Embarrassingly dirty...

 

My mind?  Some days, but that's not what I meant.  The motorhome is dirtier than I have ever seen it.  The outside of the cargo trailer looks like marble, with the dirt swirls...

 I may just lacquer over the top of it and pass it off as marble paint.  ;-)

The last of the dust storm sign warnings in New Mexico...

Into Arizona...

Similar mountains...

We were off the road before 2:00, at an RV park connected with a casino in Tucson.  It would have been earlier than that, except I stopped at a Pilot to fuel up (they have RV lanes at this one), and the guy (and by guy, I mean: asshole) in front of me had pulled away from the pump, but not far enough to allow even a Smart Car to fit in there.  That's where it was when I pulled in.  After waiting 20 minutes, I went inside and asked them to make an announcement to have the owner of the truck pulling the large horse trailer, from Saskatchewan (Canada) to please come back to his truck and move it so others waiting can fuel up.  You know that old bit about Canadians being "overly polite"?  Yeah, not this guy.  When he came back to his truck, I politely asked if he could move it.

"To where - there isn't any room here!"

I said, "That's because you are in the fuel lanes - you could have put it in truck parking."  Apparently, he didn't like being called out on his stupidity, because he sauntered about for a while before he got in his truck.  Like I said: asshole.

I fueled up, visited with the guy across the pump from me, who was also held up by the Canadian asshole.  But, he didn't pull in there until after I had already been waiting for about 15 minutes.

That aside, the rest of the trip today was pretty easy.  Following the instructions I was given on the phone for how to check in here, I stopped at the gas station on casino property (they have a desk in there for the RV park), got checked in, and we drove to our site.  I made the mistake of asking if I could wash the coach, being very mindful of not wasting water or leaving any mess.  The girl had to go ask the manager - when she came back, she said, "Only RV washing vendors can wash at the sites, because they know how to do it without making a mess."

I should not have asked, and could have gotten it done... so we wouldn't have to pull in to our site dirty tomorrow.  That's what I get for being a nice guy.

The RV park here is new, and decent: asphalt sites and streets, gravel between the sites (you aren't going to see much in the way of grass at RV parks in Arizona.  I took a couple photos of our rig in the site...

We filled the site with just the motorhome and cargo trailer.  Joan parked the Equinox sideways and a bit in the gravel to keep it off the street.  You'd think someone building a new RV park would understand "big rig friendly."  And we aren't what I would consider a big rig.

I think we'll wander over to the casino to see what kind of restaurants they offer, and maybe I'll watch Joan play away some of Steph's inheritance.  Kidding, of course, my goal is to spend my last dime as I take my last breath.  The way gas prices have been increasing lately, I may have to die sooner.  Again, kidding... I still hope to live long enough to be a burden to our daughter.

--------

Finally found some warmth.  It was 38º when we left Deming, NM, this morning.  It is now 77º and sunny in Tucson.  This gave us the opportunity to try a couple other things that were replaced in the motorhome.  The patio awning works smoother than the one we had before the hail.  Also, this one is black and gray, so it matches the motorhome much better than the old one.  A definite improvement.  And, the airconditioning... the original one was loud.  This new one is whisper quiet - even on high it is quieter than the old one was on low.  Puts out more cool air, too.  Improvements in technology, I guess.

We had concerns that the extensive repairs would make the coach somehow less than it was.  Not the case.

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At the casino...

I broke even.  Pretty easy to do if you don't put any money in a machine or at a table.  ;-)  Joan, on the other hand, sat down at a machine while I walked a few laps of the casino.  When I came back, she was up about $70.  Another lap, she was up $80.  When she was done, she had enough to buy supper, pay for the RV site, and have money left over.  Nice!

Long Day...

 

Well, it's the same 24 hours as the rest of the days, but we did a lot of driving today.  A cold start to the day, when we left Sonora shortly after 8:00... 30º... but... sunshine!  First sunshine that we've seen since we left home.

We were at Exit 404 in Sonora... so, 404 miles to go in Texas.  There isn't a lot of civilization in west Texas.  I entertain myself looking around at the terrain...

 Something about this formation appeals to me...

From San Antonio, it is I-10 all the way to the RV park in Arizona where we'll be staying.  You can't get lost.  Sorta.  I-10 is a major trucking artery, and once you get a bit deeper into west Texas, there are mountains...

Lots of RVs on the road today; mostly Class A motorhomes.  And, something we haven't seen yet on this trip: an occasional motorcycle.  By mid-afternoon, it had warmed up to about 60º - those motorcyclists we saw were all geared up.

Trucks and mountains...

And, a handsome sleeping cat on my lap...

His head on that hard ol' door-handle didn't look comfortable to me, but he did turn from time to time.  He seemed happy to be in the sunshine and not having to wear his sweater.  Me, too.

As we closed in on El Paso, Joan let me know that there is an accident on I-10 westbound that is causing a delay - may be 2 hours or more.  As we got closer, a Texas DOT truck was blocking the Interstate and the driver flagging people to get off the Interstate at that exit.  Detour.  No signage, no other emergency vehicles or personnel letting you know which way to go.  Joan had Apple Maps pulled up on Car Play and it routed us south of the Interstate... getting real close to Mexico.  A bit more zigging and zagging (to avoid a US/MX Port of Entry, and we drove through a couple small towns.  Then, the traffic backed up on these back roads....

With the height advantage of the motorhome, I could see the Interstate: a line of traffic miles long that wasn't moving.  I guess we were lucky that DOT guy guided us off the road when he did... he had passed us just a couple minutes or so before he stopped.  Anyone who was ahead of that exit was stuck in place; we didn't move fast, but we were (mostly) moving.  I figure we lost at least an hour with this detour.

Back on the Interstate in time for the El Paso traffic.  This being Sunday, it was relatively light, but the typical lane changing like a NASCAR race.  It is about 37 miles of this kind of traffic to get through El Paso.  We stopped at Exit 0 to top off fuel and took a moment to decide where we wanted to stop for the night.  We are both tired, but we decided to push on to Deming, NM.  I called to secure us a site at an RV park there (no problem).

Down for the night.  Rufus got to go for a short walk before calling it a day; he is not a fan of gravel, and all the RV parks in this area are gravel sites.  The lady at the RV park had put us down for one of their longer pull-through sites... Joan had to park the Equinox sideways at the back of the site so we'd fit.  It works.  Low tonight is supposed to be about 35º, so we'll have the heat going.  We plan to stop in Tucson tomorrow night, so that will be an easier day.  Assuming no detours.  We looked around at several RV parks there, and decided to go for one connected with a casino... maybe we'll get lucky?  ;-)

The old man is losing it (featuring a guest blogger today!)...

 

As you might figure from the title, Rufus is blogging today...

We are back in the little house that moves.  It was the first house I knew with my family, so all three of us are content in it.  Some days it moves more than others.  This trip is unusual: Mom gives Dad a hug then disappears.  Whenever we stop, there she is.  I know we have that white car that doesn't have as much room as the moving house - maybe she's in that?  Maybe she's riding on top of the moving house?

It was raining today when we left...

 I'm not a big fan of the rain because it reminds me of that terrible storm last summer.  But, I sit on Dad's lap and he tells me: "It's all good, buddy," and rubs my neck.  Mom must not be on top of the moving house, because she's dry when she comes in.

Before she left this morning, Mom put my sweater on...

I haven't been outside since we left home, but when the door gets opened, I can feel the cold air rushing in.  I have a fur coat, but the sweater seems to make Mom feel good and that's OK by me.

We drove farther today than yesterday.  After a stop for gas (Dad calls those places "dirty thieving bastards"), Mom and Dad hugged again and before she left, said, "Call me."

We drove through a big city with a lot of traffic (San Antonio).  I sat on Dad's lap for a lot of that - I think it helps sooth him.  Something different about this part of the drive, and why I think he may be losing it: he put some white things in his ears and talked to himself.  For a couple hours.  He said things like, "I'm staying in this lane... open a hole for me on the right... take the next left, but stay in the right lane."  Weird, huh?

And then, we were out of the traffic - we stopped at something called a Picnic Area, but it was still cold and rainy.  No one was picnicing.  Mom appeared.  Dad fed me and Mom made lunch for them.  I haven't tried their food, but it doesn't smell as good as mine.  Of course, I was very patient, considering they were about 12 minutes late in getting the moving house stopped and my lunch ready.

Back on the road, Dad didn't talk to himself anymore... but, he did say something about "West Texas goes on forever" to nobody in particular.  In this area, the road looks like it is cut through the hills - I heard him say something about Texas Hill Country...

Lots of big trucks on this road, but they don't scare me.  Towards the end of the driving today, I went into my man cave (that's what Mom and Dad call it)...

That seems to make them happy, too; plus Mom did go through all the work of setting it up on what is usually her seat in the moving house.  Dad said something about getting gas, but I don't think it was any thing he ate.  I sat up when we pulled into another of those "dirty thieving bastard" places...

About that same time, the rain stopped and there was even a bit of sunshine.  We drove into a small town and then into a place that has more moving houses.  And some barking dogs.  I think I will just stay in the moving house tonight.

Dad said something about "a long one tomorrow - we have to get through west Texas"... I think that means the house is going to move even more.  We are going to see Stephanie and Dan.  Stephanie always makes a fuss over me and tells I am a handsome boy.  She has good taste.  I think it will be a few days before they get to see me.

Thanks for reading what I wrote today.  After all that driving in the rain, I think Dad needed some time off.

Rolling. And, it's cold...

 

"How cold is it?"

If you said, "That's a bit that Johnny Carson used to do," you get 15 bonus points.  If you don't know who Johnny Carson was, ask your parents... he is still the class act of late night TV in my book.

How cold is it?  This cold...

 Joan put Rufus's sweater on him before we left the house.  My goal was to be rolling out of our driveway in the car by noon... 10:30, an hour and a half ahead of my schedule.  Out to the storage unit, one last car-load of stuff to put away, and we started our trek for real about 12:30.

It is gray, windy, and cold.  Occasional drizzle.  Once we were heading north, the temperature was 39 to 41º.  There is a Customs and Border Patrol checkpoint about 100 miles north of the border...

They walk a dog around your vehicle while the officer engages you in light conversation, mostly checking your demeanor.  "Are you a US citizen?"  (Yes, sir.)  "Just you in the RV?"  (Me and a very handsome cat.  (My wife is right behind us in the Equinox.)  "Have a safe trip."

When Joan pulled up to him, he said, "That guy in front of you said you pulled into Walmart and loaded a bunch of illegals into your car."  Joan smiled at him and said, "Help yourself if you want to look around."  She knew I wasn't going to do or say anything to cause her a problem; some things aren't funny.

We stopped early today, to allow us time to finish the sanitation process on our water tanks and lines.  It takes a while.  The last half hour or so before our stop, Rufus sat on my lap with his head on my arm...

We are down for the night, and the water stuff is done.  One last thing to check: the waterheater (runs on electricity and/or propane); all good.  Now we can settle in for the evening.

I guess she heard...

 

Mother Nature heard we were getting ready to head out.  The yuck day weather-wise was supposed to happen on Friday.  The cold front blew in last night.  It is 45º as I write this (6:30 am), cold wind and drizzle.  The high for today might make it to 50º.  More of the same predicted until next week.

The front is stalled out just south of us, putting us in this unsettled weather until Mother Nature decides to move things along.

In the meant time, more packing and loading.

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I get to sleep inside tonight!

If you asked, "Did Joan lock you out again?" you get zero bonus points.

 

We are getting close with the motorhome - out to the storage unit again today.  While Joan stocked up the fridge/freezer, I started sanitizing the water system.  Bleach/water into the fresh tank and run through the lines.  A new water filter flushed and ready to go.  At our first stop tomorrow, I will dump that bleach/water and flush the fresh water tank (a couple times) and all the water lines.  It's good to drive a while with that in the tank to let it slosh around.

Other daily living stuff put away in the coach.  After getting the water stuff done, I backed the cargo trailer into the storage unit - that's what gets to "sleep inside" tonight...

The trailer is loaded, ready to get hitched up and roll tomorrow.  Toiletries and pillows will go into the motorhome tomorrow.  Only last minute stuff around the house now.

It was cold, windy, and an occasional spitty drizzle today; upper 40s for the temp, but it felt colder than that thanks to the damp.  This was the first that we've towed anything with the Equinox - I was impressed with how it did, with a tow/haul setting on the transmission.  I could actually see the fuel gauge drop while towing.  The Equinox has a 3,500 pound towing capacity with the 2.0 Turbo, 9-speed transmission, and factory towing package.  Not something we plan to do often, but that was important to us when picking out this vehicle.

As expected, fuel prices are on the rise.  Just in the nick of time for us to do our part to help bump up the economy.

Water tight...

 

If you said, "A duck's ass," you get 20 bonus points.  If you were thinking: "Your water situation in the motorhome, you are correct, but no bonus points because "a duck's ass" is funnier.

We made a loading trip to the motorhome today.  Yes, it takes longer to take stuff to the motorhome than to bring the motorhome in... but we lost our convenient loading parking when a previous neighbor sold his place.  I'm sure I could find an overnight lot to rent, but it wouldn't be handy.  So, we make a couple trips to the storage unit.  Today was one of those trips.  And when we opened up the storage unit... dry.  I did go inside where we have a small access opening to see the fresh water tank; yep, right where we left it.

With that done, we put clothes in the closet, turned on the fridge, and while Joan worked inside, I swapped things around for towing the cargo trailer behind the motorhome.  And, behind the Equinox.  Then, on to the tires: checked and one tire needed a couple pounds.  I set the airbags for the weight we'll be hauling.

Joan cleaned the windshield and mirrors while I finished up outside... almost a guarantee that it will be raining when we pull the coach out.

Back home, all the exterior stuff is put away.  Sunshades are secured.  All considered, the house was made to be easy to leave.  We're on schedule.

 

Fire at the Pier...

 

We were saddened to see on the local news this morning that there is a fire ongoing at Pier 19.  Pre-pandemic, this was a regular on our "breakfast rotation."  The restaurant/bar was built on an existing pier, and each table had a window view.  On more than one occasion, I posted photos of that view, often getting to see dolphins swimming nearby.

From the looks of the images, it is fully engulfed...

 

 

There were also docks there, with bay and gulf fishing charter boats.  And, a guest dock where you could tie off your boat and have a meal there (we had taken Wild Blue there a few times).  Last time we were there, we commented on how there was "a list" to the building - you could feel it sloping to one side.  Likely due to the age of the pier it was built on.

 

Another local business gone.

The 2s...

 

Today is Tuesday.  Also: 2/22/22.  Not sure that's significant for anything.  Not to be confused with the 2/2/2 Rule... I guess I have that on my mind.  I'm looking forward to violating that 2/2/2 Rule soon, and making some miles.  The feet are itchy.

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Getting loaded...

Hitting the rum again, Jim?  No, but thanks for asking.  It's been weeks since I've had an adult beverage.  But, the bikes are strapped down in the trailer and we'll be making our first loading run to the motorhome tomorrow...

Yeah, that Vespa really needs a front fender.

Gearing up...

 

Nothing to do with riding the scoots.  We are doing our prep work to get out of dodge for a while; end of the week ETD.  A lot of stuff has to be last minute... well, last day.

Other than that, not much to talk about right now.  Although, this afternoon, Joan said, "There's someone on Robert's back deck.  Robert is our next door neighbor.  Two older (yes, perspective) ladies.  When one of them looked around, then tried the door know, I thought they should know that someone is watching them... I stepped outside and asked, "Are you ladies friends with the owner there?"

They seemed surprised and maybe a bit embarrassed that someone saw them try the door... "Um, the owner said we could come by and look around, even though he isn't here.  We may be renting from him for a couple weeks.  We want to stay here a bit longer and there is nothing available for rent.  If you call him, you can tell him that Leann was just looking at it."

"Yeah, I'll shoot him a text."

Robert told me it was OK for them to be there, but he didn't know they'd be trying to get in.  "It's no big deal - I'm just trying to help them out."

He laughed when I said, "I was hoping I didn't have to wrestle them to the ground."

Neighbors do look out for each other around here.  The year after we bought the lot here, we had our sailboat at our dock.  The neighbors knew we were going to be out of town for a few days.  I had made arrangements with the local canvas shop to come out to our boat to measure the helm/binnacle for a cover.  The lady came while we were gone and our neighbors on both sides stopped her from getting on our boat.  Sometimes you can have too much "looking out."  ;-)

What was I thinking?

 

My apologies.  It has been a while since I featured a photo of Rufus here.  Allow me to correct that...

 

Joan took that this afternoon while the big furry boy was sitting on my lap.  What's that?  No, I did not crop myself out of the photo - this is the way Joan shot it.  You can see who gets all the attention around here.  But that's OK... he's a good boy.

Makin' a list...

 

If you were "checking it twice," you may be real busy in the Christmas season.  This list wasn't for gifts...

 

This a partial list of things we needed to work on out at the motorhome.  The to-do list gets moved further down the list when you open the door to the storage unit and see water on the floor.  Not a lot of water, but there shouldn't be any water.  Some of the things on the list are things that we would have had Winnebago address if we had stayed there for a day or two.  One of those things was the fact that they almost closed the drain for the fresh water tank.  Oh, it looked closed, but wasn't quite completely closed.  We did not put any water in the coach for the run (literally) back to Texas... the cold weather was chasing us, so we made do with bottled water... and the shower facilities in an RV park.  Back at our storage unit, I flushed water lines (to get rid of the pink RV antifreeze) and put about 10 gallons in the fresh water tank so we'd have water for the toilet and hand washing while we prep the coach for travel.  Yep, that 10 gallons leaked out on the floor of the storage unit.  Slowly.  It didn't hurt anything, but it gave me concerns about where it was coming from, until I could check it over, thoroughly.

With that done (and checking under the motorhome a bunch of time after putting on some water again), we started on the list.  The top of the list: fix the door.  To be fair, Winnebago fixed the door.  The exterior door works great, now.  The screen door doesn't.  I adjusted the latch.  A couple times.  It stays closed now, but separates from the main door when opened.  Joan thought I might be able to fashion something with a couple magnets, but in studying the latch for the screen door, which Winnebago replaced, I could see where the part on the door frame sticks out just far enough to unlatch the screen when you open the door.  No adjusting that latch.  Well, not by using a screw.  But, a careful application of a hammer to that latch gave me just enough clearance.  It now works like it is supposed to.

We never thought to check the screen door before we left Winnebago... perhaps the fact that it was freezing cold had something to do with that?  We discovered it when we stopped for the night at the Texas/Oklahoma border and it was warm enough to leave the door open.  Until the next morning, if you call 3:30am "morning, and we got out of there in a hurry because the cold front was moving in.  Yeah, we put of dealing with the door until today.

Working methodically, we went through the list.  

Considering all the repair/replacing that Winnebago did, it is amazing we didn't discover more stuff that needs to be addressed.  We'll see what else pops up when we are actually living in the motorhome for a while.

It was a cold day; 45º and snotty wind out of the north.  We got to use the heated seats as we headed towards Harlingen this morning.  An early lunch stop at Olive Garden (and a couple entrees to put in the freezer for the trip west).  No fun stuff, like scooter riding, on a day like this; good time to get this work done.

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Last night, Joan walked by while I was watching a video... "So, is that something you're thinking about?"

"Maybe.  If it's OK with you," I said.

"Well, I was thinking you'd want to try that again one day," she said; "Let's see if anything particular turns you on."

"I have to admit, there's something new that intrigues me."

What?  No, I was looking at a motorcycle video.  I like my Vespa.  A lot.  We did swing by the Honda dealer in Brownsville a few weeks ago.  DCT - Dual Clutch Transmission.  Yep, something to think about.  Later.

I have always depended on the kindness of strangers...

 

If you said, "A line by Blanche DuBois in the play A Streetcar Named Desire," you get 25 bonus points.  If you said, "Are you talking about a zipper situation again, Jim?"... yep.

I took Joan's scoot out for a ride today.  Timing matters.  The gusty south winds were still happening today when I went out for a bicycle ride.  The hourly weather predictions were showing a 2-hour window where the winds would diminish and start to clock around from the north.  That would be my time to get out on the scoot.

Joan wanted to "de-junk" the cargo trailer, and having one bike out of there would be a good time.  I rolled her Xmax out and started gearing up.  The temperature was 74º, and I thought it would be a good time to put on my one-piece riding suit (shorts and a long sleeve t-shirt underneath).  Riding suit on, I doffed my helmet and pulled on my gloves.  Ready to roll!

I made it as far as the bridge... and it was just opening.  If it seems like I mention that more lately, it is because it is happening more lately.  In the past year, the barge traffic through our bridge has more than doubled due to our local port (in the turning basin) is now a depot where fuel barges unload into Mexican tanker trucks.  When it opens for a barge, it is open longer than for smaller boats; more waiting.

Here's the scenario: now 75º, almost no breeze, me wearing a black one-piece riding suit... which is very comfortable at that temperature when moving... not so comfortable when you're just sitting in the sun.  After sweating like a farm animal for a bit, I tried to reach behind me to open up the zippered vents in the back of the suit.  Oh, sure, I could get some air through the front, but you need those "exhaust vents" in the back open to get air flow.

By now, the line of cars waiting for the bridge to open was getting quite long.  The car behind me pulled around me and went into the boat launch area to do a U-turn and head back home.  I recognized the couple.  Oh, I don't know them by name, but then live on the next block over and I frequently see them when I'm riding my bicycle in the morning, and we exchange "Good morning"s... desperate times call for desperate measures.  I waved for them to stop on their way by... pretty sure they had no idea who I am, wearing a helmet and this riding suit.

They stopped, and I said, "Hi.  My name is Jim; I see you folks most mornings while riding my bicycle.  I'm only telling you that so you don't think I'm some whacko, but I need a small favor... it is getting really warm here in the sun in this black riding suit, and I can't reach the zippers in the back to allow some air flow.  If I turn around, would you be so kind as to open those zippers?"

He laughed, they told me their names, and he said, "We got ya covered."  As he opened the zippers, it was truly like a breath of fresh air.

"Whew - thanks!"  They moved on, I went back to the scoot.  Amazing what a difference it makes having those vents open.

When the bridge finally closed, the traffic started moving.  Slowly.  Across our bridge and another 10 blocks or so to the causeway, where I could get the scoot up to 55 or 60 mph.  Yep, that's cool.  Literally.  71º across the causeway, and it felt great.

Nice ride.  On the way down SPI, 4 old people pressed the button to illuminate a crosswalk light.  They went across single file, each one moving slower than the one in front of them.  I had to look around to see if there was a hidden camera and I was being punked.  Apparently not.

Back home, I checked the bike for leaks (from the recent oil change) - all good.  And, comfortable in the riding suit, before taking it off and hanging it up.  Yep, nice ride.

Back in the classroom...

 

No, we are not in Phoenix and not in our daughter's class.  No, I didn't decide to take up something that requires a "study habit."

Last week, there was a discussion about our swing bridge on a FaceBook Group... seems that some people get a bit bent out of shape when the bridge is open and they have to wait a few minutes for boat traffic to pass.  Reading through the comments, it was so apparent that a vast majority of people (even people on this island) don't understand WHY the bridge opens when it does... they just know it inconveniences them when they just want to cross the bridge.

I generally stay out of those "discussions," but one lady asked a couple of intelligent questions and wanted to know why barge traffic has to go through our bridge instead of just continuing south to the Brownsville Ship Channel.  Since she seemed truly curious, I answered and explained why things are they way they are.

I got a private message from her right away, asking if I would speak to her 4th and 5th grade students on "transportation" and more specifically how things are done here in the Tropical Tip.  Zoom meeting, not in person.  I agreed, and yesterday was that Zoom meeting.  I spoke for a while, then opened it up for questions... every hand went up.  I let her pick the people to ask questions, and I answered them to the best of my knowledge.  We ran out of time and didn't get all the questions answered.  After she excused the kids, she asked if I would be willing to do that again or if the kids could submit questions to me in writing to be answered.

I said I would be happy to do whichever was best for her... truth be told, I was relieved when she asked if we could do another Zoom meeting next week... I really didn't want to have "homework" to answer.  ;-)

So, I can't be in Steph's class, but I can still share with some young minds.  This is an after-school, extra-curricular class, so you have kids that are interested in this stuff.  The teacher is very upbeat and excited, so the participation is good.  Next week, same start time... an hour instead of the half hour this time.

Education is a good thing.

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Our Civic Duty...

No, that's not the price you pay to import a Honda Civic.  We took advantage of "early voting" to avoid the lines at the polls.  The number of people running for the different offices is staggering (this, for the primary).  To go with that, there were 10 propositions that people are trying to get on the ballot at the state level.  Joan did the research on the candidates... a bunch of people who want to run for Governor to unseat Abbot (the incumbent)... seems to me that some people just wanted to get their name on the ballot, with no chance of getting elected.  A waste of time, if you ask me, but I appreciate Joan's diligence in researching the many candidates.

Together, we discussed what each of the propositions really means.  Some of them seem to be written to intentionally be confusing.  We don't agree on all of them, but I feel we had a good handle on what they were proposing.  It's our civic duty, but wading through this confirms in my mind what a mess the business of politics is in...

What's that?  Iron Mountain Road?  No, we weren't voting for that great road - it was on the t-shirt I wore today.  With the wind gusting into the upper 40s today, I had no desire to be riding, but I could still daydream about riding.  :-)

The Snow Moon...

 

 The name of this one is pretty obvious.  Another theme of this month’s Moon names is scarcity.  The Cherokee names of Month of the Bony Moon and Hungry Moon give evidence to the fact that food was hard to come by at this time.

The moon will be at its fullest at 10:57am Wednesday, so about as full right now as it will be tomorrow evening; depending on visibility/weather tonight and tomorrow night are good full moon viewing.  It is a crisp evening here in the Tropical Tip, and this moon is lighting up the night.

My Honey is SO smart...

 

We had a chuckle or two yesterday while driving to our storage unit: somehow, we got on the topic of test scores and intelligence.  Joan was an average student (grade-wise) when we met in high school; I was a "high achiever" who tested well.  Yes, I may have written a term paper or two for her back in those days.  She certainly typed up a term paper or two for me.  Well, to be fair, I made a little money on the side selling a term paper or twelve (hey, if you're already in the library doing the research, writing the paper is the easy part).

After supper last night, we exchanged Valentine's Day cards.  Yes, Rufus got a card for his Momma - he's sweet that way.  It's a family thing - we do read the cards when we're picking them out, making sure what's written in them applies.

After thinking about the hundreds, maybe thousands, of cards over the years, Joan said, "You know what would be a good idea?  We should put these cards in a box, and at each card-giving occasion, pull them out and write one more sentiment with this year's date on it.  Wouldn't it be cool to get a Valentine card with 10 years of sentiments on it?"

That is a GREAT idea - if we can remember to do it!  We tend to keep cards for a while, then when a bunch have accumulated, look through them again and toss them.  I think everyone has thought about "re-running" a card, but this is MORE than that - it requires you to think about "this year's sentiment" and the recipient will get to enjoy those memories... probably more each year.  I may have gotten a little tear in my eye when she presented this idea.

I love this woman.  I love that she can still surprise me.  I love that she cares enough to put the thought into ideas like this.

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Steph called us after school yesterday, to wish us a Happy Valentine's Day.  I have to say, I am a fortunate guy to have these two wonderful women in my life.

And Rufus... because he is such a good boy.

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Speaking of Rufus, he had his annual check-up today.  No issues.  He trimmed a few ounces off his weight; good diet and exercise.  I am surprised by that because he seems bigger when I pick him up.  The vet complimented Rufus's good looks when he came into the exam room (I consider that a professional medical opinion, so: fact)... good way to win over the parents.  Everything checked out good - he's a healthy boy.  A couple annual shots and we were good to go.  The vet said, "Keep doing what you're doing.  He really is a handsome cat."  Can't argue with that.

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This afternoon, while Joan went to the store, I changed the oil and filter in her Xmax.  While I did warm it up a bit before draining the oil, I didn't get a ride in afterwards.  It is a lovely sunny day, with the afternoon temp in the low 70s... but the wind is blowing a solid 20 with higher gusts.  I had planned to change the oil in the Vespa, but I discovered the drain plug in it is 24mm.  I don't have any wrenches or sockets that size.  Yes, I tried it with an adjustable wrench, but I could see it was going to try to round off the corners.  So, I'll pick up a 24mm socket the next time we're around any civilization and get the Vespa done another day. 

I stacked some bricks to raise up the trailer ramp door in the  mostly down position, making it kinda close to a bike lift.  I have no way to clamp the front wheel of the bikes (like a real bike lift), so I put them up on their center stand.  That works great with the Xmax, but the Vespa wants to run the draining oil down the leg of the center stand... I'll work on a better way to do that next time I mess with it.  Back when we had the Honda PCXes, I made a "trough" from a water bottle to keep the draining oil off the center stand; it may take some additional "engineering" to make that work with the Vespa.  Another day.

Oh what a beautiful morning...

 

Yeah, yeah, the musical Oklahoma... you know what I like to do on a beautiful morning?  Yes, go to Harlingen to get cat supplies, look in a bigger HEB to see if you can find Caffeine Free Diet Coke (why the heck doesn't anyone stock that these days???  And, no, they didn't have any.), get an early lunch at Freddie's (because: cheese curds), and a stop at Sam's Club... before we head out to the storage unit to get the motorhome washed and the pink stuff flushed out of the water lines.  (For those not in the RV know, "the pink stuff" is RV/marine antifreeze that you pump into the water lines to keep the plumbing/pumps from bursting when water freezes in it.)

While I was doing that antifreeze flushing and washing, Joan was inside the coach.  She said she was "cleaning and stuff" and I trust her.  I know she wasn't just sitting in there with her feet up, eating bon-bons, mostly because I am sure we didn't have any bon-bons.

 With the coach back in the storage unit, I started putting all the stuff back in the aft storage area... we took a lot of stuff out of there before we took it to Winnebago.  My ass was dragging by the time we were done.  Joan said something about "Maybe we're getting too old for all this RV work..."  I am pretty sure I smelled bon-bons on her breath when she said that.  And for the record, my ass would would have been dragging 20 years ago after washing any of our fun conveyances.  I think the answer is clear: someone needs to invent a self-cleaning RV.  Or, Mother Nature needs to stop raining on us when we're driving down the road.

Today is a special day.  Valentine's Day?  Well, sure; but it is also Rufus's "designated birthday."  At the first vet we took him to in Arizona (where we adopted him), they wanted a birthday on the paperwork.  So, "Happy Birthday, Rufus!"  He's such a good boy.

The big game...

 

Yep, it's Superbowl Sunday.  I have read that there is a movement to have businesses allow employees to have tomorrow off... supposedly to allow them a day to recuperate after today's festivities.  They need a day to recuperate after watching a football game??  Well, and 6 hours of pregame programming.  Still, it isn't like those same people are participating in an athletic event.

As usual, we are also participating in the festivities.  Also as usual: I am in it for the food and the commercials.  Some media outlets have been airing the commercials ahead of time... I'm a bit more of a purist, and prefer to see the commercials during the game... as it was meant to be.  I can always see them again on the various "Best Superbowl Commercials" shows that will be airing over the next week.

I won't be watching them on Monday, though.  While many people are lobbying for that "National Day Of Rest," we will be out dealing with the motorthome.  Yes, Winnebago did a decent job with the repairs, but we off-loaded a bunch of stuff into our storage unit before taking the coach to the frozen northland for repairs.  We drove through rain on the way home, so the coach is in dire need of being washed.  We also winterized it with the pink RV antifreeze, so that needs to get flushed out and the water system sanitized.  All of this takes time.  And effort.

I would be lobbying for a "household day of rest" for Tuesday, but Rufus has his annual check-up at the vet on Tuesday, and I am speaking to a group of 4th and 5th graders over Zoom about boating traffic here in the Tropical Tip.  Seems I answered a question on FaceBook about why the Intracoastal Waterway can't easily be moved to eliminate barges from passing through our swingbridge... the person asking the question is a teacher... and, here we are.

Island Vespa...

 

What better way to test the processing power of the new MacBook than shooting some video?  What better way to shoot some video than getting out on the scoot? 

We've made some travel decisions from now through the summer; I'll present those as the time gets closer.

I got out on the scoot this afternoon, enjoying the ride and shooting some video along the way.  Back at home, I downloaded the video, picked a few clips, and put them together in a "Movie Trailer" - here is the World Premier of the trailer for Island Vespa...

Yeah, the ride was good.  A definite processing speed upgrade from the old one.

Before supper, I took Rufus for a walk - the furry boy is walking like he used to: confident and proud.  Because... he's a good boy!

Part 2...

 

The practice - this time on the Vespa.  That thing really makes me smile.  I did a bit more riding around, then went to that same parking lot as yesterday.  This time, there was a South Padre Island Police vehicle in the parking lot across the street.  He watched as I did my practice maneuvers - the parking lines really let you see how you're doing on tight turns.  I don't do my braking practice on the lines, but in the lane just outside the lines.  I wondered if the police officer would have any objection to what I was doing, but he stayed where he was the whole time I was there.

End Of The Road Towns...

I like where we live.  But, there is one road in and the same road out.  Don't confuse "end of the road" with "dead end."  End of the road towns seem to attract a different sort of citizenry.  Think: Key West, but no so weird.  Think: Telluride, Colorado, but not so snooty.  Think: Princeville, Kauai, but not so expensive.  Here in the Tropical Tip, South Padre Island and Long Island (no, not the one in New York) are End Of The Road towns.  I like the vibe, but when you go for a scooter ride, you are going to cover a lot of the same roads going and coming.  While I'd rather be riding the twisties, I am happy to be riding.  It was a beautiful day today, into the upper 60s, sunny, and nearly calm wind... jusr a delight to be out on the bike.

When I got home, Joan was working on another "project": one of the lights on the house facing the driveway was out.  It is never as simple as a burned out light bulb.  We replaced the other fixture innerds last year, and now this other one needs it.  She had picked up a couple sockets - one didn't have a ground wire, the other had all three wires that are too short.  She leaves anything electrical to me.  I spliced some wire onto the short pigtail and wired it up.  It is another whole project to reassemble the coach-light type fixture.  In the end, it took two ladders, both of us messing with it, and a minimum amount of cursing.  In the end: it works fine and Joan got to clean years of grub out of the inside of the light fixture.

Not much time to surf (the internet, not the waves) today, but sitting down to write this with the new MacBook Pro is is such a pleasure to type on compared to the old, drowned one.  Contrary to what some have alluded to, I did not pay or bribe Rufus to knock that glass over.  For as big as he is, he is pretty precise in his movements, jumps included; not much flailing or wasted effort.  Using this new computer, it is clear that I was ready to update.

 

Practice makes…

 

Well, the saying is “perfect.”  I was watching some YouTube motorcycle videos today; one was about the need to practice skills.  It made me think: it’s been a long time since I just went out and practiced some tight U-turns and hard braking.

I took Joan’s bike out while she was working on a home improvement project… there is only so much I can offer in the way of advice.  We both know better than to let me paint anything.

The weather is improving, small increments; sunny, wind around 12 mph (still out of the north), and it was 61º when I went out.  I rode across the causeway and up-island to the Convention Center… assuming there would be an empty parking lot for my practice area.  Surprisingly, the lot closest to the building was nearly full - must be something going on there today.  But, the outer parking lot was vacant…

I had the lot to myself and started off with some U-turns; within a few minutes, those turns were getting tighter.  It felt good.  A couple hard braking practices - the brakes on that Xmax haul it right down.  I even found some sand (not hard to come by around here) for some practice with that on top of the asphalt.  Bike and rider unscathed.

Back home, changed out of my riding gear, and Joan brought in a package.  Yep, FedEx had dropped off my new MacBook Pro.  Anticipation of setting up the new machine, with a small bit of dread knowing how much work I have ahead of me.  Since the previous laptop won’t open, I have to transfer my information from an archived Time Machine back-up on an external hard drive.  I got out the necessary stuff and went to work on it…

It will be a couple hours to transfer applications and files.  I am hoping I don’t have to go in and reset every password… but, I have the hard copy out if necessary.  This new computer looks sweet - not much different from the machine it replaces… but, they keyboard sure feels better.  Apple, in their quest to “improve” things put a new keyboard in that previous MacBook (back in late 2017) - I bought it right after it came out, and wasn’t aware of the universal dislike of that keyboard.  I read plenty of reviews on this new one, and they are very favorable about the really improved keyboard in this newest version.

So, it will be a while before I am able to actually get my hands on this new one, after the information is transferred.  Of course, there will be other archived files to add to it.  But, so far, so good.  In the meantime, this iPad Pro and I are getting along pretty good (this post is thanks to that).

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A couple hours later: my software, apps, and favorites have been transferred to the new MacBook from Time Machine.  Smooth transfer, just takes time.  Most of my favorite internet sites needed to have passwords input, but again mostly smooth.  One piece of malware slid in from the Time Machine transfer, and it has been zapped.  The screen on this new MacBook is bright and crisp - the keyboard is a delight!  With that old keyboard, I was able to type about 60 words a minute with approximately 100 errors... now: same speed by the errors are down by about 97%.  It is not just my klutzy fingers.

Mine! All mine!

 

Joan brought the box inside; we never heard the knock at the door.  The anticipation.  The recognition of the name on the outside of the box…

“This is for me, right?”

“Yes, Ruf, that’s all yours.”  

:-)

Sometimes you just gotta…

 

I’m talking about Mother Nature again.  It has been cold and windy since we got home from our Iowa trek.  Today was mostly cloudy, but it got all the way up to about 56º.  That’s a bit below my “riding comfort zone,” but it has been 12 days since I got in a scooter ride… time to fix that.

It wasn’t fast, it wasn’t far, but it was good.  Yes, that’s one of my riding jackets I’m wearing and not the one piece riding suit.  I had on riding jeans, a t-shirt and a sweatshirt - fits better under a riding jacket.

The traffic was reasonably light.  More Minnesota license plates than I’ve seen in quite a while.  (Insert your own “Minnesota drivers” joke here); no doubt this 50º weather feels balmy to them.  Not quite balmy to me, but the riding felt great.

Yeah, I needed that.

Saturday delivery…

 

Yep, the computer showed up, relatively early in the afternoon.  I was half dreading and half excited about getting it set up.  If both machines are functional, the transfer of info just takes time.  If you are starting from scratch, the process is more involved.

No matter - I’ll be putting it off for a few days.  The MacBook that showed up wasn’t what I ordered (or, what I thought I ordered).  Options: send it back or take it back to the nearest Best Buy.  I chose to make a drive to Brownsville rather than wait until Monday to get this one shipped back.  The right one has been ordered.

Our weather is still 20º colder than normal, but it was sunny.  Still a cold north wind.  I’m guessing people have cabin fever, because Best Buy was packed.  Seriously, it looked like what I remember shopping on a pre-Christmas weekend is like: packed.  Fortunately, only one person in front of me for Customer Service.  The young man there was helpful, processing my return immediately.  He asked what it was I actually wanted…told him, then said, “You don’t have it in stock in this store, according to your website.”

He spent time looking it up on his phone, then said, “We don’t have that in stock in this store.”

Deja vu.  I know I heard that somewhere.  ;-)  So… Tuesday.

That was close…

 

I slept in ‘till about 6:30 this morning.  That’s “sleeping in”??  Well, compared to the last week, yes.

Yesterday, we debated pushing on and getting ourselves home.  It turned out to be a good choice, as the cold front blew in in the middle of the night.  Had we stopped in San Antonio, we’d be dealing with below freezing weather, freezing rain, and ice.  Anything north of that would have snow on top of that ice.  It is 48º here this morning, wind gusting in the upper 30s, occasional spit of drizzle.  If we had stopped anywhere along the way, if we weren’t weathered in, we’d be trying to drive in that crap.  And, unload in this cold and wind here at home.

Instead, we can enjoy the warmth of the house, Rufus gets to sleep in his “big chair,” and we can all take a nap to catch up on some sleep.  Joan made us our usual fruit smoothies and fresh cinnamon rolls this morning.  It doesn’t matter that my ass is dragging, ‘cause I have no agenda or schedule.

On the matter of the “drowned MacBook,” I spent some time researching this morning.  I like the size and form factor of this current 13” MacBook Pro, but have never liked the keyboard.  To replace it with something similar, there are two close considerations: the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro, both 13”.  The specs are so close, I am surprised that Apple offers both models.  I decided to go with another MacBook Pro - surprisingly, the shipping from Apple would be nearly a week.  We checked our nearest Best Buy; they don’t have that one in stock, but they have have it to me by Saturday.  Looks like this ugly weather is going to be around for a while, so sooner is better.  And then the inevitable couple of days of getting it set up and “feeling like home.”  I had backed up the current MacBook before we left for Iowa… but that doesn’t always mean an easy transfer.

In the meantime, this iPad that normally gets used for recording and working up 360 videos (those are better with the Insta360 app rather than the OS software) is taking care of my posting and surfing needs.  Testing out the photo uploading with an image from our storage unit late yesterday afternoon…

Yep, seems workable.

The new MacBook line is using Apple’s M1 chip, faster that the previous Intel chip.  And, a much better keyboard - I’m looking forward to that.  I’ll see how the computing experience is after it gets here and set up.  The delivery is supposed to happen on Saturday… with the crap weather everywhere north of us, we’ll see how that plays out.

Rumor…

 

A whole day with no posts?  No, the winter storm did not get us… we were up before 4:00 this morning, and hit the road.  Schools in the area (Texas/Oklahoma border) were closing today through Friday - they are expecting this storm to pack a punch.  About 15 minutes before rolling, the gust front blew in.  It gave us a 25+mph tailwind!  Since we left so early, we decided to make one last long run and get our butts home.  Our longest day other than the 24 hour marathon to get to John’s.

I didn’t post anything last night because my MacBook Pro died… drowned when one of us tried to jump in my lap and knocked a full glass of water on it.  No screaming, no finger-pointing… because… he’s a good boy.  I’ll deal with the computer after a good nights sleep.  We are wiped.

But, we did stay ahead of the weather.  Oh, we drove through some precipitation a time or twelve, but rain, not snow or freezing rain.  The rain is supposed to hit here tomorrow, and temps falling into the 30s by Friday… damn cold for here.  We have experienced more than enough cold weather this past week.  It was 80* here at home today - big change coming.

No photos, and some short posts until I decide what to do about my MacBook… I am slow working on this iPad.

Winter Storm Warnings...

 

Mother Nature is breathing down our backs.  More on that in a bit - let's start this post with a photo of my handsome boy today...

 Ah, that is soothing for me.  Now, back to the day... Joan was up at 4:30 this morning... so, we were all up at 4:30 this morning.  Ruf looked at me and said, "What the hell?"

I told him, "We have to make some miles, buddy - settle in."

It was cold and dark when we left; gassed up and pointed things south.  A straight shot today: down US 81, which turns into I-135, which turns into I-35.  Looking to the east, the sun lighting up the horizon...

Just before Wichita, KS, the weather changed...

Fortunately, it had warmed up to 41º by that point, so it wasn't freezing rain.  Made a mess of the coach and car.  Rolling into Oklahoma, the rain let up and the temperature jumped 10º.  Oklahoma City seemed unusually busy with traffic, and their roads are beat to hell (from all the traffic).  Some of it felt like a constant rumble strip.

The winter storm is all over the media.  So far, we have managed to stay ahead of it.  This is supposed to be rain, turning to freezing rain, turning to a heavy wet snow.  We did our longest day today, another 10 hours of driving.  Along the way, we saw a couple caravans of utility bucket trucks heading north.

Our goal for the day was to make it to our favorite casino RV park on the Texas/Oklahoma border.  No reservations, no problem - it isn't very full.  This area is supposed to get the first of the storm by noon tomorrow - we should be well down the road by then, but it is following our route.  No doubt we are going to get rained on through Austin and San Antonio, but the temps should be above freezing.  It will be another long day tomorrow, if we have it in us and Mother Nature doesn't rush her march south.

Today, we were into the park in time for Rufus to get a walk...

And the opportunity for me to get a few shots of the motorhome (dirty from the rain we went through, but still looking good)...

I had heat on in the motorhome until the last 100 miles or so.  Joan ran the air conditioner when we got down - just to make sure everything on it is working.  Yep, damn near froze me out, and it is quieter than the a/c unit we had.

We'll be showering tonight, then turning in early.  If we get up and the temperatures aren't below freezing, we'll head out.  The low for tonight here is supposed to be in the upper 30s - the local TV stations are warning people about how to deal with this storm.  Last year in February, the whole state of Texas got hammered by a winter storm that went all the way to the Tropical Tip and kept us in the deep freeze for weeks; wide spread power outages.  It was ugly.  I'm thinking the media and governments are trying to be better prepared this time around.  This storm will stretch from New Mexico, across most of Texas and all the way to the northeast part of the country.

If we can get out ahead of the storm, we'll be rolling early.  Another 10 hour driving day will put us home on Thursday.  So much for a "leisurely trip home."

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On the local TV stations, we just heard that school districts from Dallas and northward are already cancelling school for Thursday and Friday due to the winter storm.  This isn't going to be pretty.