The Blue Angels And Air Force One

My bee sting is all better. Thank you for the nice comments.  One of my greyhound friends in St. Louis stepped on a bee yesterday.  I bet that really hurt.  I got stung on the leg and that was bad enough.

Saturday, the folks visited a scooter store and ordered a "trunk" for Buddy.  Mama will be getting rid of the milk crate.  The milk crate holds a lot, but the trunk will have a lock on it.  She will be able to make additional stops after buying things.  She can't do that with the milk crate.  The trunk will look so much nicer than the milk crate, too. She had planned on buying one when she first bought him but the store didn't have any in stock, so she went with the milk crate.

They then stopped at a restaurant that was on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.  The restaurant is called Dirty Oscar's Annex.  Mama was disappointed that they serve breakfast until 2 p.m.  She had wanted something other than breakfast.  However, the food turned out to be really good and they may make a return visit for dinner.

Biscuit with a Fried Chicken Breast, Egg, Gravy and Hashbrowns

Pancake that is bigger than Dad's head.

Elk Hash with Egg

They then visited the Flight Museum.  Mama was really not looking forward to going there.  However, two things made it fun.  The Blue Angels were performing nearby and they did several flyovers and landed at the air strip there.  The other thing that was really neat was that they toured Air Force One.  It was used by Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon.

Blue Angels

Mama's favoite

Landed safely.

Air Force One

Presidential Office

Boy, this must be an antique.  BOL!

Conference Room

Not sure whose dog used this.

Johnson's hat

Kitchen

Communication Center

Cockpit

The following are just various pictures of the Flight Museum.

This is a mobile kitchen that the Marines use.  It serves 500 Marines.

Inside the mobile kitchen.

 

 Our last picture is something unusual.  What is this?

This is a toilet that is used in space.  There was a video that showed how it was used.  BOL!  See the bars near the top?  They put those over their thighs so that they do not float away. They put their feet in the straps at the bottom.  It seems like a lot of work.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Hopes Mama Buys A Sidecar For Buddy So That He Can Ride Too!

A Strange Weekend

Mama is almost always with us.  This past weekend, she took a motorcycle class which meant that it was just Dad at home with us. It was the first time that we have had him all to ourselves for that long - two full days.  It was different having Dad with us, but it was fun.  We had a nice relaxing weekend of sleeping, watching movies, sitting outside and more sleeping.  He didn't run the vacuum or the washing machine which made us very happy.

Mama learned when we were in Houston that she had to take a motorcycle class to receive her motorcycle license for Buddy.  (Buddy is her scooter.)  She really didn't want to take the class.  She waited until we moved here because there was a class that was only a few miles from home. The one in Houston was an hour away and she would have to be driving in rush hour traffic.  It also meant that we would be left home alone for 12-13 hours and she refused to do it.  There is a scooter only class offered here, but it was also about an hour away. The folks drove to the location the week before and Mama decided she would take the regular motorcycle class instead.  It is a good thing she did because the weather on Sunday turned icy and she would have had a very long drive home.

Buddy

Saturday was the first day of class.  Mama was the only girl and definitely older than all the boys.  There were five "boys".  They all rode motorcycles and Mama rode a scooter.  The first part of the class on Saturday was in the classroom and the second part was on a course.  The weather on Saturday was about 80.  Mama got overheated at one point due to all the gear. (helmet, long sleeves, gloves and boots) She drank two bottles of water and was fine.  The second day of the class, they started out on the course because bad weather was predicted and the instructor wanted to get them inside as soon as possible.  It was very cold and all their hands were freezing even with their gloves.  They ended the class with ice on their helmets and coats.  BOL! 

Mama said the class was fun and she learned a lot. She would have enjoyed it more if she wasn't so worried about passing.  She said if she failed, she was selling Buddy.   She learned to weave, stop fast, do a figure 8 (which was her worst thing) and to swerve and stop.  I am sure she learned other things, but those are what she talked about the most.  Her favorite was the stopping fast and the swerving and then stopping.

The boys had the most trouble with learning the clutch.  Mama and the youngest guy were the only ones who didn't drop their bikes.  One guy locked up his front brake and crashed pretty hard.  Another guy dropped his bike during the exam and that was an automatic fail for him.

Mama had to pass a course test and also a written test and SHE DID!  She was so happy when she came home.

Yesterday, Mama took a cab to the license office to take her written test for her license.  She was there for three hours.  She said there were 76 people in line ahead of her.  She passed!  She now has a motorcycle license which means she can ride any scooter or motorcycle.  She is still confused by the state's website concerning scooters  which said if you bought a smaller scooter you didn't have to take a driving test.  Well, it turns out you have to take the class no matter what and once you do that, all you have to do is take the written exam.  (The instructor told her she shouldn't have been required to take the class.  He said it depends on what license office you visit.)  It is very confusing, but she is legal now, more confident, and is ready to ride again!

SAD NEWS

Miss Woe, the resident greyhound here, has died.  She was 12.  Our thoughts are with her folks and her foster sister, Marie.  The campground is not the same without her.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Sad For Miss Woe's Folks But Happy She Is No Longer In Pain

Another Rainy Day

We think rain is BORING. It rained yesterday, today and probably tomorrow.  However, it appears that we could have it much worse.  We could be in a blizzard or a tropical storm/hurricane or having severe storms.  Our country is having some wild weather right now. I guess a boring, raining day is not so bad.

Mama and Buddy went out on Monday and Wednesday of this week.  Mama's top speed is now 42.  She still prefers being in traffic than going fast.  She said she now has to watch her speed so she doesn't get a ticket.  Dad put a basket on the back of Buddy and now Mama can really shop. She has a cargo net that goes over the basket so nothing flies out.  Wednesday, she shopped at Walmart and even stopped and picked up lunch on her way home at the Country Store.  She had a Big Steak Burrito.  Country Store is a butcher/catering shop near us that has awesome food.

Mama is hoping to go out later today, but it really depends on the weather.  Mama really likes Buddy now.  She wasn't so sure if she was going to like riding him.  She really didn't think it was fun at first.  BOL!

There is not a whole lot going on in our campground.  Many of the full-timers are leaving and heading south for the winter. We were sad to say good-bye to a pair of Italian Greyhounds that were here.  Their folks are wanting to adopt greyhounds when the Iggy's go to the bridge.  A couple from Florida, who are thinking of adopting greyhounds, left last week.  It was sad to see them leave.  There is a dog behind us that doesn't like us at all is leaving next week.  I don't think we will be sad to see her go.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Going To Sleep This Rainy Day Away

Buddy Got Mail

Buddy, the scooter, got mail. Can you believe that?  His accessories arrived.  He still doesn't have plates though.  BOL!

Buddy now has a cup holder and a little storage area. Mama forgot to take a before photo.  Basically there was just an open area that you could store stuff, but it didn't seem very practical or safe.

The cup holder can come out and then it will hold bigger drinks.  Above the drink holder is a cell phone charger.  Above the closed storage area is a bag holder.

The storage area is small, but it will hold a wallet, cell phone, camera or maybe a GPS.  Mama thinks she needs to have a GPS with her just in case she gets lost.

Buddy now has a snazzy cover instead of a blue tarp.

The campground owner told Mama that she is looking good on the scooter.  Mama asked if she looked scared and she told her no.  BOL!  Actually, Mama is gaining confidence and is ready to hit the streets, but it will probably be another week before the plates arrive.

Dad said he saw a lady older than Mama riding a scooter. She was stopped at a light.
Mama:  "Did she looked scared?"
Dad: "No"
Mama: "What color was her scooter?"
Dad: "White"
Mama: "Did she have both feet on the ground or just one?"
Dad:  "Both"
Mama: "Was she wearing a helmet?"
Dad:  "Yes, a full face helmet."
Mama:  "Hmmm, older than me?"
Dad:  "Yep"

Dad is not much of a talker, but he was excited to tell Mama about the lady on the scooter.

We are going to the Mutt Strut tomorrow. We are not "mutts" and we don't "strut", but we are still going.  BOL!

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Used To Be Mama's "Buddy".

Buddy Has Arrived

Who is Buddy?  Buddy is Mama's scooter.  He came with the name, so Mama is not going to change it.  BOL!

See, his name is on the scooter.

We thought Mama's scooter frustrations were over, but they are not.  They drove 80 miles to buy Buddy.  They didn't want to buy him from Pigman II, so they went to a different dealership.  Everything was going great with the sale and then Mama asked about the temporary plates.  This dealership doesn't do that and, in fact, they said that no dealership does.  That is not true.  All the other dealerships that the folks visited do it.  The folks almost walked out on the deal because without temporary plates, Mama can't drive it on the road.  The people at the dealership made all sorts of phone calls, but couldn't help.  Mama decided that she could either buy the scooter on Saturday and send off for her Texas plates and wait for them or wait another week and buy from Pigman II.  She decided to buy the scooter and wait for the plates.  She could get temporary plates, but that requires a trip to the DMV which requires a trip in a taxi.  The price of those temporary plates get expensive when you do that.  She will wait for her Texas license plates to arrive.  They may be here by the end of next week or the beginning of the next week.  She could try and get temporary plates on Saturday, but is it really worth it?  She doesn't know anymore.   

Yesterday, Mama drove Buddy for the first time.  She is pretty nervous, so she is going to practice more.  She wouldn't be hitting the streets for a few days even if she had the plates now.   She doesn't like going around curves.  Dad says it is because she is going under 10 mph and it is harder to control at a slow speed.  The speed limit is only 10 mph in the park, so she can't go faster.  She still has trouble starting out, but she is getting better.  Last night, she watched training videos on You Tube and one instructor said to take your time and don't worry what people think about you practicing.  Mama liked him.  BOL!

I'm not so sure about Buddy.

Scout decided to do her own inspection of Buddy.

Scout does not approve.

Mama has already ordered a few items for Buddy.  I am not sure I like all the attention he is getting.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Not Impressed With Buddy