"The Moth" - Day 1163 (Year 4, Day 68)

Clarksville, IN / Louisville, KY

As I'm typing this, I realize I always pronounced the KY city as Looey-ville.  Natives here say Loo-ah-vul.

No, the title is not in any way related to "Mothra," the Japanese movie of a monster moth.  If any of my readers listen to NPR, it is a nationwide organization of storytellers (see www.themoth.org).  Basically, you start at the ground level ("StorySlam") and if you are the winner, you proceed to the next level ("GrandSlam") until you finally proceed to the national level, where, if you win there, your story will be broadcast on the radio show and performed live in the headquarters in NYC.  Stories are true & real and come from the heart.  They can be extremely funny, heart-warming, horrific.  They can make you laugh or cry. (** Dad and Linda - if you're reading this, it would have been awesome to tell our story 17 years ago.  Then again, it's never too late!)

We were fortunate to get tickets to a local performance of StorySlam.  Every month (in about 10 states), they have one such performance.  There is a given theme: this month it was "caution."  If you arrive early enough, anyone can register to come up on stage to tell their related story.  Only 10 people get to tell, so if there are more, names are picked out of a bag.  There are 3 sets of 3 judges, so the person who gets the most points gets to go to the next level of competition (against others from other states).  The next StorySlam at the end of Sept has the theme of "schooled".  Unfortunately, I can't think of any stories in my own life to tell, that can take up 5 minutes on that topic.  But if we're still here, it will be fun to attend.

Here are 2 photos:  a selfie and a photo of one of storytellers.  The board behind him is where they kept track of everyone's scores.

  

A museum day - Day 1161 (Year 4, Day 66)

Clarksville, IN / Louisville, KY

Not much to report on for the rest of last week.  Services were lovely and there was a nice kiddush lunch in honor of a baby naming and another baby born within the past month.

We had promised ourselves that we would try as hard as possible to use every Sunday to do fun stuff since we both work so hard during the week and it's the only opportunity we have to explore the myriad things to do in the area.

There is a place in downtown Louisville called "Museum Row" which houses a bunch of museums (history, science & art), as well as a few distilleries (Evan Williams, Peerless) and the Performing Arts Center.  Each place has it's own $10+ admission fee but there is an offer to purchase a ticket that lets you into everything, which basically comes out to about 50% off.  So we decided to go that route since many of the places on that ticket were places we wanted to visit anyway.  Also, downtown Louisville is only about 10 minutes away.

We started out the day on Sunday, after my doing a load of laundry, with my getting a haircut (they didn't open until 11:00, but the museums didn't open until noon, so it worked out perfectly).  The plan was to visit the history museum and then Evan Williams.  We took our urb-es with us and found that riding them around downtown was very enjoyable, as the sidewalks were wide and mostly even, and there was practically no one walking there.  Some photos of the downtown area (way back, when the downtown was built, it was predominantly an industrial area for the tobacco industry):

    

This is a photo of the Louisville Slugger Museum.  We didn't visit there (yet) but I love the Louisville Slugger baseball bat which is taller than the building!



We arrived at the Frazier History Museum at 12:30 pm and didn't leave until 4:30!  So much to see and do there; such an amazing place (if you're into history).  It could have been much more as they had an exhibit (a movie and an entire floor) devoted to The Hunger Games.  It's not something we ever read or watched, so we chose to skip that.  Mostly we spent our time between 2 other exhibits:  Lewis & Clark and Prohibition, 2 major events that affected this area of Kentucky.

  


I was extremely impressed by the way the museum was set up, with  many interactive exhibits.  So much scenery and sound effects to make it seem so real!  Besides learning so much, you really felt like you were part of the history. Kudos to the curators.

To prove the point, in the Lewis & Clark exhibit:
 
  

(not sure if you can see the bear behind me in the background "attacking" me!)

And in the Speakeasy part of the Prohibition exhibit - the "bartender" doing some card tricks (we actually played a betting game that folks back then would have played, that required no real thought -- kind of like the game of War but with betting):



Had to love this one:



In that exhibit, they played different music depending on what room you were in.  I never realized that "Happy Days are Here Again" was based on the end of Prohibition!  Does make a lot of sense though.

By the time we finished going through the museum, based on both the hour and our exhaustion levels, we decided it was time to go home.  Perhaps we'll go to Evan Williams and maybe another museum next Sunday.  Meanwhile, looking forward to another work week (not liking having to work, but very grateful to G-d that we have a livelihood and can work).

Solar Eclipse experience - Day 1155 (Year 4, Day 60)

Clarksville, IN / Louisville, KY

I wish I could say our experience was similar to many others who have posted in social media, having been somewhere in the path of totality (this being the "great eclipse of 2017" where most of the US witnessed a total eclipse of the sun.  Our area was 96%).

Several weeks ago, we saw special viewing glasses in the supermarket.  It was on a day when I read about all these scams and counterfeit glasses, so I was hesitant to buy something I didn't know was on the approved list.  Mitch felt otherwise but didn't follow his gut and agreed not to buy them.

Later that week, we visited the distillery where we learned they were having a free solar eclipse party on their rooftop patio (open bar & food), glasses included.  They said it was open to anyone and didn't mention that we needed reservations, so we were planning to go and show up a little early.  The previous day I contacted them to find out what time they suggested we be there.  They said the rooftop was filled to capacity (we did need a reservation after all) but we could view on their promenade patio as long as we brought our own glasses.  By now, this was totally impossible.

So Mitch came home early and we made a few pinhole viewers out of cardboard boxes.  It really wasn't that great.  However (I can't explain the science behind it) you can see the shape of the eclipse through the shadows cast between the leaves on the trees.  We are surrounded by trees and the shadows cast on the ground and reflecting on the truck cast hundreds of crescent shapes!  We also found that if we created a small hole with our clenched hands, we could also see the shape.  It was pretty spectacular, although nothing like viewing the actual eclipse.  It didn't get dark either but the brightness level got much dimmer.  It was kind of surreal.

There was a winning side to this, however.  One of my best friends from college -- Mindy -- traveled with her boyfriend from NYC to their closest point of totality, which was Nashville, TN (I also learned that my sister Amy was there as well).  I hadn't seen Mindy in ages (it's been so long I've lost count, but at least 5 years).  She looked at a map and discovered that Louisville was only a 2-1/2 hr. drive from Nashville and decided they'd take a little detour and come visit with us overnight.  They left Nashville around 2:30 and predicted they'd be here around 5-6ish.  No one counted on how horrific the traffic would be, and they didn't arrive until 9:30 pm!  I brought in some vegetarian Chinese takeout (yes, went off my diet, but back on today).  Unfortunately, we all had to get up early in the morning, so we couldn't pull an all-nighter (Mitch turned in at 10:30; the rest of us at 11:30).  It was a fantastic and intense and sadly way too short visit.

Some photos of the shapes thru the leaves.  Cool, but nothing like the real thing.
   

I also had a chance to walk around the campground.  Here are a few photos:

Fairly spacious sites, at least in our section of the park.  They get much closer on the other side:

  

The little lake that's part of the property.  You have to cross a field to get there:



The bigger lake behind us.  There's a fence all around and you have to pay to use it.

Long, tiring day - Day 1153 (Year 4, Day 58)

Clarksville, IN / Louisville, KY

We did indeed get the truck back on Friday afternoon, so we were able to tow ourselves to the next campground, 5 miles north of where we were.  We woke up at 8:00 am, and were packed and hitched by 9:15 am.  I did the driving.  For something that should have been so easy (just heading up the road), we didn't get settled in until about 11:30 (we pulled into the campground at 9:30 am).  First, it took a bit of time to get out of the campground because the site and internal roads were so narrow.  Mitch had to walk in front of me and guide me which way to turn the wheel so I wouldn't crash into any of the parked cars which were in front of their respective RVs.

The drive was uneventful - as I said, pretty much just up the road.  However, pulling into our pull through site (which should just be 1-2-3, like pulling a car into a parking spot) took quite a while because of several obstacles: a tree and 2 wooden posts in the way.  It took a lot of maneuvering to get situated just right.

I can't really give much of an impression of the campground yet; hopefully I'll have a chance to go out and explore over the next day or 2 (and take some photos).  It's certainly an improvement over the last place -- there are lots of trees and grass and a lake (pond?) on either side of us.  Sites are very close, but due to a tree in the middle of the site next to us, no one can park there so it seems like we have a ton of room on our side (if someone was there, we'd probably be within inches of each other).  But as I said, I'll get out to explore before passing judgement.

After getting settled, I had some laundry to do and Mitch took a nap.  At about 12:30, we had a few errands to run, so we went to Staples (to ship some equipment he had to return to his company), then CVS (a rx for me was ready), then we stopped at Denny's for a quick bite, then Walmart for some groceries.  We got home around 4:15 pm.  Then unpacking, continuing with the laundry and assorted other household stuff.

This area of Clarksville, IN reminds me a bit of Raleigh/Cary with nothing but malls and shopping centers all over the place.  So many places to shop and eat!

I look forward to spending our remaining Sundays here going to more fun places.

Truck update - Day 1149 (Year 4, Day 54)

Clarksville, IN / Louisville, KY

We are still truck-less but we rented a car today, so at least Mitch can get back to work until it's fixed.  They said most likely tomorrow, with the small possibility of Friday.

Regarding the water in the fuel tank - it was definitely a bad sensor which was all corroded.  Not sure why they spent 2 times emptying the tanks and draining the (alleged) water without checking the sensor first.  We will ask.  There's also a bit of corrosion in the gas tanks but we're not going to replace the tanks right now.  Solution at the moment is add a fuel cleaner every time we fill the tanks and to keep them as full as possible rather than waiting until they're almost empty before filling.

As for the electrical problem, it's still not really clear what caused the problem.  It was explained that the alternator and batteries work in sync; if one goes out, the other one will be affected.  The truck died because the batteries were bad (probably due to Mitch not maintaining them; they are not maintenance free and fluids need to be monitored constantly).  This could have affected the alternator which was not charging the batteries properly.  Of course, it could also have been a faulty alternator (which was replaced back in April) which could have made the batteries go bad.  We really have no way of knowing.  But both are being replaced (we'll get a credit for the alternator as it's still under warranty).

Meanwhile, the other (a bit nicer) campground 5 miles away still has a site available for us.  They are right around the corner from the mechanic, so we stopped by to take a look.  Not a resort but still a bit nicer and the sites are more spacious.  Plus it's about 1/3 of the cost.  Yes, the company pays for it, but they give us $x per week towards the rent (and will pay if the cost is more than x).  However, if the rent is less than x, that means more $ in our pockets.  So the option of free rent or making a small profit was a no-brainer, even if it's an additional 5 mile commute (which is mostly highway).  So we plan to move once more time on Sunday.  The mechanic even said that if for any reason the truck isn't ready by Friday, he may have some friends with a truck that can tow us there.

So  hopefully I will post again after we move on Sunday, with our own truck!

It just doesn't end - Day 1148 (Year 4, Day 53)

Clarksville, IN / Louisville,  KY

Or the real title should be "Mitch and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" (credit to Judith Viorst).

We left off yesterday with Mitch starting the day with the water in fuel line light going on again.  He was planning to bring the truck to the mechanic after work and possibly renting a car so he wouldn't have to miss another day of work.  At about 4:15 pm, the truck wouldn't start.  He called roadside assistance for a tow (as always, making it VERY CLEAR that he needs something to tow a 1 ton truck, like a flat bed or something that tows semis.  To make a really long story short, bottom line is they didn't tow him until 8:45 am this morning - 16 1/2 hours later!  He kept getting pushed back and pushed back and pushed back and finally when someone showed up at 4:30 am, it was the wrong sized truck.  Yes, we put in a complaint but not much will come of it, I'm sure, although hopefully the company will reassess the towing companies they contract with.

Meanwhile, also remember that Mitch wakes up at 5:10 am and leaves home by 6ish, and goes to bed between 8 and 9 pm.  Having the truck at the mechanic and having a rental car ready to go would have worked perfectly in his plans.  So not only did he have a 16 1/2 hour wait, and by the time he got home it was nearly 10:00 am, he was running on about 30 hours of  no sleep.  So even if he could still rent a car this morning, he was totally unable to work and thus lost another day's pay.

So what's the status of the truck?  Who knows?  Seems the mechanic left work and didn't bother to call with an update so we won't know until the morning when it will be ready.  The battery did need to be replaced but he still had trouble starting it after it was installed, so believes there's a problem in the electrical system.  No clue if he resolved the issue of the water in fuel (probably just needs a new sensor).

So for now, the plan is to call the shop when they open at 7:30 am.  If the truck will be ready in the morning, he'll wait it out.  If not until the afternoon, or they can't give a definitive answer, he'll need to rent a car.

Meanwhile, my days have been crazy busy with work without any time to come up for air.

More tomorrow with good news, I hope.

(#$%R&(@) Truck problems - Day 1147 (Year 4, Day 52)

Clarksville, IN / Louisville, KY

The saga continues.  You may recall that last week Mitch saw a message on the dashboard about "water in the fuel tank."  He brought the truck into a local mechanic (it took hours of research to find someone that could look at it in less than a week.  In fact one of the places we called said "if you can find someone, you probably want to avoid them," meaning all decent diesel mechanics in the area are swamped and the ones who aren't don't do good business.)  We should have heeded that advice.

Mitch brought the truck in the next day.  They drained the tank, the warning light went off and we were on our way, $350 later.  Next day, same warning light came on.  Mitch brought it in again.  This time they totally drained the tank (the 105 gallon one), allegedly did a few other things -- took an entire day and now Mitch had lost 18 hours of work.  Got it back and light went off.

Now, less than a week later, the light goes on again!  We are about to enter a very fierce battle with the shop now.  Mitch can't afford to lose more time off work, so we need to insist they either give us a loaner vehicle or pay for a rental car, then they can fix it at their own pace - and FIX IT they must!!!  Already threatening them with a report to the BBB and posting all over social media.

At the moment, we are waiting to hear back from the owner of the shop what he plans to do to accommodate us.  Most likely will rent a car out of our own pocket just so Mitch doesn't have to miss work and have to deal with this afterwards.  But who knows?  Will keep you posted....

Meanwhile, a nicer campground, 5 miles further north that we're on the waiting list for, just called me today with an opening this week.  But if the truck is in the shop, we have no way to tow our home over there without the truck!

UPDATE:  About 5 minutes after posting this, Mitch called to tell me his battery died!  He's ready to call it quits.  I said it's all just mechanical problems and for every problem, there's a solution. But - BIG SIGH!!!