Yesterday, we met blogger/volunteer friends for lunch at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, MN. We were staying in the very nice RV park at the casino and they drove over from their home in Wisconsin. Eric and Kathy were volunteers at Santa Ana NWR in Texas, where we volunteered in 2012. They like to do many of the same things we do in their free time--we ran into them at a very cold, rainy BBQ festival in Texas. And Kathy also blogs about their life.
We really appreciated their taking the time to drive to see us in Hinckley and we had a good time talking about volunteer positions, RVs and traveling. By the way, the Grand Buffet at the casino is very good. And the desserts are to die for.
Just before we met them, I remarked I really had to remember to take a picture of them so I could use it in this blog. But as they drove away and we walked back to our RV, I realized, "Oh no, I didn't take a picture." You'll just have to check out their blog to see what they look like. Maybe next time, I'll get the photograph.
Today we are in Albert Lea, MN. As we drove south on I-35, just as we were passing through the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, our phone rang. It was John's brother, Tim. We took the call over our Onstar system in the truck, so it was a hands-free conversation. It was good to talk to him, though a little stressful at times for John, who was driving. Thankfully, the traffic wasn't too heavy.
Showing posts with label telephone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label telephone. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Waiting
Monday, we took our truck to Maxair in Colorado Springs to have a spray-in bed liner applied. When that was completed, they installed our toolbox. We carry a lot of stuff in that toolbox and we are glad to have it back in place. We had to take all that stuff out and stow it away in our RV and in the RV basement so it could be removed from the old truck and moved to the new truck. For a week, we have been living in the midst of a crowded mess.
Since the work on the truck was going to take 7 to 9 hours, we had a lot of time to fill. The truck is our only vehicle so Maxair dropped us off at The Citadel Shopping Center for the day. What do you do for a full day at the mall? First, we used the mall halls to get 3 miles of walking. We had to stop and look at the puppies in the pet store.
Next, we went to the food court where we ate some cookies and read our kindles. By then, the Verizon store was open and John was able to upgrade his phone. All day on our hands, John bought an iPhone! We have both joined the 21st century--at least where our phones are concerned. I tried to buy some tops, but couldn't find anything I liked.
We checked out some free-standing stores around the mall, then had lunch at IHOP. Then we settled into some comfortable couches to do more reading.
Finally, about 3:30 they picked us up and we had our truck back. Doesn't the truck bed look nice?
Today, we put all the stuff back in the tool box. Yea! Next week, we have another long day of waiting at Maxair while they install a hitch and some other add-ons. That day, we plan to go to a movie.
At 14,114 ft, Pikes Peak dominates the skyline in southeastern Colorado, no matter where you are. Named for Zebulon Pike, probably the first American to sight the peak in 1806, it is a landmark to everyone traveling in this part of the state. This is the view we have from Mueller State Park.
This is what it looks like when we drive on a road near St. David's Episcopal Church in Woodland Park, where we have been worshiping.
We could clearly see it from Colorado Springs, as well.
Since the work on the truck was going to take 7 to 9 hours, we had a lot of time to fill. The truck is our only vehicle so Maxair dropped us off at The Citadel Shopping Center for the day. What do you do for a full day at the mall? First, we used the mall halls to get 3 miles of walking. We had to stop and look at the puppies in the pet store.
Next, we went to the food court where we ate some cookies and read our kindles. By then, the Verizon store was open and John was able to upgrade his phone. All day on our hands, John bought an iPhone! We have both joined the 21st century--at least where our phones are concerned. I tried to buy some tops, but couldn't find anything I liked.
We checked out some free-standing stores around the mall, then had lunch at IHOP. Then we settled into some comfortable couches to do more reading.
Finally, about 3:30 they picked us up and we had our truck back. Doesn't the truck bed look nice?
Today, we put all the stuff back in the tool box. Yea! Next week, we have another long day of waiting at Maxair while they install a hitch and some other add-ons. That day, we plan to go to a movie.
At 14,114 ft, Pikes Peak dominates the skyline in southeastern Colorado, no matter where you are. Named for Zebulon Pike, probably the first American to sight the peak in 1806, it is a landmark to everyone traveling in this part of the state. This is the view we have from Mueller State Park.
This is what it looks like when we drive on a road near St. David's Episcopal Church in Woodland Park, where we have been worshiping.
We could clearly see it from Colorado Springs, as well.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Alaska -- Day 71
The last few days, I have gotten out of bed and looked in the mirror and asked myself, "When did my mother get such a good tan?" Oops, that's not my mother, it's me. So, how did I get so old? With a morning like I had today, it is easy. Even though we had the RV to the shop twice in Anchorage because of the noises the slide was making, it still isn't sounding good.
Today, we decided to call Lippert, the company that makes the slides. Once I was on hold for customer service for 5 minutes. Later, I was on hold for 25 minutes. They offer to call you back, I pushed 1 for yes. They did call back. But we have both been having trouble answering our phones. Mine has a touch screen and keeps locking. In trying to unlock, I disconnect. With John's phone, a flip phone, when I open it to answer, somehow I disconnect. The only reason I sat on hold for 25 minutes was that I had twice disconnected the call-back. So, it wasn't Lippert's fault. It was my stupidity or clumsiness. My frustration was with me. That is the frustration that adds the most age and wrinkles.
Thankfuly, that experience didn't mean the whole day was bad. I packed our lunch and we drove to the south end of Seward to hike at Caine's Head State Park. As we drove there, we saw a fog bank on Resurrection Bay.
We passed a couple of small waterfalls.
We hiked through an incredibly beautiful rain forest. Many tree branches were covered with soft green moss and the leaves on some of the plants in the understory were huge.
Our hike took us from Lowell Point to Tonsina Point and crossed the Tonsina River. We could see fish in the crystal clear water, probably salmon going upstream to spawn. Fishing for salmon is not allowed here. In the second photo, you can see a whole line of salmon swimming.
We heard screaming overhead. When we looked up, we saw two bald eagles talking to each other. I got a good picture of one of them.
Within 20 minutes, we stopped and talked to two different couples with ties to Colorado. One couple used to live in Fort Collins and Bouder and the man was one of three generations of his family to graduate from the University of Colorado. I am, too. My mother, I and our son, Eric, all have degrees from CU. A little further on, we encountered a couple who live in Colorado Springs. What a small world.
This was our view while we sat on a log to eat lunch.
It is very difficult to be frustrated or depressed in such incredible beauty. We had a great afternoon. It's all a matter of what your perspective is.
Today, we decided to call Lippert, the company that makes the slides. Once I was on hold for customer service for 5 minutes. Later, I was on hold for 25 minutes. They offer to call you back, I pushed 1 for yes. They did call back. But we have both been having trouble answering our phones. Mine has a touch screen and keeps locking. In trying to unlock, I disconnect. With John's phone, a flip phone, when I open it to answer, somehow I disconnect. The only reason I sat on hold for 25 minutes was that I had twice disconnected the call-back. So, it wasn't Lippert's fault. It was my stupidity or clumsiness. My frustration was with me. That is the frustration that adds the most age and wrinkles.
Thankfuly, that experience didn't mean the whole day was bad. I packed our lunch and we drove to the south end of Seward to hike at Caine's Head State Park. As we drove there, we saw a fog bank on Resurrection Bay.
We passed a couple of small waterfalls.
We hiked through an incredibly beautiful rain forest. Many tree branches were covered with soft green moss and the leaves on some of the plants in the understory were huge.
Our hike took us from Lowell Point to Tonsina Point and crossed the Tonsina River. We could see fish in the crystal clear water, probably salmon going upstream to spawn. Fishing for salmon is not allowed here. In the second photo, you can see a whole line of salmon swimming.
We heard screaming overhead. When we looked up, we saw two bald eagles talking to each other. I got a good picture of one of them.
Within 20 minutes, we stopped and talked to two different couples with ties to Colorado. One couple used to live in Fort Collins and Bouder and the man was one of three generations of his family to graduate from the University of Colorado. I am, too. My mother, I and our son, Eric, all have degrees from CU. A little further on, we encountered a couple who live in Colorado Springs. What a small world.
This was our view while we sat on a log to eat lunch.
It is very difficult to be frustrated or depressed in such incredible beauty. We had a great afternoon. It's all a matter of what your perspective is.
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