Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to All.

December is Here

It's hard to believe we are already in December.  I am really on top of it this year.  I have 95% of my Christmas shopping done already and many gifts are on the way to my family.

I was in Target yesterday (Saturday) and purchased gifts, animal treats, etc.  I checked out and went to the car.  As I was loading the car I noticed several items were in the cart under the child seat and they were not it bags.  I looked at my receipt and realized I must not have seen the items and did not put them on the counter and the check out girl did not notice them either.  Wow, I got about $20 worth of stuff free.  Whoopee!

I got in the car to leave and then I thought for a moment.  Along time ago I made a commitment to myself that I would try to be the best person I could be.  One of those commitments was to be truthful and honest.  I thought for another moment and decided to take the items back in the store and pay for them.  The check out girl was very surprised that I came back in to pay for them.  She said most people would not have done that and she was very happy that I did.  She said that it "made her day".  It made my day too and I felt very good about doing the right thing.  I'm not a perfect person but every little bit counts.

I went to a Coast Guard Christmas party Saturday evening and had a great time.  If anyone knows about the party from last year, I got stuck with a goofy nutcracker.  It has been going back and forth every year and I was able to get rid of it this year.  It was very funny how I disguised the box and everyone had a great laugh.

Today one of my Coast Guard friends called me and they woke up to their house on fire.  There was a fireplace chimney fire and major damage.  I went over to video tape it so he could have a record for the insurance company.  A lot of personal items such as photo albums, video tapes and family heirlooms were destroyed.  It was very sad.

Everyone enjoy the fun of shopping for and receiving gifts this Christmas.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Our Federal Government at Work!

I don't like to talk "Politics" but I need to voice my opinion.

I remember hearing many-many times about people who make less than $250K will not see any tax increases.  Well the first thing that happened in 2008 with the new Administratrion and Congress was a $1.00 tax added on each pack of cigarettes.  Hey, wait a minute, I don't earn over $250K!

I know; you say, well then just quit smoking.  I can't because I would feel guilty not wanting to help the "Children" as that is what this tax money supports, according to the Administration.

I always buy my cigarettes via the Internet from the Senca Indian Nation, therefore supporting the American Indians that were originally screwed by the US government. The cigarettes are sent to me via the US Postal Service.  Recently the Administration and Congress passed a bill to stop all cigarettes from being sent via the US postal service.  The reason again is to Save the Children.  That is to say, to prevent minors from buying cigarettes.  I guess they don't know how difficult it is to set up an account to buy cigarettes on line to prove your age.  It takes about 2-weeks for the process.

My research shows that cigarettes sent in the mail provides $30-$40 million dollars to the US Postal Service.  The Postal Service just reported last year they were in the hole by $8.5 billion dollars even after eliminating over 105,000 jobs.  Now I know $40 million is a drop in the bucket compared to 8.5 billion but does it make any sense to "bite the hand that is feeding you"??

This effectively is another new tax for me!

Even if I didn't smoke I am seeing hidden taxes popping up all of the time.  For example, after the massive health care bill passed, my heath insurance cost went up considerably and my co-pay doubled.  I also notice new taxes appearing on my utility and other bills.

The current Administration and Congress also want to end the Bush Tax reduction.  If they do that, our taxes will increase in January 2011.  Sounds like another tax increase to me and I still don't make over $250K!

Now if my salary was like the Speaker of the House (Approx. $224K) or Congress (Approx. $170K) plus a great health and retirement plan, then maybe I wouldn't be complaining so much.

I sure hope the new January 2011 Congress takes another word that I heard many times (CHANGE) and does something about this out of control Government!

It's November

Nothing new to report.

A Video Post Today

Today, this post is more about videos but first a recap from my previous "Hamburger Event" Blog post.

I made a complaint on the Krystal Website and gave them my Order number.  Last week I got a call from the owner of the Krystal's in Troy, AL where the poor service took place.  He told me they looked at their video archive and saw me on that day and the situation I experienced.  He was very apologetic and told me they were sending a training team in and getting rid of a few "Slackers".  He is also sending me some free coupons for some burgers.  Maybe I will finally get to try their Double-Bacon Cheeseburger!

My Range/Stove went belly up so I got a new one from Lowe's.  I like the one I had in my new home in Tally so I got the same kind.  Here are a couple of photos.

Last week I had to demo my software online to a group of engineers in Costa Rica.  They all spoke Spanish so I had to learn some Spanish pretty fast.  Here is a clip of me at the beginning of the demo.  In the future, I may have to fly there to do some on-site training.

Turn up the volume to hear it.

On another note, the Kittens have now become part of the "Pack".  I gave the dogs and kittens a "licky plate" to share.  Most dogs are very possessive about their food but Buddy and Max seem to be OK  sharing with the kittens.

The next video is a tour of the RV which I'm sure everyone saw on the Buck's Pocket video.  I'm putting it here so Debbie can review it as I am planning a trip in November for a visit and she wants to see the interior again in case she wants to visit the campsite and possibly stay overnight in the RV.

That's All Folks.

THE HAMBURGER

I usually don't eat fast foods but when I travel I enjoy a burger on the road.  Last week I went to Panama City Beach to visit family.  I like to stop at Hardy's because their burgers are very good.  I couldn't find one so I thought I would try a Krystal burger in Troy, Alabama.

There was no one at the counter and only two people in the back.  There were two other employees in the dining room chit-chatting and one outside smoking.  I assumed they were on break.  Finally after 8 or 9 minutes someone from the back came out and took my order.  I ordered a double bacon cheese burger.  The counter person disappeared again and I saw my order come up to be bagged.  Another 5 or 6 minutes went by and I finally flagged the drive up person to get my order.  What an ordeal.

When I got back to my RV to eat it, I found it was just a plain hamburger.  The order was wrong and I was so mad but I didn't want to go back in so I just ate it.  Krystal HQ will hear about this one!

On the way back from Florida I again wanted a Hardy's burger but again could not find one easily accessible with my 31 foot RV.  I saw a Burger King on my side of the road, and I did like the Whopper so I stopped there.  When I got to the counter they told me their grill was down and they could only offer two types of Chicken sandwiches. Jeez, I just want a burger!!!  Not wanting to stop again I got a chicken sandwich.

As I pulled out of the parking lot, I saw a Hardy's next Door.  Man, I just can't WIN!  What's a guy got to do to get a decent hamburger?

I better start marking the Hardy's with my GPS unit so I can find them the next time.

FOOT NOTE:  When I was in Florida I had a fantastic burger and the best fries I ever had at Five Guys Burgers and Fries.  I wish there was one of them around here.

Kitty Laser Tag

Been busy this weekend getting ready for FL trip next week.  I had to clean the HVAC pump filter on Lights Out again as it was clogged up and the AC kept blowing breakers.  I also washed her and since there was no wind, decided to take her out for a little run as she hadn't been out of the dock since April.

Did some stuff on RV to get it ready for trip as well.

Here are a few photos of Dakota sneaking up on Buddy.

Now speaking of Kitty Laser Tag, I have been playing with the kittens with a laser light.  Max also chases it but Buddy figured it out the first time and ignores it.  I took a video and toward the end I replayed some of the sequences in slow motion.  It really shows how agile cats are and how they always land on their feet.  Click the link below.

Kitty Laser Tag

That's about it for now.

September 19 and Still HOT

I can't believe it is still hot.  Had one cooling off period on Labor Day weekend but it has been hot ever since then.  Come on Fall, please arrive.

Not much going on since my last post but this weekend my primary project was to redo the dog confinement area in the camper.  I have been using a stretchy cord thing that came with the camper to keep someone from rolling out of the bunk bed.  It was always involved and it took me 10 to 15 minutes each time to set it up or put it down to let the dogs in or out of the bunk area.

I decided to take one of my dog kennels apart and use the door and some other parts so I could simply open and close a door for the dogs.  I thought it would be simple to do but I had to engineer things as I went.  After a couple runs to the local hardware store I finally got it assembled.  Here are a couple of pictures.

This should make life a lot simpler when I go camping.  Next is to figure out how to make an area for the kittens in the upper bunk.  I have a carrier but I need an area where they can be confined but still have room to move around and play.

In just two more weeks I will be going camping in Florida and meeting up with Pamella and family, Phillip, Andrew and Brynne for a couple of days camping at St Andrews State Park in Panama City.  When the children were young, we used to do a lot of camping there.  It will be kind of a Camping Family Reunion.  Looking forward to seeing everyone.

The End.

Back On Line

Hi Everyone.  I had my blog turned off for a while for several reasons.  Primarily it was the crummy editor and difficult to edit, especially with photos so I was looking into other methods to share my experiences..  The other reason was to get an idea of who actually reads the blog.

A few family members did notice the blog was down so that was sort of good news.  The point of the blog is to share my experiences with my family and to keep them informed of my activities.  So I am going to try it again, especially since the blog has a better editor.

Yesterday I lost power for a few hours as a storm blew through and knocked down some trees in the neighborhood.

I spent Labor Day weekend at Monte Sano State Park.  It was a test run for going to Florida in October with the Dogs and Kittens.  It was the first camping trip for the kittens and they did very well.  Here is a photo of me and the dogs in my "Toy" car.  I got out at one spot and a lady couldn't believe I had the dogs in such a little car.  I told her it was my "Clown" car.  If you have ever been to a circus, you know what I mean.

I have posted two new videos on YouTube and they are listed on the right hand video panel.  Click on them to view.  To get a larger image (HD full Screen) go to YouTube by clicking the following links.

Sunrise:

Sunrise on Monte Sano Mountain

Camping:

Camping at Monte Sano State Park

One other thing.  last week I cashed in my coin can (I never carry change anymore) and just threw it in a can when I got some at a store.  It was probably a year or two worth of coins and it amounted to $174.28.  Wow, that was a lot of coins!

That's it for now.

Another Birthday Gone Past

Birthdays at my age are basically just another day except I do enjoy hearing from my children and of course receiving gifts.

I decided on a gift from me to me as expained below.

I have been looking for some kind of transportation to have with the RV and looked at Scooters, motor bikes, etc. but I wanted to be able to take the dogs with so I could leave a campground without having to unhook the RV to go shopping or take dogs to beach etc. Also it is safer on 4-wheels with a roof over my head.

I ended up with a Hyundai Accent. it is a 3-door (hatchback) and the rear seats fold down allowing room for the dogs. It's white with black interior and there was a factory deal with $2K rebate and 4.5% financing. I went new because the used market pricing was about the same. It has a 10 year/100K mile warranty. I never thought I would buy a foreign car but I am helping Alabama as they are now built here.

It has 6 airbags so pretty safe unless a semi rolls over it. It weighs about 2500 pounds so pretty light to tow.

Most of them are automatics but I needed a manual transmission for towing with all 4 wheels on the ground. They found one at another dealer and I will pick it up Wednesday the 18th. It has an upgrade package (#3 GS) that includes anti-lock brakes, power windows, wireless key entry, AC, 3 month free XM, etc.

I'm keeping the Durango as my primary vehicle. Just going to use the Accent primarily for camping but it does have great gas mileage so may use it around here for quick trips.

Surprisingly, it has great leg/head room and very comfortable to drive.

Here are a few pictures but remember, it is white.

To find more info about the car Click Here. Play the video it has cool music!

August Heat

It's been in the 100's going on two weeks now. Very hot but I'm sure it is making Al Gore very happy supporting his "Global Warming" theory.

This AM I washed Lights Out, ran the engines, walked the dogs, did some house work and showered before Noon. Going to take it easy the rest of the day.

As I was working on the boat and hearing those engines purr, I got to thinking about all of the boating trips I have made since 2006. Since the for sale market is dead right now, due to the economy, I thought I might as well keep using it rather than just letting it sit and collect spider webs.

So, I'm thinking about another trip to Chattanooga in September. I don't want to do it alone. Therefore, I am looking for a crew to go with me and help with going through the Nicajack lock as well as possibly sharing some of the expenses (optional). It would be one day to get there, 2 days there and another day to return or a total of 4 days plus any time needed to get to Guntersville and return. ANYBODY INTERESTED?

The dogs and kittens are getting along better as every day passes. Here are a few photos:

All four of them eating together.

After dinner Dakota likes to sit in the dog dish.

Max is thinking "Hey, there is more food in my bowl!

The Kittens new play tower.

After playing, they jump in the bed to rest.

They are snuggling and still trying to nurse. I don't think they realize they are both males.

Buddy is resting near by.

So is Max.

Now it's my turn to rest. Bye!

End of July

I had oral surgery on the 29th (root amputation) and Brynne came to help me. She brought me a Papa John's Pizza and I was so happy since I have not had one since I left Tallahassee in 2005.

All went well with the surgery. The surgeon instructed me to only eat soft foods and preferably cold foods. We bought some jello and ice cream and the ice cream didn't last very long!

I mostly rested on Friday and here is a photo of me and the kitties.

Brynne and Max fell asleep.

Brynne took some photos of the "Animals"

Brynne brought my birthday gift that Andrew and Brynne got me.

She had to assemble the chairs and tables and put a protective oil sealer on them. I was very impressed with her mechanical abilities. She did a great job.

As usual, family visits are too short and she had to leave on Saturday since she had to go to work at noon.

That's it for now. Bye!

HAPPY 4TH

Happy fourth of July and lets be thankful for this great country we live in, even though there are many issues for the USA right now.

I've been busy this weekend still catching up on things as well as making DVDs for the Dalton and Kokomo trips. I made standard and Blu-ray versions and the Blu-rays are awesome with my HD camcorder. I also made one for the Florida trip I took in September 2009 that I promised Pamella.

I serviced and ran the two engines on the RV, three engines on Lights Out, one engine on bass boat as well as my standby generator. I've been taking advantage of the cooler mornings but it is still hot.

Absolutely no sales leads on Lights Out other than one person wanting to trade a twin engine Cesna for it. Also, some things are starting to wear out with the boat so I hope I can sell it before any major repairs are needed.

That's about it for now.

Back Home

I'm back from the Minnesota trip and catching up on things. I had a great time and got to visit with Don and Dell and family. We did some fishing but Clear lake had been overrun with pelicans and the fish population has declined. I only caught two Pike and the size was very small.

On Father's Day Don caught a 5.75 pound Walleye. It was returned to the water after picture taking.

I got to meet "Rocky" and he is sure one cute pup!

While I was there, I got a call from my neighbor in Bama and he said a storm came through and tore off the roof at the boat dock. I took some pictures when I got home.

The wind was so strong it actually blew one roof section into the trees.

Some boats were damaged.

For some lucky reason, the roof over "Lights Out" was spared. However, the wind blowing on the boat did rip one of the roof support poles loose where the dock line was tied.

The marina is waiting for the insurance company so who knows how long the docks will be messed up.

Catch Up Time

I can't believe it has been a month since my last Blog update.

This weekend I washed the Durango and the RV. I was going to wash Lights Out but just ran out of steam so I will have to do that another time.

As everyone probably knows my mail was stolen so I got a locking mail box and installed it today.

I didn't realize it was so big and it height (door) exceeds the USPS standard. I'm sure the postman will complain on Monday and I will have to lower it. That will be a big project as I will need to pull up the pole, cut 5 or 6 inches off and put it back in the ground with cement.

Publix, PLEASE COME TO GUNTERSVILLE. I am so tired of buying produce and when I get it home it is old or spoiled, especially lettuce. I bought some at Wal-Mart yesterday and even asked the clerk how fresh it was. She said it was just put out. Later that day when I went to prepare it for salad, it was totally brown inside. I know it wasn't worth the return trip (21 mile round trip) but I was so irritated I took it back for a refund as well as a crappy cucumber.
I miss my old garden in Florida.

It seems some family members misunderstood my email concerning not responding to emails. I was just talking in general and complaining a little bit. I guess I am from a generation that did not have email growing up. When we wanted to communicate with someone we either talked face-to-face or over the telephone. It was a two-way conversation. One person would say something and then the other person would say something. The conversation went back and forth and it was polite and it made sense most of the time.

Now a days, the conversations are primarily emails and/or text messages. I still look at these correspondence's as two-way conversations. When I don't hear back, I wonder if the person(s) got the email, overlooked it or actually read it. Case in point: My mail was stolen. I thought that was a noteworthy conversation; at least it was for me considering the identity theft that's going on. I didn't hear back from anyone about it except for one family member.

I understand some folks don't read their email on a daily basis and it may take a few days or a week before they read it. That's OK. But I would still like to hear from them eventually.

I'm sorry if I upset anyone with my complaint about emails.

I am not mad at anyone. I just want to have a two-way conversation once-in-a-while.

Sorry this Blog update is full of complaints.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there.

Saturday I did a day trip to Debbie's for a visit. While there, we did a web video with Doug and the kids and had a good time. We ate our standard "Saturday Visit" locally made pizza for dinner. I left in the early evening so I could get home by sunset due to my eye issue with headlight glare at night.

The time flew by so fast we didn't get to do all the things we had planned so next time I will do an over-nighter.



I left the dogs at home since they could now go in and out of the house with their new "Doggie Door" and when I got back home in the evening they seemed to have done well.

I received my new 55" HDTV and Blu-Ray DVD player Friday so I was excited about that. Somehow I managed to move the old TV off the stand but could not get the new TV on it since it weighs 83 pounds and my right shoulder still doesn't have the strength. Luckily my neighbor helped me get it up on the stand.

It took me quite a while to get everything reconnected and I had a few issues. First, I could not get the High Definition from the cable box to the TV as the existing one is coaxial and the new TV requires HDMI. Cable company coming out Monday to swap out the box for the HDMI connector.

Next while playing a DVD the audio going to my Home Theater amplifier was real muffled (character voices) and sounded terrible. I spent hours trying all the different audio options and still couldn't resolve it. Finally I did an audio test on my 7 speakers plus bass speaker and found no audio coming from the center channel which is the predominate voice channel. I check the speaker and the wire came unconnected while I was moving everything around. DUH! Fixed that and the Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound now works great.

Let me tell you right now, once you watch a Blu-Ray DVD on a LED Plus LCD 55 inch screen, you will never go back. The video quality is amazing. I used the movie Avatar as a test since I had a DVD version and Blu-Ray version. Words cannot describe it.

My new setup also allows me to connect to the Internet and stream Netflix Movies, Since I am already a member there is no Extra charge for it. I can also go to You Tube and watch mine and other videos, Plus many other services. I was also able to update my Blu-Ray player on line for the latest firmware version. I can even access my computer in the office and view my photos and videos.

Plus I don't have to turn off the lights to see the TV. The picture is very bright and self-adjusts based on the ambient room lighting.

There are many additional features to numerous to mention here.

IT IS AWESOME!!!!


Some of the services I can access:




I watched my You Tube video of the HD camera test.

I tested the NetFlix streaming video. Guess what movie this is??

And here is a shot from Avatar.

Of course the photos shown here on the blog do not have the quality as seeing it live but it will give you an idea.

I guess when I retire, I could easily become a real couch potato.

Next I will be installing a snack machine, beverage server and popcorn machine right next to my viewing chair!