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Nailed

By Sal on Wednesday, August 29, 2018

One of the things that is recommended to carry with you on a motorcycle is a tire plug kit. I’ve been carrying one in my bag for over a year with hopes of never having to use it. The kit comes with plugs, tools to insert the plug into the hole caused by a nail or screw, and a mini air compressor. After church on Sunday, I found a nail in my rear tire of the Grom. I was bummed because it meant having to take the wheel off and deal with my chain again. I purchased a new chain recently after an incident. See here: Riding Loose On The Grom.

I then realized this was the perfect opportunity to test out and practice with the tire plug kit. I am so glad I did because I was having a hard time understanding the instructions. Call it a blonde, or senior moment! I filmed the entire thing with my Yi Camera and did not edit any time out of the video so you could see how long it took me.

Here you go:

Second time’s a charm! If you have a motorcycle, or know someone that rides, I highly recommend this little kit. I am glad I purchased it and even happier I know how to use it.

Get one here:

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Blog

Riding Loose On The Grom

By Sal on Thursday, August 16, 2018

Chains. They need to be cleaned, lubed, and tightened. I am learning now that is has to be in that order. I have owned the Grom now for over a year and the one thing I have not been able to do very well is maintain the chain. What happens when you don’t do it right and often? See this video to find out:

It was a hot, but a cloudy Sunday, and I had ridden into town after church to do some work for Ronald McDonald House. While there, the clouds broke and we got some much needed rain. It lasted only a few minutes but it was enough to cool the air and lower the temperature a few degrees. This made for a nice ride home. I took the long way home and enjoyed the breeze. As I got closer and closer home the wind picked up and the skies began to darken. I was glad to beat the rain.

Then it happened. The chain fell. The camera was rolling but it died right as the chain was being seated. It was a super short ride the rest of the way home but I was so nervous. Nervous that it would fall again and cause some damage. As soon as I made it home, the rain began.

It wasn’t until Tuesday evening that I was able to work on the Grom and see if I could get the chain tightened so that it wouldn’t fall off again. I was able to get it tight up to specification but the wheel was as far back at it could go. I rode it to work the following morning, and I could have sworn that at one point the chain skipped. I arrived at work safely and looked up chain replacements for the Grom. I read that the factory chain is not that great and that it usually lasts about 3,000 miles. I am at just over 5,000 miles. I read the manual and it said to replace the chain when the wheel is as far back as possible. So, I was a tad relieved that I hadn’t messed up the chain, but that it was normal wear and tear. I ordered a new chain and it should be arriving soon. Until then, I am not riding it. To Be Continued…

Entertainment

Book: Don’t Let Go

By Sal on Wednesday, August 8, 2018

I am not really sure how to do book reviews, but I do want to share books that I have recently finished. I just finished Harlan Coben’s Don’t Let Go book and I really enjoyed it. I personally don’t like to read previews so I really don’t want to say too much but I guess you have to when doing reviews?

The book is about the death of a cop’s twin brother and girlfriend when they were almost out of high school. It is now almost 15 or so years later and things are happening that are shedding new light to their deaths, and lives. Was it accidental? Murder? Suicide? A cover up?

All these questions are brought up and the story is gripping. I found myself listening to the audio book while having lunch and dinner. Usually I only listen while driving or working in the garage but I couldn’t stop. I highly recommend this book. I prefer audio books and this one is narrated perfectly.

Buy a copy on Amazon

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Food GromNom Restaurants Rio Grande Valley

GromNom – Pit Stop Smokehouse – Harlingen, TX

By Sal on Tuesday, August 7, 2018

I am on a mission to eat at all the Food Trailers in my surrounding area for lunch. This mission is part of the all new GromNom food series.

Pit Stop Smokehouse was one of the first true food trucks my hometown of Harlingen, TX. Sure, we have had food trailers but they were all stationery. Pit Stop Smokehouse was mobile. Like many food truck operators, the owner dreamed of a bigger place and that is exactly what he did. He sold the food truck and built a more permanent, somewhat bigger place.

Somewhat bigger because it is not very big inside. There is maybe three or four small tables inside. I usually sit outside and eat with the Grom.

Pit Stop Smokehouse has all the usual suspects: Brisket, Ribs, Chicken, Sausage, Turkey. People love the Jumbo Stuffed Potatoes. Stuffed with Brisket that is. I’m not that into potatoes so I stick with the Lean Brisket. Usually, when you order Lean Brisket it is very dry, but not at Pit Stop. And some times you just have to have Brisket in a taco so that’s one of my favorites.

Lately though, its been a Brisket and Sausage sandwich for me.

Highly recommend this BBQ joint. It is one of the best in my area.

Bonus pic of wood delivery:

Check them out and Facebook here.

Find them here:

Blog

Rain Ride

By Sal on Tuesday, July 31, 2018

In South Texas we can go weeks without rain and weeks with 100+ degree weather so when it rains it seems as though it came out of nowhere. Especially if you don’t follow the weatherman.

Someone will think they hear thunder, and the next thing we know it’s going to rain. I ride the Grom everyday to work and today was no different. Well, except for that sound in the clouds. Checked the weather and sure enough, rain was coming.

I carry a poncho under my Groms seat so when I left work I put it on for the first time and took off. Here is video of my ride home.

Want your eight minutes back? Nothing exciting happened and you can’t really tell how wet I got. The poncho did good but I definitely need some rain pants and some kind of rain socks. My motorcycle shoes are not waterproof so my socks were soaked.

Blog

Social Media Killed My Blog

By Sal on Friday, July 27, 2018

Years ago, before the term “social media” was a part of everyone’s life, this blog was where I wrote about things that interested me, funny stories, photos, life events, etc. I remember people thinking it was odd that I had a blog where I wrote and shared things, but now, people think it’s odd when someone doesn’t have a social media account where they share everything. Why? Because it is all about social media now. There was a time where several of my friends were blogging also, but they are all on social media.

For some time now I have been wanting to start blogging again. Yes, I’ll post a few things and then stop but I really want to be more consistent with it. That will probably mean not posting on social media anymore and it will probably mean no one will be reading what I write. I guess that’s OK. Going back in time to read my old posts is what I enjoy the most so this blog is more of journal I suppose.

When I post this blog entry, it will most likely also get posted to Twitter automatically. It will be last time it does that. I can’t complain about social media while my blog posts are on Twitter so I’ll disable that.

Blog

Loving The Home Warranty

By Sal on Thursday, December 14, 2017

I have been at my home for a little over 10 years now, so things are breaking! Two summers ago my Air Conditioner was on the fritz. It would frequently have to be manually reset. The thought of having to fork over tons of money to have it fixed had me freaking out. I don’t have an emergency fund (more on that in another blog), so if it broke, we’d have to give up food for the rest of the year!

BUT, a friend told me about home warranties. With a home warranty, you pay a monthly fee that covers household repairs for major appliances, plumbing, electrical, etc etc. It is another monthly expense but it is also a peace of mind. I was able to save a a lot money in repairs for my AC. I only had to pay a $100 deductible while they worked on my unit for several days.

Most recently, we had some plumbing issues that was way above my “handyman” level.

As you can see from the pictures above, one of the faucets outside of our house sprung a leak from what is called a hose bib. All of YouTube said it was an easy fix, if all the plumbing was exposed! Not so at our house. As you can see, in order for the plumber to get to the plumbing he had to go through the living room. Looked easy, but not something I could have done myself.

I also had some other issues.

There is a main water line cut off in the front yard that also leaked. Here is a video of the missus trying to cut off the main line. She did more than cut!

So things kept getting worse. Not pictured are some valve leaks in our main restroom sink.

All these issues were fixed with only my $100 deductible, and it is guaranteed for 45 days!

I love my home warranty from American Home Shield. I highly recommend it to any homeowner. If you want to try it, you can use my referral link so that both of us earn a $25 Amazon gift card!

Click Here to sign up!

http://refer.ahsfriends.com/s/tm7v6

Food GromNom Restaurants Rio Grande Valley

GromNom – Juan More Taco – Harlingen, TX

By Sal on Thursday, December 7, 2017

I am on a mission to eat at all the Food Trailers in my surrounding area for lunch. This mission is part of the all new GromNom food series.

This GromNom trip took me to a food trailer parked inside a used car dealership towards the center of town. Juan More Taco is its catchy name. I had seen this trailer a few times while in the area but never considered it for lunch. That was until a new coworker, who is a recent transplant from Tyler, TX, recommended the spot. He raved about the Trompo, so for lunch, I hopped on the Grom and headed that way.

It is in a pretty big parking lot so they have a nice setup. Lots of tables under a blue canopy. (The blue canopy gave my pictures a blue tint that was very filterish. I tried removing it). Even though there was lots of seating, I was the only one there for some time.

I ordered the Trompo, but was told they were out so I went with an order of Fajita Tacos. An order of tacos at these places is usually 6 corn tortilla tacos. Also known as Street Tacos. Along with your meat of choice, they are topped with Cilantro, White Cheese, Avocado, and Onions. (No onions for me though).

As I was waiting for my food, another customer came along. We got to talking and he too raved about the Trompo. He loved that they are served with slices of pineapple. Trompo, is cooked in a red sauce and with pineapple, but is rarely served with pineapple. I really really wanted to try the Trompo! Luckily for me, as the girl brought me my chips, she told me they did have some Trompo after all!

They only had enough for a half order, so I went with half Fajita and half Trompo. Amazing! The Trompo lived up to all the hype. Very tender, very juicy, very pineapplie! I have been back since and it was still so good.

Find Juan More Taco on Facebook.

Or on Google:

Food GromNom Restaurants Rio Grande Valley

GromNom – La Fonda – Harlingen, TX

By Sal on Tuesday, August 22, 2017

I am on a mission to eat at all the Food Trailers in my surrounding area for lunch. This mission is part of the all new GromNom food series.

Today’s GromNom trip took me to F Street in Harlingen, TX. I think every town has an F Street. I don’t mean the name, but the type of street. These streets have everything. Tortillerias, Car Washes, Meat Markets, Appliance Repair Shops, Mechanics, Tire Shops, Mexican Food Trailers etc etc. You’d think this is a long strip, but it’s not. It is probably not even a mile?

In the 90s and earlier, F street was where people went cruising on Friday and Saturday nights. Loud cars, loud music, rowdy people, and trouble. I think people still cruise, but they are on the bigger streets that are more spread out.

So for lunch, I went for a cruise on my Honda Grom down F Street to look for a food trailer. The trailer I was originally looking for was actually just a raspa stand (snow cones). I ended up at La Fonda further down the road. Now, although I am Mexican/Hispanic, my Spanish is not so great. Without looking it up, I would have told you that Fonda meant “a fold” or “a blanket”. That is probably Tex Mex or just plain wrong. Looking up the actual definition tells me that it means “small restaurant”, “cheap restaurant”, or an “inn”. We’ll go with small, cheap restaurant.

La Fonda on F Street in Harlingen is more of a Food Stand than a Food Trailer. Maybe there were wheels on it at one point but it looks like a small shed with a porch. On the porch, you can eat on some tables or on some stools. The people were incredibly nice. Always smiling and very courteous. I ordered the Bistek Ranchero.

You visit enough Mexican joints and you quickly learn that anything with Ranchero in the name means it is going to be spicy! Normally, I’d avoid this since my stomach can’t handle it very well but I wanted to try something outside my boring pallete of Fajitas and Carne Guisada. The Bistek Ranchero was served with rice, charro beans, flour tortillas and a small salad. One day I’ll get over my aversion to charro beans and try them. For now, I didn’t touch them. Everything else I ate.

I ate, and it was GOOD. Tender Bistek. Tender SPICY Bistek. Lots of it! The tortillas appeared to be homemade and they were really good. Rice was decent but it was so hot.

Lastly, let me remind you about how I said the staff was incredibly nice. I made sure they accepted debit/credit cards before ordering since I didn’t have cash. Unbeknownst to me, as I ordered, the cashier that handled the cards had to leave due to an emergency. I believe she uses her phone. Maybe Square app, or similar. The other cashiers and staff were super apologetic and assured me I could return the next day to pay! I’d expect that kind of service from a restaurant I frequent a lot! SO, I’ll be GromNom’ng there again sooner then later!

Find La Fonda on Facebook

Or on Google:

Blog

3 Weeks On The Grom

By Sal on Friday, July 21, 2017

This week marks three weeks of Grom life. I am loving it! I am also getting a tan, which I’m not to found of, but hopefully I’ll be getting a riding jacket which help with that and with safety if I take a fall.

Used my cargo net to strap the burgers down.

This third week is also the first full week I was able to take the Grom to work. No rain!

September 2018
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