Asberry.org

Author: aron

  • Last Day in MA

    I’d like to say we did more but we’re here for a singular reason and to that end I believe we did well. It’s always sad when it’s time to say goodbye and you’re not sure when the next time we’ll see each other. We’ll try to get Sandy up here sooner rather than later, it will help with Brit moving to Erie I think, time will tell.

    So tomorrow is a travel day that will find us in Erie, PA. We’ll probably beat Brit and Z there. We’re planning on crashing at Shelly’s driveway but I’ll head to the cleaners to see if there’s a possibility to dock there. I should also have the starter and a place to change it so hopefully we’ll get that taken care of, it’ll be good to take that off my mind. And Sandy will be reunited with the kids and we’ll get to see the new house. So there’s some exciting things afoot when we get there.

    I did have some work to do today, it was a Linux TCC installation. Just 30 minutes and it went well enough. I’m hoping that there will be some work to do when it’s time to head back.

  • Sunday – Black Tank Maintenance

    I did tank maintenance today on the black tank of the RV. This isn’t a fun, pretty or pleasant smelling chore and not for the faint of heart but if you own an RV you don’t have much of a choice. It didn’t feel that the black tank was emptying completely and it seemed to fill quickly. So just the design of an RV system means you are not dislodging anything from underneath, that would lead to a special type of hell I just can’t imagine, or maybe I just don’t want to.

    So after draining it and running the ‘sprayer’ it still didn’t look like it was completely empty. So I filled it with water by wedging open the pedal on the toilet and spraying the shower hose in it. Loaded it up to full and then pulled the plug and you could tell it cleared. with the extra water it drained really well and all the way to empty on the readout. So far so good.

    Did that again and then did a visual inspection with the camera. So it seems that it drained properly but there was still solid matter on the side away from the drain. I think that may just be the nature of the game. Refilled and drained with the sprayer on but didn’t reinspect. I did add a bit of water and two biopacks to try to see if that will get rid of it with the rest of our stay here. Other tanks are fine and everything is holding up properly.

    Got a chance to walk up to the cemetery down the road. It’s super old, there was a veteran who actually fought in the revolutionary war. Amazing to think that those graves have been here since the beginning of the country. I also walked by and through the Mansfield East Common’s. Nothing much but it did have the WW2 memorial of those lost from the area, I was struck by the same last names, it looks like several families lost multiple sons. Kind of makes you think.

  • Hiking in Borderland State Park

    First a bit of a rant, while I enjoy the parks in MA, if Sandy’s mom wasn’t here I would avoid this state like the plague, what really grinds my gears is how unwelcoming this state is. To park and hike at this state park (any of them actually) you have to pay $5 if you have a MA plate and $20 for any other state plate…. WTF, really??? Four times the amount, to hike? That’s cold.

    In any case this turned out to be a good hiking place, it was an estate of 300 acres back in the day and there’s a mansion on the property and it’s been given to the state to maintain. Here’s the website for more information.

    Instead of hosting the gallery here, I’ve put it on the photo site here.

  • It’s Official, I’m a College Graduate!

    So unbeknown to me, you have to apply for graduation after you finish your last class. So long story short, I just got this email:

    Dear Aron,
    Congratulations, Graduate! Through dedication and diligence you have achieved your academic goals at Western Governors University (WGU). Your graduation date from the BSDMDA program is 9/23/2022. 

    So it’s really over and I am officially a college graduate. Wow. Better late than never and I’m very thankful that was lucky enough to be in a situation where the only struggle I had in getting the degree was will power (ha ha).

  • Rain Day to Catch up

    Goodness it’s been busy. Despite my best intentions I’ve had trouble updating every day so now that we’re hunkered down in MA, I took the day off so Sandy can hang out with her mom and I can just vegetate. It’s pouring rain anyways and it’s amazing to hang out in the RV and listen to it. Being close to Boston we get all their stations and they have Story TV which is playing in the background.

    We left the day I turned in my last paper and got the news I passed on the road so I don’t think its really set in that it’s over. That will come when I get back and the feeling of something hanging over my head will be gone. Part of me wants to get home to check it out. No more waking up in the middle of the night thinking I should get to that paper/project/whatever. I’m hoping that goes away but the more I think about it, it’s probably my nature to do that and if not school, something else will fill that gap, it’s up to me to make sure that whatever does fill that gap is positive and moving forward. The other reason it hasn’t set in is that really, the only thing the degree is good for is job hunting and I’m not hunting for a new job. I do admit that I’ve skimmed the job boards and am kind of giddy that I now possess both the degree and the desired experience years to make me a top contender for anything I’m a fit for. That feels good.

    So the primary worry on my mind now is the starter in the truck. It’s on it’s last legs and I’m hoping that it can make it to PA where I can replace it. I ordered the replacement and had it sent to Shelly’s and should make it there the same day that we do. I’ve got the tools to change it out I just need a place. So have the time, tools, and we’ll see about the talent. There are only two bolts that hold the silly thing on and I’ve made eye contact with where the starter lives but I’m not 100% sure how to get at it. I’m sure that by looking at the new one I’ll be able to figure out how to get the old one off. Other than that we’re still leaking oil from someplace but not too badly. I smell it so it’s leaking above the exhaust manifold but can’t really see anything. I’m thrilled that when we get back I’ll be able to actually work on it. We’re getting close to 8 miles per gallon so I can’t complain there, gas is still expensive but it’s pointless to bitch about it.

    The RV has been holding up great! The door to the bathroom and closet were squeaking but a bit of the water displacement formula forty (WD-40) worked like a charm and they’re silent. I’ve been shocked that I’m actually sleeping well on the dinette bed. We’re going to get a twin air mattress for it and at that point I dare say it’s really comfortable. Does make noise because of the plastic rim around the table. Will have to look at quieting that. Tanks are holding up as expected, always having to keep an eye on them but no issues. Got a really good outdoor mat to clean off shoes, it helps. The paint job on the nose of the RV has been pretty amazing, holding up great during the travels so far. Still has a great gloss.

    Well I’m on to try to back fill posts and put some pictures up. I’ll try to keep current.

  • Starting Our Stay in MA

    We were looking for something closer to Brockton that Wampatuck state park that we camped at last year and we found Canoe River Campground that’s just 22 miles away and is $20 dollars a night cheaper than the state park, also has water and sewer at the site. But (sigh) there are always tradeoffs. This is our neighbor and some shots of the ponds.

    So we’re kind of in the ghetto, but it’s not bad. A walk through the park revealed a mix of travelers and residents with the resident population leaning toward the non-affluent Caucasian refuse. But, in this case we’re not here for nature, we’re here so Sandy can be with her mom. And in this case we have a place to park the RV with all the hookups, life is good.

    After setting up camp and visiting mom, we went looking for a bite to eat and found Jimmy’s Pub. Super impressed by the burger, it was about as close to perfect as you can get. Sandy had the pastrami sandwich that was very tasty also.

  • Buffalo Wild Wings

    Dinner

  • Hanging With General

    It was a great day today, we met up with General at 9:30 and went to Fort Fisher, then took the ferry to South Port for coffee and lunch, took the ferry back and then hit the grocery store and back to his place for taco’s. Pictures soon.

  • Day 1 of Vacation

    Technically yesterday was a travel day and today is the first full day of vacation, had brunch with these beauties @ First Watch in Cumming, GA.

    Then we decided to do some hiking and took Jen’s advice and headed to Amicalola Falls state park. We did the hike to the top of the falls up the stairs and ‘ouch’ is the word that comes to mind. Take a look at the first picture of me and the last one, I don’t usually sweat that much…

    We went on this hike with no provisions, note to self, have your hiking bag packed and in the truck when you are on trip where hiking could be involved.

  • Vacation has begun

    Wow, it’s been a whirlwind already and we’ve only been gone a day!

    Started out at 11:42pm on Thursday night, drove pretty much strait through to GA. Had a stop over when we got to Alabama, crossing off another state and got a chance to fire up the generator and hook up the RV at a rest stop. Had AC and everything. The only issue was that after running, the generator is hot, too hot to put the cover back on it until it cools down but who wants to wait for that.

    We’re camped at Bald Ridge Creek campground. It’s a really nice place. Here are some pictures

    Jen just lives up the road so after we decompressed for a bit, we went there to see her an Kailyn. We went to dinner at Pueblos and got to meet her new boyfriend Matt. Should have got some pictures but I’m sure we’ll see them again before we leave.

    Hoping to run into Tony and Beth for lunch/dinner today, would be great to catch up with them.

    Still trying to process that school is done, as exhausted as I was I only slept about 4 hours before I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep. Oh well, this too shall pass and I’m super excited to get used to no stress.