This Trop Rock "thing"

Many of you have wondered about all the Facebook posts I make about "Trop Rock", etc.  Here's the history.

Most of you know my history, that I was a band director, member of the Ohio State Marching Band, etc.  Connie always enjoyed live music.  One of our first dates was to Hara Arena and the Marshall Tucker Band Concert.

We've had XM Radio since sometime in the 1990's.  Then, they merged with Sirius Radio, and we got Radio Margaritaville.  We'd been listening to it on the laptop for a few years, but this was huge.  Once we became full time RV'ers, we always had a way to listen to SiriusXM.  Around 1p or so, Radio Margaritaville would always come on.  It was JD Spradlin's time slot usually, except for Fridays when Steve Huntington and Greg Dumas would do this Happy Hour show at 5p ET from New Orleans.  That was always a must listen.

Connie got diagnosed in 2013, so the trip from Ohio to Texas (and back) was about the only traveling we could do.  In the fall of 2014, there was this Music Festival in Panama City Beach, FL (called "Chasing the Sun") that was going to feature Peter Mayer (lead guitarist) on Friday, Nadirah Shakoor (backup vocals) on Saturday and Mac McAnally (guitar player) on Sunday.  They were all members of Buffett's Coral Reefer Band.  How cool!

There were a bunch of other acts, we figured to all be Buffett cover bands, OK.  We'll deal with that.  Should be a good party.

On Friday, this band called the Boat Drunks come on.  Man they were good.  Not only doing original music, but all these people knew the music.  How could that be?  I'd never heard of them, let alone their music.  Come to find out, "they were a thing" at Meeting of the Minds in Key West.

Another group that caught my attention was "Jerry Diaz and Hannah's Reef".  He said he was from Texas.  Wait. Did he just say he played in Port Aransas, TX?  We'll have to look him up.  Kind of liked his group.

That's how it all began.  We were going on a cruise out of Galveston later that fall, and stayed the night before in Kemah, TX because this Diaz guy was playing at this joint called T-Bone Tom's.  Came to learn it was "the" place for Trop Rock in Texas.  We always started catching the Boat Drunks at different venues they played.

A couple years later, Radio Margaritaville started playing this song "Coast" by The Detentions.  Connie was sure it was about Port A.  I wasn't sure.  Could be anywhere.  That February, we found out about the Pirates & Poets Songwriters Invitational was going to be held in Port A.  One of the Detentions was playing in it, Jerry Diaz was playing at Shorty's.  Let's do it.

Never been a good audience member.  Always too critical.  I listen to things differently.  I'm much more comfortable hanging back stage and shooting the shit with other performers.  All of sudden, I'm having to be a fan boy and mingle as an audience member with the performers.  All I wanted to know from this Sullivan guy was if Coast was written about Port A?  I finally got the nerve up to introduce myself as a fellow teacher during intermission.  He couldn't have been nicer.  Then I asked about "Coast".  He looked at me like I was idiot.  "Of course, it was."  Then, I felt like an idiot and got the hell out of the conversation.

Needed to delve deeper into these artists and this genre.  Subscribed to a few things.  Downloaded lots of music via Apple Music.

Since then, we've gone to Trop Rock festivals in a few different cities.  One of them was Pardi Gras in New Orleans, hosted by Jerry Diaz and his wife, Mary.  There, I met Eric Babin (and later on his wife Gina) who broadcasts these shows live on RadioTropRock.com.  Game changer.  Events we never would have known about we were listening to.

So now, as my wife literally can't travel, we can hear many of these artists, many of whom (including the Detentions) we've become friends with over the last few years.  I know Eric and Gina think they provide a great job of serving the fans of Trop Rock.  Not sure they know the joy they bring the shut ins who really enjoy this genre of music and can't get to the shows they would like to go to.

Losing a friend

I've been surrounded by lots of talk about death lately.  I've been preparing for it for almost 7 years now, and I know, I won't be ready for it.

Today, I was killing some time before an event at Pioneer, and I glanced through Facebook.  I saw a post my friend Lenny had made about losing a friend, and he posted a picture of himself with his friend.  I passed the phone over to Connie and said how good Lenny looked.  We hadn't seen him for awhile, although we just talked to each other last week.

He had called because he wanted to check on Connie.  To see "how his buddy" was.  They talked a bit.  Then she went to bed and I called him back, and we talked a bit.  At the end of the call, we had both made each other cry.  We ended up texting each other after we hung up, and we exchanged our love for each other.

As I took the phone back this morning, I realized it wasn't Lenny who had posted that.  It was his friend posting about Lenny.  He had passed away over night.  I called one of our old neighbors and she filled me in a bit.  I was literally in shock.  Connie and I both cried and hugged.  Then we went to our event.

Before dinner tonight, we both had a beer and toasted our friend.   We cried some more.  I told Connie that I had wanted Lenny to host her "Celebration of Life" parties in Ashtabula that she's put in her dying wishes.  it was going to be fitting that we do it in his garage where the three of us had so damn many good times.

Lenny was probably the first "non teaching" friend I had had in my adult life.  He didn't know me from school or work.  He knew me as the guy down the street who politely waved as I drove by.  A guy who finally got tired of waving when I saw him out, pulled in one day with my wife and a 12 pack of beer and said, "Hi.  We're the Sims."  That was the spring of 1995.  Damn, that was almost 25 years ago.

We golfed together.  We went out together.  We went to the Elks together.  But mostly, we sat at each other's houses, just down the street from each other, and just enjoyed each other's company.  A friendship that couldn't have been simpler.

When we got rid of the house, he got first choice of everything after my daughter.  He still used my old snow thrower (Big Red).  He got Fuzzy the Bear (a fixture of our basement).  He took the old fire bell off the wall. 

My last night in Ashtabula, before starting full time RV'ing, I stayed at his house.  He stole my car keys so that I wouldn't ghost him in the morning without saying good bye.

Tonight, after Connie went to bed, I was going to call up some friends and see who wanted to get hammered.  If nobody did, I was going to hit the bars in town.  Instead, I did a little more healthy thing and sat home, watched a couple of Disney movies that I'd never seen.  I drank water and ate some M&M's.  I cried a few more times.

As I said, I've been preparing for death for awhile.  But when one hits you out of the blue, it shows you your never prepared.  And as I've always said, you just never know.  I damn sure didn't today and I'm still in denial that I won't see my friend again. 

RIP Leonard.  I'm thinking of you.  Love you, man.

Why after all this time did I restart blogging?

I was getting ready to do my morning business, and I saw a wi-fi network  "Foodies-n-Motion".

Hmm.  That sounds like some full time RV'ers who have a blog.  Sure enough, I found it.  Take a look.  It's newbie full timers, just starting out.

Nothing really here nor there, it's just that sometimes, something clicks.  For some reason, it did with me.

Time to start blogging again.  Time to redesign the blogspot.  Time to update the Rig Page.

I walked around with Sloopy and Tangy and found Daren and Johnetta's rig.  They were just leaving for a day out to see the sites.  I thanked them before they knew why.

As is always the case, we had a great conversation with heretofore total strangers.  Love this lifestyle.

Our stinky water....

Since we arrived here at the Sycamore RV Resort, we started thinking their water just plain stunk, but we went through the channels.

First, we changed our filter.  Still smelled.

Then, we noticed it was the HOT water that stunk.  Hmm.  Friend behind us suggested maybe the anode had gone through.  Pulled it out and was amazed at the lime that had attached to it.  Usually these are pitted, but this was just covered with lime.  And it smelled just like the water had smelled.

Flushed that thing out and the lime that came out of there in chunks was amazing.  Ran another tank through it and now we'll see if we fixed our problem.

Things you don't think about.......

Day Trip to Ft. Worth

The week has been kind of crazy here.  We were getting ready for our busy weekend. First up, Carmen goes to the vet Friday to get spayed.  Saturday, after college football, of course, we head out to the Zac Brown Band concert.  Can't wait!  And, last but certainly not least, Sunday, we will be going to Galveston to check out Carnival's newest cruise ship - the Carnival Magic.  We'll be sure to share our experiences at the concert and the ship, so be sure to check back next week.

Even with us trying to get ready for all the hubbub, we were able to slip away for an afternoon to Ft. Worth.  Anyone staying in the Dallas area should make a visit to Ft. Worth.  There is something for everyone.

Our first stop was a quick visit to the TCU campus.  The football stadium was getting renovated with a lot more seating.  The campus was very scenic and quaint.

After that, we made our way to the downtown "Districts".  They have three - Cultural District, Sundance Square District, and the Stockyards.  The Cultural District is home to the Will Rogers Memorial and several museums.  The Sundance Square is a nice shopping and eatery area.  Some of the merchants will even validate your parking garage ticket with a purchase.

Our favorite area was the Stockyards.  There are a host of restaurants and pubs located within a couple of blocks.  The streets are all brick and the atmosphere takes you back to the wild west days.  There is even a free Cattle drive daily (11:30AM and 4:00PM).  If traveling there, you must go in and check out the hotel too.  The decor and artwork inside are truly amazing.

We would have liked to have stayed longer in the Stockyards and enjoyed some dinner.  However, we had to get back to "the girls" so we stopped long enough to try a Buffalo Butt beer - brewed locally exclusively for the hotel bar.  It received two thumbs up!

Better get back to making sure we have everything in order for the rest of the weekend.

See ya down the road....

Homecoming!

Our time here in our hometown (Wilmington, OH) is winding down.  Tonight is the Homecoming game and annual Chili Supper.  It has been almost 30 years since we last attended this event.  We are looking forward to seeing some of our high school friends!

While we have been enjoying our time with family and friends, the weather is reminding us why we chose the full-time RV lifestyle.  There is a chill in the air and the rainy season seems to be upon us.  We are ready to begin our journey south on Sunday in search of warmer, dryer weather.

Have a great weekend everyone.  Go 'Canes!

We're not a neat freaks, but.......

It always amazes me the parks that won't let you wash your rig, especially those that offer monthly/seasonal rates.
As a former boater, black streaks drive us crazy.  So, after a particularly rainy week last week, we had a ton of black streaks.  Fortunately, the park we're staying (Cardinal Camping Center) doesn't have anything in the rules about washing your rig.  It's the old saying "better to ask forgiveness than permission" time.
We know there's extra expense in people washing their RV's, but honestly, wouldn't it look better upon your park to have shiny RV's in there than black streaky, nasty ones?

Where Are We From?

We lived in one town (Wilmington, OH) from birth to college at Ohio State.  Our first house together was in one town (Jamestown, OH) for four years, then off to a second town (Washington C.H., OH) for 6 years. In 1993, we moved to Ashtabula, Ohio and stayed there until we started full timing last December, 2010.  It was a great 17 years.  We met so many great friends, co-workers, club members, that it's hard not to say this is our "hometown".  It's a question we get asked all the time, "where are you from?"  Ohio is the best answer, but Ashtabula will always hold a special place in our hearts for the people and opportunities we had here.

We need a Vacation!

Funny how folks think that since we are full-time RVers we are always on vacation.  While we do live a great relaxing life, it is not vacation.  There still is that need to "get away" from the everyday chores and change the scenery.  I know, our outside scenery can change as often as we choose.  Vacation just makes you feel better.

To take the vacation scene a little further, we are actually working whenever we "go on vacation" since we are travel agents.  We need to stay current on the latest innovations each of the cruise lines offer and need to stay up on the best values for excursions and land accommodations.  Hard work, but someone has to do it.

Anyway, as our previous blog stated, we have just been so busy lately.  This is the first time we have come back to "home" since December.  We have been enjoying visiting all our friends and family now that we are back.  It feels like a vacation.  Just getting to take a raft ride on the Ashtabula River and hang out with our boating friends is such a great feeling.

But, now back to reality.  We have a wedding to get ready for in a couple of weeks.   Wait,  there is still time for another raft ride.

Have a great week, we'll see ya down the road......

From the firepit to the fan!

Last night we were enjoying a fire in the pit on the patio. Tonight, the heat is back and we are running the fan. Enjoying the evening listening to the Buffett concert and watching the Reds and Indians on TV (we flip back and forth).

Hope you are enjoying your evening too.

See ya down the road...

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Laundry

Laundry - what a dirty word!  No matter how hard we try to keep up, it just never seems to go away.  Since it is such a recurring item, we have added it to our monthly budget.  This has become a little bit of a challenge with all the various rates that are charged.  We have found everything from $1.25/wash to our current rate of $2.00/wash.  Dryers have been ranging anywhere from .25 for 5 minutes to $1.75 for 45 minutes.

The washing cycle is what it is.  Not sure why there is such a difference in the price from area to area.  May be that there utility rates vary that much. Or, they just want us to pay for the convenience.  I certainly haven't seen that much of a difference in the facilities or the equipment.

My biggest issue is with the charges for the dryers.  The previous stop at the Oklahoma City KOA had the most expensive/least efficient dryers at $1.75.  They did run 45-50 minutes, but I almost always had to run them twice!  We are currently paying the same rate here at the Indianapolis KOA, but after 45 minutes, everything was completely dry.  (Sure they were also super washed with the $2.00 wash cycle!)

Would like to hear how others take care of dirty laundry.  What are some of your experiences?  Do you use the campground facilities?

Please share your comments.

See ya down the road....

The Rig

No RV was designed for full time use.  We're reminded of that every once and while.  This past weekend was one of those times.

Noticed in OKC before we left that it looked like a tire was slow leaking.  Sure enough, she kept losing air each stop, so that was a concern.  Then you get to thinking that those tires were purchased in Florida in 2009, ridden back to Ohio, ridden out to South Dakota, Colorado, back to Maryland, then back to Ohio.  Ridden down to South Carolina, Florida then out west to Tucson and back to (so far) Indianapolis.  That's not the normal life of a trailer tire.

We also put an over the door shoe organizer on one of our sliding bedroom doors for our shoes.  The weight of that, plus the bouncing as we re entered the mid west, pretty much brought down that whole sliding door assembly, which was only being held with a few drywall screws.  Another upgrade needed.

Anything you can cook, I can cook on the Grill!

Ok, I know we have been hitting it hard with the food and recipes.  Can you tell we like to eat?

Anyway, it has been soooo hot here in Oklahoma that we have not wanted to cook inside the RV.  That just adds to the heat and makes the A/C run harder.  But, we still need to eat.

We recently purchased a new grill so we would be able to have a thermostat and more consistent cooking temps.  The thermostat also enables us to use the grill just like an oven.

Tonight, we needed to use up some leftover chicken (from the Beer Can Chicken previously cooked).  We decided to go with one of our favorites - Bisquick Impossible Pie recipes.  All we needed to do was adapt the recipe for the grill.  Lower the cooking temp to 350 degrees for 1 hour (indirect heat) instead of 400 for 30 minutes.

Worked out great and the RV was able to maintain a comfortable temperature inside.  Outside was showing 102 degrees.

Hot, hot, hot!

Enjoy a Safe and Happy 4th of July!