Not Sunny, but Nice

We had been concerned that "Erika" was going to come up the coast.  We've been here during some tropical storms before.  I like a good storm now and then and love watching nature, but it sure puts a crimp in the golf game!

This morning it is dark, windy, and raining with some thunder and lightening.  Golfer left with his rain gear, but just sent a message saying play has been cancelled and he is on the way back.  Not a good start to the tournament.

Whether it's full sun or not, I love sitting by the dunes, watching and hearing the waves.  No sitting out there today, not even on the balcony, but I took this picture yesterday.

Don't know what today will turn into, but stay safe!

Relaxation!

Well, relaxation after we got all the things attended to and got settled in.  :)   And there have been a lot of those "things" on this trip.  The unloading of the car was easy and the unpacking uneventful.   Getting some groceries for the week went well, too.  We've done this enough that we sort of have a system.

We are in Myrtle Beach for Golfer to play in the World Am Championship.  Over 3,000 players the last I heard.

The drive down was pretty good.  He got registered and picked up his info and goody bag.  Our suite was ready for us when we checked in.  That word "ready" is a moving target.

We've been staying here since about 1997, and have been in pretty much all the various accommodations at Ocean Dunes/Sand Dunes.  Our Tower Suite this time is one we have stayed in before and honestly, it just needs some TLC.  Right off, we discovered burned out light bulbs in both of the bathrooms, a lamp was broken, the coffee maker was broken, the microwave touch panel wasn't working properly and we couldn't turn the light off, and the coffee table was about to fall down with a loose leg.  Well, you know me, I called right away.  Within fifteen minutes a nice young man came with a bag of light bulbs.  Then he fiddled with the lamp and got it working.  The microwave was a puzzle.  He said he'd be back soon.  He was back very quickly with his tools and a helper - who was also puzzled my the microwave light.  It stayed on all  night.   They fixed the table and said someone would be bringing another coffee maker.

So we went to dinner with our friends and when we came back there was another coffee maker here.  Not top of the line and not new, but clean and workable. 

This morning as I was getting ready to go enjoy looking at the ocean waves, I discovered the safe did not work.  This was after a lampshade almost fell off because the finial was missing.  I was still in a good mood and decided to have a chat with someone on my way through the lobby.  I spoke to a very nice young man, Antonio, the manager-on-duty.  I explained we had been staying here since around 1997 and really liked it here.  I wanted him to know I wasn't just someone on a one-time visit who was too picky.  I also explained that we had had to find another location for our May trips because of the stress involving all the upset with the Bikefest during Memorial Day.  He was sorry to hear that, but assured me that that was going to change and we should try it again.  As of January 1st, no bikes will be allowed on the Ocean Dunes/Sand Dunes properties except at the Ocean Club location.  I hope for everyone's sake that is true.  We'll see.  He thanked me for being so responsible and telling him about the issues and said they would be addressed. 

When I returned to the room after exercising in the pool, the microwave light was off and the lampshades were all held on with finials!  And the safe now works!  Life is good!

We're going to Burro Loco for dinner this evening.  For now I am heading out to sit on the balcony.

Stay safe!

Boxer

Finally got a picture and then finally got a chance to post this!  :)

Bikini says he is doing okay.  I'm sure he'll feel a lot better when he can get back to doing all the things he loves to do.

The pink cast was his choice.  :)

Stay safe, people!

Further News

Boxer is getting the cast on his arm today.  It had to be reset and he opted for no Novocaine.  He's a tough young man.  I'm waiting on a picture of the cast.  :)

In the meantime, here are pictures of this morning's eye appointment....

BEFORE

AFTER

Stay safe, people!

If Only We Were Closer

I'm not sure what we could do to help, but we would certainly try.

On Saturday, Boxer broke his arm sliding into  home during his baseball game.  He is doing okay and learning to do things with one hand.  Still has a splint and will be getting a cast this week.  Much stress for Bikini and Brief.  And in the process of answering all the  nurse's questions, Bikini discovered that Boxer is being bullied by an eighth grader at his new school.  So.  More stress.  Like I said, I don't know what I could do even we did live closer to each other.  Other than all that, they are all doing well.

My sister-in-law had surgery yesterday on her shoulder and will be recovering and doing the rehab for a few months.  She is home and doing okay the last we heard.

One thing we were closer for was Cutie Girl's first eye appointment.  I went along to "help".  She has the same wandering eye issues that BeyB had.  The doctor said everything is functionally good and she wanted to see her again in four months.  In the meantime when the eye wanders, she should be reminded to "bring it back" and focus on something.  So we will all work on that.  She was very good for the whole ordeal but didn't care for the dilation drops.  :)

And now I have to do a few things around the house.  Stay safe!

Getting Things Done

Hey, All!

We've been busy around here setting up our new phones.  Our contract with Sprint was due to expire and we felt we had been paying too much for what we used.  So we gathered our Sprint receipts and went to Verizon to see what they could offer.  They have a couple very good promotions going on now.  And we already have the cable, Internet and phone with them.  We got a better deal, got new phones and have been busy getting them set up the way we want.

I admit I balked at first when we started this discussion because I liked my old phone and wanted to keep it.  But I like the new one just as much.  I got the Samsung Galaxy 6 and Golfer got the Galaxy 6 Edge.  We had decided to get different phones this time because Kirk and Spock got confused trying to pair our identical old phones.

I spent this morning at the dentist.  My "antique" fillings" are gradually going bad and needing to be replaced.  Big crack in the filling in a molar was repaired this time as well as a smaller one in another tooth.  I am still all numbed up.  Hate it.

We've been keeping up with things around the house.  Golfer got the yard done.  I went out and did my weekly walk-around and tidied up.  Things are all caught up after our Ohio trip and we are now getting ready for Myrtle Beach and the World-Am Tournament soon.

It's still Virginia Summer here - hot and humid.  We had a thunderstorm last night and got a little rain.  Other areas got more.

Stay safe!

A Product Review and Public Service Announcement

Anyone who knows me knows that I like to keep a clean and neat house.  In doing so, I vacuum more than the normal amount, or so I’m told.  I also use a hand-vac at least daily to keep the kitty hair under control on the furniture, window treatments, and bedding, and also to clean the cars.  And this is where my issues started.

I had a wonderful Hoover hand-vac with a rotating brush attachment.  I wore it out; needed another one.  Unfortunately, I could not find another anywhere at that time.  So I decided to try the Shark “Pet Perfect II” that I had heard about.  It also had a rotating brush.

This thing was the worst piece of junk I have ever purchased. Period.  I will NEVER buy another Shark product.  (they are now on my “list” with Lenovo products)

I charged it up when I got it and then tried to use it.  The brush attachment kept falling off.  Then after I had recharged the battery only a couple times, it stopped holding a charge.   I called their customer service.  Keep in mind I had only had the thing about a month at that time.  They sent me a new brush attachment and a new battery.

So I charged up the battery and installed the brush.  First time I used it the brush fell off.  Then the first time I recharged the battery, it wouldn’t hold a charge.

So I called them again.  The best they could offer me for this useless piece of junk that wouldn’t work and was only a couple months old was to have me pay about $26 in shipping charges back and forth so they could look at it to see if it could be repaired.  And if not, they would send a reconditioned replacement.  I asked to speak to a manager and was told there was no one available.  I said okay, no thank you.  I was not spending any more money on it.  And I told them I would tell everyone I talked to about their product.  So here we are.  The useless batteries are in the recycle pile and the vacuum is at the bottom of the dumpster.

I did finally find a Hoover hand-vac just like my old one.  It is wonderful!  So, say “Yes” to Hoover and “NO!” to Shark.

Stay safe!