The Whole truth...

 

No, I was not on the witness stand.  Still no indictments or convictions, and I wasn't even there that day.  You can't prove nuthin'!  Um... sorry, I got carried away.

With today being an off-the-road day, Joan had two requests: take her out for lunch, and she wanted to go to a Whole Foods.  Neither of us have ever been in a Whole Foods; I had a preconceived idea of what it would be like.  Joan wanted to go in one and look around - she has been very careful in shopping for ingredients for me, being diligent in finding things that have no sugar and avoiding white flour.  If it was up to me, I could live on stuff made with sugar and white flour.  And bacon.  But, I digress.

Joan was pretty wide-eyed as we looked around.  I don't think she found as much sugar-free and no-white-flour stuff as she imagined, but it was enough to keep her interested.  I walked around quietly, so as not to "spoil the experience" for her.  But, really: jerky made from stuff that isn't meat, cheese made from stuff that isn't dairy, and kelp chips.  Kelp?  Kelp is a brown algae type of seaweed.  There is nothing in that sentence that sounds appetizing.  There wasn't a DingDong, Ho-Ho, or Twinkie to be found in there.  Pizza made from almond flour and toppings that looked like someone dumped a petri dish from a 7th grade science project that was left in school over Christmas break on it.

In the words of every 12 year old who sees their parents smooching: "Ew!"

But, I didn't make any gagging noises or suggest that we needed to "keep a move on"... although when it was over, Joan agreed with me that she should visit one of these again, without me along.  She did get a few things, and we are no longer Whole Foods virgins.

From there, it was out for lunch.  Options were weighed, and in the end, reason overcame healthy eating and we went to Oregano's (pizza and pasta).  I got pizza, she got pasta and a salad.  Before we even went in, I said, "I will be skipping the cheese-bread appetizer and the Pizza Cookie dessert," just to show that I am making an effort.  Although the people a couple tables down from us did get a Pizza Cookie; I tried to distract Joan enough so that I could slip away and join those people for dessert, but she was on to me.

One more stop before going back to the RV park: Walmart.  Where you can buy real food that isn't made from non-food ingredients.

Back to the motorhome, I took Rufus for a short walk; and while Joan went to work on baking something healthy for me, I walked to the RV dealer next door (Lazy Days RV Sales).  "Next door" is a bit of a misnomer - it took me 20 minutes of brisk walking to get to the Sales Part of Lazy Days.  They have a motorhome that has a toy-hauler garage, and I just wanted to check it out.  The sales lady took me in a golf cart to that motorhome (it really is a big dealership) and opened up the motorhome for me.  Decent looking full body paint, but it felt really cheap inside.  A definite no-go for me.  It would be nice to have a conveyance that has a "garage" for the bikes and still able to tow our Equinox without double-towing.  But, this isn't the answer.  Yes, there is the option of a toy-hauler trailer or 5th wheel, but that would require another diesel truck to haul... and you can't use your amenities while going down the road like in a motorhome.  We have been there.  We both like what we have, I was just looking at "options."

The sales lady gave me a ride back to our motorhome in her golf cart (very nice of her); it was a pretty quiet day for her, I'm guessing, as she seemed happy to have someone to talk to.  When I came back inside our rig, I saw someone else who was happy about the stop at Whole Foods...

He's a good boy.

And, the baking results...

Smells good, still cooling.

Timing...

 

I've often said, "It's all about the timing."  Yesterday, right after leaving Van Horn, we drove into the Mountain Time Zone.  That was part of why we were off the road reasonably early.  Rufus has a very accurate internal clock, and at 11:04 am, he let me know it was time for his noon meal.  I told him that we are in a different time zone and he said, "My belly says it is time.  No zone.  Time to feed Rufus."  The boy has a point.

For the rest of us in the family, it wasn't much of an adjustment.  We were both tired, so we were in bed earlier than usual.  No need to set an alarm clock, thanks to the 6:37 freight train that passes close enough that I could hit it with a rock.  Kidding, of course, we're retired - we don't set an alarm clock.  And I had been up for almost 2 minutes when the train shook the ground we are on.  Joan said (from the bedroom), "Ha-ha, train - we're already awake!"  Rufus didn't say anything, he was rubbing around my ankles because getting him fed is the first thing I do when I get up... it's his happy dance.

The other timing for today: with the only TV channels being a couple Public TV offerings (I wasn't in the mood for cartoons), I didn't get my usual Today Show start.  As an alternative, Joan turned on Today Show Radio on Serius/XM - I often listen to that when I'm driving in the morning.

We are not in a hurry to hit the road this morning - only 100 miles or so to get to the RV park in Tucson, where we'll spend a couple nights, and you can't check in until 2:00.  Leisurely showers and breakfast are in the plans.

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An easy day today.  With 100 miles to go, and 3 hours before check-in time at the next RV park, we had time to burn.  We lollygagged along at about 60 mph and made a lunch stop for Rufus at a Rest Area.  I like this Rest Area because it is located at the scenic Texas Canyon in Arizona...

Our stop for the next two nights is in Tucson.  Lazy Days KOA is a nice park - it should be for the price.  Paved streets, gravel sites, a nice paved patio, and some landscaping.  Rufus was excited to find his very own bush on our site...

"Dad, do you know how many dogs have peed on this bush?"  Apparently, that is a drawing card for any tree or bush.  The rest of the site...

We walked around a bit.  This park has all the amenities you'd expect in an upscale RV resort.  Ruf is not a fan of the "upscale" gravel, which is bigger than what most Arizona, New Mexico, and west Texas RV parks have.  He doesn't like the "crunch" noise it makes when I walk on it.  But, the streets are paved and long (it's a good size park), so there is plenty of walking opportunities here.

Rufus got to take a nap while Joan and I hit up a Fry's grocery store... and then another short walk when we got back.

The desert air is doing a number on my sinuses - ranging from sneezing and flowing, to dry and scratchy.  Just the start of life in the desert.

We'll take the day off the road tomorrow; may do some running around and lunch out... living large!

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One last bit of "timing" - two days ago, we were in west Texas; today, they had freezing rain, cold, and wind.  Sure glad we got through there before that blew in.

Slalom...

 

"Water or snow skiing?" you ask.  Thanks for asking; I don't have the knees or hips for either these days.

It was fewer miles today, but a tougher drive.  West Texas is a whole lot of nuthin', but it was better than today's drive.  The 140 miles to the border was mostly uneventful; even the crazy drivers through El Paso seemed to be taking the day off.  We stopped for our last fuel up in Texas, at Exit 0 - the Flying J was nearly deserted, the RV lanes were both available, and the fuel pumps even gave us a receipt.  It doesn't take much to make my day.

Then, leaving Texas and into New Mexico for this 3-state day.  Like flipping a light switch: the winds were reasonably light in Texas, and picked up immediately as we crossed the border.  Of course, a cross-wind.  Well, as the road wanders a bit direction-wise, it was occasionally a quartering head/cross-wind.  This is the only photo I got in New Mexico because I needed both hands on the wheel...

 A pretty blue sky.  Ugly winds.  Occasionally, tumbleweeds would dash out in front of us.  I've seen them the size of Volkswagons in the past - these were more the size of a new-born calf, but less steady in their direction.  About half way across New Mexico, the road surface turned to crap: badly patched areas of blacktop with HUGE potholes in the middle.  Most often in both tire tracks of the right lane.  I started weaving like on a slalom course to miss as many of the potholes as possible... and not always possible, because some of them required moving partially into the left lane... and, apparently, people who are passing you don't appreciate that sort of behavior.  You know the potholes are bad when tractor/trailer drivers are doing that same slalom dance: big gust of wind, huge potholes, cha-cha-cha, then do it again.  And again.  It was tiring.

We got to the Arizona border, and the promise of a better road surface.  That promise lasted about 34 seconds, when it became apparent that Arizona and New Mexico must share the same road engineers... who must have graduated last in their class... and are in obvious need of a "Road Maintenance 101" refresher course.

We were off the road early in the afternoon.  This is a small RV "park" (using that term very loosely) that is connected with a Jerky Store.  The lady checking me in said, "Did the wind drive you off the road early?"  Something like that, but we did plan for this stop as our "pad" in case of bad weather or any mechanical issue.  We actually made a reservation for this place a couple weeks ago.  No, they didn't have it... the lady said, "Those young girls don't write down anything, but that isn't a problem, because we have sites available."  It is less of a "park" than last night, so I understand why they'd have sites available.  The Jerky Store is a draw, but not necessarily for an overnight stay.  The wind in this area is a constant - the "Gusty Winds Possible" signs are a hint.

I asked if we could get any TV on our antenna.  She sighed and said, "Maybe a couple Mexican stations."  Well, surprise: we get a couple Arizona Public Television stations.  And, they're speaking English.

Unless the wind dies down, I don't think Rufus will be too interested in a walk this evening.  He rode on my lap most of the day, hounded me for food after his belly didn't make the time change from Central to Mountain Time Zone, and towards the end of the drive put his feet on my chest and said, "Dude, we need to stop.  Like right now.  The wind and the bumps are disturbing my sleep."  I know he is upset when he calls me "Dude."  As I'm typing this, he is asleep against my leg.  He is a good boy and happy to be done driving for the day.  Me, too, because he makes me do all the driving.

;-)

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Before the sun went down, Rufus and I took a walk around the campground.  All gravel, but I did get a "glamour shot" with the big furry boy backlit...

He looked at his shadow and said, "Dad, look - I'm HUGE!"

"Yep, you're a big boy."

The wind has died down significantly from when we were driving.  Looking towards the mountains to the south, the blowing dirt is still obvious...

Now that Joan has unlimited data with her Visible plan (she had 2gb for the month with Verizon), she is streaming on her iPad instead of watching TV over the antenna.  Even though I would consider this place to be in the boonies, the Verizon signal is good.  As are the data speeds.  Plus, with her Spectrum account, she can be watching what she wants, when she wants.  All the comforts of home.  Well, most of the comforts of home.  ;-)

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We watched a movie that Joan had downloaded from Prime: Shotgun Wedding, a rom-com with Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel (and a good supporting cast, including Jennifer Coolidge, Cheech Marin, and Lenny Kravitz).  We enjoyed it - nothing that will be an Academy Award Winner, but JLo did look good in her "modified" wedding attire.  Two thumbs up from us.

An Enema...

 

"Ohhh, Jim, you do not have to tell us about anymore medical stuff.  Really!"

You people crack me up.  A longer driving day today.  We went further today than the last two days combined.  Also went further on this tank of gas for the motorhome, getting 9 miles per gallon.  As you'd expect, prices in west Texas are higher than anywhere else along our route... because... you're in west Texas, what are you gonna do about it?  There's pretty much I-10 to get you from San Antonio to El Paso; in eastern west Texas (is that really a description?), the gas prices stayed around that $3.15 range.  I had to get gas for the motorhome in Fort Stockson, where it was 14¢ higher.  In Van Horn, it is another 25¢ higher than that.  Because you are a captive audience.

We're down for the night in an RV park in Van Horn; it is pretty much a gravel parking lot with audio provided by the traffic on I-10 and long trains running (Doobie Brothers reference) on railroad tracks on the other side of us.  I will be sleeping with an AirPod in one ear, and the other ear pressed into the pillow.

"What about the enema?" you ask.  I thought you didn't want to know?  It seems that I made a joke about overnighting in Van Horn on an internet boating forum years ago... I said, "If you were going to give the United States and enema, you would insert it in Van Horn."  Well, it seems that one of the readers there had a grandfather who homesteaded in Van Horn, and he was offended by my joke.  Of course, I felt bad about that... no, I didn't - it was a joke!  And you know what Lenny Bruce said if they can't take a joke.

I tried to make up for it by saying, "Well, an asshole is a necessary part of the human body.  I can't think of any reason for Van Horn to exist... well, except for the Annual Blowing Dirt Festival, which takes place January 1st through December 31st each year.  Yes, that's another joke.  Well, the blowing dirt isn't funny, but the fact that anyone would celebrate it lets you know... yeah, another joke.

What the long drive across west Texas lacks in charm, it makes up for with occasionally crappy road.  We still have another 140 miles to get out of Texas... but, today I had to put my noise cancelling AirPods in the last hour or so of the drive because of the constant thump-thump-thumping from the road surface.  I had a phone mount on the windshield - it came loose on that last stretch of road.

A few photos from today's drive: a foggy start to the day...

Rufus napping on my lap while enroute...

West Texas views...

As you can see (above and below), there are mountains in west Texas.  And a giant bug that splatted while getting this photo...

The humidity changes as you go west, putting us in the nose-cracking dry level now.  Our RV site for the night...

 

Dirt and gravel; quite a change from last night's stay.  I'll see if Rufus wants to take a walk this evening.

An easier day on tap for tomorrow, to get us the rest of the way through Texas, across New Mexico, and into Arizona; about 60 fewer miles than today.

On the bright side, this RV park has cable TV, and we have decent Verizon coverage for our own wifi (with Visible).  And we'll be able to run our electric heat this evening.

Ruf did want to take a walk...

We didn't stay out long; the boy likes to have some grass to sniff.  He waited at the front door to get his paws wiped... dirt and those white paws are not a good mix.  He's a good boy!

The High Ground...

 

Rufus hasn't been one to climb when we're out walking.  Little Izzy liked to be on top of a wall, a boulder, or on a low tree branch when we were walking... if there was a picnic table in our site, she would be on top of it.  Rufus is content to be out, looking around; at his level.  More on this in a bit.

Today's drive took us north to San Antonio, then west.  The last few times we've been through San Antonio, we've managed to avoid traffic jams, whether by timing or just luck.  I thought we'd be good heading into the big city around noon.  I was wrong.  We got caught in a couple slowdowns, due to construction.  Fortunately, we aren't on a tight schedule.

We have a reservation for tonight in what looks like a very nice RV park from the road (I-10).  We've been by it every time we go this direction (and on the way back), but the timing hasn't been good to stop for the day.  We got off the road earlier yesterday, so this was the opportunity to spend a night at Buckhorn Lake RV Resort.

We planned to be in around 2:00; actual arrival time was about 2:30 (so, we lost about a half hour due to the traffic in San Antonio).  Plenty early enough to get set up and take Rufus out for a walk... and he was ready to go (he sat on my lap through San Antonio).

We're in a nice site, and it is close to the Pickle Ball Courts and a path along a pond.  There is a small concrete block retaining wall (only a couple blocks tall) in that area, and Rufus surprised me by wanting to be on that wall...

 The only dogs we saw were too far away or the one that went by with a guy in a golf cart... they didn't stop.  It was only in the upper 50s, but not much wind, so pleasant for walking.  When I told him it was time to go home, he knew which way to go, even though our walk took us on a loop.  That gives me confidence that he could find his way home if he and I got separated... "What is it, Rufus, did Jimmy fall in the well?"  If you said, "A reference to the TV show Lassie from the 1950s," you get 40 bonus points.  If you said, "Who is Lassie?", get off my lawn, ya damn whippersnapper.  (Like there's any whippersnappers reading this blog... I think I have the same demographics for readership as Harley Davidson for their trikes and Cricket for their cell phones - LOL!)

The RV site here is plenty long, paved and level...

It's not a huge park, but it is very nice.  There is a separate (much smaller) adults-only side of the resort; we are in the "family" side.  Separate swimming pools and activity areas.  "Executive" areas for adult and family; not sure what the difference is.  A few cottages for rent.  This is just west of Kerrville, so it would be a good place to base yourself for a few days of motorcycle riding (they do have rules for motorcyclists: no riding around the resort, just to and from your site; no large gatherings at a site; no "burping" your engine (I'm guessing they meant "blipping").  Hill Country is a popular riding area; we've spent time at a different RV park outside of Kerrville and one in Fredricksburg, to do some riding.

But, today we are just down for a night as we head west.

We are RVers again...

 

Rufus likes it!  It's where he first came to live with us.

We closed down the house, put down the hurricane shutters, shut off water, loaded up the Equinox and headed for our storage unit.  Ruf did fine in the car, too, especially when he could see that we weren't going to the vet.

It's a chilly and windy day.  The overcast sky is pleasant for driving; I could do without the 15 mph headwind.

The thing that took the longest to get set up today was the bicycle rack and cover for the back of the Equinox.  We tried that on the Honda CRV years ago, but the hitch was a bit too low; works fine on the Equinox.  Joan bought a cover to try to protect them while underway - test run with that today.

We made this an easy day, intentionally.  It is nice to get off the road early so we can dump and refresh our tanks after sanitizing them.  That takes a while to do it right.

The RV park we are in has nice long, level, paved, pull-thru sites, with all the utilities placed right...

You can see that bike cover that hides the rear of the Equinox, the reason for the lights mounted on the top of the car.

We are settling in.  There was still today's haul from home to be put away and that fresh water tank and lines to finish sanitizing.  Rufus is chilling beside me as I write this...

We'll need to run some heat tonight - the low is going to be in the 40s.

This is also the first test of using Visible (our phone carrier after moving on from Verizon) since leaving our home area.  As expected, it is exactly the same service, and our hotspots are working just fine.

Tomorrow, we start making miles.

How windy is it?

 

Thanks for asking.  It was blowing like stink yesterday, with sustained winds in the 30s, gusts to 50.  We were glad we got the cargo trailer out to the storage unit on Monday.

Yesterday, a light pole blew down in the Walmart parking lot.  Of course, it landed right down the center of a car.  I think it is some new folks across the street from us (and a couple down).

That isn't going to buff out.

Working outside this morning to get stuff done to close down the house, it is 55º and the wind is still above 20 mph.  Winter in the Tropical Tip.

Making a difference...

 

"So, Jim, you decided to run for office?"

No.

"You're donating your brain to science?"

Well, I've been told it hasn't been overworked... but, no.

All this good eating, drinking plenty of water, and getting exercise is paying off.  A doctor visit today; my A1C is back to normal, blood glucose is good, all the other results of the blood test have shown that I am doing fine.  The PSA is low enough to be considered "virtually undetectable."  The doctor did not use the qualifier "for a man your age" when he said I was "doing good."  I'll take that.

We did other stuff today - the doctor visit was near the end of our time "inland."  Sam's Club, lunch at my buddy Freddie's, and a stock up on Rufus food at PetSmart.  Then, out to the motorhome, where it swallowed up another Equinox load of stuff.  When I was done putting away my clothes and shoes, I got to watch TV while Joan made stuff disappear into storage areas.

Rufus had to eat from a timer for his 5:00 meal (and an afternoon snack).  Not a hardship, but he is used to our company throughout the day.  It was 6:00 when we got home, and there was a lot of leg rubbing... you can figure out who and who's legs.

We're right on schedule.

Box 'em up...

 

The guitars that are making this trip with us need to be in boxes, for any potential out-of-state buyers.  It just so happens that I have a few guitar boxes.  In our storage unit...

 I saved the packing material, so each guitar went into the box just they way they came to us.  And are carefully wrapped and packed.  They have a long ride ahead of them.

We took the cargo trailer (with the bikes and some music gear also packed) out to the storage unit...

As we've done the last few trips, we'll be leaving from the storage unit with the motorhome - good to get the cargo trailer out there and pack a few more things in it.

We did some work around the motorhome: I put some water onboard and started the tank sanitizing; exercised the generator; packed some stuff in the rear storage area; played repair guy and replaced a strut on a cabinet door (they give out on occasion); and played exterminator and sprayed around the unit.  Joan packed stuff, dug out the guitar boxes, swept out the storage unit, and took the load off my back by checking and inflating tires...

She got a battery operated compressor that kicks butt on every inflater/compressor we've owned, including the kind with a storage tank.  I am impressed with how it handles the motorhome tires (80psi) without breaking a sweat.  Last time I had to to the tire duty, the portable compressor was 5 times the weight and size, 10 times louder, and it took two days to get the job done, because it needed to be recharged halfway through.  This thing blasted through the job (all 6 tires) in minutes and still had over half left on the battery.

Another trip or two to the motorhome in the next couple days; we'll work it in around a doctor's appointment I have.  For the record, my blood sugar, A1C, and other tests put me in the normal category.  "Normal"... I don't hear that a lot.  But, I have my Honey to thank for all the work she's put into making and shopping for food that is good for us.  And, she makes it taste good.

How close?

 

Not talking about Rufus wanting to snuggle... although that can be quite close.  We have now moved from the talking and list-making stage to starting the process.  The bikes are strapped down in the cargo trailer, and that will go to the storage unit tomorrow.  The electric griddle has been thoroughly cleaned and packed for the trip.  Guitars (and related gear) are in cases, ready to find a spot for traveling.  Rufus has been following me around; not sure why he even thinks we'd leave without him - the boy goes where we go.

At this point, it feels like we are "filling the time" with the getting ready stuff.  I have a medical appointment in the middle of all this, but our intended departure day is Thursday.  So, we'll make a few trips to the storage unit in the meantime.

Joan checked tires on the car and cargo trailer, I lubed up that which needs lubing.  Today's work is mostly done.  I'll have time to play a guitar or two, before the final "commitment."

The furry boy and I are close...

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Out for a walk this evening.  Rufus got to get nose-to-nose with a young Schnauzer; I didn't get a photo of that, because I was keeping a close eye on the pup, who had never seen a cat before.  And the dog's Mom had never seen a cat walking on a leash...

They both did fine.  Rufus is good for a dog's first exposure to a cat - he is patient and puts out a friendly vibe.

And a nice sunset to cap it off...

Them Changes...

 

If you said, "Buddy Miles, 1970," you get 20 bonus points.  If you said, "Hey, wasn't that generally your opening song when you were in the Flippers?" you must be a real stalker.  But, yes, it was.

Today's changes: motorcycle and guitar.  No, I didn't buy or sell any of each.  I stealthily changed oil on the CTX this morning.  "Stealthily?" you ask.  Yes, and thanks for asking... we're not supposed to do any "car repairs" in our driveway... I think that is something from our ever-changing rules to keep from having your driveway look like a junkyard.  I could be wrong.  Don't think I am, though.

Fresh oil coursing through the veins of that Honda.  It is a happy bike.

After that, I came inside and asked Joan if we are still on for lunch out at the nearby Mexican restaurant.

"Yes."

I asked, "When do you want to go?"

She said, "About 15 minutes ago.  It took you a lot longer to change the oil than I thought."

I said, "OK, I'll clean up quick and we can go.  And for the record, a neighbor came by and I got caught out there.  I didn't know you were starving."

In and out of the shower, dressed and ready to head out.  Lunch was good and fast.  Back home, and another change: the T5 (Taylor guitar) that came out of the case yesterday needed a fresh set of strings.  Old strings off, clean and dress the frets and fretboard, and a fresh set of Elixir Electric Optiweb strings on.  The T5 is kind of a cross between an acoustic and an electric guitar - it has 5 position pickup controls, but it uses bridge pins (like an acoustic) to set the strings.  There are other guitars now that bridge the acoustic/electric, but this was an impressive bit of guitar technology in its day and still an outstanding guitar today.

Most of the time on my acoustics, the strings settle in quickly.  This took some playing, string bending, and retuning to get the strings to settle in.  Maybe tomorrow, I'll give it some playing time while plugged in.  What a nice guitar!

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And, the really important stuff: Rufus sitting on the back of the couch (on his pad) watching the string change, looking rather regal...

From Joan's phone (above), and mine (below)...

He's a good boy!

Ohhh - that's my favorite!

 

We're getting to that part of our "gearing up to leave"... the really hard part... the most angst: which guitar(s) to take with us.  It isn't a matter of just picking one off the wall and going with that.  Mark and I will be playing with some friends of his and also with just the two of us.  He suggested, "Bring the 12-string because that will be a different sound that we don't have.  Plus, I have plenty of guitars and amps that you are welcome to use."  He makes good sense.  However, I took the 12-string when we were out last summer and I really missed having my smallest Emerald to play in the motorhome and out on the patio.

Last year when we went to Arizona, I took one guitar and left it at Mark's... Joan told me we need to have one that stays in the motorhome.  Mark said, "Bring whatever you want - I'll make room for it."  So, Joan and I agreed that two guitars will need to make the trip.

And, a new wrinkle: I told Joan that I wanted to sell off a guitar and make room on the wall for something that spends most of the time in its case.  Mark buys and sells guitars regularly, and the Phoenix area would be a better market to sell guitars (and stuff) since it is a much bigger market.  So... today, I wanted to go through guitars to see what gets the least playing time, what duplicates other sounds, and what I feel I could part with.  Because for me, each guitar is special - I buy it because there is something about it (usually the tone) that occupies a good sonic slot.

So, we went through guitars today...

Yes, those are just a few of the cases.  I took guitars out of cases that haven't seen the light of day in over a year.  I lovingly cleaned them.  Then, played them.  Plugged them in.  It makes me realize what an emotional attachment I have to most of these lovely instruments.  One is a guitar that presented itself a day after I bought the most expensive guitar I'd owned (at that point).  Joan really wanted me to get the one that presented itself - it was the first time she said, "I'm buying that one for me - and you can play it if you want."  Truly, I couldn't justify that purchase in my head, but she made it happen with her heart.  I pulled that guitar out and heard an audible gasp... it came from me.  That particular guitar is a Taylor T5 - they no longer make that model and this is a gorgeous cherry burst... I told Joan: "That one needs to get back on the wall and get some playing time."  No, that one won't be for sale.  Ever.  Well, maybe after I'm dead.

On the bright side: Joan pulled a couple more guitar hangers out of one of my "stuff bins," and said, "With a little rearranging, we can get two more guitars on the wall."  No, that doesn't mean that the two I picked out to sell will stay.  Each of those guitars are a very nice example of the model, but I am not "attached."  That may be because each of the guitar shop owners I bought them from turned out to be jerks (see, I cleaned that up instead of saying "assholes").  The guy I bought the Taylor from accused me of "being a shill for Emerald" (on a guitar forum) because I like their guitars better than a brand he carried.  The other dealer just flat out lied about having the guitar in stock when they didn't.  For the record, Joan bought that one while I was in the shower that day.  When it came in, I had to do a lot of work on it to make it comfortably playable.  It's a good guitar, but it never should have gone out

There will be a Taylor 522ce 12-fret (all mahogany) and an Epiphone SG Prophecy (with Fishman Fluence pickups) that will get sold off.  A couple amps that have been moved down a notch thanks to the Bose PAs; and two decent 10 channel mixers that were more than I need after getting a Bose T4 Tonematch mixer.

I also considered selling one of the Emeralds... to buy another Emerald.  Joan asked how it was different from what I have... I need to work on my communication skills.  :-)  And then I played it again and changed my mind.

Music soothes the savage beast...

 

If you said, "William Congreve, 1697," you get 1,000 bonus points.  If you said, "The actual quote is"

'Music has charms to soothe a savage breast;' and that famous line was uttered by a character in William Congreve's 1697 play The Mourning Bride," you get another 1,500 bonus points.

If you said, "He said, 'Breast,' heh, heh," you are a moron and lose all the bonus points you've accumulated in this lifetime.

A good day here in the Tropical Tip: breezy, mostly cloudy, but 79º.  I got out on my bicycle, took Ruf for a short walk (the short part was his idea), then went out on my motorcycle.  When I got back, I made a late breakfast (yes, the 1/1/1/1), then went into my music room.  Joan and Rufus came in, and he got brushed while I provided the entertainment (some might say: "diversion."  But, he was definitely soothed.

With the brushing done, he came and sat by my feet for the rest of the concert...

A crop to better show the furry boy...

For those keeping track, that is my Taylor 652 CE WHB Builder's Edition I'm playing.  Yes, I still play wood guitars... especially this one.  Guitar and mic run into a Bose S1 Pro; that's the small amp/PA I'll be taking to Mark's when we're in Arizona.

Our time here is getting short - down to single digit days before we head west.

Rufus likes the music... because he is such a good boy!  ;-)

Medical stuff...

 

I had an appointment today at my doctor in Harlingen.  Early.  We were up at 6:30 to be ready to roll by 7:30.  The drive was not in our favor... getting out of Port Isabel, it was "National Drive Slow In Front Of Jim Day," which seems to be celebrated several times a week.  To add to the fun, there was a heavy fog once we got away from the coast...

To be fair, it wasn't that much of an issue.  My "appointment" was only to get blood drawn so the doctor would have results for my appointment next week.  I was told, "This isn't a hard, fast appointment time.  For labs, you can come in any time, and you will be in and out in 5 minutes."

They lied.

After waiting for 40 minutes, I went to the front desk again and asked if I had been forgotten... "Oh, I'm so sorry, sir.  They are, um, just waiting for the order for your blood test to come from the doctor."  I would have believed her, if she hadn't put that "um" in there.

It was only another 10 minutes before the lady who draws blood came to the waiting room to get me.  When I asked her about the much longer than usual wait, she said, "I just got the order for your labs."  Her part was just a couple minutes, and I was on my way.

It isn't like they didn't know I was coming in for the blood draw.  They made this appointment for me about 6 weeks ago.  4 days ago, I got a text from them, confirming my "appointment" (with an 8:30 time) and 4 pages of questions for me to answer... even though they already have that information and nothing has changed.

When my last breath comes around, I would like to have back all my time that doctors have wasted.

On the bright side, since I had been fasting for the blood draw, and we weren't heading back home, I got to have McDonald's for breakfast.  It has been months, and I have to say that I truly enjoyed my Sausage McMuffin with egg and the hash brown patty

From there, it was out to our storage unit.  We will be heading out next week, so it is time to start prepping.  Joan had some things to put into the motorhome, stuff to move in the storage unit, and I got to repair torn weather stripping (with a rubber wiper) on one of our slide outs.  This was a new task for me, so I was able to knock out that 30 minute job in just an hour and a half.  There was some "hand cutting" on that wide wiper to make sure it fit around the slide structure... a matter of: measure 3 times, then cut once.  And cut again.  Then one more little snip.  OK, just one more little snip.  In the end, I have to say that it fit better than what originally came from the factory.

And, some further perspective: this rubber weather stripping and dust seal is something that had a tear in it when we first got the coach.  The dealer said, "That is at least a 3 day job - we'll have to remove the entire slide with a forklift, then put it all back together again.  You'd be better off taking it to the factory."  Yeah, they lied, too.  When we made a "great circle route" to go through Iowa (where the Winnebago factory is) on our way to the Pacific Northwest that spring, it took them less than an hour to fix that and a couple other things.  Having some knowledge on how to do the job, instead of my "learn while doing" technique would have cut my work time today noticeably.  And reminded me again of what a lying POS that service writer at the dealer was.  I bet he used to work in a doctor's office.

It was good to see the motorhome again.  I'm looking forward to our time out soon.

Morning Stretch...

 

No, not me.  I get my morning exercise in by taking Rufus for a walk, then getting out on my bicycle.  I think some kind of a morning stretch routine might be a good thing... then I sit down until that feeling passes.  ;-)

Years ago, we did a "morning stretch" routine based on a VHS tape called Tropical Stretch that we picked up in Hawaii.  Why did we stop doing that?  Oh, yeah, who has a tape player these days?  For that matter, who still has a DVD player? *

But, I digress.

Rufus likes to do his daily stretching exercises.  He is particularly good with "downward dog."  From last night...

And, this morning, after a walk and a treat...

While he does downward dog really well, he is especially good with "napping cat."  I could get into that routine.

* I found this on the internet (the stretch routine we used to do)...

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While Ruf and I were out for our evening walk...

He was a bit crestfallen - 4 people walked past us (the other direction), only one commented, "Cool cat!", but no one stopped to pet him or tell him how handsome he is.  One couple walked around us with a dog and paid no attention to Rufus, or the fact that their dog was quite interested; in fact they walked to the other side of the street.

"It's OK, buddy," I told him, "some people don't stop to smell the roses or pet the Rufus.  It isn't you - you're a good boy."

;-)

Chicks dig a bike...

 

Well, I know Joan does, because she has her own bike (of the motorized variety).  There are some people that think a motorcycle (or a scooter) is a chick magnet.  Those people would be non-bike owners.  With the exception of the Vespa, it has only been guys who have shown any interest in any bike I've owned.  "Cool bike, man, how fast will it go?"  Vespas seem non-threatening, so I did occasionally have someone of the female persuasion ask about the bike.  And one lady at a stoplight who rolled down her window and asked if I ever take anyone with me on the Vespa.  I told her, "Well, my wife has her own bike, and she'd rather ride that than ride 2-up."  I didn't even get to use my "she doesn't let me date" line.  ;-)

That said, I had to laugh at this meme on Facebook today...

 It made me laugh.  If you think I'm wrong, look at any of my Sturgis videos from last year - the male to female ratio is about 20:1, and that is in a place with mostly Harleys.

So, if you're thinking about getting a bike to meet women, you'd be better off to join a book club.

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After seeing the above, Joan asked me to find one about women riders.  This is what I came up with...

Then, I found this one...

And turned it into this...

Because everybody digs the biker chick.  (It's been a while since I used my Photoshop skills.)  ;-)