2013 REMEMBRANCES

The year 2013 is only hours away from fading into the sunset, and for the most part, it was a good year for us.  We got settled into our new home on the outskirts of Tucson, made an 8,000+ mile trip to Alaska in the motor home, and enjoyed being only minutes away from part of our family.

Even though we made the physical move from Lake Havasu City in late 2012, it was during the early part of this year that we started getting everything organized, including the finishing of a 48'x32' garage to hold all of our stuff.  Due to a county building restriction of 1,500 square feet, I wasn't able to have the garage built large enough to house the motor home, but eventually, it will have a protected parking place under a new metal building on the other side of the house. 

We returned to Alaska after a 6 year absence, and except for a sick kitty (Gracie), and some dental problems, it was a fantastic trip.  We were gone for 5 months, covering a lot of ground, and seeing many old sights, along with some new ones as well.  I think the highlight of the trip was spending over a week in Skagway, Alaska, our old summer home from 2004 - 2007.

For the last several months, we've been busy with projects around the old homestead, and even though there have been times when I felt like firing up the diesel engine in the motor home, we've enjoyed being home, and spending a lot more time with Marc, Chandra, and Laila.

Speaking of Laila, the kids came out for pulled pork sandwiches yesterday evening, and I must admit, with a little of Ray's famous BBQ sauce, they were pretty darn good!  Marc & Chandra are flying to CA this morning, and we have our Granddaughter Laila for the next several days.

A special thanks to Patty's brother Michael, for redesigning the blog header, to include the newest member of our family, the Snoopy cat, along with a new picture of Patty.  I decided to debut the new graphics one day early, and am kind of up in the air regarding the daily morning post schedule that I've been following for quite some time.  The original idea for doing this blog, was to keep our family and friends up to date with our travels, and adventures.  I also wanted to create a written record of part of our life, along with my views and observations regarding a range of subjects.  With each years blog turned into a book, the 2013 book will be the fifth that each of our 3 boys will have received, and that might be just about enough.  I never intended on doing this forever, but, in a way, it's kind of taken on a life of its own, but at some point becomes a bit redundant.  We'll see how the wind blows during the coming year, and in the meantime, I'd like to wish everyone a Happy 2014. 

A WEEK TO GO

By this time next week, we'll be in Indio, CA, at the Western Regional Family Motor Coach Ass'n (FMCA) RV Rally.  Since joining the FMCA Golden Spike Chapter several years ago, this is an event that we have not missed.  I think we have close to 20 rigs signed up, and it's always fun when we get together with our train enthusiast friends.

We've been working on getting the motor home ready to go after being parked for the last 3 months.  I finished sanitizing the fresh water system yesterday, and have about half of the outside either cleaned and/or cleaned and waxed.  Taking our new cat on it's first motor home trip is causing us to be a little bit apprehensive, due to her ability to find the darnedest places to hide.  We've twice taken her out to the RV while working inside, and even though she's been looking for that perfect hiding spot, so far, we haven't had to call out the cavalry to find her.

Starting this evening, we're keeping Laila for the rest of the week, while Mom and Dad take a New Years trip to CA.  When they return this coming weekend, we'll be hitting the road for Indio, Yuma, then Quartzsite. 

I smoked two more pork butts yesterday, and discovered that it takes longer to cook two, than it did one.  I put them both in at 5:30am, and one had reached 180 degrees 12 hours later.  The second one took 13 hours to cook.  By the time they sat wrapped in foil for a couple of hours, and I had finished pulling the meat apart, it was time for bed.  When the kids bring Laila out this evening, guess what's on the dinner menu?  You guessed it, smoked, pulled pork sandwiches.

A PERFECT BUTT

At 3:30pm, 10 hours after going into the Bradley Smoker, the 8lb pork butt had reached an internal temperature of 180 degrees.  The next step was to first wrap it in foil, then in a towel, before putting it in a small ice chest for another 3 hours.  At 6:30, I took it out of the cooler, and started separating the meat from the fat, and the bone.  It was done perfectly, with the meat being tender, moist, and tasting pretty darn good! 

When I had finished, I ended up with about 4 1/2 pounds of nice, stringy pulled pork, from what started out as an 8lb roast.  With a little BBQ sauce,  I think a pulled pork sandwich just might be on the lunch menu today.

 Two more butts went into the smoker at 5:30 this morning.

While the meat was cooking, both Patty and I were busy with different projects on the motor home.  One of my annual chores is to flush out the hot water heater.  The mineral rich water here in Arizona is the source of lots of calcium deposits, not only in places like the water heater, but around faucets, on shower heads, and just about anyplace where you have running water.  This simple hose attachment gets into the drain hole of the water heater, and does a pretty good job of flushing out most of the minerals that have accumulated inside the tank.

The white stuff on the side of the motor home is only a small sample of what came out of the water heater.  

Some water heaters have anode rods that attract the minerals, and the rods have to be changed on a regular basis.  Our brand does not, and this is the process that keeps the tank relatively free of calcium buildup.  I remember one summer in Skagway, Alaska, one of the work campers was complaining that his water heater had stopped working.  When we started to diagnose the problem, I asked him when was the last time he had changed the anode rod.  His reply of "never" gave me a clue as to what was the problem.  When I finally was able to unscrew the drain hole plug , the rod that was supposed to be attached,  had completely disintegrated, and the water heater tank was full of calcium deposits.  We were able to clean it enough to get it working, but I suspect that a new water heater wasn't too far down the road for that RV.  

More maintenance and cleaning today, then a must see football game between the S.F. 49ers, and the AZ Cardinals.

PREPARING THE "BUTT"

The 8 pound pork butt just before going in the smoker.

 

I sort of had an inkling, that there was another universe out there, having to do with all things related to slow cooking with a smoker.  When I spent some time on the Bradley forum, and checked out a few other Internet sites yesterday, I came away with my suspicions confirmed - if not a universe, there IS indeed another world out there!  By the time I read  a few recipes, learned that there is no universal cooking method, and discovered that there are as many cooking techniques as there are opinions, I walked away from the computer thinking there must be an easier way.

Thanks to Nancy, and her communications with fellow blogger Dennis, she forwarded his tried and true method for cooking a Pork Butt in his Bradley Smoker, and the fog started to clear just a little.  Rather than use a prepared rub, I decided to put together all of the ingredients commonly known as "Jan's Rub", so it was off to the grocery store to pick up the spices that we didn't have.  When we got back home, we mixed it all together, and I rubbed it all over my Butt, oooopppps, all over THE Butt.  I sealed the spices into the meat with Saran Wrap, and put it in the fridge over night.  This morning, I took it out, letting it get closer to room temperature, and then put a coat of mustard on top of the rub.  It went into the smoker at 5:30am, and based on 1 1/2 - 2 hours per pound, it should be done sometime late this afternoon, or early evening.  If this one turns out OK, then the other two that we picked up on sale a couple of days ago, will get the same treatment.  Stay tuned.........................

CLEANING THE OTHER HOUSE

When we returned from our summer Alaska trip, the motor home got parked, and except for moving it from the front yard to the side of the house, the wheels haven't turned.  Other than clear out a bunch of clothes, and food, we haven't done much else inside, or out.  That neglect came to an end yesterday, as we began the task of doing some serious cleaning.  We'll continue our cleaning efforts for the next several days, before heading to CA in early January.

Before starting on the motor home, we took a trip into town, and did some shopping .  I picked up 3 pork roasts on sale at Fry's, and one, or perhaps all of them will go in the smoker this morning.   Hopefully, we'll have some delicious pulled pork this afternoon.

CHRISTMAS 2013

The first order of business yesterday, was to get up, and get over to Marc, Chandra, & Laila's house, knowing that Santa Claus had already paid them a visit.   By the time we arrived, everyone was out of bed, and Laila was all over her new Barbie house, complete with two elevators.  We waited to open all of the presents until later, after we had finished breakfast.  Patty made a french toast casserole, and Claudia made an egg casserole that's called something else.  Both were delicious!
 

After breakfast, and after we put the turkey in the new Bradley Smoker, Laila became the distributor of gifts.  There were plenty to go around, and it wasn't very long before the front room was filled with empty boxes and wrapping paper.

Of course, Miss Laila received the most gifts, ranging from lots of new clothes, to a new Barbie Motor Home from Grandma & Grandpa.  By the time the space under the tree was empty of brightly colored, gift wrapped boxes, everyone had something new.
 

 

 Laila and Mom were busy fixing some fruit for breakfast.

The 10 pound turkey went in the smoker a little after 10am, and after cooking for a little under 5 hours, it came out nice and brown, and looked delicious.  This being our first experiment with the new contraption, we relied more on the meat thermometer that was stuck in the breast.  It read 170, and was done perfectly, but part of the lower bird wasn't quite done.  After Patty carved off the breast meat, the rest of the bird went into the oven for another hour. 
 

I think I'm going to like this new way of cooking meat, as the turkey breast was nothing short of incredibly good!.  It was moist, it had a distinctive smoky flavor, and the taste was far different than your average oven cooked turkey.

 Miss Laila in her new cowgirl outfit from Aunt Claudia, and Uncle Marty.

The day spent with part of our family was about as good as it gets, and would have only been better, if our other two boys, Mike & David, could have been with us.  We have a lot to be grateful for, and yesterday was a truly special time with our loved ones.

A CHRISTMAS EVE SURPRISE

Well.........sort of, but what a story!  I'll try and fill in the blanks, without going into too much detail.  Let's start from the beginning, when quite some time ago, I decided that an electric smoker was something that I wanted, and I started doing some research on the different brands.  I know a few people who have them, and when our pal Nancy recently got one, the intensity to be an owner ratcheted up a couple of notches.  According to most critiques on the different manufacturers, the Bradley Smoker is recognized as one of the best, and that's the brand that Nancy had just purchased.  That's the one I decided that I had to have.

A few weeks ago, I found an ad on Craigs List, that was exactly what I was looking for, a brand new original Bradley Smoker with cover, for $265.  That's over $100 less than the store price, so I called the guy up, and made arrangements to go look at it.  That same day, Marc, Patty, Laila, and I went to the fairgrounds for an RV show.  Patty had been making subtle reminders that Christmas was just around the corner, but I was tuned out, and focused on this Craigs List screaming deal.  When I told Marc at the RV show, that I was probably going to buy this smoker, he had no choice but to tell me that Santa Claus had already taken care of my desire to be a smoker chef.  Crap!  I had just spoiled an attempt by my family to surprise me on Christmas.

 
Flash forward to yesterday, and even though we weren't opening any gifts until this morning, I was told that I had to open the big box under the tree.  I thought I knew what was inside the colorful wrapping paper, but when I got to the box, it didn't say Bradley, and I must admit that I was quietly disappointed.  That is......until I dug deeper, and discovered that there was indeed a brand new, original Bradley Smoker neatly packaged inside a competitor's box.  This attempt at deception, even though quite brief, was entirely successful!  Yea, I was the proud owner of something that I had wanted for quite awhile, and when I heard the rest of the story, I was even more humbled by my family's attempt to surprise me on Christmas.

Marc started to tell me the process that had unfolded prior to yesterday, and in a nutshell, here's what happened.  Just prior to the RV show, in cooperation with Patty and our other two boys, Dave in CA, and Mike in GA, Marc had purchased a non Bradley smoker at Lowes, and that's why he had told me in so many words, not to buy the one on Craigs list.  During our short conversation at the fairgrounds, I told Marc that I considered the Bradley to be the "Cadillac" of smokers, and I guess at that point, he decided that the other brand he had purchased just wasn't going to cut the mustard.  When he left the fairgrounds, he called the guy on Craigs List, and the Bradley was still available, so he drove half way to Phoenix, and negotiated a $200 purchase price with the seller.  Just to put that number in perspective, when I talked to the guy on the phone, he told me that he was firm on the $265 price, and he wasn't willing to negotiate.  When Marc returned the other smoker to Lowes, he somehow managed to keep the box, and the new Bradley fit perfectly inside.  Mission accomplished, and to say that I was impressed with the whole story would be quite the understatement.  A huge thanks to Patty, Marc, and Chandra, and to my other kids - Mike & Dave, for a Christmas present, and a story that I will remember forever! 

 Thanks to Marty and Claudia, we dined on Dungeness Crab last night.

 Uncle Marty and Laila.

 

From the left, family friend Pete, Aunt Claudia, Marc, and Laila.

 Chandra and Patty.

Pete and Marc.

Oh, almost forgot, the main reason for getting the smoker out of the box yesterday, is because it's being used to cook the turkey today for Christmas Dinner. 

KITES, FONDUE, AND GIFTS

The wind was blowing pretty good yesterday morning, so it seemed like a good time to bring the kites out for some exercise.  I hadn't flown my Snapshot 1.9 since we were on the WA coast, and we last flew Laila's kite here at the ranch several weeks ago.  My solo attempt with the Snapshot did nothing but tangle the dual lines, so Laila and I put the kites in the truck, and headed down to the local school, where there was more room, and no obstacles.

After flying the Snapshot for a few minutes, I put it away, and got Laila's octopus  kite in the air.  While Laila was watching the Snapshot move my 200+ pounds around, she was afraid her kite would do the same thing.  After some reassurance that she wouldn't be pulled into the wild blue yonder, she took control of her kite, and flew it for quite awhile.  When we both tired of our heads being tilted skyward, we headed back home.

When Marc got off work, he and Chandra came over for a Christmas Eve, Eve, fondue dinner that Patty had planned for several weeks.  I BBQ'd a couple of top sirloin steaks, cutting them into small cubes, while Patty fixed the cheese recipe.  Our cheese dipping menu consisted of streak, shrimp, sourdough french bread, and broccoli, topped off with a desert of strawberries, apple chunks, marsh mellows, and bananna slices that we dipped in chocolate.  Yummy in the tummy!  By the time we finished desert, we were all stuffed.  Just before desert, we dug into our individual stockings, and opened a few gifts.

This afternoon, we'll be heading over to the kids house, where we'll be joined by Marc's Aunt Claudia, and her husband Marty, who we haven't seen since last Christmas.  Tomorrow is Christmas Day, and we'll get up bright and early for a return trip to Marc & Chandra's, to see what Santa Claus left for Miss Laila. 

IT'S A SMALL WORLD

If patience is indeed a virtue, then I think we must have rescued one of the most virtuous cats in the known universe!  She's almost like a rag doll, while Laila carries her all over the house, and only occasionally does she insist on escaping to the safety underneath one of the beds.  Most of the time, she's perfectly content to be in Laila's lap, as these pictures show, and there's never any claws, or biting.
 

Our morning started off pretty slow, with lots of play time with the kitty, some cartoons on the tube, then a bacon, egg, and pancake breakfast.  We decided to head into town, and check out the miniature museum that we both had read a lot about.  By the time we made our way into Tucson, it was 11am, and we discovered that the museum didn't open on Sunday until noon.  We found a pet store, and a WalMart to kill some time, arriving back at the museum shortly after they opened.

The Tucson Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures, is a collection from around the world, dating as far back as 1775.  Over 275 houses, and rooms are displayed in a very modern, and well designed building.  Some of the detail in these what I call "doll houses", is nothing short of amazing!  Unfortunately, no flash photography is allowed, so many of my non flash pictures were either blurry, or there simply wasn't enough light. 

 

 Located near the main entrance, the front of this building opened automatically every few minutes, revealing several rooms filled with miniature furniture and people.

Laila is standing over an entire town of miniatures, with one of the displays being a Harley-Davidson snow village, the same as we have in our living room.  The closeup picture that I took of the H-D gas station didn't turn out, but it was located just a little to the right of where Laila is standing.

When  we got back to the ranch, I watched a pretty good football game, where the Arizona Cardinals kept their playoff hopes alive by beating the Seattle Seahawks.  Laila and Grandma were busy with other projects, and before we could say 2 more days until Christmas, the day had slipped away, and it was time to hit the sack.

A GRANDDAUGHETER WEEKEND

Who needs dolls when you have a cat to play with?

 

Miss Laila started her Christmas vacation, and a last minute plan was hatched for her to stay with us for a couple of days.  The main reason to get her away from the house was so that Santa Claus could build a special something without prying eyes.  Marc, and Chandra will join us tomorrow for dinner, and pick up Laila.  Marc's Aunt Claudia, and her husband Marty, will be driving down from Phoenix, and will be staying for a couple of days.  We're looking forward to spending the holidays with part of our family.

Grandma got out the craft box for some projects.

Before I picked up Laila, Marc and I went to the second gun show in as many weekends.  For me, it's worth the price of admission, just to look at all of the things on display, and for sale.   We found one vendor who was selling ammo at about 1/3 or 1/2 the price of everyone else, and we both purchased several boxes.  I found another "boonie hat" with a wider brim, for better shading the sun when I'm working outside.  This was a smaller show at the Tucson Expo Center, and when we were finished buying and browsing, we first tried IN N OUT for lunch, but the place was packed.  Our second choice was the Silver Saddle Steak House, and both of our steak sandwiches were excellent.  

Not sure what's on the agenda today, but there was some talk about checking out the miniature museum downtown, or possibly another attraction that none of us has yet experienced.