Almost to New York

Sunday 29 Nov 2009

Warrenville, NJ

It was a beautiful sunny day all day. It was also almost 60°. Really nice. We left our little abode around 10 am after only a cup of tea, no coffee. We decided to drive to New York to visit Ground Zero and then see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We instead drove straight to Liberty Park. It is the largest grassy park in the area. It is still in New Jersey and runs along the backside (across the water) of Liberty Island, Ellis Island, and the Train Station. The three are called the Liberty Trilogy. We walked and walked and walked. It was a really pretty walkway with lanterns all along it. People were walking, and riding bikes and fishing along the way. We had an amazing view of Manhattan as well as Brooklyn and Staten Island.

As we were walking it looked as if there were a bridge over to Ellis Island. When we got there it was actually a guarded road. I guess for supplies or something. Anyway, we were not allowed to walk across it. So we continued walking.

We finally made it to the ferry terminal and there we bought tickets to ride the ferry to Ellis Island and then Liberty Island. We were hoping we could also ride it over to Manhattan, which we could have, but there are no rides back on Sunday.

It was wonderful going over to Ellis Island. The Registry building is now a restored museum. It has various rooms set up with displays and information about the process the immigrants went through. On the island are also infectious disease quarantine and hospital wards. We first found the wall with all the names. They are all in alphabetical order. Naturally we had to look for family names. First I found a series of Fultons, the Dixons, then we looked for Williamson and then looked for names of friends. It was pretty amazing.

From there we went by ferry to Liberty Island. We still wanted to go to New York and it was starting to get late, so we did not get off the ferry at Liberty Island. They only allow a certain number of people to go up into her crown and they had already met their quota. It was so thrilling just to be close to her and especially to see her from the Harbor. We sat on the ferry staring at her and reading about her on our iPhones.

We rode the ferry back to the Ferry terminal at Liberty National Park. We walked all the way back to the truck. It was exhausting for my knees.

We got in the truck and headed for the Holland Tunnel to New York. We wanted to drive over somewhere near Ground Zero, check it out and then get something to eat. Unfortunately the traffic was horrendous. We were bumper to bumper for at least 30 min just approaching the tunnel. We finally decided to bail and did so at the last exit before the actual tunnel. We headed back to our Rig.

We drove easily back to Warrenville which is really a pretty little place. It has two of the largest flags I have ever seen. They are also decorating it for Christmas. They have toy soldiers lined up all over the place. We found a little Country Restaurant that had several Early Bird Specials to choose from. The food was very good. It included soup, salad, entrée, and dessert. We were full after the soup and salad, so we brought most of the entrée home. There was a grocery store next door so we popped in there for a few items we needed then came home.

We fed YumYum and then wandered over to the Elks Lodge. We decided we’d have a drink and play pool, then come back. It turned out that Rob (who was hot) was challenged by several of the regulars so we stayed awhile. It was fun. We came home, ate one of our Canoles from Mikes in Boston, watched TV and went to bed. Our goal is to leave at 7 am tomorrow. It is a 6 hour drive to Virginia.

New Jersey shore

Not quite the same photo, but the towers are conspicuous in their absence.

Ellis Island entry hall.

Lady Liberty.

Cat on deck.

Heading South (misc. pictures)

Sunset over the B lot.

Sunset over Pt Mugu.

Making Oreo turkeys.

One of my best iphone pictures at the Getty museum.

Cat and I. Brad took this with his iphone.

Saturday, 28 November 2009

Hanscom to New Jersey

It was horrendously windy all night. I kept waking up worried about the skirt on the front of the RV. It is only on there by Velcro and when it is real windy it starts coming off. I was afraid it was going to come off and blow across the lot through the mud. I kept looking out the window and could see that it was mostly attached, then I would go back to sleep.

We didn’t get up until about 8:30 or later. We had a lot to do to get ready to go since we have been there for so long. The bikes had to be loaded back up, outside stuff had to be put away, plus all the inside stuff. Unlike our normal packed up and hitting the road by 9 am, it was 11:15 by the time we hit the road. The wind continued to gust like crazy. There was a ton of traffic on the Mass Turnpike but once off of it and on our way to Hartford it cleared out nicely.

Our plan is to go to the Elks lodge in Warren, NJ to spend the night. Tomorrow we are going to take the train in to New York and go see the things we didn’t get to see last month and spend the night at Elks again before going on to Virginia.

We made it to Connecticut by about 1pm, then to New York by about 2 and New Jersey at 4 ish. We continued on and 6 hours after we departed Hanscom AFB in Mass we made it to the Elks Lodge at Wachung Hills, NJ. We found it with no problem except that it was already dark when we arrived. We parked on the street and then went in to find out what was what and where we were supposed to park. The folks were real nice. There was absolutely nothing to the site. And I mean nothing. No water, no sewer hook up, and only 110 power. Holy moly and we are going to be here for 2 nights. I registered my complaints to Rob that I want a minimum of 30 amps and prefer 50 and absolutely want water hookups. Then got on with the task of setting up.

YumYum is so comfortable in the RV that she started wandering around everywhere before the slides were even out. We always have to find and snag her before we can put the slides out or she could get caught in them. Luckily she always wants to be with me so she came out of the living room meowing. We opened everything up and then fed her. We fixed a quick dinner of soup, salad and a glass of wine and then went to the lodge to be sociable and have a drink with the local Elks members. They bought our first round of Beer and wine. That was very nice.

We talked to the bar tender, Al, about our plan to drive to Newark to catch the train into New York. He basically told us our truck would be stripped if we left it in Newark and convinced us to drive closer by to Dunellen, leave the truck there and take the train in. That way we would still have the truck when we returned. No problem, we were convinced.

We played several games of pool, all of which (except the last one) Rob kicked my butt. We had a total of two rounds of drinks and then headed back to our abode. The Yumster welcomed us from the chair in which we had left her.

We both played on our computers for a bit and then went to bed. It was a fun eve. I am looking forward to our visit to the Big Apple tomorrow.

More Pictures from Tanksgiving

Traditional after Thanksgiving lobster.

Our gracious hosts.

Fun and games before bed.

Cannoli and other treats in little Italy.

Oreo Turkey.

Grey Friday

Out for adventure in the North end.

Memorial to the fallen.

Sarah and Anne in the "Old North Church".

Grace, Cat and Lauren trying to stay warm at Paul Reverse's house.

Inez, Dwight and Ann after consuming lobster.

Friday, 27 November 2009

Hanscom / Bedford, MA

I can’t believe this is going to be our last day here. I hope I don’t cry.

I started in immediately on the installation of Windows 7. It is a long process, so while it was working I tried to read a chapter in my Fitness book. Rob had indicated we were supposed to be at the Curtis home between 10 & 11. I wasn’t ready to get going, but, I couldn’t concentrate on the reading so I went ahead and got ready.

We got to their house at about 11:15. We were supposed to get there, eat turkey sandwiches and then go to the North End (of Boston) to go visit some of the places on the Freedom Trail. We all piled in to two cars; the girl car and the boy car and headed town to Boston. We found a parking lot and then headed off the the North Church where the signal was hung for the famous Paul Revere ride. We got there just as a man was speaking to the group about the history of the church and the night of the ride. It was very interesting. We then wandered around in the North Church gift shop, and then walked to Paul Revere’s home. It is pretty interesting, a wooden building right up against a tall brick building. It is furnished and decorated in the original style. It was two story and there was a guide on each floor telling about the décor and the life style back then. They were interesting, but I had been there before with my Mom. I also don’t do well with standing for long periods of time. So, I went outside with Grace and Lauren. We actually found a dry ledge to sit on so we sat and shared my mittens which then turned in to “let’s steal Cat’s mittens”. Rob came out for a few minuets, took a couple pictures and went back in. Sarah, Noel, Liam and Anne had gone off to go to the bath room. The girls and I went back in to see what was taking everyone so long. When we came back in the potty people were just arriving so we had to wait for them as well. Finally, everyone was ready to go. I was really glad because my feet were freezing. We walked over to Mikes Pastries (that is where several weeks earlier Rob and I had had the canoles. We actually went to the place next door and had cappuccinos and canoles. They didn’t have the ones we really liked, but the one’s we had were good. Dwight and his girlfriend are going to join us later and Anne wanted to get canoles for them as well, so Rob and I went next door to Mikes and bought 4 for us (for our road trip) and a couple for Dwight and his girlfriend, and Rob got a cream puff.

We walked back to the cars and Dan’s was dead. We tried to jump it with Anne’s, but it wouldn’t work. We (Rob, Noel, and I) pushed it while Dan popped the clutch. It worked, thank goodness, the first time. So, all the females plus Liam were in Anne’s car and we headed home. The guys went to pick up Dwight and his girlfriend and then they went and bought 8 live lobsters. Yum Yum.

Back at the house Grace practiced her piano and Lauren and I went down to the basement and she played her recorder for me. She is very good. After that we were trying to find something to do and so I decided to teach her how to crochet. She was struggling with it, but was starting to get comfortable with it.

The guys got home and fixed the lobsters. For dinner we each had a lobster with melted butter, bread, salad, and dressing. It was all so good. For desert we had the desserts from the night before.

Noel and I cleaned up and the helped the kids get all wound up before bed. Actually, Rob, Noel and I wound the girls up and Sarah was with Liam in the basement getting ready for bed. I finally calmed the girls down by us all doing Oms. It was pretty cute. Then Dan, Sarah and Liam came up. Sarah and Liam to tell us all good night, and Dan to take over getting the girls to bed.

I squeezed all the kids and told Grace and Lauren how much I was going to miss them so much after being here for a month and a half. They were very cute and didn’t want me to leave.

We went back down stairs and visited with all for awhile and then Rob and I could not delay any longer. We said good bye to everyone with big, sad hugs gathered all our stuff and left. Hard to go.

We got home, fed the Yumster, gave her her medicine and then went to bed

Thankfull

Pass the parcel.

Anne, Laura, and Maddi.

Madeline and Gene.

Liam and Sarah.

John perfecting the gravy.

Thursday, 26 November 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a great day, a Wonderful Day! We started out slow and somewhat mellow. I had purchased Windows 7 to upgrade my Vista. Step number 1 is back up everything on your computer. That’s as far as I got. That one step continued after we had to leave.

We showered to get ready to go to the Curtis home. I made the salads and we gathered the rest of our stuff and left.

The household was busy when we arrived with Ann cleaning, Sarah preparing veggies and other yummy pre-dinner snacks, Dan and Noel prepping in the kitchen. We arranged and rearranged the dinning room trying to figure out how best to sit 16 people. It turned out the best was to line 3 tables in a row extending out of the dinning room and into the entryway. It was awesome. Anne had two lovely table cloths and on the end table where 4 of the 6 kids were going to sit we put coordinating place mats. We set the table with place settings, candles, flowers. We set out the oreo turkeys at each place and everything looked beautiful.

We had arrived at 1:00, guests were to arrive at 3:00 and we were to eat at 5:00. Everything was perfect. Maddi and Gene arrived first so we got to visit with them first. Then Laura (Maddi and Gene’s daughter), her husband John and their children; Madeline, Chandler, and Finley. All three are wonderfully sweet and well-behaved children. Rob and I had visited them a couple years ago when we came out for a couple days, but John had been on a trip so this was the first time we had met him. He is awesome and so is Laura. It was all so smooth and friendly and nice, being together, getting along, laughing and having fun.

The food was awesome. Everyone brought their favorite dish and we (Rob & I) got to try things we’d never had before. It was all scrumptious. For dessert we had a Apple Crumb pie, Pumpkin Pie and a Cranberry Crumb Cake, mmmm, all smothered with either whipped cream or ice cream.

It was all so fun and relaxed and nice. It all ended to soon, Laura, John, the kids, Maddi and John all left at the same time. The rest of us cleaned up, put all the furniture back to where it was supposed to be, and then sat together sipping the rest of our wine and chatting about how well the day had gone.

Then it was time for us to go home as well.

Pizza night

Wednesday, 25 November 2009
Hanscom / Bedford

The day before Thanksgiving and all through the house! I finished up writing out all my study cards while Rob went through the mail. We had told Anne, Sara, and Noel that we would have a mellow morning and then get together in the mid day or so, and then stay for dinner. Noel is making pizzas.
So I finished up with the cards and started on my sewing project. YumYum likes to get up in one chair, which she can jump up into, but it is to high for her to get down. She has those back leg and hip issues so she isn’t all stealth like other cats. Anyway, she keeps landing on the same front leg, then her rear legs slam down and she goes limping away. We have these two collapsible step stools one is already in the bedroom with a pillow on top so she can get off the bed. The other is generally folded up and stashed away until needed. I decided to turn them in to tuffits. I bought some fabric and 3’ foam. I cut the foam to put on top of the stool and then made a slip cover to go over the top and hang down to the floor. It works out quite nicely, and the whole thing pulls off easily when you want to use the stool. It turned out pretty well, but it is still high so I took the other foam (that was supposed to go on the other stool) and made a slip cover for it for a landing pad. It works pretty well, except now that Rob is home she just wants to hide on the bed. Mean while, the tuffit matches the couch and chairs in the RV and can be used as an ottoman for the couch. Yea.
While I was in the middle of my project Rob decided he wanted to go to WalMart (for the RV supplies I forgot to get) and go get the rest of the stuff we need for Thanksgiving. So off he went. I finished my sewing project and put everything away. Then I thought I would work on my crochet project, but instead I figured I had better catch up on the journal before I totally forgot everything. I was 5 days behind.
Rob called and said he was stuck in traffic on his way to WalMart. Not good. So continued to work and then got ready to go to Belmont for dinner and it was starting to get close to that time.
I continued working on the journal and saw a propane truck go by. It didn’t go onto the airfield so I walked out there to see if he was able to fill our tanks (Rob’s B lot in LAX has a truck that comes around and fills their tanks). The truck driver was talking to a man in an SUV as I was getting closer. They finished their chat and the SUV came toward me. I asked him if the Propane guy would fill our tanks. He said he didn’t think so and asked if Chips wasn’t taking care of us. I said I didn’t know he was supposed to. He sort of indicated which RV was Chips’ and left. I went over to try to find Chips. No one answered. I went to the next RV ‘cuz I could tell someone was moving around. His name is Mark and he rides the red motorcycle with red helmet and jacket that I see come and go all the time. Anyway we did roust Chips and Mark talked him in to filling my tank now. It was a good thing to, because one was totally empty and the second was almost empty. So we took them both over and Chips filled both of them up for me. Yeah! I wrote a check (it goes to the place on post where I had my tank filled before) and I was set. What a relief. It turns out I was all wrong about the fill times on post. The notice about only on Fridays between 2 – 3 was for out here. You can take it to the Outdoor Rec on post M-F drop it off by 1 and pick it up aft 3. Now I find the Facts!
Rob finally got back. I had fixed a salad to take and finished it off with goodies he had purchased and then we went to Belmont. Noel, Laura and Sarah were still making the pizzas. He was tossing the dough in the air which was fun. The kids ate their little pies and then the adults sat and ate drank and got merry. It was fun we laughed and chatted and it was great. Unfortunately, Anne got a call from her Mother-In-Law (Dan’s mother) she is in late stages of cancer. She was calling to tell them she was in the hospital awaiting a blood transfusion. She started bleeding from all the punctures in her arms where IVs were. It is very sad. I talked to both Rob and Anne about maybe staying out here longer. Unfortunately it doesn’t sound like she has much longer and Anne had asked me a week or so ago that if things got really bad if they could fly me back out to stay with the girls. I said of course. Now perhaps I will stay and just fly to Fresno for Christmas and drive back later. Rob has the next 10 days off and he’d be perfectly happy staying out here with his sisters. Anne was going to talk with Dan about what he though timing was all about and we will decide by Friday. I feel very bad for them. Anne is especially close to Jean, her mother in law, because not only is she a wonderful person, but has become a mother to Anne since she lost her own mother so young.
We stayed until about 10:30 and then crawled home quite ready for bed before we even got there.

Oreo Turkeys

Tuesday, 24 Nov 2009
Hanscom / Bedford, MA

It is very foggy this morning. This is the first time I have awakened to fog. There was a little bit driving home one eve, but it was nothing.
So today is a busy day. My plan is school work, go to the gym. Wrap all the Curtis’ Christmas gifts so I can give them to them and not mail them, work on my crochet project and pick Rob up at 10:30 pm. Good plan?!
Didn’t exactly work out that way. I was working on my school stuff, when Rob called and said he was on the plane (yea!) and that he would be arriving at 7:30 pm (WHAT!) Yea! So, I intensely work on my school stuff. I had to write out all the cards for two chapters. I worked and worked, but I wasn’t going to get finished. So I stopped and wrapped all the Christmas gifts, (including Rob’s ‘cause I didn’t want him to see them) I ended up working right through my Gym time which didn’t make me so happy) but I finished it up in time to take a shower, get dressed and head out for the airport.
There was a lot of traffic, but I found my way with no problem. It took me a little over an hour, but that was OK ‘cuz Rob wasn’t in yet. He called me as I was finding the cell phone lot. He was only taxiing so it took awhile. He finally called again so I went and fetched him. It was very good to see him. He was apparently happy to see me as well.
We went straight to Anne’s where the gang was eating tacos. We ate with them, visited, and then it was time to go home and go to bed

Monday, 23 November 2009.
Hanscom / Bedford, MA

I was so restless today and couldn’t get into studying. I played on the computer for a while and then decided to find out where Costco, Wal Mart and JoAnn Fabric was. I wasn’t finding much except Costco, so I decided just to go there and then once there look on my phone to see if there were any Wal Marts near by. I needed walmart because they often have a small RV section with the bare essentials which is exactly what I need.
I found Costco with absolutely no problem. Bought a ton of Wine for Turkey day as well as some salad fiixins and a couple other items and headed out. I looked up WalMart and found one close by so I went there. I did some shopping for Stuff! And totally forgot that I needed RV essentials. From there headed to Burger King for Totally-Bad-For-Me-and-I-know-Better,-Studying-to-be-a-Health-and-Fitness-Professional Crispy Chicken with cheese and bacon burger with fries and a diet coke! I ate every last crumb. Then I went and burned it all off stressing while I was stuck in traffic.
I found JoAnn’s fabric not too far from home and bought some yarn and fabric. I have decided to make little “tuffits” out of our fold away step stools, also to make it easier for Yumster to get down from things, like the couch or chair. Again, it was very dark by the time I got home.
I fed the kitty, and started a crocheting project. I was very slow getting it under way because I couldn’t figure out the pattern. I had to keep ripping it out. I finally got if going and then started motoring through it. Unfortunately I had to go to bed.

Sunday 22 Nov 2009
Hanscom / Bedford, MA

I am very excited about Sarah, Noel and Liam being here and really looking forward to Rob getting here. I am also looking forward to seeing Maddi and Gene and meeting Laura and her kids again and her hubby for the first time. But at the same time, I am a little sad. I like it out here. I have found my way around pretty well and there are so many cool things to explore. I am also really enjoying getting together with Anne, Dan, and the girls. I will really miss them when we leave.
I went over to Anne’s at 10:00. Everyone was up and excited. Hugs all around. Poor Lauren has an ear ache so Anne took her to the Doctor. Dan was frying bacon and making pancakes.
Anne Bana-nee got back with Lauren so we sat down to a wonderful breakfast. Afterwards Anne, Noel and I sat down and went over Anne’s calendar and the places and things that Sarah and Noel wanted to see. So we all made a plan. Actually they did. Anne has to work, Sarah and Noel are going to places I have already been, so I will get together in the Eves with them. We did make a plan that we will All do the Freedom Trail on Friday. So, Rob and I will wait until Saturday to leave. That will be fine.
Anne left to go get medicine for Lauren. The kids, Sarah and Dan rode bicycles up to the middle school and Noel and I walked there. They have a nice play ground there. The kids, Dan and Noel played “Monster”. They ran around like crazy people for a couple hours. Sarah and I sat and chatted. Anne came back to give Lauren her meds and picked up Grace to take her to her costume fitting for Revels. We took that opportunity to go back to the house.
The kids went inside and played and the adults (minus Anne) stayed outside and raked leaves. Dan, the slave driver, told us we had to fill 2 smashed down full garbage bins with leaves before we could quit. So, we did the front yard and started on the back yard. We do good work!
Sarah and I drove out to our home on wheels. She hadn’t seen it. I had to feed the Yumster and give her her meds and while there I made a salad and grabbed a bottle of wine. Then we headed back to Belmont. Anne fixed yummy lasagna. It was quite delicious. We did dishes and chatted for quite some time and then I felt like I was turning into a fish so I went home. I chatted with Rob on the phone, watched the news and went to bed

Saturday 21 Nov 2009
Hanscom / Bedford, MA

I am writing this after the fact it is actually (Wed the 25th) The reason I keep a journal in the first place is because I can’t remember anything. That is how it is with this. Now that it has been so long I can’t remember what I did. Or even what the weather was like. Ahhh, it is coming back to me.
I did my school work as usual during the morning, and then I decided it would be a good thing to do laundry. So, I looked up where the laundry mat was in Concord, wrote down the directions and headed out. Time had gotten away from me so it was about 2 in the afternoon. I found Concord with no problem, but could not find the laundry mat to save my life. I also wanted to go to CVS Pharmacy and get some more index cards, so I was about to give up on my search for the laundry and just go to CVS when I decided to look it up on my phone. Low and behold (is that the phrase?!) I found it. $3.00 per washing machine. That’s outrageous. But, what is a person to do. I had a big load of darks and one of whites so I went for it. Then I went looking for wine and the stuff I needed for Turkey day, but it was all a big bust.
I went back to the laundry mat and threw my stuff in the dryer. I was starving so I went to this restaurant near by. It wasn’t bad. I had a Margarita (first in a very long time) and a Mango ice tea and a cheese burger. All were quite delicious.
I went back to the laundry mat and threw more quarters in to the dryer and read a chapter of my book. Finally I folded everything and headed for home. It was well after dark when I got back. Poor Yumster was in the dark and starving.
I took care of her, watched TV and went to bed. Yea, Sarah and Noel should be at Anne’s by now.

Friday, 20 November 2009
Hanscom / Bedford, MA

It started pouring during the night and the wind was blowing and was banging the wind chimes against the rig. I got up and went out and brought them inside then went back to bed.
Carol came by this morning and said she thought the yoga class was at 10am rather than noon. It turns out there is no Yoga but there was Pilates so we decided to go. The wind was still whipping, but it was really warm. The skirt I put up around the over hang was coming off in the wind so I took it off, folded it up and put it under the RV. I fed the Yumster, changed and we headed for the gym.
The Pilates instructor was a male. He teaches Pilates on Mondays and Fridays and 10 and Yoga Tues, Wed and Thurs at noon. The stretching portion of his class was the first half hour and it was great. We stretched everything, things I have never stretched before. But, his Pilates was not so great. It was really fast and he doesn’t give alternatives. Pilates is supposed to be slow and controlled. But, at least we did something today.
I came back and went through and paid all the bills then played on the computer for awhile. Finally I settled into working on my training. I read 3 chapters and then took a nap. It felt good, but it was a little odd. The sun went down while I was napping so I woke up to a dark house. YumYum probably thought I was gone.
I rousted myself and closed all the curtains and turned on the light, kicked up the heat and fixed some dinner.
I watched TV, caught up on the journal and went to bed. I’m getting excited about upcoming events. Sarah, Noel, and Liam get here late tomorrow night. Sunday I am going over there for brunch. Hopefully Rob will get here Tuesday night. That will be nice.

Thursday 19 Nov 2009
Hanscom / Bedford, MA

This morning was not nearly as cold. It started out sunny, but started clouding over. A storm is coming tonight and it is supposed to rain all day tomorrow.
I got my coffee and checked email. Then started studying.
YumYum got up and Yea! She pooped. I am so relieved. I was really worried about having to take her back to the vet.
I cleaned up our little abode and took out the garbage. A woman approached me as I was coming back. I have waved to her before. She is in the RV closest to the Dumpster. Anyway, she came up and we started talking. She lives here full time. This is her second year? 1st year in the 5th wheel she’s in. It is a large one with 4 slides like ours. She has a home in Connecticut and her husband goes back there quite a bit. Anyway, we are very similar. She is a certified Pilates instructor. She is also certified as a Ti Kwan Do instructor and she and her husband recently sold their studio. She sews, and has been quilting (in her rig) She also has a piano in her rig. Not so sure about that, perhaps it is a Keyboard rather than a piano, pianos weigh a ton. Anyway, it was fun meeting her. I told her I have been going to the gym and she wants to go as well. She was not able to go with me at my normal 4:00 time for my class, so we said we’d try tomorrow. Why is it that I always meet people when I am leaving?!
I chatted with Rob on the phone and I finished my studies for the day. So, I started working on the route to go home. Rob has the 25th (day before Thanksgiving) through the rest of the month off. We are planning to leave on Friday, after Thanksgiving. The for sure plan is that we are going to drive for 9 or 10 hours and go visit Aunt Becky and Ed in Virginia. After that, I have written down 18 places along Hwy 10 through the south. If we spend the night at all the places that I want to visit we will be back in Seal Beach on the 15th. Rob found out that he also has the first 5 days of December off. He may even be able to come back out and meet me again sometime during the rest of my journey.
I went to the gym for my 4:00 class. It was the Cardio Salsa. She didn’t have the correct music so we didn’t really get to do our regular Salsa, we just did a super Cardio workout. It was still really good. I showered at the gym and then went to the Commissary on base.
From there I went to Anne and Dan’s. They are going out and I told them I would hang with the girls and we’d make Oreo cookie turkeys. So, I went there from the gym. We had a good time. Anne had fixed dinner for us. We worked on homework, then we had dinner, and then we made the turkeys. All to soon it was time for them to go to bed. As soon as the turkeys were set I put them together. Then I watched The Mentalist on TV. They came home at about 10:45. We chatted for a bit and shared a couple emails and then I left for home.
Luckily I found fuel on the way home. I was starting to get very concerned. The light was getting ready to come on and I didn’t know where to go to get diesel. What a relief.
I got home, fed Yummie, watched the news and went to bed.

A Frosty Morning in Bedford, MA
YumYum in the sac with her stuffed chipmunk

Wednesday; 18 Nov 2009
Hanscom / Bedford, MA

For some reason I woke up really early this morning and couldn’t go back to sleep so I got up at 5:30. It was amazing. The sun was just coming up, it was 25°, and EVERYTHING was frozen. It was soooooo very pretty. The table, my plants, the truck, the grass, the RV next door. Everything was frosty. It really looked awesome. As the sun grew higher, it slipped behind some clouds and I kept watching for it to rise above them, but the clouds just kept getting thicker. Within an hour it was all cloudy.
I hit my books, but became more and more concerned about YumYum. She still hasn’t pooped and is not in distress, but now my concern is that she doesn’t even seem to want to. Not good for a kitty who has this kind of and has been on meds for the last 5 years for this. Anyway, I called the doc and she said best to be safe and bring her in to be checked, so I did. They said she just probably isn’t ready yet, but if no results by Friday, bring her in again. So home we went.
I stopped at a bike store on the way back from the vet. I remembered that I had a broken bicycle seat in the car. It is my seat to the tandem. It developed some problems on its journey across the country. It took into the nice man and he said it is missing a couple washers and nuts. I asked him if he had any and he was able to find ones to fit and fixed it. I tried on a pair of shorts, but didn’t like them. The nice man didn’t charge me for fixing the seat.
YumYum and I went home. She went to bed and I went back to work on my studying. I studied until 3:30 and then got ready for the gym.
Today was Boot Camp. Oh My God. It was a killer. One whole hour of shear torture. Running, for ever, shuffles, backwards, crossovers. Then working with the bands, bicep curls, triceps, overhead triceps, then abs, millions and millions of abs, leg lifts and finally yoga type cool down. Boy oh boy. I couldn’t keep up (I’m no spring chicken ya know) anyway. I am really glad I went and will go again Next Monday and next Wednesday. I went back to the rig, studied a bit more then watched TV and went to

Tuesday; 17 Nov 2009
Hanscom / Bedford, MA

Today was pretty much like all the rest. I got up, drank coffee, read my book (a couple chapters of “Friday Night Knitting Club”) and then hit the books for my PTC. I read, I watched the video and wrote out a ton of index study cards. It is actually all starting to sink in which is making me very happy.
It is a beautiful day. It is sunny and clear. It startes out real cold, but then the sun shines in through the windows and warms everything up quite nicely.
I worked until about 3:30 and then excitedly changed into my gym clothes. I finally feel well enough to go work out. Today was Cardio Salsa. It is a very rapid workout for one hour using Salsa steps. It is really fun. It felt so good to be back working out.
I came back to my abode worked a little longer on my certification program and then watched my favorite shows and went to bed.

Livin the life

A real workin man visits the B lot.

Downtown LA on a beautiful "winter" day.

Maui Hotel, nice. Very senior (usually).

Sailing at Camp Pendelton.

Golf and Army Blackhawks at Los Alamitos.

Monday, 16 November 2009
Hanscom / Bedford, MA

Today was beautiful. It was sunny and amazingly warm. I opened up several of the windows and pulled out the patio furniture. Unfortunately I went back inside and worked on my school stuff. I made a couple phone calls back to Nevada and got some billing issues worked out. Our IVGID bill (water and garbage) was getting forwarded to us rather than being sent to our tenants. Also, I found out that our mail forwarding service is way more expensive than we thought it was going to be. I sent them some money so they’ll keep sending us our mail when we ask.
I got all my school stuff put away and everything else as well. Then I went to what I hoped was going to be the Commissary on base. It turns out that there was a gas leak and so I got diverted by the police. The way he had me go to go around the leak took me to down town Bedford right by Stop n Shop so I went there instead. I bought a couple plants, some wine, and some yummy deserts and then went home.
I made Beef and Barley soup and got fixings together for a nice little salad. Then I waited for Anne and the girls to arrive. Just before they got here I opened the refrigerator door and one of the shelving units on the door collapsed. It happened to be holding a bottle of champagne, two bottles of white wine and a carton of orange juice. One of the bottles of wine exploded sending wine and glass all over the kitchen floor. So along with the RV smelling like cooking onions if smelled very strongly of white wine. Anne and the girls arrived just as I was finishing cleaning up.
We had a fun evening. The girls having been here before were very comfortable and knew where everything was. The immediately pulled out the 5000 game as well as Mexican train. We played a game of 5000. while snacking on various cheeses, olives and crackers. Then we had dinner. After dinner we played Mexican Train. It was really fun. We had warm, just cooked, brownies with frozen yogurt for desert and then they had to go home. Boo, hoo. It was a nice eve.
I did all the dishes and cleaned up, watched TV and then went to bed.
I am going to go over there Thursday eve and hang out with the girls while Anne and Dan go out. We have a project to complete.
It is supposed to get down to 31° tonight.

Sunday 15 November 2009
Hanscom / Bedford, MA

What a great day. The rain is gone, the clouds are breaking up. I worked during the morning on my schooling. I read the next chapter and actually got ahead. I cleaned the abode sort of. Everything is in its place and neatened up.
I’m not sure that the Yumster is feeling any better tho, except I think her mouth is.
I drove to Anne’s house perfectly, no wrong turns, and I knew exactly where I was at all times. It only took 15 min to get there. Anne was in the shower so I chatted with Dan and the girls. I also started a load of laundry which was very nice.
Anne and I drove to Cambridge 1, a very cool restaurant in Cambridge, not far from MIT. We were supposed to meet Maddi there so she dropped me off so she could find a parking spot.
It took her awhile so I chatted with our waitress. Very nice girl from New Zealand. She just graduated from law school and recently passed her bar exam. She is going to start with a firm in January working for a judge. Sounds interesting.
Anne and Maddi both arrived with in minutes of each other. We shared 2 halves of 2 really good thin-crusted pizzas and two very good salads. We also had some very nice wine. The conversation was very easy and varied. It was a really nice lunch. After lunch we walked around the corner to a nice chocolate shop. We had “hot chocolate” half and half (milk chocolate and dark) I took one sip and felt just amazingly guilty. The feeling was very surprising. We were sipping pure melted chocolate. Oh My God. It was shamefully delicious. I couldn’t believe it. We sat in a garden café sipping this very decadent treat and continued to chat. All to soon it was time to go. We walked together for a block and then hugged Maddi good bye.
Anne and I picked Lauren up from a play date and then went to her house. I finished my laundry (Dan, the sweetie, had thrown it in the dryer for me.) Then I helped Lauren with her math, while Anne, Grace and I played crazy 8s. Lauren finished her work so she joined us. We played another game of Crazy 8s and then played a game of Apples to Apples. It was all very fun. I really enjoy hanging out with them.I went home and fed the Yumster. We had mail sent to Anne and Dan’s so I sat on the floor and went through all of it. Some cool stuff for Rob, and some confusing stuff. I watched some TV and then went to bed

Quick trip to SF

I took a quick trip up to the bay to visit some of my peeps. Had dinner and beers (too many) with some of the boys and then to SF to visit Brad, Sharon and Grant.

Rob goes to Hawaii & YumYum goes to the Hospital

Thursday Nov 12, 2009
Hanscom / Bedford MA

It is mostly overcast today. Not very pretty. I spent almost the entire day indoors, working on my schooling. I wrote out flash cards for all the learning objectives, vocab., and key points from all the chapters I’ve read so far.
I was going stir crazy around 2:00 so I decided to go on Base. Before we went to Seattle we went to the Library on base and checked out 4 movies. We watched 2 of them and they were overdue. I went by the library before I headed out to Woodstock yesterday, but it was not open and I failed to notice a return box. I only had $3.00 on me and was afraid my fine would be more than that. I walked up to the counter and told her I was really sorry that they are late. She said. “that’s ok, there is no fine”. I couldn’t believe it. Then I really felt bad.
One of my goals on Base was to find the laundry mat. There isn’t one! Damn! So, I went back to my mobile abode and got back to school work.
I am concerned about the Yumster. She is walking a little bit better, but is not using the box like she should be. Not to be gross, but that is the #1 thing we have to monitor and medicate her for. My fear is that injuring her leg is throwing her off kilter.
I watched the final episode of the CSI trilogy, the Mentalist, a bit of the news and went to bed. He is on a trip today. He is happy to be flying again. LA to Portland, to Vegas? Back to Portland for the night.


Friday, 13 November 2009
Hanscom / Bedford, MA

It is supposed to be overcast today, rainy tomorrow and then sunny on Sunday. I am getting together for lunch with Anne and Maddi on Sunday in Cambridge so I am glad it is going to be Sunday.
As predicted, it is gray and overcast today.
YumYum was not happy. She was having problems and was vocalizing her discomfort. I called the vet and they said bring her in. I grabbed my laundry (I know she will be there awhile and I need to find a Laundromat) and her and off we went. As expected, her innards are not in a healthy condition. The Doc is really nice, another female, but a different one than we saw on Monday. Anyway, we chatted about all the Yumster’s issues and it was decided that since she has to sedate YumYum she will clean her teeth and pull her canine tooth if as necessary as it appears. She is also going to x-ray her pelvic and hind end to make sure there are no fractures or anything weird, other than her known deformities. They said they’d call me when she was ready to come home. I gave her to them at 10 and expected it would be 2:00 at least before she was ready to come home.
I looked for a Laundromat in Bedford, but no such luck. I drove to Pinehurst which is about 10 miles north and was supposed to have one. I found the place, but it was closed on Fridays and Saturdays so I continued. I found one in Wilmington. Unfortunately it turned out to not be one where you can do it yourself, but rather one where they charge you by the weight and they wash, dry and fold it. It was 10:30 and they said it would be done by 1:00. Hmm what shall I do. There was a hair salon near by so I wandered over there. It was a bit pricy, but it was a very cool boutique place and they all had mod cuts so I decided to go for it. I had the full Monte. They colored it, highlighted it with reds and gold, and cut it. It is sooooooo much better. She did a great job.
As expected, I walked out of there at 12:30 (considerably poorer). My laundry was done so I coughed out the outrageous amount for that and headed out.
One of the things the Doc and I discussed is that Yummy needs to have pumpkin back in her diet. We used to give it to her, and I don’t know why we stopped. So I went to the grocery store. From there I headed back home. I am so proud of my self for venturing out to new places for silly things. It is really nice having Streets and Trips as well as my iPhone to be able to look at maps and feel very confident that I am not going to get horribly lost.
I got back at 2:00 and cleaned my mobile abode. I vacuumed, cleaned bathroom and kitchen, scrubbed the floor, and it all took all of 45 min. It is sooo nice, why do we have a 2900 sq ft home with 4 bathrooms for the 2 of us??!!! What was I thinking? I’m glad our renters get to deal with all that. Anyway, at 2:45 the Doc called to tell me about my sweet little YumYum. THEY PULLED 8 TEETH! What is she supposed to eat with? She has no fractures, she has 2 small stones in her bladder, and her colon is in the same condition as it has been for the past 5 years. I picked her up at 3:40 (they said I could have her after 3:30). $1300.00 later we have a very sore, still slightly sedated, and happy to be home kitty. And you all thought kids were expensive! She very peacefully slept for the rest of the eve under my loving, watchful eye.
I watched TV and went to bed.
I haven’t heard from Rob. He was flying from Portland to Maui with a 24 hour layover. Now our time difference is about 6 hours. Makes it a bit difficult. I hope he is having a very good time.

The flight was great until the last hour and a half, then we had light to moderate turbulence the whole way in and our autothrottles were not working so that was kind of a pain. We have a new layover hotel, we are in the Wailea Marriott, it is nice, but my last layover I had a suite with an ocean view. Oh well you cant have it all. I walked along the beach/coast to Kihei, it took about an hour. I wanted to rent a bike, but they required a credit card not a debit card so I rented some snorkel gear for the morning and walked back. My FO, Steve and I went to dinner for a burger and beer, not too bad, I was in bed by 11 PST. In the AM I was up before the sun and had coffee out by the pool. I will go for a run and then snorkel before we have to leave at 1pm.