Tom Flanders

Tom Week – New Hampshire and Maine

8/16/19 – Lee New Hampshire

We are in Lee New Hampshire. The home of Lee USA Speedway. A track I’ve not been to before. I rode my bike over, just under three miles. Coming home after the race was fun. After about 50 yards of highway I turned on to the back roads and not one car passed me from either direction the whole rest of the trip.

The racing was great. A wide variety of cars with some very fast racing. As usual the sportsman race had the most yellow flags. Those are the almost pro racers who usually have more attitude than even the real pro racers. Half the cars crashed out of that one.

So much fun.

8/17/19 – The Quiet Woods

A day of very little action. Got some writing and computer chores done. Maybe tomorrow I can venture into the physical world.

8/18/19 – Saco

We came up route 1 from the New Hampshire border. Some people have too much money. The further north we got, the less yuppie it got. The Biddeford WalMart lived up to all expectations.

We are now in Saco Maine, just one mile south of the world famous full-size chocolate moose. A must see for fans of the butter cows.

Walking up to the office to check in a chipmunk ran across the path. A nearby boy yelled, “Dad, chipskunk!”

8/19/19 – OO Beach

Took a bike ride on the Eastern Trail. Nice and flat but unpaved. Took the road to the beach. Thick fog prevented any view of the ocean but Old Orchard Beach was way funky.

8/20/19 – Freeport

Today we saw Lenny the life-size chocolate moose. Things like this are the reason we roam.

Pat and I nearly had heart attacks when we got to the new RV park. That park is way out in the woods but as we arrived we discovered that they’ve cleared this huge area. The spaces are in the middle of a field. It’s 90 degrees out.

So we go to our assigned spot in the field only to find it occupied by another RV. Back in the office the woman apologized, she read the wrong line on the incoming list. She gave us a different space which was in the woods on the other side of the field. Hurray!

8/21/19 – Rain

Wonderful lazy day. Didn’t get up till eleven. Took a nap at three. Got a surprising amount of work done towards the job hunt.

PIX

The most complicated sewer hookup ever!

Gary the caterpillar helped me with the hoses.

Rides in the fog. The ocean was hidden by the fog.

Another national treasure observed. Lenny the life-sized chocolate moose.

Tags: new hampshire | Comments (0) | Author: Tom | Published: August 22, 2019

100 Words – Torture

I laughed as she squirmed, fearing the needle’s sting. I clamped her arm down and injected the harmless solution into her vein. Ten minutes later she told me everything I wanted to know. Everything she wanted me to know.

The charade of torture is often so rewarding. The “victim” wants to cooperate. The sin of collusion is tempting. They don’t really believe the lies they were raised on. Any alternative, any truth, any rebellion will do.

Now what to do with her? Killing her would be too kind. It would deprive her of the horror of living a traitor’s life.

Tags: lies,torture | Comments (0) | Author: Tom | Published: August 17, 2019

Tom Week – Back to the Driveway

8/2/19 – Back to Wormtown Driveway

We’re back at my sister’s for the weekend at least. Pulling into her driveway I cut the corner too tight and got a scrape on the side of the RV. Not too bad. Should polish out.

8/3/19 – Family

Family get-together tonight. Lots of fun. Got see people I haven’t seen in a long time.

8/4/19 – Shots

Took Abigail to get her shots today. She was barking at all the dogs and even nipped at a few of them. She’s never done that before.

8/5/19 – New Laptop

It came today. Time to retire this tired old machine that I love. Time has wielded it’s hoary vengeance. The case is falling apart. Time to move on. Tomorrow I will test my new writing device. Pray that it understands me as this machine has.

Got to see many of the siblings again today. Nice dealing with them one on one rather than in a maddening crowd.

8/6/19 – Moving, not moving

Ann needed access to the garage so we had to move the RV out onto the street for an hour.

I started setting up the new laptop. Tedious, but it is very fast. I am still writing on the old laptop. Haven’t moved my files over yet.

8/7/19 – Work work work

I forgot how mush work it is to set up a new computer. Years of settings from the old computer must be duplicated. Configurations and data file must be copied. Pain in the ass but worth it for the new computer is so much faster and has a friendly keyboard. I think it will be a good writing machine.

Hung out with three of my sisters tonight. Good talk about parents and movies and everything.

8/8/19 – Goodwill

Lunch at Longhorn Steakhouse. Shopping for junk at Goodwill then for food at Shaw’s. Such an exciting life we lead.

8/10/19 – The no comedy show

Went to a comedy show tonight that didn’t happen. Just as the show was about to start the band next door started to play and drowned out the comedians. All seven of us got our money back.

8/11/19 – GO KARTS!

We drove to either Marlboro or Marlborough, depending on which welcome sign you chose to believe, and went to a go kart track. Very nice track but lots of hills, which are not conducive to speed to those of us near 200 pounds.

As we got orientated and put in karts I was worried that I’d be in people’s way. I was one of the few who hadn’t raced there before. My worries proved unfounded. I wound up lapping everyone and half the field a second time.

My best time was three seconds off the fastest time of the day. Just five seconds off the best time ever. Not bad for a gravity-challenged first-timer. Getting out of the karts one of the crew asked me, “Who are you?” Ego all good now, thanks.

8/12/19 – Redneck Dumping

I checked and it’s legal, but I don’t think the neighbors would approve. Not a trace, they’ll never know. If my math is correct I carried 490 pounds of waste water from the RV to the sewer. Such fun.

8/13/19 – A Miracle

Pat’s meds finally made it though the system and into our possession. Thanks to all those who helped and curses on the families of those who didn’t.

8/14/19 – New Hampshire

Back in the woods. We’re doing a two week loop through the upper states then back to Worcester for Labor Day weekend. Instantly relaxed.

8/15/19 – The Pendulum Swings

Nice bike ride today. It help my mental health so much. Afterwards I got to shower in a “rustic” bath house. The spiders seemed to enjoy watching me.

PIX

Pat and the mighty Emmett

Nestled into Ann and Jenn’s driveway

Tonya and Minnie sharing a recliner

Tags: driveway,new hampshire,wormtown | Comments (1) | Author: Tom | Published: August 15, 2019

100 Words(or less) – Movie Oops

All I wanted to do was make a movie. I know that’s little comfort to the families of the recently deceased, but it’s true.

The thing that bothers me the most is now I have to pay extra to have the “no animals were harmed” message removed from the credits.

Tags: movie | Comments (0) | Author: Tom | Published: August 10, 2019

Tom Week – Worcester to The Land of Moss

7/26/19 – In Worcester

We’ve parked the RV in a lot of different places. This is our first alley. Only in Worcester. (AKA Wormtown)

We spent the day at my sister’s. Taking real showers and watching real cable TV. The lap of luxury.

7/27/19 – Laundry Day

We spent most of the day doing my sister’s laundry. I did get in a bike ride though. I found a round with nice wide bike lanes and it coincidentally took me past the cemetery where my parents are buried. I’m not big on cemeteries, but it was right there so I stopped.

I went to Ralph’s tonight. Whenever I come to Worcester I have to go there to remind myself how old I’ve become.

7/28/19 – Tired Morning

Helped Ann pump up some tires this morning. Then Pat and Tonya and I went to lunch and shopping at WalMart. That’s about it.

7/29/19 – And I Helped

Helped my sister move some stuff around in her old warehouse so the movers can come and move it to the new warehouse.

7/30/19 – Into The Woods

We are in Phillipston MA in a heavily-wooded campground. It’s called Lamb City but we’ve seen no sheep. It’s very relaxing. (And there’s a pool across the road.)

7/31/19 – Relaxiland

Woke up at 10. Too lazy for a bike ride. Tonya and I went to the pool for a while. Then the thunder came. Had a good nap. My goal is to be awake less than 12 hours today.

We are in the kind of woods that kill boy scouts. The moss covers both sides of the trees and when it’s over cast you have no idea which way is which.

8/1/19 – The Hills, The Hills

Went for a bike ride today. For once Google Maps was pretty close distance-wise, but was once again way off elevation-wise. Instead of just over 300 feet of climbing I did 964 feet. Had a good nap afterwards.

PIX

Abigail loves her aunties’ couch.

Made some new friends on my bike ride.

Tags: Moss,worcester | Comments (0) | Author: Tom | Published: August 1, 2019

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