SAGA OF THE TRUCK

the saga of the truck continues and we aren't surprised...right after we got home we made an appointment for the truck to be serviced and FIXED....right...the place we bought it NO longer has a diesel mechanic but another one of the dealership other places has one and it is a GM and cadillac dealership...so off the truck went last week..and we were given a loaner the stunk to high heaven of smoke...so that has been traded in for another one...lar has recieved several phone calls from detroit and now an engineer from detroit is coming to town to work on the truck tomorrow/thursday...we have also spent time talking to the dealer about the lemon law and what's the next step...we have been told that of course it has to go thru channels to get there...and the sending of an engineer is one of them...so right now the truck is in the shop and we have a loaner...tomorrow when the engineer is in town lar plans on going to where he is to take to him about all the problems and i guess we go from there...so the SAGA OF THE TRUCK goes on and on and on just like the engerizer bunny....

we do like the truck...

WE'RE HOME!!!!!!!

yep we are now back in ithaca..arrived friday afternoon around 4pm and we are glad we did cause on sat it started raining and hasn't
stopped except for many an hr or so since then...we have also seen some snow flakes in the air but nothing to add up to anythiing on the ground....so maybe we ought to go away again...

we had a great winter and did lots saw lots and heled build several houses...in mason only 1 but in dade city we worked on 3-4 and do believe that at least a couple have been movved into by now..the mason house will be this friday...they could use the rain that we are getting...

trying to get the rig unpacked but with this rain it dosen't help...when i notice it has stopped i go out to get a load but then it starts up again...so it will be a long process but who's in a hurry not me ahah...

have gotten right back in the swing of things...highway clean-up--surprise 69th b/day celebration--seniors meeting--and the list goes on and on as we talk to friends to let us know what is on the schedule of events/activities..

so i guess all's well back on the home front...

OUR DAY AT THE RACES

yep we decided to go to the races hahaah one of those things that wasn't really on a bucket list but someting we hadn't done anyway at a big track...so off we went...got htere on time but we sure didn't expect that there would be maybe 75-100 thousand of people there...when we got there we just looked at each other and said what have we gotten ourselves into...we bought an general admissions ticket which gave us standing room near the winners circle...we had NO idea how to bet on anything..so we bought a book and pciked by names..on the first race we decidedc to place a bet on 2 diferent horses one lar picked and the other i did..so when i looked at my ticket it wasn't what i thought i wanted...i guess i said the wrong thing..so we thought oh well a learning experience well i won and big 2.80....so much for that...we spent our 20.00 we hadplanned to spent and of course we wer close several times but NO more winners..we had fun but are we ready to do it again NO...not right away...it is one of those things been there done that..

we have now made our way to just over the border into PA on our way to go visit lar's mom who had a birthday last week and turned 93...

today was a day of yucky weather it rained all night and we took donw in it then it started to really rain and hard so all day we drove in some very heacy rain...then we needed fuel and there were several stations that didn't have diesel or they pumps were hard to get too..especially when the overhang was just 12 ft and we would have taken down the overhang ugh...but we did get fuel and got one or way..

we have been without wi-fi fkor several days and not sure about getting it at lar's mom unless we go to mcdonalds ahahhahaha...so all's well and we are high and dry right now...

LAR' PICTURES

as you can see there is the tornado...and it was passing us..i was driving at the time..so that was that...at there is lar's lunch... and of course a picture of henry clay's house...lar is trying to behave himself hahahahahaha

BACK ON LINE

we are now at the kentucky horse park and have been here for a few days and guess what NO wi-fi unless we wanted to pay for it and mcdonalds was just down the raod...so we have been coming here..and getting on line from the parking lot but not this morning....we sure have learnt alot obout horses more than i ever thaought we wouldd....it is a nice campground just water and electric but they have 4 dumps so that is not a problem and we can last a week or more without dumping...

yesterday we went to the henry clay house and took a tour then out to lunch at a place that was recommend ramsey's...lar had their special called a hot brown and he ate it all..then of course he had dessert of lemon cream pie..i must say it was good..i just had a plain old chicken sandwich with friend green tomatoes..good...

today we are going to do something we don't normally do..we are going to go to the races..can't be in kentucky without going to toe races...there is a race track not to faar from the campground..why not..who knows we may even win but i guess we will have to bet first...i don't have a fancy hat so i guess i just wear my baseball hat ahhahahahahaha...

we are glad we got the jack fixed so we can unhook and see things other wise we wouldn't have been able to...i guess thingsjust work out for the best...

last night some strong t/stoms went thru the area and some places got hail the size of golf balls and bigger...thank goe we were not in the area we just got alot of rain in a short time...sorta heading back to ithaca but it will take us several more days or even a week or two....

OFF THE TRACE

off the trace yesterday and we will do it again...there was pklenty to do along the trail and we didn't do as much as we wanted...several nature hikes-and other hikes to do..

we are now in nashville country park--outside nashville we had thought of going to the granbd old opry but they have shows on fri and sat so i guess we will have to save that for another stop ...don't want to hang around till fri..we have way too many other things to do and see...

right now we plan on heading to lexington horse park...it is a place we wanted to go to last year..we hope to do a tour and maybve even buy a horse ahhahahahahaha...now how would we get it home..so i don't think so...

we toured nashville today and noticed that in alot of places there were guitars that were decorated different...just like the swans in lakeland-cows in the west someplace can't remember exactly...anyway there are lots of cities/towns that paint different things and put on the towns streets..some have auctions of them for money raisers...

we were going to go to the opry hotel and walk around but can you believe they wanted 18$$$$ to park the truck so we decided not to do that..5$$ we would have paid but 18 is wee bit out of site just to park for an hr or two...

pictures are of of course the trail--a famous place to eat in nashville has even been on tv food channel-ellen-bisquits are what they are famous for lar ate his fair share and is full...almost like thanksgiving dinner...mmmm good...if anyone does the trace trail and ends or starts in nashville it is right by the end/start of the trail...they serve breakfast all day...so that's about it for now...

STORM MONDAY

this morning we were up bright and early because we needed to take the rig to the repair shop to have it's jack fixed...then it was off to breakfast..a treat we like to eat breakfast out..it was a place we could sit and read th local paper and plan our day without anyplace to go to if we wanted...it was raining and the forecast was for severe t/storms-hail-high winds-tornado possible.....weathder we just aren't used to hearing about...so we drove by ELVIS PRESLEY home where he was born..then off to go to harbour freight one of lar's favorite stores...of course he bought some stuff..

then we got a call that the rig was ready that was around noon or a wee bit after..when we pciked it up it was not raining but we were told by the guy from the campground that works there or may even own it we aren't sure...he said to hurry back to the campground gete set up and go to the bathrooms as there was a good storm on it's way...so we followed directions got back to the c/ground and it started to hail ...and rain...all we did was put the jacks down..didn't even hook up the sewer or electric (we have friends who have friends that had alot of electrical damage to their rig from a t/storm)...we picked up the lap-tops as they have alot of info on them we didn't want to loose...and headed to the front porch right near the bathrooms just in case we needed to go in them..another lady from oklahoma came to also wait out the storm in a safe place...all we seemed to det was heavy rain-good thunder and lighting-which lasted more than an hr so we just sat on the front porch swinging on their swing...we aren't used to these types of conditions but i guess we travel to different parts we need top be prepared...so that's our exciting day...tomorrow back on the road again all fixed ....

NATCHEZ TRACE TRAIL

AS SMOE OF YOU KNOW WE NOW HAVE ANOTHER PROBLEM WITH ONE OF THE JACKS THAT SUPPORT THE RIG WHEN WE TAKE IT OFF THE TRUCK...oops it happened in vicksburg when we wer taking down...so lar spent some time tryng to fix it and couldn't so he wired it up and we decided to continue on our trip with the plan that if we got a chance to get it fixerd then we would otherwise we would just not disconnect for the re;mander of the trip...well luck would have it that we are now oin a campground just off the trace and the owner of the campground also fixes rigs and knows exactly what our problem is and he can fix it...sooooo to make a long story shorter or maybe long we are going to stay her till tues and take the rig to the garage tomorrow to get it fixed...for some unknown reason we were sent to this campground with our problem and how hopefully tomorrow we will be back in regular traveling mode..

driving along the trace is most interesting the scenery is mmmm good...hardly NO traffic and we just go about 50 mph...if anyone would to look at a map you can see that it is the most direct route from south to north...without taking interstates kinda out of the way...

we have met some interesting people along the way..the canadians like the trace and if you haven't stop to spent the night at one of the free campground along the way by 3 then you will be out of luck as they fill up fast...

we are also in tornado country and have been told that severe t.storms are expectrd for tomorrow and to be onthe lookout...the bathrooms are the place to go if there is one near by..so i guess we will be prepared for what ever...we don't have to worry about snow but tornados...go figure

pictures are of tupelo battlefield--just a log on a hike---don't remember the other one ahhahahaha

APRIL FOOL'S DAY

ok so it is april fools and for those who got an message from us remember i have NO control of what my partner sends...

started to day on the trace trail heading on a very quiet drive not much traffic but lots of scenery and places to stop to se differnt things...the only wild life we saw was a turkey...and we were told not to drivbe the drive in the dark as there are lots and lots of deer on the road ..we like to be stopped by dark so not to worry...

we decided to take a side trip and go to vicksburg which was the turning point of the civil war...alot like gettysburg not as big but laid out very much the same...so we toured the battlefield and saw lots of very interesting stuff...one of which was th cairo which was one of the ships that was sunk during the war and found and raised in 1964...then send to be repaired..

the flowers are blooming and the lawns are being mowed so must be spring has sprung...we have senn on the weather that a really big storm is or has already hit NY not so sure how much snow will fall in tompkins county..but enough to let everyone know that winter isn't over yet...for us the temps reached into the 70's but sure looks like we might get some rain...

tomorrow we will return back to the trace trail and see where it takes us...