TGIF from Scranton PA.

Started my day at 06:30am with coffee, then it was a trip to Walmart for some groceries and cleaning supplies. Got back and got the basement shower facilities cleaned up and ready for my stay. I am not a bathtub and European style hand shower type of guy and that is what my sister has in her upstairs bath. I prefer a guy type stand up shower stall and that is what is in the basement, but no one has used it since December, so a good scrubbing was in order, now its good to go for my stay. Plus there is great water pressure that will almost pin you against the back wall of the shower, so after a good hard hot shower it’s like being power washed.

Went out for a drive and got some pictures, the City of Scranton is an old town situated between two mountains, appropriately named East and West Mountains. I took some shots driving down Mulberry Street toward downtown first with West mountain in the background. and then I turned around and on the way back east shot East Mountain.

Mulberry St & West Mountain, the second light colored tower is the Scranton city Hall.

Mulberry St & East Mountain in background.

After that I continued to Nay Aug Park in the far east end of Scranton. The Everhart Museum is a big attraction at the Park.

         Everhart Museum at Nay Aug Park.

Got a couple of fall colors at the park.

                              Nay Aug Park.

Not much else going on, I will have about a week to do some more exploring of the area where I grew up before Wendy has her surgery. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna.

Thursday Thoughts

Was up at 05:30AM EDT which corresponds to my normal 04:30AM CDT at home. Decided to get an early start in the dark from Clarion PA. to Scranton PA. Went out did my precheck on the truck, oil, fluids, and tire and light walk around. Then fired it up and headed east on I-80. I was pleasantly surprised surprised to see the GPS displaying a 09:05AM arrival time for Scranton. Sure enough at 08:57AM I was getting off at the River St exit to on I-81, and pulled up in front of my sister Wendy’s at 09:00AM. Wow what technology. My sister and my niece Barb were waiting for me, Barb is my late brother Rick’s 18 year old daughter and she is a real cutie.

                         My Niece Barb.

I unloaded the bags from the truck and then Wendy, Barb & I had a coffee and decided to go to a restaurant in Dunmore PA. where my brother Rick used to have breakfast a lot. We all had Omelets and hashed browns and toast, It was great to get back to this little place I had been to in the past. The Owner and his daughter said when I came in with Barb it reminded them of Rick bringing her for breakfast. He said with my beard I look like a twin instead of an older brother.

Went to the Steamtown National Park office and got my Senior Pass, good for half off from now on in any National parks. I probably wouldn’t have made a special trip but when I went to the beer distributor to buy my Miller High Life Light, they were out of it and the other distributor was way across town, near Steamtown so I was close now anyway. PA has a weird system for the sale of alcohol, Liquor and wine are only sold at State of PA. Stores. Beer is only sold at licensed beer distributors or bars with package licenses, nothing at grocery stores or convenience markets.

Anyway I am going to settle in and get some rest from my travel days. Hope my little guy Rigg’s is doing okay, Hey Rigg’s if Mom shows you the blog, I miss ya already, ya big lug. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna.

Wednesday Musings

Was up at 04:30am,coffee with my bride, and then a tough for Rigg’s goodbye, He kept jumping upon the counter where we keep his leash and choke collar because he wanted to go. But finally I had to say see ya buddy.Donna and I left at 05:30AM, her for work and me for PA.

I couldn’t document the entry into Illinois since it is only 24 miles from home and it’s dark when I crossed but I waited to 08:00AM and got the trucker’s cross in Effingham IL.

Then it was into Indiana and a stop at the Welcome Center.

After that I crossed into Ohio a little after 12 Noon.

Then I decide since it was till early in the afternoon I would wait till after crossing into PA. before stopping for the night, I got into Clarion PA, about 04:30PM and called it quits. Got a room at the quality Inn, it has Wi-Fi a Mexican Restaurant and a Bar or for the civilized out there a Lounge.Had a great south of the border dinner by real Mexican Americans. a couple of cold ones to put the fire out and after this blog is posted I will turn on the TV and hit the sack.

Tomorrow will be a short day I should arrive in Scranton around noon. Saw a lot of westbound RV traffic on I-70 and I-80 so the snowbird rush is starting. Wish we were with them. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna

Tuesday Thoughts

Monday was a do nothing day, just passed the time relaxing, This morning after coffee with Donna , I started getting the truck ready for the trip, went and topped the fuel off and had it washed. Then back home and checked the tires and all the fluids, Put a gallon of Rotella in the back, just in case. Then started packing the truck, Had Rigg's out in the back yard, and when I rolled my two flight bags out to the truck, you would have thought his heart was broke, he cried and cried like a baby until I walked back to the back door and asked what all the crying was about, I know he remembers the bags from my bus trips and doesn't want to see his Dad leave home. I decided to put the truck in the garage and sneak the rest of the stuff in when he is outside.I will wait till morning and then the only thing left to pack will be the camera and my laptop. Supposed to be good driving tomorrow , but I may hit rain on Thursday in PA.

Not much left to do here, Rigg's will be seeing the Vet this weekend to be neutered, glad I won't be there for that. I can imagine having sympathy pains for him.

Well that's about it for now will be off at 05:30AM with Donna and head east. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna.

Sunday Shorts

Well I am getting to this late, I just got back from taking Adam home to his Mom’s in Warrenton MO. We stopped to fill the truck with fuel and he helped with that, he likes doing guy things.When we got to his house he was kind of clingy with his hug and I told him that a month goes by fast compared to a lifetime and that Grandpa would call him every Friday after to school got out to see how his week was and he could count the calls and after four it would probably be almost time for me to come home and him to spend a weekend and do some cool stuff, like maybe a movie and Pizza Street.

This will be the first time we are apart for that long since he was born. Looks like I’ll have two little boys moping, Adam & Rigg’s.

But he did have a good weekend and got to play with friends and go to a birthday party so all was well around  the Weibel house.

I will spend Monday and Tuesday packing what I want to take with me in the truck, Then the plan is to leave real early Wednesday, probably when Donna leaves for work at 05:30AM and drive until someplace north of Columbus OH. on I-71,Maybe a truckers motel ,Have a nice meal and a couple of cold ones, Then head out early Thursday and arrive in Scranton in the afternoon some time, won’t have to kill myself or get in a hurry and I can just relax and do the speed limit.

Of course the camera and laptop will be with me so I will try to keep the blog going while traveling and when I am in PA.

A couple of bloggers are in the Northeastern PA area and I will try to touch down with them during my stay.

Who knows the Bayfield Bunch may come down I-81 in there southern trek, they might stop for a coffee at a truck stop or something.

Anyway hope everyone had a good weekend, be safe out there. Sam & Donna.

A Lazy Saturday.

Well I got Adam yesterday after he got out of school, he was rare in to go and we made a quick trip east on I-70 back to Dardenne Prairie, since he gets out at 3:00PM in his new school and I made good time getting back we were passing his school from last year in Dardenne Prairie at 03:45PM when they were getting out so he got to holler at a lot of his friends as we slowly passed the school, Instead of Friday night at Pizza Street, Grandma had brought home a big cheese pizza from one of those fund raisers that schools have so that's what we had for pizza Friday supper. Then it was XBOX games and TV until he crashed for the night.

Up this morning at the usual 04:30AM even though Donna doesn't go to the truck company on Saturday it's a tough habit to break, She started bright and early and made a couple of pan's of blueberry muffin's, big ones, not those baby size. Then she made a big pan of brownies to take to the restaurant for somebody's birthday surprise. Donna always tries to bake something at either job on some ones birthday.

Rigg's of course stayed glued to the island cook station, just in case something good hit the floor, a rare occasion indeed, but I don't blame him for trying.

Around noon Adam's Mom called and asked if he could go to his cousin Hayley's birthday party, she is 4, so she said she would pick him up and then drop him back off after the party. What a lucky guy he gets the weekend at Grandpa's and a birthday part all in one.

Glad to see my buddy Rod, RETIRED ROD, went through his surgery with flying color's, Hopefully he will be fit to travel soon enough to head southwest for his snow birding.

Donna has a shift at the restaurant tonight and then her only full day off tomorrow. I hope we can do something with Adam & Rigg's maybe a trip to the doggie park before it gets to cold for him to swim.

Well that's about it for now the birthday party spoiled the grass cutting plans but I will get to it before my trip.

Be safe out there. Sam & Donna.

TGIF Friday.

Well got up this morning and had coffee with my bride, then down to the office to read blogs , I then went up and got ready for my every three month Doctors appointment, which I had a 09:00AM appointment, I always get the first one in the morning so I don't have anyone ahead of me to day I was in and out in 40 minutes. The Doc said I was good for another 3mos or 3000miles, He was especially happy with all the numbers, the ones that have to do with cholesterol, and triglycerides, and HDL, and all that doctor stuff, he said they were the best so far and I was doing well. I guess for an old guy, he gave me a flu shot and said it would be okay for Adam to come over as it looks like my cold is about done. I called Adam's Mom and told her I would pick him up after school for the weekend, this will be the last weekend home before the PA. Trip and then he won't see me until Nov. sometime.

I missed yesterdays blog post, I took some Daytime medicine and then laid down for a nap that ended up being three hours long. Boy that cold and flu stuff just knocks me out, I have never been a big pill guy and I can tell right away when I take medicine that it is working on me as I get tired and dizzy easy. But it seems to have done the job as this morning I have a little more energy and I feel all around better. Maybe I will be lucky and have licked this thing right away instead of what Al, The Bayfield Bunch had to contend with a few weeks ago. While on the subject of AL, I think we are all glad he made the decision to turn his comments back on, I for one enjoy being able to comment to someone, just to let them know I enjoy reading about them. But it's every ones choice to do what they want with their own blogs.

We are still having nice weather, with temps in the 50's at night and the 70's and sunny during the day, I could live with this year round, hopefully someday we will be doing just that, NO MORE SNOW.. Well it looks like I will have at least one more winter to go through.

Donna has another night at the restaurant tonight, so Adam & I will batch it, along with Rigg's, An all boys cast even when Adam's Dad gets home, he was doing another side job today so we should see him about the time me and Adam roll in from Warrenton MO.

I might give Adam a chance to cut a little half acre patch where it is level with John Deere, since he helped me pulling logs I will see if he can steer a straight line and maybe cut a few rows, he's not big enough for anything with a hill or and fancy work yet. But he can reach the pedals now and was really concentrating on his job last time, I will of course stay right out in the field with him just in case he has any trouble.

Not much going on it's almost time to leave for Warrenton to pick Adam up. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna.