Tuesday 8-30 Big Meadow Campground

Hi, welcome to my home

We woke up with temperature being 51 degrees. I woke up at 6:40 and made pancakes for breakfast. Then we got ready to leave. We weren't in any hurry our next destination was Big Meadow, which was 60 miles up the road.

Before leaving we walked over to Walmart to buy a few things. We were very surprised by how well stocked it was. They even had Great Value brand items in stock, things like their breakfast pork sausage, we hadn't seen this item since the pandemic started. We like the bakery mini pies and cakes and this was also well stocked with an assortment of different pies and cakes. We hadn't seen any pecan pies in months, in fact we hadn't seen hardly any of these in many months. They had Louisiana Crunch cake, it was a cake we hadn't ever seen so we picked one up. We also picked up a couple of pecan pies, cinnamon crumb cakes and an apple pie. We didn't buy too many because if you don't eat them fairly soon they dry out. At home we freeze them but the freezer in the Minnie is full. The employees were friendly. We had a great experience at Walmart.      

After Walmart we went to the Alamosa Recreation Center to take a shower. It is a gorgeous facility. It has been there since 2003 and is well maintained. It didn't look 19 years old. The lady who assisted us was very friendly. The facility has a gym and showers with lockers, an upstairs track and numerous rooms for other activities. There was a sign that told you the fees for the use of the facility. If you only want to take a shower it is $3.00. The showers are clean and the water was immediately hot.. It was great to have a shower in a nice place. South of the recreation center there is an ice skating rink and north of it there are soccer fields. In front there is a sculpture of a cowboy riding a bull and a plate saying 14 seconds. Next stop was at the Maverik to use their dump station, we're going to be in Big Meadows for six days and there isn't a dump. Maverik has a beautiful free dump station.

Welcome sign to the Alamosa Recreation Center

 

The family recreation center building

 

The bucking bronco

 

    Larry checking on something at the Maverik dump station

The ride to Big Meadows was a four lane highway surrounded by mountain ranges. When we got to South Fork we filled the Minnie up at Rainbow, it was the most expensive fill up. It was $108.02 for 25.127 gallons at $4.29 a gallon. But what can you do when you need fuel and it was convenient. 

Big Meadow Recreational Area in the San Juan Mountains is about 15 miles up the mountain. We have been here multiple times so we knew where to go. It is down a rough dirt road for about two miles. But it's well worth it because there is a gorgeous reservoir. During the day the lake is always busy with people fishing on the banks or in small boats on the lake. 

The campground has some first come first serve sites and other reservation sites. You can stay at the reservation sites if it's not reserved but you may have to move. We found a great site and parked the Minnie. Larry had to block the driver side of the Minnie to level it out. We decided to stay six nights, this weekend is Labor Day Weekend and we would certainly have problems finding another campground. There are no hookups here, we are dry camping but there are vault toilets and water spikets at the restroom to fill your water bottles. We really enjoy Big Meadows because it has great hiking trails, one goes around the lake, another one is a service road and another is the Archuleta Trail, it is a wilderness trail that is 6.5 miles long one way.

After setting up the Minnie Larry setup the solar panels. I had power so I played the Microsoft Solitaire Event: Easy Street of 30 games. It took me 1 hour, 3 minutes and 51 seconds, which put me in 16th place in my group. Larry went outside and read. Before Larry went outside we had a visitor, it was a fox trying to catch a chipmunk for dinner. When Larry was reading a chipmunk came to visit him on his chair and scared him. What a wonderful afternoon.

 

The fox

   

The chipmunk that out foxed the fox

 After I finished my games I walked around the campground for 45 minutes. When I got home Larry barbecued sausage links for dinner. Then we went for an hour walk around the campground and to the dam. As we were walking we met a couple and they asked about the hiking. Larry gave them excellent information. He told them about the trail around the lake and the service road. After we got home I rested then I walked around for an other half hour. Then I finished my steps by walking in place outside. I ended up doing 26,000 steps, which put me in 5th place in my group. 

 

Bridge that goes over the water fall at the dam

 

Big Meadows Reservoir

 

The overflow water fall at the dam

We had a super day. We are very excited to be camping at Big Meadow.    

 

Monday 8-29 Getting Towed & Getting the Minnie Fixed

 

Happy Campers

We had a long day of waiting. 

We woke up to the temperature in the 40s. Larry started the furnace, it was the first time it had run in years and it worked great. He only ran it until it got the chill out of the air. I made pancakes for breakfast and this also helped warm up the Minnie. 

At 8:00 Larry called Good Sam's to setup someone to tow us. It was a long process. When he called on Saturday the lady said everything was setup in the system and we just had to call on Monday and they would get the process started. Well, Larry called and had to go through the whole process. Then a representative came on the line and asked the same questions. Larry told her that we already setup a work order that had all the information. It took her a bit but she finally found it. The way they work kind of makes sense but it did take a long time. First they start calling repair places from a list of companies they have and once they find someone who is available to work on your vehicle then they start calling towing companies. While they do this they have you on hold and every 5-10 minutes they come back on the line and let you know the status. She could not find anyone on her list that would work on the Minnie. Larry suggested that she look at some companies listed on the internet in Alamosa, which was just 26 miles away. Joey's Diesel and Towing said they would work on the Minnie. Larry was happy because he had read reviews on the company and they were very positive. Now she worked on finding a towing company, I would have thought she would just have Joey tow us but I guess since he wasn't on her list she decided to find someone else. She setup Southside Salvage and Towing. This entire process took over two hours. She did an excellent job of helping us.  

While Larry was on the phone with Good Sam's a gentleman came by a couple of times to tell Larry we had to move because we were parked across the street from a fire station. The second time he came by Larry told him that he was on the phone with our towing company. He said he didn't know we were having problems and never came back. The weird thing was we were there all weekend at the same spot and no one came by. It was an old metal county building and there was never anyone there. He didn't appear to have anything to do with it, simply a guy who lived in the area and was driving around with his dog.

The gentleman from the towing company called and said he would be there within an hour. While we waited we had lunch. He showed up with a huge rig. He was glad of our location, we pulled the Minnie onto the street and he hooked us up, then he disassembled the drive shaft and taped it up. Larry didn't have to take off the motorcycle and carrier, it cleared the road about a foot. Once the Minne was hooked up to the wrecker we loaded unto the cab, it only had two seats so Larry and I had to share one. I got in first and I had to sit on the buckle of the seat belt. It wasn't too comfortable but we only had to go 26 miles. The ride was a two lane highway and the gentleman drove smoothly. He was very nice.

Getting towed by Southside Salvage and Towing

When we got to Joey's Diesel and Towing the tow truck driver went inside and told them he delivered the Minnie for them to work on, he knew the guys working there. They thanked him and he was on his way. Larry talked to Robert about what he thought was wrong. He told Robert, that he thought it was the fuel pump because the engine would stop when it got warm. Once he turned it off an waited a few minutes it would run for a few miles. New vehicles have an OBD II port that you can hookup a tester to and it will normally tell you what is wrong, our Minnie is one year too old so no OBD II port. Diagnosing it is much more difficult, based on Larry's description they also thought it was the fuel pump. He said that they would have the part in 45 minutes and then he could put us in the bay. There was a couple of trucks in front of us but they were almost finished with one of them. The part was delivered but it took a couple of hours before they got us in.  That was ok because we could stay in the Minnie and relax. When they finally got us in Larry turned off the refrigerator and we went to the waiting room, it wasn't much, just a couple of chairs at the front door.

They had to remove the fuel out of the tank, about 20 gallons. Then they had to lower the tank. It took a bit because the exhaust was welded to the bracket that held the tank in place. They replaced the pump and put the tank back in and filled it. We had gotten there about 12:30 and didn't leave until 6:30. It was a long day and hopefully the problem is solved. They said if it quit give them a call and they would come tow us back. Before leaving Larry asked them to check out a belt  squeal we have when we first start the Minnie in the morning. They believe the air conditioner compressor is causing the problem. The compressor has made noise for years and while Larry was not sure that was causing the problem it really needs to be replaced. They had to order the part and it won't be in until Wednesday. We'll come back.

We went to the Maverik convenience store to get water in the tank. Larry had read that they had a free dump and water for RVs. While there he put in a little gas. He didn't want to fill the tank just in case they had to work on the fuel pump again. 

After getting water and gas we went to Walmart, where we'll be stay the night. Once we parked the Minnie we walked to Wendy's for dinner. It has been a long time since we had been to Wendy's. We had the $5.00 order, Your chose one of three sandwiches (we chose the chicken club) then you get a 4 piece chicken nugget, small fries and a large drink. The drink wasn't good because it was too carbonated the worker said that they were waiting for the Coke Company to come and fix it. The sandwich was good. 

Dinner at Wendy's

I ended up doing 16,000 steps today, I was 9,000 shy of my goal but that's ok. I thought I wasn't even going to get 10,000 steps. This put me in 8th in my group. I'll probably will make up for the lost.

We had a very long day but the Minnie is running great.    

   

 

Sunday 8-28 Still in Fort Garland

 

We woke up to 51 degrees inside the Minnie, with a few blankets it was a great temperature for sleeping. I decided to make pancakes so this heated the Minnie right up. I'm a slow learner, when cooking pancakes in a cast iron skillet I usually have the flame too high and they tend to burn but today I remembered to turn the flame to medium and they came out great. I love my stove and oven because they work with propane and on a cool morning it heats the Minnie up and we don't have to start the furnace. I didn't get out of the 70s, perfect temperature

We didn't too much. Larry setup the solar panels so we had a plenty of power. I was able to play my Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong from yesterday and today. I was able to play today's Event: Two Game Tango Mini of 10 games (5 Free Cell and 5 Tri Peaks). It took me 1 hour, 7 minutes and 42 seconds, which put me in 18th place in my group. I did some Sudoku games.

While I played games Larry read. I ended up doing 26,000 steps by walking twice, an hour and a half each time. I completed the rest of the steps by doing them in place behind the Minnie. I ended up in 5th place in my group for the week with the total of 177,542. I'm happy I reached my weekly goal.

I walked to Dollar General to pickup dessert, an ice cream sandwich and a Snickers Ice Cream Bar. 

LIFE IS GOOD!!!!! 

Saturday 8-27 Change of Plans - Minnie Problem

 

We had a beautiful day

We had a beautiful day. A small rain storm came through the early morning, about 2:00. I had gone to bed at 11:00 so it woke me up. It was a nice rain but didn't last too long. 

By the time we got up the rain was gone and the roads were mostly dry. Larry got up around 6:00 and I rolled out of bed at 7:15. We put everything away and secured for our adventure to Colorado. While I finished putting things away Larry went over and put some money in the donation box. A few people left earlier and when we left others were getting ready to go. We were on the road by 8:00. Texhoma is a great place to stay for the night.

Larry drove 274 miles to Fort Garland Colorado. We started in Texas, drove through New Mexico and ended up in Colorado. Of course I napped most of the way. We drove mainly four lane highways and a lot of prairie land. During the drive we saw a lot of cattle some of them were calves. When we got to New Mexico we saw pronghorns. It was fun to look for them because sometimes you think the big rocks are pronghorns because they are the same color. We drove the highway through a couple of mountain passes. The passes were gorgeous with all the pine trees. As we drove through the passes we saw signs for drivers to watched out for deer, elk and bears. We stopped along the way to stretch our legs, fill up the Minnie and to eat. 

First stop was in Dalhart, TX, where we stopped at T T Donuts to buy breakfast. The reviews were good. Larry agreed with them. The lady was friendly and the service was great. We both agree the donuts were delicious. Next was at Loves in Clayton, NM for gas. Next was Raton, NM for lunch, I made sandwiches. Next was at the welcome to Colorado sign on the mountain pass between Raton, NM and Trinidad, CO. There was an overview, where the scenery was beautiful.

Welcome to Colorado sign

 

Mountain scenery at the welcome sign

Sunflowers at the welcome sign

As we were driving through the last mountain pass the Minnie started giving us some trouble. It started running poorly, there happened to be a pullover really close by that we pulled into and the Minnie died. Larry let it sit about 5 minutes and it started, after about 5-6 miles it started running poorly and Larry found another pullover and once again it died, after another 5 minutes it started again. We were in the middle of nowhere without a cell signal, the closest town was Fort Garland, it was about 20 miles from where the problem started, Larry would drive 3-5 miles and when he saw somewhere to pull over we would stop and sit for about 5 minutes and start up again, it took a bit but we were able to get to Fort Garland, unfortunately it is very small and without any repair places. Larry thinks the fuel pump is going out and when it gets hot it wants to stop. Our destination was Del Monte, which is another 50 miles away.

We parked at the visitor center and he called Good Sam's, which is our towing service company. They lady was very nice and tried to help but she couldn't get anyone out until Monday. She tried four different places. The policy is that they will tow your rv to a place that will service it. Everyone was closed for the weekend. She told us to call Monday. We'll stay the night here in Fort Garland. It is suppose to be in the 40's in the morning so we might try to drive the Minnie to Alamosa or we might just wait until Monday and get it towed there.

The good news is we are in a safe place and not broken down along side the road. We have a comfortable place to sleep and we know in a few days we will be back on our way.

After dinner we moved to a side street, the visitor center has a sign saying no overnight camping. Once we got setup for the night I walked around for about an hour. I ended up doing 15,000 steps I missed my goal by 10,000 steps. I stopped because the mosquitoes were biting me. I came in 4th place in my group. For the week I did 151,331, which is over my daily goal for the challenge. I have one more day to go on the 175,000 steps challenge.     

      

 

Friday 8-26 Happy Birthday Larry & Dumas Texas

Happy Birthday Honey

Happy Birthday Larry.

We had a beautiful day with the high temperature of 86 degrees with a little breeze.  

I made mini waffles for breakfast. Then we put things away and made sure everything was secured. We were on the road around 8:30. Today Larry drove 275 miles to Dumas, Texas. The drive was two lane and four lane highways through small towns. I spent most of the time napping, I'm like a small child, put me in a vehicle and I'll go to sleep. The scenery was rolling hills and prairie. We noticed as we were driving it was getting greener. I guess they must of been getting a lot more rain than we have. We stopped in Memphis to fill the Minnie with gas. Afterwards Larry parked the Minnie where the trucks were so we could have lunch, I made sandwiches.

We have stayed in Dumas at Texhoma  Park many times. It's a free overnight stay for RVs in a paved parking lot. There is a donation box. Each site has an electric hookup, there is a central water station and dump. There is an area for picnicking, play area for children and bathrooms with running water but no showers. There is also a dog park, 2 fire pit areas and a corn-hole game set. There are places close by to dine at.

We arrived around 2:30 and we were the only ones there. Since last year the City of Dumas had repainted the playground in the park and fixed the electrical boxes. The restrooms are still the same. You have no privacy but it does have running water. Today the sink's water was turned off because it was getting repaired. By 5:00 the campground was half full and by 9:00 it was almost full.

We setup the Minnie for the night. Once we did that we turned on the air conditioner. When it was time for dinner I heated up more of the Italian bake that I had brought with us. It's so nice to have power.  

Camping at Texhoma Park

We had just finished setting up when Larry received a phone call from his sister, Louise to wish him a happy birthday. After dinner his mom, Shirley called and wished him a happy birthday.     

I played my games. I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong and the Event: Two Game Tango Mini of 10 games (5 Klondike and 5 Pyramid). It took me 30 minutes and 44 seconds, which put me in 12th place in my group. Larry read.

I walked around the park a couple of times for a hour a piece. Then I walked in place outside to finish getting my steps. I ended up doing 26,000 steps, which put me in 2nd place in my group. As I walked around I saw the locals enjoying swing on the swing in the park and others walking their dogs. 

Playground at Texhoma Park

 

The swing in the park

Everytime I walk around the campground or park people stop and ask how far I walk a day. When I finish doing all my steps I do between 11 and 11.5 miles. I walk about 3 miles an hour, it's usually flat. When we're hiking we hike about 2 miles an hour because we're going up and down hills.  

Thursday 8-25 First Day of Fall Trip - Hamlin, Texas

Hamlin City Park

We started our Fall Trip today. I woke up at 7:30. Larry had been up since 6:00. When I got up we finished putting odds and ends in the Minnie. We doubled checked everything to make sure we didn't forget anything. We were on the road by 8:30. 

We're starting off by gong to Colorado so we are taking the same route as we did last year. Larry thought about changing things up and taking a different route but this route works out perfectly. For breakfast we stopped at Highway 371 Donuts. Today we drove 225 miles using mainly two lane highways. The route took us through and around small towns. As we drove we saw a lot of ranches with cattle, sheep and horses. When we got to Cross Plains we filled the Minnie with gas. It was lunchtime so Larry pulled to the back of the parking lot and we had lunch. We were going to go to Subway but decided to have lunch in the Minnie. I made salami sandwiches and we had chips to go with them. For dessert we had a donut. Cross Plains is about 75 miles from Hamlin. I did very well the first 200 miles, I didn't doze off, after that I dozed most of the way. It's my own fault because I stay up until 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning. 

We arrived at Hamlin City Park at 1:30. There was just one other camper. We have stayed here before, this is the first time someone else has been here. It's a very nice park. All sites are in a grass field with a covered picnic table with power and water. They have a restroom with running water but no showers. The first night is free, additional nights are only $15.00. In order to pay for the additional nights you have to contact the police. Our site is just across from the restroom. 

Once we were plugged in we turned on the air conditioner, it was 91 degrees. Then we set up for the night. I played my games. I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong before I went to bed. Today I played the Event: Easy Street Mini of 15 games. It took me 46 minutes and 57 seconds, which put me in 23rd place in my group. 

While on this trip my game playing will be limited, many times we will not have internet access which means no Daily Challenges and I won't be playing Angry Birds because it's not installed on this computer. I play too many games anyways. I guess I'll have to read.  

Larry read. 

About 3:30 I walked around the park for a half hour. I couldn't go any farther because it was too hot. I waited until after dinner to walk a little longer. I walked for an hour until I had to rest. Afterwards I walked another hour, this time I decided to walk the school track. I did six laps, which was 1.5 miles. It was a lot better for my feet. I ended up doing 27,000 steps, which put me in 2nd place in my group. 

In evening when I was walking there was a family of four playing in the playground and another five people walking the track. A Mom and daughter playing in the baseball field. I always like seeing the locals using their parks.

Hamlin park playground

School track

Hamlin High School football stadium

For dinner we had baked ziti. For dessert we had a Walmart mini chocolate cake. We had a super day. 

Wednesday 8-24 Ready To Go

 

Awesome day

We had another busy day finishing getting ready for our trip. We're so excited.

We started the day out by going to town. First stop was the post office to stop delivery of our mail. Next stop was the UPS Store to pick up our mail and let them know we were going out of town. On the way home we stopped by Jack & Jill Donuts.

Breakfast and Snack

When we got home Larry loaded the motorcycle on the carrier. I held it while he strapped it down. Then he covered it and strapped down the cover. The motorcycle is ready to go.

While he did this I played my games. I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong before going to bed. Today I did the Event: Medium Mayhem of 27 games. It took me 1 hour, 18 minutes and 4 seconds, which put me in 10th place in my group. Then I moved on to Angry Birds 2 and Angry Birds and Friends.

After lunch I went back to work on getting the Minnie ready to go. I finished loaded it up and made the bed. In the morning I just have to put a few more items in the refrigerator.

In the afternoon we took the truck and went to Walmart to recycle the old oil from the Minnie. We also stopped by Goodwill to drop off an item.

Afterwards I did my housework. I dusted, vacuumed and washed the floors. Then I did laundry. While the laundry was washing I made a bake to take with us on our trip. The leftover we had for dinner.

 Housework

In the evening we watched Doc Martin. Then I watched The Bourne Ultimatum. Afterwards I finished watching the 5th season of Bergerac. I ended up doing 27,000 steps, which put me in 3rd place in my group.

Tuesday 8-23 Trip Preparation

Busy day

It was a damp dreary day, loved it, I can't remember the last time we had a day like this. I don't think it got to 90 degrees. In the afternoon the sun came out. The birds were very happy, they were chirping away.

Getting ready for Fall trip

We started the day by going to town to go grocery shopping for our trip. First stop was Walmart to pick up most of the items we needed. Then we went to HEB to pick up the items we prefer to buy there. Last stop was The Dollar Tree to pick up the remaining items. Afterwards we went home.

Shopping with H-E-Buddy

We spent most of the day loading up the Minnie. I loaded up the dry items and then moved on to loading the refrigerator. Next I loaded up the clothes. While I did this Larry worked on loading the electronics and other items we take with us.

I attended Di Green and Terry McCann's Weekly A2 dance at 2:30 for an hour. Di called five tips with 10 participants. Terry danced with her but didn't call because he was tired from doing errands before the dance. Di worked on moves the dancers were having problems with such as Cast The Shadow, Motivate and moves that were requested. I had a great time dancing with friends.

Get a partner and dance

I played my games. I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong and the Event: Two Game Tango Mini of 10 games (5 Klondike and 5 Spiders). It took me 1 hour, 30 minutes and 35 seconds, which put me in 19th place in my group. Then I played Angry Birds.

In the evening we watched Doc Martin. When Larry went to bed I watched The Bourne Supremacy. Then I watched a couple of episodes of Bergerac. I ended up doing 27,000 steps, which put me in 2nd place in my group. 

 

Monday 8-22 Rain, Dancing & Relaxing

 

I'm excited

Why am I excited? We finally got some rain at the house. The rain came in around noon and stayed around. It wasn't hard but it was steady. I'm glad we got the rain because we really needed it. The rain kept the temperature in the 80s. This felt great.

Enjoying the well needed rain

We started the day out by attending Di Green and Terry McCann's Weekly C1 at 9:00 am for an hour. Di called five tips and worked on moves the dancers requested or had problems with. There were 24 participants. We had a super time dancing to Di and with friends.

Larry did a bit of home maintenance, he changed/cleaned the pre-filters on our air purifiers, replaced the A/C filter and treated a couple of fire ant hills. 

I did my Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. Before going to bed last night I reset the golden ticket by playing 12 games, this doubles my score when playing Solitaire. I played the Daily Challenge of Solitaire afterwards. Today I did the Mahjong Daily Challenges and the Event: Free Cell Adventure of 20 games. It took me 2 hours, 24 minutes and 35 seconds, which put me in 16th place in my group. I played Angry Birds 2 and Angry Birds & Friends. I did a Sudoku game.

We watched YouTube videos.

While I was barbecuing sausage patties a hummingbird came and visited me. It was drinking the nectar for awhile. Usually when I'm barbecuing the hummingbirds don't stop. This one sat on the bowl and drank. 

In the evening we watched a few episodes of Doc Martin. Then I watched Jason Bourne Identity on dvd. I watched an episode of Bergerac. I ended up doing 28,000 steps, which put me in 2nd place in my group.   

Sunday 8-21 Continue Getting Ready

 

Laugh and have fun

We had a great day. The temperatures were in the low 90s with a lite breeze.

Larry started the day out by taking the motorcycle down the street to fill it up with gas. Then he put some fuel additive in it and took it for a short ride to mix it in the fuel.

When I woke up Larry was gone, he was taking the motorcycle for a ride. Before he left he had made pancakes for breakfast.

When he got back he filled the tires on the Minnie and checked the fluids

Larry wanted to fill the Minnie with propane and get a haircut. Before leaving the house Larry checked in at Great Cuts. First stop was at Great Cuts. While he was getting his haircut I walked to Walmart to pick up my prescription tooth paste. While in Walmart I picked up a couple of things. 

Larry getting a haircut

When I walked out of Walmart it was starting to sprinkle. By the time I got to Great Cuts Larry was finished getting his haircut. Next we went to Ace Hardware to fill the Minnie with propane. As the gentleman was filling the Minnie it started to rain harder. It was lunchtime so we stopped at Taco Bell for lunch and wait out the rain. By the time we got to the entrance we were drenched. When we finished lunch the rain had stopped.

Playing in the rain

When we got close to home we noticed it was completely dry, it hadn't rained there. When we got home Larry wiped down the Minnie. Afterwards I started loading the Minnie with the dry stuff.

I played my games. I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong and Event: Pyramid Mini of 5 games. It took me 12 minutes and 18 seconds, which put me in 17th place in my group. Then I played Angry Birds.

We watched YouTube videos. I worked on my annual book.

In the evening we attended Loren Smith Weekly A2/C1 dance at 7:30 for an hour and a half. Loren called three tips of A2 with 14 participants, two tips of C1 teach with 13 participants and two tips of C1 review with 13 participants. In between the tips dancers talked about going back to square dancing in person. Loren worked on Linear Action and Scoot & Plenty. We had a super time.

After the dance we watched an episode of Doc Martin. Then I watched Star Wars Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi, this was the final movie of Star Wars. I watched an episode of Bergerac. I ended up doing 27,000 steps, which put me in 3rd place in my group for the week with 194,161 steps.

 

 

 

Saturday 8-20 Getting Ready For Fall Trip

 

Smile and be happy

We had a wonderful day. The front that came in yesterday kept the temperature in the mid 90s. There was a little breeze. This gave us a break from the temperatures in the 100s. It felt great.

We plan to leave on our Fall Trip Thursday so we started the day out by going to the storage center to get the Minnie. We drove the truck because it needed to go out for a ride. I drove it back from the storage center and it seemed like I was a low rider because I sat lower on the seat. It ran like a charm. We bought it new in 2004 and has about 146,000 miles on it. It's very reliable.

Our truck

While at the center we put on the motorcycle carrier because we're going to take the motorcycle with us. Before going home Larry made sure the lights on the carrier worked. Larry started the generator and we were on the road again.

When we got back to the house Larry changed the oil. It only had 3000 miles since the last oil change but if he didn't change it it would be past due by the time we get home. It doesn't take Larry long to change the oil, the engine was warm so the oil came out fast. I helped him by holding the funnel when he poured the new oil in the engine. Once the oil was changed Larry cleaned up the oil pan. 

Opening the valve to drain the old oil

 

Removing the old oil filter

Afterwards Larry moved the Minnie to the front of the garage. He made sure that the motorcycle carrier was bolted firmly on the back of the Minnie and locked it on.

Next project Larry did was take the motorcycle for a ride to make sure it was running correctly. It ran good.

Motorcycle ready to go on the trip

I played my games. I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong and the Event: Free Cell Mini of 5 games. It took me 11 minutes and 50 seconds, which put me in 12th place in my group. Then I moved on to playing Angry Birds. I also worked on my annual book.

While I played games Larry read. After he finished his book we watched YouTube videos.

In the evening we watched a documentary on Amazon called RBG. It was a 2018 documentary about U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's career and life. It was very good. Then I watched Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. I watched an episode of Bergerac. I ended up doing 26,000 steps, which put me in 2nd place in my group.    

 

Friday 8-19 Dancing to Ett McAtee & Having Fun

 

Awesome Day

We had an awesome day. A front came through late in the afternoon and it kept the temperature in the mid 90s. It clouded up and it looked like rain. We had thunder but very little rain, just a few sprinkles.

I spent the day playing games and working on my annual book. I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. Then I did the Event: Tri Peaks Adventure of 20 games. It took me 1 hour, 22 minutes and 1 second, which put me in 9th place in my game. Next I played Angry Birds.

While I played games Larry read.

Reading is fun

We watched YouTube videos. 

In the evening I attended Ett McAtee's Weekly A2 dance at 6:30 for an hour. Ett called four tips of A2 with 22 participants. When the dancers had problems Ett would walk through the sequence again. I had a great time dancing to Ett and with friends.

Grab a partner and dance

After the dance we watched an Amazon movie called The Aeronauts. We had watched it before and enjoyed it. Afterwards I watched Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope. It was the very first Star Wars movie and is still good. It was made in 1977. Then I watched an episode of Bergerac. I ended up doing 28,000 steps, which put me in 2nd place in my group.

 

Thursday 8-18 Dancing & Playing Games

 

We had a great day. 

We started the day out by going to Walmart to pickup a few things.

After taking a day off of dancing we went back dancing. We attended Dayle Hodge's Weekly C1 at 11:00 for an hour. Dayle called four two couple tips with 16 participants and one four couple tip with 15 participants. Dayle helped us get to the correct place by cueing when possible. We had a great time dancing to Dayle and with friends. 

I played games. I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong and Event: Two Game Tango Mini of 10 games (5 Klondike and 5 Spider). It took me took me 1 hour, 17 minutes and 10 seconds, which put me in 18th place in my group. I played Angry Birds. Then I worked on my annual book.

While I played games Larry read.

My niece Ashley wrote us an e-mail. Larry had made and sent them a layered paper crafted camping scene that included their RV.  She said it made her day. She and her husband Chase bought the RV a couple of years ago, they did a marvelous job of rebuilding it to fit their needs. Larry thought it would be nice to send them a special picture of it in a frame. He built it using his Cameo and it came out beautifully.

 

Layered Paper Project with Ashley and Chase's RV in it

In the evening we watched a movie on Amazon called Queen Marie. It was about Queen Maire, who was the Queen of Romania and how she fought for her country after the Germans had destroyed it during World War I. It was good but a little hard to follow, when the actors spoke Romanian you had to read the subtitles. Afterwards we watched an episode of Doc Martin. After Larry went to bed I watched Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. I watched an episode of Bergerac. I ended up doing 28,000 steps, which put me in 3rd place in my group.

Relaxing in front of the television