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Friday, December 31, 2010

It 's Been a Great Year

2010 is in the History Books.  Personally for us it has been a great year, made all the better by getting to know so many RV friends via our and their blogs, even having a chance to meet a few. 

The RV Dreams Rally this year was and contiues to be the catalyst that drives our full time dream forward.  We learned so much, had so much fun with new friends and best of all, we started our blog documenting our preparations toward our dream.  RVers are the most friendly and enouraging bunch of people we've ever met and we hope that we can be as encouraging to others, too.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all, may 2011 be the year your RV Dreams come true!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Another Step Forward

I talked with my boss (who is in Georgia - I know, it's strange) today and he approved my request for a 1 September 2011 retirement date.  He forwarded my request letter up the chain of command to the next level. One down, two more to go.

I have mixed emotions about retiring, after all that two year assignment I was offered in the Middle East was so attractive (NOT!!!).

Plus, it will be so hard to leave my military career that I started at a young age.


Actually my parents must have thought I was destined for military service because they dressed me up in this Marine uniform when I was about 4 years old.  Hope they weren't disappointed when I joined the Coast Guard. ;c)

So, another step forward.

Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment.



Tuesday, December 28, 2010

A Maintnenance Quandry



Our Journey is equipped with a Caterpillar C-7, 350  horsepower diesel engine.   A diesel engine was one of the "must have" items for our full time motorhome.  I wasn't too particular on the diesel brand, a Cummins would have also been just fine.  I've worked on both and know these companies build a fine engine, good for miles and miles of service.


The Cat C-7 comes with a 5 year, 250,000 mile warranty.  I also purchased an extended warranty that covers most everything on the Journey for a 7 year/100,000 mile time frame,  just in case something goes awry out on the road.  I won't have to worry about an expensive repair busting our budget.  I also have a good road service plan in case I have to (gulp) be towed.


Now for the "Fly in the Ointment".  The Cat C-7's predecessor engine was known as the 3126.  One area that became problematic on that engine in RV service was bearing on the fan (that blows air through the radiator) had a grease fitting on it.  The fitting was supposed to have a squirt of grease put into it twice a year.  No big deal...except that it was hard to get to and too often overlooked or forgotten about and it eventually ran dry causing an expensive repair when it failed.


When Cat upgraded the 3126 to the C-7 version, they replaced the greasable bearing with an non-greasable, permanently lubed bearing to alleviate the bearing failures.  Here is the problem...the sealed bearings seem to have a high failure rate, they seize up with no warning right around the 30,000 mile mark.  We now have 31,000 miles on the Journey.

I frequent a couple of RV forums and on one, there are about 10 C-7 owners that have had the bearing fail, causing repair costs to run between $900-$2700, not counting towing, when the bearing goes, the RV cannot be driven.  A couple of others on the forum have not had any failures with 55K and 93K miles on their engines.

I talked with a Cat expert, who also owns an RV.  He has the older 3126 engine with the greasable bearing and has serviced it as required, and now has 155K miles on it with no problems.  Also based on his experience, he has not seen any high failure rate of the C-7 bearing where Cat might initiate a recall.

If I preemptively replace the bearing it would be a repair that I would have to pay out of my own pocket, neither Cat nor my extended warranty would cover it because nothing has broken.

On the other hand I could ignore the bearing and just drive on and deal with a bearing replacement if it should ever happen.  Then it would be covered by Cat or the extended warranty (as long as it occurs within the covered period).  The down side is do I want to deal with a breakdown at an inconvenient time and place, and need to have a tow to a shop that is not of my choosing?

I have decided that if I replace the bearing, I will put in the greasable bearing and maintain it, either type of bearing will fit my C-7.

So the quandary, do I roll the dice and take my chances?  Or do I bite the bullet and replace the bearing now and pay for it out of my pocket?

What have I decided to do?  I'm going to roll the dice and hope for the best that we won't have a bearing failure.  I'm also going to buy the bearing in advance and keep it in the Journey.

It's been my experience that if you have the spare part for something, the original part will never break.
It's sort of along the lines of "A Watched Pot Never Boils".   How's that for thinking outside the box? ;c)

Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment.

Monday, December 27, 2010

White Christmas

It is nice to talk about, it is nice to experience, but it is no fun to drive home in.  For 500 miles.
Happily, our Honda Element is very sure footed (tired) in the snow. 


Despite all the Global Warming, Columbia, South Carolina had its very first White Christmas since they started keeping records in the 1880s.  A major snow storm was moving up the East Coast, tracking just where we needed to drive home Sunday.

Fortunately, our SIL Brian is the family GIR (Genius-In-Residence) and looked at all the traffic cameras on the Internet and discovered if we went inland up to the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, we'd have clear roads.  This is exactly what we found.


It still was a long 500 mile trip home.  On the way home we talked, smiled and laughed at all the fun we had at Heather and Brian's home with our grandsons.

On Christmas Eve, Andrew and Owie got to open one present.


It was an empty box!  Why was it empty?  Because Brian had already set it up in their backyard, it was a Zip Line.


The boys loved zipping across their yard.  It was pretty cool.

The boys love Zoe, The Wonder Dog.  They took her for several walks and explored some trails.  She loves to walk with the boys, too.


It was very cold so we had to bundle up.


Christmas morning we found that Santa made a visit.  From all the presents under the tree, we figured he must have used an 18 wheeler instead of a sleigh this year.


The boys had a great time opening their gifts.



Later, after a fantastic Christmas diner, we all relaxed in the living room.  Marti has been a Nintendo addict for years, she loves video games in any form.  You know when they say the acorn doesn't fall far from the tree, here are three generations of our family playing video games.



Andrew, Marti, Owie, Brian and Heather

Even Owie got the hang of playing Super Mario.  You don't think Marti is a bad influence, do you?


So we have some great memories and pictures of our Christmas.  Sadly, we couldn't spend any time with Ryan, Amber, Taylor and Kierra this year out in Oregon.  But next Christmas, we're looking forward to being with them and not having any time pressure or constraints to cause us to drive through another snow storm. :c)

Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Home Again

Just a quick post, we made it home from sunny (not) South Carolina, where Columbia had its first White Christmas since they started keeping records in the 1880s.  If we keep this up, they won't let us back in the state to visit the kids...


Long ride, the roads were clear and wet, but it kept on snowing.  Hopefully it will stay down South.

SIL Brian had a great idea, he went online and checked all the traffic cameras along the Rt. 95 corridor and the inland route, Rt. 77 to Rt. 81, which as I said before, was clear.  Rt. 95, that was not the way to go, the inland route (77 to 81) we took up through the Shenandoah Valley worked very well.  We may use that route all the time now.  Only about a five mile difference either way.

The only issue we had was Zoe, the Wonder Dog was pretty sick, making for a number of emergency stops.  She is always coming up with something new for our travel adventures.

Anyway, a great time, worth traveling every mile (all 500 of them, each way!).  Looking forward to the day we won't have to rush anywhere.

Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Marti's Musings: Merry Christmas!

We have had a wonderful week, topped off with a quiet and wonderful Christmas with our daughter, son-in-law and 2 grandsons.  It is wonderful to spend time with family, reaffirming our choice to leave the hectic and crazy life we lead, for a life that focuses on family.

Truth be told, it is tempting to contemplate buying the house right NEXT door that is for sale from my daughter's house, but.....   that would likely mean one, or both, of us would have to keep working.  Ugh.  We are young enough, admittedly, to continue with careers, but... call it burn out, or what-have-you, we are looking forward to less commitment, and MUCH less stress, with MORE time with family and each other.

So, tomorrow we head back to our crazy life.  We now have to focus much more on getting the house ready to show.. it is a mere 3 months before it goes on the market.  Thrown into the let down after Christmas, we now have to drive through a nor'easter, that is dumping snow all up the eastern seaboard.  Yup, that is the way we head home... so it is more than likely going to turn an 8 hour trip into a 12 or more hour trip.

See?  If we were already retired, we would be hanging here until the weather and roads cleared.  But, due to our commitments at work, we must try to get home.  If the roads are too impassable, we will have no choice but to stay (yeah, would that be a darn shame?  *wink*), but I have a huge inspection due at work, at any time, plus in bad weather, I typically spend more time at work - or at least being the transportation for my staff - so I feel compelled to get home, if possible.  I will not put us at risk, no matter what, of course.

Lord willing, next year at this time it won't matter... 

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas, focused on the things that truly matter in life.  God bless, ~Marti

Friday, December 24, 2010

A Coastie's Christmas Story

It was Christmas Eve, 1986 and I was on duty at Coast Guard Station New York, missing my family.  We lived on Governors Island in New York Harbor, off the tip of Manhattan, right across from the Statue of Liberty.  Even though I would go off duty on Christmas morning at 10 AM, and could quickly walk the half mile to my apartment to be with Marti and the kids for opening the presents, I was a little sad that I wasn't able to see the kid's excitement and tuck them into their beds.

It was quiet all day and as night fell, I hoped for more peace and quiet.  I watched the tugs and barges chugging up the channel between Governors Island and Brooklyn, their lights reflecting on the water.  Even though it was Christmas Eve, the never ending demand for fuel and supplies never gave the tugboat community a holiday.

After midnight, I decided to hit the rack, I walked past the station Christmas tree to my bunk and went to sleep.

About 3 AM, the Officer of the Day (OOD) shook me awake and said we had a Medevac, so come quickly down to the Comcen (Communications Center).  He went and roused the rest of the duty boat crew.  I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, quickly pulled on my uniform and boots and hustled down to the Comcen.

The duty boat crew ran down to the 41 foot Utility Boat and lit off the engines.  I entered the Comcen and was followed in by Erwin, the duty EMT.  Sam, the OOD, gave us a briefing on what was going on.  We poured over some  nautical charts to determine about where out on the ocean we'd have to go for the Medevac.

A large fuel tanker was heading in towards New York with a crewman that had a medical emergency.  The crewman had some kind of seizure and had been unconscious and unresponsive for more than a day.  The vessel's captain had decided to alter his original course and head towards New York to get the sick crewman off the ship and to a hospital.  We were to get underway and head out of the harbor to the open ocean, meet the tanker and get the crewman to shore and to a hospital.

Erwin and I pulled on our bright orange Mustang suits (cold water protective coveralls).  As the boarding officer, I gathered my weapon, portable radio, duty belt and grabbed a backpack with medical supplies.  Erwin grabbed an additional backpack of medical gear and we ran out in the bitter cold night to the 41.  As soon as we stepped aboard, the crew cast off the lines and we headed out of the harbor.

Tony, the duty Cox'n (traditional nautical term for the boat commander) had already been talking on the 41's radio with Sam in the Comcen and gave us an update.  The tanker was about 10 miles out of New York harbor and we'd be meeting up with it in about an hour.  The seas were running about six feet with strong wind gusts, it would be a pretty rough ride.

Erwin and I checked and rechecked the medical gear, the rest of the crew readied extra lines and the Stokes litter, a basket type stretcher that a person can be transported in.  We talked, wondering what kind of medical emergency we'd be facing as the 41 sped out to sea, cutting through the heavy waves.

Tony was able to raise the tanker's captain on the radio and they conversed to make arrangement for our rendezvous.  We picked the tanker up on the radar, and strained our eyes to see the ship over the horizon.

Finally, we saw the lights of the tanker, the red and green sidelights and the white lights on the mast.  The deck was awash with floodlights, lit up like a sunny day.  Tony directed the tanker's captain to change course slightly and slow down to the slowest possible speed that he could and still maintain steering control.  With the course change, it would give us a lee, some protection from the waves and the bitter cold wind by blocking them with the tanker's towering hull.

We came up from behind the tanker and headed down along the tanker's port side towards a Jacob's ladder, basically two parallel lines (ropes) with boards placed horizontally between each line as steps in a ladder.  The tanker was huge, over 800 feet long and was riding high in the water.  As we drew alongside, we passed the stern where I could see the tops of the giant propeller's blades cutting the surface of the water.  I realized that the climb up the Jacob's ladder was a matter of life and death, one slip and a fall into the water would result in meeting those propeller blades.

To make matters even worse, despite the lee from the tanker's hull, the waves were still quite high and the 41 was being tossed up and down four or five feet.  As we drew alongside the Jacob's ladder, Erwin I and went up to the 41's bow with another crewman.  Tony  matched the tanker's speed, then carefully nosed the boat up to the ladder. I watched the bottom of the ladder go from being over our heads as our boat dropped down on a wave to being right at our feet when the boat went up on the next wave.

Erwin timed the waves right and caught the ladder and started climbing up the tanker's hull.  I looked up at the deck which was at least 50 feet over my head and waited for my turn on the ladder.  Looking down at me over the tanker's rail were the faces of maybe a dozen of the tanker's crew.  Timing the waves just right, I leaped up at the ladder and caught it, I started climbing up with my fingers holding on with a death grip.  As I made it to the top, a bunch of hands grabbed on to me, the tanker's crew pulled me safely over the railing.  As I stood up and caught my breath I looked over to Erwin, we both shook our heads, it was quite a hairy climb to say the least.

 A crewman came and led us into the tanker's superstructure past the crowd of other crewmen.  They were men from all over the world, all types of sizes, shapes and colors, very common on ships sailing the ocean.  We climbed up several flights of stairs and were led into a compartment where a man lay on a bed.  Erwin and I put down the medical backpacks and Erwin went to work.

The man looked very Italian or Greek, he had curly dark hair and a black beard.  Erwin checked the man's vital signs.  The man's lips were tinged blue, his skin was very pale and he was struggling for each breath.  Gathered around us were a bunch of the crew watching our every move, very concerned about their friend. 

Erwin checked the man's pupils, listened to his heartbeat and took a pulse.  He reached for my backpack and pulled out an oxygen tank and put an oxygen mask on the man.  In a couple of minutes, his color got better and his lips lost their blue tinge.  Erwin said the man was stable enough to move and even though many of the crew couldn't understand his words, they got the gist of it and smiles and head nods circled around the room.

I told Erwin I'd go out on the deck and radio the 41 to send up the Stokes litter.  When I got on deck, the Stokes litter was already there, some of the tanker's crew had already pulled it aboard from the 41.  I talked to Tony on my portable radio, gave him an update and to get ready to receive the Stokes littler.  I looked over the side at the dark, cold water and took a deep breath, this was going to be a tough process.

Some of the crew grabbed the Stokes litter and followed me back to the room.  We gently lifted the man from the bed and carefully strapped him into the litter, along with the oxygen tank, making sure he was covered with warm blankets.  Some of the crewmen picked up the litter and helped carry it down the several flights of stairs.  As I walked down the stairs my mind was racing, what was the best way to lower the man the 50 some feet from the tanker's deck to the pitching 41 below?  I shuddered to think what would happen if things went wrong.

As we came out on deck I saw, much to my relief, a large, ocean going tugboat right alongside the tanker, tucked in tight alongside the hull.  Tony had contacted the passing tug on it's way to pick up a barge and asked them for help. In the tradition of saving lives as sea, the tug's captain quickly agreed.

By the tug laying tight alongside the tanker, we only had to lower the Stokes litter about ten feet to the tug's upper bridge deck.  After we got the litter that far, some of the tug's men and crew from our 41 carried the man down to the tug's main deck and then handed him, still safely tucked in the litter to the deck of the 41.  Erwin and I quickly climbed down and jumped back on the 41.

After casting off, Erwin contiuned to monitor the man's condition, I went inside the 41's cabin to talk to Tony.  Arrangements had been made to meet an ambulance at a marina in Staten Island, where the man could be taken to a hospital.  I breathed a sigh of relief, the worst was over and as I relaxed a little I felt my clothes were soaked from my sweat despite the piercing cold.

About 45 minutes later, we pulled into the marina where the ambulance was waiting.  We tied up to the dock and were met by the paramedics, who helped us transfer the man  from our litter to their stretcher.  We followed them to the ambulance and watched as they assessed the man.  An IV was inserted into the man's arm and as the paramedics got ready to transit to the hospital, the man opened his eyes and looked around.  The paramedics told us if we hadn't gotten the man off the tanker, he wouldn't have lived.

Erwin and I stood there for a minute after the ambulance left, each of us lost in our thoughts as our minds replayed the experience.  Then we looked at each other, shook hands and headed back down to the boat for the ride back to the station.

As we pulled into the station docks, the first rays of the sun were peaking over the horizon.  We spent the rest of our shift filling out the required paperwork documenting the rescue.

When I got off duty, I hurried home to my family for our Christmas morning.  As Marti and I enjoyed watching the kids open their gifts, I realized the gift my crew and I had given the man from the tanker, we gave him back his life, we saved him in his time of need.  It made the meaning of Christmas more special to me that morning, remembering how our Heavenly Father gave us the gift of his son, Jesus, that we might have life everlasting by believing in Him.

Merry Christmas to all, may your time with your family and friends be very special.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Marti's Musings: Getting there....

So, we have made some serious progress this week.  Heather and the boys have all but cleared out the basement.  Unfortunately, both boys got sick, so we never did get to the Christmas decorations.  I will have to work on the solo, and make up boxes for each kid. 

It has been a sentimental journey.  Heather found her favorite baby doll, as well as many other memorabilia.  Both boys have requested certain items that we found.  Heather kept in touch with them during the day, to make sure nothing was thrown out that was of value to anyone.  We have one corner that has things we will be storing for later on.  (not bad, eh?)

We had done a bit of going through before she got here, and boy! am I glad we didn't just randomly throw out boxes that we hadn't looked through in the 12 years we have been in this house.  Within those boxes I found a wedding pic, many year books, as well as countless other irreplaceable items and photos.  Admittedly, there was TONS of 'junk', but among that junk was certain treasure.  I gladly spent hours going through the things, and as tiring as it was, it was sooo worth it. 

So, although the basement is not finished, it really will only take another day or 2 to lug the 'give away' piles, and then box up the 'save' items.  Looks like there will be a couple of additional trips to SC with a UHaul for the items that will be stored with her.  We will bring some things this trip, but for some reason, our vehicle is full of.... gifts...  (not that we have a problem buying things for the grandkids or anything).

So, as 2011 draws near - the reality of what is ahead is becoming more of a certainty than a dream.  That is exciting, as well as sentimental for me.  It is sad that my grandkids will not be visiting us in the house again.  They have loved coming here, and that causes me to pause...  BUT, as Paul (as he is rolling his eyes) reminds me we will be able to see them for weeks or months at a time, rather than these quick visits, that are heart wrenching...  Agreed, but there is still a corner of my heart that will be left behind here in this humble home, the first home we bought, after years in base housing... 

Yes, my memories will come with me, and a piece of me will be left behind.. but surely, it is on to bigger and better...  So, as we head south tomorrow, we will enjoy every second of our visit with the kids.  And remind ourselves that one trip south very soon will be for an extended visit, should we choose. 

Looks like we will be driving back in snow (ugh)  - and even as I have been writing this post, I have received about 10 texts from work.  Yeah, I know - that sentimental weakness will be drowned out by shouts of "yeah!" when we finally can retire, leave behind our crazy jobs, and focus on what is really important in this life. 

Faith.   Family.   Friends. 

Merry Christmas, folks.  We love getting your feedback.  May you have a blessed holiday, and a year ahead focusing on the things that are truly important.  God bless, ~Marti

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

What a Bunch of Junk!

Heather and the boys are a gift from heaven.  Today, while Marti and I were both at work, they organized, compacted and hauled bunches of boxes of old things we had stored in the basement and brought it all up to the garage.

I was able to get home early, so we loaded up my old trusty Jeep pickup and Heather's van and hauled it all to the dump and recycling center.


First load


Andrew and the second load


Heather's van loaded to the gills

Owie enjoyed throwing junk into the dumpster.


But I think he wore himself out going up and down the basement steps.


After we were done, Marti came home from work and we took Heather and the boys out for a special dinner treat to our favorite Japanese restaurant.  The boys loved watching the chef cook our dinner.


We finished off the night with Marti and the boys playing Wii.  Notice who has the controller.


Tomorrow is a few more boxes of old stuff and a search through all the boxes of Christmas decorations, we're going to try and distill them all down to one box.  Keep your fingers crossed.

Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment.


PS:  Bigdawg and Freeway - Your prize is on the way.  Enjoy!

Monday, December 20, 2010

The Boys Are Here!

Our grandsons, Andrew and Owen arrived this evening with their mom Heather (our daughter) all the way from South Carolina, about a nine hour drive.  They're here for a couple of days to help us with cleaning out the basement.


"Mimi" Marti with Andrew and Owie

We did a fast pizza dinner and played some Wii, then they went off to bed.  They'll have a busy day tomorrow but these young guys have a lot of energy to burn.

They'll be here until Thursday, then we're going to follow them back down to SC and spend Christmas Weekend with them.  Can't wait.

We're sad that we won't be out in Oregon this Christmas with our son, Ryan and his family, DIL Amber and granddaughters Taylor and Kierra.  Marti gets teary eyed just thinking about it, but I've re-assured her that next Christmas, we'll be with them even if I have to pull the Journey there on the end of a rope.

Just wanted to say Thank You to all our followers and readers for taking an interest in our journey to full time RV traveling.  You comments and emails have been such a tremendous encouragement to us and we look forward to the day when we can meet you in person on the road!

Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Where Are We Quiz - The Answer and We Have a Winner!

I knew someone out there would have sharp eyes.  Congratulations to Tom and Cheryl from TDCDinanRV.  They are the first ones to get the correct answer, however Bigdawg and Freeway also gave a specific correct answer to the very first post, too, so I think I'll declare a tie and send ya'll a box of Chocolate Cheerios.

Here's a recap.  The picture of the horses are in Piccadilly Circus, London, England.  Barbara, is that where you saw them?


This is the Jumbo Tron in Piccadilly Circus, sort of like Times Square in New York City.


Westminster Abby:


The Tower of London:


If you were standing in front of the Tower of London entrance and looked behind you, you'd see this:


That is the famous Tower Bridge over the Thames River.

Here is George Washington, standing in Trafalgar Square:


George Washington once said he would never set foot on British soil.  When they were getting ready to place his statue, the builders brought over a load of soil from Virginia and placed that down, then erected Washington's statue on top of it.  So George is standing on Virginia soil, not British soil.

Standing near Washington is another statue of an American president, Abraham Lincoln.  It seems odd that there would be statues of American presidents in London, but a statue of Winston Churchill stands in Washington, DC.  He is standing in front of the British Embassy, flashing his famous "V for Victory" hand signal.

The airplanes pictured are part of the Imperial War Museum aircraft collection at Duxford, about an hour north of London.  It is a museum housed in over seven large buildings.  They have many restored aircraft on display.


A P-47 Thunderbolt fighter in D-Day Invasion stripes,


A Spitfire, made famous from the Battle of Britain,


An ME-109 German fighter, that actually fought in the Battle of Britain and was shot down.  It is on display just like it looked after it crash landed and was depicted in a famous photograph.

You also can walk through buildings where aircraft are in various stages of restoration.


Here is the nose of a British Bristol Beaufighter waiting to be reattached to its fuselage.

If you get the chance to visit Duxford, plan on spending a whole day there.  Their collection is amazing.

Some other sights in London:


The Parliament building and Big Ben.


Our favorite English Pub, the Adam and Eve.  Their steak and kidney pie is to die for!


The Greenwich Observatory, where Greenwich Mean Time starts.


The statue of Queen Victoria in front of Buckingham Palace.


And the "Tube", what they call the London Subway.

Hope you enjoyed our "Journey less" Journey.  Feel free to leave a comment.

(Tom & Cheryl and Bigdawg & Freeway, shoot me an email (it's on the bottom of the blog page) and I'll get you your Chocolate Cheerios in the mail.)

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Digging in the Basement and Where Are We (Part Three)

The sun dawned on a lovely day...to work in the basement.  We did an errand first, dropped our Element Toad at the Honda dealer, the back brakes were grinding out expensive noi$e$.  Of course, handily, the Cracker Barrel restaurant is practically next door, so we availed ourselves of some tasty vittles.

Then it was back to the house and down to the dungeon (basement) and we dug in.  We discovered many long forgotten treasures and re-opened some memories of happy times in our lives.  We do have a large pile of trash and boxes that our grandsons, Andrew and Owie will help us carry upstairs to take to the dump next week.

Another step forward in our full time preparations.

Now for Laurie & George and Bigdawg & Freeway, you both guessed New York City.  Bigdawg, you even said that George Washington is standing in front of Federal Hall in NYC.  Guess what Bigdawg, you're right but you're WRONG! :co

While George Washington does stand in front of Federal Hall in NYC by the NY Stock Exchange, the George Washington I pictured is not that George.  And to think you were already tasting those Chocolate Cheerios!

Barbara, you think those horses look familiar?  We'll have to see.  Syl, we lived in NYC for over three years on Governors Island, an island in NY Harbor right off the tip of Manhattan, just across from the Statue of Liberty.  Believe me when I say Times Square on New Years Eve is the LAST place you'll ever find us!

Now for some more clues:





Good luck to you all.  If nobody guesses correctly, the location will be revealed in the next post.

Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment.