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Tuesday, February 21, 2017

And I Thought DFW Was Bad!!!

I'm in the Charlotte, NC area, and this area is growing at a remarkable pace! No matter where you drive there are apartments going up! 
And they apparently can't build them fast enough! If there is "open" ground...they are building! And in a some of cases, they are tearing down old structures that are on the ground and then building up with apartments!


 Even though they are tearing down a lot of the "old Charlotte" to make way for the "new Charlotte"....as you drive around, you will see pieces of the old city still struggling to hang on in the middle of all the "New"....along with green spaces that they are keeping with a lot of the old trees.


 The spot where I'm at for the next couple of months is a project that is 344 units going up right next to the new light rail line that is being put in...and they apparently been working on that rain line for a couple of years. There is a stop right next to this complex...so I have a feeling that it will be rented out in a very short time!

I'll be doing some driving around the area in the coming weeks to see what it has become since I lived here back in the early 1970's! But I can already tell that the changes are pretty major!!

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Working Again!


I have made it to my "work location" all in one piece! Got here late Friday night...and looking at the spot where I was supposed to park, I didn't think I would be able to get level..in fact, I wasn't sure that I would be able to get up "the hill" to park! But the next morning the world was looking a bit better and I thought I had a chance! So, after driving from Alabama (about a 10+ hour escapade) and then pulling a shift for the rest of the night, once the sun was up things looked a bit better. So after pacing off the wheel base of Europa, I decided to give it a shot!


It was a pretty good pull getting up the slope...as you can tell from the picture above....from the parking lot to the spot where I'm parked, the rise is close to 3 feet in a span of about 22 feet. Pretty steep when you think about it. Plus there is an old R/R siding track there, which I ended up getting on the old timbers...and thought for a few minutes that I had wedged Europa between a couple of them and wouldn't be able to get her loose! But...got out of that tight spot, did a little tweaking of her positioning and with the "help" of about 3 boards under the wheels on the left side of her...level is within a 1/4 bubble in both directions, which is quite close enough to "perfect" that I do believe we will be fine...if there isn't too much settling!


There were a few hours of rain pass thru in the afternoon yesterday...and once it had passed and a little sun came out...there was a beautiful rainbow! I sorta took that as a "good omen" for the next few months that I will be here.


Now, being an "old truck driver", I know better than to try to go thru Atlanta any time other than Midnight to 4am!! Well, on a Friday...and on the beginning of a long weekend holiday...I decided to go across in the middle of the day!   DUH!!  Guess who spent the better part of THREE hours getting across Atlanta?!?!?!?  YUP! You guessed it! Me, Abbie, Snickers & Europa!!! Dumb move on my part! Ended up parked under an overpass for over an hour and a half waiting for traffic to clear! Of course, I did see a few nice old cars come by! And the El Camino above if one of my all time favorite vehicles. The pic below is how the road looked for over 2 hours!


So that brings us up to date with the travels of "The Lilypad" Herd and our "new to us" Europa! She made the trip just fine, and we averaged over 9mpg!! Which is about twice what we were getting with Bertha! So I'm very happy with that. Europa has little things that need fixing and updating...but mechanically she seems to be in better shape than I had hoped for!

Stick with us...I'll  be traveling around the area here to see what there is to see and getting it up on here and on our YouTube channel (America, You Need To See It).

Take care & get ready for Summer!!!    πŸ˜ŽπŸ˜πŸŒˆ

Friday, February 10, 2017

Meet Europa!

Just thot I would bring you up to speed with a couple of changes here at The Lilypad.


I've acquired a new house...'93 Europa, 22', excellent condition...and as of right now giving me +/- 13 mpg, even while pulling Sidekick. So very pleased with that.



Also, will be headed out next week to complete a security job on the east coast. I'll be there a while  and I plan on doing some "quick day trips" to local sites.

And that about does it for getting up to speed on The Lilypad....everyone take care & more to come soon!


 


πŸ‘πŸΈπŸ˜ŽπŸš™

Saturday, January 7, 2017

Blizzard 2017!!


Well, we've had our "first blizzard" for 2017 for Texas!!!


This is why I come south for the winter....
all the warmth!!!  Heheheheheh!


But this is also one of the draws to this area...it's a lot like Idaho in the fact that the weather & the weather forecast changes every 4 hours!!


Now I'm just hoping that maybe this will have been our biggest storm for this winter! They're calling for the Hi temp for middle of the week to be back to chasing 70f!!

We also had a portion of the Alabama contingent of the Carlson herd out here for a Christmas visit. 

It was fast, but it was fun!

Hope this finds everyone well & having a great start to the 
New Year of 2017

Stay tuned for more to come from Texas & Alabama this winter!!

Friday, December 30, 2016

Save us both some $$$$$$$

Use my link to get $5 for signing into the Amazon App the first time: http://amazon.com/mrp?refcust=G3009N&ref_=mrp_10005_shr_ss

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

A Nice Christmas!

This didn't publish on time! Sorry! 


It was a good Christmas weekend.  The G'parents had the great-grandchildren over to their place for the afternoon & dinner. The kids did great. I even survived pretty well.  πŸΈπŸ˜‰  


The dinner was excellent!  So another Christmas has passed,  New Year's is almost here! 

Picnic time at grandparents! 
A good meal! 
In the garden.  Christmas Eve....close to 70°!
Ride time! 

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

'Tis the Season!

It is " 'Tis the Season"! And the kiddies are getting ready...and the temperatures are falling! LOL!

For this part of the country, it has been cold the past couple of days. The "official" Lo this morning was 13*. And it is going to be cold for the next couple of days. But it never lasts too long down here, and Christmas is looking to be pretty good.

I'm hoping that each and every one of you has a great Christmas, lots of family time, and you get to eat too much!!  ;-)

Sunday, December 11, 2016

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIA!!


Today is Julia Kate's birthday. But the party was yesterday...and it was a house full!

All I can say is.....all my kids are growing up too fast!  And as soon as I'm able to get Bertha II I'll be able to make it around to ALL the birthday's!! I can't wait!!




Tiffany did a good job with the "Legos" theme and "Uni-Kitty"!

(If I'm spelling it right!!  LOL!)






I have to admit...it was really cute!   
And Cary did a great job with the background poster!








It was a full house and the adults barely outnumbered the kids!!  









And the kids seemed to have a good time and for the most part...got along very well!!  :-D





For a quick update about my little traveling circus...Abbie, Snickers & myself are set up here at Tif & Cary's for the near foreseeable future.  I'm slowly getting Bertha emptied out and getting ready to get serious looking for Bertha ll after the first of the year.  In the meantime, I'm on the hunt for sites and parks and "history" in this part of the world to put up on AYNTSI and my YouTube channel. 

So hang in there with us...the plan is slowly coming together!


Tuesday, November 29, 2016

North/South Commute!!

And why do I "commute" North/South seasonally??  LOL!

Well, just look at the weather forcast shots here! As I always tell folks, my optimum temperature range is 47-60 degrees....and these two weather screenshots are a very good example of why I "commute" North & South seasonally!
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It looks like I should be back at work doing the security gig within a week, so plan "A" is about to begin...to be able to get into "Bertha II" in the next 2-4 months! Bertha has given her all for the past 2 1/2 years...gotten me to Idaho twice...and back to Texas! Along with some side tripping also! But after 41 years...it is time for her to be able to relax in the pasture of retired RV's!

So think good thoughts, say a quick prayer...the next Bertha will be my "tiny house" for the foreseeable future!

Stick around for this continuing saga!!

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Made It!

Bertha got me to Texas....kinda just barely!  LOL!  She had a tough couple of last days on the road, but she made it!

I'm at the kids here and parked and now comes the ...."do I work or just sit"!?!?!?  I've got to get "Bertha II" before I can do any more traveling.  Bertha has done me well since I had to move into her. But her age is showing and I'm no longer really into "projects" as large as she if becoming.So time will tell time, as in the next couple of weeks,  just what my next move will be.

But it is nice to be back where the "lo"is 50 and the "hi" is 70!  My kind of weather! I'm back into shorts again so I'm happy!  LOL!

Just wanted to bring you guys up to speed with my travels and I'll get back on here soon as I know what directions I wll be headed in the next weeks/months!

Hope everyone had a great Turkey Day and you're getting ready for Christmas!

C'ya soon!

Friday, November 11, 2016

Working on Heading South!

Hi gang!  It has been a little while since my last update...sorry!!  But I've been kinda occupied getting ready to head south and follow the "warmer" weather.
I think I had mentioned that I was getting the charging fixed on Bertha. Well, it is fixed and she is running pretty well for a 40 year old RV!  Battery is charging, cranks every time, and is doing a good job!
I headed south on the 5th, and all has gone well. I'm still in Idaho, close to being out of Idaho! But had a little hiccup in plans...still getting used to being on a "fixed income"...and when some things come along that were not planned.....OR....when something comes along that you've forgotten about, thinking that it had reached the end....you sometimes have to modify your plans!!!  LOL!!!  Well, that's me!
So, I've been camped out for the past few days, and will be camped out for the next 3-4 days. I'll be rolling hard towards Tx on the 16th. And should be in Tx around the 21st or 22nd.

Had a great visit in Challis. Met a lot of great folks that became friends, and I'm looking forward to seeing them again next year when I get back up to this part of the country.

Ernie and Sally, the couple that opened up part of their yard for me to park in, are a really sweet and just plain great couple! Ernie was my guide to see some of the area that after 2 years of camp hosting I had still not been able to go and see!

Now, granted, this time of year, a lot of places are already closed up for the winter months...but you can still see them and have an idea of where and what you will do next time through!

We made a run up to and through Bayhorse Ghost town, which is now operated by the Forest Service. But it is very well done, has good parking and quite a bit to see.



From there we traveled on over to Bonanza & Custer Ghost Towns, with a stop at the old gold dredge that is between them. The dredge is now a museum that is open during the summer months (another place that I will have to get to next season) for visitors.




 




Ernie has been up here long enough that he has a pretty good grip on the area and places to see...and he does love going out into the countryside and getting into those places!


 

And it is really fun when he looks up a road on a hillside and then says...."you think we can make it up there?"  My response was " You know your truck...and as long as I don't have to walk out...have at it!!!"  LOL!


And due to him knowing the area pretty well, there are some fantastic views to be seen!
Now you also know you are out in the country when, as you drive around in Challis, you see "the city deer"! The deer are all over that town! And they are just as comfortable being in your front yard as they are being at the main highway intersection downtown!
And the wildlife out here is just everywhere! From the deer to the antelope to the big horn sheep.


Didn't get a picture, was too late, but one night I even saw a cougar wandering through the trailer park where I was parked.

That pretty well catches me up on what's current with, as one of my new friends calls me, "the transient local"!!

And as soon as my "budget" catches up with me I'll be rolling along south and getting a couple of more updates ready for you....both still shots and I'll also have more video uploaded in the next couple of weeks!
It looks like a mess...but it really isn't...just have to stack and balance in order to get all my stuff in reach to be able to work on my projects!!
I've also had time to "purge" more stuff from out of Bertha! It is amazing when you make the decision to "lighten the load" and simplify...just how much stuff you have that you really never use! It is almost a spiritual feeling to get it gone!!!  LOL!

Take care and be safe!!  C'ya!!!  :-)