Training Underway...

We have had two days of training so far in Whippany, NJ at the Mini U location here. Boomer made friends with Duke and Lobo right off the bat. They are the black labs of Peggy and Roger, the managers who are training us. We are having a great time and couldn't ask for better training. Very thorough....great personalities and fun to be around. We are loving it ! I find the reports to be very similar to ones I worked with at Penn College and the end of day reconciliation comes very easily to both Linda and I since we've dealt with end of day balancing before at other jobs. It was super easy to get "into" our site as we just pulled down along the fence and set up there...directly across from where the electrical room and the 50 amp receptacle is. Our cord wasn't long enough and the only bad thing, our first night here, was that we had to drive to Lakewood to the Camping World to buy a 50 amp extension cord. But now we have it and should be OK at any future sites and we'll get reimbursed for it from Mini U. There is alot to learn but the more we do the work the more it gels in our heads. Tomorrow we learn more about renting the one truck that we have at this location. Our training next week, in Virginia, will be on Penske trucks and one way and local rentals and what is involved with renting them. All of the customers are super nice...you can tell that Peggy and Roger have a great relationship with their customers. I have been working in the office with Linda, to learn that side of things. On Friday I will work with Roger on the outside stuff....maintenance issues and building systems like sprinklers, elevators, etc. The day flies right by and before you know it, it's time to go home for the night.

On Monday when we were getting ready to leave Linda's brothers house, we noticed that we had a leak under the rig. It appears to be something to do with the black water tank, as it is not holding any liquids. There wasn't hardly anything in the tank since we just dumped it on Saturday morning. After doing some research and talking to the Excel factory, we have decided to go to the Excel dealer in Virginia the day after we complete our training next week and get it taken care of. We are hoping that they don't need to order a new black tank as it will mean that we'll have to sit and wait 3 days for it to arrive. We're hoping it's something simpler than that so we don't have to stay off the road for too many days. This will be the first time that we've had to use the service contract that we purchased so we'll see if that covers the repairs as I think it is supposed to. We should only have to pay a $50 deductible....we'll see how it goes.

Just three more days here...will keep you posted on how our training goes.

Family Fun

We arrived at Linda's brother's house around 5 p.m. on Saturday. The party was in full swing with all the family there.Boomer was such a good boy. He got lots of luvin' over the weekend from everyone there. He was on surveillance, making sure that none of the kids dropped their food and made a mess.... I got a nice picture of Linda with her brothers and sisters. Brother John stayed behind in Chambersburg....he's not much of a traveler. Roy (Linda's brother)and Kathie's back yard makes such a great place for everyone to hang out. A large beautiful yard....a great pool for the kids to swim and play in...and plenty of places for people to sleep. We were able to park right at the curb out front of their house. Linda's sister and husband had their large pop-up camper at the top of the driveway and Roy and Kathie had their pop-up just behind the fence in the back yard...Family members came from far and wide to be together over the weekend. Some left on Sunday...others stayed till Wednesday...we left today so we could get set up at our training site and be ready to start work tomorrow. We left about late morning and made our way to Whippany, NJ. When we arrived at the Mini U location, we had a great location to put the rig but our power cord wasn't long enough to reach over to where the electrical room is. Peggy and Roger called a nearby place where they were able to get an extension cord one other time for an RV'er but they didn't have what we needed. Linda and I ended up driving 1.5 hours away to Lakewood to a Camping World store to buy a 30' extension for our 50 amp cord. Since getting back, we're beat and ready to get a good night's sleep before work. Peggy and Roger have two black labs...Duke and Lobo. Boomer has found two new chums to run with here in the enclosed compound. Peggy and I took them all out tonight and let them run around the property a bit. We are all looking forward to our week here with the Moss family.

Hitting The Road Again...

Linda is working 7-3 tomorrow and then we are hoping to hook up and head out to Lawrenceville, NJ to her brother's place, for their family get together. I have a hefty "to do" list to accomplish tomorrow while she is at work which will keep me busy. We dropped our Xterra off at her sister's house for them to keep till we come around again.

The national diesel pricing has dropped a bit. We filled up yesterday for $2.69 gal. We went back today to an area produce stand to get some more green beans and cucumbers. They had run out of sweet corn yesterday, before we got there, but they had an ample supply today so we got two dozen and processed 18 of them to put in the freezer. Turned the beans and cucumbers into summer style salads so we'll have good eatin' during the week we're in New Jersey for our training.

A friend of ours commented that I talk alot about food in our blog and it's true...I do. Food has had such a prominent role in my life and career that it surely is part of my psyche. I am very passionate about quality food and the people who create great food. For those of you who do not know much about me, I'll give you a quick history lesson. I grew up on a 125 acre dairy farm in Pennsylvania and my summers were spent working in the fields or barn. When not working I frolicked with my younger brother, riding our bicycles, playing or fishing in the stream that ran through our farm. We always had a large garden and when I was about 12, I ran a produce stand on the highway that was about a 1/2 mile from our house. I sold sweet corn (by the dozen and bushel), all kinds of veggies and any types of berries or fruit that my mom had not turned into jelly, pies or put in the freezer. My parents had the wisdom to teach my brother and I about money in that the profit we made from this produce stand was split between my brother and I to use for buying clothes for the upcoming school year. IF we had any money leftover, after buying our clothes, we could use it to buy something special like a bike or some toy we had our eye on. It was hard work and a lot of responsibility but we learned the connection between hard work and reward. We also learned how much a dollar could buy and how to spend it wisely to get the things we needed.

I got my first job when I was 16 and you guessed it....it was in the restaurant business. I went to college, after high school, and received my degree in Food and Hospitality Management. The first 10 years of my career were spent primarily working in bakeries, part of that time was running my own bakery. The second part of my career was spent in a variety of roles with Marriott Corp., Cornell University Dining Services and then at Pennsylvania College of Technology for the last 18 years as Food Service Director. So...yes, I talk about food a lot probably because I think alot about food and the food business.

I never figured myself to be the type of employee to stay and get the "gold watch" so now is the time for new adventures and for learning new skills. That is what is truly wonderful about this lifestyle. Every day we get the chance to re-invent ourselves. Try new things we've always wanted to "dabble" in, develop new skills, make new friends, see different cities and towns and just have a ball. Tomorrow is the start of one of those new adventures for Linda and I....off to a new job. Let the adventure begin !

Travelin' Food

With our TV antennae we only get a couple of stations and with summer programming we are very limited in what there is to watch that is any good. Last night, on the local PBS affiliate there were two food shows, back to back, that were really good. The first one was on food establishments that serve "great sandwiches" around the country. I missed part of the show but the part I did see was making me really hungry. A great sandwich can be one of the best comfort foods. This show covered some of the great regional sandwiches, such as po-boys, falafels, BBQ, etc. There's nothing like eating something that you can hold in your hands to consume....maybe this is part of our cave man heritage.

One of the sandwiches that looked so scrumptious was the lobster roll from Red's Eats in Wiscasset, Maine. This thing had so much lobster meat on it that it was unreal. Red's is one of those little, hole-in-the-wall places that has established a reputation for the best lobster roll in Maine. I love lobster so this place definitely goes on my list of "must stop" places should we get to Maine.




Another place that has a long history of providing great food is Katz's Deli in New York City. It's been open since 1888 and has outlasted lots of other delis that used to exist in that part of New York. They are especially known for their pastrami but all of their sandwiches looked great. All of the guys at the counter slice the meat off, just as you want it (lean, thin cut, thick cut, etc.)and the sandwiches are huge.

Thelma's is a BBQ place in Houston, Texas that normally wouldn't be the type of place I'd stop at, if I were driving by. When they showed a picture of the outside of it, it looked like a boarded up building with a handmade sign on top. I guess the original location closed, due to a fire, but a new location is open. Not sure if this picture is of the old or new location. Thelma used to be a truck driver but now serves up some of the best brisket, ribs and Q that those parts have ever seen. The portions are enormous and everything is lathered with sauce (that's what makes it so good). The catfish sandwiches didn't have one large filet on it but two, making it protrude way out past the sides of the roll. All of these places that served beef brisket made me think of our friend, Vicki, who I know loves good brisket. Here ya go, Vicki....a couple of places where you can get the "good stuff".



The other show, that was on after this one, was about hotdogs. I never knew there were so many wiener places in this country.Slots A Fun, in Las Vegas, is home to the .99 half pound hot dog. Something that was truly unique to me was this one place, called Rutt's Hut, in Clifton, NJ that served deep fried hotdogs....otherwise known as "rippers" (due to the appearance of them splitting from being deep fried). I thought deep fried oreos were a sacrilege...the looks of a deep fried hotdog takes the cake. If you love all things hotdog...go to the link above to see all the places that were featured on the show. Your vacation plans, if near any of these towns, can take in the hotdog eatery that was featured in the show and you can decide if they are truly note worthy. Maybe you'll even be near Nathan's this 4th of July where the world famous hot dog eating contest will take place. Wherever you'll be this holiday we hope that you have a happy and safe 4th of July...throw a veggie dog on the grill for Linda and I.

Today's Project...

Up until now we've used our laptop as our GPS. We have Co-Pilot software on our laptop.It has a lot of features that are RV specific (propane tunnel avoidance, height restrictions, etc.)that we have liked but when we were in Baton Rouge we bought a Garmin GPS to use. Linda needed the GPS to find nursing home locations in the middle of the night or to find her way home after a long shift in a strange town. This is the laptop holder that I had installed in Bertha...bought it on e-bay. On the trip home from Baton Rouge to Pennsylvania we tested the Garmin against Co-Pilot and couldn't see any noticeable difference in the route. Since the Garmin is much smaller we've decided to use that and I wanted to convert the laptop holder into an arm rest/cup holder since there isn't anyplace for us to rest our right arm while we are driving. I started out by taking the plexi laptop holder off and removed a couple of pieces of the black iron. Went to Lowes and bought 3 floor flanges, a 12" section and 8" section of pipe and created this base. The front floor flange was already screwed into the floor to support the laptop holder. By putting a floor flange on the 12" section of pipe, it fit nicely into one of the cup holders to provide the rear support.

I cut out the arm rest/cup holder (used our favorite cups as templates for the holes),sanded, primed and painted it with enamel.


Then attached it to the flanges with screws...


The view from Boomer's seat in the back....

We're ready to roll....got a place to rest our arm...iced tea and coffee in our mugs...and open highway as far as the eye can see....

Busy Weekend...

We left on Saturday to drive from Chambersburg down to Virginia Beach so Linda could spend some time with her kids and grandson before her doctor's appt. on Monday morning. We stopped in Williamsburg, VA and got to see our friends, Mike, Cindy and Biscuit. They are staying at the campground where we stayed last summer and Mike is also working there. We got to chat with them for a while and then had a wonderful supper that Cindy prepared. We also got to tour their new coach....what a beauty !!

We continued on from Williamsburg to Virginia Beach. At a Sheetz in Warrenton, VA we stopped to stretch and saw this trike, which is an Ecstacy trike, like the one I had. This one is a roadster model, whereas mine had a roof. This is a 2002 model, as the owner told me, but the styling is almost identical to the one I had. It was fun to see it as you don't come across them too often.

On Sunday, Linda, Boomer and I went to a Pride Festival with her daughter and her partner. There were many booths set up and a stage for live performances. Boomer was so well behaved...we couldn't believe it. We could never have taken both Schroeder and Boomer out to something like this before because they didn't interact well with other dogs and they wouldn't walk well in crowds. Boomer was a little shy...he would take in the events of the day, peeking out from between my legs. He walked well on a leash.....interacted well with other dogs and was such a joy to have with us. He didn't quite know what to make of Linda's daughters' chihuahuas...two of them. He kind of cozied up to the one but was scared of the male that kept growling at him. Still seems odd to not have Schroeder here. He would always greet us in the morning with a "Woo Woo Woo" kind of bark and do his little "happy dance". I missed him putting his head on my shoulder while I drove and there was only one pooch to make a waffle for at breakfast. A big adjustment from what I've know over the last nine years of having him in my life.

Sunday we spent time at Linda's oldest daughter's house, playing with Linda's grandson...Teagan. We had a great time with them and Linda got to do one of her favorite things...give Teagan his bath and put him to bed. In this picture you can see Teagan holding his "daddy doll"....a picture of his dad with a recorded message that he takes to bed with him everynight. Since Teagan's dad is often out to sea (he's in the Navy), this is a neat way to maintain that father/son connection. Teagan must have had an especially fun time bathing Sunday night cause I could hear him squealing, with delight, in the upstairs bathroom while I was downstairs. Boomer also took notice and sat at the bottom of the steps and whimpered. I think he thought they were having WAY too much fun without him !

This morning we had to get up early to get on the road for Linda's doctor appt. After that was over, we headed north for PA, stopping at Sam's Club to pick up a few things and then stopping at a "big truck" repair center to pick up a fuel filter for Bertha. I couldn't believe how much cheaper their filter was than the one I had found on-line...only $24 as compared to $41 ($32 plus shipping). Will definitely keep them in mind as the place to get my filters should we come through this area again.

We had been home for less than two hours and Linda got a call to work the overnight shift at a nursing home. She is now sleeping...in preparation for working that 11-7 shift. Boomer and I will have to watch the Law and Order shows without her :( doink doink

Thank You ....

Thank you to all of our friends and blog followers for your e-mails with your thoughts and prayers since Schroeder's passing. It means a great deal to us to know that so many people care. Bless each of you !!

Boomer's day.....

Boy, yesterday was rough ! Today has been better....have fewer "moments". Have tried to stay busy and that helps a great deal. This morning we mowed the lawn and then the sewer guy came to pump out our holding tanks. We then decided to go to the indoor farmers market in town and look around. Most of the booths are run by the Amish. Loads of fresh baked goods, fresh pretzels, fresh meats and produce. We went to the booth known for their hoagies and got a super size tuna salad hoagie for lunch...$4. We then had a cinnamon sugar pretzel for dessert.....yummy !!

We took Boomer with us as we are trying to keep an eye on him to see if he's going to mope or not eat since he saw the whole thing unfold yesterday and isn't quite sure what to make of it all. He's been quiet but did eat his supper (no breakfast but that's not unusual). We took him to our friends house to run and he seemed to be OK....he ran and chased the ball we'd throw and explored the yard. We've lavished him with lots of love today so he hasn't felt any neglect in that department. Tonight we went for a walk and he was an "angel". He has never walked so nicely nor behaved so well than he did today. We're hoping that since his alpha buddy isn't leading the way now, that he will be very good to walk with and much more obedient. During our walk he made a new friend. Across from where we are staying is Bender's Potato Barn and they have a small menagerie of animals out back. Boomer loves horses and there were three miniature ponies in one area and he got so excited when he first saw them. He smooched this pony although he really wanted to crawl under the fence and play with them. When he tried to do that and smooched the one ponies hoof, she didn't like that too well. We tried to explain to him that if his lips are smashed there will be no more smooching but he didn't have his listenin' ears on. We walked for about 45 minutes and now he is relaxing on the living room floor.

This morning we heard from Mini U about our training dates. We will be going to Whippany, NJ July 7 - 11 to train there and then travel to Woodbridge, VA to train for another two days. I spoke to the manager at the Whippany site and she was delightful. I think we will have a great time learning about our new jobs from she and her husband. We are excited to get started.