Rob teaches a class at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. The class meets every Thursday night. He started in January and will finish at the very end of April.
This is particularly interesting because you know that we travel in our Motorhome Lewis. In order for Rob to get to DC from wherever we are, we get up really, really early on Thursday, get him to the airport and off he goes. He gets to DC, goes to Georgetown and teaches. After class, he goes to a hotel, catches a bit of sleep and then gets up really, really early on Friday to fly back.
As a rule, I do not drive him to the airport. I just let him have the car and the girls and I hang out and do things around the RV. If I want to go somewhere, I just ride my bike.
Thursdays often become my cleaning and organizing days. I love to organize things. I do not necessarily love to clean but I love for things to be clean. Once I get going, I am a force to be reckoned with. I think the dogs even know when they are in for a flurry of activity that includes the "big noisy"....aka the vacuum.
Dogs are funny when it comes to vacuums. They will bark and snarl and play the brave game against many foes but they become puddles of fear when the vacuum appears. Penny Lane is no exception. She cannot make herself invisible enough when I break out the vacuum.
I got started early because Rob was up at 0320 for this flight. I got him out the door with coffee and tried to go back to sleep. My brain started lining up my activities for the day and, though I tried, I could no go back to sleep. I had coffee, did a crossword, read the news and was in cleaning mode by 0430.
I stripped the bed, cleaned the bathroom, organized all the cabinets and dusted. I got the laundry going. When it got light outside, I took a break and the girls and I went for a walk. With daylight on my side, I got to work outside and cleaned all the windows. The windows on the motorhome are high so I have to drag out the eight foot latter whenever I clean them. I also did generator maintenance and put silicone lubricant on the moving parts of the steps and awning.
Later in the day, I received a part for the RV entertainment system. I had called about the part and they were out but promised to send it when they got one in. The motorhome is awesome and the entertainment system is awesome. With that being said, there is one part that seems to fail with regularity. This is not reflect directly on Tiffin (the guys who made the RV). They do not make the part but they do distribute it. This is the second time I have had to dismantle the system and replace the part. The up side is that I have learned a lot but it is a total pain to do. In short, I got the part, did the work and we are up and running. I had figured out a way to "make" it work without the part but it works much better with it. The girls and I spent the rest of our Thursday just keeping busy.
Friday was a return flight day for Rob and he is usually exhausted. We stayed close to the RV for most of the day. I did go out for a bit to buy some food.
After my shopping, I was getting into the car and I dropped my phone. I did not drop it very far but when I picked it up, the screen was shattered. I was really surprised. I rarely drop my phone but I had definitely dropped it harder. This time seemed to be too much. I got back to the RV, found a repair place and we were off to get a new screen. There is a positive side to this story. When the repairman opened the phone, it was obvious that the battery was quite swollen. My guess is that is why the screen broke. The battery was probably pushing on the screen and it was all being held together by the phone cover. The repair was done within 45 minutes and we were off.
Our Friday night was about homemade pizza and relaxation.
Rob slept in on Saturday. I had quiet time and a good long phone chat with my friend Laurrie. We are quite good at solving the world's problems when we can have a good uninterrupted phone call.
Rob got a good rest and after coffee and breakfast, we got the girls harnessed and we were on the road to a local lake for a hike and some Penny swim time.
Penny loves to swim. If they had dog Olympics, she would at least be a silver medal winner.
This particular path was called shoreline path but it did not always run right along the water. We did manage to work our way close enough for Penny to get wet. It was a bit warm so Annie also got a dunking. She will not get in the water on her own so I have to make her get wet. She does not like it but she always makes it very clear that she feels so much better.
We were out for a couple of hours and both dogs were able to be off leash for a bit. We decided that both dogs needed to be on leash when Rob saw a coyote run across the road about 30 yards in front of us. He could have had Annie in a heartbeat.
6.7 LBS OF DETERMINATION
OFF LEASH JOY
TRYING TO GET THE TREE OUT OF THE LAKE
We finished our hike and drove home. We were all a bit hot and sweaty but it had been a really nice outing.
Rob had planned a non dog outing for the rest of our Saturday so we got cleaned up, made sure the girls were cool enough and we drove to Tupps Brewery in the neighboring town of McKinney, Texas.
I am not a connoisseur of much of anything but Tupps is a very cool brewery. The owner purchased an old cotton gin and used one of the buildings to start his brewery. The building is all inclusive. It contains the brewery, the bar area and the area for customers to sit and listen to music. I give this place extra points because it allows dogs. It is also very welcoming to families with children.
VERY ECLECTIC
ALL BARS NEED AT LEAST ONE STORMTROOPER
HAMMING IT UP
LOVE THE TABLES! HUGE CABLE SPOOLS
A VERY OLD BUT COMPLETE DELIVERY TRUCK
DAY OFF BEER...A LOCAL FAVORITE
VERY ENTHUSIASTIC SERVICE
We were able to catch the last bit of live music and enjoy a local brew. If you ever get to McKinney, check this place out. It has a great outdoorsy feel with its huge garage style doors opened but it offers cover from the sun and other elements. They also have food trucks for customers with an appetite for non liquid fare.
After a drink, some music and pulled pork fries, we went to the historic district of McKinney.
McKinney's historic district is classic. Main street has been revitalized and the place was buzzing. We quickly parked and picked a restaurant called Spoons. The food was awesome and the service was great.
After our meal, we decided to walk and explore.
I LIKE THIS
INDIVIDUAL CHICK O STICK BITES
CARAMEL WITH NOMMY CENTERS
SALT WATER TAFFY
PEZ MINUS THE CUTE BUT ANNOYING DISPENSERS
LOADS AND LOADS OF JELLYBEANS
STICK CANDY
As you can see, we went inside the candy store. So much color. I cannot imagine the level of overdrive that a child's brain must reach when he/she gets inside the doors of this shop. I love candy but I refrained from buying.
We spent a bit more time walking before getting in the car for the drive back. We made a stop at Lowes (I love home improvement stores). I was researching an idea and just wanted to look at a few things.
We got home to the girls, took them for an evening stroll and spent the rest of our Saturday in the extreme comfort of our little home on wheels.
Another great day in this thing we call life.
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