This Is What It Looks Like Te Be A 68 Year Old Coal Cracker

I am 68 and out of high school for 50 years. I moved out of Tamaqua 12 years ago to Tallahassee Florida. I am trying to figure out an angle for the story of my trip to the class reunion on Sunday.

I had a great time - I loved seeing everybody. I must let all the feelings settle down before I write. A story is coming.

We Bought New iPhones in Richmond

Here we are at the Apple Store new Richmond VA. We bought new iPhone 7's. I got flat black - Lulu got rose gold. We chose phones with 128 GB of memory.

Son Drew just did full restores for us - taking the data from our old phone to our computers and then back to the new phones.

We will be shortly selling two iPhone 5S's on Craigslist. Lightly used by two senior citizens :-)

Our Friends Just Spent 10 Days in Sunny Panama City Beach FL

Dick and Jan Davis - Coal Crackers from Tamaqua via Arizona - had a wonderful vacation with family at Panama City Beach.

I Am Selling This 2010 Coleman Travel Trailer For A Friend

I sold Joan's Motorhome. The buyer of her motorhome asked me to sell her travel trailer - so here it is. We are asking $10,000 for this 2010 Coleman 18 foot trailer. I wish it weighed a little less - because I would buy it and pull it with our Honda van. Although it is 6 years old - it is in perfect like new condition. It has a full bathroom including a tub. It has a full kitchen with both gas oven and microwave oven. It has a gas furnace - and an electric air conditioner with heat strip. It does not have a generator. It sleeps 7 people. This trailer weighs 4300 pounds - my Honda van can only pull 3500 pounds. Everything works. Nothing is worn. No dents - no scrapes - no scratches - no fading. It was kept under a car port its whole life. 

One time - when Lulu and I were building our home back in 1973 - we lived in an 18 footer just like this. My Mom used to say - Everhart's have gypsy blood in them. Don't say that too close to Hitler.

One Last Chance - Getting In Shape At 68

This is what 68 year old Harry looks like
after 20 minutes of pedaling


Sunny Health and Fitness Bike purchased
at Amazon.com


In the last 3 years - I have gained 35 pounds. It is very simple - I eat way too much - and exercise too little.

When I moved to Florida 12 years ago - Weighed 225 pounds. Through exercise and diet - I had reduced down to 190 pounds using a program on my iPhone called Tap and Track. I was so proud buying pants with a 34 inch waist. It seemed too easy. Lulu and I did it together - walking a lot and recording our food intake. Then we slipped.

In no time at all - I was back to 225 pounds - where I am today.

I have flat feet. So if I walk farther than 2 miles - my feet get sore. So I contacted my exercise expert - Dr Katy Tran. You may remember her when she was a tenant at our brick rental house - before we built our new home. Katy is now working for the Buffalo Sabres. She and her husband Jared are expecting a baby in December.

Katy suggested a stationary bike. She has been using a Sunny Health and Fitness Bike for 5 years. She suggested I try one. So I went to Amazon and for a little over $200 - I bought this ver professional machine.

I just got done my first 20 minute workout. Even though I exercised inside my air conditioned home - I am sweating profusely. I did not measure my heart rate but I felt it thumping. It is a long process - but it starts with one spin. It must be co-ordinated with eating less.

We are going away today for a week - to my 50th high school reunion. We will also ge tot see the kids and grandkids. So the bike will have to wait a week.

Jimbo Says It Was A Game Of Inches

After further research - I agree.

Our Electric Consumption - Tallahassee Public Utilities

Tallahassee Utilities is owned by the city. It makes 95% of our electricity using natural gas. 5% is made at our hydroelectric dam just west of town. Recently they reduced the price of electricity because the price of natural gas has fallen thanks to the process of fracking.

We use electricity to heat and cool this home. We do have a tankless gas water heater. We leave 14 LED bulbs on outside all night long.

Above is our chart of electric consumption and the cost. This is for a new home of 4600 square feet if you include the garage. Just 2 people live here. We spent Feb - Mar - Apr in Germany but we left the thermostat set at 75.

Tallahassee has been given awards for being the best publicly owned utility in America. I know it is comparing apples and oranges - but stack this up to your electric bill.

PS - This bill also includes charging our Nissan Leaf Electric Car every night.

GlowBowl Lights Up Your Bathroom With Smiles

We just had a great visit from Jan and Dick Davis - the Coal Crackers that now live in Arizona. They are always good for a great laugh. Their household gift of the GlowBowl just keeps on giving.

GlowBowl is very simply a light you put in your toilet. It is motion activated - whenever you "make a movement" the light comes on. It can be set for just one color - or be a medley of colors. The device hangs on the outside of the bowl. An internal reflection plastic tube carries the light into the bowl. The device is safely outside away from the water and contents.

Every time you use the bathroom you think of your friends that bought you such a device. "You light up my life."  Three AAA batteries were included.

Today Lulu and I Went to See Snowden - The Movie

If you are very concerned about your rights to privacy on the Internet and Cellphone - you will enjoy Oliver Stone's movie called Snowden.

You may recall that Edward Snowden was a computer genius that worked for the CIA and NSA. After years of working on the inside of the computer spy world - he chose to expose several government projects of paying on US citizens without a court order. This proved very embarrassing to the federal government. Snowden copied millions of government documents and traveled to Hong Kong. He then released the information to the world press.

While he was traveling from Hong Kong to Bolivia via Russia - the USA withdrew his passport and he was stuck in Russia. He claims he did not take any secret documents with him to Russia. Russia has allowed him to stay there. His girlfriend from the USA has moved to Russia to be with him.

The government wants Snowden to return and stand trial. Several groups are seeking a pardon for him.

It seems that director Oliver Stone followed the story pretty straight. Edward Snowden is covered sympathetically. Since his exposure - the government has passed laws disallowing monitoring of computers and phones without a warrant - but I am guessing all this stuff still goes on.

We went to the Sunday morning at 10 AM show for $5.50. Our AMC theatre has installed elaborate reserved seating - along with 8 way power seats.

Brother Jack Reviews The College Football Game Held At The Bristol NASCAR Track

Jack and Tami Cox

Bristol NASCAR Speedway - and 160,000 fans
watch football

Harry Comment - Lulu's brother Jack and wife Tami went to the football game at the NASCAR track in Bristol by their home. He wrote such a good report - I asked him to let me publish it. Here it is - 

The game at the Racetrack was more of a personal experience than having a good seat at a game to actually see the game well.  The place is so huge that all the seats are fairly far away from the field and some are so high it’s really hard to watch a game there.  We went because of all the hype and also everyone we know was going, so we made a full day party of it.  The parking and traffic was a disaster as getting to the track isn’t exactly easy in the first place.  I’m fortunate that I’m a local in that regard as I had things figured out about as well as one could.  Our Bristol Plant is just 5 miles up the road from the track, so I’m very

Jameis

Donald John Trump - A History

Coach Crackers - Dick - Jan - Carl - Marylou - Enjoy A Whirlwind Weekend in Tallahassee

We parked in front of Bobby Bowden's statue. The FSU Hall of Fame -
is behind this group of coal crackers

Wednesday night - Dick and Jan met FSU
Coach Jimbo Fisher at the call-in show.

Our pre-game party at Doak Campbell Stadium

Wednesday - It all started Wednesday when Jan and Dick flew into Panama City from their home in Arizona. I picked them up around noon and we drove home to Tallahassee. No sooner than we got into town - we went to see the Seminole girls win a Volleyball match against Baylor - and also beat UConn in soccer. 

Thursday - we enjoyed the opening of the movie - Sully - about the plane that landed in the Hudson River.

Friday -  Carl and Marylou completed a marathon drive from Tamaqua PA to join our party. 

Almost halftime 35-6

I think we go home at halftime and swim.

We went home after the band show at halftime. The men watched the rest of the game on TV and fell asleep on the sofas. The women went in the pool and solved the world's problems.

Seminoles Football Game

We have 6 great seats on the 40 yard line. Row 6. We are parked in Golden Chief lot 1. It is hot hot hot.

Noles scored first possession. Stadium is not full. Look like 10000 stayed home. Lots of empty seats around us.

Just scored again.

Still Without Internet

Is has been exactly one week since Hurricane Hermine hit Tallahassee. Although we got electricity the next day - some of my neighbor's are still in the dark. Trees down on houses and power lines is the story. Just too much for the city to clear. They have announced $10 million of damage. We lost nothing.

We still do not cable or internet but expect it today.

I have tons of pictures and stories to post when back online.

We have coal cracker visitors for tomorrow's game. Carl. MaryLou. Dick. Jan. If you do not know those names - you are not a coal cracker :-)

PS - Internet and Cable TV just went on at noon today.

Four Days After Hurricane Hermine in Tallahassee

This is our west neighbors' house. Ironically - she complained to me
about taking down pine trees. I must tell her that her
removing trees is ruining my sunset views.
The trees pointed southwest.

Lull and I are sitting in the local McDonalds - face to face on our laptops. Except for having no Internet at home - everything is pretty back to normal for us. We just had a late supper and are enjoying the free high speed Internet. I am surprised there is only one other family in here with us. 

Le me review the whole scene. On Thursday I deliver the motor home that was sitting in my driveway for two months. I had just sold it to Stuart and Sharon - they lived north of town. We knew the storm was coming and were just happy to get the camper under their carport. 

We went to bed early on Thursday night - maybe 10 PM. It had started to rain - but nothing unusual. I was out like a light. At about 11:30 PM I woke to notice the power was out. I fell right back to sleep and did not hear another thing until I woke up at 7 AM. I went outside in a mild rain to find a bunch of branches - leaves - twigs - and pine cones in our yard. It looked like pretty mild damage for a Class 1 hurricane. 

Camper Is Finally Gone - I Delivered It Just Now

New Coachmen on left -
older Coleman on the right

I would love a carport like that to support a
solar electric system

Today we went to the DMV and sold the camper. Then I delivered it did it to Sharon and Stuart's home. They have a really cool carport. The camper will be pampered under cover. Bring on today's hurricane.

They gave me a very nice compliment.  They asked me to sell their 2010 Coleman traveler trailer - shown in the picture. I said I would be happy to help.

As I type - Joan is on the way to the bank - with the check.