Author Archives: Sparky
“The Big Dig” by Linda Barnes
Copyright 2002 by Linda Appleblatt Barnes. Published by St Martin’s Press, New York. This was my first Linda Barnes mystery and I was impressed. She is a very good writer – describes people, places and events vividly and moves the story line along rapidly. I never got bored reading this one. The protagonist is Carlotta … Continue reading
Camping World “diagnostics”
When we bought our fifth wheel in May 2015 we purchased an extended warranty plan that would give us “stem-to-stern” coverage for 6 years. Recently we found a reason to use the plan: a cable on one of our black water tank valves broke, making our half bath unusable. We thought this would also be … Continue reading
“The Sacred Vault” by Andy McDermott
2011 Bantam Books Mass Market Edition This is a book of epic adventure, #6 in the series featuring archaeologists Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase. These books are reminiscent of the Clive Cussler novels in that they involve fantastic locations and non-stop action. And a huge body count. In this book I counted 87 deaths, plus … Continue reading
“No Safe House” by Linwood Barclay
Copyright 2014 Barclay Perspectives, Inc. Published by Penguin Random House. I will give Barclay credit for coming up with a plot that I have never encountered before. A small-time gangster goes into the “private banking” business, taking in cash and other valuables from people who don’t want them where the authorities might find them should … Continue reading
Cruise claims
Our insurance claims for the aborted cruise total $13,601.97, not counting the $202.34 that was automatically refunded by TAP when we cancelled our airline tickets from Venice. There were four separate claims: $394.00 to AIG (airline insurance carrier) for the non-refunded portion of the Venice airfare. $9,253.86 to Aon (cruise insurance) for trip interruption. $2,963.29 … Continue reading
TN4 wrapup
I am belatedly doing the post-mortem on the Fourth Trip North (TN4). By the numbers: 17 nights in 8 hops, 1664 tow miles, 1930 truck miles, $757.93 in campground fees ($44.58 per night). The campground total does not include the 2 nights we spent in the Quality Inn in Lexington MA and if I were … Continue reading
TN4 Hop 8: Newburgh NY to Phillipston MA
190 miles via NY 32, I-87, I-90, MA 21 and US 202. Truck miles: 267. Cumulative tow miles: 1694. Cumulative truck miles: 1930. This was a hop that, like the stay in Newburgh, was not in our plan. The original, ill-fated Hop 7 would have taken I-84 to I-91 up into MA. But from Newburgh … Continue reading
TN4 Road Trip
The truck was left for repair while we rented a car and drove to Boston for two nights in the Quality Inn in Lexington MA. The road trip was necessary because we had two critically important commitments: my first summer softball game on Monday and Jett’s appointment with her doctor on Tuesday. Both went reasonably … Continue reading
TN4 Hop 7: Milford PA to Newburgh NY (barely)
38 miles via I-84. Truck miles: 52. Cumulative tow miles: 1504. Cumulative truck miles: 1673. This was supposed to be the last hop of the TN4. Not so. 37 miles into the trip the “check engine” light once again reappeared. And was persistent. We waited, on the side of the very busy I-84, for about … Continue reading
Update on Jett’s health
Her most recent blood tests show that her hemoglobin is holding steady at a low-normal level. Her doctor is putting her on B12 supplements and will monitor her condition closely. So while we still don’t know the cause for the near-catastrophic drop in hemoglobin while on the cruise, the fact that it has recovered and … Continue reading »