We spent the day sitting in the campground in Trenton, GA. Forecasts were for horrible wind and rain all day along I-59 with a chance of T-storms, hail and even a tornado or two thrown in for good measure.
Discretion being the better part of valor, we opted to sit this dance out. Well, the winds never got as bad at the campground as the prognosticators had forecast and we didn't get any hail. We DID get lots and lots of rain, however, and 35-40 miles southeast of here off I-75 near Adairsville, GA they DID get a tornado.
We have a long day tomorrow as a result of our lay over. We are due at Berwick, LA to join the folks in our group. It would have been a mere 100 miles/2 hour day, but now we are looking at 550 miles and 10 hours. But it will all be in sunshine and mild winds. We'll start early (7 AM EST is our goal for departure) and boogie on south.We do gain an extra hour when we cross into Alabama and enter the Central Time Zone so that helps.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
On the Road: Day 2
Day Two is complete and we arrived at our KOA campground (Lookout Mtn. KOA SW of Chattanooga in Trenton, GA) at 4 PM this afternoon. Plenty of time to check in and rest for a bit before dinner. We were thinking how this particular campground is very far away form the highway so we would not have any highway noises (Last night's campground abutted I-81.) when the freight trains started tooting their horns.*sigh*
At least today's travel was much better than yesterday's early morning snow. The sun shone brightly almost the entire day. Traffic moved along at very nice clip and there were no tie ups to speak of except a little stretch as we neared the end of the run around Chattanooga. A truck hauling a very wide load (some gigantic backhoe or crane on treads) and a little winding stretch of highway along with at least one car on the shoulder, caused a bottleneck.
We covered 370 miles starting at 8:30 AM, made one fuel stop, three rest stops--including one for lunch--and did some shopping at a Camping World before ending our day at the KOA.
Tomorrow, we will not be so lucky. Severe weather warnings are out for almost all of northeast Alabama--the part we will be traveling. High winds (25-30 mph with gusts to 40 or even 50 mph) will spell trouble. Possible tornadoes spell disaster. Sever thunderstorms.... Well, you get the picture.
If anything is to be viewed positively it is that all that should be over by the time we get to Birmingham 150 miles (2 1/2 hours?) to our southwest along I-59. The chance of precipitation drops significantly beyond there. The winds will still be a bear but not quite as high--I hope. We also gain an hour as we cross into the Central Time Zone.
Tomorrow we hope to make Slidell, Louisiana just east of New Orleans. That was originally a long day to begin with (450 miles and 7 hours--see the note about gaining an hour in the previous paragraph) but Mother Nature is going to make it just that much more difficult on us.
[UPDATE: I forgot to mention, it's 68 degrees at the campground...and the daffodils are in flower. If Terry asks me one more time if I want to become a "snowbird" I may have to feed her to a tornado tomorrow.]
At least today's travel was much better than yesterday's early morning snow. The sun shone brightly almost the entire day. Traffic moved along at very nice clip and there were no tie ups to speak of except a little stretch as we neared the end of the run around Chattanooga. A truck hauling a very wide load (some gigantic backhoe or crane on treads) and a little winding stretch of highway along with at least one car on the shoulder, caused a bottleneck.
We covered 370 miles starting at 8:30 AM, made one fuel stop, three rest stops--including one for lunch--and did some shopping at a Camping World before ending our day at the KOA.
Tomorrow, we will not be so lucky. Severe weather warnings are out for almost all of northeast Alabama--the part we will be traveling. High winds (25-30 mph with gusts to 40 or even 50 mph) will spell trouble. Possible tornadoes spell disaster. Sever thunderstorms.... Well, you get the picture.
If anything is to be viewed positively it is that all that should be over by the time we get to Birmingham 150 miles (2 1/2 hours?) to our southwest along I-59. The chance of precipitation drops significantly beyond there. The winds will still be a bear but not quite as high--I hope. We also gain an hour as we cross into the Central Time Zone.
Tomorrow we hope to make Slidell, Louisiana just east of New Orleans. That was originally a long day to begin with (450 miles and 7 hours--see the note about gaining an hour in the previous paragraph) but Mother Nature is going to make it just that much more difficult on us.
[UPDATE: I forgot to mention, it's 68 degrees at the campground...and the daffodils are in flower. If Terry asks me one more time if I want to become a "snowbird" I may have to feed her to a tornado tomorrow.]
Monday, January 28, 2013
On Our Way!
Day one of our journey south is complete and we are in a campground at Dixie Caverns just outside of Salem, Virginia. The early part wasn't easy, however.
The cats tried to wake us up at 1 AM when the moon was up and shining brightly but we weren't having any of that. The alarm was set for 5 AM and, although we tossed and turned to the protestations of the cats on the far side of the door, we were determined to stay in bed until 5 AM. We eventually did manage to doze off and were awakened by the alarm. The moon was no longer shining and there was snow falling.
We quickly did our early morning tasks and loaded the with the last minute foodstuffs for the refrigerator. And we were on the road by 5:45 AM. Stopping for coffee and gas in Mansfield took some time but by 6:10 AM we were on a snowy Route 15 heading south.
There was enough snow (and lack of plows) that determining where the lanes were was difficult if not impossible. However, many Pennsylvania roads have rumble strips on the sides separating the driving lanes from the shoulder. Some have a similar set of grooves where the dotted white lines that separate lanes runs. When the snow covers the road like it did this morning--or like it did the day after Christmas--you sometimes drive by the braille method. Drift too far left or right and you get a harsh growl from the road surface. Fun!
As we got further along, the snow deepened. Through Williamsport, and south to Lewisburg, it reached its maximum. Then it was brown slush until we got to Maryland and West Virginia. At the very first stop in Virginia, there was very little snow on the ground, but any untrodden or driven upon paved surface was covered in ice. Ten miles further south, even that was gone and the sun hung in the blue sky as a burning orb. And south of Roanoke, the roads were pretty well dry.
We traveled a little over 430 miles today. We made three fuel stops (at the start, middle and end of the day's travel). We made two rest stops and a third for lunch. We stopped and did some shopping at Wally World in Haggerstown, MD. We were on the road from 5:45 AM until 4:30 PM. It was a long, long day.
Some positive notes:
1) The Winnie's engine started right up this morning.
2) The generator which had not wanted to start in the driveway, started easily after we got our second tank of gas and reached some warmer climates.
3) The propane run refrigerator is working fine.
4) I figured out how to get the water system working again after having winterized the bloody thing last Fall. It only took three tries before I got the three valves under the sink turned the right way.
5) The hot water heater (propane run) is working very well, thank you.
6) I didn't hit anything or any one. (Although there were a few drivers I would have loved to get behind the woodshed for a few *ahem* instructions on a) the proper way to merge from an entrance ramp, b) how much space one should allow before pulling back in front of a 32' Winnebago you have just passed, c)how to keep your foot off the break peddle every single time you come to a down hill slope in the snow even when it's about 3 degrees of angle, d) why, if you insist upon traveling at a ridiculously low speed, you should stay to the right so others going ever so slightly faster may pass you, and e) why it is not necessary (nor even advisable) to try to travel 5 miles ABOVE the speed limit when you can't even see the lanes. And, oh yeah: Gripping the steering wheel so tightly that your knuckles turn white and the steering wheel begins to bleed while peering at the road through the wheel, not over it, does not make it any safer Granny. Maybe you should have stayed home.
Tomorrow promises to be another exciting day. The morning will be fine, but possible thunderstorms may appear late in the day as we approach Chattanooga, Tennessee. (This morning they were even talking about tornadoes! But that's been hushed up a bit.)
Until tomorrow, then.
The cats tried to wake us up at 1 AM when the moon was up and shining brightly but we weren't having any of that. The alarm was set for 5 AM and, although we tossed and turned to the protestations of the cats on the far side of the door, we were determined to stay in bed until 5 AM. We eventually did manage to doze off and were awakened by the alarm. The moon was no longer shining and there was snow falling.
We quickly did our early morning tasks and loaded the with the last minute foodstuffs for the refrigerator. And we were on the road by 5:45 AM. Stopping for coffee and gas in Mansfield took some time but by 6:10 AM we were on a snowy Route 15 heading south.
There was enough snow (and lack of plows) that determining where the lanes were was difficult if not impossible. However, many Pennsylvania roads have rumble strips on the sides separating the driving lanes from the shoulder. Some have a similar set of grooves where the dotted white lines that separate lanes runs. When the snow covers the road like it did this morning--or like it did the day after Christmas--you sometimes drive by the braille method. Drift too far left or right and you get a harsh growl from the road surface. Fun!
As we got further along, the snow deepened. Through Williamsport, and south to Lewisburg, it reached its maximum. Then it was brown slush until we got to Maryland and West Virginia. At the very first stop in Virginia, there was very little snow on the ground, but any untrodden or driven upon paved surface was covered in ice. Ten miles further south, even that was gone and the sun hung in the blue sky as a burning orb. And south of Roanoke, the roads were pretty well dry.
We traveled a little over 430 miles today. We made three fuel stops (at the start, middle and end of the day's travel). We made two rest stops and a third for lunch. We stopped and did some shopping at Wally World in Haggerstown, MD. We were on the road from 5:45 AM until 4:30 PM. It was a long, long day.
Some positive notes:
1) The Winnie's engine started right up this morning.
2) The generator which had not wanted to start in the driveway, started easily after we got our second tank of gas and reached some warmer climates.
3) The propane run refrigerator is working fine.
4) I figured out how to get the water system working again after having winterized the bloody thing last Fall. It only took three tries before I got the three valves under the sink turned the right way.
5) The hot water heater (propane run) is working very well, thank you.
6) I didn't hit anything or any one. (Although there were a few drivers I would have loved to get behind the woodshed for a few *ahem* instructions on a) the proper way to merge from an entrance ramp, b) how much space one should allow before pulling back in front of a 32' Winnebago you have just passed, c)how to keep your foot off the break peddle every single time you come to a down hill slope in the snow even when it's about 3 degrees of angle, d) why, if you insist upon traveling at a ridiculously low speed, you should stay to the right so others going ever so slightly faster may pass you, and e) why it is not necessary (nor even advisable) to try to travel 5 miles ABOVE the speed limit when you can't even see the lanes. And, oh yeah: Gripping the steering wheel so tightly that your knuckles turn white and the steering wheel begins to bleed while peering at the road through the wheel, not over it, does not make it any safer Granny. Maybe you should have stayed home.
Tomorrow promises to be another exciting day. The morning will be fine, but possible thunderstorms may appear late in the day as we approach Chattanooga, Tennessee. (This morning they were even talking about tornadoes! But that's been hushed up a bit.)
Until tomorrow, then.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Almost Time to Go
D-Day minus one.
Terry made it home from New Jersey last evening with another load of Jessica's stuff. I'm running out of room to store all this stuff. And still there's more to haul.
This morning we went down to the firehouse in Mansfield for breakfast. There's usually a fundraising breakfast there once a month and we try to support whoever is putting it on. Often that's the volunteer fire company but sometimes it's the Boy Scouts (who also bus the tables at ALL the breakfasts). Who ever it supports, a hot breakfast of bacon, eggs, french toast, pancakes and biscuits and gravy is hard to pass up.
Today we pack our clothes and dried foods into the RV in preparation of an early morning departure for the south. Unfortunately the weather will not be cooperating much. Monday's forecast calls for some wintery mix starting in the predawn hours around here but mostly rain further south. That spells sloppy driving all the way to southern Virginia. Tuesday and Wednesday also look to be wet days with high winds possible and even some scattered tornado activity through Tennessee and Alabama. Hopefully we'll be out of the worst of it once we get to southern Louisiana.
The temperatures are going to be warming up with the 70's possible along the Gulf. That would be one heck of a change as it was 2 degrees down at the fire hall this morning. Up the hill we had 12 degrees at 7 AM, 10 degrees being the low just after midnight.
Terry made it home from New Jersey last evening with another load of Jessica's stuff. I'm running out of room to store all this stuff. And still there's more to haul.
This morning we went down to the firehouse in Mansfield for breakfast. There's usually a fundraising breakfast there once a month and we try to support whoever is putting it on. Often that's the volunteer fire company but sometimes it's the Boy Scouts (who also bus the tables at ALL the breakfasts). Who ever it supports, a hot breakfast of bacon, eggs, french toast, pancakes and biscuits and gravy is hard to pass up.
Today we pack our clothes and dried foods into the RV in preparation of an early morning departure for the south. Unfortunately the weather will not be cooperating much. Monday's forecast calls for some wintery mix starting in the predawn hours around here but mostly rain further south. That spells sloppy driving all the way to southern Virginia. Tuesday and Wednesday also look to be wet days with high winds possible and even some scattered tornado activity through Tennessee and Alabama. Hopefully we'll be out of the worst of it once we get to southern Louisiana.
The temperatures are going to be warming up with the 70's possible along the Gulf. That would be one heck of a change as it was 2 degrees down at the fire hall this morning. Up the hill we had 12 degrees at 7 AM, 10 degrees being the low just after midnight.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
The Curious Case of the Dog(s) In the Night
What the heck?
After I finished work on the Winnie, I stepped out on the porch to enjoy the sunshine. Two dogs, one a large gray/reddish, brown German shepherd sized beast with a look of a mastiff or pit-bull in his--for there was no doubt that it was a male) face and head, the other a smaller black-with-speck-of-white pooch looked like an Austrailian shepherd came wondering down the hill. The passed behind the house and then down into our driveway. I was still on the deck and spoke softly to them asking what they thought they were doing. Neither had a collar and neither seemd particularly afraid of me. I was up on the deck and they were on the ground so I wasn't concerned for my safety either.
The came around the retaining wall and went under the deck. I yelled at them to come on back out and the did. Then they wandered off down the hill.
Just now, an hour and a half after our first encounter, I heard a sound out on the front door step. Yep, it was the two dogs looking to either bed down on the little porch there or gain access to t he house. The big guy tried to stick his nose in the door when I opened it a crack to tell them to beat it. I had to open and slam closed the door a couple of times before they got the message and went off around the garage.
Taking in a stray kitteh like Miss Kitteh is one thing, but if Terry came home tonight and found two dogs.... Well, let's just say I'd be testing the heating system in the Winnie. (They were healthy and friendly looking though.)
After I finished work on the Winnie, I stepped out on the porch to enjoy the sunshine. Two dogs, one a large gray/reddish, brown German shepherd sized beast with a look of a mastiff or pit-bull in his--for there was no doubt that it was a male) face and head, the other a smaller black-with-speck-of-white pooch looked like an Austrailian shepherd came wondering down the hill. The passed behind the house and then down into our driveway. I was still on the deck and spoke softly to them asking what they thought they were doing. Neither had a collar and neither seemd particularly afraid of me. I was up on the deck and they were on the ground so I wasn't concerned for my safety either.
The came around the retaining wall and went under the deck. I yelled at them to come on back out and the did. Then they wandered off down the hill.
Just now, an hour and a half after our first encounter, I heard a sound out on the front door step. Yep, it was the two dogs looking to either bed down on the little porch there or gain access to t he house. The big guy tried to stick his nose in the door when I opened it a crack to tell them to beat it. I had to open and slam closed the door a couple of times before they got the message and went off around the garage.
Taking in a stray kitteh like Miss Kitteh is one thing, but if Terry came home tonight and found two dogs.... Well, let's just say I'd be testing the heating system in the Winnie. (They were healthy and friendly looking though.)
The Joy of Owning an RV
Well this was an exciting day! With no winds blowing I decided to pull the protective cover off the RV even if I had to do it by myself. By lifting the end and slowly brushing the snow off the roof, I managed to get almost all the way across the length of the Winnie with out a problem. The very front end was a different story. The wind sun and wind hadn't gotten all the old snow off and there was a layer of ice fusing the cover to the RV's roof. The cover eventually ripped as I tugged and tugged. Still, I got it off. Mostly. A small patch of fabric is still stuck to the roof over the driver's side.
Then I tried to start the RV's engine. Nothing. Not even a click, click, click from the battery. Well, it's been very,. very cold so that wasn't much of a surprise. I hooked the jumper cables up to the truck and let it charge a bit while I installed the auxilliary batteries that had been fully charged in the garage. Then I tried starting the engine again. It wasn't easy since I couldn't rev the Tundra's engine while trying to crank the Winnie's but I eventually got it to start. I let the Winnie run while I disconnected the jumper cables and moved the Tundra back to its parking space. Forty-five minutes later I turned the Winnie's engine off and tried to start it again. Nothing. Not even a click, click, click.
I pulled the battery out of the Winnie and brought it into the garage, attached it to my battery charger and checked its voltage. The charger told me it was at 6.5 volts which didn't seem right. Thinking the battery--new in August--might have gone bad, I put it in the Tundra and, at 2:30 on a Saturday afternoon, headed down to Mansfield Exxon hoping against hope that Ryan might be there. Normally he's only there 8:00 AM to noon on Saturday IF he has any work to do.
Luck was on my side for a change and Ryan was doing some maintenance on his personal snowmobiles in preparation of a trip he's taking later in the week. He opened up the shop for me and tested the battery. It was so weak that it wouldn't even run his testing device. "Let me but it on my charger and then we'll test it again. I warn you it doesn't look good though. Go do some shopping or something and come back in an hour."
So I went off to CVS, the liqour store and McDonalds. (Hey, I had skipped lunch.) An hour later I got back to Ryan and we tested the battery again. This time there was enough charge to run his little hand-held device and it told him that the battery had only 5 volts, zero cranking volts, and was no good and...that's when it suddenly crashed to zero across the board. Luckily, Ryan had a fully charged battery just the same size and I had just enough cash in my wallet to pay for it.
When I got back to the Aerie, I popped the new battery into the Winnie, tightened the cables down and turned the key with my fingers crossed. VROOM! The engine started right up. I let it run a little while as I put all my tools away. Then I turned the engine off and started her up once more just to be sure. VROOM!
Time to sit back with a glass of bourbon and say a little prayer that the engine turns over again tomorrow.
UPDATE: When I left Ryan's garage, I told him that if he got a phone call in 45 minutes it would be me with a problem so answer the phone. Well, I didn't have a problem and dindn't have to make that call. Just now, Ryan called me. He had finished up his work on his snow machines and had just gotten home. (Did I mention that he lives just down the hill from the Aerie? And that it's his uncle who will be plowing our driveway if it needs it while we're gone?) Anyway, he thought he'd give me a call and if there was a probelm he'd swing by with his tools.
Then I tried to start the RV's engine. Nothing. Not even a click, click, click from the battery. Well, it's been very,. very cold so that wasn't much of a surprise. I hooked the jumper cables up to the truck and let it charge a bit while I installed the auxilliary batteries that had been fully charged in the garage. Then I tried starting the engine again. It wasn't easy since I couldn't rev the Tundra's engine while trying to crank the Winnie's but I eventually got it to start. I let the Winnie run while I disconnected the jumper cables and moved the Tundra back to its parking space. Forty-five minutes later I turned the Winnie's engine off and tried to start it again. Nothing. Not even a click, click, click.
I pulled the battery out of the Winnie and brought it into the garage, attached it to my battery charger and checked its voltage. The charger told me it was at 6.5 volts which didn't seem right. Thinking the battery--new in August--might have gone bad, I put it in the Tundra and, at 2:30 on a Saturday afternoon, headed down to Mansfield Exxon hoping against hope that Ryan might be there. Normally he's only there 8:00 AM to noon on Saturday IF he has any work to do.
Luck was on my side for a change and Ryan was doing some maintenance on his personal snowmobiles in preparation of a trip he's taking later in the week. He opened up the shop for me and tested the battery. It was so weak that it wouldn't even run his testing device. "Let me but it on my charger and then we'll test it again. I warn you it doesn't look good though. Go do some shopping or something and come back in an hour."
So I went off to CVS, the liqour store and McDonalds. (Hey, I had skipped lunch.) An hour later I got back to Ryan and we tested the battery again. This time there was enough charge to run his little hand-held device and it told him that the battery had only 5 volts, zero cranking volts, and was no good and...that's when it suddenly crashed to zero across the board. Luckily, Ryan had a fully charged battery just the same size and I had just enough cash in my wallet to pay for it.
When I got back to the Aerie, I popped the new battery into the Winnie, tightened the cables down and turned the key with my fingers crossed. VROOM! The engine started right up. I let it run a little while as I put all my tools away. Then I turned the engine off and started her up once more just to be sure. VROOM!
Time to sit back with a glass of bourbon and say a little prayer that the engine turns over again tomorrow.
UPDATE: When I left Ryan's garage, I told him that if he got a phone call in 45 minutes it would be me with a problem so answer the phone. Well, I didn't have a problem and dindn't have to make that call. Just now, Ryan called me. He had finished up his work on his snow machines and had just gotten home. (Did I mention that he lives just down the hill from the Aerie? And that it's his uncle who will be plowing our driveway if it needs it while we're gone?) Anyway, he thought he'd give me a call and if there was a probelm he'd swing by with his tools.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Still Cold. Very Cold.
Another very cold night at the Aerie. It dropped to 0.2 degrees Thursday night/Friday morning. Thursday afternoon, in the sunshine, it briefly got up to 17 degrees but during the day Friday it never got above 15 degrees before some light snow began falling at 3 PM. It's not supposed to amount to much with only 2 inches before it ends tomorrow around noon. The weather gurus say it will get warmer during the next few days. We'll see.
Meanwhile the birds have been hitting the feeders to scarf down my sunflower and thistle seeds. There must be a hundred Common Redpolls (and probably a few Hoary Redpolls too) moving in waves in and out of the yard. The cats love the distraction.
Terry left this morning to beat the weather. She went into New Jersey to 1) pick up a load of boxes of Jess' stuff and 2) attend a baby shower Saturday afternoon. She should be home between 7 and 8 PM well after the snow has finished and, hopefully, after I've got the darn stuff off the driveway.
******
D-Day minus two for our trip to the Gulf Coast. I spent some of the day planning our route down to Louisiana and making reservations for the three campgrounds we'll stay at on the way. We're scheduled to leave early Monday morning with our first stop will be just south of Roanoke, VA. Tuesday night we'll be just south of Chattanooga, TN. Wednesday night's stop will be in Slidell, LA. Finally, Thursday we'll arrive in Berwick, LA on the west side of New Orleans and join up with the rest of our crew. With these cold temperatures I'm really looking forward to the warmer temps down south.
Tomorrow, in addition to removing any snow from the driveway, I'll be reinstalling the auxiliary batteries in the Winnie. Because of the cold weather, I've kept them in the garage after recharging them. I've also got to take the cover off the Winnie and make sure I can get the motor to turn over. Sunday we'll load our clothes and anything else that needs to go. Anything that might freeze will be staying in the house until Monday morning, however, as the temps will still be well below freezing.
Meanwhile the birds have been hitting the feeders to scarf down my sunflower and thistle seeds. There must be a hundred Common Redpolls (and probably a few Hoary Redpolls too) moving in waves in and out of the yard. The cats love the distraction.
Terry left this morning to beat the weather. She went into New Jersey to 1) pick up a load of boxes of Jess' stuff and 2) attend a baby shower Saturday afternoon. She should be home between 7 and 8 PM well after the snow has finished and, hopefully, after I've got the darn stuff off the driveway.
******
D-Day minus two for our trip to the Gulf Coast. I spent some of the day planning our route down to Louisiana and making reservations for the three campgrounds we'll stay at on the way. We're scheduled to leave early Monday morning with our first stop will be just south of Roanoke, VA. Tuesday night we'll be just south of Chattanooga, TN. Wednesday night's stop will be in Slidell, LA. Finally, Thursday we'll arrive in Berwick, LA on the west side of New Orleans and join up with the rest of our crew. With these cold temperatures I'm really looking forward to the warmer temps down south.
Tomorrow, in addition to removing any snow from the driveway, I'll be reinstalling the auxiliary batteries in the Winnie. Because of the cold weather, I've kept them in the garage after recharging them. I've also got to take the cover off the Winnie and make sure I can get the motor to turn over. Sunday we'll load our clothes and anything else that needs to go. Anything that might freeze will be staying in the house until Monday morning, however, as the temps will still be well below freezing.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Thoughts/News From the Aerie
It's been a while since I posted here. I've been doing a lot of Facebooking, however. Reading, writing and commenting over there has taken time away from my composing anything for these pages. In an attempt to play catch up I have a few comments/observations.
On a personal level:
Daughter Jessica has made The Big Move. She left Grandma's house in New Jersey and, with a packed little Yaris and her cat Jake, drove out to Anaheim, California to begin a new chapter in her life. She has friends out there that she met in college and others she met on line. She and Jake are sharing an apartment with three of the latter that is a short distance from Disneyland and has access to several Apple stores. She has job applications at both.
Relative to that move, Terry and I have been packing up much of what Jessica left behind and hauling it to the Aerie for sorting and storage. The trips back and forth to New Jersey (three so far) have been exhausting but productive. They have also been a bit of a challenge to schedule around possible snowfalls and rush hours, and to navigate when we miscalculate and get caught in a snow squall. I-80 the other day was a bear when there were several accidents including one that shut the west-bound lanes down completely. Luckily that was j-u-s-t passed our exit to turn north. Unluckily, it meant everyone had to take our exit which lead to one hellacious back up.
If nothing else, I've got a lot of books to read and music to listen to.
******
It's D-day minus three for Terry and my trip down south. Monday we set off in the Winnebago Access for Mardi Gras time! One of the couples we met on our trip to Alaska lives in the Lafayette, LA area and they are hosting a get together for the crew. Looks like there will be ten or so groups from that Alaskan Caradventure in attendance. We'll hit a number of small town parades while avoiding the Big Easy like the plague. Especially since the Super Bowl crowd will be there. (One of the couples has a son-in-law who works for the San Francisco 49ers and they have a chance to attend The Game. Lucky them!)
On the final day of our visit (February 12th) we'll have our own float in one of the parades. I'm looking forward to the people, the parades and the cajun food.
In preparation for our trip, we made arrangements to have a cat sitter come in to the Aerie to feed the ferocious four and empty their litter boxes. Mallory has done this before when we went to Portland, Oregon and American Canyon, California. A junior in high school, her Grandpa was our general contractor on the Aerie. Should the weather at the Aerie turn snowy, either Grandpa or Grandma has four wheel drive vehicles and will get her to the house on The Hill. The whole family is Good People.
We also made arrangements with a fella down the hill to plow us out should need be. He's the uncle of our local auto mechanic (who also volunteered to take care of our cats) and plows the neighbors' driveways/yards. I told him that if they need plowing to come over and do ours too. I'll need a place to put the RV when we get back.
******
The weather, after being unseasonably warm in early January, dove right past "normal" to abnormally cold. It was minus 2.2 degrees yesterday morning ON THE PORCH and never got above 6 degrees. The wind, when it was blowing hard, brought some snow squalls down from the Great Lakes and Finger Lakes. Now that it (the wind) has died down, we're jsut getting the occasional flurry.
Terry has a solo trip into New Jersey scheduled for Friday into Saturday to attend a baby shower. Forecast is for some snow along the way but the amounts keep dropping. She and I will keep an eye on those forecasts and, if necessary, will cancel that particular excursion.
******
The largest outdoor show on the East Coast is the Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, PA. It's a show that thousands and thousands of folks flock to every year. This year the organizers, Reed Exebitions, made a last minute decision to ban all things tactical because of the shooting that took place in NewTown, Connecitcut. This forced some vendors and non-profit groups to pull their product and their support from the show. It also set off a firestorm of protest. Hundreds of vendors large and small have pulled out of the show. Almost all of the celebrity speakers/demonstrators have cancelled. Virtually all the sponsors have pulled out. (I believe Progressive Insurance is the only sponsor yet to make a decision.) Thousands of potential attendees have decided that they would rather visit the vendors on their own sites rather than fork over the $10 entry fee.
The show is geared toward hunting, fishing, boating and shooting. Taking a stand against the 2nd Amendment by banning tactical firearms did not sit well with either the vendors, speakers, or the public. Also, the show typically has guides and outfitters from around the world. Many of them are in a bind because they are not local and Reed has not told them of what's happening and they haven't heard the news of the protest in progress yet.
Reed Exhibitions really misjudged this one. You might say they really screwed the pooch in giving the finger to their customers.
On a personal level:
Daughter Jessica has made The Big Move. She left Grandma's house in New Jersey and, with a packed little Yaris and her cat Jake, drove out to Anaheim, California to begin a new chapter in her life. She has friends out there that she met in college and others she met on line. She and Jake are sharing an apartment with three of the latter that is a short distance from Disneyland and has access to several Apple stores. She has job applications at both.
Relative to that move, Terry and I have been packing up much of what Jessica left behind and hauling it to the Aerie for sorting and storage. The trips back and forth to New Jersey (three so far) have been exhausting but productive. They have also been a bit of a challenge to schedule around possible snowfalls and rush hours, and to navigate when we miscalculate and get caught in a snow squall. I-80 the other day was a bear when there were several accidents including one that shut the west-bound lanes down completely. Luckily that was j-u-s-t passed our exit to turn north. Unluckily, it meant everyone had to take our exit which lead to one hellacious back up.
If nothing else, I've got a lot of books to read and music to listen to.
******
It's D-day minus three for Terry and my trip down south. Monday we set off in the Winnebago Access for Mardi Gras time! One of the couples we met on our trip to Alaska lives in the Lafayette, LA area and they are hosting a get together for the crew. Looks like there will be ten or so groups from that Alaskan Caradventure in attendance. We'll hit a number of small town parades while avoiding the Big Easy like the plague. Especially since the Super Bowl crowd will be there. (One of the couples has a son-in-law who works for the San Francisco 49ers and they have a chance to attend The Game. Lucky them!)
On the final day of our visit (February 12th) we'll have our own float in one of the parades. I'm looking forward to the people, the parades and the cajun food.
In preparation for our trip, we made arrangements to have a cat sitter come in to the Aerie to feed the ferocious four and empty their litter boxes. Mallory has done this before when we went to Portland, Oregon and American Canyon, California. A junior in high school, her Grandpa was our general contractor on the Aerie. Should the weather at the Aerie turn snowy, either Grandpa or Grandma has four wheel drive vehicles and will get her to the house on The Hill. The whole family is Good People.
We also made arrangements with a fella down the hill to plow us out should need be. He's the uncle of our local auto mechanic (who also volunteered to take care of our cats) and plows the neighbors' driveways/yards. I told him that if they need plowing to come over and do ours too. I'll need a place to put the RV when we get back.
******
The weather, after being unseasonably warm in early January, dove right past "normal" to abnormally cold. It was minus 2.2 degrees yesterday morning ON THE PORCH and never got above 6 degrees. The wind, when it was blowing hard, brought some snow squalls down from the Great Lakes and Finger Lakes. Now that it (the wind) has died down, we're jsut getting the occasional flurry.
Terry has a solo trip into New Jersey scheduled for Friday into Saturday to attend a baby shower. Forecast is for some snow along the way but the amounts keep dropping. She and I will keep an eye on those forecasts and, if necessary, will cancel that particular excursion.
******
The largest outdoor show on the East Coast is the Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, PA. It's a show that thousands and thousands of folks flock to every year. This year the organizers, Reed Exebitions, made a last minute decision to ban all things tactical because of the shooting that took place in NewTown, Connecitcut. This forced some vendors and non-profit groups to pull their product and their support from the show. It also set off a firestorm of protest. Hundreds of vendors large and small have pulled out of the show. Almost all of the celebrity speakers/demonstrators have cancelled. Virtually all the sponsors have pulled out. (I believe Progressive Insurance is the only sponsor yet to make a decision.) Thousands of potential attendees have decided that they would rather visit the vendors on their own sites rather than fork over the $10 entry fee.
The show is geared toward hunting, fishing, boating and shooting. Taking a stand against the 2nd Amendment by banning tactical firearms did not sit well with either the vendors, speakers, or the public. Also, the show typically has guides and outfitters from around the world. Many of them are in a bind because they are not local and Reed has not told them of what's happening and they haven't heard the news of the protest in progress yet.
Reed Exhibitions really misjudged this one. You might say they really screwed the pooch in giving the finger to their customers.
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
The Bowl Season Has Ended
Well, college football’s silly season has come to an end with
the crowning of Alabama’s Crimson Tide as National Champions…again.
My record for the Bowl Season: 20-15
Kristen’s Bowl record: 18-17
Ruthann’s Bowl record: 15-20
Kristen closed with a run (3-1) while I
didn’t (1-3). Thank goodness for Texas A&M and Johnny Manziel. These were
selections without consideration to the point spreads. None of us are going to
get rich with our picking college football games, but having a team to root for
certainly makes it more fun to watch these games.
With the exception of a few East-West,
North-South games in which seniors will showcase their talent for the pro
scouts—just slightly more entertaining than the NFL’s Pro Bowl—the next college
football game won’t be played until the last weekend in August.
Well, at least we still have the pro
football playoffs ending with the Super Bowl on February 3rd.
And, of course, pitchers and catchers
report on or about February 11th.
Monday, January 07, 2013
Bowl Season Predictions, Part 16
Finally. Monday is the BCS Championship game being played in
Miami Florida. The #2 Alabama Crimson Tide 12-1) tee it up against the #1 Irish
of Notre Dame (12-0). Alabama is favored by 9 1/2 points. Alabama was on this stage last year and won the title. Notre Dame hasn't been to a championship game since 1988 when a 12-0 team beat West Virginia for the title. Alabama and Notre Dame have met six times before and the Irish
have won five of those contests. Their last meeting was 1987. The Irish won.
They say defense wins championships. Alabama has the nations
#1 defense. The Tide is 1st against the run (79.8 ypg) and 2nd
against the pass (166.2 ypg). Notre Dame is 6th in the nation on
defense yielding just 93.3 ypg on the ground (4th in the nation) and
194.8 ypg through the air (19th in the nation). But the Irish have got Manti Te'o.
On offense, Alabama has the statistical edge ranking 38th
overall. The Tide gains 224.6 ypg rushing (19th) and 214.5 ypg
passing (74th). Notre Dame is “just” 48th overall when
they possess the ball. The Irish gain
202.5 ypg on the ground (29th) and 218.8 ypg via the airwaves (70th).
BUT the Irish have a knack of keeping possession of the ball. They are 11th in
the nation in time of possession at 32 minutes, 34 seconds per game.And they don't give up points. The Irish lead the nation i scoring defense yielding just 10.3 points per game. (Alamaba was second giving up 10.7 ppg.)
AJ McCarron is good. He’s completed 66.8% of his passes for
2,669 yards and 26 TDs while tossing just 3 INTs. Eddie Lacy is excellent. He’s
rushed for 1,182 yards and 16 TDs on 184 carries.
I expect the defenses to be pretty equal in this game. The key
to the game may well be the play of redshirt freshman QB Everett Golson. Golson
can’t match McCarron’s numbers (he only has 2,135 yards passing , 11 TDs and 5
INTs) but if he and running backs Theo Riddick (880 yards rushing) and Cierre
Wood (740) can keep their heads while those about him are creating all kinds of
mayhem, the Fighting Irish will win.
My pick: Notre Dame
Sunday, January 06, 2013
Bowl Season Predictions, Part 15
Sunday night at 9 PM the GoDaddy.com Bowl kicks off with the
Kent State Golden Flashes (11-2) against Arkansas State Red Wolves (9-3).
Arkansas State is favored by 3 1/2 points.
Kent State’s Dri Archer is a threat when either running or
receiving the ball. He leads the team with 1,352 rushing yards on 150 carries and
has another 539 yards on 35 catches. Archer has scored 15 TDs on the ground and
another four via the pass. As a team, the Golden Flashes average 228.3 ypg
rushing, good enough to rank 15th in the nation. Their passing game
isn’t nearly as good and they are ranked just 107th. Defense against
the pass isn’t so good either (103rd) but they are 40th
in the nation against the run.
Arkansas State has a pretty decent rushing attack (217.4 ypg
for 21st ranking) and also passing attack (264.4 ypg, 40th).
Overall, they are ranked 17th in the nation on offense. They are also
fairly well balanced on defense ranking 53rd against the pass (233.2
ypg) and 49th against the run (153.3 ypg). QB Ryan Alpin has
completed 67.8% of his passes for 3,129 yards and 23 TDs while throwing just 4
INTs. David Oku leads the rushing attack with 225 carries for 1,024 yards and
has scored 15 TDs on the ground.
Darrell Hazell will coach his final game for Kent State
before taking off for the head job at Purdue. This is the first appearance for
the Golden Flashes since they lost to Delaware in the 1954 Refrigerator Bowl.
(Heh. Odd names are not new to the bowl world.)
There’s plenty of emotion on both sidelines and this could be a back and forth slugging match. After its triple overtime loss to Northern Illinois in the MAC Championship, Kent State should be up to the challenge.
My pick: Kent State
Saturday, January 05, 2013
Photos of Christmas Eve.
{I should have posted these photos a week ago. I've no excuse but will say I STILL haven't posted some I took at Thanksgiving!]
Christmas Eve was spent at my sister Ruthann's house in a continuation of a long, long tradition. My Mom was from a large family (I think it was five sisters and one lone brother) and we used to gather every Christmas eve at one of the girl's houses for a family celebration. The number of people grew and grew as the cousins got older, wed and had kids of their own. We got close to 80 people at the top end.
Then some of Mom's sisters moved to Florida and age began to thin the upper echelon and the tradition sort of faded away.
As they have since those glory days, Ruthann and Al hosted their two daughters' and their families as well as one of Al's sisters (Nancy) and her husband and their two daughters (Lori and Jacki). Lori, in turn, had her husband and little daughter in tow. Some how, I managed to NOT take any pictures of my sister and Al or of Terry and Kristen's husband, Rich. Even so, there was a pretty good crowd in Ruthann's house and it will get larger next year as Lori and Kristen are expecting.
Ryan, Sami and Sandy (one of my nieces) were present along with...
...Aunt Kristen (Sandy's sister and another of my nieces), who liked playing with Sami's new toys.
Al's sister (Nancy) and her husband (Fred) were there...
...along with their daughters including Lori and her daughter Ashley...
...and her husband, Rhys.(Who was playing with Ashley's toys.)
Christmas Eve was spent at my sister Ruthann's house in a continuation of a long, long tradition. My Mom was from a large family (I think it was five sisters and one lone brother) and we used to gather every Christmas eve at one of the girl's houses for a family celebration. The number of people grew and grew as the cousins got older, wed and had kids of their own. We got close to 80 people at the top end.
Then some of Mom's sisters moved to Florida and age began to thin the upper echelon and the tradition sort of faded away.
As they have since those glory days, Ruthann and Al hosted their two daughters' and their families as well as one of Al's sisters (Nancy) and her husband and their two daughters (Lori and Jacki). Lori, in turn, had her husband and little daughter in tow. Some how, I managed to NOT take any pictures of my sister and Al or of Terry and Kristen's husband, Rich. Even so, there was a pretty good crowd in Ruthann's house and it will get larger next year as Lori and Kristen are expecting.
Ryan, Sami and Sandy (one of my nieces) were present along with...
Ryan, Sami and Sandy
...Aunt Kristen (Sandy's sister and another of my nieces), who liked playing with Sami's new toys.
Kristen
Al's sister (Nancy) and her husband (Fred) were there...
Fred and Nancy
...along with their daughters including Lori and her daughter Ashley...
Lori and Ashley
...and her husband, Rhys.(Who was playing with Ashley's toys.)
Rhys
Bowl Season Predictions, Part 14
Saturday afternoon we have the BBVA Compass Bowl out of
Birmingham, Alabama. The Pittsburgh Panthers (6-6) and Mississippi Rebels (6-6)
kick it off at 1 PM. Mississippi is favored by 3 1/5 points in this one.
Bo Wallace threw for 2,843 yards and 19 TDs for the Rebels
but also tossed 15 INTs. Wallace has also rushed for eight touchdowns. Pitt
yields an average of 196.8 passing yards with 13 interceptions compared to 12
touchdowns so expect Ole Miss to go heavily to the run.
For the Panthers, Tino Sunseri threw for 3,103 yards and 19
TDs against just 2 INTS. Ray Graham carried the ball 222 times for 1,042 yards
and 11 TDs. Graham also scored two TDs receiving. Inconsistency, however, plagued the Panthers
during the season. At times they looked like world beaters defeating then #13
Virginia Tech and taking #1 Notre Dame to triple overtime. They did put it
together in their final two wins against Rutgers and South Florida to become
bowl eligible.
My pick: Pittsburgh
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