A month away....

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Finally, we are going to do it! Ride all, well as much as we can, of Route 66. We plan to leave around September first and MUST be home by November first. I'm really hoping we can keep the trip leisurely and make it home around mid-October but time will tell.

Stu went on a three week trip, parts of it with friends, and did some camping to test out our gear. He plans to write a post in here about what worked, what didn't and what he plans to change. One change from our original plans is bringing Sadie, our pup. We're not, for several reasons. She will be staying with our neighbors and their dogs - she spends every day with them now, her pack is both families and all the dogs. LOL!

He is also responsible for all the route planning. We will head to Chicago from our home base in Jamestown, TN. We will take our time, sight-see anything that piques our interest, even some things that might be slightly off our route.

When we're done, we'll be in Santa Monica, CA. From there we'll take the Pacific Coast Highway and head north to visit Yosemite National Park, the only major NP on our bucket list. I've never seen it and Stu saw it when he was a kid.

After that we will meander back to TN via a weather-dictated route. We do hope to see some friends along the way but won't be able to spend more than an overnight or possibly even just a meal.

Keep watching! Time is getting close....

Quirky is as Quirky does?

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Anyone that knows me, knows I love quirky. Some even consider ME quirky. That's okay with me. One thing I have is an affinity for skulls. My favorite is anything from the Day of the Dead or Día de Muertos.

Etsy is one of my favorite hunting grounds, finding such sweet items as these.
Earrings
Tile
Necklace
Today I was browsing my Amazon home page and found these neat items. Just had to share. [giggle] I really love the last shot glass...I might just have to indulge...
      
Click on any image for more information.

Okay, now it's your turn? What's YOUR quirk?

No, we're not missing, I've just been remiss!

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Really, I am sorry. I've been remiss in updating our blog. It's been a little hectic here in Tennessee, first we had to prep for our trip to Chattanooga. If you remember, we had a tire blow-out before we went to Ecuador. We left the rig for repairs and came back to nothing being done. Our wonderful agent, Chris Yust, facilitated the parts being sent to Camping World in Chattanooga.

So last Sunday we headed in that direction but not without a last minute change in plans. Sadie was going to stay with our neighbor but a coyote attack on one of their dogs took all their attention and they had to decline. So on Sunday Sadie and I headed to Cookeville in the pickup where she spent the week in doggy camp. Stu headed directly to Camping World and we got there within 15 minutes of each other, even after I made a grocery stop.

Monday morning they brought our rig in and by that night the body work was DONE. The company in Maryland told us they'd need it a week. Yeah, right. Tuesday they tackled the two warranty issues - a leaking ice maker and a non-heating dryer. By Wednesday night both repairs were authorized by our extended warranty company, parts ordered, arrived and installed. WOOT! We can't say enough about the professionalism of the folks there - support staff, service staff and even sales.

Of course, like everyone else, we couldn't resist looking at rigs. With our impending move to Ecuador for five years, we were thinking about downsizing in advance. We did find a nice Winnebago that we really liked but we couldn't come to an agreement. The salesman worked up numbers we could live with but his superiors didn't want to take the truck in trade. Know anyone looking for a nice toy hauler setup? Send 'em our way!

We took time while we were in Chattanooga to catch a couple of movies - same day, double header. The first was Despicable Me 2 which was great. The second was Pacific Rim. It was fantastic. Someone had mentioned that it was better than Transformers and we both agreed.

Stu has spent his spare time last week and since our return, working on odds and ends around the rig. Those little nagging chores and fix-it items that seem to accumulate. Me? I'm busy writing...about half way through the first draft of "Barely a Spark". Ten more days, 3000 words a day to make it by the end of the month. Can I do it? Sure hope so...then 3 weeks to tackle the second draft, edits and proofreading so I can get it published before we leave on Route 66 around the first of September.

Two side items of interest. The first is the sale of certified, refurbished Kindles and Kindle Fires (both sizes) at Amazon. They all come with a one year warranty.  Plus, you can still pick up a Kindle Touch with twice to storage space of the Kindle Paperwhite.

See your choices and check the prices HERE. {Good article to help your make your choice: 3G and WiFi and Kindles}

The second is for all those who have purchased my ebooks. Now I can autograph them for you, well, sort of. You can learn more HERE.