Category Archives: Opinions

Dreams and Diane’s New Vacuum Cleaner

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Today started out nicely because I found a pair of work pants that has knees. Diane hides them so I’ll wear out the ones that don’t. This causes two irreversible problems … my knees always look dirty (but they really aren’t … honest) and whatever washcloth I use in the shower becomes permanently stained the color of whatever kind of dirt I was kneeling in. Red dirt is always the worst. As luck would have it, I should have used my kneeless pants because all I did was lay under the “new” motorhome and get rust in my eyes while loosening bolts on the rear gas tank brackets. I may explain this at a later date. To do this required that I lay on my back so I didn’t even get my pants dirty. They’re good for another couple of weeks, now.

Another plus today was Diane got up early and had coffee ready for me. She hadn’t, however, let the dogs out. Had she done that, I may have caught another hour or so of sleep.

The first thing Diane made me do was help make the bed after I’d ingested a couple cups of coffee. I don’t mind helping with chores because that’s something I normally do. In fact, I get in trouble all the time for taking over a task Diane is doing, that she wants to do, and she yells at me. Really loudly, too. Sometimes I’m afraid the neighbors will call the police for domestic abuse, or something. But they don’t so maybe it’s not as loud as I seem to think it is. As you may already know, my mind plays tricks on me like that.

This afternoon we received the new vacuum cleaner Diane ordered on eBay. Yes, it’s really new, too. Not like the old $10 Rainbow she’s been using for the past 3-4 years. No sir. This one is either brand spanking new, or it’s been cleaned really well and sprayed with something that smells like a new vacuum cleaner. It’s very quiet, compared to the old Rainbow. This afternoon, while lunch was cooking, we tried it out. That’s why we know it’s quiet. It’s also easy to use, so now I might not have to vacuum all the time. I will, however, volunteer if necessary.

It’s good the vacuum showed up because it’s been about 3 months since the Rainbow died. Things are getting a little dicey around here, but I didn’t notice. Diane told me that so I took a shower thinking that would solve the problem. Apparently that hasn’t been working well.

I took a picture of this butterfly in disguise that was rushing across Diane’s bedside rug before we vacuumed it. 

 

That is, of course an out and out lie. It wasn’t rushing at all. As a matter of fact, it wasn’t even moving. It just stood there looking at me, daring me to pick it up. Little did it know that I don’t pick up strange caterpillars in disguise. So, it was a pointless dare. When I was younger, maybe, but I’m not taking any chances this late in life with all those STDs flying around out there.

Oh yes. That’s not Diane’s bedside rug, either. It’s the one outside our back door that the dogs wipe their feet on before coming back into the house after running around in the soggy yard. I wish.

Now, let’s discuss something of great importance to me. I’ve been thinking about this for the last hour or so and it’s caused me to question even my reality. It’s about The Matrix, as in is it really our reality? I mean, are we all soaking in a tub of goo with tubes and wires stuffed into our arms and legs? I don’t know what caused this to leap into the viewable part of my brain, but it did. Perhaps it was another thought I had about how we all live in a time machine. Seriously. Close your eyes and think about that for a minute.

When you open them, write down all the places your mind just took you. If you don’t think it took you anywhere you must have distractions in your life. Try it in a quiet room. If that doesn’t work, you may need to go to Triple A and get some free maps to see what you’re missing.

When I close my eyes I can go anywhere I want. Mostly it’s places I’ve already been, doing things I’ve already done, but I get to pick the place when I’m awake. I don’t have a lot of control over where my mind takes me when I’m asleep but I do believe that when I’m dreaming, I’m really there. It’s so spooky that I’m always surprised when I don’t wet the bed.

OK … I didn’t mean to go there so things are going the wrong direction. I better quit.

Strictly Opinions

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Today I’m wondering why it is I’m compelled to write something on this blog every day. Part of it is the delusion that some who read this, expect me to do just that. I gotta tell you that bending to that ideal makes me feel like a pompous ass. I truly do not believe I have anything to say that would instill in anyone the the overpowering need to consult my blog entry.

It is my opinion that blogs are a way for people to share wisdom, their feelings, their skills, their experiences … all of the blogs I personally follow are very eloquent, full of very artistic word wizardry, and meaningful, touching views of every day life.

Nice stuff, all of it.

The only reason I can think of why anyone would read my blog on purpose – actually there are a couple of them.

One is that I use the right title that sucks unsuspecting readers to my site thinking they are going to be bedazzled with sage information about that title. Truth is, I normally make up the title first, then write gibberish about lots of other “stuff”. Not intentialy, though. I add the title first in order to give me a starting place. Typically, however,  where I start quickly morphs into something entirely different as I chase tangents in a schizophrenic dash through my head. I bounce from one thought to another in a manner that has no reason, but that doesn’t stop me. I’m not shy about revealing my shortcomings and that brings me to number Two.

I think people return to me because they want a smile. i know that’s true, in some cases, because that’s what I’ve been told. Well, one of them told me that. Also, I think they come back to find out what kind of trouble I’m in at the moment.

Complicating that is Diane’s objection to me using her as the enforcer in our long term relationship but, it’s a fact. How can I not report the truth? People need to know about this even though most of what I share has no basis in reality. It’s simply how my fingers perceive what my brain is trying to pass along. That’s a legitimate reason for spouting fiction. Most of the time I don’t pay any attention to what my fingers are doing. For example, as I type I’m listening to the weather report from Dave Salesky on Channel 2. He’s talking about snow and lots and lots of rain in Portland. It’s just a mild drizzle here.

The roofers returned today to address some complaints I had about the job. That brings to mind an old saying about how we never seem to have time to do things right the first time, but we always have time to come back and correct it. Why do you suppose that is? Seems to me it would be less expensive for a company to properly monitor their crews, in cases like ours, ensuring they follow the rules and simply do the job right. How hard is that? The problem is that everyone is too big of a hurry to move on to the next job, and the next, ad infinitum, piling up the dough so it can be paid to the cleanup crews that follow them around.

Gotta stop because I’m about to get on my band stand and spout something I may regret. No, that’s not true. I don’t really regret anything I spout. Nope. I’m perfectly comfortable with what my fingers tell everyone.

Cheers.

Golfing, the Ducks, and Rain …

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Summer is over in St. Helens, Oregon. I know that’s true because the weatherman said so and I believe pretty much everything he tells me. Actually, he told Diane, on the evening news, and she told me and I believe everything she tells me. Not believing her isn’t an option.

When the rain started our satellite dish took a brief hit, scrambling the pixels for a bit, but straightened up quickly so I could watch the end of the game where the Oregon Ducks dismantled the Arizona Sun Devils. The game started badly for the Ducks with a fumble which was recovered by the Sun Devils who scored on their first play from scrimmage.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Ducks scored then converted for an 8-7 lead. All of this took about 90 seconds off the play clock. For the remainder of the first half the Ducks punished the Sun Devils for that first fumble by scoring 43 unanswered points.

During the second half the Ducks backed off, playing pretty much everyone on the bench. Nick Aliotti wasn’t happy, I’m sure, because the Ducks remained at 43 but the Sun Devils 2nd string scored 14 more points. Final was 43-21. Ducks are awesome. Now the only unbeaten teams in the Pac-12 conference are the Ducks and the Beavers – both Oregon teams. How about that?

Now, about the rain … during the first 15 minutes the sky dropped about 3 inches of rain in the area. Not all in one place, but over a large area, and if it was squeezed together into a smaller area I’m sure it would be at least 3 inches. I’m really not sure how they measure rainfall. I think it has something to do with an empty tuna can.

Most of the day it was nice and clear. I even went golfing with the Peal Brothers this morning. I did my normal terrible, but it was fun because I hit some incredible drives. They were straight and everything. Just like they’re supposed to be. That’s about as good as it got because I apparently can’t hit anything that isn’t setting up on one of those little tee’s. I’m told it’s illegal to use those in the fairway.

After golfing badly, I came home to work on the Blue Bago, but Diane called and invited me to a Burgerville lunch with her Mother. I never turn down a Burgerville lunch. Today I had a Pepper Bacon Cheese Burger with lemon ade. That’s a change because I normally have a chocolate milkshake which isn’t good for my fake diabetes problem.

Now, don’t think that last statement means that I take diabetes lightly. It’s just that I’ve been told I’m borderline and until a specific determination has been made it’s not a real problem I can deal with. I have a hard time dealing with intangibles.

This afternoon, after lunch, I put on some old work clothes and went out to wash the top of the Blue Bago to see what it looks like. When I started it was pretty much black all over. After I scrubbed it with Dawn and water. Turns out one of the previous owners had painted the roof with pink snow roof. Without the dirt it looks mighty festive. Also, it looks great and is nicely sealed. I don’t think it’s leaked for a long time and don’t expect it to leak now. I guess we’re going to find out.

I washed the roof today because I knew it was going to rain tonight and I have work to do underneath the bago … like reconnect all of the gas lines and find out why the system doesn’t work. Being underneath, I won’t get rained on. See, I’m thinking ahead. I won’t get rained on, but my back will probably get wet from all the water running down the road. That’s OK as long as I figure it out.

Now I must rest.

My Blue Bago

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It’s not really just mine … it’s ours … mine and Diane’s. It’s a 1973 Winnebago D22 and this is what it looks like right now.

The blue Subaru behind it is the tow car but we can’t tow it yet because we don’t have a tow bar yet. So, it’s a chase car. I may have mentioned that before.

We bought this thing yesterday. It’s been sitting for a year behind a business in Hillsboro. I had high hopes of getting it home yesterday, but gas tank lashup I had didn’t work very well. Today Doug went with me to see what we could do with it. Everything worked just fine until the electric fuel pump froze up. We took it back to Baxter’s who refunded the purchase price because the one we bought yesterday was the only one he had. So, we went down the street a little further to Auto Zone and got another one, just like it.

To power it up Doug suggested we buy a cheap $1.99 extension cord instead of paying $6.00 for a comperable amount of wire. He cut both ends off, stripped the shielding and used both wires for the conduit. We found a hot wire peeking out of the dash that was only hot when the key was on so we were good to go after hooking up the pump to the carbuerator.

The engine started right away and ran exceedingly smooth. There are no discernable exhaust leaks. I drove it home without bolting down the engine cover in the cab so it was drafty, noisy and hot. For the fuel supply I placed a 5 gallon gas can just inside the door and just dropped the end of the fuel line in it after connecting it to the fuel pump.

Tomorrow, after golf, I’ll get a couple more pictures and post them so you can see what a traveling death trap I was driving this afternoon. I did have a fire extinguisher, but didn’t have to use it. The gas can went dry in Warren, about 4 miles from home. I really thought I could make it, but we had to pull over and make a gas run to St. Helens. Thankfully Doug was following me the entire way, keeping an eye on things for me. Without his help today that thing would still be sitting in Hillsboro. I asked him to marry me, because he’s such a good friend, but he reminded me that I’m already married. In response, I told him I was thinking of becoming a bisexual Mormon so I could have both a husband and a wife. He didn’t think it was a good idea, or that his wife would approve, so we avoided that issue the remainder of the day. It was a little awkward for a while after that.

Add to all the other things going on, I now have gout in the palm of my foot. Not really the palm, more towards the first knuckles of all my middle toes. This is going to help me with golf tomorrow because you’re supposed to put your weight on your heals when you swing the club. That will not be a problem.

 

Presidential Debates

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I didn’t get to watch the debates this evening because I was participating in our local Community Meals where Diane volunteers a lot of time. Not watching them wasn’t a big deal to me because the media provides enough analysis to ensure I understand their point of view and who they think won. What I think is totally meaningless to anyone but me.

The fact that the media showcases only two political parties is, in my opinion, stark raving mad proof that they are doing their best to force Americans to believe we only have Republicans and Democrats running for office. In fact, there are nearly 40 political parties in the USA, and 175 qualified individuals have filed to run for president in 2012. Like everything else in politics, qualifying is all about money … not much at the entry level, but it’s still about money.

  • The individual has received contributions aggregating in excess of $5,000 or made expenditures aggregating in excess of $5,000; or
  • The individual has given consent to another person to receive contributions or make expenditures on behalf of him or herself and that person has received contributions aggregating in excess of $5,000 or made expenditures aggregating in excess of $5,000 (11 CFR 100.3(a)).

So, those who qualify with the minimum contributions/expenditures are ushered into oblivion by those who either already have millions/billions of dollars, or are buddied up with those who do. Money wins. Just like the best movies are apparently, according to the media, the ones that gross the most money on opening day. It doesn’t really matter if it’s a good movie or not … if people buy into the hype and they’ll go to see if it’s all true. Many times, after they’ve already spent their fifty bucks, they discover it was waste of time. Unfortunately, they’ve already added to the monetary success of that film.

So it is with political candidates. Ever heard of these folks:

  • JONATHON THE IMPALER SHARKEY,
  • GEORGE WASHINGTON WILLIAMS,
  • PRESIDENT EMPEROR CAESAR,
  • RUTHERFORD BERT HAYES,
  • HRM. CAESAR ST AUGUSTINE DE BUONAPARTE

It would be interesting if you have because none of them are well known because they have a limited support base. Plus, they have some odd names that just don’t sound real, do they? But, they are all real candidates for president.

I’m not saying I support any of these folks. I’m just saying there are more than two parties to consider in this election. But, in the end, we’ll wind up with either a Republican or a Democrat running the country.

Then there’s the electoral college. What’s that all about other than a way for each state to sidestep the popular vote, if they choose, and there’s nothing we can do about it. How about that? Why bother? Let’s just let the electoral college call the shots from the start and save all that money that’s spent on paper to print ballots that, for most of the western states, are meaningless.

We’re told to vote if we want change. OK, I vote, but the changes I see aren’t in line with the ones I’d like to see. I won’t go there, but I’m betting that the majority of folks feel the same way.

In my opinion, banks and big business control our destiny and voting for one candidate or the other won’t change it. That’s because, in my opinion, banks and big business pick the candidates.

So, if you were me, who would you vote for? Romney, who epitomizes big business, or Obama, who effectively didn’t exist until 6 years ago? Or, perhaps, “None of The Above”. I don’t think that’s a choice, but it should be.

There, I’ve said it. Doing so takes me way out of my comfort zone because I normally spout fiction, or just make stuff up. So, enjoy this moment, if you must. Tell me how wrong I am, if you wish. I won’t listen because I’m with the majority … I criticize without sharing my opinion of an alternate solution which, therefore, means I’m part of the problem. Since I don’t have a zillion bucks to get in the running, I’ll just fantasize about what I’d do if I were president. It would probably be just like it is here at home – I do whatever Diane says which means, although she didn’t run, she’s in charge.

Just like big business and bankers.

 

Naps in Nampa

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Today was a blur of naps. Jim slept fitfully, repeatedly, in his TV chair and Diane just up and went to bed for most of the afternoon.

Me? I napped a bit in a chair, a little bit more on the couch, after Diane went to bed, and made a sincere attempt nap standing up, a skill I once had. None of them were fitful, as were Jim’s.

Donna didn’t nap at all. She went out in the morning to get her hair done because the injury to her left arm, caused when Jim placed sodas in the wrong place on the garage floor, makes it difficult for her to wash and comb her hair. The rumor is that Jim broke her arm. In truth, it was a broom. That’s all I can say because of the pending law suit.

For lunch we ate some beans that are only sold in Colorado and smuggled into Idaho for discerning residents. They are the kind that don’t have to be soaked for a couple of days before cooking – they can be cooked right away. I believe the kitchen blind was lowered the entire time they were cooking to avoid any problems with neighbors who are totally against bean smuggling.

The beans were very, very good, and they came with corn bread muffins. Jim was unhappy with them because he had difficulty getting all the muffin off the paper. Later in the day, when Maryssa showed up, she was able to peal them just fine. Steffani arrived shortly after Maryssa, interrupting all the napping going on. Steffani didn’t get a muffin because Maryssa ate all of those remaining, smothered in honey.  I did not notice any problem pealing mine. Also, at my urging, Jim chopped up some onion for the beans and it was the crowning touch.

It was after the beans that Diane went to the bedroom for her nap. In her defense, she got up with a headache, and a nap was just what she needed. I had a bit of a headache, too, and we agreed that it’s probably because the weather is changing. Tomorrow will probably be out last day of sunshine until next April because the rain is coming. That’s good because that will translate into snow for the mountains which are painfully bare at this time.

Maryssa left for softball practice, in Boise, at 5:30pm with a end time at 7:00pm. That was critical to know because in lieu of supper we all decided go to a ‘U Swirl’ yogurt joint when Maryssa was done. She predicted 7:30pm but didn’t call until almost 8:00pm. We were starving.

U Swirl is a custom frozen yogurt place like non other. It has 18 different flavors, 40-50 kinds of topping, and a little bin of waffle cone remnants that might have been reclaimed from the floor from dropped cones. I know for sure that they shatter when dropped more than 3 feet. All of this for 39 cents a pound. For the seven of us it cost $30 to fill our little buckets. I had 3 different flavors, Maryssa had 8. I made the mistake of putting hot fudge on mine knowing it was going to hurt my head. I didn’t care. It just tastes so good. An added benefit, in addition to the headache, is a stomach ache. Nice. Add that to my hip ache, the ringing in my ears, dry eyes, puffy left foot, and other stuff, I’m just a mess. I’ll probably come up with diarrhea tonight.

Hopefully I’ll wake up.

 

Hill Air Force Base

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Today Diane drove a marathon from Kanab to Hill AFB near Ogden. It was about a 380 mile stint part of which was documented in my previous entry titled ‘Escape From Kanab‘. That was done on my iPad, on the fly, and the connection was tenuous so it failed to upload. I just discovered that and added it. So, this is my third entry for the day and I’m going to make it a short one.

After getting our coffee in Cedar City things mellowed out nicely. Diane was happy, I was happy, and it just got better when the speed limit went to 80 mph. Diane let out a little shriek of happiness that startled me, just before she pumped the cruise control up to match the sign.

At this point it’s important that you know Utah drivers are about the worst we’ve ever encountered. Anywhere. Considering all the traveling we’ve done over the years, I think we’re qualified to pass judgement. Okay, maybe not pass judgement. How about  criticize and share opinions? That’s better. It’s probably not a good idea to pass judgement on anyone in Utah since there is a concentration of Mormons in the area and we’re not entirely sure what kind of punishment they would impose for that kind of infraction. So, it’s just opinions, based on personal observation during the many times we’ve been in Utah. In general, most of them are pretty good, but those who are bad, in my opinion, are terrible and dangerous. It’s evident the bad drivers have attitudes. Bad ones. Consequently, they take a lot of chances. At 80 mph what they do, in my opinion, is pretty much insane. In my opinion.

In spite of it all, we managed to make it safely to Hill AFB, our goal for the day. I called first thing this morning to make a reservation at their on base lodging. The room(s) we were given are absolutely incredible. It’s a two room suite which allowed Diane to watch Dancing With The Stars in the bedroom while I watched recaps of all the Pac-12 games on ESPN in the living room. It’s also got free wi-fi which we are taking full advantage of by connecting five devices. We couldn’t use them right away, however, because they all needed charging. While that was going on we walked over to Burger King (yes, it’s on base), then on to the base Exchange for a look see at what they might have that other Exchanges don’t. It’s evident, after close scrutiny, that all base Exchanges, for all bases, Navy and Air Force, use the shame shopping list to stock their shelves. And, the prices are pretty much the same at all of them.

The walk we took to visit Burger King and the Exchange covered about 2 miles by my estimation. It was a long ways. But, the air was clear and comfortable, and we needed the walk. Walking was also a deterrent for buying things we didn’t need which is always a danger when we drive. We’ll just drop by there tomorrow morning on our way to Nampa and pick up some things we need.

Siri

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I was really happy when the iPhone 5 was released because that meant I could upgrade my old 3GS to a 4S for a fairly reasonable price. I did that right away and discovered that the 4S does pretty much everything the new 5 does, including that feisty little Siri girl.

When I first heard about Siri I thought she’d be East Indian and was a little bummed to learn she doesn’t have an accent of any kind that I can detect. I suppose thinking she would be East Indian was a bit of stereotyping on my part, and I’m sorry if that offends anyone. If it did you have permission to stop reading right here to ensure you are not offended further. It’s not that I intend to do that intentionally, but I really don’t have a lot of control over my filters and don’t know what’s going to pop out of my fingers at any given moment. And, since I do not edit anything I write, once it’s out, it stays.

Sorry for that little diversion, but I had to clarify.

Back to Siri …

I find her to be delightful and ask her to take me everywhere, and answer all my questions. Sometimes she doesn’t take me exactly where I want to go, and sometimes she doesn’t always give me correct answers … I know this is true because I test her by asking questions for which I already know the answer, and places to which I’ve been.

In an effort to educate her I’m compelled to point out these incorrect responses. Generally these attempts result in a dialogue that my wife deems to be argumentative and, sometimes, rude. The rude, of course, is always me. I know this is true because my wife has told me on many occasions to “don’t talk to her like that!” Any attempts to point out that I’m simply talking to an electronic voice fall on deaf ears and, ultimately, wind up with me apologizing to Siri.

Siri is always nice, and I still think she’s dumb about many things, but I’m learning to attenuate my responses and requests, leaving out those kind of references about my personal beliefs about her abilities.

Don’t get me wrong because I really like Siri. We have fun together. I learn stuff. I do know, however, that some of you out there think “Siri sucks!”, and that’s a direct quote. I won’t tell you who told me that, but her initials are Kathie. I do not know why she thinks that because she didn’t clarify and I didn’t ask. I was too shocked to ask because the thought of “sucks” escaping those pouty little lips was more than I could bear and I did not want to know more. So I let it lie. I may never know the reason, and that’s OK.

As for me, I’ll continue to use Siri. I enjoy the senseless discussions we have and actually find her to be quite useful. I suspect we’re going to be BFF’s for a very long time or at least until I can no longer hold my finger still long enough to push her proper buttons, or to speak clearly into her tiny little ear.

Day 6 – San Diego

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Today was pretty routine. Some might say it was boring, even. But me? Boring or not, I cherish every day that I wake up on the green side of the grass. Know what I mean?

We got up late. Too late for our continental breakfast, again. We’ve been here two days and missed both time. Tomorrow, being a weekend, it will be open until 10 am, an hour later, so we might be able to make it down before it closes. I’m sure they serve delicious, very hearty fare. The most important part, however, is the coffee. Ummmmmm.

Our beautiful daughter, Jennifer, gets migraine headaches whenever she smells chocolate, of coffee. That is just so unfair. Two of the most important food groups, and she cannot partake of them. Makes me wonder what I ever did so wrong to inflict such a terrible thing on her.

I suffer from migraines, too, but love walking down the coffee aisle in any grocery store. It’s such a wonderful aroma that I fear I’ll embarrass Diane and start drooling or something. I know, she’s used to the drooling, but the smell of coffee makes it way worse. That’s about all I ever consume for breakfast … coffee. I eat bananas, too, and douse my coffee with hazlenut creamer, so it’s not just coffee. But it’s mostly coffee.

For 27 years I roamed the passageways of naval ships, and various shore facilities, clutching a crusty coffee cup in my hand, filling it every time I passed a coffee pot. I only drank it black, and I drank it right up until taps, or lights out at 10pm. Sometimes later than that. It never bothered me. The more bitter, the better. It wasn’t about the taste back then, it was just a need to carry around a coffee cup and an empty coffee cup isn’t normal. That cup never got washed, either. That was a rule because it supposedly ruined the flavor. I never believed that, of course, because, as I said previously, it wasn’t about the flavor. It’s a wonder I didn’t catch something really, really bad. Maybe I did and it just hasn’t manifested, yet. Maybe I’ll wake up and have it tomorrow because it lays dormant for 25 years before it strikes.

What ruined me and Diane for coffee was the first pleasure cruise we ever took. Cruise ship coffee is really strong, and tasty. We loved it so much that we promptly tossed out the Folgers when we got home, bought a coffee grinder, and enrolled in the Gavalia coffee of the week program. For a nominal fee they send us boxes filled with little bags of whole bean coffee from various parts of the world. All of them are good. I’d be perfectly happy with just one kind, all the time, since I now use creamer, all the time, but the variety is great for Diane. All she uses is sugar. I mistakenly took a sip of hers once and about gagged, then acquired a taste for it. I drank it that way for years. Then I went to Starbucks. It was the thing to do every Thursday morning toward the end of my civilian career. Instead of plain old coffee at an exorbitant price, I decided to have a Venti White Chocolate Mocha, no whip at an even MORE exorbitant price. I was hooked. Simply sugared coffee left me wanting. I needed more. I needed something that I could roll around in my mouth and feel the creamy substance absorb into my tongue, and the inner walls of my cheeks. Just like the VWCMNW.

After sampling a lot of different creamer flavors, I settled on hazelnut. I’m so stuck on that stuff that I just can’t drink coffee without it any more. We travel with it, even. It’s an addiction, I think. Not a terribly bad on, but an addiction, just the same.

I’m sorry … I didn’t mean to turn this into a confessionalistic episode, but there you have it. It’s done and there’s no turning back. Maybe I should add a picture. Haven’t taken many, and don’t have an recent ones, so I’ll just give you one of Breezie having a cat nap and call this good.

 

Day 4 – Naval Base San Diego, California

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It’s 1047 and we’re about eleventy-two miles into our final leg.

We both slept better last night, mainly because I remained more vertical than horizontal which help me not snore so much. Diane likes that part.

We both woke up before 0730 this morning, and slowly worked up to beginning this last day on the road. The to our room shut behind us at 0910, and we had everything loaded and rolling out of the parking lot by 0915. Then there was the requisite stop at the base gas station for a refill. We stopped there yesterday but non of the pumps were working, so we went to the exchange and commissary instead. This time they worked just fine and I was able to coax a tank of $4.09 a gallon gas into our tank. I think it took a little over 19 gallons. From there we went back to the Starbucks, which is part of the Exchange complex, for our morning brew. Diane’s is caramel machiatto, mine is white chocolate mocha. The biggest they have. While I was getting our drinks, Diane bought me a T-shirt. She wasn’t pleased with the ones I brought because they all have neckties printed on them.

On the way out the main gate I took pictures of the airplanes on display to share with you.

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Apprehension builds as we travel south, knowing we must enter Los Angeles early this afternoon. The only upside is it’s mid day, not during rush hour. Still, we know it’s going to be a slow, arduous, dangerous transit from the Grapevine through the city. It will be exciting, but we will make it okay.

I’ve been playing with my phone to see how siri works. Pretty soon she’ll have me trained so ask questions in the proper manner so whe won’t have to quiz me. It’s a pretty handy feature. My iPad even has it. How cool is that. And, just a bit ago, Diane had me use her phone to call her Mom, Jean, to see how things are going today. That’s a morning regular, once we get on the road … call Mom … just for fun, I tried to invoke siri on Diane’s phone, but she’s only got an iPhone 4, not a 4S like mine, so she doesn’t have siri. She does, however, have Voice Control, that pops up when you hold down the conrtrol button long enough, and I just told it to “dial Jean”. After a short pause she asked me which one, as there are a few Jean’s in the contacts list. I clarified, and she dialed Mom right up. Jean, by the way, is still doing okay, for which we’re thankful.

It’s 1309 – do you know where your children are?

We just crested the summit of Tejon Pass at the top of the Grapevine leading into LA. It’s 4144 feet high. I know that for sure because there was a sign. It was the same sign we’ve seen on the dozen or so times we’ve climbed that hill. Apparently it hasn’t sunk any.

About an hour ago, we took a small detour, allowing siri to lead us into Bakersfield for lunch at the closest iHop restaurant it could find. It was a really good choice,, getting away from the freeway for food. Cheaper, too, although it cost us a little extra time. We both had their Two x Two x Two … that’s 2 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, and two pancakes. Diane got her eggs and bacon cooked twice, just the way she likes it, and mine were both over easy. I put my eggs between my pancackes so the yolks wouldn’t run all over my plate. Tasty.

The road at the top of the Grapevine is terrible … lumpy bumpy holey. Caused, no doubt, by the billions of trucks that drive transit the area every 2-3 days. We’ve seen at least a million and a half. There is construction going on with signs it will be finished in 2015. So, it’s improving, and appears to be finished on the southern side, both directions. Four lanes of new asphalt allowing everyone, except us, to go 100 mph, or more.

It’ 1330 and LA is 50 miles away. We’re almost to the final downhill side because trucks are pulling into the brake check area. Every time we come this direction I tell Diane the story of my trip down this hill in my 1964 el Camino in 1966. I was just cruising along, keeping up with traffic, when I crested the hill. Going around the first corner I look ahead to see brake lights about 1/4 mile ahead, so touched the brakes and not a lot happened. So I pushed harder, and felt a bit of slowing, but not enough. I started down shifting my 4-speed to help slow down, but the vehicles ahead were gaining on me with frightening speed. Finally, I just shifted to neutral and locked up all the wheels, pushing on the brake as hard as I could. I put flat spots on all four of those tires before the car came to a stop about 5 feet from the car in front of me. It was a miracle that the car slid straight for about 300 feet, never leaving my lane. The end result was that it appeared I did exactly what I had planned to do all along … scare the crap out of everyone around me without causing any damage. Pretty amazing.

******* M U C H ***** L A T E R *******

We made it to the Navy Lodge in San Diego shortly before 5pm, and, Diane drove the entire way. I offered to help, numerous times, but she always declined stating she was just fine. Now it’s a quarter to 10pm, we’ve eaten supper, and are learning how to hunt down killers from a TV program. It’s one we watch a lot, but for the life of me I cannot remember the name. Not really surprising. I just asked Diane and learned it’s “Criminal Minds”. Duh! That’s just added proof that I can’t get along in this world without Diane.