Bay City, Texas
Weather: low 68 degrees, high 74 degrees, cloudy skies
Rain fell most of the night as the outlying weather from the hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico moved north toward Mississippi and Alabama. We were glad to see it not come this way with an outage in progress.
Our plans are becoming a little more solid than Jello, now that we’re nearing the end of the outage. The major decision we have to make now is whether to take the RV to New Orleans or leave it here in Bay City . If we leave the RV here, that means we would have to stay in a hotel while in New Orleans , and I don’t like that idea. If Carolyn goes with me, she wouldn’t have her “things” with her. That wouldn’t be good for her or me. If she stays here, that means I still have to stay in a hotel, and I think I have made my feelings about hotels clear. Dirty, noisy, etc. There are positives to leaving the RV here, such as the convenience of not having to pull it over to New Orleans and back, difficulty in finding a place to park, the short time that the trip to New Orleans will require, and so forth. We’ll see what the final decision will be.
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Greenville, Alabama: City Of Smiles
Not all who wander are lost.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Messy Rain
Bay City, Texas
Weather: low 68 degrees, high 72 degrees, cloudy skies, rainy
The rain created a messy day at work, especially for the people who have to work outside. Fortunately, most of us work inside, but if we’re going to the containment building, we have to walk about 300 yards on the outside, which is not a lot of fun if it’s raining.
Work continues to move along, and we continue to solve little issues as they come up. No show stoppers since earlier in the week, so what we’re seeing now is more like normal. At the current rate that work is being done, the containment building should be closed late Thursday or early Friday. It doesn’t really matter to me if it extends past Friday, since that is my last day. I have been asked to come back to help prepare for and execute the next outage, which starts in late March. The date for returning has not been set at this time, If I do that, I will need to make sure that Carolyn and I have the time to do some of the things we want to do.
Some folks might ask why we’re going to Glen Rose for our physicals. When we lived in Bay City , we had a doctor that we trusted and felt comfortable with. About three years ago, he had to retire for medical reasons. At that time, we were living and working in the Glen Rose area. From time to time, we had a need to see a doctor up there, and developed a relationship with the doctor that we now consider our primary care physician. He understands our lifestyle, which some doctors seem to have a problem with. If we’re in another state and need to call him for a prescription renewal, he takes care of it for us. He works with us in scheduling our physicals and tests so as little time as possible is used for the scheduling. In other words, he doesn’t spread the visits out over a period of a month or more, but tries to do everything in a week or so. Finding a doctor like this is one of the hardest things that full-time RVers are faced with.
We received the sad news that Nancy, one of my cousins in Florida, passed away unexpectedly. I hadn't seen her but one time in the last 20 years, and my last telephone conversation with her was when I called her to let know my mother had passed away in 2007. That conversation ended badly because of some statements Nancy made. At times like this, I wonder what I could have done better at that time.
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Miami, Florida: The Magic City
Not all who wander are lost.
Weather: low 68 degrees, high 72 degrees, cloudy skies, rainy
The rain created a messy day at work, especially for the people who have to work outside. Fortunately, most of us work inside, but if we’re going to the containment building, we have to walk about 300 yards on the outside, which is not a lot of fun if it’s raining.
Work continues to move along, and we continue to solve little issues as they come up. No show stoppers since earlier in the week, so what we’re seeing now is more like normal. At the current rate that work is being done, the containment building should be closed late Thursday or early Friday. It doesn’t really matter to me if it extends past Friday, since that is my last day. I have been asked to come back to help prepare for and execute the next outage, which starts in late March. The date for returning has not been set at this time, If I do that, I will need to make sure that Carolyn and I have the time to do some of the things we want to do.
Some folks might ask why we’re going to Glen Rose for our physicals. When we lived in Bay City , we had a doctor that we trusted and felt comfortable with. About three years ago, he had to retire for medical reasons. At that time, we were living and working in the Glen Rose area. From time to time, we had a need to see a doctor up there, and developed a relationship with the doctor that we now consider our primary care physician. He understands our lifestyle, which some doctors seem to have a problem with. If we’re in another state and need to call him for a prescription renewal, he takes care of it for us. He works with us in scheduling our physicals and tests so as little time as possible is used for the scheduling. In other words, he doesn’t spread the visits out over a period of a month or more, but tries to do everything in a week or so. Finding a doctor like this is one of the hardest things that full-time RVers are faced with.
We received the sad news that Nancy, one of my cousins in Florida, passed away unexpectedly. I hadn't seen her but one time in the last 20 years, and my last telephone conversation with her was when I called her to let know my mother had passed away in 2007. That conversation ended badly because of some statements Nancy made. At times like this, I wonder what I could have done better at that time.
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Miami, Florida: The Magic City
Not all who wander are lost.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Preps For Leaving
Bay City, Texas
Weather: low 56 degrees, high 82 degrees, partly cloudy skies
Warmer weather is back in the area, and we're expecting some rain the next couple of days. I hope there's some cooler weather before long.
I was off work today, and spent some time getting things ready for our departure in about eight days. When I arrived here, I took everything out of the truck toolbox, as well as the fifth wheel hitch, and stored it in the RV basement. That should give some idea how big the basement is, and it still had plenty of room after all those items were in there.
The truck tool box was repacked and the fifth wheel hitch was installed on the truck. The step ladder was strapped in place on the bed of the truck between the legs of the hitch. There are still a couple of items to put in place in the basement, but most of the work is finished. When we leave, about all that will be left to do will be the normal things we do when we're on the road.
After all that work, it was time to go to the WalMart Mall to get our shopping fix. The grocery shopping didn't take, since we have enough food to last us for our remaining time here, and we would rather use that than carry it down the road Carolyn found a couple of throw pillows for the couch to replace two others that she's going to use for something else.
We met Lori and the grandkids for lunch at Pizza Hut. An hour and a half later, we had finished lunch. Eating with them reminds me of when our girls were younger and still at home. Meals were a time for everyone to talk about what was going on and discuss the events of the day, whether it was politics, the economy, religion, or whatever came up. We find that meals with them are still the same, and the grandkids seem to like the back and forth that goes on.
After lunch, we made our weekly stop at the library, then finished up by taking a short ride in the countryside so Carolyn could see what has or hasn't changed. When we got home, I watched a little television until I couldn't avoid doing some mediation. Ohhh, how restful. Now I think I can watch Florida against Vanderbilt tonight. Of course, I would be watching even if I didn't meditate today.
A little elaboration is in order for part of last night's post. I mentioned how much I enjoy working with a longtime co-worker. What I didn't mention, but may have come through is how much I like Bill, the radiological engineer in the country.
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Houston, Texas: Capital Of The Sunbelt
Not all who wander are lost.
Weather: low 56 degrees, high 82 degrees, partly cloudy skies
Warmer weather is back in the area, and we're expecting some rain the next couple of days. I hope there's some cooler weather before long.
I was off work today, and spent some time getting things ready for our departure in about eight days. When I arrived here, I took everything out of the truck toolbox, as well as the fifth wheel hitch, and stored it in the RV basement. That should give some idea how big the basement is, and it still had plenty of room after all those items were in there.
The truck tool box was repacked and the fifth wheel hitch was installed on the truck. The step ladder was strapped in place on the bed of the truck between the legs of the hitch. There are still a couple of items to put in place in the basement, but most of the work is finished. When we leave, about all that will be left to do will be the normal things we do when we're on the road.
After all that work, it was time to go to the WalMart Mall to get our shopping fix. The grocery shopping didn't take, since we have enough food to last us for our remaining time here, and we would rather use that than carry it down the road Carolyn found a couple of throw pillows for the couch to replace two others that she's going to use for something else.
We met Lori and the grandkids for lunch at Pizza Hut. An hour and a half later, we had finished lunch. Eating with them reminds me of when our girls were younger and still at home. Meals were a time for everyone to talk about what was going on and discuss the events of the day, whether it was politics, the economy, religion, or whatever came up. We find that meals with them are still the same, and the grandkids seem to like the back and forth that goes on.
After lunch, we made our weekly stop at the library, then finished up by taking a short ride in the countryside so Carolyn could see what has or hasn't changed. When we got home, I watched a little television until I couldn't avoid doing some mediation. Ohhh, how restful. Now I think I can watch Florida against Vanderbilt tonight. Of course, I would be watching even if I didn't meditate today.
A little elaboration is in order for part of last night's post. I mentioned how much I enjoy working with a longtime co-worker. What I didn't mention, but may have come through is how much I like Bill, the radiological engineer in the country.
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Houston, Texas: Capital Of The Sunbelt
Not all who wander are lost.
Friday, November 6, 2009
New Reactor Head In Place
Bay City, Texas
Weather: low 51 degrees, high 78 degrees, mostly clear skies
The new reactor head was placed on the reactor vessel today, and by the time I return to work on Sunday, the outage should be well on the way to finishing up. There's a lot of cable connections and testing to be done, and the rest of the outage still has work to do, but the outage is drawing to a finish. As I said in an earlier post, my last day here is next Friday. After I take care of previous commitments, I may come back and help out with the second outage. My part in that outage would probably start a little sooner than this last one did, but we haven't decided when at this time.
Since Carolyn and I renewed a long lasting custom of going out to eat on Friday nights, we have tried two different places in bay City. Tonight, we went to another new place, a Chinese buffet. The quality of the food was about what you would expect, and there was plenty of it. It wasn't the best Chinese food we've had, but it wasn't the worse, either. I can remember when I would have really tore up a buffet, but now I'm the one that gets hurt. We seldom eat at buffets any more, primarily because we don't feel we can eat enough to make it worthwhile.
I have known the person I am working with for about 20 years. I consider Bill to be the best radiological engineer I have ever met or worked with. He and I have worked together on numerous projects, and when I was building teams to carry out those projects, Bill was always been the first person I called to be a part of the project. Even though I considered myself to be "retired" when he asked me to be part of this project here, it wasn't hard to make the decision to work with him again. Isn't it great to be able to have the opportunity to work with people like this?
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Pueblo, Colorado: Steel City Of The West
Not all who wander are lost.
Weather: low 51 degrees, high 78 degrees, mostly clear skies
The new reactor head was placed on the reactor vessel today, and by the time I return to work on Sunday, the outage should be well on the way to finishing up. There's a lot of cable connections and testing to be done, and the rest of the outage still has work to do, but the outage is drawing to a finish. As I said in an earlier post, my last day here is next Friday. After I take care of previous commitments, I may come back and help out with the second outage. My part in that outage would probably start a little sooner than this last one did, but we haven't decided when at this time.
Since Carolyn and I renewed a long lasting custom of going out to eat on Friday nights, we have tried two different places in bay City. Tonight, we went to another new place, a Chinese buffet. The quality of the food was about what you would expect, and there was plenty of it. It wasn't the best Chinese food we've had, but it wasn't the worse, either. I can remember when I would have really tore up a buffet, but now I'm the one that gets hurt. We seldom eat at buffets any more, primarily because we don't feel we can eat enough to make it worthwhile.
I have known the person I am working with for about 20 years. I consider Bill to be the best radiological engineer I have ever met or worked with. He and I have worked together on numerous projects, and when I was building teams to carry out those projects, Bill was always been the first person I called to be a part of the project. Even though I considered myself to be "retired" when he asked me to be part of this project here, it wasn't hard to make the decision to work with him again. Isn't it great to be able to have the opportunity to work with people like this?
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Pueblo, Colorado: Steel City Of The West
Not all who wander are lost.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Lists
Bay City, Texas
Weather: low 52 degrees, high 78 degrees, clear skies, light breezes
Now that we know when we will be going to New Orleans, I have been making a list of chores to do before we leave here. Clean up the truck, wash the outside of the RV, check the tires, straighten the basement.... Wait a minute! I'm still having trouble keeping the basement neat. How in the world will I ever get that big basement arranged to my satisfaction? So much room, and so little to put in it. Aha! I've got it. Buy enough junk to fill the basement up. Then the problem's gone. Another problem arises, however, when I think about it. I went to a lot of trouble to reduce our junk and the weight we carry around, and then I want to load it back in? I don't think so. Maybe what I should do is quit obsessing about how straight the basement is. As long as I can find what I want, I should be okay.
Speaking of lists, I wonder how many people depend on lists to make sure they don't forget what they need to do? I started making lists while I was still working full time because I was so busy and it was important to get everything done on time. The lists worked so well at work that I started doing the same thing at home. Again, the lists did a good job for me, and I suggested to Carolyn that she might want to try making a list to keep up with what she needed to do. Well, that suggestion went over like a lead balloon at the time. However, she has become more open to using a list when she has a lot to do, and sometimes depends on me to help her with them. One thing I have learned is to not push the lists on her, but to let her take the lead. Experience is a great teacher.
Slowly, but surely, work keeps progressing. Another issue came up today, but it appears a solution has been developed. We'll know whether the solution worked or not when we go to work tomorrow. By the end of the weekend, we should be to the point that all we'll lack is finishing up. Of course, that's all we lacked when this outage started about 35 days ago.
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Pine Bluffs, Wyoming: Frontier Crossroads
Not all who wander are lost.
Weather: low 52 degrees, high 78 degrees, clear skies, light breezes
Now that we know when we will be going to New Orleans, I have been making a list of chores to do before we leave here. Clean up the truck, wash the outside of the RV, check the tires, straighten the basement.... Wait a minute! I'm still having trouble keeping the basement neat. How in the world will I ever get that big basement arranged to my satisfaction? So much room, and so little to put in it. Aha! I've got it. Buy enough junk to fill the basement up. Then the problem's gone. Another problem arises, however, when I think about it. I went to a lot of trouble to reduce our junk and the weight we carry around, and then I want to load it back in? I don't think so. Maybe what I should do is quit obsessing about how straight the basement is. As long as I can find what I want, I should be okay.
Speaking of lists, I wonder how many people depend on lists to make sure they don't forget what they need to do? I started making lists while I was still working full time because I was so busy and it was important to get everything done on time. The lists worked so well at work that I started doing the same thing at home. Again, the lists did a good job for me, and I suggested to Carolyn that she might want to try making a list to keep up with what she needed to do. Well, that suggestion went over like a lead balloon at the time. However, she has become more open to using a list when she has a lot to do, and sometimes depends on me to help her with them. One thing I have learned is to not push the lists on her, but to let her take the lead. Experience is a great teacher.
Slowly, but surely, work keeps progressing. Another issue came up today, but it appears a solution has been developed. We'll know whether the solution worked or not when we go to work tomorrow. By the end of the weekend, we should be to the point that all we'll lack is finishing up. Of course, that's all we lacked when this outage started about 35 days ago.
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Pine Bluffs, Wyoming: Frontier Crossroads
Not all who wander are lost.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Plans In Jello
Bay City, Texas
Weather: low 52 degrees, high 78 degrees, clear skies
The project at work continues to move right along, and we are starting to see the daylight at the end of a tunnel that seemed without light for a long time. Our plans have firmed up more to the point that they are more in the Jello stage than in the smoke stage. At this time, it looks like my last day on the project here will be Friday, November 13. Wait a minute. It seems I remember a popular series of horror movies with Friday the 13th in the title. Should I leave or stay on the 13th? Well, since I'm not superstitious (at least I don't think I am) I'll go ahead and leave. That will give us three days to get everything ready to leave here and get over to New Orleans to fulfill that commitment. Once that little job is finished, we'll come back to Bay City for Thanksgiving with Lori and her family, as well as Terrell and Kathy if they are here. After Thanksgiving, we'll go to Glen Rose for our annual physicals. We're not sure how long the doctor will keep us tied down, but if we have time before Christmas, we'll spend some time in the Texas Hill Country.
It may be my imagination, but I think the economy is picking up. What do I base that opinion on? There are more trains passing by the RV, and they're longer. That barometer seems to be as good as anything the government economists use to make their declarations. By the way, there's a train passing by as I write this sentence. It's so close, the RV is vibrating. When we come back for Thanksgiving, we're probably going to find a place a little quieter. It may not be as convenient, but there's something to be said for quiet.
I was talking to one of the people I used to work with, and he asked me where we were living. I replied that home was wherever we were, and that we take our home with us. That answer seemed to puzzle him, and I explained that we were full time RVers, with all that entails. He seemed intrigued when I said that if we didn't like a place, we moved. If we don't like a neighbor or the noise or whatever, we can move. If we get bored, we find another place to go to. If we visit family, we take our home and all our comforts with us. In other words, in most ways, we are footloose and fancy free.
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Greenville, South Carolina: G-Ville
Not all who wander are lost.
Weather: low 52 degrees, high 78 degrees, clear skies
The project at work continues to move right along, and we are starting to see the daylight at the end of a tunnel that seemed without light for a long time. Our plans have firmed up more to the point that they are more in the Jello stage than in the smoke stage. At this time, it looks like my last day on the project here will be Friday, November 13. Wait a minute. It seems I remember a popular series of horror movies with Friday the 13th in the title. Should I leave or stay on the 13th? Well, since I'm not superstitious (at least I don't think I am) I'll go ahead and leave. That will give us three days to get everything ready to leave here and get over to New Orleans to fulfill that commitment. Once that little job is finished, we'll come back to Bay City for Thanksgiving with Lori and her family, as well as Terrell and Kathy if they are here. After Thanksgiving, we'll go to Glen Rose for our annual physicals. We're not sure how long the doctor will keep us tied down, but if we have time before Christmas, we'll spend some time in the Texas Hill Country.
It may be my imagination, but I think the economy is picking up. What do I base that opinion on? There are more trains passing by the RV, and they're longer. That barometer seems to be as good as anything the government economists use to make their declarations. By the way, there's a train passing by as I write this sentence. It's so close, the RV is vibrating. When we come back for Thanksgiving, we're probably going to find a place a little quieter. It may not be as convenient, but there's something to be said for quiet.
I was talking to one of the people I used to work with, and he asked me where we were living. I replied that home was wherever we were, and that we take our home with us. That answer seemed to puzzle him, and I explained that we were full time RVers, with all that entails. He seemed intrigued when I said that if we didn't like a place, we moved. If we don't like a neighbor or the noise or whatever, we can move. If we get bored, we find another place to go to. If we visit family, we take our home and all our comforts with us. In other words, in most ways, we are footloose and fancy free.
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Greenville, South Carolina: G-Ville
Not all who wander are lost.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Last Major Problem Solved
Bay City, Texas
Weather: low 53 degrees, high 72 degrees, clear skies – Perfect!
It appears the last major problem with the work on the new reactor head has been solved, and the project is moving along. Refueling of the reactor was completed today, and it appears as though we are set to place the reactor head on the reactor vessel on Friday. There has been a lot of stress associated with this job, and there was a noticeable change in attitudes when the latest problem was solved. Fortunately, the stress hasn’t affected me so much, unlike many other outages I have worked in before. Being “retired” gives me a different perspective on a lot of things. The way I fought the stress before was by playing a lot of golf. Since I've "retired", I don't feel the stress, which means I hardly ever play golf. I'm going to have to find some time to play again.
I still have to fulfill a commitment to perform an assessment for another plant near New Orleans, but have not quite worked out all the details on when that will be. I do know that it will be within the next three weeks. Then we're on our way to Glen Rose for physicals. At this time, we expect to celebrate Thanksgiving in Bay City.
I've been noticing a lot of the younger people that we see appear to have tattoos. That's just the tattoos we can see. I'm sure there are many that remain covered most of the time. There is an older man that works with us that had tattoos put on his arms when he was what he calls young and stupid. In the last five or six years, he has spent a lot of money trying to have the tattoos removed, with mixed results. some of them came off, while others have parts missing. Can you imagine what all these young people will look like 20 or 30 years down the road, when they have gained weight and wrinkles? The dermatologists and plastic surgeons will have a gold mine to cash in on.
More later, be safe.
Today's State - Maryland: America In Miniature
Not all who wander are lost.
Weather: low 53 degrees, high 72 degrees, clear skies – Perfect!
It appears the last major problem with the work on the new reactor head has been solved, and the project is moving along. Refueling of the reactor was completed today, and it appears as though we are set to place the reactor head on the reactor vessel on Friday. There has been a lot of stress associated with this job, and there was a noticeable change in attitudes when the latest problem was solved. Fortunately, the stress hasn’t affected me so much, unlike many other outages I have worked in before. Being “retired” gives me a different perspective on a lot of things. The way I fought the stress before was by playing a lot of golf. Since I've "retired", I don't feel the stress, which means I hardly ever play golf. I'm going to have to find some time to play again.
I still have to fulfill a commitment to perform an assessment for another plant near New Orleans, but have not quite worked out all the details on when that will be. I do know that it will be within the next three weeks. Then we're on our way to Glen Rose for physicals. At this time, we expect to celebrate Thanksgiving in Bay City.
I've been noticing a lot of the younger people that we see appear to have tattoos. That's just the tattoos we can see. I'm sure there are many that remain covered most of the time. There is an older man that works with us that had tattoos put on his arms when he was what he calls young and stupid. In the last five or six years, he has spent a lot of money trying to have the tattoos removed, with mixed results. some of them came off, while others have parts missing. Can you imagine what all these young people will look like 20 or 30 years down the road, when they have gained weight and wrinkles? The dermatologists and plastic surgeons will have a gold mine to cash in on.
More later, be safe.
Today's State - Maryland: America In Miniature
Not all who wander are lost.
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