Another engagement......

6:49 am - Monday - April 8th - Fontana, CA - 59° F, 54% humidity, wind 6 mph out of the north.....clear skies today with a forecast high of 90° F.

Sunday began warm, and got warmer.....all the way up to 85° F.  We had a date to meet our oldest daughter, Meredith, and her boyfriend, Jake at Mt. Baldy Lodge for breakfast at 10 am.  It's about a 35 minute drive from Fontana (1,216' elevation) up to Mt. Baldy Village (4,193' elevation) so we were in the Beetle by 9:20 am......

....we arrived at just about the same time Meredith and Jake did....perfect timing guys!

We found a great table out in the alfresco dining area, and settled in for breakfast.   TLE pointed out to me almost immediately that there was a 'Huevos Ranchero' offering on the menu, and you just know I had to order that.  I have had this breakfast dish all over the USA, and have found just a few of them worthy of the name, and this one would definitely go into my top 5 all time.  As one might imagine, the conversation flowed without stop for almost 2 hours before it was time to leave.  We both really enjoyed getting to know Jake a little better.  He is quite the guy......he brews his own beer, which is quite good.  He bakes bread, and especially sourdough bread.....he gave us a loaf when we attended my son-in-law, Nick's birthday, and we cherished every slice!  He is a biologist, but also works a couple of days at a SoCal micro brewery called Alosta Brewing Company in La Verne, CA (they get 4.5 stars on Yelp on 185 reviews), which we will now have to visit before we move south to Ramona.

We were home by 1:30 pm after a quick stop at Trader Joe's (they're everywhere in SoCal.....how wonderful!).  By that time it was beginning to get quite warm, but we resisted turning on the A/C one more day.  I spent about an hour installing a new patio/porch light which has been needed for some time.  Previously I had converted the existing porch light to LED about 3 years ago, but it was never very bright, and the whole point of a porch light is LIGHT, right?  I think the new one meets that requirement quite well....

....it is really hard to look straight at the new light it is so bright (taken during daylight).

In yesterday's blog post I neglected to celebrate some good news.....our granddaughter, Cynthia (GEC*), became engaged to be married on Sunday to Daniel, her long time significant other.  GEC* is also an amazing mother to our two great grandchildren, Daniel and Jameson......

The ring.......

......we are very happy, and look forward now to the wedding.  GEC* will be the first of our grandchildren to marry......life is good!

Thanks  for stopping by!

*GEC = Granddaughter Extraordinaire Cynthia

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Service please!

6:49 am - Wednesday - February 13th - Wittmann, AZ - 42º F (!!!), 50% humidity (!!!), wind 5 mph out of the east by northeast......cloudy today with a forecast high of 68º F (!!!).  I don't recall the last time I woke up to a temperature in the 40's!

Tuesday began with a beautiful sunrise, and ended with another sunset fire, and everything in between went as well as one could hope.  I mentioned in yesterday's missive that Tuesday was the day we had scheduled for the service on our Newell in preparation for our Alaska trip this summer........

......we had disconnected from the utilities, and were rolling our wheels toward Mesa, AZ and All Aboard America (charter bus company) where Leo Witt, our mechanic, would perform our service.  It's been two years since we last had the coach serviced.  We've covered around 12,000 miles in that interim and it was time to change the oil, replace the coolant and all our filters (fuel, transmission and oil), as well as have the running gear inspected and lubed.  We departed Wittmann around 7:50 am, and arrived at All Aboard America two hours later just before 10 am.....love that Phoenix area traffic.....

.....why travel 140 miles round trip to get our coach serviced?  Well, there are not many experienced Detroit Diesel 2 stroke mechanics left in this country and you go where they are.....it's that simple.  Once we had finished discussing with Leo what we wanted done to our baby TLE and I hopped in the VW and made tracks across town to have breakfast at a place we recently saw reviewed on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (Triple 'D') by Guy Fieri......Perk Eatery located in Scottsdale, AZ (Yelp gives them 4 stars on 453 reviews).  You all know I am a 'Huevos Ranchero' guy, and they had one on the menu so I had to try it.  TLE had their 'Chicken on the Coup' (2 eggs any style, crispy sausage, biscuits, and sausage gravy) which was one of the dishes Guy Fieri featured on his show.  For me the Huevos Ranchero was top 5 ever, and TLE loved her dish.....

 Huevos Ranchero

 TLE's 'Chicken on the Coup'

.....we dined alfresco for the first time in literally months, and enjoyed just sipping coffee whilst soaking up the sun.....it was wonderful.  While we were eating we got a call advising the Newell service would be done around 12:30 pm, and it was now 11:30 am.....we had one more chore.....a stop at the Phoenix Trader Joe's which stocks spirits in addition to wine and beer.  I haven't had any of my favorite Finlaggan Islay Single Malt Scotch ($19.99/bottle) in months, which is a Trader Joe's brand, and since we were so close we had to stop in and pick up a couple of bottles.

We were back at All Aboard America by 12:30 pm at which time Leo went over a couple of things which need attention before we leave the area.....the rear brakes are down to 25%....I think they are the original brakes, so they've got almost 170,000 miles on them.  The fronts are at 80%, so I doubt if I will have to have them relined in my lifetime.  In addition, there is a torque rod located directly above the rear axle which needs new bushings.......

Torsion Bar in need of new bushings on each end

......so we will schedule a return trip in early March just before we depart Wittmann to have the rear brakes relined, and new bushings installed on the torque rod.  Otherwise our 37 year old Newell is in great condition. 

One thing discovered two years ago was that the gear oil in our giant differential was about a quart low as the seal had been leaking.  Leo replaced the missing quart of gear oil, and then tightened up the bolts hoping that would stop the leak.  The good news is it worked.  The oil level was the same as it was two years ago.  I had been checking the temperature of the axle each time I checked the tired temperatures over the intervening months and it was always running cool.  Had it been real hot that would have been a sign we were losing gear oil again.

We were out the door heading home by 1:15 pm, and back in Wittmann about 2:30 pm....a much faster drive home with no rush hour traffic!

About 5 pm we headed out side again to have another sunset fire, and did not go back inside until after 7 pm.......

.....we sat talking quietly, and sipping adult beverages....one of my favorite things to do with The Lovely Elaine....thanks for stopping by!

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A wonderful Sunday......

8:36 am - Monday - February 11th - Wittmann, AZ - 39º F, 45% humidity, wind 7 mph out of the west by northwest.....crystal clear, blue sky day with a forecast high of 59º F.....

Deep blue skies this morning

.....managed to sleep in until after 8 am this morning.....love being awakened by the rising sun on a clear day gently oozing through our bedroom curtains!

It was a little overcast Sunday morning, but by early afternoon the skies had cleared and we had a delightfully sunny, balmy afternoon.  We watched the entire English Premier soccer match  between the Tottenham Hotspurs and Leicester City which was won by the Hotspurs 2-1.  The second match between Chelsea and Manchester City was a 6-0 blowout in favor of Manchester City.

By the time the second match was at full time it was time for me to venture outside.  As you will recall I spent a couple of hours Saturday getting our gray water macerator pump working again, and I was successful, however, it began to leak after a few minutes of running so I was determined to completely remove it, take it inside the trailer to my work bench, then disassemble, clean, and put it back together.  This time I was completely successful and now it works properly.

By the time I finished with the macerator pump it was time to get dressed and drive into Surprise to meet fellow Newell owners Adrianne and Karen for lunch at Rio Mirage Cafe on Bell Ave.  We ate at Rio Mirage a few years ago when we were in town, and liked the food so a return visit was in order.  We met our friends there at 12:30 pm, and were seated within 5 minutes.....

.....Yelp gives them just 3.5 stars on 326 reviews, but after eating there twice now we would be at a solid 4 stars.....no question about it.  Very good, rustic, fresh Mexican food.  We talked endlessly for a couple of hours before paying our tab and heading for home.....thank yo Adrianne for treating us to lunch!

On our way home we stopped in at the local Goodwill, one of our favorites by the way, to see if they had anything without which we could not live......I found a very cool, black Tabasco shirt which I have to share with you.....

 Front

Back....great graphics!

......TLE also found a couple of things and we were on our way across the parking lot to the Trader Joe's.  We had bought a bottle of wine they were promoting within this store (a 2014 Cab) at the amazing price of $3.99/bottle (normally sells at $11.99/bottle).  We drank that bottle Friday night and loved it so we returned to by 6 more bottles......what a killer deal!

We were home a little after 3 pm putting away our spoils, and settling in to watch the Pebble Beach Pro/Am.  They had a late start due to rain, and hail in the morning, so it was obvious they would not finish all 18 holes on Sunday.  By the time the final pairing finished the 16th hole it was dark, so as I sit here this morning they are playing the last two holes with one of my favorites, Phil Mickelson, ahead by 3 strokes with 2 to play!  He began the day 3 strokes down, so he had a very good final round.

And that, my friends, was our Sunday.....thanks for stopping by!

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Floatin' down the road....

8:14 am - Thursday - October 18th - Lexington, KY - 36º F, 80% humidity, wind 4 mph out of the east by northeast.......partly cloudy with a forecast high today of 56º F.  Coldest night we have spent on the road in almost 5 weeks since we left Southwest Harbor, ME!  All three gas heaters are rocking right now.  Got down to 50º F inside.  We roll our wheels for Campbellsville, KY and Amazon in two hours!

Wednesday was the nicest driving day we have had in a week.....no wind, no rain, mostly flat highways, and lots of sun.  We were on the road by 11 am looking forward to our drive into Lexington, KY.  We only had 95 miles to cover, and the 90+ minutes it took us to float down the road to the Cabela's on the east side of Lexington passed quickly.......

......once we parked, we were people on a mission.  We were dressed, and had the VW out within 30 minutes......first stop?  A Trader Joe's about 8 miles distant.  This is the first Trader Joe's with wine, beer and 'spirits' we have seen in literally 6 months......

 Safely ensconced at Cabela's

.....knowing we would be in Campbellsville for the next 8+ weeks, which happens to be in a 'dry' county, we stocked up on all the liquor and wine essentials.  Once that mission was accomplished we headed back to the coach to disgorge our alcoholic booty, then drove over to COSTCO, which is just on the other side of the parking lot from Cabela's....does it get any better?  COSTCO and Trader Joe's in one day!

By the time we put away all the groceries, and TLE had broken down the two rotisserie chickens she had purchased at COSTCO it was nearing 3 pm, and time for a nap for moi.  My cold is getting better each day, but still leaves me feeling tired and in need of a nap by mid afternoon whether I have been driving, or not.

Game five of the NLCS between my L.A. Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers began at 5:05 pm, and we were right there in front of the TV for every single pitch and out.  Clayton Kershaw started a little shakily for the Dodgers giving up a run in the top of the 1st inning, but he settled down and retired the last 13 batters he faced in a row.  Meanwhile the Dodgers tied the game in the bottom of the 5th, and then went on to score 4 more runs in the bottom of the 7th inning.  They ended up winning 5-2 and now it is back to Milwaukee for game 6 up three games to two in the series. Boston won the nightcap over the Astros to go up 3 games to 1.

We were in bed by 10 pm, looking forward to Thursday, and our arrival in Campbellsville.  Our 5 weeks of wandering have come to an end, and we are ready to sit still for a while.  If we were still on the job at Smuggler's Den we would still have 5 days to go before the end of the season, but we are not.  The last 10 weeks have been amazing, and we would not trade the experiences we have had for anything.

Thanks for stopping by!

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'Old' Cape Cod........

7:11 am - Thursday - October 4th - Smithfield, RI - 60º F, 97% humidity, wind 2 mph out of the south by southeast.....heavy overcast with a forecast high today of 71º F.  We roll our wheels in about 4 hours!

Wednesday was my 69th birthday......where have the last 50 years gone?  It feels like just a few years ago that I was 19.  Some famous people who share my birthday are: Chubby Checker, Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac), Gore Vidal, Clive Owen, Stevie Ray Vaughan, & Tommy Lee to name just a few.

So, what does one do on their 69th birthday?  How about driving over 280 miles to visit Plymouth Rock, Cape Cod, Provincetown and all points in between?  Seems like a likely choice, right? 280 miles is typically the distance we might cover traveling in the Newell over two days!  Actually, that we took on this long day of driving on my birthday was more a coincidence, than a plan.  Our local weather kind of dictated when we would make the drive, and as it turned out the weather barely cooperated.  We were expecting partly cloudy skies as we left in the VW around 9:30 am to make the drive over to Plymouth, MA to see 'Plymouth Rock', but we got a drizzle instead.  It is just under 60 miles to Plymouth, and we arrived there without incident around 10:45 am......just as the drizzle stopped....how convenient!

We easily found a parking spot within a 100 feet of the Plymouth Rock monument, and walked over to see this very famous landmark that TLE and I have been reading about since we were in grade school.  It was not what I was expecting.......

 

.....that's it....that's Plymouth Rock.......a rock that measures approximately 3' x 3' sitting in the sand on the shore.....I always imagine some inscription on a 'Gibralter' kind of rock....how about you?

 

......after viewing the 'Rock' we walked around town looking at the various monuments, and then got a nice cup of coffee to warm us up a little.....it was quite cold!

This sign caught my attention in the bakery where we bought our coffee

......within an hour we were back on our way out to Cape Cod, and ultimately Provincetown......

This cartoon map was at TJ's and shows how far out Provincetown is (see red arrow)

.....from Plymouth it was another 85 miles to Provincetown.  The drive was lovely, and we arrived just after 1 pm......just in time for lunch.  The parking situation in Provincetown is difficult, and expensive in October.....I can only imagine how bad it is during the summer months.  At any rate, we did find a spot for $10, and set off walking about 2 blocks to the eatery TLE had chosen for our lunch fare.....'The Squealing Pig', which gets 4 stars on 393 reviews......it is what I would call a 'dive bar' known for their very good clam chowder.....

 Very funny

.....we found two seats at the bar and ordered some adult breverages....a Left Hand Milk Stout for moi, and a glass of wine for TLE......they did have draft beer, but I really like the Left Hand Milk Stout, and it only came in a bottle.  We both ordered a bowl of their famous clam chowder, and I added a small Caesar Salad.  The chowder was the perfect choice for such a cold, cloudy day......

.....after lunch we walked around town a little.....it appears Halloween decorations are appearing all over town....this one was quite imaginative!

The streets are quite narrow!

At the time we came across this large tower, but did not know what it represented.....it is called the Pilgrim Monument, and stands 253' tall, and can be seen from miles away.....

 Pilgrim Monument....built between 1907 and 1910....almost 253' tall

 View from the top (internet photo....we did not go to the top)

Internet photo......our day was totally overcast

....from there we drove to the famous Cape Code beaches and sand dunes.......

Ever since I first heard this Patti Page song about Old Cape Cod back in the late 50's I have wanted to visit

 Hangin' with my Baby on my birthday.....life is good!

There's that tower again.....

......soon it was after 3 pm and we still had 129 miles to drive home, plus a stop at a Trader Joe's in Hyannis, MA.....who would have thought?  We arrived at TJ's around 4 pm, purchased a few things, and were back in the Beetle on our way home.......

Trader Joe's near Hyannis, MA (think Hyannis Port, and the Kennedy's)

.....we arrived home just after 6 pm.....right at sundown.....it was a perfect day, and a few more items were checked off the old bucket list!

Thanks for stopping by!

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It was all TLE's idea......I swear!

6:50 am - Monday - September 17th - Portland, ME - 62º F, 100% humidity, wind 4 mph out of the south......foggy with a forecast high today of 77º F.

It is much more humid here in Portland than it was in Southwest Harbor when we left.  We've been living in somewhat humid conditions most of the summer, so we've gotten used to it to the extent we don't complain about it anymore.  Thankfully it has only been in the 70's the first two days, and we haven't had to resort to using the A/C.  We just sit outside in the afternoon in the shade cast by the Newell and it is not bad at all.

So, what to do on a Sunday in Portland, ME?  TLE had a good idea.....in fact a couple of good ideas.....maybe even three......she found two Goodwills in the area, and the Allagash Brewing Company on Industrial in Portland!  Okay, so she had a fourth good idea.......hit up the local Trader Joe's!

We left home around 10:30 am heading for the first Goodwill.  It was only a couple of miles away, and pretty soon we were wading through the racks looking for t-shirts, shorts, etc.  TLE managed to find one pair of shorts, and I found a 'Ball' jar.....I use them for mixed drinks.  Then it was on to the next Goodwill where we both found a few more things we could not live without.  I found a whole new set of golfing irons (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, PW) and a new putter for $2 each, as well as an almost new pair of Bass flip flops for $4 ($25 new).   I've been unhappy with the original set of irons I purchased at the Goodwill in Carson City a few years ago, and have been looking for another matched set.  I know, I don't play a lot of golf, but one of the things holding me back all this time was I didn't like my unmatched set of irons at all, and I wasn't in love with my putter either.  So now I have a new set, and will donate the current set back to Goodwill.

It was now just after 12 pm, and time for lunch so we drove a few miles further to the aforementioned Allagash Brewing Company for some lunch and brews.  First we started with a 'flight' of four of their brews.....$5.......

Allagash Brewing Company

 'Flight' of brews

.....once we had both decided on what we wanted we ordered them (Allagash Black for me, and TLE their Curieux)....then we headed over to the food trailer to order our lunch.....

.....a lobster roll for TLE.....

.....and a lobster BLT for moi.....

.....there is nothing.....I repeat, nothing better than really good beer paired with really good food, and that is what we got at Allagash Brewing Company on Sunday.  After eating we hung out sitting in their beer barrel Adirondack chairs (made from beer barrel staves) for another hour enjoying the cooling weather, and lower humidity....

.....we finished off our stay at Allagash with a couple of Allagash Whites.....still my favorite Belgium White Wheat Ale ever!

......soon my watch told me it was after 2 pm and time to begin our trek over to Trader Joe's.....we haven't seen a Trader Joe's in over 4 months.....oh how we have missed you, Trader Joe's!  This Portland Trader Joe's is, by far, the largest TJ's we have ever seen.  We managed to find a bottle of the same Argentinian Malbec (Catena) that we had with our anniversary dinner at Red Sky a couple of weeks ago......$15 at TJ's, and $41 at Red Sky.....

.....we were done shopping and back in the Beetle for the drive home before 3 pm.  I sat outside for the rest of the afternoon enjoying the cool breezes, and napping in one of our beach chairs, while TLE stayed inside (allergies)......

......caught a picture of the sun setting over Cabela's.

Thanks for stopping by!

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