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 Being Retired now, I thought that it was time for a new name to this Blog |
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Talk about perks, my career had one of the best I can think of! I traveled in the course of business, delivering classes for my employer. I was a Senior Training Specialist for Motorola Solutions, and taught classes on a wide variety of subjects centered around 2-way radio communications. I knew that when the time arrived that I would retire, and I have. I've always said that if you can't stand the heat in the kitchen, get out! I can't handle the heat anymore. I was qualified to deliver approximately 32 different classes, but about half of those were 'Legacy' classes, and were not in demand anymore. My students were technicians, those who maintained, programmed, calibrated, and repaired large 2-way radio systems. Some of these systems are statewide, and use TCP-IP networking to allow sites to communicate with others. Some are small, traditional type radio sites. The size doesn't matter, in each case the systems must be kept operational at all times, since many of them are Public Safety Systems. So I traveled, sometimes frequently, 3-4 weeks in a row.... where have I been? Some of the places I've been (I can't list them all here, the list would be too long) are pretty interesting. 1. Hawaii - Four times, Oahu, Maui (twice), and the Big Island 2. BangkokThailand, twice 3. Frankfurt Germany, twice 4. Algiers, Algeria 5. Melbourne Australia 6. Bismarck North Dakota, Summer & Winter 7. Los Angeles, Too many times to count 8. Washington DC, Too many times to count 9. Seattle three or four times 10. Texas, all over the state 11. Florida, all over the state 12. New Mexico, HOME! Several times  Best Cultural And Regional Honorable Mention |
Meeting Jace When you first meet someone, it can be a little scary. You've seen pictures of them, perhaps exchanged a few short emails/phone calls. Still, it's far different than meeting in person. That wasn't the case when Ja-Ja-JINX   and I met Tuesday. It seemed that we were old friends meeting again after a few years of not seeing each other.His wife wanted to see the Dog Show, wanted to see our Akita (Buddy) being shown. I thought she would sit with my wife so she could explain how the dogs were judged why some dogs were shown a second time, etc. Nope, she sat alone for the most part, taking it all in. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't like she was in isolation, or that she was ignored. Far from it. She just wanted to experience everything is all. Meanwhile, Jace and I chatted up a storm it seemed. They left about 4:15 or so, they had to get some things done. We weren't far behind them too. It had been a while since we had breakfast, so we went to a place called The Dwayne Johnson... I'm sorry, I mean The Rock.  Dinner was very good, even if we both had sandwiches. I think we were too tired to enjoy a full meal.The original plan was to meet Wednesday night at Lambert's Cafe. https://throwedrolls.com/menu It's a pretty unique place, and the home of Throwed Rolls. If you haven't been there, and are anywhere near Springfield or Sikeston, Missouri, and love good down-home cooking, you should go. Let me try to explain about the place a little. Of course there's a menu you order from (Link is above). But there are also employees who walk around with what they call 'Passarounds'. Those Passarounds are those Rolls (and the rolls are only thrown to you, they are not handed to you), Fried Okra, Fried Potatoes & Onions, Macaroni & Tomatoes, Apple Butter, & Black Eyed Peas. Heck, you can make a meal of the Passarounds only! They also had a special appetizer last night. Jowl Bacon, Catfish, Cornbread, and Onions. Needless to say, we ordered that. Like most places in today's America, the serve you far too much food. We had 3 large To-Go containers, I think Jace and his wife had 2, possibly 3 also. There was also a young lady walking around asking if we wanted a Cinnamon Roll (that wasn't free, it was added to our check.) It too is HUGE, and delicious (We saved ours for breakfast). I didn't come close to finishing my BBQ Ribs, and my wife also had a side of Chicken Gizzards with her meal. Yummmmmm. No one leaves Lambert's hungry, I will say that. What I was impressed with, is how easily the four of us got along. Again, it was like meeting old friends Tuesday at the dog show. No one would have known that we were meeting for the first time. When we pass thru SW Missouri again, we plan on getting together then also. Anyone in this area is welcome to join us!  |
Heading To Springfield, Missouri Today we head for Springfield, Missouri in our Campervan. With everything 'major' done now, I feel it's ours... finally. Why Springfield? That's where the Akita National Specialty Dog Show is. It will be held there the next 3 years. I was never into shows like this, of any type. You know. Dog Shows, Cat Shows, Male of Female Body Building, etc. She was raised around Dogs, her and her Mother frequented these shows. I am just 'along for the ride'. While there we'll have to revisit some of the places we were at over 20 years ago. Lambert's Cafe, Mythos Greek Restaurant (in Joplin), maybe even Silver Dollar City. Silver Dollar City is a bit expensive to enter though, we'll see if we go or not. Springfield is a nice place, plus it's out of Illinois. I could live there, and I know she loves Missouri, even if she does call it 'Misery' as a joke. I will still be on daily, completing the daily tasks might be difficult. We'll see how many daily tasks I'm able to complete. Either way, I'm always around. I will leave you with a link to one of those video's that Schnujo's now Cujo -- Run!  loved. Remember, these are AI generated. |
Some Good (And Sort Of Bad) News About That Van Wednesday afternoon I called Camping World in Woodstock Georgia, looking to ask the guy (Mason) in Finance where the title for the Van was. He had said I'd have it Monday or Tuesday. With Monday being a holiday, I waited until Wednesday. Mason told the receptionist that he would call me back. I asked to speak to Mason's manager since Mason seemed to be dodging me. Instead, I spoke with the person who handles their titles and she apologized profusely for not sending it last Friday. Long and short of it? The title arrived yesterday! YAY... /that's the good news. When the tires were replaced Tuesday, the shop discovered that there are no tools in the van for changing a flat tire. No Jack, no lug nut wrench, and no tool to lower the spare from beneath the van. I guess it takes a special size lug-nut type wrench to crank it down, and they didn't have the right size. So we have no tools to remove a flat tire, and no tools to allow us access to the spare. I checked with the local Dodge dealership, they couldn't identify the tool either! Plus, they wanted over $200 for the jack alone! Something I can get at Wal-Mart for about $75. Shaking my head again over all that. Then, I went to Springfield Illinois to have an extended length running board installed on the passenger side. And of course, there was a snag, and it wasn't done. The dealership in Woodstock Georgia had ordered one that fit a 2018 RAM Promaster Van, not one designed for a 2018 RAM Promaster Campervan. Those are not interchangeable between those van models. So yeah, good news, and bad news. The Beat Goes On, doesn't it. We just priced a new Van, 2024 model. A little over $190,000 for it! Dang I'm glad we bought used, even with all the troubles we've experienced. |
Shaking My Head I'll start by saying I have one piece of advice for anyone who is contemplating purchasing a Recreational Vehicle of any kind. DON'T get it at Camping World! Now why would I say that? Well, we were warned by my Sister-In-Law. She had a bad experience with them when she was trying to get some Warranty work done on her camper. But the one we found happened to be at the Camping World in Woodstock. Georgia, not New York, for those of you who attended, or remember that outdoor concert in the 60's. It's on the Northern edge of Atlanta. We drove there to look at it (we already had a $1000 hold on it, giving us the 'right of first refusal' really, liked what we saw and decided to buy it. I flew there a week later, and on 9/11/25, I signed the papers for it. There was one piece of paper I didn't receive though. Something called 'The Title'? Yeah, they had sent it to the Georgia DMV and not received it back yet. Did they tell us (me) about it when I signed all those papers and gave them a bunch of money? Nope, that was glossed over. I called about the title a week later and essentially was given a run-around. They explained that they expected to receive it in a week or so, and that it would be sent over-night to me then. Well, that was the week I was in Albuquerque, and it didn't arrive. It took two more phone calls to get it straightened out. I should have the title Friday, maybe Saturday. How can I be so sure? I've been sent a copy of it in Text, front & back, signed over to me. I've seen the Fed-Ex Envelope and tracking number. So really, the check's in the mail. If you find yourself doing business with Camping World, make sure you are given good answers to any questions. Answers that contain the words 'Should', 'Might', etc, are not acceptable. Answers should contain 'Will', 'I have it and will mail it today'. Learn from my mistakes, don't repeat what I've been through. |
That 'New' Van Again Well, we're almost finished with this New Van Saga. We've had it inspected by an RV Inspector and yesterday an RV Technician came by and cleared the minor discrepancies he was capable of clearing. (Rear light not mounted, dust on Refrigerator Vents, Debris in the Overhead AC). Things like that. Today I took it to a local Tire Shop and had them winterize the Engine components. The RV portion had already been winterized. They also replaced all four tires, they were 6-7 years old. They all had good tread, they were 'just old'. They would have replaced the Spare Tire also, but there is no Spare Tire Removal kit in the van. It's not where it should be, nor could they find it anywhere else. That remains an open item to take care of. I knew tires wouldn't be cheap for it, but they didn't cost as much as I feared. This weekend we're going to Springfield Missouri (for a week!) in it to attend the Akita National Specialty Dog Show. While there, we'll have the chance to meet Ja-Ja-JINX and his wife, and have dinner with them at Lambert's Cafe, the home of 'Throwed Rolls'. His wife wants to attend the dog show, so he and I will have to find a way to pass the time.Lambert's Cafe https://throwedrolls.com/menu#tideandtackle I love their menu! You choose your dinner plus two sides. Y'know, things like Corn, Baked Potato, Green Beans, Sliced Beets, and so much more! Plus some servers carry around what they call 'Pass Arounds'. They will have large containers of Sorghum Molasses, Apple Butter, Macaroni & Tomatoes, Fried Potatoes & Onions, Black Eyed Peas, and Fried Okra. Plus, those Throwed Rolls. You want one, tell them, and they throw it to you. I think I'll have either the Frog Legs, or Fried Shrimp. If I was brave, I'd have the Liver and Onions. I'm a little brave, but I'm not completely stupid. I can't stand Liver & Onions. Seriously though, it should be a good time. If you're in the Springfield Missouri Area, you should come & join us! We'd love the company! |
Resting At Home Well, I'm resting, or trying to. In Albuquerque, it seemed I ran my little (or big) you know what off. It wasn't until I napped one day that I felt rested. Why as I so tired most days? One reason is the Medication I take for the Multiple Myeloma. Revlimid, along with the Dexamethasone will cause fatigue. The Chemo drug (Revlimid) messes with your blood something fierce. The longer I take it, the worse it seems to be. I won't bore you with details, but there are times I really feel in my 90's, not my 70's. My Red Blood cell count is all messed up. It remains low, despite taking prescribed Iron tablets daily. I know I wasn't near this tired a couple of years ago. I've been on Revlimid for 4.5 years now. I was told that the Doctor wants a person on Chemo for 5 years, with a 'clean' Bone Marrow Biopsy before taking a patient off it. I guess we'll see what happens in June, huh! Having any kind of Cancer is Hell. Pure Hell. I do consider myself lucky though, it could be much worse. After all, I could have Lung Cancer, Stomach or Throat Cancer, or the worst of all (In my opinion), Pancreatic Cancer. If the Myeloma had not been found early (40-50% of my White Blood Cells were Cancerous when found), it would be a different story. Most people never know they have Multiple Myeloma until their bones start to ache. What has happened is that the Cancerous White Blood Cells have managed to completely fill the marrow, and will eventually cause the bone to crack. The Cancerous White Blood Cells couldn't migrate through the bone, but with the bone now cracked, they can. I haven't read further than that, but man, imagine Cancerous White Blood Cells now free in your body. And the pain you experience due to cracked bones. I am very lucky, and thank God for my Allergist catching this so early and sending me to Dr. Sriratana, my Oncologist. Still, I have this fatigue. I'll gladly bear that vs the alternative. So I now rest, all I can. |
My New Mexico Activities As some of you know, I spent the past week in Albuquerque so I could attend the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. The Balloon Fiesta began in 1972, when I was a Senior in High School. It was first held in April for a few years before moving to an October date. Despite being held in the city I still call home, I had never attended it. That had to change! I arrived in Albuquerque a week ago today, and was fortunate enough that my Niece, Diana, allowed me to stay with her. Her house is less than a half mile from the house we lived in from 1968-1972. My Father purchased it for $16,000 back then, my Mother sold it in 1973 and eventually moved to a trailer. I wish I had known she wanted to sell it, I would most likely have bought it! Her payments were only $98/month. Ahhhh, the possibilities. After arriving home Wednesday, I managed to grab a quick nap before going to dinner. Diana and I had dinner with my best friend Debbie and her husband Tony. Debbie and I dated off and on in High School, but you couldn't call us a 'couple'. I was the boy next door essentially, always there for her when needed. Obviously we're still good friends today. Dinner was at Fiesta Azul Tequila House https://www.fiestaazultequilahouse.com/menu-albuquerque , and was really very good. I had their Chile Relleno Chimichanga. I do love Green Chile, and seemed to have something with Green Chile each day! Thursday Diana had to work it & became my day to spend with Debbie. I told her it would be breakfast only, but somehow we ended up spending the whole day together. After breakfast it became a day of errands, getting things done that she needed to do, I was just the passenger in her car. We did talk of course, quite a lot really. Like I said earlier, best friends out for the day. Friday Diana had off, as well as Monday and Tuesday. I wanted to visit my Mother's Grave and leave flowers for her. It took us at least 30 minutes just to locate her grave! Why so long? I mean Diana knew where she was, didn't she? Yes, and No. What happened was that the Cemetery removed the road that Diana had always parked on so more people could be buried there. So we were almost 50 yards north of her. It wasn't until Diana asked an employee that we were straightened out. We found her of course, and left the flowers with her. I couldn't get us Tramway tickets to get to Sandia Peak, 5,000 feet above Albuquerque. They were sold out, mainly because of the Balloon Fiesta. We ended up driving up the backside of the mountain to Sandia Crest, about 200 yards from the Tramway. That's when I discovered I now have lowland lungs. I really had trouble breathing air so thin! 16 Years ago I had visited family there, and had no problem walking about a quarter mile from the Tram to a stone shelter. If I had been at the Tram site, there's no way I'd have walked it. After leaving Sandia Peak, we drove to Santa Fe via Hwy 14, and passed through Madrid. Madrid is the town used in the movie 'Wild Hogs'. In Santa Fe, we stopped at the Santa Fe National Cemetery and visited my Father's grave. By now, it was time for dinner/late lunch. Diana loves a restaurant there, so it was there went. Maria's New Mexican Kitchen. https://www.marias-santafe.com/eat If I thought dinner Wednesday was good, (and I did), it wasn't that great compared to Maria's. Wow! We had their Green Chile Meatballs as our appetizer, my meal was their Combination Plate, with a Taco, a Cheese Enchilada, and a Green Chile Relleno. Saturday was the Balloon Fiesta which I've written about in a previous entry. My only regret is that the Balloons couldn't fly then because the winds at higher elevations were too strong,. They have flown every day since then, of course! Murphy's Law at work, Saturday night was dinner at Diana's favorite Chinese Restaurant (her mom's favorite too. It took me a second to realize she meant my sister!). 14 people were there, only 5 I knew or recognized. I found that meeting/seeing family I haven't seen in ages, or have never seen, to be more important to me than the Balloon Fiesta. Sunday we visited my Sister-In-Law Ruth. She was married to my brother Terry who we lost to Cancer in 2017. They married at 16-17, and remained married through all that life threw at them. They amazed me, and still do to this day. Ruth loves to cook when people visit, she fixed us Chicken Chalupa's with Spanish Rice for lunch, with Tortillas on the side. Everything was homemade too, she does know how to cook! Yummmm. |
At The Balloon Fiesta We were up at 3 am to get to the Park-n-Ride at a local mall for a 4 am bus ride. My est friend from H.S., and former on/off again girlfriend insisted I have a 'cane/stool' to take with me, and dropped it off last night. It came in handy, and helped us a lot. At the last minute, another Niece of mine decided to bring her daughter along. That was fine, except the Park-n-Ride tickets were sold out. We figured we'd cross that bridge when we got to it. There we were, in a long line waiting to board a bus when a worker came to me and said, "You look handicapped (I was holding that cane/stool), come with me." I explained that I wasn't handicapped, that the cane/stool was loaned to me by a good friend. He explained that his job was to identify handicapped people, it didn't matter if I wasn't, we were to still come with him. Off we went; this ended up saving us at least 30 minutes of time. Remember that we now had 4 people in our small group, but only 3 tickets? Another employee was scanning tickets, we had talked a little before this. The three tickets were scanned, then Kristin's (my niece) daughter showed her ticket on the phone, of course it was invalid. Still, he had us board the bus! Off we went and joined the huge crowd of people on buses getting to the Fiesta. We had skipped breakfast to get to the mall on time, getting coffee and a bacon, green chile, potato & cheese burrito was our first move. Yummmm. After that, we walked around until we found a nice area to sit in. Now that cane/stool was even more handy! I was able to sit a little, and relax. We eventually had to move so the tarp for the Smokey The Bear Balloon could be laid out. The balloon would then be laid on it for inflation, not on the grass. Having never seen this kind of evolution going on, I walked to the area around the Smoky The Bear Gondola. I was 5-10 feet from the Gondola as this was being done. Here's what the team does. 1. The balloon is spread out on the tarp, it was pretty large too! 2. The team holds the bottom of the balloon open so air can be blown in. A gas powered fan blows air warmed by a heater into the balloon, and it slowly inflates. But this air is not hot enough to lift it off the ground. It was during this evolution that I walked over to the Gondola area. 3. So far, the Gondola has been on it's side. Once the balloon is inflated enough, the Pilot lights the Propane Burners to heat the air in the balloon even more and the balloon slowly rises off the ground! It was quite an experience to be that close to the Gondola while this was going on. Sadly, no balloons flew today, it was too windy at the higher altitudes for them to fly. Still, it was quite the experience to see the hundreds of balloons floating, even if still on the ground. If you have any interest in something like this, attend a balloon festival near you!   |
Traveling To Albuquerque In my mind, I had to see the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta this year. I'm not sure how many years I have left for traveling long trips; heck I don't even know how many tomorrows I have left, no one knows that. This is the year! Early on I contacted my niece about staying with her, she was very happy to have me visit, and here I am right now in her living room. To get here, I took Amtrak. My wife insisted on this, it's been something I've wanted to do for many years now. The route took me from Bloomington to Union Station in Chicago where I had a three hour layover Then it was a train heading to LA, stopping here in Albuquerque of course. The train to Chicago was nice, a 2 hour ride, it had Wi-Fi. My big mistake was assuming the train to LA would have Wi-Fi, And of course it didn't. This upset me a little, because I had planned on completing the 5 daily tasks on the train. My backup plan was to use my cell phone hot spot for internet access. Well, guess what is not included in my current plan thru Verizon? Ye[, Hot Spot access. Plus, cell reception was very spotty riding here. So no Wi-Fi on the ride from Chicago to here. No completing the 5 daily tasks, plus no nightly post in "Smile! (Groan?) You Know You Love These!"  , and that is more important to me than the daily tasks.My other half also insisted I have a Roomette for the trip. I have to confess that once I learned the ropes (so to speak), it was very nice. Also decently expensive. I probably could have purchased 4 Business class seats for the price of that roomette. Oh well. Meals were included with the Roomette. That was nice because dinner was $45, breakfast was $20. Still, the roomette was still a lot more. I equate it to flying Business Class overseas vs flying Coach. There was one major problem that arose on the train getting here. Working Restrooms! I spent about 30 minutes walking around trying to find a working restroom on Wednesday. I guess some tanks were full, at least one didn't flush. So I walked and walked. Very inconvenient at the time, but we got past that, huh. I can see why people fly and not take a train. Let's compare flying advantages to train advantages. Flying advantages: Faster, much faster. Smoother in the air. Flying disadvantages: You don't see much, other than clouds from 35,000 feet. Cramped in Coach, which is what most people book nationally, unless they are upgraded. Admittedly I had that roomette allowing me to relax. Train Advantages: Slower, you can relax more. You see the countryside, see Americana. Train Disadvantages: Bumpy, pretty bumpy at times. Rockin and rolling as a result. Much slower than flying. It took me 31 hours of travel time on the train. I could have flown here in 5-6, depending on layover length in DFW. My preference? The train! I wasn't in coach though, I would book a train roomette as long as I can afford it. I don't see that happening very often, if at all in the future. But I love the train simply because it's like driving, you see the countryside. So I prefer that to flying. Tomorrow is the opening ceremonies of the Balloon Fiesta. My niece (Diana) and I will catch a 4 am bus to the Fiesta Grounds. Joining us will be my younger brother Skip's (RIP) daughter Kristin. We'll be there for the Morning Glow, where the Balloonists will have their balloons partially inflated. After that is the Dawn Patrol, these people test the conditions to make sure it's safe for everyone to launch. After that is the Mass Ascension, everyone takes off! I'm pretty stoked about the whole thing. That's why I'm here after all. Now, only time will tell how many photo's I snap, the weather (it looks fantastic right now), and what I choose to buy. |
A Day In The Chicago Area A day in almost any large city is a day too much if you ask me. I've gotten very used to life in a smaller town, and love it. But, we had to get up to the Great Lakes Naval Station to pick up a prescription for Kathy. True, we could have gone to a Pharmacy here for it, but she would have to pay $300 or more for it. It's free through Tricare, so the drive is definitely worth it. We had a long discussion about which Van to drive there. The older Transit Connect gets better gas mileage than the CamperVan does, that was the argument she used. I said we had bought the CamperVan for longer road trips like this. Any guesses as to which one we drove? Yep, the Transit Connect. Then again, you knew that before I gave the secret away. It was a decent drive, not stressful for me at all. But heck, it was almost 8 hours total. Only 6 hours drive time, but with stops for nature breaks for us and the dogs, stopping for lunch and gas, 8 hours it was. And yes, we were sore and tired after it. I know we would have been much better off in the CamperVan. Then again, the Transit Connect has all those things that the Camper doesn't have. You know, things like GPS, Satellite Radio, Backup Camera. Of those three things, I used the backup cam. We didn't listen to the radio, didn't need GPS for a drive like this. In my eyes, no benefit was gained driving it and not the CamperVan. On a completely separate note, I head to Albuquerque for the Balloon Fiesta Tuesday. I'm taking Amtrak, she insisted I take the train, and insisted I get a Roomette also. I will travel from here to Chicago, then board the Southwest Chief heading to Albuquerque. I'll have the Roomette from Chicago to Albuquerque, and from there to Kansas City on the return trip. I am looking forward to both the trip, as well as seeing home again. It's gonna be a fun time, I'mbsure of that! I'll be sure to snap a lot a photo's too! |
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Non-interchangeable parts - now there's a surprise. There are times you can't interchange parts for two editions of the exact same car that vary "only" by model year.