Happy Woofy New Year!

Saturday, December 31, 2011

From a dog’s diary:

December 31, 2011

8:00 am – Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am – A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am – A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am – Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm – Milk bones! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm – Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm – Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm – Dinner! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm – Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm – Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm – Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

From a cat’s diary:

Day 467 of my captivity
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

Day 542 of my captivity
The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomited on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates my capabilities. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a “good little hunter” I am. Morons!

Day 629 of my captivity
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs.

Day 758 of my captivity
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of “allergies.” I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Day 814 of my captivity
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released, and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded. The bird must be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sniffing and lickingly yours,
Sadie


Happy New Year to all our friends....

From our house to yours ~


New Year's eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights.
~ Hamilton Wright Mabie ~

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna and Stu

The rest of Vegas....

Monday, December 26, 2011

I've been sick since we got back from Vegas, started to feel better in time for Christmas and then managed to face plant into a sidewalk today. LOL! Figured I'd better get folks caught up to date before I forget everything....[giggle].

So, here are the Las Vegas highlights with a few photos. You can see the rest of the pics in our SmugMug album.

Sunday (arrival): We got in early enough to do some sightseeing after managing to snag an early room check-in. We had a really nice view and I snapped a couple of shots. [Oh, before I forget, ALL photos while in Vegas were taken with my phone so forgive the quality!] We checked out the hotel, Planet Hollywood, then headed outside. The weather was nippy but sunny...but I don't think Stu noticed after we found the show girls.


Here are a few shots taken around town as we enjoyed our first afternoon...


Monday: We slept in a bit, ate breakfast at the Earl of Sandwich on the casino level of the hotel and people watched for a couple of hours. We had planned to go to Fremont Street later in the day to see the lights so we finally ventured out to purchase 3 day bus tickets ($20 each) and headed that way. We weren't disappointed.The overhead light show highlighted Christmas and Stu snapped a video sequence (we just don't know why it didn't capture the audio).


Tuesday: Free Wi-Fi in both Starbucks and Earl of Sandwich, along with free coffee refills at the latter helped us through the morning. Once it warmed up a bit, we ventured out again and perused some of the hotels and casinos. I really like the Paris and Venetian, both give you a sense of being indoors while in the shopping areas.

We stopped for ice cream at Ben and Jerry's in the Paris shopping area and got to experience an indoors rainstorm. What a production...what a treat! Then we wandered into the Wynn and loved their holiday decoration. Flowers, upon flowers, upon flowers...breathtaking! After dinner we headed to The Flamingo for the show, "Battle of the Dance", which had just opened. We had good seats and really enjoyed ourselves.


Wednesday: The show we had booked for today was at 9 pm and at The Four Queens on Fremont Street so we decided to do some sightseeing. We visited The Gold/Silver Pawn Shop (of TV fame). Seems like things have gotten REALLY pricey in there and lots more gift shop stuff. We caught a glimpse of Corey (Big Hoss) in the back but no one else. We then went next door to another little collectible/antique/trash shop and browsed a bit.


On the bus it was a hop, skip and a jump to The Stratosphere where we really enjoyed a leisurely, delicious lunch. There are several "rides" there and Stu shot a little video of one of them as they passed our window. For those that don't know, the restaurant at the top of the tower is a rotating one so we really enjoyed our views.


Outside we noticed two helicopters running around, looking military with guys holding guns sitting on the runners....then they closed in one of the hotels and we heard gunfire. This was repeated several times so we suspect they were filming a movie. It was fun to watch! Stu tried to shoot a little video.


The show was La Cage which has been around for years. We really enjoyed ourselves, laughing a lot and being surprised at how good some of the performers really were. Afterwards we stopped back at Chicago Brewing Company, where we had dinner, and picked up an empty growler and pint glass for our collection.


Thursday: Home again, home again! While never fun to head back into the Eastern timezone from Pacific, , Stu was smart enough to NOT book an early flight. As it was, we took off late from Las Vegas but our connection was even later so we had time to grab an airport hot dog. We picked up Freddie (the Freightliner) from the hotel and headed the 30 or so miles home. We spotted a Denny's and made a late (very late) dinner stop).

I woke in the middle of the night with a very sore throat and it went downhill from there. We pretty much vegged until Christmas, other than Stu running errands here and there. He did get all his scuba gear ordered and he still plans to write an blog about that (as well as his new trike).

The next week was quiet other than managing to spend a fantastic four hour lunch with our good friends, Nick and Terry Russell. We haven't seen them in over a year and it's been way too long. We hope to catch up at least once more before they head to Arizona.

Christmas was quiet and uneventful, at least I was finally starting to feel better. We watched two favorites, "A Christmas Story" and "Home Alone" while we ate turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, mac 'n cheese and asparagus. Fine dining for us....LOL!

Today we headed out to Wal-Mart for some last minute items, then to Mickey D's for coffee and while Stu finished up, I headed next door to Walgreen's (nothing special, just wanted to browse). Well, I should have gotten another cup of coffee...instead I managed to catch my foot on nothing, trip and take a header into the sidewalk. Now home with ice on right knee, chest and eyebrow. Scratched my brand new glasses....not a happer camper. No heavy walking or riding (bicycle or motorcycle) for a couple of days. Sigh....

I know other stuff has happened but guess it wasn't all that important since I can't remember any of it. LOL! Will try to blog more often now that I'm couch-bound, but I'm also playing around with a long forgotten romance novel that I outlined over 10 years ago as well as letting some mystery ideas germinate. Yup, Nick gave me the writing bug...bit once again.

I've been a published writer but it was over ten years ago and was 99% non-fiction. Now it's time to dip my toes in the fiction water and see how it feels. Wish me luck...remember back when I said I needed a hobby? Now I have TWO!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna and Stu

Merry Christmas!

Sunday, December 25, 2011

From our house to yours....

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna and Stu

Camping.....

Friday, December 16, 2011

As you all know, we don't "camp"....we RV....in a trailer....not in a camping tent.  There is no way we can really consider ourselves campers. Not with a 41' toy hauler fifth wheel that is towed by a Freightliner and has a queen bed, washer/dryer, electric fireplace, two good sized TVs, dishwasher, kitchen peninsula, ceiling fan and 10' garage (or man cave as Stu calls it).

Many RVers started out as campers in their younger years. I know Stu did and worked his way up to a pop-up, then a bumper pull trailer and on to fifth wheels. Me? I remember tent camping in the backyard as a kid...with the neighbor kids. Other than that, my first camping trip was around age 40. It rained the entire weekend...until we packed up to go home. Of course since we had a power outlet, I could use my little portable TV and electric fan. There are those that would say that wasn't camping either. LOL!

We still plan to ride all of Route 66 on our motorcycles but the trip is now delayed until 2013. We have all our camping gear, including our tent for camping....big enough for both of us, our gear and a spot for Sadie. We keep saying we need to test it out and maybe next summer while we are in TN we will finally give it a try. We really have a lot of gear to test, too. LOL!

So, wondering how many readers have actually camped in a tent....or even still do from time to time? Hmmm....

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna and Stu

What a trip....Las Vegas

Well, we made it back from Las Vegas...a little late, a lot tired and while not richer, we did break even! I'm not a gambler and Stu spends maybe $20 a day. He had thrown $5 in a Wheel of Fortune machine, was on his third pull ($1) when THIS popped up.

Needless to say, he quit while he was ahead...and we ended up covering the entire vacation!

We stayed at Planet Hollywood and enjoyed ourselves. While not sumptuous, the room was large and comfortable. We had two queen beds, a big screen TV and both a large soaking tub and a good sized shower. The only things lacking were a microwave and mini-frig...guess they want you out of the room and spending money. Restaurants were probably one of our biggest expenses.

Lots more to post but need to download photos first. Will add another update either later tonight or tomorrow. Just wanted to let everyone know that we made it home okay.

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna and Stu

Two weeks? No way....LOL!

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Yup, it's been two weeks since the last blog. I hope there are still a few out there reading, just been busy. We did make it down from TN to FL with a stop in GA to have dinner with my youngest daughter and her family. Always good to get in some unexpected family time.

When we arrived, the site the park had selected for us wasn't optimal but a good one was opening up the following day. We parked in their overflow area where we had power and water...and great satellite reception. The next morning we moved into our current spot and got settled.

We had a couple of days to get organized and then Stu took off for his PADI scuba certification class. He has promised to write a blog about it so I won't steal his thunder...



Other than that it's been chores, rest/relax, more chores...etc, etc, etc. Today we are taking Sadie to Preppy Pets for doggy camp while we head to Las Vegas for a few days. We had to use up some reward points...they got us two tickets to Vegas. Then we found a great special at Planet Hollywood....a 500 sf suite for under $50 a night (except a bit higher on Sunday). Then we booked two half price shows in advance. Sunday night we'll do whatever, Monday night is the first show, Tuesday night we plan to do Fremont St and Wednesday night is the other show. Then we head back on Thursday. A short trip but a nice break...well, other than the weather running 20 degrees colder than here in Florida. LOL!

Not even taking a camera....if something turns up we'll snap pics on our phones. We both have HTC Incredibles now...Stu has the original (ebay-used) and I have the 2 (Verizon-new). Both our phones died....I liked into an early upgrade and we then found a good deal on the used phone for Stu.

So nothing much to write about...up to Stu to talk about his new trike and his scuba class. LOL!

Back in a week or so...

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna and Stu

Almost moving time!

Monday, November 28, 2011

The days have flown by, filled with chores, errands, lunches with friends, more chores, more errands...LOL! Yup, pretty much like living in a house and being retired.

Stu finally managed to finish the last of the damage to the wires and cables...he had to create his own cables. I can now run the microwave and the coffeemaker at the same time. The propane line is fixed and leak-free.

Of course, you fix something and you just KNOW something is going to break. While running our A/C unit heat pump, I suddenly smelled something strange. Well, long story short, we think one of the capacitors broke....again. We've replaced them in two of the three A/C units and the symptom was the same. Strange smell and then it doesn't heat or cool. We'll get that fixed when we get to Florida. Thank goodness for our propane furnace. Sadie prefers that anyway, she loves to lay over one of the heat vents when it's running.

When I mentioned looking into Zenni Optical in an earlier blog, someone mentioned a special at Sears. So I went online looking for the coupon. Sure enough, $199 for no-line glasses!! I checked out locations and found out the the Sears in Cookeville had an optical center. So we headed off, haircut first, then Sears for glasses. I've been wearing a similar style for quite a few years and wanted something a little more current. After several tries, we settled on these...they'll be sent to the Sears store in Brookville, FL and should be there next week.



Our other exciting news is Stu trading in his 2009 Tri-Glide for a 2012 Tri-Glide. We picked it up on Friday and after finishing the electrical work on the rig, Stu spent the rest of the weekend putting on new accessories. He's not done yet...one of the items doesn't fit this model. We'll exchange it tomorrow when we pick up the last couple of items that were ordered.

Here is the photo from Harley-Davidson...



Here is the photo at pickup on Friday...


We'll take one in the sun once we get to Florida. The colors are so classy and the red really pops. So far it's my favorite color out of all three Big Red trikes. Oh, be sure to visit Sadie's blog...she has a picture of her HELPING Stu. LOL!

Today Stu will finish up on the bike, clean up the garage and if there is a break in the rain, load up both motorcycles (his needs to be repositioned...and it has to be out in order to load mine). Then load the BRAT Rack and BRAT2 on the back, finishing up the biggest outside chores. We'll also take a big load of stuff (already in the truck) over to our storage unit.

Tomorrow will be a Cookeville day....Sam's Club & Wal-Mart for groceries, Petco for some Sadie stuff, Harley to pick up/exchange parts for the new bike, Kohl's so I can look for some sheets (and use my $30 worth of Kohl's cash that I got when I bought a Keurig B60 coffeemaker during Black Friday dealings), and finally a movie...no idea what one.

Oh, last item....Stu got his Kindle Fire and I got my Kindle Touch. He is really enjoying the Fire, the only thing he dislikes is the lack of customization to the home page. At least he hasn't found a way to change it. There is a carousel that lists all the books in your Amazon archive and all your apps, a bookshelf that shows the most recently visited items and at the bottom of the page is the most used item...a favorites bookshelf. He enjoys playing Angry Birds as well as Free Cell and a few other card games.

My Kindle Touch definitely took some getting used to. Over the last year+ I have "bought" over 800 books, most of them FREE at the time of purchase. On my old Kindle, I had only unread books downloaded and as I bought books, they automatically downloaded. That meant my archived books were books I had already read. Then along comes the new Kindle and I have to re-download my entire archive, move them into categories (collections folders) one by one and archive back the ones I've already read. Cumbersome to say the least, but using collections folders is the ONLY way to cleanly organize a large number of books. I haven't found a "go to page" when displaying books any other way. So, all in all, we are both pleased with our Kindles and are on the downhill side of the learning curve.

Wednesday we hope to be on the road by 9 am...a bit of a chore for us, but we hope to stop in Atlanta and have lunch with my youngest daughter. The weather has been mostly rainy the last few days...with highs dipping into the 40's tomorrow. Definitely time to move south...

Probably won't blog till Friday or Saturday...from Bee's RV Resort in Clermont, FL, where we will be till the end of February. We were there last year and really liked the place. Stu will be leaving on Sunday to spend three nights over in the Deland area, taking a scuba certification class. He let his expire a while back and has been regretting it every time we go on a cruise or visit Cabo/Cancun. Florida has a lot of companies that offer the certification classes and he found one he liked.

Okay, off to work on today's chores....

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna and Stu

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