66 Years–Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad

One’s 65th Anniversary is called the Blue Sapphire Anniversary.  When you have your 66th Anniversary, there is no such honor.  So instead we made up our own….the Black Angus Anniversary.

Stuart Anderson founded the Black Angus Steakhouse chain in 1964.  They entered the Sacramento market when I was working for Mr. Steak back in the 1970’s, one in South Sacramento and one in Citrus Heights.  Only the Citrus Heights location is still in business.  As a restaurant chain, Black Angus once boasted over 100 locations….now down to 45 locations in six Western States.  As the name suggests, they serve Black Angus Beef, although they also have Seafood, Salads, and the normal items you would find in a classic Steakhouse.

Here is mom and dad above giving grace during our Memorial Day BBQ nearly two weeks ago.  I failed to take my camera to Black Angus today because I got caught up in the time…thinking it was a 5:30 dinner, instead it was a 4:30 dinner….barely had time for my shower after getting a few repairs done with the motorhome today.  (The above picture of the steakhouse was taken off the Internet from their website.)

Today I finished installing our LED floor lights which I got from Amazon, pack of 10 for $9.99.  Thought that was a pretty good deal.  Getting down on the ground to replace them, not such a good deal…but it was worth it.

Wednesday I replaced three of our lamps with these LED lights.  These were $9.95 each, and each lamp took two lights.  Not as good of a deal, but it was needed to in order to keep the draw of the battery down when we are not plugged into power.  They also give off a brighter, whiter light than we had before, so that is a bonus.

Also installed this AVIVA TRIO Dispenser in the shower.  This is our second dispenser in a motorhome, and we like having the convenience of not having to open and shut the soap, shampoo and conditioner bottles during each shower…and especially like not having to bend down and pick up said containers when they get knocked off a shelf, or fall from our hands.

We are having a slight problem with a few of the windows.  The window cornice is in two parts, and the inner part is stapled to the outer part from the inside.

As you can see with this one, they have a tendency to separate.  The one in the bedroom on Marcia’s side had a massive seperation…so much so that it was hard to raise the window shades because the shade would get caught up on the inner portion of the cornice.  So I took the cornice and shade down (all in one piece, which made that easier….only four screws!), and Arny used his staple gun on it and I put it back.  It now looks like the first window picture above.  I am going to get us a staple gun because I KNOW that it will need to be used from time to time.

Need to get back over to Camping World and get one of these Pleated Shades First Aid Kits.  Had one in our last motorhome…and of course, it went up in flames too.  Need to replace some of the cord retainers on a few windows too, and having the strings, springs and guides will come in handy “IF” a shade completely falls apart…which I am hoping never happens. 

    

Previous I talked about the missing propane line…well, Kerry McColloch at McColloch’s RV repair and storage called today and the line he ordered was in.  So around 3:00 pm Arny and I crawled under the motorhome and Arny installed the line in about 10 minutes or so….with the “or so” being the time needed to go back to his garage and get the proper tools…along with an “or so” for the time to find the white silicon tape used on the threads of the new fitting.

The new line did not need this elbow, which Arny removed first.  One end went where the elbow was, and the other went on the reverse side of the yellow cover in the picture above-left.  Then it was a matter of using tie downs to secure it, and it was done.  We should be able to get propane now, which I plan to do on Friday or Saturday.  And since we started this project at 3:00….and dinner at Black Angus was at 4:30 and not 5:30 like we both thought, it made for a quick shower and out the door in order to get there…and now you know why I forgot to take the camera for the 66th Anniversary Dinner at Black Angus.

And how was dinner?  Two had Prime Rib, three had New Yorks, and two had Filet Mignon (the coupon we used had Filet Mignon on it in place of Ribeye).  Since six of us were using three “Campfire Feast”, they came with three appetizers, and three desserts.  All I can say is that we were all stuffed when we left, and the three desserts came home in boxes for later consumption.  And mom remembered to share a little of her Filet Mignon with Skruffy and Bubba, who gobbled it as fast as they could.  We are blessed to still be able to enjoy mom and dad and to celebrate their 66 years together.

There Be Awning…

The year, 1986.  The event, Star Trek IV, The Voyage Home.  Scotty utters one of his many, famous lines, this one being, “Admiral, there be Whales here!”  I now feel Scotty jubilation….because “Folks, there be AWNING here, and it is up on the motorhome doing its job.”

It took quite a voyage to get here, there were many battles which had to be faced, but in the end, Kerry McColloch at McColloch’s RV repair and storage got the new awning on, put in the toilet gasket, ordered the line for the propane which should be in Thursday or Friday and Arny and I will install it, all for $375 after taxes.  We got it in there a little after 8 am, and as we were leaving he was crawling under it looking at the missing propane line, and he already had opened the awning and verified that everything was there.  Now that is service, and Kerry gives good service.  He is just a tad younger than I am, he works with his son and another “hired hand”.  I asked him which one of them did the toilet, and he looked me in the eye and said, “I did it myself.”  Wow, would have never guessed that, but that is the type of guy he is.  If you ever need service in Sacramento, give McColloch’s RV repair and storage a try…I don’t think you will be disappointed.

With the motorhome out of the “perch”, I told Arny that I would clean the RV pad.  Didn’t know he had a very high pressure washer, so I did the RV pad and the driveway leading up to it.  It did not get all the marks and stains out, but it sure looks better.  I told him that I would do the patio another day, and do the driveway again since I ran out of gas before I could give it a second shot.

This little White-breasted Nuthatch has been hanging around a lot lately.  Has some characteristics of a Woodpecker, but it is of the Nuthatch family instead.

And I also got some good pictures of the hummingbird…I think it is the same one that was hanging around, or should I say, keeping all other hummingbirds from hanging around, that was here last year.  He is very protective of “his area”, always chasing other hummingbirds away, except for another female who he allows to use “his” feeder.  I nearly got a picture of the Black Hawk that has been hanging around also.  Had him in the camera view and just as it was auto-focusing…whoosh, it was gone in the blink of an eye, and I had a picture of fuzzy tree.  I sure hope I can get a picture of it before we leave in a few months, it is a huge hawk.