One more day of work and then we have the weekend off

 

I don't know what happened but we did not hear the alarm go off this morning. We woke up about 5:30 and had to rush to get ready so we would have time to eat at McDonald's. I did not get to shave this morning and I looked a little rough. I showered last night so at least I didn't have to take time to do that. I don't know why the alarm did not go off or why...if it did...I did not hear it.

We made it to breakfast with time to spare and had a quick sausage biscuit and a cup of coffee. Then it was on down the street to the store and into the freezers to reset the entrees. We had a good day and a cold one. When you stand in front of a cooler with the doors open all day it tends to get a little chilly.

Got some news on my jacks today. The repair place called me and said that they had completed the jack replacement but that the motor would have to be replaced also. Seems that it was not in good enough condition to lift the RV? Now I just have to take  their word on that because I don't have the slightest idea about how that all works. I just want to be able to jack my house up and take it places.

OK so tomorrow is the last day of work and then we have the weekend to relax and refuel for the next week. We are keeping the G-kids while my daughter moves to a new apartment. Seems like the G-kids make too much noise on the second floor so the apt house is having them move to a ground floor. I think this would be better because you don't have to take everything up that flight of steps every time you come home from shopping.

Sherri and I volunteered to keep the kids so we would not have to help with the moving. We could not handle the medical cost of getting hurt moving furniture. We will pick them up Thursday morning and drive out to the lake. We will stay there three nights and then take them back home. It is going to be real hot that weekend for sure and it will be the 4th of July! We will watch the fire works at the lake and try our best to entertain the kids.

We ate at a mom and pop restaurant and they had good food. Then it was back to the hotel to read some journals and post the days events. I have a piece of pie from the restaurant and I guess I better sign off here and get that pie eaten...

Somewhere in Time

Great Visit on Skype

This morning Sherri and I were up with the alarm...about 4:45...got our showers and down and out to McDonnalds for breakfast. We don't have coffee here at the hotel...well until 6:30? I guess they cater more to the 9 to 5 group of folks.
After the work day was over we headed over to Olive Garden and had a good meal. My order was a little late in getting to me and come to find out they left it in the window! Well I could over look this but I could not overlook the fact that my waitress did not keep my Dr. Pepper coming. I have to have plenty to drink and if that does not happen during a meal....no tip!
We left there and went back to the hotel. When we got in our room and settled in I turned on my computer and dial up Skype. Contacted John and Bridget and had a great visit with them. How cool is it being able to see and speak to your friends on your computer. We had a lot of laughs and got to see Fred...their dog. We enjoyed our short visit with you two and will do it again...
Somewhere in Time

First time on the river side

We checked in on Sunday and got a room. We got a room on the river side which is nice but if your on that side your on the side with the train. They say in the reviews that the river side is noisy because of the train. We have not had a problem with the train...I guess we are so tired we can't hear it after we go to sleep.

We got up this morning around 4:45 and I jumped in the shower and turned the water as hot as I could stand it. I did not want to get out...my muscles are so sore and the hot water feels so good. I shower again in the evening after we get back from eating and rub down with my heat ointment and then set back and relax. I have noticed that I am less sore now than when I first started work. I am getting use to the getting up and down and bending over.

After work today we went to Showguns for dinner. I had never been and it was really a neat experience. The cook put on a real cool show and we all enjoyed it. I ordered the steak and most everyone else ordered the chicken. They cooked rice and vegetables on the cook top all at once and talk about good.

I have decided to enjoy this eating out now while I can afford it because in a few months we wont be able to do this. I think we will both lose some weight when we start eating what we can afford. I am really excited about learning how to cook and experiment on my outdoor grill. I have a kitchen set up I bought for cooking outside and I can't wait to use it all. That is one of the things I look forward to when I am on the road.

OK so that is about it for today. I am setting here typing this post and looking out the window at the Red River. Nice view and it looks like we are going to have great sunset. The sun is reflecting in the gold plated windows of the Horseshoe Hotel and Casino next door. We can't afford to stay there but we can gaze in that direction and wonder how the rich people are doing...

Somewhere in Time

Our location

Once again the sun came in through the window here on the 5th floor of the hotel. By the way we are in Louisiana...Shreveport to be exact. So many commented on the where-a-bouts of the dynamic due this last post. I had to reveal our location. No intent of being deceptive I just failed to mention where we were.
We have spent a lot of time in Louisiana this year...which is fine to me because we both love the river here and the casinos. There is a lot to do here when you are free to do it. We try to explore every evening after work and see a new spot somewhere in the area.
Last night after work we headed back to the hotel to change clothes and then on to the river walk to shop and eat at Saltgrass. It was so hot that we cut the walking around to a minimum and opted to go and eat early. We road over with our friends and enjoyed their company at dinner. After eating we walked back to the truck via the ice cream store and had us some cold slab ice cream. I was stuffed after that and the trip to the truck...well I did not think I would ever get there.
When we returned home Sherri got back on her computer. Becky came over to help her try and do her report but they could not get it to work. Sherri has been having trouble sending her report in ever since her computer went on the fritz and she has been using mine. We finally decided that she needed to go home and rescan all the files and reload them. Evidently there is something wrong with the way they were filed and saved to my computer?
After Becky left we both showered and hit the hay. We were tired and needed to get some sleep before tomorrows sun rise here on the 5th floor by the river...
Somewhere in Time

What a day

Today started off with me waking up in the recliner. Yes I fell asleep last night in the recliner watching TV and I guess sometime during the night I turned the TV off. Maybe Sherri turned the TV off...she was sleeping in the recliner next to mine. I guess it does not really matter we both slept soundly TV or not.

Coffee time! I got up and found my way around all the baggage that we had set out for the trip. We are heading out today to a new job and packed last night to get a leg up on leaving. Well for all the effort we are in no hurry this morning to go. I have to mow the lot out here and undo all the hoses and lock up the barn. Once all the chores are done we will pack up and head on down the road.

I mowed for an hour and finally finished up. I had to take a break and drink some cold water before I finished the back of the lot. I don't know how the grass grows out here as hot as it is. We have had no rain and yet the weeds keep on shooting up...yes I said weeds not grass. I have never had any luck with grass growing in a yard. If I plant grass weeds grow. I have the best grass in the area growing in the rock on my driveway. Go figure...if I wanted grass to grow on rocks it would never happen.

Our trip was uneventful and we arrived about 4:30. Shortly after arriving some friends of ours called to let us know that they had checked in and wanted to go eat. We made a plan to eat at Ruby Tuesdays. I asked them what room they were in and come to find out they are right across the hall from us. We met in the hallway and down stairs we went...or should I say down the elevator.

We had a great meal and lots of laughs. We went over tomorrows list of sets we need to do. Looks like tomorrow and Tuesday will be some long hard days with lots of work to be done.

I would like to get off a little early tomorrow so I can take in some of the sites here. I like to wonder around and discover places I have never been to or seen...

Somewhere in Time

Hunting for a Motel

 

Oh...it must be 4:45...the alarm is going off! I just did not want to get up this morning when the phone started ringing. We set the alarm on the phone for 4:45 and it was ringing and vibrating on the bed side table next to Sherri. She finally heard it and turned it off. By that time I had slide from under the covers and was weaving my way to the bathroom.

This is the only part of working I don't like...getting up early. By the time I get my shower and put on my clothes I am set to go and have no problem. It is just that few minutes you have trying to get your legs to swing out and hit the floor that really hurts.

Sherri and I both got our showers...dressed and headed down the elevator to the breakfast room to fuel up for the day. Coffee was good this morning...some mornings it is like motor oil! Today it was just right and I had a cup. Felt good to go off after having coffee. When the coffee is so strong you could take paint off your back yard settee it just does not go down well. Some folks like strong coffee but I like it mild. I can drink several cups and feel good all day long.

We finished our set about 3:30 and walked out to the truck. On the way out we were all planning on where we would eat dinner later that evening. We all decided on the Texas Roadhouse. Plan was to meet about 5:30 and we would all go in our truck. There was 6 of us leaving from the motel and we would be meeting 3 more at the restaurant.

We arrive there about 6:00...which was about 10 minutes later than we had told the other folks in our party...but that was due to the traffic on Interstate 20. We did not plan on it so we arrived late and had everyone calling us to see if we were alright.

Everyone settled in around the tables they had prepared for us and we had a good meal and lots of laughs....as usual.

The motel we are staying in now will soon not take our Corp Card so we have to find a new place to stay. After we finish dinner we drove around looking at the motels that still took our card. The girls went in and examined the rooms and the breakfast bar and then would come out and report the findings to the guys. Well it looks like they drew a blank so now they have something to ponder over this weekend. I bet they come up with a new home away from home before we return.

It was time to go and we all headed back to our motels. Time to rest up for tomorrow and the final day of work. We finish tomorrow and then head home to the lake and no internet connection. I will drop off the grid then and will not be back until we hit the next motel with Wifi...

Somewhere in Time

Skype is the way to go

Sherri and I were up this morning around 4:45. We did not get our wake-up call this morning but then we did not ask for one. I was under the assumption that we just asked once and we would get it for all week. That is not the way it works so we will have to ask for a call in the morning.

We made it to work on time, however and had a good day. We then headed back to the motel room for a shower and some rest. We had decided to go to Jan's River Restaurant on the west side of town for dinner. We would all meet down stairs at 5:00 and ride over in my truck. At 5:00 I found everyone waiting for us in the lobby. We all loaded up in the truck and away we went to the restaurant. We had a good time and laughed at all the stories being told by all. It was getting late so we all piled back into the truck and returned to the motel.

When I returned to the room I noticed that my youngest son had called and wanted me to call him on Skype. If you have not heard of Skype you need to learn about it...especially if you have loved ones far away from your travels and would like to see and talk to them often.

The program is free for computer to computer video and audio connections. You have to pay if you call phone numbers but having the ability to talk to your G-kids and see them too is great. We got hooked up for the first time tonight and it worked great. The picture of Brice and Jodie was good on our in but the picture of us on their end was grainy. My camera is built in where they bought a table model that has a better lens. It was quite the experience to be able to see the kids and talk with them while setting at our desk in the motel room hundreds of miles away.

The download did not cost us anything and the fun we got from it was worth the time it took to load it up. If you travel and want to keep in touch with the kids back home this is a must have. If you do happen to get it and want to try it out give me a call....Joe and Sherri Pitman is our on line address. It is like facebook you have to request to become part of our contacts and then once you are accepted viola you can call and talk...just like Star Trek!!!

Well that is about it for this day. I have to get ready for my shower and a little time watching the TV. Oh maybe I can catch the President tonight tell me how they are going to clean up the oil spill. Not that they have fixed anything else. Maybe an oil spill is more along their line of expertise? Good luck with that ...

Somewhere in Time

Not a Bad Day at All

Sherri and I were brought out of our comma when the wake-up call came in from the desk down stairs. She tried to turn the phone off by answering my ear...ouch! No dear pick up the phone and then hang up. We laid there for a short time...I could hear her breathing but we did not talk. Shortly the phone began to ring again...how did they know we were still in bed?

OK I pull up and out of bed...stumbled to the suit case and got some clothes out and then headed for the shower. It was so nice to shave and then climb in under that stream of hot water. I would have loved to showered for an hour but I knew Sherri needed her turn so I had to cut it short.

I relinquished the shower to her and I fell back into the bed for a little nap before I got dressed for work. Seem like I had just closed my eyes and Sherri was telling me to get up and get ready. OK OK...I am a going as fast as I can. Not really but I think I had her fooled...NOT.

We went down to the breakfast room where I got coffee and eggs with sausage. Sherri got the usual cereal bowl and coffee. This was enough to get us rolling to the job. The day went well and we had a lot of fun with our co-workers. We all enjoy our jobs and make the day go faster by teasing with each other and having some laughs.

I will have to say this job is a lot more fun than the one I had for 35 years. What a relief it is not having any responsibilities other than doing my job. Not having to answer questions and being away from any desk type work makes this guy real laid back...

Somewhere in Time

Tanks Empty...Repairs start Monday

Well Sherri and I slept in Sunday morning...which was nice. We have not been able to sleep late in months, even though we have been off work Friday thru Sunday. We always have something going on and that causes us to rise early.

We made our coffee and then poured us a cup. We sat in the living room discussing what all we had to get done this morning before hitting the road to Louisiana. We will be there all week working at various stores. While we are gone the repair work to our front jacks will be done and hopefully we will be able to move the trailer.

Thanks Tom for the advice on the pump out. The gentlemen that did the extraction told me that the suction on the truck was very strong and that I would need to open the toilet flush ball to relieve the extreme vacuum. We did all that and ran the flush water at the same time and as far as I can tell all is well. I hope nothing is seriously wrong with it...that is all I need!

This little clean-out cost me $100.00! Well it was better than using the Texaco Toilet in town! I have learned a lot from this ordeal and will be better prepared in the future.

We packed up and got out of town about 12:30. Heading east on I 20 we stopped in Lindell to have some lunch at Cracker Barrel. We enjoyed a good meal and then back on the road again. Soon we were crossing the state line into Louisiana where we stopped at the road side park. I got out to use the restroom and when leaving the truck I was hit by a heated blast of hot air! I could not believe how hot it was today! This is just June and we are already into the high 90's and some 100's.

We arrived at the motel around 4:30 and unloaded all our stuff. They did not have a cart for the luggage so we had to man handle it into the back door and then into the elevator. By the time we crossed the threshold to our room we were both depleted of energy and ready for cold showers.

We are settled in now and guess what...we have an outstanding connection on line and I am going to post tonight! I have to say I am sorry to all my readers for not having posted more often but we were staying out at the lake property and we have no signal out there. It is great when we get a good wifi connection so we can communicate with all the outside world.

Well that just about wraps this day up...we are here and resting tonight...getting ready for tomorrow and a new set to complete. Two days at one store and then we move on to the next. We will return to the lake Friday morning and once again...no signal. I guess I better enjoy the great connection I have now...come Friday I will be in slow cyber space....

Somewhere in Time

Back on the road

 

 

I don't know about you but it has been hot here in Texas. Yesterday we had temps in the 100's and you could tell it. We have been at our home base and it is setting in the open sun. I have been pleased with the insulation we have. The trailer itself has stayed cool and comfortable but going outside has been no joy at all.

We both long for the day we can pull out and stay somewhere cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Until then we will make the best of a bad situation.

Speaking of bad situation one of our front jack motors went out and I have to take it in and get it fixed. I can't believe that a motor would go out in less than 2 years...but then it did. I have to raise in manually and then lower it the same way. This is a tricky task but then there is no other way.

We had to go to work before all this repair takes place. Sherri and I have to go to our next assignment...complete it and then return to our home base. When I get there I will raise the jack and take the RV to the dealership and get it fixed.

We did return at the end of the week and I got up early Friday morning and got started on raising the jack. I got it within a few inches needed to back the truck under it and it slid back down! The gears in the landing gear itself are stripped out and I can't raise it manually. OK now the dilemma gets worse. My black water tank needs dumping and I can't get the rig to the park.

Well this means one thing...I will have to call a tech out to repair the jack on site. Knowing that this will take some time I have to make some arrangements to get the black water dumped. I called a septic tank company that cleans out grease traps and septic systems and asked how much it would cost to clean out my holding tank. They told me that they could be out today so I told them to come on out. We got the tank emptied and shortly afterwards my repair tech showed up. He apprised the situation and told me that the jack stand gears were the problem and not the motor. So he said he would order the parts and return Monday to start the work.

Well that is about it for this last week. We have to leave again for our next assignment. I hope upon our return the jack is fixed and we will be able to go somewhere again...

Somewhere in Time

Finally got a good signal

 

Our little spot on the map

We had left our lake lot and traveled to Louisiana to work for one day in a store there. While there...of course we had to visit the casinos. This is where my story begins...

We arrived in Louisiana around 12:00 pm and went straight to the buffet at Sam's Town. We had a real nice lunch and then went to the casino...where nothing monumental occurred. We decided to head off to Diamond Jack's where we had had some good luck in the past.

I found a machine to my liking...located in a corner of the casino and Sherri sat down beside me. I put my money in and then looked at the pay tables. I pointed out to Sherri that if I got all the American Originals that I would make $20 bucks! Now this was my first penny...and for those that know me know that I play one penny at a time. I punched the button and viola...I hit the exact thing I was talking to Sherri about. Then on the third penny I hit 4 of the American Originals and that was $5.00. I walked away with $25.00 of their money.

My 1st penny....                                            My 3rd penny....

All is well and I am $25.00 closer to buying my boat battery. Speaking of my boat I guess I better get it loaded back into the bay. I sure would like to head out fishing this weekend. Oh I forgot we have the G-kids for two days.

We headed to our next job assignment here in Texas from Louisiana. Staying in another motel along the way. Two days at this store and then it is off for the weekend...well I use that term loosely...we do have the kids.

Guess I better get this posted while I have this good signal. It is not too often we have this good of a signal anywhere. Hope everyone is having a good life on the road and I hope to see you all...

Somewhere in Time