One More Day

We have this one day to live in 2012 and then it will be gone for ever. Only to be viewed by history and maybe our journal entries. This makes me realize how important it is for me to be more current on all my postings so that I can relive these years later when I no longer can move about.
I truly hope that time is far in the future and that I have many years to write about.
Sherri is not feeling well today nor has she all week so we are going to the doctor this morning to get her well. I have to call here shortly to find out if she can get in or not.
On our way back we will be stopping off to get Kris some fireworks for this evenings celebration. Kris will have to celebrate before midnight because he has to be in bed before 10:00. Everyone celebrates early so he wont miss a thing.
Better get on the phone and see if I can get my bride an appointment...

Somewhere in Time

One More Week

We have one more week before we have to go back to work.
Not sure where we will be headed at that time but I think the first job is close by here so we wont have to stay in a hotel.
The next week we will have to travel to Louisiana to do 4 stores there and then it will be back here to the lake for a stay.

We stopped over at the State Park just a mile from our lake lot and spent some time

Kris and I had some time to go hiking in the park while we were there 

We noticed how low the lake was. You can see the back where it usually is.

This next month should move pretty good and we should be headed south before we know it. Thank heavens the weather here has not been that bad...I know we did have some snow but overall it has been mild this year.
We plan on staying in today. Sherri is still suffering from her sinus problems. I told her to stay in today and then she will be heading  to the doctor Monday to get some meds. At least she might shake this junk before she has to go back to work.

One project is to put Kris's TV in his bedroom and hook it to satellite

I have not started any of my projects that I had planned on getting done while I was off. I sure have been busy doing nothing. I think doing nothing has been good exercise for my body...I don't feel bad at all. I think I am going to like this while I am...


Somewhere in Time

Santa Came

Sherri and I had decided to leave for Hickory Creek COE for Christmas. The plan was made several weeks ago and then changed when the weatherman said that we might have a white Christmas! We did not want to get caught up in a icy situation on Christmas so we changed our plans just to stay here at the lake.
The weather man then came back to say we would only receive a light dusting and that the heavy snows would stay north of this area. So the plan went back into effect and we packed up and left.
We have some grand kids in that area of the city and we were hoping to see them at Christmas so this was going to work out great. It was Sherri's Birthday too and she wanted to visit with them on her special day.








HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART
As things would have it the weather man was incorrect in his forecast and we got 5 inches of snow and 21 degree temps! Sure am glad I thought to fill the propane tank before we left out.

Everything worked out OK and we weathered the storm...so to speak.

Kris had a wonderful Christmas and we got to see the grand kids and as a bonus our oldest son met us and we had dinner with him and his wife.
We decorated the MH with lights and the snow did the rest. They say this is the first white Christmas this area has had in 40 years. I hope it is the last one I have to go through. I love to look at the snow but I don't like to live in it.
Before we could leave Thursday we had to clean the snow off the slides. This meant that I had to climb the ladder and shove it off and that was not really what I wanted to do. All I could see was me falling off and breaking a hip...MERRY CHRISTMAS!
I managed to get all the ice and snow off and soon we were able to suck the slides in and pull out.
Next stop was the dump and then we headed out on the highway toward Terrell Texas.
Kris had a dentist appointment at 2:00 pm. We pulled the MH into the Tanger Mall parking lot at about 1:30. Just a short wait and we had his teeth checked out. Dentist said all looked good and she could see some permanent teeth coming in. You know what that means...Tooth fairy time..How much are teeth going for?
Well we are back in the barn here at the lake. I hope that you all had a Merry Christmas and we are looking forward to a Happy New Year...

Somewhere in Time

Santa is loading up

The days are flying by now as we get closer to the arrival of that old fat man! I had almost lost that feeling of excitement when all the kids had left the nest but now with Kris in our lives we have regained that wonderful feeling Christmas use to bring many years ago.
Kris has met with Santa and laid out his wish list and also wrote a back-up letter just in case Santa has had some memory loss over the years. I think he must have it down now.
We are just counting the days...not just for Christmas but days until we head out of here. We have one more month of work and then I have about a month to finish up all the projects I need to do around here. 
It will take most all of February to finish up these things and then I will feel comfortable about leaving things here. Being that we will be gone during the colder part of the year I have to secure the water here to be sure nothing freezes.
I will have to finish the gates across the front of the barn. I have one to build on the side of the barn and then some electrical to complete. All this will have to be done before I will feel comfortable in leaving...

Somewhere in Time

Twas a winters day

This morning Sherri and I woke up with frost bite on our noses! Yes it got cold here last night and the wind blew so hard all night that my new motion detector kept coming on! WOW when it started raining I looked outside and the wind was bringing the rain all the way into the barn. I know every thing must be soaked.
We needed the rain and really need some cold weather. Our insect population has grown here over the years because we have not had a good hard freeze. It is only 40 here according to my Oregon weather station. I guess if it is going to get any colder I will need to wrap some of the outdoor pipes.
Yesterday I had an appointment to have the hitch put on the Jeep. When I got there they told me that they could not find my hitch. They said that the warehouse had sent it to the wrong address and that it would not be in till tomorrow. This is that tomorrow so I will be heading to Canton after I take Kris to school to get that work done.

I need the hitch for the Jeep so I can use my carrier basket. I will tote my Grey Boy and my boat in it when we travel. It is designed to carry 500 lbs and that will be more than enough for those items.
Well I am here at the computer writing and drinking my coffee and it is getting late so I better tie this up in a pretty little bow. Until the next time I will wish you all a wonderful life...

Somewhere in Time

Sherri is still shopping

Sherri left early this morning...took Kris to school and was off once more on her shopping mission. This time she took Jennifer our youngest daughter with her. With the two of them together there is no telling when I might see her again.
I decided this would be a good day for me to wire our other motion sensor light in the barn. I had installed one some time ago but it was at the back of the MH and did not come on when Sherri went out the door. She wanted one to come on when she pulled into the barn in the Jeep and would come on when she exited the MH so she could see.
We live out in the country and you never know what might be outside. This would give her light to go to the laundry room out back also.
With her gone shopping and Kris in school this was a good time to pull out all the tools and go to work. It took about 3 hours to complete the project and when Sherri returned she was pleased with the results. I do have to shorten the time on the light so it only stays on 5 minutes.
We are on vacation until next year and then the count-down starts.
I hope that everyone out there is snuggled in for Christmas and will stay safe. Sherri Kris and I would like to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year...

Somewhere in Time

Found the tree

Yesterday we had plans on finding us a Christmas tree that would fit in the living room. We had built the fireplace in last fall and that was where we would have put the little 4 ft tree that we used last year. We decided to get a larger tree so we could use more decorations and more lights. Sherri had seen some trees at Target that were tall but not so big around. That is where we were headed this morning.
Sure nuff they had the tree Sherri had seen some time back and we bought it. Along with the tree we found some gifts from our Kansas boys wish list and picked them up too. We have just about got all our gifts bought up for this year and now we have to start wrapping and putting them under the tree.
Today will be spent with wrapping paper and Scotch Tape. Kris wants to help me wrap all the presents to Sherri and that will be quite an experience for the two of us.
Sherri will be busy with all the other presents going to all the other G-kids. No big children (with kids) will receive gifts this year...they are on their own.
OK that sums up this day...This is what it is all about...

Somewhere in Time

Days full of work

We have been really busy for the past three weeks. We have traveled to the west and to the east working at least 4 days a week!
All this will come to an end in February and we will be out of work and out of here. We will be heading south and hopefully will be in Galveston by March so we can take Kris to NASA and let him see all the space stuff. He loves space shuttles and astronauts so this will be a great gift for him on his birthday the 27th.
From there we will traveling east to Louisiana to attend the family reunion near Coushatta. Then we are on our own wondering aimlessly hoping to see as much as possible. There will be no plans no deadlines to meet and what happens will be what happens.
Today we will be leaving here in search of a Christmas tree that will fit in our MH. We want a tall one that does not take up too much room but has room for tons of decorations. Some of our best Christmas have been spent on the road in our MH.
This will be the last Christmas that we have to return and go back to work. We are both so excited about things to come and even Kris is counting the days that he can go back to Poppa's school. I have a fun study plan all worked up for him...which will include many field trips to interesting places full of history.
Better close it out here we have a lot to do today to get ready to head out on our Christmas tree hunt...

Somewhere in Time

No Black Thursday Just Web Shopping

Sherri got up before me this morning and I found her in the living room humped up over her computer intently  studying the page before her. She had found a web site that had all the Black Friday sales at all the stores. I could not believe all that was on there and you could buy any of it and never leave home.
Why in the world would a person want to sit out in the rain and the cold to buy something you could buy on line from the comfort of your home. All the shipping was free if you bought so much. Now that is a no brainner for me.
She had found just about everything she had been looking for in just a matter of hours with no drive time involved. No sore feet no back aches and we did not have to fight for one parking place the whole time! Yes there is a heaven.
Today we are going to make our Thanksgiving dinner. We have a new house guest..Emily Gale...she has a boyfriend that lives down the street from us and she wanted to come see us for the weekend...I say us...well you know what I mean. They have been out on our porch the whole time but it is nice to see her through the windows.
We know we will not see some of the kids for some time when we leave so it is nice to visit with them now. They are all growing up so fast and soon  they will have their own life and we will be uninteresting to them. You know Gramps and Grammy are old and don't know anything about living a fun life??? If they only knew!
So we bought us a smoked turkey from Brookshires and all the trimmings for a great meal. We will have a bang up day getting all of it cooked and ready for consumption. I love turkey sandwiches and chips...I guess that is my favorite part of Turkey day.
The sun is just now peaking over the trees. Last night we had a cold front push through and with it came quite a rain storm. I better get up from here and get this day started. Another day God has given me to enjoy here...

Somewhere in Time

Thanksgiving at Tawakoni

We had a nice wide spot with plenty of concrete.

I fixed breakfast for everyone...Notice our fireplace I built in...not a bad match??

This Thanksgiving we spent the day at the lake with Kris and Franki. We had planned on going further off but when our little granddaughter wanted to come and spend time with us we could not say no.

We were surprised to see that Tawakoni State Park was sold out and we could only stay there for two nights and then would have to leave. Being only 2 miles from  the park we decided to take those nights so the kids could ride their scooters around and Sherri and I could walk. We needed the exercise and the kids have a ball riding around on the concrete streets. All the roads out here where we live are not conducive to scooter riding so this would keep them entertained and we could keep a close eye on them.

The two days out there went by so fast and soon it was time for us to head back to the barn. I got the RV outside chores done and Sherri did the inside and  before we knew it we were back parked in the barn.
It was getting on to 1:00 before we got all settled back in our home spot. We decided not to do the Thanksgiving dinner this day but to go to Rockwall and shop for Sherri's Birthday and Christmas presents. Kris wanted to pick his Mom out something but we needed her there to direct us on what she might like.
On the way we decided to stop at Applebee's and have lunch. Sherri and I got the 2 for $20.00 deal and Kris ended up with the sliders. It was a great meal and we did not have to clean up anything afterwards.
Off to the store to check on gifts for our girl. What we thought would be a short shopping experience turned out to be all day and no luck on finding anything that she really cared for. We did, however, find Santa Clause and Kris got to tell him what he wanted for Christmas. Don't you wish it was that easy...just tell Santa what you want and then wait for Christmas and viola it is there under the tree.
OK so we didn't find that perfect present we did have fun looking and we did get some ideas of what she is looking for.
Today we are going to fix a Turkey and enjoy a great dinner. We hope that all of you out there had a great Thanksgiving and pray for your safety...no matter where you are...

Somewhere in Time

Getting Ready for Black Friday

Or is that Black Thursday...well it is Black no matter what day it is...and no I am not going to go out in the middle of the night...wait in line for hours to get some marked down off brand something that they will have on sale at a decent hour later.
I am just sitting here in the living room looking at my fireplace that I just installed in our MH. We did not have one in the plan we bought so I just got the one out of our old fifth wheel we had years ago and built a cabinet for it. Sherri found a stain that matched our cabinets and we now have a built in that looks like it came with the MH.
I have several projects like this that I plan on completing before we start the final count down in January. Gosh that is getting so close and we have so much to do before we can get out of here. I am sure we will have to put off leaving because we did not get everything done before the time comes. That is the story of our lives...we have always been slow to get things done.
Today we are taking Kris to school and then we are driving over to the State Park to see if they have any openings for us. We plan on staying there over Thanksgiving. This will give Sherri time to try out her new ride she got at Wally World. She found a Schwinn for $50.00 and it was not Black any day. This was a great deal and now she can try to keep up with Kris. Me I will be walking...which I need to do a lot of and try to lose these pounds I have piled on.
The Doctor said I had to lose 20 lbs three visits ago and that has not happened. Actually just the opposite has transpired and now I have to lose 50 lbs! I think I will just cut off a leg before I go and see if that will work.
OK better go and get ready for this day. Sherri is already stirring and she will need me dressed and ready so I can hurry her along. All is well here...

Somewhere in Time  

Thanksgiving Week is Here

We will be off all this week for Thanksgiving. How sweet is that. We plan on doing nothing in order to get ready for that time in our lives where doing nothing is the norm and meeting scheduled times is far far away!
Most of my 50 plus years of working were meeting scheduled times set by those that had nothing to do but make schedules. Now I will shy away from those things and do nothing on my schedule. If I don't get through doing nothing then I will take time the next day to do nothing until I get nothing done.
I really do have things to do but I have some time to do those things and I will get them done before we pull out of here.
Kris and Sherri are really excited about leaving and traveling to different places to see new things. Kris's Science and History lessons will be based off of our location from day to day. He will be on a permanent field trip learning every step of the way. We have plans on going to NASA in Houston and in Florida to see the space centers. Also many trips to the Dinosaur digs around the country...Kris loves Dinosaurs.
Much of our time between now and the time we leave will be spent planning where we are going. How much fun we will have planning our first route out of here and then plan on what to see there when we arrive...

Somewhere in Time

Still here just working many hours!

I have had so many readers email me on what happened to my journal. Even family members have called to see if all is well with us.
Well...Sherri and I have been so busy with our work and with projects that we have to get finished before we take off this winter. We got the hitch put on the Jeep...Now that is a story in itself.
We went back to Hayes RV, in Longview, where we had the original hitch put on the Liberty. Now keep in mind non of the Liberty's system would work on the new Sahara so I let it all go with the trade in. Come to find out there is a relay system that I needed out of the Liberty that works the break. Well that is long gone so now I have to buy a new one and that is going to cost me some $.
Oh well that has been the story of my life.
So now we have to make an appointment to have that installed and then we will have that part of our getting ready program completed.
We don't have a lot of time until we pack er up and head out of here so we must keep to our schedule and make sure all is made ready.
I cannot describe the excitement we are experiencing right now. Knowing that just a few months away we will be doing what we have planned to do for years.
Back in the 70's Sherri and I loved to go on camping trips in our pop-up camper and then later on in our tong pulled trailer. We would talk about the time when we could leave and not have to come back at any certain time. Oh how we longed for that time and now it is here we can hardly believe it.
Just bare with us until January when we plan on casting off these jobs and heading out. There will be plenty of stories to be told by me and you all will be the first to know what is going on...

Somewhere in Time

Need some feed back

Sherri is working this week and I am here alone. I have plenty to keep me busy with the screened in porch project and the biggest of all tasks cleaning out my shop.
I got up this morning and made coffee went in the bath room and took my shower. Ready to face the day and get to work in the shop. WOW! what a daunting task this is. Upon opening the door to the shop I realized that there was more to this than I had imagined.
I use to have a 16 by 32 foot shop with all the power tools in it that a guy could want. Now I am down to 14 foot by 14 foot and no room to walk. Much of this is my fault...I should of got a larger building but with my budget at the time it did not allow that. OK WAWAWA I need to get to work and get some room out here so I can work with out tripping over something.
I talked to my good friend Mark Hall the other day. http://rvingwithpoppa.blogspot.com/ He had called me in response to my post about the new Jeep. Seems he and Dortha had purchased a new Jeep sometime back and he was calling to find out about mine. Mark and Dortha have been our good friends for almost 13 years now. We have shared many good times together and look forward to many good times to come. Mark has been my adviser on MH...Jeeps...and much more over time. Now he and Dortha are into target shooting and motorcycle riding... so I guess I will have to get with him on what type of pistol to buy. I will have to draw the line on motorcycles. I had too many misses when I owned mine...so I will have to just stick with the Jeep.
We are still tossing plans around on where to go when we leave here. Not even sure what the date will be when we pull out but it will be in February for sure. I know that time of year we will be moving south but where is still a question mark.
I guess I better get to work out in the shop and get it in order. I hope that it stays cool today...I have no AC in the shop and depend on cool weather to keep me from melting out there.
I will check back in with everyone as soon as I get caught up on all that I have to do here...

Somewhere in Time

A dream fulfilled

I know it is dirty but it has been raining 

When the rain stops I will get some pictures taken outside 

For the longest time I have been wanting a real Jeep. You know like the ones we had overseas in the war. The ones that had no top no doors and the windshield laid down! Well I found one...not quite. Sherri did have some input and she drew the line at the small Jeep but did compromise for the larger Sahara model.






Yes I went and bought a new Jeep Sahara Wrangler. The top and doors do come off and the windshield lays down but we have room inside for Kris and some supplies.She let me test drive the two door but told me that I would not have one of those in this lifetime. I settled for the other and still think it is the coolest thing since sliced bread.
It has the navigation system built in with plenty of speakers for the radio and telephone. MP3 player hook up and DVD player. What more could a guy ask for. I guess I could ask for an Inverter but it has one of those built in too. OK life is good.




I am biting at the bit to strip her down and head to the mountains for my first road trip. It will be just me and Kris in the mountains. Sherri says it is too cold up there with no roof doors and windshield. I could not talk her into riding with us if we ran the heater and she wrapped up in a blanket. Oh well I think she will give in when we get there. Maybe we will stay down in lower elevations until she gets use to it.
I already have some trails picked out up around Creede Colorado that look interesting. There are some lakes up in the mountains that are calling me and my fly rod. Stream too that want me to try them out. Kris and I will be spending a lot of time looking for the next fishing hole...

Somewhere in Time

Lining up some projects for the week

Sherri and I are planning on taking the week off from work to get some things done around the MH and also some doctor appointments that Sherri needs to make. We have three months left to get things done so we can leave on our first journey. Seems like a long time until you start listing all the things that you have to get done before you can leave and then you realize that there is not that much time to work it all in.
I have an electrical project for the back screened in porch. I am putting in some lights wall plugs and a ceiling fan. I will have to do a take off on all the material that I need so I can go pick it up at the first of the week. Looks like the weather will be cooperating with me. Weather man says the temps should be cooling off for the next few days and that is good.
I am sitting out here in the barn/office/laundry room reading journals and listening to my Native American music that I love so much. I can't wait to head out to the desert and crank up my music as I discover new places that I have never seen before. No music is as peaceful as this.
While out here I managed to type out this post. I have been slow in posting here of late due to the work schedule that we have been working under. I know it is for the short term and I will be free to roam before long and when that time comes I will be able to write more. It is hard to relay the day to day drudgery of working. Who in their right mind would want to sit down and read about that. I can promise you this my adventures will be worth reading about and maybe some day my kids can follow in our footsteps as we travel this wonderful land.
Until then I will continue to sit here and listen to the heavenly sounds of the Sioux and Comanche flutes as they fill the air with the mystical sounds of long ago...

Somewhere in Time

Off for the week

Sherri and I made it back home last night. We arrived here about 7:00 pm and unloaded the Jeep. It sure was good to be back in the MH. Hotel rooms are not my favorite place to be but we spend so much of our time in them that when we get home it is so sweet.
Our company let us know upon leaving our last assignment that they did not have any sets coming up so they would have to assigns us some merchandising jobs close to home if we needed the hours. I let them know that I did not need the hours and I would take the next week off. Sherri is still pondering the idea of working.
It is never hard for me to turn down work. I enjoy the time at home doing my projects that are getting me ready to leave next January.
January is not that far off! October is here so that means I only have November and December to go. Sherri will be signing up for her retirement this month and then we can settle on our budget and get ready for the maiden voyage out and about.
We have not made any decision on where we will be heading but it should be fun no matter where our plans take us...

Somewhere in Time

Freeloader?? Who me

I have been listening to many of the candidates speeches and and the commentaries on the News programs and I am just a little upset that our reps in government are now saying that we are too dependent on government programs. I suppose they are speaking about Welfare...Social Security...Food Stamps... Medicare and all the other programs these nincompoops created years ago. I don't remember asking for any of these to be set up I just know they decided we needed them.
Now that folks are using them they think we are freeloading the system. These are the same bunch that are running for re-election right now as I type this.
You don't hear the first one say anything about the money we are sending overseas to those ungrateful lunatics that are burning down our embassies and killing our people on a daily basis. They begrudge the money we get for our betterment and want us to ween ourselves off of these benefits...which we pay for every time we pay taxes. No lets save that money and give it to the illegals and the foreign countries that hate our guts so that they...one day may like us.
I would like for all those deadbeats in Washington to stop complaining about my "Benefits" and start giving theirs back  Why do they deserve theirs and we don't? I paid for all of mine. If I had had one adult in
Washington investing my Social Security funds properly...and not stealing them from my account I might not be as big a burden on society as they think I am.
Have you ever noticed all the problems that these Polecats want to fix are the ones they created! Now they want to take care of my health care. Good God haven't they done enough damage for one lifetime? In ten years there will be some politician back flushed from the sewer of government that wants us to elect him or her so they can save us from the government health care system that is eating us alive.
I am going to vote for everyone on my ballet that has not run before and will continue to do so until I have flushed all the unsavory slim balls out of Washington. Give them 4 years to do something and then if they have not produced fire them!
No I earned my entitlements. My VA disability was not handed to me....I earned that by putting myself in harms way because my government told me I had to do so. I get Social Security not because I am a dead beat but because I paid into the system for 50 years. When someone tells us that we should not be dependent on the government...lets keep in mind that all that government money belongs to us!
I will be getting what is due me...

Somewhere in Time

Last Day

We have been up early every day this week. Off to work at 6:30 and hard at it by 7:00. This is the last day for this week and we can only work a few hours and stay under our 40 hours. At first they had approved us working the overtime so we could get the job done but then the guys that get the bonuses found out and cancelled all that.
You know I remember those days. Working my people harder for shorter hours so I could bring down a bonus at the end of the year. If I could figure out how to get the job done with fewer people then the bonus got better. That is what it is all about. You need to keep those $$$ going upstairs to line the pockets of the BIG DOGS. Yes that is what I did for more than 35 years of my life and now the worm has turned and I see what it is like on the other end.
I am just glad that I only have a few more months to be used and abused and then I can sit on my patio and gaze off in the distance admiring the scenery. This will surely come to pass...

Somewhere in Time

Time Flies

This weekend just flew by so fast! I got all my chores done but then it was time to go on the road again. We have to work just a little while longer and then we will have plenty of time to get things done.
We woke up Saturday morning with Kris climbing in bed with us wanting to know if it was morning yet. It was dark outside and he was not sure if he should be up or in bed. With him in school now he automatically gets up early and wants to get the day started. We needed to get up too. We have things that need to be done while at base camp. I am moving the 120v plug under the dining room table to the side of the buffet so that all the electrical cords are not hanging down around your feet when you sit down to eat.
Once we all got up showered and ate breakfast Sherri and Kris headed out to Wally World to get some things we needed for the short weekend at home. I stayed at home and started on the plug relocation project.
I first had to remove the old plug and disassemble it to get all the wires loose. Then I had to re-route the wires through the cabinet to the side so I could attach them to the new plug. I had to cut a new opening for the plug and that created a good bit of saw dust that Sherri was not too pleased with when she returned. Oh well it all cleaned up nicely and she was satisfied with the new location so the mess was soon forgotten...

Somewhere in Time

Hope Arkansas

Sherri and I are in Hope Arkansas for the week. We have worked here many times in the past but never really got to get out and see the city. This time we have managed to drive around some and see what there was to see down town.
Not a bad town at all. There is much history here in Hope and we both love the down town area where there is much to see. This is where we came across Tailgaters restaurant. We stopped there last night for a burger and a cold drink. It is located right across the street from the old train station which is also the community center and museum.
The down town area is really clean and quaint. Old buildings have always been something I like to explore and take pictures of. I hope when I get on the road I have time to visit many towns and take pictures of their old buildings and visit their museums.
We put in a long day today and I am rather give out. Not much more for me to write about so I guess I will sign off for now and get horizonal in the bed. Watch a little TV and soon fall asleep...

Somewhere in Time

Days like today

It is days like today that make me long for the last working day.
I was up at 5:00 am and took my shower then headed out the door to the hotel breakfast bar across the street from our room.
I had eggs, sausage and toast with a glasss of milk. It was so good and got me going for the day.
The store we are working at is just down the street from where we are staying so it only takes us about 5 minutes to get there. It is so much better than the stores located 30 to 40 minutes away from where we have stayed.
Sherri got sick at work today and had to go back to the hotel room. I found a clinic that would take her insurance and took her there when I got off.
She got a steriod shot and I think she will be OK.
We stopped by Tailgaters on the way home and had a hamburger. I don't know if this is a chain or not but the burgers were good and we will go back...

Somewhere in Time

Computer is still up and running

Up at 5:00 am this morning. Took my shower and got ready for work. Sat down at the computer and she is still up and running so I thought I might ought to send out a message this morning to those of you free spirits.
Gee...looks like many of you have found you a job out there. This makes me feel better seeing as how I am still amoung the working class. We really don't work that much and the company does pay us for milage and food...not to mention a place to stay.
We will be here the rest of the week so there may or may not be anything to report to you. I did think about going over and seeing Bill Clinton's birth place but then maybe not. I will have to say he was one of out most interesting presidents since JFK.
Just to let you know my two favorite Presidents were...
1. JFK
2. Ronald Reagon.
Now for plain excitement...
1. Bill Clinton
2. Richard Nixon.
Believability...
1. Jimmy Carter
2. There will never be another one like him. Now days who would ever get elected telling the truth?
And that is all I have to say about that...

Somewhere in Time

I shocked it back to life.

It was touch and go for a while but the old computer came back to life. I have no idea how long it will last but I will give it a try tonight and see how she does. The big test will be when I shut it down later and then try to bring it back on line in the morning.
Sherri and I are on the road once more working. We are in Arkansas this week for four days and then back to the lake for a rest. Time is growing short...and we will soon be amoung the unemployed...not looking for a job just unemployed.
We had a nice visit with Jim and Dee Walter...well it was two weeks ago...My computer has been holding it's breath for that long. I really need to get me another one but I just hate to spend the money. I have had this one for about four years and it has been going down hill for some time.
If I buy another it will be very inexpensive. I have found out one thing about computers is the more expensive is not always the best. I buy the extended warranties and end up putting them in the shop the day after the warranty goes out!
OK back to our visit with Jim and Dee. They came out to our place at the lake and we visited and then went to eat BBQ at Soul Mans BBQ.
Thanks Jim and Dee for coming to see us. We miss you guys and can't wait to get on the road with all our friends out there.
Until then I will try to be more faithful on my post. I need to get a reliable computer...so I will have to get out and see what there is out there...

Somewhere in Time

New Toilet in the House

Sherri and I were getting ready to leave for East Texas when my daughter hollered at us and said the toilet would not quit flushing! I went in and found that the flush valve had stuck and would not return to the off position.
Now this is no time for this to happen...actually there is no good time for this to happen but it did and I had to figure out how to solve the problem before we headed out.
I managed to turn off the cold water valve and that did the trick but then there was no cold water at the sink or the shower! That was solved because the water in the lines has been so warm with the hot weather we did not need the cold side to bathe. The sink was no problem if you used paper products for eating and just used  the HWH to warm water for those dishes that had to be washed. American ingenuity...aint it grand.
This did mean that on my return I would have to get a new toilet.
In my spare time I have decided to install shutoff valves on all the lines.
Sherri decided to just order one on the Internet while we were on the road and have it delivered so when we got home it would be there. Well that was good thinking except we ordered the 14" high toilet and we should have ordered the 17 1/2". Getting down on this toilet would be OK but getting up would take some time!
Upon our return we did in fact have the toilet there waiting on us and low and behold they had not only shipped that toilet but two of them! Now we have two of the wrong toilets. This meant that we now had to head to Camping World to exchange the toilet + one for the correct toilet and we decided while we were there we might as well have them install it. With the gas to go up there and back you can see this was a very expensive toilet!
As things would have it we now have a porcelain toilet with a real toilet seat and all. Sherri never did like the toilet we had so all is well. Kris has had some issues with the new one. His little behind falls down into the toilet if he does not hang on....LOL He is still in a learning curve there.
Also while I was at CW we had all the vital systems checked out and found all was well there too. I wanted to get my oil changed but they could not work me in on that so I have to get that done.
While we were on the road I did discover that our inspection sticker was out and had been for 4 months! Well now I have something else to get done. If I get it done here in August that means I will have to return here every August and get my inspection done. Who in their right mind wants to be here in August? I guess if I can hide out in the barn until October I will be safe...?
Well that pretty well catches you up on what we have been doing. January keeps getting closer every day and we struggle to keep from jumping ship. We are torn over where we want to head out to in February. Now isn't that funny. Here we have been counting the days until we could get out on the road and we can't decide which way to go? Well I would rather have that problem than having to wait another year.
Until the next time I post...

Somewhere in Time

Kansas on my Mind

What an arsenal...Must be the 4th

Construction workers on the beach

Don't know where they are but it must be Florida...look at the white sand!

Can't be there for the Birthday but we got them some things .

NEXT YEAR GUYS MAYBE NOT FOR THE BIRTHDAY BUT WE WILL BE THERE!

I have a couple of guys up in Kansas that are on my mind today. They are my grandsons that share a birth date with each other. How lucky is that...only one party and you have two birthdays taken care of!
Evan and Brandt are my youngest son's children...Oh wait a minute! No Kris is my youngest son...Brice is my middle son. Sorry about that but as you know I have a new son Kris.
Anyway Brice has two son's that I don't get to see very often. They live 10 hours away in Shawnee Kansas so Sherri and I can't just breeze up there for the week end. We have to have a plan laid out so we can spent some time up there when we go.
The boys are having a birthday here in August and we will, once again, miss the celebration. We do know this...that we will be at as many as we can starting next year. All our trips this time of the year will be routed through the Shawnee area.
Guess you might ought to give us an idea what you would like for your Birthday. We need to get those things in the mail...

Somewhere in Time

I'm Still Out Here

Sherri and I are still out here on the road. Not having fun like many of you but we are still getting to see some of the sights.
Our plan is to end all this madness come January and hit the road with our son Kris. We will be traveling to many places to see history in the places that it was made. I will be home schooling Kris as I did last year and we will incorporate his field trips into our travels. He loves Dinosaurs and the Space Program so those will be many of the places that we will be visiting.
He has learned a lot about the States and knows where most of them are located. He is learning what there is to see in each of them and has a list of those places that he wants to go. What better way to teach a child about this great country than to let them explore it.
Until January Sherri Kris and I will be running up and down the roads checking out places close by. Gosh I never knew there was that much to see just around here! Texas is just packed full of history and most any place you go to has plenty there to discover.
Well that is just about it for now. I guess I better get going to W%#$K this morning so I can get back home...

Somewhere in Time

Ya Just Have to Stop And Think

VOTE for me

You know the main thing you hear about this day and time is the election of the next Pres and Congressmen. I am not a Republican nor am I a Democrat. I have voted both ways in my lifetime and finally figured out that it does not matter who is living in the White House...BIG MONEY runs this country. They all mask it so you think that THEY...the Dems or the Reps are all for you and then after the election you see that really they are for the money that put them in the office.
I really have a bad taste in my mouth about all these "Politicians". These are professional leaches that are out for one thing. They want to make that money and use that power. As far as we go...they consider us stupid sheep that follow what ever they want us to. In many cases they are correct. We sit back and let them run up our debt and ask us to pay more money for their programs.
I am entering into the time of my life where I am living off of the money I deposited with these crooks starting back 50 years ago. I am not going to pile a bunch of figures in here about how much all that money would have made had it been in the hands of a responsible person. You can figure that out on your own. I just know that for the last 50 years Congress has taken what was ours and spent it.
I guess that is what is so hard for me to digest! If I had a person working for me, back when I managed a department, that took money and misused it and did not deliver...I would have terminated his service...post haste.
As long as we have lobbyist tucking money in our elected officials pockets we will never see anything done for us. Mark my word this country is on it's last leg as long as our representatives are allowed to take these bribes...and yes that is what they are...and they are allowed to vote in their own salaries...health care packages...retirement programs and don't have to follow the same rules we do they will slowly destroy this wonderful country.
I don't guess anyone out there has ever wondered why they have a different program than we do. I have and just can't for the life of me see them ever fixing my problems when they don't share those problems. Can you imagine them having to live on SS and our health care program.
No I am not real sure there is anyone running that I would vote for. I think I will write my own name in on the ballot and leave it at that. I know I could do a better job than the morons we have in there now.
That is all I have to say for now...

Somewhere in Time

Out of Town

We skipped out of town to do some work in Louisiana and should be returning Thursday night. It has been a while since I had to stay in a Hotel room and I get to missing my bed when I am gone for a week.
Now that Kris is our little boy he is not too pleased when Mom and Dad head off without him. He thinks that  he should be allowed to go off with us. He understands that we are only doing this for a little while and then we are all heading out to see the world. Jennifer our youngest daughter keeps him while we are working and he asks her every day how long till we come home.
Know this makes us feel bad about leaving him but then we have to work these last 6 months so Sherri can get her retirement. Sherri said the other day she never thought she would be rushing her 62nd Birthday to get here.
When I get back home I have to bring in the slides and head off to the state park and dump. We can usually go for about 3 to 4 weeks on our black tank before it is time to let er rip. I also need to get my oil changed soon.
There is so much to  do and so little time here ...

Somewhere in Time

Headed to Tyler Texas

This morning I was up at 5:00 so I could get ready to go to Tyler Texas. Sherri and I have some stores there to work and we have to stop by the Social Security Office to change Kris's Social Security Card. Not that he will ever see any... thanks to our renowned caretakers in Washington DC.
At what point does it become legal for the government to work scams on the American citizens and then prosecute those that do the same in the private sector?
No I refuse to get on my soap box today...I am going to stay away from this rant for a while. I will save up all my opinions for the Social Security Office when I get there.
So we made it to Tyler and the SS office without any problems. I behaved myself there and we got all our paperwork done.
Having all the SS things taken care of Sherri and I finished up three more stores in that area and headed back home. It was a comfortable drive back and I noticed that we had a lot of cloud cover. The clouds have dropped the temps around here quite a bit and I love it.
We have had some 95 degree days but not that many triple digit days. No matter how nice it seems here we are still headed to the higher elevations come next summer.
I hope that next month we get to take a short trip to Kansas to see the boys for their Birthday. After this year we plan on making all their Birthdays until we can't travel anymore. Being that they live in the middle of the USA we can make that a destination for trips across the country as we travel...

Somewhere in Time

I am going to be a Great Grandpa

It's a boy alright!

It will be a boy!

Jennifer (Grandma) Jessica (Mom) Sherri (Great Grandma) 

Not only am I a Great Grandpa....I am a Daddy to a very special boy. Sherri and I adopted our grandson Kristopher Scott. We have been caring for Kristopher since the day he was born. He has been with us on and off for 6 years and last year we decided to start procedures to adopt him.
I want to thank all our friends out there that wrote good reports on the Home Study survey that was sent out to them. We cannot thank you enough for all the kind words that you wrote. It played very heavy in our favor.
We went to court yesterday and all three of us stood before the judge in Canton Texas. Raised our right hands and swore...together...that we would tell the truth...nothing but the truth...so help us God. And we did and Kris is our little boy as a result!
It has become a common  thing now days for grandparents to adopt their grandchildren due to parents that are not capable of raising kids. Thank God those biological parents know their limits and allow others to take the responsibility of raising their children. So many little children are shorted in life because their parents do not have the means to care for them in a manner that would allow them to reap the benefits they so deserve. How many underprivileged children go without in the USA because parents cannot give them what they need. 
Sherri and I plan on homeschooling Kris for the next 3 years...Are we smarter than a 3rd grader???...well maybe so but things have changed since we were in the 3rd grade. Sherri is great at English and I am not to bad at math and science. With all the help from the Internet and the online courses offered out there we should do just fine.
We plan on doing a lot of education on the road. Our history classes will be held in the places that history was made. Our science classes will be out in nature where Kris can touch and see all the wonders some of us only read about.
We know that we will be restricted on where we can stay now that we have a little one with us. This is shameful...seeing as how many can take their dogs to some parks but children are not allowed?? Not to worry we know of many places that we will be welcomed.
So I would like to let you know that when and if you catch us on the road next year we will have a great little traveler with us that might just take your heart like he took ours...


Somewhere in Time

Weather is Great Future is Not

I woke up to the sound of rain hitting the barn roof.
We have been having some hot days around here! Today is different...with the cool breeze blowing and the refreshing rain coming down the temps are dropping and in turn I am feeling better. Feeling better because the hot temps have been dragging me down in the dumps. I just can't seem to get going when it is hot outside. I would love to be where it is 70 degrees year around with a cool breeze blowing off the mountain tops. As the cool breeze turns to cold and snow you would find me on the coast with a breeze blowing in off the water. Yes I think next year I will transform myself into a nomadic person of sorts. Take down my Tee Pee and head to a better climate.
You know the American Indians were a lot smarter than the Pioneers! The Pioneers left a place that was secure to them and headed west into the wild untamed wilderness without a clue. Suffered all the hardships of winter and summer to stake a claim on a piece of land that they had to toil over to raise a meager living. The Indians on the other hand had a home in the mountains in the summer and a home in the south in the winter. Much the same as many of our rich folks today. Could you see all the people in Chicago heading south in the winter...They would end up killing one another before they ever got there!
The Indians followed the buffalo south so they had plenty of food all winter long. Never wasted one ounce of that buffalo...used every bit of it for their well being. Shared the fruits of their labor with all their people and and only fought those that tried to get something for nothing.
I don't see that happening today. We waste more than some folks get and never look back. What happened to all of us. Where did we make that turn in life when we stopped storing up for winter. When we went from the ant to the grasshopper? I guess when all the folks from the great depression where gone so were the ideas and hard work ethics they had.
Government moved in and took over. Now the government has the answers to all our problems. We the grasshopper don't have to toil for our future. The ants are hard at work while the grasshopper just consumes the goods. One thing we don't see because of all this government "Change"...is that one day the ant will no longer be able to afford to work. When the ant stops working the "Big Government Idea"....will too. All that is left is the ant that knows how to work and store for themselves and the grasshopper will be the one that is on the bottom...once again.
As the old saying goes "What goes around comes around." When the "Middle" class person no longer has the means to vacation or relax because "Government" takes all their extra from them to help all the grasshoppers of the world we will see an uprising in this country.
I guess I am spending too much time watching CNN. Sorry for this outburst...I really need to get away from all this and do some porch sitting in Colorado.
One thing I can say...turning the TV off and not paying attention to what is going on around me will not stop this "Change". It will slowly take us over while we sleep and one day we will wake up...

Somewhere in Time

Made it on Line

I read somewhere that if I had a virus that I would not be able to get on line and surf the WEB this morning? Well I am on line surfing so I  guess I don't have it.
It is a shame that there are those out there that thrive on making others miserable. I have never understood why some want to do that when there is so many other things that they could do to entertain themselves.
Just the other day I saw on TV where a car full of kids were going around beating out peoples windshields with a golf club. Now what on earth got them to go and do that. Just all of a sudden they decide to destroy someones car because it makes them feel good?
We live in a country that is changing. I remember back in the 50's and 60's we would paper someones house but we would not tear up things. I just can't see where these folks learn to do all this and why.
I saw a news commentary on some woman that stated that if she was to write the constitution for this country today she would not write it the way our founders had written it. Now there are those out there that would like to change even the constitution to fit their own agenda. We have one of the greatest countries in the world and we have those that want it to be something else.
I do worry about what is coming down the road. I have children and grandchildren that will have to deal with what we are doing now. Where does it stop.
I know you are saying that Joe has gone off on one of his rampages. No I just am concerned about what is coming around the next turn in the road. We have people that want to get rid of the Ten Commandments...prayer...everything that generates good among mankind is being taken off the plate and replaced with lewd and violent actions by a few. The "few" have the voice in this country while the majority sit back and wait for goodness to take it back.
Our leaders...and I use that term loosely...pander to the "few" in hopes of showing how good they are to help the minorities. What happen to majority rules.
Oh well one thing I can say with out a doubt "Full Timers don't fall into the "few" category. Everyone I meet are good citizens that love this country...no mater what their background is they respect others and help their fellow RVer's. What a great nation this would be if we all were Full Time...all around Good Folks. Maybe we will see that change come around the next turn...

Somewhere in Time

You'll Just Have To Excuse Me

Sherri and I have been on the run for some time and I have not had a chance to post.
NO...we are not running from the law...we have been on the run from one job to the next. I have missed reading all my friends post and I have not posted for some time.
Even sadder yet is I don't have much to tell you now that I am here typing out this entry!
I will have to say that I will not be in this part of the country next year. That is correct. I hope to be in Colorado...Rocky Mountain High. I just can't stay here in the heat another summer. I don't think I could take it one more year.
I hope to have more to report to you next time I have a chance to get on line. Until then I will just have to say  keep me in mind and I will be back posting as soon as things slow down...

Somewhere in Time

Things Get Done

My last post I was talking about getting some of those those things done at the lake. On the weekend Sherri and I try to get some things done and get some rest while we are at the home base. Getting rest does not always happen but we do get to spend time on the porch drinking our coffee and talking about things.
This last week end Sherri mentioned the door to the barn was still hanging up and not closing properly. You know what that means. When the wife mentions something like that it means it is time to get to work on it.
I did get to work on it and soon it was shutting without hanging up and now she is happy. I fixed our porch screen doors that had begun to fall off the hinge side. They are plastic of all things and the rails on the doors are too thin to give the door the support it needs to stay square to the opening.
I went down to the Depot and bought some of those screen door turnbuckle rods that go diagonally from the bottom rail to the hinge side stile and tightened them up...viola...screen door back in square and all is well.
It was sooooo hot that I decided to fill Kris's swimming pool up and let him go swimming so I too put on my swim suit and in I went. Sherri soon was in the pool with us and we were all getting cooled off.
Sherri got the smart idea to get the water pistols out that we had bought last year and soon we were engaged in a water gun fight to beat them all!
We had a wonderful day and got a lot accomplished. All good things have to come to an end...

Somewhere in Time

Working Here And There

Sherrri  and I have been on the road working here and there. We do get to go to the lake every weekend and take care of some things that we have to see to all the time...like mowing the grass. I don't know how it keeps growing here with no rain and unbearable temps. I guess the humidity keeps it watered with the dew in the mornings??
What ever...we have to mow that grass once a week no matter what. I don't know what I will do in the summer when I head north and I am not there to mow. I  guess it will grow over my head and then I will have to get a brush hog to knock it down.
I am sitting in the hotel room on the computer writing this entry. It is 5:27 and I am showered shaved and dressed ready to go down and eat some breakfast. Sherri is still getting ready so it will be 6:00 before we head out the door. We will eat and then jump in the Jeep and roll off to the store so we can get there about 7:00 when the fun begins.
If you have ever been in a store shopping when they are doing a full re-set...you know what a chaotic mess it is. Customers literally  cussing you out because you are in their way. They can't find what they are looking for and they say they will never come back to this store again. It would be like me telling the road crew that I will never drive on this road you are working on because you are costing me delays.
Well they do come back and they like the new set and they shop it and buy it and life goes on...

Somewhere in Time  

A Day at the VA

Got back from our world wind tour last night. I thought I might sleep in but then I remembered I had to go to the VA for my check up. Oh well so much for getting rested up.
I got up around 7:00 am...I don't usually sleep in that long but I could not drink coffee or eat so I just decided to stay in bed a while longer.
I did get on up and got dressed. I had to clean the Jeep out. We had been traveling all week and it was a mess. All our work cases and materials we have carried with us had to go on the shelves out of our way. The plan was Sherri was going to take me to Veterans Hospital and drop me off. She was  then going to head to North Dallas to take our daughters new cell phone by the Apple store to get it fixed. She just got the phone and already it is not working.
We made it to the VA Hospital about 1:00 pm so I had 30 minutes before my appointment. I had to get blood drawn and then I had a doctors appointment at 3:00 pm. I had not eaten so as soon as I got my lab work done I was off to the cafeteria for some grub.
By this time all the food had been setting out for some time and looked a little dry. I had no choice but to order a hamburger. This was not going to be my first choice but it was better than eating old dried out food. I ate my hamburger and drank a drink. I had brought my book with me so I just sat and read it and finished my drink until time to see the doctor.
They had double booked his schedule and one of the doctors was out. This put me in the last slot to be seen. It was about 4:30 before I got in to see the doctor. I think it was about 5:00 when I was released.
Sherri called about that time and said she was on her way. It all worked out real good and soon we were back at home.
I have to go back in about 6 months and find out how long I might have till the end...

Somwhere in Time

Headed West

I felt a rocking motion this morning and thought for a minute I was on a boat in the ocean. No it was different...more like a rocking chair...You know like when you are in your RV and someone is moving around. Well...do you see where I am going with this? OK Sherri was already up and she was in the kitchen making coffee and my jacks are not down good...This is just about how fast I was thinking when I first woke up. I don't think really fast anytime during the day and morning is my worst time.
I decided to roll on out and see if I could help with the coffee. You know drink it. Sure nuff there was some made and I poured me a cup and sat down at the computer.
Today is a travel day. We are headed west to Albany Texas. This is north of Abilene about 30 miles. We have a one day job out there and then we head back east. I know that is crazy but that is the way this company works. They pay us for our drive time and the fuel so we go where we are told.
I have to get packed this morning so I wont have just a whole lot of time to read but I will get started and finish up...

Somewhere in Time

I Got Some Response

This morning when I opened up my journal page I saw that I had two comments from some far away visitors.
Margie Anne and Rick Doyle came back to let me know where they were located. Gosh New Zealand and Vancouver Island...I would say that is quite a span across the globe.
Thanks for the come back on that post. I will have to look you both up and see what is going on.
When I got through checking my comments I got up and poured me a cup of coffee. I joined Sherri who was already on the porch. She had contacted Becky and told her to come on over to visit.
We all sat around until about 10:00 at which time Becky left us to go and mow their lawn. Sherri and I got busy on rearranging our patio side bays. We put all our inside supplies and our patio supplies on the passenger side so when we are sitting out we can get to our S T U F F easily.
We stopped about 12:00 due to the heat. We continued on about 5:00 when it had cooled off. We got all of Sherri's things stowed where she wanted them and I put what she didn't want in my bays in the back.
You know what this means...I have to rearrange mine now to work in this new S T U F F. I don't mine though...this gives me something to do here...

Somewhere in Time

Gosh Who Would Have Thunk it

This morning Sherri and I are headed East to deliver some display items to a store. We rolled out about 5:00 am. I had made the coffee the night before and went into the kitchen to flip the switch. Sherri was right behind me and we both sat waiting on the morning wake up fuel to fill the pot.
After our coffee was sipped dry I got ready to go and came back to set down at the computer. I brought up my journal and was scanning down to see who all had posted. While going down the page I noticed my new map I had installed some time back. It shows me where all my readers are located all over the world. Was I surprised to see where some of them are!
I had no idea that I had readers as far as Australia...Africa...Japan. I had to stop and think that with the Internet anyone can access my journal and find out what I am doing at a moments notice! How cool is that.
This brought me to thinking that I should stop and say HI to all those folks all over the world and tell them I appreciate them looking in on me from time to time. I would really like for them to comment on my journal and let me know something about them.
For those of you that have journals of your own and live in another country I would love to hear from you and would also enjoy reading your journals too!
We do live in a small world now! When we can communicate with neighbors thousands and thousands of miles away in just a few seconds! How cool is that!
Well it is time for me to head out now. Maybe when I get back I will have some new friends in some far away land that I can read about...

Somewhere in Time

Enjoying a Cool Morning

The Sun has passed me up this morning. I guess it will passed me up every morning from now until this Fall. It gets up before I do.
Sherri and I both usually get up around 5:00 when we are on the road but when at home we get up at 6:00. At 6:00 the sun is already up to light my way to the patio.
This morning was no different. Sherri was up much earlier than me. We made the coffee together and then called Becky...our SIL. We poured our coffee and then headed out to the screened porch.
The weather here has been hot during the day but I will have to say that some mornings the temps have been cool. We seem to always have a nice breeze through the barn and it keeps the heat from building up under the roof. Our screened in porch is under the barn roof so we are out of the rain and sun and as long as that breeze is coming through we can sit out there comfortably.
We sat on the porch and visited with our family neighbors. Becky and Rodney have lived out here for almost 20 years. They have the lots next door to us and we share a lot of time together on the weekends when they are up here. Becky still works so she only get up here on the weekends. Rodney has been retired for many years and has a house in Dallas that he stays at during the week.
The four of us have planned on traveling together for about 20 years. They have a MH and we enjoy going on short trips now and then. We really are starting to plan our maiden voyage now that the time is getting closer for Sherri and Becky to retire.
I think we have traveled about 300,000 miles in our minds on planned trips that have never come about. Today we are planning yet another trip that we will take...

Somewhere in Time

Going Going Going But Not Gone

I have not been very faithful in posting. I have been on the road from one side of Texas to the other and sometimes we have Internet and sometimes we don't. Seems like when we do I spend more time reading than I do posting. What you are doing is much more exciting than what I have been doing so I will keep on reading as long as that is the case.
We did go to the State Park next door to the lake lot here and spend three nights. It was so nice to be out away from the barn. You know being under the barn roof has its advantages but it also has its drawbacks. You don't get to see out when inside and that makes you feel like it is always night time. When we are at the park we have all the windows open and the sun comes in and we see all the trees...I could go on but you get the picture.
We are back now and life goes on. Sherri is off working and I am here holding down the fort. I would love to go out and work in my shop but it is already 95 outside and in the shop has to be 10 degrees hotter. Geee we had no Spring at all. One day it was 40 and the next it was 95. I guess we do have global warming after all.
OK that is about the sum of my life as it is now. I sit here in the MH wishing it was cooler and wanting to be in Colorado on the side of a mountain. For those of you that are you could post some pictures and maybe tell me how cool it is in the morning drinking your coffee on the patio. I will read it and pretend I am there...

Somewhere in Time

Back at the Lake

Well this morning I woke up in my own bed. How sweet it is. We have been gone most of the week. While staying in hotels it is just not the same when you get up. I like having my coffee before I get my day started but when on the road you have to get your day started and then get the cup of coffee. I have even side stepped the coffee in the morning being that I am already dressed and going...who needs coffee at that time?
This morning I am up and in the kitchen making a pot of coffee and I am going to enjoy sipping this cup and maybe a second one to boot.
My lawn mower cratered the last time I used it. I had changed the oil...air filter and the blade. This was enough for the handle on the mower to break. Why is that ? I have no idea but when I go and fix something up something else breaks making what I just fixed or tuned up worthless! I was not going to let that happen to my 8 year old lawn mower so I took this time to fix the handle. A drill and some bolts were all the things I needed to get me back in the yard mowing.
Next thing on the list of things to do is wiring some plugs on the screened in porch. This will take me going to the hardware store for some electrical supplies. Being that this day is just about used up I think I will make that trip...

Somewhere in Time

Missed the Eclipse

Sherri and I traveled to Texarcana Sunday afternoon. We arrived there about 7:30. We checked into our Hotel room and unloaded all our junk. We have to travel with computers and luggage and enough stuff to fill a hotel cart to the top.
We didn't stay long in the room before we decided to head out and get us some food. We found a Texas Roadhouse and I ordered me a steak! I have not had a steak in a good while. It was only 6 oz. but it sure was good.

On the way to the restaurant we took some pictures of the setting sun. We really did not get any pictures of the eclipse. The clouds and the buildings were in the way but I did take several pictures in hopes of capturing something.

We came back and got ready for bed. It did not take too much time and we were both dreaming of better places to be...

Somewhere in Time

Collection Calls Are A Joke

Sherri once again beat me to the coffee pot this morning. I guess I am just getting to slow and old to get up early. I could feel the MH rock back and forth as she moved about. By the time I got up she was no where to be found inside so I assumed she had retreated to the porch with her coffee.
Soon I mustered up enough strength to get up and go down to the kitchen. I found a full pot of coffee and poured me a cup. I slid down behind the computer and began my morning ritual of reading journals and emails.
Sherri was on the porch so I decided that I should go out and spend some time with her before the day got underway.
Later in the day while sitting inside I got a phone call on the house phone. I hardly ever get calls on that phone and when I do it is always a bill collector for some of the dead beats that had this number before me.
The phone call today was really funny because I had never had a collection agency present themselves the way this one did.
"Hello this is Blank Collection Agency calling for Mr Deadbeat". "If you are Mr Deadbeat please push 1". "If you are not Mr Deadbeat please push 2".
Now I don't know about you but if you where Mr Deadbeat would you push 1 or 2? Now take a minute to think about it...I don't want to rush you.
OK so I decided to push 1 seeing as how I was not Mr Deadbeat. What did I have to lose....
"Please hold your call is important to us". No kidding? I bet it is important to you...but Mr Deadbeat is surely not going to hold for you to harass him! But I did because...once again...I am not Mr. Deadbeat.
"Please hold your call is important to us".
"Please hold your call is important to us".
"Please hold your call is important to us".
Yes this went on for some time. Would a person owing money...with no intention of paying it back hold for a collection agent. I was amazed at the gall these people have putting you on hold so they can dun you for a bill.
"Pleas hold your call is important to us".
"Pleas hold your call is important to us".
"Pleas hold your call is important to us".
I held for some time and then the message changed and I was almost excited!
"This is the mail box of Cliff Collector...Cliff's mailbox is full and cannot hold any messages". "If you would please call back at a latter time". "Thank you".
This is when I fell out of the chair...
I wish I could have recorded this. I mean you could not have made up anything any funnier than this call. I don't know where Mr. Deadbeat is now but he sure is missing out on some good laughs here...

Somewhere in Time

Back Porch Trip Planning

This morning Sherri was up before me. I had slept in a little...being that I stayed up last night watching TV longer than usual.
She had the coffee made and was going out the door to the porch when I stepped into the shower. I cleaned up...poured my coffee and went outside to join her.
We sat for a while and then Becky, our SIL came over to drink coffee with us. She and Sherri's brother live next door to us in their MH.
It was not too long when the conversation turned to retirement and leaving on our maiden voyage. We will be headed south being that the time of year Sherri and Becky retire will be in the winter months. All the plans we make now are in jello as you well know. It is fun talking about it and I always quote some of our friends that have posted their trips on line. What they have done gives us thought for what we might do. We take a little of this and a little of that...put it all together and dream of what we might do.
This is all a part of the fun we have planning trips...that we might or might not do. Planning is half the fun.
We lounged around most of the day and then it was cool enough for me to start mowing the yard. Not the most fun thing to do but something that has to be done...

Somewhere in Time