Another day here at the Crooked Hook

Almost 9am, just about finished my second cup of coffee ☕☕, thinking I'll get ready for a walk about. Polly asking if I want a big breakfast 🍳. No I say, but another of those good bacon 🥓 tomato 🍅 sandwiches 🥪 like yesterday be nice after I get back be nice. OK is the response, man am I fortunate. 

I have have been awake an hour now, Polly was up earlier today, she made coffee ☕, I poured the first cup, she the next. Coffee tasted great 👍. 

Rambo our pickup is to be finished today, round two, hopefully be repaired correctly this time. If not, plan B to another shop. Travel repair can be a problem, this time the problem has been diagnosed from Ontario, Quebec, Virginia now Florida, many people have been asked to diagnose, and a few have tried to get the hard starting fixed. 

Travel fixing is a problem that we have had a few times, with trailer and truck, the good thing is so far not stuck on the highway repairs! Knock on wood 🪵. I try to get problems resolved quickly, and where we're setting in one place awhile, I believe that to be the best for us. Only once did I have the trailer throw a wheel bearing, that kept us on the side of the road a few hours, that time I realized how calling for a tow truck is not always the best way. 

After calling Good Sam which we had bought the insurance off of, I realized as the day went I would have to go to Clearwater to get parts and return myself before the parts stores closed. Calling ahead was the best decision, and a man on the other end he helped me with the parts and going next door talking with the mechanic that would also help. I'll never forget that feeling having to leave Polly and Bosco at the pullout, as I went to town about an hour away getting what I needed to git er done! 

The parts man that went out of his way, the mechanic that stayed late, all were exceptional as far as I was concerned. Never forget how that felt. 

Today waiting for our pickup, hopefull the problem is fixed I feel unsure, yet hopefull. Still, we have options, and if it wasn't for Ed next door, who's been bringing me back and forth to the shop, also getting us groceries, taking us to town, a long with Claudia, who's been a real peach with Polly, shopping with her a pleasure for Polly. Jane & Ed giving us a ride to the train this past Saturday, people have been very helpful. 

Still I'm counting on having our Rambo back in action so we can travel again when the time comes. Having no pickup has been a pain, even if I don't have to go anywhere, just the knowledge that it available when I want it is comforting. 

No moral to the story, just giter done soon, and giter done right 👍. 

Well a walk now is in order, be lookin forward to the bacon tomato sandwich when I return 😋

I think a swim is also in order this afternoon 👍

Really do love this life ❤️

Sometimes thinking too much hurts.

This morning I wake early, thinking it was 6 am when I looked at the clock I went back to bed and tried to get a little more sleep as I felt tired still. After wrestling with sleep awhile I gave in and got up. After making coffee ☕ looked at the clock, 5:30, dam my eyes not as clear as I thought. Oh well, I'm up now, going to read a little on my phone, I laugh just now, "Phone" really, more like an "information device." 

Anyway I started out looking at the information that gets promoted, and programmed on the Google search place, not sure what it's called. The first read I'm interested in enough to give it a good read is about the downtown Eastside in Vancouver, BC. London drug store threatening to pull out of the lease due to extreme violent people constantly in the area causing unsafe workplace for there employees, and customers. 

The discussion was with many people about what could be done to keep the stores in the old Woodward building, as the people managing believe that if the two big stores London drug and the grocery store leave, it could be the tipping point for the area. 

I'm not sure what could be done, but neither are they, any of the managers. But they will continue to work on it! 😔 

The next is an article about the Guy that stared in the movie about Facebook beginning, he in the interview says "I don't understand why these tech giants are all crowded in with the new government in USA, why aren't they using there huge amount of funds to help out people that are minimized, instead of trying to make it worse for them?

Then the next article really got me lol, I was laughing, well really outside I was inside I was thinking, yup that's what takes the cake? 

Roman Abramovich’s $600 million Eclipse superyacht is so massive that it is burning one ton of diesel every day to run its air-conditioning just so that sea water and mold do not spoil its plush interiors and expensive artwork and keep its anti-paparazzi laser system running.

Reading this I thought, hmm 1ton of fuel, who's writing this anyway? Then I read on and learned it's there due to Turkey being neutral about the Russian war waged on Ukraine, it's one safe place to stay without getting his yacht toy taken away. 

In the meantime I'm also messaging with my daughter Penny, that's always interesting 😄, what a different morning. 

Polly's up now, the airplane that does the crop dusting just started, 8:30 now. My eyes not working as good as usual, a little blurry today. Eye drops Polly says, try that. Ok, I will. Right after I finish this 😊

I wonder to myself as I listen to the plane go by again if it'll ever change? 

I doubt it, always the average people, pawns as some call us, and the super rich! One thing I know is true, we all leave this world 🌎, we all gotta die. How you live, that's the part you have a choice in. I've made my choice years ago, I'm quite happy with my choices. I'm not likely to make huge changes in others, or the world, but I can set an example, and take care of myself and Polly. 

That's my concern, and the rest, they have to take care of themselves too. 

Getting Rambo back healthy and ready to travel across country again one of my biggest concerns now, I called, Tomorrow 3-4pm the mechanic says, so that be my next appointment. Today a walkabout here, finished my coffee ☕ ☕ allotment for today, had a bagel 🥯, now a walk. 

Life doesn't get much easier I'm thinking. 

Sure do love our life ❤️ 

Sunday morning after the train ride.

Yesterday was great. We woke up early Polly and I, 6am not too early for me, but Polly usually a 7-8am sleeper. The day started as usual, coffee ☕ with a good morning, then onto our phones, and after a show on TV, a series we had started watching. 

Then about 8am Polly reminds me of the train ride we were going on today, Oh yeah, I'd forgotten. Sugar Express was our plan today. Ready before 9:45 meet at our friend Janes house, for a ride there. 

5 of us got into the van and off we went for a train ride to Lake Placid and back today, with a 2 hour stop in Lake Placid. 

Loading was easy, thanks to our driver Ed, dropped us right at the entrance to the train, then he parked. Had to sign a waiver on the boarding ticket, of course nobody wants to take responsibility or liability, big deal nowadays, never used to think about that, but now lawsuits are the norm if an accident occurs. I'm not going to think to hard about this and ruin a good day.

We loaded on the train, go to the furthest car back we were told, was a very nice car, comfortable seats, huge windows with the sun shining in made for a really good feeling as we sat and got to know the lady we were traveling with better. Darlene I think her name was, I'm never really sure nowadays, as so many new names as we get introduced to people often here. 

We had lots to talk about as she was from Ontario, close to a friend's town we know of, and many experiences in Canada and the USA in her travel as we had. She had a cane, and getting up from the seat was difficult, but once she got walking she seemed fine. 

We yaked it up pretty good on the way to Lake Placid, talking about what we saw out the window and our and her travel as she had been at it for about double what we had been. Lots of similarities, but her and her husband had a time where there rode motorcycle, that was something we never tried. 

The day was warm, I took my jacket off, the sights to start were mostly sugar cane and small properties as we traveled, and farm equipment. Then as we passed Moore Haven we got to more trees, and cow pastures with small communities also along the way. 

When we pulled into Lake Placid we deboarded, and went about looking for a restaurant as the map we had been given on the train showed 9 of them. To our surprise the first on our list was only a brewery, no food service, so out we went for another place. To our surprise many of the places on theap were closed, or if open were packed, one said come back in an hour 😲 Well we didn't have that much time to wait, so of course the ice cream shop has the next better option, and I'm always up for an ice cream cone. 

Lunch was great in my opinion, and the lineup was much shorter. We sat outside, not talking as much now as we enjoyed our ice cream and looked at all that was going on in the farmers market there. Kids were out with their parents, and family fun was happening, first beautiful day for a week, been cold here till today.

After we finished Polly & Darlene shopped a bit in the clothing store, then we walked back, getting closer to the train we checked out a thrift store, many interesting things in there, I'm not a buyer, I went in,looked a bit, but outta there I went as Polly says whaddya think about this Brent? Looks nice Polly, up to you I say. Out I go. Not a very good shopper. 

          Clown College I session here 

After this we head back to the train with a short stop at the museum before we board. Once we get seated I realize I'm not going get through this without a snooze, so I move across the isle to an empty seat on the sanded side of the train, get my jacket behind my head and out I go for a few. 

When I woke to the sight of the white 🕊️🕊️🕊️ birds along the irrigation ditches, and the turkey vulchers gliding in the breeze, was a beautiful day still, getting a little cooler as the day got later, 4pm now, halfway back, still a bit of bush and trees, water here and there. Was nice to just sit and look out the window as the scenes changed as we went. 

I heard someone describe it as just a bunch of sugar cane fields when we got back, but I really saw much more. Bird's everywhere, and water all around us, mostly in irrigation ditches, some huge canals too. Moore Haven has a river that you can go from the Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico on a boat. 

It was peaceful, listening to others talk, some with southern accent, I really like hearing that, and others with laughter often, was just really nice to listen and look, and think how fortunate we were to enjoy this day. Even now as I write, I lay my head back and realize just how fortunate we are. All we could ask for and more here. 

Yep was a really nice trip, getting to know Darlene, and seeing another place we had never been before, meeting others we hadn't met before, and just the best day. 

Once back to Clewiston, we got the Royal treatment again, Ed pulled up close to where we off-loaded from the train, we got into the van and off we went home, dropped us off right in front of our trailer. 

Yep a really nice day I say! We had leftovers for dinner, always something in the fridge here, then a bit of TV before bed. Perfect 👌 

What more do ya want outta a day hey? Was really nice to just look out the window as we traveled, not to drive, I do like that when I get that opportunity. We will go on a cruise when we get to Yuma, out of Long Beach California, to Puerto Vallarta and back, I think I'll enjoy not being Skipper, just looking at passing shore's not having to pay attention to the operation of the ship 😁

Sure do love this Life ❤️