I got four caches today...one on the way to church and three this afternoon after lunch. My wife helped and even found one on her own...all without a GPSr.
Not bad.
By the way, the Russian romance scammer found my blog...so I guess the gigs up. I hope they had as much fun as I did.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Old Time Radio
I was in a very foul mood today. I managed to strip/make the bed and vacuum the house, but that was about all. I really need to get the outside painted and the bushes trimmed. I know my wife will not let me do either since I don't do as good a job as she does. At least I work faster ;) .
Anyhoo, I researched several GZ's today and decided to go find as many as I could (again, without a GPSr) before I gave up.
I could not find the one at the rec center. There are 3 large wasp nests that are keeping me from looking any harder. Strike one.
I head over to the one near Bullingham but it has to be the best hidden 1.5 I have ever seen. I wonder if it is still there? Strike two.
I decide to go towards "Stalactite" but realize I am going to get we getting it and I was not dressed for that, so I put that one on hold. Foul ball.
Seriously frustrated, I decide to head over to Bethany Creek to get the micro in the park. As I am crusing by, I notice the park is full of muggles* , so run by the "Old Time Radio Cache". I am pretty sure I know where this one is, even without a GPS, but just as luck would have it...there is a muggle parked in his car, just sitting there in the church parking lot all by himself. Since he is going to see me if I stop, I just cruise toward Lucas to see if I know where "Three Legs To Stand On" is. I find the site, but get nervous because it is so open and on/near private property, so I go back OTRC. The muggle is STILL there, so I do a big loop (taking 10 minutes or so) and come back...and he was gone. I pull in to park and wait for a dog walked to move along when I go to the GZ and leave my trinket (a Killdare's decal) and sign the log.
Now that I have at least one find for the day, I decide to go back towards Bethany Creek and find the park...empty. I park and go into the smallish park and look around for a logical area to place a micro. There are lots of small trees but not many big enough to hide a micro easily. I manage to spot something and low and behold, it is the micro. I collect, sign, and return it quickly, enjoying the view of the duck pond.
With two finds, I feel happy enough that I can go back home and eat a quick dinner.
I now have four finds with a GPSr (and friends) and four solo. I think my wife and I can find a couple tomorrow.
*people who do not geocache. The object is to sign the log without letting anyone see you do it.
Anyhoo, I researched several GZ's today and decided to go find as many as I could (again, without a GPSr) before I gave up.
I could not find the one at the rec center. There are 3 large wasp nests that are keeping me from looking any harder. Strike one.
I head over to the one near Bullingham but it has to be the best hidden 1.5 I have ever seen. I wonder if it is still there? Strike two.
I decide to go towards "Stalactite" but realize I am going to get we getting it and I was not dressed for that, so I put that one on hold. Foul ball.
Seriously frustrated, I decide to head over to Bethany Creek to get the micro in the park. As I am crusing by, I notice the park is full of muggles* , so run by the "Old Time Radio Cache". I am pretty sure I know where this one is, even without a GPS, but just as luck would have it...there is a muggle parked in his car, just sitting there in the church parking lot all by himself. Since he is going to see me if I stop, I just cruise toward Lucas to see if I know where "Three Legs To Stand On" is. I find the site, but get nervous because it is so open and on/near private property, so I go back OTRC. The muggle is STILL there, so I do a big loop (taking 10 minutes or so) and come back...and he was gone. I pull in to park and wait for a dog walked to move along when I go to the GZ and leave my trinket (a Killdare's decal) and sign the log.
Now that I have at least one find for the day, I decide to go back towards Bethany Creek and find the park...empty. I park and go into the smallish park and look around for a logical area to place a micro. There are lots of small trees but not many big enough to hide a micro easily. I manage to spot something and low and behold, it is the micro. I collect, sign, and return it quickly, enjoying the view of the duck pond.
With two finds, I feel happy enough that I can go back home and eat a quick dinner.
I now have four finds with a GPSr (and friends) and four solo. I think my wife and I can find a couple tomorrow.
*people who do not geocache. The object is to sign the log without letting anyone see you do it.
Friday, September 28, 2007
One To Ponder
I managed to find a cache at Huffhines park today at lunch. That makes me feel better since I could not find the "roundabout" early this morning.
I now have six finds...four in WV with the help of friends and two on my own. Both of my solo ones are without a GPSr.
Go me.
I now have six finds...four in WV with the help of friends and two on my own. Both of my solo ones are without a GPSr.
Go me.
Gimme Three Steps
Maybe I should say, 12 steps, as ina 12 step program for addicts:
Hello, my name is El Gee and I am a Geocaching addict.
Hi, El Gee!
I do not even have a GPS and I am all into this Geocaching thing. Last night I found my first one without a GPS and today I am planning on hitting two or three more, again without GPS.
My style is very interesting...I use Geoaching.com, Google Earth/Maps, and my PDA.
First I log on to the geocaching web site and copy over the data from the caches I want to find into Palm desktop. Then I take the coordinates and plug them into Google Earth/Maps and zoom in as far as I can. The I take that picture and put it into Palm Desktop and synch. Now all the data I need is handy. I am not sure how well it will work but I am going to give it a try at lunch and on the way home.
I cannot imagine how hooked I would be if I had a GPS...
Hello, my name is El Gee and I am a Geocaching addict.
Hi, El Gee!
I do not even have a GPS and I am all into this Geocaching thing. Last night I found my first one without a GPS and today I am planning on hitting two or three more, again without GPS.
My style is very interesting...I use Geoaching.com, Google Earth/Maps, and my PDA.
First I log on to the geocaching web site and copy over the data from the caches I want to find into Palm desktop. Then I take the coordinates and plug them into Google Earth/Maps and zoom in as far as I can. The I take that picture and put it into Palm Desktop and synch. Now all the data I need is handy. I am not sure how well it will work but I am going to give it a try at lunch and on the way home.
I cannot imagine how hooked I would be if I had a GPS...
Thursday, September 27, 2007
A Day Of Firsts
Today I was scheduled for jury duty at 8:15 AM at the city municipal courts building. It was the first time I had been called for jury duty for our town, although I had been called for county duty a couple of years ago. I arrived early (imagine that...me early) and waited in a medium sized court room for 60 minutes with 36 other potentials when we were told that our services were not needed. The defendant pleaded out and we were free. So I got to go to work after all.
I had once case forwarded to me regarding an app I had not worked with before and after doing a bit of research I was able to guide the helpdesk person towards the answer. Everyone was happy.
I ate lunch at Wendy's (I rarely eat out during the week) and then went to Huffhines park and walked a lap. As I was walking I began to let my mind wander about geocaching and began to look for spots to hide caches. It was too hot to walk very far so after picking up a tennis ball for The Golden to play with (the tennis center never picks up the ones that go over the fence), I went back to work.
With Geocaching on my mine, I began to look online to see how many caches were close to work and home. I discovered (via geocaching.com) that there were three caches nearby...one a couple of blocks from work and two at Huffhines park. I told my TL about them and asked him if he wanted to go find one sometime. He said that it sounded like a good idea. I think we will look in the park for one soon. I am going to look for "the roundabout" at lunch tomorrow if it does not rain.
I also noticed that there were a couple near my house that I could possibly find if I looked hard enough, so I decided to give a go at one on my way home.
Now I must inform you that I do not have a GPS (yet!!) so need to I rely on clues and "spoilers" left by those who have already found the cache. So with that in mind, I figured out some basic info about the cache I was going to try first (across from Kroger's pharmacy, above head level, hidden in a tree) and then copied that data into my PDA. When I got to the location, I realized that there were 10+ trees in the area. Since it was in full view I needed to be quick and stealthy while I was looking for the microcache. Planning paid off...I found it quickly (the second tree I went to) and without a GPS. I updated my account on geocaching.com and then posted my good news to my buddies on pownce.com.
While the cache was just a log that needed to be signed, it was still exciting to find it. I cannot explain the feeling but it really is pleasant. My wife thinks I should work on a cache and hide it nearby. Personally I think it would be fun.
I had once case forwarded to me regarding an app I had not worked with before and after doing a bit of research I was able to guide the helpdesk person towards the answer. Everyone was happy.
I ate lunch at Wendy's (I rarely eat out during the week) and then went to Huffhines park and walked a lap. As I was walking I began to let my mind wander about geocaching and began to look for spots to hide caches. It was too hot to walk very far so after picking up a tennis ball for The Golden to play with (the tennis center never picks up the ones that go over the fence), I went back to work.
With Geocaching on my mine, I began to look online to see how many caches were close to work and home. I discovered (via geocaching.com) that there were three caches nearby...one a couple of blocks from work and two at Huffhines park. I told my TL about them and asked him if he wanted to go find one sometime. He said that it sounded like a good idea. I think we will look in the park for one soon. I am going to look for "the roundabout" at lunch tomorrow if it does not rain.
I also noticed that there were a couple near my house that I could possibly find if I looked hard enough, so I decided to give a go at one on my way home.
Now I must inform you that I do not have a GPS (yet!!) so need to I rely on clues and "spoilers" left by those who have already found the cache. So with that in mind, I figured out some basic info about the cache I was going to try first (across from Kroger's pharmacy, above head level, hidden in a tree) and then copied that data into my PDA. When I got to the location, I realized that there were 10+ trees in the area. Since it was in full view I needed to be quick and stealthy while I was looking for the microcache. Planning paid off...I found it quickly (the second tree I went to) and without a GPS. I updated my account on geocaching.com and then posted my good news to my buddies on pownce.com.
While the cache was just a log that needed to be signed, it was still exciting to find it. I cannot explain the feeling but it really is pleasant. My wife thinks I should work on a cache and hide it nearby. Personally I think it would be fun.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
That Answers One Question
My wife and our dog's vet have been trying to figure out what is causing our 13 year old to scratch all the time and we thing we have an answer. Our eldest dog is allergic to the same thing my wife and I are allergic to...ragweed. This year has been particularly hard on all three of us...my wife has been taking allergy medicine like candy and now that we know what is causing our pooch to be miserable, we can work on him, too. The vet suggested we put him back on Temorol (he had been on it short term before) and continue giving him his antihistamines to help keep him a little more comfortable.
Me? Oh I like to suffer and only take meds when I am in total agony. Really.
Me? Oh I like to suffer and only take meds when I am in total agony. Really.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
The Fallen
A couple of weeks ago when I was on vacation in WV, Knightmare Duck, Rycherox, and myself went to the grave of one of the original BSOB gang. Carp, as he was known (for his habit of fishing, swimming, and boating in a nasty river that flows through our home town), was a well liked but picked on chap who is covered in detail in my "Chronicles - Sad But True" link to the right. I had never been to his grave (neither had Rycherox), but KD had since he was a pall bearer at the funeral. Going to his grave has finally given me closure on his death. Up until then, we all kind of just thought of him as on a long vacation. Now we can get on with our lives, remembering Carp as he would want to be remembered.
I think of Carp often. Not only do I remember his antics, but I remember him as a friend who would do anything for anyone in need. Not to say that he was an angel...not by any means...but if you were his friend you were taken care of. If you ask any one of the surviving members of the BSOB gang they will tell you stories of Carp and his misadventures. Stories about his Mustang (what a piece of junk) to his step mom, "Boots" to his grandfather's "turtleback" and even his sister, who was named after a bottle of dish washing detergent (and I am not talking Dawn, either).
We have another member of the troupe who has "fallen" if rumor is true. "Stupid Bill" (see "Chronicles - Hey Stoopid!") has been MIA for several years. At one point he was living in Huntington, WV but rumor has it he ran into some trouble and moved to Georgia. He at one point was married but I am not sure if he still is. At one time I had his father's number and e-mail, but the e-mail address is not valid and I have not tried to call him. Oh well, maybe the e-mail address I found last night will be valid and SB's dad will contact me.
I think of Carp often. Not only do I remember his antics, but I remember him as a friend who would do anything for anyone in need. Not to say that he was an angel...not by any means...but if you were his friend you were taken care of. If you ask any one of the surviving members of the BSOB gang they will tell you stories of Carp and his misadventures. Stories about his Mustang (what a piece of junk) to his step mom, "Boots" to his grandfather's "turtleback" and even his sister, who was named after a bottle of dish washing detergent (and I am not talking Dawn, either).
We have another member of the troupe who has "fallen" if rumor is true. "Stupid Bill" (see "Chronicles - Hey Stoopid!") has been MIA for several years. At one point he was living in Huntington, WV but rumor has it he ran into some trouble and moved to Georgia. He at one point was married but I am not sure if he still is. At one time I had his father's number and e-mail, but the e-mail address is not valid and I have not tried to call him. Oh well, maybe the e-mail address I found last night will be valid and SB's dad will contact me.
Oay, Now I Feel A Little Guilty
I had plans to do some housework last night since my wife had done it the previous week AND since I did not do any last weekend. However, once I got home and got my wife out of the way, I was not motivated to do any work, so I watched MMA until bed time. Bad El Gee. I really need to make sure I do that tonight when I get home!
Rain is predicted the next three days (starting today). This may put a crimp in my camping plans, but we will jsut wait and see. It would be nice to get out in the woods for a couple of days.
Yesterday at work we had a plethora of calls from the help desk asking us to prioritize issues. I would not have minded but the help desk is getting worse about troubleshooting. They will get a screen shot but not much of a description of the problem. A screen shot out of context is useless. An example I can give happened yesterday. Customer was getting an error message when sending a print job to the network printer. The help desk assumed it was a print server issue. They captured a screen shot and that was just about all. They did not remap the printer, they did not try to map to the printer's IP address, and they didn't even go to the printer to power cycle it. Had they done that, would have realized their jobs were printing and not asked for a high priority ticket. This is just one of many cases we were handed yesterday. Only two warranted being called "high priority".
[Sigh]
Rain is predicted the next three days (starting today). This may put a crimp in my camping plans, but we will jsut wait and see. It would be nice to get out in the woods for a couple of days.
Yesterday at work we had a plethora of calls from the help desk asking us to prioritize issues. I would not have minded but the help desk is getting worse about troubleshooting. They will get a screen shot but not much of a description of the problem. A screen shot out of context is useless. An example I can give happened yesterday. Customer was getting an error message when sending a print job to the network printer. The help desk assumed it was a print server issue. They captured a screen shot and that was just about all. They did not remap the printer, they did not try to map to the printer's IP address, and they didn't even go to the printer to power cycle it. Had they done that, would have realized their jobs were printing and not asked for a high priority ticket. This is just one of many cases we were handed yesterday. Only two warranted being called "high priority".
[Sigh]
Monday, September 24, 2007
And I Don't Feel Guilty About It
I did practically nothing this weekend. I normally go hog wild and clean the house and mow grass but this weekend I didn't. Why? I was on call and just did not want to start something I could not easily finish. With us it is not IF you get called, but how many times you will get called.
Don't get me wrong, I did manage to do a few things. I washed dishes, helped with laundry, got may hair cut, put a new battery in the Dakota (quasi-warranty replacement). I did watch a lot of TV...none of it any good with the exception of "The War" on PBS last night. It really opened up my eyes to the horrors of WWII. I had no idea the Japanese were so ruthless.
I also managed to upload several pics to my Goole Picasa page. Several people had requested to see the photos so I re-organized them posted as many as I thought were worth posting. I am not a very good photographer.
No,I did not do a lot of productive stuff this weekend, but I plan on doing all the housework tonight and tomorrow night. Since I am off call, I hope to work (around the house) and enjoy myself!
Don't get me wrong, I did manage to do a few things. I washed dishes, helped with laundry, got may hair cut, put a new battery in the Dakota (quasi-warranty replacement). I did watch a lot of TV...none of it any good with the exception of "The War" on PBS last night. It really opened up my eyes to the horrors of WWII. I had no idea the Japanese were so ruthless.
I also managed to upload several pics to my Goole Picasa page. Several people had requested to see the photos so I re-organized them posted as many as I thought were worth posting. I am not a very good photographer.
No,I did not do a lot of productive stuff this weekend, but I plan on doing all the housework tonight and tomorrow night. Since I am off call, I hope to work (around the house) and enjoy myself!
Friday, September 21, 2007
Reality Check
I am not a fan of "reality" shows. As I have said many times in the past, "I get enough reality in real life...no need to watch it on TV." I have on occasion watched a reality show (if you count Tapout on Versus Network) but I am not a fan. I do not watch them, pure and simple.
Lat night, however, I strayed just a little. I was channel hopping (there was nothing on in our limited 30 channel range we subscribe to) and saw an attractive woman and a geeky looking guy interviewing people. During the next few minutes, I realized I was watching "Beauty and the Geek". Being a geek my self and having married a beauty, I was intrigued. It turned out to me like an auto accident...I knew I should look away but morbid curiosity kept me riveted.
The geeks were bad. Stereotypical pocket protector wearing, D&D playing, computer programming, Rubik's Cube solving nerds. These guys were asked questions about dating and what they were looking for in a woman. The answers were just what I expected. These guys had no social skills at all...worse than me! It was sad that on some levels I identified with those guys, but I think I am a bit more well rounded. My wife calls me her "geek" and I am honored to be that to her. I wear it as a badge of honor.
When they interviewed the "beauties", I knew what was going to happen and I was right. The women were stereotypical bubble headed, fashion conscious, shallow, gold diggers. The interviewers asked them simple questions that all of them messed up. I am glad my beauty is light years ahead of the ones I saw on TV last night.
One twist I would like to see on the show (and if it has been done or is in process all the better) would be for female geeks and good looking guys get chances. Geekiness is not limited to guys. TRUST ME.
Lat night, however, I strayed just a little. I was channel hopping (there was nothing on in our limited 30 channel range we subscribe to) and saw an attractive woman and a geeky looking guy interviewing people. During the next few minutes, I realized I was watching "Beauty and the Geek". Being a geek my self and having married a beauty, I was intrigued. It turned out to me like an auto accident...I knew I should look away but morbid curiosity kept me riveted.
The geeks were bad. Stereotypical pocket protector wearing, D&D playing, computer programming, Rubik's Cube solving nerds. These guys were asked questions about dating and what they were looking for in a woman. The answers were just what I expected. These guys had no social skills at all...worse than me! It was sad that on some levels I identified with those guys, but I think I am a bit more well rounded. My wife calls me her "geek" and I am honored to be that to her. I wear it as a badge of honor.
When they interviewed the "beauties", I knew what was going to happen and I was right. The women were stereotypical bubble headed, fashion conscious, shallow, gold diggers. The interviewers asked them simple questions that all of them messed up. I am glad my beauty is light years ahead of the ones I saw on TV last night.
One twist I would like to see on the show (and if it has been done or is in process all the better) would be for female geeks and good looking guys get chances. Geekiness is not limited to guys. TRUST ME.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
And Now For Something Completely Different
I got into work a few minutes early today. I popped my laptop into the dock, pressed the power button and the screen came to life then went blank. The monitor, KVM switch, and laptop were all powered up. I power cycled everything (just in case), waited a few minutes and powered the things back on in the proper order and ... the same thing. My first guess was the KVM switch. It is old and does not always work very well and it tends to run hot (today it was much cooler), so I disconnected everything from the KVM switch and hooked everything to my dock. Same thing. Okay, it was not the KVM. I put my laptop in my T/L's dock (he had not arrived yet) and everything worked. Okay, it was not the laptop. I found a spare dock and hooked it up...same thing. Okay it must be the monitor or the keyboard and it turned out to be the monitor. Luckily the security guard and I are friends and he let me in my old office to snag a spare 17 inch flat panel. I hooked it all back up and I am not back in business.
I have never had a monitor act like that before.
I have never had a monitor act like that before.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Sometimes I Wonder...
Who should be pitied more, the people who get laid off because of off-shoring OR those who remain and have to deal with the fallout. I am in the latter catagory.
We laid off a ton of good people and what we got in return was a larger group of techs who are so specialized they can/will only do one part of a problem.
Thank you upper management.
That is all.
We laid off a ton of good people and what we got in return was a larger group of techs who are so specialized they can/will only do one part of a problem.
Thank you upper management.
That is all.
Anarchy In The UK (And Sweden, India, Kuala Lumpur, and Costa Rica)
[Sigh]
Disclaimer: The following post is not intended to be derogatory to any technician in any of the countries mentioned. It is a just a rant on the the friggin' red tape we have to deal with daily due to corporate politics.
Why do things have to be so DIFFICULT? Yesterday right about lunch time, we get a call from the help desk asking us to run a case that the customer insists is a priority. We follow our processes and we dispatch the case to the apps team (which just happens to be another company). They hold the case for three hours and then call to tell us that it is a server/OS based issue and that our company needs to handle it. So, per the process I do a warm hand over to the server team. Over the next 5-6 hours the server team decides they cannot fix the issue because they do not have knowledge of the app. Instead of calling the apps team, the server team passes the buck.
I know this is normal in the IT world. What really angered me was the fact that the ticket included two contacts and four contact numbers...the server team failed to use any of the numbers. Instead they e-mailed the customer and waited for him to respond. I guess language could be an issue. I called the server team and I had a lot of trouble understanding the tech so I asked him to slow his speech down. What he did was talk LOUDER as well as slower (I guess I know how non-English speakers feel when we talk fast...)
Neither team was willing to reach out to the other for help. The team that manages the high priority cases (my team) is stuck in the middle.
Working as the "owner" of the IT processes and having to get multiple COMPANIES to cooperate is one tough job. It is even worse when we are on call...many sleepless nights.
Disclaimer: The following post is not intended to be derogatory to any technician in any of the countries mentioned. It is a just a rant on the the friggin' red tape we have to deal with daily due to corporate politics.
Why do things have to be so DIFFICULT? Yesterday right about lunch time, we get a call from the help desk asking us to run a case that the customer insists is a priority. We follow our processes and we dispatch the case to the apps team (which just happens to be another company). They hold the case for three hours and then call to tell us that it is a server/OS based issue and that our company needs to handle it. So, per the process I do a warm hand over to the server team. Over the next 5-6 hours the server team decides they cannot fix the issue because they do not have knowledge of the app. Instead of calling the apps team, the server team passes the buck.
I know this is normal in the IT world. What really angered me was the fact that the ticket included two contacts and four contact numbers...the server team failed to use any of the numbers. Instead they e-mailed the customer and waited for him to respond. I guess language could be an issue. I called the server team and I had a lot of trouble understanding the tech so I asked him to slow his speech down. What he did was talk LOUDER as well as slower (I guess I know how non-English speakers feel when we talk fast...)
Neither team was willing to reach out to the other for help. The team that manages the high priority cases (my team) is stuck in the middle.
Working as the "owner" of the IT processes and having to get multiple COMPANIES to cooperate is one tough job. It is even worse when we are on call...many sleepless nights.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
The Years Of Decay
Two things struck me during my trip to WV to visit family of friends. The first was the amount of renovation that is going on in the downtown area (and other areas as well). A ton of old buildings are being torn down and turned into newer buildings or parking lots. I can only assume that the parking lots will be needed when the new buildings go up.
The next thing was the amount of decay I saw. A good example is the train trestle that I walked across daily when I was a teen. It is overgrown with weeds and in many places the wood has rotted through. A lack of use over the past 20 years has really taken its toll.
The trestle was not the only thing that was falling down. We drove up and down some of the poorer areas an noticed the same thing. Many houses that needed to be torn down were still being used by the poor, the homeless and the afflicted. Even my old neighborhood looked pretty rough around the edges.
One of the most exciting things I saw was the WV Rail Trail Project. Many of the unused train tracks are being converted to hiking/biking/horse trials. Quite a bit has been done and I hope it increases tourism in my home state.
I have been often asked if all things were equal would I move back to WV. I am not sure. I know that my wife would not be happy with that idea but if I found my self in a position to move and WV was a viable option, I would consider it. I would not move back to my home town, but would consider moving 15-30 miles away.
The next thing was the amount of decay I saw. A good example is the train trestle that I walked across daily when I was a teen. It is overgrown with weeds and in many places the wood has rotted through. A lack of use over the past 20 years has really taken its toll.
The trestle was not the only thing that was falling down. We drove up and down some of the poorer areas an noticed the same thing. Many houses that needed to be torn down were still being used by the poor, the homeless and the afflicted. Even my old neighborhood looked pretty rough around the edges.
One of the most exciting things I saw was the WV Rail Trail Project. Many of the unused train tracks are being converted to hiking/biking/horse trials. Quite a bit has been done and I hope it increases tourism in my home state.
I have been often asked if all things were equal would I move back to WV. I am not sure. I know that my wife would not be happy with that idea but if I found my self in a position to move and WV was a viable option, I would consider it. I would not move back to my home town, but would consider moving 15-30 miles away.
Monday, September 17, 2007
One Thing Leads To Another
Okay, the Sam's story.
About a year ago or so, I bought 4 new Dunlop tires from Sam's. 60k mile warranty, yada yada yada. Good price and road hazard coverage is included free.
Fast forward about a year. While I am on vacation in WV, my wife decided to take my truck in for an alignment (the truck pulls to the right) at Christian Brothers Automotive. When they look at the truck, they notice the tie rod is worn out. This is not surprise because I have noticed a "pop" when I turn let or right. She tells them to replace it (they do good work) and they do an alignment. My wife pulls out and notices the truck is now pulling to the left. She turns around and takes it back to tell them the issue. They put it on the machine and see that it is perfectly aligned. They look at the front tires and notice that the cords are bunching up underneath the tread. The manager tells my wife that the tires are defective and we should see about getting new ones. My wife heads over to Sam's (which is right across the street from CB's) and tells her story. Eventually, the manager agrees to replace the two front tires with new Goodyear Wrangler tires if we pay the difference between the two. Since we had the tires at least a year (maybe two years), I think this is a great idea. The only hitch is that my wife does not want the tech on duty doing the work since he has broken off 3 studs on her van on two separate visits. The manager understands and tells my wife to come back the next day to get them mounted. They are mounted without a problem the very next day.
I am pretty sure I will not buy any more tires from Sam's simply because of the quality of help they hire. They have been very kind on taking care of us with my truck tires and reimbursing us for the stud installs, but that does not compensate us for time and gasoline to get the repairs done. Also, we were told that Sam's had a lot of complaints on the Dunlops tires and thankfully have stopped selling them.
I guess sometimes you get what you pay for.
About a year ago or so, I bought 4 new Dunlop tires from Sam's. 60k mile warranty, yada yada yada. Good price and road hazard coverage is included free.
Fast forward about a year. While I am on vacation in WV, my wife decided to take my truck in for an alignment (the truck pulls to the right) at Christian Brothers Automotive. When they look at the truck, they notice the tie rod is worn out. This is not surprise because I have noticed a "pop" when I turn let or right. She tells them to replace it (they do good work) and they do an alignment. My wife pulls out and notices the truck is now pulling to the left. She turns around and takes it back to tell them the issue. They put it on the machine and see that it is perfectly aligned. They look at the front tires and notice that the cords are bunching up underneath the tread. The manager tells my wife that the tires are defective and we should see about getting new ones. My wife heads over to Sam's (which is right across the street from CB's) and tells her story. Eventually, the manager agrees to replace the two front tires with new Goodyear Wrangler tires if we pay the difference between the two. Since we had the tires at least a year (maybe two years), I think this is a great idea. The only hitch is that my wife does not want the tech on duty doing the work since he has broken off 3 studs on her van on two separate visits. The manager understands and tells my wife to come back the next day to get them mounted. They are mounted without a problem the very next day.
I am pretty sure I will not buy any more tires from Sam's simply because of the quality of help they hire. They have been very kind on taking care of us with my truck tires and reimbursing us for the stud installs, but that does not compensate us for time and gasoline to get the repairs done. Also, we were told that Sam's had a lot of complaints on the Dunlops tires and thankfully have stopped selling them.
I guess sometimes you get what you pay for.
That's A Wrap
I sat in my camp chair watching the fire for a couple of hours before I decided to call it a night. I dumped some water on the logs to put out the flames, but left the hot coals to smolder. I was pretty sure they would be ok.
I slept well the entire night, even if it was in the van. I could have set up the tent, but it really takes two people and I was not in the mood to fight it. Ergo, I slept in the van. I think I only woke up once and that was at 4:00 AM.
The alarm went off at 6:00 AM, and I took a few minutes to wake up before I grabbed my bible and read the verses for that day. It did not take long and once done, I realized I needed to go hit the bath house for a shower as well as the other duties that go along with a trip to the bath room.
Once finished I broke down camp and at a quick light breakfast (yogurt, fruit, muffins, milk), brushed my teeth and hit the road. I checked the tire that had a leak in it but it looked okay, so I just drove until I needed gas, which was in Arkadelphia, AR several hours later. The tire was still looking good so I drove some more until I got hungry and needed to make a rest stop. I ate a little, used the bathroom, and then tried to access the wireless system that TX has at its rest stops. It would connect but the speed was slow, so I gave up and kept driving until I got back home. The trip went well but I made a wrong turn that cost me 20 minutes. Not too bad really. I have not done that in a while.
I unloaded and unpacked and acclimated myself back to home life. My wife filled me in on the fiasco with my truck and I just shook my head (I think that deserves its own post). We ate some sandwiches (I had not had a sandwich in over two weeks and it actually tasted good) and then we watched some TV and chatted. I was exhausted so we hit the hay a little earlier than normal, but we knew we needed the sleep.
I got up Sunday and took both dogs (SURPRISE!) for a walk. When I returned I did my normal routine and went to Sunday School. On the way out, I noticed the van tire (the one with the leak) was almost flat. I considered it a blessing that it was flat at home and not on the road. I decided I would come back after SS and pick up my wife for church.
I attended SS and came home and was pleasantly surprised that my wife was ready early. I told her why I came back and that I also forgot my wallet. We collected what we needed and returned to church.
After church we stopped to get lunch at Joe's Italian Bistro. A few of our newer church friends were there, but we did not sit with them since we had errands to run. We explained and they understood.
I dropped off my wife at home and I took the van (driving on a very low tire) to Goodyear to get it fixed. When I got there, I noticed they were closed (they used to be open on Sundays until 5:00 PM) and the tire was looking pretty bad, so I put the spare "donut" tire on while I drove it to Sam's where we bought them (my wife called and told me they were open and they fix flats). When I go there, I was told it would be a 1.5 hour wait, so I just browsed the store until it was ready. While I am not a fan of Sam's tires, at least the repairs are free.
I got back home and decided I needed to do something so I began mowing the yards (ours and our neighbors) while my wife prepped dinner. When I finally finished mowing and cleaning up, our meal was done and we ate (once I got cleaned up). After dinner and the shower, I helped with the dinner dishes and then walked the dogs. I finished up the night with a little TV and then we got some sleep.
I woke up feeling good...no pain and alert. I had the nagging feeling that I had overslept, but that was not the case. I performed my morning routine and went to work as usual. I got to work and got set up, checking the weeks worth of e-mail and was surprised to see that my colleague was not completely overwhelmed with work. He was busy, but not to the point of being stressed out. We made small talk while he finalized a few things he was working on and he gave me a rundown of his week. I told him about my trip and he thought it sounded like a good time, especially the geocaching.
I slept well the entire night, even if it was in the van. I could have set up the tent, but it really takes two people and I was not in the mood to fight it. Ergo, I slept in the van. I think I only woke up once and that was at 4:00 AM.
The alarm went off at 6:00 AM, and I took a few minutes to wake up before I grabbed my bible and read the verses for that day. It did not take long and once done, I realized I needed to go hit the bath house for a shower as well as the other duties that go along with a trip to the bath room.
Once finished I broke down camp and at a quick light breakfast (yogurt, fruit, muffins, milk), brushed my teeth and hit the road. I checked the tire that had a leak in it but it looked okay, so I just drove until I needed gas, which was in Arkadelphia, AR several hours later. The tire was still looking good so I drove some more until I got hungry and needed to make a rest stop. I ate a little, used the bathroom, and then tried to access the wireless system that TX has at its rest stops. It would connect but the speed was slow, so I gave up and kept driving until I got back home. The trip went well but I made a wrong turn that cost me 20 minutes. Not too bad really. I have not done that in a while.
I unloaded and unpacked and acclimated myself back to home life. My wife filled me in on the fiasco with my truck and I just shook my head (I think that deserves its own post). We ate some sandwiches (I had not had a sandwich in over two weeks and it actually tasted good) and then we watched some TV and chatted. I was exhausted so we hit the hay a little earlier than normal, but we knew we needed the sleep.
I got up Sunday and took both dogs (SURPRISE!) for a walk. When I returned I did my normal routine and went to Sunday School. On the way out, I noticed the van tire (the one with the leak) was almost flat. I considered it a blessing that it was flat at home and not on the road. I decided I would come back after SS and pick up my wife for church.
I attended SS and came home and was pleasantly surprised that my wife was ready early. I told her why I came back and that I also forgot my wallet. We collected what we needed and returned to church.
After church we stopped to get lunch at Joe's Italian Bistro. A few of our newer church friends were there, but we did not sit with them since we had errands to run. We explained and they understood.
I dropped off my wife at home and I took the van (driving on a very low tire) to Goodyear to get it fixed. When I got there, I noticed they were closed (they used to be open on Sundays until 5:00 PM) and the tire was looking pretty bad, so I put the spare "donut" tire on while I drove it to Sam's where we bought them (my wife called and told me they were open and they fix flats). When I go there, I was told it would be a 1.5 hour wait, so I just browsed the store until it was ready. While I am not a fan of Sam's tires, at least the repairs are free.
I got back home and decided I needed to do something so I began mowing the yards (ours and our neighbors) while my wife prepped dinner. When I finally finished mowing and cleaning up, our meal was done and we ate (once I got cleaned up). After dinner and the shower, I helped with the dinner dishes and then walked the dogs. I finished up the night with a little TV and then we got some sleep.
I woke up feeling good...no pain and alert. I had the nagging feeling that I had overslept, but that was not the case. I performed my morning routine and went to work as usual. I got to work and got set up, checking the weeks worth of e-mail and was surprised to see that my colleague was not completely overwhelmed with work. He was busy, but not to the point of being stressed out. We made small talk while he finalized a few things he was working on and he gave me a rundown of his week. I told him about my trip and he thought it sounded like a good time, especially the geocaching.
Friday, September 14, 2007
In Flash
I went to bed about 10:00 PM and woke up about 1:30 AM, unable to sleep. I am not sure why...I didn't have anything on my mind in particular. I finally fell asleep sometime after 2:00 AM. I got up at 5:00 AM without any real problems and read my bible until I decided to go get a shower and eat a bowl of cereal. I triple checked my packing (I hate leaving things behind) and was just about finished when mom got up. She had her coffee and we chatted until it was time for me to leave at 7:00 AM.
I hit the road at 7:12 AM and made great time pretty much the entire way. I only had one screw up and that was with the imfamous Exit 113 on I-64. There are actually 2 exits with the number 113. One is on I-64 and the other is where I-64 merges with I-75. I exited at the wrong one and it took me about 20 miles out of my way. Even with that, I still made it to the camp by 4:10 PM.
When I got to the camp I received two surprises (actually three). The first was that the fire ban had been lifted, meaning that I would be able to have a fire...a good morale booster.
The second was that the camp space I had last time was open and the third was that the firewood I left was still there...dry! El Gee is gonna have a fire tonight!
When I pulled in I had a few things that I needed to do before I could say I was set. First I needed to eat the food I got from Arby's since it was getting cold. Once that was done, I needed to take some pain reliever since I had a seriously bad headache.
The last thing I needed to do was use the toilet. When I travel by myself, I usually torture myself by not stopping unless absolutely necessary. Sometimes I can be so stupid.
When I got settled, I notices a man wandering from camp spot to camp spot. I was not sure what he was trying to do, but eventually he settled into one. I soon found out he was looking for a good, level site with plenty of proper drainage.
He introduced himself and I chatted with him until he told me that he had to leave for a couple of hours. I felt a little board so I called my wife, but she did not answer. felling a bit down, I decided to journal until I either ran out of ideas or battery power. So far it looks like the ideas are going to lose.
I hit the road at 7:12 AM and made great time pretty much the entire way. I only had one screw up and that was with the imfamous Exit 113 on I-64. There are actually 2 exits with the number 113. One is on I-64 and the other is where I-64 merges with I-75. I exited at the wrong one and it took me about 20 miles out of my way. Even with that, I still made it to the camp by 4:10 PM.
When I got to the camp I received two surprises (actually three). The first was that the fire ban had been lifted, meaning that I would be able to have a fire...a good morale booster.
The second was that the camp space I had last time was open and the third was that the firewood I left was still there...dry! El Gee is gonna have a fire tonight!
When I pulled in I had a few things that I needed to do before I could say I was set. First I needed to eat the food I got from Arby's since it was getting cold. Once that was done, I needed to take some pain reliever since I had a seriously bad headache.
The last thing I needed to do was use the toilet. When I travel by myself, I usually torture myself by not stopping unless absolutely necessary. Sometimes I can be so stupid.
When I got settled, I notices a man wandering from camp spot to camp spot. I was not sure what he was trying to do, but eventually he settled into one. I soon found out he was looking for a good, level site with plenty of proper drainage.
He introduced himself and I chatted with him until he told me that he had to leave for a couple of hours. I felt a little board so I called my wife, but she did not answer. felling a bit down, I decided to journal until I either ran out of ideas or battery power. So far it looks like the ideas are going to lose.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Car Wars
Earlier on in the evening the "check engine" light came on in the van just as I was going to meet my friends for dinner. I was a bit nervous about it because it had been a while since I had last seen that in one of our vehicles. I was especially concerned since I was 1200 miles from home and needed to be back at work on Monday morning. When I informed my wife about it she asked me to look up a dealer in the area and have a mechanic look into it, since we have an extended warranty. Thursday morning I did just that.
I woke up and had coffee with mom as usual and then moved the large pile of brush that used to be two large shrubs (that I cut down a few days ago) to the curb so they could be collected by the trash collectors/recyclers. I removed all the stuff that I thought would be tempting to thieves from the van and then drove out Route 19 towards the Dodge dealership. When I got there, they told me that they could not see me until 1:00 PM and asked that I return at that time. A bit deflated, I left the dealer and came back home to work on a few odd jobs my mom had for me...both of which could not be completed.
The first one job was the removing of a piece of weather stripping from one side of the door to the other, but that was not possible without cutting it and making it look very out of place. I asked my mom why she wanted it on the other side and she told me she thought it would get damaged if it stayed on that side. Had she just told me that in the beginning I may have been able to find a better solution.
The next job appeared simple enough. My mother wanted two outlets swapped with each other. They were a type that I have not seen in a long time and to be perfectly honest, I do not think they are overly safe. The plug into regular outlets and covert the two into six plugs....none of which are grounded. I hate old houses!
I realized that I could not do a professional job so I decided I was not going to move them for her. She really needs to have the entire house rewired, but I know she will never do that.
Lunch time rolled around and mom and I split some left overs. Oddly enough I have not eaten out much this visit. Normally mom gets pizza and LJS fish when I come it but she has decided to cook a few times (her version of cooking) this week. The rest of the time it has been leftovers. The most food I have eaten was yesterday and that was two meals out (DQ and Texas Roadhouse), a road meal of pepperoni rolls and a Yoohoo, and my normal light breakfast.
After lunch I trekked over to the Dodge dealership and let them look into it. Oddly (and thankfully) enough, it was just an O-ring on the gas cap. I guess that is why they suggest changing the cap every couple of years. Amazing that the onboard computer in the van detected that and even more amazing that it cost me $45 to have it "fixed". I guess that is better than the $100 deductible.
Since the "repair" took less time than I had expected, I stopped my the park to take a lap around it. It is not very big...maybe 1.5 miles or so, but it felt good. I know I should have came back home (I was not able to drive mom over to pick up Houston from school) but I needed a bit of time to myself. I still feel that I need the time (maybe a quick trip to the mall tonight?) but I have not been here with mom much during this trip and I am feeling a bit guilty. It really is difficult to sit and do NOTHING all day at the house. All mom does is sit and read or watch TV, except when she takes the dog out (and that is just into the yard), or walks Houston home from school. I feel that she leads a sad existence.
Well, I need to go to the store tonight and get a few little things for my trip home so I do not have to stop and eat all the time. Some yogurt, a little milk, a few bottles of water, and some snack/cereal bars will really be better than fast food. I also need to shower tonight and get all my packing done. I want to hit the ground running at 7:00 AM tomorrow. I know I will get in the middle of Charleston traffic but I should be out of rush hour traffic the rest of the day. If all goes well I can be at camp by 6:00 PM and have a little light to walk a bit before I settle in and begin a long, lonely night. I won't have Block there to keep me company this time.
I woke up and had coffee with mom as usual and then moved the large pile of brush that used to be two large shrubs (that I cut down a few days ago) to the curb so they could be collected by the trash collectors/recyclers. I removed all the stuff that I thought would be tempting to thieves from the van and then drove out Route 19 towards the Dodge dealership. When I got there, they told me that they could not see me until 1:00 PM and asked that I return at that time. A bit deflated, I left the dealer and came back home to work on a few odd jobs my mom had for me...both of which could not be completed.
The first one job was the removing of a piece of weather stripping from one side of the door to the other, but that was not possible without cutting it and making it look very out of place. I asked my mom why she wanted it on the other side and she told me she thought it would get damaged if it stayed on that side. Had she just told me that in the beginning I may have been able to find a better solution.
The next job appeared simple enough. My mother wanted two outlets swapped with each other. They were a type that I have not seen in a long time and to be perfectly honest, I do not think they are overly safe. The plug into regular outlets and covert the two into six plugs....none of which are grounded. I hate old houses!
I realized that I could not do a professional job so I decided I was not going to move them for her. She really needs to have the entire house rewired, but I know she will never do that.
Lunch time rolled around and mom and I split some left overs. Oddly enough I have not eaten out much this visit. Normally mom gets pizza and LJS fish when I come it but she has decided to cook a few times (her version of cooking) this week. The rest of the time it has been leftovers. The most food I have eaten was yesterday and that was two meals out (DQ and Texas Roadhouse), a road meal of pepperoni rolls and a Yoohoo, and my normal light breakfast.
After lunch I trekked over to the Dodge dealership and let them look into it. Oddly (and thankfully) enough, it was just an O-ring on the gas cap. I guess that is why they suggest changing the cap every couple of years. Amazing that the onboard computer in the van detected that and even more amazing that it cost me $45 to have it "fixed". I guess that is better than the $100 deductible.
Since the "repair" took less time than I had expected, I stopped my the park to take a lap around it. It is not very big...maybe 1.5 miles or so, but it felt good. I know I should have came back home (I was not able to drive mom over to pick up Houston from school) but I needed a bit of time to myself. I still feel that I need the time (maybe a quick trip to the mall tonight?) but I have not been here with mom much during this trip and I am feeling a bit guilty. It really is difficult to sit and do NOTHING all day at the house. All mom does is sit and read or watch TV, except when she takes the dog out (and that is just into the yard), or walks Houston home from school. I feel that she leads a sad existence.
Well, I need to go to the store tonight and get a few little things for my trip home so I do not have to stop and eat all the time. Some yogurt, a little milk, a few bottles of water, and some snack/cereal bars will really be better than fast food. I also need to shower tonight and get all my packing done. I want to hit the ground running at 7:00 AM tomorrow. I know I will get in the middle of Charleston traffic but I should be out of rush hour traffic the rest of the day. If all goes well I can be at camp by 6:00 PM and have a little light to walk a bit before I settle in and begin a long, lonely night. I won't have Block there to keep me company this time.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Over The River And Through The Woods
I visited with my north side friends until 11:00 PM or so and went home to get some sleep. I was tired and slept well, as I had most of the week. That in and of itself is odd since I normally only sleep well the first night of my trips. I usually toss and turn due to the fact that my wife is not by my side. This time, however, was different. Maybe sheer exhaustion was the key.
I ate a very light breakfast and got cleaned up before the Knightmare Duck and Holmes came by to pick me up for a long day of driving a multitude of miles in KD's open top Jeep and picture taking.
The guys came buy about 10:00 AM and we stopped to get a few munchies, drinks, and ice. As we were pulling out of the parking lot, Holmes asked the question, "What do we do first? Should we go visit Carp's grave?"
I chimed in immediately and stated that I thought it was a good idea and asked KD if he was okay with that. He looked a little hesitant but said that he thought it was a good idea. With that, we were off.
We arrived at the cemetery and realized none of us knew where he was buried. KD was a pall bearer at the funeral 16 years ago, but had forgotten the location. Not being shy, I walked into the office and asked the woman working there if she could get me the location. She obliged and we were on our way. After a few minutes of pacing back and forth around a dew wet grave yard, we found the marker and began to remenisce about days gone by. We relayed some stories about Carp, also known as "EZ" and when the time between stories grew to an awkward pause, we bid Carp/EZ peace, took some photos, and hit the road.
We started out on Rt 50 west heading towards North Bend State Park, which was about an hour away. KD had his hand held GPS with him and said in a semi-sarcastic tone, "You know we have to do at least one geocache before we go home." While I had heard of and understood the main points of geocaching, I had never participated in it before. Generally new things are not to uncomfortable to me and the thought of tromping around the woods with a GPS looking for hidden treasures was right in line with a fun time.
KD programmed his GPS to assist us in finding one that appeared right along the highway we were traveling on. We parked, hit a trail that ran parallel to the highway (a story unto itself.."the rail trail" as it is known) and followed the coordinates to the spot. As we got nearer, KD told Holmes and I that the spot was very close and pointed to a rocky ledge that looked like a likely spot. Sure enough within seconds, Holmes found a keybox hidden in the rocks. When it was opened, it had coordinates taped inside to another spot just about 1/4 of a mile away. Jokes bout KD having to actually walk for a change were pass back and forth in a non-insulting way as we progressed towards the second part of what was obviously a multipart geocache. KD told me to be on the look out and I shortly I saw concrete and steel bump in the weeds that looked like a spot to hide the cache. I found it a magnetized keybox stuck to the underside of the steel on the hump. Once it was opened, we found the coordinates to the next stop on the multipart cache. KD was getting very frustrated now because the coordinates took us back towards the spot we parked his Jeep.
Once back to the parking place, we saw that the cache was approximately 100 yards east so we continued on. The coordinates pointed to an overgrown area with an old concrete structured that had been stripped of all the wood and was now in an area of briars and brambles. I looked for a while and decided to climb the steps that led to the top of the structure. Once I got to the top, I realized that this was the final stage of the hunt. We found the near new conditioned ammo box with the geocache log and several train themed items inside. Lots of photos were taken and I decided to leave a momento (a couple of tracts from our church) to which KD told me that I could take a small item if I left something. I saw an "I love geocaching" band (the little rubber ones you wear as a bracelet) and decided to take that. We all signed the log and moved on in search of lunch.
After a lunch at DQ, we headed on towards North Bend to see what had changed in the 20 years since I had been there last. There were a lot of new things and I really had fun taking pictures...well most of the time. My 6+ year old camera was giving me fits and would not stay powered on dispite the fully charged batteries.
After taking several pictures, we drove towards the dam to survey the area. Holmes then announced that the pre-programmed GPS indicated two geocaches in the area. Since we had fun finding our last one, we decided to give at least one of them a try.
In the interest of time, space and batter life (I am on a laptop typing this in KWrite until it can be uploaded), I will give you the "Reader's Digest" version of this find.
All three of us started walking to the dam and all three of us made it to the top of the hill but once KD saw that the trek would be at least a mile into the woods behind the dam, he decided to stay back (KD is a big guy...walking any moderate distance is not easy on him). Holmes and I decided to move on and do our best to find the cache. We did well initially but failed to zoom the GPS down low enough to give us an accurate reading. Also the GPS needs to move in a straight line to bee accurate and Holmes and I moved back and forth a lot, confusing the device. None the less, about an hour after we entered the woods, we found the cache, signed the log, traded items (it had three geo coins in it that needed moved to another location in the future), and returned the cache back to its original location before we returned.
KD was getting worried and tried to call us but no cell signal reached us where we were. He called his wife and asked her to get online to see what difficulty this find was and was a bit worred when he heard it was a "four" (out of five) but was releaved when we exited the woods. We related the story to him (including the part about the cave that I was so sure contained the cache, but it did not) and he told us that there usually are clues on the web to aid finding the cache. Had we known the clues we would hav found the cache a lot sooner, but since we were flying mostly blind (and the fact that Holmes and I were not experienced) it took us longer.
As we exited the dam area, we decided to hit one more before we left the park for good. To make a long story short, we found three more but we ran into a bit of trouble that made me glad that we had the jeep. We ended up on a goat path (a WV term for a narrow unpaved road that has streams and such crossing it) and could not back out. After wasting 30-45 minutes on the goat path, we got back on course and found the three we were looking for.
We took the scenic route back home (much to the chagrin of KD and Holmes' hungry wives) and eventually dropped me off at my mom's house. I took a "bird bath" (wash the upper body in the bathroom sink when a bath/shower would not be appropriate), changed clothes and met the gang at "The Texas Roadhouse" for dinner. After a great meal, we retired back to Holmes' and his wife's house to chat a bit more. At 11:00 PM, I decided I needed to get home. On the way home however, the check engine light came on and I was a tad concerned. I decided to have it checked out the following morning. I called my wife, got her caught up on the day's events and then read until I could not read any more.
I ate a very light breakfast and got cleaned up before the Knightmare Duck and Holmes came by to pick me up for a long day of driving a multitude of miles in KD's open top Jeep and picture taking.
The guys came buy about 10:00 AM and we stopped to get a few munchies, drinks, and ice. As we were pulling out of the parking lot, Holmes asked the question, "What do we do first? Should we go visit Carp's grave?"
I chimed in immediately and stated that I thought it was a good idea and asked KD if he was okay with that. He looked a little hesitant but said that he thought it was a good idea. With that, we were off.
We arrived at the cemetery and realized none of us knew where he was buried. KD was a pall bearer at the funeral 16 years ago, but had forgotten the location. Not being shy, I walked into the office and asked the woman working there if she could get me the location. She obliged and we were on our way. After a few minutes of pacing back and forth around a dew wet grave yard, we found the marker and began to remenisce about days gone by. We relayed some stories about Carp, also known as "EZ" and when the time between stories grew to an awkward pause, we bid Carp/EZ peace, took some photos, and hit the road.
We started out on Rt 50 west heading towards North Bend State Park, which was about an hour away. KD had his hand held GPS with him and said in a semi-sarcastic tone, "You know we have to do at least one geocache before we go home." While I had heard of and understood the main points of geocaching, I had never participated in it before. Generally new things are not to uncomfortable to me and the thought of tromping around the woods with a GPS looking for hidden treasures was right in line with a fun time.
KD programmed his GPS to assist us in finding one that appeared right along the highway we were traveling on. We parked, hit a trail that ran parallel to the highway (a story unto itself.."the rail trail" as it is known) and followed the coordinates to the spot. As we got nearer, KD told Holmes and I that the spot was very close and pointed to a rocky ledge that looked like a likely spot. Sure enough within seconds, Holmes found a keybox hidden in the rocks. When it was opened, it had coordinates taped inside to another spot just about 1/4 of a mile away. Jokes bout KD having to actually walk for a change were pass back and forth in a non-insulting way as we progressed towards the second part of what was obviously a multipart geocache. KD told me to be on the look out and I shortly I saw concrete and steel bump in the weeds that looked like a spot to hide the cache. I found it a magnetized keybox stuck to the underside of the steel on the hump. Once it was opened, we found the coordinates to the next stop on the multipart cache. KD was getting very frustrated now because the coordinates took us back towards the spot we parked his Jeep.
Once back to the parking place, we saw that the cache was approximately 100 yards east so we continued on. The coordinates pointed to an overgrown area with an old concrete structured that had been stripped of all the wood and was now in an area of briars and brambles. I looked for a while and decided to climb the steps that led to the top of the structure. Once I got to the top, I realized that this was the final stage of the hunt. We found the near new conditioned ammo box with the geocache log and several train themed items inside. Lots of photos were taken and I decided to leave a momento (a couple of tracts from our church) to which KD told me that I could take a small item if I left something. I saw an "I love geocaching" band (the little rubber ones you wear as a bracelet) and decided to take that. We all signed the log and moved on in search of lunch.
After a lunch at DQ, we headed on towards North Bend to see what had changed in the 20 years since I had been there last. There were a lot of new things and I really had fun taking pictures...well most of the time. My 6+ year old camera was giving me fits and would not stay powered on dispite the fully charged batteries.
After taking several pictures, we drove towards the dam to survey the area. Holmes then announced that the pre-programmed GPS indicated two geocaches in the area. Since we had fun finding our last one, we decided to give at least one of them a try.
In the interest of time, space and batter life (I am on a laptop typing this in KWrite until it can be uploaded), I will give you the "Reader's Digest" version of this find.
All three of us started walking to the dam and all three of us made it to the top of the hill but once KD saw that the trek would be at least a mile into the woods behind the dam, he decided to stay back (KD is a big guy...walking any moderate distance is not easy on him). Holmes and I decided to move on and do our best to find the cache. We did well initially but failed to zoom the GPS down low enough to give us an accurate reading. Also the GPS needs to move in a straight line to bee accurate and Holmes and I moved back and forth a lot, confusing the device. None the less, about an hour after we entered the woods, we found the cache, signed the log, traded items (it had three geo coins in it that needed moved to another location in the future), and returned the cache back to its original location before we returned.
KD was getting worried and tried to call us but no cell signal reached us where we were. He called his wife and asked her to get online to see what difficulty this find was and was a bit worred when he heard it was a "four" (out of five) but was releaved when we exited the woods. We related the story to him (including the part about the cave that I was so sure contained the cache, but it did not) and he told us that there usually are clues on the web to aid finding the cache. Had we known the clues we would hav found the cache a lot sooner, but since we were flying mostly blind (and the fact that Holmes and I were not experienced) it took us longer.
As we exited the dam area, we decided to hit one more before we left the park for good. To make a long story short, we found three more but we ran into a bit of trouble that made me glad that we had the jeep. We ended up on a goat path (a WV term for a narrow unpaved road that has streams and such crossing it) and could not back out. After wasting 30-45 minutes on the goat path, we got back on course and found the three we were looking for.
We took the scenic route back home (much to the chagrin of KD and Holmes' hungry wives) and eventually dropped me off at my mom's house. I took a "bird bath" (wash the upper body in the bathroom sink when a bath/shower would not be appropriate), changed clothes and met the gang at "The Texas Roadhouse" for dinner. After a great meal, we retired back to Holmes' and his wife's house to chat a bit more. At 11:00 PM, I decided I needed to get home. On the way home however, the check engine light came on and I was a tad concerned. I decided to have it checked out the following morning. I called my wife, got her caught up on the day's events and then read until I could not read any more.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Up Around The Bend
I called my friends in the north part of town to see what they were doing and also to ask if I could check my e-mail (I don't have anyway to check it from mom's house) and they graciously offered. I went over and we chatted while I checked my mail (it was surprisingly light) then I went and showed them photos until I started to fall asleep. I said my good byes and drove the short trip to mom's house.
I got home and brushed my teeth, read a little, and then went to bed.
I ended up sleeping in until 7:00 AM which made me realize how tired I really was. I ate a light breakfast with mom and after I had gotten dressed and brushed my teeth, I helped mom clean the ceiling fans and the light fixtures that she could not reach on her own. It did not take long since there were not that many to do in her small house.
She threw together some lunch and while we were eating Knightmare Duck and Holmes showed up, ready to take me on a mini road trip. I quickly ate my lunch and grabbed my camera so I could be on my way with the boys.
We went to Audra State Park in the rain, tromped around and took several photos. Once we wore out our welcome there, we drove around the city looking at and remembering things we used to do and places we used to go. We did this for an hour or so and they dropped me back off at mom's where I was just in time for dinner. She made cheddar brat sandwiches which we washed down with iced green tea.
I had plans to go back out with KD and Holmes but they called and told me that they would have to postpone the festivities until tomorrow. We already had plans to do more road tripping then, but they wanted to add dinner to the agenda and that sounded pretty good.
As I was typing this, the north side people called me and asked me to stop buy for a little while since a few of my friends are coming over. Sounds like fun. I told them to give me 30-60 minutes to tie up some loose ends and then I would go. I am sure that means another late night and little sleep but I guess I can catch up later...maybe the nights I am driving back to Texas!
I got home and brushed my teeth, read a little, and then went to bed.
I ended up sleeping in until 7:00 AM which made me realize how tired I really was. I ate a light breakfast with mom and after I had gotten dressed and brushed my teeth, I helped mom clean the ceiling fans and the light fixtures that she could not reach on her own. It did not take long since there were not that many to do in her small house.
She threw together some lunch and while we were eating Knightmare Duck and Holmes showed up, ready to take me on a mini road trip. I quickly ate my lunch and grabbed my camera so I could be on my way with the boys.
We went to Audra State Park in the rain, tromped around and took several photos. Once we wore out our welcome there, we drove around the city looking at and remembering things we used to do and places we used to go. We did this for an hour or so and they dropped me back off at mom's where I was just in time for dinner. She made cheddar brat sandwiches which we washed down with iced green tea.
I had plans to go back out with KD and Holmes but they called and told me that they would have to postpone the festivities until tomorrow. We already had plans to do more road tripping then, but they wanted to add dinner to the agenda and that sounded pretty good.
As I was typing this, the north side people called me and asked me to stop buy for a little while since a few of my friends are coming over. Sounds like fun. I told them to give me 30-60 minutes to tie up some loose ends and then I would go. I am sure that means another late night and little sleep but I guess I can catch up later...maybe the nights I am driving back to Texas!
Monday, September 10, 2007
A Sort Of Homecoming
I rather cold most of the night. Mom left the A/C on and while the house was not damp, it was cool and I was forced to sleep under the blankets all night long.
I awoke much as I normally do when I spend then night at mom's with the sound of the coffee maker and the smell of fresh coffee. I smiled and climbed out of bed anticipating a cup of the fresh, but somewhat weak coffee. I had plans to go to church with mom and participate in the homecoming celebration that was afterwards. Mom had already made the most of the dinner items that she planned on taking but she still needed to make some brocolli and cheese so there would be at least one veggie there.
We both got ready and about 20 minutes before we left she fixed the brocolli so it would be mostly hot by the time we got ready to eat. Once that was done, we left and went to church.
The preacher was not feeling well so he was not able to attend and therefore there was not message. We had music, an extended Sunday School lesson, more music and then some of the church business meeting minutes from the 1800's were read. It was amazing to see how integrated the church was in a person's life 200 years ago.
After the final prayer and the blessing of the food, we walked downstairs and ate a very good "pot luck" meal. Thankfully, there were very few desserts.
We got home and I read for a while and every now and them my nephews would come out. They did not say much but AJ kept asking to take the Sunday paper before mom was done reading it. I finally got tired of him asking for it and told him that if he needed one so badly he should have his dad buy one. AJ then made comment that scared me...he said, "Well, if I come back with a black eye, you can pay the doctor bill." That comment worried me and I told him that if his father gave him a black eye, then he and I would have a talk. With that said, AJ left. 10 minutes later, AJ's dad (my sister's hubby) called and started yelling at my mom about my comments. I was rather upset at that but I did not do anything. I did apologize to mom but she told me not to worry...Danny is not very mature and is quite a hot head. Had Danny done that a few years ago, I most likely would have gone down down to his house and given him a lesson in manners.
The rest of the night was quiet. I showed mom all the photos I had taken over the past few years and then when we were done, I talked to my wife for 30 minutes or so. Later, I went over to Rob and Belinda's to catch up and visit. When I got there, I found that MW was there and we got to chat a bit as well.
I ended up leaving a lot later than I had wanted to but the time just flew by. I got home and in bed (after brushing my teeth of course) about 12:30 AM. I was only going to get about six hours sleep but oddly enough, it worked. I woke up and had coffee just like I normally do and did not feel run down at all.
I watched a little TV then I asked mom what she needed me to do outside. We went out in the yard and looked at the bushes she wanted me to work on. There were two large ones she wanted cut down and a couple of smaller ones. I got them done in about 3 hours using an electric chain saw and some manual hedge trimmers. Once I was done, mom made fresh tomato sandwiches for lunch. My oh my they were GOOD. I washed them down (I had three) with some green tea and then set up my wet tent to dry in the sun. It had been packed for 2 days wet and I was sure it would smell, so I set it up to air out before it started raining.
Mom and I drove down to get Houston from school and when we got back, decided to just relax...I deserve it!
I awoke much as I normally do when I spend then night at mom's with the sound of the coffee maker and the smell of fresh coffee. I smiled and climbed out of bed anticipating a cup of the fresh, but somewhat weak coffee. I had plans to go to church with mom and participate in the homecoming celebration that was afterwards. Mom had already made the most of the dinner items that she planned on taking but she still needed to make some brocolli and cheese so there would be at least one veggie there.
We both got ready and about 20 minutes before we left she fixed the brocolli so it would be mostly hot by the time we got ready to eat. Once that was done, we left and went to church.
The preacher was not feeling well so he was not able to attend and therefore there was not message. We had music, an extended Sunday School lesson, more music and then some of the church business meeting minutes from the 1800's were read. It was amazing to see how integrated the church was in a person's life 200 years ago.
After the final prayer and the blessing of the food, we walked downstairs and ate a very good "pot luck" meal. Thankfully, there were very few desserts.
We got home and I read for a while and every now and them my nephews would come out. They did not say much but AJ kept asking to take the Sunday paper before mom was done reading it. I finally got tired of him asking for it and told him that if he needed one so badly he should have his dad buy one. AJ then made comment that scared me...he said, "Well, if I come back with a black eye, you can pay the doctor bill." That comment worried me and I told him that if his father gave him a black eye, then he and I would have a talk. With that said, AJ left. 10 minutes later, AJ's dad (my sister's hubby) called and started yelling at my mom about my comments. I was rather upset at that but I did not do anything. I did apologize to mom but she told me not to worry...Danny is not very mature and is quite a hot head. Had Danny done that a few years ago, I most likely would have gone down down to his house and given him a lesson in manners.
The rest of the night was quiet. I showed mom all the photos I had taken over the past few years and then when we were done, I talked to my wife for 30 minutes or so. Later, I went over to Rob and Belinda's to catch up and visit. When I got there, I found that MW was there and we got to chat a bit as well.
I ended up leaving a lot later than I had wanted to but the time just flew by. I got home and in bed (after brushing my teeth of course) about 12:30 AM. I was only going to get about six hours sleep but oddly enough, it worked. I woke up and had coffee just like I normally do and did not feel run down at all.
I watched a little TV then I asked mom what she needed me to do outside. We went out in the yard and looked at the bushes she wanted me to work on. There were two large ones she wanted cut down and a couple of smaller ones. I got them done in about 3 hours using an electric chain saw and some manual hedge trimmers. Once I was done, mom made fresh tomato sandwiches for lunch. My oh my they were GOOD. I washed them down (I had three) with some green tea and then set up my wet tent to dry in the sun. It had been packed for 2 days wet and I was sure it would smell, so I set it up to air out before it started raining.
Mom and I drove down to get Houston from school and when we got back, decided to just relax...I deserve it!
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Rain Rain Go Away
I called Block to see how he was progressing on his journey to the camp ground. He informed me that he had about 40 minutes left of driving left but he still needed to stop at the camp store to get a few things. I decided that I would start a fire and have it ready to cook hot dogs on when he arrived.
About 30 minutes or so after I started the fire, the camp host arrived to get my campsite fee. Before he collected it, he informsed me that there was a fire ban in effect due to the lack of rain in the area. I had a really good fire going and was not about to put it out unless I absolutely had to. The host told me I could just let it burn out and I told him that I would not add any more fuel to the fire. He then told me that the grills were okay to use and I thought that was pretty stupid since a fire is a fire, so I started one in hte grill, which by the way was four feet off the ground and closer to the trees. I also did not have a sand/rock/concrete ring around it like the fire pit did.
Block showed up just as I was finishing the conversation with the camp host and we unloaded his car of the few things he brought. I put him to work cooking the hot dogs while I got the rest of the stuff together for dinner. The weather was clearing up and I decided to pitch the new tent. Block and I could have slept in the van, but it is cramped for two people and to be honest, Block and I are not that close :-)
After a dinner of hot dogs, chips, and soda, we put up the tent (in the dark). We got it up quickly and decided we would have plenty of room. We loaded our sleeping bags and the mattress pad I brought and then roasted some marshmallows. It had been years since I roasted marshmallows...the memories of past camping trips came flooding back and I felt like a kid again.
Block and I talked about various things until I could not stay up any longer. I told him I was going to bed. He thought about it for a while and decided he would get some sleep as well.
The night was comfortable for me until about 4:00 AM. I started to get chilled (I was on top of the sleeping bag) so I decided to climb inside. Block on the other hand was hot all night.
Sometime during the night it started raining again, but we stayed dry in th tent. The only time it got wet inside the tent was when broke camp and took the tent down. Of course we had to pack it all away wet, but I hope that I can air it out Sunday if the weather is nice.
After breaking down camp and getting a shower, Block and I said our goodbyes and went on our own separate ways...Block back to Memphis and me onward to WV.
I left camp about an hour later than I normally do so I knew that I was going to have to cut down my stops. Block had noticed I had a low tire so my first stop was for gas and to see if all the tire needed was air. Once I checked the tire, it looked like air was all I needed. After a brief delay, I was back on the road.
I stopped to use the toilet at a rest stop. While there, I checked the tire and it still looked good, so I continued driving. The drive was pretty uneventful and I even was able to utilize two short cuts along the way. My total trip time was 10 hours...I arrived at mom's house at 7:00 local time (which is one hour ahead of my normal time zone).
I have a bit of a headache and I am kinda tired. I know I will go to bed early tonight and most likely sleep well.
About 30 minutes or so after I started the fire, the camp host arrived to get my campsite fee. Before he collected it, he informsed me that there was a fire ban in effect due to the lack of rain in the area. I had a really good fire going and was not about to put it out unless I absolutely had to. The host told me I could just let it burn out and I told him that I would not add any more fuel to the fire. He then told me that the grills were okay to use and I thought that was pretty stupid since a fire is a fire, so I started one in hte grill, which by the way was four feet off the ground and closer to the trees. I also did not have a sand/rock/concrete ring around it like the fire pit did.
Block showed up just as I was finishing the conversation with the camp host and we unloaded his car of the few things he brought. I put him to work cooking the hot dogs while I got the rest of the stuff together for dinner. The weather was clearing up and I decided to pitch the new tent. Block and I could have slept in the van, but it is cramped for two people and to be honest, Block and I are not that close :-)
After a dinner of hot dogs, chips, and soda, we put up the tent (in the dark). We got it up quickly and decided we would have plenty of room. We loaded our sleeping bags and the mattress pad I brought and then roasted some marshmallows. It had been years since I roasted marshmallows...the memories of past camping trips came flooding back and I felt like a kid again.
Block and I talked about various things until I could not stay up any longer. I told him I was going to bed. He thought about it for a while and decided he would get some sleep as well.
The night was comfortable for me until about 4:00 AM. I started to get chilled (I was on top of the sleeping bag) so I decided to climb inside. Block on the other hand was hot all night.
Sometime during the night it started raining again, but we stayed dry in th tent. The only time it got wet inside the tent was when broke camp and took the tent down. Of course we had to pack it all away wet, but I hope that I can air it out Sunday if the weather is nice.
After breaking down camp and getting a shower, Block and I said our goodbyes and went on our own separate ways...Block back to Memphis and me onward to WV.
I left camp about an hour later than I normally do so I knew that I was going to have to cut down my stops. Block had noticed I had a low tire so my first stop was for gas and to see if all the tire needed was air. Once I checked the tire, it looked like air was all I needed. After a brief delay, I was back on the road.
I stopped to use the toilet at a rest stop. While there, I checked the tire and it still looked good, so I continued driving. The drive was pretty uneventful and I even was able to utilize two short cuts along the way. My total trip time was 10 hours...I arrived at mom's house at 7:00 local time (which is one hour ahead of my normal time zone).
I have a bit of a headache and I am kinda tired. I know I will go to bed early tonight and most likely sleep well.
Friday, September 07, 2007
How To Leave 30 Minutes Late And Get There 15 Minutes Early
On Sept 7, 2007 I started my yearly pilgrimage to WV to visit family and friends. I had packed as much as I knew to pack, knowing that I most likely forgot something but not really caring much about it. My plan was to get up at 5 AM and pretend it was a normal weekday morning by going through my normal routine. I altered it some but for the most part it was the "same old, same old" that all my readers are used to :-).
My wife had gotten up to toss the clothes we washed last night into the dryer, not realizing that I had already done it. Since she was up and did not have anything to occupy her time, she got the dogs food ready. I continued on with my routine, adding things to my gear as I went. At nearly 7:00 my wife comes to the table and asks me to sit with her while she eats. Knowing I will not see her for 9 days or so, I obliged her. She finished eating and I brushed my teeth and packed the cooler (note to self, Ruth's old cooler is not very insolated. The ice blocks already melted). Once all was packed, I noticed it was 7:15 AM and I still had to get cash and gas. I was able to accomplish those tasks and hit the road at 7:30 AM, 30 minutes later than I had planned on.
I tried an alternate route out of the area to the interstate. It shaved 15 minutes off of my time to the interstate, but put me 10 minutes further south. I ended up saving 5 minutes. Ok I was now onlyh 25 minutes behind schedule. I can make that up.
I arrived in Texarkana at 10:15 AM...15 later than ORIGINALLY planned but about 15 minutes ahead of my current schedule. I made up 15 minutes in three hours of travel. Nice.
I arrived at Little Rock at 12:10 AM, gaining 5 minutes on my schedule. I was going to at least be on schedule at this rate. El Gee is HAPPY!
Just north of Little Rock I get gas, paying $2.69 a gallon. Not as cheap as home, but it was the cheapest in the area. This stop in Little Rock was my first stop. I had been driving four hours and did not have to stop to use the toilet.
With a full tank of gas, I continued on East towards Memphis. The road is peppered with semi trucks, many that will not get out of the passing lane. While my speed stays near the posted limit, I am running slower than I wanted to.
I arrived in Memphis at 2:10 PM, 10 minutes behind my original schedule but right on my revised one. From Memphis to the campground is about 2 hours of driving going a resonable speed, but I was not sure if reasonable was in my future.
East of Memphis I stopped by a McDonald's for a quick bite. I did my calculations and realized that since I did not stop frequently that I would be in the park by 4:30 or so, a full 30 minutes ahead of my original schedule and about an hour head of my revised schedule. SWEEET!
While at McD's I called my wife and checked in with her. I got back on the road and was confronted with a massive downpour that lasted right up to the campground. I arrived, scoped out a good spot and started collecting firewood. I have heard thunder and it is sprinkling off and on but I think we will get out of this mess yet.
During the trip I had talked with Block a few times and told him that if he wanted to back out he could and I would understand. He is such a trooper. "If we have to eat hot dogs cold and sleep in your van, I don't care." Wow.
My wife had gotten up to toss the clothes we washed last night into the dryer, not realizing that I had already done it. Since she was up and did not have anything to occupy her time, she got the dogs food ready. I continued on with my routine, adding things to my gear as I went. At nearly 7:00 my wife comes to the table and asks me to sit with her while she eats. Knowing I will not see her for 9 days or so, I obliged her. She finished eating and I brushed my teeth and packed the cooler (note to self, Ruth's old cooler is not very insolated. The ice blocks already melted). Once all was packed, I noticed it was 7:15 AM and I still had to get cash and gas. I was able to accomplish those tasks and hit the road at 7:30 AM, 30 minutes later than I had planned on.
I tried an alternate route out of the area to the interstate. It shaved 15 minutes off of my time to the interstate, but put me 10 minutes further south. I ended up saving 5 minutes. Ok I was now onlyh 25 minutes behind schedule. I can make that up.
I arrived in Texarkana at 10:15 AM...15 later than ORIGINALLY planned but about 15 minutes ahead of my current schedule. I made up 15 minutes in three hours of travel. Nice.
I arrived at Little Rock at 12:10 AM, gaining 5 minutes on my schedule. I was going to at least be on schedule at this rate. El Gee is HAPPY!
Just north of Little Rock I get gas, paying $2.69 a gallon. Not as cheap as home, but it was the cheapest in the area. This stop in Little Rock was my first stop. I had been driving four hours and did not have to stop to use the toilet.
With a full tank of gas, I continued on East towards Memphis. The road is peppered with semi trucks, many that will not get out of the passing lane. While my speed stays near the posted limit, I am running slower than I wanted to.
I arrived in Memphis at 2:10 PM, 10 minutes behind my original schedule but right on my revised one. From Memphis to the campground is about 2 hours of driving going a resonable speed, but I was not sure if reasonable was in my future.
East of Memphis I stopped by a McDonald's for a quick bite. I did my calculations and realized that since I did not stop frequently that I would be in the park by 4:30 or so, a full 30 minutes ahead of my original schedule and about an hour head of my revised schedule. SWEEET!
While at McD's I called my wife and checked in with her. I got back on the road and was confronted with a massive downpour that lasted right up to the campground. I arrived, scoped out a good spot and started collecting firewood. I have heard thunder and it is sprinkling off and on but I think we will get out of this mess yet.
During the trip I had talked with Block a few times and told him that if he wanted to back out he could and I would understand. He is such a trooper. "If we have to eat hot dogs cold and sleep in your van, I don't care." Wow.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Hit The Road, Jack
I made some progress with regards to packing last night. A few little things I knew I would forget are in "the pile" and all my electronics (with spare batteries), cables, and chargers are in my backpack. The one exception is my PDA sync cable/car charger unit. I really do not need it so it I forget it, it's no big deal.
I have 90% of the food I will need for the two days of traveling. Most of it is water, Gatorade, and tea, but I do have hot dogs, cereal bars, and yogurt to augment my fast food meals. I was going to take lunch meat but I wondered if it would slow me down too much. I still may...It will be marginally cheaper than fast food. The hot dogs are for dinner on Friday night, if it does not rain. I checked the forecast for the state park I will be staying at and it appears that rain is gonna hit. I hope I can get camp set up before it does. The weather back in my home state is looking nice...a touch cooler than here, but not cold. The camp weather looks hot, but I arrive in the evening and leave in the morning so it should be okay.
I made my ice the other day, charged up all the rechargable batteries and made sure I had my multi-tool. I copied all my photos to my laptop so mom could see the entire collection and also because I did not want to take any more CD's with me that I needed. I still need to get the stuff out of my truck and put it in the van (and vice versa), but that I will do tonight/tomorrow. I am supposed to go to the City Council meeting tonight and also I need to make and agenda for the Trustee meeting I will miss.
I still need to load the cooler and pack my clothes, but other than my last minute camping supplies, that is about it. While all this was going on, I had a talk with my wife regarding my trip and she is okay with it now. She did not want to admit it, but she did and she said that saying it out loud to herself makes it better. And that makes me happy...because she is now at ease.
I have 90% of the food I will need for the two days of traveling. Most of it is water, Gatorade, and tea, but I do have hot dogs, cereal bars, and yogurt to augment my fast food meals. I was going to take lunch meat but I wondered if it would slow me down too much. I still may...It will be marginally cheaper than fast food. The hot dogs are for dinner on Friday night, if it does not rain. I checked the forecast for the state park I will be staying at and it appears that rain is gonna hit. I hope I can get camp set up before it does. The weather back in my home state is looking nice...a touch cooler than here, but not cold. The camp weather looks hot, but I arrive in the evening and leave in the morning so it should be okay.
I made my ice the other day, charged up all the rechargable batteries and made sure I had my multi-tool. I copied all my photos to my laptop so mom could see the entire collection and also because I did not want to take any more CD's with me that I needed. I still need to get the stuff out of my truck and put it in the van (and vice versa), but that I will do tonight/tomorrow. I am supposed to go to the City Council meeting tonight and also I need to make and agenda for the Trustee meeting I will miss.
I still need to load the cooler and pack my clothes, but other than my last minute camping supplies, that is about it. While all this was going on, I had a talk with my wife regarding my trip and she is okay with it now. She did not want to admit it, but she did and she said that saying it out loud to herself makes it better. And that makes me happy...because she is now at ease.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Varying Degrees Of Normal
The past few days have been pretty good. Nothing out of the ordinary at work (the same people call about the same apps) and the weather has been a touch cooler (lows at night about 68-72 degrees F). We received some rain last night, saving me from having to water this week. It rained all night and all of this morning...cooling things down nicely.
My wife and I went to Target last night to pick up a few things that I needed for my upcoming trip (which I hope to document as well as I can) to visit family and friends. I bought a 10x12 foot two room dome tent for $50 and while the quality will not be as good as a nice tent, it will suffice for what I need it for. I also got a citronella candle, some munchies, and a gift for the newly wedded couple, Holmes and Belinda. I hope it fits.
Speaking of the newlyweds, The Duck sent me a short video clip a while back of the cake cutting at the reception. I cannot get over how little Holmes has changed over the past 20+ years. He still looks like teenager.
My out of state friends have helped me firm up my itinerary so I now have something to do every day for at least a few hours. This is the first time that has happened in many, many years. We have plans to visit two state parks, our old stomping grounds, and visit the grave of our departed partner in crime, "Carp".
I still have a lot of packing to do tonight and tomorrow. I still need to pack: food, clothes, and toiletries. Most of the things I need handy...some are even in a spot in the closet, but it is collecting the little things that is going to me time consuming. I need to get all the little camping gear (first aid kit, axe, twine, etc), all my electronic junk (laptop, camera, pda plus cords and chargers) and unload the stuff from the van that I do not need and load in the stuff from my truck that I do need. I am not over good at packing for a trip because I tend to do a lot of things last minute, meaning I miss a lot. The last time I did this I forgot my road maps (I know the route, but in case of detours...) and at least once or twice before I forgot my toolbox. I have a pattern that I use on packing (I cannot use a list) and most of the time when am able to follow it, it works great. I go into each room (office, bedroom, garage) that has the things I need and start looking in each drawer or shelf to see if I need the item. For example, when packing clothes, go to the dresser and pull out a change of clothes for each day I am gone plus a spare, plus swin trunks plus pajamas. Then I go to my closet and get belt(s) and shoes to got with what I packed. I then go to the bathroom and get my toiletries bag and make sure I have the basics (soap, shampoo, razor, toothbrush/paste, q-tips) grab a towel (if needed) and then pack any meds I will need. I have failed on that last part more than once.
After the essentials are packed, I go into the office and grab my bookbag and pack it with all my electronics and cables/chargers, my bible, and any other reading material I may need. This is usually when I pack any books or magazines I am taking to my mom. Stuff like this I try to pile together as I collect it. Right now I have about half of it done.
Since this is a camping trip, I have to check a few places to get what I need. The bulk of it is in totes in the closet (tent, sleeping bad, camp chair, misc supplies), but some things like camp lighting (candles, flashlights) are in the kitchen, the axe is in the shed (it gets used a lot), and the monster tarp is in the garage.
The day of the trip I pack the cooler, butI make ice blocks (cool whip bowls work well) two nights before to keep the provisions cold. I have not gone to the store to get the few things I need yet (hot dogs and buns, yogurt, drinks) but I have some of it already. if not, I can stop at the store next door. There are lots of stores along the way as well.
I am not a serious camper. I have not been serious about camping for a long time. I hope to get back into it, but that all depends on my wife. I am not one to camp alone and she likes a bit more luxury than I do. A clean bath house with electricity is a must for her, optional for me.
My wife and I went to Target last night to pick up a few things that I needed for my upcoming trip (which I hope to document as well as I can) to visit family and friends. I bought a 10x12 foot two room dome tent for $50 and while the quality will not be as good as a nice tent, it will suffice for what I need it for. I also got a citronella candle, some munchies, and a gift for the newly wedded couple, Holmes and Belinda. I hope it fits.
Speaking of the newlyweds, The Duck sent me a short video clip a while back of the cake cutting at the reception. I cannot get over how little Holmes has changed over the past 20+ years. He still looks like teenager.
My out of state friends have helped me firm up my itinerary so I now have something to do every day for at least a few hours. This is the first time that has happened in many, many years. We have plans to visit two state parks, our old stomping grounds, and visit the grave of our departed partner in crime, "Carp".
I still have a lot of packing to do tonight and tomorrow. I still need to pack: food, clothes, and toiletries. Most of the things I need handy...some are even in a spot in the closet, but it is collecting the little things that is going to me time consuming. I need to get all the little camping gear (first aid kit, axe, twine, etc), all my electronic junk (laptop, camera, pda plus cords and chargers) and unload the stuff from the van that I do not need and load in the stuff from my truck that I do need. I am not over good at packing for a trip because I tend to do a lot of things last minute, meaning I miss a lot. The last time I did this I forgot my road maps (I know the route, but in case of detours...) and at least once or twice before I forgot my toolbox. I have a pattern that I use on packing (I cannot use a list) and most of the time when am able to follow it, it works great. I go into each room (office, bedroom, garage) that has the things I need and start looking in each drawer or shelf to see if I need the item. For example, when packing clothes, go to the dresser and pull out a change of clothes for each day I am gone plus a spare, plus swin trunks plus pajamas. Then I go to my closet and get belt(s) and shoes to got with what I packed. I then go to the bathroom and get my toiletries bag and make sure I have the basics (soap, shampoo, razor, toothbrush/paste, q-tips) grab a towel (if needed) and then pack any meds I will need. I have failed on that last part more than once.
After the essentials are packed, I go into the office and grab my bookbag and pack it with all my electronics and cables/chargers, my bible, and any other reading material I may need. This is usually when I pack any books or magazines I am taking to my mom. Stuff like this I try to pile together as I collect it. Right now I have about half of it done.
Since this is a camping trip, I have to check a few places to get what I need. The bulk of it is in totes in the closet (tent, sleeping bad, camp chair, misc supplies), but some things like camp lighting (candles, flashlights) are in the kitchen, the axe is in the shed (it gets used a lot), and the monster tarp is in the garage.
The day of the trip I pack the cooler, butI make ice blocks (cool whip bowls work well) two nights before to keep the provisions cold. I have not gone to the store to get the few things I need yet (hot dogs and buns, yogurt, drinks) but I have some of it already. if not, I can stop at the store next door. There are lots of stores along the way as well.
I am not a serious camper. I have not been serious about camping for a long time. I hope to get back into it, but that all depends on my wife. I am not one to camp alone and she likes a bit more luxury than I do. A clean bath house with electricity is a must for her, optional for me.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Not A Bad Weekend At All
I really cannot complain about this weekend. No real stress and I was able to get a few things done that I wanted to accomplish now for a few weeks.
Outside the normal chores, Saturday I was able to clean out the attic and take the things we have had saved for our son over to his storage unit. That took a while, but it was worth it. He unit was a big mess and I had to take out half the stuff just to be able to put in the 8 boxes or so of stuff we had for him in. Once we had put in our stuff nice and neat, it was pretty easy to get his stuff back in.
Sunday after church we invited Jimmy and Collette over for a lunch of salad, fruit, and my wife's homemade lasagna. Cheesecake was for dessert. They stayed for 5 hours or so and we had some great conversation and fellowship.
Today I decided to mow the grass. The weather was perfect...not too hot with a good degree of cloud cover. I took my time and got it done in about two and a half hours. While I was doing that, my wife groomed the dogs. We ate leftovers all day (we had plenty...from all she cooked the past couple of days) and as usual they tasted great the second and third day.
I did a quick vacuum of the dining room and living room after my wife was done grooming the dogs. That way I could pick up an stray fur that floated away while she was trimming them. I did not pick up much and that is as good thing. That means the dogs are not shedding as much as they were.
I just finished watching Rocky 2 and Rocky 3 on Versus Network TV. It has been a while since I last saw them and they really are showing how dated they are and how much Sly Stallone has grown as an actor.
My allergies have been acting up the past few days (more today than yesterday) and that means I will be miserable for the next month or so...just in time for my annual trip to WV. Joy.
Outside the normal chores, Saturday I was able to clean out the attic and take the things we have had saved for our son over to his storage unit. That took a while, but it was worth it. He unit was a big mess and I had to take out half the stuff just to be able to put in the 8 boxes or so of stuff we had for him in. Once we had put in our stuff nice and neat, it was pretty easy to get his stuff back in.
Sunday after church we invited Jimmy and Collette over for a lunch of salad, fruit, and my wife's homemade lasagna. Cheesecake was for dessert. They stayed for 5 hours or so and we had some great conversation and fellowship.
Today I decided to mow the grass. The weather was perfect...not too hot with a good degree of cloud cover. I took my time and got it done in about two and a half hours. While I was doing that, my wife groomed the dogs. We ate leftovers all day (we had plenty...from all she cooked the past couple of days) and as usual they tasted great the second and third day.
I did a quick vacuum of the dining room and living room after my wife was done grooming the dogs. That way I could pick up an stray fur that floated away while she was trimming them. I did not pick up much and that is as good thing. That means the dogs are not shedding as much as they were.
I just finished watching Rocky 2 and Rocky 3 on Versus Network TV. It has been a while since I last saw them and they really are showing how dated they are and how much Sly Stallone has grown as an actor.
My allergies have been acting up the past few days (more today than yesterday) and that means I will be miserable for the next month or so...just in time for my annual trip to WV. Joy.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Cool Change
It has been very nice the past few evenings...temps in the low 70's-upper 60's. I wish I could have enjoyed them more. We have left the windows closed and the A/C on due to allergies. We are at the front door to autumn once Labor Day rolls around in the US. The days warm up slower and the nights cool down quicker until before you know it, it is mid October and the overnight lows are in the 40's.
I spent the day yesterday cleaning, running errands, and helping my wife. Once I got the house vacuumed (sans the kitchen...my wife did that room), I cleaned out the attic, took out trash, and walked the dogs (twice). My wife spot scrubbed the couch (small pet stains) and while that dried, we stopped by our son's storage unit to drop off a small stack of boxes that he left at the house (we forgot on but my wife stated she will take it back Monday). Once we got there and found it, it turned out to be a) smaller than we expected @ $40 a month, and b) in total disarray. The parent in me cleaned it up some, just enough to stack the stuff in that we brought.
We got home and my wife began cooking a meal that we will have today with guests we are inviting from church. We do not entertain often and my wife is feeling especially generous this weekend. That prompted me to let her know that I wanted to ask a former manager over when it cools down some for a BBQ. He is a big meat eater and I have been meaning to have him over for about 6 years now.
For dinner my wife had some pork chops she wanted grilled so I took the opportunity to grill a flat iron steak. Flat iron is just the shoulder...not and expensive cut, but cooking it slower than a regular sirloin or filet makes it very flavorful. I marinated it in soy and Worcestershire sauce while grilling it over the lowest direct heat I could get for 15 minutes on a side or so. It was very good. I plan to buy more of those!
While my wife was finishing up I wrote the BSOB gang to give them the itinerary for my upcoming trip, just in case they were free. I have several things I wanted do while I am there and a lot of people I wanted to see.
I spent the day yesterday cleaning, running errands, and helping my wife. Once I got the house vacuumed (sans the kitchen...my wife did that room), I cleaned out the attic, took out trash, and walked the dogs (twice). My wife spot scrubbed the couch (small pet stains) and while that dried, we stopped by our son's storage unit to drop off a small stack of boxes that he left at the house (we forgot on but my wife stated she will take it back Monday). Once we got there and found it, it turned out to be a) smaller than we expected @ $40 a month, and b) in total disarray. The parent in me cleaned it up some, just enough to stack the stuff in that we brought.
We got home and my wife began cooking a meal that we will have today with guests we are inviting from church. We do not entertain often and my wife is feeling especially generous this weekend. That prompted me to let her know that I wanted to ask a former manager over when it cools down some for a BBQ. He is a big meat eater and I have been meaning to have him over for about 6 years now.
For dinner my wife had some pork chops she wanted grilled so I took the opportunity to grill a flat iron steak. Flat iron is just the shoulder...not and expensive cut, but cooking it slower than a regular sirloin or filet makes it very flavorful. I marinated it in soy and Worcestershire sauce while grilling it over the lowest direct heat I could get for 15 minutes on a side or so. It was very good. I plan to buy more of those!
While my wife was finishing up I wrote the BSOB gang to give them the itinerary for my upcoming trip, just in case they were free. I have several things I wanted do while I am there and a lot of people I wanted to see.
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