Then They Were Gone

Riverton, Utah     High 93 Low 67


Today I talked briefly with Jim. Jim had his chiropractor appointment fairly early. We had a  birthday thing with one of our grandsons today and we stopped and talked with Sandi before we left.


We spent some time with Skyler. He is ten now. They seem to grow up awfully fast.


When we got home Jim and Sandi were long gone. When I called her they were in Pocatello, Idaho already and when I asked how Jim was, Sandi told me he felt a lot better after his adjustment and they planned on stopping in Shelly, Idaho tonight.


We enjoyed seeing them for the past few days and hope Jim does alright with his back. We hope to see them in Arizona this winter.


There is not much else to report, thanks for visiting.

Spending Time With Friends

Riverton, Utah         High 91 Low 64

I finally got Penny’s picture to put on this post. She sure looks different. Hopefully she likes not having all the hair.

I finished some of Cindy’s quilts. She sewed one of the kits we got from Rod, and I got it quilted this afternoon. A quilt in one day must be a record for us although it is a small baby quilt.

Cindy got a worn out quilt from her Mom that she wants to cut out some of the good parts and put in shadow boxes. The quilt belonged to her Grandmother and is about 100 years old. There are enough good spots to do what she wants with it.

Last night we went to Dickey’s Barbecue with Jim and Sandi. Sandi had been to other Dickey’s and told us how good it was and she was right. Cindy and I had Barbecue sandwiches and Jim and Sandi had ribs. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food and we spent some time after visiting.

This evening we had a neighborhood party that we took them to. There was lots of good food and everyone seemed glad we went. Jim and Sandi plan on leaving tomorrow, depending on Jim’s back. He had one chiropractor session yesterday and is scheduled for another tomorrow morning. Then he will see if he’s up to driving yet. We have told them they are welcome to stay as long as they want, but I guess they are anxious to get to Montana.  

Meanwhile we have been making plans and reservations for our trip to Florida with Cindy’s Mom and sister. We are supposed to meet them by Albuquerque after the Balloon Festival is over.

Thanks for visiting.

We Have Visitors

Riverton, Utah       High 79 Low 57

I finished putting the new tires on the trailer. I also got the truck back from having the chip put in. The mechanic mounted the monitor in a place I didn’t like, so I moved it. His reason was where he put it; the visor would still be able to open into the windshield. The problem with it was I didn’t have much view on the far left side of the windshield because of his monitor and my GPS. I didn’t say anything to him, but I made a bracket so I could put it by the rearview mirror. Even though I can’t open the visor all the way to the windshield, I like it there a lot better.

We have had kind of smoky air since we have been home, but today it was overcast with a tiny bit of rain, and all the smoke seems to be gone. At least we can see the mountains again.

We have been looking forward to having Jim and Sandi Dixon come and stay at our home. They made it today at about noon. They got set up in our driveway and then we visited for a while. We hope to be able to do something with them tomorrow while they are staying with us. Cindy fixed dinner tonight and we sat around visiting again tonight.

Penny had a haircut appointment today, so she didn’t get to meet their two dogs. Penny looks a lot better, but she had to get a shot to settle her down so she didn’t hurt herself while they were doing the grooming. It took her a little time to get to be her old self and she looks a lot better. I hope she gets used to having baths and haircuts

I try to get pictures tomorrow.

Thanks for visiting.

Birthday Party

Riverton, Utah      95 Low 61

It is still kind of warm here and the smoke is still in the air.

This afternoon we went to a birthday party for one of our friends. Walt is 95 and had a lot of family to wish him happy birthday. I told Cindy I would be glad to be in as good of shape when I'm 95. To look at him, you wouldn't know he was that old. He also had a brother there that is 2 years older than him. All I can say is "Happy Birthday, Walt".

Before our last trip, I kept having a check engine light come on. When I had the computer checked, all that came up was EGR problem. It didn't seem to bother how the truck drove, but I got tired of seeing the light on and then off, so I had it worked on. The EGR had to be replaced and then the Chev dealer reprogrammed something on the computer. I don't know if you see where this is going, but as a result, my mileage went out the window. I lost at least 2 miles per gallon pulling the trailer and at least 5 MPH running around without the trailer. All this in the name of better emissions. I'm not sure how loosing mileage is helping the environment, but if I had it to do over, I would have pulled the light globe and left the EGR alone.

To make a long story short, I took it to get a chip put on, which is supposed to help the mileage. I sure hope so. He is also going to check the exhaust brake, which I can't tell if it's working, so I guess that it isn't. I'm still happy that I put disc brakes on the trailer, they really do make a lot of difference in how we can stop.

We are busy trying to get everything ready for our next trip, and Cindy is still overdoing in the yard.We have most of our to-do's finished, but there are still a few to go.

Thanks for visiting.

Class Reunion

Riverton, Utah            High 90 Low 63

The air here in Salt Lake Valley has really been smoky and hazy for the last few days. Probably all the fires.

I got new tires for the trailer after a bit of mix-up at Discount Tires. I ordered G rated tires and the first time I went to pick them up, I had F rated on the wheels. They insisted that they ordered the right tires, but were shipped the wrong ones. So a day later, I got the correct ones.

I have quilted 2 quilts for Cindy this week. I also picked up the new computer for the quilt machine so I could get the upgraded quilting program for it. It has a lot of neat features but I have to learn some of the controls.

This afternoon we went to my High School reunion. Where has all the time gone? All there were was old people (I was one of them) and not the young people we used to be.

 

We had a good potluck meal with about everything imaginable to eat. It was very good.

We have guests coming next week and we are both looking forward to them visiting.

We still have lots to do to keep us busy.

Thanks for visiting.

Quick Update

Riverton, Utah         High 88 Low 61

A few days ago I took the truck to get the front end checked to see why the extra wear on the tires. I was told that the toe-in was way off; possibly caused by hitting a rut or all the rough roads we have been on. They corrected it and hopefully the tires wear better.

I quilted one quilt for Cindy, and now I’m only about 30 behind. lol I don’t know when, if ever, I’ll ever catch up.

We had our convection/ microwave oven in the trailer quit doing the convection part. I decided to see if it could be repaired instead of replacing it. A new one was about $500.00 and the repair place was able to fix it for $85.00. They found a burned wire on the thermostat. It was a little awkward to get in and out, not because it’s hard to do, but because of the weight and being in fairly tight quarters.

Last night my son, Ted, and his girlfriend had an open house to show off my latest grandson. He is a cutie. He is about 3 weeks old. Cindy gave them an afghan she made a while ago.

Proud dad and grand dad.

We still have a lot to do before we leave at the end of September. We are going to travel with Cindy’s mom and sister, for a couple of months.

I have to do something about insurance before we leave. My insurance with Cindy's policy ends on October 1st and I don't know whether to go with a medicare supplement policy or one with prescriptions. My understanding is that if I don't get some kind of prescription policy now, I'll get penalized if I do it later. So far the agents I've talked to want to sell me a supplement policy, which I don't know if I really need, instead of a Medicare Part C plan, which includes prescriptions. Any thoughts? 

 Thanks for visiting.   

Staying Busy

Riverton, Utah       High 91 Low 64


We got home yesterday afternoon. We spent some time unloading the trailer.


Last evening I filled the truck with diesel at $2.179 per gallon, which I thought was good. This is the least I have seen for some time. When I saw that price on Gas Buddy, I thought I better fill up before it goes back up.


Today I had to get an inspection and emission test done on our car. Then I took the other car to the repair shop to see why it has been loosing water. It has leaked since I had it worked on before we left for Idaho. We the mechanic pressurized the water system he found a clamp on one of the hoses hadn't been put back on the hose and that was leaking. Hopefully that is all it was.


Cindy has been over working in the yard. She seems worn out by the end of the day.


I took the truck to get the tires rotated. I have noticed more wear on the inside of the front than any of the rears. Now I have to get the front end checked to see what is causing the extra wear. After that I need to get new tires for the fiver.


Like I said, we have been busy.


Thanks for visiting.

Picnic With the Grand Kids

Coalville, Utah           High 75 Low 48

Last evening we got some thundershowers. For a while the rain really came down. I’m starting to feel like Nick Russell. The rain seems to be following us around. We have had some really nice days, but we feel like we’ve had our share of rain this summer.

Today it turned out to be a nice day although partly cloudy. Tammy brought the two grand kids up to have a picnic. We thought they were going swimming, but Devon dropped a frozen package on his foot last night and broke his big toe. So he was walking around with crutches and couldn’t go in the pool.

We were going to have a fire but our fire pit was full of water from yesterday’s storm. So I had to get the Charcoal grill out and we used it to cook hot dogs and s’mores. I think the kids had fun. Penny and I took Alysia for a walk around the Park to see the river and the trout pond.

Devon really liked his s'more.

They stayed about 3 hours and went home. We told them we would see them when they got home from school on Monday.

Cindy has been working on some quilts and I helped here trim blocks. It was kind of a laid back day.

Thanks for visiting. 

Scenes Around the RV Park

Coalville, Utah        High 73 Low 52

Today we stayed around the RV Park. This morning it was actually a little on the chilly side. This afternoon it warmed up enough to be very pleasant. We slept with the windows open last night and it was nice. We have been enjoying the cooler weather. It is almost 10 degrees cooler here than Salt Lake City, probably because we are about 1500 feet higher in elevation that the valley.

It rained a little through the night and into this morning. After the rain quit I washed the trailer and truck. They both look better. I don't know if they allow it, but the Park manager drove by and didn't say anything. I decided it was better to ask forgiveness than permission in case they don't allow it.

This afternoon on one of our walks we took pictures of the RV Park. There are lots of shady sites, with a small river running through part of it.

Lots of good size trees.

Our site, it is nice and wide but not too long.

One of the other campers told me that his son caught two fish yesterday.

There is a trout pond belonging to the RV Park. It is a nice park with the exception of not having a club house. There also don't seem to be many activities. We are only about a mile from the small town of Coalville.

We also updated our US map and added Canada. The only state we didn't make it to that we could drive to was Rhode island. 48 out of 49 isn't too bad! (Hawaii wold be very hard to drive to, lol)

We hope to have the grand kids here tomorrow, but that depends on the weather.

Thanks for visiting.

Back in Utah

Coalville, Utah          High 82 Low 57

We drove from Rawlins, Wyoming to Coaville, Utah today with light wind, not the 35 MPH winds that were predicted. They were supposed to start at about 11:00 so we were on the road by eight.

It was a 250 mile drive and we did have some road construction, but I don't think I've ever been across Wyoming without road construction going on.

With stops we were 5 1/2 hours to the CamperWorld Park here in Coalville. It is one of the Parks that we have a membership in. There don't seem to be very many RV Parks in Utah.

We plan on staying here until Monday. I guess its my last hurrah before going home.

We have a lot of things to do when we get home. Cindy has to sign up for Medicare, I have to get a Healthcare supplement (her State Health Insurance drops me when she turns 65), and we need to get our income taxes for 2014 from our accountant.

We will only be home for about 6 weeks, then we are headed to Albuquerque for the Balloon Fest with the Escapee Boomers. After that we are going to head to Florida with Cindy's sister Linda and their Mom. Lots of driving and while we are home I need to get new tires for the trailer. The ones on it have 2 1/2 years and 55,000 miles on them. I guess that's not too bad. It sure seems like we have been driving a lot since we retired.

I'll try to remember to get some pictures of this Park.

Thanks for visiting.

Flat Tire, Oh No Pressure Pro, Yea

 

Rawlins, Wyoming          High 88 Low 54

Today we had just gone through Denver, when all of a sudden the Pressure Pro went off. Cindy was watching it and the tire pressure on one of the trailer tires went from 50, to 39, to 16 by the time I got stopped. While I was driving, I couldn’t tell anything was wrong. It looked like I must have run over something because there was a big hole in the middle of the tire. I can’t remember hitting anything, and I’m sure without the warning, we would have had major damage to the trailer. By the way, the traffic going through Denver was terrible. It was probably a sample of the traffic in Salt Lake City.

I got the bottle jack out before I decided to use the Level Ups to raise the side.

Later after we left Cheyenne there was an alligator in the road, and about a mile further a semi was pulled over with one of the fenders that cover the back wheels all tore up with just a rim on one of his axles. It is a good thing for the Pressure Pro to tell me when we had a flat.

As it is, the tire will have to be replaced. I only have one spare, so I’m hoping we make it the 300 miles or so till home.

We were going to stop in Laramie, but it was so early in the day, we decided to drive 2 more hours and make it to Rawlins. And this way we only have to boondock one night. There is enough wind that we should be OK tonight.

The following pictures are some of the scenery along I 80 after Laramie going west.

Tonight we are at Camp Walmart and are going into one of our home Parks in Coalville, Utah tomorrow and are going to stay there for a few days before going home. 

Thanks for visiting.                      

Down Day

Monument, Colorado           High 79 Low 55

It was another nice day weather wise.

Today we kind of took it easy. Tomorrow we leave to head some more toward home. We will be somewhere in Wyoming, just not sure where, but probable Laramie. We have decided to go home by way of I 80 instead of I 70.

I have a few more pictures of the RV Park we are staying in.

Sorry about the short post.

Thanks for visiting.

US Air Force Academy

Monument, Colorado      High 73 Low 54

We had a little rain but the weather has been great and right now it is clear and nice.

Today we went to the Barry Goldwater Visitor Center at the Air Force Academy. We watched a short film about the first year of the cadets’ lives. If you remember the movie “An Officer and a Gentleman” the new recruits are treated exactly like the movie portrayed. There were only a few things they were allowed to say. I don’t remember all of them but among them were “yes sir, no sir, I don’t know sir”. This gives an idea of their first while at the Academy. By the end of the first year they are treated much better. There are several places the Academy code is displayed.

 Among the displays is a history of the Academy.

In the movie, part of the training showed some of the recruits going up in a glider, one of which is hanging from the ceiling of the Visitor Center.

There is a copy of the plans for the Chapel, a very different style of church that is located on the Academy grounds. I counted 17 pointed spires on it.  

We also found it interesting to learn about the Academy’s mascot, the falcon. There is also a lifelike carving of a falcon on display that took the artist 550 hours of labor to complete. It is out of a solid piece of wood.

There is a display of one of the rooms of two of the cadets. Cindy told me why the coins were on the beds. A properly made bed is tight enough that the coin bounces. I didn’t know that.

We walked the .3 miles to the Chapel, and got some interesting pictures of the inside and outside. We thought it interesting about the wooden picture called the Marqueterie art form. Upon reading about it, it is a very time consuming method of making a picture.

Some of the scenery walking toward the Chapel.

By the Chapel, there are a lot of the dorms and we got to see some of the cadets marching in formation.

At the end of 4 years, the graduates all have degrees and are officers. A lot of emphasis is placed on athletics and physical fitness. I didn’t catch his name, but one of the football players that went on to win the Superbowl, got started at the Air Force Academy, and he told how much the Ring he got at the Academy meant to him.

We thought it was an interesting place to see and I recommend it for anyone in the area.

 Some of the scenes on the way to the Visitor Center.

Thanks for visiting.