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