France - Little Rock to Paris

I arrived at the airport about 2 hours before my flight (per the instructions) with one medium roller style piece of luggage to "check" and a very stuffed backpack to "carry-on". After checking the luggage I stayed in the "common area" of the airport so my wife could be with me before I passed thru security.

I was flying on an AMERICAN EAGLE out of terminal 3A. When we set down this is what we saw.












They are working on the brakes of the aircraft that appears to be the one I will fly on to Chicago. Not exactly the thing we wanted to see. We were watching them for over an hour while I waited to go thru security.

Finally the time came that I had to leave and pass thru security and proceed to my terminal. They are still working on this plane. Can you say nervous!

The time arrives for my flight and it is announced that it will be delayed. As I can no longer see the plane, I assume they are still working on it.

Finally we are allowed to board our plane. Thankfully not the one being repaired. The pilot said they were late because they had trouble getting out of Wichita, Ks. because of a severe thunderstorm. He said he would "gas on it" and make up most of the lost time and we could arrive in Chicago almost on schedule. He also informed us that we would see a celebrity at the airport in Chicago. The AIRBUS A380 would be on the tarmac when we landed.

I found the seat room in the smaller CR7 out of Little Rock to be ok so I figured the 767 from Chicago to Paris would be even larger. Wrong!

Now comes the "biggie" part. Actually taking off and flying in an airplane. I had nothing to worry about as I really found it a very pleasant experience.

We reached a cruising attitude of 37,000 feet and looking down on the clouds they appeared to be flat on top. We arrived in Chicago right on time and the AIRBUS A380 was still setting there. Can you say HUGH? Here is a picture I pulled out the internet.











I wasn't sure what to expect upon arriving but found I was just unloaded on a secure floor and just had to find my departing terminal and wait.

I love to observe people so I was having a lot of fun. I noticed a husband, wife, and their young daughter (about 10 years old). The daughter was on the other side of the parents and moving along but something just didn't look right. Then I noticed her legs were not moving and she appeared to be back on her heels. How could that be?
When she finally came in full view I noticed she had wheels on the heals of her shoes and was just skating along on them.

I had never seen anything like it in my life (you can tell I don't get out much). Seems they are quite popular and are called "Heelys"











Finally boarded my 767 to Paris and prepared for my 7hr and 15min flight. Claire, the young lady sitting beside me was from France, heading home for a two week visit before resuming her studies in the US.

Arriving in Paris after a very long day, we got off the plane and was put on a bus and drove around to "baggage pick up and customs". They apologized for the inconvenience and I was not sure we were heading to the place my son thought I would arrive.

The earliest train Zac could get to Paris put him there about 2 hours after my plane arrived. We figured I would not have to wait very long after I cleared customs. Customs went very quickly and I had nearly 90 minutes to wait.

Here I am in Paris, France standing in an airport not knowing if I am in the right place for Zac to find me and having no way of contacting him. Did I mention it was spitting snow. With my blood pressure getting higher and higher, he finally finds me and we hop on the train to ride into town.

After a 20 minute train ride and two METRO (subway) rides, we surface to the
streets of Paris. I took a picture looking each way for my first look of Paris.

April book review

As you know, I have just returned from a trip to France. It was an epic journey for me as it was the first time to leave the USA. Having taken several tours on a motorcycle including one of 5700 miles, I thought I would review;












"Jupiter's Travels", by Ted Simon

In 1974 Ted Simon (an English journalist) started his four year, 64,000 mile, 53 country trip around the world trip on one of the last production Triumph motorcycle.

His Triumph was overhauled several times and had one total rebuild. His travels carried him thru some of worlds harshest countries. He traveled very cheaply and tried to live at what ever level the people around him lived.

From Sudan, to being held in a prison in Brazil, to living in a commune in California, his is an adventure that will inspire.

I hope you enjoy this book as I found it to be a very interesting read.

I'm Home!

Just a quick post to let everyone know I am back home safe and sound.
It was an amazing trip and I will be posting about it.
Still trying to decide just how I want to arrange the posts. I was thinking about writing about the trip in reverse order so that when finished it would read from top to bottom, also was thinking about just starting at the first and just numbering the parts.
I am looking forward to catching up on everyones blogs.

Trip!

Sorry I haven't posted in nearly 2 weeks. I have been very busy getting ready for my trip and working on the motorhome.

The motorhome has not been moved in nearly four years. The last time I started it was over a year ago and it ruptured a water hose.

I have been busy changing out the radiator and heater hoses (no small job). Even though it is 20 years old, it has only 31,998 miles on it. All the hoses were original.

After adding fresh gas, it started and ran like an engine with 30k on it should. I needed to have it ready to move as our new TT should arrive while I am in France. I leave in the morning and will be back a week from Thursday. That will give me a long weekend to set it up before I have to go back to work. The motorhome was not traded in and I want it ready to use any time we want to.

Looks like the weather in France might be alright for my visit. Highs in the 50's to low 60's. Maybe the rain will hold off. Should be nice for all the walking we will be doing.

I am sure I will bore everyone crazy upon my return with details of my trip.

Am I the last to know?

THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW YOUR CELL PHONE COULD DO.

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:

FIRST Subject: Emergency The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile; network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

SECOND Subject: Have you locked your keys in the car? Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).


THIRD Subject: Hidden Battery Power Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370# Your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell next time.

FOURTH How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone? To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone: * # 0 6 # A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. When your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.

And Finally....

FIFTH Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial:

(800) FREE 411, or (800) 373-3411

without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now. This is the kind of information people don't mind receiving, so pass it on to your family and friends.

Thanks Hal

How many of you knew about this little trick.

Hal explained it on his blog and I am just blown away by how little I know about this new-fangled stuff.

A Fortnight

And counting.

Seat Covers

The weather is getting nicer and it makes my job more enjoyable. From my vantage point in the cab of my truck I have a nice view into passing cars. Over the years I have seen some sights. Truck drivers call it "checking out the seat covers".

Today as I was "doing my duty", I saw something I had never seen before.












A Ford pickup with Alabama tags passed and the driver was playing this . He had his left hand resting on the steering wheel and pumping the instrument with his right hand. I call it a Hand Squeezebox. It probably has a different name but Google came up with this picture.

High School

The year was 1965 and I purchased a 1956 Chevy Bel-Air 4 door in the same colors as the one pictured above.

It was a nice ( not quite as nice as the one pictured) car and I paid $300 for it. It was a 6 cylinder with a 3-on-the-tree. I paid $65 down and the payment were $27 a month. I had spent the summer in California and saved a little money from a job I had washing dishes at a cafe. As usual I hitchhiked back and saved my money. I made the down payment and used my SS check ( from my deceased dad) to make the payments.

A week after I bought the car I made my second trip to California that summer. My brother George was going back in the Army and he and I carried his wife back home to California.

This was the car I drove my senior year and boy I had a great time in it. Enough said!

Two Moons

Yesterday we had a beautiful full moon in the afternoon. Every time I see one, a big smile comes over my face. Here is the story behind that smile.

When my son was about four years old he had a little trouble pronouncing some letters. So "moon" came out "boon".

After playing in the back yard on his swing set, he came in the house for something to drink. After his mom gave him something to drink, he started to go back to the swing set and just happened to look out the front door.

He became very excited and started jumping up and down and calling for his mom. She came running and he said, "two boons, two boons".

He took his mom by the hand and led her to the front door and pointed to the moon. She could not understand his meaning of "two moons".

He then took his mom out the back door and into the back yard. He then pointed over the house to the moon and said, "see mom, two boons".

Legs ( yes, I've got purtie ones )

While in France my son and I will be doing a great deal of walking. My job requires that I use my legs as I pull several hundred cases of milk from one trailer to another.

The problem with that is I walk backward while pulling the stacks of milk (on average a stack of milk will weigh about 150 pounds). This compacts the muscles in my back and my legs. My work boots have heals on them as compared to walking shoes. I often have back problems when doing a little walking in tennis shoes after wearing boots most of the time. My legs are strong but just not used to normal walking.

For the trip I purchased a new pair of walking shoes and a day-use backpack. Walking is getting my feet and the new shoes used to each other and stretching out my calf and thigh muscles.

The backpack will be for carrying my jacket, umbrella, bottled water and any thing else that might be needed for the day. I have a case for my camera ( just in case I might want to take a picture or two) that I will wear on my belt.

I can not believe that in less than three weeks this old simple country boy will be walking around Paris, France.

March Book Review

Even though WALDEN TWO was written in 1948, it is the "bible" for many of the communes of the 60's.

Walden Two is the name given a utopian community in the delightful fiction. "Walden" after the Henry David Thoreau book ( still haven't read it. Am I going to have to get a switch?)

Several communes were started using this book as their charter. Several still remain, the most noticeable being Twin Oaks .

In the book, Rodger ("Rodge") and Steve Jamnik, two young men returning from service at the end of WWII, stop by the office of Professor Burris to ask if he knows anything about a man named Frazier, and the new society Frazier is trying to build. Burris remembers that Frazier was a classmate of his in graduate school, one with radical ideas. He sends a letter to Frazier and immediately gets a reply inviting him to visit the community. Burris agrees to take time off from his academic duties to accompany Rogers and Steve on a visit to "Walden Two," Frazier's community. Rodge's girlfriend Barbara, Steve's girlfriend Mary, and Burris' Colleague Castle, also come. The population of Walden Two is about one thousand people, all of whom seem to be healthy and happy. They live in dwellings, eat in common dining spaces, raise their children in a nursery, and grow and build much of what they need. The standard workday lasts only four hours, or less; no one is paid wages--but nothing at Walden Two costs money. Each of the visitors responds to the community differently. Castle finds it challenging he spends the duration of the visit arguing with Frazier about such a community like Walden Two. Burris, on the other hand, finds himself somewhere in the middle: he is skeptical that such a community could work, but he finds Frazier's arguments compelling and he cannot forget the evidence of success in front of him. Steve and Mary are both convinced that this is the life for them; they decide to stay at Walden Two. Rodge, too, is convinced, but Barbara is not; he leaves Walden Two with her at the end of their visit. Burris decides to return to his academic life. However, at the train station he suddenly realizes that he would rather try life at Walden Two, for whatever it's worth, than go back to the university. He walks back to Walden Two and begins his new life there along with the rest of the group.

Everyones idea of "Utopia" is a little different but this is a very thought provoking book.

I hate it when that happens

One of the blogs that I follow has disappeared. Not just quit updating but now blogger says it does not exist.

This blogger does not have an internet hookup and only blogs every few days when he can find wifi.

Could it be that he never switched to the "new blogger" and is no long allowed access to his blog? Could blogger "delete" it for not changing? Can't see any reason for him to "delete" his blog.

Anyone still using the "old blogger"?

Dumas, Arkansas

Dumas is a small town in the southeast delta region of Arkansas. It is farm country and without cotton and soybeans, Dumas would have little reason to exist.
After the two tornadoes that passed thru Dumas yesterday, it almost does not.
My sister Vivian lives in an assisted living center there and it was heavily damaged but there was no injuries. Two of my nieces live in the area and luckily their homes were spared.
The Madbutcher grocery story was destroyed. One of my great-nieces works there but had already gone home.
When a tornado rips thru a town the most common description says it is like a "war zone". Well that is Dumas today!
So far there has been no reported deaths and the number of injuries is very low considering that such a large portion of the town has been destroyed.
My family is safe and sound but their hometown will never be the same.

4 weeks

Four weeks from today I will be boarding a flight for France for a visit with my son.
I would be less than disingenuous if I did not say that this trip has had me on edge for quite some time.
This time of the year the weather can be rather unpredictable and I will be flying out of Chicago.
The weather in France can also present a problem as we have our itinerary set. Not so much what we will be doing but the cities we will visit.
Doesn't matter in the big picture as my trip is about spending some quality time with my son.
I love you Zac. See you soon.

Doing my part

Being the "good husband" that I am. I try to uphold my end of the bargain.



p.s. I haven't looked this good in years.

Gaylord boxes

The large cardboard boxes you have seen sitting around (for instance, with watermelons in them at Wal-Mart) are called "gaylord boxes".




They come in several sizes and when they are empty they can be "broken down" for easy reuse or disposal.






While delivering 16,000 pounds of 40% cream to the Fayetteville plant that makes SWANSON tv dinners, I noticed several gaylord boxes. They were about 3ft x 4ft x 3ft. That ends up a little less than 35 cu.ft. after you deduct for the corners that do not extend to a 90* angle.







Inside was 1100 pounds of "macaroni". I just never thought of macaroni weighing that much. The powder for the cheese sauce was on another pallet.

Another surprise was a box of ground black pepper. The box was about 16in x 16in x 12in. Not very large at all, but it contained 50 pounds.

I am often amazed at the things I notice about manufacturing plants I deliver to.

Switched

Well I finally changed over to the "new" blogger. Why the heck can't things just stay the same. Every time you get used to something , they change it for no apparent reason.

I know I didn't have to switch but was afraid that one day I could no longer access my blog.

Things seem pretty much the same on my end but don't know how it will affect those who check out my blog. Please leave a comment (if you can) if it seems different to you.

On another front. We still haven't heard anything on our camper. The annual rv show in Little Rock was this past weekend and I'm sure our salesman has been to busy with new customers to worry about someone that has already put a deposit on one.

Stagecoach Inn

We drove to Russellville today to look at a truck I had seen on the internet and decided to check out " The Potts Inn".












Being Sunday, the museum was closed and I just snapped a few photos of the grounds. I think we will try to visit when it is open so we can read more about it.













This magnificent Inn most have been a welcome stop for weary passengers of the Butterfield Stage Line.













Can't you just picture people getting off the stage and dusting themselves off before entering to have a meal and retiring for the night.













This building was used by Dr. Charles Teeter for nearly the first half of the 1900's.














This was another cabin on the grounds. Without being able to visit the museum, I can't give any details about the cabin or if the doctors office has been moved the the grounds of the museum. My guess is that both building were at other locations.














This time capsule was buried on the 100th birthday of Pottsville.

Genes

Thru the years I have often been asked about my ability with make or repair things. I have NO special talents just a willingness to do things for myself.

My dad (born 1902) was a blacksmith and a carpenter among other things and my mom could do almost anything (yes, I'm a mama's boy).

All my siblings received that "can do" ability. Our genes has a lot to do with it , plus the fact that we simply could not pay someone to do things that we could do ourselves.

The things I do may not have the factory-made beauty but most will outlast things that are built to turn as much profit as possible.

Everyone has that inner desire to accomplish things for themselves.
Say you can't cook, make, or repair things. That is poppycock. Working with your hands is the most natural thing that one does. Fear is what holds most people back. Heck, I have messed up more things than I care to admit.

In its simplest form, my generation was defined by a womans ability to make biscuits and a mans ability to keep their old worn out car running.
Ask any man my age about his wife and he will tell you about her biscuits.
We all want our children to be more successful than we are. Lets just hope that means more than just a larger bank account. Money takes away our self-worth to some degree.

Moms spend some time in the kitchen with your children and dads do the same in the workshop. This can mean grandparents as well. I did not differentiate genders because there should be none.

Computer desk

I ordered 3 doors from the rv factory for the computer desk I plan to build. These will match the doors you see in the picture and were cheaper than buying doors locally that would not be a perfect match.












The doors came with hardware but when I opened the box, they had forgotten to include the handle escutcheons ( backing plate ). A call this morning and they are now on their way.
The desk will be taller than a normal desk as I want to place our printer in a drawer over a file cabinet drawer. That will require the desk top to be almost as tall as the counter top but I can place the keyboard and mouse on a pull out tray that will be lower. All in all I think I can make it look alright.
Can't say I am thrilled with the dealership but the factory parts department is just great .

Slower pace

I am REALLY ready for my life to slow down a little.

The holidays makes my work schedule very unpredictable.

Add to that trying to prepare to visit my son in France. No big deal for some people but I have never been to Europe and have not been on a plane since I was in the Army in the late 60's.

Income tax time is always stressful until I know what the bottom line is going to be.

Plus it has been a struggle getting our new travel trailer ordered. Even ordering new, we had to make some last minute (and unwanted) changes. We have no idea then it will actually be delivered. It could be a couple weeks before I leave for France (unlikely), days before I leave ( just my luck) , while I'm in France ( probable) or after I return. I know the wife would like to be in it before I leave.

Waiting on the doors I ordered from the rv factory to arrive so I can build a computer desk for said camper. I plan to have it ready to install in the camper.

May need a little dirt work done on our site to level the new travel trailer. Should be alright but until I actually park it on the lot I will not know.

At least Zac is helping with the planning of the trip and my plane ticket has been bought for a while.

My kind of gal

If you are not from Arkansas then you may not know that Arkansans can not survive 2 days without "milk and bread". Let the forecast call for a chance of ice or snow and you will find the grocery shelves empty of "milk and bread".

I am not joking. People that use one gallon of milk in a week will buy 2 or 3 gallons if a snow is forecast. We are not talking about a blizzard but a snow that will keep driving to a minimum."It might not be wise to drive today but tomorrow will be fine", type of snow.

Being in the milk business, things get crazy with a snow scare. We "hot shot" (a term we use for unscheduled deliveries) to all stores. I can always count on a few hot shots to Wal-Mart stores.

I had a hot shot to Malvern Wal-Mart and everyone in the receiving area was talking about the "starving without milk and bread" theory. The gal that is in charge of the back door spoke up and said, "To heck with "milk and bread", give me "pizza and beer".

Feburary book review

"STANDOFF", by Sandra Brown.











This month I thought I would throw a little something different at you. I read mostly nonfiction but I do enjoy a good novel. I picked up this book just to thumb thru it and ending up reading it almost nonstop.
I will just "steal" a review as it tells the plot better than I can.

From Publishers Weekly
Workaholic Dallas TV reporter Tiel McCoy thought she would take a well-earned vacation, but while driving to a secluded condo in New Mexico, she hears a radio report that changes her plans. Teenager Sabra Dendy, only daughter of Fort Worth multimillionaire Russ Dendy, has been kidnapped. Soon Tiel learns that Sabra, who's pregnant, has run away with her boyfriend, Ronnie Davison. Smelling a story, Tiel heads for the remote town of Hera to interview Ronnie's father, thinking the couple might go there for help. But when she stops at a convenience store for directions, Tiel encounters Ronnie and Sabra bungling a hold-up attempt. As Sabra goes into labor, Ronnie takes everyone in the store hostage, and Tiel and a handsome cowboy who seems to know a lot about medicine deliver Sabra's daughter. Tiel learns that the desperate young couple are fleeing to Mexico to escape Sabra's dictatorial father, who has vowed to separate them and put their baby up for adoption. He has even threatened to kill the child, and Sabra and Ronnie have vowed to commit suicide if they are thwarted. Bestselling author Brown (The Alibi) sets up believable conflicts (Ronnie once killed a puppy, rather than return it to an abusive owner). If the dialogue and sex scenes occasionally seem stilted, this popular author's tale still hits hard and keeps moving briskly to its satisfying conclusion.

I enjoyed this book and the end is not predictable.

Changes

The RV dealer received a call from the factory today. Had to make a few necessary changes to some items that are no longer offered on the 2007 unit. Not happy about them but we just had to make other choices.

SABLE was the interior trim we had liked in the unit that I wrote about but it is no longer available. Plus the MERLOT carpet is not the same shade. We decided on BIRCH trim and tan carpet. All fabric including window trimmings and molding around the doors will be different as will as mid-wall border.

The trailer doesn't have a lot of carpet ( a plus for us) but I liked the way the nice MERLOT carpet livened it up.


The sofa has been redesigned. The one shown has cushions made on the arms that fold over when you make it into a bed. The new style has arms and throw cushions. The BIRCH sofa will have a slight yellowish tint we are not thrilled with. The other color choices were not to our liking.

Long Day

For several years my Saturday morning run took me thru the back roads loading a truck and then up to Pangburn . I received inspiration for a few stories, my favorite being about the amputee motorcyclist.

A few months back, that run was changed as the load became to large to be put on one trailer. So we now deliver a trailer to two different places. The truck I used to load now gets a trailer but for scheduling it has to be delivered the night before. Since I couldn't be two places at one time, I was switched to running the Monticello and Hamburg run (also producing a couple of posts).

The man that was on Monticello/Hamburg has wanted the run back. Things were worked around and starting last Saturday, he has his old run back and I am doing the Pangburn run again as well as being "on call" for 4 hours.

Yesterday while down at Texarkana, my boss calls and asked if I could do BOTH runs today because the other driver has the flue. Being the team player (yea, right ) I am, I said sure.

14 hours and 398 mile later, I finally made it home. Sure is nice to be loved.

Redbird

If you have followed my blog or read my profile, then you know we live in an older motorhome. For about 7 years we have been fulltiming ( a term used for people who live all the time in a rv as opposed to just camping now and then) in a 32 ft. Itasca.

Since the hood and driving compartment takes up over 7 feet, the actual living part of it is about 25 feet long and about 8 feet wide. Small enough the wife can manage it and large enough to be comfortable with just two of us.

It has served us well and has more than paid for itself in actual cash savings, but I have been on the lookout for something newer and a little larger. I wanted a trailer trailer this time as I think it better suits our needs.

We could not buy a fifth wheel because the wife has bad knees and did not need to climb the steps on the inside of a fifth wheel several times a day.

We needed a shower with a short step over.
Lots of cabinets
More closet space
Didn't want the tv 20 feet from us
We wanted slideouts to add living space
Did not want the commode in a room the size of a closet
I prefer a rear bedroom
Affordable but above an entry level rv ( the quality of our Itasca has spoiled us)
I prefer to buy locally if possible

We started the search and really only found one unit that came close to fitting our criteria. It is not perfect but close.

That unit being a 32FKR Cardinal by Forrest River







Our local dealer had the model we were looking for on their lot. It is optioned nicely but did not have a few of the things I felt were deal breakers for us.
It was built in March of 2006. A few of its options are now standard equipment but with a higher list price to cover those options.
We fell in love with the colors and decided that it was the one for us after we added the options we needed.

Here is how that unit is equipped:
Sable interior color
Merlot color carpet
10gal, gas electric DSI water heater
16" tires on Aluminum wheels
Pillow top mattress
Euro leather recliner & ottoman
Dinette and 4 chairs
Marbelized shower and bath sink
Center awning support
Slideout awnings
15F btu A/C with solar panel
Roof ladder
Fantastic fan with rain sensor
Coffee maker
Outside shower
Slideout oak facia
Electric front jack
12V battery disconnect
Satellite prep
Shock absorbers
Auroa china toilet
5.1 stereo with dvd
carbon monoxide detector
water purifier

The dealer offered us a very good deal on this unit but it was not what we needed. A couple of the small options we could live without but since I knew the price of this one, I told him I wanted one just like it except with my added options.
Thermopane windows
2nd A/C
Micro/convection with the already full stove
Wood plank flooring ( we added this at the last minute)

It is now on order. Build time about 8 weeks or a little longer. As the old saying goes, "everything but the kitchen sink", but this time even that is included, and to answer the wifes question, " a maid will not be included".

The pictures are of the unit in stock and the only real difference you will notice is it does not have the wood plank flooring and the graphics are not the same.

Kitchen

The front kitchen has a nice array of cabinets with a window over the sink.












Along the front wall is the stove, micro/convection, and lots more cabinets.












This shot show the large counter work area.

Living room

The living room slide contains the sleeper sofa, dinette, refrig (to the right of dinette), and overhead cabinets.













One area I am not thrilled with is the tv area. Probably have to build something to enclose the sides of tv.













I plan to build a computer desk to sit in front of the lower part of this window and use the leather chair as its chair. The ottoman can be used when watching tv or over at the couch.

Bathroom

This shot from the bedroom shows the layout of the bathroom.













The marbelized shower has a low step over.













Nice bathroom cabinet over the sink.

Bedroom

The king size bed ( I would have preferred a queen) is in the slide out with storage under it.













The dresser has 4 nice size drawers and a cabinet overhead with more storage and a place for a tv.













Across the rear is a very large closet.

All this and for a price less than a new SUV.


Well, what do you think? Feel free to post your comments.

Female President?

First off, this is really not a political post. It is not about Hillary but about a woman for president. If we are ever going to have a female president then a viable woman has to break the "political ice".

Now I "will" tell you why I think a woman would make a good president. By and large, I think women are more compassionate than men. It is just encoded in their DNA.

Health care for every individual is long overdue. Maybe some day when we elect a women president and have enough females in the senate and house, it might happen. If we can't have a female president, then the next best thing would be have enough women to get things done without the president.

Nancy Pelosi is just such a "political icebreaker". Maybe it starts here.

Would I actually vote for a female president? I vote for the candidate that
think will best lead our country.

We all want what is best for our country. We just have different issues and ways we think will best accomplish that goal.

At the end of the day, we must all work together for a better America.

One Month

A month ago I was assigned a new truck to drive. I have really enjoying having a nice truck to drive.

In a month I have put about 7,000 on it. Not a lot by truck driving standards but I have from 2 to 4 hours labor every day loading trucks.

My Texarkana run has changed from pulling doubles to pulling a long trailer. Also this is my last week to go to Monticello and Hamburg on Saturdays. I will return to going to Heber Springs on Saturdays.

Also our company has changed to Blue Cross from Humana as our insurance carrier. Only time will tell how that will work out. I will say I haven't been pleased with Humana.

FEMA travel trailer

Today I probably saw at least 100 FEMA travel trailers heading east on I-30. The FEMA trailers are easy to spot.








Normal travel trailers have many windows, several vents (14"x14" opening skylights), large skylight in the bathroom, air conditioner, and a large vent for the rv (gas or electric)fridge. The FEMA trailers only one or two windows and only an A/C on top.

The FEMA trailers are really "park models". Meaning they have an electric apartment fridge and normal commode. Several must have been "all-electric" because there was no propane tanks on the tongue.

Hope, Arkansas has been a staging area for FEMA mobile homes and I guess they also had these travel trailers . After I pasted Hope , I no longer saw any trailers.

I just wondered where they were headed.

Van Dwellers

I belong to several "Yahoo Groups" (discussion forums, for those who don't know). One of those being Van Dwellers.

The group discusses living, traveling or both in a van. Some people live full time in their vans for several reasons.

I knew a man nearing retirement that had lost everything because of bad decisions (some of them he was still making), He was living in his company work van and few people (his boss looked the other way) knew it. We are not talking about a RV van but a stripped out work van.


A van like this one represents what most people want while others would be happy to have something like this.



















































This is actually a deer camp with electricity and an outhouse (small building on the left). The deer camp is 50 yard off US425, south of Monticello, Arkansas, and just over a mile from the University.

Ticket update

I tried to get my ticket changed but it was going to cost $120 on a ticket that only cost $708, so I said "thanks but no thanks". I have always thought that things happen for a reason.

I feel better knowing that I at least tried. Heck, who can feel down about a trip to France.

Identification-ten-tee

Identification = ID
ten = 10
tee = T
added together = IDIOT and that is what I am.

Today I went online and ordered my plane ticket to France. I used Orbiz and it listed several flights. I went back and forth on the flights to pick the one I wanted.

I wanted to fly to Dallas/FW and then to Paris. Fly out on March 20 and back March 30. Well being the identification/ten/tee that I am, I did not "click" on my preferred flight. I had just scrolled down and forgot to "click" on it. (Did I mention I was VERY nervous?)

After using my credit card and purchasing my ticket (all on the list were the same price), I went to print off my conformation and realized they had (totally my fault) sold me the first ticket on the list.

I now fly out of Chicago on March 20 (makes little difference to me) but I fly back on the 29th. One less day in France.

I didn't cancel and reorder because I was afraid of how the billing would be refunded to my credit card. Since the time frame still works for Zac and myself, I just decided to live with it.

Alaska bound

Back in September while down at our Hooks, Tx. yard, I met Friend and today John came by and I stopped him and had a chat.











John had been living in North Carolina and was heading for Alaska to live.









Presently he was going to Oklahoma to wait out the winter before heading up through the Dakotas, Canada and then to Alaska.










He was pulling a BURLY trailer carrying most of his equipment. A BURLY trailer is more of a city trailer for pulling children than one to use for "touring".










He said he had been touring before he lived in North Carolina and the trailer shows a lot of wear. He was wanting to replace it with a B.O.B. trailer.

Here is a link if you would like read about people that tour on bicycles. There are
more than 1300 tours on this site.

Online books

After the "dud" I reviewed yesterday, I thought I would give you a chance to read something "online" that was published in 1987. The book is now online with 2 more in the series.

The Treasures of Simple Living

January book review

"ANOTHER SHOT, how I relived my life in less than a year ", by Joe Kita.

When Joe Kita turned 40 he sets out in one year to revisit several times in his life that he wondered how things might have turned out if he had taken a different road.

The book has 19 chapters with each composed as a short story. It is a very "simple read", but parts of it we can all relate to.

Chapter 1, he goes back to try to make his high school basketball team.

Chapter 3, he tries to find his beloved Camaro he sold years earlier.

Chapter 6, he tries having a "date" with his mother to understand their strained relationship.

Chapter 15, he spends a week in the desert with a survival group ( with 2 days by himself), trying to prove he is "a man".

Can't say this is a great book but it has its moments.