Aspirations......

 7:32 am - Friday - July 14th - LPG&RVR - 61° F, humidity 45%, wind 0 mph out of the east.....crystal clear, blue, sunny skies right now with a forecast high today of 95° F.  On this date in 2020 TLE and I were west bound on I-90 in Wyoming.....a day of big views, and easy driving.....↴

We had aspirations for Thursday, but some times aspirations go by the wayside.  We were going to finish installing/reinstalling the wood trim, but we needed to visit Alturas to do our weekly shopping, plus I wanted to watch a good portion of Stage 12 of Le Tour, which is kind of hard to do if you are on your hands and knees installing trim, so we dedicated our 2nd 'weekend' day to being off work from home improvements, and just relax.  After all there's always Friday, or Saturday to finish the trim, right?  We began this project determined that it would be done when it was done, and that we would not impose unnecessary time frames on the work.  Whenever we (I) rush mistakes are made, and we become unhappy with the result.  As I walk from one end of the coach to another I continue to be very pleased with the work we have done, and really don't feel like anything must be redone.  That my friends, is a good feeling.  There is still a small amount of work yet to be done, and knowing it will be done when it is done removes the stress from the task.

I watched about 25% of Stage 12 before we headed into Alturas a little after 11 am.  For the first time since we arrived back at LPG&RVR there were no stops at either Rite Aid, or ACE Hardware.  We made just two stops....Grocery Outlet, and Holiday Market where we were able to purchase everything on our list.  It used to be that when we went shopping I just followed TLE around the store, but for a long time now I've been heading off on my own to get the things I know she gets every week, while she meanders up and down each aisle.  It kind of speeds things up, but she gets to take her time, so we both get something out of it....lol!

We didn't get back home until after 1:30 pm, which included a quick stop at the Post Office to pick up a few boxes, and those combined with the deliveries we received from UPS and FedEx just before we left for town kept us busy for quite a while.  TLE ordered several new area rugs for our home, and two of them arrived Thursday......

.....we've had darker rugs for years, and thought it was time to lighten things up a tad....I like them!

The rest of the afternoon, for me, was spent watching the balance of Stage 12, which was interspersed with at least one, maybe two naps.  By the way, I still love my 'new' recliner (the burgundy one), and the leather is holding up quite well.

Around 4 pm I set up the Cowboy wok for TLE for the first time this season, and she prepared jumbo shrimp/andouille sausage Jambalaya for dinner, which I chased with a Lost Coast Tangerine Ale....a perfect pairing!  To cap off our evening we watched another episode of 'Alone', and then it was off dreamland.

Thanks for stopping by!

Getting trim.......

 8:04 am - Thursday - July 13th - LPG&RVR - 63° F, humidity 36%, wind 0 mph out of the west by southwest.....crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 89° F.  On this date in 2022 TLE and I were sitting on the 'lido deck' watching 'The Open' (British Open)......↴

.....this year 'The Open' begins July 20th, a week from today, and our 4 days off work coincide perfectly with the four days of this year's 'The Open'.

To begin day one of our 4 consecutive 'weekend' days we moved out to the 'lido deck' for the first time in a couple of weeks to enjoy our morning coffee.....

.....it is so nice being able to sit on the 'lido deck' in the mornings in total shade, unlike last year (see above) when we the sun was already on the 'lido deck'....even with the sun shade deployed it still got quite warm......not so this year!

After the coffee interlude I pulled out all the wood trim we had removed last week in preparation for installing our new vinyl 'wood' flooring.  I had not removed the nails from the trim, so I spent about 45 minutes doing so, before heading back into the Newell to reinstall the wood 'bull nose' trim around the threshold of the entry stairway......

.....then began the much more difficult task of fabricating new trim that wraps around the center console.  Ten years ago we had three pieces of trim covering this space, and we were never happy with it.  My wood working skills have improved over the years, and this looks so much better......

.....also installed a new piece of wood trim below the toilet.....

Wood trim reinstalled in the bedroom

.....we got a lot more done than I expected, and we hope to finish the last few pieces on Thursday.  By the time we finished for the day (not done yet) it was around 1:30 pm, so I settled in to watch Stage 11 of Le Tour de France for the balance of the afternoon.

Around 6 pm I lit the Sea-B-Que to grill another London Broil steak, and by 6:45 pm we were eating inside.....the wind was just too brisk for us.  As we ate we watched episodes 3, and 4 of season 4 of 'Jack Ryan' on Amazon Prime.  We were in bed shortly after 10 pm.....a nice day, lived well, and to its fullest.  Wednesday felt longer than one day, and it is that for which we strive......wring every single second out each day off work.

Thanks for stopping by!

Minutes, not hours.....

 8:00 am - Wednesday - July 12th - LPG&RVR - 66° F, humidity 42%, wind 1 mph out of the south by southeast......crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 87° F.  On this date in 2020 TLE and I were at the Campingworld in Spearfish, SD getting our new Splendide 2011 XC installed......↴

The fourth day of each work week here at LPG&RVR is always so sweet.  The work days go so quickly that you know in your heart it will seem like minutes, not hours until you are headed home for your four day weekend.  After staging 10 carts I headed into the Clubhouse to consult with TLE on how many she figured we would need based on the advance bookings, and her best guess was 16, and she was right.  I immediately staged 6 more carts then headed off to make my first round of the golf course in counter clockwise fashion, aka: backwards (9 through 1).

Our customers are getting out earlier and earlier each day now, which means most, if not all of the golf carts are returning before 3 pm, so I was not surprised to find one twosome already on the 8th fairway after just over an hour.  

Since we have been going through a 55 gallon barrel of range balls every 3, or 4 days I talked with Dennis (owner) about installing a second 55 gallon barrel, so we don't run out of range balls in between days we clear the balls off the driving range, and he agreed, so I retrieved 3 boxes of range balls from our storage Conex (about 900 balls), and put a second 55 gallon barrel in the back closet.  

I'm not sure if I have ever posted a picture of the ball retrieving machine we attach to the front of one of our golf carts in order to clear the range, so here is one for your viewing pleasure....

.....when not in use we store it at the back of the driving range behind the 250 marker.  This is really a vintage machine, and has seen its best days years ago, but still does the job.

Other than the tee box mowing I had done on Saturday, Sunday and Monday I hadn't really had time to do any mowing inside the park.  So, once I had returned from my initial round of the course I retrieved the large Husqvarna and headed up to the now empty small Pavilion to mow it, and do some weed whipping around the 5 electrical pedestals.  Next I hopped on the dreadfully slow John Deere riding lawnmower to head down to mow 7 of the 10 tent sites, which had not been mown, apparently, for a couple of weeks.  By the time I finished the first two sites it was already time to head back to the Clubhouse to give TLE her lunch break.  Instead of driving the John Deere back to the Clubhouse I, instead, parked it in the shade of a tree, and walked....it is actually faster to walk.....lol.

After giving TLE her lunch break, and then taking the just 50 of the next 60 minutes for myself it was 1:50 pm, and I had 2 hours, and 40 minutes left to work.  I left my cart at the Newell, and walked down the hill to the tent sites, and resumed mowing.  I finally finished the last of the 7 sites around 3 pm, and began the slow drive back to the Clubhouse where, upon arrival, I used some compressed air to blow all the dust off my person, then off the John Deere before refueling it, and putting it away for the night.

By this time there are 12 golf carts awaiting my attention (we rented exactly 16 carts....good guess TLE!), and just 80 minutes to clean them, and put them away.  Since it was Tuesday it was also time to refuel the Yamaha gassers before stowing them.  I managed to wash and stow 15 of the sixteen carts by 4:30 pm (the last cart came in just after 5 pm), then headed for home to take a quick shower before returning to pickup 'The Lovely Elaine', and begin our 4 day weekend.

We spent about 2 hours on the 'viewing deck' after dinner just letting the stress of the fast paced 'work week' slowly escape the bounds of our mortal bodies.  I had 'Classic Vinyl' playing in the background, a cigar in one hand, and a glass of Scotch in the other as TLE and I talked about the 4 days just passed, and what we would do, or not do in the next four days.  The mosquitoes finally made an appearance around 8:30 pm, so we headed inside for the night.  What a wonderful way to end the 'work week'!  Now the effort to make minutes feel like hours over the next four days begins.

Thanks for stopping by!

Slow by comparison.......

 6:01 am - Tuesday - July 11th - LPG&RVR - 47° F, 53% humidity, wind 0 mph out of the east by southeast......crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 88° F.  On this date in 2014 TLE and I were having dinner at Steamers Bar and Grill in South Lake Tahoe......↴

At last......a slow day....lol!  Well, slow by comparison.  I staged just 15 golf carts (5 electrics, and 10 gassers), and only 13 were rented.  That used to be a busy day here at LPG&RVR, but now it is considered a slow day.  Monday was also 'clear the driving range' day, so after making my rounds of the golf course I headed out to the range around 9:30 am to begin picking up one 55 gallon barrel full of golf balls.  The last time I performed this task it took me 2.5 hours.  This time it took me 2 hours even, so I even had time before TLE's 12 pm lunch break to wash many of the balls.  Last Monday I was way behind the proverbial '8 ball', but this week I was right on time.

After our mutual lunch breaks it was 2 pm, and 9 golf carts had already been returned, so I washed them, then headed out to mow the tee boxes at 15, 16, 17 & 18.  I used to be able to get them all done in one afternoon, but we've been so busy I've had to split it up over a few days the past few weeks.

The temps continue to hover in the mid to high 80's, and with those afternoon breezes we get the weather feels rather pleasant, however, that is all about to change as on Saturday we will hit triple digits for the first time this summer.....

....and then the temps will be in the 90's for the foreseeable future, and those temps will see me going to work much earlier for the next few weeks.

On the Starlink front.....well, we hardly think about it.....it just works......VERY WELL.  I don't know how we lived our nomadic life before Starlink.....it was very complicated.  We were always concerned about staying at very remote locations where broadband might be illusive, but that is no longer a consideration.  It just makes access to the internet so routine......I think we stream 90+% of our TV viewing now, and soon it will be time to cut the DirecTV cord.

On the health front TLE and I both continue to thrive.  Other than allergies, and a couple of short lived colds, we have not been sick for years.  Living out on the edge of civilization has its benefits.  TLE goes in for her first cataract surgery appointment in a week, and then we will be able to schedule her first surgery.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday.....

 6:13 am - Monday - July 10th - LPG&RVR - 48° F, 66% humidity, wind 1 mph out of the southeast.......crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 85° F.  On this date in 2021 TLE and I were in Redding, CA attempting to get our VW's smog certificate recertified....it was 114° F, and we were having to stay overnight once again (I wrote about that experience here)....here we are having dinner at Final Draft Brewing Company......↴

Sunday we put out 24 golf carts, it got to 88° F, I trimmed a large bush next to one of the full time residences, and I mowed some tee boxes (10 & 3).  All but 3 of the 24 carts were returned prior to 5 pm.  It was windless for most of my shift, but a breeze finally came up around 3 pm making the last couple of hours much more pleasant.  When it does get warm as it has the past week, people play golf earlier, and finish earlier which is good for the golf cart washing business, and leaves me with less work each morning.  There are always a few diehards, which don't begin their rounds until mid afternoon when the course is less busy, and who can blame them?

I checked the range ball barrel late in the day to see how empty is was....how empty it is determines how many balls I'll have to clear from the range on Monday.....the barrel had less than 30 balls left, so Monday will be another one of those 2-3 hour days clearing the range and another couple of hours washing them.  I've still got the tee boxes at 7, 16, 17 and 18 to mow, so I'm hoping there will be fewer carts to wash.

Some of you may know that Le Tour de France began on Saturday so I've been watching it every day, and so far I'm current. I watched the balance of Stage 8 Sunday evening after work.  In a few days the Women's World Cup will begin, as well as The Open (British Open Golf Tournament), so the end of July will be packed with sports TV.

The time is coming, within the next week, when the temps will rise into the 90's, maybe even up to 100, and I will be going to work at 6:30 am in order to be off by 3 pm, just as the heat of the day hits full force, so I will probably be composing my daily missives in the afternoons, after work.  I may be getting used to the heat, but I'll never get used to high 90's, and low triple digits, and why should I....lol?

Time to get dressed, and head out for our third work day.....thanks for stopping by!

Bride's maid again.......

6:17 am - Sunday - July 9th - LPG&RVR - 51° F, 61%, wind 0 mph out of the southeast...crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 88° F.  On this date in 2017 TLE and I were in Bozeman, MT having lunch at Bridger Brewing Company.....↴

It was back to work Saturday, and since Saturday is our weekly putting contest I went to work at 7:30 am, and worked straight through to 3:30 pm so I could grab a quick shower, and be back at the Clubhouse by the 4 pm start time for the aforementioned putting contest.  In between 7:30 am, and 3:30 pm I took my usual one hour break in the Clubhouse office for TLE's lunch break, I made the rounds of the golf course, raking all four sand traps, washed 5 golf carts left over from Friday, washed 15 golf carts returned before 3:30 pm, and washed about 200 golf balls to be resold at .50 cents each in the Pro-Shop.  Even though it only got to 86° F, it was virtually windless all day making it feel warmer than it was....at least that is how I perceived it.

Now to the weekly putting contest.  I wondered all week if my good putting streak of the past few weeks would continue, and I was not disappointed. I won my first match against one of our best putters 1-0.  Then won my second match, against another very good putter, 3-0 after three holes.  I won my third match handily, then lost to another good putter on the 4th match 1-0.  It was double elimination day, so I got a second chance, and won my 5th and 6th matches against very good putters, and was one opponent away, once again, from the final.  I tied the first hole, and made an excellent putt on hole #2 to within 2 inches of the hole, but my opponent putted to within 6 inches of the hole with my ball directly between his and the hole.  He managed to knock my ball 6 feet away from the hole while sinking his (imagine that), and I missed the 6 foot put by an inch.....doh!  It was still 1-0 as we putted on the 4th hole.....my opponent putted first, and sank his putt for a hole in one....double doh.....I had to sink mine to extend the match, but I came up short.  There is nothing I would change about those first 3 holes.....I made good putts on each one, but was unlucky to be knocked away.  Who can see a hole in one coming?  The fourth hole has a 3 foot break, and is very difficult.  Sometimes you are just unlucky, and that was me.  Even though I went out in the 7th match, I felt very good about another great putting day.  My turn is coming...I can feel it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Flooring - Day 4

6:11 am - Saturday - July 8th - LPG&RVR - 53° F, 72% humidity, wind 1 mph out of the east.....partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 87° F.  On this date in 2020 TLE and I drove down to Hot Springs, SD visiting Evans Plunge to soak in the 'WARM' mineral springs (87° F year round)......↴

Friday, the last day of our four day weekend, and there was still a lot to do to finish our flooring project.  By 9:30 am I was back on my knees cutting, and fitting pieces to fill in the gaps from the fridge to the bathroom entrance so we could finally, after 4 months, put the new flooring over the repaired bathroom floor (I wrote about the bathroom floor repair here).  Things moved along pretty smoothly, but I didn't lay the last piece of flooring until 3:30 pm.....six hours of bending over, kneeling, and standing back up again.  It was a lot of work, but the final results were well worth the 20+ hours we spent......

.....of course, there is still all the wood molding to be reinstalled, which I'll do next weekend, and since all the pieces are already cut from 10 years ago, it will just be a matter of removing the old nails, reinstalling them with new finishing nails.  We bought four boxes of this flooring knowing we would not use it all in the initial installation, and used 2.5 boxes, so we've got 1.5 boxes left....more than enough planks to effect any repairs needed in the future. The planks in the middle of the floor will take the most abuse over the years, and they will be easy to replace....no cuts required.

Once we had cleaned up everything, and put the tools back in the trailer it was time to take a long, hot shower, and then a nap, or two in the recliner, and just sit and admire the work we did.  TLE was a big help in making sure I made the cuts correctly, measured correctly, and retrieved tools as needed.  Without her help during the entire four days I would not have been half done after 4 days.

TLE headed over to the Clubhouse around 4:50 pm to pick up the cash drawer from Kathie, so I joined her, and while they talked I putted on the putting green....a nice way to end the weekend.  It was the first time I had left our site in almost 4 days....lol!

Thanks for stopping by!

P.S. - I forgot we went to Alturas on Thursday....lol.