And thus begins a new chapter in our adventures!
Tomorrow is the opening day of the 2013 Oklahoma Renaissance Festival. Vacation is officially over, although another one is right around the corner!
Let the festivities begin! Or in our case, the long hours of building catapults and squeezing in RV projects in between...lol!
Kev
I decided to fire up the Midland WR-100 weather radio this evening, since we are in tornado alley! Put new backup batteries in it, and set the S.A.M.E. code to this county and the one we are next to. If there are any tornados coming, it will sound off an alarm like crazy! Be Prepared!!!
Kev
So, there really are "Winds whistling down the plains" there?? ???
Winds on steroids...lol!
Its a craptastic opening day...cold and rainy and supposed to be that way all day. Lovely. $@!#@!
Patti is staying home...no point in both of us suffering in the cold rain.
Ah well...supposed to be nice tomorrow at least!
Kev
How long does this Faire typically run?
http://www.oklahomafairsandfestivals.com/396804-oklahoma-renaissance-festival-muskogee-oklahoma-may-2013.html
This one runs five weekends.
It was indeed a cold and craptastically rainy day today...I think I froze my Sporran off! However, there were WAY more people here today than I thought there would be, and I managed to pull off a decent day! Not great by any means, but we certainly made enough to make it worth the frozen Sporran... :)rotflmao
Tomorrow is supposed to be in the mid 60s with no rain so it should be a great day. And Patti will be in the booth with me so I won't be so bored!
Let's see how tomorrow goes!
Kev
Lol!! That's why I wear my Sporran on the OUTSIDE!! When I was at the Liverpool Scottish Festival in Liverpool, NY, I had a woman come up to me and asked, "is anything worn under your kilt?", I said with a straight face, "No ma'am, everything under my kilt is in perfect working order." She walked away blushing. :-[
I also thank God mine is silk lined!! W%
BTW, look up Cosmeston medieval living museum. Went there in July, '11 for RnR while deployed to Afghanistan. THE coolest thing I ever experienced. After seeing it on "Terry Jones' Medieval Lives", I had to go there while visiting my mates in Poole..
Sounds cool, Frederic!
Its already a lot warmer than yesterday, so today should be a much better day. I have to go set up the booth soon, and then Patti will join me once she gets all prettified.
Once she gets to the booth I'll have to make a run and get more marshmallows...I should have picked them up last night, but I was frozen!
Kev
Mmmm, shmores..... <drool>
AHHH, Marshmallow trebuchets and Catapults!! LOL!!
"Bring those walls down!"
Warmer today, no rain, and Patti was with me...so a much funner day!
Not the best money day, but overall the weekend was pretty good.
Gotta build some catapults this week, install the Jeep tonneau cover, and work on some projects. Not a heavy week, but a single student day on Friday...its a love/hate relationship with student days...good money, but obnoxious little morons unattended by parents...lol!
Also gotta start building up stock for NY, which will go into full production next week.
Kev
Would you rather have a STUDENT DAY or a SOGGY SPORRAN? Now what REALLY IS WORSE?
As long as it stayed on the outside of the kilt where it belongs, I'd rather deal with the soggy sporran. But fortunately for me, mine is made of leather.. Hehehe....
Now to tune my pipes...
W%
LOL! We always make good money on student days, so while I grumble about them we do like having them. Kids love buying things that shoot things...I just feel sorry for the field trip bus drivers... :)rotflmao
Gotta go get materials sometime today, then get back and get the workshop in order so I can get everything cut out tomorrow. Back to work!
Kev
Hey Kevin, do you have a website or something with what you do. I keep reading along but have no idea what it's all about. I have never been to a Ren fair.
MJ: go to the home page, scroll down to the bottom and click on SEIGE THE DAY. and you are there. Joan
Yeah, check it out, he's got some neat stuff. I'm deciding meself which "toy" he makes that I want.. :D
Fredric
There is a direct link on the home page...or go to wwwDOTstdcatapultsDOTcom. Its what we do when we aren't on vacation...lol!
Got all our materials today and some groceries, and are now in for the night. Tomorrow its a lot of cutting and drilling and sanding! And since the rear tonneau cover is supposed to arrive tomorrow, I'll install that while I'm at it.
A little nervous about Wednesday's weather forcast..."severe" thunderstorms predicted, which can mean tornadoes in these parts! I already have the rig ready to roll in an emergency! Just unhook from the shore lines, drop the front fence, and go!
A relatively small amount of catapults to build this week...just 50 Bandits and 40 desktop mousetrap catapults...and then we are going to get REALLY busy building machines for New York! Gotta start building up a large amount for one of our busiest shows!
Kev
All the parts got cut out, and the rear tonneau cover is installed in the Jeep. The summer configuration is finished! Ain't it purdy?
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The soft canvas "Emergency Storm Doors" are stored under the tonneau cover, over the wheel wells, with plenty of room underneath for groceries.
SWEET!
Kev
??? Hold it, wait a minute ???
Where are the dogs going to ride?
Patties lap is not going to work
Dave
LOL Dave! I already installed 2 D-Rings on the floor where the seat mounts were. Short leashes get attached to them and to the pups...tonneau cover removed of course. We can take the pups anywhere if we remove the tonneau cover, and we'd of course remove the windjammer as well so they could stick their heads all up in our business, like they like to do.
Lots more work to do tomorrow and Thursday! Gotta get the catapults ready for next weekend...a student day on Friday, and beautiful weather predicted for this coming weekend.
Kev
Nice... :)
Dave took the words right out of my mouth, nice looking Jeep.
Thanks everyone! :D I love my Jeep! Lots of work to do to her, but nothing pressing...it'll get done as we have time and money to work on her.
Got all the parts for all the catapults drilled and sanded today, and tomorrow we'll assemble them all in no time. Then student day on Friday!
Kev
She needs some stylin wheels Kevin.
Looks really nice. :)ThmbUp
I never knew they even made those type of covers.
Thanks everyone! And yes she'll get new wheels, although nothing crazy. 31 BF Goodrich all terrains on black 15 inch rims with maybe some chrome accents. Only a 2 inch lift and that's it.
A tad higher with slightly larger wheels is all we need and will look pretty good without making it even harder for Patti to get into the Jeep...lol!
Kev
All the catapults are done and stained and loaded in the Jeep to bring to the booth tomorrow, the marshmallows and snackbags are gotten, and we are ready for kids day and the weekend! My new stock came in for the Savage 110 30-06 today, and its beautiful!!! OMG! What a nice piece of furniture for 100 bucks! New 9 volt battery loaded into the alarm clock as a backup...supposed to get more thunderstorms tonight. And beautiful weather forecasted for this coming weekend. Rain and thunderstorms on the poor kids tomorrow.
Kev
Sweet. You have any u-tube vids of those tossers in action??
And , you don't wanna know what "furniture" I have.. lol
I fear sending pics of them to friends or family for fear they may call me a "Gun nut". Suffice it to say, even my 10/22 doesn't even look like a 10/22 any more.. :angel:
Ive put an Archangel kit on one of my 10/22's. Plus a few BX-25s.
hehe, you got the hint I see.. :) BTW, you notice how rare those BX-25s are?
Suffice it to say, it looks a LOT like another piece of "furniture" I own..
LOL! I'm so pro second amendment and guns, my next tatoo, coming soon, is Molon Labe!
I'm a traditionalist though...I like blued steel and walnut stocks.
Good kids day...horrific for me since I let Patti stay home, but made an okay amount of money and didn't have to kill any kids. Only one catapults lost to shoplifting...lol!
Marshmallows dropped off at the booth already, have to stain some tonight, and then the next two days is good weather, thank the gods!
Now a few more minutes of playing around on the internet, then feed the pups, stain the catapults, take the pups out, then spend some time with Patti!
Kev
Great day today at faire with perfect weather! Lots of happy folks and lots of sales. The people of Oklahoma are an awesome bunch! Probably the nicest bunch of folks on average that we have encountered anywhere in the country. One more day, then a trip to the dentist for Patti on Monday, then more crazy hours of catapult building. Not a bad problem to have at all!
Kev
Awesome overall three day weekend, if you include kids day on Friday. Early trip tomorrow to Tulsa for Patti's dentist appointment...and then lots of catapults and parts to build this week! We might make it to the range next week. Gotta get there at least a few times before we leave on our next vacation!
Kev
Crazy early day today...had to be in Tulsa by 8am for Patti's dentist appointment, but boy do her new toofers look great! And they fit! She loves them! And they were done way earlier than we expected...by 2pm!
And I scored an almost new Leupold 3-9X40 scope for the "new" 30-06 Savage 110 for a hundred bucks...SWEET!!! Made in the USA with a lifetime warranty to any owner...and some of the best optics you can get...for a hundred bucks...woohoo! That Savage is gonna be one sweet hunting rifle when its done! Lots of work to do on it, but dang its gonna be nice! Hopefully I'll even get in some hunting in Arizona next year!
Lots of catapults to build this week...trebuchets, onagers, Bandits, Trappie pistols, and as many other parts as I can prep out for other models. Gotta get ready for NY and keep up with this show, which is way busier already than last year! Materials run first thing tomorrow morning, then back to the grindstone!
Kev
So it was an up and at 'em early day today, even though I tried to sleep in. The dogs weren't having it...Sheba was licking my foot and whining, so off to the potty grounds we went in the early morning fog.
And I was up. So I put all the trash in the Jeep and decided to replace the peat moss in the Nature's Head toilet again...the urine bottle overflowed twice on us by accident since the last change, and you can not let that thing overflow! It doesn't spill out onto the floor...it overflows into the peat moss compartment, which is bad juju. Not only does that mess with the composting process, it also makes the peat moss way too wet and the handle way too hard to turn. Gotta keep a sharp eye on the liquid level in these things if you are fulltiming it!
Got the toilet stuff all done, then made a trash run and picked up the mail. Then back to camp to change clothes and get cash from Patti to do the materials run.
Then it was off to do the materials run. Got everything, stopped by the gun shop to drool over my 30-06 that is on layaway and hold it awhile lovingly...then a trip to Walmart for some other stuff including mousetraps, then back to camp. All the materials got put away and I glanced at my watch, and it was only noon! SWEET! Early starts are nice sometimes!
So I took Patti to IHOP...International House of Poor service...as always. But Patti enjoyed her meal! For the first time in over a year she could eat toast and bacon! The new toofers are awesome!
Then back home, and decided to take the rest of the day off and relax...might try to snipe a Leupold pistol scope for my revolver in a couple of hours...lol! I finally found a scope mount for it and decided to be loyal to Leupold only, since they are USA made and have the best warranty in the business.
Oh yeah...here is a picture of the new optics for my 30-06 that I got SUPER cheap on eBay...3-9X40 Leupold Rifleman...it looks like brand new!
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Just a couple of little scope ring marks. Awesome!!!
Tomorrow? LOTS of work building catapults, and then on Thursday and Friday as well.
Next week we'll go the range at least one day!
Kev
Scored another Leupold scope on the super cheap, this time for my Ruger Security Six revolver...SWEET!!!
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Gotta love eBay if you shop around and are a good sniper!
Kev
Worked all day on catapults, starting around 7 am and ending around 6pm. Took a break to check my mail and the first Leupold scope arrived for the rifle...SWEET! Ran the serial numbers through Leupold and its genuine and not stolen...even better...lol! WOW what a nice clear scope!
Lots more to do tomorrow!
Kev
Awesome day today! Lots of fun had and lots of catapults sold. Looks like the majority of the big storm system coming it is going to miss us, with just some severe thunderstorms tomorrow night...SWEET! Although I feel sorry for the folks East of us...supposed to hit you poor guys hard!
Tomorrow is another day, and we have enough stock to make it a good one. Hopefully we have great crowds.
Hotter than Hades today, and supposed to be even hotter tomorrow...but at least its supposed to by windy tomorrow, which will make it bearable.
Monday its a materials run, probably pick up my Savage 110 30-06 from the gun shop, the new Leupold scope should be in for the Ruger revolver, and I'll probably work on the guns the rest of the day. (Started finishing the new walnut stock with Birchwood Casey stock oil, and it looks awesome! Last coat was today...I think its the last coat, but we'll see what it looks like in the light tomorrow). They tried to deliver the pistol scope today, but the office was closed, so I'll have to go to the post office to pick it up, which is a PIA.
Anyhow, back to playing on the internet and relaxing after work.
Kev
You have that shop zero the scope? If not, you have anywhere close you can do it yourself?
Fredric
PS, looking at getting my hands on a nice Sears Model 60 Shotgun..
Hope you missed the stuff that is coming through OKC, be safe.
The storms missed us altogether...SWEET! Great overall weekend. More storms coming in this afternoon, so its off to the post office to pick up my pistol scope (they attempted delivery on Saturday), mail some stuff out, and get materials for the week. Have to get ready for the 3 day weekend coming right up! Supposed to be beautiful weather all 3 days. Also going to pick up my Savage rifle from the gun shop today. Busy busy busy!
Kev
You posted that a little early I think. Let us know you are OK this afternoon. The town of Moore, just 80 miles west of you was devastated.
Dave
Still good here in Muskogee. Thunderstorm warnings and the whole nine yards, but so far so good. Incidently, about 3 years ago during the offseason a tornado ripped through the campground here when it was empty...so statistically its unlikely for another one to hit again any time soon...lol! Always gotta look at the bright side!
Kev
Just be careful and keep the weather radio on within ear shot.
Just be careful down there. Moore, OK had a different devastating tornado on May 3, 1999 and they say this on is worse. So it could happen in the same area again. Be safe and have fun!
Still having severe thunderstorms, but the worst of it is still missing up. Looks like we'll be staying inside today.
Installed the new stock on the Savage yesterday...still have some final fitting to do...and the new scope. Nice combo! Also installed the new scope on the Ruger revolver...sweet!
Today its a whole lot of hanging out inside...storms all day, but nice the rest of the week. Going to be some long work days to make up for this missed work day!
Kev
Good to hear your ok, in Ok.. Stay toasty and enjoy the new toys..
Fredric
Quoteso statistically its unlikely for another one to hit again any time soon.
Mother nature has never heard of statistics. The EF-5 Moore, OK tornado partially overlaid the EF-3 track of 1999. So, ...
You might want them to start thinking about scheduling this fair at a different time of year!
Dave
Edited: They upgraded the EF-4 to an EF-5.
Hope you stay safe down there, I havent had any service, TV or internet so no idea whats been going on.
Quote from: ClydesdaleKevin on May 20, 2013, 07:31 PM
Incidently, about 3 years ago during the offseason a tornado ripped through the campground here when it was empty...
Kev
We just left a campground that was flattened by a tornado 2 years ago and the people that were staying in it lived but were trapped for 6 days before help could get them out. (I was happy to leave that area behind)
Beautiful blue skies now! Supposed to be great weather all through Memorial Day. So off to work! I have to get all the trebuchets and mangonels finished today, a bunch of torsion pistols completely finished tomorrow, and a buttload of Twister and Bandit pistols completely finished on Friday. No shooting range this week, that's for sure!
Kev
Twister pistol? Some sort of Oklahoma inspiration there? :)
LOL Dave...our second to the bottom line of catapult...the first bottom line being powered by rubber bands, and the next up from twisted ropes, thus the moniker of Twister.
Got all the trebuchets and mangonels completely done today, by around 7pm. Tomorrow its a big run of 50 Torsion Catapistols, start to finish, then on Friday its a run of 80 Twisters and Bandits, half and half.
Busy busy busy, and thats a good thing! Gonna have another fun vacation before NY starts in August. Dodge City, Mount Rushmore...those are the 2 things we are definately going to see, but the rest of the route is fluid.
Kev
If you have an specific questions about Mount Rushmore or the Black Hills let me know. My wife and I were interpretive Rangers at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Actually that's where we met.
Quote from: Toby Tyler on May 23, 2013, 09:17 AM
If you have an specific questions about Mount Rushmore or the Black Hills let me know. My wife and I were interpretive Rangers at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Actually that's where we met.
That is cool! Hoping to take the Winnebago out and see Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, etc. when I get it back on the road.
That would definitely be a awesome trip!
Kevin -
Your supposed to keep your tornado warnings out there with you! No fun being at work while the wife is in the middle of a storm cell that is generating tornado warnings! N:( Was just warnings from radar but still, no fun
Dave
LOL! Looks like we'll see the Black Hills this summer, the gods willing. It will be a very awesome trip, but lets see how much we can squirrel away from my long hours and if the weather holds out.
Worked until past 7pm tonight, started at 8am. And got the Torsion Catapistols completely built. Woohoo!
Right on schedule for the complete build, start to finish, of the Twisters and Bandits tomorrow. Should be a great 3 day weekend!
Kev
My original hometown of Barneveld, WI was pretty much leveled back in 1984 by an F5 tornado. Nine people killed out of a population of 600. My parents knew everyone that died. I was only 11 years old but it was quite a feeling seeing everything you grew up around destroyed in a few minutes. Fortunately, we had moved away a couple years earlier and were not there when it happened. My family went back to help with the cleanup right away. Many friends and relatives were still lived there at the time and the stories were pretty scary.
This is a picture of the Homecoming Parade in the early 1980's that my grandpa took, my dad is driving the '68 Charger behind the firetruck. The Charger survived and I still have it. The fire station and fire truck were lost along with nearly everything else in town.
(https://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi880.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fac1%2FChargerman1969%2F1968%2520Charger%2F1968charger1982.jpg&hash=326e3083d5f30b9a754f0e564dca308b93dc2c69) (http://s880.photobucket.com/user/Chargerman1969/media/1968%20Charger/1968charger1982.jpg.html)
Here is the same street after the tornado hit a couple years later.
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Damn! Tornados are nothing to triffle with.
Got a whole bunch of catapults build in 3 days, with the help of Patti. 3 Mangonels with the addition redesigned armature, 4 Trebuchets, 50 Torsion Catapistols, 40 Bandits, and 40 Twisters. DAMN the Kev and Patti show rocks! We can pull miracles out of our behinds when we need to! And it wasn't even crazy long days, although the days were long. Around 8am to 7pm for 3 days straight.
The weekend should be awesome!
Kev
I hope you guys have a great weekend and are raking in more than just marshmallows.
Why dont the people who decide to live in these areas build underground ? There should be nothing above ground except crops and public parks .It crazy to know that sooner or later it will get destroyed. They have finally wised up on the Atlantic shore No building allowed beyond the dunes and increased the dune size and insurance premiums for those who want ocean views then when destroyed want taxpayers to replace there loss .Persons who make decisions to gamble against nature should not be made whole when they lose the bet even if its 100 yrs later. This is a waste of resorces. And scammers who prey on these people should face the death sentence ! Frank
It's the same reason people drive cars and trucks, some get killed every day!
Yesterday was a very busy day! 2 more days to go!
Kev
A great day today! One more to go! And one more weekend after that to go, which means another 2 weeks of heavy production until vacation starts!
Our vacation plans continue to evolve as well. Our first stop on our way North is going to be Dodge City...woohoo! Another cowboy town! I hope its half as cool as Tombstone!
Then we'll meander our way north to the Black Hills before heading east to New York. Hoping to be able to stop at the Mor-Ryde facility in Elkhart, Indiana on the way to NY from the Black Hills, so they can raise my rear suspension at a reasonable rate. All the RV shops scratch their domes and quote me several hundred dollars in labor...Mor-Ryde said it would take them about an hour...lol!
Still planning our route north, so if anyone has any suggestions let us know! We'll be passing through Kansas, Nebraska, and then into South Dakota, and the route east will bring us through Iowa, the Nazi state of Illinois, into Indiana, through Ohio, Pennsylvania, then into NY.
If anyone has some land and wants a visit, we are fully self contained and need nothing but maybe a water tank fillup...lol!
Tomorrow its another day of shooting folks, then back to work on the catapults!
Kev
Come way north and visit us canucks, as I said before, we are friendly. We have two acres out back you can park in. It is overlooking a pond. And the hose will reach.
How far North is it? I might take you up on that
We are about 6hours straight north of Coutts, Montana.
Oops, cant go there, no passports :(
A fun but slow Memorial day, but overall a great weekend! Got all the materials today, a hair cut, and did some grocery shopping with Patti. The next 3 days is going to be some more long hours of catapult building!
Kev
Spent all day cutting out parts...even parts I don't need yet. Easier to carry parts than full lengths of wood. Cut and cut and cut, all day...and some routering too.
Then noticed Sheba was peeing blood...rushed her to the vet. She is most likely poisoned with rat poison, and most likely intentionally. Please pray for her and send her positive thoughts and energy...and send me calming thoughts and energy so I don't kill someone and end up in prison.
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Kev
Kev, hang in there, I am definitely praying for her..
Fredric
Any updates on your Sheba, Kevin?
Kev and Patti: Just got back from our weekend and heard about Sheba. So sorry. Hopefully you can find the b-stardo and it would be nice to do the same to them. Pardon me for venting but I hope she is doing okay. Let us know what is happening. Thinking good thoughts for you all. Joan
Guess I should have read on. I am sitting here with tears running down my face because of all the wonderful friends I have lost over the years. The furry kinds that don't criticize you, listen to every word you say and just want to be with you in good times and bad. All the old memories you have of the faithful friend that shared your life, your loves, joys and sorrows will help you recover and soon you will say, remember when.....? thinking that without that animal in your life, you would not have grown to be the person you are. I am so sorry that Sheba is gone, but I hope that the memories that you have of her will help you remember the good times, the fun times and how empty life would have been if you never would have met. Thinking of you both, Kevin and Patti
Thanks everyone. I'm going through a very hard time dealing with this. She was my baby girl, the best dog I ever had, and we had her for 10 years of her 15 or so on this planet. Turns out she was much older than we thought she was, and she fought her little heart out through the years to stay with her daddy, through many illnesses. At least 4 times we thought we were going to lose her, and she always fought back and regained health and stayed with me. This time she couldn't. And I am devastated. I'm trying to keep and stiff upper lip. I'll report in when I can do so cheerfully. Sorry for my absence. Kev
And just so you all know, the vet ruled out rat poison. With the treatment she was on, she should have recovered from rat poison, or at least showed a rapidly improved platelet count. His conclusions from the labs showed that her platelets that she DID have were clotting normally, which would be the opposite if it was poison. His final conclusion was that she either had a cancer affecting her bone marrow, or the tick borne blood virus, which he thought was the real culprit, was overpowering her immune system. I offered to sell everything I owned to save her, and he broke down into tears himself, an almost 70 year old veterinarian. He said clearly that no matter how many more tests we paid for, and no matter how many meds he put her on, there wasn't anything he could do to stop the bleeding, and even if we found a medicine to restore the clotting, it would be temporary and gain her a few more months, maybe. A suffering painful few more months.
I'm tearfully writing this, just to let you know what happened. Not poison, just old age. And every time I think about her passing away in my arms, I fall apart again.
She was the best dog ever, and loved me more than anything could ever love another ever. She'll either wait for me on the rainbow bridge, or find her way back to me as a puppy reborn after May 31st, 2013, at 11:37 central time.
I'm hoping for the later.
Kev
There is a puppy out there for you to love. You will know it when you see it. Thinking good thoughts your way. Joan
Thanks for checking in Kevin. There is little I could say that would reduce your pain other than that all of us were worried about how you were and just wanted to know you were OK. Well at least as OK as you can be for the moment. Take care and please check in at least once a week so we know you are OK.
Dave
I can relate to the ticks. My Scout Troop was asked to help round up two wayward llamas last week for a rescue team. While in the grass chasing these spitting, clever, agile creatures, we got covered with ticks. I only had one that got attached and it left a nice sore even though it wasn't on but a few minutes.
As some of you may remember, I lost my cat a few months back. I loved that cat even though cats have a different way of interacting than dogs. You never get over the loss, but at some time you have to let it go and move on. Another pet never takes the place of a loved one, but it begins a whole new relationship. I still miss Wally and every time I see a picture of him I well up, but our other cat takes away some of the pain. She isn't Wally by any stretch of the imagination, but she sleeps at the foot of the bed.
You have my sympathies, Kevin. I hope there is a new friend in your future.
Thanks again everyone. Barnabas has been getting extra love and attention. He's been pretty depressed, sniffing Sheba's bed and sighing, looking for her whenever we go out, and waiting expectantly at the door whenever I come back home with the Jeep, then sighs and looks sad when Sheba isn't in the car. Unfortunately, he also got himself a lot of extra people food yesterday, and is paying the price for it today...as did my carpet...lol!
So I packed up a bunch of stuff in the workshop today, took down the dog fence and stowed it at our booth, and then employed the help of our neighbors and new friends Russ and Patrick to lift the hard top back onto the Jeep. Then I spent the next couple of hours bolting it back down, taking it off because I forgot a rubber windshield seal, the putting it back on. Then the doors and reconnecting the dome light switches and adjusting the mirrors, and removing the accessory mirrors that are used when the doors are off.
After that I figured out which belt was loose in the RV that was squeaking when we got here...it was thankfully the AC belt, the easiest one to tighten...the others were still fine. And then aired up the front air bags to 60psi.
Then I changed out the peat moss in the composting toilet and cleaned out the pee bottle, and by then it was around 3pm and I was hot and sweaty and covered in dirt...so into the shower.
I called it a day. Tomorrow I'll be doing a lot more packing and loading the rig compartments, moving tools to the booth, etc. The goal is to get out of here sometime on Saturday, but we may end up staying a day or two more if our Greendot card doesn't arrive by Friday...It expires at the end of the month, and they said they sent out the new one this week.
Once we leave here, its a short trip to the Flying J to fill up the propane (gas is already full), and we'll probably stay the night...then hit the road.
Plans have changed since the huge veterinary bill ate up a lot of our vacation funds. Dodge City and the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore are out this year, although they are on the list for next year.
Instead, we are going to meander our way towards New York and stay in National Forests along route. First stop is going to be the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri. They have lots of campgrounds which will accommodate our rig, and of course its half price with Patti's Golden Access card...and since we don't need hookups with our solar setup, camping will end up being between 5-7 bucks a night. Next stop is going to be Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois for about a week...not a fan of Illinois with their Nazi gun laws...then Hoosier National Forest in southern Indiana.
We have an appointment with Mor-Ryde in Elkhart, Indiana for July 1st to adjust the rear tag axle to its highest setting. 75 bucks an hour, about a 3 hour estimate, and WAY cheaper than other quotes we've gotten of the past year...AND, since they are the ones that designed it we know it will be done right.
After that we are going to go visit the Great Lakes Renaissance Festival in Ohio, where our new friend Russ happens to be the craft coordinator. He's trying to get us to do his faire, so we are going to spend a bit over a week at a local campground there, and see the faire two weekends in a row.
Then its off to Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania for about a week...and then a week or two in Patti's son Joe's driveway in Sussex, NJ before the New York Renaissance Festival campsite opens.
So while our vacation plans have changed, we'll still have a great vacation visiting National Forests along route.
Tomorrow its back to it!
Kev
Welcome back Keven and Patti.
Forgot to mention I aired up the Jeep tires while I was at it.
And there is a slight skip in my step again, and you can call my superstitious if you want.
While I was working on everything today and Patti was out on the porch with me, a beautiful butterfly kept flying around us. Landing really close, fluttering about. It stayed the whole time we were out there, unafraid. To my recollection, its the only butterfly I've seen so far since we've been here...or at least the only one I've noticed. If any of you have followed my posts in the past about Sheba, you know she had this thing for butterflies. She would bite and nip at flies and bees and hornets...I saw her eat many hornets over the years without getting stung, or at least not noticing the sting. But she always loved butterflies. She would just watch them with a smile on her face, and even let one land on her nose once. She disappeared one day in Kentucky about 5 years ago, and I had to let Barnabas find her...she was sitting about a mile out in the woods in a field of mountain laurels, surrounded by hundreds if not thousands of butterflies, just watching them with what could only be described as a grin on her face!
I told Patti Sheba sent us a butterfly. Next thing I know, Patti is on the internet looking for German Shepherd female puppies in the New Jersey area born on or after May 31st.
Call me silly or superstitious, but I really think she did send us that butterfly.
Kev
That is too cool!
I am sure she did. Beautiful thought.
So it took all day, but the workshop is all packed up and stowed in the booth and locked up for next year, all the sawdust and scrap wood is picked up and thrown on the site burn pit, and everything is staged to load into the RV compartments tomorrow.
The Greendot card didn't arrive today, so if it doesn't arrive in tomorrow's mail, I'll give them a call again and get an estimate of when its supposed to arrive. We won't be anywhere to receive mail until almost August, and my retirement gets direct deposited to that account.
Tomorrow its load up the compartments and get ready to hit the road. Not a heck of a lot left to do.
Patti and I have been smoke free since Monday...we started using vapor devices made by Ego-T, and they work incredibly well. No nicotine urges since you are getting it from the device, and no smoke! Just vapor. There is a small amount of proplylene glycol, food grade, added to give the vapor a bit of a bite so it feels more like smoke. And the Apple flavor is yummy...lol! Way cheaper than cigarettes as well. A vial of the liquid costs 7 bucks and lasts about a week. And you can get the liquid in bulk online for way cheaper. The technology has come a long way on these things, and we haven't even had to recharge the batteries yet since Monday. No more smoke or carcinogens, no more bad smells and ashtrays. Its a win win! Specially since we are going to NY where cigs are almost 10 bucks a pack! Stopping by the D&M Vapor store tomorrow to pick up enough vials to last until we get settled in in NY. Its not exactly quitting the nicotine addiction, but its WAY better for you and way less offensive to others.
And now that I've dropped the weight, I think I have a belly button hernia...in fact, I'm sure of it. I have no idea how long I've had it since the gut was in the way, but it definitely a protrusion right over my belly button, about the size of a small grape, that I can push back in and it stays in for a while. Anyone ever deal with something like this before? Not painful at all, but I'm wondering if I should see a doctor about it. I really don't want to be laid up in a hospital from an operation, but don't want to be laid up in a morgue either...lol! Not a fun way to spend a vacation, but I sure as heck won't have time to deal with it in NY or NC! Any ideas? Is it life threatening or demanding immediate attention, or can it be put off...and just how long is someone laid up after getting the operation to fix it?
And on a lighter note, has anyone ever tried Crabbie's Ginger Beer, imported from Scotland? OMG its yummy! Not very high in alcohol content, about 4.8, but its better than any regular ginger beer or ginger ale I've ever tried, and I love gingerale! Tasty tasty tasty, and perfect for unwinding after a very hot day of outdoor working!
Okay, enough rambling.
Kev
Our daughter had a herniated belly button. Out patient surgery when she was a child. Insurance covered it. Have a Dr. check it. Not a bid deal while its small I think.
Got all the compartments loaded and packed full, and Patti kept at it doing the laundry and getting the interior of the rig ready to travel.
Then everything that goes in the Jeep was staged and covered with a tarp. I would have loaded it, but Barnabas (and Sheba while she was sick) made a mess of the carpets, so when all my chores were done I drove the Jeep down to Lowes and rented a Bissell Green Machine to shampoo the carpets in the morning when its cool enough outside to not run the AC. After I shampoo the carpets in the morning I'll wash the machine and bring it back to Lowes.
Anyhow, once all the compartments were loaded and everything else was staged, I ran down to D&M Vapor to stock up on eCig stuff, then went to Walmart and picked up some ribeye steaks and mashed potatoes for dinner, then stopped at Tractor Supply to exchange a case of Cherry Cola for Rootbeer (bought Patti 2 cases of root beer last week, but one of the cases was Cherry cola by accident...YUCK!). Then home and walked Barnabas. And called it a day.
Tomorrow I'll shampoo the carpets and bring back the Bissell, wash the solar panels, take Patti shopping for road groceries, install the tow lights on the Jeep, load up the Jeep, and that is pretty much all we have planned for tomorrow.
Monday morning I'll run down to the post office and get a self addressed stamped envelope, then go to the office here and give it to them and ask them to please forward our Greendot card, which according to Greendot should be by the end of the month, to Patti's son's address. And pay them for the extra 2 days of camping. We are payed up through today, 10 bucks a day after that.
After that, its hook up the Jeep and lights and whatnot, then head down to the Flying J right before I-40 to fill the propane and top off the gas tanks.
Then we are off on vacation! First stop, Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri!
Kev
That's pretty cool, Frederic! Is the button down on the bowl where you can reach it just like you were smoking a pipe?
Once my coffee kicks in, its time to shampoo the carpets, wash the shampooer, wash the solar panels, then bring Patti with me when I drop off the unit at Lowes so we can stop at Walmart and pick up some road groceries tomorrow.
Then its back to camp to fill the freshwater tank while I hook up the tow lights to the Jeep and load up the rest of the stuff into the Jeep, all the while hoping that the predicted afternoon thunderstorms miss us.
Tomorrow morning its a quick run to the post office to pick up a flat rate envelope so we can self address it and leave it with the office here so they can forward my Greendot Mastercard to Patti's son's address, then we'll hook up the Jeep and hit the road!
And probably only get as far as the Flying J off of I-40 to fill up the propane, top off the fuel tank, and will more than likely stay the night in their parking lot before heading to Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri.
This topic is about to end, and a new topic will begin tomorrow: Summer Vacation 2013.
Kev
The Mark Twin National Forest is 1.5 million acres. Is there anyplace in particular that you are planning to bed down? Don't overlook the state parks. There are a lot of them on your route through Missouri.
Not sure Dan...plan on playing it by ear. Just drive along and enter one that says camping, and see if they have room for the rig...lol! I'll do a little more concentrated research on them tomorrow while we are sitting in the Flying J. And if we see a state park, that will work too as long as they can fit a 35 foot rig.
Got the Jeep all loaded up and the whole porch packed up, the solar panels are washed, the shampooer is returned, groceries are gotten and put away, the freshwater tank is filled through a new inline hose filter, the bicycles are loaded on the Jeep, and we are pretty much ready to leave first thing in the morning, after I get the envelope from the post office and leave it with the office.
Then its a short trip to the Flying J to fill the propane, and get a little more solid data on the National Forests.
Kev
Are you headed up I44 to St. Louis (Don't get there at rush hour!), or going some other route? If you're headed up I44 I would recommend Meramec Springs State Park or Onondaga Cave State Park. Lots of fun things to do at either one, however, the fees are $21 a night with electricity but seniors over 65 get a $2 discount. MO State Parks do not take Senior Pass cards. The national parks in Mark Twain National Forest don't have much in RV camping. Max length for most camps is 34ft. I was hoping I could find you a military campground near Fort Leonard Wood, but they are either way out of your way up near Lake Ozark, or don't accommodate RVs.
Good to know, Dan! We might check out one of the State Parks when we drive up that way, and unless the park rangers at the National Forests come out with a tape measure, we can always tell them our rig is 34 feet....close enough!
Well, the adventure begins today!
I'm about to take Barnabas out to do his business, go down to the post office to get that envelope, go to the office, unhook the RV, hook up the Jeep, then its off to the Flying J.
If I have an internet connection wherever we do stop for the day, I'll begin the new chapter.
Kev
Got the envelope to the office, hooked up the Jeep, unhooked the RV and started it and let it warm up, took Mr. Boo out to potty, and then we hit the road.
Drove around 125 miles and landed in an RV park in Sarcoxie, MO called Beagle Bay RV Haven, and decided to stay for a week.
So thus endeth the Oklahoma chapter and a new chapter begins. Look for our next chapter under the heading Summer Vacation, 2013!
Kev
Have a great time you two, you deserve it. Joan
Aww, no more "Winds whistling down the plains.." :(
Oh well, on to the new adventures...