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Old 01-07-2018, 06:35 PM   #661
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So excited to see you here I hit send.

Dana
Get a grip Dana. Take your meds and when in Colorado, many fine dispensaries with product that will calm you.

Good to hear from you.

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Old 01-08-2018, 05:40 AM   #662
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Thumbs up The times require it...

.... a business proposition.

Gene,

I'm willing to be your agent for the book that needs to written about your childhood growing up in Queens NY.
A guaranteed best seller.

The 60's may have been tumultuous but at least the haze made everything bearable, I may have to come West just to get my prescription re-filled.

Stay well my friend..

Bob
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Old 01-09-2018, 01:12 PM   #663
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The haze never ended in Colorado Bob. As for the book, it would be short, though I did write a guest column for our local daily paper in August, 2016, about how I knew the Trump family who lived down the block back in the 1940's and '50's.

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Old 01-10-2018, 04:44 AM   #664
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Gene,

Please send me a copy, I would be happy to plagiarize it for you.

Bob
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Old 01-16-2018, 07:33 PM   #665
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So excited to see you here I hit send.

We will be in Salida in June as our oldest son is getting married there. Probably won't be Airstreaming as I have "unretired" for awhile so time is a bit limited.....

Dana
Had to do the same thing, "unretire". The phrase I use is that "I tried retirement and it didn't work out". Most folks get a good chuckle outta that. I will say that I'm the oldest guy in the group.....by a long shot. Hope we can both "reretire soon".

Gene, don't ever go away, keep this thread alive. Nice knowing you're still makin' us all think a little from time to time.

Safe travels and stay warm my friend.

Jim
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Old 01-16-2018, 10:54 PM   #666
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Retired in late 2013. Relaxed, reduced stress, etc. Then industry found out I had computer security experience...so much for retirement. When they make an offer you can’t refuse.....
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Old 01-16-2018, 11:32 PM   #667
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Hi, I retired ten years ago and I'm never going back.
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Old 01-17-2018, 05:15 AM   #668
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Wink

I retired once, I'm now tired 24/7.

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Old 02-03-2018, 02:25 PM   #669
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Having retired 18 years ago, I am champion of aimless uselessness, but I'll continue to pretend I am not.

Our Airstream and our relatively cheap Nash have something in common: cheap heat registers that cannot be closed. I bought closable ones for the Airstreams, but after a few years they started closing themselves. Just using the furnace closed them, so I replaced them with the originals when we sold it. I just ordered a closable one for the bedroom in the Nash. It was so cheap ($10 with shipping), it should match the others which I don't want to close. Since the Nash ductwork seems to be straight metal ducts and not the cheap collapsible ducts Airstream uses, the system is much quieter. And we need heat a lot less because the insulation is far better.

We just made reservations for Bluff, Utah, so we can explore Bear's Ears NM in late April and early May. I have about 10 weeks to find out where the lesser known ruins and rock art are and to get stronger with liberal applications of exercise. Last year our hiking was really hard and between age and dislike of exercise, I was not well prepared. I will have muscles so bulging that my clothes will explode if I flex those super muscles too much. Friends will be joining us for 5 or 6 days with their ancient Flair MH. It is actually a nice smaller unit. They bought it used and have taken good care of it. It will also be our 30th anniversary, a day commemorating our stubbornness as well as love. For last year's anniversary, we installed a new toilet in our public bathroom, so I hope we can exceed that event.

A year ago our neighbor up the road (a half mile away is a close neighbor here) was complaining about some travel problems, so I suggested an RV would solve that. He kept saying "hotel", "hotel", and more "hotel". Last summer they decided to buy a trailer because they wanted to bring their four cats with them and travel south to warmth. it has been so dry and warm here this "winter", I don't know why anyone would travel south, but I've always liked winter. I have spent many hours explaining how RV's work, glad to help and usually laughing at how much they have to learn. They left for Tucson a couple days ago and after explain about 100 times (ok, less than that, it just felt like it) how to summerize, they ran out of time and had to do it on the road. I had suggested they summarize days before they left, but no, they wouldn't listen. That means not spilling scores of gallons of antifreeze, water and chlorinated water all over, making campground patrons and owners nervous about spilled nasty water. How do you direct it into the campground sewer without spilling a lot or allowing sewer gas to escape?

So each night on the way to Tucson (it took them 3 days), I'd get a call: Which do I do first? Can I use the fresh water tank for that? Why don't I have any water pressure? Which way do the valves go on the water heater? How do I get chlorine into the pipes? When do I turn on the water heater? This from a guy who can take cars apart and put them together! It sure makes me feel smart and reminds me of how we went through the same thing a decade ago. The Forum was a great help, but ultimately, you have to figure it out yourself.

They bought one of the 60 or more brands made by Forest River. It has a nice floor plan, but no extra seating other than the dinette. I think it is about the same size as ours and feels very roomy because of a slide and less seating. It has an aluminum frame and a lot of cargo space. Finish is pretty good. Like us, they found one sitting on a lot for a long time, but they had to travel to southeast Washington state to get it. A problem here is that two of the limited number of RV dealers have dropped Forest River and it is getting hard to have warranty work done. Both dealers claim Forest River does not pay for warranty repairs for well over 60 or more days and the dealers are tired of carrying them. Perhaps Forest River is short of cash and may be headed for bankruptcy again. With an attempt to satisfy every segment in the market, costs increase per unit.

So, I have the travel itch. We'll make a trip in early April for Barb's mother's birthday (93) and go to Denver briefly as well. And we'll try to stop in Gunnison for a meal at Garlic Mike's—a really good northeastern style Italian restaurant. Even my Colorado-native wife loves the food there. Meanwhile, making cabinet doors goes slowly and while I am getting better and faster, i am somewhat tired of it. Wishing to be over the kitchen remodel does not make it go faster so it is time to stop writing.

I have though of posting photos, but since I no longer pay the annual fee and am surely over the limit, I don't think I can. Perhaps older photos have disappeared—I haven't looked.

Gene
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Old 02-03-2018, 09:37 PM   #670
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Road Trips

Favorite Italian Restaurant slogan, “We season our garlic with food” on the outside of a family joint in Anaheim, CA area.

Since my godparents (God rest their souls!) are Sicilian, this really resonated with me.

Gene, would appreciate a ‘food report’ when you eat there...[emoji3]
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Old 02-07-2018, 01:15 PM   #671
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Gene, would appreciate a ‘food report’ when you eat there...[emoji3]
We have eaten there. It is very good and far superior to anything we have found in Grand Junction. I have been unsuccessful in convincing Garlic Mike to open a restaurant in GJ.

Other good news is we have finally released ourselves from the grip of Verizon. We looked up all the cell companies that use the same towers (leasing them from Verizon) and found Credo was the only one with enough data for us (we can't get internet any other way that makes sense at our house). We ended up with 2 smart phones (Apple 7's) for "free" and 20 Gb's of date for each phone before they slow it down so much you wouldn't use it. We are now using the phones as hotspots. The iPhone 7 is a battery hog, especially when using it as a hotspot. It I had called week later, I would have gotten "free" iPhone 8's, but how would I have known? Verizon refused to cancel our data and cell plans between billing periods—then they transferred my wife to a supervisor to see if it could be done and put her on endless hold. She was getting over a minor cold, got frustrated and finally hung up. I hope someday Verizon gets punished for its greed, but in a nation run by oligarchs that may never happen.

We first tried Consumer Cellular to see if an AT&T SIM card would work at out house. They promised to send us phones with AT&T SIM cards, but they lied and sent us a useless T-Mobile card, so we sent it back. So now I have not only my first smart phone, but my first cellphone. I now understand the addictive nature of the phone—so much news to read. Of course, I get pretty much the same news on my iPad, but the iPhone is more addictive. I got a new number because our old "home Phone" number was known to many annoying callers that plague everyone. I already have gotten a few fake calls on the new phone, but not the 2-5 per day we were getting. One of things they do is have their computer call several numbers at once and hang up on the ones that don't answer first, so several people get a few rings and then a hangup, but we don't find that out until we have picked up the phone with no one there. Most people I have asked say they rarely answer the phone anymore unless they recognize the number and otherwise, they can leave a message. We do the same. Trouble is, it ends up with everyone leaving messages and no one answering the phone, ever.

Actually I don't use phones much anyway with friends. E-mail works better. Phones are now for dealing with companies and businesses. I have little interest in texts, but a neighbor loves to send them to me—I ignore them or answer with e-mail. I don't want to type on a phone unless I get surgery to have my fingers shaved down to fit the "keyboard". I guess I remain pretty much behind the times.

I started on my research on Bear's Ears and am eager to go. I got Barb's cold (second one of the winter) and am displeased about that (I gave her the last one, so we are equal). Painted three more cabinet doors yesterday, only 22 to go. Exercising to get ready for hiking, but like doors, it goes slowly. But all the things I was behind on, many I have caught up on. Maybe I will be strong enough to deal with Samsung—trying to get them to honor a TV warranty is almost impossible. They make good products, but they make warranty claims exceptionally difficult and give the run around. No wonder so many people are angry—try dealing with companies that make life almost unbearable.

Two month to our first trip and several more weeks to Bear's Ears.

Gene
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Old 03-08-2018, 11:23 AM   #672
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Slowly moving forward on kitchen cabinet doors—29 in total, 14 done, started on 7 more. I had hoped to finish before the end of this month, but having a cold, being slow and ancient and having other responsibilities seem to make that impossible. A cousin of Barb's is having major open heart surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota toward the end of this month, so we are going for support. This will eliminate more than a week of work, but some things are a priority.

And I have to summerize the Nash after we get back, plan for the Bear's Ears trip, blah, blah.... Seems like my list of things to do only gets longer. I am starting to hunger for driving somewhere, anywhere, but it will be to Rochester, Minn.

Winter feels like it is over. We've only had a little more then 20" of snow this year and I worry about whether there will be water in the well by summer. Until February, we had only about 7 or 8", but the high pressure system that sat over the southwest broke down and let some storms through. They weren't big, but they usually aren't here. Last year we had a fairly dry winter, but the skies opened up in spring and brought a lot of snow bringing us back to normal. It is often said there is no normal in Colorado, but the extremes are getting more extreme. I read they had thundersnow in NYC and NJ a couple of days ago and people were shocked because it is so rare. I've experienced it a couple of times—at least 2, maybe more—so I guess it is more common in the Rockies. The first time was about 35 years ago and it was strange to have heavy snow and thunder at the same time.

Life goes on as always—too much to do, older each day, the road calls, rooms to remodel, friends getting older and slower, some gradually disappearing from events—I once read when people die in nursing homes, no one talks about them as if they will make the remaining residents live longer. I notice when people get too feeble to come to events they love, little is said about them. That feels wrong and also very human. Another part of the journey and not a very pleasing one.

I just heard there is a 2018 Tradewind. I looked up Airstream models and saw no mention of it, but also was told they are using the old names on some lengths. All very confusing. I see they are building even a bigger administration building. Are they getting too big for when the next recession hits? Have they improved quality control? The move in RV's is for bigger and bigger and Airstream hasn't dealt with that. Slides are common now elsewhere. It really makes a difference in space and as I look back on our Safari, it feels really, really cramped. That's one extra "really" as I think about the narrow hallway taking up all that space and the tight kitchen. Since we never had a trailer before (we tried a truck camper and it was super-cramped) our Safari seemed big enough for years. And if you had a small trailer, a 25' would be big in how it felt. But if you have a comparably sized (on the outside) trailer, an Airstream must seem like a large closet. And 5th wheels are gigantic for their length. But Airstream is a small operator in RV's, so maybe they will keep on truckin'. At some point, Airstream will have reached its limit in market share between very the high prices and small interiors. I guess they'll find out when they reach it.

Gene
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Old 03-08-2018, 01:49 PM   #673
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Thumbs up

Hi Gene....I just took a shower. I feel better now.

BfloBob
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Old 03-10-2018, 12:48 PM   #674
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The answer to a slide (space) is length.

Andy T notes that in the 1980s that the 34 and 31 were nearly all the market wanted.

Obesity explains much of the “preference” for such (and fifth wheels) since.

Oversized RVs and pickups cause a cancer: stimulates ego to add more stuff. Bigger is better, and hasn’t a limit.

Does the 15-tons of combined rig make a better experience than the six ton rig?
(besides that it’s even more expensive to operate and more time-consuming to clean and maintain)

Add clothes, fresh food and water. Go.
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Old 03-11-2018, 08:55 AM   #675
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Obesity explains much of the “preference” for such (and fifth wheels) since.

Oversized RVs and pickups cause a cancer: stimulates ego to add more stuff. Bigger is better, and hasn’t a limit.

Does the 15-tons of combined rig make a better experience than the six ton rig?
(besides that it’s even more expensive to operate and more time-consuming to clean and maintain)


slowmover

Interesting statements to ponder. It seems that there may be a lot of truth there.

Dan
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Old 03-14-2018, 11:51 AM   #676
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I have now a trailer that is 13" longer than the Safari was, but the real difference is the slide. Perhaps that has increased my ego, but it was pretty big anyway. The 5th wheels are enormous inside because some of the trailer is over the truck bed and that is usually where they put the bedroom. The trouble with them to us was that they are too heavy for a 1/2 ton truck and I wasn't about to buy a bigger truck when the Tundra, old as it is, runs just as well as it did 121,000 miles ago. Everyone likes a new truck, but look at the prices? Best to wait for another recession.

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Old 03-17-2018, 10:46 AM   #677
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I just changed "rivet master" to Master of Universe and added a custom signature. Testing to see if it worked.

[Answer—partly]

[fixed it again—now truly a master of the universe]
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Old 03-17-2018, 04:27 PM   #678
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Dear Master,

PLEASE consider re-aligning our Nebula, I believe it's heading straight for yeranus.

Your vacuous servant,
Bob
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Old 03-17-2018, 06:53 PM   #679
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Bob, I'm beginning to think you never escaped Cleveland.......and are perhaps trapped in a Starbucks there.........

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Old 03-18-2018, 12:17 PM   #680
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Jim, I can assure you, having spend years in Buffalo and several days in Cleveland, they are similar and Bob can take it having spent even more years in Buffalo than I did. Thus, he has always been this way.

As for the nebula, I fixed it this morning and sent it to Lake Erie, thereby solving lots of problems unless you live near Lake Erie.

Next I'll have to change the avatar. Maybe Marilyn has represented me for too long, although I do have another photo of her from Big Sur.

Trivia time: what TV program had a character called "The Master"? The winner gets a week in Cleveland or Buffalo—your choice*.

Gene

*At winner's expense.
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