You need to enjoy life now because eventually you can't. I was sitting on the porch last evening texting with my granddaughter Shelby who is currently in California helping out family. I told her I wanted to go to the zoo.
Shelby said she would talk to Homer and make it happen, and maybe he can come along. There was no question we were referring to the new Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo and to enjoy it with the guy that designed it, would be amazing.
I need a new road trip and my rejuvenated truck is begging for the road. I'll have Piper inside and flea free shortly and I told Shelby to pick a date and I'll make that easy 6.5 hour drive to Pensacola in a heartbeat.
After getting my clutch slave cylinder replaced at Jerry's Automotive I drove up to Spring Hill to get my free tire rotation at Discount Tire and picked up Steph in Summertown along the way so we could catch up. The tire place's walk-in wait time was 2.5 hours (they didn't mention that when I called) so we just had some great barbecue and split.
It reminds me of our Rexburg runs from Driggs. If you needed a service that you couldn't get locally, you made the drive. It got me to thinking so I used my OMJRoute app and plotted both. Home to Walmart in Idaho was 46.69 miles while home to Discount Tire here is 49.49. Both of them are lovely numbers with symmetry, the kind you want for your phone, know what I mean?
Tomorrow I meet the pest control inspector, we will set a date and Piper hits the vet on the same day. Being pro-active beats the shit out of resignation. Home on...
I've lost my cat. Oh, I can find her, she's laying in the next door neighbors driveway, but our connection is fading fast. Not only has she stopped coming inside my house, she won't even come in my yard. She will get up and let me pet her when I walk over bringing food and water, which she barely touches, and that's about it.
I've been really close to this girl for many years now and it breaks my heart to lose her this way. The flea infestation in this neighborhood just must not be quite as bad next door. I never should have brought her here from Idaho, but nobody there stepped up to take her. It's too humid and the fleas have harassed her since we got here.
I don't know what's going to happen next.
Update: I'm going to have my house and yard defleaed by the local Kirkland Pest Control. That same day I'm scooping Piper up and taking her to Northside Animal Hospital to be bathed and defleaed. Then I will bring her home and lock her up, with lots of love and good food.
I just installed that EGR Delete plate that Riley cut out from a gasket for me. The process was a bit glitchy as the top edge was a little too big which forced me to approach the lower right thread from an angle. The thing is air-tight as far as I can tell and what do you know, she runs better without the valve, surprise, surprise.
I'm putting together a web site for Rileys Auto Body business. It looks great on a phone, very pleased. Still needs images and content tweaking...
I'm hosting it here for development but can move it to their domain and server when they choose. You can try it if you like by clicking the image below.
Working on video from the road trip today.
• First up, bees putting rocks into a hole at the kids house:
• Here I hit The Twilight Zone under the pale blue sky of the South Dakota Badlands:
• Just following Brian somewhere at Lava while Nadia and I giggle like school girls.
I recently hung out with Brian and Nadia at the backside of their motel which looked right down on the Portneuf River in Lava Hot Springs Idaho. Brian made dinner, Nadia entertained and I shot video. I have combined over twenty clips into one fun little video of people from all walks float this particular stretch in the river. Set aside five minutes, and enjoy...
I used to be addicted to local grown goat cheese back in Idaho. Marianne was my dealer, she raised the goats and grew the food she gave them. Nothing can compare.
Now I buy goat cheese from the Amish Market here and it's pretty good. Back in Washington, Riley picked up a couple different types but they were hard and funky. It should be soft and squishy and crumble when squeezed. If someone told me at a young age that I would still be alive in 2020 and a goat cheese snob I would have laughed out loud.
Update: It's at Sams Club
Member's Mark Fresh Goat Cheese Log is made with American goat milk and has a soft yet crumbly texture, and a mild tangy taste. Goat cheese is rich in protein along with a powerful combination of calcium, phosphorus and copper that is essential for bone health. Plus, it also provides healthy fats that improve satiety and support weight loss. Our fresh goat log is the perfect accompaniment crumbled on salads, sliced on a cheese board with crackers, and versatile enough to be used as a culinary aid for baking or stuffing.While hanging out at Brian and Nadia's motel backyard, which looks right down on the water, I grabbed a ton of video that I will convert tomorrow into one take.
My fun little two week 5,484 miles across countless States in my 32 year old truck road trip, is successfully complete. Here are some take-aways:
• Grateful to survive and make it home with truck and possessions intact. If your vehicle craps out you have to figure how to gather up your stuff on the side of the freeway and then deal with everything else from there, saw it happen twice. My truck had one issue in Montana but otherwise, she's my baby.
• I didn't get sick. I never wore a mask unless I was absolutely forced to when services were required. One afternoon somewhere out in the middle of nowhere I pulled over to check out a scenic view. Inside the only other car there was a woman with her windows up, playing with her phone, and wearing a mask. That pretty much sums up all the true madness I've seen.
• I didn't lose anything. Money, wallet, shades, phone, all that stuff you use and stand the risk of it parting your possession, especially while you're having a good time, know what I mean?
• I'm very satisfied with the trip. You never know how something like this is going to turn out when you pull away from your house at midnight, anything can change everything! You just need to have faith that good things are going to happen, and not worry. Occasionally I made a bad decision like choosing the wrong road or the wrong State, but hey!
• It was great to see family, my heart is warmed.
Here's that lookout:
Some tubers:
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