Almost Wordless Wednesday - September 4, 2013

"We want treats and we want them now."

Scout whines and I snap my teeth.  Oops, I accidentally snapped the computer. 

"She's laughing!  That means we are getting treats! We won, we won!"

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Loves Teaming Up With His Sister To Get Treats

P.S. Mama found something else on an Illinois website that clearly states that a moped has pedals (TX and IL have different definitions of mopeds) and mopeds still needs to be registered here.  That definitely answers her question about driving without plates here. It is a big No-No.  BOL!  

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

I Broke My Own Record

Thank you to everyone who has been ordering from our Amazon link.  We just received a payment!  We were really surprised because we only knew of our first order, but there have been many. Mama needs to pay closer attention to these things.  BOL!   Thank you again!!!!

The campground is starting to fill up with the holiday weekend campers.  We expect the place to be full tonight, but it has a long way to go for that to happen.

Mama isn't feeling well.  She thinks it is just allergies and not a cold.  She has been feeling bad since Wednesday night. She is really hoping it rains today and washes the stuff out of the air.  Scout and I have been good and even let her sleep all night last night.  We have been pretty bad lately about waking her up, but we think we figured out why.  Those yummy bladder sticks make us thirsty.  We eat them around 7 p.m. and then drink and drink.  Well, at 2 a.m. our bladders need to be emptied.  I set a new record on how long it takes to empty my bladder....1 minute and 20 seconds.  Yep, my previous record was 50 seconds. Scout sometimes lays down when I emptying my badder because it takes so long.  BOL!  I have always had this talent.  One of  the ladies who helped bring me to St. Louis told Mama that she couldn't believe how long I took. What can I say?  It's a gift.  BOL!

Mama has been chatting with a nice lady who reads our blog and actually lives in the area.  Miss Donna has invited us to some events that are coming up where her greyhound group, Greyhounds Only, will be attending. She has a greyhound named Scout, too!  Anyway, Miss Donna has been giving us a lot of information on restaurants, vets and other tourist information.  I think we might be meeting her next weekend at an event.

We hope everyone has a safe holiday weekend!

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Thinks He Can Break His Record Again

Almost Wordless Wednesday - What's For Lunch?

Italian Dreams Pizza & Pasta pizza

Mama splurged on pizza for lunch today.  She said it was probably a mistake because she really liked it and the place is just down the street.   PIZZA BONES!!!

A Fun Thrift Store

It looks like all systems are go with getting a scooter.  Mama is excited because she hates not being having transportation of her own. This is a good place to have a scooter because we are so close to town.

A sign in our campground.

 Today, it will be 94 here and then it will cool down.  We have the laundry done for the day and we will keep the shades closed.  We took our long walk at 7 a.m., so we are all set for a day of napping.  We didn't realize until yesterday that St. Louis is going through a really hot period.  What is up with that?  It's the end of August.

Since our site is all gravel, Mama need something to hold up our light. She found this plant on clearance.  It was pretty sad looking, but now it looks happy.

Sunday, the folks went to Pioneer Days. They got there early and all the scheduled events were later in the day. They walked around and looked at things, but didn't stay long because Dad wanted to buy a motorcycle rack for the scooter.

Abe Lincoln was there.

Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln

The folks then drove to Aurora to shop at Harbor Freight.  Mama noticed there was a thrift store next door, so she went there while Dad shopped at Harbor Freight.  Mama said the thrift store was so much fun. They had some unusual things.  They had old trunks, lots of glassware and furniture. There was also a display of old medicine boxes like you would see in a museum.

A spinning wheel

They didn't have clothes which is unusual for a thrift store.  She said the store is HUGE.  She bought a brand new candle warmer for $1.  She had been wanting one and had regretted getting rid of hers when we hit the road.  Mama talked about the thrift store for a long time.  It doesn't take much to make Mama happy.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who  Heard Rumors That His Nails Are Going To Be Trimmed Today  Gulp!

Scooter Frustration

UPDATE AT BOTTOM OF POST

Dad has been talking about getting Mama a scooter for well over a year.  Mama has resisted.  She is nervous about riding it.  She changed her mind after seeing Tom Hanks ride one in a movie recently.  BOL!  Dad has done a ton of research on scooters, but recently discovered that in Texas there are restrictions as to what qualifies as a scooter and what qualifies as a motorcycle. Mama told Dad that she is not taking a motorcycle class and taking a test. Dad would have to do the same and he doesn't know when he would be able to do it since it is possible that he may just be dropping us in Texas for the winter and not staying.  The folks started looking at the approved scooter list that Texas has.  If you buy one that is not on the list, you have to get a notarized affidavit from the dealer which isn't a big deal but Texas can still turn it down if they find it not to be on the up and up.  The folks set out on Saturday to search for a scooter.  Mama fell in love with one.  It is a Yamaha Vino.  The Vino is on the list, but not that particular model.  The salesman said he would sign the affidavit, but after speaking with him later in the day, he wasn't quite as sure. The folks decided not to take the chance on it.

Mama has been wanting a Buddy 50, but Dad thought you had to mix the oil and the gas since it is a 2 stroke.  You do not.  It does it automatically.  Dad is now fine with getting a Buddy 50 and it is on the TX approved list.  Yay!  Problem solved, right?  Wrong!  Texas and Illinois have different rules on what is considered a "moped".  In Texas, a Buddy 50 is considered a "moped".  In Illinois, it is not and a license plate is required.  If it is a moped, no license plate or registration is required.  Okay, that shouldn't be a problem because in Texas you need a license plate, so we can just register by mail.  Wrong, or we think it is wrong.  In Texas, you have to have a "K" endorsement on your driver's license in order to drive a scooter.  Mama doesn't think Texas will allow her to register the scooter via mail because of that. She needs to take a written test to get that. Her insurance agent said to give them a call and they might.  She is going to call them later today and hopes she gets a nice person.  BOL!  If it turns out that Texas will not let her register by mail, then she can get a temporary license and registration in Illinois that is good for 30 days.  Yep, she will only be able to ride if for 30 days and then it will have to sit until we get to Texas.  Dad said he wants to get it now even if it has to just sit for a while.  They bought a motorcycle carrier for it yesterday so they are ready to buy one on Saturday unless something happens to change their minds.

The dealership they went to on Saturday that had the Buddy 50 had an extremely rude salesperson.  Mama said he must be related to the Pigman.  He was rude when Mama called him on the phone to see if he had any in stock and really rude in person.   Apparently, Mama is stupid for thinking that the price tag hanging from the scooter was the actual price.  It said $1,999.  It was white and had a storage container on it.  The folks wanted black, but Mama said she really liked the extra storage.  There was a black scooter inside without a storage container and it was priced at $1,999.  It turns out that the $1,999 does not include the price of the storage compartment.  Mama thinks there should have been something on the price tag indicating that, but the salesman implied she was stupid for thinking it was included because it cost him $300 to add it and did she think it was less money because it was white.  The paint color doesn't matter. Really?  There was a lime green one priced at $1,799 next to it, exact same model.  He also said she was trying to get him to rig the registration.  She just asked if it could be extended after the 30 days.  If you are wondering, they will not be buying from him.  Mama said there are other dealers in town and she refuses to deal with him again.

Is anyone still reading this?  BOL!  We debated rather or not to even discuss it but this has been the topic of discussion in our home for the past week.

If you are wondering, Scout and I are doing fine.  We have been busy chewing our bully sticks.  We really love the bladder sticks, but they don't last nearly as long.  Mama was too tired last week to help me with the blog.  She is having trouble getting used to get up at 4:30 a.m. when Dad's alarm goes off.  I think she is feeling better because we let her sleep to 5 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.  BOL!

It is going to be really hot here the next two days, so we are going to just chill inside.

UPDATE

Mama called Texas and they said it was not a problem at all to register through the mail.  Mama told them she didn't have an Endorsement K and they said they didn't care about that.  It sounds like she is going to be a Scooter Mama soon!

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Hopes A Scooter Will Bring Him More Hamburgers For Lunch

Wordless Wednesday - Anticipation

 

 

Joey,
The Greyhound Whose Day Just Got A Whole Lot Better!