I mentioned the wind in my last post. There was a comment questioning the decision to relocate on a windy day. I’d like to clarify the situation.
We were heading west and there was wind out of the south at about 20mph. This isn’t extreme, but it’s noticeable for sure. When the wind is moving perpendicular to the direction of travel, the driver of a high-profile vehicle needs to continually adjust and compensate for the force of the wind. This can make driving mentally and physically taxing. That was my point. Twenty miles per hour wind didn’t keep truckers off the road and we saw other motorhomes traveling as well.
At this time of year, high wind seems to be typical for the area – we’ve had 15-20mph wind every day since we arrived in Amarillo. Along the north side of I-40, east of Amarillo, we saw wind turbine generators. These are usually placed where there is sufficient wind on a regular basis to power the turbine.
Google file photo of wind turbine generators
On Friday, I did some maintenance on the coach. I sealed the seams in the living room slide-out. I sealed the driver’s side bedroom slide a while back. I still have one more slide to seal to complete the job. Over time, the caulking can crack – this can allow moisture to intrude behind the fiberglass. It’s an item that needs to be checked occasionally – just like caulking windows in a sticks-and-bricks home.
Donna prepared a whole chicken by lightly coating it with olive oil, then spiced it with salt, pepper and granulated garlic. I cooked it on the Traeger wood pellet fired grill. A five-pound chicken usually takes around 70-75 minutes to cook. I was inside the coach when I saw a neighbor standing in front of the grill. I got up to see what he was doing, but he walked away and went inside his travel trailer before I got out the door. I’m not sure, but I think he may have opened the grill to see what was happening inside. I went out and saw the temperature had dropped about 50 degrees, so I’m fairly certain the door was opened.
The dry climate here allowed the chicken to cook a little faster than I expected. It came out fine, but I’ll have to adjust my cooking times for dryer climates. Donna made vanilla-maple-bourbon acorn squash mash to go with the chicken along with asparagus. She picked up the squash while out walking in Gettysburg one morning after spotting a pile of squashes with a “Free” sign out at the end of someone’s driveway. (She also grabbed a pumpkin and still deciding on its fate.)
Roasted chicken with vanilla-maple-bourbon acorn squash mash
On Saturday, we rode the scooter to the Golden Spread Farmers’ Market at Sunset Center. Most of the produce there is grown on family farms within 70 miles of Amarillo. It was smaller than we expected, but that may be due to the time of year. We kicked around and bought sweet corn, fresh basil and miniature yellow squash.
Amarillo farmers’ market
Lots of fresh melons
We rode through the historic Route 66 section of downtown. This area is about a mile long and has many antique shops. It was quiet on a Saturday morning and we didn’t stop to shop.
Last night, I grilled bacon-wrapped petite filet mignon on the Traeger along with fresh corn on the cob. Donna served it with baked potatoes. What a yummy meal for the Labor Day weekend.
Speaking of Labor Day, tomorrow is the holiday. Labor Day is a working man’s holiday, first celebrated in New York on September 5th, 1882. The following year, it was again celebrated on September 5th. In 1884, it was decided the set the Labor Day holiday on the first Monday in September and that tradition has held for 131 years.
Other than watching the Formula 1 race and making a run to the store, I have no plans for today or tomorrow. I hope your Labor Day weekend is a good one. Since I’m no longer a member of the workforce, Labor Day is just another day for me.