Wednesday stuff…

Check out that white patch…yep, it is SNOW and was just off our bumper in the free campground at Cumbres Pass.  At 10,000’, it is still chilly, especially in the shade.

These critters have apparently just been to the hairdressers for their summer ‘do.’  Someone will have a pretty wool scarf or sweater or two for their sacrifice.

So Maytag Man is not a happy camper.  The belt kept flying back off after he put it back on about another 10 times, so there must be a loose strut that is making the washer wobble.  He gave up at about midnight, but at least we got the load spun enough to hang out to finish drying.  You have to be handy when owing a moho because there is always ‘stuff’ that needs working on, much the same as owing a boat!  MM is a mighty handy kind of guy.

We picked up forest service maps yesterday in Creede when we visited the post office (thanks for the mail and the TIVO remote, Amy!), so we’ll go out driving and sightseeing today.   For you Mayberry folks, it is 43 this morning!

Life is good!

South Fork, CO

We enjoyed three free nights of camping, but moved on this morning N to the little town of South Fork where we'll spend two nights. Hello civilization! They have free wifi, so first order of business was to get online and download 200 emails, throw a load of laundry in the washer, and oh yes...get the slides out and everything put back in place inside. We each have our duties. Lunch will be fixed soon, but first I need to do a post and say howdy. I'll definitely be going around and visiting all my blog buddies just as soon as I can. Like, after lunch! I've missed y'all, and do appreciate all your comments.

Western Colorado is a beautiful state. We enjoyed a 25 mile drive along the Conejos River yesterday in the Conejos Valley, then stopped for lunch at a little restaurant that sure welcomed our business. Another couple stopped in, making a total of 4 customers. Hard to stay in business with those numbers.

We'll do as many scenic drives as we can around here before heading up to Creede on Thursday. We want to be in place before the busy holiday weekend begins, so Creede will be home till after the fourth.

I should have begun my aspirin therapy sooner before hitting such high altitudes. I assumed I would be OK, since we are driving and have sort of gradually been climbing higher and higher. Not. I got a bit of altitude sickness the first night at Cumbres Pass (10,022'), so sitting on the train all day worked out fine, since it didn't require any exertion on my part.

We wouldn't do that particular train trip again--it was 4 hours of sage brush, and 2 hours of pretty scenery--but we like trains so it was fun.

We saw two deer on the trip, as well as two mama elk and an elk calf, plus numerous cattle and chipmunks. And a bunch of alpaca the previous day. The only think exotic we saw along the Conejos River was a cute groundhog, and more chipmunks. They are absolutely everywhere!

Uh oh...Dick's gotta go put the belt back on the washing machine. For the third time. He is SUCH a handy man! Thanks, honey.

That's life from the road, y'all! Gotta go feed my hungry Maytag man...

Catching a signal

If we come the 100 yards to this quiet train station, we can get a cell signal, but camping is free!

Train ride was 4 hrs of sage brush and 2 hrs of pretty scenery. It was still fun.

Doing a day trip today, looking at southern Colorado. Beautiful! We'll move a bit north tomorrow.

Having fun on the road!
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All aboard!

Plan B: go to END of the line and ride the train toward closed Charma station. Lunch included on the 7 hour trip. Woohoo! Life is good!!!
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The view

This is a wee sample of what we saw yesterday as we drove a loop N of Taos and around the mountains enjoying about 150 miles of beautiful scenery, including one deer in velvet munching lunch beside the road. We stopped at Sipapu Ski Resort for our own lunch.

We are heading to Champa today, but possibly no train ride. Some idiot decided to burn a very necessary, old bridge. This is devasting to their economy when the train stops running!

Enjoy your day, y'all!
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Rio Grande Gorge Bridge

Gulp...it's a long way down, y'all. Don't look! Don't fall!!! It's 800 feet down to the bottom.
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Santa Fe and fun…

Dick and I took a drive up the mountain to check out the state park that was our original destination here in Santa Fe.  It was beautiful, but they didn’t have many sites our moho would fit in…so we stayed put and didn’t change campgrounds.

After lunch, we visited the Georgia O’Keefe Museum.  The only art on display were her abstracts, which are not exactly our cup of tea, but we are happy we saw them.  She was one of the greatest American female artists of the 20th century, so I didn’t want to pass up this chance to see some of her work.

Say hi to BSP sista Mary B!  She is in my online chapter, so we had never met in person until today.  She just happened to post online that she was looking at rain in dry Santa Fe…hey, we were looking at that same rain, so I quickly emailed her and she popped right over, being only five minutes away.  We enjoyed a good visit, and then dinner nearby.  Mary gave us lots of good tips on some neat places to see here in NM that we might have otherwise missed.  Fabulous!

So today the Griswolds are on the move again, heading up the scenic route to Taos for a first-time visit.  I think we’ll be there two nights.  And a train ride is planned for Saturday.

Having fun on the road, seeing lots of beautiful scenery!

Rolling, rolling, rolling...

You might be a redneck...

...if your home has more miles on it than your car.

Since we left Mayberry on Sunday, we have racked up more miles on our moho than on the toad, so I guess we officially qualify as rednecks.

What is a toad, you ask? Or a towed? However you want to spell it. It is that vehicle that follows the moho wherever it goes...wherever it is TOWED! Get it? That's a little moho humor for you non-RVers.

Yesterday, we crossed the Texas panhandle and arrived in Santa Fe. We opted to stay at a campground in town that offered electricity, since our refrigerator was needing a boost. Our intended destination was a state park north of Santa Fe, but their only two electrical sites had been taken. We'll check out that park this morning and perhaps move up there.

We've thoroughly enjoying seeing all the various crops through the various states--rice, wheat, corn, soybeans. And we are grateful that we are not farmers ourselves. We sure wouldn't be having time to travel like this.

We finally have 'real' internet, so I shall be doing some blog reading. I've missed my buds!

I wish friend Julia a very happy birthday today. Big hugs, my friend...

Enjoy your day, y'all. It's time to be having some fun!

Texas greetings!

This was us yesterday, parked beside a stream at the edge of a casino parking lot...lots of concrete in our view instead of the stream. Who planned that?

We were just E of Okla City; now we are on smooth roads (unlike OK) and are getting blown across the top of Texas. We expect to be near Santa Fe by late afternoon. All is well...enjoying the scenery and sunshine. And cooler temps!

Life is good out on the highway, y'all!
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New treads...gettin' ready to roll!

New front tires - check

Propane tank full - check

Fuel tank full - check

Canoe loaded - check

Fridge full - check

Bed made - check

Toad hooked up - check

Missy loaded - check


We're ready...and the plan is to leave at O'dark thirty today!

So where are we going? The first major destination is the Four Corners way out there in the SW. We'll have a full day of driving today, probably about 700-750, but Dick doesn't mind doing that. The moho is comfy and handles well.

Stop by each day and find out where the Griswolds are and what we are doing! Or not. If you live between GA and OR, let me know...we might be going through your town! We always enjoy meeting new friends...and seeing old ones.

On the road again...

Happy Father's Day!

Happy special day, honey. We are both mighty blessed with three great kids, two sons-in-law, and now four grandchildren. And of course Miss Missy, who can't be left out, since she loves you so much.

Let's keep the smiles going!

Blessings to all the dads in bloggerland. It is a tough job, but ever so rewarding.

Life is good...especially with a repaired laptop...but oh, such a pain getting everything loaded back in place. That is still better than having to share one computer while out on the road. Missy might return with only one parent! Just sayin'...

Go West, young man!

Can old people go, too?

Yes! And so we are.

We depart Monday, so today we are loading up the moho with most of the essentials because tomorrow it gets moved out of the moho bay so that Dick can hoist the spare tire up onto the roof (using equipment, of course).

My laptop hard drive is toast, so it is getting fixed and hopefully ALL my info will be safely restored without me having to re-load all those programs. It is what it is...and should be ready today for whatever the next step involves. My guru promised it would be ready in time for Monday's departure! He knows that it is a work horse and not a toy.

We get to have dinner with some moho friends tonight that are in town for the weekend. Enjoy your Saturday, y'all! Make it a good one...and stay tuned for the long ride...

Carnival Glory...glory be!

Bloggers Cruise 4 (BC4). Hear ye, hear ye. Read all about it here:

Fans of the popular blog of John Heald will have an opportunity to sail with the fun-loving senior cruise director when he hosts his fourth annual Bloggers Cruise aboard the recently refurbished Carnival Glory in February 2011. The seven-day Eastern Caribbean voyage will operate round-trip from Miami Feb. 27 - March 6, 2011, calling at Nassau, St. Thomas, San Juan, and Grand Turk.

Reservations are currently being accepted. Prices begin at $479 per person based on double occupancy and include all Bloggers Cruise-related events and activities. Fare code PBL must be referenced during the reservations process.

~~~

Dick could not book this online because you can't do that when you have to enter a fare code, so he learned. That is a heads up on that procedure, so check out Carnival's site if you are interested, then call a real person to book the cruise. You'll be glad you did, because it will be FUN, FUN, FUN!

Happy Friday, y'all!

New computer file message...

Finally, a computer error message I can understand...and appreciate!

So my laptop has been at the puter hospital now for 24 hours. I hope I get GOOD news today. The old desktop just doesn't have everything on it that I need, but I am grateful that it is working. And I am getting it updated...slowly...and not complaining that it is S.L.O.W. It is working, and that's what counts right now.

Missy is happy to have us home. She loves us unconditionally, even when we leave her alone for a few days. Thanks, Brian, for coming over and giving her some lovin'. See, she wasn't entirely home alone! And she is getting ready for a BIG adventure. Soon. Very soon.

Oh yes, Dick signed us up for BC4 (Bloggers' Cruise 4)! Come on bloggers, come cruise with us in February!!!

Enjoy your Thursday...I'm working in the moho today, so that will give you a wee hint of the "how" of our adventure!

Life is good, y'all!

Computer woes...

Sorry I haven't done much blog visiting. My comptuer decided to take a vacation of its own, something about some software on it not talking to each other, so I was computerless the whole time we were down in St. Augustine. That was awful! It goes to the fix-it place this very morning, so I am praying for a resurrection. I know Miss Bee sez to get a Mac, but none of my programs will work on a Mac and I sure don't want to re-purchase any of them!

This meant that after we returned home yesterday (smooth flight back), I had to fire up the old desktop that was so out of date, and get it to where I could get a wee bit of work done. While I was on that update roll, I added myself as a user on Dick's computer, just in case I ever need to borrow (take over) his.

Keep your fingers crossed for me, OK? It'll help make me feel better.

In the air again...

Full fuel. Check
Everything loaded. Check
Flight plan filed. Check
Pre-flight done. Check
Transponder set. Check
Ready to roll!
Land in 2.3 hrs. Roger that!

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Hot greetings!

Florida in June is not the place to be if you want cool weather, but I found a cool blogging...Linda- mouseski! And dtr Jamie. It was great finally meeting in person and collecting real hugs. Bee and Sarge get them next!

Well, bad news on my puter. I have to re-format and restore the whole blasted thing. I am NOT a happy camper, but it is better to find out this week instead of next week after we hit the road. Sheesh.
Life is still good, y'all!
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We're leaving, on a small plane...

Dick and I are pointing this baby south,flying to St. Augustine today. I know, Florida in June doesn't make sense, but his niece and her family from up nawth are coming down, so we are having a bit of a family gathering there, since we rarely get to see them. We'll all be gathering at Debby's house this afternoon for lots of food and catching up.

And an added bonus is that Linda will also be in St. Augustine for one night only, so we plan to meet later today. I get to meet another blogger friend...Woohoo!!!

Stay tuned for photos. Have a super Sunday, y'all!

Ceilidh fun...

First there was the Presentation of Colors by the Scottish American Military Society, followed by our national anthem and other presentations, then came the "Piping in the Haggis." That is what is on the platter being reverently held by the above chef. Who knew it had to be piped in?

Arthur Hays did a magnificent toast to the piper chef and to said haggis, that toast being said in "broad Scots." I recognized about six words in his diologue!

Roasted Beet, Onion and Goat Cheese En Croute was the appetizer; salad being Fresh Greens with Almonds & Warm Bacon Mustard Vinaigrette...both good.

The buffet contained an abundance of:
Cock-a-Leekie Soup (I am not making that up!)
Chicken in the Heather
Rumbledethumps (mashed potates with cheese...good!)
Borecole (kale)
Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
Scotch Eggs (had a sausage coating on the hard-boiled eggs)
Scottish Oat Bread
Highland Braided Bread

And to finish this off:
Chocolate Gateau (delish!)
Raspberry Cranachan

And of course HAGGIS. After hearing the ingredients of sheep parts, oats and herbs stuffed into a cleaned sheep stomach(thanks for that clarification) then baked, Joan and I both skipped this dubious treat. There aren't enough herbs in the world to disquise the image of sheep hearts, brains, hoofs, liver and whatevers being boiled and baked that will entice me to eat that concoction! No way...

Co-chair and founder Jim McAfee (L) did another outstanding job on the festival. Robert Valentine (R), comedian, was the Master of Ceremonies and did a fine job of keeping us entertained, as did Tres De Solei, billed as a "Traditional Scottish Trio." Also entertaining us all the way from Scotland was Colin Grant-Adams on vocals and guitar.

It was a very fine evening. Joan and I both want to go back next year!

Today, I need to finish a birthday present for Miss A, and do a little packing. We have a wee adventure that begins tomorrow.

Oh, to hear Tres de Solei, check out this link!

Enjoy your Saturday, y'all!

Food, bagpipes, dancing, story telling...

Sounds like a great time, right?

That is what Joan and I will be enjoying tonight at the 7th Annual Blairsville Scottish Festival Celilidh Reception! Although Dick and I attended a couple of informal ceilidhs up in Nova Scotia a few years ago, we have never attended the big whoopdeedoo in Blairsville, so this will be a first. And Dick is not going. Too bad. He'll miss a lot of toe-tapping fun...and good food.

Oh, in case you want to try to pronounce that strange word, it sounds like "kay lee." That's your Scottish lesson for today, y'all! Anyone have a kilt I could borrow???

Have a fun Friday!

Futures & Commodities Analysis...

FUTURES & COMMODITIES ANALYSIS

A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.

A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.

A successful woman is one who can find such a man.


Haha...I think we all know women like that last one! I tell Dick that he's got himself a good woman, since I know how to stretch a dollar or two.

So yesterday found us with NO internet after breakfast, and it lasted until early evening. I was busy playing BettyDamnCrocker anyway, so I didn't have much time to go online, but it also messed up my cell phone, which depends on my DSL to receive a good signal. Otherwise, my signal is very intermittent...and annoying. But today, everything seems to be working...and I don't have to cook at all. We are going out for Chinese tonight.

Also yesterday, we had our new priest (yay...we found one!) and a few friends over for dinner and a boat ride. I think this new guy will fit right in. He seems to have a good sense of humor, actually wants very badly to lead our parish, so he is a 'keeper' already. And he doesn't want to begin changing a thing. Smart man to get the lay of the land first. Unfortunately, his first service will be a funeral. Welcome to the real world.

Enjoy your Thursday. Life is good!

Shopping Mathematics...

Here is one for Miss Bee...oops, she is on a shopping ban:


SHOPPING MATHEMATICS

A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs.

A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item she doesn't need.

Do either of these fit anyone you know???

Business mathematics...

So what is the next math lesson you ask? Well, here it is:

BUSINESS MATHEMATICS

Smart boss + smart employee = profit

Smart boss + dumb employee = production

Dumb boss + smart employee = promotion

Dumb boss + dumb employee = bankruptcy


There is a lot of DUMB going on out there now, so don't fall into that category, OK?

This is public service info at NO charge! Make it a SMART day, y'all!

Love is in the air...

With this being June and weddings and engagements probably happening to someone you know, I will set about giving y'all a little bit of a different math lesson and a few things to think about:

ROMANCE MATHEMATICS

Smart man + smart woman = romance

Smart man + dumb woman = affair

Dumb man + smart woman = marriage

Dumb man + dumb woman = unplanned pregnancy

Stay tuned for the next math lesson! Happy Monday, y'all!!!

Annie Moses Band rocks the house!

This band rocks! Absolutely, positively multi-talented, two-generation family, missing their youngest guitar player last night, out with a broken arm. That happens to 12 year olds! On stage were two keyboards, piano, cello, viola, mandolins, guitars (and a fill-in guitarist), violins, and an incredible harp! Oh yes, and drums and a drummer (non-family). Also on stage are the parents of these six talented kids on keyboard and back-up singing.

Trained in classical music, they play and sing a bit of everything. They are a delight to the ears and to the eyes. This is Joy getting an autograph from lead singer, violin-playing Annie, who is the oldest at 26. And this was Joy's third AMB concert! We will both go again.

Oh, and this gal is not THE Annie Moses. That Annie was her great grandmother, so all six of these performing kids are the fourth generation of singers/musicians. What a beautiful legacy that is!

Enjoy your Sunday...enjoy some music. Music is a good thing, y'all!

Boys and their toys…

Hey, shy birthday boy!  This one loves to ‘hide’ under his hat…and play with anything on wheels or tracks.  He particularly loved this little yellow number…

 

Last night, the family gathered for a more relaxed celebration than the kiddie one earlier in the day.  Big kid Grumps had fun helping Doodlebug with the balloon pump.  After filling these skinny balloons with air, they got released and flew around the room, squeaking while bumping into everything.  A good time was had by all!

Lake house update:  the lady had to postpone her visit.  Rats. 

So today Dick has gone out to mow already, and hopefully not aggravate his back.  And Joy and I are going on a road trip to a concert tonight.  We’ll have a toe-tappin’ good time for sure!

Have a great day, y’all!  Share a smile with someone…

Celebrate...again and again!

Check out this bowl of heaven on earth. This is what I'm taking to Amy's house tonight, by special request, to celebrate Scooter's birthday with the family.

He'll have cake with his wee friends at lunch time. I'll take naner puddin' any day over birthday cake! This is my very own recipe for Sour Cream Banana Pudding. Good stuff!

Say a little prayer for us, please. A lady is coming back this afternoon for a second look at Amy's big lake house. The kids really want this sale and be DONE with it!!!

Enjoy your weekend. Life is grand, y'all!

Local excitement!

Happy Birthday, sweet Scooter boy!

This same boy gave us quite a scare last night. He is fine, let me say first thing, but it was feared that he had eaten a moth ball (spread around the tires of the fifth wheel camper to ward off critters). Jason called the poison control center (very helpful folks!), who recommended that Amy whisk Scooter to the ER while Jason did a water/salt test to first determine which type of moth ball it was (who knew there were two kinds?). This was the bad kind. The poison control guy alerted our ER of the situation ahead of Amy’s arrival, so they were ready. Scooter had to drink some charcoal that would attract any bad elements to either throw up or land in his diaper, and land it did. And will continue today.

I stayed with Doodlebug during all this, until the kids were safely back home just prior to the midnight strike signaling Scooter’s second birthday.

Man, we can do without this much excitement! And this is the very same boy who won’t eat yogurt with bits of fruit in it! We think he just SMELLED the nasty little moth ball, but obviously we could not take a chance that he had ingested anything bad. Amy will have fun scrapping about this adventure!

Monkey Macey still holds the family record for causing TWO calls to the poison control center in ONE day, when she was also about two years old.

Our family is far from dull!

Scrapping gals...

Whew. Joy and I were busy scrappers last night. Can't you tell? We completed 10 pages for our BSP chapter scrapbook. TEN! We cut; we cropped; we pasted; we stamped. We had fun. And we need more page protectors to finish the job! This scrapbook chronicles our year in BSP and will be presented to the outgoing president when it is finished. August is our deadline...and I am leaving town before the end of June, so that is the REAL deadline!

And of course we were sitting in my scrapping area, the one holding a bazillion of my very own unfinished and new projects. I'm feeling creative...ready to tackle a scrappin' project or two...and not let that new red beaded necklace project tempt me! No sirree. I have my priorities.

Uh oh. I just looked at the calendar. Scrappin' and the necklace will have to wait until I can get a birthday bracelet made first. At least I already have the stuff to make that one.

The Battle of the Projects is on!

Tuesday and tired...

Despite having to take refuge from the rain in an empty boat house, we had a brief pontoon ride and a good time with friends yesterday. There was a variety of GREAT food and abundant laughter...and not one photo to prove it. Dang.

I was plumb tired and in the bed early last night. Like Missy is doing, a nap would be welcome later on today...but probably won't happen.

Yesterday's missing sun is trying to peek out this morning. Hello, Sun. Don't be shy!

I hope you have sunshine and smiles in your day today, y'all! Life is good!!!