The DisFort's Chit Chat Cafe

[bama_ed]

We took some photos to send to the kids (while they are at work - ha! ) then headed back to our bikes. (We're trying our best to spend their inheritance while we still can. )











DW had commented on the little stand-outs of nature at our campsite. Like the yellow flower in the grass (weed?) and the berries growing under our clothes line.







As I said, Friday was beautiful.



Shrimp scampi I cooked for dinner.



Let's finish up in the next post.

Bama Ed

 

[bama_ed]

The condo building across from us in OB was bathed in light.



While I was putting things away and getting ready to leave this morning, a 7-footer gator floated by slowly out in the lake. He was good sized.







Finally at 10am we were loaded up and ready to depart.



My parents had watered my tomato plants in my absence (when Mother Nature didn't this week) so to thank them I stopped at the fish monger to get them a Gulf Red Snapper filet (and one for myself) and also at the Perdido Winery (I-65 just north of Bay Minette Exit 45) for some muscadine wine from the first licensed winery in Alabama. A semi-dry white for them and the same plus a red for me.

I'll cook the snapper tomorrow and enjoy the white wine with it. Good trip - couldn't ask for better weather. And as I said we booked a 4-night stay for this time next year on Live Oak.

I'll be here with the rest of you waiting for another non-FW trip report to come along, either in Chit Chat or a separate thread.



From a rainy title town, good night.

Bama Ed

 

[4077]

The condo building across from us in OB was bathed in light.



While I was putting things away and getting ready to leave this morning, a 7-footer gator floated by slowly out in the lake. He was good sized.







Finally at 10am we were loaded up and ready to depart.



My parents had watered my tomato plants in my absence (when Mother Nature didn't this week) so to thank them I stopped at the fish monger to get them a Gulf Red Snapper filet (and one for myself) and also at the Perdido Winery (I-65 just north of Bay Minette Exit 45) for some muscadine wine from the first licensed winery in Alabama. A semi-dry white for them and the same plus a red for me.

I'll cook the snapper tomorrow and enjoy the white wine with it. Good trip - couldn't ask for better weather. And as I said we booked a 4-night stay for this time next year on Live Oak.

I'll be here with the rest of you waiting for another non-FW trip report to come along, either in Chit Chat or a separate thread.



From a rainy title town, good night.

Bama Ed

Nice trip and report. As I say EVERY time I watch a GSP report nowadays... I can't wait to try it out myself!

 

[tiggerdad]

Fall trip booked, Badlands, Custer Gulch, Spearfish SD, Idaho Falls (Yellowstone and Teton's) SLC to visit DD#2, Las Vegas, petrified forest, Tucumcari to visit DS#1 into misery to hit Merrimac caverns and St Louis and then back up to home, 4,125 miles and 62 days, back in time for the holidays, then off to snowbird season again!

View attachment 850697

When were at Badlands in June 2023 I did ride over and look at dry camping overlooking Badlands NP. Seemed like a great place to stay a night. It's on the Wall entrance side of Badlands



Go in on Google maps and check it out.

 

[team bradfield]

were staying just down the road from there at White River KOA, FYI we were staying there the morning of 9-11, didn't know it happened until the next day, Mt. Rushmore was closed and security told us about it..

 

[garneska]

The new system went live this weekend. I got 4 hours of sleep. We are in support mode. Next two weeks will be tough. Mom has a cardio appointment tomorrow so am not going to the office. Whisky missed me yesterday. She wanted to cuddle when I finally got home and I obliged. I so want the merry go round to stop, but once these next two weeks are over it might be a smidge better.

 

[Teamubr]

The new system went live this weekend. I got 4 hours of sleep.

Hang in there. Ian was sent home early on Sunday. The new system installed at the Hershey/FedEx warehouse 2 weeks ago is still not right. Everything they scanned on Sunday came up "inventory not found". They couldn't unload trailers because the system couldn't find it to say where it needed to go and they couldn't load because the system didn't know where anything was to pull.

j

 

[jbrostek]

@garneska Support mode is much better then triage mode. I been in dealing with all the recent flurry of high level CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures for non techies). I have had to work so many long days over the past few weeks. And the workload continues.

 

[Part-Time Paradise]

When were at Badlands in June 2023 I did ride over and look at dry camping overlooking Badlands NP. Seemed like a great place to stay a night. It's on the Wall entrance side of Badlands

View attachment 853803

Go in on Google maps and check it out.

It's great. We picked a bad time to go. It was stupidly hot and the trailer was heat soaked and couldn't cool it off well into the night.


@team bradfield , I'd recommend Minuteman Missile National Historic Site and the Delta-01 tour. It books very quickly when the reservation window opens (I think it's 90 days?). Well worth the effort to go underground into a well preserved nuclear missile control center.

 

[team bradfield]

It's great. We picked a bad time to go. It was stupidly hot and the trailer was heat soaked and couldn't cool it off well into the night.
View attachment 854803

@team bradfield , I'd recommend Minuteman Missile National Historic Site and the Delta-01 tour. It books very quickly when the reservation window opens (I think it's 90 days?). Well worth the effort to go underground into a well preserved nuclear missile control center.

Yes, thats an awesome site, in our early days of camping the Badlands were very frequent trips, only 800 miles, so we did alot of week long escapes, 2 day drive, only did summer once, as you mentioned, it gets very hot out there, that surface just reflects the heat, we learned to do spring and fall trips, I think we've been to Wall Drug 10 times, the hot beefs are worth the trip!

 

[tiggerdad]

Yes, thats an awesome site, in our early days of camping the Badlands were very frequent trips, only 800 miles, so we did alot of week long escapes, 2 day drive, only did summer once, as you mentioned, it gets very hot out there, that surface just reflects the heat, we learned to do spring and fall trips, I think we've been to Wall Drug 10 times, the hot beefs are worth the trip!

DW and kids went in Wall.

I stepped across street to Harley Davidson

How many times at The Corn Palace?

 

[team bradfield]

How many times at The Corn Palace?

once was enough

 

[jbrostek]

once was enough

Too Corny for you? LOL

 

[Teamubr]

I got tired of the rain and 40-50 degree mornings, so I'm changing things up for awhile.


j

 

[bama_ed]

I got tired of the rain and 40-50 degree mornings, so I'm changing things up for awhile.

Try to relax, Jim. Your toes look tense ....

 

[team bradfield]

I got tired of the rain and 40-50 degree mornings, so I'm changing things up for awhile.

View attachment 856324View attachment 856325View attachment 856326View attachment 856327View attachment 856328
j

That's quite the view of the mighty Mississippi, enjoy

 

[Teamubr]

That's quite the view of the mighty Mississippi, enjoy

Technically this could be part of the Mississippi. I am on the Caribbean side and the water down the river ends up here.

j

 

[jbrostek]

Enjoy a summer water for me @Teamubr!!!

I been getting busy at the house. So far managed to pressure wash the patio and front walk, make some repairs (sink holes and one area where the pavers where falling away so I had to get some gravel packed back in and a new retainer border.

DW and I made a list of things she wanted done for the graduation and confirmation parties. The list is not that long, though just gotta keep picking at them to pretty up the yard and make some repairs I been kind of putting off (like all the trim on the shed and a much needed coat of paint.)

Big fun project is we are going to hang the 40k piece puzzle in my office. Since its the best wall that is at least 22' long. We have a plan to "glue" 2 panels (top and bottom) using clear contact paper. After that we are going to glue it to either 1/4" or 1/2" foam boards. creating 5 larger panels to hang on the wall.

Still working out my plan for hanging on the wall but I think some furring strips screwed into studs and then nail/screw the boards to those strips and cover that with some trim. It is an evolving plan because not many people have done this so I hope to take lots of photos and show how we did it.

 

[bama_ed]

My garden update is that everything is growing well but I have a case of tomato blossom rot and had to snip off 9 golf-ball sized green ones and am switching to a fertilizer that adds calcium (supposedly that is the solution). Bell pepper plants have set fruit (the red pepper is leading the other colors). The 2 Tabasco peppers have "flowered" well and I have little green 1-inch peppers in a couple spots.

Cancelled a Fort trip we had on the books for January 2025 (to duplicate the dates of the Half Marathon over in the town of Celebration that I completed this past year). Found two Half Marathon opportunities in Gulf Shores (one January, one February) and we can do one of those in a short, two-night, half day's drive trip.

Spring semester graduation was this past weekend and the area around me has emptied out pretty well. A few will come back for summer school but we are still in good shape until the first weekend of August or so. Last college baseball homestand for Alabama is this weekend versus the LSU Tigers (last year's College World Series winners who have struggled at times this year but now playing better).

Pressure washed the sidewalk and driveway earlier this week and both look really clean. Investing in the round dish-style cleaner last year was a winning decision.

Things are okay here.

 

[4077]

Since we are doing "updates"...

First camping for me is Memorial Day weekend at one of my now "faves", Fisherman's Memorial State Park in Narragansett, RI.... but will be a crazy "turnaround" for me as I am flying to London on May 15th. Will spend few days there, a few days in Edinburgh, Scotland, and ultimately return to our home airport early afternoon on May 23rd. So, DW will do a bit of preparing things for that. I recently washed and de-winterized. Did a few dabs of white Dicor on roof (very minor)...my black Dicor arrived and will do a few small bits with that around corners of roof where drain spouts are. Will put back into the trailer all the stuff I take out for winter (shampoos, sprays, batteries, etc) this weekend. Fixed a toilet issue and filled (again) a hole that I must not have completely sealed (hard to see) as I found "mouse evidence" (and it wasn't cute red shorts or yellow shoes left behind) inside of one cabinet area (fortunately the ONLY place mice can access from the outside...so when they do get in, they are limited in how far they can go).

My son is registered for his fall classes to begin his college years. He has his "check ride" (pilot ground and flight practical test with an examiner) scheduled for June 28th... hoping for good weather and a successful outcome as is important to have complete before reporting to school (so will be on pins and needles until then).

Made my former swimming pool circle in yard into a fire pit circle... can't wait to try it!