Well, last week I found a brand new 6BTV Ham Radio Antenna on Craig’s List and the guy wanted $125 or it. These things sell new from $189 to $289 online. So I sent off a message saying “I have $100 and can pick it up today.” A couple of days went by with no answer. Saw the same ad on Craig’s List a couple of days later so I sent off another e-mail saying “I have $100 and can pick it up today.” Got an e-mail back with “Come and get it.” So we met in Gorst, all the pieces were in the box, gave the guy the $100 and I came on back home. Cool.
Thursday my friend Adrian and I used his augur thingie and drilled a hole for a mounting pipe for the antenna. Got down about 2.5 feet and ran into a big rock; so I wound up digging the hole with my digger anyway. We hit that rock dead center like we had Rock Radar (Rockdar?). But I got it done, the pole driven in and cemented in place. Cool!
Funny story: As I was pulling out to go get the antenna, SWMBO was pulling in to the garage and motioned me to hang on a sec. She jumps out of her car and gives me a vanilla shake she’d stopped to get me. That was awfully sweet of her. So I was gone about 45 minutes or so and when I get back home and pull into the garage I turn my motor off. But I still hear a motor running. Got out of my truck and SWMBO’s car is running. So I goes into the house and asked “Schweetie, is your car still running for some reason?” She looks at me and asks “Is my car still running?” She’d forgotten to turn her car off and hadn’t noticed it was still running because my truck was louder and it sat in the closed garage running for the entire 45 minutes I was gone.
Well, *I* thought it was funny.
We’ve been in the planning stages for our trip to the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and the Family Reunion this Oct. In my research across the web I’ve noticed one thing: Hotel/Motel rooms are expensive!! Anywhere from $80/night to $250/night depending on how close you wanted to actually be to wherever it is you want to visit. Damn! And we’re looking at 3 weeks of this! Double Damn!
So, we started looking at used RV’s on Craig’s List and other places. Most are WAY out of our league; we want to be able to do other things in our lives besides paying for an RV. Then SWMBO keeps sending me e-mails with camping tent/trailer outfits where *I* would prefer the full blown drive-it-down-the-road RV. Just not a giant one. Something in the 20-25 foot model would be just right for us. With a couple of mopeds.
So, today, Saturday, we went down and put a down payment on a used RV that was sitting at one of the dealerships in Bremerton. It’s a 1986 that is in really good condition mechanically; but, of course, needs some “cosmetic” things done to the inside. I climbed all over and under this thing before we decided to put the down on it. There was not a drop of oil hanging from the bottom of the engine or transmission and no droplets on the ground under it. And we know it’s been sitting in the same spot at least a week. Started right up and everything seemed to work right. Even the generator started right up.
Still, SWMBO wasn’t quite sold on it until I told her that *IF* we had “The Big One” and a tree fell on our house we’d at least have a place to stay. AND she could finally bring her (damned) cat (and the dog) along on any trips we made.
She went right in and signed up! Cool!
And, when we were talking about it at home later, I realized I don’t have to sleep under the truck for the Ham Field Day this summer! Too cool! I won’t have to buy another generator either! More cool!
We did figure that if this thing just becomes a big hassle or there is just too much to fix on it and we can’t afford it, we can always sell it for what we bought it for. At least, I’m fairly sure we can. Probably not right away but it will sell.
Anywho, that’s about all that’s going on around here. Everything else has been pretty much SSDD; the usual chores and usual club meetings and usual weather. Really windy and rainy last night and part of today but nothing “un”usual.
I’ve decided to talk to the doctor about my memory. SWMBO was talking about a friend of hers that has visited us many times and that I actually worked with way back when; and I could not bring a face to mind.
Probably time to have that checked out.