Model Airplanes

If you enjoy model airplanes, take a look at the attached video......quite an accomplishment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZw-M5W5FOw

Customer Service

There have been some genuine compliants and issues with regard to customer service on recent blogs and then there are others that might not be the fault of the manufacturer or company and yet getting on a social network and complaining tends to give impression that the consumer has no fault for anything.

My business is built on customer service. The owner of our organization has never, not ever deviated from the statement, "the customer is always right". We carry it a step further, "the customer is always right, even when he is wrong". If our customer is standing next to a white car telling us he has a black car..HE HAS A BLACK CAR. We don't argue, but we also don't give him black touch up paint.

Are customers wrong? Yes. Do customers make mistakes? Yes. Do customers often use products outside the intended use? Oh Yes. But the customer is the customer and resolution that satisfies all parties is the only way to go. Customers who have had resolution to their issues and feel they were treated fairly will return to do more business with a company.

However, it is up to the consumer to contact the company and at least give them the opportunity to do something before jumping on a social network to expose the shoddy company practices. Some companies deserve it while others do not. If a company will not listen to and address your concern then by all means hit the social network.

And before you hit the manufacturer with one hundred percent of the blame, think about your complicity and the reason you are upset. Has anything you did caused the issue that has sparked you to be upset.

Have a wonderful day and thanks for dropping by....

Yesterdays Post

Some day I will learn to spell...64 years old and can't tell the difference between of and off...

Weekend Away

Our grandson, Zach wanted to go to Gold Bar and camp this weekend so we left Friday night, after dinner to drive up. We arrived shortly after sunset and set up the basic camp and unpacked. There was news that a certain satellite was due to enter the atmosphere and crash into earth somewhere in the Pacific Ocean off the Washington/Oregon coast. It is dark in Gold Bar. In some areas of the park (the ballpark area) it is really dark. There is an absence of light in the surrounding area so if you lay in the bed of your pickup truck you get a sky full of stars on a nearly clear night. We watched several satellite's cross the sky but none could be described as falling through the atmosphere. We finally went back to the trailer to enjoy the rest of the evening. The next morning we found out that it apparently landed sometime between 9pm and 1am and no one seems to know where. We can put a man on the moon and follow them through space but we can't figure out where a satellite fell to earth even after it made it through the atmosphere! Call me crazy, but I believe there is more to the story.

We got up Saturday morning and while Zach and Mia went for walks I attended the annual membership meeting in the clubhouse. Pretty much an uneventful meeting. We had lunch and went to see Brad Pitt's new movie, "Moneyball". This is not an action movie, but it is a good movie. If you like baseball, hell, even if you don't like baseball you'll like this movie. Got a chance to listen to the last half Huskie/California game with an outcome that I liked...Husky WIN. My son, grandson and I will be going to the October 15th game at Husky Stadium. Really looking forward to it.

Went back to the trailer and enjoy a peaceful but muggy evening. It has been rather muggy here the last few days. The all hell broke loose and we had a downpour of epic proportions. It rained hard most of the early morning hours and I awoke early and spent time reading my Kindle while letting Mia and Zach sleep in. Once everyone was up we came home, dropped Zach off and have been enjoying the afternoon with watching the Seahawks beat Arizona. Our son, Jeff and his wife, Emily and our six month old grandson James came for visit and we spent two hours making James laugh.

That's about it for now....wow look at that, the Seahawks won their first game of the year....

The next question...when to winterize and do I bring the trailer home or leave it in Gold Bar for the winter????

Decisions....

Tire Issues

I have read,with great interest, my fellow bloggers concerns and issues that have arose due to the experiences of http://theeastsheadwest.blogspot.com/ this past weekend. Add to that the issues that have come up over at http://rickpaulettervjournal.blogspot.com/

and http://ticknortribe.blogspot.com/ and all kinds of safety issues pop up.

Cheap tires are just that, cheap tires. So if you are looking for tires for you truck, motorhome or travel trailer you should steer clear of CHEAP. Tires are rated for specific load levels and the manufacturer of your trailer and suspension system have determined what the maximum load of you trailer is. When loading the trailer do not exceed the trailer Gross Axle Weight Rating(s) (GAWR). Weigh the fully loaded trailer from time to time to verify that trailer GAWR and GVWR are not exceeded, and that the loads on the right-hand and left-hand wheels are approximately equal.

When replacing tires make certain you replace them with tires that either have the same load and speed rating or one that is capable of handling more weight than is needed. Here is a picture that I stole to give you an idea of what you are looking for.

Here we have the typical tire sidewall. For RV owners we are specifically interested in the Load Index and Speed Symbol. Each load index is capable of carrying X number of pounds, no more. If your trailer is designed to have a GVWR of 10,000 pounds, your tires had better be up to the weight your putting on them. You must determine which load rating is suitable for your application.

In short, the actual GVWR is one of the most important numbers you need to know. It is critical for getting the correct tires and maintaining them properly.

Most tire manufactures recommend keeping tires inflated to the maximum cold pounds per square inch listed on the side wall of the tire for the best performance. With maximum pressure the tire will perform better and wear better, and you get the advantage of better gas mileage. Reduce the psi, and you effectively reduce the functionality of the tire. Check your tire pressure often with a good quality tire gauge. You can't be overly cautious.

There are ultimately three keys to avoiding tire troubles while towing: Make sure your rig is equipped with the proper tires; (2) Maintain the tire meticulously; and (3) Replace trailer tires every three to five years whether they appear worn out or not.

After a blowout on a tandem-axle trailer, you should replace both tires on that side. The remaining tire was likely subjected to excessive loading and, as a consequence may fail in the near future.

Finally protect your tires when in storage. Off the ground if possible but at least on level well drained ground. Protect tires from UV rays from sunlight. And take as much load off as you can by unloading the trailer and draining the tanks.

My last comment on all of this...know your GVWR and adhere to it like you life depended on it. Staying within the Manufacturers Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is the single most important thing you can to do to protect yourself from possible frame, trailer or tire damage.

Have a great week

Fog Lamp Install

Zach got up and we proceeded to get the physical part of the fog lamp set up installed. Needless to say, I could not have gotten it done without his help. I will do the electrical at a later date.

Up Early, Big Loss

Up early waiting for my grandson to climb out of bed so I can fix my lovely wife, he and I breakfast. The Puyallup Fair is going on and while we have no plans to go, we decided to make the signature pastry that is served there for this mornings breakfast. Fisher Fair Scones served warm with butter (yes, real butter) raspberry jam, with little sausages and scrambled eggs. As soon as we are done with that, I must clean the upstairs bathroom and then he and I are off to move stuff around in the garage, pull in the Silverado and work on installing the factory fog lights.

Yesterday the Huskies lost a tough game to the Corn Huskers. We were in the game all through the first half until the fatal miss call by the officials that gave the Huskers a chance to take the lead going into half time. We looked good in the second half until another official miss call gave the momentum to the opposing team and we went bye, bye. The Huskies are young and they will be fine. I have to say I am very impressed with Price the quarterback replacement for the supposedly best all time quarterback at UW, Jake Locker. Price has more presence and is able to see the field and make things happen when it looks like nothing is left. Some more practice and look out.

The WSU Cougars (the other college team in Washington) lost to San Diego.

The Mariners are now 63/88 after loosing to the Texas Rangers yesterday.

The Seattle Thunderbird hockey team was beat last night by the Portland Whitehawks in the last preseason game.

Sounders Soccer Team won 3-0 if you like soccer.

Saturday was not a good day for a Seattle sports fan.

The Seattle Seahawks play in Pittsburgh this morning. The official who made the bad call against us in our only Super Bowl appearance (against Pittsburgh) is supposed to be the official at this game. Should be interesting.

Enjoy your Sunday

Sports

I am a sports fan. It is hard to be a sports fan in Seattle.

The Mariners looked promising at the beginning of the year but at 61W and 87L it doesn't appear that the promise will reach fruition. I love the Mariners and would love to see them do something more, like win the World Series.

Then there is the Seattle Seahawks. I have to admit to not being a big professional football fan. I watch and get on the bandwagon if and when they do something really great. But it doesn't happen very often and frankly it is tough to watch. Over the years they have been fun to watch at times but just not very consistent.

I am not a big basketball fan, but I did watch the Sonic's when they were here. I hear the Seattle Storm women's basketball club is very good but I have never sat and watched a game.

Then there is the Seattle Thunderbird WHL Hockey team. Fun to watch, but the season hasn't quite started yet. Another 8 or 9 days before the opener against their arch rival the Portland Winterhawks.

My college team is the Washington Huskies and at one time they were a powerhouse and there was a definite swagger to the walk around Seattle. Not so much anymore. While we are 2-0 so far this year we are facing a very difficult schedule starting with this weeks contest in Nebraska. If you have never been to Lincoln, Nebraska on a football weekend you're in for a shock.

Friday afternoon the town turns red. Everything turns red. People dress in red right down to their socks. Stores and bars display red. You walk through a sea of red and across the campus to get to the staduim. The staduim is huge. Not big, HUGE. It seats roughly 85,000 people per game. Husker football is big. The last time we went to Nebraska we were slapped around 56/21. But we both made an appearence in the Holiday Bowl last year and the Huskies managed to beat Nebraska 19/7. I would love to be 3 - 0 at the end of the day on Saturday but our team is fairly young and many likely haven't seen anything like what they will see when they enter the "cathedral". If the stars don't get in their eyes, we have a chance....

Zach and I will be enjoying this weeks football fare and Sunday we'll remove the bumper from the Silverado and install fog lights. I'll be sure to document our progress in pictures.

Hoping you have a great weekend and your team wins.

Here I Am

Well, life does go on and it has been a very busy last few weeks. I would bore you with the details but since I don't want to think about a lot of what has happened, I have no to plans to rethink and write about anything other than the more positive recent history....the weekend.

We picked up our grandson, Zach, on Friday night and drove to Gold Bar to spend the weekend at the trailer. I had this grand idea that we should try to find

Lake Isabel. This alpine lake is located up the hillside (mountain) from Reiter Pit just outside the park. We left at 8:20 am and took off hiking through the park, out the motorcycle gate into the DNR property under the power lines that stretch across the landscape from east to west. We walked until we came to a cross road and turned left towards our up hill march. We are at 192 feet above sea level at this point and looking forward to a climb that have us changing our elevation by 2378 feet. We get to a branch in the road and apparently make a major error by turning right instead of left.

Our future geologist spending time enjoying the granite.

As we proceed up what looks like an old logging road we climb steeply and walk through a gate. I don't remember anyone mentioning a gate on the way to the lake but they do mention two switchbacks and we definitely had those. We end up at another branch in the road and after investigating in both directions we discover we have reached a dead end. One direction we can go boulder climbing....not happening. The other direction leads to a sign that states, "This is not a trail, violators will be prosecuted". We stop going that direction. I suspect it could be a trail to a fire watch station. We turn and walk back down the hill (mountain). Physically near the end we press on until we return to Gold Bar at around 1:40 pm.

A sandstone face left sitting on the rocks under a small waterfall


Enjoying the view near the top of where we went.

If you really want to embarrass yourself, go on a hike with your 15 year old grandson and experience humility. I was absolutely exhausted when we returned to the trailer. After a short respite we went to the family pool and spent about an hour floating around in nice cool water. It felt so good against weak muscles.

Zach preparing the route down, so the old man doesn't have to lean over.

Zach gets to the highest location...A nice rock...Looking like Red Dawn

It is a day later and I really don't feel all that bad. Not a lot of pain anywhere. It was hot while we were hiking and that was draining. We never did find the lake. Two attempts and two misses. Guess we'll have to try again. Just not sure about taking Zach.