Author Archives: Sparky
Disaster recovery, phase 1: the truck
Of the four known problems with our rig, two were truck-related and two were RV-related. Clearly, nothing could be done with the RV problems until the truck problems were solved. Unfortunately, one of the two GMC dealers in Binghamton NY would not book an appointment until Thursday and the other would only offer a Friday … Continue reading
TS4-1 Hop 2: Schenectady NY to Chenango Forks NY
130 miles via I-90, I-88, NY 206 and NY 12, Cumulative tow miles: 282. Truck miles: 302. Cumulative truck miles: 472. The extra 172 truck miles were incurred in Schenectady and along the Hudson River on the several excursions we took while there, as documented in the TS4-1 Hop 1 post. This was not the … Continue reading
Disaster!
Yesterday, October 6, 2018, was, without question, the worst day we have had in over 6 years of travel. It was a cascading series of events that has left us with both a truck and an RV in need of repair before we can continue to Florida. It all began on NY 206, about 4 … Continue reading
TS4-1 Hop 1: Phillipston MA to Schenectady NY
152 miles via US 202, MA 21, I-90, I-87, I-890 (near Schenectady) and NY 5. Cumulative tow miles: 152. Truck miles: 170. Cumulative truck miles: 170. This hop was over roads that we have traveled before, so no surprises. There is a lot of up-and-down both on US 202 and I-90, so the engine got … Continue reading
Tully Lake disc golf
One of the positives in this summer of mild disappointments was the Tully Lake disc golf course, located at the Lake Tully Recreation area in Royalston MA. I lost track of the number of times that I played this course. It is a very difficult course, but also a very beautiful one. And completely, totally … Continue reading
Fourth Trip South (TS4) preview
We start our fourth trek south on Wednesday. We will be heading to our new home at Cypress Trail RV Resort in Fort Myers. We are excited about this new location and our new status as “permanent residents” but that doesn’t mean that we are going to rush down there. We are, as always, going … Continue reading
“Just Take My Heart” by Mary Higgins Clark
Simon & Schuster, 2009 I am not a huge fan of Mary Higgins Clark. I find her plots to be contrived and the characters thin. But I have to admit that she is easy to read. Short chapters and no long dialogs. I read this book in less than a week, which is fast for … Continue reading
Sparky’s immigrant ancestors, 2018 update
Since I have summarized my research into Jett’s immigrant ancestors, I will also summarize mine, for comparison purposes. I have identified 193 immigrant ancestors – many fewer than Jett’s count due to many of the immigrants being more recent than hers. The VA/MD branch is a little shaky, but solid enough to be included. I … Continue reading
Jett’s immigrant ancestors, 2018 update
I have continued to research Jett’s rich ancestry, with a focus on her immigrant ancestors. I have identified 314 such ancestors. Not all are rock-solid, but I am pretty comfortable with the vast majority of them. I will summarize a couple of relevant demographics here. By country of birth: England 288 Ireland … Continue reading
Red Apple Farm
New England is littered with roadside farmstands. Most are quite good, with fresh vegetables, fruits and, in some cases, homemade jellies, jams and pies. A few offer self-picking of apples, blueberries, strawberries and other fruits. Some are so good with so many products and activities that they become destinations. Red Apple Farm, in Phillipston MA, … Continue reading »