Candlelight Wheels & Wings Show

On Sunday we decided to go to the Wheels and Wings Show at Candlelight Farms Air Field. Since the TR-8 had been previously cleaned up for pictures and we could save 50% on tickets by attending the show as competitors rather than spectators; we said what the heck.

Our TR-8 was entered in the British car section which contained about 15 English cars. The car showed well but we didn't stick around to see how the judges placed us. I doubt we would have won anything as I do not have the time or desire to detail a car to the degree that is necessary to win in these shows. We just wanted to have a good time and not work a full day in hopes of bringing home a dusty trophy.

The "general" category is often the most interesting at a car show. Here we have a WWII Jeep, a farm tractor and an Airstream motor home.

The firepower this little Jeep carried was impressive. It sports both .30 and .50 caliber mounted machine guns. There's a Thompson machine gun on the hood as well as a rocket launcher, M16 and hand grenades. The owner fired blanks in the .30 caliber from time to time. This was definitely a crowd pleaser!

This 33 year old Airstream has everything you would find in a modern RV. Nice layout and a full bath as well.

What a gorgeous setting! Acres and acres of mowed grass and a body of water at the end of the runway. It looks like a scene from the early twentieth century. You can have a ride for about $45.

What to do with Old Photos?

What will we do with hundreds, perhaps thousands of old photos and albums? I think everyone has hoards of old pictures that will rarely ever be viewed, if ever. However they are something you can't simply carry out to the trash much as we would like to. We can't carry them around in a motorhome and we've agreed not to pay for storage for anything. One thought was to digitize them but the tedious job of scanning them one at a time with a flat bed scanner is daunting. Then I found Panadigital:

The Panadigital scanner was $79.95 on Amazon. Actually it cost me $39.95 because they gave me a $40 credit for applying for their credit card. I am a big fan of Amazon; where else can you get the best price, free shipping and no sales tax? Anyway, the scanner needs no computer to use because it stores the scans on an SD card. You can then move the images to your computer when the card is full. It's so easy you can do it while watching television!

This is just the tip of the iceberg. When we get into the attic there will be hundreds more!

Two Homes (One For Sale)

It's been an intense six weeks of hard work but we finally got our house "on the market". Actually our punch list still isn't finished but we're lookin' good nuf! Little did we know when we first met with Realtors six weeks ago we would be doing perk tests, repainting three rooms, expanding our landscaping, painting our soffits & gable ends as well as a number of other things. Oh, and wouldn't you know it, our water heater burst and had to be replaced. We got a warranty replacement at no charge but I still had to do the installation. It seems another item gets added to the bottom of the punch list every time we cross one thing off. Now at least we will get some market exposure while we hopefully finish things up. Of course in this market it is difficult to predict what will happen. Within a quarter mile of us it takes the fingers of both hands to count the number of houses for sale here. Not good; but we have one thing none of those other houses have. Hopefully our special view will be our trump card. click photos to enlarge

Over the years I took many photos off our deck which were saved for just such an occasion. We gave the Realtor a CD loaded with photos like these. Later that evening she emailed us after she opened the file with this response: "WOW! DAMN, THESE ARE GOOD!"

Between the ginormous "to do list" and ever present pressure to be listed in the spring market it has been impossible to relax here at home. After working a typical 15-20 hours over the week end we have however been able to escape to the motor coach, camped 25 miles away. It has become sort of a second home, or getaway; one that does not need work! Sunday night we stayed there and actually overslept, something we haven't done before while camped there. I remember falling asleep thinking about the powerful diesel engine just inches beneath our mattress. This powerful motor can push our 28,000 pound home on wheels anywhere in North America we want to be. Isn't that amazing?

Although our bedroom in the motorhome is not that large it still has a queen size, sleep number bed which is better than what we currently have at home. The rich cherry paneling and cabinets give this room a cozy intimate feeling.

In contrast our bedroom in the stix and brix house is bright, open and airy with a huge skylight right over the bed. We have watched many birds fly by, storms roll in and snow pile up while never getting out of bed. We are so fortunate.

RV Cooking

I sometimes wonder how living in a motorhome full time will change how we cook. The RV has no conventional oven but instead a combination microwave/convection oven. We've used this a couple times but still need to learn its advantages and shortcomings. We also don't have the space to carry all our kitchen accessories like the deep fryer, mix master, meat grinder, etc. Many of these things are seldom used anyway. One thing we will bring along for sure is the bread machine.


I used to use the bread machine with the prepackaged bread kits but lately I am baking from scratch as per a recipe. To this whole wheat loaf I made last night I added oat meal, almonds, pine nuts and pumpkin seeds. It is crunchy; the way I like it!