Some goings on at Casa De Garabaldi

 This has been going on over several weeks....I went to crank up my truck to go to work and it was our first cold snap, and I heard the dreaded *Click,CLick,click,click,click,click, wrrrrrrrrrrrrrr*   You guessed it  Dead Battery.  I said some choice words and immediately grabbed my "battery box" to jump off my truck.  I go to put the the clamps on and get the truck cranked up and off to work I go.   I kept the battery box with me in case I had to jump off my truck after work.  I get off work and get the same thing....Get the battery box, quickly jump off my truck and I went home.  I get home, check out the truck and see that the *Negative* terminal clamp is "loose", I go to tighten it and I was really cranking on this thing and it was still loose so I checked the clamp and discovered it was broke....&&^%$$%##@$. 

Pic of clamp after I had cut it off the cable.

My son drove me to the store to buy a new clamp...well 3 stores later, I had a new clamp.

  Went back home and replaced the clamp and put the truck on the trickle charger.

I figure I had solved the problem after leaving the charger on the truck for 6 hours...

Next morning...I jump into the truck, turn the key and *Click,CLick,click,click,click,click, wrrrrrrrrrrrrrr*  Son of a ........you get the picture.  Well anyway I grab the Battery box again, jump off my truck, go back to my toolbox, grab my little socket set, put it in the truck and off to work I go.   While I am at work, I order another battery, and of course when I get out to the truck...gotta jump it off before driving straight to the store.....

New Battery....Yep,     

Wasn't the only expense that I had to deal with this month with the truck.  I had issues with the truck throwing P171/P174 codes, Running Lean/Rich.  Well I finally had to take it to the shop and they diagnosed it as a bad MAF sensor...

I also bought an actual K&N filter for the truck and took the imitation filter off. 

I have been using K&N filters for 20 years, so I am hoping this will solve my "messing with the MAF sensor problem I am having.

There went another $300 bucks.  When you have older vehicles, you get the occasional repairs.....

       I had gone out to breakfest with a friend of mine and she is a hard core Texican, and I happen to mention that Buccee opened their first gas station in Georgia near Warner Robins...SHe got real excited and asked me"You want to go on a road trip?"   I said" Sure", and we left my truck at the restaurant with the restaurant owners permission and off we go....

South of Macon I saw the first sign we were getting closer...

It is off Exit 146 off I-75 and we turned off and as we got closer, I saw how big the place was..

  We pulled into the pump area and I turned around and took a pic of the sign.

   We walked in and I immediately took my first pic inside..

     I took another pic later, 

  The store had a huge variety of stuff in there from BBQ, Homemade Fudge, drinks, things for the house, stuff for people in the outdoor

   I got a pound of Brisket and a sandwich, plus some other stuff.  I have told others that they need to make the roadtrip.

    We left then stopped at Bass Pro to look at things, the Bass Pro is near Macon, and it is their distribution warehouse also and clearance area.

    I took some more pics inside, 

And some more.....

    They did have some "Green Tip" ammo and I bought 4 boxes.

Since I have lost my EBR in the dreaded Kayak accident, I may use this ammo for barter for some .22LR or something....

    

   My dad gave me a huge beer stein, I remember  him getting it from the German Polizei  in 1976 when My dad was "El-Cid" in the Frankfurt office.   Also next to the stein was a book I just got in the mail, it talks about the British Unit (2 Para) that assaulted "Goose Green" during the Falkland War.   Both will go up in my bonus room with my other souvenirs.