Comfort Suites Indianapolis Airport

Great hotel. Clean. Very quiet, even by the airport. Nice pool and jacuzzi. Got upgraded to a jacuzzi room. Recommended. https://plus.google.com/109005929289381694428/about?gl=us&hl=en

Beware Google Navigate Campers!

We recently had terrible results in finding RV campgrounds using Google Navigate on our Android phone. While clearly sepecifying the RV component, we were getting results that were tent only, and ownership arrangements only, complete with mail boxes. When you are at the end of a day of driving, you want a little more reliability than that.

Recommend keeping your AAA Campguide as still the most reliable source for a given locale. The latter is highly recommended. Don't bother with Google until they implement some major improvements.

Not surprisingly, Google Maps does exactly the same thing, except that it is a little clearer that many of the return are non-RV. If there are better alternatives, please let us know via the comment section.

Twin Grove Campground, PA

Super camp site at bargain rates! We backtracked from Pottsville to stay here, and were well rewarded with the experience. Beautiful grounds, large pools with swim lanes and slides. Immaculate plumbing facilities. Given the scarcity of campgrounds as one travels to the northeast, this is a true gem.

Also, a very good restaurant with a wide selection of individually prepared dishes, at very reasonable prices. Do not miss this.  http://www.twingrove.com/

Yuengling Brewery, Pottsville, PA

The factory tour of the oldest brewery in America, is a worthwhile stop for all but the tea-est of totalers. The caves used to cool the beer in the 1800's are still to be seen, as well as the fed's prohibition era brick walls that closed them off from use. Our guide Joann was as amusing as the subject was interesting. Plus, I've really gained a taste for that Pennsylvania working-mans brew -- could it be in my genes?



As long as the last remaining few hold out, each tourist gets a poplar bung as a souvenir of the tour. But Joann says that won't be true much longer.

Super well-worth a stop when you are in the area. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuengling

Baileyton RV Park, TN

A delightful quiet little park off I81 in northeast Tennessee. Driving range, fishing pond, extensive picnic grounds, immaculate showers and restrooms. Crushed stone roads and drives, are the only negatives we could find. A perfect after-dinner stop on our way further northeast.

http://www.baileytonrvpark.com/

Classical Music

If you like the music classics, there is frequently a super deal on Amazon for MP3 music -- free of DRM, digital rights management. My last purchase was The 99 Most Essential Mozart Masterpieces which came out at 99 cents [since raised to a still reasonable price]. An added benefit is that Amazon offers to store your purchases and some other music you upload for free. This also allows you to play it on a variety of different devices with access to the internet. I listened to this new album on today's bike ride with my Android phone. Very cool. If you need to add to your digital music collection this is a very attractive alternative to iTunes.

A New Stroganoff Horizon

Lynne has been making an excellent hamburger Stroganoff since the days of  being an impoverished student. She can just about whip it up blindfolded. Today, remembering my mother's success in moving up the Stroganoff ladder, I suggested we try an upscale version.

Google's first match was "Beef Stroganoff III" on AllRecipes.com. The ratings were extremely positive, and suggested almost no revisions. This version is notable in that it calls for chuck roast rather than sirloin, and this would generate quite a cost savings compared to moving higher up the beef periodic table.  This sounded like all we wanted for this step up, so we got the shopping list together and put the plan into motion. We followed the script to the letter substituting only canola oil for the stick of butter for health reasons. Next time we will probably add a clove or two of garlic. We had a little left-over brown rice that we warmed in the serving bowl in the microwave. Served with a salad, this was an outstanding meal, and a very pleasant variation from our usual. Clean-up was simple too, in that we had only the one pot that the hamburger version would have required. Highly recommended.

Cell Phone Savings Delivered

This has such a low profile on the Internet, I am amazed that is can save us so much money. Here is the story of how we are reducing our cell phone bills.

Following up on the prepaid cell phone service savings which I stumbled upon in searching for a cheap replacement for my lost Android phone. Lynne's new Pixi smart phone [same as mine] was delivered this morning, within 2 days of ordering from Amazon with free shipping. My phone will be staying on Verizon for the unlimited data service that we need while on the road. Lynne's will be activated with the low cost prepaid company Page Plus. I rechecked the review on Amazon and the costs on the other sites and decided that we could save a few additional dollars by activating directly with Page Plus rather than going through Kittywireless which would cost an additional $15 for porting. Also found that the charge for a new number at PP is $10 and porting over an existing number is free.

So... I called Page Plus with the four pieces of required account info [name, address, account number and billing pin code] on the number to be ported, and found that it took less than 10 minutes. Called them back when the old phone no longer rang, and completed the set-up with no muss or fuss. Including the free minutes included to activate our net cost for the set-up is a credit of $1.68. Added the $10 plan and was up and running before lunch. Turned on the WiFi and turned off the Verizon data service. The auto renewals on PP are only weekly or monthly, so will be using Kittywireless for the 120 day renewals at apparently no additional cost. Unused minutes carryover automatically with the renewal. Plus, Lynne now gets fully synced contacts, email and calendar from the internet, as of the last time she connected on WiFi and some games like solitaire and other time-wasters -- something that was sorely lacking on her "dumb" phone.

A light user of cell service really should not be on anything else if cost is an object. This will reduce our yearly cell bill by $800, including the elimination of my second phone which I was keeping for the data service because it was adding "only $10" to the total. More importantly, there will be NO reduction in the amount of cell phone utilization benefit we receive. Amazing! Lynne asked how to know how much prepaid service was remaining, and we found that when you call a number, before the ringing starts, you get a report of your current balance -- a little more "no muss or fuss."

If you are somewhat technically challenged, you may need some additional guidance and help -- give me a call. Otherwise it is quite straightforward. So, if you have been a frequent caller direct to Lynne's cell, please change her number to our main number: 614-859-9365, so as to use her cell minutes most efficiently [this will still ring her cell phone through Google Voice but give us the option of picking up the home phone or my cell with more minutes] -- Thanks.

"Too good to be true" may NOT apply in this instance. Very happy with the service so far. The savings are a real eye-opener. Very highly recommended.

Braciole

Been hungry for pigs in a blanket for the last 20 years, since my mother made Sunday dinner [/understatement]. We finally got around to trying it on our Monday dinner friends. We followed the slow-cooker recipe from the site below and absolutely loved it. While there is some learning the first time through, I think from now on it will be a breeze. Something the average Italian restaurant does not usually offer in my experience. Highly recommended.


Bob's Slow Cooker Braciole Recipe - Allrecipes.com


Your slow cooker provides the perfect low and slow heat to braise this traditional Italian rolled flank steak. Jarred marinara sauce makes it a quick fix too.

Internet Abuse on a Pretty Good Bank

Our van buyer got his cash from Cooper State Bank in Columbus and mentioned that it was open 7 days a week. Since we have frequently needed a notary during the weekend, I checked it out.

There was one on line review from a person who used their ATM to check the balance thinking it was zero, saw $50 and withdrew $20. Then s/he was called to come up with $55 since the NSF charge of $35 was assessed. "What an outrage. Never do business with this bank again. !!!!" Are there people out there who don't understand the concept of outstanding checks? I guess so.

This may be just a small example, but this represents the worst kind of internet abuse -- blaming someone else for one's own inadequacies. I added a remark that it sounded like a proper upstanding bank to me, and the bank rating agencies seemed to agree. I will probably be giving them some of my banking business -- just as soon as I'm done shaking my head.

In All Things: Google Docs (and Apple)

When I moved to the MacBook several years ago, I also decided to try out Open Office for document work, especially spreadsheets. I keep a daily updated track of my investment results, to assure that I'm not wasting time and effort for deficient results. Up until today, Open Office was an adequate solution, but when I needed to move a spreadsheet column, it just didn't have any way that I could find to do that, and cutting an pasting destroyed the formula linkage.

So, with all the good stuff Google has come up with lately, I was ready to give Google documents a try. Sure enough, dragging and dropping formula-populated columns works perfectly. I also tested using some complex formulas, and again, they worked just as perfectly as the full price product from M$. The huge side-benefit is that your document is (automagically) stored in your Google cloud, where it is accessible from wherever you are on the net. Yet another nail in the coffin of "you get what you pay for."

If you have been wondering about trying Google Docs for your needs, I can give it my highest recommendation.

Apple Elegance

As I've bought more and more into the Apple design aura my level of satisfaction has gone up and up. Just have to tell about increasing the memory in my new iMac. The economics strongly favor the do-it-yourself approach, having Apple add 8 gig adds $400 to the total. The full list price to acquire the same amount of memory direct from the manufacturer is $60.

So the next objective becomes determining how to insert the memory circuits. You need a Philips screwdriver -- that's it. The only screws on the iMac are three on the central portion of the bottom perforated panel. This is what you must open to access the memory slots. Apple suggests placing the unit face-down on a blanket to do this, but I judged that I could do it in-place on my computer desk.

The elegance shows in that as you loosen the screws, the plate comes free, but the screws do not fall out. Each is held in place with a tiny lock-washer so that they are perfectly positioned for re-insertion. Absolutely no muss, no fuss. There isn't much a user can do on this computer, but this is an experience that is pure enjoyment. There is a good reason why Apple's stock is soaring.

I now have 12 gigabytes of memory, of which more than 5 gig is in constant use, and the total is put to work in several apps. Highly recommended -- the additional memory, and the experience of the iMac.

Physical Therapy

Just a little shout out to the guys and gals at the Gahanna, Ohio office of Cornerstone Physical Therapy who have been doing a super job in helping me get back flexibility and strength in the repaired knee. I'm making great progress and am now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. If you ever need to know, I can recommend them highly.

The Drawing Winner

The battle of the iPad drawing and painting programs pretty much ended this weekend with the update of Procreate. The introductory pricing is only 99 cents. Even at $8 this is a no-brainer for anyone interested in painting and drawing on the iPad. Check it out and get it before the price goes back up. Highly recommended.

Hospital Pills

For the horror story aficionados, go on to whatever is next. I just received an itemized list of my hospital charges and found a golden nugget. The charge for an acetaminophen tablet was not $50. Not $5. Not even $.50. But an amazing $.05!!!

That's right. I got a pill for a nickel in the hospital. Now there is an under-reported story. For reference purposes this was Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Highly recommended.

Case for Protection

The iPad needs a little protection from daily handling and traveling. Here is what worked very well for moi.

iPad 2

Now that I've loaded and explored the new iPad2 I have to say it is absolutely amazing. It is fast and competent, and eminently holdable. The range of apps available is simply amazing. I am especially happy with the painting apps. Got a conductive brush to work with it and he combination is better than I ever expected. So far I have 6 screens full of apps, but have used only 3 of the 16 available gigs of storage. So I would recommend against larger memory unless you are sure of your needs. Especially neat downloading free copies of periodicals we already subscribe to like the daily paoer and the New Yorker -- both much earlier than otherwise available. Another Highly Recommended.

More Ultrasonic

Saw this Sonicwave Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner on sale for $20, delivered, and thought it worth a try. Been having trouble with tiny coating scratches on my eyeglasses and this did a super job with just plain water. Also super at getting the gunk out of watch and jewelry tiny crevices. Quite a bargain. Highly recommended!!

What's Cookin'?

Morty got us home in just two days, but the weather penalty says that we beat spring to central Ohio by a good margin. As we unpacked we found the Gephardts' Chili Powder that my brother requested, and we tried it for ourselves with a little home-made traditional chili.

Very good overall taste with many overtones that go well beyond the generic product we had been using. I just wonder if it could be picked out on a blind test. You would really have to come with your game taste buds on.

Highly recommended.

Required Eating

Our newest [due to yet more Spring departures of the intervening] neighbors Mark and Beth took us with them to the Tuesday special at The Big Fisherman Restaurant billing it as the not-to-be-missed food event of the week in Aransas Pass. Wow! Chicken fried steak, with mashed potatoes and coleslaw and rolls for $2.50 and small frozen margaritas for $1. This place is a destination in itself. We met up with two other couples from Woody Acres and sat at one of the many large tables. Other Tuesday special choices were chicken livers or gizzards for the same price and other specials like fried fish for a couple of bucks more. We were entranced by the experience, as were thousands of others who show up for the same deal on a regular basis. You can leave a 50% tip that's only $3!

We took the back roads on the way home looking for some Sand Hill Cranes or other unusual wildlife, but had to content ourselves with just one massive bull out grazing near the road in a herd of obviously contented cows. Still some pretty good fun.