Fun with Jesse and Johnnie

Jesse likes the "kitty condo" (a jungle gym) at Hills, Iowa

Hello and welcome to the blog!  The last couple of days Jesse and I went for a little overnight trip to Muscatine, Iowa to visit buddy Johnnie.  It was a fun time because we didn't have anything really important to do or places to go... no stress.  The trip was badly needed.  Work has been extremely intense and I've been in a lot of physical pain and having frequent anxiety attacks and such.  Life's been pretty tough lately.

Believe it or not, I've been too exhausted to fish lately... so this trip the kitty got his chances for recreation.  Jesse ended up playing at five different places.  That settled him down to where he was content to ride on my left leg and watch the scenery go by.  Jesse really seemed to enjoy himself - an encouraging sign for future trips!

Johnnie (and Jesse near the right rear wheel)

Johnnie and I hit a bunch of thrift stores and enjoyed a nice meal at an amazing  Oriental restaurant in the Davenport area.  He had Chinese food and I loaded up on sushi and raw oysters.  Jesse?  I sneaked him out four nice cooked shrimp... and he was pretty happy.

While "junkin" at the Salvation Army, I picked up another waffle iron and to carry it, a small laptop bag.  It's going in the van for all the future camping trips.  After the sun went down, Jesse camped in the van last night... I was lazy and slept in Johnnie's guest bedroom.  As a non-smoker, I think it might have been preferable outside.  :)

This morning I cooked Johnnie a bunch of waffles (for freezing) while he was trying to wake with a bad hair situation.  The waffles that we ate were adorned with strawberry cream cheese, fresh strawberries, and some whipped cream.  He's now a fan of breakfast waffles.  

A fun picture of Johnnie's bad hair day

After saying goodbye, I drove west and hit the Riverside Casino for lunch.  They had sent me a couple of free buffet coupons.  Lunch was delicious.  The icing on the cake was the 2 cent slot machine.  I put in $20 and after a few minutes, I hit $156+ on the machine.  That paid for the trip!  

From there it was on to the nearby Riverside Star Trek Museum.  I've mentioned the town of Riverside a number of times.  Back in the Star Trek IV movie, Captain Kirk (played by William Shatner) said, "I'm from Iowa.  I only work in outer space."  Immediately, Riverside petitioned Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and it was decided this town will be the future birthplace of Captain Kirk... on March 22, 2228.

NCC 1818 - The USS Riverside marks the Riverside Star Trek Museum

Here are a few pictures from the museum.  It costs nothing to tour but you'll want to spend some money there if you like Star Trek!

Time Capsule to be opened on March 22, 2228

What a cool collection!

The original series (left) and TNG (Star Trek - The Next Generation) uniforms

Museum and the USS Riverside NCC 1818

If you're in the area, the museum is a "must see".  It's packed with Star Trek memorabilia and the collection keeps growing.  I ended up buying a T-shirt, a button, and a cool yard ornament.

A starship watching over my herb garden!

It was a very enjoyable trip the last couple of days!   I feel a lot better after having given a 2 week notice at work the other day.  A person wants to do his/her best at a job... but when a company deliberately understaffs a store, it's not my problem when the shit keeps hitting the fan on a near daily basis.

Now it's possible to focus on moving on to something more uplifting.  I'm pretty excited!

After looking at the forecast (highs in the 80s, lows in the 60s) the weather is looking great the next few weeks; there will likely be more fishing and stealth camping soon.

Thanks for visiting today!

Safe and happy travels always!

Brad, Jesse, and Jennifer
Jones County, Iowa