North America

by

Impromptu Oyster Fest

Shortly after Caroline and her husband arrived today, a lady from further down the beach made an invitation to come down to their rig for oysters at 4:00. They had bought a gigantic gunny sack of them and the whole beach was invited! Just bring a beverage, a chair, and something to eat out of.

What a fun time! I’m pretty sure we were all there and between everyone there was quite a bit of food. The oysters were offered raw, grilled, or deep fried. I have decided that while I don’t not like them, oysters don’t do much for me and are very over rated.

I don’t have a problem eating raw seafood, so I think I can get away with saying that raw oysters are slimy and unpleasant without sounding like I have a closed mind about such things. Without lemon juice or a little hot sauce, I don’t know how people get them down their gullet. Their texture is slightly improved by grilling. Just about anything is palatable with a crunchy coating and bath in hot oil. My favorite part about the whole oyster thing was washing them, then learning how to shuck them!

It was nice to chat with everyone and get to know the neighbours by name, not that I’ll remember all of those names (the beach is packed). I wish I was better stocked for impromptu potlucks though so that I could have contributed to the spread.

After, Caroline and her husband invited me into their trailer for a chat. We should be neighbours for at least a few days. Caroline has been following my blog since the very beginning and we are pleased that our paths have finally crossed!

by

Shuffleboarding

As scheduled, the gang (B&S and L from Kansas, plus R&S from Colorado, plus moi) headed down to the saloon for a few games of shuffleboard this afternoon.

This was my first time playing. I discovered that I suck at scoring, but I have a natural gift for knocking the opponent off the board!

S from Colorado got me an awesome gift on the way out the door!

IMGP5842

It’s an insulated beer can holder. 🙂 I says, “I stole this from”, but she paid for it! I saw her! 😀

by

Errand Day

I awoke to a very grey and heavy sky, a good day to go for a drive, even a short one into town, to charge the laptop in the truck. My PayPal transfer had finally landed in my inbox, so a Walmart run was definitely in order. The couple of times I’ve gone into town lately with L as well as with S&B, I was able to duck into Walmart for a few things, but I was due for a proper grocery.

Another thing on my Walmart list was motor oil, but I decided to wait to get some and just go get an oil change even though the budget is super tight. I forgot that US prices for such things are reasonable, so an oil change wound up being just $33. Woohoo! They even vacuumed the cab for that price, a nice perk.

I picked up something interesting in the produce aisle, so I now have to Google “How to cook cactus but first, how the hell do I get rid of the spines on the dang thing?!” I will report back on this.

The beach gang is heading down to the saloon for happy hour tonight, so that will be a fun mid-week activity. I may learn how to play shuffle board….

by

A Useful Tool For Deep RV Compartments

I would like to introduce you to one of my favourite little gadgets, my Grabby Thingie:

IMGP5840

Officially, it’s a 36″ pick-up & reach tool.

I got this wonderful tool from Donna and Ken, whose RV should have really been named Ali Baba’s Cave.

As you can see, there is a handle at one end and a gripper at the other. You just squeeze the handle and the gripper closes to grab whatever you need to fetch that is beyond arm’s reach.

IMGP5841

This gripper is very strong. I have actually used it to pick up heavy tools like my hammer and drill from the main floor while working in the loft. The warning sticker that says to wear goggles while using it (LOL) puts its capacity is 2lbs. It also has teeth that actually grab the item.

I mostly use the gripper to grab things deep in my pass-through compartments so that I don’t have to empty everything out and then crawl in.

Donna claimed not have much use for it, so I don’t feel too guilty about having accepted the gift since I use it several times a week. 🙂