Marty and Peg, Still On The Road!

Well, it’s been well over a year, but it was bound to happen again….Yup, I twisted my back once again, so I’m writing this laying out on the couch.  But, once again I’m way ahead of myself here. 

Right now we are in Milledgeville, GA, at the Scenic Mountain RV Park.  This is really a lovely setting, and a place we have stayed at in the past.  Located in central Georgia, we are about 30 miles from Macon.  We arrived here on Monday, after leaving our last week-long stay at River Bottom Farms in Swansea, SC.  We thought we were escaping what we thought was very unseasonable cold in SC, but not so much.  Both this morning and the past two we found ourselves waking up to mid-30’s temperatures.  Add to that the wind and it has been a chilly few days.  Today, even though it was cool this morning, it did warm up to the high 60’s, so I did manage to get the bile out for a short ride.  However, before I did that, I did something else.

For the past few months I have wanted to change the orientation of the tow bar that is mounted on the front of the truck.  By reversing the mounts, I could effectively lower the brackets so it would run almost perfectly level behind the coach.  This was something I had wanted to do for a while, and I figured today was the day.  So, out came the tools, and off came the bolts.  I should have known this was going to be a “deal” because as I got to the 3^rd bolt (of 4) I snapped the extension bar on the ratchet drive.  The end of the extension broke off in the ½” to ¾” adapter, rendering that little piece useless.  Luckily the torque wrench I use is also a ¾” drive, so at least I could finish what I started.  The second incident was when I added the locktite on the bolts and got them all tightened down.  Somehow I must have turned just the wrong way, and pulled a muscle in my back.  Maybe taking the bike ride after that was not the best plan, but I really did need to go for the ride.  So, the plan right now is to still pull out on Saturday, the 1^st, but we will wait and see.  Sometimes it takes a few days for it to stop hurting.

So, other than that, what else have we been doing?  Actually this morning we went in to Milledgeville and took the guided trolley tour thru the town.  We both thoroughly enjoyed that little excursion, which lasted about 2 hours.  What was even better was when we finished the tour we were talking with the tour guide, and as it turned out we found that he also graduated from Marietta College in Ohio, Peg’s old alma mater.  Small world, I guess.         

It had been cold most of the week since we arrived, so other than a few errands we pretty much stayed close to home.  We did go into town last Tuesday and found the visitors center.  From there we walked around a few of the side streets, looking at all the old historical homes.  We were also amazed to see how many were for sale.  On the trolley tour we took, I asked that very question, and we were told that a lot of the homes were purchased by speculators who spent considerable funds to restore them, now need to get out from under them.  Trust me; there are some beautiful properties here.  On our walk we once again found Memorial Gardens, one of the oldest city-owned cemeteries in the state.  Several famous people are buried here, including some revolutionary war soldiers.       

As I mentioned above, we ended up leaving River Bottom Farms RV Park in Swansea last Monday.  It was a wonderful relaxing experience.  Being at the SC State fair was fun, but after 14 days or so, it did get a bit old.  Plus, all those 13 hour days tend to add lots of un-needed stress to your life.  So, we spent 7 lovely days just hanging out at the River bottom Farms RV Resort. 

Peg spent the first night here by herself, as I was on the road to Raleigh, NC with Bob and Helena’s fair equipment.  When I got back on Tuesday, Peg told me I will be VERY happy with how quiet this park is.  I was really looking forward to a good night’s sleep after being across from the fairgrounds for the last few weeks.  She was absolutely right; it was amazingly quiet.  We did need to get up early though, as we had to run back into West Columbia to run some errands and pick up the paperwork for the rental truck.  After we settled up with the rental company, we headed to the nearest Bank of America to make a deposit, then to the Waffle House down the road for breakfast.  A quick trip to Wally World is always required, then onto Circuit City to pick up the DVD Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. 

Thursday was a lay-about day, doing laundry and reading.  It has been a long time since we have just sat outside and read a book.  The Washer/Dryer is holding its own; it did not exhibit any of its ‘loose connection’ symptoms like it did in Columbia and Northampton.  It does have another issue, though, but just a minor one.  One of the separator bars in the tub has come lose, and looks like it has a few broken tabs.  I put in a few small screws and bent them over to fabricate tabs, but it still pops out.  It looks like a trip to Home Depot is in order to pick up something I can use to fix it for real…..that or I will need to order a new one.

Friday was my day to go for a ride, but nature did not cooperate.  It started raining about 8:30am, and did not stop until almost 9pm.  So, it was another day for reading, finishing the laundry and watching my new movie.  Saturday turned out to be in the mid-70’s and sunny.  We took advantage of that and went for a 160 mile trip around the area.  Sunday after church we did some shopping, and then started preparations for leaving the next day.      

Well, we only have about another 280 miles to go until we hit Starke, so if my back gets better quickly, we should be back in Florida by the 1^st.  We are both looking forward to seeing our daughter and her family again.    

So, here we are, sitting at a wonderful park called River Bottom Farms in Swansea, SC.  Right now we plan on being here until next Monday, October 27^th, trying to de-compress from the SC State Fair.  But, before I get to ahead of myself, let me tell you what has happened since our last episode. 

We left Raleigh, NC on Tuesday, October 7^th, and after a 250 mile ride, we pulled into the SC State Fair RV parking facility in Columbia, SC, just off Rosewood Ave.  Cousin Bob had already spoken with his fair broker who assured us that they did have a spot for us, but just no idea what that actually meant.  To our pleasant surprise, it was an 80’ back-in with 50amp service, water, electric and sewer.  Not only that, the park is just for RV’s, is guarded with a gate by actual law enforcement folks, and EVERYONE who enters needs to show their state-issued state fair ID badge.  So, safety was no longer a concern, for us, the coach or the Harley.  As soon as we pulled in we were greeted by two of the nicest folks we had ever met in any park.  They had us pull over to the side so we could fill in the necessary paperwork and get our parking ID’s.  The cost was $380, less than the $400 we had expected, and were told that when we went into the actual fairgrounds (across the road) we could go to the administration building and pay our fee.  After being subjected to the nasty folks at the NC fairgrounds, this was turning out to be a very pleasant experience.  After we got our parking pass for the truck, one of the guys took us down to our site.  He showed us where all the hook-ups were, just like a regular RV park, then told us he would give us a chance to get settled, then come back to see if we needed anything else.  We dropped the truck, put it aside, then Peg backed the coach into our new home for the next 15 days.  We had just starting getting the slides out when, sure enough, he came back to make sure we were all set.  He even gave Peg a compliment on how well she backed it in!  We had no one on the curb-side, but we did have another 5^th wheel on the driver’s side.   They already had a bunch of chairs out, so rather than being too crowded on that side, we opted to just leave the large living room slide pulled in.  So, once everything was setup, we headed across the street to Gate 5, our entrance to the fairgrounds.  Oh, while we were filling in the paperwork at the parking gate, Peg asked about the railroad tracks that we crossed over as we pulled in.  The very nice lady told her that yes, they are still active tracks, and they do run trains several times a day.  She was not sure if anything ran at night.  Boy, were we surprised……

Anyway, we headed to Gate 5, had to pass another inspection (security is pretty tight here), and were told to park in the field until we got our validated Gate 5 parking pass from Bob.  We found the administration building, paid our fee, then proceeded to setup for the fair opening on Wednesday.  We managed to get both tents setup, and some of the equipment staged, but it was getting late so Peg and I headed back to the coach and Bob and Helena (she showed up around 4pm) headed to their hotel room.  We agreed to meet at 8am back on the grounds to finish setting everything up for the 3pm opening. 

So, with everything setup, the fair is open, and we are carneys once again.  The first few days were slow, it did rain, but the weekend picked up.  All I can say is this is a pretty busy way to spend your days.  Bob was scheduled to go back to Raleigh with the truck on Monday morning, which would now leave Peg, Helena and I to run the two tents.  I opted to stay with the main tent (by the main gate) which proved to be twice as busy as the other north entrance tent.  Peg and Helena traded off coming down to relieve me or give me a hand, so it did all work out.  Bob was gone now, and he was going to be busy getting the NC fair going.  Of course, we had a lot of the equipment with us, and that would eventually have to make its way back to the NC fair which overlapped us by 5 days.  The original plan was to have Bob’s son-in-law come down with a truck, help us get it loaded, then head back to Raleigh.   When I say original plan, let’s just say it did not happen.  

Ok, the fair went well, we met lots of real nice people and some real characters.  We had several days where we had rented everything; some equipment two and three times.  OK, here is a quick course in how this business runs.  The business is called “Rent-A-Ride”, which basically rents electric scooters, strollers (several types), wheel chairs and wagons.  Along with the rental fee (which varies by equipment), we also hold a drivers license, valid state-issued ID or a set of car keys as collateral to insure they bring the equipment back to that tent.  They fill out their name, address and phone number, sign the form, and then we assign an individual drawer (in a storage organizer cabinet) to hold their collateral.  We had lots of folks asking if they get their money back when they returned it (Peg was fond of saying it was Rent-A-Ride, not Loan-A-Ride) or would we lose their license or keys.  Well, that almost happened to me.  A lady came back with an electric scooter, and I pulled her paperwork and her driver’s license.  I read the name off to her, and she said yes.  The picture even looked like her (for a drivers license picture, anyway).  I gave it to her, and she left the table.  When I went to file the paperwork, I noticed that the one I pulled was for a stroller, not an electric scooter.  A quick scan of what equipment I had out told me that I had just given the wrong license to the wrong person….same name, but wrong person.  Well, I just freaked.  I called Peg and Helena, so one of them could come right down to watch the tent so I could find this lady in the parking lot…..not really knowing if she left the grounds or not.  Peg got to the tent after what seemed like 30 minutes (it was actually only 5 minutes or so), and I went out looking for this lady.  It is a huge parking lot, and I had no idea what she was driving, or if she even drove at all…she could have come in on a bus.  So, no luck there so we had her paged….still no luck.  We had already called her cell-phone numerous times, and left two messages, but still nothing.  Helena told me not to worry (apparently this has happened before) but I could not let it go.  So, I grabbed my keys, headed back to the coach to pick up our GPS, and plotted a course to this woman’s house.  It was only about 6 miles or so, but would she even be there?  I took off and drove thru the city to find it, and to my relief there was actually a car in the driveway.  I went up and knocked on the door and she actually home.  After I identified myself she said she was just going to call us…just noticing she had the wrong license.  So, I swapped with her, and headed back to the fair, hoping the first lady did not come back looking for her ID while I was traipsing all over West Columbia trying to find it.  It all turned out fine, the second lady showed up about 30 minutes after I got back, no harm no foul.  But I will never do that again.  So, that was my stressful day at the fair.  Most everyone was nice.  We did have people ask if they had to pay to take the strollers, some balked at the cost; others wanted to just rent for an hour or so and wanted a discount.  But, all in all, I think Bob and Helena did well at the fair.

So, quickly back to our parking location and that train thing.  The answer to “does the train run at night” is most certainly yes…usually around 1:30am.  Oh, and again at 6am.  Is it loud?  Could we hear it?  Let’s just say that the tracks were about 40 feet from the back of us.  To make it more interesting, sometimes the train actually stopped.  When it started back up, it made a huge BANG.  So, that was fun.  Also, that unit next to us is called a “crew quarters”.  Basically, it is a long 5^th wheel with 6 doors.  Five of the doors are separate sleeping bunks and the 6^th door is the shared bath.  So, we had 5 neighbors next to us that did not quit working until the midway closed at 12am.  They would come in around 12:45am, and then sit outside and talk…right below our bedroom window.  So, even though we both had helping out at the fair, we did not exactly get lots of sleep.  Besides, we spent several 13 hour days under the tents.  But, we both know it helped Bob and Helena out, and it was worth it. 

So, how did that plan with the rental truck work out?  Pretty good, actually, just not the way it was originally envisioned.  Bobs son-in-law could not make the trip, so after Bob struggled with how he would pull this off, I offered the suggestion that if he rented the truck from here, I would drive it back to Raleigh with the equipment, and then return it the next day.  Bob was concerned that I was putting myself out, but actually this was making my week…..I love to drive, so this was like candy to me.  The next hurdle was actually tearing down after the fair closed, and getting the truck loaded.  Helena tried solving that one by hiring a local boy (his mom worked at the fair) for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday, then again on Monday to load.  Well, he showed up Saturday (late), worked (kind of) for 4 hours then left, and was never to be seen again.  Helena then decided to go to the local Man-Power office and got two gentlemen for 4 hours each on Monday to help.  Those guys were great, and well worth whatever she paid them.  We managed to get it all torn down and loaded (both tents) by 11:45am.  We had to be out of the parking facility by 5pm the next day, and not wanting to take a chance on me getting back in time, we opted to move the coach to this park, which was about 38 miles south-east of Columbia.  Peg had gone back to the coach and prepared it for the trip to Swansea.  So, we left the loaded rental truck at the fairgrounds, I drove the coach and Peg followed in the truck.  We got to the park around 1:15pm, registered, parked, hooked up the electric and then fed the girls.  We also took an extra 15 minutes to unload the bike (it had been sitting in the truck since we left MA), then headed back to Columbia.  Peg talked me into stopping for lunch, so we made a quick stop at a Wendy’s.  We made it back to the fairgrounds by 2:45pm, said farewell, and I headed north in the rental, Peg back to Swansea in the truck.  Helena was already on her way back to Raleigh.

Now, it’s just me and the loaded truck.  I pulled into Raleigh around 7:45pm, only to experience another minor change in plans.  When we loaded the truck, we knew that some of the equipment was needed at the NC fair, and the rest was going back into storage.  The original plan was to go to storage first, so that meant all that equipment was loaded last.  Nope, the storage facility closes at 8pm, and Bob needed the equipment for the fair early in the morning.  So, now we had to juggle.  Bob got permission for me to bring in the truck to the handicapped location (by his gate) so we could get the stuff he needed off the truck and moved to his tent.  By 9:30pm or so, we had all his stuff off, and the stuff going to storage back on the truck.  I left Bob and his crew at the fair, then went and took the truck back to their house.  I met Helena there and we headed off to Applebee’s for dinner.  The next morning I needed to wait until 9:30am or so before Bob could break away from the fair (he was back at the tent by 8am).  I said my goodbyes to Helena, hopped in the truck, picked up Bob by the Gate 11 entrance and then we both headed to Durham to drop off the rest of the equipment for storage.  So, by 1pm or so, after lunch with Bob, I had dropped him off and I was on my way back with then empty truck to Columbia.  250 miles later, Peg met me around 6pm at the rental office, where she parked our truck and hopped in the rental so we could fill up with fuel before it got returned.  We took the truck back to Penske, picked up our truck and headed out for a much needed steak dinner at the Texas Roadhouse.  We finally made it back to Swansea and the coach by 9pm or so, me being VERY tired.  On Wednesday morning we finally got going around 9:30am.  We had to drive back to the rental place to finalize the paperwork and run a few errands. 

So, that is how we ended up here at River Bottom Farms RV Park.  It is just so quiet and clean here, we are looking forward to doing as little as possible for the next week or so.  Next Monday, October 27^th, we do need to decide where we go next, as we do not plan on getting back to Starke until the first of November.  Right now, that just seems like it is too much work, so until next time…….       

Well, once again it has been three weeks since the last update.  It is amazing on how time gets away from us.  Yes, we have left Northampton, MA.  But not before one of our team members, Bill, fixed us a wonderful gourmet dinner.  This is just not something you see while parked in RV’s, at least not for us.  Bill is also a wonderful bread maker.  His RV is a Freightliner Super-C that is really one big professional kitchen and room for one bed.  Anyway, on with the dinner!  The first course was, of course, Bread & Cheese.  Following that Bill prepared a Potato & Carrot soup.  Next Bill brought out an Endive & Beet finger salad, followed by Chicken Cordon Bleu, Green Beans with almonds & parsley, Filet Mignon, Au Jus, Red New Potatoes and Cauliflower.  This was all topped off with our dessert; a chocolate cake with Grande Marnier Icing.  Oh, and wine!  This was the first three hour dinner we have ever experienced.  And on that high note, we finished the build on Friday, October 3^rd.  We had a going away get together at MJ’s home.  Oh, MJ is the executive director for the Northampton affiliate, and just a wonderful person. 

We did have one glitch, though.  On one of the days it rained, Peg stayed back and did not go to the jobsite.  She wanted to catch up on some laundry, but the washing machine did not want to cooperate.  She called me and said the lights started to blink as it was going to start, then everything shut off.  When I got home I pulled it out, learned how to get the cover off, and got the door reset so I could get the switch assembly out.  It was apparent that I had a bad connection somewhere, as every time I moved one of the wiring harnesses it would come back to life.  Anyway, something I pulled caused it to come back to life, so we did a few loads with the cover off.  It seemed fine for now, so the cover is back on, laundry is finished and whatever I did seemed to work.  We shall see.   

 On Saturday morning we packed it all up, loaded the Harley, hooked up the truck, said goodbye to everyone and headed to our next destination, Richmond, VA.    

 After a night at a Flying-J truck stop, we now find ourselves at the RV parking facility at the Virginia State Fair just outside Richmond.  Are we carneys again?  Well, at least for one night.  We are here to help Peg’s cousin Helena and her husband Bob with their last day at this fair.  I was asked to fix a few items with the electric scooters and chargers, but the real reason is to help get everything taken down and get the truck loaded for the trip to Columbia, SC.  The fair closed by 11pm, and by 1:15am we had the truck all loaded for the trip south.  The RV parking was fine (water and electric), but the park generator ran all night.  To make matters worse, we decided to get up at 7am, after not getting much sleep anyway, only to have them shut down the generator just as we got up.  Go figure….. 

So, on Monday the 6^th we all headed down to Raleigh, NC.  With Helena in the car, Bob behind the wheel of the truck and Peg and I in our coach, we were on our way.  With us having the GPS, we were leading the pack, and just as we got on the road, we noticed Bob turned off a side street, followed by Helena in the car.  Soon the phone rings; Bob is having an issue with the truck.  It shut down due to coolant temperature, so we pulled off on a side road and waited for Bob to get the truck warmed up properly.  After about 15 minutes or so, I saw the truck turn on the street we were parked on, and once again we were on our way.  We decided to head just a little north so we could pick up the I295 beltway around Richmond, when Bob calls again…..the fuel gauges are acting up, and he wants to top off to make sure he has fuel for the trip.  Peg quickly checked the GPS for the nearest Pilot truck stop, and then told Bob to just follow us.  OK, this is where I can safely say DO NOT ALWAYS TRUST THE GPS.  As we got off the exit we both noticed that Pilot was not listed on the road signs, and for good reason…..it was at the NEXT EXIT DOWN.  Luckily we did see a large parking area for us, just in back of a filling station that could handle Bob’s 26 foot box truck.  Once we got ourselves parked, we managed to get Bob to the pumps (only one way in) and proceeded to get him filled up.  Turns out he did not need anything.  He had twin 55 gallon saddle tanks, and each one took about 10 gallons.  So, after fighting with the slowest pumps in history, and getting him backed out (like I said, one way in, same way out), Peg decided to ride with Helena and all three of us were back on the road.  We pulled got off I295, hit I95 north to pick up I85 to NC.  After about 50 miles or so, Helena and Peg took the lead in search of a place for lunch.  They found a Wendy’s and called us with the exit so we could pull over.  Problem was, we had just passed that exit….they were not as far in front of us as they thought.  So, the modified plan now was for them to pick up lunch and meet us at the next rest area, which was about 30 miles ahead.  Bob and I got ourselves parked, and about 10 minutes later the girls showed up with lunch.  After a quick cleanup, we headed back out, with Helena on her own as she was going back to the house in Raleigh.  We were only about 60 miles or so from our destination, and Bob was heading to a place he could leave the truck overnight and we headed to the fairgrounds, which would become our home for the next three weeks. 

Three weeks?  Bob and Helena were heading out the next day for Columbia, SC to set up for the SC State Fair.  Peg and I agreed to help by setting up the NC State Fair and run it for the 5 day overlap period.  This is where things get interesting.  Talk about a chain of events….and all this happens in a 24 hour period.  First, as we are on the final leg, Bob gets a call telling him that he actually needs two tents in SC.  They were expecting one, which is why it was just going to be them.  They had no contacts in SC, as this was the first time at this fair.  Next, parking at the NC fair grounds is grim at best.  The only spot they have for us is by Gate 10 (that’s good, that is Bob’s gate) but it is a 15amp circuit only….meaning no A/C if it gets warm….and it will get warm.  Plus, the parking folks on the grounds are not the nicest folks in the world.  They insist they have no record of Bob’s business at the fair or that I have ever been there.  Oh, and $525 up front, non-refundable for the duration.  Oh, the dilemma.  Do you believe in divine intervention?  We talk it over with Bob, and he tells us about his issue with SC (two tents and all, no help, etc.).  On one hand I know what we have in Raleigh (but hate it), and SC is the great unknown.  We know it’s cheaper ($400) and they have a spot for us, but we have no idea of the parking situation.  We talk it over with Bob and come up with a plan.  First, Bob decides that he has many more contacts here in Raleigh for help, so if we go on to Columbia for that fair, he could come back the following Monday to setup in Raleigh and line up help there.  Peg, Helena and I would run the SC fair for the bulk of the days, and then Bob would have his son-in-law bring the truck back down on the 19^th so we could break down and get the stuff loaded to go back to Raleigh.  What a plan.  So, we got permission to park for just the night (no hookups, but that was fine).  Bob showed up around 9:30am with his truck, and the three of us headed to Columbia, SC.  Helena was going to follow, but she was not leaving until noon or so. 

So, were off to Columba, SC.  Yes, were going to be carneys once again.  I’m going to close here, as our next installment is sure to be out next great adventure as carneys at the SC State Fair.  What a trip….

So, where are those folks?  I’m sorry that it has been so long since the last update, but it is amazing on how things can get away from you.  Well, to answer the question, Northampton, MA.  Northampton is near the west-central side of the state.  We are here on a Habitat for Humanity build for two weeks.  It is actually our second time working with this affiliate.  We are here with 9 other folks, including our wonderful friends Rob & Ronni Silver.  We are parked on the county fairgrounds just outside Northampton, bordering Florence and Amherst.  The house we are working on is actually in Amherst, which is only a little over 8 miles away.  Unless you take the back roads, which we do, you have to drive thru Amherst, which is a major college town.  The one thing you need to get used, and quickly, is that the streets here are littered with pedestrian crosswalks.  To say the pedestrians have the right-of-way would be an understatement…they will walk right in front of you if you are not paying attention.  Remembering that these are college towns, and students are everywhere; from our experience, mostly in the crosswalks. 

So, what did we do for the last week?  Help finish a house that was started months ago.  This is a two story home for a wonderful young woman named Ashley and her two children.  They are called green homes, as they are built with strict environmental standards, including solar panels on the roof.  They are built very efficiently, and I think the plans were actually drawn up by the local college architecture students.   So far I have framed the garage door, and helped build the sliding barn-style door for it.  From there we moved onto sheetrock, starting with the ceilings on the second floor.  Later on Friday we started the inside interior walls, staying away from the exterior until the insulation can be blown in, which will be completed next Monday.  Apparently they have a company that comes in and covers all the exterior walls with plastic, then blows in the insulation material.  Peg has painted, caulked and helped put up batting (makes one side of the house look like a modern barn) on one side of the house.  She has also done a lot of cutting for the hardiplank siding. 

We are getting to the job site at 8am, and general quit by 3pm.  Most every evening after working we gather around one of the RV’s for an impromptu happy hour.  One of the folks on this build is actually a gourmet chef (in his spare time), and an excellent bread maker.  He even has a professional bread making oven built into his RV.  I think sometime within the next week Bill is actually going to cook us a true formal dinner; that will be interesting.      

When we first arrived on Friday the 19^th, there were two other couples already here.  Our friends, Rob and Ronni were here, as well as Jim and Betty, whom we have just met for the first time.  That night we had dinner with the Silvers, partaking in the Jewish custom called Shabbos.

On Saturday we headed out with Rob and Ronni to the Garlic Festival in Orange, MA.  Now, this is an interesting place.  Think aging hippies meets Generation Y (affluent college students).  For a garlic festival, there was not that much garlic.  What you did see was everything eco-friendly.  Al Gore would be right at home here.  It is touted as a no-trash fair, meaning everything is composted, recycled or re-used.  Lots of booths demonstrating solar and bio-fuels, wool made from Alpaca’s, and lots and lots of homegrown vegetables.  We watched several folks make wood products from logs (boards and shingles).  The fair was in the middle of nowhere; it seemed like it just popped up in the middle of some field.  It really was a lot of fun, and everyone we met there was wonderful.  Hey, even the Alpaca farmer let Ronni go in and help him feed the four animals he brought.  Oh, and we learned something about Alpaca farming; it is not cheap.  Apparently one of these animals can go for upwards of $30,000 with the right blood line.  Peg and Ronni were looking at a wrap made from Alpaca fleece; $210.  I picked up a small teddy bear toy made from the fleece; $40. 

When we returned home we met up with Jim and Betty, and decided to go to dinner that night at a place called Websters.  This is a small seafood place that if you just looked at the front you would not even park in the lot.  Looks can be deceiving, as it was great.  They served my favorite dish, Haddock, and it was wonderful.  Yes, I would certainly return here. 

On Thursday, September the 25^th, we had a group dinner at a place called Roberto’s.  It was another place I would certainly return to, and even brought home enough leftovers for Friday’s dinner.  We finished off Friday with a movie (88 Minutes with Al Pacino) over at Rob and Ronni’s house.                  

So, that is where we are, and what we have been doing for the last week.  What about the last month?  Well, we left our friends Don and Cathy in West Monroe, NY on Tuesday the 16^th.  I wanted to stay one more day (Monday) to help Don cut grass one more time.  We first had to make a quick stop to Oneida Shores county Park to use the dump station, and then head onto Verona Beach to hit the truck stop so we could pick up some diesel fuel.  On our way over RT49, we called Bernadette’s Bistro to say so long to our great group of seniors.  We told them that as we drove by we would blow the air horns as we passed.  Imagine this; 25 seniors out standing on the side of RT49, some of them waving flags, waiting for us to drive by.  Deirdre, the coordinator, managed to get all the folks outside so they could wave as we went by.  What a touching scene.  We will miss them while we are gone. 

After we picked up fuel in Verona Beach, we headed down to Jeffersonville to visit Peg’s brothers for a few days.  Brother Bob came over that night for dinner, but that was the last time we saw him.  Not really sure why because we were there for three nights.  We did get to see Bill and Deb, and even went to dinner with them at a place called the Weber’s Log Cabin.  We took along the two aunts, Helen and Hazel, which is always an experience.  We picked up the two “girls”, and used Aunt Hazel’s car to drive the four of us up to the restaurant, following Bill, Deb and nephew Steven.  After dinner, we took the aunts home, where the plan was to have Peg drive Aunt Helen home in her car, and I would follow in the truck.  It was then that I realized that I had left my sunglasses on the table, so I would drive back to the place and get them, and then meet Peg at aunt Helens.  I made it back and as soon as I walked in the girl behind the bar (this is a really small place) said she was surprised I got back so soon.  She was already reaching behind the counter when I asked if she found my glasses.  “No”, she said, “I thought you were coming back for the purse”.  Well, they she not have my glasses, but she did have Aunt Hazels purse.  Apparently Hazel never missed it.  So, back to Aunt Helens to get Peg, then back to Aunt Hazels to return the purse.  Oh, my sunglasses; they were on the dash of Aunt Hazels car all along.

Here is one for “one of the most embarrassing moments in your life” stories that we can all tell our grandchildren.  That Thursday night we offered to take out Jim and Diane, the cousins that own the Jeff Inn where we park when we are in town with the coach, out for dinner.  We had Jim pick the place and he picked a place called the Ruff Cut, an out of the place bar/grill that pretty much caters to hunters and snowmobilers.  Great roast beef sandwiches, but, unlike the Olympics, they do not take VISA…or any other credit card for that matter; only cash.  So, between Peg and me we had a grand total of $9 cash with us.  Poor planning on our part to be sure and we won’t let that happen again.  I guess we can chuckle about it now; take your family out for a nice thank you dinner and then let them buy.      

We really did have an active August and early September.  I did help our friend Don did his new leech field; that was fun.  Don certainly has his work cut out for him.  He is adding three new lines (basically replacing two that were broken), so he rented an excavator, ordered stone and went to town.  I will get some pictures added to the site soon…if you have ever seen the movie Tremors where the big worms-like creatures terrorize a small town you will get an idea of what the backyard looks like now.    

On September 12^th, we also got to see my sister and her family one more time; where we had a nice pizza and wing dinner.  My sister Anne and I went out to pick up the pizza and wings and had a nice chat.  That is something we rarely do anymore, and I do miss them a lot.   

We also said goodbye to our good friends at the Bistro where we helped out for the last few months.  Our last day with them was Sept 11^th, but we did get to see some of the folks when we went to church that Sunday the 14^th.         

On the 9^th we went to dinner at a place called Buffalo Wild Wings with other friends, Kathy and Walt Matthews.  What an interesting waitress (inept? rude?) we had that night.  It was a Tuesday, and there special that night was $.45 wings.  First, Walt ordered 18 wings; he wanted 6 of one flavor and 12 plain.  The waitress told Walt that he could only order six at a time of any one flavor.  We all thought this was odd, so Walt said “OK, give me 6 of Jamaican, 6 plain and 6 plain”.  She said she was not sure she could do that, but would ask.  We just chuckled and told her to do her best.  When it came time for my order, I wanted twenty wings (medium).  She then started off on this rant about having 12 and 18 wing specials, and wanted to get me the “best deal”.  We tried to remind her that it was $.45 wing night, so 20 wings would cost $9.00, which was less expensive than the 18 wing special that cost $12.95.  She just seemed generally confused with that for some strange reason.  Good thing Peg and Kathy ordered chicken wraps….we would have been there all night.  Anyway, we had asked for separate checks, which she somehow managed to mess up, and when I questioned it she just looked at me and said “that is why I hate separate checks”.  That is when I said that as a customer I loved separate checks.  I hope she was happy; she got a whopping $2.00 tip with the four of us.     

We had gotten a call from our good friends the Silvers (Rob and Ronni) that they were going to be in the area, actually parking at the same county park that we visit every now and then to use the dump station.  We went over on that Saturday (the 6^th) for a visit, and then decided to go out for a movie.  We headed out to Great Northern Mall to see the movie Traitor, starring Jeff Daniels and Don Cheadle (of Oceans 11/12/13 fame).  The plan was to get some dinner after the movie, but then popcorn took care of that need.  This was our second movie in two days, as Peg and I had gone to see Tropic Thunder the day before.  We went over the next day (Sunday) for dinner and chatting.  We then said goodnight and promised to see them down the road in a few weeks in Northampton, MA for our next HFH build.         

On Wednesday the 3^rd, we headed out on a bike trip to see some dear friends, Diane and Bill who were staying at Cranberry Lake in the Adirondacks.  It was a great trip with gorgeous weather, covering about 300 miles.  We went up thru Watertown, thru Carthage, thru Natural Bridge, thru lots of small towns.  We were talked into staying for dinner (I know, twist my arm), which made coming home a little chilly.  We did not have our leathers; just our jean jackets.  We decided to go back a different way, which took us thru some even smaller towns, into Rome, NY.  Yes, it was a cold ride home.           

At the end of August we got a call from our friends Charlotte and Walt that they would be coming down to the Syracuse area before they flew back to their home in Casa Grande, AZ.  They were going to stay with their daughter Joanne and her husband, which is only a few blocks away from another good friend of ours, Janie and Larry.  They made the suggestion that we would all meet at one of the local hangouts, Heids Hot Dogs of Liverpool (http://www.heidsofliverpool.com/index2.htm).  This place has been a fixture for such a long time; we just had to go back.  After we each had a few hot dogs, we decided that we would all head back to Larry and Janie’s house in Eastwood for coffee cake and more chatting.  So, off we went.  It is so great to see all these old friends; it makes what we do all that much more important.       

We started out the month on a somewhat bad note; we heard an announced that they were going to close four of the local Catholic churches in the area.  They are talking about keeping one church open for the area, which is turning a lot of folks off.  The thing that disturbs us the most is that the senior center we help out at, Bernadette’s Bistro, is held at the St. Bernadette’s Church hall.  Now they do not know what they will do for those folks.  It is apparently at least a year away, so hopefully it will be resolved before we get back next year. 

Well, it was something that I was not interested in, but Peg was really looking forward to it.  So, last Friday, the 8th, was called girls night out.  Peg, her friend Rainy, and Rainy’s neighbor Maria headed off to dinner at Pizzeria Uno in Carousel Mall.  After dinner it was movie time, and the three girls were off to see the new feature film, Mama Mia.  Being a musical, with ABBA music no-less, it was something I avoided.  I opted to stay home with a movie and eat dinner here.  They had a great time, and that’s what’s important. 

On Saturday the 9th, we headed back over to Bill and Rainy’s to finish up the hardwood floor project.  In our last episode, we talked about finishing the two kid’s bedrooms.  Seeing those two rooms turned out so well (go figure), a late addition to the project, the upstairs hall, was added.  So, we were at it again.  Starting off from Dan’s room, our biggest hurdle was going to be joining it up to Carolyn’s bedroom door.  Why; because when we did that room, the hall was not part of the plan, so when we finished the door transition, it was not done with the expectation of continuing further than the door.  We knew when we looked at the hall, and that it was going to be an awful lot of custom cuts.  Hey, we had five doorways, a closet and the opening to the stairway.  Rainy went out to pick up the floor power stapler as Bill and I started laying out the floor.  Unfortunately, and to no fault of Rainy, the rental company gave her the stapler; just not the rubber mallet used to whack it.  Of course, being later on a Saturday, they were closed, so going back to retrieve it was not an option.  Not to be outdone, luckily I had a rubber mallet in the back of the truck.  Not perfect, but we decided it would work.  We started working out from Dan’s room, and the transition to the stairs was our first obstacle.  That proved to be pretty easy, as well as the transitions from the office and master bedroom doors.  We were both surprised on how long this was taking, and by 10pm, with about 65% completed, we decided to wrap it up and finish it the next weekend.  It is looking good, and will look wonderful when completed.  Tomorrow is a busy day for the family; Rainy and Bill are hosting a clambake/party tomorrow.  Oh, while Bill and I were busy playing floor installers, Peg and Rainy were busy getting the house ready for the party.

So, here we are, back at Bill and Rainy’s house on Sunday for the clambake.  I was really looking forward to this, as I love steamed clams.  It was not a large affair, with only about 20 people, so a bag of 250 clams was plenty.  Most of the day, and it was a gorgeous one; the kids spent their time in or around the pool.  It was setup inside, as it was supposed to be rainy and miserable all day.  Just goes to show you can’t fully trust the weatherman.  It started around 2pm, but by 7:30pm or so most folks had left.  The few that stayed just sat at the kitchen table and talked, before we went into the family room to watch the Olympics (also known as the Michael Phelps Show) on their 60” LCD TV.  Bill and Rainy showed off the new hardwood floors upstairs, and are really looking forward to getting it completed.    

We also continue to volunteer at the local church with Bernadette’s Bistro, the senior citizen lunch and companionship program.  My contribution this week was fixing the vacuum (replaced the belt), and putting in a new light bulb in the fridge.  Of course, spending time with all these wonderful people is great. 

On Wednesday, the 13th, we took another motorcycle ride with our Florida friends (who live in Warners, NY), Ken and Rena.  We left around 10:30am and met them at their house.  I’m not sure how we thought that we could make it to their place by 11am, as we had to stop and get gas for the bike.  That, and we seemed to hit all kinds of road construction, we finally pulled into their place at 11:40am.  They were waiting, and the decision was quickly made to head down to winery country, mainly Keuka Lake.  Our main destination, other than riding around the lake and lunch, was to visit the Bully Hill winery.  It is hard to describe the beauty in this part of the country; especially back roads, hills and valleys and lakeside shores.  We rode down the east shore of Keuka Lake, and then stopped in Hammondsport, home of Bully Hill.  It was here where we decided to visit one of the local eateries for lunch.  Rena picked it out, as she had heard it was a great place to eat.  Well, it was good, but very expensive.  We can honestly say that we have never spent $40 for lunch before, and that was just for Peg and me.  The total bill for four, including tip, was $80.  Hey, it’s only money, but our lunches were three hamburgers and my order of 12 chicken wings.  Pricey, huh?  After lunch we headed up to the west shore to Bully Hill.  We walked around there for quite some time, enjoying the history of Walter S. Taylor, founder of Bully Hill.  You can check out the whole story here (www.bullyhill.com), but let’s just say Walter was a character.  Being part of the Taylor wine family, he struck out on his own.  When the Taylor Winery was bought by the Coke-a-Cola Corporation, Walter was sued because he was using the Taylor name.  Anyway, you have to visit the site; I could never do the whole story justice here.  Oh, and Walter did his own artwork, which is worth the trip on its own merit.   

On evening of Friday the 15th, I had my second exposure to the sport of racing.  This time, though, it was dirt track racing which is very different to NASCAR.  I still did not understand all the rules and such, but it was certainly entertaining.  I met my friend of many years Don at the track after Peg dropped me off.  This is Don’s sport, and he proved to be a fountain of knowledge on how things worked.  I got to experience the noise, cheap race-track food, crashes and lots and lots of dust.  I even got to watch a driver get peeved at another after he lost a tire, then get out of his car and throw his steering wheel at the guy who apparently caused the incident.  It was kind of like NASCAR meets Roller Derby and wrestling.  I’ll be back.              

Well, it was once again the weekend, and Saturday meant finishing the hallway flooring project with Bill.  Looking at what we had left, it was obvious this was not just a two hour task, as almost every piece we had to lay had to be cut.  We also had the dreaded transition from Carolyn’s bedroom door.  So, that being the hardest issue we had to face, we continued on that end, laying things out, while Rainy and Peg went out, once again, to fetch the power stapler…this time with the hammer.  By the time we got back, we had the bulk of that section laid out and cut, just waiting for the stapler to put it in place.  The transition piece turned out to be the best cut of the whole floor; I think anyway.  It was a tapered cut, but Bill and Rainy have almost any woodworking tool known to mankind, so it was easy to actually make the piece and get it sanded so it was a tight fit.  Honestly, you can look straight down on it and it looks like we actually knew what we were doing…..which is not really the case.  We finally made it to the last phase, and that was the hall closet.  The easiest part, but once again every other board had to be cut to length.  Also, the stapler was of little or no help as there is no room in the closet to work with it.  By 8:30pm we were done, got everything picked up, and then harassed Rainy to get that darn molding back down so it truly looks finished.  Oh, we also had to re-hang Danny’s door, as Bill had taken it off because it was not closing properly anymore.  Hey, a few shims and it was working like new.  Dan is excited, because his door for the last few weeks has been a comforter hanging from the door with wood clamps.     

On Monday the 18th we had another special day; visiting with friends of ours who live in Maine.  No, we did not suddenly truck off to the north east; they rented a cottage on Sylvan Beach, which is about 35 miles from where we are parked.  We had last seen Mike and Laurie (and their two daughters) back in the summer of 2006 when we passed thru Lewiston, ME on our way home from Halifax, Nova Scotia.  It was so much fun for us to see them again, as Mike and I have an awful lot of history between us.  We have known each other for over 30 years, but even when we have not seen each other for years it is like we never left.  Peg and Laurie have known each other for over 20 years, and I can’t express how good it feels to reconnect.  Oh, and a special surprise was having another friend of ours, Diane also came by to visit.  Diane is the widow of a dear friend of ours, Mike, who passed away almost five years ago.  Mike was also a character with endearing qualities, and we miss him all the time.  We spent the afternoon out by the water, just talking about all the old times we had together.  It was starting to look like it was going to rain, but we lucked out and had a great day.  It was an interesting ride home, as we got to watch all the lightning in the distance.  It is pretty amazing when you get to see it over the water, as we were riding along the east and north shores of Oneida Lake.  We did make it home without a drop, but by 11pm it was raining.  Maybe we are getting lucky.    

I guess I’ll end this little episode with my trek last Wednesday, the 20th, back over to Bill and Rainy’s to install a ceiling fan for little Dan.  It was to be a surprise, as this fan was actually fashioned to look like a baseball glove.  The blades look like bats, and there is a baseball diamond decal that sits just above the fan on the ceiling.  I’m not sure where they found this thing, but it certainly is one of a kind.  I got it done before Dan got home from playing with his friends, and I have not heard on how long it took him to realize it was there.  Later that Wednesday evening, Don and Cathy came over to ask if we wanted to go on a bike ride.  We suggested ice cream, so a trip to the place in Fulton, NY called Sweet Inspirations.  Here is their website (www.sweetsdrivein.com), but when I tried it the site was having problems.  Better yet, go there and see it for yourself. 

Have a great end of August……we will be back shortly.                

Well, this is a bit timelier than the last post, and certainly not as long.  I just had to do it today because the date is August 8^th, 2008.  The number just intrigued me, 080808.  See what happens when you quit your job early?

Anyway, we started out the month by taking a ride to an area known as Sylvan beach (http://sylvanbeach.com/), which is a very popular tourist area, especially in the summer.  Sylvan Beach is located on the east shore of Oneida Lake.  It is known for its many restaurants, a small carnival and of course the beach.  We just went for the restaurants.  One in particular, Eddies.  This place has been around forever, and is known for its huge dessert servings of homemade pie.  We rode down with Cathy and Don, Don’s sister Debbie and her husband Andy.  If you remember, this is the same group that made the infamous ride to New Hampshire last June.  So, even though it was a gorgeous night, we were all looking for rain clouds.  After a great dinner (we all passed on the pie), we headed on down to ride along the south shore of the lake via RT31.  It was not along evening, but riding around the lake is pretty, especially the north shore. 

On Saturday, the 2^nd, we were supposed to head to Jeffersonville to visit with Pegs brother and to attend a 50s-60s concert in Bethel Woods.  Well, Saturday was nothing but rain.  Seeing it was an outdoor concert, the only wide thing to do was to skip the trip all together.  Riding down in the truck was certainly an option (not my favorite one) if it only looked like spots of rain, but Pegs brother Bill confirmed it was a washout.  So, this may be a trip for another time.   

This has been the busiest week of the last few months.  On Monday, the 4^th, I spent all day helping Don cut lawns.  Time was lost over the weekend, so we had five to cut.  It made for a long day. 

On Tuesday we took the truck back in to see if they could repair the whistling noise we were hearing when the AC was on and the blower motor was set to medium-high.  We dropped the truck off, and they gave us a loaner to use for a few days.  We ran a few errands, and then we headed up to Cape Vincent to see our friends Charlotte and Walt.  That in itself is a pretty ride.  The original plan was to ride the bike, and I think they were looking forward to us doing that.  Walt keeps a motorcycle up at the cottage, and I think the original plan, if it was nice, was to ride up to Alexandria Bay.  Well, it was a beautiful day, but we had both wimped out and decided to drive the car.  I swear, the more north we drove, the bluer the sky became.  I am convinced that if we were on the bike, it would have been the direct opposite.  You see, that is just our luck.  We talked for awhile, and then got into their 1937 Plymouth Street Rod and headed to a place called “I don’t remember” in Clayton NY for lunch.  No, that’s not the name of the restaurant; I really don’t recall the name of it.  The food was good, though.  We headed back, but with a little arm-twisting (very little) we stopped for ice cream at a place called the Duck Inn.  We went back to the cottage, and sat outside by the water, just talking.  Charlotte asked if would like to stay for a soup and salad dinner, and that sounded great to us.  We were originally planning on spending the night, but the next day was rapidly filling with things to do, so we headed home about 7:30pm that night.  And guess what?  We made it to Parrish, NY and the roads were wet.  You see, it did rain after all.    

Wednesday was another busy day, as it was time to head to the local county park to use the dump station.  We got the coach ready to roll about 10:30am, and headed out for the 30 mile round trip to visit our friends at Oneida Shores.  By 11:45pm we were back, all parked and set back up, and ready for lunch.  After lunch, we were off to go pick up our new eye wear.  We had our eyes tested last month, and ordered our new glasses and Peg’s contacts.  Peg also had a follow-up exam for her contacts, so we rode over to the mall (Great Northern Mall to be exact) to pick everything up.  So, now we can both see again.  We also took a trip over to our friends Bill and Rainy to drop off a few things, and cut their lawn.  Bill is always kidding me about how I cut Don’s lawn but not his, so I decided to surprise him and get his mowed.  He has a nice 48” John Deere riding mower, and once we found out how to 1) Open the shed door, and 2) get the mower in reverse, it was a piece of cake.  We were just wrapping up, and I wanted to be gone by the time he got home (it was going to be a surprise, right?), when we noticed his truck sitting at the end of the road that comes into their development.  OK, let’s look at the scene here.  A strange car (remember, we had the loaner, a silver Ford Escape) sitting in their driveway, and one of the garage doors is open.  In the truck are actually Rainy and the two kids, Danny and Carolyn.  Rainy came around the corner, saw the strange vehicle, and immediately wondered who was in her driveway, and why was the garage door opened.  She was, understandably so, getting nervous.  Then she saw someone coming out of the garage (it was probably me) and decide to just check this situation out, all the while with her phone ready to dial 911.  Well, she did recognize us, and was pretty relived.  She never called the police, and we were not arrested.  I knew we should have left earlier.  So much for a surprise!  After that we took a quick side trip over to visit my parent’s gravesite in Lyncourt, and then headed back home.  Peg made a nice dinner, but just as we sat down Don and Cathy called to ask if we wanted to take the bikes over to “Bike night” at Quaker Steak and Lube, another cool place.  We told them we would meet them there after dinner (they wanted to go there to eat), which we did.  It was another nice bike ride.  I am now over 8100 miles on the Harley, compared to 7100 on the truck.  This is the most I have ever ridden any motorcycle I have ever owned, and it is great.       

On Thursday, we went back to Ford to pick up the truck.  It turns out the noise we are hearing is a feature, not a bug (as we used to say in the software business).  It is caused by the massive amounts of airflow being pulled in, and is just a characteristic (according to an Email we have from Ford Motor Company) of our style Ranger.  Well, it’s is not so bad anyway.  From there, we headed to Bernadette’s Bistro.  BB is a program that provides lunches and companionship three days a week for local seniors, and is sponsored by the St. Bernadette’s Catholic Church.  Peg and I have been starting to volunteer with this group, and it really is fun.  The folks that come to this thing have all kinds of history.  It really is a good cause, and we are happy to be a part of it.  The program goes from 11am to 1pm, but we left around 2pm after everything was cleaned up. 

From there we left for home so I could pick up my tools and head to my sister Anne’s house.  Another thing we did at the end of last month was to go over and visit with my sister Anne and her family, and to check out a few electrical repairs they needed done.  I had picked up the parts over the last few days, so we needed to head down there to wrap things up.  Anne was also going to take our TV that was replaced by the LCD, so we needed to load that too.  And guess what?  It started to rain.  Not just rain, but pour.  We had backed the truck into Don’s pole barn, which is where the TV was.  I managed to get all the tools I needed in the barn as well, but we decided to wait for an hour or so for the rain to subside.  Everything would be under the tonneau cover, but I did not want to drive all that way in a downpour.  I stopped about 3:20pm or so, and we finally made it to their house around 4:30pm.  I replaced the cellar light with a 48” florescent tube fixture, and then replaced the pull switch on the hall light.  I still need to look at adding an outdoor porch light, but it had started to rain again.  I had the wire, switch, and a few other items with me, but I decided to wait.  We left around 6:30pm; after I loaded the tools back up in the rain, and headed to a place called Zebbs (http://zebbs.com/) for dinner.  I tell you, they have the best hamburgers I’ve ever had.  As we were pulling into the restaurant parking lot, our friend Cathy called to see what we were doing, and to ask us a quick favor.  Don and their son Donny were heading to the Mazda dealership to pick up Donny’s new car, a 2008 Mazda X3.  Don was in his truck, and Donny was coming in their Honda Civic, so they need someone to stop by the dealership and drive Don’s truck home for him, as he was taking the Honda home and Donny would be, of course, driving his new car.  Peg dropped me off and headed to visit Rainy, and I hopped in and headed for home in Don’s truck.  I was no sooner on RT81 heading north, when I realized Peg had both sets of coach keys with her.  A quick call, and a shortened visit with Rainy, and she was also on her way home. 

Friday started off very, very wet, so my initial plans of going over to visit with Don’s dad and cut his lawn (can you tell I love cutting grass?) got side tracked.  We did a few household chores, and I decided I would catch up on this little missive.  It is now ten minutes after two in the afternoon, and I have not even gotten fully dressed yet.  Yes, I feel like such a bum…….                

I am hoping it will dry out later so we can take the bikes to the Manhattan Moon for my weekly Haddock dinner. 

This is a just a note to say I’ve added a few albums to our photo gallery.  The first album is the KOA Shooting Club, which shows the guys I shoot clays with during the winter in Florida.  The second album is the installation of our new 32″ Sharp LCD TV, which replaced our 26″ tube-style Panasonic.  it sure is nice.

Oh, and I updated the blog software to Version 2.6.0….but who cares, right?

I will apologize up front; as this is going to be a long post.  Gosh, where do I even begin?  It has been almost a whole month since we last posted anything, and so much has gone on.  I know, you would think that I should have all the time in the world to do this, but somehow time just seems to fly by.

In our last episode, we made it back safely from our NASCAR trip on the bikes.  Yes, it was very wet, but we got the bike cleaned up and went on many, many more rides.  Every Wednesday night is “Bike Night” somewhere, and we have been patronizing the one held at the local dealership, Performance Harley Davidson.  They have food, stuff to drink and a band.  Oh, and lots of bikes.  We have also been known to frequent another establishment called Quaker Steak and Lube.  This is kind of a mix between a sports bar and a wing/rib place, with bikes and snowmobiles hanging from the ceiling.  It is a pretty cool place, and they also get lots of bikes on a Wednesday night.

For the 4^th of July, we took the bike to see Peg’s Cousin Betty, who has a house on Cayuga Lake.  From where we are staying, it is about a 140 mile round trip.  Thankfully it was a wonderful day and we never saw a drop of rain.  We stayed for most of the day, but bailed out before the fireworks as neither one of us is crazy about riding at night on country roads famous for deer sightings.  On the way back, we stopped at an outdoor restaurant called Sweet Inspirations.  This is a 50’s style burger/ice cream place that attracts bikes and vintage cars.  This is another one of our favorite places to visit when we are here.    

Later that week, we experienced our first power failure here in West Monroe.  Our friend Don was home that day and he came over and asked if we knew the power was out.  We did not, as we had a few lights on, and did not even notice we had switched over to battery power.  I went over and helped Don hook up his external generator so he could get his fridge and water pump going.  When I helped him the last time (it was his first try at getting the generator to power the house), we never tried the outside water pump (he is on a well).  It turns out the pump is a 220V, which won’t run when he is using the 120V generator.  Everything else he needs worked OK, though.  Apparently someone had hit a pole down the road somewhere, and it did eventually come back on about 4 hours later.  Well, that was fun and exciting for that afternoon.

We have also been able to visit with some of our friends that live in the area.  Peg went out for an evening with the girls, and had dinner at a place called Rico’s.  Several of her old work cohorts were able to make it and Peg is always happy to see everyone again.  We also got to visit with some other friends, Bob and Cindy Hopper.  Bob is busy working on a custom bike, and hopes to be riding it by the end of the summer.  They are both working on a local magazine that is going to cater to motorcyclists and local music fans.  From what we saw of the original artwork, it should be a pretty interesting magazine.  I can’t wait to see the first published copy.  I have also been lucky enough to see my good friend Don Ristagno on several occasions.  In his spare time, he volunteers with the local PC Users group, called CNYPCUG (www.cnypcug.org).  When I’m in town, Don always invites me to the monthly meeting, which is now held at the Liverpool library.  The club also sponsors what they call a “Tune-Up Session”, which is free to members, and allows folks to come out with their own PC and get problems fixed or diagnosed.  Don has invited me on these nights as well, and it is fun to get involved in that again.   

On the weekend of the 12^th, we again took the bike down to Honesdale, PA to visit the Harley dealer where I bought the bike; Baer Harley Davidson.  This was so I could get my front brake master cylinder replaced, as it was starting to peel.  Luckily this was a warranty issue.  I also had the check out my oil light issue from last month.  I had already changed the oil/filter as recommended, but I still wanted the dealer to check out the oil pressure.  It was deemed to be a wet ground/circuit, which is what we had thought all along.  We also had another reason for the trip.  We were there for a HS graduation party for Jamie, another one of Peg’s cousins.  That was held Saturday at the Jeff Inn, the same place we park the coach when we have it down in that area.  We were just starting to have a good time, when we got a call from our friend Cathy up here in West Monroe, saying she could not find one of the cats.  Cathy had gone over to check on them and Christine seemed to be missing.  We told her not to worry, that she was probably just hiding.  But, the more we thought about it, it was very odd that she would hide….it is normally Hannah that gets spooked and runs for cover.  So, now we managed to make ourselves worry.  It was about 5pm, but we decided that I would go back to Peg’s brother’s house and grab our stuff, load the bike, then hit the road.  It was a great plan until I went back to the inn to pick up Peg and I somehow managed to break my glasses.  Well, I didn’t break them, but the lens came out and I could not find the screw.  I managed to find a small piece if wire to go thru the screw hole, got the lens back in and once I clipped on my sunglasses the lens stayed in.  That would have been great except it was now almost 6pm, and it gets dark around 8:30pm and we have a 160 mile ride in front of us.  And the first 30 miles is all back winding roads down the mountain.  So, we are now pushing daylight, and I am not a fast rider…especially with a passenger and loaded with gear.  Oh, and we would probably need gas at some point.  So, off we went, and somehow managed to make it all the way to Cicero, NY (about 15 miles from where we are parked) before we stopped for gas.  We did stop about 120 miles into the trip for a quick BB (butt break), and made it back in record time, at least for us.  By 9pm we pulled in, and as I went to park the bike, Peg went inside to find Christine…..who, by the way, greeted her at the door.  I knew everything was OK, as I heard Peg open the door and announce “Well, you little shit”.  So, we rushed back for nothing, other than piece of mind.  We swear we will never ride this fast/hard ever again.      

The next week we celebrated Peg’s birthday with Don, Cathy and their two children.  We ended up at a place called the Clam Bar, where Peg finally got her lobster dinner she had been craving.  We kind of all converged on the restaurant.  Peg & I rode over on the bike where we met Cathy and Dawn Marie who came in the car from work.  Don was not too far behind us, as he rode his bike over with his son, Donny, who rode his sister’s bike.  After dinner, Peg and Cathy dropped Dawn Marie back at their house, then went off to a place called the Calypso Cay, which is right on Oneida Lake in Brewerton.  Don, Donny and I rode the bikes down to bike night at Performance Harley Davidson.  We left that place after nine, fully expecting Peg and Cathy to be back home.  Nope, they were still out, so we rode over to the Calypso Cay to catch up with them.  We made it back home just after 11pm…..a late night for us. 

We finished this week by getting Peg another new phone.  We had just swapped her phone out for a new one a few weeks back, but she really did not like it.  So, back to Verizon to upgrade that phone for the model called the Env2.  It is another model with a full keyboard, but this one has bigger keys.  See what happens when you get older.  We had to pay an additional $100, but we will get another $50 rebate back, making the total difference $50.  We both thought it was worth it.  Oh, but it gets better.  About a week or so after we swapped out for the Env2, we see an ad in the Sunday paper for the same phone from Verizon, only $50 cheaper.  So…….back to Verizon to get that sorted out.  They were very good about it, and even gave us $50 plus tax back in cash.  So, hopefully we will get our $100 in rebate checks ($50 for each of the phones) in our next mail drop.

The next week we headed on the bike to visit our friends Ken and Rena who live in the town of Warner’s, near Camillus.  We know Ken and Rena from the park in Starke, and Ken has a beautiful Honda Gold Wing, which they love to ride.  After visiting for a bit at their house, we headed off some back roads, then onto SR20 thru Lafayette, Pompey and Cazenovia.  We stopped at a little diner in “Caz” (the natives call it “Caz”) for lunch, then continued on SR20 until we got near Utica.  We then headed south on SR8, where we picked us SR80 and headed back west.  Made a quick BB (but break) in a town called Georgetown, where we had a quick soda, then headed back and somehow made it back to RT20 in Pompey.  We pulled over so Rena could make a quick phone call.  Another couple we know from the park, Bill & Diane, live in Lafayette.  Just to make sure they were home and up for a quick visit, we headed to their place tight off S11 in Lafayette.  It was especially good to see them again, as they will no longer make the trip to FL for the winter.  It is a chapter of their life that has ended, and they both seem fine with it.  We will miss them, but we still have the chance to visit them while we are here.  After we left Bill and Diane’s, we split off…. Peg and I hit I81 headed north, Ken and Rena stayed on SR11, heading back home.  We were off to meet up with Don and Cathy for dinner at another favorite place of ours, the Manhattan Moon.  This is a shore-side restaurant on the north end of Oneida Lake that specializes in Fried Haddock Dinners on Friday night….yummy, my favorite.  We made it home just after 10pm.  Hey, and no rain all day.  We’re getting good at going for rides and not getting rained on.  Watch, I probably just jinxed myself.

Need any hardwood floor work done?  Bill and Rainy had wanted to tear up the carpet in both kids room and replace it with hardwood flooring.  So, Bill and I took this as a challenge and decided to give it the old college try.  Now, Bill has his masters, but my education has always been suspect, but what the hey….we’ll give it a shot.  It actually went very well.  We did Carolyn’s room first, and once we got a handle on what exactly it was we were supposed to be doing, it all came into place.  We worked into the night, wondering how the heck we had expected to get both rooms done in one day.  So, we re-scheduled and finished Danny’s room the next week.  This room went much faster than the first (we actually knew what we were doing now), and we were done by 8:30pm.  It went so well, that Rainy decided that now we should do the upstairs hallway.  They will need to order more wood, I think another three boxes will do.  Bill did a pretty good job of measuring the first two rooms, so the hallway should go pretty quick.  But, that’s a job for next month.    

On the 19^th we were invited to a wedding.  Who does not like weddings?  The bride was the daughter of our good friends, Charlotte and Walt.  The nuptials were held in a lovely older church, St. Mathews in East Syracuse.  The reception was held immediately after in Fairmount.  We were not sure about how to find that place, so luckily we had our trusted GPS, Louise.  For those who do not know this, we name our GPS units.  Our first one was called Thelma, from the movie Thelma and Louise.  Yes, she “talked” in this sweet southern style accent.  So our next GPS, the Garmin 670, is, as you might expect, called Louise.  Louise speaks in a distinct Australian accent.  Oh, we did have another GPS, an older one given to us by our friend Dick Wales.  This one did not have voice navigation, so that one was named…c’mon guess…..OK, Harpo.  You know, Harpo from the Marx Brothers?  Anyway, I’m off on a tangent here.  Back at the reception:  One of the biggest thrills for me going to a wedding like this is seeing people I have not seen in years.  I grew up with Charlotte, so our course her family was there.  They also invited several other folks we both grew up with, so we got to see them as well.  I really like this part of my life…seeing old and dear friends, especially at a happy occasion.  All too often the only time we see each other is at a funeral.  This was a nice time.

Later this month we did receive some sad news.  A dear friend of ours from the park in Starke passed away while they were on vacation with their children in Cape Hatteras, NC.  It was totally unexpected, and a true tragedy for the family.  Anne was so looking forward to seeing all their children in one spot, and planned on celebrating their anniversary with the whole family.  We will all miss our friend Anne…she was a sweetheart.

We are also still having an issue with our truck.  Just a minor annoyance, but when you turn on the A/C and the fan is set to medium-high, you get a truly annoying whistling noise.  We had it looked at once, and the fan motor was replaced.  We did not hear the noise for a few weeks or so, but then it came back.  We had an appointment to have it looked at a week or so ago, but wouldn’t you know it, the day of the appointment we could not get it to make the noise.  But, the noise is back.  We took it in while we could hear it, just so they knew we were not totally off our rocker.  It is the oddest thing.  You can only hear it on that one fan setting, and only when you are moving.  It is almost like the noise can be heard only when it is pulling in air.  Who knows?

We finished up the month with tackling one of the projects I have been putting off since mid-May…..installing the new LCD TV.  Well, not really putting it off, just finding the time to get it done.  You see, I ride the bike a lot.  Last Saturday was the day.  The first step was to get the old TV out…boy is it heavy.  It will go to a good home, though, my sister Anne is going to take it.  Once I got the TV out, I went out and picked up an articulating arm mount and a long S-Video cable from, where else, Wally World.  My buddy Bill had previously given me a set of component video cables which I planned on using for the DVD/Home Theatre.  I got those cables run, then decided to take this wonderful opportunity to re-route the satellite radio antenna to inside the now vacant TV enclosure.  The actual mounting will take a bit more thinking. 

On Sunday, after church, we went for a bike ride with Don and Cathy north to Adams, NY to visit another Harley dealer, Iron Block HD.  From there we headed east on SR177 to see the windmill farm near Lowville.  We stopped at a place called The Montague Inn for lunch.  Another interesting place, it sits in the middle of nowhere and caters to 4×4 riders and, in the winter, snowmobilers.  After lunch, we were back on SR177 where we picked up SR26 taking us towards Rome, NY.  We stopped for a BB (see above) and ice cream, and met a character walking around with two pythons.  They were pretty small, but he was trying to get the girl at the ice cream counter to give him a free cone.  Anyway, after that little adventure we headed into Rome where we picked up SR46, then SR49 back to West Monroe.  It was by far the most beautiful ride we have been on since we have been here this year.  We are so spoiled now, riding in rural New York.  Florida is going to seem so flat.

OK, we made it home and it was still early, so I just had to tackle to TV.  I had been thinking about it since I took the old one out, and I was ready.  Don had the wood I needed for the support, so I measured what I needed and mounted the arm.  Trust me; it was measure 10 times, cut once for me.  It had to be right, as the new TV had to look square in the cabinet.