What did you miss? (Pics from the net)

Today on the road early I saw a 1953 Buick station wagon on a trailer going south. I did not   have the camera in my hand. Now I don’t need that picture, but I wanted it.

I think everyone has said, I wish I had taken a picture of that.

Friends, Don & Evelyn were in Yellowstone once and an Elk was stalking a man,  Don said, “He kept saying ‘that Elk is going to get that guy,’ but I never took a picture, and was holding the camera in my hand.”

I once watched Two Dolphin  gracefully zig zag in front of our ship’s bow for hours, on one Atlantic crossing. Why didn’t I use my old brownie Camera and get a picture?

Betty told of a Roar Runner pecking on a window to warn the occupants of a rattler lying near by. That would have been a neat shot, the Road Runner pecking on the window.

In Belmont, Boys diving off our 30’ trestle, why not a picture?

Okay you get the idea, What have you missed on camera?

 

Nite Shipslog

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I did not take any of the pictures above, but have seen similar.

I hope you don’t hire a limo for thanksgivingthangsgiving and this one show up!

Or a Taxi and this one show up!

On the Road

Today is a traveling day.  Just after I publish this we will disconnect the sewer, water and electric. Raise the jacks, pull in the slides, secure the loose stuff then start the diesel.

That is always a problem driving  a diesel, on a cool morning the smoke is not good and goes into the fellow RV’ers outfits.  But nothing can be done about it.

(It’s not this bad)

If you are not familiar with the diesel-pusher (meaning the engine is in the rear like it is pushing.), it must idol until the pressure gets to at least 70 PSI before you can safely move, so it idles for a few minutes, kicking out diesel.

I will fudge and try to ease out with less pressure, but still enough to work the air brakes.  I might be fortunate and she will not kick out too much blue smoke. We will hook up the little Fit out in a big parking lot away from other RV’ers.

WE are only headed up the road a couple hundred miles. WE are going to Georgia to get some pecans. Sherry likes to get a 100 pounds to bag for some Christmas gifts and the rest for us to eat all year. I love pecans.

Her cousin get them for us a wholesale prices. WE plan to get some Georgia peanuts also, we all like those. Son Mark especially.

Her cousin gets them cracked for her and we spend a few days enjoying getting them out of the shells.

That is the plan for today.

Nite Shipslog

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The 1937 Ford Convertible above was unique.

1938 Buick Coupe Built for the Business man on the road.

Looking at the Future: THAT WILL BE ME! (Sherry says that is YOU NOW!)

(But it ain’t, I do not have gray hair)

While we stayed in the Orlando area our coach faced the entry door of a coach on the other side of the street.  An elderly couple (older than I,  of course) occupies a very nice Fleetwood motor home.  I could not help but see them as they returned home just after we had  set up, they were very feeble.

The old gent stutter steps but still he aids his wife  as they walk. (fast forward a few years) I am seeing Sherry and I out our front picture window.  I see time flying as we guide each other thru the final stages of our lives.

(*** Sand Hill Cranes)

This couple seems too feeble to be RV’ing, but they actually may not be doing the moving.  Some folk have their children or a friend drive the coach, and they just live in it.

I wonder if I will be smart enough to know when to stop. I cannot trust my sister Shirl to make that decision, or she would say STOP NOW!!

***

I know there comes a time that one is too old to make the decisions with the speed required to operate 26,000 pounds of vehicle on the highways of our great country.  You and I see folks who should not be driving for their safety and the safety of the public. WHO should make that decision?  How should it be made? We have a BIL who is limited to driving within 10 miles of his home.  That allows him to still be independent and get his meds and groceries. (But we all know that too is dangerous, but the DOT doesn’t want to make the decision.)

I can only speak for me. I still feel confident with my driving. I always have a second opinion. She is the other passenger in this coach. I hope if she says, “Honey it is unsafe for us to drive.”  That I will listen.

Age alone is not the determining factor, we humans know that. There are a FEW people who can drive safely into their 90’s, and some who are not safe at 50!  So STAY TUNED, IMMA THINKING! (PS: Sherry just said ‘wintering in Arizona next year is OUT!’… “Summer in Alaska, OUT!…… Shucks!)

On second thought, maybe my passenger is not the best source, I may need a third opinion!

This is me enjoying the shingles on my head. My right eye was closed from swelling. You can see there are some still drying up.

I am smiling and enjoying the attention.

Nite Shipslog

PS: ***(Pictured: Sand Hill Cranes, they stand near 4’ tall, as they wander about the park finding bugs, this crane can be dated back 10 million years, the most common Crane. Their call is weird, a rattling bugle, or something LOL)

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My favorite cars.

Sitting on Top of the World, then? CRASH!

When I see names like Lamar Odom or Jared Fogle  that have reached that of which many people dream, money success, power or name recognition. Then they do something so stupid, it is unbelievable.  I want to SCREAM, WHY?

If it was the first time the powerful (popular) have fallen,  I could understand it, but hundreds of examples are there. But these must think they can beat the odds.

                      

I know it is easy to judge the other guy, I am very guilty of that. BUT I hurt for the families, friends and associates who live with the questions. You ask: Why would you do that? Because I know. On a much smaller scale, but I know.  I will even take it to the Paris Terrorists. The father of one, crying said, “Why would he do this? We owe everything to this country, now our lives are ruined also…”.. He is right, the man did not care about his family.

 

When a man or woman who has a nice family, decides to cheat on their spouse, messes with the lives of their kids, parents and friends. They realize too late, they had the world by the tail, now their lives and that of their family is in a tail spin.

                 

You want to scream, if you are not happy, tell the family. If it is never going to work, end it without the added drama. When you add the drama, it cuts the ones you were supposed to love.

I used Fogle and Odom.  You can name others, because our news loves to report the foul and the dirt. There would be enough names in Sports, politics and religion to fill a book in each category.  I won’t even mention Hollywood and TV, they seem to wallow in the filth and enjoy it.

                    

The news will tell you the next couple who is on the split. What man is seeing the nanny. Who is contemplating suicide and glory in the news of one who does commit suicide.  They will swear they do not glory in in, but seem to relish every moment as they describe it.  They do it seemingly ignoring the fact that others are involved.

Yes, I am guilty of thinking of the ‘collateral damage’ because I know Fathers and Mothers who were devastated by the STUPID actions of their sons.

Please forgive me, but this is heavy on my mind tonight as I write this.

Nite Shipslog

PS: I had a friend who did not have a happy marriage but they were married for  near 50yrs. After her death he told me, I didn’t think I would miss her, but I do. (SAD) It is good to know what you have before you lose it, rather than later.

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An antique Volvo in traffic the other day. (50’s)

An Old 1951(2) Pontiac with a travel trailer.

Big Bend Country, Texas

(They both live in Big Bend)
Imma tell you Big Bend National Park is one BIG park.  IT covers over 800,000 acres (1/3 size of Yellowstone). Of course they say everything in Texas is big. It also looks over 118 miles of the Rio Grande  River.  On one trip we wanted to drop in just to see the area.
Bird watchers like it because there are over 400 species of birds that live here. As a matter of fact, I have heard ‘The Road Runner’ for a long time and his problems with Wiley Fox (Over 70 different mammals live here also). I thought the Road Runner was a fictitious bird, but I saw my first one at Big Big Bend.

The Rio Grande, having seen too many westerns, I thought I would see a BIG river.
We cannot forget the reptiles, over 50 different species are here. We parked the RV in a very tight spot. All wilderness camping no hookups.

(On the way to Big Bend, near San Antonio I painted our Bra in memory of 9/11)
We like to walk, we took our bathing suits and selected a trail to the Hot Springs. We have been to Three Hot Springs and enjoyed them all. But this one was the least commercialized. As a matter of fact it was in a bland area. and the area around it was only dirt. WE got in, loved it for the rustic setting, I could sit in the springs and dangle my arm in the Rio Grand. The Rio at this point was only about 20 feet wide and running pretty swiftly.

That is the Rio Grande in the back ground as you can see above the Hot springs it is shallow and fast.

(That is the Hot Springs behind Sherry those folks were getting out, you can see the water below the springs is much more calm and deeper, Mexico just across that river))

(This is how we entered Mexico illegally. You can see the horse and donkey in the distance. I regret I did not scan but a sample of Big Bend years ago)
The most interesting thing we did was walk down the  edge of the Rio in another area where we could see a small town on the other side, Bacchius (?). There was a young man there with a homemade boat who offered to take us across (illegal immigrants) for $5. We did. On the long walk up to the town we were offered rides on a horse or a donkey, we turned them down. Looking back we wished we had took them up on it, they could use the money.

(That is our little Guide.This is the café.)
This was not a commercial town, a pretty little girl, 9 or 10 yrs, ran up and offered to show us around. The whole town population was no more than 300 at the most. There was a couple local bars and one sort of café(the most modern building in town). We ate a small meal. The owner was American. Later we decided to eat again in one of the local homes where the lady sold tacos. They were the best tacos we had ever eaten, food better than the American lady had. The tacos were about half the size of the tacos we were used to.
All the houses had dirt floors, none had running water. There was outside faucets on the little streets that everyone shared.
We enjoyed ourselves and found out that the $5 was a round trip. Of course we gave him a good tip.

(Just below where we crossed the Rio Grande it disappears into this cavernous pass.)

BIG BEND, very nice and we only saw  a little of it.
Nite Shipslog
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Some of my Cowboy trucks

The OTHER Blow out! Tires and golf balls.

(Tires weren’t expensive on this dude)

Our buddies, Sonny and Colette, Our Overland Motor Home.#2

Tires are very important on a motor home weighing 26,000 pounds. We bought a used Overland Motor home. Plenty of tread on the tires. At an alignment shop the mechanic suggested I replace the tires, he was not selling tires just warning me.

(Sherry’s string of Crappie, Our Overland behind her)

There was plenty of tread, they looked good to me.We got about 250 miles when the front left tire BLEW! We were traveling at about 60mph. The coach did not waver nor pull, so I so I eased off the road. Our road service costs around $100 a year and has been well worth it. 

Anyway a few years later we bought another used coach. It had good tires and we drove them around the country a couple times. I had checked the date stamped on them and they were reaching the time to change(5-6 yrs). I am a little reluctant to purchase tires, they cost over $600 apiece and this coach wears 6 of them.

The Diplomat Motorhome #3(present) (Taken in Texas)

So again a couple years later I forgot, and we were on another trip. We took the back roads in Ohio and Kentucky. I don’t remember where, but in a town, stopped at a traffic light, I heard a blow out.  I mentioned to Sherry that someone had just had a blowout. We continued thru Tennessee into North Carolina A couple hundred miles later when we got on I-40. A passing trucker motioned we had trouble. I pulled over and it was one of our duals that had blown.

Since It was on the duals and we had made it a few hundred miles, I figured it was safe to limp to a tire dealer near Asheville, NC. We pulled in, he had our size, “How many?”

I swallowed and said, “Six.”

HE SMILED!

In a few minutes he waved me in passed the ‘No customers past this point’ sign. “Did you do this?” He was holding some golf balls.

“WHAT?”

“I have been in the tire business for 40 years. I have heard of this, but never seen it. Every one of your tires has 6 golf balls in them, do you want them put back in?”

I said, “No sir.”

He explained that some folk swore by adding marbles, balls or BB’s to a tire will keep them perfectly balanced.(google it)

I was thinking of the blow out in town and hoping someone was not hit by a flying golf ball!

Nite Shipslog

PS: In one tire the golf balls has exploded and the inside of the tire looked like seaweed (the rubber from the balls).

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1951 Studebaker above, 1951 Hudson Hornet below