New Tow Car

We have been looking for a replacement tow car for the last 2 years and always arrive in the cabin area at the end of year for cars.  The GMC Terrain was our first choice for a car, however the dealers around us don't have anything in stock that we were interested in.  Cross them off the list.  Then we started looking at the Ford Escape and found out the 2014 model is not towable 4 wheels down.  Jeep Cherokees were too expensive and get lousy gas mileage.  Not doing too good with this new car purchase thingy.

Finally we checked out a 2014 Honda CR-V EX L and test drove it.  Actually, we test sat in it first since it is a small car.  After fooling around with the power seats I found a position that was acceptable and we started getting serious about the Honda.  We know a number of RVers who tow the Honda CR-V and everyone swears by them. Our Saturn has the Honda 6 cyl engine and tranny so we were familiar with Honda performance.  

We started out going to the Costco buyer's program to find a dealer who had a car we were interested in.  They gave us a pretty good deal and then we checked a local dealer who beat the Costco deal.  No brainer.  We picked up our Honda on Friday and brought it home to the cabin.  Now we have to get it titled in South Dakota and we will be good to go.

Kona Coffee color

 That is, after we have a baseplate installed on the car and also purchase a new tow bar that stows on the motorhome.  I got tired of carrying the heavy metal tow bar back and forth each time we stopped and had to back into a site.  It should it make easier for me not having to carry that heavy thing around all the time.

The Saturn has been an excellent tow car and we have driven it hard for 9 years and it has proven to be dependable and gave us great service.  If Saturn was still in business we would buy another one in a heartbeat, but alas, GM dropped the car from their line.  The Saturn has more usable space than the Honda and with the 6 cyl engine, has more power.  The Honda is a 4 cyl with an automatic tranny and seems to work harder on mountain grades.  We think it will meet our needs as a tow car and when we decide to cut back on fulltiming and settle down, it will make a great 2nd car.

We have been very busy the past week or so and really haven't had time to stop and relax and it will only be more so in the next week or two.  No rest for the weary.

One thing happened on the way home from the dealer on Friday that gave me a start.  When we bought our Saturn I had to make a sudden stop to avoid an injured deer in the road.  The two drivers behind me weren't paying attention and rear ended us in our 6 week old car.  Well, Friday I had a guy right on my rear bumper when a deer ran across the road in front of me. I hit the brakes and was trying to gauge if the deer would clear the car and if the nut behind me would be able to stop.  As it turned out all was fine and I continued along on my way.  If I had hit the deer and was rear ended again I don't know what I would have done. 

That was part of our day on Friday and I will fill in the blanks on other events later on.  Hope you all had a nice weekend and great weather.

I see where a hurricane may come up the Baja in Mexico in the next few days.  It looks like it could impact the SW and Arizona with more heavy rains.  Maybe the lakes out there will fill up and the drought will be broken.  We can only hope.   

Go Redskins.  Great win today. 

Erin's In Town & White Pumpkins

We drove down to Frederick, MD to meet Gerry's niece Erin and bring her back to the cabin.  She is in the area due to her work schedule.  We had a nice lunch at Panera Bread and then the girls went shopping.

Of course they said it would be just a quick in and out at Macy's so Erin could pick up some girly stuff.  Not sure what she was looking for and didn't ask.  Some things are best left unanswered. Well the quick in and out turned into a marathon and I was able to program our cellphone into the car's bluetooth capability.  Then it was time to people watch for a while.  That is always interesting to do for me.  

I wanted to show Erin the old downtown part of Frederick, MD on our way back to the cabin and decided to take her on a scenic tour.  What a surprise was in store for us as we approached the downtown area.  This is what we ran into.  It was a mass of people all walking around and no parking to be had within walking distance.

Saturday, September 13, 2014 | 11 AM – 5 PM

For over 25 years the In The Street festival has been held in downtown Frederick. The all day festival, spanning Market Street from Carroll Creek to 7th Street, brings food, fun and entertainment for the whole family.
The festival began in 1983 after major renovations closed Market Street for several months. When the dust settled Mayor Ron Young decided to hold a festival for the entire community to celebrate the re-opening of this prominent downtown area. The Festival was held in the street, so the naming of the event was simple. That first In The Street festival boasted 10,000 in attendance.  Today, In The Street attracts crowds of over 70,000 and still celebrates the Historic District and highlights the best of what Frederick has to offer.

We stopped on the way back a couple times to show her some sights.  The first stop was at the soft ice cream trailer on US 40 near Greenbriar State Park.  They have the best soft ice cream around and we always stop there if at all possible.  As usual we enjoyed the cones and are sad to see they will be closing for the winter in a couple weeks.  

Then it was on to the Mountain Valley produce stand in Smithsburg, MD to pick up some fruit.  They always have a great selection and decorate the area very nicely.  I spent my time taking pictures and here are a few of them.  Luckily the rain earlier in the day let up and we had a nice sunny afternoon which was great for taking photos.

Erin & Gerry buying out the fruit stand

$12.00 pumpkin about the size of a basketball

Time to pay the bill for all the goodies.

In some countries of Europe (e.g., France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Croatia), incurve chrysanthemums are symbolic of death and are used only for funerals or on graves, while other types carry no such symbolism; similarly, in China, Japan and Korea, white chrysanthemums are symbolic of lamentation and/or grief. In some other countries, they represent honesty. In the United States, the flower is usually regarded as positive and cheerful, with New Orleans as a notable exception.  ( November 1  All Saints Day, a day traditionally set aside in New Orleans to honor the deceased family members. Tombs are cleaned weeks before and flowers, particularly huge chrysanthemums fill the vases on the tombs )

Chrysanthemums are one of my favorite flowers and I always had them planted in our backyard at our home in Colesville, MD.  They bloomed in early September and lasted long after the last frost.  We planted them up here and the deer thought they were Autumn salads.  So much for that.

 Decorative squashes by the bushel are available at the fruit stand.

But what is a white pumpkin? These albinos with natural white skin have been bred by pumpkin growers, and seeds for specific varieties, such as Lumina, Cotton Candy or miniature Baby Boo, can be purchased and planted.

A neighbor has a couple huge pumpkins growing in his backyard.  They are both around 2-3 ft high and rounded.  You can see the size difference by the gourds in the background.

Once we arrrived back at the cabin and got Erin settled in we started on a couple adult drinks.  I am writing this early since I don't know how long this will be going on.  As long as I don't have to get up early on Sunday I am fine. 

Unlike us, our son-in-law Henry must have been in bed by 8:30pm since he didn't answer his phone.  What a party pooper!

That was our day, how was yours? 

Canon Pixma MP830 printer oddity

A few years ago I bought a really nice Canon Pixma MP830 printer/fax/scanner/copier for use in the motorhome.  At that time the motorhome had a "doghouse" in between the driver and passenger seats and the printer fit there very well.  I was very pleased with the printer and used it all the time.  The only problem I had with taking it in the motorhome was that it weighed 33 lbs and it got tiring carrying it to the bedroom every day when we were getting ready to move down the road.  It sure got heavy in a hurry then.  It really got to be a chore for Gerry, but I didn't want to interfere with her "Pink" task.

In addition to operating as a printer, scanner, and standalone copier, the Pixma MP830 offers such office-oriented features as a 35-page automatic document feeder (ADF) to process multipage documents, a built-in fax modem that lets it run as a standalone fax machine, and two input trays to hold two different kinds of paper at once (a maximum of 300 sheets). Canon's bundled software also lets you fax directly from your PC.

The MP830 can print on and scan both sides of a page. It even gives you the choice of copying from a two-sided original to a two-sided copy, from a two-sided original to a one-sided copy, and from a one-sided original to a two-sided copy—a rare find, particularly in an ink jet. Interestingly, the MP830 will also let you scan a one- or two-sided document to e-mail, automatically opening a new message for you and including the scanned document as an attachment. Unfortunately, it won't scan both sides of an original for standalone faxing.  This isn't a problem for me since we don't have a dedicated phone line to use for the fax capability.  PDF files work better and are easier to send and use.

The MP830 has a PictBridge connector, for printing directly from PictBridge-enabled cameras, and card slots paired with a 2.5-inch LCD, enabling you to print from memory cards and use the LCD for previews.

It produces excellent color photos on a variety of paper sizes and is very fast printing them.  

No, I am not selling my printer or working for Canon but I am pleased with the printer.  A couple days ago the printer acted up and I couldn't turn it on.  I suspected a blown fuse so I downloaded a manual to see where the fuse was located.  No such luck.  Then I went to the Canon users forum to see if anyone else had this problem.  Yep, lot of people did over the years.  There were a number of suggestions for solutions to the problem including the power supply, mother board replacement and a few others.  

One suggestion didn't cost any money so I tried that one first.  It was simple.  Remove the power cord from the printer and let it sit for a couple hours like that.  Humm, no way that will work, but it was cheap to try it.  I forgot about the printer until later in the day and plugged it back in to a power outlet.  Much to my surprise the printer lights went on and I was back in business.  Now if I could just remember what I wanted to print.

It was cold and foggy all morning here at the cabin and it never got above 70 degrees all day.  The overnight rain contributed to the fog and dampness and it seemed colder than it was.  I took this opportunity to burn some papers and boxes in the fireplace and that helped warm up the cabin so it was comfortable.  Time to start packing and get out of here before it gets colder.  Actually, we have at least 7 more weeks before we plan on leaving but that could change.  

There, now if you read this far you may be able to fix your printer if it doesn't want to turn on.  If you do, just remember what you wanted to print.  

I saw where Tucson got 1.84 inches of rain yesterday and the Santa Cruz river actually had water flowing in it.  We've never seen water in the river in the past 8 years so that would have been a sight to see.  All the washes were full to the brim and I imagine the low lying roads were under water.  Maybe Ron K can chime in and let us know how it was out there.

I graduated from the University Of Maryland many years ago; however, I still follow their sports teams and root for them to do well.  They have had some really great teams over the years and some down years.  They joined up with NC, SC, VA Universities to found the Atlantic Coast Conference many years ago, but recently switched over to the Big Ten Conference.  Their uniforms in the past few years have been eye openers and it seems they outdid themselves with the uniform for the upcoming game this Saturday.  Check it out at the following address:  Terp Uniforms

Take care and I hope you all had a nice day.
 

Busy & long day & 1000th posting

We were up bright and early this morning getting ready for some driving.  First stop was to Cassie & Jack's and drop off their wedding anniversary card.  Neither one was home so we just dropped it off and continued along on our way.

Next stop was at a Honda car dealer to check out some of their stock and see what kind of deal we could come up with.  We used the Costco buyers program and think we can make a deal with them on a CR-V Honda SUV.  Few more details to work out and then we will go back and seriously try for a bargain with them.  Our old Saturn has 140K miles on it and is showing it's age very much.  Not sure we want to trust it for another year so it's time to part with it.

We have looked at GMC Terrains, Fords, Hondas and briefly at Jeep Cherokees.  Each has it good points, but there aren't many Terrains to choose from, the Cherokee is expensive and the Ford Escape isn't towable.  Process of elimination at work here.

Our plan was to have lunch with old friend John, but we ran out of time before my doctor appointment and we met him at a restaurant within walking distance of the doctor office.  I thought it would be a quick appointment so Gerry and John had lunch together and I went to my appointment.

I was right as the appointment lasted less than an hour and I was out of there by 2pm.  All went well with the visit and my PSA remains at .0, so that is a good thing.  This is my 10th anniversary of my operation for prostate cancer and it looks very good.  I remember the doctor told me I could avoid the operation but in 10 years I would wish I hadn't.  My how fast those years went by and things look good for me.

Then it was back to the restaurant and grab a sandwich and chat with John some more.  It was sort of a hurried lunch since we had to drive to Frederick MD and do some shopping at Costco before meeting son in law Henry later for dinner.  It was good to see John and hopefully we can get together later this month for a more leisurely lunch and chat some more.

A stop at the Montgomery County Liquor store resulted in us purchasing some 1.75L Canadian Club Whiskey for $14.49 a bottle, plus 9% tax.  It's a bargain for Henry since the same bottle in North Carolina costs over $24.00 at the ABC store there.  

It was a whirlwind shopping trip at Costco and we found everything we were looking for except for one item.  Costco has a bad habit of introducing you to a product and then dropping it from their inventory.  Frustrating to say the least.  We did have the lug nuts torqued while we were there as they recommended it when we had tires put on the car.  That took 5 minutes and the young man performing the service was very businesslike and polite.  It is nice to see that when you go in for service.  Gas was $3.17/gallon at the Costco service station so we filled the gas tank on the Saturn.

Another 25 mile drive segment took us to Emmittsburg, MD and the Ott House restaurant to meet Henry for dinner.  He was driving up from Charlotte, NC and will be in the area a day or so on business.  We lucked out and got the last table in the place since there was a number of large groups from the National Fire Academy celebrating something there.  The place was packed.

We had a nice visit with Henry and downed a few brews with him and bid him farewell a couple hours later.  He headed for his hotel in Gettysburg, PA and we went home via the post office in Smithsburg.

That is how we drove over 200 miles today and totally wore ourselves out.  Now we are going to hit the hay early and get a fresh start on Tuesday.  It is good sleeping weather with this mornings temp in the mid 50s as we got ready to hit the road.  I think it will be cooler tonight and we may have to put on another blanket.

This is my 1000th posting on the blog and I was hoping for an exciting event to happen or something really memorable, but you will have to settle for our routine day's outing.  Sorry!

I hope you all had a nice day like we did.  Goodnight.   

Wedding Anniversary & Auction

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

CASSIE & JACK

It's hard to believe that you are celebrating the 12th anniversary of your wedding.  Time really does fly by quickly and it seems like just yesterday that we were at the wedding.  Hope you guys enjoyed your visit to Dominic's and it was as good as you remembered.

The green type above was for Cassie since green is her favorite color.  You should have seen her lime green bedroom color.

The previous blog was about online auctions and our participation in a local one.  It was an eye opener in many ways including the 13% fee the auctioneer tacks onto the winning bid.  Plus the local sales taxes and a requirement that the sale is applied to your credit card.  No checks or cash, just plastic. 

Cassie & Jack were interested in a 2000 van that had high mileage on it, but had been taken care of very good by the owner who was a mechanic.  It was in pretty good shape, needed tires and a few other things but was road worthy.  They drove it around the area for a few miles and liked the way it handled.  Cassie stayed in the bidding until it got near $2,000 and then dropped out with the van eventually selling for $2,100 plus the 13% tacked on. 

The other items in the auction went fairly cheaply except for a few items that a few people really wanted badly and they ran up the price.  If someone had newly purchased their first home and needed yard tools and some small household appliances, the auction would have been a good route to take.  I still have shovels I bought new 50 years ago and they are in great shape even though they have been used hard over the years.  

I set the Bushnell Game camera in the meadow last night and captured a few shots of some deer.  They bed down in the area and we've seen up to 7 at a time out there, but only two were captured on the camera.  Since it was pitch dark outside the photos aren't the greatest but it's fun trying to catch them unaware of the camera.  Don't pay any attention to the date and time since I haven't figured out how to set it on the camera.  It's in the job jar though.

I also captured this shot of bigfoot or a wild bear in it's natural habitat.  The cabin is in the background and I am walking out to check what pictures I got on the camera.  Don't laugh, it gives me something to do.
 

  

That was our exciting day here on the mountain, how was yours?