2008 has been quite a year! I suppose every year is eventful in retrospect but it sure seems like 2008 will go down as something to remember - like 1492, 1776, 1929, and 1968. No - not like 1968 - now that was a really special year!
Looking back now we (Peggy and I) certainly had a lot of fun and positive things happen. We got to visit the Florida Everglades in January, got to play in the snow with our granddaughters in New Jersey in February, managed to paint the first floor of the house in March/April, visited the Great Smokeys and Tennessee in general in May/June, spent July in Maine catching up on yardwork and more house improvements, back on the road in August/September seeing the USA and visiting lots of relatives, got to visit Acadia National Park in October with Nan, had all the kids here in Maine for Thanksgiving in November, and had a white Christmas. Now that's a pretty good year in my book!
In spite of all the negatives brought on by the national economic calamities we managed to have a pretty good year in 2008 and we plan on having at least as good a year in 2009 - why look forward in any other way!
Now that 2009 is here (well almost) it is time to start really planning the Winter 2009 Snowbird Experiment. Although we will be making a very late start as compared to real snowbirds - I am looking forward to heading south and warming up a bit for several weeks at least. As Peggy will tell you - Mikee has been chomping at the bit ever since the last leaf was raked to get back in the motorhome and look for warmer weather. Peg has some Church related commitments to take care of in January and early February so we are holding off until those are satisfied. Meanwhile Mikee will start making his pre-trip checklist(s) and then start checking off the chores one-by-one!
The early plans include heading south somewhere around the 17th of February plus or minus the weather. I will be looking for a window of opportunity with decent weather forecasted for enough time to get the motorhome out of storage, throw our "stuff" inside, and get far enough south before having to deal with any major east coast winter storm. This could be an interesting challenge in mid-February.
Depending on the weather we hope to spend some time visiting Brian, Nicky, and the girls in New Jersey before heading further south. Since we will be traveling in February I plan on keeping relatively close to the coast as we head south hoping to avoid any snow/ice so we will probably travel on I-95 for much of the trip. We haven't gone this way during our past trips because I think I-81 is a much nicer road/route but I would rather minimize the potential for slipping and sliding. The other important rule for this trip will be - If it's gonna snow - don't go! So we may need to park for a day or two if we happen upon some nasty weather.
The initial itinerary will be to visit Florida for about a week, probably staying at an "Escapees" RV park in Bushnell, FL. "Escapees" is an organization catering to the crazy RV lifestyle, especially those full-timing gypsy type Rv'ers. After warming up for a bit in Florida we plan on heading west to visit our full-timing friends Darrell and Judy Patterson who spend their winters at another "Escapees" park in Summerdale, AL not far from the Gulf of Mexico. After seeing how those full-timers manage to survive wearing their shorts and sandals all winter we are thinking about heading to central Georgia to attend a national RV Rally. We have not had that experience so we thought it might be fun to give it a try.
After that - who knows? Somehow we will manage to make our way back to Maine - but only if the snow is gone!! (So says Mikee anyway - Peggy wants to be back around the 1st of April so that's probably what will happen).
In the meantime - gotta get working on that checklist ...
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
Christmas in Vacationland
Peggy and I hope you all had a great Christmas celebration in whatever form(s) you celebrated!
We spent Christmas eve day shoveling a bit more snow from the deck in the backyard, reading, and relaxing. In the evening we joined Stacy and Kaj for the Christmas eve service at church and then came home the three of us joined Eric and Jen for some snacks and gift giving. We both got some great gifts from the kids including new socks for Peg and a new wallet for me ... and then there was the battery powered bug zapper paddle from Eric and Jen. I think those two saw the joy that Uncle Don and Uncle Ernie got out of bug zapping in Yreka earlier this year and figured dear ol Dad needed to join in the fun. Since there are no bugs to Zap in Maine this time of year - we will have to carry the new Zapper with us down south and see how much trouble we can get into by using a Yankee bug zapper on Confederate bugs. They are probably laws against such activity - I'll have to check.
We had a nice Christmas day with temps approaching 50 degrees. Stacy joined us for a great Christmas dinner and Peg outdid herself as usual with a fantastic rib roast, twice backed potatoes, and salad. I'm really looking forward to the leftovers!
Now it's on to 2009.
We spent Christmas eve day shoveling a bit more snow from the deck in the backyard, reading, and relaxing. In the evening we joined Stacy and Kaj for the Christmas eve service at church and then came home the three of us joined Eric and Jen for some snacks and gift giving. We both got some great gifts from the kids including new socks for Peg and a new wallet for me ... and then there was the battery powered bug zapper paddle from Eric and Jen. I think those two saw the joy that Uncle Don and Uncle Ernie got out of bug zapping in Yreka earlier this year and figured dear ol Dad needed to join in the fun. Since there are no bugs to Zap in Maine this time of year - we will have to carry the new Zapper with us down south and see how much trouble we can get into by using a Yankee bug zapper on Confederate bugs. They are probably laws against such activity - I'll have to check.
We had a nice Christmas day with temps approaching 50 degrees. Stacy joined us for a great Christmas dinner and Peg outdid herself as usual with a fantastic rib roast, twice backed potatoes, and salad. I'm really looking forward to the leftovers!
Now it's on to 2009.
Monday, December 22, 2008
A Winter Wonderland
Do not fear. I will not break out into another fit of prose in this entry - even if a few interesting lines do come to mind.
Winter has definitely arrived here in New England. I think the high yesterday was around 10 degrees during the nor'easter that brought around a foot or so of drifting snow to the area. As you will note in the pictures - Mike has been busy this morning with the snowblower and snow shovel! Peggy tried to help but she has been having "issues" with some tendinitis in her shoulder and started to feel a few twinges so she wisely quit before she really hurt something.
Winter has definitely arrived here in New England. I think the high yesterday was around 10 degrees during the nor'easter that brought around a foot or so of drifting snow to the area. As you will note in the pictures - Mike has been busy this morning with the snowblower and snow shovel! Peggy tried to help but she has been having "issues" with some tendinitis in her shoulder and started to feel a few twinges so she wisely quit before she really hurt something.
Today is grand daughter Alyssa's 9th birthday. Happy birthday Alyssa! G'Ma and G'Pa wish they were there to help you celebrate but you will have to do it without us this year.
Only 2 more days and a wake-up and we get to see what Santa has brought! As I understand it - Santa has had a tough year. It seems that all his elves went out and bought houses on credit with mortgages that all of a sudden doubled - and then they maxed out their credit cards. Not only was Santa in trouble because he co-signed all the debt of his elves ... he also had to bail out the banks that extended the credit to the elves and the company that built his sleigh. So it looks like gifts of lumps of coal are in order from Santa this year.
But not to worry ... "help is on the way" from Santa's head elf-elect who plans on stimulating us back to the stone age.
Time to go shovel some more snow ...
Thursday, December 18, 2008
The Week Before Christmas
Twas the week before Christmas and all through the hovel,
not a Maineiac was stirring without pushing a shovel;
The motorhome was stored and covered til spring,
with hopes that warmth the sun would soon bring;
The Maineiacs were nestled all snug in their jammies,
while dreaming of visiting old Alabamy;
The snow was still snowing and the wind was still blowing,
and Mikee and Peggy were busily snoring;
When out in the road there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter;
The rumble got louder - "what's happening now?"
a nor'easter had come and brought - the town plow!
Enough is enough - we're outa here dear!
in the Blue and White Winny heading south in high gear.
You may have heard them exclaim as they drove outa sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."
OK - that's enough for today (I have way too much time on my hands!)
My apologies to either Clement Clarke Moore or Henry Livingston - whichever really wrote the "Night Before Christmas."
not a Maineiac was stirring without pushing a shovel;
The motorhome was stored and covered til spring,
with hopes that warmth the sun would soon bring;
The Maineiacs were nestled all snug in their jammies,
while dreaming of visiting old Alabamy;
The snow was still snowing and the wind was still blowing,
and Mikee and Peggy were busily snoring;
When out in the road there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter;
The rumble got louder - "what's happening now?"
a nor'easter had come and brought - the town plow!
Enough is enough - we're outa here dear!
in the Blue and White Winny heading south in high gear.
You may have heard them exclaim as they drove outa sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."
OK - that's enough for today (I have way too much time on my hands!)
My apologies to either Clement Clarke Moore or Henry Livingston - whichever really wrote the "Night Before Christmas."
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Ice Storm 2008 - Post Script
Yippeeee! We were among the fortunate few who had our power restored yesterday. We got power back right around 4:30 PM and we immediately shut down the generator and got the house back "on-the-grid." Days like that surely do remind you how much we have become dependent on having instant and constant access to electricity - but then so does spending a lot of time in a RV.
It turned pretty cold last night with a low of around 15 degrees so much of the ice is still on the trees. I took a couple of pictures this morning of the trees looking like they were covered in diamonds in the morning sun. (Hint: If you click on the pictures they will enlarge and you can see the ice better)
It turned pretty cold last night with a low of around 15 degrees so much of the ice is still on the trees. I took a couple of pictures this morning of the trees looking like they were covered in diamonds in the morning sun. (Hint: If you click on the pictures they will enlarge and you can see the ice better)
Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer so maybe I can get some more of the ice off the driveway and the deck. I certainly want to get those cleaned off as soon as possible and before the next storm or they will remain pretty treacherous until March!
Friday, December 12, 2008
Ice Storm 2008
Wow - A Snowstorm in New Orleans yesterday and an Ice Storm in New England today. It looks like winter 2008-2009 is starting off pretty eventful! I understand around a million or so households in New York and New England are without power from the grid as I write this around 2:30 PM. We are included in that number and have been since around 6:30 AM this morning when I awoke to the sound of a transformer exploding somewhere nearby and noticed we had just lost power. It wasn't completely unexpected as the freezing rain was coming down pretty hard when we went to bed last night and the ice was already starting to form on outside surfaces. This morning there was about 1/4" to 3/8" of ice on everything outside - including all the tree limbs - some of which couldn't handle the weight and started coming down.
Since it looked like it was going to be awhile before power was going to be restored I extracted the generator from the storage room outside, made a lean-to out of a blue tarp, put the generator inside the lean-to, pulled the main house fuses, hooked up the generator to the dryer receptacle, fired up the generator and voila - electricity in the house! We have to be a little careful not to use too many appliances at the same time but so far - so good. The furnace kicks on and off when it needs to - the basement sump pump runs as necessary - the frig works and we have even used the microwave a few times and we haven't tripped the breaker on the generator yet. I am monitoring the voltage and it looks OK - around 130 volts with very little running and around 115 volts with the microwave and heater running. The generator certainly is not as quiet as the one in the motorhome - but it helps keep us warm and keeps a few lights on. That's more than I can say for many of my neighbors! We have invited some of the local neighbors over if they need some warmth or a cup of coffee - we'll see if they need it.
You may remember that we had a really big Ice Storm back in January 1998 (I think it was 1998?!). Since we were without power for about 3 days that time I bought the generator shortly thereafter and have only used it once since then for about 2 hours. Since it has run about 5 hours today - I guess I am finally getting some use out of it. Frankly - I was OK with letting it just sit in the storage room and never needing it - but I guess 10 years was about all the slack I got!
The word here is that the local power company will be busy making sure all the downed power lines are de-energized and safe today and will probably not be working on power restoration until tomorrow so it looks like the generator will get a good work out. All I have to do now is make sure I keep enough gasoline on hand and fill the tank once every few hours. We'll probably just turn off the power this evening and use lots of covers to keep warm.
See ... life is pretty exciting for us ... even when not in motion.
Since it looked like it was going to be awhile before power was going to be restored I extracted the generator from the storage room outside, made a lean-to out of a blue tarp, put the generator inside the lean-to, pulled the main house fuses, hooked up the generator to the dryer receptacle, fired up the generator and voila - electricity in the house! We have to be a little careful not to use too many appliances at the same time but so far - so good. The furnace kicks on and off when it needs to - the basement sump pump runs as necessary - the frig works and we have even used the microwave a few times and we haven't tripped the breaker on the generator yet. I am monitoring the voltage and it looks OK - around 130 volts with very little running and around 115 volts with the microwave and heater running. The generator certainly is not as quiet as the one in the motorhome - but it helps keep us warm and keeps a few lights on. That's more than I can say for many of my neighbors! We have invited some of the local neighbors over if they need some warmth or a cup of coffee - we'll see if they need it.
You may remember that we had a really big Ice Storm back in January 1998 (I think it was 1998?!). Since we were without power for about 3 days that time I bought the generator shortly thereafter and have only used it once since then for about 2 hours. Since it has run about 5 hours today - I guess I am finally getting some use out of it. Frankly - I was OK with letting it just sit in the storage room and never needing it - but I guess 10 years was about all the slack I got!
The word here is that the local power company will be busy making sure all the downed power lines are de-energized and safe today and will probably not be working on power restoration until tomorrow so it looks like the generator will get a good work out. All I have to do now is make sure I keep enough gasoline on hand and fill the tank once every few hours. We'll probably just turn off the power this evening and use lots of covers to keep warm.
See ... life is pretty exciting for us ... even when not in motion.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Winter Wonderland
I did manage to fight my way through my cold/flu last week and have been feeling much better the last few days. I can't say I have been any more active - but I feel better anyway. Peg and I did manage to get the Christmas tree up and she seems to be finding and putting out a few more household Christmas decorations every day. "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" around here!
We got our first real snowfall last night and throughout the day today. It probably only totalled about 2 inches but it managed to make everything look quite wintry and it looks real pretty with the Christmas tree up now and the Christmas lights on outside. Maybe I'll get out tomorrow and take a few pictures for those of you living in warmer climates. Come on now - admit it - you miss having snow at Christmastime.
Today is the anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. When you read this - take a minute to think about the national and worldwide "crisis" that followed and the tremendous effort and sacrifice made by all Americans over the ensuing 4-10 years, including the Korean "Conflict." It kinda makes our daily crisis' look pretty small in comparison doesn't it!
We don't have many WWII vets left alive these days and we lose more every day. If you meet one - say thanks.
We got our first real snowfall last night and throughout the day today. It probably only totalled about 2 inches but it managed to make everything look quite wintry and it looks real pretty with the Christmas tree up now and the Christmas lights on outside. Maybe I'll get out tomorrow and take a few pictures for those of you living in warmer climates. Come on now - admit it - you miss having snow at Christmastime.
Today is the anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. When you read this - take a minute to think about the national and worldwide "crisis" that followed and the tremendous effort and sacrifice made by all Americans over the ensuing 4-10 years, including the Korean "Conflict." It kinda makes our daily crisis' look pretty small in comparison doesn't it!
We don't have many WWII vets left alive these days and we lose more every day. If you meet one - say thanks.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Livin' on Dayquil
Here I sit with a miserable cold or flu or whatever. Yesterday both Stacy and I were feeling way under the weather but today she seemed to feel a bit better and I feel worse. Oh well - I'll keep taking my dayquil and nyquil and this too shall pass - eventually.
Peggy and I got our Christmas presents early yesterday. She has been wanting to get some nicer window shades in the kitchen for several years now and since the walls got painted and the carpet got replaced earlier in the year and since the bathroom project is done and since I was able to trade in some credit card points for a Home Depot gift card - we got each other a couple of Bali cordless window shades for Christmas. They arrived yesterday and of course they had to be installed immediately - who wants to wait for Christmas! The shades are way easy to install so even a sick person like me was able to have them up in no time. These shades are a double cellular design so they should also help in the heat loss department - especially on the large picture window. Easy to install, they look nice, they might help save some money on the heating bill, and Peggy likes them - Priceless!
We'll have to see how I'm feeling tomorrow - if I'm up to it it may be time to find the Christmas Tree and get it set up. Time to start getting into the Christmas spirit - it has got to be better than sitting here blowing my nose all day!
Peggy and I got our Christmas presents early yesterday. She has been wanting to get some nicer window shades in the kitchen for several years now and since the walls got painted and the carpet got replaced earlier in the year and since the bathroom project is done and since I was able to trade in some credit card points for a Home Depot gift card - we got each other a couple of Bali cordless window shades for Christmas. They arrived yesterday and of course they had to be installed immediately - who wants to wait for Christmas! The shades are way easy to install so even a sick person like me was able to have them up in no time. These shades are a double cellular design so they should also help in the heat loss department - especially on the large picture window. Easy to install, they look nice, they might help save some money on the heating bill, and Peggy likes them - Priceless!
We'll have to see how I'm feeling tomorrow - if I'm up to it it may be time to find the Christmas Tree and get it set up. Time to start getting into the Christmas spirit - it has got to be better than sitting here blowing my nose all day!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Flyin' Time
The Thanksgiving holiday appears to have been a big success here at the Evringham household. The food was great (and so are the leftovers), we got to visit with all our kids and grandkids, and we even managed to get in some Christmas shopping on "Black Friday."
As all who know me would agree, "shopping" is not one of my favorite pastimes. I'm OK with "buying" but I never have been a good "shopper." It is probably bad news for the economy in general when Mikee decides to go Christmas shopping on Black Friday. We made a basic list of who we needed to buy for - we established a ball park figure for what we were going to spend and we stayed pretty much to the list and the budget. Wow - what a concept!
I must admit that the few stores we went into had fewer shoppers than I expected and I suppose that isn't a good sign for economic recovery - but we did our part to help stimulate the economy!
Since Brian and his gang came over to visit for awhile yesterday and since the weather was pretty decent considering it is late November in Maine, I decided to take advantage of the situation and enlisted Brian's help in putting up the outside Christmas lights. Another successful project complete - the lights are up - they work - and no one fell off the ladder!
Today is the last day of November. How did that happen? It seems like just last week we were headed off to visit the Smokey Mountains and yesterday that we were in California. It is definitely true that time flies when you are havin' fun.
As all who know me would agree, "shopping" is not one of my favorite pastimes. I'm OK with "buying" but I never have been a good "shopper." It is probably bad news for the economy in general when Mikee decides to go Christmas shopping on Black Friday. We made a basic list of who we needed to buy for - we established a ball park figure for what we were going to spend and we stayed pretty much to the list and the budget. Wow - what a concept!
I must admit that the few stores we went into had fewer shoppers than I expected and I suppose that isn't a good sign for economic recovery - but we did our part to help stimulate the economy!
Since Brian and his gang came over to visit for awhile yesterday and since the weather was pretty decent considering it is late November in Maine, I decided to take advantage of the situation and enlisted Brian's help in putting up the outside Christmas lights. Another successful project complete - the lights are up - they work - and no one fell off the ladder!
Today is the last day of November. How did that happen? It seems like just last week we were headed off to visit the Smokey Mountains and yesterday that we were in California. It is definitely true that time flies when you are havin' fun.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Turkey Day Prep
Yesterday was a wild day! With the wind blowing up to 50 mph and the rain coming down sideways it made for an interesting day to say the least. While all this was going on the Bath Fitter guy was here ripping out the old bathtub and tub surround and installing the new. Although we haven't used the bathtub yet and the jury will be out for sometime on how well the installation will hold up, especially around the window, I guess I rate the overall experience a "B." On the good side:
1. The guy showed up on time and finished the job in one day as advertised.
2. I didn't have to do the work or clean up the mess (mostly).
3.The acrylic materials for the tub and surround look nice and should hold up well.
4. Peggy is happy.
On the not so good side:
1. The guy was better at making a mess than cleaning up after himself.
2. The installation still relies on more silicone caulk than I would have preferred. Even though the caulk used is some sort of proprietary "Bath Fitter" stuff and guaranteed to last and not mold - I have not had the pleasure of this experience so I suppose we will have to wait and see.
3. The cost was much more than it would have cost for me to do it myself.
All-in-all - #4 on the "good side" makes up for all of the "not so good" side!
Today is prep for Turkey Day which means there are pies to be made! The house odors should be a lot better today than the smell of curing silicone experienced yesterday!
It looks like we are getting a special unanticipated treat for Thanksgiving. Son Brian, DIL Nicky, and the granddaughters are driving up to Maine today and will be able to join us for awhile tomorrow. It seems that Nicky's mom fell and broke her hip last week and is now mending from surgery so the gang decided to come north mainly to console her mom but we will get to enjoy their company as well!
Should be a great Thanksgiving day here in Maine!
1. The guy showed up on time and finished the job in one day as advertised.
2. I didn't have to do the work or clean up the mess (mostly).
3.The acrylic materials for the tub and surround look nice and should hold up well.
4. Peggy is happy.
On the not so good side:
1. The guy was better at making a mess than cleaning up after himself.
2. The installation still relies on more silicone caulk than I would have preferred. Even though the caulk used is some sort of proprietary "Bath Fitter" stuff and guaranteed to last and not mold - I have not had the pleasure of this experience so I suppose we will have to wait and see.
3. The cost was much more than it would have cost for me to do it myself.
All-in-all - #4 on the "good side" makes up for all of the "not so good" side!
Today is prep for Turkey Day which means there are pies to be made! The house odors should be a lot better today than the smell of curing silicone experienced yesterday!
It looks like we are getting a special unanticipated treat for Thanksgiving. Son Brian, DIL Nicky, and the granddaughters are driving up to Maine today and will be able to join us for awhile tomorrow. It seems that Nicky's mom fell and broke her hip last week and is now mending from surgery so the gang decided to come north mainly to console her mom but we will get to enjoy their company as well!
Should be a great Thanksgiving day here in Maine!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Waiting on the Bathtub
Today it made it above the freezing point for a few hours so I managed to venture outside for awhile to complete one more round of leaf blowing and bagging. Most of my neighbors have managed to get theirs picked up so there are less to blow into my yard - sooo maybe that's it for the leaves in 2008!
I also managed to finish up the basement window project that I started last week. I got another reminder of why that project was put off for so long - that's a lot of paines in the glass to reglaze and repaint!! The good news is that the windows certainly look better and should also leak a lot less warm air out and cold air in!
I also sealed up the inside bulkhead door leading into the basement from the outside. The bulkhead entrance has been a major air/heat leakage point point over the years so that is my next winterization project. Now that the door is sealed up pretty tight I plan on installing some insulation foam board in the bulkhead area itself to further slow down the heat loss. I happen to know where I could get a great deal on a trailer load of 4' X 8' sheets of foam board but unfortunately it's located in Nevada and the shipping costs would be a bit prohibitive I think! I guess I'll have to break down and buy a sheet here locally.
Tomorrow is the big day for our new bathtub/surround. As background - I performed a major remodel of our single bathroom about 20 years ago. As I recall the job took about a week as I demolished most of the room and rebuilt it a bit at a time. As you can imagine that was a bit tricky since it was our only bathroom and we had 3 kids at home at the time! Then about 10 years or so ago I ripped out the tub surround I had put in and replaced it. Since our bathtub area was built with a window in the wall I have always had a tough time working around that window and keeping things well sealed. Since the job needed to be done again and since Peggy has had previous experience with me performing this particular job - we decided to let the pros do it this time so "Bathfitters" will be showing up tomorrow to rip out the old tub and surround and install the new acrylic tub and custom fit surround - including custom fitment around that d*** window. They say they will be done in one day, will haul away all the trash, and they guarantee their product and work for life. Stay tuned to find out if all the $$ is worth it!
I also managed to finish up the basement window project that I started last week. I got another reminder of why that project was put off for so long - that's a lot of paines in the glass to reglaze and repaint!! The good news is that the windows certainly look better and should also leak a lot less warm air out and cold air in!
I also sealed up the inside bulkhead door leading into the basement from the outside. The bulkhead entrance has been a major air/heat leakage point point over the years so that is my next winterization project. Now that the door is sealed up pretty tight I plan on installing some insulation foam board in the bulkhead area itself to further slow down the heat loss. I happen to know where I could get a great deal on a trailer load of 4' X 8' sheets of foam board but unfortunately it's located in Nevada and the shipping costs would be a bit prohibitive I think! I guess I'll have to break down and buy a sheet here locally.
Tomorrow is the big day for our new bathtub/surround. As background - I performed a major remodel of our single bathroom about 20 years ago. As I recall the job took about a week as I demolished most of the room and rebuilt it a bit at a time. As you can imagine that was a bit tricky since it was our only bathroom and we had 3 kids at home at the time! Then about 10 years or so ago I ripped out the tub surround I had put in and replaced it. Since our bathtub area was built with a window in the wall I have always had a tough time working around that window and keeping things well sealed. Since the job needed to be done again and since Peggy has had previous experience with me performing this particular job - we decided to let the pros do it this time so "Bathfitters" will be showing up tomorrow to rip out the old tub and surround and install the new acrylic tub and custom fit surround - including custom fitment around that d*** window. They say they will be done in one day, will haul away all the trash, and they guarantee their product and work for life. Stay tuned to find out if all the $$ is worth it!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Chillin
Wow! It sure is a good thing that my "pre-winter" chores are pretty much done because it turned winter the last few days. As I arose this morning and checked the outside temperature I was greeted with a chilly 18 degrees! The local weather guy says we are in for more of the same over the next several days so I think it's time to put away the bermuda shorts and aloha shirts for a spell and break out the flannel lined denims, the chamois shirts, and the woollen ski caps.
I read where our full time RV friends Darrell and Judy are suffering in the cold climes of Nashville where the temps have dipped into the 40s. It just proves that "cold" is a relative thing. They will be leaving next week for the gulf shores of Alabama where I'm sure the temps will be warmer and the shorts and sandals can be worn for at least a few days each week!
I have been continuing my winterization chores the last few days. My latest project has been to tackle the 5 small windows we have in the basement foundation. For you westerners that live your lives above ground and have never even seen a real basement - these are the windows that the house builder builds in to the poured concrete foundation walls to let a little sunlight into the basement and to let any warm air that may be in the basement escape to the outside world! Each window is actually a set of two windows (inside and outside) both of which fit poorly and have 4 panes of glass that require reglazing every 20 or so years. Is that 4 panes of glass or 4 pains in the ***? Regardless - two sets have been removed, reglazed, repainted, and resealed and 3 sets are left to tackle.
I'm sure glad I "retired" so these projects I put off for so many years could finally get done.
I read where our full time RV friends Darrell and Judy are suffering in the cold climes of Nashville where the temps have dipped into the 40s. It just proves that "cold" is a relative thing. They will be leaving next week for the gulf shores of Alabama where I'm sure the temps will be warmer and the shorts and sandals can be worn for at least a few days each week!
I have been continuing my winterization chores the last few days. My latest project has been to tackle the 5 small windows we have in the basement foundation. For you westerners that live your lives above ground and have never even seen a real basement - these are the windows that the house builder builds in to the poured concrete foundation walls to let a little sunlight into the basement and to let any warm air that may be in the basement escape to the outside world! Each window is actually a set of two windows (inside and outside) both of which fit poorly and have 4 panes of glass that require reglazing every 20 or so years. Is that 4 panes of glass or 4 pains in the ***? Regardless - two sets have been removed, reglazed, repainted, and resealed and 3 sets are left to tackle.
I'm sure glad I "retired" so these projects I put off for so many years could finally get done.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Almost Spring
According to the calendar - the official start of Winter is about 38 or so days away. But the calendar assumes you live in Southern California or Tennessee - not in Maine. Winter in Maine is just about here - no doubt about it. It dips below freezing almost every night now and the daylight hours are certainly getting shorter. Fortunately - the pre-winter chores are almost complete. The leaves have been raked and picked up for about the third time (probably one more episode left), the lawn furniture and BBQ Grill have been put away, the lawn mower has been retired until spring, the snow shovels have been found and set by the garage door, and the snow blower has been dusted off and operationally tested. A few more minor details and we're all prepared! "Prepared" perhaps but not really "Ready." The first significant snowfall is always pretty and as long as you don't have to drive in it - not really all that bad. Surviving the first snowfall on the roads is always a challenge - just ask Stacy! Even in Maine it takes everybody a few storms to remember how to drive in the white stuff.
Now we get to focus on "the holiday season." First comes Thanksgiving where we are looking forward to having the Maine Evringhams gather for the traditional feast. As soon as the turkey sandwich week is over it's time to prep for Christmas. Up go the lights on the gutters (hopefully not in a snowstorm this year), out come all the "inside" Christmas decorations including the well worn nativity scene, and then up goes the beautiful and totally fake Christmas tree. Ahhh - the traditional American Christmas. It's not quite as exciting as when I was 8 years old waiting for that new toy from Santa but it I look forward to the distraction from the "Monumental Election" and "Financial Meltdown" of the Fall season.
Only about 128 more days until Spring - closer to 140 in Maine.
Now we get to focus on "the holiday season." First comes Thanksgiving where we are looking forward to having the Maine Evringhams gather for the traditional feast. As soon as the turkey sandwich week is over it's time to prep for Christmas. Up go the lights on the gutters (hopefully not in a snowstorm this year), out come all the "inside" Christmas decorations including the well worn nativity scene, and then up goes the beautiful and totally fake Christmas tree. Ahhh - the traditional American Christmas. It's not quite as exciting as when I was 8 years old waiting for that new toy from Santa but it I look forward to the distraction from the "Monumental Election" and "Financial Meltdown" of the Fall season.
Only about 128 more days until Spring - closer to 140 in Maine.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Waiting to Save the Environment
Well the first step towards energy independence in America is complete. I have finished insulating the crawl spaces upstairs! For you naysayers who doubted my ability and resolve to gain access to the east side space I have attached pictures. Peggy had to take the pictures in spite of my pleadings so I guess I might as well post a couple. Don't worry about that apparent damage to 
the drawer front areas - a little repair work and all will be right again.I still have additional plans for improvements to our carbon footprint here in Maine and I will move on to the simpler and least expensive ones but I think I may have to wait until after the first of the new year to tackle those that may cost $$. It's not that I don't have the available cash on hand - it's a matter of the recent government "bailout" bill. "How can that be!" you ask? Is this another one of those life problems that we must blame on George Bush? Apparently so.
You may be aware that the feds passed some legislation back a few years ago that (among other things) established a Residential Energy Tax Credit where a homeowner could get a dollar for dollar credit on ones income tax for purchasing and installing residential energy saving equipment - like insulation. "Good deal!" you say! Well it appears that this tax credit was only good for tax years 2006 and 2007. But Congress came to our rescue last month and in addition to providing some $700 Billion in bailout money to Wall Street - they decided to help out Main Street as well by doing things like reinstating the Residential Energy Tax Credit. "Good for them!" you say! Well it appears that this "extension" of the tax credit is only for tax year 2009 and not 2008. "That makes no sense!" you say! I agree - but there you have it. So it looks like I'll have to continue to waste energy for another few months before the government will "encourage" me to help out the nation's balance of payments and also help save the environment.
Oh Well - on to my next chore.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Surviving in a Blue State
Voting day was pretty busy around the Evringham place yesterday. Peggy worked the afternoon/evening shift at the polls, I crawled around on my hands and knees putting insulation in the upstairs crawl spaces - and Oh Yeah - We voted. It was a pretty typical voting day - almost everyone and everything I voted for was defeated and life marched on. It's tough being generally politically conservative while living in a blue state surrounded by lots more blue states to the south and west, a definitely blue ocean to the east, and a relatively socialist country to the north. I suppose my vote for president counted but it hard to see how sometimes. Like it or not - the process we use is uniquely American and has generally worked for 200 or so years. One axiom continues to hold true - we all get what we deserve (and what we collectively vote for) in the long run!
More insulation installation today. I sure hope that all this work (and $$) pays off in lower heating bills! I would sure hate to find out that the only energy savings in all of this was the fuel saved while I was generating heat putting this stuff in place over the past few days. I believe I also get a tax credit so there is another silver lining that needs to be factored in! I was able to finish the west side the other day, made it through the built-in drawers in the northeast side and finished that today, and will move on the southeast side tomorrow. It sure was easier to procrastinate before I was "retired."
For those of you who participated in the poll last week the results have been finalized and it appears that the consensus is that we should leave immediately and head to the southeast. Apparently sister Marcie and BIL Don tried to stuff the ballot box from Nevada (yet another blue state) but found that the software is smarter than a fifth grader and prevents multiple votes from a single computer. Thanks to all who voted. I am presently leaning to a southeast warm-up trip in February (if we can dig out the motorhome) that will take us through NJ (Blue State) for a kid/grandkid visit, on to Florida (Blue State) someplace for about a week, then over to Alabama (Finally a Red State) to visit with Darrell and Judy for a spell, then perhaps over to Georgia (Yet another Red State) for a large motorhome convention (sponsored by the Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA)), and then a meandering trip home around the first of April. We'll see what the next few months brings - but as a great man I know always says - ya gotta have a plan in order to change it!! - so that's my present plan.
I can't wait to hear what Peggy's plan is!!
(Don't worry - she'll tell me!!)
More insulation installation today. I sure hope that all this work (and $$) pays off in lower heating bills! I would sure hate to find out that the only energy savings in all of this was the fuel saved while I was generating heat putting this stuff in place over the past few days. I believe I also get a tax credit so there is another silver lining that needs to be factored in! I was able to finish the west side the other day, made it through the built-in drawers in the northeast side and finished that today, and will move on the southeast side tomorrow. It sure was easier to procrastinate before I was "retired."
For those of you who participated in the poll last week the results have been finalized and it appears that the consensus is that we should leave immediately and head to the southeast. Apparently sister Marcie and BIL Don tried to stuff the ballot box from Nevada (yet another blue state) but found that the software is smarter than a fifth grader and prevents multiple votes from a single computer. Thanks to all who voted. I am presently leaning to a southeast warm-up trip in February (if we can dig out the motorhome) that will take us through NJ (Blue State) for a kid/grandkid visit, on to Florida (Blue State) someplace for about a week, then over to Alabama (Finally a Red State) to visit with Darrell and Judy for a spell, then perhaps over to Georgia (Yet another Red State) for a large motorhome convention (sponsored by the Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA)), and then a meandering trip home around the first of April. We'll see what the next few months brings - but as a great man I know always says - ya gotta have a plan in order to change it!! - so that's my present plan.
I can't wait to hear what Peggy's plan is!!
(Don't worry - she'll tell me!!)
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Sorting "Stuff"
Well today is the big day. The day when all the political blustering can end for awhile. I say "can end" because it won't for another few weeks. After all - we need to hear and see the post-election blustering as well!
Peggy and I have managed to keep pretty busy over the last week or so. Besides raking, bagging, and disposing of 1 million plus leaves - we have decided to work on saving some $$ on our heating bill.
We have lived in this house for over 28 years now and I finally decided it was time to do something about the relatively poor insulation upstairs. I guess it just took 28 years and $4.00 plus heating oil to get me motivated. Our second floor has two bedrooms with knee walls on both sides with outboard crawl spaces. The roof itself is insulated but the knee walls aren't, the crawl space floor (ceiling of the first floor) only has about an inch of insulation , and the ceiling of the bedrooms also has minimal insulation. Heat loss wasn't really an issue in 1960 when heating oil was probably around $0.10 a gallon!! We managed to get a good start last week in the crawl space on the west side since it is relatively easy to access. The bad news was - it is also the area where we have stored 28 years worth of "stuff" we really didn't know what else to do with!
We did manage to pull all the "stuff" out and get the knee walls insulated but then we had to deal with the "stuff." What to Keep? - What to Throw? - Ah the age old question. To complicate matters we kept running into old forgotten memories. Early 70's bell bottom pants, US Navy uniform that I got married in and couldn't get back into within 3 months of the wedding, old pictures we forgot we had, long forgotten Cub Scout/Brownie/Girl Scout projects, baby clothes, baby furniture, you name it - we still got it!! We have managed to thin things out a bit and with a couple more trips to the local Solid Waste Facility and the Goodwill drop-off - we will have at least improved the situation a bit. Don't get me wrong - we will still have some baby furniture that wouldn't be allowed to be sold today due to safety concerns, a couple of bowling balls that haven't seen the light of day in a good 15 years, and then there's the Christmas "Stuff!!"
Once I get the west side crawl space finished then it will be time to tackle the east side. The good news here is that there isn't anything stored on the east side - the bad news - gaining access to the east side will be more than interesting. Stay tuned to learn how Mikee gets his XL body through the drawer area built into the east side walls! Now we know the real reason why this project has been put off for all these years!
Peggy and I have managed to keep pretty busy over the last week or so. Besides raking, bagging, and disposing of 1 million plus leaves - we have decided to work on saving some $$ on our heating bill.
We have lived in this house for over 28 years now and I finally decided it was time to do something about the relatively poor insulation upstairs. I guess it just took 28 years and $4.00 plus heating oil to get me motivated. Our second floor has two bedrooms with knee walls on both sides with outboard crawl spaces. The roof itself is insulated but the knee walls aren't, the crawl space floor (ceiling of the first floor) only has about an inch of insulation , and the ceiling of the bedrooms also has minimal insulation. Heat loss wasn't really an issue in 1960 when heating oil was probably around $0.10 a gallon!! We managed to get a good start last week in the crawl space on the west side since it is relatively easy to access. The bad news was - it is also the area where we have stored 28 years worth of "stuff" we really didn't know what else to do with!
We did manage to pull all the "stuff" out and get the knee walls insulated but then we had to deal with the "stuff." What to Keep? - What to Throw? - Ah the age old question. To complicate matters we kept running into old forgotten memories. Early 70's bell bottom pants, US Navy uniform that I got married in and couldn't get back into within 3 months of the wedding, old pictures we forgot we had, long forgotten Cub Scout/Brownie/Girl Scout projects, baby clothes, baby furniture, you name it - we still got it!! We have managed to thin things out a bit and with a couple more trips to the local Solid Waste Facility and the Goodwill drop-off - we will have at least improved the situation a bit. Don't get me wrong - we will still have some baby furniture that wouldn't be allowed to be sold today due to safety concerns, a couple of bowling balls that haven't seen the light of day in a good 15 years, and then there's the Christmas "Stuff!!"
Once I get the west side crawl space finished then it will be time to tackle the east side. The good news here is that there isn't anything stored on the east side - the bad news - gaining access to the east side will be more than interesting. Stay tuned to learn how Mikee gets his XL body through the drawer area built into the east side walls! Now we know the real reason why this project has been put off for all these years!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Playing with the Blog
I have been looking for a way to add a "Where are Mike & Peg today?" feature to the Blog. Thanks to a little help from my full-timer friend Darrell - I have added some maps that presently show the routes of some of our past trips and will be used to show the in-progress routes of future trips.
Speaking of future trips - what do you think - where should the Maineiacs in Motion go next? We have a few ideas but I thought I would offer the opportunity to the gaggle of folks out there who look to these entries as their daily inspiration - to help us decide where to go next while we rake the leaves and prepare for winter. Just for fun I have added a "Survey" to the blog for ya'll to make your choice. Feel free to add comments as well.
This aughta be good!
Speaking of future trips - what do you think - where should the Maineiacs in Motion go next? We have a few ideas but I thought I would offer the opportunity to the gaggle of folks out there who look to these entries as their daily inspiration - to help us decide where to go next while we rake the leaves and prepare for winter. Just for fun I have added a "Survey" to the blog for ya'll to make your choice. Feel free to add comments as well.
This aughta be good!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Warning ** This may be a bit philosophical **
Well here we sit - hunkered down in Maine - watching the leaves and the stock market fall and awaiting the snows of winter. Now doesn't that sound depressing! It's actually not as bad as it sounds. It has been a little sad putting the Chevelle in storage and putting the cover on the motorhome for awhile but all is not lost. The price of gasoline and home heating oil are falling (right now to below what they were this time last year!), all in our family appear to be in good health, and although it is supposed to rain today - the sun will be shinning tomorrow!
It sure would be easy right now for many to slip into a state of mental depression. Especially those of us choosing to live in the soon to be frozen north. Although winter here in Maine certainly has its beauty it can be really tough when you have to deal with cold weather and sunlight depravation as the daylight hours get shorter and shorter. If you add the inescapable depressing mood that this election cycle has brought in the media (regardless of who you favor) and the historic economic downturn that is equally inescapable - it can be hard to keep a sunny disposition.
The bad news is that I think it will get worse for awhile as the job loss numbers hit the evening news nightly. We are in for a tough time for a few more months.
The good news - I have a lot of hope for the future. Actually - I think there are alot of good things going on right now.
I have an opportunity to return to valuing the important things in life (like family and friends) over the temporary gratification of money and stuff.
I have an opportunity to learn to enjoy what I have rather than worry about getting more.
I have an opportunity to reap the benefits of being relatively debt free.
I hope you all are having a great day - and keep looking for the sunshine while dealing with the rain.
It sure would be easy right now for many to slip into a state of mental depression. Especially those of us choosing to live in the soon to be frozen north. Although winter here in Maine certainly has its beauty it can be really tough when you have to deal with cold weather and sunlight depravation as the daylight hours get shorter and shorter. If you add the inescapable depressing mood that this election cycle has brought in the media (regardless of who you favor) and the historic economic downturn that is equally inescapable - it can be hard to keep a sunny disposition.
The bad news is that I think it will get worse for awhile as the job loss numbers hit the evening news nightly. We are in for a tough time for a few more months.
The good news - I have a lot of hope for the future. Actually - I think there are alot of good things going on right now.
I have an opportunity to return to valuing the important things in life (like family and friends) over the temporary gratification of money and stuff.
I have an opportunity to learn to enjoy what I have rather than worry about getting more.
I have an opportunity to reap the benefits of being relatively debt free.
I hope you all are having a great day - and keep looking for the sunshine while dealing with the rain.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
American Graffiti
When last I left you I was procrastinating and trying to avoid dealing with all the beautiful leaves that have been falling here in Maine. Well - I'm still here and still procrastinating. I did manage to finish all the motorhome pre-storage chores and get it moved over to where I store it. I still have some chores to do on it before that job is really done - but it's getting closer and closer. Yesterday I moved on to the Chevelle and got the gas tank replaced and today I spent the morning cleaning up the Chevelle, changing the oil, and getting ready to put it in storage for the winter. Since it was all nice and clean and since I don't think I have posted any Chevelle pictures on the blog - I took a few photos of Mikee's toy to share with you all. It's kind of a shame that I only put about 100 miles on this toy this year - but I suppose I put enough miles on the other toy to make up for it!
For those who don't know the particulars: The car is a 1965 Chevelle Malibu SS that I restored in the 1992-1994 timeframe and have been tinkering with ever since. The engine is a 327 cubic inch block that has been more than slightly modified with lots of aftermarket parts including aluminum heads, 2-4 barrel carburetors, ceramic coated headers, capacitive discharge ignition, high 
performance camshaft and lots of polished aluminum goodies to add a little pizzaz. The transmission is a Turbohydramatic 350 automatic that has been beefed up to handle a bit more horsepower than stock. The rest of the car has mostly been restored to stock looking condition. I say "mostly" because I have added several "upgrades" including electronic cruise control, CD player hidden in the glove box, power radio antenna, aluminum cross-flow radiator, and front disc brakes. 
Ahhh the good ole days - when nobody cared about gas mileage, you had to have a cool car to impress the girls, and retirement was something for old folks to think about!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Procrastination
Ah - the fall colors. Obama08 and McCain-Palin all in red, white, and blue. If it were up to me all political campaign signs would be banned - they just mess up the beauty of fall! But then again - if it were up to me I would be King and all would be good all over the land. Alas - I fear it is not so.
Peg and I continue to do our fall chores slowly - very slowly. The leaves and the stock market keep falling and I keep watching and not doing much about either one. There just seems to be more interesting/fun stuff to do. At some point I suppose I will have to pick up the leaves. They historically have not picked up themselves. As for the stock market - if history holds true to form - it will go back up in spite of anything I say or do. But then again - that was before we socialized the financial system. With the government involved - all bets are now officially off.
This morning's job is done. The "Check Engine" light came on in the VUE the other day for the second time in a couple of weeks. I used my code scanner to read and reset the light the first time and hoped it would correct itself. Since it hardly ever works that way I was not surprised when the light came back on. So I drove down to Portland today (actually Westbrook) to have it looked at since it is still under warranty. It seems the innards of the gas cap became missing at some point in the last few weeks and that was the problem. A new gas cap later and all was good with the VUE again.
So now that I have procrastinated sufficiently - I suppose I better go out and start on those d*** leaves.
I love the fall - honest.
Peg and I continue to do our fall chores slowly - very slowly. The leaves and the stock market keep falling and I keep watching and not doing much about either one. There just seems to be more interesting/fun stuff to do. At some point I suppose I will have to pick up the leaves. They historically have not picked up themselves. As for the stock market - if history holds true to form - it will go back up in spite of anything I say or do. But then again - that was before we socialized the financial system. With the government involved - all bets are now officially off.
This morning's job is done. The "Check Engine" light came on in the VUE the other day for the second time in a couple of weeks. I used my code scanner to read and reset the light the first time and hoped it would correct itself. Since it hardly ever works that way I was not surprised when the light came back on. So I drove down to Portland today (actually Westbrook) to have it looked at since it is still under warranty. It seems the innards of the gas cap became missing at some point in the last few weeks and that was the problem. A new gas cap later and all was good with the VUE again.
So now that I have procrastinated sufficiently - I suppose I better go out and start on those d*** leaves.
I love the fall - honest.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Chicago and Back
The last three days here have been absolutely beautiful fall days in Maine. Sunny with highs around 70 and the fall colors vivid and bright. What could be better? Since it was so nice outside I decided to continue my motorhome pre-storage maintenance. I got the engine oil changed and greased the chassis on Thursday. On Friday I inspected all the brakes and replaced/flushed the brake fluid.
Today it was time for Nan to head back home. Since Nan is a pretty novice air traveler and has a little difficulty walking for very long distances I made the trip part way with her. We got up super early this morning (3 AM!) and made it to the Portland airport around 4:30. After negotiating the check-in and security maze in Portland we left for Chicago around 6:30. The flight was nice and smooth and we landed in Chicago around 8:30 EDST. After walking about a half mile to another terminal (with Nan in a wheelchair thank goodness) and waiting about 2 hours - Nan caught her flight to Reno and I walked the half mile back to the original terminal and caught a flight back from whence I came. I got back to Portland around 2 PM (Eastern) and Nan made it to Reno about 3 PM (Eastern).
It was great having Nan with us for the trip from California back home and for a few weeks here in Maine. She makes a pretty good road gypsy for a spry 80 years old!
It looks like we are in for another pretty nice day tomorrow so I think I'll give the motorhome its final washing for 2008. We'll park her in storage and put the cover on next week. Next project - replace the gas tank in the Chevelle and put her in storage!
Today it was time for Nan to head back home. Since Nan is a pretty novice air traveler and has a little difficulty walking for very long distances I made the trip part way with her. We got up super early this morning (3 AM!) and made it to the Portland airport around 4:30. After negotiating the check-in and security maze in Portland we left for Chicago around 6:30. The flight was nice and smooth and we landed in Chicago around 8:30 EDST. After walking about a half mile to another terminal (with Nan in a wheelchair thank goodness) and waiting about 2 hours - Nan caught her flight to Reno and I walked the half mile back to the original terminal and caught a flight back from whence I came. I got back to Portland around 2 PM (Eastern) and Nan made it to Reno about 3 PM (Eastern).
It was great having Nan with us for the trip from California back home and for a few weeks here in Maine. She makes a pretty good road gypsy for a spry 80 years old!
It looks like we are in for another pretty nice day tomorrow so I think I'll give the motorhome its final washing for 2008. We'll park her in storage and put the cover on next week. Next project - replace the gas tank in the Chevelle and put her in storage!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
More Lists
It seems like just a couple of weeks ago when I was working on my spring pre-travel checklist on the Motorhome. My how time does fly. Here it is October - the leaves are falling and the wooden house needs to be prepared for winter. But before I can get to that I need to get the rolling house winterized. We've pretty much completed getting the "stuff" out that we don't want to leave inside during storage and the inside cleaning is almost done. Today I flushed and drained the waste tanks one more time and drained and blew-down the freshwater system. Only about a hundred more things to take care of and the motorhome will be ready for an extended rest. Who knows - we may take it out and head south for awhile in the middle of winter but we'll prepare for a long winter's nap anyway.
The weather has been seasonably nice the last few days and it looks pretty good for the next several days so I better take advantage - once it turns really cold it will probably stay that way for a long while.
This week's pop quiz: The State of Maine is one of only two states that can "split" its electoral votes. This fact may be important in the close election predicted for president next month. What is the other state?
The weather has been seasonably nice the last few days and it looks pretty good for the next several days so I better take advantage - once it turns really cold it will probably stay that way for a long while.
This week's pop quiz: The State of Maine is one of only two states that can "split" its electoral votes. This fact may be important in the close election predicted for president next month. What is the other state?
Monday, October 6, 2008
Auto Mechanics
It has been a few days since my last update but do not fear - we did make it back safe and sound. We drove back from Bar Harbor down US Route 1 since it was a nice day, it is a pretty drive, and we were really in no hurry. Upon arriving back home we were greeted by Stacy and her childhood friend Jennifer. Jen decided to take a day trip over from New Hampshire. Well the day trip turned out to be a day-and-a-half trip since her Jeep had overheated after she got here and I needed Sunday morning to complete my diagnosis and "repair." As it tuned out the radiator fan was not working so after I drained and refilled the cooling system and made a test run - it was determined to be safe for her to make the trip back - as long as she didn't dillydally in the Arby's drive thru on the way home. She made the trip back home on Sunday afternoon without incident. Since it was Peggy and my anniversary on Saturday and since Peggy refused to cook and since Nan really likes the BBQ at Little Dan's BBQ joint in Lewiston - we (Peggy, ME, Stacy, and Jen) met Eric and the other Jen at Little Dan's for a great feast of BBQ ribs, chicken, pulled pork, cornbread, beans and potato salad. The leftovers were even better on Sunday.
Today was truck repair and lawn mowing day. Upon my return home from the west coast trip I noticed that my truck was blowing HOT air no matter what position the heater control switch was in. So today I took apart the dash of the truck to see what was wrong - the good news is that I was able to determine in relatively short order what the problem was. The bad news is that the problem was a temperature control door actuator had failed. That's not really the bad news - the really bad news was that a new one was $250!! After spending an hour or so trying to fix the old one I determined that repair was not an option so off I went to the Chevy dealership to lay down my out-of-budget $$ for the new part. Another hour later and the truck was repaired so off I went to mow the lawn and the leaves.
I always feel mentally better after my fits of physical labor. But my feel-good time was short lived when I came back in and turned on the computer to find that the market was DOWN 800 POINTS! So after getting the evening paper and looking for a job (for Peggy) I found out that the market then rallied to finish ONLY 350 or so points down. Wow - I felt sooo much better. I guess the job will have to wait.
Today was truck repair and lawn mowing day. Upon my return home from the west coast trip I noticed that my truck was blowing HOT air no matter what position the heater control switch was in. So today I took apart the dash of the truck to see what was wrong - the good news is that I was able to determine in relatively short order what the problem was. The bad news is that the problem was a temperature control door actuator had failed. That's not really the bad news - the really bad news was that a new one was $250!! After spending an hour or so trying to fix the old one I determined that repair was not an option so off I went to the Chevy dealership to lay down my out-of-budget $$ for the new part. Another hour later and the truck was repaired so off I went to mow the lawn and the leaves.
I always feel mentally better after my fits of physical labor. But my feel-good time was short lived when I came back in and turned on the computer to find that the market was DOWN 800 POINTS! So after getting the evening paper and looking for a job (for Peggy) I found out that the market then rallied to finish ONLY 350 or so points down. Wow - I felt sooo much better. I guess the job will have to wait.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Politics and Lobstah on Rye
We had another great night's sleep last night after being droned to dreams by the vice-presidential debate. Just think - only 32 or so more days/nights of this stuff before we will be able sleep even better knowing our guy (and gal) won - or will be unable to sleep at all in the fear that will come over us when the other guy (and perhaps gal) wins. Of course these sleep issues can only begin after we shiver in angst as we worry about whether all the votes have been counted correctly in Florida or whether or not the Californians have been swayed by the early predictions of winners in the eastern states. Another 4 years - similar campaign signs - same claims by both parties - not much different except the Yankees aren't in the playoffs!
We got moving in the late morning and decided to drive some more around Mt. Desert Island to see some places we (including Peggy and I) haven't seen before. We drove down one peninsula to Northeast Hahbah, watched a lobstah fisherman bait up and head out to haul some traps and then meandered over to Seal Hahbah and got to see some very expensive estates perched on the cliffs. Not yet having enough 
of "downeast Maine" we then drove over to the "west" side of the island to visit Southwest Hahbah and Bass Hahbah - including a visit to Bass Hahbah Lighthouse.After all that - I could just taste the steamers, corn, and boiled lobstah. But I settled for a ham and swiss on rye.
There were two winners on our last quiz question regarding when Maine became a state. Stacy's answer was included as a comment to the post a few days ago. The other correct answer was forwarded to me by email from my fulltiming RV friend Darrell Patterson. Since Darrell is a native Mainer and a part time Maine Humorist (that means that sometimes his stuff is funny) I thought I would share his answer below:
"In 1820 we Mainahs liberated Massachusetts. Yep, your katt may give birth to her kittens in an oven but that don't make her a biscuit. It takes no less than two generations, preferrably more, to be a Mainah - so yes, you are from away, a long away at that. I remember when I was a kid that my dad would take the family on a vacation out west, we went to New Hampstir."
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Travlin' the byways of Maine
Yesterday (Wednesday) we loaded up the motorhome and set off again. This time our destination(s) were not all that distant. We left around noon (in the rain) and drove all the way to Richmond, Maine (about 15 miles) to have lunch with Stacy at a spot near her workplace. Since we were planning on taking Nan to Maine's only casino - and since Stacy thinks she needed to help Nan out - she jumped in the rig too and we headed off north to Bangor.
You can see by the pictures that Stacy was really good company on the way north. She and Baxter had a nice nap. Once we arrived in Bangor and set up camp (still in the rain) Nan and Stacy and I drove over to Hollywood Slots while Peggy stayed in the motorhome to enjoy her peace and quiet. Hollywood Slots was approved as Maine's only "racino" a few years back and earlier this year they finished their new building downtown that features 1000 Slot Machines, a new hotel, and parking garage. Stacy met up with her "friend" Kaj (Pronounced "Ky") there and we all fed the machines for a couple of hours. I think Stacy won a couple dollars, Nan broke about even, and Mike lost the equivalent of 15 gallons of gas at today's prices. Having had enough - Nan and I drove back to the campground (still raining) and Kaj gave Stacy a ride back home. 
This morning we woke to more rain. Since I was in no hurry to leave - and I was hoping for the rain to subside - we slept in and then had a leisurely breakfast. When checkout time arrived - it was still raining so we had to break camp in the rain and hit the road for Mt. Desert Island - the home of Acadia National Park.By the time we made it to the island and set up camp the rain was starting to break up so we unhooked the Vue and drove into Bar Harbor to show Nan the sights and then headed to the Park visitor center. While at the visitor center we picked up the audio tour CD and started down the "Loop Road" to see the sights. This is a really nice time of year to see the park. The foliage is really bright and the park is not very crowded at all (at least not in the middle of the week). We had a nice tour around the Loop Road, got to have soup and popovers and the Jordan Pond House, and got to watch the sunset from atop Cadillac
Mountain - what could be better.
Tomorrow I think we will have a leisurely morning again and head back to the park area to see if we can do "better." Monday, September 29, 2008
Missed by Kyle
We're still here! Hurricane Kyle apparently decided to visit our northern friends in Nova Scotia so we were spared. The whole event was anti climatic as we got only a bit of rain and no wind to speak of. Not that I'm complaining - I would rather it be so. All-in-all I think we got around 4 inches of rain over the past few days so I'm glad we will be seeing some sun today. It is time to re-stock the motorhome for our short trip coming up on Wednesday. I haven't made a get-ready-to-roll list yet so I better get busy. Then I have to make my put-the-motorhome-in-storage-for-awhile list. The lists just go on and on.
I think we will be going out to breakfast this morning. We don't do that very often around here but it sounds like a good idea and the cupboards are getting a little bare anyway. Time for Peggy to do that which she dreads the most - go grocery shopping. You can see that not only was I lazy in not testing the generator before the "hurricane" but Peggy decided not to stock the shelves in preparation as well.
Fall has hit pretty hard here in New England and the fall colors are really starting to jump out. Now that the sun looks like it will join us today I will try and remember to get out the camera and take a few pictures to share with the folks from away. "From Away" is a Maine term used o describe people who aren't from here. In order to not be "from away" I think you need to be born here so Peggy and I are still "from away." In order to be a Mainer (pronounced Maine-ah) you need to be at least 2nd generation and preferably born north of Portland. Now you know why we refer to ourselves as Maineiacs.
Oh yeah - "Winning" is the answer to the trivia question in the last post. Now aren't you glad you know that?
Today's question: In what year did Maine become a state and who "owned" it before that?
I think we will be going out to breakfast this morning. We don't do that very often around here but it sounds like a good idea and the cupboards are getting a little bare anyway. Time for Peggy to do that which she dreads the most - go grocery shopping. You can see that not only was I lazy in not testing the generator before the "hurricane" but Peggy decided not to stock the shelves in preparation as well.
Fall has hit pretty hard here in New England and the fall colors are really starting to jump out. Now that the sun looks like it will join us today I will try and remember to get out the camera and take a few pictures to share with the folks from away. "From Away" is a Maine term used o describe people who aren't from here. In order to not be "from away" I think you need to be born here so Peggy and I are still "from away." In order to be a Mainer (pronounced Maine-ah) you need to be at least 2nd generation and preferably born north of Portland. Now you know why we refer to ourselves as Maineiacs.
Oh yeah - "Winning" is the answer to the trivia question in the last post. Now aren't you glad you know that?
Today's question: In what year did Maine become a state and who "owned" it before that?
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Staying Dry at LL Bean
I survived the trip to the doctor on Wednesday and he did give me a cortisone shot in my hand to solve (at least temporarily) the trigger thumb problem. This time the shot seemed to hurt a lot more after a few hours. I assume they put some kind of nerve killer in with the cortisone and it wears off after awhile. Regardless - it hurt pretty bad Wednesday night but is OK now. The thumb is still "triggering" a bit but the pain is less.
Thursday was my scheduled semi-annual meeting with our financial advisor. Needless to say - we had a lot to talk about. After spending an hour with him and looking at where we stand - I guess our overall retirement plan is still OK but the market and the overall economy better turn around pretty soon or I think Peggy may have to find a job.
Our stretch of really nice weather ended yesterday and it rained most of the day. Since outside chores were pretty much out of the question we decided to take Nan into Freeport to visit that icon of Maineness - LL Bean. Unfortunately everyone else in southern Maine chooses rainy days to visit LL as well. So Nan bought some gifts and I bought some LL gadgets with my birthday gift card from Eric and we got outa town. Since we were officially goofing off anyway - we decided to take the back roads to Auburn, Maine and visit the Motorhome store to pick up a couple of needed repair parts (it's time to replace that rubber band needed for the screen door latch to operate). We had a nice drive and you could really see the brighter fall colors starting to pop out.
Today was more of the same - rain on and off all day. So I accomplished a few chores around the house and motorhome including the aforementioned latch repair and made the bi monthly trip to the local recycling center and transfer station (AKA "the dump").
Well it appears that Hurricane Kyle is going to travel up the east coast tomorrow and bring some more rain and wind. Although not unheard of - it is pretty rare that a real hurricane makes it this far north. The last time we had a hurricane warning in Maine was some 17 years ago - Hurricane Gloria I believe it was. We got a bunch of wind and rain outa that one and some power lines were knocked down for awhile but nothing terribly destructive. Hopefully we won't see much more than that this time. I suppose I should have broken out the home generator and fired it up to make sure it was ready - but I didn't.
We have made plans for Nan to fly back to California (actually to Reno, NV) in two weeks from today (October 11). Since Nan really doesn't care much for flying and isn't used to the airport scene - and since she will have to change airlines in Chicago - I will be escorting her as far as Chicago to help ensure all goes smoothly. I think she is enjoying her stay here in Maine - but I also think she is looking forward to getting back home.
The weather forecast for later next week looks pretty good so we plan on heading for Bangor on Wednesday and then to Acadia National Park on Thursday. I hope the good forecast holds so we all can get a chance to enjoy Acadia.
That should pretty much bring you all up-to-speed on the not-so-busy lives of the Evringhams - Mainers Waiting To Be In Motion.
This entry's trivia question is dedicated to the memory of Paul Newman - who we lost today at age 83.
Q. What is the name of the 1968 film starring Paul Newman who played a Indy 500 car driver?
Thursday was my scheduled semi-annual meeting with our financial advisor. Needless to say - we had a lot to talk about. After spending an hour with him and looking at where we stand - I guess our overall retirement plan is still OK but the market and the overall economy better turn around pretty soon or I think Peggy may have to find a job.
Our stretch of really nice weather ended yesterday and it rained most of the day. Since outside chores were pretty much out of the question we decided to take Nan into Freeport to visit that icon of Maineness - LL Bean. Unfortunately everyone else in southern Maine chooses rainy days to visit LL as well. So Nan bought some gifts and I bought some LL gadgets with my birthday gift card from Eric and we got outa town. Since we were officially goofing off anyway - we decided to take the back roads to Auburn, Maine and visit the Motorhome store to pick up a couple of needed repair parts (it's time to replace that rubber band needed for the screen door latch to operate). We had a nice drive and you could really see the brighter fall colors starting to pop out.
Today was more of the same - rain on and off all day. So I accomplished a few chores around the house and motorhome including the aforementioned latch repair and made the bi monthly trip to the local recycling center and transfer station (AKA "the dump").
Well it appears that Hurricane Kyle is going to travel up the east coast tomorrow and bring some more rain and wind. Although not unheard of - it is pretty rare that a real hurricane makes it this far north. The last time we had a hurricane warning in Maine was some 17 years ago - Hurricane Gloria I believe it was. We got a bunch of wind and rain outa that one and some power lines were knocked down for awhile but nothing terribly destructive. Hopefully we won't see much more than that this time. I suppose I should have broken out the home generator and fired it up to make sure it was ready - but I didn't.
We have made plans for Nan to fly back to California (actually to Reno, NV) in two weeks from today (October 11). Since Nan really doesn't care much for flying and isn't used to the airport scene - and since she will have to change airlines in Chicago - I will be escorting her as far as Chicago to help ensure all goes smoothly. I think she is enjoying her stay here in Maine - but I also think she is looking forward to getting back home.
The weather forecast for later next week looks pretty good so we plan on heading for Bangor on Wednesday and then to Acadia National Park on Thursday. I hope the good forecast holds so we all can get a chance to enjoy Acadia.
That should pretty much bring you all up-to-speed on the not-so-busy lives of the Evringhams - Mainers Waiting To Be In Motion.
This entry's trivia question is dedicated to the memory of Paul Newman - who we lost today at age 83.
Q. What is the name of the 1968 film starring Paul Newman who played a Indy 500 car driver?
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Doctor Visits and the Precious Metal Standard
Yesterday started the Doctor/Dentist visits for Peggy and I. Actually Peggy started on Monday with a visit to her massage therapist for a rub down. Then yesterday Peg saw our local dentist to start the process to get a crown on the tooth that she broke last month. Today I will be seeing the doctor about my left thumb which has a case of "trigger finger." I had this problem last year and it was solved (at least temporarily) by a shot of something into my hand. Hopefully another shot will make it better again. I'd hate to have to have surgery to repair it!
Now for the answer to the last blog entry's pop quiz:
Way back in Alexander Hamilton’s day our country based its wealth in terms of how much Gold and Silver it had on hand. Then in 1873 the USA replaced this “bi-metallic” standard with a gold only standard and gold coins and gold backed US currency were issued. In 1878 this changed a bit to appease the silver miners in the west and the government did start issuing silver coins and silver certificates as well. Then came the “great depression” of 1928 which some people (including President Elect Franklin Roosevelt) thought was caused by fluctuations in the price of gold. Sooo – Roosevelt persuaded Congress to quietly place the US on the silver standard and silver and silver certificates were pumped into the market to replace gold. Silver Certificates were abolished by Congress on June 4, 1963 and all redemption in silver ceased on June 24, 1968.
Today - paper currency is still valid legal tender without the Silver Certificate, instead being backed simply by the strength of the U.S. economy. According to the U.S. treasury, "The notes have no value for themselves, but for what they will buy. In another sense, because they are legal tender, Federal Reserve notes are 'backed' by all the goods and services in the economy."
Bottom Line – If we stop producing goods and stop providing services then today’s currency is useless. Sounds to me like we better start producing something or start providing some worthwhile service other than collecting fees for handling currency in one way or another!
That's it - No more rants about the economy on this blog for at least a month. We'll call it a Monetary Moratorium.
Now for the answer to the last blog entry's pop quiz:
Way back in Alexander Hamilton’s day our country based its wealth in terms of how much Gold and Silver it had on hand. Then in 1873 the USA replaced this “bi-metallic” standard with a gold only standard and gold coins and gold backed US currency were issued. In 1878 this changed a bit to appease the silver miners in the west and the government did start issuing silver coins and silver certificates as well. Then came the “great depression” of 1928 which some people (including President Elect Franklin Roosevelt) thought was caused by fluctuations in the price of gold. Sooo – Roosevelt persuaded Congress to quietly place the US on the silver standard and silver and silver certificates were pumped into the market to replace gold. Silver Certificates were abolished by Congress on June 4, 1963 and all redemption in silver ceased on June 24, 1968.
Today - paper currency is still valid legal tender without the Silver Certificate, instead being backed simply by the strength of the U.S. economy. According to the U.S. treasury, "The notes have no value for themselves, but for what they will buy. In another sense, because they are legal tender, Federal Reserve notes are 'backed' by all the goods and services in the economy."
Bottom Line – If we stop producing goods and stop providing services then today’s currency is useless. Sounds to me like we better start producing something or start providing some worthwhile service other than collecting fees for handling currency in one way or another!
That's it - No more rants about the economy on this blog for at least a month. We'll call it a Monetary Moratorium.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Autumnal Equinox
Well we made it to Autumn! Looking back now - what happened to spring & summer? We certainly have been busy since last May. We celebrated the first day of Autumn yesterday by going out to lunch with Nan and then taking a drive to see the ocean at Land's End on Bailey Island. It was a perfect day and the ocean was a beautiful hue of blue. After all that scenery over the past several months I still say 
you can't beat the scenery in Maine! In fact - I think we have decided to take a few days (maybe next week) and drive Nan up to Bangor to visit the new Casino (Hollywood Slots) and then head over to Acadia National Park for a day of sightseeing. Acadia can be a real pretty place on a nice day in the fall.Well the Dow dropped another 372 points yesterday. My prediction is that it will rise a few hundred today when the idiots that sold yesterday buy back the same stuff they sold. They sold it because they were afraid it would drop farther than it did and when it didn't drop that far then it looks like a good deal today. Actually who knows what these people are thinking?
Believe it or not - I agree with McCain when he said the market is basically sound. It's the idiots playing around in the market that are unsound. What ever happened to something having a real value and being backed by real assets. Those days left us back in the Clinton years and WE (that's all of us) have been living in a make believe financial world for about 10 years now. Since we are now paying the piper it will more than interesting to see where the piper leads us. I try not to get too excited one way or another about this stuff but when my super safe money market fund says that my $1.00 I had yesterday is really only worth $0.97 today and then freezes my $0.97 so I can't take it out and put it under my mattress - I guess I get a little testy.
That trip to Acadia is looking more and more like a good idea ...
For those of you who took the last pop quiz and didn't look up the answer on the internet (Stacy) - Zora Duntov was indeed a senior Chevrolet Engineer in the 50s and 60s who was known as the father of the Corvette. One of my heros.
Todays pop quiz: When was the last year that a dollar bill was actually backed by a dollar in gold/silver?
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Shakespeare, Zora Duntov, and the DJIA
To Blog or not to Blog - that is the question. Whether tis nobler to keep on writing although not in motion, or to keep our friends and family up-to-date on our activities. Ah that is the rub. [My apologies to William Shakespeare].
I guess I will opt to keep on writing once in awhile to keep anybody out there who cares up to date on what we are up to here in Vacationland. For the past couple of days we have been slowly getting back into our home routine. My chore list is growing and growing and I'm trying to get some of them done but I think I'm losing the battle. I did manage to mow the lawn and wash the Vue and the Truck but not too much else. I'll do better tomorrow - I promise.
I did manage to go look at a 1969 Corvette as a possible next restoration project. Not that I really need another project or that I have the room to do another full blown classic car restoration - but ya never know. I would really rather have an earlier Corvette - but they are harder to find and a lot more money if you can find one. The one I looked at today was basically all there and definitely in need of restoration. On the good side - it was a convertible and had a 4 speed manual transmission. On the bad side - it really needs a lot of work and the guy really wants more for it than I think it is worth. I guess I'll just keep playing with my Chevelle.
Nan seems to be adjusting well to the Eastern Time Zone but I'm not sure she cares too much for the cooler weather. We'll try and keep her warm for the next few weeks before we mail her home to the warmer climes of Yreka.
That will have to be enough for today. Check back in a few days and Mikee will make predictions on the future of the DJIA. My guess will be as good as anybody elses - that's for sure!!
Pop quiz for the day - Who was Zora Duntov?
I guess I will opt to keep on writing once in awhile to keep anybody out there who cares up to date on what we are up to here in Vacationland. For the past couple of days we have been slowly getting back into our home routine. My chore list is growing and growing and I'm trying to get some of them done but I think I'm losing the battle. I did manage to mow the lawn and wash the Vue and the Truck but not too much else. I'll do better tomorrow - I promise.
I did manage to go look at a 1969 Corvette as a possible next restoration project. Not that I really need another project or that I have the room to do another full blown classic car restoration - but ya never know. I would really rather have an earlier Corvette - but they are harder to find and a lot more money if you can find one. The one I looked at today was basically all there and definitely in need of restoration. On the good side - it was a convertible and had a 4 speed manual transmission. On the bad side - it really needs a lot of work and the guy really wants more for it than I think it is worth. I guess I'll just keep playing with my Chevelle.
Nan seems to be adjusting well to the Eastern Time Zone but I'm not sure she cares too much for the cooler weather. We'll try and keep her warm for the next few weeks before we mail her home to the warmer climes of Yreka.
That will have to be enough for today. Check back in a few days and Mikee will make predictions on the future of the DJIA. My guess will be as good as anybody elses - that's for sure!!
Pop quiz for the day - Who was Zora Duntov?
Thursday, September 18, 2008
From Sea to Shining Sea
Well we made it! The Maineiacs in Motion (plus Nan) completed our Sea to Shining Sea (and Back) trip - arriving in good ole Topsham yesterday around 3:00 PM. As you would expect we were glad to not be "In Motion" for awhile and glad to be home.
That said - we had a great trip and were able to see and visit with more relatives than I would have ever imagined we would be able too see on one trip;
Nebraska - 3
Yreka - 32
Reno - 1
Sacramento - 21
New Mexico - 11
Ohio - 3
Total Relatives visited - 71 (not including the ones in graves in Oregon - 4 more)
The Sea to Shining Sea (and Back) trip covered 7,819 miles through 21 states not counting the various side trips in the Vue (3,521 East to West - 4,298 West to East). This was somewhat less than the 2005 trip (8,295 miles and 26 states).
More Statistics of little or no real value other than to show how insane a person can be to even keep track of such things ...
New States traveled in the motorhome - 2 (Colorado and Kansas)
(We now have visited 42 states and still need Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan)
Nights in motorhome - 46
Paid Nights in Campgrounds - 31
Now for all of my readers favorite stats ..
Gallons of Gas (Motorhome Only) - 1,103.1 gallons
Average Motorhome Gas Mileage - 7.1 mpg (I was hoping for better based on the spring trip experience but I guess the prevailing winds were not in my favor!)
Average price paid for gas - $3.74 per gallon (I know it is hard to believe but the average was actually LESS than the spring trip which averaged $3.87 per gallon!)
Most Expensive Gas - Brigham City, UT - 8/14/2008 - $4.039
Least Expensive Gas - Oak Grove, MO - 9/11/2008 - $3.469
I leave it to you math whizzes to figure out the total gas cost - I try not to write it down - too painful.
Lost time due to Motorhome Breakdowns - About 2 hours (We now have driven the motorhome about 42,000 miles since we bought it in 2004. Although we have had the normal amount of "issues" over that time I have been very happy with the reliability of the Winnebago.)
Net Gambling Winnings - $200
Gambling Winnings Wealth Transfer to Children - $60
Gambling Winnings Wealth Transfer to Shasta County California - $144
Net-Net Gambling Winnings (Loss) - (-$4)
All-In-All ... A GREAT trip !!! (Now all we have to do is get Nan home somehow - anybody heading to the west coast anytime soon and need a rider?)
That said - we had a great trip and were able to see and visit with more relatives than I would have ever imagined we would be able too see on one trip;
Nebraska - 3
Yreka - 32
Reno - 1
Sacramento - 21
New Mexico - 11
Ohio - 3
Total Relatives visited - 71 (not including the ones in graves in Oregon - 4 more)
The Sea to Shining Sea (and Back) trip covered 7,819 miles through 21 states not counting the various side trips in the Vue (3,521 East to West - 4,298 West to East). This was somewhat less than the 2005 trip (8,295 miles and 26 states).
More Statistics of little or no real value other than to show how insane a person can be to even keep track of such things ...
New States traveled in the motorhome - 2 (Colorado and Kansas)
(We now have visited 42 states and still need Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan)
Nights in motorhome - 46
Paid Nights in Campgrounds - 31
Now for all of my readers favorite stats ..
Gallons of Gas (Motorhome Only) - 1,103.1 gallons
Average Motorhome Gas Mileage - 7.1 mpg (I was hoping for better based on the spring trip experience but I guess the prevailing winds were not in my favor!)
Average price paid for gas - $3.74 per gallon (I know it is hard to believe but the average was actually LESS than the spring trip which averaged $3.87 per gallon!)
Most Expensive Gas - Brigham City, UT - 8/14/2008 - $4.039
Least Expensive Gas - Oak Grove, MO - 9/11/2008 - $3.469
I leave it to you math whizzes to figure out the total gas cost - I try not to write it down - too painful.
Lost time due to Motorhome Breakdowns - About 2 hours (We now have driven the motorhome about 42,000 miles since we bought it in 2004. Although we have had the normal amount of "issues" over that time I have been very happy with the reliability of the Winnebago.)
Net Gambling Winnings - $200
Gambling Winnings Wealth Transfer to Children - $60
Gambling Winnings Wealth Transfer to Shasta County California - $144
Net-Net Gambling Winnings (Loss) - (-$4)
All-In-All ... A GREAT trip !!! (Now all we have to do is get Nan home somehow - anybody heading to the west coast anytime soon and need a rider?)
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Almost Home - & Musings of a Maineiac in Motion
We had a relatively leisurely drive today from Niagara Falls to Schenectady, NY where we settled in for the night at the Arrowhead Marina and RV Park – a really beautiful spot right on the Mohawk River. Since it is now far past Labor Day and since it is the middle of the week the park is mostly empty. So we will enjoy our one night stay, get a good night’s sleep, and finish our trip back to Maine tomorrow.
Well Brian Williams and NBC news is talking about the greatest financial crisis in the USA since the great depression. Since I wasn’t around for the great depression I guess I really can’t make comparisons … but I think predictions of the sky falling are a bit premature. I do think that those of us who have lived our financial lives relatively conservatively (without great amounts of debt) are at least in a position to have some control over our destiny. Thanks Nan and Dad for teaching us to live within our means … now if our government (local, state, federal) would only start living by that motto and encouraging others to do the same.
Stay tuned for the end-of-trip statistics – to be published within the next few days from the beautiful State of Maine – “the way life should be” (except for the excessive taxes).
Well Brian Williams and NBC news is talking about the greatest financial crisis in the USA since the great depression. Since I wasn’t around for the great depression I guess I really can’t make comparisons … but I think predictions of the sky falling are a bit premature. I do think that those of us who have lived our financial lives relatively conservatively (without great amounts of debt) are at least in a position to have some control over our destiny. Thanks Nan and Dad for teaching us to live within our means … now if our government (local, state, federal) would only start living by that motto and encouraging others to do the same.
Stay tuned for the end-of-trip statistics – to be published within the next few days from the beautiful State of Maine – “the way life should be” (except for the excessive taxes).
Monday, September 15, 2008
Niagara Falls
We made it through the rest of Ohio, a corner of Pennsylvania, and to Niagara Falls yesterday. Since we arrived later than previously hoped – we decided to forgo the falls yesterday and stay another day here in Niagara Falls. Besides wanting to spend some leisure time at the falls – it was pretty unanimous that we needed a non-travel day.Right about the time we decided to retire for the evening the remnants of Hurricane Ike decided to pay us a visit here in NY. Although there wasn’t much rain – the winds picked up pretty dramatically to around 25-30 mph with gusts up to about 50 mph. So – we did what any intelligent RVer would do - We pushed a few buttons – moved in the slides – and went back to bed. After a few hours the winds died down and we all had a great nights sleep. It was good to feel some cooler and less humid air move in after the winds passed.
We spent Monday morning sleeping in a bit, had a great french-toast breakfast, and then drove to the falls for some sightseeing. The weather was a bit cool with overcast skies – but actually not too bad for spending a few hours outside looking at the sights. We started off at the Visitors Center where we borrowed a wheelchair for Nan and then strolled over to American Falls for Nan’s first 
look at “Niagara Falls.” American Falls is a pretty cool place because you are right next to the water (the Niagara River) when it takes its plunge over the edge. Nan was pretty impressed so we boarded the trolley and drove over to Horseshoe Falls for more fun. Horseshoe Falls is the longer of the two falls and probably the more spectacular. In the picture you will notice the “Maid of the Mist” tour boat at the base of the 
falls. Peggy and I got to experience the view from that vantage point on our previous trip here and Nan didn’t think she needed to … so we forgo that part of the adventure. The real adventure was pushing Nan back up the ramp from the Horseshoe Falls viewing point! Peggy and I got our exercise for the day – for sure!After finishing our sightseeing, we had a bit of lunch and wandered back to the motorhome for a nap and some chores (doing more laundry – it never seems to end!).
Tomorrow we will start the last leg of our west coast to east coast journey. I hope to make it to about Schenectady tomorrow and then finish our trip back to Maine on Wednesday.
Look out Mainers – the Maineiacs in Motion are
(almost) back!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Ohio
We did make it to Cincinnati yesterday where we parked the rig, unhooked the car, and went to visit with niece Carin and her kids Amanda and Zach. Nan hadn't seen Carin since our son Eric's wedding two years ago and hadn't seen Amanda and Zach for about 3 years (last time we took Nan in the motorhome to CA from ME) so it was great for her especially and for us as well, even though we saw the Brown bunch here in Cincy last June. We found a great little Chinese food place near Carin's and had our fill of Pu Pu, fried rice, and lo mein. Yum 
Yum. Carin is planning a move to Nevada with son Zach as soon as her house sells in Cincinnati - Anybody out there need a really cute house in a nice neighborhood of southeast Cincinnati?
Since Carin had to go to work today (Saturday) we decided to continue our trek east. We got a late and lazy start and then found a grocery store (and we were running kinda low) before we left town. Needless to say we didn't make it too far today but did manage to roll north and east a bit to near Cleveland where we decided to call it an evening.Tomorrow we (I) hope to get an earlier start and make it to Niagara Falls somewhat early in the day so that we can get a chance to go see the falls before the remnants of Hurricane Ike show up.
We (except for Nan) are only a few days from home now. Once we make sure Nan gets a chance to see Niagara Falls we will then set our sights east and head back to Maine. We have been gone now for about 6 weeks and we are ready to get back home, sleep in our other bed, and get back to our "Maine" routine - whatever that is. We are starting to see some color in the otherwise green
trees so the first signs of autumn are upon us. I'm sure we will see even more as we continue to travel east and north.So tomorrow we shuffle off to Buffalo. On the way I think I'll stop and visit my friends - the Seneca - in NY and fill up with some cheaper gas. It is amazing how fast the price of gas can go up when there is a hurricane down around Texas and they shutdown the refineries. I think we need to build some more somewhere not so prone to weather - how about you ?!
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