Northward Ho! And, Happy Birthday, Tammi

If you're going to do something tonight that you'll be sorry for tomorrow morning, sleep late.

Happy Birthday to Tammi.  Thursday is her birthday and the last of our July - August grouping.  We'll be celebrating this one with cake and ice cream at our family reunion this weekend.

Happy Birthday to you!!

The wedding is over and Terry is back on the west coast but travel wasn't as easy as he would have liked either going there or getting back.  With full flights and last minute changes to get there, he was gritting his teeth on getting back.  Three flights out of Roanoke to Charlotte on US Airways were either cancelled or downsized on Sunday.  That was an excellent sign that Terry probably wouldn't be making any of the other flights to Charlotte on that airline.  He knew it wasn't going to happen and after several hours at that airport  it was time he brought in the big guns ….. that was ME.


We’ve had way too much experience with cancelled flights to know what order and what priority people get any extra seats on planes.  Sunday ... he was at the very bottom of that list.   There was a time in his life when he was taken care of by the airlines.  He was a Platinum Club flyer and a member of the Million Mile Club.  However, that was in his former life … you know the one.  It’s when he actually worked.

Roanoke isn't a major hub for any airline.  From a major hub we know we can go any place.  Normally, if mechanical problems happen on one airline another airline will help pick up the passengers.  Delta wasn’t going to Charlotte and wasn’t taking any passengers from US Airways.  That was good news as  Delta had a seat and Terry got it.  He was on his way to Atlanta instead of to Charlotte.  Heck, he didn’t care where he was going as long as he could get out of Roanoke. In Atlanta he got a non-stop flight to Portland …. arriving an hour earlier than he would have on his original US Airways flight.  Yippee …

This is one of the books I found at Powell’s Bookstore.  It really isn’t just for graduates.  There are 1001 great little tips for young adults and getting along in the real world.  You can bet I bought a couple of these.  I had a few people in mind to give them to.

Monday was “rush around day” as we had lots of last minute things to get done, moved and packed up for our departure on Tuesday.  Packing all the items we had purchased was interesting.  Every empty spot was filled with something.  Plus, I had a couple bales of hay, cartons of soda and other items we needed to take to Tammi’s.  They’re taking the truck to the reunion.  I figured there should be lots of room for my stuff too. 

We had a few stops to make in Longview.  One was at Harbor Freight for a hitch rack which should certainly come in handy while boondocking.  They were on sale and we certainly like to take advantage of sales.

Another stop was at the Masthead Restaurant.  If you haven’t had seafood chowder at Masthead, you haven’t had chowder. Their seafood chowder is AMAZING. 

Tuesday morning the frozen ribs, hamburger, buns and corn were unloaded from Sabrina’s freezer and stashed in our refrigerator for transport.  Oh my!  Thank goodness we also have a little refrigerator in the back for Terry’s soda.  Out came the soda and in went the corn.  Needless to say, we won’t be buying any groceries until we reach our reunion location. 

Hamburger meat for Friday night.

Buns for Friday and Ribs for Saturday

We were on the road heading north by 10:00 but didn’t have far to go.  Terry headed towards Centralia to the RV Service Center and I headed back to Longview.  I decided to purchase those Pet Poopers for the reunion.  After all, not everyone has something that poops candy!  Someone will like them I’m sure. 

Arrival went just as planned.  There were no problems, no detours, accidents or anything else that could have caused stress.  It was a good, short drive.

Once we were checked in and set up, it was off to the outlet malls just a few miles away.  Sometimes outlets are great deals and other times not so much. This time there were some great deals.

Our appointment was scheduled for 8:30 in the morning.  We were hoping we’d get in early, get our leak fixed and be back on the road fairly early.  Is that what happened?

It sure wasn't.  The culprit was the hot water heater.  UPS is expected to deliver a new one Thursday around 11;00.  Our fingers are crossed it gets here then or I might be finishing the trip to the reunion all by myself.    We wanted a little problem.  We don't always get what we want.

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Check out the SUV below.  This SUV swerved to miss debris left on the roadway by a motorhome pulling a trailer.  Items on the trailer weren’t secured enough to keep it from flying off on the roadway.  Driver swerved and crashed into a semi.  Passenger was killed.

Here’s another motorhome action for you.  Driver was test driving a motorhome from a dealer close to Seattle and lost control.





‘Tis life on the road.