What Pleased You Today!

[Joe Handley]

It's in the low 80's in Lombard at the moment, but compared to last week, the humidity is far more bareable!

[James2]

After seven weeks, A broken clavicle, surgery and some down time I rode home from Big Rick's repair shop where he rebuilt the front end on my 1979 HD FLH.

It felt amazing to be in the wind again...

 

[crazyjim]

You had a good motorcycle accident, James - you lived.  Keep the shiny side up.

[Tom Geiger]

My wife and I had an enjoyable "indoor picnic" in our air conditioned dining room this afternoon....... Too hot outside to do it on the deck.  We had 4 kinds of cheese (cheddar, swiss, pepper-jack and manchego), turkey pepperoni, Ritz crackers, bite sized pieces of seedless watermelon and sweet, seedless red grapes, with a few glasses of wine.  Nice, quiet Sunday afternoon...

We spent our entire Sunday in the pool.  Water was 90 degrees and I only got out for restroom trips and to get another beer.  Just sat there with music playing!  

And the humidity is high!  I was in the air conditioned office today which was pretty cool. But when I picked up a paper off my desk, it was noticibly damp to the touch!

 

Edited July 25, 2016 by Tom Geiger

[crazyjim]

We don't spend all day in the pool but we're in it just about everyday.

[Joe Handley]

Honestly, I'm not sure which would be better right now, a hot tub, or an ice water tub.

[High octane]

Honestly, I'm not sure which would be better right now, a hot tub, or an ice water tub.

I sometimes miss my hot tub as it was fun while it lasted ( 12 years). Yes even on a hot day, it was great to get into 95 degree water and then crank it up to 104 degrees and soak with a cold beverage also.

[Joe Handley]

Walked another 12k steps today, I'm feeling it and my knees and right hip were sore!

[cobraman]

Today I was pleased to wake up in my own bed. Drove home from Colorado in a 15 hour road trip. I was up there for a few days for a family reunion. What a beautiful state. Such a difference from Arizona ( at least my area ). Had a great time but I am always happy to return home to my own bed.

[cobraman]

Good news, bad news I guess in this post. While up in Colorado for a family reunion this past week my daughters boyfriend did ask for my blessings to ask my daughter to marry him. I didn't give him any trouble because he seems like a nice young man with his head on straight. He was just notified a couple days prior that he was hired by the Secret Service. He will start training soon that will take about 5 months. I think some in Atlanta and some in Maryland. The not so good part ( my opinion ) is he will be working in Chicago probably for his first 5 years. The building is in the downtown loop. Now I have no real problem with Chicago and I was in fact born there and was in the area for my first 27 years. The not so good part is that when he moves there in March my daughter will also be going. What kind of shock is in store for a girl who has been in California her whole life ( 30 years almost ) with the last 7 in San Diego going to go through. Not sure she is going to be too happy there but there she will be. They hope to be able to move somewhere they prefer in 5 years. Not too happy not to have her just a 5 hours drive away but what can you do ?

[unclescott58]

This did not happen today, but still pleases me several days later. I belong to a group of pirates. We show up at mainly parties and parades, and other things like that. Sometimes we're paid. Other times we do charity events for free. Our star attraction is our captain, who looks just like Johnny Depp out of costume, and exactly like Jack Sparrow in. Me? I'm Dudley the Deckhand. A low ranking, but playful pirate that kids seem to love. My costume is much simpler, and my personality much more open, that I can play with people much more freely than Captain Jack can.

This last Saturday we got invited to work the Pope county fair in Glenwood, Minnesota. A very nice little county fair out in a rural part of the state. The type of nice old fashion fair that I love going to, to this day.

There was a little rain when we first got there. Limiting the activity at the fair somewhat at first. So we had to wander around in the different buildings harassing people. Soon the sun came out. The grounds started to dry. Wet or dry, like at most of our pirate actives, I ended up getting into many different "battles", mainly with kids. I have a vary lame plastic pirate sword, and a plastic pirate style squirt gun. I must admit, I am not a very good pirate. I lose just about every battle I'm in. Dying many times at the many events we go to in the many of duals. Sometimes being killed, like in this last event, by something as simple as balloon swords!

One thing they had that was fun, was the turtle races. For $2 a kid could rent a turtle (a local painted turtle) and put them in a small center circle, hoping their turtle will be the first to cross over the line of another larger circle, maybe ten feet out. Well, our quartermaster, "Hemi" came up with a great idea. He wanted to enter me as his turtle, in the turtle race. So I was put in the center circle with the other turtles, then let go. Needless to say, I did not do to well in the race. Hemi had some kids on the side lines trying coaxing me with to come out with some gold coins. But I kept on getting destracted by rocks, other turtles, and things like that. So, some other turtle won! (I personally think it was rigged. I should have easily beaten that turtle. But, this was my first turtle race. And I think they got a professional turtle as ringer. I wonder where I can file an official protest?

As you can tell we have a lot of fun. And the crowd seen to enjoy us enough, that there is talk about having us come back next year.

On the way home, we stopped at a fairly well know restuant called Charlie's in Freeport, Minnesota. To say the least, we cause a little bit of a stir showing up there, as we were still in our costumes. But, the other guests and staff seem to enjoy us being there and several pictures with us were taken. This was my first time at Charlie's. I've been meaning stop for years. It was worth the stop. Their food, and the prices they charged for it, were very good.

I was also impressed with my old 2000 Buick LeSabre on the trip. There were four of us in car. Adults in body size at least. The trunk was loaded to the gills with our prirate accouterments. Including a tent we didn't use and serveral heavy sand bags to hold that tent in place if needed. Putting the car's auto leveling to a little more work than its normally use to. At just under 130,000 miles, the car still runs fine. We rode in air conditioned comfort. And at the end of the trip still got 28 mpg. Not as good as the 30 mpg I've gotten on the highway in the past. But, considering the weight we were hauling, mainly in the trunk, I can't complain.

By the way, if your interested, I'm sure you can find photos of us this last Saturday on Facebook by looking up "Twin Cities Captain Jack." There are other Captain Jack impersonators in the area. So you have to again look for "Twin Cities Captain Jack" if you wish to see us.

[crazyjim]

Good news, bad news I guess in this post. While up in Colorado for a family reunion this past week my daughters boyfriend did ask for my blessings to ask my daughter to marry him. I didn't give him any trouble because he seems like a nice young man with his head on straight. He was just notified a couple days prior that he was hired by the Secret Service. He will start training soon that will take about 5 months. I think some in Atlanta and some in Maryland. The not so good part ( my opinion ) is he will be working in Chicago probably for his first 5 years. The building is in the downtown loop. Now I have no real problem with Chicago and I was in fact born there and was in the area for my first 27 years. The not so good part is that when he moves there in March my daughter will also be going. What kind of shock is in store for a girl who has been in California her whole life ( 30 years almost ) with the last 7 in San Diego going to go through. Not sure she is going to be too happy there but there she will be. They hope to be able to move somewhere they prefer in 5 years. Not too happy not to have her just a 5 hours drive away but what can you do ?

From San Diego to Chicago?  I'd dump the guy and stay in SoCal.  But that's just me and please don't mention it to your daughter, Ray.

[cobraman]

I already mentioned that to her. She said some crazy stuff about love. I know my daughter well and I honestly don't believe she will be happy there. She may also have to take the Illinois bar exam but there is a chance that if she meets some standards they will accept the California bar.

[High octane]

What pleased me today was doing my third "cruise night" in three days and seeing lots of cars and friends, enjoying the music, taking photos, and "hot dogging" it on the ride home.

[Joe Handley]

Lucky!

[cobraman]

Gassed up my F 150 for 149.9 per gallon thanks to my fuel points at Frys.

[Joe Handley]

Nice, I put E85 in my Chrysler for $1.29 yesterday, $10 nearly topped it off too!

[crazyjim]

I don't think E85 is good for your engine.

[High octane]

I don't think E85 is good for your engine.

I know people who have used E85 fuel and said that they get worse gas mileage with it, so there's really no savings.

[Joe Handley]

I don't think E85 is good for your engine.

It's made to run E85, get more power out of it on the stuff and the engine runs cooler too........which has been good this last week or so with this new job.

[Joe Handley]

I know people who have used E85 fuel and said that they get worse gas mileage with it, so there's really no savings.

Depends on the price difference, the Speedway on Rt. 64 in Lombard is were I paid $1.29 yesterday, they were asking $1.49 for it today, as well as $2.19 for regular and $2.79 for premium, which still runs hotter with less power than E85. Compared to regular, it's a break even, compared to premium, it's a better deal.  With my current driving (I'm pretty sure I've started the engine more in 1 week than I used to in a month), regular might be cheaper if the car didn't run cooler on it.

[High octane]

I was told that the people were using regular unleaded and that their car ran better than when using E85 fuel.

[crazyjim]

I'm going to try and find the article I read nasty things about E85.  Might have been AAA.

[Joe Handley]

I was told that the people were using regular unleaded and that their car ran better than when using E85 fuel.

I was talking to a woman a couple years back that found her flex fuel Yukon ran better on either E85 or Premium vs Regular, and since E85 was typically cheaper than regular, she would normally burn that. My experience has been that outside of a chicago winter, my 200 tends to make more power and run cooler on E85 and that my Jeep (non flex fuel, all cast iron AMC I-6) would run cooler on 15-20 percent alcohol over just 10 percent.

[Tom Geiger]

Regular was below $2 in New Jersey today.  The big state politics right now is a 22 cent per gallon gas tax increase to pay for highway repairs.  That would bring it up to about what we pay in PA today.