(no subject)
Last weekend:
Hosstraders. Picked up Walt in Little Falls around midnight; came home and made it for 6AM. Met the new chickens. Interesting experience. Packed various odds and ends and left for NH. Got to the fairgrounds at midnight. Slept until 5AM; realized I'd forgotten my toiletries at home. Found a Wal Mart in Concord; got a new toothbrush, newspaper, something resembling breakfast. Drove back to the fairgrounds with Walt. Got sent back out for coffee and ice for the cooler; couldn't find a gas station with ice anywhere in Contoocook. Went back to Concord. Got stuck behind a NH National Guard convoy going 40MPH up I-93 on the way back...made it just in time for the opening of the fairground gates. Bill German was right behind me, long time no see...
Made it in, wedged Walter's van into a tiny parking space between the food vendors and the same jerk from Delaware we camped out next to last time. Unpacked. Met Ray Weber et al. Killed time with friends from Hosstraders past; fell asleep in the sun (and got badly sunburned) around 3PM. Moved to the back of the van. Stayed out cold until 9PM, at which point my dad had realized he didn't have any ID on him (how he drove through four states without realizing that is beyond me). Since I'm a nice person and since he's been trying to get a ham radio license for the past 25 years Walt and I went back home to get his driver's license. We couldn't find it, or his passport--they were locked in his desk drawer, at work. The keys? On his belt loop...in NH. The desk? In Ware, Mass. So I grabbed a health insurance card, his social security card, W-2 forms, a pay stub, income tax return, expired passport, unopened mail, car insurance policy, and his business cards and left for NH...again.
Then the fun started.
Walt's van had a bit of a problem with the transmission--the drive axle on the passenger's side decided to call it quits. I babied it back to Contoocook, and called around for axle prices. I proceeded to fail the Amateur Tech Class exam (Dad passed), it started raining, and we left. We barely made it back to CT and the axle came out in two pieces. I slept for a bit, then around 9PM (after my dad patched up his van) we left for Walt's. We ate on the road and arrived in Little Falls around 1AM.
That morning I attempted to fix Walt's computer (iPod won't sync and there's a bunch of spyware that needs to be removed), unloaded the van and left for Oneonta. Got to Oneonta quite a bit later than anticipated; filled the Justy (only two bags and a box), had a nice visit with Alicia, then went back to Little Falls and then home.
More to follow...
Hosstraders. Picked up Walt in Little Falls around midnight; came home and made it for 6AM. Met the new chickens. Interesting experience. Packed various odds and ends and left for NH. Got to the fairgrounds at midnight. Slept until 5AM; realized I'd forgotten my toiletries at home. Found a Wal Mart in Concord; got a new toothbrush, newspaper, something resembling breakfast. Drove back to the fairgrounds with Walt. Got sent back out for coffee and ice for the cooler; couldn't find a gas station with ice anywhere in Contoocook. Went back to Concord. Got stuck behind a NH National Guard convoy going 40MPH up I-93 on the way back...made it just in time for the opening of the fairground gates. Bill German was right behind me, long time no see...
Made it in, wedged Walter's van into a tiny parking space between the food vendors and the same jerk from Delaware we camped out next to last time. Unpacked. Met Ray Weber et al. Killed time with friends from Hosstraders past; fell asleep in the sun (and got badly sunburned) around 3PM. Moved to the back of the van. Stayed out cold until 9PM, at which point my dad had realized he didn't have any ID on him (how he drove through four states without realizing that is beyond me). Since I'm a nice person and since he's been trying to get a ham radio license for the past 25 years Walt and I went back home to get his driver's license. We couldn't find it, or his passport--they were locked in his desk drawer, at work. The keys? On his belt loop...in NH. The desk? In Ware, Mass. So I grabbed a health insurance card, his social security card, W-2 forms, a pay stub, income tax return, expired passport, unopened mail, car insurance policy, and his business cards and left for NH...again.
Then the fun started.
Walt's van had a bit of a problem with the transmission--the drive axle on the passenger's side decided to call it quits. I babied it back to Contoocook, and called around for axle prices. I proceeded to fail the Amateur Tech Class exam (Dad passed), it started raining, and we left. We barely made it back to CT and the axle came out in two pieces. I slept for a bit, then around 9PM (after my dad patched up his van) we left for Walt's. We ate on the road and arrived in Little Falls around 1AM.
That morning I attempted to fix Walt's computer (iPod won't sync and there's a bunch of spyware that needs to be removed), unloaded the van and left for Oneonta. Got to Oneonta quite a bit later than anticipated; filled the Justy (only two bags and a box), had a nice visit with Alicia, then went back to Little Falls and then home.
More to follow...