Tonight is the Opening Game of the regular season for the Seattle Mariners. They are playing in Oakland against the Athletics.
One of the things I really like about having satellite TV with a waiver that allows us to get stations from both the East and West Coasts is that we can plan our evening so that we can watch some shows like Castle on the West Coast feed later tonight. We watched Dancing With the Stars early on the East Coast feed. Kind of the best of both worlds...
Except, it would be a whole lot better if the Direct TV guy had been able to install the new satellite receiver with a built-in recorder. Then we wouldn't have to worry about juggling times in order to make sure we get to watch everything we want...
This was an expensive day for us! We went over to the office and paid to stay another two weeks here. Unfortunately, you can now only stay for seven nights with the 50% Passport America discount. We were able to use the Good Sam 10% discount for the second week. We also paid the March electrical bill which was $91.
While we were at the headquarters building, we went to the Post Office and picked up the mail Daughter MM had sent. In the box was the bill from our accountant's office for doing the ranch taxes and the lovely package of personal property tax bills from the Adams County Treasurer (the county the ranch is located in). By the time I wrote checks for the accountant's office and the first 1/2 of the Property Taxes, we were feeling pretty poor. And to add insult to injury, the wheat price dropped over sixty cents per bushel today!
Showing posts with label East Coast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label East Coast. Show all posts
Monday, April 1, 2013
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Finally!
We waited all morning without a call saying the paperwork was ready. Finally, about one o'clock Forry called the banker. He said he hoped to have all the paperwork ready by three o'clock and would give us a call... About three-thirty he finally called and said he'd meet us at the branch in Cheney at four o'clock.
Mike was very apologetic when we got to the bank. I got the impression that he doesn't often take care of the paperwork details himself -- and I think he missed a few steps that he had to go back and correct. But, anyway, everything was done and we got all of the papers signed. (Someday, I just know that all of the documents, reports, nursing notes, etc. that I have signed in my lifetime are going to catch up with me and drown me in a sea of paper!)
I had a chance to chat with Niece Daphne in Virginia this afternoon. She said they had had an incredible amount of wind and rain, but other than some flickering, didn't lose their power during Hurricane Sandy's brush with their state. She said they had lots of broken branches dangling up in the trees. There are some big trees around the house she'd like to see taken down before they come down on the house.
All day the television has been showing some incredible scenes of the damages from the storm. Many were scenes from places we visited during our tour of the East Coast this past year. It's hard to imagine what it must be like for the people back there!
Mike was very apologetic when we got to the bank. I got the impression that he doesn't often take care of the paperwork details himself -- and I think he missed a few steps that he had to go back and correct. But, anyway, everything was done and we got all of the papers signed. (Someday, I just know that all of the documents, reports, nursing notes, etc. that I have signed in my lifetime are going to catch up with me and drown me in a sea of paper!)
I had a chance to chat with Niece Daphne in Virginia this afternoon. She said they had had an incredible amount of wind and rain, but other than some flickering, didn't lose their power during Hurricane Sandy's brush with their state. She said they had lots of broken branches dangling up in the trees. There are some big trees around the house she'd like to see taken down before they come down on the house.
All day the television has been showing some incredible scenes of the damages from the storm. Many were scenes from places we visited during our tour of the East Coast this past year. It's hard to imagine what it must be like for the people back there!
Friday, July 13, 2012
A Recovery Day
I was thinking today about the first trip we took across the US in our RV almost six years ago. We were supposed to report to our Mennonite Disaster Service work site in Louisiana the first of October. Because our church hosts the Washington State MCC sale, the Mennonite Country Auction, the first weekend in October, we made arrangements with MDS to leave right after the sale.
We drove pretty much straight through from Washington State, stopping at rest areas for four to five hours of sleep and an occasional hour's nap, then continuing on. I think we made it to the Diamond, Louisiana work site in just three days. I cannot even imagine trying to do that now!
Nowadays, a three hour drive is about all we like to do. That means we leave late enough in the morning to avoid the morning rush hour traffic and make it to our new site before the evening rush hour. It means we get set-up when it's still daylight and have a bit of time to relax before supper.
Then we usually use the next day as a recovery day, staying at home in Auntie Violet and just taking life easy. (Which for Forry means a couple of naps in his recliner and plenty of time with his Sudoku...) I may or may not catch up on the laundry, but I usually spend most of the day reading or knitting. If we're planning to go sight-seeing in an area, we usually plan that for the next day.
Neither Forry nor I are morning people, so this kind of schedule suits our retired life-style. Because we have been on the East Coast with the three hour time difference, we often end up watching Mariner's home Seattle Safeco Field baseball games starting at 10 PM at night. Depending how long the games last -- and whether they go to extra innings -- we may not get to bed before midnight or later.
Today was one of those recovery days.
We drove pretty much straight through from Washington State, stopping at rest areas for four to five hours of sleep and an occasional hour's nap, then continuing on. I think we made it to the Diamond, Louisiana work site in just three days. I cannot even imagine trying to do that now!
Nowadays, a three hour drive is about all we like to do. That means we leave late enough in the morning to avoid the morning rush hour traffic and make it to our new site before the evening rush hour. It means we get set-up when it's still daylight and have a bit of time to relax before supper.
Then we usually use the next day as a recovery day, staying at home in Auntie Violet and just taking life easy. (Which for Forry means a couple of naps in his recliner and plenty of time with his Sudoku...) I may or may not catch up on the laundry, but I usually spend most of the day reading or knitting. If we're planning to go sight-seeing in an area, we usually plan that for the next day.
Neither Forry nor I are morning people, so this kind of schedule suits our retired life-style. Because we have been on the East Coast with the three hour time difference, we often end up watching Mariner's home Seattle Safeco Field baseball games starting at 10 PM at night. Depending how long the games last -- and whether they go to extra innings -- we may not get to bed before midnight or later.
Today was one of those recovery days.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
People Watching
In my earlier life I did a great deal of traveling by air. When I was expecting our third child, my then Brother-in-law convinced Forry he should join him at a ground school class that prepared for the Private Pilot's exam. The class was being taught in Ritzville by a local rancher who was also a Flight Instructor for a Piper Airplane dealer in Spokane.
A couple of weeks into the classes, the instructor told the fellows that if they would meet him at the local airport Saturday morning, he'd take them up for a ride. He took each of the fellows up in turn, sitting them in the left hand pilot's seat. When they came back down, he presented each of them with a new logbook with a half hour of dual instruction logged... I don't remember what the ground school classes cost -- a couple of hundred dollars maybe -- but the instructor then told them if they wanted to take flying lessons, they'd deduct the cost of the ground school classes from the flying lessons. Such a deal!
Since flying had always been one of Forry's dreams, he jumped at the opportunity. He loved flying and the lessons. Even with his dyslexia, he studied assiduously and passed the Private Pilot written exam with flying colors. And wouldn't you know, the Piper dealer told him that if he wanted to buy an airplane, they'd deduct the cost of the flying lessons! How could you beat a deal like that?!
The next thing you know, we had a Piper Cherokee 180 (the first of five we eventually owned) -- and a new baby girl -- and were putting an airstrip in at the ranch. We joined the Flying Farmer organization (and became part of the Vic Franz family!) and began taking trips by air. If there's ever a motto for flying, it most likely is, "hurry up and wait." Weather is always an issue and because we did much of our flying towards the south in the winter-time (farmer's downtime), we spent many hours in airports waiting out storms or for storm fronts to pass, or for other people to be able to get out out of the weather wherever they were and join up with us.
There's nothing quite like people watching at an airport. You certainly get to see people in all their modes and moods. Everything from harried business people who act like everyone else in the airport is an imposition to excited families heading on vacation or exhausted families on their way home from Disney. And if you want to see people at their best -- and at their worst -- just throw in some weather delays or mechanical problems. Many years later when I traveled for my work at the AHEC, I once again found myself spending many an hour entertaining myself by people watching.
So, what does that have to do with full-time RVing? RV campgrounds are another great place to people watch. It's especially interesting here on the East Coast where the sites seem to be mostly back-ins and quite close together. I am very intrigued by the way couples do --or don't -- work together. I'm also intrigued by the role women play. Some couples seem to have clear divides between inside and outside roles; others seem to pretty much work together. Sometimes tempers flare and we hear some interesting language.
Some people are very cautious as they leave the park. One of the partners guides the rig out and makes sure they clear all the other vehicles as they slowly depart. Others just rev the engine and go! And everyone around sort of holds their breath until they clear the park. The other ones that are fun to watch are the dog walkers carrying their plastic bags in order to clean up after their pets. Some are very nonchalant about it, others act like they're rather embarrassed and hoping no one is watching. And then, every once in a while, there are the ones that pretend the animal didn't do anything and just keep on walking...
Bored? Just look out the window!
A couple of weeks into the classes, the instructor told the fellows that if they would meet him at the local airport Saturday morning, he'd take them up for a ride. He took each of the fellows up in turn, sitting them in the left hand pilot's seat. When they came back down, he presented each of them with a new logbook with a half hour of dual instruction logged... I don't remember what the ground school classes cost -- a couple of hundred dollars maybe -- but the instructor then told them if they wanted to take flying lessons, they'd deduct the cost of the ground school classes from the flying lessons. Such a deal!
Since flying had always been one of Forry's dreams, he jumped at the opportunity. He loved flying and the lessons. Even with his dyslexia, he studied assiduously and passed the Private Pilot written exam with flying colors. And wouldn't you know, the Piper dealer told him that if he wanted to buy an airplane, they'd deduct the cost of the flying lessons! How could you beat a deal like that?!
The next thing you know, we had a Piper Cherokee 180 (the first of five we eventually owned) -- and a new baby girl -- and were putting an airstrip in at the ranch. We joined the Flying Farmer organization (and became part of the Vic Franz family!) and began taking trips by air. If there's ever a motto for flying, it most likely is, "hurry up and wait." Weather is always an issue and because we did much of our flying towards the south in the winter-time (farmer's downtime), we spent many hours in airports waiting out storms or for storm fronts to pass, or for other people to be able to get out out of the weather wherever they were and join up with us.
There's nothing quite like people watching at an airport. You certainly get to see people in all their modes and moods. Everything from harried business people who act like everyone else in the airport is an imposition to excited families heading on vacation or exhausted families on their way home from Disney. And if you want to see people at their best -- and at their worst -- just throw in some weather delays or mechanical problems. Many years later when I traveled for my work at the AHEC, I once again found myself spending many an hour entertaining myself by people watching.
So, what does that have to do with full-time RVing? RV campgrounds are another great place to people watch. It's especially interesting here on the East Coast where the sites seem to be mostly back-ins and quite close together. I am very intrigued by the way couples do --or don't -- work together. I'm also intrigued by the role women play. Some couples seem to have clear divides between inside and outside roles; others seem to pretty much work together. Sometimes tempers flare and we hear some interesting language.
Some people are very cautious as they leave the park. One of the partners guides the rig out and makes sure they clear all the other vehicles as they slowly depart. Others just rev the engine and go! And everyone around sort of holds their breath until they clear the park. The other ones that are fun to watch are the dog walkers carrying their plastic bags in order to clean up after their pets. Some are very nonchalant about it, others act like they're rather embarrassed and hoping no one is watching. And then, every once in a while, there are the ones that pretend the animal didn't do anything and just keep on walking...
Bored? Just look out the window!
Monday, May 28, 2012
Just Thinking...
What a difference a day makes! Last evening when we were walking around the campground, it was incredibly noisy and busy. There were golf carts going in every direction and kids on bicycles racing up and down. There were lots of parties and the "good ol' boys" were having a great time.
This evening it is very quiet and still. Many of the rigs who came in for the long weekend with young families packed up and left early this afternoon. A good share of the more permanent RVs are dark tonight and there are no longer cars parked by them, so I am assuming they have gone back to their regular homes as well.
We have started thinking about our next couple of stops. We normally aren't too much for planning or making reservations a long way ahead. We will often call the day before, or even the day of, a stop to see if there is a space for us. But, it doesn't seem to work as well to do that here on the East Coast. We've also been trying to plan things so that we can add all of the New England state stickers to our map. Our goal is to have been in all of the 48 continental US states by the time we return to Washington State later this summer.
We've made reservations to spend a few days at the Harper's Ferry KOA in West Virginia, then move on to eastern Pennsylvania for a week's stay. We were attracted Homestead Campground in Green Lane, Pennsylvania because of the campground's information that you could take a train from near-by into historic Philadelphia. Sounds like it costs $1 to park at the train station all day and another dollar for Seniors to ride the train. I like the sounds of that.
Back in another life, I was fortunate to have had a Fellowship with the Public Health Service in Washington DC that enabled me to spend a month in the city. Forry was able to spend a portion of the time with me and we did a great deal of exploring on the weekends. We were also in DC several times during my years with the National Rural Health Association, so we are not really feeling like we want to spend any of our time there.
We do want to explore the New England states. We have good friends who have retired to a farm in Maine that we are anxious to see. I am also very much looking forward to seeing Niagara Falls. It does seem that even if we spend a week or more in a state, we barely get a taste of it. There are so many things to see in this wonderful country of ours!
This evening it is very quiet and still. Many of the rigs who came in for the long weekend with young families packed up and left early this afternoon. A good share of the more permanent RVs are dark tonight and there are no longer cars parked by them, so I am assuming they have gone back to their regular homes as well.
We have started thinking about our next couple of stops. We normally aren't too much for planning or making reservations a long way ahead. We will often call the day before, or even the day of, a stop to see if there is a space for us. But, it doesn't seem to work as well to do that here on the East Coast. We've also been trying to plan things so that we can add all of the New England state stickers to our map. Our goal is to have been in all of the 48 continental US states by the time we return to Washington State later this summer.
We've made reservations to spend a few days at the Harper's Ferry KOA in West Virginia, then move on to eastern Pennsylvania for a week's stay. We were attracted Homestead Campground in Green Lane, Pennsylvania because of the campground's information that you could take a train from near-by into historic Philadelphia. Sounds like it costs $1 to park at the train station all day and another dollar for Seniors to ride the train. I like the sounds of that.
Back in another life, I was fortunate to have had a Fellowship with the Public Health Service in Washington DC that enabled me to spend a month in the city. Forry was able to spend a portion of the time with me and we did a great deal of exploring on the weekends. We were also in DC several times during my years with the National Rural Health Association, so we are not really feeling like we want to spend any of our time there.
We do want to explore the New England states. We have good friends who have retired to a farm in Maine that we are anxious to see. I am also very much looking forward to seeing Niagara Falls. It does seem that even if we spend a week or more in a state, we barely get a taste of it. There are so many things to see in this wonderful country of ours!
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