Our Visit to Jimmy Carter in Plains - Americus - and Callaway Gardens

Lulu - Roslyn - Jimmy - Harry - Mount Rushmore

Lulu and I decided we would make a holiday visit to Plains to see President Jimmy Carter teach Sunday School. He no longer teaches in his boyhood church in downtown Plains. About ½ mile north of town is a small country church where he regularly teaches the Sunday School lesson. 

We arrived at our Americus Hotel at 3 PM Saturday - just in time to watch Florida State Seminoles beat Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. After that - we went to The Rylander Theatre just down the street - to see "Miracle on 34th Street." We got 4 row middle seats for $10 each. The Rylander is a really nice old theatre. The town of 17,000 is lucky to have it. After the show - we went right to bed - we had an early show on Sunday morning.

We woke up in our Americus hotel called the Windsor. It was building 1892 and was completely restored in 2009. The rooms are authentic with modern conveniences. The rooms still have high ceilings - oak doors - shutters - period piece oak furnishings. We got up at 5:30 AM - even though the church was only about 10 miles away. We stopped at a McDonalds for "to go" breakfasts. We wanted to get to the church first and get a low number. As we pulled into the parking lot - we were given number 31. Then we sat in our van until 8 AM when the doors opened. We had to line up like grade school kids - the Secret Service searched us - and we were inside and seated by 8:30. People continued to arrived right up until Sunday School at 10:00 AM. Everybody got seats in the main sanctuary. 

During the time we were seated - there were several helpers that reviewed protocol with the crowd. We were told what we could do and not do. Cameras were allow up until Jimmy started his lesson. The President asked crowd where they were from - there were many states and countries represented - after that - cameras away.

Carter delivered a very positive and humorous lesson. The crowd was spellbound including me. It was like history playing out before me. The former president talked about the installed array of solar panels on his property - 1.3 megawatts - more than enough to power Plains. It is not a big town. His degree is in nuclear science. He talked about how they removed his solar panels from the White House when he left. 

Lulu and I were lucky. Two seats in the front row became available and we quickly jumped to them. Jimmy entered through a side door - and I was not aware he was there until he stood up. 

Sunday School started at 10AM - then the regular church service was at 11 AM. For the church service - we were in the front pew directly in front of the pulpit. Jimmy and Roslyn sat one row behind us and to our right. If you wanted a picture taken with the couple - you had to stay for both services. Most did. 

It has been a long time since I went to Sunday School - about 50 years. Things have not changed much. I knew all 4 hymns they sang. They collected money during both services - God must need lots of money. It was very comforting seeing the many traditions of my youth still going on. The church is very plain - no pictures - very generic stained glass windows. It had a piano and an organ - each in opposite front corners - sometimes they played together. 

President Carter asked many questions of the crowd to keep the people involved. Generally they were leading simple questions. He talked about being on a ship in the Pacific in 1945 - and tuning in to listen to San Francisco radio. He asked the crowd what was the main topic that interested him on that radio. After the longest pregnant pause - no one answered - I had to blurt out "United Nations." He said "correct." The United Nations was founded in San Francisco in 1945. Jimmy was always interested in World Peace. That was the extent of my conversation with him.

President Carter is now 92. He looked trim - had a little of a hearing problem - he stood unsupported for 45 minutes. He still works with Habitat for Humanities which has its headquarters in Americus GA - right by our hotel. 

Tonight - we are in Callaway Gardens. They have a light show and trolleys to take you on a tour. We had a late lunch in downtown Pine Mountain - across the highway from the gardens. 

Windsor Hotel - Americus GA

Notice the slanted steps going up to our room

At one time - it was the only phone

Lobby fireplace

Soda fountain off lobby

Our room 329 - it reminds me of
staying at Mom's

Picture of hotel taken from Hylander Theatre

Lulu found the Christmas tree

Our hall in the hotel

Get me  to the church on time - 6:30

Portapotties in the church parking lot at sunrise

Lulu was number 31 in line as the sun rose 

That is my Sunday School seat. A full house.
The church only has 30 active members.
The rest were from all over the globe. 

Jimmy carved the collection plates

I thought the "JC" stood for Jesus Christ

Sunday School with Jimmy is a must see.
Will a president ever do something like this again?
It is 40 years since he was elected. 

President Carter

He was 3 feet away from me. I could smell his peanut breath :-)
How was just as gracious as one could be.
If Jesus would return to earth - he would be like this man.

Secret Service was not very secret

Spencer Snow - Our Billy Elliot Buddy

Every time we went to London - we used to go to see the show - Billy Elliot. One time we got to sit next to Spencer. He told us that he goes to the show once a week. He was a real fan - knew all the lines - and all the moves. Small world - one time we were in a restaurant - and Spencer was at the next table.

One time - I wrote a story about Spencer on my web page. A couple year later - we saw him at the show - he opened his bag - and had a print out of the story from my web page.

Like all men over 70 - he particularly likes Lulu. He remembers her better than me.

I saw this picture on Facebook - and just had to run the story again.

Here is the old story about Spencer -

Story of Spencer and Billy Elliot

Changes in Our Telephone - Internet - Television

This is our Comcast cable modem and
wireless router in the attic.
From the attic - it provides
 wifi over our entire lot.

One of my favorite funny movies is Planes - Trains - and Automobiles. It is about two business travelers played by John Candy and Steve Martin trying to find their way home through Thanksgiving  holiday travel troubles. Lulu and I travel a lot but we never experienced such travel tumult. I like to add Television - Telephone - Internet to the above list of travel issues. I would always tell Lulu to pick hotels that have - free parking - free internet - and free breakfast. 

We travel a lot in Europe and nothing helps better than having your cellphone working - internet for your computer - travel maps - and the ability to see television shows from back home. 

We just changed our ATT cellphone service. We used to have the ATT unlimited plan for $160 a month with tax for two phones. But we decided to try another service from ATT - one that does not require a contract - one that allows us to view our home television on our cellphone - one that turns our cellphone into a hotspot so that we could use our computers and iPads anywhere on the road. 

First off - our new service is $128 a month with tax for our two iPhone 7's. We bought the cellphones outright - no contract. That way when we travel the world - we can buy a local SIM chip - put it in our cellphone - and have local service and internet. In Germany we did that for as little as $20 a month per phone. 

Our present ATT service - is month to month - no long contract. We get 16 GB of data usage for $128 with tax. Any data not used in one month is added to the next month free. In the first 10 days of our month service - we used 1 GB between us. With that small usage we could choose another plan next month for even less money. Another bonus - since ATT and Directv are the same company now - any television usage over your cellphone is free of charge - no use of your data. In other words - on the road - like in a camper - you can hook your television to your cellphone - and have free Directv anywhere in the USA! If you had a vacation home - you could hook your cellphone to the TV by a wire or by bluetooth wirelessly - and have all the TV shows from back home. 

At home we have Comcast cable for our internet service. It is $75 a month with tax for internet and that includes basic cable TV. We do not use the basic cable TV  but have to pay for it. We do enjoy the 80 GBPS lightning fast internet. High up in our attic are our cable modem and wireless router. Having them so high up - they provide internet anywhere on our property. 

In the guest room - we have the main directv box - they call it Genie. With Genie - you can watch and record television programs on 4 different TV's in the house. Next to the Directv main box - we have an Apple express wireless router. It extends our network and also wirelessly connects to our Directv box. Directv cost $139 a month with tax. That covers 4 TV's and many sports and entertainment channels. They all can be watched at home on 4 TV's - but also can be watched on the road on our cellphones and anything connected to them. 

In our master bedroom we have another Apple wireless router. It catches the signal for the router in the attic and amplifies it for use downstairs. It is not needed - but it is nice. It also has a 500 GB hard drive in it that I have never quite mastered. I used to have it automatically back up our computer hard drives a long time ago - but I have since forgotten how to use it. 

One of the best features about our new ATT cellphone service is the hotspot. Lulu and I can be both traveling in different places - like Pennsylvania and Nevada. We can both use our cellphones as hotspots - no extra charge - and use our computers - iPads - etc. That gives you very fast internet connection in a hotel - in your car - on the beach - as long as you have cellphone service. 

All of the above is not cheap - Comcast home internet is $75 - Directv television is $139 - and ATT telephone is $128.  That is $342 a month with tax. But in Lulu's business - she must constantly be in contact with the whole world. Wherever we go - our phone service - internet service and TV service go with us. Now the only time we are off the grid is when we are in an airplane crossing the sea. 

This Directv Genie and Apple Express Router is
 in the guest room.This allows us to
watch our Directv on our cellphones.
Even in Europe - are able to connect
 the TV to receiveprograms from home. 

This is another Apple wireless router
called a Time Capsule. It extends our
 wifi network - but also
 has a hard drive to back up data. 

Our ATT services offers us 16 GB a month.
We only used 1 GB in the first 10 days.
Any unused data rolls over to the next
month.

Lionel Trains For Christmas

The Train

In the 1950s - it was a big deal on Christmas to set up a train yard. Usually it was an 8 foot by 4 foot piece of plywood propped up on saw horses. The plywood was covered with green paper that was supposed to represent grass. Next you fastened down sections of Lionel O Gauge train track - and placed a few Plasticville houses around to make a village. Finally - you drilled a few holes in the platform to put lights in the houses.  It was pretty simple - but it brought a lot of smiles to little kids faces - and to the faces of the parents and grandparents that remembered times of their youth during the holiday season. 

In the 1980s - we did it again. Not much changed - but the results were just as good. 

Now my sons have kids - and 30 years have passed - so we are going to get together to do it again. The kids and grandkids are coming to Tallahassee for Christmas. Kate - Jack - and Max are going to light up our house with joy. When I told my sons - I was going to set up a train yard - there was an air of disappointment. They said that I might want to wait until they were here to set it up. I have them hooked. 

My friends from Tamaqua - Carl - Bill - and Dick  - have been giving me pointers ever since. Jean and Marylou have been working on sources of booty. 

Not much track - 8 curve - 13 straight

The houses in boxes are from the 1980s

There houses in bags are from the 1950s.

We Almost Bought This Trailer

2012 Heartland MPG trailer

You can tell life has gotten boring when I write about things we almost did. Yesterday - we almost bought this trailer. It is a 2012 Heartland MPG. We have always loved RV's in the past and after selling that trailer we had here for a friend - I thought if I could find one to pull with our Honda - we would buy it.

This trailer in 19 feet long and weighs 2500 pounds. It sleeps 4 - and is fully equipped with AC - furnace - frig - stove - microwave - sink - and a full bathroom. It has a queen size and a full size bed. Yes - all in 19 feet - and all beds are floor level with no ladders to climb. It retailed for $18,000 new - after months of dickering we had the price down to $7000. It was kept in a pole building and hardly used.

What makes this trailer so light is that it is made with an aluminum frame - foam insulation - and fiberglass skin. The rounded top makes an aerodynamic shape and rain runs right off of it.

Our 2016 Honda Van is equipped with a hitch that can pull 3500 pounds.

Last night we went to bed with the intention of buying it this morning. But when we woke up - both of us questioned the purchase. Lulu is retiring in 3 years - but we have a lot of life between now and then.

With Internet deals - hotel prices and availability have really improved. We have enjoyed staying at first class hotels at heavily discounted rates. Also - nice hotels are available in downtown venues - close to nice parks - museums - and attractions.

In 1977 - Lulu - my Dad - Drew - and I spent 30 days circling the USA in a trailer even smaller than this. That time - we did not have a luxury Honda van to pull it - but a 1977 Chevy Chevette with no air conditioning. We are spoiled now - but it was nothing to drive 30 days in July - in the deserts and mountains out west - with no air conditioning.

On to the next adventure. The kids are all coming here for Christmas.

This Is My New MacBook - I Just Sold Old MacBook Air

Out with the old - in with the new

I just sold my old computer - Monday 9 AM - for $700.

Every two years I like to replace my Mac computer. I use my computer for many things - mostly writing email - managing my pictures - surfing the internet - reading newspapers - doing the family finances - watching television - listening to music - selling stuff on Craigslist - and having video chats with the kids and grandkids. I have done away with desktop computers a long time ago. I like to be able to take my computer to where the action is - and a good laptop is just perfect for me. 

Yesterday I bought a MacBook at Best Buy. With a coupon I paid $1249. The MacBook is smaller - lighter - faster - than my old MacBook Air. When I say old - I bought it just 2 years ago. It has served me well.

The new MacBook. This tiny laptop is just 8 inches by 11 inches. It is about ⅜ inches thick. It weighs just 2 pounds! Inside that package is 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The beautiful retina screen measures 12 inches diagonally. It has a full size keyboard and touchpad. The battery lasts about 12 hours per charge. 

MacBook

The biggest change on this new model is the number of ports - there are only 2. One for the headphones on the right - and one for the power cord on the left. The power cord port is a USB-C port. With adapters you can plug in a variety of things - scanners - flash drives - hard drives - computer chips - HDMI video out to TV. I wanted to have the latest technology - so I opted for this little 2 port wonder.

We travel a lot - and this little computer is perfect for that. It only weights 2 pounds - but mainly it is just a bit smaller and easier for packing. I may buy a neoprene sleeve to put it in my backpack for taking on the plane. It has a faster processor that makes it zing and also saves energy by not producing heat. The list price was $1299 but Best Buy is offering a student discount of $50. They accepted Lulu's FSU faculty card as proof. With flash storage of 256GB - I can store anything silently on board - no hard drive motors running.

MacBook Air

The old MacBook Air. Some people like to keep items unit they break down and then they buy a new one - and throw the old one away. At this time yesterday I was typing on my old laptop - wondering why I would ever want to replace it. It has 4GB of RAM and 128GB of flash storage. The computer has posted stories on my web page from - England - Germany - Italy - France - Spain - Netherlands - Belgium - Austria - Canada - Hawaii - California - Arizona. It has not failed me ever. 

MacBook a little smaller than
MacBook Air

MacBook Air is available to a new home for $700

Joe Maddon - Coal Cracker World Champion

Joey Maddon - the world champion coach - talks about living in Hazleton PA - coal cracker land. Tamaqua is 12 miles south of Hazleton.

FSU Womens Basketball

Our coaches seem very happy

80 Gallon - 5 Horsepower Compressor Sold for $600

80 gallon - 2 stage - 5 horsepower Compressor

My buddy Doug brought a compressor over all in pieces. It was rusty and dirty. He asked me to restore it and sell it - we would split the proceeds.

The compressor requires at 220 volt line because it draws 22 amps of power when it it running. I was able to use the 220 volt line I have to our garage for our Nissan Leaf electric car. Since the car draw 16 amps - when they would both go on - it would exceed the 30 amp circuit breaker and shut down.

The compressor worked very well. The 80 gallon tank would cycle off at 190 pounds per square inch. There were plenty of regulators and filters on it for 4 air hoses. It is cool using a compressor to sand and paint itself.

After a day of sanding - painting - and assembling - it looks pretty good. It also ran very well. I listed it on Craigslist - it took about 5 days to sell. 6 people called about it - the second person to view it bought it. It took 3 of us last night to load it on a pickup - bound for Havana FL. I had to call 2 buyers that were coming in the morning - to tell them it was sold. $600.