Another month bites the dust!

August 31 – Happy Birthday Jared!

I made a nice breakfast this morning of that delicious sausage, cantaloupe, an egg for Bill and grits for me.  No better way to start the day!  We decided to try Boondocks again today for lunch so I based the rest of my morning on that premise.

Bill did up the dishes and I took my stove apart to clean it and see if I could adjust one of the burners in back that was flaring flame from the side.  In testing the 3 burners, the 2 back worked perfectly after adjusting, but the front (I used it last night) let gas out but would not light.  Crap!  It’s always something.  I might take it apart again this afternoon and see if I can find the problem.  That’s the burner I mostly use and I’ve had a part replaced in it once before.  I need better manuals for these things!

Checked on items I ordered and my script is on track to be at Carole’s by the time we get there and our RV parts should be there tomorrow.  I called 2 places in Texas this morning and made reservations for the trip home.  I’m waiting to hear from the log siding guy in NC if we will be making an out of the way stop there but it is a much needed stop.

The high today will only be 71 and there’s a slight breeze with a chill to it.  I opted for capris today instead of shorts.  From what I’m seeing I will still get plenty of opportunity to wear my shorts when we head south. 

Still having trouble getting things done and replies from the facility where mom is.  I sent a terse email to the director of her unit today.  Did get a reply that she needs to push it up the ladder as she isn’t getting a reply from the visiting doctor either.  This is getting OLD!

Boondocks

We went for a late lunch at Boondocks.  It’s considered in Island Park but it’s 12 miles away, kinda back in the woods.  They’re not open 7 days a week.  The food was very good.  Bill had a huge BLT on toasted rye with a side of slaw and I had a side salad and an appetizer of pork tamales.  It came with 6 but I brought 2 home for dinner tonight.  Then we shared a slice of cheesecake with huckleberry topping.  Bill didn't hesitate to tell the waitress he could have eaten a whole piece.  That was kind of the idea of sharing, the lunch was big enough!  They are known for their huge cinnamon buns so we got one to take home and will probably warm it for breakfast in the morning.

A bit down the road from Boondocks are the 2 tiny houses that we saw before when we

A tiny house

drove out there.  Today we saw the sign indicating they are rentals.  They have 5 axles which we thought was different than we’ve seen on TV.  We watch a lot of tiny house shows.

In front of Boondocks

Bill washed his car and of course, as soon as he finished waxing the front we got a 5 minute rain and a bit of wind.  At least it’s clean!  I went over to visit with Sue for a bit but then a guy came in and he wanted to chat so I gave up and came home. 

I took my front stove burner apart and tinkered with it but it still won’t light without a match so I looked it up online and ordered a valve burner kit and having it sent to Carole with my other parts.  Now to find instructions for replacing it.

It turned out to be a beautiful day!  We still have smoke from fires but it warmed up just right to be outside today.  I’m not sure we will enjoy the weather down south as much as we have here.

We cleaned out an assortment of leftovers for dinner.  Still have some left but making progress.  We ate late since we ate breakfast and lunch late.  Bill did up the dishes and we watched TV and once again we settled down and read.

Shopping, eating, cooking, eating...

August 30 -  By the time we got on the road this morning it was 10:30.  We checked on the neighbors to see how their dog was and Cinnamon is fine.  They didn’t get home until 1:30 this morning at a cost of $200 but she was fine!

We went to Rexburg for our last shopping trip.  First thing was Bill had to go to the hospital to have his pint of blood drawn for his hemacromatosis.  He forgot to have it done last month.  It took longer than expected as the lady thought he was there for regular blood work and had to start over.

By then it was lunch time and we stopped at Freddy’s but they only served burgers and ice cream and I wanted a salad so we went on down the street to Wendy’s.  It was packed today.  Lunch was good and we had a small frosty to top it off.

Albertson’s is across the street so Bill waited in the car for me while I picked up a few of their sale items and then on to Wal-mart we went.  Bill started at the pharmacy while I started my shopping and we met up in the grocery section and finished off the list.  Our next shopping will be 9-5 when we are on the road camping in a Wal-Mart lot! 

We also stopped at Dave’s Jubilee and I bought some of their sausage to freeze for later and some donut peaches they didn’t have in Albertson’s or Wal-mart.  They are the best!  Last stop was a diner that was recommended for the best huckleberry ice cream but we couldn’t get it by the pint there, just by the cone. Oh well!

Home again at 4:30 with lots to bring in and put away.  The fridge is packed!  We won’t go hungry this week for fruit and veggies.  I had planned to use up the odds and ends tonight but we saw a recipe in my new copper pan cookbook for inside out grilled cheese sandwiches.  That’s what I made.  You layer cheese, bread, double cheese, bread, cheese.  You warm the pan for 3 minutes and use NO butter.  You gently lay the sandwiches in the pan (cheese on the bottom!) and cook 3 minutes then flip for 3 more minutes.  I have to say those were the BEST grilled cheese sandwiches ever.  The cheese was crispy on the outside and tasted like they were cooked in butter. I had havarti cheese for mine and Bill had Colby-Jack.  He agreed they were the best he’d ever had also!  Yum!

Then we settled in and watched Suits, The Sinner and Mr. Mercedes.  Time to read, relax and think about tomorrow, only 5 more days in Idaho!

Lunch and trip to town

August 29 – We had a lazy breakfast this morning, cereal and fruit!  We only have one egg so no reason to dirty a pan for that and we were talking about having lunch out so no need for a big breakfast.

Once Bill left for his walk I put laundry in and got a birthday card ready to mail Jared and some books to send Kerry.  I forgot to send the card yesterday so it will probably be late!  My bad!  (as the kids say)

We spend some time mapping our trip home.  We are sure we will need to re-route further north around Houston area.  That is so sad.  They will be years getting their city and outlying areas back to some level of normalcy. 

Bill debated on where he wanted to eat lunch and found that his first choice was closed

Bald Eagle at Quake Lake

today, so we drove over to Montana between Quake Lake and Hebgen Lake to Campfire Lodge Café.  Along the way I said “eagle” and Bill slowed and I said to pull off.  I got some decent shots of a bald eagle in the top of a dead tree in Quake Lake.  Once we reached the café, we sat in the back room with all windows where we had a perfect view of the river rushing by.  It’s a beautiful spot down in the valley Madison River.  I was hoping to see some wildlife along the other side of the river but not today!

The Madison River

Since we hadn’t stopped at the post office in Island Park, we headed on around the long way back which took us along Hebgen Lake then through West Yellowstone.  Bill dropped me at the post office and I quickly disposed of my mail but had also offered to take a tablet that was left in Yellowstone by its owner, found by one of our campers and he tracked it and we went to them and picked it up and it needed to be mailed back to him.  I said I would save the owner a trip so I took a while getting a priority box and wrapping it well and taping and labeling it to go.  He was lucky that it was found by some who waited over an hour hoping he would come back for it and then they brought it back to the campground.

We stopped at the small grocery where I got us each a huckleberry ice cream sandwich and a box to go back to Florida.  The freezer is getting there!!!

Once we got home I immediately got on the computer (after securing the sandwiches) and started typing the blog.  Sue stopped by and gave me an 18 crate of eggs she’d gotten for .50.  What a deal!  She bought 4 and I guess is giving them to friends.

I finally noticed it was 6 and I hadn’t started dinner yet.  I had thawed out a big chicken breast but hadn’t made a plan.  So I sliced up the chicken and sautéed it in basil olive oil in my new copper pan until done.  Then I took it out and filled my pan with water and brought to a boil to cook rotini pasta.   After draining my pasta I tossed the chicken back in along with the leftover broccoli florets and poured in a jar of Classico Vodka Sauce!  Oh yummy, yummy!  I let it all heat through and got out some fresh parmesan and we had a one pot dinner!  I love a simple, yet elegant AND delicious meal!

Bill cleaned up the dishes and turned on the TV for some of the shows he likes.  Later I served us each a small bowl of blueberry crisp.  Once I was back on the computer working on furthering our plans for on the way home there was a knock on the door.  My first thought was I wondered what Sue needed as she is normally the only person who comes over.  Well, it was the neighbor beside her and he said Sue and Hank had to take their dog to Bozeman to the 24 hour vet that they thought she swallowed a bone while Sue and Hank were out side.  He wanted some bleach to clean up the mess from the dog as she was bleeding and it was kind of all over.  I feel so bad for them.  They are all rescue dogs and they are so good with them.  I’ll keep my fingers crossed but it doesn’t look good.

Well, time to move to the recliner with a good book!

Busy day off

August 28 – Ah time off again.  Our last 5 day stint!  Nothing much planned for the week, just our grocery trip and Bill has to have blood drawn.  I made a nice breakfast and then we got to the cleaning ritual that has become the norm for our first day off.  It’s warmer this week than it has been most of the summer. 

Once I got my “work” done I measured our big compartment to get an idea of how much siding I can get in there if we find it.  It should be enough for my current repair needs as well as some for the next go ‘round.

The birds and chipmunks had emptied the bird feeder I set on the ground so I put a few inches of food in it for them.  I had put some in the hummingbird feeder earlier so that might be it for the “pets”.  I have some sugar water left that I might put out further south if we see any hummers.

I made a blueberry crisp for tonight.  It will be for dessert after we get back from dinner, wherever that might be.  I’m using the oven thermometer every time I use the convection oven to see how much it is consistently off.  Today, may be due to altitude, who knows, at 350 it only pre-heated to 300.  Took 375 to get it finally to 350 and seems to be holding at that temp.

I also called Carefree and ordered two slide topper end caps to be sent to Bill’s sister so once we get to Tucson we’ll have a little project. 

Eventually we got showered and went to West Yellowstone for dinner.  We ate at Three Bears Restaurant.  I was disappointed at the menu.  They all seem to have the same things unless you eat at a Pizza place.  There were the typical for the area bison, elk, etc. along with a selection of pasta dishes, a couple of chicken dishes and fish.  Bill had the bison, elk and beef meatloaf with a side of mashed potatoes and a salad.  I had salmon with mixed veggies and a salad.  Our server was the worst we’ve had this trip.  I asked for lemon for my water if they had it and he didn’t reply, just left.  I asked if the trout was fresh or frozen and he really didn’t know and didn’t offer to find out. Never brought back any lemon. I asked if the salmon was fresh when he came back to get our order, as the icon by it indicated it was hand cut, which I took to mean fresh and they portion it here.  He didn’t know but said it probably was.  When he delivered our meals he literally just sat them down and walked away.  No asking if we needed anything else or any other pleasantry.  We ended up asking another server if she could get us some lemon and she did.  The meal was OK, but I won’t go back and am writing an unpleasant review for them.  Every waiter should know what is fresh and what is not.  They certainly should bring lemon when asked and to check that your meal came out OK or if you need anything.  You’d think he never ate out anywhere before!

We walked our dinner off visiting the shops in which the shoppers have thinned out in the last couple of weeks.  It was nice not constantly dodging passers by or being too cramped to move around in the shops.  Bill bought some magnets and I got a Christmas gift but mostly we just looked.  That saves us a lot of money, the looking part!

When we decided we had looked enough, Bill walked back to the car while I walked to the outlet store where you get .50 soft serve, huckleberry to be exact.  He picked me up, ice cream cones in hand, and we headed home.  There was a young couple along the entrance road to Yellowstone holding a sign that said “Old Faithful”.  I think they were foreign summer help that had no transportation and had caught a ride in on their day off and now needed to get back.  Then Bill told me a guy asked him how to get to California.  When Bill opened his car he asked if he was leaving and he told him he had to pick his wife up. We saw him along the last road out of West Yellowstone. It was getting to be twilight and I was zeroed in on the road watching for any leapers along the way.  Luckily there were NO leapers on the way home and we arrived no worse for wear!

Hank and Sue were sitting out so we went over and sat and chatted with them for a while.  He started his propane firepit and that helped but it was getting cooler as it got darker so we headed inside.  Bill watched some TV while I read and crocheted.

Working, but not hard....

August 26/27 – The best 2 days of work so far!  Sue and I had a pretty slow day with only 4 reservations and 2 walk ins.  The Laundromat was pretty busy so that kept us busy in the morning but the afternoon was rather slow and we both worked on our craft projects.  The owners came in and told us they were taking us to the dinner show and Sue said we work until 7 and they had taken the other couple last night and asked them to come over and cover the office at 5:30 until 7.  So Sue and I made sure we had all of the cleaning done by then and all of our RV’s were in so there really wouldn’t be anything for them to do but answer the phone if it rang and check in any walk in’s.

Bill went home about 5:15 to get a shower since he works outside all day and I left at 5:30 and just changed into capris and a top.  We road to the Playhouse with Sue and Hank and the lot was full.  They had a record number of guests for the show as they are now only doing 3 shows a week as the season comes to an end.  We were at the second table from the front and the play was Cletis’s Family Reunion.  The food was the same as last time and it was good.  The show was even funnier than the last one.  We were belly laughing and barely able to regain control before the next laugh.  It’s the same actors for all of the plays but this one was the funniest!  Bill clapped for something in the intro and was the only one clapping and got singled out!  Sue and I were on each side of him and when the host started in on Bill we each pulled away!  Then later he got singled out again.  That will teach him!

What a fun evening and I didn’t have to cook or clean up!  I had a nice size piece of my prime rib left that I brought home.  The best part of the meal is still the Fat Boy ice cream sandwich!

Sunday we worked alone and it was even slower!  I only had 1 reservation to check in and the laundry was super slow.  It went faster than I thought though as a couple who left here for Alaska the first of July came back and everyone got to hear about the trip and another guy came in to show me photos he took at Mesa Falls.  The visiting is nice and enjoyable in addition to making the day go faster!  I did get several calls for reservations in September and one for Monday. 

I worked a lot on my crocheting and might have to get more yarn this week when we go to Rexburg. I started my cleaning as soon as 5:30 rolled around and no one could come in to do laundry.  Bill came in not long after and swept the floors and emptied all the trash cans.  I only did $429 for the day so it didn’t take long to count my money and balance.  I was home at 7:15.  Yee haw!!

We had the risotto and broccoli and I had a pork chop and Bill had chicken.  He ate more of the risotto tonight.  Maybe it’s growing on him OR he was really hungry!  Later we finished off the huckleberry ice cream while watching TV.  I got to see most of Chesapeake Shores.  Then we watched Rocky and Bullwinkle, the movie from 2000.  It might have been good if I was 7.

OH no, what DID we do???

August 25 – I’ve let myself get behind and now I can’t remember what we did!  I know Bill took his morning walk and later went over and painted one the giant entry posts at the campground.

I did some laundry and spent a couple of hours researching log places and making calls and emails to quite a few.  I’m looking for log siding that matches the profile of what I have on my house and garage and figured this is the right place to look.  I’ve checked Montana and Idaho and instead of tongue and groove they have gone to a lap siding.  I traced my profile and marked all the measurements and scanned it to my computer before we left home AND I brought a 6 inch piece to take with us if we found a place.  Actually I have a guy in NC who sent it to another place there where he thinks is where it might have originated from.  I still have a place in Idaho working on it also.  Now it’s wait and see!

The owner of the campground stopped Bill and said they are taking all of the workers to the Mack’s Inn Playhouse for the dinner show tomorrow night.  Since we’ve been to one of the shows we know they open at 6.  He told him that we work tomorrow night until 7.  Actually 2 couples work tomorrow and he said he’d get back to us.  Never heard from them the rest of the day.

I love my Copper Chef pan I bought and am using it pretty regularly.  I was saving the box until I was sure I was going to keep it and it is definitely a keeper.  I went on line and printed a few more recipes for it and today I made Butternut Risotto for dinner.  It made way more than I expected and Bill barely ate it.  He loves Risotto but when he spotted the TINY pieces of butternut squash he only took a spoonful.  He said it was good but didn’t show much enthusiasm for it.  I loved it and will gladly eat up the rest of it, which will take several meals!

We spent a relaxing evening gearing up for the next two day of work!

Busy day..

August 24 – It was on the windy side all day but we both had some outside chores to be done.  I cleaned the vents on the outside with the ladder Bill brought over from the campground’s storage.  I put my Christmas shopping under the RV.  Inside I made almond cream cheese pound cakes and could not for the life of me figure out why they didn’t rise and get firm like they always do.  Hours later it dawned on me, it’s the 6,000+ altitude!  Crap!  Oh well, it tasted OK so I put some in the freezer for later.  Most of my baking while here has not been with baking powder or soda so I just didn’t think about it.

I did some inside “repairs” like changing the fuse in the fan, but the fuse was not the issue.  It must be a short in the wires so maybe tomorrow I’ll tackle that.  I’ll have to remove the fan shroud on the roof and go from there.  Two of the stove burners will not stop moving around so I took them apart and tightened the screws on the clips that lock them on.  Now they are much better. 

Bill used the weed eater today all around the RV where the mower can’t go.  He talked to the couple that washes the RV’s when people ask and got that scheduled and got the cost.  It’s by the foot and will only be $132.  It’s a lot more at home.  They have a pressure washer and their own water tank they use.  They do an excellent job.  Then we will be squeaky clean when we head south.

We heard from our friends today that they will definitely not be meeting us in September to travel together for a while.  He has some health issues that they are not sure will be resolved in time to make the trip worthwhile and what his recuperation will be.  We are sad, they are sad, but his health is the more important factor.  We’re hoping to get together in November!

I spent some of the day trying to reach the new Memory Care Director at my mom’s facility and FINALLY I heard back from her.  We spoke twice and maybe we are now on the same page.  I also canceled our friends’ camping reservations that I had with mine so they won’t lose any money.  She’s going to cancel the ones she made so I guess that’s all squared away.  Bill and I started looking at our plans and kept all of our reservations made so far but changed some of our plans when we leave Albuquerque.  We were going to repeat some things we’ve been so they could visit them but now we’ll explore some new places.  Tomorrow I hope to make some of our reservations as we decide what route to take home from Albuquerque.

We had a nice rain late in the afternoon and I figured it would cancel my plans for Bill to grill some brats for dinner. It did stop in plenty of time for him to grill so I cooked corn on the cob and he had leftover slaw and I had leftover zucchini.  For dessert we had some of the cake with huckleberry ice cream over it.  Farr’s brand is not nearly as good as Wilcoxson. 

Time to watch the Indians finish off the Sox, watch a bit of TV and read!

A full day in Rexbug

August 23 – Bill had an appointment for the car at the Ford dealer at 10:00 so we were on the road by 8:30.  Once we were over the mountain and had cell service I called them to see if they had a loaner car to use but they didn’t have any available.  So, Bill dropped me off at Wal-mart.  I took my craft bag with me and a book!  It was so cold in the store I was very glad to have my hoodie on.  I did my non-perishable shopping and got that out of the way but Bill hadn’t called yet.  This Wal-mart only has a Subway and they only serve regular coffee.  At least they had hazelnut and it gave me a place to sit for a while, wait and maybe warm up.  I sipped my coffee and worked on my crocheting.  They had other tables open so I didn’t feel like I was out of line.

Bill finally called and told me the car was done and now they were washing it, so I told him I’d be waiting outside the Grocery entrance.  They had a bench there so I parked myself and the cart and went back to crocheting.  I was beginning to think he forgot where he left me!  Finally he made it and it was lunchtime so we stopped at Wendy’s.  Yum!

His shoulder has been bothering him so while we were in town it was a good opportunity to go to an urgent care place.  We looked for one on Google and I dropped him off and went to get a fuse for our bathroom fan at NAPA.  It only took a few minutes so I stopped at the Broulim’s grocery store and picked up a few sale items there.  By the time I got to the car he called that he was done with his xray and shouldn’t be long.  I had barely gotten in the lot when he came out.  I think it was record time for us for ANY doctor appointment!  They didn’t find anything specific wrong so told him it must be a pulled muscle and to go back on his anti-inflammatory pills.

On our way back through town to Wal-mart we stopped at Freddy’s for frozen custard.  As difficult as it was, we refrained from having anything but a small cone!  It was so good, just like Culver’s.  I only had to get my produce and dairy items so Bill filled up the car at the Wal-mart station while I did a quickie trip for the groceries.  Then it was head for the farm!

It was cooling off when we got home and we had a lot to put away.  I had gotten the kids some end of summer clothes for Christmas along with a new grill cover and the full assortment of fruits and vegetables. 

Bill went over to see if we had any mail and the NEWEST SD card for the GPS has arrived.  I emailed our contact and asked if we needed to run any updates from the computer on it before starting it so will hear back from him tomorrow.

Then I chilled with a glass of wine and read my book for a bit!  No cooking tonight.  I heated up our leftover calzone and lasagna and made nice salads and we had the rest of the tapioca pudding for dessert.

The day after....

August 22 – We woke to a sun shiny morning which was nice.  A bit chilly out but a good start on a beautiful day!

After breakfast Bill took his walk while I put one of the blankets in the washer and got my shower and washed my hair.  I had an email I need to print out so got that done and worked on a postcard collage of the eclipse.  I took one over to the campground owners and she was very tickled over it.  I wanted them to have a memento of the event.  Wendell asked if we are coming back next summer and I had to tell him no, that we’re going to Michigan near the Great Lakes if everything works out.  They’d really like us to come back but it’s a long drive 2 years in a row.  I printed some to send out as well.  

I finally finished off the gallon of milk we bought for Harry and made one last batch of tapioca pudding.

Not much excitement today compared to yesterday.  I packed up my glasses and filters until the next one in 7 years in Texas.  Never know where we will be!

We were going to the post office but decided to just drop our stuff in the box at the curb when we go to dinner.  Bill said Sue and Hank went to Bozeman so I called her to see if she would stop at Staples for me and get a box of ink for my printer.  We won’t be near a Staples store again until we leave on September 5.

Bill got ready and we drove into West Yellowstone and dropped off the mail and then to dinner at Wild West Pizza.  When we walked in I remembered we’d eaten there 2 years ago.  There was something we didn’t like about the food and once Bill got his calzone we knew what it was:  they don’t use ricotta in their calzones!  For us that is a must.  Luckily I ordered lasagna with spinach and sausage.  We each had a nice side salad and both brought home half of our meals.  There’s another night I won’t have to cook!

After a quick stop at the grocery store we made it home in time to watch Bill’s TV show, Shooter.  I posted my blog from yesterday and will post this one also.

When the moon comes over the mountain.....

August – 21      ECLIPSE DAY!

T-shirt Man was proud of his new one

I managed to get breakfast over and strip the bed and re-make it and get a load of laundry going before heading out to “watch” the eclipse.  The rest of the cleaning waited until after lunch.

Wow!  What an experience!  We sat our chairs up facing the sun around 10:00 and brought out our books, solar glasses, beverages, and the camera with its new solar filter.  Bill wore his new eclipse 2017 t-shirt that we eventually had to cover with jackets.  The temperature dropped about 20 degrees; although it didn’t get dark it was more like twilight.  We periodically came inside to get things or put the clothes in the dryer but basically we sat there for the full eclipse and it was amazing.  Using the solar glasses made the sun look like the moon in a dark sky; so brilliant yellow-orange and sharp edges.  Initially I didn’t manage to photograph the sun very well as after 

reading tons of information on camera settings online and in my camera book, my camera still was ticky on the specific settings so as I continued to adjust and try out things I managed to get what I felt were some pretty good photos.  Of all the times I could have used one of my TWO tripods, this would

have been it.  Shooting at such a distance the camera needs to be REALLY still.  It’s a good thing it wasn’t film, as I shot about 200 photos in 2 hours and deleted most of them.  I kept pushing the button before I was ready.  At one point it looked like the sun had teeth.  Not sure how I did that!  We were at almost 99% totality and that was fine with us.  Neighbors drove south for an hour around 6 this morning and then this afternoon it took over 5 hours to drive back.  All for 1% more, not Kelly and Bill Chambers! 

Our friends called and asked if Bill would walk the dogs and he happily agreed to.  So once it was over he took Bailey, Cinnamon and Pepper out for a walk and then stayed inside with them a while and did a few rounds of petting.  They are all rescue dogs and due to medical issues they would like to find a home Bailey, the Golden Retriever.  The other dogs are small but Bailey is a handful.

Then the rest of the day was pretty much like every week’s first day after work.  With the traffic and crowding unknown, we decided to eat in tonight and out tomorrow so I took an assortment of meats out to thaw for Bill to grill.  He did up all the dishes from breakfast and lunch and vacuumed his part while I finished up my stuff and then I settled in at the computer to review and discard all the photos.  Kam said she would make a slide show of some of my photos to post on the blog so I sent a bunch for her in sequence to work with.  

Dinner was very tasty tonight.  Bill had hot links and I had a pork chop and we each had an ear of corn and cole slaw.  The corn has been so good out here.  I’m not sure how much is grown here but for.33 an ear and sweet, juicy and tender, I buy it every week.  The cantaloupes have also been very sweet without ending up soft.

With clean up over, Bill watched a movie while I typed and he has settled down with his book, so now it’s my turn.

It's better than a coal mine....

August 19/20 -  Back to work, have to earn our keep! 

Sue and I were pretty busy on Saturday!  The laundry was not as busy as normal but we did have around 16 check ins and tons of callers still looking for a place to land to see the eclipse on Monday.  And then there were those arriving who had no idea about the eclipse being so important in the area.  When we left home in June we had no idea we’d be in a 99% eclipse area.

Nothing unusual went on at work on Saturday but at the end of the day Bill and I had 14 check ins for Sunday!  Not good!  I think something was getting even with us for having NONE last Sunday.  Once I closed out the register we had 3 last minute customers wanting ice and propane.  It ended up screwing up my balancing!

I was glad to get home to leftover meatloaf, potatoes and green beans.

The Laundromat was really slow all day.  I did meet a lot of nice people though.  A guy from Georgia, a family from Montana, 2 young guys tent camping from Washington all way east, the list goes on.  It’s nice when they arrive one check-in at a time so you can chat a little and answer all their questions about the area.  Luckily for Bill and I, everyone meandered in and we didn’t have any back ups for parking or lines in the office.  With the laundry so slow and not many phone calls I did get to work on my craft projects some and get off my feet.  Yesterday my feet were not happy when I got off.  We filled every RV site and 11 tent sites when we normally had maybe 4-5.

I had a big day in the register and then trouble balancing out from the problem balancing out yesterday.  Anyway, the owner said it would all wash out and not to worry about it.  So at 8:00 I headed home for the rest of our leftovers and the knowledge that I have 5 days off!

Great lunch out

The first chippie I've had in my yard

August 18 – One more day off until we go back to work.  We wanted to make the most of it, so after a morning of “normalcy” such as Bill’s walk, my doing a load of laundry, etc. we showered and went into West Yellowstone for a while.  Mostly it was to have lunch out at the airport. 

Yesterday a tiny house arrived at the campground.  It’s the first we’ve seen up close so as we left for West Yellowstone we drove to it so we could get a couple of photos.  We waited until the owners left!  The guy built it himself at a cost of $22,000 and his labor.  It’s really small but looks rather efficient!

Talk of the campground

West Yellowstone has a small airport with “small” planes, the kind that you have a window seat and an aisle seat at the same time.  The kind you walk across the tarmac and walk up the steps to the plane.  Not my favorite kind of flying!  They also have 2 car rental agencies and the area air fire control building in case of forest fires.

The café at the airport, Smoker Jumper Café, has a 4.5

ENTIRE airport terminal!

rating but only serves breakfast and lunch so we opted to have lunch out and dinner in today.  Bill chose a chicken bacon club sandwich but I had trouble deciding.  There were several more exotic and interesting choices and I really should have ordered a nice salad with a chicken topping.  I had one on the tip of my tongue and darn if it didn’t just fall off when she asked what I’d like.  I went with a lobster roll.  She did say it’s on a hamburger bun instead of a hot dog style bun and that was fine with me.  I love lobster rolls and normally only eat them in the New England area but it sounded so good I just had to have it.  It was a well chosen lunch!  The bun had a pile of grilled lobster meat with some kind of seasoning that was

See the sled front and snow chain
wheels?

delicious.  No mayo or condiments to hide the wonderful taste of the lobster.  There was a huge pile of fresh cut French fries, which I never order and didn’t think to ask what came with the lobster.  They were hot, crisp and no salt which is how I like them.  I only add a sprinkle of salt

Zee plane, boss, zee plane!

and no nasty ketchup.  Of course, being raised in a home where you cleaned your plate before being allowed dessert or to leave the table, I just about licked my platter!  Bill said his sandwich was equally good but his dill pickles on the side were extra dilled and he liked them but you’d never know from the squinchy face he made with every bite.

We chatted with the folks at the next table about bears and wildlife in where they live (they’re 6 monthers) and they don’t see bears all year long but mostly in the early summer when they first get here.

Our only other stop was the little grocery store for a bottle of wine (not for me this time), muffin mix that my neighbor wanted and ????, you guessed it, huckleberry ice cream and a box of ice cream sandwiches.  My goal is to be able to fit another box in the freezer each time we go to town.  I really want to take enough home for my family to all have one as they are ALL big on ice cream. 

I had some tomatoes that were getting squishy so diced them up and sautéed with some spices and herbs for a marinara sauce and we had pasta with Italian sausage meatballs and salad for dinner.  We watched a little TV and settled in to read.  We should go to bed earlier on work nights, but well, it just doesn’t happen.

Catching Up....

August 17 – I was super tired last night and slept pretty well.  It’s still cool at night so we just shut the windows and leave the AC and heat off.  I got up about an hour before Bill.  That’s pretty much how I like my morning to go so I have time to have a cup of coffee, read my email and play my daily solitaire before really starting my day.

I bought once of those fancy copper pans yesterday at Bed, Bath and Beyond.  It is “as seen on TV” which I normally steer clear of.  There were 2 ladies looking at them and I asked if they had any.  The one lady swears by the 9 ½” deep square pan.  It comes with the glass lid, fryer basket and steamer plate for in the bottom.  I’m hating a couple of my pans in the RV so I’m keeping the packaging until I’m sure I like it.  So I made red velvet pancakes this morning in my new pan, with no spray, oil or butter and they were light and fluffy and didn’t stick!  We had fruit and bacon to finish it off and Bill was happy, the pancakes are his favorites!

Then it was get organized again and do a load of laundry!   Bill went out to “walk” and later I saw him on the riding mower again (on his day off).  The man loves to ride a mower!  RV’s started coming in fast and furious today!  The eclipse is this weekend and we’re full to the brim.  It’s to the point they had to mark off spots in the tent area to maximize the space.  We did see our first “tiny house” come in and I want to get a photo of it.  Really I’d like a tour of the inside.  It’s not a very long one but looks rather tall!

I downloaded all our photos and got started on my journal and blog.  I had some other calls to make regarding the sale of our property and then an email so hope that’s all good for a couple of days.  We REALLY want to get rid of this property after having it for 20+ years and deals falling through.  A couple of our partners are elderly and want to “cash out” to make their estates simpler for their families and a few are just interested in the cash so they can retire and enjoy life a bit more.  I’m just sick of being the one to deal with it year in and year out!  Who knows what the capital gains will be and I’m not looking forward to finding out, but I guess we’d rather be done with it and move on.

I used my new pan to cook a big meatloaf and road some potatoes.  It just barely fits in the convection oven.  It cooked great and so easy to clean up.  We had the small peach, blueberry, nectarine cobbler for dessert.  Then it was TV and reading time!

Road Trip - Day 2

August 16 – We were up at 8 and stopped in the office for a morning beverage, banana and granola bar and one we had our mini-breakfast we packed up the car and headed out.  Of course the first stop was to get gas and then it was on our way to Bozeman for our weekly grocery trip. 

All was well, at least for a while, until we came upon an accident.  There were 5-6 cars ahead of us and police and rescue vehicles already there.  We turned off the car and waited a bit and then found out that is would be at least an hour before we could pass.  It happened on a small 2 lane bridge.  We asked for a way to I-90 and were told to turn before the bridge to Joilet, MT and then north to I-90.  It was quite a bit out of the way but Bill rather we drive than wait and be delayed even longer.  I was driving today because Bill didn’t sleep well last night.

It was not a bad drive, very little traffic and a few small towns along the way.  Once we hit the interstate and the speed limit was 80, I made up for some of the lost time!  Bill was snoozing and had no idea how fast we were going!  He decided there was some race car driver in me!  We stopped once for a bathroom break and arrived in Bozeman at lunch time.  Since we came in from the east instead of the west we made a couple of store stops before lunch.  We settled for Arby’s for lunch and that was a mistake.  The girl took multiple stabs at getting our order right over the speaker and then Bill didn’t get any sauce for his sandwich.  The salad was skimpy on the chicken and was just iceberg lettuce.  No comparison to Wendy’s so I won’t get salad there again!

We stopped at Bed, Bath & Beyond, World Market, the after lunch we hit Wal-mart.  We couldn’t leave Molly in a hot car and Bill had a script to fill so we put her in her carrier (at great risk with her hind claws) and Bill rolled her around the store while I did the shopping.  She never makes a peep and I’m sure people thought there was a dog in the carrier.

On the way out of town we stopped at the Mall so I could go to Joann’s and Bath and Body Works.  Then it was one more stop for gas and on the way we went.  We managed to get home just after 5 and got everything emptied from the car and put away.  Since I hadn’t planned for dinner we had pepperoni pizza on flat-outs with salad. 

I should have gotten on the computer but driving most of the day I was pooped and watched TV and crocheted.

Beartooth Highway, here we come!

August 15 - It was a very crazy day!

I was up just before eight and received a phone call from a guy who we are working with to sell our property in Ocoee. He wanted me to contact the rest of our group and let them know we had an offer. Of course he wanted an answer from everyone today but that was just not going to happen. He needed additional information and I told him I would see about getting it through a friend of ours, so I was already behind before even starting for the day. We had a relatively quick breakfast once Bill got up and he started loading the car while I started loading the cooler. Then the guy from Rand McNally called about our faulty GPS system. He said they had the new SD card ready to send us to replace the old one but I needed to send that one back first.  One more thing to do before we leave!  I found an envelope to put the SD card in and got it ready to put in the mail. Our goal is for it to get there and the new one to get here before we leave in September so we could actually use our GPS system for the first time.

Then Bill called his friend with the title company and I spoke with her about the title questions that I was told to ask and she was very helpful. So I was scurrying around getting the rest of Molly’s  belongings together because she was traveling with us for two days and what jackets and things we were taking and Bill got a phone call from a friend. So while he talked to him I went outside and called our land partner back and went over what I found out from the title lady.  I told him I would try very hard to get him an answer back by tomorrow night from the rest of our group.  I explained that we were leaving to go out of town I would be with no cell service for the most part of the day but hopefully I would get to email everyone out the documents and then get back to him sometime tomorrow.

Then my neighbor came over to show me a craft project that she had started because she and I have been doing some crafting while we are working together.

We finally got in the car at almost 10:30 and we had missed putting our mail in the mailbox so after we got to West Yellowstone and stopped for gas we went through the drive-through at the post office and put all of our mail in the box.

We thought we were finally on our way but because we were so late when we got to the entrance of Yellowstone there was quite a line.

Lone buffalo strolling down the road

Once we made it through the gate house we were kind of glad there were no animals on the way to slow up traffic and we headed north away from Old Faithful. The traffic

Lamar Valley

really was not bad at all today and we did get to see a couple of single Buffalo and once we reached Lamar Valley we saw herds of Buffalo. At one point we had to stop so they could cross the road.  Since it’s not often that we have the experience, we do enjoy watching them with their calves.  They are all along the valley but today they were mostly back off the road, appearing as black dots on the grass.

Main Street Silver Gate

Just before leaving the park we were searching for the picnic area that was designated on the map. We ended up stopping at a wayside with a bathroom and then just ate our meal in the car.  They should have at least one picnic table at each pull off.

She doesn't look it, she loves
riding in the car

We weren't too far then from the exit of the north east entrance/exit for Yellowstone. Then we immediately went through the town of Silver Gate and then Cooke City and then we were on the Beartooth Highway.  The road reaches to over an elevation of 10,000 feet at Beartooth pass. We made a number of stops along the way at overlooks, mountain views, and we when we reached the very top the temperature had

A section of the switchbacks

dropped to 33°. There was hail and then just slushy rain. The nasty weather was only bad at the part where the switchbacks are and we were literally zigzagging up to the top and then zigzagging back down. It was a very scenic and very beautiful drive but with the weather like it was we missed a lot of great views.  We did see lots of snow still on the mountain tops and a ski lift and runs.

Hail on Bill's window

We arrived in the town of Red Lodge around 4:30 which was sooner than Bill had expected since we got such a late start.  I think the fact that the weather prohibited us from stopping as often as we would have is the reason.  Red Lodge is a lovely small town.  It’s along a river you can hear rushing when you walk out of the motel and the downtown is vibrant as tourists stop in the various shops, restaurants and saloons.  They are about 2 hours from Billings where the residents head to do most of their shopping.  We stayed at the Red Lodge Inn, which is owned by a young couple who moved here to raise their children in a safer and small town atmosphere.  Molly loved our room which was newly renovated.

After settling in and resting a while we went “downtown” for dinner at Foster and Logan’s.

Main Street Red Lodge

  It’s a combo pub/restaurant that the owners of the motel recommended.  We were disappointed in the lack of dinners available as it was mostly burgers, sandwiches, salads and 1 steak cut.  Bill enjoyed his buffalo burger and chips and I settled on the fajita appetizer.  It was HUGE!  It had chicken and all kinds of veggies and cheese and was served with 2 sauces.  I managed to eat 3 of the 4 pieces and Bill had the last one.

We drove around town a little and checked out where to get gas in the morning and stopped at the local grocery for 2 individual ice creams cups.  I brought the leftover peach/blueberry crisp and we warmed it in the microwave and put the ice cream on top.  Yummy!

Time to settle in and read and relax!

Pre-trip Day Off

August 14 - It rained all night on and off the high for the day was a whopping 60!  Bill slept in and I did a few odds and ends while he was sleeping.  We didn’t finish breakfast until 10:30.  It was a sad day for Bill as he got a call from one of his high school friend’s son that his dad had a massive heart attack on Saturday and died on the way to the hospital.  He spent some time calling some the guys to let them know.  He’s very sorry he won’t be there with the gang.

We caught up over the phone with Ron and Barbara and discussed our meeting up in September in Colorado and plans for once we complete the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.  He has to be back for his winter job a week sooner than we had planned to get back so we will go to Carlsbad Caverns and then they will head to Waco and we’ll do our thing!  Bill wants to visit some people on the way home so they would probably be bored with that (I probably will!).  Anyway, we are still tweaking things for the long road home!

I did up the laundry since we’re heading on a 2 day road trip by car with Molly in tow!  I did my cleaning and made another batch of tapioca and a small blueberry-peach crisp.  I put off getting on the computer most of the day!  When I finally got on I printed my bank statement (another chore I tend to put off), caught up on my journal, my email, printed some things for Bill, posted 2 days blog and just googled stuff! 

I’m not sure what Bill ate for “lunch” but since we ate breakfast so late I had an apple with some almond butter around 2-2:30.

We started putting our duffle bag in order for tomorrow.  We’re not real sure how the weather is going to go so it looks like we’re heading out for much longer than one night!  I packed Molly’s a food bag and Bill put her carrier in the car.  I will pack the cooler in the morning and a bag of “snack” items also.  We keep a case of bottled water in the car so I can check that off.  We charged up the camera and the video camera, so we hope to be on the road by 10. 

I did get my statement balanced tonight and was only off .10 so I just let it go!  When I was a banker for 22 years I would never do that, I’d spend hours hunting for my mistake, but now, I’m older and less anal about it, so what’s a dime?

Time to read and get my jammies on!

What a BORING work weekend!

August 12/13 -  As far as busy goes, this was not a busy weekend.  As a matter of fact, on Sunday is was downright boring!  Saturday Sue and I had only 6-7 arrivals but the laundry was quite busy.  We both did some crafting during the slow times.  Bill kept busy outside with putting in his sewer posts, mowing, weedeating, etc.

When we went to balance out for the day we realized it was busier than we thought based on the till.

We had the grilled chicken from last night which was nice and a frozen side dish and some salad.  I thought I’d get on the computer and post yesterday’s adventure, but just didn’t feel like it.

Sunday was SO boring.  I only had one reservation due in and wouldn’t you know, they called in the early afternoon and cancelled.  Then I figured I’d have a couple of last minute people call for a spot for the night – did not happen.  I did have 4-5 call and make reservations for next week and in September.  The morning was a little hectic in the laundry as we later found out the drainfield and septic are basically full and causing some back up so some of the washers wouldn’t drain properly and a couple of people got a bit on the pissy side with me.  I just volunteer, I don’t make any of the decisions!  I called the owner’s wife and she sent him over and he kinda blew it off.  He knew the condition of the septic tank and they can’t come drain it until the end of the week. Geez!  Once the crowd slowed down so did the drainage issues.  Thank goodness!

Bill came in a lot as he didn’t have much to do outside with no RV’s to park and only a few propane tanks to fill.  My total intake for the day was $65.20.  It wasn’t worth the time and trouble to balance out the drawer!  I did manage to finish the book I was reading, make some scrubbies and make some new kind of scrubbies.  At 6 Bill came back in and swept the floors and emptied all the trash cans and took it to the dumpster.  I cleaned the dryers, washers, bathrooms and waited out one guy who was last minute using the shower house (it’s $4 to take a shower if you’re not staying here) and a guy who was late getting his laundry started.  He was a nice guy and we even stayed late talking.   He’s from Oregon and into recycling and couldn’t believe no one in the valley recycles.  He also works in a fly fishing shop and wants to be a professional guide.  They do make some good money doing that during the season.

So I balanced, turned off the lights and headed home to Lean Cuisines!  Not my favorite meals but they serve their purpose when you don’t have time or feel like cooking.  Bill had on “Chesapeake Shores” which is one of our new shows and I got to see the last half.  This having the shows on 2 hours earlier than home sucks!

Some time with Harry!

August 11 – Breakfast was not quite a success this morning!  I made toasted coconut pancakes with OLD batter and they were nasty!  The country ham and leftover sausage was good and since there was one muffin and 2 scones left there was something to take the place of the pancakes.  Of course there was fruit too!

Bill didn’t sleep well and Harry wanted to get home this evening instead of leaving tomorrow so we had to come up with a plan!  I suggested that Bill go back to bed and Harry drive he and I around the Mesa Falls loop and for Bill to meet us in Ashton for lunch.  Then Harry could head south and be 40 miles closer instead of us driving back to the campground and him leave from there.  Everyone agreed it was a good plan!

Harry at Upper Mesa Falls

We enjoyed the falls.  There was a big crowd at Upper Mesa Falls and we ended up in the overflow parking.  There were tons of wild huckleberries and there I was with nothing to put them in.  I don’t think Harry would have been too thrilled with picking them.  There were a few wild raspberries also.  I ate a few huckleberries and they aren’t as good as a blueberry but sure do look like them.

My little cabin

There were a lot less people at the Lower Mesa Falls.  We didn’t stay as long there and headed on around the loop.  It’s a nice scenic drive and the mountain to the bottom where the tiny “town” of Warm River is.  I’ve wanted to stop there so today we did.  I love the little cabin nestled into the side of the mountain along the river.  I found it strange that you can’t wade, swim, fish or boat in the river along there.

As we came out of the mountains and entered the farm land I called Bill to let him know how close we were to the restaurant where we were meeting.  I was in the middle of a text and a bright yellow crop duster looked like he was going

to hit us!  It was quite a shock.  Then I got out my camera and snapped as quickly as I could.  I got a couple of decent photos in the air and one as he was tight along the ground.  Would have been better if we were not moving also!

Bill was a little bit behind us so Harry wanted to stop at Family Dollar for a couple of things and that would save him doing it once he got home today.  Then we went to the restaurant and got our table where we looked at my plane photos while we waited for Bill.  Lunch was good.  Harry and I each had the Reuben and Bill had a Chicken Club.  They all come with fries so Harry ended up most of mine.  They brought our free ice cream cones which is a nice touch!

We said our good-byes in the parking lot and wished him a safe trip not only home today but for his trip to Europe in a week.  I forgot to tell him to call me when he got home so I sent him a text after is across the street so when we left so we stopped for some more fresh fruit and their awesome fresh ground sausage.  Then as we approached Island Park we stopped at Trouthunter’s Restaurant to see if they are still in operation and the same type of food as 2 years ago.  We drove past Angler’s Lodge, just to see where it was in case we decide to eat there.  Bill had checked out a map and found the road to another lodge kinda far back in and we drove back there and also found the gated entrance to the island where the campground owners' have 2 cabins.  The area was full of ATV trails and we saw several out and about.

Home was the final destination and it turned a bit windy with a little rain.  Once it cleared off Bill went out to finish painting the sewer marker stakes while I set my computer desk back up and washed a load of cleaning rags.  Since the wind died down later, Bill grilled burgers and chicken while I made a batch of tapioca pudding.   There was plenty of whole milk left from what I bought for Harry to drink.  He did put a good dent in it but there was enough for 2 batches.

I cooked corn on the cob to go with the burgers and some steamed broccoli.  Of course we had some tapioca for dessert.  Yum!  Then it was relaxation time before our next 2 days of slave labor!