Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Wow...Here It Is Wednesday Already!!

Like I said, Wednesday comes around awful soon after Sunday.  I get my Sunday Blog put out and just sit back and think...aw, now I can relax. Then Wham, it's Wednesday!!  I guess they say “No rest for the wicked”, right?  So, on with it.  Sure glad I don't publish every day. :-)

Last summer my attraction to the 1911 model pistols came about with the new sr1911 that Ruger manufactured.  It was in high demand and hard to find one. All dealers were “sold out” and if they did get one it was gone in a heartbeat; however, I set out to find one.  It was said that it was so popular that the Ruger factory had received over a million orders and they were running way behind in getting it out. Most gun shops that I went into and asked for one, would laugh and say “Are you kidding, you can’t beg borrow or steal one of those”!

I studied the internet reviews on the gun from the few people that had been lucky enough to find one. The reviews were fantastic…..everyone loved the gun and since it was Ruger's very first venture into the 1911 market, I got my mind set on having one.  I looked and I looked.  No luck. I had about given up when I finally found a dealer that had one in stock.  Great!   I said,"Can I put my hands on it?"  ”Sure” the dealer told me as he got the brand new Ruger sr1911 out and handed it to me.  Oh My!  Wow… I loved it.

I had never even shot a 1911 before.   It was one awesome feeling pistol....one that just feels like it “should” be in your hand.  I just felt like I could hit a fly on a telephone pole with that baby!!  OK, I was sold.  "How much?", I asked the dealer. Instantly he told me “Well, that one is SOLD and I probably won’t be getting anymore for months as Ruger is way backordered on them".  I was disappointed but more determined to have one than before.  I went home and continued looking and checking dealers across the US. They were scarce, to say the least, and of course the price was rising daily.  
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Finally after a lot of looking, I found one at a dealership in TN. I bought itand had it shipped to a local gun dealer in South Dakota where I picked it up.  Above is a picture of the gun after I had put a different set of grips on it. I loved it and it was everything I expected it to be. What a dream to shoot....perfect trigger release right out of the box. Ruger really out done themselves this time.   I was proud to own this pistol.  Ms. Pat by this time and with her keen interest in pistols and pistol shooting had taken notice of what I was experiencing, She checked my new Ruger out and, of course, she loved it. It just has the feel of a real gun, a gun you just feel like shooting!  I was definitely in the 1911 corner now,,, I see why people love these pistols. 

While I was in Florida, my good Buddy JRoger and I were discussing guns and I was looking at the 5 different 1911’s that he has, when he showed me his “Compact” 1911. A Colt Defender 1911. He let me shoot it.  Wow, another nice gun.  Smaller, but feels just like the full size 1911. Neat!! I liked it.  I started looking for one.  Wow, talk about hard to find…they are scarce, and those that have them want to KEEP them!

On the local internet web site of Backpage AZ, I found a guy that had a Kimber Stainless Steel 1911 “Ultra Carry”. This is a compact and about the same as a Colt defender.  I contacted the guy and he seemed to be a responsible adult that I could maybe deal with.  I asked if he would be interested in a Taurus I had in trade for his Kimber. He said he might, so, like I told you before, I headed over towards North Phoenix where we set up a meeting at the Arizona Fish and Game office..
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This is a Taurus 40 Cal 24/7 OSS Tactical pistol, with a match grade barrel that I have had for about a year.  I bought it new from a dealer in Tennessee. Nice gun, it shoots well, extremely accurate, and I have enjoyed owning it. But it was in my trading stock and I would give it up happily for a 1911 Compact…     Lets see if this fellow is interested and if we can get together on a deal…

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This is the Kimber Ultra Carry that this gentleman had for sale.   Hmmm, nice gun.  Wow, wonder if I can talk him into a trade??  We will see.

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YEP !! He wanted my Taurus and I wanted his Kimber.  We struck up a deal, a little cash changed hands, we exchanged ID’s  and I headed home happy as kid with a new bicycle.  Hot Dog!!……two happy guys and I now have a 1911 .45 ACP Compact Kimber!! Kimber is a well known top of the line 1911. Made right here in USA! Above is a picture of it after I got it home and changed grips on it.  I have yet another set of grips ordered that will make it look even better.
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Here is a picture of both 1911’s together. You can see it is built on the same frame design, only smaller…  Thus, it's called a “Ultra Carry”. 

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More pictures of the two 1911’s.  I just took the Kimber out and shot it.  I am pleasantly pleased. It shoots wonderful, trigger release is superb, and it is extremely accurate. Shoots every bit as good as the bigger one!!  

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Ms. Pat was out yesterday for her weekly ladies gun training class. Here Jerry and Caryl the instructors and great friends of ours are giving some shooting tips and instructions to them.
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Here is Ms. Pat shooting one of her scenarios with Caryl acting as RSO (Range Safety Officer) and instructor. That is a timing buzzer she is holding above Ms. Pats head……..
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This is another scenario with Jerry acting as RSO and instructor.  This scenario is set up to simulate your house and someone has broken in and you are to shoot them before they shoot you…. Interesting and fun stuff..  Superb training!!

OK enough about Guns and Shooting for this time.   I’ll try to think up something else to talk about next time, but I can’t promiseSmile

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!

God Bless you all and may the good Lord take a likin' to ya!

Thanks for stopping by……..

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Another FIRST for Me!

Yep, another first for me. But first I want to thank you all for the kind remarks and those of you that came online for the first time and convinced me that I should keep on publishing the Wednesday Blog. Thank you very much....I really needed that.  Now I can’t wait for Wednesday to come so I can give you some more of my HOT AIR!!  It's nice to know you are out there.  As the old saying goes, "I’m definitely not a Writer, or a Writer's Son, but I’ll write til' the Writers come!!" :-) Glad to hear there are a bunch of you that enjoy hearing about Guns and Reloading. To those of you that don’t, well I'll try to throw something your way, too.

My FIRST was yesterday at the Wickenburg Gun club.  It was their monthly 3 Gun Shoot. That is where you shoot 3 different guns in a match.  I went out really just to watch and see if I might be interested sometime in the future.  OK, well I just took my little Ruger 10.22 rifle and my 12 Ga tactical shotgun along with me just in case and of course, the  new Ruger .45 Cal  1911 pistol. Pat and I looked things over and saw the 4 different scenario's they had set up that involved a lot of paper silhouette targets along with a lot of steel targets.   Oh Boy, this looked like Fun, Fun, Fun.  I told Ms. Pat that I thought I would sign up and give it a try. She said “Go for it, you can do it”.  She wasn’t feeling too hot herself and decided to pass this time and just give me moral support. Which I needed!

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Let me tell you, 3 hours of solid shooting was literally a Blast!  You lay all your guns on a table,  start out under a timer shooting the shotgun at the steel targets, then run over and get the rifle and shoot several rounds in all the many different paper targets, shooting from different locations, around barrels, through windows and around walls.  Then finish it off with several rounds from your pistol. I had fun!!  I can tell you for sure, Ms. Pat will be out there and participating next month at the 3 Gun Shoot!!
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Thanksgiving day, as I mentioned, we decided on having a small little deal here at home, just the two of us. That way we didn’t have to get dressed up and go somewhere. We could just relax around home. Well, some of us could relax! Ms. Pat was as busy as a bee in her kitchen making things smell real good!
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I'm not one that ever likes to show pictures of food but it's necessary to make an exception on special occasions. This WAS a special occasion!   She took this Turkey Breast out of the oven to turn it over and I grabbed a picture… Ummmm, sure looks and smells good!
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Aww, and another one of my favorite dishes was cooking away and smellin' mighty good. I didn’t even know such a thing as “Greens” existed until I moved to Florida in about 1977. We never had these in the Midwest where I was raised the first 40 years of my life.  These are Kale greens, one of my favorites.   But, down South mostly, they have Collards, Turnips and Mustard greens.  I love them all, especially with some good ole hot pepper sauce on them!
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Then, of course, there was deviled eggs.....yet another of my favorites. Ms. Pat adds spinach and bacon bits to her deviled eggs, which makes them extra “special” in my book!

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Then, as usual, it all came together with a toast of Champagne and few moments to thank our Father in Heaven for all His Blessings.  I ate until I was.....well stuffed!! Thank you, My Dear, for another wonderful Thanksgiving meal.
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Ms. Megabyte2 enjoyed Thanksgiving with us, doing what she does so well and enjoys so much……SLEEP!! Bless her heart!!  

Kitty Wash.....

I put this into my Blog in Ms. Megabyte2’s honor.  When I read it I couldn’t keep from laughing.  We have contemplated giving Ms. Meg2 a bath several times, but neither of us thought we could survive it!Smile   We thought the solution would be to get a vet to do it.  Well, we can’t find a vet that will even touch it!! I guess that tells you something, doesn’t it?   This is just about what would happen.  I don’t advocate in any way shape or form that this be done for real………. I do not support any type of animal cruelty in any way….. this was just funny!!! 

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Thanks for stopping by. Come on back Wednesday and I will tell you how my gun trading went………

*Note……Butterbean.....Thank You so much for the invitation to your Ranch.   I truly planned on stopping by when we left Nacogdoches.  I even looked your place up on Google Maps and figured it would be just a nice drive from Motorhomes of Texas to your place. However, as I stated in the Blog, we had to go to Dallas this trip for repairs on the Motorhome.  We appreciate the invite, though, and hope to take you up on it sometime down the road.    

Everyone please be safe out there!!  (as my buddy Sam says)

Mike

This Blog is Poster every Sunday and WEDNESDAY..

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving 2012

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Some of you might not be sure how to cook a Turkey, so I found this recipe for you. :-)

Ms. Pat and I had several options for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow but in a unanimous vote we decided to stay home and do our own thing.  Ms. Pat is cooking a small Turkey Breast, Cauliflower Casserole, Kale, Fruit Salad and who knows what else.  Not the traditional Thanksgiving dinner but it will be delicious and HEALTHY!!   As usual, I know it will be outstanding…… I can almost smell the house now.

It seems like Wednesday comes awful fast after Sunday.  I may suspend this mid-week Blog for a while...not certain at this point.  I don't have a lot of interesting material to write about anymore.  We aren’t traveling as much and I guess we don’t do as much interesting stuff.  However, I have never been so busy in my life....which is good I guess, it sure makes time go fast.  Here 2012 is almost over.  Man, where did it go?? 

I may change my mind about the mid-week post, as this blog started out being a diary sort of thing for me to check back in and see the things we have done and places we have been.    The less I travel, the longer it takes me to think up something to write about.   I'm sure you're getting tired of hearing about my guns, loading, etc. Smile  So, we'll see what next week brings.

Below are some of the pictures my "WildGame" camera picked up lately. You can see our latest visitors.
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Mr. Coyote was back, The Black Cat is still around, as is the pretty Bengal , he is a beauty!  and of course, lots of “Boids and Wabbits”….. Sometimes the Boids even chase the Wabbits!!Smile

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!

A very good friend sent me the following and I would like to pass it on to you:
May your stuffing be tasty. May your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes ' n gravy have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious. May your pies take the prize.
May your Thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs.
MAY YOU HAVE A BLESSED THANKSGIVING!


I have to run.  I found a guy who has a gun that I have been wanting and I just happen to have one that he has been wanting. Isn’t it funny how that works out?  I told him I would take a look at it this morning and he is 50 miles away, even when he meets me mid-point.  I hope his gun is just the one I've been looking for… and vice versa.  Gotta run.

 To all of our kids, grandkids, and great grandkids scattered around in Florida, Louisiana, Nebraska, Arizona, and other travel destinations, we miss you and love you all very much............

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! 

You all travel safe!!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Another One Under My Belt……Literally! :-)

Another what, you ask? Well another one of the special “shots” I have to take every 3 months, that’s what.  I don’t know what is worse, the shot or the drive over there.  It’s a 1-1/2 hr. drive to the East side of Scottsdale where my Oncologist is located.  Traffic is terrible and it's white knuckle the last 1/2 of the way with 70-80 mph traffic with 6-8 lanes bumper to bumper and door to door all the way. You either have to drive it fast and furious or get run over.  Not an inch of room to make a "mis-ka-bobble".

The good part is that it is near the Dillon Precision Reloading Company. They are the ones that make the famous Dillon progressive bullet loading presses like the model RL550B that I have.  I love shopping there and I was able to pick up all the items I needed to reload the new .45 Cal ACP bullets we are now shooting. 

Then, with that done, we went on with our usual shopping. You know the routine, Sam’s, Costco, WalMart and a couple others thrown in and oh yes, the Wine Store.  Believe me that fills in your day. But, as usual, we make it home just a couple minutes late for HAPPY HOUR.  I was totally worn out. Plus, my butt was beginning to get sore where I got the shot.  I swear the nurse uses a caulking gun to give me that shot.  Biggest damn syringe I ever saw.  But hey, it keeps me alive so I don’t complain ...well, not too much anyway.  What a small price to pay, right?

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This is Ms. Pats new gun that I am loading the .45 Cal bullets for.  I bought this Ruger sr1911 for myself, thinking it was too big a gun for Ms, Pat.  When it came in she looked at it and took it in her hand, dry fired it a time or two and said,  ”Wow, I like that gun, it feels great in your hand”.  I asked her if she would like to shoot it sometime.  Of course, she replied “Sure”.  I knew if she shot it, it would “blow her away” and she wouldn’t be interested.  Hmmm, WRONG.  She fired it the first time at a paper plate at about 30’ using factory ammo. She put all 5 rounds into the plate!!  I was the one that was “blown away”!

I asked her if she wanted to shoot it again, and she said “Yes, I do”. So I loaded another 5 rounds in the magazine and she squeezed off another 5 rounds and I’ll be! She put another 5 rounds directly into the paper plate.  I asked her if it didn’t have a pretty rough recoil? "No", she said “it doesn't”, It's such a large frame and fits your hand so well, it is easy to hold onto and it seems to soften the recoil. She says it's not even as bad as her .40 Cal Glock.  She shot it last Tuesday at the Ladies' pistol training session and continues to enjoy it as she gets more and more familiar with it.  So, yep, I lost my gun.  However, I can’t think of anybody I’d rather lose it to than my dear wife!! 

I spent most of Friday setting up the Dillon bullet press with the new dies and equipment that I picked up. You can’t be too careful with this loading stuff and it takes me a little longer that normal, because I check myself several times.  Got a few loaded up and took them and the Ruger out in the desert to my favorite spot and found out that the new reloads work fine. Yesterday I reloaded bullets off and on all day. I have several 100 made up, so I should be in good shape. I don’t want to load too many ahead, just in case I want to make an adjustment or two….been there done that!


That’s about all that’s happening around North Ranch, enjoyed watching some football yesterday in between my reloading as all 3 of our favorite college teams won……The Cornhuskers beat Minn, Florida State beat Maryland and Louisiana State beat Ole' Miss.  That LSU game was thriller.  What a game!! “eh Rollie?

Folks are rolling into North Ranch right and left as everyone returns for the winter.  Everybody hollers “Welcome Back” and waves.  Soon this will be a bee hive.  But it's quiet down here at our little place that we enjoy so much.

We thank you Lord for all the blessings you bestow upon us……..we are ever so grateful and praise You highly.

 It was a GREAT WEEK !!!!

Thanks for stopping by…..   

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday…

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Anybody Need a BLUE OX Tow Bar?

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I have a Blue Ox Tow Bar that is excess to my needs right now....anybody need one? It is an Aventa II BX 7335 Tow Bar Class IV-2 inch receiver, rated to pull up to 10,000 lbs.

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I just had it totally rebuilt at the Escapade Rally in Gillette, WY in Sept 2011.   I thought I would offer it to any of my readers first before I put it up for sale locally and on eBay. They are heavy and cost about $50.00 to ship anywhere, so a local pick up would be great.  I’m asking $250.00 for it….. If you can use it, let me know and we can work something out…….. 

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We found a couple of these old deteriated RV vent covers in our yard when we got here. I thought, hmmm, must have blew off somebody's RV sometime during one of the summer wind storms. I didn’t think much more about it until Ms. Pat ask “Does our cargo trailer that we store the ATV’s in have vent covers like that?”  A light suddenly went off in my head,,,DUH! Gee, I don’t remember if it does or not, I’ll go look. Well it's so tall ya can’t see the roof without a ladder.  So I drug out my step ladder and VIOLA.....sure enough!!!  2 big gapping 12” square holes in the top of our trailer…… Uh Oh.....better look inside and check stuff out.
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That’s a pretty big hole that was wide open on the roof…… 2 of them. 

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Fortunately, I had covers over the ATV’s and there was no damage to anything.  I could see where the water had puddled in the heavy canvas covers, probably until it evaporated.  No floor damage either, so we were very lucky!

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A quick trip to town and $50.00 later, I have two brand new vent covers, new gaskets all installed and ready for that rainstorm brewing in the background.

Yesterday, Ms. Pat spent all afternoon at her Pistol shooting practice at the Wickenburg Sportsman’s Club range. She shot over 100 rounds through her new Ruger sr1911 .45 Cal pistol. It’s a lot different than her Glock and takes some getting used to but she said she loves the new gun. Now I gotta get to reloading some .45's.

Tomorrow we are headed to the big city and over to my Dr. appointment in Scottsdale.  Long day and a long trip but that is where the Dillon reloading factory is and I need some items…so it won’t be a wasted trip…  Smile

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!! The weather is PERFECT…

Thanks for stopping by.  Come on back when ya get a chance………..or better yet, stop and see us!

God Bless you all…

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

Sunday, November 11, 2012

I Salute All Veterans...Young and Old!!

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I want to thank all of our Veterans and Active Duty Military Personnel for your service. It is because of you that we all get to live the life we do and enjoy the freedoms we have in this country.

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We are getting settled in at our place in North Ranch near Congress, AZ and back to our usual activities.  Ms. Pat was in extreme demand as a Line Dance Instructor and she was anxious to get back to one of here favorite activities. She also hasn’t been able to finish a little “Lap Quilt” that she started in Custer, so she got started on that again. Moving daily down the road in an RV makes it difficult to do any quilting, so sitting up her sewing room was one of her priorities.
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Just last night she announced to Ms. Megabyte2 and I that she had completed the “Lap Quilt”.   Her projects keep getting a little bigger. First the Table Runner, then Baby Quilts and now this. I think it is beautiful.....don’t you?
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This is the back side of her Quilt……… Good job Girl!  Well done.  I am afraid to think what will be next.  I do know that she is anxious to get back out to the shooting range and join the group of gals she shoots with. She will start that on Tuesday afternoon.
Aw Ha. my "new calipers" tell me that my "new bullet" is right on!!
You guessed it !! Yep, I’m back in my shop doing what I love to do…………making bullets.  We have all these .45 ACP guns now, so I’m getting set up to reload them. I have only loaded .40 S&W so far.   So this will be fun and a new experience. Gotta be careful, don’t want too big of a BANG!! Smile

It is with deep sadness that I must report the passing of our good friend and faithful follower of this Blog, Sherry Dilworth. Sherry and Charlie had been constant blogging buddies for a long time and we were fortunate to have them visit us at our place in the Black Hills of South Dakota during the summer of 2011. In August of that year Charlie and I were initiated into the Elks Lodge together at the Escapade in Gillette, WY.

Sherry was on the long list waiting for a Lung transplant and this Fall she was finally called for her transplant. Although her life had been a struggle the past few years, she was sure that with her new lungs, she would be able to continue the life of full-timing that she so loved and enjoyed.   She was a fighter and really fought a long battle.  For a while, we all thought she had won this terrible battle but God had another plan. On Friday, November 9th, she passed on to that wonderful RV Park in Heaven. 

I’m sure gonna miss her encouraging and friendly comments on my Blog. Charlie and their family are in our thoughts and prayers. May Sherry rest in peace as I know she is.

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Old man Winter is breathing right down upon us and not wasting any time. This is what our Weather station on roof told me this morning.............Brrrrrrrr

I have a super crop of Oranges going on our trees and don't want a frost to snip them. What do I have to do to protect them, cover them every night? That's quite a job as we have 4 of them and they are about 6' tall.........HELP

God Bless you all, please come on back when you can stay longer…..

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

We are HOME!!

Pulled into North Ranch just as expected Sunday before lunch time. We soon had the Motorhome parked in it's dedicated spot.  When I shut the big ole' Cummins engine down, I just sat there for a moment thinking. What a trip, what a great time we had visiting all our wonderful friends and family.

It is so wonderful to travel out on the road for over a month and sleep in your own bed every night.
But it is always so good to get HOME!!  I looked at Ms. Pat and gave here a big hug and as I told her “Here we are”.  I could tell she was likewise Happy to be Home!  Ms. Megabyte2 was up looking out the window and I’m sure she said ”Hey...I recognize this place”! 

We all took a couple deep breaths and immediately began the process of transferring our home from the Motorhome to the house.  Everything looked wonderful and I’m happy and proud to say I’m coming to you from my recliner at home in North Ranch today!
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It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Give us a few days to get things rolling around here and dream up something exciting to do….

See ya next time……

God Bless

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

Sunday, November 4, 2012

It Wasn’t Meant To Be !!

Well I’m not coming to you from my living room at North Ranch in Congress, AZ like I wanted to. When I made that statement I knew I was dreaming.  Yep, I was dreaming alright. No big deal, it just wasn’t meant to be.

As happens so often, the motor for the MCD shade didn’t get in. They could get it in the next day but I wasn’t wanting to sit and wait on it and take another chance of it not making it.  So, I told the boys at MOT that I would just go up to the shade company near Dallas and have them install it. It was less than 200 miles away and right on our way. So just before noon, we headed for Dallas.

We arrived at MCD Innovations about 3:30 and I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be cool if they could stick the motor in our shade this afternoon and we could be on our way the next morning (Thursday). Yep, that would sure be cool alright but here I was dreaming again.  That wasn’t going to happen. They said they couldn’t get at it until the first thing in the morning.  But they have a nice campground in which they invited us to stay in.

First thing Thursday morning NOTHING.   So about 10am Ms. Pat goes in and asks when they will be getting to us.  Oh, it will be right after lunch she was told.  Hmmm, right after lunch turned into about 2pm. Within an hour they had us ready to go.   But, take off at 3pm in the afternoon??? I don’t think so.  By popular vote, we decided to stay the night with them and get an early start on Friday morning.

So as the sun rose over Dallas Friday morning we headed West.  It was a beautiful day and perfect for traveling. We made it well into New Mexico.  Yesterday (Saturday) we made it across New Mexico and about 100 miles into Arizona.   Again the weather was perfect.  So we’re coming to you from Winslow, AZ. right along I-40. We will cruise on into North Ranch today and arrive around noon as it is only 200 miles.

That’s it from this end...short and sweet this morning. We are anxious to get home and get unloaded and settled in. We have so much to do, it boggles our mind. But I know it will happen and we will get it done...one thing at a time. 

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!! As we continue to thank our Heavenly Father for everything He has blessed us with.

Thanks for stopping by and come back Wednesday and hopefully, we will be all settled in.

We place our trust in God.
But keep the shotgun handy just in case He’s busy!


Ya'll take care….

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..