Nineteen point fifty six. Yup.. that's correct ... 19.56. Do you suppose I'm referring to what it cost to eat at McDonalds the last time we were there? Nope; no where near that. Do you suppose that it got that cold here last night? No: it actually was about 55. Do you suppose that's the amount left in my checking account after Christmas? Close, but no. Do you suppose that's how much rain we've had since arriving here this winter? Yup. 19.56 inches. That's 19.56 of rain!
The ark is full folks, everything and everybody has sought out high ground, our complexions are mid-Michigan pale and we smell of mildew. We're wrinking at an alarming rate. When it will stop is anyone's guess. We've been here for 6 weeks and we already had more rain than Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming get in an ENTIRE year! Oh well. We take life as we receive it. Happy to wake up each morning and take a breath.
But in spite of all this H20, we're still livin' the dream ... and the thought of dealing with snow is still out of the question.
Phil
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Happy Holidays
A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our friends and family. May the New Year bring peace and prosperity to your lives and that you remain in good health, good spirits and light of heart.
Thanks for livin' the dream with us.
Phil & Sharon
Thanks for livin' the dream with us.
Phil & Sharon
Thursday, December 24, 2009
One full day
Betcha' didn't know that the city of Pensacola was originally spelled Panzacola. Thought to be descriptive of the local Choctaw Indians; its a word for 'long-haired people' ... (I naturally felt a little uneasy here). It was actually another field trip for us as our new friends from Maine (Bob and Joanne) and Iowa (Jim and Carol) invited us to join them on an excursion to visit Fort Barrancas. Sharon whispered to me before we left "no lobster or corn jokes". Tough assignment, but I agreed. We need all the friends we can get.
Fort Barrancas guards the entrance to Pensacola Bay. The 300 year old fortress orginally built by the Spanish, changed hands a number of times (British, Union and Confederate armies), and finally being manned by the National Parks Service today. You history buffs will noticed how I quickly glossed over the intricate exchanges of ownership and strategic value of this historic place. It's a truly facinating story but especially comes to life if you visit the fort. So if you really want to know all that neat stuff you need to join me in reading park historian David P. Ogden's short, but concise book "The Fort Barrancas Story" and make a visit.
Anyway ... the six of us arrived at the visitors center and recieved our maps and guides and headed up the bluff to tour the facility. Once atop, the view of Pensacola Bay was indeed commanding. I know the thought of lobbing cannonballs from the various gun positions to the enemy ships below sounds fun but protecting this crucial peice of real estate was no laughing matter. As years passed, and as Pensacola Bay became a key naval installation, the fort's value increased into the WWII era. The narrow deep water entrance to the bay is but a 16 pound cannon ball away so the bad guys usually kept their distance.
Location A:
Bob and Jim are positioned looking seaward along the SSE wall of the fort. You can see small arms shooting positions all along the wall face.
What I found most interesting about the camp was its construction and the logic the builders used when creating it. As you can see by the drawing below it was sort of an irregular polygon (ask your local 9th grader if you've forgot what shape that may be). It was then flanked on two sides by parallel walls that held additional firing positions. Separating these two structures was a moat-like area designed to funnel any invading ground troops into a 'killing field'. Inward facing small arms firing positions on each side of the moat assured that no one could breach the defenses. Now why any fool would advance into that area in the first place is beyond me but we all know those silly British had their traditions in battle.
Location D:
Looking South over the 'killing field' between the inner and outer wall. Note the small arms firing positions.
Once traversing the moat to the inner portion of the fort we headed down into the area below the canon implacements above. A long, ornately bricked corridor almost fully restored to its original condition. This four-sided stucture held the ammunition magazines and crew quarters for up to 150 men. The two longest sides of the inner fort was maybe 500 feet long and along each corridor were outward facing small arms positions. The other two sides were approximately 300 feet long and had identical firing positions. If you'll notice the image below labeled "C1", you'll see the intricate interior brick work. Quad-arched ceilings at the corners seemed to defy the laws of physics. These 15 foot marvels were made of brick but the ceiling had no center support to the floor below. The mortar apparently not only supports the bricks but the massive weight of the 5-10 feet of earth above it. An explantion of how this all came to be is better describe in Ogden's book so if it's really killing you to know let me know and I'll send you the full scoop on it.
Location C: #1
Notice the intricately hand fitted brick. This view begins about 5 ft off the floor and proceeds up into an arched ceiling.
I couldn't help myself and asked the park ranger if there were any ghosts on the property. She kinda of hesitated, looked around and quitely told me that several had been sighted or heard by some visitors and staff alike over the years. Once inside the long corridors I could see the possibilities. Tortured souls living in these conditions surely must still be here to share their plight with unsuspecting visitors. I was armed with my own Canon ready for any encounter. As luck would have it I got the draw on one of the wiley spirits of the past and snapped off a lucky image. What do you think?
Location C: #2
No telling what you'll encounter along these long, arched corridors.
There was a large furnace in the fort that was used, not to make smores but to heat cannon balls. They would heat the balls white hot then two strong armorers would pick them up with a large pincher-like tool and carry them to the firing positions. Nice work on a cold day I guess, but don't drop one on your boot. Some weighed in excess of 200 pounds. Apparently white-hot canon balls and wooden ships make for less wooden ships.
In the center of this little known fort, and well below the canon batteries along the seaward walls was the parade field. Now I'm not too schooled in these matters but if your going to have a parade, this is not the place I'd pick. None-the-less that's what it's called. I coralled our three majorettes (Joanne, Sharon and Carol) and tried to get some sort of a parade started but they had other ideas so I captured what they had in mind. A well deserved rest from tramping around the ruins.
Location B: #1
Location B: #2
Take three majorettes, add in a couple of trumpets, a clarinet or three, two tubas, and couple of drums and now you'd have a real band to march on this parade field. (at least I found the three majorettes)
Not anxious to end this fine day, we made a stop at the Naval Air Museum (we were here in 2008) not a mile from Fort Barrancas. Ever changing and always first class, the volunteers who run this place and the donors who support it have a real gem here. Lots of planes (big surprise), great exhibits, a great gift shop, a bar, a restaurant, neat flight simulators, and an Imax theater make any visit, a great visit.
Made a stop on the way home to Lillians. Jim and Carol had been there before and recommended we all try it. Now these folks know their pizza. I didn't even know they had pizza in Iowa, so wherever they got their expertise they got it right. Lillians is located on Highway 180 heading east towards the Alabama border, not far from that famous, but really run-down watering hole, Floribama.
Another full day that we greatly enjoyed. Fantastic new friends, a much needed infusion of new sites and sounds, and some very edible pizza.
Still livin' the dream ... one day at a time.
Phil
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Grammy? Not!
This is dedicated to all those 'snowbirds' who have landed in this area to escape to the icy grasp of Mother Nature ...
'Oh the weather outside is Drippy'
' But our coach's inside are Spiffy'
'And since we aren't in any Pain'
' Let it Rain, Let it Rain, Let it Rain'
'It doesn't show signs of Slowin'
'And the heater is just a Glowin'
'Our take-out meal tonight is Lo Mein'
So 'Let it Rain, Let it Rain, Let it Rain'
Okay...Okay! I've done enough damage to the old classic. I guess I'd better leave song writing to the pros and stick to my day job (whatever that is) ... anyway the sun was shining today and predicted to continue to brighten our lives for the next several days. Too bad it's still a little chilly.
Our 'camp' is starting to fill up with more and more folks wandering in from around the country. Christmas decorations are sprouting up and the holiday season is upon us.
Still livin' the dream.
Phil
'Oh the weather outside is Drippy'
' But our coach's inside are Spiffy'
'And since we aren't in any Pain'
' Let it Rain, Let it Rain, Let it Rain'
'It doesn't show signs of Slowin'
'And the heater is just a Glowin'
'Our take-out meal tonight is Lo Mein'
So 'Let it Rain, Let it Rain, Let it Rain'
Okay...Okay! I've done enough damage to the old classic. I guess I'd better leave song writing to the pros and stick to my day job (whatever that is) ... anyway the sun was shining today and predicted to continue to brighten our lives for the next several days. Too bad it's still a little chilly.
Our 'camp' is starting to fill up with more and more folks wandering in from around the country. Christmas decorations are sprouting up and the holiday season is upon us.
Still livin' the dream.
Phil
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Blub ... Blub ... Blub
That old joke about "it's raining so hard the animals are pairing up" pretty well sums it up here in southern Alabama. 6-14 inches have pounded this area into submission. Boat and hip boot sales are rising as fast as the local rivers. If you didn't own waterfront property ... you probably do now. Thankfully the water knows enough to head towards the Caribbean ... I hope. Sharon and I are trying to avoid becoming mildewed so we turn the fan on now and again to circulate the air around us. The real surprise will be tomorrow ... when they claim the sun will appear. But followed by another 3 or 4 days of cold rain. We're hoping that pale and wrinkled will be in style this spring. We're not sure this beats what our 'western snow bird' friends are dealing with but having a dailey coating of nature's 'shake and bake' coating of dust and sand probably has its shortcomings too. Anyway you look at it ... sure beats shoveling snow. (apologies to our northern friends)
Puckered and pale but still livin' the dream.
Phil
Puckered and pale but still livin' the dream.
Phil
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Hodge-Podge
The girl at the resort office called me late yesterday and said, if we were interested, "bring a zip-lock bag with two eggs over to the clubhouse in the morning and have breakfast with us". I thought about it briefly and relayed the call to Sharon. She said "two eggs in a baggie?" I said "yup". "Raw eggs cracked in a baggie". "No way .. you must be mixed up again ... you're not supposed to crack them!" she said. Oh my is this what the aging process is doing to us? ... Arguing about to crack or not crack! A short but vigorous discussion ensued; but each still sticking to our position ... we headed off to bed resolving to resolve the question in the morning.
Getting around at 9:00am is a little early for one of the inhabitants of this coach but that person managed and off we went with two baggies with two un-cracked eggs inside. Arriving at the clubhouse we immidiately noticed about 20 people walking around with baggies in their hands ... and within those bags was the runny, gooey mass of semi-scrambled uncooked eggs. Well that settled that question ... cracked it was...but what in the world were we to do with them?
As it turned out, we had to squash our little bags until they were sort of uniformly mixed. We then opened up the bag and dumped in cheese, mushrooms,peppers,salsa, or onions ... or any combination presented on a serving tray, closed the bag again and squashed it up again. We then took our little bag over to the 'Cook' who was in charge of a large pot of bubbling. boiling water. He said "look at your watch and be back in 10 minutes" then dumped my little bag of goo into the pot with about 10 other little bags of goo.
So ten minutes elapsed and my little bag of goo was apparently completely cooked. And so it was. It slid easily onto my plate ready for a little salt and pepper. No frying pan, no grease, no butter and still one of the best omellets I've had. Absolutely no mess ... no fuss. I later learned the Girl Scouts have been doing this for decades ... but since I was never a Girl Scout I think I should be forgiven for my ignorance.
And as you see ... it doesn't take much to please me anymore.
We did have the opportunity to meet some more new people including Tom Eller, National Vice President Southeast Area of the Family MotorCoach Association. (Whew ... needs almost two business cards to get his title spelled out). Tom handed me a a couple of pieces of paper with about a dozen photos printed on them. It was pictures his coach, or what was left of it. Tom and his wife Lorna had just arrived in the area and while passing over one of the beautiful bridges when someone was trying to get his attention. Getting over the bridge he pulled over and the gent from the car joined him. They said something to the effect that he had been following Tom for sometime and noticed the rear of his coach was smoking. Apparently by the time Tom got the coach stopped and he and Lorna got out, the rear of the diesel pusher was engulfed in flames and before it was over, completly destroyed. A burnt out hulk with all their stuff lost. Now Tom is one cool guy. He and his wife are full-timers and not 24 hours earlier their home on wheels was destroyed. Now here he is... Sitting down with me eating food out of a baggie and not showing much emotion. He had gotten a hold of his insurance company and they apparently quickly totaled it out and within a few hours Tom bought a Monaco sight-unseen over the phone with the proceeds and it's being delivered here Saturday. Now this family is organized! I guess putting on all those FMCA rallies teaches a guy about organizing things.
The day wasn't over as there was a Christmas boat parade planned along part of the Intercoastal Waterway between Zekes Marina and LuLu's resturant. A trip of 5 or 6 miles, the idea was for a bunch of big cruisers and large off-shore boats to decorate their boats with multi-colored lights and other festive things and parade along the waterway entertaining the onlookers. Probably in good weather there would have been more boats. Maybe a dozen or so made the parade (my guess about a tenth of the size of earlier years) but the crummy weather didn't stop the well-wishers parked and standing in the rain along the parade route. There was even a blimp brought in to hover around and entertain everyone.
Damn cold and windy is not my idea of what a snow-bird whould have to endure but ... it's a whole lot better than shoveling snow and bundling up like an Alaskan Eskimow.
Scrambled, chilled but still livin' the dream.
Phil
Getting around at 9:00am is a little early for one of the inhabitants of this coach but that person managed and off we went with two baggies with two un-cracked eggs inside. Arriving at the clubhouse we immidiately noticed about 20 people walking around with baggies in their hands ... and within those bags was the runny, gooey mass of semi-scrambled uncooked eggs. Well that settled that question ... cracked it was...but what in the world were we to do with them?
As it turned out, we had to squash our little bags until they were sort of uniformly mixed. We then opened up the bag and dumped in cheese, mushrooms,peppers,salsa, or onions ... or any combination presented on a serving tray, closed the bag again and squashed it up again. We then took our little bag over to the 'Cook' who was in charge of a large pot of bubbling. boiling water. He said "look at your watch and be back in 10 minutes" then dumped my little bag of goo into the pot with about 10 other little bags of goo.
So ten minutes elapsed and my little bag of goo was apparently completely cooked. And so it was. It slid easily onto my plate ready for a little salt and pepper. No frying pan, no grease, no butter and still one of the best omellets I've had. Absolutely no mess ... no fuss. I later learned the Girl Scouts have been doing this for decades ... but since I was never a Girl Scout I think I should be forgiven for my ignorance.
And as you see ... it doesn't take much to please me anymore.
We did have the opportunity to meet some more new people including Tom Eller, National Vice President Southeast Area of the Family MotorCoach Association. (Whew ... needs almost two business cards to get his title spelled out). Tom handed me a a couple of pieces of paper with about a dozen photos printed on them. It was pictures his coach, or what was left of it. Tom and his wife Lorna had just arrived in the area and while passing over one of the beautiful bridges when someone was trying to get his attention. Getting over the bridge he pulled over and the gent from the car joined him. They said something to the effect that he had been following Tom for sometime and noticed the rear of his coach was smoking. Apparently by the time Tom got the coach stopped and he and Lorna got out, the rear of the diesel pusher was engulfed in flames and before it was over, completly destroyed. A burnt out hulk with all their stuff lost. Now Tom is one cool guy. He and his wife are full-timers and not 24 hours earlier their home on wheels was destroyed. Now here he is... Sitting down with me eating food out of a baggie and not showing much emotion. He had gotten a hold of his insurance company and they apparently quickly totaled it out and within a few hours Tom bought a Monaco sight-unseen over the phone with the proceeds and it's being delivered here Saturday. Now this family is organized! I guess putting on all those FMCA rallies teaches a guy about organizing things.
The day wasn't over as there was a Christmas boat parade planned along part of the Intercoastal Waterway between Zekes Marina and LuLu's resturant. A trip of 5 or 6 miles, the idea was for a bunch of big cruisers and large off-shore boats to decorate their boats with multi-colored lights and other festive things and parade along the waterway entertaining the onlookers. Probably in good weather there would have been more boats. Maybe a dozen or so made the parade (my guess about a tenth of the size of earlier years) but the crummy weather didn't stop the well-wishers parked and standing in the rain along the parade route. There was even a blimp brought in to hover around and entertain everyone.
Damn cold and windy is not my idea of what a snow-bird whould have to endure but ... it's a whole lot better than shoveling snow and bundling up like an Alaskan Eskimow.
Scrambled, chilled but still livin' the dream.
Phil
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Wandering East
Out wandering around again...
Today we headed east on 98 to the Destin Florida area. Including Navarre Beach, Santa Rosa Coastal Park, Fort Walton, and Mary Esther. Just so you know ... Mary Esther is really a small coastal town somewhere between Pensacola and Destin.
We decided to take a scenic route and spun off on 399 to a slim slit of an island some 15 miles long that paralled 98. After taking the long arching bridge to the island we were in the beach goer's hotspot (when it's in season). However not too many bikinis out in this 50 degrees day. The place reminded us of San Padre Island Texas, only bigger, and I suspect more party places. Continuing east the civilization melted away to a pristine national park that straddled each side for the road for about seven miles. At times the Caribbean was a hundred or so yards on either side of us. No place to be in a hurricane. The sand was powder white not unlike the snow you unlucky folks in the north are now experieincing.
Towards the end of the island we came across more civilization. At least we think they were civilized. By the looks at their houses we're not really sure.
Further down the road we found a bevy of houses that definitely had a more Bermuda feel to them. Bold and bright.
We exited the island over another long arching bridge returning to 98 and continued on to the Destin area.
Lots of shopping spots in the area including two great book stores; my favorites. "Barnes and Noble" and "Books a Million". Couldn't help myself and left a little retirment cash here before leaving.
We had a little shrimp lunch at a place overlooking the Destin harbor named appropriately, Harbor Docks.
Under re-construction, it was in a little rough condition but the food was good. Though for lunch, a little expensive. Anyway we headed home at sundown, enjoying another day of sightseeing and appreciating each other's company.
Day tripping and still livin' the dream.
Phil
Today we headed east on 98 to the Destin Florida area. Including Navarre Beach, Santa Rosa Coastal Park, Fort Walton, and Mary Esther. Just so you know ... Mary Esther is really a small coastal town somewhere between Pensacola and Destin.
We decided to take a scenic route and spun off on 399 to a slim slit of an island some 15 miles long that paralled 98. After taking the long arching bridge to the island we were in the beach goer's hotspot (when it's in season). However not too many bikinis out in this 50 degrees day. The place reminded us of San Padre Island Texas, only bigger, and I suspect more party places. Continuing east the civilization melted away to a pristine national park that straddled each side for the road for about seven miles. At times the Caribbean was a hundred or so yards on either side of us. No place to be in a hurricane. The sand was powder white not unlike the snow you unlucky folks in the north are now experieincing.
Towards the end of the island we came across more civilization. At least we think they were civilized. By the looks at their houses we're not really sure.
Further down the road we found a bevy of houses that definitely had a more Bermuda feel to them. Bold and bright.
We exited the island over another long arching bridge returning to 98 and continued on to the Destin area.
Lots of shopping spots in the area including two great book stores; my favorites. "Barnes and Noble" and "Books a Million". Couldn't help myself and left a little retirment cash here before leaving.
We had a little shrimp lunch at a place overlooking the Destin harbor named appropriately, Harbor Docks.
Under re-construction, it was in a little rough condition but the food was good. Though for lunch, a little expensive. Anyway we headed home at sundown, enjoying another day of sightseeing and appreciating each other's company.
Day tripping and still livin' the dream.
Phil
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Looking Back
In my previous entry I said we were in the beautiful Hard Rock Casino today. Here's what the place looked like shortly after hurricane Katrina visited. The casino is in the foreground, completely collasped.
By the look of the place we saw today ... Phoenix apparently can rise from the ashes.
Phil
Day tripping
$3.99 lobsters, $7.00 buffet lunch ... What's not to like.
We re-learned another valuable lesson today. You get what you pay for. Kind-hearted me offered to take Sharon to yet another casino in the area. A scant 1 1/2 hour drive and there we were; Las Vegas South or as the locals call it ... Biloxi Mississippi. We were last here in early 2008 and even today the aftermath of hurricane Katrina is still present. Not a lot has changed except the roads are better and more casinos are sprouting up. It's not the most visually inviting town to visit but the docks with their fishing boats and the blue Caribbean are always a draw for me.
We decide to stop at the Isle Casino first, have a little lunch, gamble a bit then move to one of the other 5 or 6 casinos. Clean and well kept but nearly vacant of players. Okay it's Tuesday afternoon and probably not the best time or time of year for that matter but it was really quite. And small. From the outside it looked quite large but once inside the gaming floor was very compact. Tight might be a better description ... much like the payout on their slots as we later found out.
We located the buffet and for a mere pittance we had a reasonable lunch. Not great, but adequate. And lobsters (small) were really $3.99. Kind of chewy however.
We then spent about a half hour playing the slots. Mostly had our pick of the machines as you could count the number of players on two hands. This casino did disspell my notion that only the Indians had our number as these piranahs down here fed on my money as well as the Indians do up north.
We jumped ship and headed for the Hard Rock Casino. Whoa! This is one nice place. Very much like its Las Vegas brother. A great deal of memoribilia on the walls from the legends of rock and roll. Fun to look at. Starbucks, several small fast food kiosks, a large buffet area and for those discriminating eaters ...a Ruth Chris Steakhouse. I've dined at four of these steak emporiums at various places around the country and believe me they are all fantastic. Not cheap, not inexpensive, not a bargain but you enjoy their legendary prime steak in a fine dining atmosphere. Since this one is in a casino, you probably don't even need to dress up. There were considerably more players here so the flight to a quality casino was apparent. Anyway a very nice place and we will return (probably to eat a little steak). And maybe get back the little money I lost.
So another day trip is behind us, the good times continue as we are still livin't the dream.
Phil
We re-learned another valuable lesson today. You get what you pay for. Kind-hearted me offered to take Sharon to yet another casino in the area. A scant 1 1/2 hour drive and there we were; Las Vegas South or as the locals call it ... Biloxi Mississippi. We were last here in early 2008 and even today the aftermath of hurricane Katrina is still present. Not a lot has changed except the roads are better and more casinos are sprouting up. It's not the most visually inviting town to visit but the docks with their fishing boats and the blue Caribbean are always a draw for me.
We decide to stop at the Isle Casino first, have a little lunch, gamble a bit then move to one of the other 5 or 6 casinos. Clean and well kept but nearly vacant of players. Okay it's Tuesday afternoon and probably not the best time or time of year for that matter but it was really quite. And small. From the outside it looked quite large but once inside the gaming floor was very compact. Tight might be a better description ... much like the payout on their slots as we later found out.
We located the buffet and for a mere pittance we had a reasonable lunch. Not great, but adequate. And lobsters (small) were really $3.99. Kind of chewy however.
We then spent about a half hour playing the slots. Mostly had our pick of the machines as you could count the number of players on two hands. This casino did disspell my notion that only the Indians had our number as these piranahs down here fed on my money as well as the Indians do up north.
We jumped ship and headed for the Hard Rock Casino. Whoa! This is one nice place. Very much like its Las Vegas brother. A great deal of memoribilia on the walls from the legends of rock and roll. Fun to look at. Starbucks, several small fast food kiosks, a large buffet area and for those discriminating eaters ...a Ruth Chris Steakhouse. I've dined at four of these steak emporiums at various places around the country and believe me they are all fantastic. Not cheap, not inexpensive, not a bargain but you enjoy their legendary prime steak in a fine dining atmosphere. Since this one is in a casino, you probably don't even need to dress up. There were considerably more players here so the flight to a quality casino was apparent. Anyway a very nice place and we will return (probably to eat a little steak). And maybe get back the little money I lost.
So another day trip is behind us, the good times continue as we are still livin't the dream.
Phil
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Jeremiah
Remember the 3 Dog Night tune "Jeremiah was a Bullfrog" ... well I found old Jeremiah today hunkered down under a walkway waiting for tomorrows warmer weather. You'll notice the toe of my 14ww shoe in the image so you can see old Jeremiah was a 'biggun', as they say down here. I reached down and touched him but his metabolism was so low he didn't budge, or jump, or do anything. So I left him alone is his dream state or whatever frogs do when it's cold, and meandered on.
Earlier today we went to Doc's along the Intercoastal road for lunch. We've been by the place several times but the parking lot was always full. It was after the normal lunch crowd so we found a spot to park and went in. Not a coat and tie place for sure and actually a pretty old diner that really needed fixing up. However after our lunch was served it was apparent that folks didn't come here for the decoration. We ordered the catfish lunch special and it was fantastic. For less than 8 bucks we got delicious fried catfish, fries, coleslaw, and the staple of every meal served in this part of the world ... hushpuppies. Not normally a fan of these little onion and cornmeal (?) bombs, these were really pretty good. In addition they brought us a piece of chocolate cake... surprise, surprise. A very friendly staff and we'd probably return... not something we've said with most of the other places we've eaten at so far. And the draft beer was so cold we could hardly drink it ... but did manage.
Things weren't jumpin' today but were still livin' the dream.
Phil
Earlier today we went to Doc's along the Intercoastal road for lunch. We've been by the place several times but the parking lot was always full. It was after the normal lunch crowd so we found a spot to park and went in. Not a coat and tie place for sure and actually a pretty old diner that really needed fixing up. However after our lunch was served it was apparent that folks didn't come here for the decoration. We ordered the catfish lunch special and it was fantastic. For less than 8 bucks we got delicious fried catfish, fries, coleslaw, and the staple of every meal served in this part of the world ... hushpuppies. Not normally a fan of these little onion and cornmeal (?) bombs, these were really pretty good. In addition they brought us a piece of chocolate cake... surprise, surprise. A very friendly staff and we'd probably return... not something we've said with most of the other places we've eaten at so far. And the draft beer was so cold we could hardly drink it ... but did manage.
Things weren't jumpin' today but were still livin' the dream.
Phil
Friday, December 4, 2009
Hoops
Still getting used to our new surroundings.
We stopped by a small, out-of-the-way market this afternoon and noticed while browsing around, several pieces of cheese wrapped up and ready for sale atop the deli counter. It looked pretty inviting. Wrapped in a red wax similar to a Gouda, the cheese inside was a very bright yellow. I asked the girl behind the counter what was this "Hoop" cheese, as the label indicated? I think I caught her a little off guard as the look on her face told me she thought I was pretty dumb. She was nice enough though to call the meat man over to deal with me. A slight man dressed as if he were working in a gas station rather than a market, said "I've been eating this cheese all my life and as a kid we used to grab a chunk of "Hoop", a bottle of pop and my fishing rod and I'd be off fishin' all day. Great stuff!" I pushed the question once again as to what was "Hoop" cheese and he said "I dunno what it is but ... well ... I guess cuz we buy it in hoop" He said 'set it out for a while and let it get warmed up before you eat it... it'll be better that way'. I'm guessing the cheese comes in a large ring like many cheeses do but I had never heard it described that way. Anyway he later told me that he sells over 30 lbs a week of the stuff so it must be popular.
I got my 'Hoop" home and grabbed a little bubbly and waited for the delicate yellow goodness to warm up. Missing the fishing pole, I cut right to the chase and sampled a slice. He was right ... nothing like a good ole chunk of "Hoop" to make yer day. Mild like Longhong and goes well with a fine, though not rare, 2009 Diet Coke.
I've been to a lot of places that sold cheese so I'll add one more variety to my 'most favorite' list.
A little cheesy but still livin' the dream.
Phil
We stopped by a small, out-of-the-way market this afternoon and noticed while browsing around, several pieces of cheese wrapped up and ready for sale atop the deli counter. It looked pretty inviting. Wrapped in a red wax similar to a Gouda, the cheese inside was a very bright yellow. I asked the girl behind the counter what was this "Hoop" cheese, as the label indicated? I think I caught her a little off guard as the look on her face told me she thought I was pretty dumb. She was nice enough though to call the meat man over to deal with me. A slight man dressed as if he were working in a gas station rather than a market, said "I've been eating this cheese all my life and as a kid we used to grab a chunk of "Hoop", a bottle of pop and my fishing rod and I'd be off fishin' all day. Great stuff!" I pushed the question once again as to what was "Hoop" cheese and he said "I dunno what it is but ... well ... I guess cuz we buy it in hoop" He said 'set it out for a while and let it get warmed up before you eat it... it'll be better that way'. I'm guessing the cheese comes in a large ring like many cheeses do but I had never heard it described that way. Anyway he later told me that he sells over 30 lbs a week of the stuff so it must be popular.
I got my 'Hoop" home and grabbed a little bubbly and waited for the delicate yellow goodness to warm up. Missing the fishing pole, I cut right to the chase and sampled a slice. He was right ... nothing like a good ole chunk of "Hoop" to make yer day. Mild like Longhong and goes well with a fine, though not rare, 2009 Diet Coke.
I've been to a lot of places that sold cheese so I'll add one more variety to my 'most favorite' list.
A little cheesy but still livin' the dream.
Phil
Thursday, December 3, 2009
OMG
I turned on the 'tube' a few minutes ago, expecting to hear the latest Tiger Wood gossip but ... was met by an urgent weather bulletin.
WINTER STORM WARNING it said on the crawler creeping along the bottom of the screen. Thinking that my satellite was somehow receiving a Michigan weather station, I quickly double checked the channel only to discover it was really one from Mobile Alabama. I turned up the volume to hear the weatherman tell folks that 'if they had never seen snow before, plan on driving about 60 miles north from the coast for this rare event Friday evening'. This is a big deal down here. Every station on the hour warning of the coming storm!
Expecting upwards to 1 inch of the white stuff in isolated areas, the local road commission is probably out trying to find a salt truck while the local folks are trying to find tire chains at the local Sears store. I poke a little good natured fun at the locals but I wonder how us Michiganders would react to one of their all too frequent hurricanes?
But ... one of the reasons we left Michigan some 1100 miles away ... was to avoid hearing these weather bulletins ... but we just can't seem to escape them.
So here we sit. The hot water heat system is running, it now gets dark before 5:00pm (Central time here), and it's too darn cold to be outside.
Shivering but still livin' the dream,
Phil
WINTER STORM WARNING it said on the crawler creeping along the bottom of the screen. Thinking that my satellite was somehow receiving a Michigan weather station, I quickly double checked the channel only to discover it was really one from Mobile Alabama. I turned up the volume to hear the weatherman tell folks that 'if they had never seen snow before, plan on driving about 60 miles north from the coast for this rare event Friday evening'. This is a big deal down here. Every station on the hour warning of the coming storm!
Expecting upwards to 1 inch of the white stuff in isolated areas, the local road commission is probably out trying to find a salt truck while the local folks are trying to find tire chains at the local Sears store. I poke a little good natured fun at the locals but I wonder how us Michiganders would react to one of their all too frequent hurricanes?
But ... one of the reasons we left Michigan some 1100 miles away ... was to avoid hearing these weather bulletins ... but we just can't seem to escape them.
So here we sit. The hot water heat system is running, it now gets dark before 5:00pm (Central time here), and it's too darn cold to be outside.
Shivering but still livin' the dream,
Phil
Monday, November 30, 2009
Old haunts and high water
Headed over to Pensacola today to visit a photo equipment dealer there. Great guys and very knowledgable. One a retired Army photographer so we had a little in common. Sharon and I continue to explore our surroundings and since Pensacola is only about 30 miles away, we thought we'd return after a two year hiatus. After jawboning in the camera shop for an hour we decided to have lunch at a spot we really liked the last time we were in this old military town. McQuire's Irish Pub http://www.mcguiresirishpub.com/
has been a staple here since the late 70's specializing in prime steak. We were just there for a sandwich and salad but the thought of a bone-in ribeye was pretty tempting. Few steak houses only serve prime grade meat so believe me, this is one of those 'must eat at' places.
We were introduced to this place on our last visit by our friends from Grand Blanc (Linda and John) who winter near here. If you look back in my blog's older posts (2-18-2008) you'll see some pictures and a little detail on what's plastered all over their ceiling. Anyway a great lunch with each of us bringing home enough extra for another meal. By-the-way ... the corn beef and pistrami on rye was to die for.
Now all you folks back in Michigan are probably anticipating a little inclement weather soon ... and just to make you feel better ... so are we. Apparently the last several days of 75 degree blue sky weather is changing to 'head for the high ground' weather. Sometime late afternoon tomorrow, we're looking at a weather front moving through that will dump between 4 and 6 INCHES of rain here. I guess we'll see how waterproof the coach is. We'll probably have to tie down the barbecue or it may head out to sea. Anyway we'll keep a close ear to the weatherman and keep our swim fins handy. However I will need to dash out in the morning for some fresh limes and tonic. Survivial provisions you know.
Still livin' the dream (no matter how soggy)
Phil
has been a staple here since the late 70's specializing in prime steak. We were just there for a sandwich and salad but the thought of a bone-in ribeye was pretty tempting. Few steak houses only serve prime grade meat so believe me, this is one of those 'must eat at' places.
We were introduced to this place on our last visit by our friends from Grand Blanc (Linda and John) who winter near here. If you look back in my blog's older posts (2-18-2008) you'll see some pictures and a little detail on what's plastered all over their ceiling. Anyway a great lunch with each of us bringing home enough extra for another meal. By-the-way ... the corn beef and pistrami on rye was to die for.
Now all you folks back in Michigan are probably anticipating a little inclement weather soon ... and just to make you feel better ... so are we. Apparently the last several days of 75 degree blue sky weather is changing to 'head for the high ground' weather. Sometime late afternoon tomorrow, we're looking at a weather front moving through that will dump between 4 and 6 INCHES of rain here. I guess we'll see how waterproof the coach is. We'll probably have to tie down the barbecue or it may head out to sea. Anyway we'll keep a close ear to the weatherman and keep our swim fins handy. However I will need to dash out in the morning for some fresh limes and tonic. Survivial provisions you know.
Still livin' the dream (no matter how soggy)
Phil
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Bella Terra Rv Resort
Just in case you wanted to know what the place we are staying at looks like ...
here it is at sunset this evening.
Maybe a few more images later as the mood strikes me.
Livin' the dream
Phil
Friday, November 27, 2009
Indians, Cotton and Shrimp
I think I now know something about the Native American Indians I didn't fully understand before. It seems that for years I thought their ways of communicating with smoke signals was pretty crude but ... I was so wrong. I found out the hard way that the tribes in Michigan, where we normally gamble, managed to get word to the ones down here (Wind Creek Casino in Atmore AL) that we are indeed fools so take every advantage of them that you can. This relatively new casino was nice but not many were playing this afternoon. Maybe spending on Black Friday items ... which was probably better anyway. We only stayed about two hours and I lost what I had planned to but Sharon did win a little. For the hours drive, for me was not worth the trip, but Sharon enjoyed it.
Leaving the casino I noticed a field of fluffy white puffs of something swaying in the breeze across the road. A closer look was called for so I pulled off the road to take a closer look. My first live cotton bushes/plants. I'd seen pictures before but in all my travels had never seen them up close. Up close they weren't quite so fluffy as I had expected but so very white and lots of them. I cannot imagine ever picking these by hand but they did and I cannot think of a more back breaking job. They're low to the ground requiring the picker to be bent over all day long. A real pain.
Moving on ...
So what to choose? Will it be the Zydecco Penne (Crawfish Tails, Andouille Sausage,Jumbo Gulf Shrimp, Cajun Vegetables, and Roasted Garlic in a cream sauce), or a Seafood Platter (Butterflied Shirmp, Deep Sea Scallops, Extra Select Oysters,Filet of Flounder, and Crab Cakes) or All you can eat shrimp,flounder,tilapia,clams, or chicken and maybe top it off with French bread baked in a sweet cinnamon vanilla raisin custard topped with a Whiskey sauce?
We found Captain's Galley on County Road 10 west of Foley. Not anywhere near the main drag but tucked away on on Bon Secur River sort of on the outskirts of town. We pulled in lot and parked in front of their shrimp boat. Not fancy by any means but more like a mom and pop operation in your home town. The Auburn/Alabama game was in the final minutes and most of the patrons were glued to the several screens up around the dinning room as we made our way to a seat. We ordered a couple of beers and some onion rings and both decided after reviewing the large menu on the all-you-could-eat shrimp. Our rationale was that we skipped lunch so why not pile on dinner.
In short order our meal was served. A very light batter covered about 16 shrimp. How can I describe fresh? Okay ... how about NOT like most of the shrimp you get up north. Delicately flavored with a batter that was just barely there. Right out of the frier to our plates in seconds. Figuring that Sharon couldn't eat all of hers I held off wolfing all mine down; avoiding any redicule later on if I had ordered more. Whoops ... fooled again. She put her batch down like a baby Robin with a beak full of worms. So the waitress winked and I winked back and before long another hot batch appeared. Slathered up will a little cocktail sauce they too soon disappeared but there was absolutely no room for the whiskey drizzled French Bread pudding. Pretty fine dining for less than $30 and jeans and sweat pants are appropriate.
So Captain's Gallery is officially the first resturant, at least on this trip, that we can finally recommend to others. We're sure there will be more.
Still livin' the dream.
Phil
Leaving the casino I noticed a field of fluffy white puffs of something swaying in the breeze across the road. A closer look was called for so I pulled off the road to take a closer look. My first live cotton bushes/plants. I'd seen pictures before but in all my travels had never seen them up close. Up close they weren't quite so fluffy as I had expected but so very white and lots of them. I cannot imagine ever picking these by hand but they did and I cannot think of a more back breaking job. They're low to the ground requiring the picker to be bent over all day long. A real pain.
Moving on ...
So what to choose? Will it be the Zydecco Penne (Crawfish Tails, Andouille Sausage,Jumbo Gulf Shrimp, Cajun Vegetables, and Roasted Garlic in a cream sauce), or a Seafood Platter (Butterflied Shirmp, Deep Sea Scallops, Extra Select Oysters,Filet of Flounder, and Crab Cakes) or All you can eat shrimp,flounder,tilapia,clams, or chicken and maybe top it off with French bread baked in a sweet cinnamon vanilla raisin custard topped with a Whiskey sauce?
We found Captain's Galley on County Road 10 west of Foley. Not anywhere near the main drag but tucked away on on Bon Secur River sort of on the outskirts of town. We pulled in lot and parked in front of their shrimp boat. Not fancy by any means but more like a mom and pop operation in your home town. The Auburn/Alabama game was in the final minutes and most of the patrons were glued to the several screens up around the dinning room as we made our way to a seat. We ordered a couple of beers and some onion rings and both decided after reviewing the large menu on the all-you-could-eat shrimp. Our rationale was that we skipped lunch so why not pile on dinner.
In short order our meal was served. A very light batter covered about 16 shrimp. How can I describe fresh? Okay ... how about NOT like most of the shrimp you get up north. Delicately flavored with a batter that was just barely there. Right out of the frier to our plates in seconds. Figuring that Sharon couldn't eat all of hers I held off wolfing all mine down; avoiding any redicule later on if I had ordered more. Whoops ... fooled again. She put her batch down like a baby Robin with a beak full of worms. So the waitress winked and I winked back and before long another hot batch appeared. Slathered up will a little cocktail sauce they too soon disappeared but there was absolutely no room for the whiskey drizzled French Bread pudding. Pretty fine dining for less than $30 and jeans and sweat pants are appropriate.
So Captain's Gallery is officially the first resturant, at least on this trip, that we can finally recommend to others. We're sure there will be more.
Still livin' the dream.
Phil
Thursday, November 26, 2009
A day of Thanksgiving
Sharon and I have many things in this life to be thankful for. But our greatest assets are our wonderful family and our fantastic friends, both old and new. Without them we would have little. So on this Thanksgiving day we thank all of you for your love, friendship, and support as we continue to live our dream.
Phil and Sharon
Phil and Sharon
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Nuts !
Today was another wander-around day. 'Oh the joys of retirement' they say. We sorta of wanted to visit a mall near Mobile so we head west towards the little town of Fairhope AL. Seeing the back yard of America suits us just fine. Anyway after snooping around Fairhope, which is filled with many neat shops, we headed north along the coast of Mobile Bay. Not long along this new direction, we stumbled across the B&B Pecan Company. Now if you have never been to a nut farm (excluding medical ones), make a point to stop in and see what's going on.
Immaculate rows of mature pecan trees dot the surrounding land. The lawn underneath these large sprawling trees are trimmed close and as clean as my bank account after Christmas. It appears, by the look of the trees, the season was near its end as there was little of anything left in them. As the ripe nut falls to the ground, mechanical sweepers harvest the nuts and move them along for further processing. Cracking, cleaning, sorting and packaging follow.
We found the retail office and walked into pecan nirvana. Raw pecans, salted pecans, pecan pies, pecan oil, pecan cookbooks, chocolate covered pecans, pecans in the shell, pecan crackers, pecans in tins, pecans in bags, pick your own pecans ... and, as it turns out ... over 40 varieties of pecans. OMG ... we were in nut overload.
From an adjoining room I could hear some machinery running so I asked the counter guys if I could see what was going on and maybe take some pictures. He agreed and led me into the special processing room. Lined up along one wall were four nut cracking machines. Note this is not a state-of-the-art processing area. It's pretty crude and very labor intensive. Apparently they use this just for small special batches so the equipment is old and not designed for high volume. A young man working in the room takes a large bag of recently harvested nuts and dumps them into a hopper atop the cracking machine. As each individual nut passes around a rotating do-dad (my best description), a little ram smashed the nut hull with just enough force to just crack the shell .. but not damage the nut meat. These cracked nuts are then tossed into a large sifter where he finishes opening each nuts manually and sorts out any bad ones. Now here's a job that would literally drive me nuts.
I returned to the retail office and continued my 'nutty' discussion with the counter guy. I interrogated him about the pecan nut business as if he was just featured on America's Most Wanted tv show. How many pounds do you get off a tree each season? (1000lbs), what percent are good? (80), why are there so many varities? (different uses [eating, cooking, oil] and some are grown resist certain diseases) and on and on.
Phil
Immaculate rows of mature pecan trees dot the surrounding land. The lawn underneath these large sprawling trees are trimmed close and as clean as my bank account after Christmas. It appears, by the look of the trees, the season was near its end as there was little of anything left in them. As the ripe nut falls to the ground, mechanical sweepers harvest the nuts and move them along for further processing. Cracking, cleaning, sorting and packaging follow.
We found the retail office and walked into pecan nirvana. Raw pecans, salted pecans, pecan pies, pecan oil, pecan cookbooks, chocolate covered pecans, pecans in the shell, pecan crackers, pecans in tins, pecans in bags, pick your own pecans ... and, as it turns out ... over 40 varieties of pecans. OMG ... we were in nut overload.
From an adjoining room I could hear some machinery running so I asked the counter guys if I could see what was going on and maybe take some pictures. He agreed and led me into the special processing room. Lined up along one wall were four nut cracking machines. Note this is not a state-of-the-art processing area. It's pretty crude and very labor intensive. Apparently they use this just for small special batches so the equipment is old and not designed for high volume. A young man working in the room takes a large bag of recently harvested nuts and dumps them into a hopper atop the cracking machine. As each individual nut passes around a rotating do-dad (my best description), a little ram smashed the nut hull with just enough force to just crack the shell .. but not damage the nut meat. These cracked nuts are then tossed into a large sifter where he finishes opening each nuts manually and sorts out any bad ones. Now here's a job that would literally drive me nuts.
I returned to the retail office and continued my 'nutty' discussion with the counter guy. I interrogated him about the pecan nut business as if he was just featured on America's Most Wanted tv show. How many pounds do you get off a tree each season? (1000lbs), what percent are good? (80), why are there so many varities? (different uses [eating, cooking, oil] and some are grown resist certain diseases) and on and on.
Great folks there at B & B Pecan Company. So stop in and pay them a visit ... you'll go nuts.
You can visit (and order) online too! http://www.pecangifts.com/ Christmas orders being taken now.
As I write this, I broke into our 1lb bag of fresh, unsalted pecans. I could bore you with my musings of our trip to the shopping malls we visited later in the day but it's hard to type with one hand in the bag.
You can visit (and order) online too! http://www.pecangifts.com/ Christmas orders being taken now.
As I write this, I broke into our 1lb bag of fresh, unsalted pecans. I could bore you with my musings of our trip to the shopping malls we visited later in the day but it's hard to type with one hand in the bag.
Still livin' this 'nutty dream.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Not bad
I just got around to figuring my fuel mileage for the 1100+ mile trip down here. For those who don't own a motor home, this number may sound outrageous. But considering the weight of this diesel driven, 40ft behemouth and the 5100lb TrailBlazer I tow behind it, 9.01mpg is pretty darn good. Usually driving between 60mph and 65mph, I think we're doing a lot better than most big coaches. Our average cost of overnight parking was around $23/night. So all things considered, not all that expensive for travelling in style . Besides ... we don't have to sleep in beds that a thousand others have slept in, stand in the airports for hours, and we have our very own bathroom.
Still livin' the dream.
Phil
Still livin' the dream.
Phil
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Eatin' out
It's gotta start sometime so here's our first resturant review at our new winter home.
We'd seen this place advertised on the roads into the area on our last trip in 2008, but never got around to stopping. Lambert's Cafe is famous for their 'home cookin' and brag about their practice of tossing hot rolls around the eatery. That in itself seemed to make it worthy of a visit so we decided to stop in for lunch.
We'd seen this place advertised on the roads into the area on our last trip in 2008, but never got around to stopping. Lambert's Cafe is famous for their 'home cookin' and brag about their practice of tossing hot rolls around the eatery. That in itself seemed to make it worthy of a visit so we decided to stop in for lunch.
Lots of folksy signs and pictures adorned the walls. Interesting things to look at, to say the least. We were led to a table and within a minute or so somebody came around with a large tray of hot bread rolls followed by a server with a tray with sorghum, molassis, and apple butter. "Take whatever you want" he said.
Next came a girl with a large tub of deep fried okra. I've never been a fan of this stuff but after trying it, it wasn't bad. Now keep in mind we had not even hardly had time to look at the menu, let alone order and already we had two courses. This is part of Lambert's Cafe's 'hook' as it turns out. The servers continously circulate through the resturant passing out 5 or 6 different 'sides'. Take em' or leave them ... just keep in mind they are blended into the cost of your meal. Speaking of costs ... the menu did not have a lunch menu but only one for dinner and one for kids. Most entrees were $11.99 and up. Not necessary a place for an inexpensive lunch.
We each ordered the fried chicken. In about 15 minutes it arrived, hot and lots of it. Now there is not much you can do with fried chicken and theirs was not anything above the norm. It was flavored well and tasty but maybe a little too greasy. Occasionally a hot roll would go sailing around the room as some customer would request another and the server would toss it across the to them. He kept throwing them until the patron caught one. Needless to say there were a few on the floor. Good thing they didn't serve their coffee that way. I guess if I had one major complaint it was serving coffee in plastic mugs. Good coffee ... but plastic mugs? I had also asked the waitress if I ordered fries could I get them well-done. Her reply was sort of 'you'll get them the way we make them'. So don't plan on asking for anything special.
I'd say it's a place to at least say you've been there once. As with all resturant reviews, it's subjective. Apparently this is a well liked place in the area as they've been able to withstand the ecominic turn down and all the patrons we dined with seem to be having a good time of it. So give it a try ... see what you think.
Livin' the dream,
Phil
Next came a girl with a large tub of deep fried okra. I've never been a fan of this stuff but after trying it, it wasn't bad. Now keep in mind we had not even hardly had time to look at the menu, let alone order and already we had two courses. This is part of Lambert's Cafe's 'hook' as it turns out. The servers continously circulate through the resturant passing out 5 or 6 different 'sides'. Take em' or leave them ... just keep in mind they are blended into the cost of your meal. Speaking of costs ... the menu did not have a lunch menu but only one for dinner and one for kids. Most entrees were $11.99 and up. Not necessary a place for an inexpensive lunch.
We each ordered the fried chicken. In about 15 minutes it arrived, hot and lots of it. Now there is not much you can do with fried chicken and theirs was not anything above the norm. It was flavored well and tasty but maybe a little too greasy. Occasionally a hot roll would go sailing around the room as some customer would request another and the server would toss it across the to them. He kept throwing them until the patron caught one. Needless to say there were a few on the floor. Good thing they didn't serve their coffee that way. I guess if I had one major complaint it was serving coffee in plastic mugs. Good coffee ... but plastic mugs? I had also asked the waitress if I ordered fries could I get them well-done. Her reply was sort of 'you'll get them the way we make them'. So don't plan on asking for anything special.
I'd say it's a place to at least say you've been there once. As with all resturant reviews, it's subjective. Apparently this is a well liked place in the area as they've been able to withstand the ecominic turn down and all the patrons we dined with seem to be having a good time of it. So give it a try ... see what you think.
Livin' the dream,
Monday, November 16, 2009
Arrived ... at last
We arrived at our destination ... Bella Terra RV Resort, Foley Alabama. Safe and sound. What a beautiful place. Our site is right on the water with a large fountain not far away. Everything is well manicured and maintained. There are quite a few rigs aready here so we will surely meet a lot of new people. Pictures will be added in upcoming blogs.
Really livin' the dream now.
Phil
Really livin' the dream now.
Phil
Final leg
Moving along the I-65 corridor we had about 450 miles to cover before making our destination of Gulf Shores Alabama. Since my tolerance for driving this beast is around 250 miles a day, we needed to find a place spend the night somewhere between here and there. We hit the internet and found a park near Cornersville Tennessee. Strangely called Texas T Campground, it was a perfect stop- over. Pull-thru, FHU, WiFi, cable TV, clean well kept and only about $20/night. So pass the word ... if you need an easily accessed park just off I-65 in Tennessee, this is the place.
Kentucky, Tennessee and northern Alabama offer up some beautiful scenery. Rolling hills covered with pine and hardwoods as far as the eye could see. Highways carved through limestone deposits added extra visual interest. The only problem I had with driving through this environmental eye candy was Nashville. A great city in its own right but as I-65 winds its way through the town it magnifies the ugliness of driving through big cities. Five lanes, and very poorly kept lanes as well, in both directions with everyone in some sort of a helter-skelter mood. I know I'm beginning to sound like an old fart but with over 35 tons of coach and truck underway and stretching out some 60 feet, I really dislike big city driving. Sweaty palms and white knuckles kept us between the white lane markers but those whizzing by me on both sides tests my normally good nature.
Anyway ... we moved along the interstate to Montgomery AL. We found a park, again within a 1/4 mile of the highway so it worked fine for us. The Woods RV Park and Campground appears to be rather new and all sites have FHU, cable, WiFi, and all are pull thru. We unhooked the truck and after getting settled in, headed out for a bite to eat. We had a couple of recommendations from the camp host but those didn't pan out too well as it was Sunday evening and both were closed. We settled for a little fast food chicken and called it an evening. After dinner I cranked up the internet and discovered that there were three casinos here in Montgomery. Mean as I am, I mentioned this to Sharon and in the same breath said is was too late to go anywhere. Guess who's in the dog house now.
So on this Monday morning, we've had a nice breakfast and I need to hook up the truck and finish the final leg of our trip to Gulf Shores. The sun is shining, it's expected to be about 75 degrees today and believe me ... we're still livin' the dream.
Phil
Kentucky, Tennessee and northern Alabama offer up some beautiful scenery. Rolling hills covered with pine and hardwoods as far as the eye could see. Highways carved through limestone deposits added extra visual interest. The only problem I had with driving through this environmental eye candy was Nashville. A great city in its own right but as I-65 winds its way through the town it magnifies the ugliness of driving through big cities. Five lanes, and very poorly kept lanes as well, in both directions with everyone in some sort of a helter-skelter mood. I know I'm beginning to sound like an old fart but with over 35 tons of coach and truck underway and stretching out some 60 feet, I really dislike big city driving. Sweaty palms and white knuckles kept us between the white lane markers but those whizzing by me on both sides tests my normally good nature.
Anyway ... we moved along the interstate to Montgomery AL. We found a park, again within a 1/4 mile of the highway so it worked fine for us. The Woods RV Park and Campground appears to be rather new and all sites have FHU, cable, WiFi, and all are pull thru. We unhooked the truck and after getting settled in, headed out for a bite to eat. We had a couple of recommendations from the camp host but those didn't pan out too well as it was Sunday evening and both were closed. We settled for a little fast food chicken and called it an evening. After dinner I cranked up the internet and discovered that there were three casinos here in Montgomery. Mean as I am, I mentioned this to Sharon and in the same breath said is was too late to go anywhere. Guess who's in the dog house now.
So on this Monday morning, we've had a nice breakfast and I need to hook up the truck and finish the final leg of our trip to Gulf Shores. The sun is shining, it's expected to be about 75 degrees today and believe me ... we're still livin' the dream.
Phil
Sunday, November 15, 2009
The End of the Rainbow
This little piece is dedicated to Corky, Don, Alex, Ron, Charlie, and Mike.
For I’m taking that trip to Mecca … like swallows to Capistrano and like lemmings to the sea … I have arrived at the site of all that is good and wonderful. That place where testosterone rules, your voice automatically drops an octave, and your knees weaken at mere sight of a building full of these sensuous beauties of the blacktop.
The place … the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green Kentucky.
This unique building is located adjacent to I 65 in southwestern Kentucky with easy parking, even for my rig and tow car. The impressive walkway is paved with personalized bricks and plaques from Corvette clubs and Corvette lovers from all over the nation. Walking inside, we were greeted by a very pleasant young women who had a pleasant surprise for us. As a veteran we were granted free admission. Normally seniors will get tapped $6.00 each while lesser aged folks will be hit for $8.00. A small price.
The tour is self-directed so you can gawk at your own pace. Our first stop was the theater where a continuously running history of the Vette’ was playing. This was almost worth the price of admission in itself.
From there the cars were displayed in chronological order with grouping by major eras. Interspersed were detail displays of various components like transmissions, fuel delivery, suspension systems, body materials, and of course, those powerful engines.
As we wandered amongst the royalty of American sports cars, it again began apparent what an impact with car has had on the automotive world. Innovation through engineering and race track tested durability has made this car what it is today. From its humble beginnings in Flint Michigan to St. Louis Missouri to its current manufacturing facility in Bowling Green Kentucky, this refined motorcar is still the crown jewel for GM. Whatever else occurs with the rest of GM’s product line, I’d bet my next bottle of Geritol that this car will always be made.
Phil
For I’m taking that trip to Mecca … like swallows to Capistrano and like lemmings to the sea … I have arrived at the site of all that is good and wonderful. That place where testosterone rules, your voice automatically drops an octave, and your knees weaken at mere sight of a building full of these sensuous beauties of the blacktop.
The place … the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green Kentucky.
This unique building is located adjacent to I 65 in southwestern Kentucky with easy parking, even for my rig and tow car. The impressive walkway is paved with personalized bricks and plaques from Corvette clubs and Corvette lovers from all over the nation. Walking inside, we were greeted by a very pleasant young women who had a pleasant surprise for us. As a veteran we were granted free admission. Normally seniors will get tapped $6.00 each while lesser aged folks will be hit for $8.00. A small price.
The tour is self-directed so you can gawk at your own pace. Our first stop was the theater where a continuously running history of the Vette’ was playing. This was almost worth the price of admission in itself.
From there the cars were displayed in chronological order with grouping by major eras. Interspersed were detail displays of various components like transmissions, fuel delivery, suspension systems, body materials, and of course, those powerful engines.
As we wandered amongst the royalty of American sports cars, it again began apparent what an impact with car has had on the automotive world. Innovation through engineering and race track tested durability has made this car what it is today. From its humble beginnings in Flint Michigan to St. Louis Missouri to its current manufacturing facility in Bowling Green Kentucky, this refined motorcar is still the crown jewel for GM. Whatever else occurs with the rest of GM’s product line, I’d bet my next bottle of Geritol that this car will always be made.
I have to admit my favorite exhibit was one that had a pair of 1965’s and a bare chassis. My one and only Vette’ was a Glen green 65' coupe with a 300hp 327, a rare automatic transmission, air conditioning, tilt-telescoping wood trimmed steering wheel, tan leather interior, and a rate touring tank. I bought it in 1969 for $2200 and sold it a year later for $2300. I’m still kick myself for that stupid deed.
So make the trip. It’s not only a trip into automotive dreamland ... but it’s just plain fun.
Still headed south and ... still livin’ the dream.
Phil
The Bourbon Trail
So it’s now Friday and we’re a little further south. I’d thought we’d be in Bowling Green Kentucky today drooling over the beauties at the Corvette Museum but we had a small course correction. Seems that Kentucky is the ancestral home of that old favorite ... bourbon whiskey. For a lot of reasons I won’t go into (ok it’s the water from the limestone geology in the region) this unique libation has a following as defined as the grape squeezer in Napa Valley. Jim Beam, Four Roses, Wild Turkey, Maker’s Mark and others are tightly grouped along the locally famous ‘Kentucky Bourbon Trail‘. Within just a few miles you’ll find all the big names in bourbon. So rather than look at neat cars maybe we could enjoy some bourbon neat. With a little web research we concluded that Maker’s Mark had the best factory tour and most importantly it was not located in a ‘dry’ county. Seems one of the more famous distillers is located in a county whereas one cannot sample the product on site. No drinking in a county that makes bourbon … go figure!
Anyway... Maker’s Mark it was. I called to see where I could park my rig but a little inside information from the I 65 rest stop host said the road to get there was better suited for a motorcycle … not a motor coach. So we found a quaint little 31 site park (My Old Kentucky Home State Park in Bardstown KY) and parked the rig. The I 65 rest stop host was right on with his advice. Certainly one of those Corvettes would have been at home on the roads leading to Maker’s Mark, but not a big coach.
Beautiful scenery but twists and turns, ups and downs, and no guard rails keeping you from those stone laden ravines. So we unhooked the toad and made the 16 mile trip. A pleasant drive except for the locals who, after driving these lanes for all their lives, couldn't seem to understand that riding my bumper would not make me drive faster. Already white-knuckled and sweaty palmed, I was not to be intimidated. Besides I had not brought a change in underwear or maybe I would have given them a run for their money.
We turned onto a gentle lane, guarded by a hand fitted limestone wall on one side and a briskly moving stream on the other. After round a bend or two we came upon a a beautifully landscaped facility with many large darkly painted building with distinctive Maker’s Mark red trim.
After parking we headed for the reception area for the guided tour. The old home, turned reception center, already had a number of other folks waiting so we made our self at home. Soon an attractive young blond girl gathered us on the big porch outside and explained what the next hour and a half would entail. I thought to myself 1 ½ hours … whew! That’s a long tour and what did I get myself into?
As the tour began, it was evident that the property was perfectly maintained and our guide Natalie was very well suited for the job. She knew this business of bourbon making from top to bottom. She was one of 22 employees; that’s right only 22 employees run Maker’s Mark. Almost everyone is cross-trained in other jobs within the business so she was very familiar with everything. When asked, with such a small crew, what would they do if several employees got the sick? Her answer?… shut the place down until the people got better. Try that at your workplace.
Anyway... Maker’s Mark it was. I called to see where I could park my rig but a little inside information from the I 65 rest stop host said the road to get there was better suited for a motorcycle … not a motor coach. So we found a quaint little 31 site park (My Old Kentucky Home State Park in Bardstown KY) and parked the rig. The I 65 rest stop host was right on with his advice. Certainly one of those Corvettes would have been at home on the roads leading to Maker’s Mark, but not a big coach.
Beautiful scenery but twists and turns, ups and downs, and no guard rails keeping you from those stone laden ravines. So we unhooked the toad and made the 16 mile trip. A pleasant drive except for the locals who, after driving these lanes for all their lives, couldn't seem to understand that riding my bumper would not make me drive faster. Already white-knuckled and sweaty palmed, I was not to be intimidated. Besides I had not brought a change in underwear or maybe I would have given them a run for their money.
We turned onto a gentle lane, guarded by a hand fitted limestone wall on one side and a briskly moving stream on the other. After round a bend or two we came upon a a beautifully landscaped facility with many large darkly painted building with distinctive Maker’s Mark red trim.
After parking we headed for the reception area for the guided tour. The old home, turned reception center, already had a number of other folks waiting so we made our self at home. Soon an attractive young blond girl gathered us on the big porch outside and explained what the next hour and a half would entail. I thought to myself 1 ½ hours … whew! That’s a long tour and what did I get myself into?
As the tour began, it was evident that the property was perfectly maintained and our guide Natalie was very well suited for the job. She knew this business of bourbon making from top to bottom. She was one of 22 employees; that’s right only 22 employees run Maker’s Mark. Almost everyone is cross-trained in other jobs within the business so she was very familiar with everything. When asked, with such a small crew, what would they do if several employees got the sick? Her answer?… shut the place down until the people got better. Try that at your workplace.
Explaining all the nuances of the bourbon making process is beyond my capabilities but it appears that beyond the ingredients and the general equipment used this is a very personal business. It’s personal because it involves people tasting and smelling the product throughout the process to determine if its fit’s the distillers unique standard. It’s definitely not an empirical process but more of a ’seat-of-the-pants’ ( or nose ) process honed and defined over decades. They know it’s right … when it’s right. Not something written down but something they somehow know.
As we were led through the property we were all waiting for two things. The first was where did they put on the distinctive red wax seal on every bottle and where do we get to sample it.
After seeing the sour mash vats the fermentation vats and all the other processes, we were taken to the bottling section.
Two bottling stations filled the empties at a pace of about 1 bottle every 5 seconds. They are fed down a line where caps and labels are installed. They then arrive at the dipping station where 4 workers (2 on each side of the conveyor line) alternately grab a bottle off the line, turn it over and tip it into the 400 degree hot red wax.
Giving the bottle a quick turn as they lift it out, they give a unique look. Some say that each ‘dipper’ has a unique style and one educated in such things can tell which employee dipped a particular bottle. Pretty neat.
Near our last stop was the storage barn where barrel racks some three stories high hold the precious concoction. Holding about 32 gallons, the barrels start at the top of the building and slowing migrate down as they age. A process that can take 3 to 5 years. They also turn the barrels (by hand) ever so often to make sure the contents are well mixed.
After looking over the hundreds of barrels in just one of many of these huge storage barns we were led into an ultra classy tasting room. The final treat.
We had an initial taste of sour mash (I’d say moonshine) followed by the bourbon just to show us the difference. They had about 60 samples set out for the 15 of us so if you desired, you could have more. I took advantage of this deal.
The real final treat was that if you purchased a bottle, you could hand dip it in the famous red wax yourself and autograph the bottle. We picked out a one litre bottle, put on safety glasses and gloves and they showed us how to dip it. So someone special is going to receive this personalized Maker’s Mark bottle. I hope they enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed this excellent (free) tour.
Still livin’ (and today drinkin’) the dream.
Phil
Saturday, November 14, 2009
On the road again
Leaving the RV Museum we headed for the Elkhart Campground located about 4 miles away. A camp recommended by ‘Big Rigs Best Bet Campground Directory'; a book we use regularly when traveling. We called ahead to make sure they were even open this time of year. As luck would have it they were so they had great WiFi, FHU and lots of sites available so it was our best bet. The sprawling 26 acre park was operated by a charming Indian family who were hard at work laying electrical service to two very large A/C units for their new banquet hall. The park was about to close for the season but they still had plenty to do.
Good to see park owners who believed that rv’ing still had a future and was willing to invest their money and time to make their park better. My friend Bill with his rig and Sharon and I in ours were shown our sites. Since we were only looking for a quick overnight stay, we were located in the newer part of the park. It’s still as little spartan, lacking a paved pad but it was level and dry and easy to get in and out. I could certainly recommend this park for anyone visiting the Elkhart area.
Moving on a few more miles south the next day to a nice medium size town of Columbus Indiana.
What’s a trip with us without a restaurant review? Not to disappoint, join us for our trip to a little Chinese place Sharon located on the net in the town of Columbus Indiana, our next stop. We located a park (which will go unnamed) south of town near the highway. Not the easiest place to maneuver my rig around in but adequate. My guess it’s used a lot by temporary workers to the area as there certainly a fair amount of new construction underway.
But back to the restaurant…..
After a somewhat circuitous trip to this out of the way mall we found the storefront and went inside. We discovered a very well decorated and equally clean and inviting eatery that sat maybe 100 diners. It was after 8:00pm but there were still maybe 25 customers present. One of my habits (probably not a polite one at that) is to sort of wander around those already eating as our hostess led us to our table. My clever thinking is that seeing and smelling what others are eating will help me figure out what I may want. It rarely works but I keep sniffing and wandering anyway. It’s always interesting to see the looks people give if I linger too long at their table.
The name of the place is Mark Pi‘s China Gate at the Fair Oaks Mall. And this is as good a Chinese restaurant as I have been to in many years of dining out. And to think that it’s in a mall in Columbus Indiana. The appetizer Bill got for us was a potpourri of egg rolls, barbecued pork ribs, crab Rangoon, scallop rumaki,skewered beef and shrimp toast. With a small cast iron caldron placed table center to sear our various appetizers the presentation was both elegant and functional. We each ordered something different and made additional requests to either add or subtract something from the dish (spices or meat) to make it special for our taste. The orders were filled quickly and exactly as we had ordered and … prepared to perfection. As if we hadn’t had enough to eat … we got two, count em’ two … fortune cookies each. So if you’re within 50 miles of this place you must stop and pay them a visit and after dining, you will be livin’ the dream too.
Phil
Good to see park owners who believed that rv’ing still had a future and was willing to invest their money and time to make their park better. My friend Bill with his rig and Sharon and I in ours were shown our sites. Since we were only looking for a quick overnight stay, we were located in the newer part of the park. It’s still as little spartan, lacking a paved pad but it was level and dry and easy to get in and out. I could certainly recommend this park for anyone visiting the Elkhart area.Moving on a few more miles south the next day to a nice medium size town of Columbus Indiana.
What’s a trip with us without a restaurant review? Not to disappoint, join us for our trip to a little Chinese place Sharon located on the net in the town of Columbus Indiana, our next stop. We located a park (which will go unnamed) south of town near the highway. Not the easiest place to maneuver my rig around in but adequate. My guess it’s used a lot by temporary workers to the area as there certainly a fair amount of new construction underway.
But back to the restaurant…..
After a somewhat circuitous trip to this out of the way mall we found the storefront and went inside. We discovered a very well decorated and equally clean and inviting eatery that sat maybe 100 diners. It was after 8:00pm but there were still maybe 25 customers present. One of my habits (probably not a polite one at that) is to sort of wander around those already eating as our hostess led us to our table. My clever thinking is that seeing and smelling what others are eating will help me figure out what I may want. It rarely works but I keep sniffing and wandering anyway. It’s always interesting to see the looks people give if I linger too long at their table.
The name of the place is Mark Pi‘s China Gate at the Fair Oaks Mall. And this is as good a Chinese restaurant as I have been to in many years of dining out. And to think that it’s in a mall in Columbus Indiana. The appetizer Bill got for us was a potpourri of egg rolls, barbecued pork ribs, crab Rangoon, scallop rumaki,skewered beef and shrimp toast. With a small cast iron caldron placed table center to sear our various appetizers the presentation was both elegant and functional. We each ordered something different and made additional requests to either add or subtract something from the dish (spices or meat) to make it special for our taste. The orders were filled quickly and exactly as we had ordered and … prepared to perfection. As if we hadn’t had enough to eat … we got two, count em’ two … fortune cookies each. So if you’re within 50 miles of this place you must stop and pay them a visit and after dining, you will be livin’ the dream too.
Phil
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Making headway
The great thing about retirement is that plans are not written in stone. We'd planned to make our next stop in Indianapolis but something came up. We gained a travelling companion. My old friend Bill said he'd signed up for a few days vacation and wondered if he could tag along our route for a while. Maybe lasting until Bowling Green Kentucky before turning back home. Great idea we thought but he mentioned he wanted to visit the RV Hall of Fame and Museum in Elkhart first. Not too far out of our way I figured so why not. So we headed out at the crack of noon and meandered south on I69. Once into Indiana I needed to head west on the the I 80 toll road and get off at exit 96.
As I approached the toll booths general confusion overtook me and could not quickly determined which pay lane I needed to be in. It must be a part of the aging process as lady luck was not on my side as I picked the wrong lane.
I was in the lane that truckers use with their automated toll readers. They barely slow down when passing through but I had come to a dead stop trying to figure out what to do next. Not a soul in the toll booth ... only a small metal tower with a speaker phone and a green 'help' button.
I jabbed at the button about the same time as the first 18 wheeler pulled in behind me and began laying on his air horns. An unintelligible voice came over the speaker apparently asking what help might I need. After asking her several times to repeat herself I finally thought she wanted my credit card number. Not knowing exactly where my wallet was, Sharon began searching around the coach. Still the horns continued in the background. Then a small blond lady appeared at the side of the coach saying that I could pay cash. I stopped talking to the women on the intercom and handed the lady a $20 bill. She handed it back saying she needed exact change. The horns behind us continued. We switched gears from wallet searching to finding exact change somewhere in the coach. Purses, pants pockets, and finally... Sharon found our bag of quarters we use for the laundromats. Grabbing a handful, I shoved them towards the attendant ... as the horns blared on. Somehow I had given her what she had asked for ... $2.25.
We had really owed them close to $10 but apparently they were so happy to get something out of us and out of the way of the increasing line of trucks, they raised the gate and let us go. Whew! We hurried along hoping that none of the angry mob of road warriors would catchup with us.
We quickly found the RV museum and Bill was waiting for our arrival. A beautiful building located along the toll road with plenty of rv parking (would you expect anything less?). We ventured inside and was met by two volunteers. Now these folks have lived and breathed rv'ing for a great long time and the love of the work they do in making this museum a great stop is fantastic. Not at all bashful about talking about what they love and do is both refreshing and sets an example for others to follow.
Sharon took the nice shot of a portion of the museum. Pretty good I'd say.
As we wandered throughout the large building I couldn't help but see how little I knew of the history of rv'ing. And the level of engineering that had occurred decades ago... wow..... what marvels.
Suddenly stricken by that 'howdtheydothat' disease, Bill inspects the mechanicals of an old front wheel drive Cortez manufactured by the Clark Equipment Company of Battle Creek. Predating the famous GMC Motorcoach, this little beauty was a slick little rig for its day.
The woodworking and the metal work were in some cases, works of art. Sure today's rigs are luxurious with many fine features ... but some of these old beauties are just so neat their uniqueness make them extra special.
As I approached the toll booths general confusion overtook me and could not quickly determined which pay lane I needed to be in. It must be a part of the aging process as lady luck was not on my side as I picked the wrong lane.
I was in the lane that truckers use with their automated toll readers. They barely slow down when passing through but I had come to a dead stop trying to figure out what to do next. Not a soul in the toll booth ... only a small metal tower with a speaker phone and a green 'help' button.
I jabbed at the button about the same time as the first 18 wheeler pulled in behind me and began laying on his air horns. An unintelligible voice came over the speaker apparently asking what help might I need. After asking her several times to repeat herself I finally thought she wanted my credit card number. Not knowing exactly where my wallet was, Sharon began searching around the coach. Still the horns continued in the background. Then a small blond lady appeared at the side of the coach saying that I could pay cash. I stopped talking to the women on the intercom and handed the lady a $20 bill. She handed it back saying she needed exact change. The horns behind us continued. We switched gears from wallet searching to finding exact change somewhere in the coach. Purses, pants pockets, and finally... Sharon found our bag of quarters we use for the laundromats. Grabbing a handful, I shoved them towards the attendant ... as the horns blared on. Somehow I had given her what she had asked for ... $2.25.
We had really owed them close to $10 but apparently they were so happy to get something out of us and out of the way of the increasing line of trucks, they raised the gate and let us go. Whew! We hurried along hoping that none of the angry mob of road warriors would catchup with us.
We quickly found the RV museum and Bill was waiting for our arrival. A beautiful building located along the toll road with plenty of rv parking (would you expect anything less?). We ventured inside and was met by two volunteers. Now these folks have lived and breathed rv'ing for a great long time and the love of the work they do in making this museum a great stop is fantastic. Not at all bashful about talking about what they love and do is both refreshing and sets an example for others to follow.
Sharon took the nice shot of a portion of the museum. Pretty good I'd say.As we wandered throughout the large building I couldn't help but see how little I knew of the history of rv'ing. And the level of engineering that had occurred decades ago... wow..... what marvels.
Suddenly stricken by that 'howdtheydothat' disease, Bill inspects the mechanicals of an old front wheel drive Cortez manufactured by the Clark Equipment Company of Battle Creek. Predating the famous GMC Motorcoach, this little beauty was a slick little rig for its day.The woodworking and the metal work were in some cases, works of art. Sure today's rigs are luxurious with many fine features ... but some of these old beauties are just so neat their uniqueness make them extra special.
If I understood the tour guide, this Road Chief was the predecessor to the famous Air Stream line of trailers. The boat- tailed gleaming beauty was as shiny as your grandmother's teapot. Though it looks painted in this photo, it is not; what you see is the reflections off some of the other nearby units. Besides the unique shape, the entrance to this rig is through the door located in the front, behind the hitch. This location obviously didn't catch on but the aircraft inspired shape did. It was one of my favorites.
So if you ever get around northern Indiana, stop by the museum and take a look. Even if you're not into rv'ing, it's still a neat nostalgia trip.
We're leaving for parts south whenever we fall out of bed in the morning. Not much of a plan but it's all we've got so far. We now needed to find a place to spend the night.
Still livin' the dream.
Phil
And here we go ...
We're off and running ... the new journey has finally begun... but not without a little drama.
Planning to leave Tuesday around noon, we had to wait for a FedEx shipment that was promised that day. Little did we know we'd be the last delivery on the guys 500 mile route. He'd been on the road so long he had a 3 day beard. Anyway we got underway at sundownbut and about 30 miles down the road I had one of those feelings that only those who own a big old coach could know. Something wasn't right. I found the next rest stop and did a quick look-around and found the air line to the toad's braking system had disconnected ... meaning the toad brakes couldn't help me stop. Not a huge deal but something that needed fixing. A little scraping with my Swiss Army knife and presto...it was fixed. Do you suppose I'm psychic? So on we went into the night. I hate driving the coach at night for some reason ... maybe it's because I can't see as well but whatever it is I'll take daylight driving anytime.
We motored along through Lansing on towards our first stop ... Battle Creek. We planned to visit friends and relatives and thought we'd just park the rig at the new Fire Keepers casino. Easy to find off I94, we'd figured they'd have a big parking lot that was safe and level. About 15 minutes before arriving I started the generator just to exercise it a bit. It roared to life and all is good... I thought. Then a couple of miles down the road I noticed something new. My transmission temperature gage was spastic, bouncing wildly from side to side. No correlation between the generator and gage but just something more to worry about.
Arriving at the casino I mistakenly passed the two entrances I should have gone into but did manage to turn into the employees parking lot. I pulled to the rear only to drive down a dead end lane ... which meant I needed to unhook the toad and back out. I started the process grumbling to myself when the casino security drove up asking if I needed any help. After registering my dismay about the size of the RV parking sign (the one I missed) I said said yes that he could help direct me so as I wouldn't back over an embankment. He was more than helpful and led me to the proper parking area. He cautioned me not to use my levelers as it would wreck the asphalt and directed me to a dirt field if I needed to. He also noted that the casino wasn't too excited about rv'ers but apparently tolerated us. They apparently don't like over-nighters. I don't think that was an official answer but the way the parking is set up I could agree with him. Tight turns and narrow entrance ways and few, if any, pull-thrus. While chatting with him the generator unexpectedly stopped. It looked as if I had plenty of fuel (1/3 tank) but just in case the gage was wrong, I backed the rig out of my fresh new parking spot and headed for a nearby truck stop. Topping out with only 130 gallons I knew that the generator could not have been starved for fuel because there were still 70 gallons on board. I cranked and crank on the generator for a half a dozen times but no luck. Figuring it was a fuel shut-off solenoid problem, I gave up and Sharon and I headed for the casino ... planning to win enough money to buy a new rig in the morning. Well that pipe dream didn't happen ... but at least we had the chance to get with our friends George and Paula for an hour or so as they came out to the casino to see us.
About an hour later, and maybe $30 in the hole, we said our goodbyes to our dear friends and those hungry one-armed bandits and headed back to a cold coach. Without an electrical hookup or a working generator it was going to be a cold night. With a sub 30 degree evening ahead it was going to be a little nippy. Saving our batteries to run the refrigerator was the only choice (gotta keep the beer cold and the steaks frozen ya know) so we got ready for bed. It was just an after-thought but I decided to try the generator again and without hesitation it fired to life. It gave no reason for scaring me but just purred along producing all the power I would need. So the steaks, and beer and occupants are all now doing well. Life is good.
And this is just the first day... 100 miles from home. 1000 to go.
Still livin' the dream ...
Phil
Planning to leave Tuesday around noon, we had to wait for a FedEx shipment that was promised that day. Little did we know we'd be the last delivery on the guys 500 mile route. He'd been on the road so long he had a 3 day beard. Anyway we got underway at sundownbut and about 30 miles down the road I had one of those feelings that only those who own a big old coach could know. Something wasn't right. I found the next rest stop and did a quick look-around and found the air line to the toad's braking system had disconnected ... meaning the toad brakes couldn't help me stop. Not a huge deal but something that needed fixing. A little scraping with my Swiss Army knife and presto...it was fixed. Do you suppose I'm psychic? So on we went into the night. I hate driving the coach at night for some reason ... maybe it's because I can't see as well but whatever it is I'll take daylight driving anytime.
We motored along through Lansing on towards our first stop ... Battle Creek. We planned to visit friends and relatives and thought we'd just park the rig at the new Fire Keepers casino. Easy to find off I94, we'd figured they'd have a big parking lot that was safe and level. About 15 minutes before arriving I started the generator just to exercise it a bit. It roared to life and all is good... I thought. Then a couple of miles down the road I noticed something new. My transmission temperature gage was spastic, bouncing wildly from side to side. No correlation between the generator and gage but just something more to worry about.
Arriving at the casino I mistakenly passed the two entrances I should have gone into but did manage to turn into the employees parking lot. I pulled to the rear only to drive down a dead end lane ... which meant I needed to unhook the toad and back out. I started the process grumbling to myself when the casino security drove up asking if I needed any help. After registering my dismay about the size of the RV parking sign (the one I missed) I said said yes that he could help direct me so as I wouldn't back over an embankment. He was more than helpful and led me to the proper parking area. He cautioned me not to use my levelers as it would wreck the asphalt and directed me to a dirt field if I needed to. He also noted that the casino wasn't too excited about rv'ers but apparently tolerated us. They apparently don't like over-nighters. I don't think that was an official answer but the way the parking is set up I could agree with him. Tight turns and narrow entrance ways and few, if any, pull-thrus. While chatting with him the generator unexpectedly stopped. It looked as if I had plenty of fuel (1/3 tank) but just in case the gage was wrong, I backed the rig out of my fresh new parking spot and headed for a nearby truck stop. Topping out with only 130 gallons I knew that the generator could not have been starved for fuel because there were still 70 gallons on board. I cranked and crank on the generator for a half a dozen times but no luck. Figuring it was a fuel shut-off solenoid problem, I gave up and Sharon and I headed for the casino ... planning to win enough money to buy a new rig in the morning. Well that pipe dream didn't happen ... but at least we had the chance to get with our friends George and Paula for an hour or so as they came out to the casino to see us.
About an hour later, and maybe $30 in the hole, we said our goodbyes to our dear friends and those hungry one-armed bandits and headed back to a cold coach. Without an electrical hookup or a working generator it was going to be a cold night. With a sub 30 degree evening ahead it was going to be a little nippy. Saving our batteries to run the refrigerator was the only choice (gotta keep the beer cold and the steaks frozen ya know) so we got ready for bed. It was just an after-thought but I decided to try the generator again and without hesitation it fired to life. It gave no reason for scaring me but just purred along producing all the power I would need. So the steaks, and beer and occupants are all now doing well. Life is good.
And this is just the first day... 100 miles from home. 1000 to go.
Still livin' the dream ...
Phil
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
When I'm sixty-four
"Will you still need me? "Will you still feed me? "When I'm sixty-four"
ends the first refrain from that 1967 Beatles song by Lennon and McCartney.
As it turns out ... those words still ring true.
My family still needs me. And I need them.
They took me out for a great evening. Good food and good drink.
And they helped me celebrate my sixty-fourth birthday. I couldn't be happier.
But most of all ... having them all together and having a great time.
Still livin' the dream at 64
Phil
ends the first refrain from that 1967 Beatles song by Lennon and McCartney.
As it turns out ... those words still ring true.
My family still needs me. And I need them.
They took me out for a great evening. Good food and good drink.
And they helped me celebrate my sixty-fourth birthday. I couldn't be happier.
But most of all ... having them all together and having a great time.
Still livin' the dream at 64
Phil
Friday, October 30, 2009
Observations
Sometimes you're just in awe of your fellow road warriors.
While my little cluttered mind was working through all the things I needed to do before heading south, I came upon a driver on the interstate who had adorned the hood of his more-than slightly used Dodge with about one hundred 3-D plastic army action figures.
Now I'm all for expressing ones self but this guy really had it together. His green platoons were strategically place around the various rust spots and bare paint areas with great precision. This portable battlefield was to ponder over wherever he travelled. Right out the front windshield. Oh what a great idea , I thought.
As he passed me my mind cleared of the clutter and confusion. Here, whizzing by me was something that made me smile and think of something other than my own issues.
So, whoever you are ... wherever you are young general of the road, thanks. A smile and a good laugh is great medicine.
Still livin' the dream,
Phil
While my little cluttered mind was working through all the things I needed to do before heading south, I came upon a driver on the interstate who had adorned the hood of his more-than slightly used Dodge with about one hundred 3-D plastic army action figures.
Now I'm all for expressing ones self but this guy really had it together. His green platoons were strategically place around the various rust spots and bare paint areas with great precision. This portable battlefield was to ponder over wherever he travelled. Right out the front windshield. Oh what a great idea , I thought.
As he passed me my mind cleared of the clutter and confusion. Here, whizzing by me was something that made me smile and think of something other than my own issues.
So, whoever you are ... wherever you are young general of the road, thanks. A smile and a good laugh is great medicine.
Still livin' the dream,
Phil
Friday, October 23, 2009
Small world
The following is of little consequence but was interesting to me.
This evening, while attending a Lions Club event, I sat at a table with two brothers and one said he had recently retired from the Air Force with over 30 years service. The other brother had served 4 years in the Marine Corp and I noted that I had served 2 years in the Army. I guess it wasn't so strange that we represented 3 of the 4 services but what I found interesting was that we all had served on the island of Okinawa off the southern coast of Japan at one time during our respective careers. As our tours of duty were spaced some 10 or more years apart, it was interesting to learn of the things we had each seen and the changes we had each experienced.
Old warriors hashing over the good times. It was a good day.
Still livin' the dream,
Phil
This evening, while attending a Lions Club event, I sat at a table with two brothers and one said he had recently retired from the Air Force with over 30 years service. The other brother had served 4 years in the Marine Corp and I noted that I had served 2 years in the Army. I guess it wasn't so strange that we represented 3 of the 4 services but what I found interesting was that we all had served on the island of Okinawa off the southern coast of Japan at one time during our respective careers. As our tours of duty were spaced some 10 or more years apart, it was interesting to learn of the things we had each seen and the changes we had each experienced.
Old warriors hashing over the good times. It was a good day.
Still livin' the dream,
Phil
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