THE HAPPY CAMPERS

Snow Again?

2013-05-03T08:44:00.000-07:00

By Uncle Hans

   .....Yup, another 6 inches of the heavy wet white stuff. I could not lift the hot tub cover, I had to shovel it off first! But don't worry Rex and Mary, we I'll have the mess cleaned up by the time you arrive. And it will be warm and sunny!!.......

Not another blog on late spring from Spooner?!?. Well, we made the national news, apparently. Neil texted me about the 12 inches of snow we got. My realtor from Texas asked about it, too........

........this was my trip to work yesterday.

    A late spring snow is actually a thing of wonder. It lasts but a day or two. It shortens the "spring fire season", a big problem up here. It raises the lake level (yea!). It makes the farmers happy (we are still in the 54% of America officially in a drought). and, as you can see, it is beautiful. Remember, without the nice white frosting, our landscape is a dreary, dirty brown and will be for two more weeks until the green finally appears.

     Oh, by the way, it is snowing again this morning.............

By Uncle Hans

Ice

2013-05-02T10:48:00.004-07:00

By Uncle Hans

Talk about your late spring!!   I am too lazy to pull the dock and boat lift each fall, so each spring I have to worry that the receding ice will smash the equipment. I have to cut the ice around the area so that it the ice sheet drifts away from the shore in the wind it does not take the stuff with...........

    ......this year is no exception, except that it is about 3 weeks late.   On this day, I cut the ice, then went on a nice long motorcycle ride in shirt sleeves.............

...      this is a few days later. You can see the ice went out safely. You can also see that the snow just WON'T GIVE UP!!......

By Uncle Hans

LAUGHLIN RIVER RUN

2013-04-26T04:21:00.000-07:00

YUP, IT’S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN, THE LAUGHLIN RIVER RUN, A MOTORCYCLE RALLY.

I’VE BEEN TOLD BY THE LOCALS AT WORK TO PARK MY SCOOTER AND FORGET ABOUT IT, UNTIL THE CRAZY PEOPLE LEAVE THE VALLEY. AFTER READING THE MORNING PAPER ABOUT A MOTORCYCLE CRASH ON THE OATMAN ROAD I’VE DECIDED TO TAKE THEIR ADVICE. BY THE WAY, THE DRIVER, WITHOUT A HELMET, WAS DEAD ON THE SCENE AND HIS PASSENGER WITH A HELMET WAS AIRLIFTED TO VEGAS.

I TOOK THE PHOTOS LAST WEEK-END ON A BEER RUN TO OATMAN.

BTW AIM, I FINALLY BOUGHT A BRIGHT “EDDIE ORANGE” T-SHIRT TO WEAR WHILE RIDING THE SCOOTER.

VACATION COUNTDOWN

2013-04-22T15:50:00.001-07:00

ON MY HOMEPAGE THERE IS A COUNTDOWN METER THAT’S BEEN COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS TO OUR WISCONSIN VACATION SINCE AIM WAS HERE FOR SPRING BREAK. IT’S BEEN A LONG COUNTDOWN, ESPECIALLY FOR MARY WHO DIDN’T GO HOME TO WISCONSIN AT ALL LAST YEAR.

I WAS IN WISCONSIN LAST MAY WITH AMY AND WE ENJOYED OUR ROADTRIP WITH THE O.D.’S CADILLAC IMMENSELY. WE HAD “SUNNY & 80” WEATHER THE WHOLE TRIP. IT WAS LIKE THE 4TH OF JULY WITHOUT ANY BUGS.

I ENJOYED IT SO MUCH I DECIDED TO REPEAT THE TRIP THIS YEAR WITH MARY. UNCLE HANS JUMPED ON THE BANDWAGON AND EVEN OFFERED THE CADILLAC FOR OUR ROADTRIP TO MT HOPE, LACROSSE, AND SPOONER.

AS WE WATCHED THE SPRING WEATHER PROGRESS WE REALIZED THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE A LATE SPRING, AND WE WERE OVERJOYED THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO CATCH THE MORAL MUSHROOM SEASON AS WELL.

THEN I TURNED ON MY COMPUTER THIS MORNING AND READ ON FACEBOOK WHERE TERESA REPORTED THAT THE MORAL MUSHROOM HUNTING WOULDN’T START UNTIL JULY THIS YEAR…….

AND HEATHER FROM LACROSSE SENT THIS PICTURE….

I’VE NEVER SEEN A GLOOMIER PICTURE OF LA CROSSE!!! THE WHITE AREAS ARE SNOW COVER FOR GOD’S SAKE……

AND THEN A PICTURE FROM UNCLE HANS AND RENEE……

SWEET JESUS, NOW THE COUNTDOWN METER IS MOVING TOO QUICKLY AND IT’S ONLY 14 DAYS TO GO……

JUST TO GET EVEN WITH YOU WISCONSIN JESTERS, HERE IS A PHOTO OF OUR OUTDOOR THERMOMETER WHICH IS SITTING IN THE DIRECT SUN.

TAKE THAT !!! AND YOU HAVE ONLY TWO WEEKS TO GET RID OF THAT SNOW, ICE, AND TO FIND FRESH MORAL MUSHRROMS.

Spooner Weather

2013-04-19T15:33:00.005-07:00

By Uncle Hans

A blog about the weather in northern Wisconsin! It is out of frustration and to make the rest of you all feel pretty damned good! This was the view out of the front windows this morning................

......and this is the snowblower I took off the tractor........a MONTH ago! Last year we had a "late" snow (mid march) which was wet and heavy. The blower plugged up and the impeller got bent and had to be welded. So this year I took it off the tractor to avoid being tempted into being stupid again when the wet, heavy late winter snow came............

.........the snow came last night, about a month late, and six inches. This is how far I got in the car. It is deceptive looking, but the snow is wet and heavy and there is a coating of ice underneath because it started out as rain. With the car stuck in the driveway, I resorted to the all-wheel-drive van.....

.....so, I set out on my day of work, two surgeries in two different towns and 120 miles of driving. The main roads were actually pretty good and the scenery was beautiful, for, say, January or February........

.........................and this is what our road looked like at 2 PM when I got home from traveling and working. They had not plowed......

.......and when I got home and maneuvered the van past the car stuck in the driveway. I was so depressed by the weather that I went first to check on Renee's spring flower plantings in the south-facing window in the bathroom.

Yes, they are doing well

Yes, there will be a spring

Yes, that IS a Christmas cactus blooming next to the young flowers
and, Yes, it IS STILL SNOWING LIKE HELL!!

By Uncle Hans

2013-04-18T12:51:00.001-07:00

MARY’S BIRTHDAY

2013-04-08T07:42:00.001-07:00

OOPS….

I DIDN’T POST A BLOG FOR MARY’S BIRTHDAY YESTERDAY. WITH OR WITHOUT A BLOG, TODAY SHE’S A YEAR OLDER. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARY !!!

WE BOTH GOT A KICK OUT OF THIS BIRTHDAY CARD UNCLE HANS AND RENEE SENT TO HER.

THE INSIDE OF THE CARD SAID,

“ANOTHER YEAR OLDER AND NO SIGN OF SLOWING DOWN. HAPPY BIRTHDAY”

MARY HAD $10 FREE PLAY AND A $5 FOOD COMP AT THE COLORADO BELLE CASINO, SO WE HEADED UP TO LAUGHLIN.

A CASINO PARKING GARAGE IS THE PERFECT PLACE TO WAX THE CAR.

THAT’S WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE SPRING “TO DO LIST”, THERE ARE ONLY TWO ITEMS ON THE LIST, WAX THE CAR, AND WAX THE TRUCK. UNLIKE THE FALL LIST THAT GOES ON AND ON AND ON.

OF COURSE NOW THAT WE OWN ANOTHER TRAILER UP ON THE MOUNTAIN, I SUPPOSE THERE WILL BE A SUMMER LIST?

MOSTLY WE ARE IN A HOLDING PATTERN COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS (27) TILL OUR WISCONSIN VACATION. THIS PICTURE KINDA SUMS UP OUR NON-WORKING HOURS…..

MARY HAS THE PUZZEL TABLE ALL SET UP, AND REX HAS HIS SCOOTER TO PLAY WITH.

Timber !!!

2013-04-03T14:19:00.000-07:00

By Uncle Hans

Here is the problem. Our place is full of beautiful mature oak trees, all infested by some sort of carpenter ants and all weakened. All are at risk of falling and crushing something, and, in this bad boy's case, the garage............

.............this picture shows the problem, he is hollow at the base. A good windstorm and down he comes......

........here are the complicating factors. These three little maple trees that I transplanted last fall, not thinking about where the big oak would fall. It looks like the big tree, if not dropped just so, will wipe out these three little trees.....and the garage as well.........

......enter Handy Dan, my neighbor and the guy on this blog to "go to" when there are problems like this (for example, he and I BUILT the garage in the first place). His little friend is called a skidder, no idea why, but it is used in the woods to harvest trees.......

........so a cable is attached to the tree and the skidder is moved a safe distance away. The winch on the skidder puts tension on the tree. Then Dan "notches" the tree on the side that we want the tree to fall toward. (he is doing this in the picture). Then he goes to the opposite side and makes the main cut, just above the level of the notch......

.......Result?................................... A perfect shot! Not even the branches touched the garage......

......this is how close the branches came to one little tree, but they caused no damage.......

.....But then Dan and the skidder left and the minimum wage people were left to clean up the mess (we don't have illegal's in Spooner and actually have to do our OWN cleanup!) That tree will supply about one half of our annual firewood supply, but we burn "recreationally", not for heat.

By Uncle Hans

Bellagio Gardens

2013-04-01T01:14:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite places to visit in Vegas is the Garden at the Bellagio. They change the theme of it 3 or 4 times a year. This theme is spring and butterflies. Enjoy the pictures of the Bellagio Garden.

This is a live butterfly or maybe it’s really a moth and it is huge, I’d guess it’s 6 or 7 inches.

This a floral representation of a picture by Andy Warhol. If you look close you can tell that it is a bunch of shoes. I didn’t recognize it as shoes until I saw a copy of the painting.

The Bellagio Garden is worth the checking out whenever you find yourself in Sin City.

THE STRIP

2013-03-29T01:40:00.000-07:00

ON THE TRIP TO VEGAS TO SEE MIKEY THE GAMING WENT WELL FOR REX AND WHEN I WIN, I LIKE TO BLOW OFF A LITTLE EXTRA CASH SO WE HEADED OUT TO THE STRIP AND TOOK MIKEY AND BILL UP ON THE TOP OF THE STRATOSPHERE TOWER.

THE VIEWS ARE GREAT, AND MARY AND I LEFT MIKEY AND BILL, AS MIKEY WAS TRYING TO TALK HIMSELF INTO JUMPING OFF THE TOWER ON A CABLE. IT’S A NEWER THRILL RIDE.

MARY HAS BEEN WANTING TO CHECK OUT THE RETAIL SHOPS ON THE MIRICAL MILE AT PLANET HOLLYWOOD AND FEW COLD BEERS AND THE CASINO KEPT ME OCCUPIED WHILE SHE WAS SHOPPING. SHE MET ME AT 4:00 PM AND TOOK ME FOR A LOBSTER ROLL FOR A LATE LUNCH.

NEXT STOP WAS THE BELLAGIO AND WE HAPPENED TO CATCH THE FOUNTAIN SHOW ON OUR WAY IN.

SOME OF THESE SHOTS OF WATER GO OVER 400 FEET IN THE AIR, A BEAUTIFUL FREE 15 MINUTE SHOW.

WE WERE ON OUR WAY IN TO SEE THE SEASONAL GARDENS INSIDE, AND MARY WILL SHOW YOU THE PICTURES IN TOMORROWS BLOG.

MIKEY’S VEGAS VACATION

2013-03-27T11:17:00.001-07:00

MIKEY’S SECOND ANNUAL VEGAS VACATION, AT LEAST WE HOPE IT’S NOW AN ANNUAL TRIP!! IT TOOK US OVER 10 YEARS TO TALK HIM INTO THE FIRST TRIP AND NOW I THINK IT’S MIKEYS FAVORITE PLACE ON THE PLANET, JUST LIKE REX.

HERE WE ARE AT A CASINO PARTY FOR THE NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT ON THE 12TH FLOOR IN THE BALLROOM AT THE D CASINO.

WOULDN’T YOU KNOW IT, BESIDES LOTS OF BIG TV’S, FOOD, AND A BAR THEY BROUGHT IN A CRAPS TABLE AND A COUPLE OF BLACKJACK TABLES?

THIS IS MIKE’S FRIEND BILL, A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU BILL AND HANG OUT FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS.

OF COURSE WE STAYED ON FREMONT STREET, HERE ARE THE PICTURES.

BAGEL GIRL ……

FOR SOME REASON SHE HAD THESE BAGELS GLUED ON HER CHEST? IT WAS HER GOAL TO ENTERTAIN AND FIRE UP THE CROWD IN FRONT OF THE VEGAS CLUB AND THE GOLDEN GATE.

AND OF COURSE A BARTENDER OUT FRONT OF THE GOLDEN GATE CAUGHT OUR EYE AS SHE PRANCED ACROSS THE TOP OF THE BAR.

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS, STAYS IN VEGAS……

BUT IF YOU RUN INTO MIKEY AT A BAR IN PRAIRE DU CHEIN HERE’S A LITTLE LIST OF QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT WANT TO ASK HIM TO GET THE CONVERSATION STARTED.

* WHY WOULD ANYONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND PAY $109.99 TO JUMP OFF THE TOP OF THE STRATSPHERE TOWER?

* HOW MANY ONE DOLLAR BILLS WILL A STRIPPER GIVE YOU IF YOU ASK FOR CHANGE FROM A TWENTY?

* COULD THAT GAL FROM MISSOURI THROW THOSE DICE?

* WHAT DOES IT COST TO HAVE SHOTS AT THE TOP OF THE HOUR WITH THE RUDE BARTENDERS AT HOGS AND HEIFERS ON THIRD STREET?

* WHAT ABOUT THE PRIVATE TOUR OF GLITTER GULCH?

* IS IT TRUE THAT NOTHING GOOD HAPPENS AFTER MIDNIGHT? 1AM? 2AM? 3AM? 3:30AM?

THANKS FOR COMING MIKEY, AND I’VE GOT SOME ADDITIONAL PICTURES I’LL POST LATER IN THE WEEK.

85 MILES

2013-03-23T01:37:00.000-07:00

IT SURE IS NICE TO HAVE THE SCOOTER BACK. I TOOK OFF TODAY TO RUN SOME ERRANDS.

FIRST STOP WAS THE EYE DOCTOR TO PICK UP MY NEW GLASSES. SEEMS LAST WEEK WHEN I GOT UP ONE MORNING THE LENSE WAS MISSING ON ONE SIDE OF MY GLASSES. I LOOKED ALL OVER FOR IT INCLUDING MY POCKETS, AND IN THE CAR WHERE IT MUST HAVE FALLEN OUT THE NITE BEFORE.

I EVEN HAD MARY SEARCH AND SHE THOUGHT OF A COUPLE OF OTHER PLACE TO LOOK AS WELL. I HAD TO BE OUT AND ABOUT SO I STOPPED BY THE EYE DOCTOR AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE NEXT DAY FOR AN EXAM AND NEW GLASSES.

WHEN I GOT HOME I WAS OUT ON THE PORCH READING MY KINDLE WITH AN OLD PAIR OF GLASSES AND REMEMBERED THAT WAS WHAT I WAS DOING JUST BEFORE I WENT TO BED. I GRABBED THE BROKEN GLASSES AND SLIPPED THEM ON TO TRY AND READ THE KINDLE, NO WAY!!

THAT MEANS “AZ” THE CAT HAS TO BE INVOLVED. I STARTED SEARCHING IN ALL HIS REGULAR HIDING PLACES LIKE UNDER THE THROW RUGS AND FOUND THE MISSING LENSE UNDER A KITCHEN STOOL.

DAMN CAT !!!

I HADN’T BOUGHT NEW GLASSES FOR SIX YEARS AND THE SCRIPT HAD CHANGED FOR ONE OF MY EYES SO I WENT AHEAD A GOT NEW GLASSES.

(END OF RANT)

NEXT STOP WAS NEEDLES, CA TO BUY MY MONTH’S WORTH OF LOTTO TICKETS, THEN ACROSS THE MOHAVE DESERT TO GOLDEN SHORE FOR .75 TACOS AT HOOCH’S. DOESN’T THIS PARKING LOT FULL OF QUADS REMIND YOU OF A TAVERN IN WISCONSIN FULL OF SNOWMOBILES?

(OPPS, FORGOT TO CHANGE THE WATERMARK, NO UNCLE HANS DIDN’T TAKE THE PHOTO.)

OLD ROUTE 66 PAST THE BOUNDRY CONE AND HOME THE BACK WAY FOR A TOTAL OF 85 MILES ON THE RED HONDA SCOOTER FOR TODAY, IT SURE IS NICE TO HAVE THE SCOOTER BACK!

A Winter Project?

2013-03-21T01:51:00.000-07:00

By Uncle Hans

Not much going on today. I need a project. A look outside finds some crappy weather, snowing and blowing. What a great day for a garage project.........

....and what better project than a boat project? The old boat has a "ski tripod" which keeps the tow rope out of the water and makes skiing and water sporting much more fun. It is the shiny chrome tripod-looking thingy.....

.....A "driver error" (that would be me) caused too much slack in the rope while tubing, which resulted in the anchor for one leg of the tripod to totally pull out of the fiberglass. Damn! I hate when that happens!!.....

.....This is what the normal, not crashed anchor looks like..........

.....As you can imagine, there is tremendous stress on these anchors at times. That is why one failed. So repairing one after the fiberglass is trashed will take some ingenuity . First the decorative rail and the old cruising light pole holder are removed.....

........ then the hole in the fiberglass is enlarge to allow me to get my hand inside. setting next to the enlarged hole is the anchor plate, which we now have to figure out how to reattach to fiberglass that is no longer there.....

....I am going to use 3/4 inch plywood, which has a lot of strength. If you look carefully, you will see the first of six anchor bolts to attach the plywood. It is drilled through the fiberglass around the old gaping hole.....

.....the anchor bolts are 9/16. and when they fasten something......it STAYS fastened!.....

...... now, after some bad language, because I have to work in a hole and tighten these bolts inside and upside down and blind, there are 6 anchoring bolts.

Today IS a good day for a garage project. Jake and his guy Andy showed up to work on his work truck in the heated garage......

....next the plywood is cut and drilled to fit the 6 anchor bolts (the hammer is to make it "fit better")....

.......then the round anchor plate is attached to the plywood, the tripod strut is attached to the anchor plate, and the nuts are threaded on over big washers above and below and tightened.

Now it is as strong or stronger than new (just not very attractive. Renee will be painting it later.)

The average "ice off" date for the lake is April 15th. The boat goes in the water soon after that, as a rule, but I have a feeling it will be late this year. There is still 20+ inches of ice and supposed to be -3 tonight......

......It is not hard at this point to choose between ice skating or tubing.......

By Uncle Hans

EDITORS NOTE:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE HANS !!!

South Padre Island

2013-03-19T01:48:00.000-07:00

By Uncle Hans

We recently had the time to take a road trip to south Texas. Our destination was South Padre Island. We tried to go there last year, but the weather was crappy and we just visited some old friends instead of visiting the island, which is nearby.

We have done the Keys a couple of times, and our exploration there was disappointing, kinda rundown, and very few, if any, beaches. We took our trusty LVSHACK and made sandwiches all through the night, like usual. Renee makes a mean sandwich. The first picture was a welcome site: the bridge out to the island, after 25 hours of driving......

.............South Padre is as close to a tropical Caribbean island as you can get in the USA. The temps are cool in Jan/Feb, like 70's, but mostly in the 80's the rest of the time. It has the best beach in Texas...........

...........We looked at some condos on the beach. The prices are good, but not as good as last year, and they are headed up with the economic recovery. Interestingly, the "peak season" is June/July/August, when the rest of Texas swelters in the heat and wants to come to South padre and sit on the beach. We would NEVER want to leave Cable Lake during that time, so all that rental money goes into our pocket to help pay the mortgage. In Belize, in contrast, the tourism falls to near zero in the summer. The winter on South Padre, is quiet, and it is easy to get a reservation. Spring and fall are active but not crowded. These are a couple of buildings we looked at......

.......the condo thing is a work in progress. All the nice stuff is still pretty expensive in spite of the recession. But going up by the day. Hopefully we can stretch our budget and turn Jan/Feb ice skating into beachcombing!!

....we stayed in a tiny county RV park for 17$ for electric only. right on the beach. The ocean side is for beachnicks and the "lagoon" side is for fishing, and watersporting as the water is protected from the wind and pounding surf and smoother. ....

.....we still got to visit with our friends, Ed and Judy, and they took us to Mexico to do some shopping for a day....

.....unfortunately, we had a scheduling conflict and we had to return early to take call for a colleague using Sunday as a travel day to go to a meeting. That cut 2 days off our stay. And that's a lot of driving for a short stay. This is what I remember of the driving. 10 of these stops. But still better than flying and renting a car, in our book....

......We got back for this nice sunrise on Sunday morning, just in time to do an appendectomy in Saint Croix Falls. Then on to some snowmobiling with a friend...........

By Uncle Hans

HANDLEBARS FOR THE SCOOTER

2013-03-17T02:27:00.000-07:00

SEEMS LIKE THIS PROJECT WAS STARTED YEARS AGO, BUT IT’S ONLY BEEN A COUPLE MONTHS. THE NEW HANDLEBAR PROJECT FOR THE SCOOTER IS FINALLY FINISHED. HERE ARE THE OLD ONES.

WE ARE HANGING ON TO THESES IN CASE THE NEW BARS FAIL.

TO REVIEW, THE NEW SCOOTER IS MOSTLY PLASTIC AND THE ONLY WAY TO TIE IT DOWN TO HAUL IT IS BY THE HANDLEBARS. THE ORIGINAL HANDLEBARS FROM HONDA TOTALLY COLLAPSED ONCE AND STARTED TO BEND A SECOND TIME, SO I DECIDED TO HAVE NEW BARS CUSTOM MADE OUT OF SOLID STEEL.

I DIDN’T WANT TO WAIT ANY LONGER OR GO TO THE ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE OF HAVING THEM CHROMED, SO THEY ARE SOLID BLACK AND LOOK JUST FINE ON THE SCOOTER.

THE NEXT STEP IS TO TIE THE SCOOTER ON THE BACK OF THE PICK-UP AND GIVE IT ALL A TEST RUN. I THINK I’LL WAIT UNTIL COLE IS AVAILABLE TO SUPERVISE THE TESTING.

GETTING THE SCOOTER BACK HAS SURE PERKED ME UP AS I GET BACK OFF MY ASS AND TURN OFF THE LAPTOP.

“SUNNY & 90”

GRANDMA JACK

2013-03-16T01:46:00.000-07:00

WHILE HERE ON SPRING BREAK, ALAN, EDDIE, AND JOEY BROUGHT GRANDMA JACK AN EARLY BIRTHDAY PRESENT.

THANKS BOYS !!!

OATMAN, AZ.

2013-03-14T01:39:00.000-07:00

IN YESTERDAY’S BLOG I PROMISED PICTUES OF THE GRANDSONS IN OATMAN.

DON’T WALK BEHIND THE BURROS, THEY MIGHT KICK!

BE CAREFUL, THE BURROS MIGHT BITE !!!

DANIEL FOUND A NEW SIGN FOR HOME.

WE ALL GOT LAID OUT…..

ALAN

EDDIE

JOEY

GRANDPA REX

SPRING BREAK 2013

SPRING BREAK 2013

2013-03-12T11:17:00.001-07:00

THE SPRING BREAK TRADITION CONTINUED FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN LAUGHLIN. THIS TIME WITH MY GRANDSONS IS PRECIOUS TO ME BECAUSE THE AIR FORCE TENDS TO GIVE NEW JOB ASSIGNMENTS EVERY THREE OR FOUR YEARS. AS THE BOYS GET OLDER THEY ALSO BECOME MORE INVOLVED IN THEIR OWN ACTIVITIES AND SPENDING TIME WITH GRANDPA REX WON’T BE AS HIGH ON THE PRIORITY LIST.

WAS THIS THE LAST SPRING BREAK? WHERE WILL DANIEL BE ASSIGNED NEXT BY THE AIR FORCE? THE ANSWER TO DANIEL’S ASSIGNMENT WILL COME AT THE END OF THE YEAR DURING THE HOLIDAYS. I CAN ONLY BE THANKFUL THAT I’VE BEEN SO CLOSE (EIGHT HOUR DRIVE) THESE LAST YEARS.

THE PARK MODEL ON THE MOUNTAIN IS HALFWAY BETWEEN THE MOHAVE VALLEY AND ALBUQUERQUE SO WE’RE HOPING FOR A COUPLE OF VISITS THIS SUMMER AND FALL.

SPRING BREAK 2013 STARTED ON SATURDAY AND WE ALL CAMPED OVER NIGHT IN THE CAMPER. HOT BLOODED AIM SLEPT ON COUCH OUT ON THE PORCH WHERE THE OVERNIGHT TEMP DROPPED INTO THE 40’S. DANIEL AND THE BOYS SLEPT IN THE CAMPER ON THE FLOOR AND IT WAS WALL TO WALL SLEEPING BAGS. SEVEN PEOPLE IS A STRETCH FOR THE CAMPER.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON THE BOYS WANTED TO SEE THE BURRORS OF OATMAN (PICTURES TO FOLLOW IN TOMORROWS BLOG), AND SATURDAY NITE EDDIE AND I DOUBLE STACKED THE DUTCH OVENS FOR DOG DISH MEAT LOAF AND BAKED POTATOES.

SUNDAY THE WHOLE PARTY MOVED POOLSIDE AT THE COLORADO BELLE HOTEL AND CASINO, AND WE WERE JOINED BY PAUL AND KIA FROM VEGAS.

MONDAY MORNING STARTED WITH THE BREAKFAST BUFFET, BUT HANG-OVERS GET TUFFER AFTER 60 AND GRANDPA REX HAD TO RETURN TO BED FOR A NAP DURING THE MOVIES. BY THE AFTERNOON I WAS READY POOLSIDE WITH MY BEER COOLER.

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SPRING BREAK !!

THANKS TO PAUL AND AMY FOR TAKING THE TIME TO VISIT US HERE ON THE EDGE OF THE COLORADO RIVER.

History Gone Stale?

2013-03-07T01:00:00.000-08:00

By Uncle Hans

History gone stale? We recently drove to South Padre Texas for a few days in the sun. Practically the whole trip is I-35. We ran across some curious sites, which may be examples of history gone stale.

Going through Osceola Iowa we were offered the chance to visit the John L. Lewis museum. Must have been a native son. He was a fiery labor union leader in the 40’s who gave President Truman an ulcer with national coal and railroad strikes. Very prominent at the time, but now???

Going through Emporia Kansas we could have visited the William Allen White site. He was a very influential newspaper editor, even though he was from nowhere: Emporia Kansas. In those days, having a soapbox like a newspaper column (like a blog?) was all the rage. People like this guy, and Drew Pearson, and Paul Harvey had an opinion about everything and that opinion mattered. People were afraid of appearing in their columns, especially in a negative way. But not too relevant today....

In Oklahoma City we could tour the Will Rogers site. He was truly great, a famous funny man who was also somewhat political, though he denied that part. Much like Mark twain. Ridiculously witty and funny, and good off the cuff, too. Would have made a great late night talk show host, but he died in a plane crash before there was TV. A great American, but, to the kids today??

Near Abilene Texas, we could visit the LBJ library. Rex and Mary “collect” presidential libraries like I do. But none of us have stopped here. LBJ will always be relevant history and not stale, because he was a president.

But the rest? Now they are just signs on the freeway. A particularly bright and inquisitive child riding in a car might look up from his handheld electronic whatever long enough to ask his parents, “ who was John L. Lewis?” But John has been dead so long that his parents haven’t a clue.............

History gone stale?

By Uncle Hans

DON “THE TOOL MAN”

2013-03-04T20:43:00.001-08:00

DON AND CAROL FROM GREEN BAY WERE IN TOWN VISITING HIS PARENTS WHO ARE RETIRED IN LAUGHLIN. THEY GOT A HOLD OF US TO SEE IF WE COULD MEET UP FOR A COUPLE OF BEERS.

NOT A PROBLEM, WE’LL MEET YOU MONDAY AFTERNOON AT 2PM AT THE REGENCY CASINO. DON SENT A TEXT BACK, WHERE? THE REGENCY CASINO?

YA, YOU KNOW THAT DIVE BETWEEN THE AQUARIUS AND THE EDGEWATER. OH, NOW HE REMEMBERS.

WHEN THEY SHOWED UP THEY HAD A COUPLE OF DICE VIRGINS WITH THEM, DON’S BROTHER, ROB, AND WIFE MELISSA. NOW WE ALL KNOW THE STORY OF THE MOST FAMOUS DICE VIRGIN OF ALL, HANNAH, WHO SET THE RECORD THAT HAS YET TO BE BROKEN. WELL CAROL IS ALSO FAMOUS AS A DICE VIRGIN, ON THE OPPOSITE END OF THE SPECTRUM, A COUPLE A YEARS AGO WHEN CAROL WAS STILL A VIRGIN SHE ROLLED THE DICE THREE TIMES, POINT, FIVE, AND SEVEN OUT.

SO WE SUCKED UP A FEW BEERS AT THE REGENCY AND SET OUT TO DE-FLOWER OUR TWO DICE VIRGINS. WE EACH PAID $20, FOR A TOTAL POT OF $120. ROB WAS UP FIRST AND DID WELL AT THE COLORADO BELLE AND MELISSA TOOK HER TURN AT THE GOLDEN NUGGET. WHEN IT WAS ALL SAID AND DONE AFTER A ROUND OF DRINKS WE EACH GOT BACK $47 ON OUR $20 INVESTMENT. NOWHERE NEAR HANNAH’S RECORD, BUT A HELL OF A LOT BETTER THAN CAROL.

THANKS FOR GIVING US A CALL GUYS AND ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR NEVADA VACATION ON FREMONT STREET IN VEGAS.

CHECKING IN

2013-02-26T07:45:00.001-08:00

JUST CHECKING IN TO LET YOU ALL KNOW WE ARE FINE. IT’S BEEN AT LEAST A WEEK SINCE WE POSTED ANYTHING ON THE BLOG AND I DIDN’T WANT ANYONE TO START WORRYING ABOUT US.

MARY BANGED HER KNEE AND HASN’T BEEN ABLE TO GET HER MORNING WALKS IN. THIS LACK OF ACTIVITY MAKES FOR A GROWLY MARY, INSTEAD OF A HAPPY CAMPER, SO NO BLOGS.

REX STILL HASN’T GOT HIS SCOOTER BACK FROM THE SHOP THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE CRAFTING NEW STEEL HANDLE BARS. IT’S BEEN WELL OVER A MONTH, AND THESE SUNNY AND 70 DAYS MAKE FOR A GROWLY REX, INSTEAD OF A HAPPY CAMPER, SO NO BLOGS.

IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS IS SPRING BREAK AND THOSE GRANDSONS AND KIDS ARE SURE TO GET THE BLOG BACK ON TRACK.

SWAP MEET

2013-02-18T06:32:00.001-08:00

ON OUR DAYS OFF THIS WEEK WE WENT TO LAKE HAVASU AND THE BIG SUNDAY SWAP MEET. THIS SWAP MEET RUNS EVERY SUNDAY BETWEEN LABOR DAY AND MEMORIAL DAY, BUT HITS THE HIGH DURING SNOWBIRD SEASON IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY. THE VENDORS BEGIN SELLING AT 8 AM AND ARE PRETTY MUCH DONE AT NOON.

I THINK IT’S BEEN SEVERAL YEARS SINCE WE HAVE VISITED. THE CROWDS ARE STILL HUGE, AND YOU CAN BUY NEARLY ANYTHING. LAKE HAVASU CONTINUES TO GROW AND WINTER TRAFFIC IS AT AN ALL TIME HIGH.

ON MONDAY WE LAID LOW, AND ENJOYED 76 DEGREES ON THE PORCH. IT’S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR WHEN I SHOULD BE BRAGGING ABOUT THE ARIZONA WEATHER.

“SUNNY & 76”

SNOW?

2013-02-14T09:41:00.001-08:00

I’VE GONE TO EXTREME MEASURES OVER THE LAST DOZEN YEARS TO STAY FAR FAR AWAY FROM ANY SNOW.

LAST SUNDAY ON OUR TOUR OF RED ROCK CANYON WE ALMOST GOT A LITTLE TOO CLOSE TO THE SPRING MOUNTAINS AND SNOW.

CHECKOUT THOSE SNOW SQUALS IN THE BACKGROUND.

IF YOU WANT TO DISCUSS MOUNTAINS AND SNOW, THEN YOU SHOULD SIT DOWN AND HAVE A COUPLE BEERS WITH PAUL. IN FACT THIS NEXT WEEK HE WILL BE ON VACATION IN PARK CITY, UTAH, HOME OF THE 2002 WINTER OLYMPICS, JUST OUTSIDE OF SALT LAKE. PAULIE, HIS 4 WHEEL DRIVE PICK-UP, AND HIS SNOWBOARD……

WHO WOULD OF THOUGHT A FLATLANDER FROM IOWA WOULD GROW TO LOVE THE MOUNTAINS AND SNOW OF ALL THINGS?

RED ROCK CANYON

2013-02-12T01:00:00.000-08:00

THIS WEEK-END WE WERE OFF TO LAS VEGAS IN SEARCH OF RED ROCK CANYON. THE CANYON IS A FEDERAL CONSERVATION AREA, AND THEY HONORED MY LIFE TIME NATIONAL PARK PASS TO SAVE US THE $7 ENTRY FEE.

THE CANYON INCLUDES A 13 MILE SENIC DRIVE AND LOT’S OF HIKING OPPORTUNITIES.

IF YOU LOOK AT THE PICTURE ABOVE IN ABOUT THE MIDDLE, WHERE THE SAGE BRUSH TURNS TO ROCK, YOU’LL SEE FIVE LITTLE DOTS, THESE ARE PEOPLE HIKING.

THE AREA IS PRETTY, AND BEING A SUNDAY WAS CROWDED WITH HIKERS, BIKERS, AND MOTORIST.

OF COURSE A TRIP TO VEGAS INCLUDES A NIGHT ON FREMONT STREET. ABOVE YOU CAN SEE IT’S THE CHINESE NEW YEAR OF THE SNAKE.

THE D CASINO AND RESORT WHERE WE USUALLY STAY HAS A NEW LATE SHOW. THE SHOW RECENTLY MOVED DOWNTOWN FROM THE HOOTERS CASINO OUT ON THE STRIP. HERE’S THEIR OLD AD FROM HOOTERS.

OF COURSE I LIKED THE BLOND THE BEST …..
AHHH........ VEGAS!

The Family Silver

2013-02-08T01:00:00.000-08:00

Buy Uncle Hans

In the olden days, the servants polished the silver tea service on days when there was nothing else to do. This silver tea service belonged to Renee’s Grandmother. Her name was, of all things, Florence. Renee polished this service when she was young, for something to do. She dug it out of the archives the other day...........

......she remembers the foul-odored stuff she used to do the polishing then. It was called Tarnex. We found some at the local hardware store.......

.......and away she went, full of nostalgia and reeking of rotten eggs (hydrogen peroxide!)....

.....soon the silver was polished and the house was uninhabitable! We went for a beer at the Tamarack as Jake was bartending (three times a year---a Superbowl thing).....

A couple of days later we sold the stuff to a local antique dealer for a song. Renee was heartbroken as she promised her Grandmother she would never part with stuff, but it was of no use to us and would mean even less to her kids. Like so many things taking up space in this house.....

By Uncle Hans