The topic of today is all the rain we've been getting here in the Charlotte, NC area these past few days. I don't know what the total rainfall has been, but it has been falling on and off all day and night. Since we just left the desert, the humidity and rain are really getting to us and it looks like it will be getting worse with the tropical storm heading this way. Thank God the motorhome doesn't leak.
Our Tom Tom car charger quit working on the unit a year or so ago and I've been using the phone charger on it. One problem has been that the car chargers have quit working after 6 months of use. When the first one went out I figured it was just old. Then when it happened again I read the instructions and found out the new ones were not as powerful and most likely burnt out trying to supply the GPS.
Gerry has an Amazon.com gift card and we decided to order a Universal USB Car Charger from them. It was compatible with our Tom Tom and the price was right. We tried to use the card to pay for it using Barb & Henry's Amazon account, but it wouldn't accept the gift card numbers. Finally after finagling with it for a while it went on it's merry way and the unit was charged to their credit card account. Hummm, I liked that. They have express shipping for free this month so we took advantage of that also and the charger came in Tuesday.
I plugged the charger into the car cigarette lighter (why do they call it that when we don't smoke cigarettes?) and off it went. It was working and charging up the GPS just like it was supposed to. Ah, the wonders of electronic devices today. Now I feel able to take the next step and maybe order a new phone. Maybe!
We've been on the go since we left Red Bay, AL and decided to take a day off. Just our luck that it's been raining all day and we can't do much anyway, so it worked out fine.
That was our day, how was yours?
Sabillasville, Maryland farm
Clark Travels
Our Geocaches ---
http://www.travbuddy.com/maps/6730401
I have been getting more and more spam from bloggers since I let anyone respond to the blog. One way to stop the spam is to cut off anonymous comments. It is very easy and painless to get a Gmail email account and use it to post on blogs. You don't have to actually use the account, but it gives you a portal into my blog.
NOTE: Double click photos to enlarge them and links will also be shown in red.
http://www.travbuddy.com/maps/6730401
I have been getting more and more spam from bloggers since I let anyone respond to the blog. One way to stop the spam is to cut off anonymous comments. It is very easy and painless to get a Gmail email account and use it to post on blogs. You don't have to actually use the account, but it gives you a portal into my blog.
NOTE: Double click photos to enlarge them and links will also be shown in red.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Relaxing at Barb & Henry's
Barbara had a day off work on Wednesday and she and Gerry decided to work on some craft projects. Also, Barbara drove over to Ryan & Dee's and picked up great grandson Griffin to watch him for the day. That should have been the first clue that not much craft stuff would be accomplished. Griffin has to be the most held and loved child in the world since he goes from one person's arms to the next on a rotating basis. Today was no exception.
I'm not too enthused about holding young babies and wait until they are around 2 years old and can walk and talk before I pay much attention to them. Of course, by then they aren't much interested in talking to me or are running around like a banshee and I can't keep up with them. Griffin did come over and try to get me up and moving around, but fell a little short of accomplishing this. Maybe when he is a little older it will work.
While the girls were ohing and awing over Griffin I took advantage of the fast internet service to download some files and update some programs. I also brought along my 1T (terrabyte) external disk drive and moved a lot of huge files from my PC to the 1T drive. That took forever since there was about 200Gig of data being moved back and forth over a USB connection. Henry just jumped the ante on computer stuff with me since he bought a 3T drive and I only have the 1T drive. I wonder if they sell 4T drives now and how much they cost?
Taylor (grand daughter in-law) and Stephanie (grand daughter) came by after work and visited with us for a while. It's always nice to see them since they are bubbly and cheerful and nice to be around. They are both RNs and Stephanie works for an invitro clinic while Taylor teaches at a local high school and works part time at a hospital during the summer.
I took time out from all the festivities and went to pick up Grant from his school. It was a 30 mile drive there and seemed to take forever, but we had a nice chat on the way back and time flew by. Grant scored a goal in the soccer game at school and also made a sliding tackle to prevent a goal. The fact that he had on nice khaki slacks and a long sleeve white shirt never entered the thought process. Looks like some fels naptha will be used in the laundry tonight.
Jane came by after work and joined us for dinner and then she and Grant headed back to their house. Barb had prepared a nice spaghetti dinner and we all chowed down on the great food, except for Taylor who had to leave and go home to fix our grandson Sean his dinner.
Once all the kids were gone and it quieted down we visited with Barbara & Henry until late in the evening and then headed back to the motorhome. Boy, visiting really tires you out.
That was our exciting day, how was yours?
I'm not too enthused about holding young babies and wait until they are around 2 years old and can walk and talk before I pay much attention to them. Of course, by then they aren't much interested in talking to me or are running around like a banshee and I can't keep up with them. Griffin did come over and try to get me up and moving around, but fell a little short of accomplishing this. Maybe when he is a little older it will work.
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| Come on old man, get up. |
Taylor (grand daughter in-law) and Stephanie (grand daughter) came by after work and visited with us for a while. It's always nice to see them since they are bubbly and cheerful and nice to be around. They are both RNs and Stephanie works for an invitro clinic while Taylor teaches at a local high school and works part time at a hospital during the summer.
 |
| Taylor on left, Stephanie on right. Beautiful girls (women) |
I took time out from all the festivities and went to pick up Grant from his school. It was a 30 mile drive there and seemed to take forever, but we had a nice chat on the way back and time flew by. Grant scored a goal in the soccer game at school and also made a sliding tackle to prevent a goal. The fact that he had on nice khaki slacks and a long sleeve white shirt never entered the thought process. Looks like some fels naptha will be used in the laundry tonight.
Jane came by after work and joined us for dinner and then she and Grant headed back to their house. Barb had prepared a nice spaghetti dinner and we all chowed down on the great food, except for Taylor who had to leave and go home to fix our grandson Sean his dinner.
Once all the kids were gone and it quieted down we visited with Barbara & Henry until late in the evening and then headed back to the motorhome. Boy, visiting really tires you out.
That was our exciting day, how was yours?
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Lazy Days of Almost Summer
Gerry and I both spent our school years in Central Illinois during the 50s. Earlier than that also, but I won't address that in this blog. Summer was defined as when we weren't in school and that time period was from Memorial Day to after Labor Day. I always looked forward to the freedom of summer and those days at Gillespie Lake swimming and hanging out at the beach. Never mind that once you go into the water it was a mud beach, but it was a beach. As the summer wore on the water temperature really started to rise but it was still refreshing due to the long hot summers we had then.
Those were the days before watching tv, cellphones, X-Boxes, the internet and all the computer games that children play today. Basketball, baseball and football occupied most of my time. We even could play cork ball with only three players. We learned how to deal with issues one on one and worked out our differences. Sometimes it may have degraded to fisticuffs, but an hour later we were fast friends again. No gangs, but neighboring towns didn't like for you to scout out the girls there, but it worked out for me since I met and married Gerry who lived in a neighboring town.
Those days are long gone and I don't think kids could go back to them with all the outside influences on the youth of today. It is their great loss, but I don't think they would think of it that way. Even small towns away from big cities are prone to drug use and the problems associated with that. Drugs when we were kids meant prescription drugs and there were few of them in our lives, unless you counted mercurochrome. We were a rambunctious bunch and were quite familiar with mercurochrome. It stung when applied.
This product was marketed for use on minor cuts and scrapes during the 20th century. It typically had a reddish to brown color which would stain the skin when it was applied, and if it was suspended in alcohol, it might sting slightly. Mercurochrome™ was recommended for use on people of all ages, and many people in the middle of the 20th century had a bottle in the bathroom cabinet for household use.
There are two issues with Mercurochrome™ and other merbromin products. The first is that they contain mercury, a metal which is known to be poisonous. Although no one has definitively linked Mercurochrome™ to mercury poisoning, presumably because the metal is only present in trace amounts, many people prefer to err on the side of caution when it comes to mercury. The FDA originally grandfathered the drug in, and later decided that it should be banned until additional research could prove that it was safe for use
.
The second issue with Mercurochrome™ is the color. The dark
reddish to brown stain covers up the natural color of the skin around
the wound, making it hard to detect the early signs of infection. Skin
which is red and irritated will be difficult to see under a coating of
Mercurochrome™, which means that the infection could be missed until it
grows much larger. Clear topical antiseptics or antiseptics which do not
stain are preferred so that wounds can be clearly visualized.
Although this drug is not in wide use any more, it has an iconic status. Mercurochrome™ often appears in books and stories set in the mid-20th century, and people who lived during this era may have fond memories of it. For people who are not familiar with the drug, the references to it in various media from the era when it was used can be confusing, and people who refer to merbromin products when they talk about wound care are obviously thinking of an earlier era.
Sunday we went to Barb & Henry's to watch the NASCAR race with them, visit for a while and to try to get a free meal out of them. The real purpose of the visit was to drop off a baby blanket for Barbara that Gerry had started in March and been crocheting since then. She finished it on Sunday and felt it was time to drop it off. She had earlier crocheted a baby blanket for Dee for Griffin and Barbara liked it so much she almost kept it. Now she has one of her own.
They ran us out of the house around 9pm and we headed back to the motorhome and stayed up until after midnight. It rained hard all night and we didn't get a lot of sleep, so Monday we were walking zombies.
Larry Jr & Jane invited us over for dinner on Monday and Jr used us as guinea pigs for a new pasta meal. It turned out really good and I had two helpings of it. He has turned out to be a real chef and isn't afraid to try out new dishes. I think he may be in competition with his mother who is an excellent chef. We visited after dinner and kept them up until 11pm, then gave them a break by hitting the road.
That's how we spent the last few days, what have you been up to?
Those were the days before watching tv, cellphones, X-Boxes, the internet and all the computer games that children play today. Basketball, baseball and football occupied most of my time. We even could play cork ball with only three players. We learned how to deal with issues one on one and worked out our differences. Sometimes it may have degraded to fisticuffs, but an hour later we were fast friends again. No gangs, but neighboring towns didn't like for you to scout out the girls there, but it worked out for me since I met and married Gerry who lived in a neighboring town.
Those days are long gone and I don't think kids could go back to them with all the outside influences on the youth of today. It is their great loss, but I don't think they would think of it that way. Even small towns away from big cities are prone to drug use and the problems associated with that. Drugs when we were kids meant prescription drugs and there were few of them in our lives, unless you counted mercurochrome. We were a rambunctious bunch and were quite familiar with mercurochrome. It stung when applied.
What Is Mercurochrome™?
Mercurochrome™ is a product which was once widely marketed for use as a topical antiseptic. Thanks to changes in the way the US Food and Drug Administration regards Mercurochrome™, the product is not readily available in the United States today, although it can be found in many other regions of the world. This antiseptic is part of a family of products made with a base of merbromin, a chemical which must be suspended in an alcohol or water solution before it can be used as an antiseptic.
This product was marketed for use on minor cuts and scrapes during the 20th century. It typically had a reddish to brown color which would stain the skin when it was applied, and if it was suspended in alcohol, it might sting slightly. Mercurochrome™ was recommended for use on people of all ages, and many people in the middle of the 20th century had a bottle in the bathroom cabinet for household use.
There are two issues with Mercurochrome™ and other merbromin products. The first is that they contain mercury, a metal which is known to be poisonous. Although no one has definitively linked Mercurochrome™ to mercury poisoning, presumably because the metal is only present in trace amounts, many people prefer to err on the side of caution when it comes to mercury. The FDA originally grandfathered the drug in, and later decided that it should be banned until additional research could prove that it was safe for use
.
Although this drug is not in wide use any more, it has an iconic status. Mercurochrome™ often appears in books and stories set in the mid-20th century, and people who lived during this era may have fond memories of it. For people who are not familiar with the drug, the references to it in various media from the era when it was used can be confusing, and people who refer to merbromin products when they talk about wound care are obviously thinking of an earlier era.
Sunday we went to Barb & Henry's to watch the NASCAR race with them, visit for a while and to try to get a free meal out of them. The real purpose of the visit was to drop off a baby blanket for Barbara that Gerry had started in March and been crocheting since then. She finished it on Sunday and felt it was time to drop it off. She had earlier crocheted a baby blanket for Dee for Griffin and Barbara liked it so much she almost kept it. Now she has one of her own.
 |
| Oh, a gift for me? |
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| I love it! |
Larry Jr & Jane invited us over for dinner on Monday and Jr used us as guinea pigs for a new pasta meal. It turned out really good and I had two helpings of it. He has turned out to be a real chef and isn't afraid to try out new dishes. I think he may be in competition with his mother who is an excellent chef. We visited after dinner and kept them up until 11pm, then gave them a break by hitting the road.
That's how we spent the last few days, what have you been up to?
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Hendrick Motorsports & Family time
Barbara and Henry dropped by the motorhome Saturday morning for a visit and we wound up spending the day with them. Lots of catching up and chatter.
We went to the Harrisburg Family House Restaurant for lunch a little after 1:00pm and it the parking lot was almost full and there were cars in the overflow parking. Oh, Oh! Not a good sign for getting a table, but we walked in and were seated quickly. That was a relief since neither Henry nor I have much patience waiting for seating in restaurants. We had a very nice meal and wound up with the same waitress from our trips there last summer. No pictures of the food or people though. Maybe next time.
After lunch we wound up at Hendrick Motorsports Museum and Team Store so Henry could pick up something. They have a number of cars in there that were owned by Hendrick and many of them were retired to the museum.
As soon as you walk in the door, there are a number of cars on the left and we took advantage of them to get a couple photos of the group.
Barbara & Henry are really into the NASCAR races and spent some time with us in Tucson last spring inbetween going to the races in Phoenix and Las Vegas. They are working on attending every track where NASCAR races are held and are well along the way to seeing all of them. Another "bucket list" for them.
They have the actual wrecked car of Ken Schrader at the museum where he flipped the car end over end and it became airborne. Due to the construction of the roll cage and other safety features, Schrader walked away unhurt, but shaken up. How would you like to have been along for the ride in this?
My sister-in-law, Darlene Mc is a big Jimmy Johnson fan and a devoted follower of him. I don't know if it's because he is handsome or just a good driver, but I have to include a picture of the car in which he won the 2007 NASCAR points series. This one's for you Darlene.
At the present time Hendrick employs Kasey Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Barbara likes Kasey Kahne now since Ricky Rudd retired.
One of Barbara's favorite drivers was Ricky Rudd and he drove the Number 17 car that was sponsored by Tide. It always stood out due to it's bright colors on the paint job. Ricky retired and others drove the car after him, but Tide dropped the sponsorship a few years ago. Considering it costs $5-35 million to sponsor a car in NASCAR, it's no wonder they dropped out.
After visiting the Hendrick store we split up and Gerry & Barbara went grocery shopping,
while Henry and I went to their house and had a few brews. The girls finally returned and we sat and talked out on the patio for hours. Henry prepared some ribs on his new grill and we sat on the their patio enjoying some adult beverages and chatting
the whole time. As a matter of fact, Henry brought up the issue of gun
control and we had to educate him on the issue. Not sure we convinced him of anything, but we had some spirited conversation and still left as friends. At least I think we are still friends! After spending the day with them we returned to the motorhome after midnight.
We went to the Harrisburg Family House Restaurant for lunch a little after 1:00pm and it the parking lot was almost full and there were cars in the overflow parking. Oh, Oh! Not a good sign for getting a table, but we walked in and were seated quickly. That was a relief since neither Henry nor I have much patience waiting for seating in restaurants. We had a very nice meal and wound up with the same waitress from our trips there last summer. No pictures of the food or people though. Maybe next time.
After lunch we wound up at Hendrick Motorsports Museum and Team Store so Henry could pick up something. They have a number of cars in there that were owned by Hendrick and many of them were retired to the museum.
As soon as you walk in the door, there are a number of cars on the left and we took advantage of them to get a couple photos of the group.
 |
| Henry & Barbara |
 |
| Gerry and Me. |
Barbara & Henry are really into the NASCAR races and spent some time with us in Tucson last spring inbetween going to the races in Phoenix and Las Vegas. They are working on attending every track where NASCAR races are held and are well along the way to seeing all of them. Another "bucket list" for them.
They have the actual wrecked car of Ken Schrader at the museum where he flipped the car end over end and it became airborne. Due to the construction of the roll cage and other safety features, Schrader walked away unhurt, but shaken up. How would you like to have been along for the ride in this?
My sister-in-law, Darlene Mc is a big Jimmy Johnson fan and a devoted follower of him. I don't know if it's because he is handsome or just a good driver, but I have to include a picture of the car in which he won the 2007 NASCAR points series. This one's for you Darlene.
At the present time Hendrick employs Kasey Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Barbara likes Kasey Kahne now since Ricky Rudd retired.  |
| Jeff Gordon race car |
One of Barbara's favorite drivers was Ricky Rudd and he drove the Number 17 car that was sponsored by Tide. It always stood out due to it's bright colors on the paint job. Ricky retired and others drove the car after him, but Tide dropped the sponsorship a few years ago. Considering it costs $5-35 million to sponsor a car in NASCAR, it's no wonder they dropped out.
After visiting the Hendrick store we split up and Gerry & Barbara went grocery shopping,
while Henry and I went to their house and had a few brews. The girls finally returned and we sat and talked out on the patio for hours. Henry prepared some ribs on his new grill and we sat on the their patio enjoying some adult beverages and chatting
the whole time. As a matter of fact, Henry brought up the issue of gun
control and we had to educate him on the issue. Not sure we convinced him of anything, but we had some spirited conversation and still left as friends. At least I think we are still friends! After spending the day with them we returned to the motorhome after midnight. Saturday, June 1, 2013
Grant's Birthday, great grandchild & Tornados
Grant, our grandson, had a birthday party on Friday and we got here just in time to attend the celebration. I should have timed it better, because this is a task they assigned to me. Next to snow, this is the last thing I want to be associated with.
I managed to finish the job and not break the lawn tractor, so it all worked out well. Gerry, Grant & Larry Jr were inside preparing for the big event.
Laser tag was on tap for the celebration and as expected the girls vs boys split came about. The girls all stayed behind one stand and didn't spread out like the boys did, with the boys being the aggressors. Typical for 12 year olds.
The girls tired of the game first and then it was every man for himself.
It was time for the birthday cakes (2, chocolate & white ) and all the kids and parents gathered on the porch to cut the cakes.
Later in the evening Ryan & Dee brought our great grandson over to the party and that was it for Gerry. She hugged Ryan & Dee and took Griffin away from them. Other than to feed him, he was held by a succession of grandmother, aunts, uncles and even some stragglers from the party. Gerry hogged him most of the time and didn't want to give him up. Since I don't do well with holding children before they are 2 years old, I relinquished my time to her. Also, I didn't want to fight over him with Gerry. He never cried and seemed to love the attention.
We all stayed and visited way too late and finally everyone sort of crashed and we decided it was time to leave and go back to the motorhome. Before we left we took a few more pictures and gave Grant his birthday card.
We had a great time seeing everyone and meeting some of Larry Jr & Jane's friends and the nice part was that we left all the kids behind with their parents. Life is good.
I was watching the severe weather heading for St. Louis and into Illinois since my brother and his family live in Gillespie, IL and it was right in the path of tornados. I called my brother and then my niece Saturday morning to check on them. Everyone was well, but my nephew who lives near Edwardsville, IL, house was struck and he lost a barn. No injuries so that was good.
There was one casualty in my hometown of Gillespie. The roof of the high school gym was blown off and much of a side was demolished. I think the gym was built in the 1920s and has been remodeled a couple times over the years, including a new floor installed a few years ago. They have the worst luck with schools back there. A few years ago the new elementary school was demolished when the mines beneath it collapsed. The new school was built about a block from the HS gym, and suffered minor damage. It hasn't been turned over from the contractors, so it is their problem to repair it. If they didn't have bad luck with the schools back there, they wouldn't have any luck at all.
There were some homes damaged in Gillespie, along with a number of trees blown down, but no serious injuries reported as of now. It's tough out there, the people are resilent and will get through this like they have in the past. Hang in there guys.
I managed to finish the job and not break the lawn tractor, so it all worked out well. Gerry, Grant & Larry Jr were inside preparing for the big event.
Laser tag was on tap for the celebration and as expected the girls vs boys split came about. The girls all stayed behind one stand and didn't spread out like the boys did, with the boys being the aggressors. Typical for 12 year olds.
 |
| Grant attacking the girls fort. |
 | ||
| One brave girl being chased by the guys. |
The girls tired of the game first and then it was every man for himself.
It was time for the birthday cakes (2, chocolate & white ) and all the kids and parents gathered on the porch to cut the cakes.
 |
| 12th birthday |
Later in the evening Ryan & Dee brought our great grandson over to the party and that was it for Gerry. She hugged Ryan & Dee and took Griffin away from them. Other than to feed him, he was held by a succession of grandmother, aunts, uncles and even some stragglers from the party. Gerry hogged him most of the time and didn't want to give him up. Since I don't do well with holding children before they are 2 years old, I relinquished my time to her. Also, I didn't want to fight over him with Gerry. He never cried and seemed to love the attention.
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| Dee, Jane, Griffin, Gerry & Barbara |
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| Barb, Dee, Gerry, Griffin, Henry, Ryan & Larry Sr. |
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| Jane, Dee, Griffin, Gerry, Me, Grant, yours truly, Larry Jr. & Ryan |
We all stayed and visited way too late and finally everyone sort of crashed and we decided it was time to leave and go back to the motorhome. Before we left we took a few more pictures and gave Grant his birthday card.
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| Barb & Henry |
 |
| Grandson Sean & Taylor |
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| Grant - I think he liked his handmade card. |
I was watching the severe weather heading for St. Louis and into Illinois since my brother and his family live in Gillespie, IL and it was right in the path of tornados. I called my brother and then my niece Saturday morning to check on them. Everyone was well, but my nephew who lives near Edwardsville, IL, house was struck and he lost a barn. No injuries so that was good.
There was one casualty in my hometown of Gillespie. The roof of the high school gym was blown off and much of a side was demolished. I think the gym was built in the 1920s and has been remodeled a couple times over the years, including a new floor installed a few years ago. They have the worst luck with schools back there. A few years ago the new elementary school was demolished when the mines beneath it collapsed. The new school was built about a block from the HS gym, and suffered minor damage. It hasn't been turned over from the contractors, so it is their problem to repair it. If they didn't have bad luck with the schools back there, they wouldn't have any luck at all.
There were some homes damaged in Gillespie, along with a number of trees blown down, but no serious injuries reported as of now. It's tough out there, the people are resilent and will get through this like they have in the past. Hang in there guys.
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