Dogs, etc

Yesterday I went with Gerry to the "FRINGE" group he attends. A friend of ours came with her husband and their three greyhound dogs. She told about her dogs histories and how she communicates with them.  Another woman told of seeing a UFO including a picture she drew immediately after she saw it. These are examples of the topics that are shared.  The only requirement for attending the group is to have an open mind. Just listen to others, don't judge  but you don't need to believe what others believe.

On another topic, Gerry has received a CPAP machine.  He has slept with it one night.  It is amazing how it reads so much information about your breathing,  records it on the machine, then sends it out to where is monitored constantly.  I am just beginning to understand how it all works.

Car shopping

I have been looking at my past blogs.  I have discovered it is a journal of my life since 2007.  I hope to keep that idea in mind when I post going forward.  It is for others but for me too, so that will be a motivator. 

A lot of our energy in the last few weeks has been the shopping for a new car.  We have a friend who just goes to the dealership and says, " I want the red car in the back of the lot."  This is NOT how we buy a car.  Among other things it should have good reviews, be reliable, have low cost for any repairs, be able to tow at least 2,000 pounds, be fun to drive, have a turbo, have leather seats with electric adjustments, and be the right price.  The later usually means it is two or three years old.  Did I mention, it should be red?  Actually we have not decided on any color.

We are serious about one make and model which we will be test driving a few more times. But then maybe it will be another kind.  Stay tuned.   So no pictures yet.

County Parks

Our county has a wonderful park system which has 18 parks. In Ohio, if it is 50 degrees (10 celsius) it is a good day for hiking.
And yesterday was that.  It is monocolor but still gave me what I needed:  exercise, being outdoors, solitude, and finding photo opportunities. 

RIP Camry

Wow, when I looked at the last time I posted, I realized I could do better.   When we visited RM at Thanksgiving, our car, with 260,000 miles decided it was time to quit.  We were two hours out of DC when the transmission went out on the toll road.  Fortunately we found a man near us in Ohio who transports cars for a living. He drove four hours to load our car and take us home.  It was an interesting ride home riding four hours in a tow truck. (Don't tell him, but it was tiring listening to him talk nonstop.  But I should not complain because he did do us a big favor) We can drive it on short trips but wouldn't trust it for long ones.  So we are car shopping in earnest. 

Today we had invited friends over for a brunch.  Earlier they had left a message that the wife was sick and they could not come.  We did not learn that until the meal was about ready.  It turns out that we have friends next door who were willing to help out. 

Pots and Pans

Although G doesn't cook much, he has been very frustrated with the pans we have.  I do have a set of heavy stainless steel which cook evenly and then several "non-stick" pans.  The later are the cause of the frustration.  They are not "non-stick" and don't clean well.  A kitchen store near us is going out of business so we stopped in.  He found a small skillet, brand  Blue Diamond.  After using it a couple times he returned and purchases the last full set.  He was impressed when he fried an egg and it just slide off when he tipped the pan.

However there now is the  problem of an over crowded pan shelf.

We will use some in the camper, but still there needs to be some editing.

Lake Hope State Park

Gerry and I have left behind the unending list of projects at home.  We have embarked on an  adventure living in our camper.  At the campground there is no phone coverage and of course no WiFi.  To write this we had to go a nearby Lodge on the campground. 

Lake Hope State Park is located in the southeast part of Ohio. The campground was build in 1937.  There are about 200 camping sites but most are for very small campers or tents.  We were able to find one large enough for our large camper.  There is a shower and some flush toilets  and  we do have electricity at our site.  Since it is the end of October, there about a dozen campers.  We are at the end of a road so it feels like we are out in the woods by ourselves. Needless to say, it is quiet. 

I did some hiking by myself.  That is NOT Gerry's thing.  I hiked about four miles in the forest and did not see another person. It is not mountain terrain but sometimes I almost had to go on my hands and knees up the side of a hill. And for anyone who has hiked, the coming down is worse. Leaves are colorful and falling, covering the path. It would have been treacherous if not impossible if it were wet from rain.

I would have liked to post pictures of our camper, the trail I was on, and deer that stood at the side of the road as I passed by.  Sadly the internet here is too slow to upload the pictures. 

Joy of owning a Triumph.

Yesterday and today, Gerry and I joined nine other people from our Triumph club. A ride was scheduled for about 200 miles through great scenic and twisty roads.  I think it as a greater thrill for the drivers than the passengers. The drivers took the curves and hills like a race driver would.  Pretty much pushing themselves and the car to the limit.  I know the drivers would not agree to that but the wives would.  We did take a scenic drive.  The leaves had not turned yet, but still beautiful. 

I enjoyed having a smaller group.  It was an opportunity to get to know the people better.  Just attending club meetings does not lend itself to that.