Uncle Hans in '08 ????

I was very surprised to see a blog entry that was about politics. Rex had always had a rule about "no politics and no religion!" I was doubly surprised to see him use something I had written to send to him and others. No, it's not part of my "Uncle Hans in '08" campaign. Apparently, Rex has become enthused about the current election process. I applaud that. We should all have an opinion, strive to get the facts, and above all, vote!

To that end, my travels recently took me to sleepy Alpha, Wisconsin.............

....Alpha has a co-op cheese factory, a store, a grade school, and a church. The church always has a cute little religious message on their marquis. One of the things that keeps me entertained while on the road to Grantsburg, where I do some work...................

....Wendy and I have an application in to join this church..........

Uncle Hans

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERBODY !!!

LOOK WHO'S IN CAMP

WE GOT A CALL FROM PAULIE THIS AFTERNOON WHILE WE WERE HAVING COCKTAILS ON THE PATIO, HE SAID HE'D BE OVER FOR HOMEMADE PIZZA AT 6:00 PM.


THE HOMEMADE PIZZAS WERE GREAT AS USUAL, AND WE ENJOYED THE VISIT. OF COURSE A LOT OF THE DISCUSSION WAS ON THE "GLOOM & DOOM" OF THE NEVADA ECONOMY. UNFORTUNATELY WE WERE DRINKING MILLER 64 AND DIDN'T GET DRUNK ENOUGH TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS OF OUR WORLD, NEVADA.

PAULIE AND BAILEY LOOK GOOD !!!

BORN AGAIN

HAVING THE AZ CAR OUT IS CONVENIENT, WITH MARY AND I WORKING DIFFERENT SCHEDULES AT WORK. INSTEAD OF DRIVING THE GAS GUZZLING BIG RED PICK-UP TRUCK I CAN DRIVE THE MORE FUEL EFFICIENT AZ CAR.

THE FIRST NIGHT I DROVE THE CAR TO WORK I GOT DONE WORKING AT 1 AM IN THE MORNING AND MARY WAS SCHEDULED UNTIL 3 AM. WE ARE USED TO RIDING TO AND FROM WORK TOGETHER AND AS WE DEPART WORK IT'S A HABIT TO REACH INTO MARY'S TRUNK COOLER AND GRAB A DIET PEPSI AND COLD BEER FOR THE RIDE HOME.

ON THE WAY OUT THE DOOR AFTER WORK, I RAN INTO MARY IN THE HALLWAY AND COMMENTED THAT I DIDN'T HAVE ANY KEYS TO RAID THE COOLER IN HER TRUNK FOR THE RIDE HOME. SHE JUST LAUGHED.

WHEN I GOT HOME I DISCOVERED THAT I DIDN'T HAVE ANY KEYS TO GET INTO THE CAMPER EITHER........

DAMN..... IT'S THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND I CAN'T GET IN? I SEARCHED FOR THE HIDE A KEY WHICH I KNEW HAD FALLEN OFF MILES AND MILES AGO, AND I SEARCHED THE PICK-UP FOR AN EXTRA TRAILER KEY, NO LUCK.

I HAVE TO UNLOAD THE BACK COMPARTMENT AND GO UP THROUGH THE LAUNDRY SHOOT INTO THE CLOSET. NOW MARY HAS DONE THIS BEFORE BUT NEVER HAS REX. IT'S A BORN AGAIN EXPERIENCE, LITERALLY. AFTER YOU GET YOUR HEAD UP THROUGH THE HOLE YOU HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET ONE SHOULDER AT A TIME THROUGH THE OPENING. SO YOU BACK UP AND PUT ONE HAND AND ARM UP OVER YOUR HEAD.

AFTER BOTH SHOULDERS ARE UP YOU REALIZE THAT GETTING STUCK NOW MEANS YOU CAN'T GET BACK DOWN OR UP........

NEXT MOVE IS TO TWIST YOUR BODY TO GET YOUR HIPS THREW THE SMALL SQUARE OPENING. JEES, THE CLOSET DOOR IS CLOSED TOO? IN THE END, I SQUIRTED OUT HEAD FIRST ONTO THE DARK BEDROOM FLOOR.

"DARK & 53"

ARIZONA CAR

WE WENT TO DIG OUT THE ARIZONA CAR. I’VE NEVER STORED A CAR BEFORE, MUCH LESS ON THE LOWER DESERT INSIDE A BUILDING WHERE SUMMER TEMPERATURES HAD TO BE EXTREME. MY IMAGINATION WAS SEEING MELTED TIRES AND MELTED PLASTIC PARTS.

AT LEAST, I THOUGHT, ONE DEFLATED TIRE AND A COOKED BATTERY, EVEN THOUGH I HAD DISCONNECTED THE POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE. WHEN WE OPENED THE OVERHEAD DOOR WE FOUND THE 1995 BUICK COVERED IN DESERT DUST.

A QUICK WALK AROUND THE CAR SHOWED ALL FOUR TIRES UP AND READY. I HAD TYPED OUT EXACT INSTRUCTIONS FOR RECONNECTING THE BATTERY INCLUDING THE LOCATION OF THE 8MM BOX WRENCH. THE SECOND I WRENCHED ON THE BATTERY MARY NOTICED THE UNDER THE HOOD LIGHT TURN ON. HMMMM… A GOOD SIGN I’D SAY.

I SLID ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT AND TURNED THE KEY, AND THE OLD BUICK CAME BACK TO LIFE. WHAT A PLEASANT SURPRISE. I TOOK THE AZ CAR DIRECTLY TO THE PENNZOIL STORE FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND A QUICK CHECK OF ALL THE SYSTEMS. A COUPLE OF NEW WIPERS, TOP OFF THE COOLANT, AN OIL CHANGE, A FIFTY DOLLAR BILL AND I’M BACK ON THE ROAD.

THOUGHT I TAKE A QUICK PICTURE OF THE AZ CAR’S BUNK MATE TO TEASE COLE……



“SUNNY & 80”

Amaryllis

I don't know what it is about warm weather and sunshine, but it makes me want to play in the dirt...... Of course playing in the dirt in Arizona is playing with potting soil and containers!!! The dirt here is actually like concrete!!


Last winter we got Rex's Mother an amaryllis for her condo while she was here. They grow so fast and have such impressive flowers that we thought she would enjoy watching it grow and bloom. When she went back home I kept it throughout the summer, watering and fertilizing it. In late August I cut off it's leaves and dried out the roots, forcing it into dormancy. I checked it yesterday and lo and behold, it's leaves are starting to grow.....in a few weeks we will know if I was successful in getting it to produce flowers. (Amy, do you recognize the shells?)

As long as the dirt was under my finger nails anyway, I bought this nice daisy to add some color to our camp site....love that bright orange which is the actual color even if it looks yellow in the picture.

Of course.....why stop there????? So now I have fresh rosemary, basil, parsley, and lemon thyme to cook with.....

WEEK # 27

LAST WEEK WAS WEEK #28 SO THIS WEEK IS #27. JUST 27 MORE WEEKS TO WORK UNTIL WE’RE ON VACATION AGAIN. JEEES, THAT A LONG TIME.

29 WEEKS IS THE LONGEST I’VE EVER WORKED AT THE AVI IN ONE SEASON, AND 28 THIS SEASON, COMES IN SECOND. WORKING SO MANY WEEKS IS OUR WAY OF MAKING UP FOR THE “GLOOM & DOOM” CONDITIONS IN NEVADA. WE CUT OUR FALL VACATION BY ABOUT 6 WEEKS, AND WE ADDED 1 WEEK AT THE END IN THE SPRING.

THE “BELIZE FUND” DIDN’T MATURE TO THE POINT OF GOING TO BELIZE WITH HANS AND WENDY THIS FALL, BUT WE DID NOT SPEND ANY OF THE MONEY. WE HOPE ONE OF THESE YEARS IT TURNS INTO A RETURN TRIP TO AMBERGRIS CAYE AND CAYE CAULKER.

RETURNING TO THE AVI TO WORK FOR THE SEASON IS ALWAYS FUN. WE CATCH UP WITH OLD FRIENDS WHO WORK THERE, THE LOCALS, AND AS SNOWBIRDS CONTINUE TO ARRIVE THERE ARE LOTS OF SUMMER ADVENTURES TO CATCH UP ON.

WHO GOT FIRED, WHO GOT DIVORCED, WHO QUIT, WHO’S SLEEPING WITH WHOM? IT ALL KEEPS THE BREAK ROOM A BUZZ AS WE’RE FILLED IN AND MARY AND I COMPARE STORIES AT HOME.

“SUNNY & 80”

Economic Mess

I don’t usually get excited about politics, but the current economic mess and who is responsible, has me excited. The natural assumption is that George caused this mess as it came to a boil under his watch. That is blame easily transferred to McCain, as he is Republican. Presto! He trails by a whopping margin in the last month since this all boiled over.

My problem is that this all started many years ago as a basically good idea: How do we get the banks to lend to poor people and minorities so more people can have the American Dream…..their own house. Kind of like Habitat for Humanity, but with a different tactic and for a larger group. At that time, banks had semi-secret maps with red lines drawn around neighborhoods where they would not lend inside the lines. It was called “redlining”. It was discrimination, pure and simple.

The democrats, to their credit, under Carter and later, Clinton crafted legislation that seemed to allow for this to happen. The Community Re-investment Act was born (we used this to “convince” our local bank to lend money to the Civic Center, then guess what happened? The bank lost about $500,000). What started as a benevolent, philanthropic idea, got perverted into a disaster by greedy bankers who learned that the government would guarantee risky loans at high interest rates, thus making them huge profits. This was never the intention of the democrats, I believe they were high-minded (although the idea of affordable housing for the masses sounds a little liberal to me). Where their fault comes is when alarm bells started to sound, their knee-jerk reaction was to suspect the republicans of trying to wreck their program and keep the poor in the housing projects. They dug in their heels and suspected, then fought any republican effort to regulate the abuses……a natural partisan stance. They pooh-poohed any real problem with the system.


Trouble is, they were wrong. By this time, unfortunately, those becoming rich saw the danger and began lobbying (bribing) those in power. That would be mostly democrats. Here is where the darkness starts. The democrats fought attempted regulation, ironically from the Bush administration several times, and successfully. Millions of dollars changed hands under the table. And now we have this mess.


I feel it is wrong to hang this on Bush, and also McCain. Nancy Pelosi, in her recently famous speech to congress seen repeatedly by millions of voters claimed the blame was “on * years of the failed economic policies of the Bush administration”. I think that is totally bogus bullshit, but it will unfortunately probably turn this election into the lap of the people responsible for the mess. How tragically ironic!

Uncle Hans

BLACKSTONE RV PARK

I MENTIONED EARLIER THIS WEEK THAT MARY REDESIGNED OUR WINTER PATIO.

THE PROBLEM HERE AT BLACKSTONE RV PARK IS THAT THE CEMENT PATIO IS TOO FAR FORWARD. SINCE THE TRAILER IS FACING NORTH, JUST THE WAY WE LIKE IT, WE GET THE AFTERNOON SHADE, BUT ONLY ON ABOUT HALF OF THE CEMENT PATIO.

MARY HAD US STAKE DOWN THE OLD BLUE RUG, TO EXTEND THE PATIO BACK.

THE BLUE RUG HAD TO BE STAKED DOWN BECAUSE HERE IN THE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY WE OFTEN HAVE HIGH WINDS (25 MPH). SINCE THE PICTURES MARY HAS ADDED SOME PLANTS, FLOWERS, AND A TABLE CLOTH.

THE RV PARK CONTINUES TO FILL UP A LITTLE EARLIER THAN NORMAL. SEEMS PEOPLE ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE LOWER FUEL COSTS AND MAKING THE MOVE TO WINTER QUARTERS EARLY THIS YEAR.

"SUNNY & 80"

TENNESSE WALKING HORSES

IT'S BEEN A LOT OF YEARS SINCE I WENT TO A HORSE SHOW. WE WENT TO THE CALIFORNIA TENNESSE WALKING HORSE SHOW AT THE MOHAVE CROSSING. I REALLY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE BREED, BUT THEY SURE HAVE SOME STRANGE GAITS.

THE GAIT IS HARD TO SEE FROM THESE PICTURES, BUT THE FRONT FEET COME WAY UP IN HIGH STEPS, AS THE HORSE BOBS IT'S HEAD.


CHECK OUT THE RIDING WEAR ON THESE RIDERS. IT'S ALL LONG COATS AND ROARING 20'S GARB.

ONE MORE PICTURES OF THE DAPPLE HORSE, MY FAVORITE IN THE SHOW, AND BLUE RIBBON WINNER AS WELL. TENNESSE WALKING HORSES COME IN ALL COLORS, ALTHOUGH I NEVER DID SEE A BAY.

"SUNNY & 80"

CHIMEA PICTURE

AFTER WRITING A BLOG FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS IT BECOMES OUR PERSONAL REFERENCE BOOK. LIKE, WHEN DID WE GO TO CRESCENT CITY, CA, OR WHICH MONTH WERE WE IN PANAMA CITY BEACH? IT ANSWERS OUR QUESTIONS AND CAN EVEN SOLVE AN ARGUMENT.

EVERY FALL WHEN WE RETURN TO BLACKSTONE RV PARK, I HAVE TO SET UP MY CHIMEA ON THE PATIO. WE DON'T TAKE IT WITH US IN THE SUMMER, BUT INSTEAD MOVE IT BEHIND THE NEIGHBOR'S TRAILER BECAUSE THEY LEAVE THEIR TRAILER HERE YEAR AROUND EVEN WHEN THEY RETURN HOME TO CANADA IN THE SUMMER.

WE DON'T REALLY USE THE CHIMEA MUCH. I BUY ONE CASE OF THOSE FAKE FIREWOOD LOGS EVERY YEAR. THERE ARE SIX LOGS TO A CASE, AND I CUT THEM IN HALF FOR EACH FIRE.

THE PROBLEM COMES IN SETTING IT UP EVERY FALL, TO PILE AND ARRANGE MY ASSORTMENT OF PATIO BRICKS THE SAME AND JUST LIKE LAST YEAR. WELL LAST YEAR I GOT THE BRIGHT IDEA TO TAKE A DIGITAL PICTURE OF THE PATIO BLOCK ARRANGEMENT SO I COULD JUST REPLICATE THE EXACT ORDER FOR THE BLOCKS. GREAT IDEA !!!

SO THIS YEAR I'M SEARCHING MY 'PUTER FOR THE PICTURE (ROAD MAP) TO SETTING UP THE PATIO BLOCKS ......... DAMN IT ...... THAT PICTURE IS IN THE OLD LAPTOP THAT HAD THE FATAL BLACK SCREEN FAILURE LAST YEAR.

THIS YEAR'S BRIGHT IDEA IS EVEN BRIGHTER !!! I'LL JUST WRITE A BLOG ABOUT THE CHIMEA, AND TITLE IT "CHIMEA PICTURE" THEN NEXT YEAR I'LL DO A GOOGLE SEARCH OF MY BLOG AND PRESTO THERE WILL BE MY PICTURE (ROAD MAP) OF HOW TO SET UP THE PATIO BLOCKS.

"SUNNY & 80"

HONDA ACCORD

AS YOU KNOW, ON OUR RECENT "SPRINT" HOME TO WISCONSIN, AND THEN TO FLORIDA TO VISIT AMY AND FAMILY WE LEFT THE CAMPER IN NEVADA AND MADE THE TRIP IN MARY'S HONDA ACCORD.

SO HOW DID THAT WORK OUT? WE BOTH MISSED HAVING OUR CAMPER AND ALL OF OUR STUFF. WE STAYED AT A LOT OF SUPER 8 MOTELS, AND LOVED THE MORNING BREAKFAST, AND THOSE COOL MAKE YOUR OWN WAFFLE MACHINES. WE SPONGED OFF A FEW FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO KEEP OUR COSTS DOWN, AND THEN BLEW THE REMAINDER OF THE BUDGET ON A CONDO AT PANAMA CITY BEACH.

TODAY I'D LIKE TO GIVE YOU A FEW NUMBERS ON THE HONDA ACCORD. THE 2002 HONDA ACCORD PERFORMED PERFECTLY, AND EXCEPT FOR A WINDSHIELD CHIP, WHICH COST $39 TO REPAIR, WAS MAINTENANCE FREE.

THE COST OF FUEL RANGED FROM $4.15 A GALLON TO $2.59 A GALLON. WE TRAVELLED A TOTAL OF 6,971 MILES, AT A FUEL COST OF $815.42. WE AVERAGED 30 MILES TO A GALLON. ALL IN ALL WE COULDN'T BE HAPPIER WITH OUR RESULTS.

MARY DID 99% OF THE DRIVING, BECAUSE SHE CLAIMS TO BE A PISS POOR PASSENGER. HOW LUCKY FOR ME, NAVIGATE, DIG FOR SNACKS, SNEAK A FEW BEERS, AND KEEP MARY'S AUDIO BOOKS PLAYING. IT WAS A GREAT "SPRINT" HOME.

HONDA ACCORD, A GREAT CAR!!!

BACK TO WORK

THE AVI WELCOMED US BACK WITH OPEN ARMS AND A HUG. SANDY, THE BOSS, AMAZED US AGAIN. THE FIRST TIME WAS IN 2001 AFTER THE 911 THING THAT SLAMMED CASINOS IN NEVADA BECAUSE PEOPLE QUIT FLYING.

HOWEVER, THE GLOOM & DOOM OF NEVADA CONTINUES AND THERE ARE FULL TIME DEALERS STILL ONLY GETTING FOUR DAYS OF WORK A WEEK. WE WILL BE FILLING IN FOR VACATIONS, AND HOPING THAT BUSINESS PICKS UP WITH THE ARRIVAL OF THE WINTER SNOWBIRDS.

LOOKS LIKE WE WON'T HAVE THE SAME DAYS OFF, AND WILL PROBABLY BE WORKING DIFFERENT SHIFTS. NOT WHAT WE'RE USED TO, BUT LOOKS LIKE WE WILL BE ABLE TO COVER THE RENT AND OUR WEEKLY TRIPS TO WALMART.

LIKE I SAID BEFORE, OUR HEADS ARE IN THE RIGHT PLACE AND MARY HAS ALREADY REDESIGNED OUR OUTDOOR PATIO, AND I MADE POPCORN TO BREAK IN THE NEW ARRANGEMENT. PICTURES AND A BLOG WILL BE COMING SOONEST.

OH, ONE MORE THING, THE WEATHER IS "SUNNY & 80"

Osceola, WI Parade

It is that time of the year for the "Two Guys" blog. You will remember that Neil and I have been making fools of ourselves at one parade per summer for a few years now. This year's computer search for the right parade on the right date, etc, yielded Osceola Wisconsin and their Community Fair event on Sept. 7.

The tradition is that we travel to the event on our motorcycles with the banner packed along. This year, because of complications of the impending birth of Baby Jack, Neil and I had to attend on one bike and Wendy and Kathy trailing along in a car............

....having a banner in a parade is a time-worn tradition. The best looking people in an organization (who can't march right or play an instrument, or both at the same time) are selected to carry a banner with an important message about the organization. Then the crowd at the parade know exactly what the organization is and what it stands for.........

....here we have two such fine individuals. And what they proudly stand for..............

....we have a well-choreographed precision dance routine that involves rotating the banner in a full spin at every man-hole cover. Yes, our function in the parade revolves around the sewer...........

....this year we had a spectacular "wardrobe malfunction" when the banner pole broke during a high velocity spin. The repair was hampered by the lack of beer at this parade............

....here is our devoted support staff, trying to explain to these gentlemen who we are and that we are registered to be in the parade and the number of hours we have left in our "community service" (kidding).......

....here we are passing another unit because they were going to slow and made lewd comments about our dancing. Note this year's exciting addition to our routine: Wendy made us T-shirts that mark which side we should stand on.......

....see how the T-shirts are always correct no matter where we are. Wendy figured that part out. Notice, wherever we go, the police are there?Probably to protect and serve us............

....one of those morons in the red shirts is running for county treasurer and, with this picture, reduced her chances to zero. The other girls are Las Vegas Show Girls who travel with us to each parade.........

....we ran into this guy with a black standard poodle and a pink cowboy hat. He wanted to audition. He did not get the job. He did not look funny enough to be a "Guy"..........

....Tough luck. He took it pretty well. Some people think you can be a "Guy" if you are little weird. No. You need to be really weird..........

....at the end of the parade, we retrace the route, usually back to a tavern. Many people thanks us for the laughs. It is amazing how funny a little silliness can be. We ride home and start planning next year's parade.....

Happy Birthday Judy!

Uncle Hans

REALITY CHECK

WE'RE EN ROUTE TO LAUGHLIN, NEVADA WHERE WE WILL SPEND THE WINTER CAMPING ON THE LOWER MOHAVE DESERT. THE NEXT BIG EVENT ON OUR SOCIAL CALENDAR WILL BE GRANDMA'S ARRIVAL MID-DECEMBER AND SHE WILL BE SPENDING A COUPLE OF MONTHS IN OUR VALLEY AND SUNSHINE.

THE GLOOM & DOOM OF THE NEVADA ECONOMY CONTINUES, BUT WE'RE IN THE PROPER STATE OF MIND TO HANDLE IT BETTER THAN WE DID LAST SUMMER. OUR FIRST STOP WILL BE THE AVI CASINO TO SEE IF WE STILL HAVE WINTER JOBS. THAT'S OUR BIGGEST CONCERN FOR THE WEEK, AND ALTHOUGH WE DON'T EXPECT TO GET FIVE DAYS OF WORK PER WEEK, WE'RE HOPING FOR ENOUGH HOURS TO KEEP THE RENT PAID AND TO MAKE OUR WEEKLY TRIPS TO THE SUPER WALMART.

WE WILL REPORT THE GOOD OR BAD NEWS AS SOON AS IT'S DELIVERED TO US. KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED, AND FOR THOSE CANDLE LIGHTING TYPES, THANKS FOR THE PRAYERS.



CHECK OUT THE PANAMA CITY POSTCARDS.

"SUNNY & 80"

E-MAIL CAN BE SCREWED UP FROM TIME TO TIME, AND I RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING E-MAIL ADDRESSED TO A TED THOMPSON?

SUNSET ON THE BEACH

AS SURELY AS THE SUN SETS ON THE BEACH SO ENDS OUR "SPRINT" AT PANAMA CITY BEACH.

THANKS TO AMY AND DANIEL FOR YOUR HOSPITALITY, AND PUTTING UP WITH US THESE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS.

TO FINISH THE "SPRINT" IT'S 2,000 MILES BACK TO THE CAMPER IN THE MOHAVE VALLEY. WE'RE BOTH A LITTLE HOME SICK AFTER LIVING ON THE ROAD AND IN THE HONDA.

AMEN