“A walk in the park …”

I spent last week in south-eastern Nebraska. before leaving for my trip I checked with Weather Bug  and was pleasantly surprised to learn that daily high temperature in the upper 40′s, lower 50′s where expected.  The weather in Nebraska was even better than predicted … Thursday was an all time record high of 67! So with weather heading east I was hopeful that we’d have a mild weekend here in Maryland.

Yesterday was beautiful; sunny, upper 60′s and no wind … sweater weather! Today was a close second with only slightly lower temperatures and a little wind. More like April than January!

To celebrate the weather we took the Shelties into Frederick for a walk along Carroll Creek … photo-op’s for the Shelties.

This is one of many good pictures of Carroll Creek that can be found on-line.

 

Today I organized something of a “guy’s day” with my local son-in-law’s and male grandchildren at the Silverado Gunshow that was in Frederick for the weekend. As we were leaving the Fairgrounds, Devin commented about a private plane leaving Frederick Airport. We spent the next hour or so enjoying a guided tour by the pilot of “Trooper 3″, the MD State Police helicopter based in Frederick.

Never a dull moment

It bright and early Monday morning and I’ve just boarded Southwest Airlines flight 1095 from Baltimore to Chicago’s Midway airport. The last of the passengers have boarded and the Flight Attendants are just about to close the door when one of the Flight Attendants (female) lets out a squeal and jumps out of the galley.

Now there are two Flight Attendants and one of the pilots looking and pointing at the floor near the cockpit door. The pilot disappears into the cockpit for a few minutes then emerges and picks up the hand set to make an announcement.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, can I have you attention for a moment?” Here it comes, we’re going to be asked to go back into the terminal. ”It appears that we have a stowaway. There’s no way we’re going to catch him now so unless someone has a real phobia about flying with a mouse I’m just going to close the doors and head for Chicago … but if he goes for my donut, all bets are off.”

I guess Steward Little has relocated to Chicago.

Antietam Battlefield – in the day light

It’s New Years Eve day, the thermometer says 55 and it’s sunny. Way too nice a day to spend indoors so we loaded the Shelties up and headed to Antietam National Battlefield.

Antietam is special to us. About 10 years ago Shirlee discovered that one of her great-great-great grandfathers, Issac Pierce Rodman died from wounds suffered at Antietam. That day we visited Antietam for the first time and went straight to the visitor’s center. After looking through a few books dedicated to the battle and not finding any references to a “Colonel Rodman” we approached one of the Park Rangers. After introducing ourselves we explained Shirlee’s recent discovery and the reason for our visit.

The Ranger explained that the reason we couldn’t find a reference to a “Colonel Rodman” was because General Burnside had promoted Rodman to the rank of Brigadier General. The Ranger described Rodman’s role in the battle explaining that he was mortally wounded defending General Wilcox’s flank after the taking of Burnside’s Bridge earlier in the day. The Ranger also showed us a picture of Rodman that Shirlee immediately recognized; she had seen it regularly as a child when it hung in the attic of her grandmother’s house in Burlington NJ.

A total of 6 General Officers were either killed or mortally wounded on the battlefield at Antietam. The National park Service marks the place on the battlefield where these men fell with a “Mortuary Cannon”; a cannon barrel, muzzle down in a stone base bearing a bronze plaque bearing the name of the fallen.

The photos below are arranged according to the self guided auto tour that can be found on the park map. I’ve sprinkled pictures of 4  Mortuary Cannons where they occur in the auto tour. Unfortunately I did not think to make note of who these were dedicated to.

Leaving the Visitor’s Center the first stop is “Dunker Church”.

"Dunker Church"

North on Hagerstown Pike to the North Woods and Stop 2 at the “Poffenberger Farm”.

Poffenberger Farm

Continuing east and then south on Mansfield Ave then west on Cornfield Ave. to Stops 3 and 4 at the “20 Acre Cornfield”. The first Mortuary Cannon is just east of the tour route near the intersection of  Mansfield and Smoketown Roads.

 

Making a left onto the Hagerstown Pike, Stop 5 is in the West Woods.

The Shelties got to stretch their legs here.

The second Mortuary Cannon is found along the drive into this monument.

Stop 6 is at the Mumma Farm.

 

Stop 7 is only slightly south of the Mumma Farm.

Stop 8 is at the Sunken Road, otherwise known as Bloody Lane for the fact that a force of roughly 2,000 Confederates held off 10,000 Union soldiers for hours.

Not surprisingly 2 Mortuary Cannons can be found along the Bloody Lane.

Heading south across the Boonsboro Pike to Rodman Road and the Sherrick Farmhouse.

Stop 9 is at the Burnside Bridge.

The Shelties got to stretch their legs again.

Stop 10 is on Branch Ave. and overlooks ground west of Antietam Creek and Burnside’s Bridge.

Although we didn’t visit General Rodman’s Mortuary Cannon on this trip it is located near the Hawkins’ Zouaves Monument a few hundred yards west of Stop 10.

Stop 11 is the Antietam national Cemetery. Since pets are not allowed on these grounds I have no photographs to share.

T’was the day after Christmas …

This gallery contains 18 photos.

and all through the house, the Shelties were hoping for a walk in the park. I know it doesn’t rhyme, but then I never claimed to be a poet. Around noon we loaded the Shelties into the truck and headed to Harpers … Continue reading →

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A Sheltie Christmas

In recent years our Christmas mornings have undergone a significant change since our kids (and grand kids) have left us. Not too many years ago we would be awaken at the crack dawn by children wanting to open gifts left by Santa. Now that we’re “empty-nesters” Christmas morning isn’t all that different from a Saturday or Sunday morning.

Yesterday was no different. Shirlee was up early with the dogs and I got to sleep in a little. We had breakfast and read the paper together, then after I cleaned up the breakfast dishes Shirlee put the “bird” in the oven in preparation for the family feast later in the day.

Next we took the Shelties into the living room and showed them the wrapped gift with their name on it.

With a little help from Shirlee, Hope and Gertie unwrapped their gift as the rest of the pack looked on.

Rex and Gertie checking out the box.

Hope is working on the puzzle to earn her treats as Cosmo and Katie look on.

You can find this and similar puzzles for you dog here.

The Dog House

While Shirlee and I were on our trip out west we saw several campers that had been “christened”. Not marked by birds, but rather the rigs had been named by the owners . “Ramblin’ Man”, “Wondering Jew” and “Rolling Stone” are just a few of the names we saw.

A  few years ago Shirlee and I started referring to our camper as “The Dog House” for obvious reasons. No, that’s not the reason … think Shelties. We even got a wooden sign made at a camper show a few years ago. We hang it next to the door everywhere we go.

So in preparation of Shirlee’s birthday I dropped in on my buddy Phil who just happens to owns Frederick Sign and Banner and told him what I had in mind. I emailed Phil a picture of the camper onto which he over-laid “The Dog House” and email me a proof to approve. Less than a week later I had the transfer in hand.

When you spot us headed down the road be sure to honk a wave.

Winterize Your RV

The first time I winterized our RV I followed the instructions that came with the camper. It took me all afternoon and I spent $30 to $40 on parts and anti-freeze . There is nothing wrong with hooking up the winterizing kit filling the pipes with antifreeze . IT WORKS, but that there is an easier and faster way.

Fresh Water Piping

1. Make sure that the water heater is turned off and cooled down. Cooling the water heater can accomplished by waiting for a few hours or simply running the hot water after turning the water heater off.  DO NOT proceed to step 4 until you can hold your hand in the stream of water from the hot faucet.
2. While the water heater cools down, collect your tools and fittings.
3. Turn off the water supply to the camper if attached, turn off the water pump if you’re pulling water from your fresh water tank(s) and fully open a hot faucet.
4. Remove the drain plug from the water heater. If you didn’t heed my warning in step 1, you may want to seek medical attention for your scalded hand while you wait for the hot water tank to drain.
5. After the tank is completely drained, replace the plug and tighten WITH A WRENCH. Close the faucet left open in step 3.
6. Install the blowout plug at to the city water (hose) connection.
7. Attach a compressed air supply and pressurize the water system to 30 psi. I wouldn’t recommend pressuring your camper to more than 40 psi.
8. Starting at the sink or shower furthest from the water heater, open the hot then the cold side of each faucet until the water has been expelled, close the faucet and move onto the next until all have been blown down. Repeat this cycle 3 or 4 times until no more water can be expelled.  Don’t forget your toilet and outside faucets!
9. Disconnect the compressed air and open a faucet to depressurize the water piping.
10. Remove your blow down plug and tuck it away until next year.

Fresh, Grey and Black Water Tanks

The process here is no different from dumping your tanks any other time with a few extra steps and precautions thrown in.

1. I recommend filling you black water tank before dumping when winterizing. The reason for this is to ensure that all of the solids are removed. More water means a higher initial flow rate from the tank and better cleaning action.
2. As usual the black water tank is dumped first followed by the grey water tank(s).
3. When all the tanks are empty, close the gate valves, remove and flush the hose and the discharge pipe then replace the cap.
4. Open the drain valve or remove the drain plug from the fresh water tank. DON’T forget to replace the plug or close the valve when the tank is empty or you might find that some creepy-crawlies (spiders, bugs) have nested in your fresh water tank.
5. Dump at least a quart of RV anti-freeze in each sink drain, shower/tub drain. Yes, it only takes a cup to fill the trap. The extra is to mix with any water that may be left in the bottom of your tanks to prevent freezing. You don’t want the hassle of replacing a drain pipe, valve or heaven forbid a tank because of a split fitting. A gallon of anti-freeze which costs about $5.00 is cheap insurance!
6. Dump at least a quart into your fresh water tank through the fill connection (you will probably need a funnel).
7. Dump at least a quart down the toilet, then close the valve and pour enough antifreeze into the bowl to completely cover the ball valve.

Kitchen and Bath

Ever opened your pantry in the spring and find a badly swollen can of vegetables or worse a broken bottle and the contents tripping all over (think maple syrup)?  Take a few minutes to open every closet and cupboard and remove anything containing liquids.

Odds and Ends

Now, while you are crawling all over (and under) the camper is a good time to take care of those minor things that you’ve been noticing or at least make a list of the stuff that need some attention. Here are a few ideas:

1.  How are your hoses?
   1. Fresh water – washers or hose ends can be replaced for next to nothing your leak is at the fittings. Good project for a winter day and make sure the ends are capped to keep the bugs out.
   2. Filter – If you’ve used the same water filter for the whole season (or longer) toss it.
   3. Sewer hoses – inspect and replace if necessary.
2. Tires – check for signs of cracking or dry rot on the tire walls. Manufacturers recommend that you take the weight off your tires if possible. Install your tire covers now if you have them. If not I’ll show you an inexpensive alternative in an upcoming post.
3. Wheels – If you have painted steel wheels they will eventually begin to rust. A wire brush or wheel will remove the rust off then spray with a rust proof primer and paint.
4. Dust covers – replace broken or missing dust covers. Good project for a mild winter day.
5.  Lights – How many lights are burnt out on the interior, exterior? Get a sample of each and buy replacements now. Another easy project for a mild winter day.
6. Squeaks – Have a can of your favorite brand of spray lubricant. If it turns, slips or slide … lube it!
7. Batteries – I’ve heard it and tried it both ways (does anyone have a system that really works): Remove your batteries and move them inside for the winter or leave the batteries in the RV and trickle charge.