Thu - 9 Jan/14

Overcast and back to Mid-70's F with rain off and on throughout the day. There were brighter periods during the day; but, no direct sunshine.

Charlotte decided to skip the quilting class due to the morning rain. Instead, she cut materials for the quilting project in the RV. She also folded and then cut up Walmart shopping bags (about 60 required) into sized pieces needed for the next Craft class. They will crochet the pieces into a Beach Bag that will be both waterproof and virtually indestructible (remember the environmentalists complaints)..

Even though I don't drink coffee - I love the smell. It was time for me to grind up coffee beans for our coffee maker. We used to use a Keurig ( and K-Cups) which worked fine; but, we got tired looking for the same brand. Every time we needed to re-new the supply the special was always a different brand and the prices always varied.

To solve this problem I surprised Charlotte with a 3 part gift.

Part 1: A Hamilton Beach "The Scoop" (Stainless Steel) Single-Cup Coffee Maker. "The Scoop" brews hotter, faster and better-tasting coffee than most gourmet machines and it does it quickly:: an 8 oz. cup in less than 90 seconds or a 14 oz. travel mug in under two-and-a-half minutes.

It uses freshly ground coffee in 3 easy steps: 1) Scoop 2) Place 3) Brew. It comes with a steel mesh scoop (2 included) for filtering the ground coffee. A built-in, adjustable stand flips to accommodate a standard-size cup or a taller Stainless Steel Travel Mug (provided).

Charlotte loves it.

Part 2: A Melitta Coffee Grinder. (This is my job). I grind the beans (stored in the freezer) when required. The grinder is really neat. It grinds fine, medium or course in a 4, 8, 12 or 14 cup settings. The cord has a hidden storage area at the bottom which is great in an RV where space is at a premium. Fill it and press the button - it stops when done. Bonus: It smells great!

Although the cover and grinding chamber are removable and submersible - I just blast it clean using the same can of compressed air I use to clean the computer.Spotless in seconds.

Part 3: A Stainless Steel/Glass container to keep the ground coffee FRESH! My job here is done - at least for another week or so.

Lunch was round 2 of the Spanish Rice meal Charlotte prepared yesterday. Just as good the second time around! I'm really good at re-heating in the microwave!

Charlotte worked on "Shortening" my second pair (Blue) of jeans that I received for Christmas while I went to see what was happening at the computer group in the Rec Hall.

There was a group discussion on how to format the sessions. Due to the number of different operating systems, computers, laptops, tablets and smart phones it is impossible to do a formal lesson on almost anything that would interest all at the same time. I think it may continue using an informal style and let the topics emerge as they are brought into the discussion. No matter - it is a group full of friendly folks - all with something interesting to contribute to the group.

We were off to Fast Bingo at 5 pm. We did a little better at playing even though we still haven't been very lucky at winning. No matter - it is a fun time with nice folks that do not take it too seriously. Soon we had "Daubed" all our cards and it was time to head back to the RV - arriving just after 7 pm - on time for the last half of Jeopardy.. I guess folks eat later than we do when at home. Supper again was Hot Dogs which are always a treat. Gourmet - I Ain't!

Only thing on the agenda for tomorrow is regular bingo - perhaps we will give it a try. Might be a good day just to relax!