One More Day At Sea . . .
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First up, I don’t know what’s going on with the blog layout, but a couple of days ago, the side panels disappeared. They show up on the Preview, just not when I post it. I’ll be able to look into it when I get home.
Breakfast was at the Windjammer Buffer once again, and then we split up, with Jan doing some shopping and gambling (She won $22), while I did the All Access Ship Tour.
Our first stop was at the stage area of the Coral Theatre where they put on the shows, but I wasn’t able to get any good photos.
Next up was the laundry area, which is highly automated. They do it in separate batches of sheets, towels, etc. This guy is loading dirty sheets onto a conveyor belt that feeds into a washing machine about 10 feet in diameter.
Once it’s washed, it feeds into a large dryer. Then when the sheets come out they are fed into a pressing/folding machine.
This guy is taking the folded towels out of the machine and stacking them.
They also have a separate area for laundering/dry cleaning clothes.
Next up was the Galley Food Prep area. Here they’re laying the Fruit Plates like I’ve had several times.
In the Bakery area, they bake over 8000 pastries a day. And that doesn’t include all the rolls, bagels, and bread.
The Salad Prep area.
They have several a number of very large storage areas, some refrigerated,
some at room temperature,
and some at –20 degrees.
And of course, lots and lots of booze.
Next up was my favorite, the Engine Control Room. It’s called that even though it controls pretty much every system on the ship.
Then we walked I-95 that, though it zig-zags, runs the entire length of the ship,
Next up, and lastly, the Bridge. Turns out to be a lot larger than I had imagined.
Nice View!
This is one the two control panels on each side of the Bridge. These let them see what they’re doing when they’re docking the ship.
The area where all the signal flags are stored.
And this young lady is the First Officer, the second in command to the Captain.
A really fun and informative tour.
Later at dinner, Jan got the Avocado and Melon Salad,
while I got the French Onion Soup once again.
Then for her entrée, Jan got the Lemon-Butter Baked Cod,
while I went with the Lobster. Yuum!
For dessert, I got the Baked Alaska,
while Jan got the Strawberry Shortcake,
and we split the Red Velvet Cake. Decisions, decisions.
Tomorrow is our last full day of the cruise before we dock back in Galveston early Monday morning.
Thought for the Day:
Environmentalists changed the word “jungle” to “rain forest,” because no one would give them money to save a jungle.
And Now On To Today’s Retro-Blogs.™
December 14, 2010
Happy Wanderers and De-Virifying . . .
When I got up this morning, Jan said our son Chris had just called and we were meeting them about 11:30 for lunch. That meant we had to get a move on to get our walk in before we needed to leave.
After we got back, and while Jan was in the shower, a lady from the Happy Wanderers, the full-timing chapter of the American Coach Association that we belong to, called to check on our ACA membership numbers. She was trying to reconcile her database with the national chapters, and apparently our numbers weren’t correct. I told her that I would look them up and call her back.
About 11:15 we headed up to Kemah to Stomp’s Burger Joint to meet Chris and Linda for lunch. I’m glad we got there early because by 12 the place was full and people were waiting outside.
Getting back to the coach, I turned around and headed back out to run some errands
After stopping off at the bank to make a deposit, it was off to Fry’s Electronics to pick up some Christmas gifts. Unfortunately, I forgot the refund certificate that I was going to cash in, but I’ll do it another time.
Then it was on to Brandi’s to check our mail and pick up some packages that I knew had been delivered. Lowell was already home so we got to talk for a few minutes.
I got back about 3:30 and a nap seemed to be in order. Then about 5 pm Jan and I drove over to meet Bob and Maria Sutton at Spring Creek BBQ for dinner. Then they headed off to Bingo while I went back to the rig to work on the 4 computers that I’m trying to de-virify for clients.
When I picked Jan up at 10pm she said Maria had won the $750 grand prize for the night. Unfortunately, Jan didn’t win anything this time. But then Bob called right after we got home to say that Maria had stopped and bought a Lotto ScratchOff and won $100. Sounds like she should have been buying PowerBall or Mega Millions tickets, if she’s that lucky.
December 14, 2011
Washer Repair Day . . .
Today was the day.
I couldn’t put it off any longer. Or, at least Jan said I couldn’t.
It was time to tackle pulling the dryer out of its cabinet and checking out the dryer fan motor.
The first step was to remove the retaining strip at the base of the cabinet. It looked like this was the only thing holding the washer in place, and it was.
Kind of.
After removing the strip I found the washer still wouldn’t come out because the screws on the door hinges protruded just enough to block it.
So, off with the doors.
Then after placing my furniture dolly underneath, I started inching the washer out.
Once the washer was out of the way, Mister had to immediately investigate things.
It was obvious that the cabinet was built around the washer since both the dryer vent hose and the water drain hose were too short to allow the washer to come all the way out, and in fact pulled loose before the washer was halfway out.
I’ll have to add extensions to both before I reinstall the washer.
Jan’s now got that island counter in the middle of the kitchen she’s always wanted, at least until I’m ready to reinstall the washer.
Luckily, only four screws and the top comes off. And even better, the fan motor is right at the top.
And here’s the alleged culprit.
Looking closely it was easy to see what had happened. The circle with the tabs on it is actually a cooling fan for the motor underneath it. The motor bearings had worn enough to let the shaft with the fan on it drop down and start rubbing against one of the motor’s electrical connectors. This caused the noise I first heard for a week or so before the motor finally died.
A blog reader, Tom Van de Bussche, had already clued me in on where to get a new motor, so I was on the phone to Westland Sales in Clackamas, OR to get one in the mail to me.
As it turns out, it will be shipped out from their Elkhart, IN location. Sure wish it had died a month or so ago, I could have picked one up while we were there.
December 14, 2012
$2.69 a Gallon!
Today was pretty quiet. After an easy morning, I left the rig a little after 1:30pm and headed up to the Clear Lake area for a couple of client visits and a stop at Sam’s Club for a prescription.
Along the way I stopped for gas and was amazed. Yesterday Unleaded was $2.92 at the Wal-Mart up in Kemah.
Today it was $2.69. YES $2.69!
And Diesel is $3.39. Don’t know what is happening, but I hope it keeps up.
Next up was a stop at a couple of clients. One of them had a new Sony Vaio laptop that they couldn’t get to connect to their office WiFi system. It turned out that the problem was that it was locked into WEP encryption mode, but the office system that I set up uses the better, safer, WPA2 encryption.
Normally the WiFi software has a drop-down menu so you can select the one you want to use, or it will even set it automatically based on what your router is set for, but this one was different. I had to go into the adapter settings and enable the other encryptions.
And this was a brand-new laptop running Windows 7. Most people don’t use WEP anymore because it’s so easy to break. Why in the world it would default to WEP I can’t understand.
After checking in with the 2nd client I headed over to Sam’s to pick up a prescription and a case of bottled water. I was kind of dreading stopping by there because of Christmas shopping, and the fact that there’s a Wal-Mart right next door, compounding the problem, but it wasn’t bad at all.
As I tried to get on I-45S to go back to the rig, I ran into a lot of traffic around Baybrook Mall. And a lot of smoke. Turns out there was a car fire in the northbound lane, and a lot of rubberneckers on the southbound side.
I finally got back to the rig about 4:30 and then Jan and I headed right back up to the Kemah Chili’s for dinner. They have a great new soup, Southwest Chicken and Sausage, that I probably could eat every day.
Then heading home, we stopped off at a nearby Walgreen’s for a few things.
And that was about it. A pretty easy day.
December 14, 2013
Blasphemy . . .
Brandi sent over t his latest video of Landon singing Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer. Really Cute.
Landon Sings Rudolph
.
Landon’s black eye is due to an errant flying Lego at daycare.
Also we got this photo of Jan’s nephew, Jason and his beautiful family.
From left to right, that’s Laura, Avery Jane, Ella, Annisten, and Jason.
We always enjoy seeing them when we visit Jan’s sister, Debbie, in Illinois.
About noon we headed out for the afternoon. On the way we checked out the construction taking place on the new section of the RV park here
Don’t know when the new area is supposed to be open, but the 90 new spaces are really needed, since the present 81 spaces stay pretty much full all the time.
Our first stop was our favorite burger place around here, Stomp’s Burger Joint. But I may have called down the anger of the burger gods. I didn’t get a hamburger, one that looks like this.
Instead I ordered a hot dog. But not just any hot dog.
This was a Drunken Dog. A spicy jalapeno hot dog soaked in beer for 24 hours, then battered and deep fried, and garnished with spicy mustard, sauerkraut, diced onions, crispy bacon bits, and shredded cheddar cheese.
Delicious, and well worth irritating the burger gods.
And of course we had to have an order of Stomp’s Half and Half, onion rings and fries.
After lunch our next stop was to drop off some Christmas cards at the PO before heading down to the Victory Lakes Wal-Mart, a different one than last night, since I wanted to get another printer to replace the bad one from yesterday.
And even better, the same printer was $10 cheaper at this Wal-Mart than last night.
After finishing at Wal-Mart and stopping by a nearby Hallmark store, I came across this conundrum
What to Do, What to Do.
Next, after a quick stop at a Family Dollar for some Christmas wrap, we headed up to SR96 to get coffee and muffins from Buc-ee’s.
While we were there I got this shot of a boat ready for tonight’s Clear Lake Christmas Boat Parade.
We went last year and had a great time with the fireworks and the many decorated boats, but tonight’s weather is supposed to be cold and rainy. So we’ll just have to enjoy some pics from last year.
Speaking of boats, there’s a boat yard near the RV park that we pass by quite often, and it’s interesting to watch the boats come in looking much the worse for wear, and then in a few weeks looking brand-spanking new.
So over the next few weeks, I’ll try to document the changes.
Later in the evening I set up the new HP 2542 printer that I picked at Wal-Mart this afternoon and had no problems this time. So I’m now back in the printing business.
December 14, 2014
Fish Tales . . .
Jan and I had another nice, slow morning with our coffee and muffins. She read and I did computer stuff, and then I read some. That was pretty much it.
My new Transfer Switch is on its way and should be here Wednesday, but it may be a while until I have a chance to get it installed. But it’s not exactly like we’ll need it anytime soon.
About 3:30, we formed up a convoy of 3 vehicles here at the park and the 8 of us headed to Sealand Seafood in La Grange. We’ve eaten here several times in the past and it’s always been good. And tonight was no exception. You wouldn’t think that there would be an especially good seafood restaurant over a hundred miles from the Gulf Coast, but Sealand is.
Jan and I both had the 2 Catfish, 6 Shrimp, 6 Oysters Platter. The catfish is cornmeal-battered, and light and flakey. the large shrimp and oysters also lightly-battered, have a crunchy crust, and are moist and delicious. It really doesn’t get much better than this. And even better, we both brought half of it home for later.
And here’s our ragtag group. That’s Tom Christian on the left, then the shy one is his wife Lily, next is Donna Huffer and Bob Parker, Jan, of course, and lastly, our new friends, Judy and Ken Bennett.
Donna and Bob are leaving tomorrow for Rockport, and Judy and Ken are leaving for Medina Lake. And hopefully we’ll hear something from Galveston Bay RV Resort in the next day or two so we can firm up our plans too.
One thing I noticed yesterday when we drove up to Peter’s BBQ was that Hruska’s had diesel for $2.84, a nice drop from the previous low of $2.99 I’d seen a week or so ago down in Webster, and the $3.09 I saw last Wednesday right down the road from the park here.
But in La Grange this afternoon, I saw diesel for $2.69 at several stations right off of US-71. The last time I bought diesel just about a month ago I paid $3.39 a gallon at the Buc-ee’s in Madisonville, so this is a nice change. Hopefully, it will keep going down for a while.
As I mentioned yesterday, tomorrow we’re heading over to Austin to visit the Gone with the Wind exhibit at the University of Texas and have dinner while we’re there. Really looking forward to it.
December 14, 2015
Picchu and Pumpkin . . .
Well, today’s journey didn’t get canceled like yesterday’s trip to Galveston, so we headed out for Conroe 120 miles away about 9:30 to meet up with our friend Linda at the Chili’s there. Leaving the park, it was nice to see that the river was no longer running over the bridge leading into the park.
We made a potty stop at the Flying J just after we got onto I-45N, getting to the Chili’s right before noon. Linda showed up a little later, and after ordering, we got down to the serious business of catching up on each other’s lives.
Linda just recently returned from Peru where she was teaching English, and also investigating the possibility of opening her own bed and breakfast there. She spent most of her time near Calca, Peru, which is about 12,000 feet up in the Andes, though she’s visited places all over Peru, including Machu Picchu and many other ruins. Sounds like a lot of fun.
After we finished eating, Linda brought her laptop into the restaurant, and after hotspotting it to my phone for Wi-Fi access, I checked out and fixed a couple of problems for her.
After saying our goodbyes, Linda headed out for Fort Worth, and Jan and I drove across the Interstate to pick up a few things at Sam’s Club. Then it was back on the road for the 120 mile trip back to the Colorado River Thousand Trails park.
Out in Katy we detoured by Brandi and Lowell’s to pick up some Amazon packages that had come in during the last few days. Then it was back on the road for Columbus.
We made another stop at the Sealy Oasis at the Bernardo Rd Exit for some Dunkin’ Donuts’ coffee, and a pit stop. Then when Jan discovered that they also had Pumpkin Munchkins, DD’s version of donut holes.
And of course with Jan, it’s all pumpkin, all the time.
We finally got back to the rig a little before 6pm after a really nice day.
Tomorrow I want to get back looking for my shower leak. Hopefully I’ll be able to track it down now since the paneling is open.
December 14, 2016
Pipeline Politics . . .
Well, I guess Verizon was listening in last night to my complaint about how slow the Internet has suddenly become out here.
Because apparently they turned the SPEED knob all the way down to the SNAIL setting, actually more like to the SLOW SNAIL setting. Yesterday I could at least stream iHeartRadio through my Amazon Dot, but not tonight.
But since I couldn’t listen to the radio, I did buckle down and finish my thoughts on the whole Dakota Access Pipeline thing. Sorry it’s so long, but there was a lot to cover.
Let me know what you think, and I’ll try to post this in a cleaned-up version under Greg’s Musings tomorrow.
The Dakota Access Pipeline
As I said yesterday, I mentioned last week that I was going to do an article on what’s really going on with the whole Dakota Access Pipeline kerfuffle. But the research was taking a little longer than I had thought because there are so many different sides to it, more than just for or against.
I’ve read everything from the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, through the right-wing and left-wing conspiracy blogs, down to individual bloggers in the area, and on both sides on the controversy.
In fact, going from article to article, it’s sometimes hard to tell they’re all talking about the same thing. But hopefully I’ve been able to lay it all out for you so that it makes sense.
So I started off with some of the main questions.
The Pipeline Runs Through Indian Land:
First off, and I think the most important fact that I discovered, is that the Dakota Access Pipeline DOES NOT run through Indian Reservation land, or even privately-owned Indian land. The pipeline comes no closer than two miles to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. At this point in the 1,172 mile pipeline, the land is either privately owned or Federal land.
It does not run through any ‘ancient Indian burial grounds’, ‘sacred lands’, or the like. In fact there already is a natural gas pipeline running through this same right of way. It’s one of the reasons this path was chosen. The route was even approved by the State of North Dakota, the State Historic Preservation Office, and a number of independent archaeologists. NO Indian cultural sites or artifacts were endangered.
The project which has been under construction for almost four years, will take crude from the Bakken Shale formation in North Dakota, through South Dakota and Iowa, to connect with already-existing pipelines in Illinois. The $3.8 billion dollar pipeline is 95% completed, lacking only this small section that will run 100 feet under the Missouri River.
So far two Federal Courts have rejected claims that the Standing Rock Sioux weren’t part of the planning. Both the pipeline developer, Energy Transfer Partners, and the Army Corps of Engineers tried to work with the tribe without success. In fact, over 50 other tribes were consulted along the pipeline’s right of way, and more than 140 adjustments were made to the route. And the Standing Rock Sioux is the only tribe that didn’t cooperate. They didn’t want any changes, they just wanted the pipeline terminated.
The Standing Rock Sioux’s Water Supply Is In Jeopardy:
Years ago, the Army Corp of Engineers and the Bureau of Land Reclamation relocated the tribe’s water intake 70 miles downriver from the pipeline river crossing site, so the tribe’s water supply is not in danger. Plus more than a dozen pipelines already cross under the river in this general area, and there’s never been a problem with any of them.
Stopping The Pipeline Will Help Stop Climate Change:
Stopping the Dakota Access Pipeline will not stop the oil from the Bakken Shale from flowing. It already is flowing. Well, not so much flowing, more like riding in 750 railroad tank cars a day. So what’s safer for the environment, long trains of oil tankers, or oil flowing underground?
Google ‘oil train accidents’ and see.
So If There Were No Problems, Then Why Did The Corps Of Engineers Deny The Final Permit?
Well, the only thing I can find is politics. At the height of the protests, Assistant Secretary of Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy, ordered the Corps of Engineers to withhold the final permit. But digging a little deeper, you find that the final permit had actually already been given. That’s why all the construction workers and equipment were on site. They were already working on the last segment. So actually the permit was withdrawn.
In fact all of the initial permits were in place 4 years ago when the construction actually started. Yes, there were some changes made along the way, but what company is going to risk billions of dollars only to find out that one permit is going to cancel the project years down the road.
This is kind of like you’re building a house, getting all the necessary permits and inspections as you go along. Then when you get the final occupancy inspection signed off and you start moving in, they come back and say, “Oops. Sorry. We’re canceling your occupancy permit.” And when you asked why, they say, “Well, we want you to build the house somewhere else.”
And that’s apparently what Assistant Secretary Darcy wants. She said she wants them to find a new route that will not cross the Missouri River. Now you look at this map and tell me if that’s possible.
The big ellipse is the Bakken area, the black lines are the pipeline already in place, and the red dot is where they plan on running the pipeline under the Missouri River. You’re either going to go under the Missouri River, or over the Missouri River. But you aren’t going to go around it.
There are over 50,000 miles of pipelines in the US. Probably every river, stream, crick, and soggy ditch has a pipeline under it.
What About The Mistreatment Of The Protesters?
Note I said ‘protestors’, not Indians. Apparently even the Standing Rock Sioux tribe are sick of the protesters, who far outnumber them.
First off I refer you to the Facebook page of Louisiana Sheriff Greg Champagne, President of the National Sheriff’s Association. He traveled to the area to see the situation for himself, and found the reality completely different than what he read in the newspapers and seen on TV. I’m going to excerpt some of his observations, but I encourage to read his entire article for yourself.
This past Thursday, October 27th, steps were taken the morning before I arrived which evicted protestors from private property directly in the path of the pipeline. This “northern” camp was erected just days before and the occupants had been warned repeatedly for several days that their presence there was unlawful and that eviction was imminent. These warnings went unheeded.
Despite the statements coming from the media and protesters that they were completely peaceful and prayerful, it has been a fact that more militant protestors (terrorists) have destroyed property and physically beaten employees of the company in recent weeks. I personally witnessed and photographed what I estimate to be at least a half of a million dollars in damage to bulldozers and excavators. I further learned that many protestors other than Native American groups have descended upon the area such as anarchists and eco-terrorists who are hell bent on committing violence and damage. The police presence in the area to protect farmers, ranchers and other private property interests have been costing the state of North Dakota millions of dollars.
… law enforcement evicted the trespassers form the north camp on private property about three miles north of the Cannonball River. While pleading with the trespassers for a peaceful move, law enforcement officers were met with Molotov cocktails and various missiles such as rocks and logs being thrown at them causing numerous injuries to the officers. The only discharge of a firearm occurred when a protestor fired at the line of officers. Miraculously, none were hit by the bullets. When the protestors were moved south of the bridge, two trucks used to blockade the roadway were set on fire by the protestors. This action now has very possibly jeopardized the integrity of that bridge. News accounts ironically then decried the use of defensive equipment such as “riot gear” and armored vehicles by law enforcement.
Many media sites reported only that “heavy handed” police tactics were used upon the protestors who were only praying and “peacefully” protesting. These same outlets failed to mention the shooting, Molotov cocktails, and extensive property and equipment damage produced by some of the protestors. The protestors even cut fences and attempted to induce a domesticated buffalo herd to stampede through the area. The owners of the herd, whom I spoke with personally indicated that at least of dozen of their buffalo were killed by protestors.
I saw several articles on Facebook talking about how the ‘peaceful protesters’ were being sprayed by fire hoses in freezing weather. These articles failed to mention that the fire hoses were being used to put out the burning vehicles that had been set on fire on the Blackwater Bridge dividing the area, and were only used against the ‘peaceful protesters’ when they tried to charge across the bridge.
There was also an article about the police using grenades and concussion ‘bomb’s against the ‘peaceful protesters’ and a young women being so severely injured that she might lose her arm. This story was really big in the news for a day or so and then quietly disappeared.
And the reason it disappeared was not only the fact that the police didn’t have grenades or anything of the sort, but also that the ‘peaceful protesters’ may have been doing a little ‘bombing’ of their own.
According to reports, about 3am, November 21st, two males and a female were observed by the North Dakota Highway Patrol using one of the barricades on Blackwater Bridge to hid some activity. When they were told to retreat, several protesters, still ‘peaceful’ of course, were seen rolling large metal cylinders toward the police lines. At this point an explosion was heard, and several people ran over and pulled an injured female out from under a vehicle and fled.
The ‘large metal cylinders’ turned out to be 1 lb. Propane cylinders, rigged up as IED’s (Improvised Explosive Devices) and it seems like one of them went off early. If you want to learn how to make one of your very own, Google it.
The FBI supposedly confiscated the clothes from the young women at the hospital, and also the ‘shrapnel’ removed from her arm to compare it with the blood and tissue on one of the cylinders.
If they match up with the canister, she could be charged with attempted murder and domestic terrorism.
So much for ‘peaceful protesting’, I guess. Note all of this was taking place on either private land or Federal land. Not Indian land.
Now for the ‘fun’ part – The Conspiracy Theories.
So who’s behind all this, the Knights Templar, the Illuminati, or The Tri-Lateral Commission?
Take your pick. But the two big names that keep coming up are George Soros and Warren Buffett.
George Soros?
Well, he seems to have his fingers in a lot of chaotic pies. He supposedly backs Black Lives Matter and funded the whole Occupy Wall Street thing. It has been said that a lot of the pipeline protesters are being paid, and he’s the Daddy Warbucks behind the whole thing. Several North Dakota news outlets found Craigslist ads offering to pay for pipeline protesters.
And why is he doing this? That’s where it all gets a little fuzzy.
Apparently, just because he likes to stir up trouble.
OK, what’s up with Warren Buffett?
Well, this one, although still far-fetched, actually makes a little sense.
Warren Buffett owns BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) railroad, the 2nd largest freight railroad in the US, with only UP (Union Pacific) being bigger. But BNSF hauls more oil, you know, like the 750 cars a day I mentioned earlier, than the UP does. So every new pipeline that goes online means less money for him. And just to sweeten the pot, ole Warren is supposedly behind the Keystone XL cancellation as well.
Now, one last, well, not actually a conspiracy theory, but maybe just a theory theory that’s going around.
Why, out of over 50 tribes, are the Standing Rock Sioux so against the path of the pipeline when it’s not even going through their land?
Well, the theory is, because it’s not going through their land!
The Stand Rock tribe is broke. They received a $48 million settlement from the Federal Government in 2012, but spent it all. They had a $6 million deficit in their 2015 budget. So now the tribe is playing hardball.
Stay with me here. It’ll all make sense in a minute.
The pipeline took the path it did, following an already-existing pipeline, because that’s where the Corps of Engineers said it should go. It would be the least disturbance to the environment, and bypass the Indian lands completely.
But remember those 50 other tribes? Many of them got millions of dollars because the pipeline right of way went through their land. But because of the Corps of Engineers’ decision, the Standing Rock Sioux got left out. So the theory goes that when enough zeros show up on a check, suddenly they’ll be perfectly fine with the pipeline.
After all, the Standing Rock Tribal Chairman, Dave Archambault, owns a convenience store and gasoline station on the reservation and is happy to sell gas to both protesters and police alike.
Of course the more cynical among us might say that the entire problem with the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Keystone XL Pipeline will be made moot sometime during the afternoon of January 20th.
December 14, 2017
It Was The . . .
Jan and I left the rig a little after 1pm heading up to the Clear Lake area.
Our first stop was King Food for our usual delicious meal of Hot & Sour Soup and Extra Spicy Chicken with Jalapenos in Hot Garlic Sauce. We’ve been eating here for so long that when we walked in this afternoon, the owner asked, “The usual?”
While we were eating, I got a text message from Amazon saying my new Echo Dot had been delivered to my client, so after we were done, we went by to pick it up.
Then it was on to Staples to make a return of some card stock we didn’t need and then it was on up the Interstate to the Wal-Mart for some gifts and supplies.
I had hoped to get home early enough to install the new awning, but didn’t quite make it. I wanted to make sure I had plenty of daylight to finish the job in one session. So now it’s put off until Saturday morning sometime. I hope.
Getting home I set up the the new Echo Dot and installed it in the bedroom. Besides the usual Alexa stuff, we’ll also be able to use it as an intercom between the Echo in the front of the coach and the Dot in the bedroom. It’s called Drop-In, and once it’s set up you just say, “Alexa, drop in on the bedroom” and you’re in communication.
I mentioned a couple of times in earlier blogs about the video/audio blackouts that I was experiencing on our Direct TV DVR/Samsung TV.
Since the blackouts weren’t recorded, but only seen on live TV, I pretty much eliminated a problem with the DVR. And I eliminated the HDMI cable between the DVR and TV by plugging and unplugging it, and wiggling it along the entire length with nary a glitch.
So I was narrowing it down to the TV itself. I did try swapping inputs but the problem still occurred. But before I looked into replacing the TV under our Wal-Mart extended warranty, for some reason I swapped out the HDMI cable with the longer one that connects my computer to the TV.
And after two days the problem had not reoccurred. And then when I swapped the original cable back in, it no longer worked at all. For about 30 seconds, and then it started to work again.
And again, shaking the cable and twisting it didn’t make any difference.
Then that evening when we came home the screen was pink with no audio. And once again, no amount of plugging, unplugging, twisting, shaking, wiggling, etc. made any difference to the picture.
So I swapped the long cable back and ordered a new one from Amazon which should be here tomorrow. So it was the cable.
What I still don’t understand is why the cable was acting like this. There are no active components, just wires. And if there’s a problem, it should be sensitive to any kind of vibration. But every now and then you come across something that makes you say WTH?
Then you just accept it and move on.
December 14, 2018
Jan Feels Better Now . . .
Today was Jan’s 2nd checkup after her left eye cataract surgery last Thursday. We left the rig a little before 8am for her 8:35am appointment up in Alvin. And it took a bit, but she feels better now.
As I mentioned yesterday, Jan was really unhappy with the remaining blurriness in her eye, and was afraid that the operation had gone awry. Not exactly the words she used, but I can’t use those words here.
Part of the problem was the number of our friends that were apparently seeing perfectly the next day. And Jan wasn’t. I told her she just needed to give it a little more time, and then get new lenses for her glasses once her eye had stabilized. And the doctor pretty much told her the same thing. And what he said explained what the problem really was.
The problem was not with her eye. He said her eye was doing fine, and would finally settle down in 2 or 3 weeks. He said her real problem, the blurriness, was actually being caused by her glasses.
Once the cataract was removed, the prescription in her left lens was about 10X more powerful than she now needed.
So, of course it was blurry. Just like wearing someone else’s glasses. But I don’t think she really believed this until we got back to the rig and did what the doctor suggested, and just removed the left lens from her glasses.
The doctor said that, of course it wouldn’t be perfect, but it would be much, much better. And that with the correct lenses in a month or so, she would have 20/20 vision in that eye. In fact, in both eyes, once she got the right eye done.
So Jan feels better now.
She’s got another checkup on January 9th which is when she should get her final prescription. Then we’ll just order a new lens, and get started on the right eye.
I spent most of the day at work going back and forth with UPS International trying to arrange the pickup of two 20# packages in Edmonton, AB, Canada, to be shipped back here to us. We do this fairly often, even from overseas, but this is the first time we’ve really had any problems. And it’s still not worked out.
I guess that’s what Monday’s are for.
For dinner Jan was in the mood for Chili’s ribs again, so we headed back over there around 4:30. Jan got the Full Rack this time so we could share,
along with my Grilled Chicken Caribbean Salad.
Jan gets the Honey-Chipotle sauce which has a nice little kick to it. Really good.
Finishing up, maybe it’s just me, but it sure seems like that if you’re going to go to all the trouble to get a domain name and a website to advertise your house for sale, you could put a little more effort into the sign announcing that fact.
But, again, maybe that’s just me.
December 14, 2019
Cart X 2 , , ,
Today was our first real day to just zone out and do nothing since we got back from New York. But as Jan says about me, ‘I don’t do nothing well.’ So after goofing off in the morning, I spent some time in the afternoon finishing up a project that I kind of started before we left on our trip.
Back in 2014 we bought this Chrome Kitchen Cart on Amazon.
It resides in the area where the slide occupies when it’s pulled in. So we roll it into the bathroom and bungee it in place when we travel. Since we’re always looking for more storage space, recently I checked online to see if a taller one was available, or maybe an extension for this one, but no luck.
But in looking the cart over, I pulled off the plastic caps that covered the top of the 4 support rods and found that they were hollow inside, and about 12” deep.
Grabbing a 7/16” dowel rod I had, I found it a perfect fit, and this gave me an idea, so I ordered a 2nd cart from Amazon, a great deal for only about $33.
But since it only came in a few days before we NYC’d, today was the first day I’ve had a chance to get back on it.
The included wheels screw into a threaded insert at the bottom of the rod. So I purchased a couple of hanger bolts like this, in the same 1/4” – 20 thread as the wheels.
Then I drilled a starter hole in the two dowel rods and screwed in the bolts, giving me this.
I only did this on two of the support rods, using long machine bolts for the other two, figuring this will lock everything in place, and also save me buying another dowel rod.
Screwing the dowels into the support rods gave me this.
And then putting it all together gave me this,
complete with our Moose On A Shelf.
And Jan’s really happy with all the new space, and that’s the important thing.
I’m still going through all our NYC photos, so stay tuned.
December 14, 2020
A Full Deck . . .
I took a dive into Privacy.com this morning to give it a try. For you latecomers, Privacy.com is a (free) service that allows you to create one-time credit cards, or cards locked to a particular account. You can also set weekly, monthly, yearly, or even overall total charges.
Starting out, I set up 5 cards for particular accounts, our two storage rooms, our EZ-Tag account, and our Acorn TV, and CBS All Access streaming services.
This took me about 10 minutes total. Then I went to each of the accounts and entered the card information and save it off.
Easy Peazy!
Then as a test, I created a one-time card and then immediately used it to buy something online. And it went through fine.
But when I tried to use that same number a few minutes later for another charge, it was declined. Just like it should be.
So far, I’m very impressed with Privacy.com, especially since I’m using the free version. This one lets me create 12 cards, of any type, per month. Then for $10 per month I can create 36 cards per month, plus I get a 1% cashback refund on purchases
So far I’m very impressed. But I’ll keep you informed.
Last up, a Miss Piper update.
When I told you about her graduating from college tomorrow, I forgot to mention that she’s graduating from the University of Houston, and she has a 4.0 GPA.
Way to Go, Miss Piper!
December 14, 2021
Katfish Kountry . . .
Jan and I were out the door this morning about 9:15, earlier than I like, but for a good cause. We were meeting friends Debi and Ed Hurlburt, up at Vernon’s Kountry Katfish in Conroe.
We used to eat here quite often when were regularly staying at the Lake Conroe Thousand Trails, but according to the blog we haven’t eaten there since January 2016. So it was good to get a chance to try it again.
Jan got the Combo Platter, with Fried Catfish, Fried Shrimp, and Fried Oysters, along Sweet Potato Fries and Fried Okra.
Plenty left to take home.
I went old-school and had the Small Catfish Plate, along with a cup of their Seafood Gumbo.
And as is usual in our previous get-togethers, we spent over 3 hours before we all headed home.
Always great to see Debi and Ed, and we’ve already scheduled for next month.
And, is there anything it can’t do?
Taking Viagra cuts the risk of Alzheimer’s by up to 69 percent
Taking Viagra slashes Alzheimer’s risk by two-thirds, research suggests.
Scientists claim the love drug may help boost brain health and cut levels of toxic proteins that trigger dementia.
Experts analyzed data on 7.2 million US adults and found regular users had a 69 percent lower chance of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s over the next six years.
Medics say the findings, published in the journal Nature Aging, suggest the little blue pill could soon be prescribed to tackle dementia.
They are planning a fresh study to test the benefits of sildenafil — the generic version of Viagra — in early Alzheimer’s patients
December 14, 2022
A Christmas Interview . . .
Our grandson Landon called me this evening to interview me for a class project. He wanted to know about my Christmases as a child, I.e.,
My all-time favorite gift – My Lionel .027 gauge Train Set when I was 10.
Other favorite gifts over the years –
A Winchester .22 Semi-Auto Rifle
Geniac Analog Computer Kit
Allstate Moped
How Christmas is different now from when I was a kid – When I was a kid Christmas was for me. Now Christmas is for Jan, our kids, and grandkids.
How was Christmas celebrated back then as opposed to now – It seemed more family-oriented back then. More decorations and lights in the towns and homes. Big department stores downtown with animated displays in the windows. And the Sears Wish Book Christmas Catalog.
Biggest change in Christmas decorations – LED Lights and Blow-up Yard Decorations.
What are your thoughts?
Earlier this evening my HP printer started printing out recipes for Christmas eats. Microwave Peanut Brittle, Chocolate Covered Cherries, and Saltine Toffee Cookies. But I wasn’t the one doing the printing.
Looks like going to have to password protect my printer WiFi. Never had a problem before though.
I do wonder though why they kept printing out recipes when nothing was happening on their end.
But they do look tasty.
Tomorrow we’re heading up to the Spring area for our monthly get-together with Debi and Ed Hurlburt at El Palenque Mexican Restaurant. On our way by about 9:45.
Really looking forward to it.
December 14, 2023
Rudy, Rudy, Rudy . . .
Lunch today was at the Rudy’s BBQ up in Webster, but on the way we made a P.O. stop to drop off this year’s Christmas cards.
Jan got the Loaded Baked Potato with Lean Brisket, as well as 8 oz. of Lean Brisket, or Dry and Chewy, as I call it. I got 8 oz. of Moist Brisket, with a lot of Outside Bark. Plus there’s a half link of their Jalapeno Cheddar Sausage down in there too.
Plus a pint of their Cream Corn. Jan doesn’t really like corn, but she loves Rudy’s.
And we’ve got plenty for dinner tomorrow night.
Nice!
Regular readers know how much I like weird facts. Well, really just anything weird, I guess.
But this is a good one.
The last surviving witness to Lincoln’s assassination lived long enough to share his story on TV
Samuel Seymour was 5 years old when he witnessed Lincoln’s shooting on April 14, 1865 at Ford’s Theater. And he was 95 years old when he appeared on “I’ve Got A Secret” in 1955.
Seymour was 5 years old when he went to see the play “Our American Cousin” with his nurse, Sarah Cook, and Mrs. Goldsboro, the wife of his father’s employer.
When Booth shot Lincoln, he pulled the trigger during the biggest laugh of the night so that it wouldn’t be heard. What caught Seymour’s attention was when Booth fell from the balcony after a scuffle with Henry Reed Rathbone.
Chaos erupted in the theater and Seymour was ushered out by his nurse. While they fled he overheard people screaming, “Lincoln’s shot! The President is dead!”
You can check out the segment here:
Other facts along these lines are these –
Cleopatra lived closer to the Moon Landing than the building of the Pyramids.
Oxford University in England is older than the Aztecs. Oxford was established in 1249 A.D., while the Aztecs first appeared around 1325 A.D.
or
The Wooly Mammoth was still around when the Pyramids were being built.
Finishing up, the latest is State Fair food has been announced.
We’ve had Deep Fried Twinkies, Deep Fried Sticks Of Butter (yes, really), and Deep Fried Bananas.
And now, Deep Fried Bacon-Wrapped Oreos.
You get the feeling that pretty much anything Deep Fried is going to be good. Or Country Fried.
Pretty much anything Country Fried is going to be good, too.
What A Difference A Day (And Night) Makes . . .
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After a rough night, that looked like this,
and this,
we awoke to this.
Much nicer.
We decided to have breakfast at the Windjammer Buffet this morning, and I grabbed a shot of their Christmas Village, complete with a train. I was hoping it would be lit like it was the first time we saw it.
I guess someone forgot to plug it in.
Since we didn’t have coffee with breakfast, we stopped off at Café Latte-tudes for some lattes. Turns out that the place is kind of a stealth Starbucks. It uses Starbucks cups and the Starbucks drink sizes, I.e., Tall, Grande, and Venti. But otherwise, the name is not to be found. But my Caramel Macchiato is really good.
And here’s another shot from Deck 11 down the Centrum to Deck 4.
Since our original excursion, the Kohundlich Mayan Ruins, had already been cancelled, Jan and I never left the ship today. Jan checked out some things around the ship, while I napped and computered.
Then around noon, she went back down to Café Latte-tudes for a couple of sandwiches and some pastries for lunch and later.
Though we were short one member for dinner (George wasn’t feeling well), we had a good time and the usual great food, starting with Jan’s Shrimp Cocktail,
my Tom Yum Soup, which is a Thai hot and sour soup with Shrimp and Coconut Milk.
For her entree, Jan got the Shrimp Pad Thai, paired with my
Kung Pao Chicken. Really hot and spicy. Note all the red peppers.
For dessert, we again couldn’t decide, so we split 3 desserts, starting with the Matcha Passion Fruit Cake,
and then moving on to the Banh Flan, with Coconut Custard.
And finishing with the Royal Chocolate Cake.
Tomorrow morning, I’m signed up for the All Access Ship Tour, which covers the Engine Control Room, the Bridge, the Galley, the Environmental Room, and I-95, the long corridor that runs the length of the ship.
Can’t wait.
Thought for the Day:
And Now On To Today’s Retro-Blogs.™
December 13, 2010
Spicy Chicken and PowerBall . . .
I got an early start because I had a lot of errands to take care of today.
First off, it was rent day, so on my way out of the park, I stopped by the office to drop off a check, and also tossed a bag of garbage in the dumpster.
Then it was on to Fry’s Electronics to straighten out a rebate receipt problem, and after that, I went up to Sam’s Club to pick up some Joint Juice, and a few other things.
As I was leaving Sam’s I heard from a client who was back in her office, so I drove over to drop off her laptop that I had been fixing a boot problem on.
On my way back toward the rig I stopped by Kroger’s to get some Mega-Millions and PowerBall lotto tickets. and then picked up lunch from Wendy’s. They have a great Spicy Chicken Sandwich, and their new Natural Cut Fries are pretty tasty too.
Later, about 3:30 I drove over to Dickinson to Bay Colony RV Park to pick up a computer from a friend. His son’s computer had contracted a virus and wanted me to take a look at it.
December 13, 2011
Bingo and BBQ . . .
After coffee, this morning started out with chores around the rig, working on the Christmas tree, fixing a drawer slide, etc. Then about 12:30 Jan and I headed into Clear Lake to take care of some errands and see a couple of clients.
First thing, I dropped Jan off to get her hair done while I went by the bank, and then Brandi’s to pick up a package that had come in. Then it was getting gas and stopping off at Lowe’s for a few things.
Next, I checked in on a couple of clients, the last one being the one with the AT&T DSL problem. I called Customer Service to complain about being charged for a new DSL modem. They said they’d check it out and call me back within one hour.
Guess what? I’m still waiting!
By this time we’d kill enough time that it was time to go pick up our granddaughter Piper for Bingo.
We then ended up at Rudy’s BBQ for supper. Brisket and Jalapeno Sausage, MMM MMM Good!
Our friend Maria picked up Jan and Piper about 6:30 and I headed back to the rig for a couple of hours. Then about 9:30 I headed down to La Marque to pick them up.
And, as it turns out, Jan won a $100.00 jackpot. Not bad at Christmas time.
December 13, 2012
We Missed It . . .
and I’m sorry I didn’t alert you ahead of time. This past Saturday was Time Traveler Day.
This was the day you are supposed to run up to someone on the street and frantically ask them, “What year is it, what year is it?”. When they tell you, you say “Thank God there’s still time”, and then run off down the street.
If you have my twisted sense of humor, you’ll think this is as hilarious as I do. Jan doesn’t.
Out walking the other day, Jan and I saw this small camper who apparently travel with its own rock garden.
The rocks don’t look like they’re from anywhere local so they must carry them around with them. But they’ve gotta weigh almost as much as the camper, and with all the plants, take up most of the space. Must be tight in there.
After three days of house repairs, I took the day off today, and except for juggling some client problems on the phone, pretty much did nothing but play on the computer.
Then a little before 5 Jan and I headed up to Clear Lake to meet Chris, Linda, and Piper, and finally get to eat at Franca’s. And we got an extra surprise when Piper brought her boyfriend Casey along.
As we left we got to talk with Franca for a few minutes and reminded her that when we first started eating there, she was 7 and running around playing with our daughter Brandi, who was 5 at the time. In fact this coming Monday the 17th, it will be 34 years since we first ate there.
After a great dinner, we all checked out Piper’s new car in the parking lot. She’s really proud of it as you can tell.
It’s a 2008 VW Eos, a sports coupe with a retractable hardtop that folds into the truck.
Leaving Franca’s Jan and I headed over to Brandi and Lowell’s to pick up our mail and get in our Landon hugs. It’s really rewarding the way his face lights up when he sees us.
Not sure yet what’s on tap for tomorrow. Just have to wait and see.
December 13, 2013
Yappy Dog-Free Zone . . .
We just took it easy this morning, enjoying coffee and cranberry muffins. Couldn’t be better.
We did get some neighbors later in the morning. The two sites to our right had been empty for a week or so, but two rigs pulled in to fill them up. Turned out to be a couple of Marathon refinery workers who’ll be here until August. And even better they don’t have any yappy dogs. In fact we have a yappy dog-free zone on both sides of us, which makes us happy. And Mister too.
The day was pretty drizzily-foggy and got worse as the day wore on. The perfect day for just staying in the rig, but technology intervened.
I was trying to print out Jan’s Christmas letter, but my HP printer wouldn’t. It would start pulling the paper in, but then wouldn’t pull the paper through as it started printing. I took it apart to check for jams or shreds of paper but found no problems. I used an emery board to rough up the rubber rollers so they would grip the paper. I did all the standard things you do, but with no luck.
So, since I only paid $29 for this one a couple of years ago, I figured It was time for a new one, rather than spend more time fooling with this one. So off to Wal-Mart it was.
We headed out about 3:30 with a first stop at Chick-fil-A for linner. Jan had the Chicken Salad sandwich and I had a really good Spicy Chicken sandwich. And of course their great homemade lemonade.
Then it was on to Wal-Mart. While we were there we did our normal shopping and I picked up a new HP 2542 printer for $49. And for the extra $20 over the last one, I’m getting wireless printing, and scanning/copying.
But getting back home, I ran into a problem with the printer. It would not see the color cartridge. I removed the cartridge and reinstalled it several times. Since my old and new printers use the same cartridge, I installed the one from my old printer with the same result.
So it was back to Wal-Mart to get a new one. Only to find that since we were there this afternoon, they had sold the other two on the shelf. So I’ll try another Wal-Mart tomorrow.
Bah, humbug.
December 13, 2014
Frankly, My Dear . . .
I went ahead and ordered the new Transfer Switch today, which should be here Tuesday or Wednesday. I had it sent to Brandi’s in Katy because I don’t know where we’ll be by then. We’re hoping to hear something from Galveston Bay RV Resort the first part of next week, but you never can tell.
We know we won’t be moving on Monday because we’ll be in Austin checking out the Gone With The Wind exhibit at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas. Commemorating the 75th anniversary of the movie, the exhibit showcases many of the dresses worn by Vivian Leigh, scripts used by the actors, and even screen tests of the many actors who auditioned for the movie.
Afterward we plan on eating at Trudy’s, a Mexican restaurant near the campus where Brandi went to college, and where we used to eat every time we came to visit her. So we’re really looking forward to it.
About 3:30 we headed up to Peter’s BBQ for dinner. Peter’s is one place we always eat when we’re in the area. Great BBQ, and even better, are the many great sides they have. Green beans, corn on the cob, sweet potatoes, carrots, boiled carrots, pinto beans, and more. And for dessert, there’s banana pudding, peach cobbler and ice cream. All for the price of just BBQ and two sides at other places. Great!
A little while after we got home, Tom & Lily Christian came over from their rig across the street to talk about gate guarding. They’ve worked for Timekeepers the last several years and wanted to compare notes. But as it turned out, Tom and I had other things in common, both have spent time working at White Sands Missile Range and other places, Tom with the Army and me with NASA.
We stayed outside talking until we got so cold we had to come in for the night. Hopefully we’ll have a chance to get together again before we leave.
Lowell and Landon usually go out for Starbuck’s on weekends to let Brandi sleep in.
Of course Landon only has chocolate milk and a sucker.
Then later, the afternoon found Landon in a serious discussion with Santa concerning his upcoming visit.
Can’t leave anything to chance.
December 13, 2015
Called On Account Of . . .
Tornados, Rain, and Wind.
Well, our 10am departure for Galveston this morning was canceled due to all the bad weather running around the area. But since our friend Linda is leaving Galveston tomorrow morning, driving to Dallas, we decided that we would meet in Conroe for lunch tomorrow instead. And that works for us since it’s about 20 miles closer for us on the round trip than Galveston.
But since I was already up about 9am, Jan took the opportunity to lure me out with the idea of breakfast at Schobel’s Restaurant over in Columbus, so we headed out about 9:30. With all the rain we had last night and early this morning, I was interested to see what the river crossing coming into the park would look like.
In fact, early this morning, a little after 5am, I listened to some of the loudest rain hitting the rig that I’ve ever heard. It seemed to be lashing the coach in sheets, over and over. But what was very unusual is that there was no horizontal wind rocking the coach like you would expect with this blowing rain, so it must have been coming down vertically.
And when we got to the bridge it was easy to see that all the rain had had an effect on the water level
Even though it was several inches deep over the bridge, our Dodge Dakota with its high clearance, made it across with no problems. But the way the river crossing looked here reminded Jan and me of the Little Blanco River crossing near the home of our late friend Gina’s house near Wimberley, TX.
Like a lot of these crossings in this area, the water is flowing over the bridge most of the year, but usually not deep enough to be a problem.
But if you are careless enough to gun your SUV as you’re heading up the hill, you might find yourself suddenly sliding sideways off the road and into the creek due to the slick concrete. So, don’t do that.
Coming out after our really good breakfast at Schobel’s, I saw this very nice trike out in the parking lot. Nice looking V-8 engine.
It’s hard to see clearly, but it seats 3, with the driver sitting in the middle steering using regular bike handlebars, while the gear shift appears to be a standard auto stick shift. The two passengers sit on either side of the driver.
I think a setup like this makes more sense than the Polaris Slingshot reverse trike we saw at the Lake Conroe Thousand Trails a couple of weeks ago.
While I guess the Slingshot is a little flashier, it’s certainly not very practical for inclement weather.
Our next stops were the Wal-Mart and HEB right across the street for a few things. With the cold, rainy weather I decided to whip up a batch of my famous (well, Jan really likes it.) Chicken Tortilla Soup so we picked up what we needed that we didn’t already have at home.
Back at the rig, I got out the slow cooker and got to work. First up was to slice and then poach the chicken breasts in chicken broth. Adding salt and pepper, I let it go for a couple of hours, until the meat was done and tender enough to be pulled apart with a fork.
Then I sliced up the jalapeno and Serrano peppers and dumped them in the cooker,
along with a can of Rotel Habanero tomatoes, a can of Hunt’s diced tomatoes, a can of black beans, a package of frozen kernel corn, and half a package of frozen chopped onions.
Next I added some coarsely chopped cilantro,
some cumin, and a few other seasonings. Then, after a taste test, and Jan’s approval, I put the lid on and let it go for a couple of hours.
At this point, I took a very nice nap, and when I got up, the smell of the soup permeated the coach. Very nice to wake up to.
Checking the cooker, I saw it was looking good, and just about ready.
I started dishing it out into bowls,
and then garnished it with shredded Monterey Jack and Queso Fresco cheeses.
Mmm! Mmm! Good!
Finishing up, our son-in-law Lowell sent over these photos of Landon’s Santa visit for this year.
Looks like he’s trying to convince Santa he really was a good boy this year.
December 13, 2016
Cookkkiieeess . . .
said like Cookie Monster
Jan has hosed out the hollow tree, yelled at the drunken elves, and started turning out Christmas cookies. She does candy cane cookies, rum balls, wedding cookies, and Rollo-Pretzel treats, all of them delicious. Then she bundles them up on decorative plates, and then we pass them out to friends and family. But this year it will be all friends and coworkers. They’re in for a treat.
I’m not sure what happened since I was at this gate a couple of weeks ago, but both 3G and 4G speeds have dropped off drastically. It took almost 15 minutes to upload the blog last night, but at least it’s just slow, and not dropping out all the time.
I mentioned last night about the new flare stack here at this site since I last worked here. Well, about 3am I noticed that the landscape out my front window toward the highway was tinted red. Turning around, I saw that our stack here had started up in high gear, not flaming oil high, but high enough,
In fact, at times the flare was higher than the top of the crane. But the fog made it hard to get a good focus on a shot. But as before I could feel the heat.
So far tonight it’s staying pretty normal, but we’ll see as the night progresses.
A week or so ago I mentioned that I was going to do an article on what’s really going on with the whole North Dakota Access Pipeline kerfuffle. But the research is taking a little longer than I had thought because there are so many different sides to it, more than just for or against.
I’ve read everything from the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, through the right-wing and left-wing conspiracy blogs, down to individual bloggers in the area, and on both sides on the controversy.
In fact, going from article to article, it’s sometimes hard to tell they’re all talking about the same thing. But hopefully I’ll be able to lay it all out for you so that it makes sense.
I hope.
Tomorrow is my last day here at this gate, at least for now, and although it will cut into my sleep a little, Jan and I are having Chicken & Dumplings and Hamburger Steak at Barth’s once again.
December 13, 2017
Pizza and Ocean Blue . . .
On my way home from work I detoured over by Sundowner Canvas to pick our finished awning and dropped off the old one.
Karma thinks the Ocean Blue looks pretty good.
I’ll install the new one tomorrow afternoon and then let them know how it fits. Then they can do the other rear one.
I mentioned a couple of days ago that I was going to take a look at our friend Bob’s Kindle. It would no longer charge so I thought I’d pop it open and see what I could do. And unfortunately, that was not much.
First thing I did was check the voltage from the wall charger which showed 5.5 volts, right on target.
This is a first-generation Kindle, one that probably a lot of you have never seen.
It debuted on November 19, 2007 and cost $400. The first run sold out in five and a half hours and was out of stock for the next five months.
Besides the hardware keyboard, another difference is the fact that the charge connection is separate from the data connection.
The first thing I noticed is that when you plug the charger connector in, it doesn’t seem to touch anything, just moves around in the hold.
So taking out the screws under the back cover, I popped the case open.
And it was quickly evident why it wasn’t charging, and why there was no connection.
The entire inside connector had melted and broken loose from the circuit board. So it’s pretty much toast.
BUT . . . if you were really determined to save it, you could solder two wires to the circuit board contacts and then run them out the old charge connector hole. Then you could install a new connector on the wires and a matching one on the charger wire.
It wouldn’t be pretty, but it would work. However, the time involved probably wouldn’t be worth it for a 10? year old device when you can buy a new Kindle Fire for $50.
For dinner tonight we decided to hit up the Grimaldi’s Pizzeria at Baybrook Mall. After thinking about it, it’s been nine months since we last were at a Grimaldi’s and that was this past March in Tucson at the 57th Escapade, where we had dinner with our friends Chris and Charles Yust.
So it was about time for another slice.
After our Chopped Kale Salad, we got the big (18”) pizza with Pepperoni, Mushrooms, Italian Sausage, and Meatballs.
Cooked in their Coal-Fired Brick Oven, it doesn’t get any better than this. And we also get the big so we can eat half and take the other half home for leftovers. Yumm!
December 13, 2018
A Texas Two Season Day . . .
Today was my second, and hopefully last, treatment in my recent series of head scorchings. But for some reason it wasn’t as bad as last time’s scorching.
Just like last time, they took me in about 11:30, and after the Dr. checked out my previous torturing, he used a roll-on type of dispenser to cover my head in the photo-reactive lotion. Then it was hurry up and wait while it dried for the next two hours as I sat out in the waiting room reading on my Galaxy Tab 4.
Then it was back up the UV light for another 16 minutes and 40 seconds of a headful of angry bees. Or at least that’s what it felt like.
But this time, instead of the little handheld battery-powered fan I got last time, this nurse, a different one from my previous visit, gave me a large fan to hold in my lap that worked much better. And she even gave me a pillow to prop up my head in the chair.
Which meant, since for some reason it just didn’t ‘burn’ as much as last time, I actually dozed off, and didn’t wake up until the machine shut off and it got really quiet.
The other difference, and one that I think contributed to much less after-pain, was that she had me wash my head at the sink with really cold water for several minutes. Then she rubbed a cooling lotion on my head. And unlike last time, within an hour my head really didn’t hurt anymore. Nice.
I had brought some Hydrocortisone packets with me, but didn’t need them either.
She did seem kind of surprised that none of this was done last time. I wish it had been done this way too.
I’m supposed to go back in a couple of months for a final checkup, then hopefully I’ll be done with this.
Finishing up there it was off to have lunch at East Star Chinese Buffet, another of our favorites. But it was our first time back since we went to Florida the first part of October, and we realized we missed it.
Then it was a stop by the Lowe’s looking for a couple of things that we didn’t find, and HEB for another bag of the Lola Savannah Texas Pecan Coffee, presently our favorite flavor.
After that, it was home and a nap.
Today was another one of those Texas Two Season Days. You know, the ones where it’s 75°+ during the day and you’re running both of the rig AC’s, and then it’s in the high 30’s – low 40’s at night and you’re running both heaters.
At least it’s not boring.
Tomorrow morning is Jan’s checkup with her eye surgeon after cataract surgery a week ago. And right now Jan is not a happy camper, or maybe not a happy patient. It’s only been a week, but Jan is not happy with how her eye recovery is progressing.
Based on things other people had said about their surgery, she expected her vision to be better by now. So we’ll have to see what the doctor says.
With the ordering of Landon’s last gift from Amazon, we’re pretty much done with our Christmas shopping for this year. We got him this robotics kit that lets him build and program 8 different robots. Then he can control them through his iPad.
And he can build ones like this,
or this.
Knowing Landon he’s going to love it.
December 13, 2020
Snoozing On A Sunday . . .
Jan and I left the right about 1pm this afternoon, in the middle of the rain that had been going on since Oh Dark Thirty this morning. And it didn’t really slack off all day.
The reason for all the rain is the front coming through, taking today’s mid-70’s temps down to 41° tonight, leaving us with daytime temperatures in the low-50’s in the daytime and the low-40’s at night, continuing for the next few days.
Our first stop was for brunch at our perennial favorite Snooze. And being Sunday, we had about a 15 minute wait before we got seated. We’ve eating here since the day they opened, long enough for several servers to wave and say ‘HI’.
After Jan’s Bravocado Toast
and my Shrimp & Grits,
both as good as always, it was on back down to the HEB for some groceries before we headed over to the Santa Fe PO to check our mail, ending up with a stop at the nearby Jack in the Box for Frozen Pumpkin Spice Lattes.
All still in the pouring rain.
I’ve been looking at a new service called Privacy.com.
It’s a service that allows you to generate your own personal credit card numbers to use online. They can be for one-time use only, I.e. burner cards. Or you can create cards that are locked to one Payee, I.e. your cable company, power company, etc.
You can also select a spending limit, with these limits per transaction, per month, per year, or total. So, if your Netflix bill is $10.99 a month, you can set your card to decline any transactions over $11. So you can’t get phantom charges that you’re not expecting.
And even better, if you’ve ever tried to cancel a service and they keep charging you until you finally had to cancel the card to get them to stop, this will solve that problem With a Privacy.com card, you can cancel it at any time.
The reviews of the service seem to be pretty good, so I’ll be checking it out, and I’ll let you know how it goes.
December 13, 2022
A White Christmas?
Lunch today was at our new local Barcenas Mexican Kitchen here in the League City area. We first ate at this one back the end of October after the Wing Over Houston Airshow.
But we’ve been eating at their Friendswood location since it opened in 1998, especially convenient since it was located right outside our Heritage Park subdivision. And it was always delicious.
And today was no different.
Jan had the Tex-Mex Enchiladas with ground beef, the same thing she’s gotten for years.
And I stayed with my favorite Tacos al Carbon, with Beef Fajita Meat.
One thing we’ve noticed recently is that Mexican restaurants like Barcenas,
and our local Monterey’s,
seem to be veering away from the traditional Mexican decorating scheme with red, white, and green flags and tablecloths, multi-colored Christmas lights, banners, and serapes lining the walls.
In fact, except for the menus, it’s hard to tell you’re actually in a Mexican restaurant at all.
So much for ambiance, I guess.
And on the subject of restaurants, looks like we’ve got a number of new ones coming into our area.
Locally, Santa Fe is getting a Whataburger just north of us a couple of miles on Hwy 6. It’s supposed to open soon.
And we’re finally getting an In-And-Out Burger up by the new HEB on I-45, and a Shake Shack right off Bay Area Blvd and I-45.
And as I mentioned a while back, we’re getting a BoomerJack’s up in the same area, and they’ve already started clearing the land for construction.
Boomerjack’s is a Dallas-based sports bar concept, similar to Twin Peaks and Hooter’s, I.e. a breastaurant. With about 20 locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth, this is their first venture outside that area.
But what’s really interesting about this is their location.
It is literally right next door to our Twin Peaks! In fact it looks like they’ll be sharing a parking lot.
Decisions, Decisions.
It seems that long-range weather forecasts are talking about a possible snowy Christmas here in the Houston area. Some forecast models are showing an Arctic cold front moving into the state. And the last time this happened was December 1983 when we had a Christmas Day high of 28 and a low of 11°.
And in 2004 we did have a Christmas Eve snow. It started coming down while we were having our traditional Christmas Eve dinner at King Food, and by the time we left there was a couple of inches on the ground.
Here’s hoping, I guess.
December 13, 2023
La Bella Tavola & More . . .
Finishing this past Saturday in Cuero.
We had dinner tonight at the second of our two favorite places here, La Bella Tavola (The Beautiful Table), a really good Italian place.
As should be obvious, the place was originally a gas station that closed years ago. Since then it was a liquor store, a pet store, a boutique, and a couple of others that are lost in the mists of time.
And in fact, it only opened as La Bella a few weeks before we moved over to Cuero from Kenedy in late December 2016.
One thing we always enjoyed here was their hot fresh-baked Italian rolls. And they’re still just as delicious as before.
Jan got the Chicken Fettucine Alfredo,
while I got the Spaghetti Sampler with Meat Sauce, Meatballs, and Italian Sausage.
Really, really good, though it seems like that they previously used Angel Hair pasta for their Spaghetti, which I prefer.
Then it was right down the street to the Downtown Christmas area, where they had blocked off about 4 blocks of Main St. right in the middle of town.
I dropped Jan off right by all the shops while I went to find a parking spot. And by the time I tracked her down, she was well into Christmas gift buying, finding a lot of neat things.
After she hit up a number of the shops, we walked up the street checking out all the displays, and just people-watching, one of our favorite pastimes.
We had a great time revisiting Cuero, and have even talked about doing it again next year.
