotten a really good deal on the 1992 since my insurance payout, based on book value, was only $200 less than I paid for it new two years before.

And every time I’ve driven over the Atchafalaya Bridge since then, I always glance over at the spot where I almost became gator food. The scars are still visible on the concrete guard rail.

As Jan has said many times, it’s a miracle I’m still alive.

In that vein, maybe next time I’ll relate the tale of my best friend and I, and our homemade airboat, involving an old VW engine, an Army surplus propeller, and a leaky rowboat with a rotten transom.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like trapped inside a Cuisinart?

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April 7, 2019

Last Day In The Texas Hill Country . . .

Our last morning with all of us together started at 8:30am (UGH!) at El Bracero, a local Mexican favorite of Chris and Linda’s. And it was easy to see why. But I’m going to talk about all our great food on this trip in a later post.

Brandi, Lowell, and Landon were heading back to Houston this morning since they all had to be back at work/school tomorrow. But they did plan another stop at yesterday’s Pottery Ranch for something they had their eye on, and decided to go ahead and get.

And with Miss Piper heading out this afternoon this was our last get-together.

As I mentioned before, Chris and Linda are living in one of those private airport subdivisions. And of course, that means their place comes with a hanger. Or Boy’s Toy’s Heaven, as I call it.

So here, in case you’re counting, you’ve got an ultralight plane, two Corvettes, three motorcycles, and a Sea Doo. Plus a complete shop with sandblasting, welding, and pretty much anything else you want to work with.

And for Chris, it meant he had a place to take this Jeep carcass

that had been rotting away in the woods for years, combined it with bits and pieces of other junked Jeeps, and after rebuilding the engine, et al, ended up with this.

Of course, this is nothing new for Chris. A while back he took a hulk of a boat that had been laying out in a field with a TREE growing out of it, and turned it into this.

Not only did he rebuild and re-fiberglass the hull, he also rebuilt the inboard engine and transmission.

In case you’re keeping score, it’s a 1977 16 ft. Century Arabian, with a Ford 351 Windsor (Mercruiser) engine, and a Velvet Drive inboard/outboard drive unit.

And more recently he took a pile of old drill pipe and turned it into this oversized set of wind chimes.

And it’s even tuned correctly.

Chris even built Linda a Salad Bar, or at least a Salad Bar supply source.

The chain link fence is there to keep the herds of deer out of the salad.

Of course, Chris’ hanger is not the only one that’s full of goodies. His friend Don’s hanger across the street, or taxiway, has 6 planes in it.

Including, on the left, an ICON amphibian like this.

Which fits nicely in the hanger because the wings fold like this.

After such a great time this weekend, getting to see everyone, and seeing what Chris and Linda have done with their place, it’s our turn to head back home tomorrow morning.

We’ve been staying at the Granite Rock RV Park, only a few miles from Chris and Linda’s, and we’ll definitely stay here next trip.

It’s a small (only 8 sites) family-owned park, convenient to everything here, and has great free WiFi. Well recommended.

We plan on leaving as early as we can tomorrow, hoping to avoid the going-home traffic south of Houston tomorrow afternoon. But we’ll see how it goes.

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April 7, 2020

It Aged Out . . .

I mentioned that I might go out and get the plywood for our shed base this afternoon, but decided to just stay at home and wait until Thursday when we have to go out anyway for groceries.

With our RV-sized refrigerator, it’s hard to go very long without stocking up again at least as far as fresh salads, meats, and veggies go. Which is pretty much most of what we eat.

Turns out I also need to get a new CO/Smoke Alarm. One of ours started beeping twice every 30 seconds, so I replaced the batteries, which didn’t help. But reading the very tiny print on the unit, I discovered that the CO monitor part had ‘aged’ out and so the alarm needed to be replaced.

So that’s on the WalMart/Home Depot list too.

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April 7, 2021

Getting A Wedgie . . .

Not much happened today, so not much blog.

I’ve mentioned before how much Jan and I like Wedge Salads, so tonight I tried my hand at making our own.

Half a head of lettuce, cut in half, diced tomatoes, blue cheese crumbles, chopped crispy bacon, and drenched in dressing, in this case, Jan’s favorite Dorothy Lynch.

Really good,  and a lot cheaper than the restaurant’s version.

See, I told you it was going to be a short blog.

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April 7, 2022

A Sign Of The Times . . .

We were on the road up to Webster about 12:45, heading for long-time favorite King Food for lunch. But that included a drive-by of the new Pho Barr location to see if they were open yet. But no luck.

Looks like they’re still waiting on their final inspection.

So King Food it was.

King Food holds a special place in our lives. It was where I ate with my new co-workers on my very first day at my new job at Johnson Space Center on December 18, 1978. And it was so good that I took the family there a couple of nights later.

It was that good.

But it was a few years before Chris and Brandi were ready to enjoy the food there. At that time Chris was 10 and Brandi was 5, so we had to stop off at Burger King for a Kid’s Meal for each of them. But finally, they tasted what we were eating, and from then on, we had to share.

So now we’ve been eating here for more than 43 years, and we’re on our 4th owner. And the menu has never really changed.

I guess it was a Sign of the Times when they brought out the menus.

This is what you have to do when you’ve got a fancy 10-page printed menu.

As usual, we started off with bowls of their delicious Hot & Sour Soup. So good that we’ve compared all other versions as we’ve eaten around the country, and King Food’s always comes out on top.

Then we moved on to our usual Chicken in Hot Garlic Sauce with added Jalapenos, Fried Rice, and an Egg Roll.

After lunch, Harbor Freight was our next quick stop for a couple of tools, and then a nearby UPS store Amazon return drop-off, before heading home.

A nice day.

Tomorrow night, we’ve got the Alvin Opry once again, so there may not be much of a blog Friday night since we get home so late. And this time our tickets include a BBQ Sandwich dinner. Looking forward to seeing all our friends again.

Then Sunday we’re driving up to the Katy area to meet Brandi, et al., at their Pho Barr location, before heading back to their house for a while.

It will be our Easter get-together since they’re going to be up in Oklahoma with Lowell’s parents on Easter weekend.

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April 7, 2023

Looks Can Be Deceiving . . .

It seems a few of you are having trouble seeing the new blogs each morning. And so far the problem has occurred with people who visited the blog by going directly to the website, I.e., OurRVAdventures.com, and not for people who received the blog via email.

ISP’s tend to ‘cache’ (save) websites that you tend to visit regularly, so they don’t have to download the website again, saving time and bandwidth. But the caching algorithm is supposed to detect changes in the website, and then redownload to get the new stuff.

But this doesn’t always work correctly. And just clicking on the Refresh icon doesn’t help because your browser just redownloads the cached version from your ISP.

But if you hold down the SHIFT key and then click the Refresh icon, this forces the ISP to download the latest pages from my server.

So if you’re having problems, try the SHIFT-Refresh trick and let me know.

Well, as I said was possible, the SpaceX Super Heavy Starship’s O.F.T. (Orbital Flight Test) launch has been pushed back a week to the 17th of April, with backup dates of the 18th through the 21st.

We’ll see.

Tomorrow we’ve another busy day of lunch and errands.

Marina’s Bakery to pick up Easter dessert, Torchy’s Taco’s for lunch, the office to drop off some stuff, Kroger’s to pick up some prescriptions, WalMart to pick up a prescription that got sent to them by mistake, a drive up to the La Porte to pick up a free RV A/C, and back down to our local HEB, and then home.

Whew!

Sunday we’re going up to Katy to have an Easter get-together with Brandi, et al. Looking forward to that.

Wrapping up, here’s a new photo of Miss Karma, looking all big-eyed and innocent.

But as they say, looks can be deceiving.

Very deceiving.