What Weekend?

Friday after working a little late, I got home to find the replacement lid for my new smoker on the front porch. After Needles and I had supper we both went out to the garage to work on our projects. She had her fiber that she had dyed a couple of days before to braid and get ready to sell on her Saturday trek to a yarn and fiber get together. I had several smoker modifications to implement. I first mounted the 2 new temperature gauges and started on the baffles. The baffles make the heat from the charcoal box move across the bottom of the smoker instead of going straight up. It makes for even heat in the cooking chamber. Needles and I finally called it quits around 10pm. The next day Needles as off to her get together while I worked on seasoning the smoker. Like a cast iron skillet the smoker needed to be put through a heat cycle and be wiped down with vegetable oil. The seasoning takes about 4 hours but since my new baffle was a little more restrictive than I liked the heating took longer than I expected. It ended up taking over an hour to get the temps into the needed range. After I got finished with that it was close to 2pm and Needles was on her way home. That afternoon I was just simply wiped out. Every time I sat down I was fighting to keep my eyes open. I felt very tired and had a headache. The rest of the afternoon I spent on the couch. We went to bed somewhat early for a Sat. night calling it at 11pm. The next day we had plans to visit with Needles Mom and I need to to check my rail camera since I hadn't checked it for 3 weeks. If you want to see the results click here. This evening we both have just taken it easy in preparation for tomorrow and the start of new week. Hope you had a good weekend.

Main Street Costumes (New Location)

Weekend so far.

Friday night was uneventful. We ended the night with prepping 2 chickens and 2 lbs of Salmon for the Saturday smoke. Saturday morning I got up around 7:30am and started in on getting the smoker ready. Around 2pm I pulled the Salmon and the chickens off the smokers. The Salmon was for a late lunch and the chicken was later pulled off the bone to eat Sunday and early next week. This was the first time I had done a brine for the Salmon so I wasn't surprised that the fish was a little salty. I think I should have rinsed them before putting them on the smoker. The chickens were brined overnight and also dry rubbed before going in the smoker. They turned out pretty good. Unfortunately I was hit with a migraine about the time we started to eat. From 2pm to 6pm I suffered on the couch and finally gave up and went to bed. After about a 4 and a half hour nap it was 10:30pm and I noticed the TV was still on. I got up and felt a lot better. Needles and I ended up staying up pretty late. This morning we woke up and had plans to do a little shopping in V'cennes. Before we left I checked my email and noticed I had some email failure to send notifications. I thought this was strange since I hadn't sent an email to the people on the list. On our way to V'cennes I got a call from a co worker that say she had received an email from me last night. I told her to delete it, that it was a Virus or my email had been hacked. Not long after that I got a call from another co worker that received the same email. After we got home I changed my email password and did and full systems scan which showed no infection. Hopefully that is over with. Shopping in V'cennes yielded a pair of pants for me and several tops for Needles. Now we are home and enjoying what is left of our weekend.

Pulled the Trigger.

Since Needle's Mom got me the Brinkmann Gourmet Vertical Water Smoker I have been smoking meats almost every weekend to my hearts content. I have seemed to stumble upon an addiction of sorts. I have been thinking on getting another smoker. A larger one with an offset firebox. I found the website that I want to buy it from and as I slept last night I contemplated the purchase. I know we have another vacation coming up and the money would be best spent there but I happen to find the type of smoker I wanted on a end of summer clearance discount with an additional 10% off and free shipping. How could I pass this up so I pulled the trigger. It is supposed to be here Friday but we will see. I think this design will be easier to flip, mop and move around the meat instead of disassembling half the smoker and loosing you heat every time you need to do any of these things as I have to do with the vertical smoker.

From this.
To this.

Trail Cam Pics.

I posted some trail camera pics on my hunting blog. If you want to check them out.

CLICK HERE.

Just a few more pictures of the upstairs progress. This is Braden's room in Cold Stone Blue. We are progressing down the stairs with a stair rail. They are hoping to have carpet by next weekend. They they will have few finishing touches. Building shelves for the built in book cases, trimming and doors for the closets.

Braden's dormer with new window and air conditioner.

Built in book case.

Pocket door.

Doorway to large walk in closet.

Branden's room.

Railing just installed.

Upstairs Update.

Dry wall is done!

South bedroom.

North bedroom.

South bedroom in Wild Grape.

North bedroom freshly finished with knock down texture.

Close up of the knock down texture.

Summer Cleaning.

The last few days Needles and I have been going through a lot of our junk and decided to donate it to the hospitals rummage sale they are going to be having. You know what they say one mans junk is another mans junk to pack home a stick in a closet. The money made from the rummage sale will go to Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Our hospital is registered for the walk and we are raising money for the event. My boss has asked me to design the T-shirt for the walk so last week we brain stormed for a bit and came up with what we thought was a neat design. Since we have one of few Mobile Digital Mammography trucks in the Nation we thought this design was fitting. Have a look.During the clean up we were going through the pantry. In the past Needles Mom L liked to get us Easter baskets every year for Easter. This started a Easter basket collection that seemed to hang out in there. While clearing out the clutter we managed to set one of the baskets on the freezer top until I could take it to the hospital to donate the next morning. Well apparently that purple plastic Easter grass was just too much of a temptation on our simple minded Copper. When I came home from work Wednesday I noticed cat puke on the couch cover. Also amongst the food was purple plastic Easter grass. I bet that was tasty. Unfortunately Copper suffered the repercussions of his actions the next day too. Lets just say that he put the purple plastic Easter grass behind him... Anyway he is doing fine now and the incident hasn't effected his appetite one bit.

In other news Needles in a bid for her own safety has purchased a automatic cat feeder. Three times a day the feeder dispenses food on a programmed schedule. They get 1/4th cup at 6am, 1/2 cup at 2pm and 1/4th at 10pm. So far they seem to do well with the feeding. It is funny to watch them when the feeder goes off. You can hear when the food slides into the bowl so when it dispenses the cats run into the back room like a all day looser hitting the jackpot at a slot machine in Vegas.

Yesterday I did apple smoked pork chops with a Jamaican rub. They turned out OK but I think Needles and I are still looking for the perfect combination of rub seasonings.

Today we are going down to Needles Mom L house and since it is getting close to that time of year I am taking the stealth trail cam down to put out in the woods, so hopefully there will be some pictures of critters on my Hunting Blog in a couple of weeks. Either click the link or click the picture of the cabin in the gutter to the right. Have great day.

Not Much.

Not a lot going on in my neck of the woods. We have finished dry walling my brothers upstairs and the mudding is currently underway. They are thinking it will be few more days before it is done. Work has been work, not a lot to say. since Needles mom got the smoker from the auction a few weeks ago I have been trying my hand at BBQ and smoking meats. Over the last 6 weekends I have smoked something 5 of them. I think I have mastered a technique that works for me. The jest of it is smoke for 2 hours and then flip and mop. Then 2 more hours and then flip and wrap in foil and mop generously and put back in smoker for 2 more hours. This seems to be the winning combination. Not too much to report. Just making it day by day until Oct. I am hoping to work on some Halloween projects when the weather cools off a little. I am ready for Fall.

PS. The picture is of a funnel cloud that was spotted in Vincennes last week during the storms.

Whats is new is a pain in the arse.

Over the last few weeks my cell phone wasn't holding a charge very long so I decided to get a new phone. After getting the phone I decided to activate it and it seemed that calling to get my old number transferred was going to be a pain so I just decided to get a new number. Well now I am not sure if that was a good idea because now I am getting texted weather updates from a place in Indiana and also texts from some company that offers loans which must be amazing because that's what they say in the text. I have since contacted the place in Indiana to remove the number and also blocked the number from which these loan texts are coming from. All I can say is the guy that had the number before me was named Tony and he has been a pain in my ass. Also today I have found that I can receive texts but I cant send them.....Nice.

On another note we have been getting a notice on our satellite system that satellite signal 2 has been dropping in and out. After pulling out the receiver and inspecting the cables we have found that lightning must have ran in on that line because the center wire on the coax wire has been burned and fused into the coax port on the back of the receiver, so now we have to order a new receiver...It just keeps getting better. With the news that our retirement package has changed at my work and probably not for the better, the moral at work is in the dumpster. It seems that my already short fuse has just been getting shorter and shorter. This is getting old.

I am hoping that our visit South this weekend might help in this matter but I am not holding my breath.

Strange Moth.

This is a Hummingbird or Bee Moth. I am not sure if I had ever seen one before.

My Brother's Upstairs Addition.

In May my brother and sister in law wanted to add on a couple of bedrooms in their attic. Here is a few pics of the progress so far.


The Beginning...
May 8th ---Sub flooring.
May 17th---Framing.June 16th---Doors, Stairs and Insulation.



June 27th---Drywall.
July 11th---Still Drywall.

My hand at smoking.

The cajun rub on the left and the mesquite on the right.

Close up of the cajun rub chicken.

Last weekend I tried smoking a rack of pork loin ribs and a pork loin. They turned out OK. The ribs could have been a little more tender and the loin should have marinated longer. If I had to do it over again I would have smoked the ribs for 8 hours instead of 6 and at a little higher temp. The loin was only marinated for about an hour. I think over night would have been a lot better. This weekend I thought I would try chicken. Friday after work I picked up a couple of 4 lbs chickens and started preparing them last night at 6pm. I rubbed one down with a Mesquite rub and the other with a Cajun rub. I let them stay in the fridge over night and this morning at 7:30 I pulled them out and mopped them with brown sugar, butter, thyme, paprika, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. They went into the smoker at 8:30am and the first turn was at 10:30am. They got turned and mopped at 12:30pm and pulled out at 1:15pm. They turned out pretty good. I think next on the agenda is fish.

Tugger & Copper VS. Laser Pointer.

Fourth of July and after.

Last weekend we had company. Cynical and Ragged came for a visit. The nice thing about the visit is since we had a holiday weekend, we got an extra day to visit with each other. Friday July 2nd, Rudy and Brando invited us to go with them to The Log Inn in Warrenton, Indiana. They had eatten there a few times but it was the first time for Needles and I. We arrived at the restaurant around 6pm and after a bit of a wait we were seated in the Lincoln Room. Rudy had the roast beef and the rest of us had the boneless catfish. The rest of the meal was what was called family style. This basically means bottomless bowls of peas, corn, sweet oil slaw, Germany style potatoes, mashed potatoes, brown and white gravy and corn bread. We were able to finish off everything but the white gravy and the ladies each brought home a piece of fish. After waddling back to the car, we headed home. We got home around 8pm and after dropping off Rudy and Brando we headed home to find our guests unloading their car. We greeted our weekend guests and headed inside to relax and catch up with each other. We stayed up rather late and called it a night just after midnight. The next day I thought we would head to Mt. Carmel and see if we might get a sight of the bald eagles. When we arrived at the area the nest looked abandoned. We searched the tree line to see if there might be some juveniles hanging around the area. After a fruitless search of the area we headed back to the viewing station and then returned home. Later that weekend I would find out that the young eagles had already fledged and even though they might still be coming back to the nest, they are out learning to hunt most of the day. When we got home we meet up with Rudy and Brando and went out to eat Mexican. It was very good and then we returned home to digest the food in our full stomachs. Before long it was time to hit the hay. They next morning we had breakfast and then lounged around the house and watched few movies to pass the time and a weekend wouldn't be complete without a run to the Dairy Dee. Later that night we were invited to visit with Rudy and Brando to watch the firework their family were setting off. At around 9:30 the fireworks were over and we headed home. On our way home we noticed some other fireworks near the Jr. High so we parked and watched while the display astounded us. We were shock that a home display was so elaborate. It went on for almost an hour and we finally got home at close to 11pm. We stayed up for about an hour before time to go to bed. The next day we grilled turkey filet mignon and asparagus spears. All to soon it was time for our guests to return home. We had a good time visiting and hope to do it again soon.

This weekend was a busy one although uneventful. I had plans to smoke a rack of pork loin ribs and a pork loin so Saturday morning I was up by 7am. I went outside to get everything together and do allot of the prep work. I sat the ribs out to come to room temperature while I got the charcoal ready I also soaked the mesquite chunks. By the time the coals were ready, I had the ribs covered in the rub and ready for the smoker. After a couple of hours it was time the marinate the loin. An hour of marinate and the loin joined the ribs in the smoker. After a 6 hour smoke for the ribs and a 3 hour smoke for the loin it was time to eat. Around 3pm my brother and nephew visited and ate with us. The ribs had really good flavor but I think they could have smoked for a couple more hours to get them a little more tender. The loin was good but I think a longer marinate, probably overnight, would have made it better. After my belly was full it was time for a nap. A nap to aid in digestion and to regain some energy for the lawn that needed mowing and the dry wall that needed carried inside. After all the chores were done Rudy and Brando teated us to a trip to Chilly Willie's. Needles had the Pineapple Dolewhip and I had the Fudgey Nutter Parfait. It was very good and we returned home at close to 10pm. I didn't sleep well last night so we slept in late this morning. We didn't get up until 10am. Even sleeping late I only got about 4 hours sleep. We had plans to take fixings for sandwiches to Needle's Mom's and for dessert Moose Tracks ice cream. I had a lot of stuff to do so we headed home around 2pm and when we got home I headed out to Mom and Dad's to mow. It is now 6:30pm on Sunday night and I am exhausted and still need to get a shower and head out to Rudy and Brando's for our True Blood get together. Hope everyone had a good weekend. I needed more sleep.

Whale Watching Boston, Mass.

Cape Neddick Lighthouse York, Maine

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Vacation Recap.

Friday May 21st Needles and I headed North to Indianapolis to stay at Microtel. The cost of the room for the night and a weeks worth of parking was cheaper than just parking for a week at the airport parking. When we got settled in we walked over to the restaurant Kazablanka. The food was good and before long we were going to bed in anticipation of the flight the next morning. The next morning we went down for a continental breakfast and our shuttle ride to the airport. Check in at the Indianapolis airport was smooth as glass and we ended up with an hour and a half to burn. We waited until one hour until the flight before heading through security. After getting the full body scan we wandered through the gates and was amazed when we spied a vending machine. This wasn't your ordinary venting machine. This one dispensed make up and not your Walmart cheap stuff as explained to me by Needles. We made it to our gate and waited until time to board. The plane arrived and we settled into our seats. The flight was smooth and the next stop was Beantown. Flying into Logan Aiport was neat to see Boston Harbor pass under the plane. Seeing the boats and the small islands off the coast made the destination more concrete and not just a dream or a destination made up in a story. We grabbed our checked luggage and made our way to the taxi stand. Taxis were there waiting and after we loaded in we were in route to the Bulfinch Hotel. The room was nice and spacious with a huge comfy bed dominating the room and dark stained furniture. The tiled shower was inviting but we were hoping to get some food and then do the Ghost and Graveyard trolley tour. We ended up eating at Boston Beer Works and then I knew we needed to call and get reservations for the tour but when I called I got a automated services. The chances of getting into the tour schedule for that night wasn't looking to good. Before long I got a phone call and it was the G&G trolley tour calling to see if I could make it for the 9pm tour. We said sure and hot footed it the mile down to Atlantic and to the G&G trolley stop. We waited about 15 minutes until our tour was going to start. We sat on the trolley and enjoyed as the people putting on the tour sneeked around the trolley and scared the crap out of passengers that weren't paying attention. I do know that before the tour was underway we did loose a couple of passengers that I guess didn't take to being scared. They just got up and walked off down the sidewalk. The tour started and as we made our way through the streets of Boston where we were treated to tales of the macabre. We did visit two burying grounds one being The Grainary and Copp's Hill. The Grainary holds the bodies of Ben Franklin's parents, Paul Revere, and John Hancock. We drove by the first hotel in the United States, The Omni Parker Hotel. This hotel is also known to be one of the most haunted. We also drove down Charles street and the room of Mary Sullivan the disputed last victim of The Boston Strangler. We also visited Boston Common which was the first public park in the United States. This area was used for grazing of livestock and also public executions. They explained the art and skill in execution by hanging and some of the more grotesque details in the act. Also the fade of paying off grave diggers to bury people who paid the price over other peoples graves and have their names also etched into the already used tombstone. When the tour concluded it was around 10:30pm so it was time to head back to the hotel. End of Day One.
The next morning we had a Whale Watching Cruise scheduled so we again walked the mile to the New England Aquarium and checked in for our cruise. The cruise personnel informed us of the sea conditions and also taking motion sickness medication might be needed. They said that the boat would rise and fall 2 to 3 feet every 8 seconds and that the temperature was about 10 degrees cooler than land temp. With the boat moving about 30 to 40 mph that makes the temps feel more like 20 to 30 degrees cooler than land temps. We boarded the catamaran and was under way. After we made it out of the harbor the speed of the boat increased and the fog that seemed to surround us made me think that this trip maybe a waist of time. About the time we got to the whales feeding area the fog started to clear and the sun started to shine and within just a few minutes our first whale was spotted just off the front of the boat. We made our way in that direction and drifted into a parallel direction of the whales movement. We got to spend about 45 minutes in the area with the whales and in no time it was time to head back. We did get to see a couple of humpback whales and from a photo of one of the tails or flukes they determined one of them was a whale they named Pallet. The trip back was quicker and we sat on the second deck out of the wind and sun. On our way back into the harbor we passed by a couple of lighthouses, Long Island and Grave's. We also passed by sailboats moving through the harbor. After we docked we finished looking around the aquarium. We got to see the penguins and various types of fish, rays, sharks and jelly fish in the tanks. We also watched some of the seal training exercises. At the end of the day we decided to eat at the aquarium's dining center. When we sat down we still could feel the movement of the boat swimming in our ears. It took a few hours for this weird sensation to pass. We made our way make to the hotel and settled in for the night. I developed a serious craving for Chinese food and it didn't take much convincing to make Needles agree. I think it went something like this. ME- "I'm craving Chinese." NEEDLES-"YES!" We did a little Internet search for the closest Chinese restaurant and then decided on delivery. The food was excellent and there was way too much of it. We ended up eating about half of it and since we didn't have a refrigerator in the room, ended up throwing the rest of it away. End of Day Two.
Day three was trolley tour day. We walked to stop number four which was Boston Garden. After a short wait we boarded our trolley. The driver's name was Buck and he was great. The information about the city was entertaining and witty with some comedic flare. He even broke into song at times and was very friendly with the people on the tour. We got to go by many historical places and the architecture of some of the building was amazing. A lot of the churches were very ornate in detail. We got to see the original Cheers, the Old State House and the site of the Boston Massacre. The Old North Church and site of Paul Revere's one if by land two if by sea. As mentioned before we went by the Boston Gardens and also Fenway Park. We got to visit the Destroyer class ship Cassin Young and USS Constitution. We also walked to the site and Memorial of Bunker Hill and Paul Revere's House. We ended the day around 5pm because that's when the trolley tour ended and also we had been on the go a lot the last few days and decided to relax the rest of the evening. When we got back to the hotel we showered to wash off the day. We decided on room service from the Flat Iron Tapas Grill and was that ever the right decision. I had the Cajun Ribs and Needles had the Beef Tips and it was excellent. That was the perfect end of day three.

Day four was our last day in Boston and since we couldn't check into our B&B in Salem until 3pm we decided to have our luggage stored at the hotel and finish a few things in Boston. We walked to Boston Museum of Science and looked over the interesting displays. We also did a Dinosaurs 3D movie which was interesting. When we left the Museum we caught the trolley to do some souvenir shopping and then catch the orange trolley line into the South of Boston. This is where the Boston tea party happened but unfortunately the ship is having some renovation work and wasn't there. We did get to go by the Old South Train Station and several interesting buildings. When we got back it was time to pick up our luggage at the hotel and head to North Station and then to Salem. After several stops we were in Salem and a phone call to the B&B we soon had transportation to the Morning Glory B&B. After we got settled in we decided to grab some supper. It was still early for the restaurants to open so we grabbed a cold beverage from Captain Dusty's to hold us over. It was Mexican night at In a Pig's Eye so we ordered and enjoyed our food. When we returned back to the B&B I noticed that the road beside the place was a dead end terminating at Salem Sound. There was a bench that you could set and watch the harbor traffic. Also just down the wharf there was a light house Derby Wharf Light. We sat and enjoyed the scenery until it got late. End of Day Four.Day Five started after our breakfast at the B&B. We soon found out that we had an hour before things started to wake up in town. We walked down the street to the Friendship and old style recreation of a sailboat and on into town and to the trolley stop. We grabbed a couple of tickets and passed the time in the souvenir shop until the first trolley arrived. We hopped aboard and was under way stopping at several sites in town and then moving on to Winter Island and the site of Old Fort Pickering. We drove by Willow Park and Dead Horse Beach and was told the interesting story of how Dead Horse Beach got its name. We then went through the high rent district and got to see some of the homes that were some of the first in New England Design. Door windows and coffin doors and also a house that had a front stair case for the boys and another for the girls so when they wore petticoats the boys wouldn't be able to look up their skirts. We got to tour the Burying Point and see the grave site of the man the build the House of Seven Gables. Also the grave of The Hanging Judge Hawthorne of the Witch Trials and a gentleman that came over on the Mayflower. Lunch time found us close to Red's, a local restaurant that makes just about anything would would want to eat. It was very good and for a spooky note while we were there eating the power went out and was out for several seconds. After lunch we visited several of the museums a yarn shop and some of the quirky souvenir shops. It was getting close to 5 pm and the museums were getting ready to close so we decided to head back to the B&B and relax the rest of the evening. We ate supper at The Witch's Brew and the Brew Steak was amazing. When we got back the skies looked cloudy and dark and with in a few minutes the rain started to come down. The wind kicked up and dropped the unseasonably warm temps down by 15 degrees. That night we were able to sleep with the windows open and the sound of bells on the buoys in the harbor ringing. A few cracks of thunder the air as the storm moved though the area. End of Day Five.

Day Six was to be our last day in Salem. We packed up our luggage and stowed it in the hallway until our rental car was to be delivered for the 3rd part of our trip. We walked over to the house of Seven Gables and walked the tour, we then stopped by Ole Pepper Candy Shop, the oldest candy shop in the United States. On into town we waited on the opening of Count Orlock's and also to do some souvenir shopping. A quick stop at a coffee shop and it was time for lunch so we stopped in at Derby Deli for our last meal in Salem before heading North. After lunch we walked to the B&B and gathered our luggage awaiting the rental car. We enjoyed the garden seating area and all too soon it was time to leave Salem for the next leg of the trip. We were driven to Beverly, MA. We dropped off the Enterprise guys and did some quick paperwork and were on our way to Kittery, Maine. We drove through New Hampshire and into Maine. Just over the Bridge we came into Kittery and made the right to get to our next B&B. The Ocean's Edge B&B was a cozy home just at the edge of an inlet. When arrived we settled in and walked around the area to get a lay of the land. We decided to go into town foe Supper so a trip to Robert's Maine Grill. After supper we went back to the B&B and relaxed the rest of the evening. End of Day Six.

Day Seven was a day of exploration. I had a couple of things I wanted to see but most of the day kinda fell just the way it did by pure happenstance. We started the day at Fort McClary and looking over the fort and the grounds. We could also see Portsmouth Harbor light and Whale Back lighthouse. We then moved on North up the coast and into York and Cape Neddick. Nubble lighthouse is one of the most photographed lighthouse on the East coast. We sat and watched the waves crash on the rocks and the wildlife moving through the water between the main land and the island the lighthouse is on. We visited the local souvenir shop and then stumbled upon Brown's Old Fashion Ice Cream Shop. The ice cream was excellent and we then kept moving North to Ogunquit. We stopped and walked to The Marginal Walkway which is a walkway along the coast with breathtaking views of the surrounding beach and rocky coast. It was amazing and I think it was then when Needles and I fell in love with Maine. We loved the small town feel and the small quirky shops that line the streets. The pet friendly atmosphere and the general friendliness and easy going personalities. It just seemed the air was a lot easier to breath in Maine. Needles wanted to visit a local yarn shop so we headed back toward Kittery and to the yarn shop. We got back to the B&B and made plans for supper. We made it to Warren's Lobster House. The food was good and with our last meals from Kittery in our bellies it was time to go back to the B&B for our last night on Maine. End Day Seven.Day Eight was a travel day. It started early with driving South from Kittery, Maine to Beverly, Mass. We then turned in the rental car and walked the .2 mile to the train station heading to Boston's North Station. At North Station we grabbed a taxi to get to Logan Airport and catch our first flight. First part of the flight delivered us to Atlanta, Ga. We had a lay over of about an hour before our final flight to Indianapolis, Indiana. When we arrived in Indy we called the Microtel for our shuttle back to the hotel and our parked car. When we got back to the car we had the three hour drive home. We arrived home around 7pm. When we got home we were exhausted but since the A/C was turned off it was too hot to be able to get a quick nap so while the A/C cooled down the house we cleaned up the kitty hair the cats left all over the house. We watched a little TV and made a few phone calls but ultimately ended up going to bed around 10pm. It was a fantastic trip and I wish it didn't end but I am also glad to be home.