Sunday, May 03, 2009

WHY DON'T WE PUT A COUPLE OF SHELVES THERE

FINALLY FINISHED PAINTING THE REST OF THE SLIDE WALLS AWHILE BACK
I sometimes wonder if the designers & builders of RV's ever actually spend any time living in them. Doesn't take long for even the untrained eye to see where improvements could be made. At first glance RV's look very compact & well thought out. Everything looks so nice, colors match, finishes sparkle, mirrors give the impression of spaciousness. They are heavy into the WOW factor. But, try sleeping on that pull out couch or sitting for any length of time in that tiny tub chair. Better wear knee pads getting in & out of that breakfast nook & don't plan on any extended meals if you don't want to end up with flat buns. There are many classes of creature comforts in the RV's just like cars & in the end you get what you pay for I guess. I've never spent any time in a high end coach but I'm sure they have a superior quality to them. Maybe even pull out couches that are actually comfortable to sleep on.
BURGUNDY TRILLIUM IN THE WOODS THIS MORNING
Space is cleverly maximized by the designers up to a point but for anyone living in an RV.....not cleverly enough. Kelly found another wasted space in the bedroom under a counter top kind of affair. A bedroom stool came with the motorhome that was meant for someone to sit on at this counter & put on make-up or something. It's located at the foot of the bed so you had to be some kind of contortionist to seat yourself on that stool with your legs ramrodded under the counter & do to yourself whatever this counter & stool were intended to help you do. We left the stool at home last year & the space under the counter remained just that......space. On Saturday Kelly said, "why don't we put a couple shelves in there or something." Don't know why we hadn't thought of that before. Just one of those Senior moments I guess. First thing this morning I scrounged around gathering up wood for something I would hopefully later call a couple of shelves. Out came the tape measure & the pencil. Straight lines were drawn on wood surfaces & before long the whole park was awakened by Al playing with his power saw again. I even closed the shed's window & door to minimize the sound but it was Sunday so it was extra quiet outside. Tried whistling loud but that just made the whining saw worse. Wasn't until I belted out a few good bars of Johnny Horton's Honky Tonk Man that I overpowered the skil saw & took charge of the air waves. ROBINS NEST IN OUR CAR PORTSome days ya just can't do anything wrong no matter how hard ya try. Geeeeezzz, I like when that happens. All my first measurements were right on, the saw cuts were straight, I actually got all the wood stain on the wood this time, & the squareheaded wood screws even went straight into the wood when I assembled the shelf pieces. The 2 shelves fitted snugly into the space where Kelly wanted & I was even able to get them level & hold them there while I screwed the shelves into place. No, it's not something a professional carpenter would brag about but it's functional, looks OK, puts a feather in my cap, & kept me on an even keel for the rest of the day. Maybe even got me a few extra brownie points with the boss. Geeeezzz, I like when that happens...................................:)) TWO SHELVES INSTALLED WITH 3 OF KELLY'S IKEA TOTE BASKETS ON THEM

Saturday, May 02, 2009

BLOGGING.....IT ISN'T ALWAYS EASY

AWWWW, WHAT A LIFE

As much as I enjoy blogging, it isn't always easy to come up with interesting topics on a regular basis. Easier to do when traveling I think. My blogger dashboard tells me I've posted 410 blogs since September of 07. I probably have another 30 or 40 on Microsoft's My Space as well from a trip to the southwest 3 years ago. Blogging can be a spontaneous thing or a well thought out piece of work with re-writes & edits. I have a habit of falling into the first category but would recommend to new bloggers the second method. The second method will probably save you some embarrassment & regrets. It will also give your blog some spit & polish. I think the best scenario is to write the initial blog & then let it sit for awhile. Put it on a back burner if you wish & let it simmer. Add ingredients such as thoughts & ideas whenever they occur to you. Ideally, let the blog percolate for the night & come back to it the following day after having slept on it. Your final re-write might look a fair bit different than your original draft the day before & chances are you will feel more comfortable before publishing it on the web. For impatient bloggers like myself, the first category is the one into which we generally stumble. Whatever thought process occurs in the cranium instantly finds it's way onto the keyboard, up onto the monitor, & out onto the web. Not always a good thing. Words or phrases may pop into the mind that I normally wouldn't use and whooooops, there they go for the whole world to see. This is where it's important to put your blog on the back burner, give it some time, & then come back to it. Chances are when you read it a second & third time your mind will catch the mistakes & re-write them. This will save you from waking up in the middle of the night with that nagging feeling that you have written something in your blog that really didn't need writing in the first place. Take it from an old blogger who knows about such things. But, it's from our mistakes that we learn....or so I'm told:)) VIEW OF OUR SIDE YARD FROM ATOP THE MOTORHOME

And remember.......Make sure your skills levels match your confidence levels or at the end of the day you may very well end up a disappointed person. Not all people are created with the same abilities. Know your limitations & be realistic with both your optimistic & pessimistic views.......... In my opinion............................ realistic thinking is the key:))

And on a lighter note:
It was once said that a black man would be president when pigs flew. Well behold 100 days into Obama's presidency.............. swine flu!!

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Thursday, April 30, 2009

GOT WHUPPED 6 OUT OF 8 GAMES

IT'S MY EAGLE EYED UNCLE LINING UP ANOTHER WINNING SHOT

As expected, I took another whuppin at the hands of my 93 year old pool shark Uncle Harry to-day over in Woodstock Ontario. He took 6 out of 8 games & I just got plain lucky on the other two. He was a bartender at the Army & Navy club in Stratford Ontario for many years & honed his skills on the billiard table there.

I am a part time mobility van driver for the months we are home so I was glad to receive a call from the company a few days ago letting me know they will need me again for another season. It's nice to be needed you know & I look forward to once again being on the road helping dis-abled folks to Doctor's appointments, hospitals, family reunions, etc.
ONE OF THE WHEEL CHAIR EQUIPPED MOBILITY VANS I DRIVE

Other than a very rainy drive over to Woodstock & back this afternoon, it has been a rather uneventful day. Oh well, maybe to-morrow................. EXITING THE SWISS CHALET WHERE UNCLE HARRY TOOK US OUT FOR SUPPER

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