On the Road Again with Merle

[paulhilborn]

I had a day planned where Merle and me would spend the day highlighting what make Valley City special, instead I had to go in and relieve my wife at work. It's really a special little town. Duncan and his wife Sue were so impressed they even brought up the possibility of moving here. Keep in mind, Duncan and Sue live in paradise in New Zealand

If their defense, it was summer and Nanc and I quickly said, you need to go through a winter here before you make any rash decisions.

These are just some quick pic's for the day, depending on things here I may be parting ways with Merle earlier than expected

 

[btb01]

Was busy yesterday and neglected Merle another busy day doing projects around the house while taking advantage of the 31°(above zero) temps Chopped ice and got a good flow going downhill, took down Christmas lights and the new knee proved worthy With the snowbanks still so high I didn't have to use a ladder!!!

Merle helped in the garage with cutting down trash and eliminating zip ties in the removal of holiday lights. Not a ton of tasks but he was there when called on

With this snow bank, I may not mow till June

Paul, that’s an impressive mound of snow! I don’t know exactly how much snow we got this winter, but it seems like it was less than normal. Glad the new knee is working!

I had a day planned where Merle and me would spend the day highlighting what make Valley City special, instead I had to go in and relieve my wife at work. It's really a special little town. Duncan and his wife Sue were so impressed they even brought up the possibility of moving here. Keep in mind, Duncan and Sue live in paradise in New Zealand

If their defense, it was summer and Nanc and I quickly said, you need to go through a winter here before you make any rash decisions.

These are just some quick pic's for the day, depending on things here I may be parting ways with Merle earlier than expected

Maybe Duncan and Sue can become extreme snowbirds. Summer in ND, then summer in NZ.

Good to see Merle in a classic paulhilborn porch photo!

 

[paulhilborn]

Guys and Gals, my apologies as Merle's stay with me has been turbulent to say the least and cut short. I spent the first day with him and only hit one highlight of our fair town. I reached out to Barrett btb01 and spoke with him in regards to a health issue we are dealing with in our family. My wife, Nanc has been in the hospital as an advocate for her sister since Monday, so I've been covering our store along with our son. Our delivery help is in Sunny Florida on Spring Break (oh to be young again)!!! allowing sales and deliveries to default to this overweight, almost 60, yet handsome "older" guy

I snapped a few pic's before he left and is now on his way to Nature Boy . I participated in Earl travels and planned for similar outings with Merle, but to no avail.

Thank you Barrett for putting me on the recipient list and sorry I couldn't give Merle the attention he truly deserved.

Parting shots...

 

[JohnDF]

Life happens and we understand.
It's family first around here. Take care of what's important.

 

[Markesharp]

Guys and Gals, my apologies as Merle's stay with me has been turbulent to say the least and cut short. I spent the first day with him and only hit one highlight of our fair town. I reached out to Barrett btb01 and spoke with him in regards to a health issue we are dealing with in our family. My wife, Nanc has been in the hospital as an advocate for her sister since Monday, so I've been covering our store along with our son. Our delivery help is in Sunny Florida on Spring Break (oh to be young again)!!! allowing sales and deliveries to default to this overweight, almost 60, yet handsome "older" guy

I snapped a few pic's before he left and is now on his way to Nature Boy . I participated in Earl travels and planned for similar outings with Merle, but to no avail.

Thank you Barrett for putting me on the recipient list and sorry I couldn't give Merle the attention he truly deserved.

Parting shots...

You done good Paul!
I went through the same thing when I had EARL and had to pass it off due to my mom's health.
You're in my prayers brother

 

[btb01]

Guys and Gals, my apologies as Merle's stay with me has been turbulent to say the least and cut short. I spent the first day with him and only hit one highlight of our fair town. I reached out to Barrett btb01 and spoke with him in regards to a health issue we are dealing with in our family. My wife, Nanc has been in the hospital as an advocate for her sister since Monday, so I've been covering our store along with our son. Our delivery help is in Sunny Florida on Spring Break (oh to be young again)!!! allowing sales and deliveries to default to this overweight, almost 60, yet handsome "older" guy

I snapped a few pic's before he left and is now on his way to Nature Boy . I participated in Earl travels and planned for similar outings with Merle, but to no avail.

Thank you Barrett for putting me on the recipient list and sorry I couldn't give Merle the attention he truly deserved.

Parting shots...

No worries at all, Paul. Thank you for taking part, and best wishes for your family. If you’d like, maybe Merle can swing back by on the second US-leg of his tour. Try not to work too hard, my friend!

 

[Peregrin]

paulhilborn
Taking care of family, and taking care of business comes first, Paul. Best wishes to you and your family.

 

[sbh06]

Guys and Gals, my apologies as Merle's stay with me has been turbulent to say the least and cut short. I spent the first day with him and only hit one highlight of our fair town. I reached out to Barrett btb01 and spoke with him in regards to a health issue we are dealing with in our family. My wife, Nanc has been in the hospital as an advocate for her sister since Monday, so I've been covering our store along with our son. Our delivery help is in Sunny Florida on Spring Break (oh to be young again)!!! allowing sales and deliveries to default to this overweight, almost 60, yet handsome "older" guy

I snapped a few pic's before he left and is now on his way to Nature Boy . I participated in Earl travels and planned for similar outings with Merle, but to no avail.

Thank you Barrett for putting me on the recipient list and sorry I couldn't give Merle the attention he truly deserved.

Parting shots...

Sorry to hear about this, Paul. Hope things start looking up for you soon.

 

[bigfish64]

Guys and Gals, my apologies as Merle's stay with me has been turbulent to say the least and cut short. I spent the first day with him and only hit one highlight of our fair town. I reached out to Barrett btb01 and spoke with him in regards to a health issue we are dealing with in our family. My wife, Nanc has been in the hospital as an advocate for her sister since Monday, so I've been covering our store along with our son. Our delivery help is in Sunny Florida on Spring Break (oh to be young again)!!! allowing sales and deliveries to default to this overweight, almost 60, yet handsome "older" guy

I snapped a few pic's before he left and is now on his way to Nature Boy . I participated in Earl travels and planned for similar outings with Merle, but to no avail.

Thank you Barrett for putting me on the recipient list and sorry I couldn't give Merle the attention he truly deserved.

Parting shots...

Couldn’t agree more family first, take care.

 

[redsparrow]

Guys and Gals, my apologies as Merle's stay with me has been turbulent to say the least and cut short. I spent the first day with him and only hit one highlight of our fair town. I reached out to Barrett btb01 and spoke with him in regards to a health issue we are dealing with in our family. My wife, Nanc has been in the hospital as an advocate for her sister since Monday, so I've been covering our store along with our son. Our delivery help is in Sunny Florida on Spring Break (oh to be young again)!!! allowing sales and deliveries to default to this overweight, almost 60, yet handsome "older" guy

I snapped a few pic's before he left and is now on his way to Nature Boy . I participated in Earl travels and planned for similar outings with Merle, but to no avail.

Thank you Barrett for putting me on the recipient list and sorry I couldn't give Merle the attention he truly deserved.

Parting shots...

Sorry to hear of your SIL health needs. Glad she has a loving advocate. Our prayers are for her speedy recovery.
I delivered furniture for a short while when in my early twenty's... be careful.
Guess you could say the ladies are finding you both handsome and handy Paul. Red Green would be proud.
Good parting shots my friend, Merle never looked better.

 

[cbach8tw]

Prayers are with you and take care of the family.

 

[knowtracks]

Smoke and prayers up from Montana My Friend! Speedy recovery!

Dave

 

[Matt_WY]

Guys and Gals, my apologies as Merle's stay with me has been turbulent to say the least and cut short. I spent the first day with him and only hit one highlight of our fair town. I reached out to Barrett btb01 and spoke with him in regards to a health issue we are dealing with in our family. My wife, Nanc has been in the hospital as an advocate for her sister since Monday, so I've been covering our store along with our son. Our delivery help is in Sunny Florida on Spring Break (oh to be young again)!!! allowing sales and deliveries to default to this overweight, almost 60, yet handsome "older" guy

I snapped a few pic's before he left and is now on his way to Nature Boy . I participated in Earl travels and planned for similar outings with Merle, but to no avail.

Thank you Barrett for putting me on the recipient list and sorry I couldn't give Merle the attention he truly deserved.

Parting shots...

Paul, I was looking forward to seeing some photos of my beautiful home state, but family always comes first. Hoping for a quick recovery for all involved.

 

[Jack Black]

Hope everything is better soon Paul

 

[RLB0414]

Guys and Gals, my apologies as Merle's stay with me has been turbulent to say the least and cut short. I spent the first day with him and only hit one highlight of our fair town. I reached out to Barrett btb01 and spoke with him in regards to a health issue we are dealing with in our family. My wife, Nanc has been in the hospital as an advocate for her sister since Monday, so I've been covering our store along with our son. Our delivery help is in Sunny Florida on Spring Break (oh to be young again)!!! allowing sales and deliveries to default to this overweight, almost 60, yet handsome "older" guy

I snapped a few pic's before he left and is now on his way to Nature Boy . I participated in Earl travels and planned for similar outings with Merle, but to no avail.

Thank you Barrett for putting me on the recipient list and sorry I couldn't give Merle the attention he truly deserved.

Parting shots...

Prayers for your family. Stay safe covering everything solo

 

[paulhilborn]

Life happens and we understand.
It's family first around here. Take care of what's important.

You done good Paul!
I went through the same thing when I had EARL and had to pass it off due to my mom's health.
You're in my prayers brother

No worries at all, Paul. Thank you for taking part, and best wishes for your family. If you’d like, maybe Merle can swing back by on the second US-leg of his tour. Try not to work too hard, my friend!

paulhilborn
Taking care of family, and taking care of business comes first, Paul. Best wishes to you and your family.

Sorry to hear about this, Paul. Hope things start looking up for you soon.

Couldn’t agree more family first, take care.

Sorry to hear of your SIL health needs. Glad she has a loving advocate. Our prayers are for her speedy recovery.
I delivered furniture for a short while when in my early twenty's... be careful.
Guess you could say the ladies are finding you both handsome and handy Paul. Red Green would be proud.
Good parting shots my friend, Merle never looked better.

Prayers are with you and take care of the family.

Smoke and prayers up from Montana My Friend! Speedy recovery!

Dave

Paul, I was looking forward to seeing some photos of my beautiful home state, but family always comes first. Hoping for a quick recovery for all involved.

Hope everything is better soon Paul

Prayers for your family. Stay safe covering everything solo

Thank you everyone, the porch is such a great place, we appreciate your kindness. Nanc was back Thursday night (just to sleep in her own bed) stayed Friday then back to the hospital again today (2 hr drive) and her return isn't known right now.

Again Many thanks everyone and again Barrett for Merle's adventures looking forward to Merle's stay with Mike

 

[abbydaddy]

Guys and Gals, my apologies as Merle's stay with me has been turbulent to say the least and cut short. I spent the first day with him and only hit one highlight of our fair town. I reached out to Barrett btb01 and spoke with him in regards to a health issue we are dealing with in our family. My wife, Nanc has been in the hospital as an advocate for her sister since Monday, so I've been covering our store along with our son. Our delivery help is in Sunny Florida on Spring Break (oh to be young again)!!! allowing sales and deliveries to default to this overweight, almost 60, yet handsome "older" guy

I snapped a few pic's before he left and is now on his way to Nature Boy . I participated in Earl travels and planned for similar outings with Merle, but to no avail.

Thank you Barrett for putting me on the recipient list and sorry I couldn't give Merle the attention he truly deserved.

Parting shots...

I'm a little late catching up on this thread, but I hope your sister-in-law is doing better. And I hope life gets a little less hectic for you. It is still nice to see Merle’s travels, even if some of the stops are shorter.

 

[Nature Boy]

Happy Spring…

…from Staten Island’s Fresh Kills Landfill!

Well, I didn’t mean to start off with that particular landmark, but after unpacking late Saturday evening, Merle accompanied me on the typical Sunday kids’ sporting commitments around Staten Island and into New Jersey - so unfortunately just some crummy pics from the car to show off so far. I promise to hit up some more touristy parts of the island over the next few days!

Just for the purposes of documentation: here we are crossing state lines, heading south over the Outerbridge Crossing - one of four bridges connecting Staten Island to the rest of America.

And back into S.I., NY


Following the Natural Beauty of AK and ND is is going to be a challenge, but I think Merle and I are up for it!

For some more info about the Staten Island dump, here is a quoted section from Wikipedia:
“The landfill opened in 1948 as a temporary landfill, but by 1955 it had become the largest landfill in the world, and it remained so until its closure in 2001.

“At the peak of its operation, in 1986, Fresh Kills received 29,000 tons of residential waste per day, playing a key part in the New York City waste management system.

“From 1991 until its closing it was the only landfill to accept New York City's residential waste.[4] It consists of four mounds which range in height from 90 to about 225 feet (30 to about 70 m) and hold about 150 million tons of solid waste.

“The archaeologist Martin Jones characterizes it as "among the largest man-made structures in the history of the world."“

Oh yeah…they’re also turning it into a park…



“In October 2008, reclamation of the site began for a multi-phase, 30-year site redevelopment. The landfill is eventually expected to be developed as Freshkills Park.”

Until tomorrow,
Mike & Merle

 

[btb01]

Happy Spring…
View attachment 1772095
…from Staten Island’s Fresh Kills Landfill!

Well, I didn’t mean to start off with that particular landmark, but after unpacking late Saturday evening, Merle accompanied me on the typical Sunday kids’ sporting commitments around Staten Island and into New Jersey - so unfortunately just some crummy pics from the car to show off so far. I promise to hit up some more touristy parts of the island over the next few days!

Just for the purposes of documentation: here we are crossing state lines, heading south over the Outerbridge Crossing - one of four bridges connecting Staten Island to the rest of America. View attachment 1772124

And back into S.I., NY
View attachment 1772125

Following the Natural Beauty of AK and ND is is going to be a challenge, but I think Merle and I are up for it!

For some more info about the Staten Island dump, here is a quoted section from Wikipedia:
“The landfill opened in 1948 as a temporary landfill, but by 1955 it had become the largest landfill in the world,[2] and it remained so until its closure in 2001. At the peak of its operation, in 1986, Fresh Kills received 29,000 tons of residential waste per day, playing a key part in the New York City waste management system.[3]From 1991 until its closing it was the only landfill to accept New York City's residential waste.[4] It consists of four mounds which range in height from 90 to about 225 feet (30 to about 70 m) and hold about 150 million tons of solid waste. The archaeologist Martin Jones characterizes it as "among the largest man-made structures in the history of the world." “

Oh yeah…they’re also turning it into a park…

View attachment 1772138

“In October 2008, reclamation of the site began for a multi-phase, 30-year site redevelopment. The landfill is eventually expected to be developed as Freshkills Park.”

Until tomorrow,
Mike & Merle

Mike, I’m glad to see Merle made it safely, and I’m looking forward to his adventures around Staten Island.

I have to say, those first few images had very familiar feel to them…

 

[abbydaddy]

“From 1991 until its closing it was the only landfill to accept New York City's residential waste.[4] It consists of four mounds which range in height from 90 to about 225 feet (30 to about 70 m) and hold about 150 million tons of solid waste.

“The archaeologist Martin Jones characterizes it as "among the largest man-made structures in the history of the world."“

Oh yeah…they’re also turning it into a park…

As an archaeologist, I love that you included this characterization.

I suspect that a major future industry will be landfill mining. As we get better at recycling materials, the landfills will be resource rich "ore". And I suspect that future archaeologists will be fighting to preserve the treasure trove of archaeological material housed in the Fresh Kills Mounds.