Bogieblog

Rolling in Different Directions

The Wonderful Spouse left early Wednesday morning. He and several other guys are riding down to Washington DC for Memorial weekend. they should have gotten to their motel, located about 1 hour outside DC, late Wednesday night. Then it is exploring the many areas of interest in the area (battlefields, homesteads of early presidents, etc).

Their trip is part of the Rolling Thunder tribute.

This is the fourth time WS has participated, some of the other guys go every year (some are Veterans). I went several years ago (I drove).

I am going for a short trip of my own. Friday morning (tomorrow) I will ride thru Vermont, to Fort Ann, New York. Then off to Lake George (also in NY), then back to Rutland, VT, where I will spend the night. Saturday is up in the air; I will do some riding in VT, then come back to NH via Quechee Gorge, then a meandering trip back home before nightfall.

I'll only put on 300-400 miles, but it will take quite some time. All roads are windy surface roads, along the mountains, that have a speed limit of 30-45 MPH. All but the first 35 miles (up to Keene) will be totally new territory for me as the operator of my own bike. Only another 30 miles or so is road that I've been on in any manner. Should be interesting and have plenty of spectacular views.

I'm hoping WS is enjoying his sorely needed vacation, I know I'll enjoy my mini-vacation!

Other Doings While Away

We were driving around one day, taking the long way to Casa Cop Car, when we passed by Boeing. WS noticed a strange looking plane and I esclaimed that it must be the DreamLiner, but it looked strange. WS noticed that it had no windows.

Then, I saw the name on the side and did what any red-blooded American does in times like that; I whipped out my smart phone and Googled DreamLifter. I thought I had just remembered the name of the plane incorrectly. But no, DreamLifter is the largest cargo loader that hauls DreamLiner assemblies to reduce transport time from as much as 30 days, to as little as one day.

*            *            *            *            *            *            *

The evening that we arrived in Wichita, we were a bit on the hungry side so we hit the hotel restaurant. While sitting there eating some appetizers (what we had for dinner) at the bar, somehow a conversation was struck up with another patron.

Turns out he was in the process of moving back to Hooksette, NH. Small world!

*            *            *            *            *            *            *

I don't normally have a lot of time to read, and it has been taking way too long to finish even relatively short bookls (Im talking weeks for a lousy 400 pager - forget longer books, it literally takes months). Anyway, I got to finish one book and not only start, but finish another while on vacation (travel time helped!) They weren't very intellectual books, but light action thrilllers.

I had started Monster Hunter Alpha by Larry Correia a couple of days before leaving home. Alpha is book three in the Monster Hunter series (Monster Hunter International and Monster Hunter Vendetta were read previously) which is set in present day but there are werewolves, vampires and other nasty creatures that most people think of only as myth. One I finished MHA, I went on to Dead Six by Larry Correia & Mike Kupari. This book was set in present day and there are no monsters in this book besides the bad guys. It is a shoot 'em up with some twists and turns and made for good, fast paced reading.

*            *            *            *            *            *            *

And that folks, is the end of my reporting on our vacation. It was a good time, great to see everyone, we were fed very well, we got to see sights we normally wouldn't see, and I got in some good reading - what a vacation should be all about!

Touring KC Before Take Off

Monday morning we left bright and early so we could get in a tour of the Harley Davidson Assembly plant in Kansas City. That plant assembles Sportsters, Dyna models and V-rods. The tour was about an hour long and very informative. We didn’t get to tour the entire Sportster line because they were doing some R&D for the next model year, which info is kept top secret.

At the airport, I got elected to go thru the X-ray (of course). Then I was told to stand over at the side while a lady TSA agent came over. Somehow I got lucky and she told the male TSA agent that I was all set without touching me (he never saw that as he was busy getting intimate with the guy who went thru the X-ray in front of me). Meanwhile, WS went around the machine (as instructed) and got his stuff off the conveyor belt. We boarded our flight and were waiting for the rest of the passengers, when WS (who was sitting at the window) noticed the honor guard. Later the captain announced that we had the honor of flying a service member to their final resting place.

All passengers were a bit somber after that announcement. The flight took off on time, our lay-over in Chicago was uneventful and we arrived in Manchester right on time. Both our suitcases were within the first 10 unloaded, so once again, we made good time getting out of the airport and we returned to our normal life, and normal routines.

Time Spent with WS's Family

Thanksgiving day WS and his brother set up a target so his brother D could use his Glock 17 for the first time (he’s had it several years). After we loaded the magazines, D offered the handgun to WS, who declined. D didn’t want to shoot first, so I was happy to do so. I shot a good grouping with the first 8 shots, then I offered it to D. H immediately got slide bit. I apologized to him as I has assumed that he had at least shot a handgun before and knew how to hold it so as not to get hit by the slide. I then showed him the technique that I use and he had a much better time.

*         *         *         *         *         *         *         *

Friday we went for a drive and visited some people that wouldn’t be at the family event on Saturday. We were taken on the “scenic” route – in this case the scenery was of the windmill farms. Was told that there are somewhere around 500 windmills along the corridor that we visited. It was kind of cool to see. The pictures will give lie to the fact that everyone thinks that Kansas is totally flat. It was so un-flat that I could rarely get more than 3 or 4 windmills in a picture. We did top a bluff and I was able to get a good shot of dozens of the machines though.

*         *         *         *         *         *         *         *

Saturday: A family get together (WS’s family) was held at a church function room. It was a pot luck lunch and there was lots of good food present (the Santa Fe Soup was one of the offerings). We also did family pictures, using personal digital cameras. A lot of the family that I have only met once (or never) was present as well as the immediate family that we always visit with.

*         *         *         *         *         *         *         *

Sunday, WS’s sister and her boyfriend came over for more shooting fun. They brought with them a Hi-Point 995 rifle (an older model – not the newer type that has rails and all kinds of crap on it), a Ruger .22 and a BB. They were supposed to bring an LCP also (which we had gotten ammo for), but they somehow forgot it. Oh well, we all had fun with what was brought along with D’s Glock 17. We also had a new shooter, WD’s grandnephew, who is about 8 years old. He shot well, but needed reminding about safety rules a couple of times. He couldn’t handle the long stock of the Hi-Point (although as you can see by the picture, he tried), but there were enough other firearms there to keep him busy. It was a cold afternoon (lower 40’s, cloudy and windy), so after 90 minutes or so, everyone was ready to come in and get warm.

Early Monday morning we left for Kansas City, to return to our regular lives.

Time Spent With Bogie's Family

Sunday: We were taking family photos and one of the shots was of just me and Dudette. Chew piped up and said that it should be called “Moments in Menopause”. God will get him for that!

Here are pics of NG1 and NG2, not taken at the picture taking event, but later during the visit:

And as you can tell, the younger generation is ignored by everyone - LOL.

*         *         *         *         *         *         *         *

Monday: Went to workout facility that Cop Car uses. It is affiliated with a large company, so has a huge selection of machines. I love getting to use it when there. Cop Car and Dudette used the swimming pool while I tried out various machines. I also used fee weights and it was definitely the best workout I got while on vacation.

After the workout, Cop car dropped me back at the hotel, where I picked up WS and we headed to Casa Cop Car. On the way, we stopped at a Dillon’s (like Shaw’s here in the NorthEast) to pick up a few items. As we were checking out, the cashier asked if my name was “Bogie”. I looked at him, puzzled how he would know my name. Then I looked at him closer, looked at the name tag, which only had the letter “D” on it, and looked at him again. I suddenly realized it was someone I had worked with back in 1981-82 at a fast food joint.

We gabbed for a few moments; he is married with 4 children, several grandchildren, his mother has passed, where he lives etc. There were people in line, so the conversation only lasted a couple of minutes. I was happy to see that D was doing fine and still the cheerful person that I had known way back when.

*         *         *         *         *         *         *         *

Wednesday: Our day to leave and head to the Salina area of the state to see WS’s family. We stopped at Gander Mountain, which we don’t have here in New Hampshire, because I wanted to check it out. While there, we bought ammo, targets and ear plugs for use with WS’s family. As an aside, I have never seen so many signs against CCW holders in my life. In fact, I haven't even seen any such signs in Massachusettes (not that I spend a lot of time in Mass, but I don't spend a lot of time in Kansas either).

We stopped to see Dudette and dropped off our recyclables (plastic and glass bottles from juice, water and beer), and to see the new range. We chatted for a bit then left to visit the Wichita Harley shop. It was a really nice day (low 60’s and sunny) and we wished we had time to rent a bike and go for a ride. Instead, we looked at bikes and bought a couple of T-shirts, then headed on our way to Salina.

I Went on Vacation to go Shopping

The night before leaving on vacation, we were packing when I notice that Fuzzy seemed to be keeping an eye on things. I am unsure if it made him nervouse, he thought he was supervising and making sure I didn't miss anything, or if he was contemplating jumping in and lounging on the piles of clothes.

The trip to Kansas went exceedingly well. Only one of my carry-ons was searched, and I didn't have to go thru pat down (MHT doesn't have x-ray yet). Our first flight both took off from MHT and landed at Baltimore on time. We made our connecting flight, which was routed thru Wisconsin before we made it to KC. Those flights were also uneventful. Once we were in KC, or two suitcases were within the first 5 on the conveyor belt so we made it out of the airport in record time. Once we got our rental car, we were off to the hotel about 3 hours away (accounting for stopping for rest).

We left the house at 6AM and arrived at our hotel at 7PM. After a long day of travel, we decided that eating dinner and just vegging at the hotel was the thing to do. Poor WS was really wiped out as he had had a very long week at work and then having to do the driving (he prefers to drive, and it is cheaper for rentals if you use only one driver). I did send Dudette an email saying we had arrived at the airport safely, and please send the message along, but evidently her email doesn't go to her phone, so she got the message days late. Guess I need to learn to text for emergencies - LOL.

Saturday we arose, used the workout facilities at the hotel (a recurring theme every day we stayed at the hotel). Since Casa Cop Car wasn't officially open until early afternoon, I called Dudette to see if we could get some time together. Turns out she had a mission that I could help with - the oven portion of her range had crapped out the night before (while CK was making cookies),so she needed to go applience shopping.

Well, I might not like to shop, but I like to think I am pretty good at getting bargains for large dollar purchases. Not only that, but shopping is more fun when someone else is paying, and you don't have to live with the consequences. So, once WS and I had showered, we headed to Wichi Dude and Dudettes abode. Once there, WS kept Wichi Dude on the straight and narrow of domestic chores (dishes and laundry) while Dudette, CK and I went to a relatively new large appliance store, of which name I forget, and it doesn't matter anyway.

At the large appliance store, there were many ranges to choose from. Dudette was prepared with the list of must haves, nice to haves, price range and sizing needs. We looked at several models and Dudette narrowed it down to two. At that point a sales lady attended to the questions. Then, it happened, a major issue arose when Dudette inquired whether it would be possible to arrange delivery before Thanksgiving. No - not for that stove, not for any stove. There were none in stock.

I was floored, there were no stoves in stock? This store, that had a huge showroom of appliences, had nothing in stock? That was just plain weird. Then, even worse, they couldn't get Dudette's pick in for 10 days or so. OMG, I could understand if it was a special order, but that is ridiculous for a stock range. The saleslady kept talking about how popular the stove was that Dudette picked out, but I wasn't buying it.'

Dudette then decided delivery after Thanksgiving wasn't a deal breaker (she has another built in oven), but it would be a major inconvenience. I then enquired as to whether they would sell the floor model - sure they would. Dudette perked up at that. Then I asked what the discount would be. Nothing, none, notta.

WTF? I am willing to take a used appliance and she wouldn't discount it? Evidently she didn't want to make a sale or something. Maybe she thought she had Dudette hooked and could make a larger commission. At that, we got a bit more info from the saleslady and told her we would look other places to see if we could find something with a delivery time before Thanksgiving.

CK had appointments to keep, so we dropped her off at her car, and headed to Sears. There, we found a stove that was very nearly the same as the one she had picked out at the appliance store. We found they could deliver before Thanksgiving, and that she could get a discount. Additionally, delivery and take away were free, with a small charge for hook up.

Dudette was exceedingly pleased with the outing (except the first part), she got a really nice stove at a discount, it was well below her budget allowance, it would be delivered in a timely manner and the transaction was very pleasant (the sales guy was wonderful).

The rest of the day was spent with watching CK mix and bake cookies before heading down to Casa Cop Car. There, of course, it was all warm wlecomes and great visiting. Dinner had the theme of potato bar. We love baked taters with all the toppings, so it was perfect. Then of course, there were all the cookies that CK had been cooking for desert.

The rest of the vacation will be on other posts, but as you can tell, it started out great - and happily, that would be the theme throughout our time in the land of OZ.

As an aside, I was looking at the notes I made on my phone about the trip. I was trying to figure out how the word "vogue" got in a sentence when I realized I had typed in Bogie, and it autocorrected - heh.

Concealment is a Good Thing

One last item from the wedding we attended up in Pittsburg, NH over the Fourth of July weekend. Friends that had been camping there during the week informed us that there were bears around. Not only that, but they didn't seem to be afraid of people. The evidence of the non-fear was bear scat left just in front of their tent - a sight they were greeted with as they got up one morning.

WS and I decided that it might be prudent to be prepared, so I took my Sig. I had it physically on me at all times (except while sleeping), but I think I concealed it pretty well;

 
So, you get to guess where it is at. There are a couple of tells, but they are subtle and unless you are looking for them, the average person would not even suspect that I was carrying. Of course, if any of the people from the 2A blogs show up here - they will probably get it right off. Fortunately for you lay-people, they don't frequent this site, so you get first crack at it.

As an aside - you can tell how much sun we hadn't had up to that point; I don't even have a tan yet in the pictures! My arms are much darker now.

Signs of the Times

During our time up in the north country, it was very evident that there was a dispute. To make a long story short, a Canadian hydro-electric company wants to run high voltage electric towers thru the north country and down to southern New England. None of the electricity would come to NH (we don't need it anyway), and they would put the towers thru some of the most scenic areas - of which the towns rely on tourism for most of their money. So, it was very evident, that the Northern Pass Project is not popular amongst many of the residents:

 

 
The only sign in the north country that I saw for the Northern Pass Project was put up by the company itself and was overgrown by weeds so I almost didnt' see it. I didn't take a picture of it as at that point I hadn't started thinking of a blog post. I didn't take pictures of most of the anti-signs either, because the blog post idea didn't arise until late.

Just a little about NH's idea of intrigue and suspense.

After The Wedding

The night of the wedding, everyone stayed up late carousing around and lighting fireworks. Others around the lake were doing the same thing (the fireworks part anyway), so we weren't keeping anyone up. Once again I was carefull not to drink much of anything so I wouldn't have to visit the porta-potty in the dark. I was also the first one awake in the morning, so took a walk. By the time I got back, no one was moving around so I ran into "town" (Colebrook, a 25 minute ride) to get a box of coffee from the Dunkin Donuts. I also got flatbread sandwiches for WS, Jimmy and myself.

It wasn't too long after I got back that the first survivors started appearing. The were were appreciative of the coffee as both of the coffee makers were in Ray and Christine's RV - and we certainly weren't going to wake them!

  

The clouds started rolling in, and distand rumbles of thunder could be heard, so we decided it was time to get packed up and leave. We were hoping to outpace the rain, but it caught up to us before we hit Colebrook. We stopped at the gas station/dunkin donuts/subway shop so the guys could put on their rain gear, and we hit the road for good.

 
 
It was miserable; in the 60's and steady downpours until we stopped for lunch in Tilton. At that point, it was still cool, but at least it quit raining and the roads started drying up. We all made it home safe and in good spirits, so nothing more can be asked.

Fourth of July Weekend Start

Last weekend we had it all set up, leave Friday, early afternoon, head up to Pitsburgh, NH, camp out, ride on Saturday, attend a wedding etc.

It didn't start out so well. We planned on leaving a 2:30; I took a vacation day, WS only has to work until noon on Fridays anyway (usually it doesn't work out that way, but he was going to make sure it did), and Jimmy would work a 6 hour day, getting out at noon.

I got the laundry, house work, dump run, and other errands completed by noon. At 12:30, I was reading when I got a call from Jimmy - "Have WS give me a call when he gets there." At 2, I was wondering when WS was going to get home. At 2:30 WS got home and headed for the shower. He called Jimmy, to find out that he was still at work - hoping to get out soon.

At 5:30, Jimmy called to say he was on his way home and needed a shower before leaving. At this point, it is clear we will need to stop for dinner, so WS jumps on his bike, I get in the loaded down Jeep (tents, blanket, cooler, tent, clothes etc) and we head to the local Subway. After eating, we hooked up with Jimmy at the gas station. Finally, we got on the road about 7.

So, to recap, we were supposed to make the entire trip during daylight hours, instead, most of the trip will be in the dark (which is not a good thing with my eyesight, on unfamiliar roads - but that's the way things go sometimes).

I took this shot while we were still on the way to the White Mountains - still have quite a ways to go to get to the Great North Woods!

 
That is WS on his bike, Jimmy is to the right of me.

After getting a wee bit lost, and going thru the notch 3 times, we found the exit that we wanted (where we weere promptly flashed by a cop - nice of him not to stop any of us). We finally got to the campground about 11:30 and we set up camp. Then, there was socializing with people we knew; Lisa and Rebel, Ray and Christine (the groom and bride to be), and a couple of Christine's daughters. We also met a bunch more family and friends.

We were up much later than we have been up in years and when we finally went to bed, only a couple people were gathered around the campfire. I was the first one up the next morning, when I took these pics.

 
The small red/white/blue tent is ours - it really isn't as small as it looks beside the huge 3-room tents around it. It hold WS and I (with a queen air mattress) with plenty of room for bags of clothes.

 
There is a lake out there somewhere in the fog - in fact, it is about 10 feet behind the canoe.

 
 
The fog started burning off about 9, and burned off rapidly.

 
Here are the steps up from where the tents were at. The port-a-potty was up there too. I was carefull not to drink very much before going to bed because with my glasses on there is no way I could navigate the stairs by lamp light. The dog is not Bear (who has been featured on these pages many times, but his mother, Lucky.

 
The other dog in attendance was Sarah, a giant of a dog, but very patient in spirit.

So although the trip did not start out the way we had intended, it did get started and we ended up in a beautiful place.