A Bad Adventure Today

Got in a knock down yelling argument with the contractor.  I basically had to let him do it his cheap looking way or he was going to walk off the paid in full job.  No sense going into the details. 

Drove 80 miles one way to see the lawyers handling Mom Hill’s trust – nothing good there for sure.

Went to the bank – before and after the lawyers.  I had to set up two new accounts and another one for later on.

Carol did fix Mom Hill’s new TV by reading the instructions and following them.  She wanted us to take it back because the remote didn’t work.

Can’t say anything really good about today other than the thought that we are leaving in two weeks.  We are starting to have more flashbacks of our prior lives and the hustle bustle of it.  It just makes us appreciate the laid back atmosphere of full timing that we are starting to miss.

See Ya……………

Early Bird Gumbo

I was at Wally World at 5AM getting ingredients for my yard bird gumbo.  I just felt like making it. I get back to the rig and realize I forgot the white rice so I will use brown rice instead.  Gumbo is pretty easy to make but everybody likes it made a different way.  I make it my way which is with a lot of spices (10), veggies (5), yard bird in this one and if you like it – great, if not – oh well. 

Gumbo must have a good foundation.

Now I need to find a hungry person and make them a judge.

I found someone.  I’m not going to mention Mark Nemeth’s name so I will just call him the judge. I do add just a little hot “stuff” for more flavor but not burning. Just that  tingling on your tongue let’s you know it could be very hot very easy.  As you can see, I have a basket of hot “stuff” that I got from the Tabasco factory last year. Mark loves the hot flavor. He also liked the brown rice to put the gumbo on.   He did say that veggies needed to be cooked more but overall it was “pretty good”. He was really hungry.  A hungry judge is a good judge.  

And the work continues………….

Tomorrow is attorney day. I feel like the day before I went to the hospital for my butt operation.

See ya………….

High Enough

The mini barn only has a few windows.  The upstairs frame is up. This is looking out one of those windows. Wow, it is high.  I told our neighbor, Wayne, he no longer can lay on the bed in his tiger stripe Speedos.  He said I shouldn’t be looking.  Hey I don’t have that many windows. We had a few laughs…..

We did do a few things today but nothing worth talking about here.  We were told that the mini barn will be done no later than Thursday.

See Ya…………Gumbo tomorrow? Maybe…..

Big Is Better – Maybe - Kinda

Mom Hill’s mobile is 16X48 which equals 768 sq feet.  The mini barn that is in progress is 16X24 which equals 384 sq feet.  But it’s a double decker which means it’s 768 sq feet.  Our RV is under 400 sq feet.  What does all this mean?  It means while we are parked here in Livingston we have four additional big RV’s to put “stuff” in.  Carol says more to clean.  I say “Where the hell is that thing I put somewhere special so I wouldn’t lose it?”.  Based on experience, I’m very positive the organization of all this “stuff” will come within the next decade or so. 

Yes, a car can drive thru the doors.

Patches, our cat, can’t wait till it’s done. 

Today was the first day of the down side of the big hill we have been climbing.  Hopefully we will be back in the valley come April 1st.  In other words the dust should be settled for the most part.  All done - OVER if you didn’t get it.

See ya……….

Just Another Day Gone By - Shot

At 5:30 AM I’m sticking a turkey in the smoker.  I wonder who the real poo bird is at this time.  At 6AM we pull out in a borrowed truck, a borrowed hitch and Mom’s trailer attached. I feel like we are going to West Virginia. I ‘m not really thinking how dumb this is at the time.  I just want to “getter her done.”  Two hours later we are setting in south Houston at PPL Motorhomes with a trailer. What’s wrong with that picture of being at a motorhome dealer with a pull behind trailer to sell.  This place is huge…

I’ve talked to them over the phone so I had an idea how we were going to be raked over the coals – I mean how the transaction was going to work.  So, when the doors opened we walked in backwards bent over.  About two hours later we left without the trailer and a lot less Vaseline.  Bottom line, we made the choice to do the deal.  I even got slap happy and starting cutting up with jokes and had them really laughing.  Of course they were laughing on the way to the bank with my money. Even though we were hog tied and tortured it was our choice like I said.  PPL is a good outfit to buy or sell a RV.  Their RV parts store was better than Camping World.  We were so poor after the deal we couldn’t even buy an outside light sensor.  In other words I forgot..

We get back to Livingston.  We cleaned the lot at CARE where Mom Hill’s trailer was at, returned the borrowed hitch and the borrowed truck.  I was going over the new car tow bar and realized a major part was missing. Called the RV dealer and it will be Fedex overnight Monday. Then the car dealer called and said they found the owners manual but hadn’t gotten the cargo mat for the car yet. I asked them when they get it to Fedex and he agreed.  We also got the new car tow cover from coastline. It will have to wiat to be checked out.

Now the turkey is done and Bill Joyce and Diane Melde arrive for smoked turkey dinner.  Shortly there after Jon and Sue Glick came over for dinner too.  We all fixed the world problems and shared our adventures of both past and future plans.  It was great.  Now these people are computer geeks.  I need my computer “fixed” but time ran short and it will have to wait for another time down the road. Time, time, time – seems like that word is coming up a lot the last few weeks.  Anyhow, them being geeks they really wanted to get into my computer and I wanted them to but my head kept falling into the turkey while I was eating.  We were burnt more than the turkey.  I slept solid from 9PM to 5AM which is VERY rare for me. Maybe it had something to do with the beer and pills.

The mini barn is coming along. The first floor is framed and the flooring is down for the second floor.  Yes, that’s right people, it’s a two story shed and a car can driven into the first floor.  Carol says it can also be my dog house.  Hey, that’s fine with me..where’s the remote?

Hey the sun is up so gotta go check on my “stuff” like a pack rat.

Pictures tomorrow…see ya……

Just Another Day Of Adventures

The morning started off by looking like this.

Then at the end of the day like this.

We are starting to look like we are the neighbors from hell.  We got blue tarp all over the place. All we need now is a couple of cars on blocks.

The Salem trailer is Mom Hill’s.  It was at CARE.  I’m getting ready to take it down to Houston tomorrow.  Yes, I backed it in next to the new car.

Here is Mom Hill’s new car that Carol & I are trusted with the care of. NOT your tax dollars at work but spending as if it were.  A campfire story…. 

See Ya…….

A Little Busy Today

Today was probably our busiest day this week. I won’t bore you with too many details.

Here’s Mom Hill’s trailer setting over at CARE.  I got it just about ready to move.  If anybody wants it cheap –way below the $17K Blue Book value - call me NOW!!!!    In front of her trailer was a 8’ X 16’ porch.  I had it moved over to our lot.

It’s amazing what 6 Mexicans and a pick up can do.  If I hadn’t seen it I would not have believed it.  I was so amazed I forgot to get a picture.  I think I forgot to tell them to attach it to the porch also. Tomorrow is another day for sure.

I think it’s going to be a pretty nice add on. 

The slab is done. Of course it rained hard last night.  

OK, I think I can remember most everything. Met with the contractor (2) at 7AM. Moved the porch, talked with  Poliseek Insurance, talked with Tiffin, talked with GEICO, went to State Farm Insurance, moved Mom’s giant heavy chair out of her trailer, met with funeral director, talked with PPL motorhomes (selling mom’s trailer), got Mom’s trailer ready to move, moved her stuff over to our porch, sold her scooter, emptied out and got the CR-V ready to sell to dealer, then it was lunch time.  Then we did a few other things I can’t remember and left for Houston. Yes, we got their to Houston in the smack middle of rush hour. Got to the car dealer and of course the new car wasn’t picked up from the RV dealer yet. So we waited around for an hour. The car arrives and they said they had to clean it up. Now we are a little tired and getting anxious. They bring the car around and it’s looking good.  Then I go over my check list and they forgot to add some expensive dealer options and I’m still holding my cool.  They are now running around to get these last minute items. Boy, their attitude wasn’t quite as good as when we were buying the damn thing. Now, bottom line we are missing the floor mats and all the owner’s manuals. They gave us some hard to believe story and will mail them real soon.  We start to leave and the inside windows were filthy. I went inside to the sales manager and explained to him that some one was going to have to clean all the NEW friggin car windows before I leave. He could tell I was starting to loose my cool.  He came out and he looked and appeared to be very embarrassed and rightfully so. Now I got two guys cleaning windows and even wiping those shiny wheels and the entire car.  It’s really hard to believe the delivery of this car and I had to tell them what they neglected to do.  They sucked at this end of the deal……..

Anyhow, we stopped at the Red Lobster to soak our sorrows about the poor delivery process.  Yes, the car itself is great.  It’s got a lot of buttons and do dads and we wish we had a book to tell us how to use them. We just pushed buttons as we drove the 90 miles back to Livingston.  Carol really LOVES the heated seats. The computer said it was getting 38 MPG on the way home. We got the Navigation system figured out. I might have drove home half way with out headlights though. It hasn’t rained so I will figure the wipers out then. I figured out the green side (hybrid) side of the car too. Below 45 MPH it runs on electric if you use the gas peddle ever so lightly. The gas engine itself is a little noisy.

We got back to Livingston about 9:30 or 10":30 PM, I forgot which.  It was an active day for sure.  Friday and Saturday will be pretty active also.

So, see ya………yes, pictures of the car to follow.

Etched In Stone – real soon

Here’s what the day started out like – quite.

Then things were rockin and rollin.

 

Here comes the beef. The slab took two of these babies.

 

This ought to be good for my sewer, LP and water lines within less than three feet.

 

Modern technology. The driver is working a little switch box to operate everything as he stands there. It’s probably an old converted Atari game.

 

Looks like government employees. Normally these guys are busy bees. A well deserved break between heavy work.

 

Nice legs*&^%^((*&%#$@$%&.  These guys must have gotten their boots from Dennis Swan. He wears those things when he washes his rig every three years even if it doesn't need it.

 

Wayne Roberts is over there waiting for the moon to rise. 

Then it started to rain.  The workers threw plastic over the wet cement and waited.  It stopped and they continued to finish up.  These boys are good.

Here Today – Gone Today

 

There are two sheds here.  There is a plastic one to the right.  GOING……….

GOING………

GOING……….

REALLY GOING………

GONE!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Ain’t it pretty…………..28’ X 24’ will be the cement slap.  A 16 X 24 double decker mini barn will go up pretty soon.  And then our old plastic shed will go next to it.  Why so big you are asking?

Wait a minute.  Here’s are neighbor Wayne.  He just got finished building a house.  He now enjoys watching others build.  He deserves too..

Here’s why we need a larger shed.

And here…….

And here…….

And here……yes that is a dishwasher and it works fine.

Carol & I started unloading the two sheds at 7AM.  About 8 AM four workers were helping also.  At 9 we were all done.  They finished doing there thing at 5 PM.  Wow, Carol got me doing physical work again.  Then that night we went to Lowe’s and picked out the colors we wanted. What’s wrong with red I asked. Carol chose a light tan to go with the environment.  It’s a barn and I say it should be red! Oh well, a happy woman is a happy man – dog po brown does go with the environment I guess… If you think the mini barn should be red – email Carol at rvhills@yahoo.com.

Dog po brown???????????????? This is the one at Lowe’s.  We are one having built similar to it but better quality along with larger doors so a car can fit.  Yes, a car.  I don’t know why.  It seemed like a good idea at the time.  Why so tall? Well, I guess we spent too much time in California where they build things up rather than wide.  It’s like the Honda.  It’s so ugly it’s cute.  I guess that’s why Carol married me 38 years ago.

See ya……….

Chow Down Hogs

When RVers come to Livingston they usually end up eating at Catfish Kings and Texas Pepper. They are excellent eateries and have their own atmosphere.  Then the lucky people find Florida's.  Whoa, baby back ribs, fired catfish – man it is good ole grandma’s southern cooking.  Then there are a few other places.  One being the Courthouse Whistle Shop Cafe.  It’s across the street from the courthouse – duh…You can get two eggs, taters, crisp bacon, toast and coffee for about 5 bucks.  The ma pa atmosphere is great. A real nice little odds & ends, old stuff, store next door, not junk just old “stuff”.

Then on the outskirts of west Livingston is Buster McNutty’s place.  Visitors usually don’t drive out this far and therefore it’s easily over looked.  It’s a western Texas restaurant & bar.  It’s OK for non Texans to eat here.

They got a dance floor over on the other side. 

Hats on the wall.

 

Dear heads on the wall

Bears in corners. Yes that is a camera next to it’s nose.

Texans are proud of their state and show it by displaying their flag.

They believe the Duke’s spirit is still here in Texas.

 

Then you got the owner and the chef. I will let you figure who’s who.

They got steak, shrimp, steaks, fried okra, steak, real burgers, steak, taters and gravy, steaks, beer, steaks, crawfish and oh yea they got good steaks too.

Great, I made myself hungry and everything is closed. Now I have to go find something to eat…

See Ya.