November 2019

November 2^nd weekend – Saturday we were up early with an alarm clock.  We skipped coffee and took Bella to the vet for a drop-off appointment.  While Bella was on the assembly line Susan and I went to Village Inn for breakfast.  It was busy but we were seated almost immediately.  We both found food to eat off the menu and agreed that the coffee was “meh”.  Good enough but just so.  As we were finishing up Susan got a call from the vet that Bella was ready to be picked up so we swung by after paying our check. 

Once home we finally got outside to look at our new motorhome.  We were looking forward to testing out this and that and were disappointed to find that the batteries didn’t have enough juice to do much of anything.  We tried this and that before attaching a battery tender and calling off the fun. 

We were inexplicably tired in the afternoon and took a nap on the couch before Susan ordered Domino’s for dinner.  The remainder of the evening was spent surfing the internet while nature shows streamed on the TV. 

On Sunday we slept in late before making our yummy coffee.  Susan suggested trying the battery jump pack as the battery tender was slow in charging the batteries.  Amazingly our little jump pack managed to allow Susan to start the generator which allowed the RV to essentially function (at least the electrical bits).  We extended the sliders and reveled in the glory which is our future home away from home. 

Dan Hipwood dropped by around noon to pick up his car and the rallycross car dolly.  He was piloting his Honda truck which he planned to use to tow the car on the dolly.  Win-win.  After tying the car down Dan drove off only to stop halfway out of our driveway as the car tried to make its way off the dolly.  Whoops. 

It took a few minutes to force/cajole the truck, dolly, and car back into the driveway.  It was decided that Dan would drive the car home and pick up the truck and dolly later. 

Snow was melting off the RV and Susan noticed some drips from the front TV inside.  I clambered onto the roof and found that some of the sealant was missing from above the leaky area.  We’re looking at this as an opportunity to verify we won’t have a leaky roof for the foreseeable future.  Susan handed me a squeegee to clean off the snow and a towel to dry the area off.  Once done I went inside to order sealant.  Luckily the weather was forecasted to be clear for the next week. 

I elected to stay inside and veg on the couch while Susan took it upon herself to spend time cleaning inside the RV.  Eventually she joined me on the couch where we kept the pups company.  We had leftovers in the garage so ate leftovers for dinner.  While not exciting it was a nice weekend for sure. 

November 8^th weekend – the weekend started for me on Friday as I took the day off to start resealing the roof of the RV.  It took me a couple of trips up and down the ladder to get my materials in place and then I spent the next several hours scrapping away the old sealant.  Luckily for my sanity I’d scheduled a call with Mom to talk about this and that.  Our conversation was pleasant and helped the work go faster.  In the early afternoon I paused in my efforts to eat and drink a little H2O.  I smeared on a layer of new caulking over the area I’d attended to and called it a day.  Somehow I’d managed to pinch a nerve in the palm of my left hand which left it half numb and strangely twitchy.  Such is. 

Saturday began early with Susan’s alarm annoying us out of bed.  There was a rallycross for Susan to participate in and I wanted to apply heavy roofing tape over the caulking from the day before.  Susan finished gathering up her racing supplies and made her exodus while I hung out on the couch with the pups to wait for the morning dew to dry.  At some point I feel asleep and woke around 10:30 with Pebbles on my lap, the pugs had left me for sunny spots on the couch next to the window. 

I unstuck myself from the couch and made my way outside to find a beautiful day.  Again I gathered my supplies and clamored on top of the motorhome to apply work.  The taping didn’t take especially long and I was finished in short order.  I ended up spending more time cleaning up the mess I’d made the day before. 

Once finished with my planned productiveness I returned to the couch to hang out and wait for Susan to get home from her racing exploits. 

Susan eventually did come home to be greeted by the raucous barking of three tiny dogs.  She said the event went well and much fun was had by all.  I was happy she was happy.  Dinner was Domino’s Pizza which was all kinds of yummy. 

Sunday we were up again with alarms, this time both mine and Susan’s.  It twas to be a day at HPR though this time on the winter schedule which had us in less of a rush.  In the summer the track opens at 8:00 and in the winter it opens at 10:00.  Thus we coffee’d up and were on our way to time in arrive with a few more hours of sleep than a summer open lapping day. 

We pulled into HPR to find no cars driving yet and parked in our favorite spot.  It was when we checked in that we learned to the track actually opened at 11:00 and had time to do this and that before the fun got underway.  Our this and that entailed us swapping out two of the wheels on Scrappy and checking fluids. 

The driving portion of the day generally went well.  Susan noted the same noise I’d noted at the end of our last open lapping day so I finally pulled off the axle cover to find the wheel bearing had finally given up.  Fortunately we had three spare wheel bearings and we managed to swap in a new one without too much difficulty.  Once I went back out I found the traction lacking and actually went off the track at one of the fastest corners before coming in and swapping out the driver’s front tire.  This proved to be the solution to my traction woes as Scrappy felt much better once we were back on the track. 

We left at 3:30 as I didn’t want to attempt to back the trailer into the driveway in the dark.  We both drove three stints each and had a joyous time.  The other drivers were a mixed-bag.  Many were gracious but some were simply bad drivers seemingly unfamiliar with the general norms of open lapping.  Such is.  Susan and I both had a great time and Scrappy came home without any new scratches. 

Once home and after the day’s racing supplies were put away Susan cleaned the RV’s pantry before we slid-in the slide outs in preparation of the evening’s forecasted snowfall.  While the slide outs should be resistant to a little snow we didn’t think it wise to leave them out when there was no real reason to do so. 

Dinner was leftovers and we spent the evening chilling out with the pups on the couch.  It was a great way to end a great weekend. 

November 16 weekend – Saturday morning began with an alarm clock going off.  We had our coffee before launching ourselves into the suburban to drive to the track for the final open lapping day of 2019. 

Scrappy proved yet again to be a fun car at the track and ran without issue all day.  I got to drive Kris’ Audi for a few laps which was interesting.  Kris asked me to put in a few laps to verify whether the car would likely survive an entire track day before he bought himself a day-pass.  The Audi made it around a few times without overheating so it was a success of sorts.  I found the car vague and ponderous compared to our Miata.  Not exactly a surprise I suppose. 

Later a guy came by to borrow our floor jack.  I acquiesced and he drove his Integra over to make things easier.  He was having braking issues and didn’t know what was wrong.  Once the front was in the air the reason became clear as the front driver’s side wheel dangled strangely.  The axle had broken at the axle nut and the axle had almost fallen out the inside if hub.  The guy was lucky the wheel didn’t fall over on the track.  Yikes!  Without spare parts his day was over and I eventually moved our tow rig so he could back his trailer up to the front of his broken car. 

Kris did end up having overheating problems with his Audi but fixed them by removing the bumper which was blocking quite a bit of the radiator airflow.  This was a big deal as Kris has had bad luck at several open lapping days earlier in the year.  This was the first one where he managed to get some decent track time. 

We left a little later than we would have preferred and got home right after the sun was set.  Luckily there was still some ambient light so backing the trailer into the driveway wasn’t too difficult.  We unloaded and Susan took care of the pups.  Dinner was Domino’s which was its normal yumminess. 

Sunday began early for me and late for Susan.  I got up on my own recognizance around 8:00 and Susan slept in until I woke her a few hours later.  Susan had prepared for us to have our coffee in the RV and so we did so.  We also brought the pups to experience RV-living for the first time. 

Things were going alright until Mel decided to christen the experience by pooping in the hallway.  Better than peeing I suppose.  There were no other accidents and we enjoyed our coffee with the dogs alternating between frantically smelling the floor and sitting on our laps. 

I had several productivity-related plans for the day that were put off for the sake of relaxation.  We ended up finishing out the day and weekend on the couch with the pups catching up on our preferred media. 

On Wednesday Susan and I braved some quite horrid traffic on our way to Three Margaritas.  Alvin and Kari soon joined us for the meal and we chatted about this and that.  Kari recently got a new job for a company that sounds interesting.  Alvin got himself a new car project in the form of a Jeep Rubicon.  He purchased it at a car auction and will require some work which is right up Alvin’s alley.  The food was delightful and we stayed for several hours chatting away. 

Thanksgiving Week

Saturday had Susan and me finishing the cleaning and organizing of the house in the morning before picking Mom up at the airport in the afternoon.  As usual we were very early and hung out in the cell phone parking lot for 45 minutes or so before getting a text that Mom was ready for us.  The plan was to eat at Lucky Dog as we had done so in the past but the restaurant was crazy-busy so we settled on Five Guys and Qdoba to fill our bellies.  Before finally heading home we stopped at Walmart to pick up Mom-specific food stuffs. 

On Sunday we were up early to drink our coffee before driving up to Conifer to meet John and Karen at DWs at 285 for brunch.  This has been a tradition for a few years now and there was some worry the experience would be diminished this time as the ownership had changed since last year.  Our fears were unfounded as the menu and service was identical as far as we could tell, only the general décor seemed to have altered.  Much chatting and munching was accomplished before pictures were taken inside and outside the restaurant. 

On the way back Mom suggested we check on the Dawn house and we did so.  Our rental home was still standing and we were happy to see that the landscaping was maintained.  We noticed new construction equipment by the neighborhood and wondered if another large development was coming soon.  In this current market it would not surprise any of us. 

We bandied about the idea of stopping by Costco to buy our Thanksgiving turkey but simply went home instead.  It’s possible we just forgot and remembered as we were pulling into the driveway and decided to just stay home.  No one will ever know. 

On Monday we all got up early to start the day. Mom went to pick up Marshall, Susan went to work to work, and I went to work to workout.  After I was finished I braved the madness that was Costco during Thanksgiving week to look for a fresh turkey.  Unfortunately all they had was frozen turkey so I walked back to my car empty-handed instead of enduring the long checkout lines.  I made my way to Walmart to purchase all of the necessary Thanksgiving food-stuffs (including the turkey).  I found myself back at home in the early afternoon and unloaded the goodies from my car. 

Mom finished her day with Marshall and his two girls and came home around 3:00 and we hung out until Susan got off work at her normal time.  We ate our cooked meals and watched an entertaining Netflix prank show for the evening. 

We woke to a snow-filled landscape on Tuesday morning.  Roughly a foot of snow had fallen overnight which led to Susan working from home.  While Susan was productive Mom and I hung out until the snowfall lessened in the afternoon and I went outside to clear the driveway with the snow blower. 

I had moved the snow blower into the garage the day before in anticipation of the storm and was delighted that it started up on my second pull of the pull starter.  The snow blowing went fine until I managed to shear the third shear bolt which was one too many (I only had two spares).  Luckily I was almost done at that point with the driveway largely cleared of snow. 

After Susan finished working and logged off we cooked dinner and settled in for the night. 

Wednesday was another early day as I drove Susan to work before I went to work to workout again.  Once back home and after some hanging out Mom and I ventured out to buy spare shear pins from Lowes.  This didn’t take long and I then promptly finished clearing the drive. 

Around 2:00 and Susan texted that I could come pick her up from work.  Mom and I hopped in Flo and did so.  We had starved ourselves for much of the day in anticipation of Susan getting off early so we went to Longhorn Steakhouse for a late-lunch/early-dinner.  The food was yummy and the restaurant almost empty due to the odd timing of the meal. 

Our only other stop was to Cost Plus World Market to buy gifts for the white elephant gift exchange to be held after the Thanksgiving meal the following day.  We scoured the store before settling on several pieces of strange candy for one gift and several fun kitchen gadgets for the other. 

Thursday had us all up early again – Mom to head off to pick up Marshall and Susan and I to start preparing the Thanksgiving stuffs.  Our grand plan of thawing the turkey in the beer fridge failed so we had to begin roasting the turkey earlier than we had wanted.  No biggie as we had all day.  Then we were on to chopping and mixing up this and that. 

Time absolutely flew by and it was suddenly almost 2:00 when our guests were to arrive.  Susan hopped in the shower which I continued doing my thang.  John and Karen were the first to arrive followed soon by Emily and her hubby and son and then Kari and Alvin. 

That frozen turkey took longer to cook than anticipated but our cordial group kept our hunger-anger in check until 3:30 or so when I finally cut up the bird.  The meal was standard Thanksgiving fare: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweat potatoes, green bean casserole, orange jello, cranberry sauce, and rolls.  We collectively filled our plates and collectively were stuffed shortly thereafter. 

Much conversation was had as various members of our group fought the urge to nap on our couches while Susan and I cleaned up.  Eventually Susan took everyone out to check out the new motorhome which gave me space to reset the kitchen furniture. 

After some time passed we moved on to the white elephant gift exchange.  After a brutal series of steals the game was over with everyone content with their gifts.  It was a nice time. 

After even more time passed we finally served dessert.  Sometimes I miss being able to eat like I did when I was a kid, which was every hour or so.  It was a three-pie pie-fest with chocolate mousse, traditional cherry, and Boston cherry cream pie, and they were all tasty. 

It was around 8:00 when folks began making their exodus.  Susan and I had a great time but were tired and promptly plopped onto the couch to finish the evening with the pups.  Mom had been home since before we all ate our meal (the Thanksgiving she attended was served at 1:00) and she kept us company while we chilled out. 

Friday was another early day as we woke to drink our coffee before driving up to Whimsy Paint and Sip in Westminster to paint with Emilee, Ryan, Stewart, and Lee. 

We arrived early to find that Em and company had just pulled up and parked moments before we had.  We sat down in the most premo-seats in the joint and donned our aprons.  The instructor was fun and did a great job guiding us through the painting.  Truly everyone produced some amazing art and we had a nice time. 

In an effort to avoid the shopping crowds we drove back to Parker to finally eat a late lunch at Saltgrass Steakhouse.  The restaurant was mostly empty which was great although this didn’t translate into quick service.  Saltgrass is Susan and my go-to celebratory food-place and generally we’ve found the service to be fast enough.  For whatever reason it was super-duper-slow on this day.  At least the food was yummy and the company pleasant.  We eventually said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.

On Saturday we took Mom to the airport.  It was early enough that we arrived at DIA before the sun was up which was a good thing as it was silly-busy.  After hugs we drove back home without Mom.  Susan had brought Pebbles along for the ride and she slept most of the way to the airport and back. 

Once back home we did our best to relax.  We both napped and generally didn’t accomplish much of anything for the remainder of the day.  It was nice. 

On Sunday we finally slept in late.  Again we didn’t do much but after a long week we needed the break.  It was a great way to end the holiday week.