Memorial Day 2012

We finished last week with a few more visits with Darrell and Judy Patterson before they had to move on, heading west to visit with more family on the way to their workcamping stint in Michigan. We always enjoy our times with D&J and we look forward to visiting with them again on our trip west later this summer.


Stacy, Kaj and family had a bunch of activities planned for Saturday in celebration of Kyla's 14th birthday ... so Peggy and I got to babysit Taylor for a few hours here at the house before heading back to Richmond to partake in a birthday cookout. Taylor is really growing fast and is in that stage where she seems to learn something new every day. She now gives those fun open mouth kisses and is almost crawling. Needless to say she and Grandpa had lots of fun playing on the floor.

Peggy took Taylor for a long walk around the neighborhood where they got to visit with the neighbors and enjoy a nice spring day outdoors ... and then it was back to Richmond for hot dogs, burgers, cake, and ice cream. What a fun day and G'Ma and G'Pa slept great Saturday night!


The nice weather this weekend also brought on the urge to take a few cruises in the Chevelle. We took about an hour drive on Saturday before picking up Taylor and then about another hour cruise yesterday afternoon. I know, we shouldn't be out there burning up precious gasoline with no particular purpose. But we enjoy our sunny day drives along the Maine backroads - noisy fuel inefficient V-8 engine roaring along with the wind in our hair. We are pretty easy to please -- aren't we?


Today is Memorial Day. To start our celebration we plan on attending the annual Topsham-Brunswick Memorial Day parade this morning. It looks like we are in for a bit of rain today - but we may be able to get the parade in before the wetness arrives. Our local parade isn't huge - but it is a fun old fashioned parade with marching vets, cub scouts, girl scouts, politicians, and fire trucks. We don't get to see too many horses in our parade. It's too bad ... I would like to see the horses replace the politicians. The clean-up is pretty much the same either way and the horses are a lot prettier!


Fly a flag today and remember those who gave their lives for our liberty and freedom.

Fun Days with D&J ... and Elections

Once again, we've had a pretty busy week. We have had several fun visits with our visiting RV buddies - Darrell and Judy Patterson including a few meals at local fun spots like Fat Boy Drive In for Frappes and BLTs, Jen's Place for breakfast, and The Cabin for Shrimp Scampi Pizza. 


It hasn't all been unhealthy though - we did get some exercise on our walk to Dairy Queen for Hot Fudge Sundaes!


In and among these fun activities Peggy got in a few Eye doctor appointments and I accomplished a few chores around the house ... so we continue to get some things done that need doing before we hit the road again in a few months.


Fortunately - the weather has been pretty nice overall these past several days. We have seen a little rain but our days have been generally nice with temps rising into the high 60s / low 70s. Certainly "seasonable" temps for this time of year. I've read that temps have already been in the 90s in the southeast and in the 100s in the southwest - so I'm not complaining a bit about our temps and a little rain!


As most of you already know - or certainly strongly suspect - I tend to follow politics more than most and tend to have "conservative" viewpoints. I read a lot of political commentary, from both "liberal" and "conservative" sources, and pay attention to other sources including television news and commentary. I am a self confessed political junkie. All that said ... I continue to be amazed and confused by polls.


As I understand it - pollsters contact a bunch of individuals, some of whom may vote in some future election, or may not ... and then they ask a bunch of questions regarding their viewpoints on issues and whom they might vote for in some future election. These pollsters then provide this information to campaign staff people who make a living deciphering the poll results and then these folks focus future advertising to try and sway peoples (hopefully voters) opinions. All of this activity costs lots and lots of money ... but is it effective? I really have my doubts.


My observations would tell me that in a two person race, or a yes or no ballot question, somewhere near 47% of just about any diverse group of voters will support candidate A or the "Yes" position, another 47% will support candidate B or the "No" position. These people know where they stand months ahead of the election and unless something truly unusual happens - will not change their position. That leaves the other 6%. In my opinion, the majority of these folks make up their mind in the voting booth.


So is all that advertising we are subjected to effective? Not in my opinion. It costs a lot of money, it keeps a number of people receiving a paycheck (so I suppose it isn't all bad), it helps fuel the majority of the controversy discussed all day and night during the news cycle, but when all is said and done - it makes very little difference.


So what does make a difference?


Who shows up to vote! 


If more of those 47%ers favoring candidate A than the 47%ers favoring candidate B show up and bother to vote ... Candidate A wins.


So if you want your guy or gal to win ... or if you think No is a better choice than Yes ... your opinion only counts if you show up to vote. 


Otherwise - my guy/gal wins and my opinion counts!

Mischief, Mayhem, & Merriment

We have had a pretty nice weather week with generally sunny skies and warming temperatures. I think we actually made it into the 70s yesterday and this weekend looks to be just as nice. It's about time!

I have tried to take advantage of the nice weather by continuing to work on my outdoor chores. With Peggy's help - I finished the fence building project early in the week by cutting up and hauling away all the old fence panels to the "solid waste facility." Here in Maine we are quite "progressive" and years ago we changed the name of "the Dump" to "the Solid Waste Facility." Not only did we change the name - we found more and more ways to pay for its operation. We insist that folks pay $2.50 per 30 gallon trash bag to throw trash in the trash bin and we also charge $6 per cubic yard to throw away old broken/rotten fence panels. Yes indeed - we value our trash!

The nicer weather has also brought out the classic cars and hot rods so I had to retrieve our Chevelle from its storage this week. I remain amazed every year when I go to start her for the first time in months and she fires right up! Well ---perhaps it does take a few attempts of the starter but she starts pretty well for a machine that has been sitting for 7 months! I know I haven't driven her enough the past few years to make it worth the annual registration fee, the storage costs, and the insurance, and I probably ought to sell her, but I shudder at the thought. A lot of my time, sweat, and treasure went into that car and I still enjoy the few times we do take her out for a spin. I don't think she will be leaving the family anytime soon!

So ... other than a few springtime outdoor projects, taking in a high school baseball game to watch Bailey play on Thursday and a short visit with Stacy/Kaj/Taylor last night at the local American Cancer Society "Relay For Life" - we have had a laid back spring week here in Maine. But I suspect that will all be changing starting today.

Our RVing buddies Darrell and Judy Patterson will be arriving here in Topsham sometime today! They are continuing their spring kid/grandkid tour and will be taking a break for a week here before continuing on to Michigan for a few more visits before their planned working stint in Petoskey, MI. I'm sure we will find a few opportunities for some fun, food, and frolicking while they are here. We may even move on to mischief, mayhem, and merriment! Not to mention our daily Tea Time!


D&J plan on moving west right around Memorial Day. Once Memorial Day in Maine has passed it means the Summah Folk start to arrive. Don't get me wrong - we enjoy having the Summah Folk and we hope they leave their money before they head home - but they could just leave it at the York Tollbooth and turn around. I'm just sayin'! 


I'm just kidding - honest.  

Fencebuilding Crew Arrives

Mother's Day didn't turn out exactly as I had planned - it turned out better!


I had figured that I would get a few fence panels replaced, call my mom, and then kick back and enjoy the rest of the day with Peggy. As it turned out - I did all that and got all of the replacement fence panels installed! But not without some help.


I got started on the fence around 9:00 AM and then Kaj and Bailey arrived around 10:00 AM or so to help out. In spite of having to remove and reset several fenceposts and remove some tree roots left over from previous tree removals - we got all twelve remaining panels replaced! It sure was nice having all those much younger muscles to help out while I got to play supervisor!

Stacy, Kyla, and Taylor arrived around lunch time so a trip to Subway was in order. After munching down some "5 Dollar Footlongs" we went back to work. Even Kyla got to display her fencebuilding skills - and in a white skirt at that! That girl is a true Mainer ... she can look all gorgeous and operate a post hole digger all at the same time.

Followed closely by being a great big sister ...

Peggy and Stacy got to enjoy Mother's Day playing with Taylor and watching us work. Stacy even got in a short nap along with Taylor.

Not exactly a traditional Mother's Day - but it was a fun day none-the-less!

Here's to all you Moms

Winne finally made it to her storage spot yesterday. We had a pretty decent day weather-wise so I drove her over, spent some time scrubbing the roof to remove a years worth of grime, got her parked in her storage spot, ran the generator for about a half hour for its monthly exercise, and then shut down all systems. I'll be back to take care of a few minor maintenance items over the next several weeks - but other than that - Winne can take a rest. But not too long ... she needs to be ready to roll again before the summer is out.


Today was a gorgeous Maine spring day. Sunshine all day and a high temp somewhere in the 70s. I spent a good deal of time outdoors enjoying the day while getting the lawn mowed and then I started replacing our back fence. I purchased the new fence panels and a few replacement fence posts from the local Home Depot on Thursday so I now should have all the materials I need. I managed to get two new panels installed today and replaced one rotten fence post. Replacing the panels is pretty easy once the old panels are removed but replacing the few broken fence posts can be a bit more effort since they have to be dug out and replaced in the exact spot they are now for everything to fit correctly. Two panels down and 12 more to go. I figure I ought to have this project finished in a couple of weeks - allowing for rainy days and lazy days.


Tomorrow is looking to be another pretty decent day here so perhaps I can get a few more panels completed. But then again ... it is Mother's Day -- and I need to take good care of Brian, Eric, and Stacy's mother ... so the fence work may have to be curtailed a bit. Peggy certainly deserves to be acknowledged for all her great work in being a mother. She did a great job raising those three to adulthood and continues to be a great mom and G'ma. I don't think it gets much better than that!


Here's to all the great moms out there!! You are the best!

It Looks Like We Have A Plan

As most of you already know, Peggy and I are originally "from" California. Peggy was actually born in Nebraska - but we were both "raised" in the Golden State. That being the case - we still have lots of relatives on the Left Coast that we enjoy visiting from time to time.


Peggy and I made our first RV trip to California back in 2005 shortly after I retired from my work at Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company. We had a great time on that trip, traveling with my mom on the east to west southern route along I-40 while seeing some sights none of us had ever seen - like the Grand Canyon. We had just as much fun on the west to east leg traveling along the Oregon Trail and visiting Yellowstone National Park, the Black Hills of South Dakota, and Niagara Falls.


Since 2005 we have made the trip to California trip several more times - in 2007, 2008, 2009, and again in 2010. We have taken the "fast" route across I-80, the almost as fast route across I-70, the "southern" route across I-10, the almost as southern route across I-40, and the "northern" route across I-94. We have seen lots of corn and soybeans in the midwest, driven through snowstorms in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and dust storms in West Texas. We have enjoyed southern and Tex-Mex BBQ, corn fed midwestern beefsteak, gulf shrimp, "Mexican" food, "Asian" food, New England Clam Chowder, "German" food, and all sorts of other unique local cuisine along the way.


I write all this to explain that "we know the way." We have been there, done that, and even bought a few Tee Shirts along the way. 


In spite of all that - We have been kicking around the idea of heading back west again for some time and have come up with all sorts of reasons why we should wait "till next year." We have plenty of reasons not to go.


1. We want to spend more time with the east coast kids and grandkids.


2. Gas is too expensive.


3. California is a long way away. At least 11 travel days. We have actually made the trip in 11 days - driving 11 days in a row - I doubt that will ever happen again - at least while we are traveling together.


But then again ....


1. We also want to spend time with the west coast relatives.


2. Gas probably will not get much less expensive.


3. Who knows what will happen in the next year to keep us from making the trip.


4. Surely there are places we haven't seen, food I haven't tried, and experiences we haven't experienced!


So all things considered ... it looks like we are heading to California again in 2012. Although I have sorta set a travel plan ... we haven't really set a leave date. Right now we are keeping it at "sometime this summer." 


My initial travel plans include a stop in Petoskey, MI to see the sights and visit with our RV buddies Darrell and Judy Patterson, a trip to Winne's birthplace in Forest City, IA, a return trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota, a trip up the "Bozeman Trail" into Montana and then into northern Idaho, a visit to Washington State to pick up our final state in the "lower 48" traveled in Winne, and then down through Oregon into California. 


After spending about a month in Cali and Nevada visiting with "folks" - we are contemplating a trip back east with stops in Utah to see some of the National Parks there, perhaps a stop in Missouri to take in the Escapees RV Club annual rally (The Escapade) in Sedalia, and finally back to Maine.


As with most RVers - our plans are firmly set in Jello. Who knows what might happen between now and then?


But it looks like we have a plan to change - when and if necessary.

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Sitter Duties

Winne's pre-storage maintenance work is complete (almost)! Spark plugs have been changed, wax job is complete, carpets have been cleaned, and the windshield wipers have been replaced. She is ready to move over to her storage location as soon as her storage host is ready. I hope to make those arrangements today and get her all nestled in for her rest period. I say "almost" because there is one ongoing maintenance project. Several years ago I made I slight miscalculation when lowering Winne's leveling jacks and I scrunched the Wet Bay compartment door. The door has been functional over this period with only cosmetic damage - but since I have a friend who is a professional "body man" - I decided it was time to take off the door and turn it over to him for some R&R. I'm sure he will fix it up "just like new" in no time. Well ... I have learned that Time is a term that independent body men don't really fully comprehend. The work tends to get done - when it gets done. You can't schedule it - speed it up - or slow it down. It just gets done when its time.


Now that Winne is just about in storage it's time to move on to the next list of projects. There is a fence that still needs replacing, a few sections of the house that still need painting, a deck that needs  a new coat of preservative, a section of lawn that needs reseeding, flower beds that need attention ... and the list goes on and on. Yessiree - never a dull moment here at Mike and Peggy's Project Factory, Baby and Dog Sitting Service, and Retirement Home!


Speaking of our Sitter Service. We hosted Eric and Jen's Pug "Booda" for the weekend as they enjoyed their time up at Rangely Lake. Here is a few pictures of Uncle Eric, Aunt Jen, Colby, and Charlotte "Up at the Lake." 

Booda missed his humans - but I guess we served as acceptable substitutes.


But just to make things more interesting Peggy returned home from church with Taylor Anne in tow! It seems Stacy and family had a trip to Portland to accomplish - and the next thing ya know G'ma and G'Pa had Taylor duty. Fortunately it's a duty we both love to do. We just had to figure out a way to keep the baby and the Pug separated enough they could interact without "issues." It's a good thing G'ma and G'Pa still have a few items of baby furniture around for just such occasions. An old fashioned "play-pen" worked just fine.


Around 3 PM Stacy, Kaj and the gang arrived to pick up Taylor and then Eric and Jen arrived to pick up Booda. Before you knew it ... it was back to just Peggy and I. Wow - it sure got quiet around here!


Apparently we have moved back into our at-home "normal." Do a few projects, visit with kids and grandkids, and start planning for our next on-the-road adventure. We have started to talk about what that next adventure might be ... but I'll save that info for a future post.


For now we'll just remain Maineiacs In Motion ... In Maine.

Spring

It has been back to Winne maintenance projects these last few days.


I finished reinstalling the windshield molding on Monday and while I was at it I decided to remove the front cap clearance lights to see if they might be a source of water leakage into the area above the windshield. As it turns out - the way the front cap is designed and the method by which those clearance lights are mounted - it is highly doubtful that they could be a cause of a water leak. But since I had the clearance lights out - and since the gaskets they use to mount the light fixtures had deteriorated from sun and age - I needed replacements. I checked the local RV store to see if these gaskets might be "generic"  ... with no luck. I then decided to check my favorite source for Winnebago related parts - Lichtsinn Motors in Forest City, IA - just a mile away from the Winnebago factory. I went online and "chatted" with the parts department and within minutes the parts were verified in stock, the order was made, and they promised to get the parts in the mail that day. Well ... they arrived in the mail today - two days later - Wow - that's what I call good service.


My goal is to finish up all Winne's pre-storage work by this weekend and get her put in storage. Today was wax day. I like it when Winne is all nice and shiny with a good wax job - and it does protect the paint - but boy do I dread doing the work. Even with use of my electric powered orbital buffer/polisher it's a lot of work. Up the ladder, down the ladder, move the ladder - do it all over again ... and again - and again. I managed to get it half done today and if I can muster up the energy I hope to finish the job tomorrow.


Peggy has been busy getting back in her at-home groove. Between church stuff on Sundays, bible study stuff on Wednesdays, playing with Taylor Anne when the opportunity presents itself, and generally putting up with me - she is staying pretty busy. We both have another sitter job this weekend. But this time we are dog sitting Eric and Jen's Pug while they go enjoy a weekend in the wilderness at a nice spot on Rangely Lake in a cabin supplied by their employer - L.L. Bean. Booda (the Pug) hasn't spent much time away from them -- so this might be just as interesting as Taylor Sitting.


So that's pretty much they way it is around here. Spring has sprung but it's still pretty nippy with lows in the 40s and highs barely making it to 60 on the good days. With the rain we received yesterday - once the sun reappears I imagine the grass will need mowing soon. 


Where the heck did I put that lawnmower?