Thursday, September 08, 2005

WOW....I'm late with this!!! AND NOW AN UPDATE!!

Well, I am behind on my journal’s postings…….So….let’s catch up:

Tuesday I awoke from a restless sleep (I now know why)…..and realized as I was making preparations to leave for Indiana THAT an invasion of my body had occurred, while I was sleeping, by some nasty little germ!!! My lower extremities started cramping and before very long I was bent over in pain….perhaps like labor pains (I really don’t know how that feels). Before long, I found myself staring at the shower curtain for long periods of time in the you-know-which-room. Soooo, needless to say (I use that phrase tooo much), I had to cancel my travel plans. There is no way you can move down the highway with TheHowserHouse behind you (weighing 13,500 lbs.) and 39’ long, and pull over quickly for a “rest” stop. There are only certain places that you can pull into so that you can get OUT of it without a lot of trouble.

So most of the day was spent nursing my aging body, and seeing that I didn’t become dehydrated. I called the service manager of the dealer where I purchased the RV and told him I couldn’t be there by 9AM on Wednesday, but would be there by mid-afternoon. Soooo went Tuesday….

Yesterday, I quietly left the bedroom at 5AM…..and believe me, I do NOT do 5AMs very well any more……gone are the days when I would get out bed at that time, or earlier, and head to the band room’s office to get some work done so the band would function easier. Nevertheless, I got ready, hooked up the truck to TheHowserHouse by flashlight, and was on the road by 6AM. A smooth trip, even thru STL at rush hour, and I was in New Castle, IN (35 miles east of Indianapolis) by 1:30pm..even after a couple of stops.
I left TheHowserHouse at it’s original homesite after going over the list of things that needed attention and repaired before my 1st year’s warranty runs out…..in two weeks. I did purchase an extended 5 year warranty when I purchased it……toooooo many things on this unit to go wrong. It includes, or so I have been told, coverage for all of the major components and appliances…….hope the “print” on this warranty is correct.

Then I located, by using my lappie at a rest area, a Days Inn on the east side of Indianapolis……one that doesn’t break the bank for just a bed, tv, and doughnuts and coffee!! When I found the location of it, well……the location is great, but the building looks rather run down. Checked out my assigned room……and it is just fine. Clean and everything in working order. But……..we all know that all motel rooms are just the same as all the others, don’t we? You would think that they could design something a bit different without charging an arm and a leg. BUT…..I won’t complain tooo much because I had a choice but elected to take the $41.99 per night room. I would MUCH rather be in TheHowserHouse in some quiet little campground with my own clothes hanging in the closet, etc., etc., etc.

Went out to see the city a bit, and then the 1st Lady called……..her lappie at home was not working correctly. Sooooo, after several phone calls to help her, I decided to head back to the room so that I could talk her thru some remedies by using my lappie. However, after getting back to the room, I called her and,…of course…..she had managed to get it so it worked properly!!! Oh well…….the bed was calling my old body. Soooo, I wrote out a longer post than this and as I was pushing “publish”, the damn phone disconnected and I LOST the entire post!!!!!!! Did I have enough mental energy to redo this???? Of course not…..remember: I had slipped out of bed that morning at 5AM!!!

So, with much apology to all….and I do mean ALL…of my readers, I will get this online and out into cyberspace this morning….hopefully. It appears that I am accumulating more and more readers around the world, as well as here in the states. THAT IS GOOD!!!! I can locate the areas where each reader is receiving his internet service, however……don’t fear….I cannot determine WHO is reading this. But……hmmmmmm, it would be nice to know for this curious old soul. And…….it seems that my daily readers are becoming DAILY readers and not just …..some days/whenever. GREAT!!!

So, I will close this as I finish my second cup of coffee furnished by Days Inn and the coffee must have been made with…well, perhaps…..ONE coffee bean drug through the hot water It is soooo damn weak that I feel like I am drinking colored warm water. Soooo, I MUST find a good coffee shop before I collapse on the motel room floor flopping around having a LARGE caffeine withdrawal attack…..and that wouldn’t be a pleasant sight or visual….an old man with all of those loose chins flopping around….could possibly injure myself from all of that loose skin hanging from my original chin!!!!

Until later……have a GREAT day……

AN AFTERNOON UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday……..An update!


WOW….WOW….WOW……Indianapolis city center is tremendous!!!!! I had heard about it from Jay ( my son), but I had to see it for myself. I am sooooo IMPRESSED!!!! The Monument Square (circle) is soooo cool……driving around the monument in the center reminds me of a small, very small replica of driving around the Arche de Triomphe in Paris. The streets are nicely done in brick….flowers…and the fountain which is in the monument to past military exploits of Indiana citizens is gorgeous!! But……with all of the wonderful sports arenas downtown, the “revivers” of the city have not knocked down the old buildings and/or warehouses, BUT……have recycled them and they are wonderful stores, malls, and shops. There is a super Mall that runs between buildings and above the streets by walkways…..all inclosed….and anchored by Nordstroms on one end of the Mall and by the Parisian on the other end. Of course, it certainly helps that the state government buildings and offices and the Capitol are right there in the center of the city.

The city pulsates with energy and activity. Older buildings are being rehabbed for new hotels, loft apartments, and other vital necessary housing for other planned activities. And……the Arts seem to be flourishing for a city that is not a LARGE city!!!! They are very much alive and active here in Indianapolis…….and that is great. If a city has an active and vital arts community, then the rest of the city will thrive along with them. I drove out to see where the Art Museum is located and it looks large and well-cared for. It appears to be much, much larger than the St Louis Art Museum………oh-oh…did I really say that???

Oh…..if only St Louis could get their crap together and do something like this downtown!!!! It makes it sooo enjoyable to be in a city center when it is sooo vibrant and clean and well-planned. I sooooo enjoyed my day in “downtown” Indianapolis!

My biggest disappoinment???? I forgot to bring my camera so I could show how wonderful it is here. Don’t know why I didn’t throw it in the truck…..however, I will blame it on my 5AM body shock.
So…..will there be another update???? Well…..stay connected….you never know what will need to be told about Life in TheHowserHouse!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hey John, you should try squarespace, the blog service I use. You can track all visitors to your site, and even see what pages they visit. It's pretty cool.