28 Jun 2024 - New Tires, Visit from Air Force Buddy George Lechner

 

This morning I drove about an hour south to Presque Isle Maine to get two new front tires installed on the big ol' brown truck.  The folks at Hogan's Tires treated me right - answered all my pre-sales questions, got the tires ordered and they arrived on time; and got me right in and replaced them; torques the lug nuts without having to request it and instructed me to have them retorqued in Houlton on our way out.  I have my own torque wrench and it is normal procedure for me but it was refreshing to hear it from the technician here.  I could not have been more pleased with their service!  It was in and out of there in less than an hour.

Left front tire replaced with a new one

Spare removed from the right front and replaced with a new one on the aluminum rim

Spare tire stowed under the truck

While I was at the tire shop I got a call from another Air Force buddy, George Lechner who lives in New Paltz New York.  He will be here today and plans to stop up to the campground.  

I got back to the campground and Doreen and Liberty were outside soaking the the rays!  While we waited for George to get here I took the opportunity to clean the inside of the truck, vacuum, straighten things out and retorque the lug nuts on both front rims.  After lunch George arrived and we really enjoyed seeing him.  The last time we saw George was when we were camping at West Point Army Military Academy north of New York City in 2016.  For any of you that remember us telling the story about attending a Temptations and Beach Boys music concert at the site of the Woodstock Rock Festival in 2016, George was who took us there and provided the tickets.

George's ride.  Mustang with a 5 litre engine and six speed manual transmission

We had a great time catching up with George.  He runs a propane business in the New Paltz New York area.  When we were stationed at Loring Air Force Base he was also in the 2192d Communications Squadron as a RAPCON technician - he maintained the electronics equipment in the air traffic control tower used by the controllers.  

George at one of our site parties.  

In the summer we had a barbecue about every Friday after work at our site!!

When I first got to Loring AFB on 4 Jan 1974, I was still single and lived in the barracks.  My room was right next to George's.  His roommate, Ken Smith, was my sponsor.  As a sponsor he wrote me an introductory letter in advance of my arrival at Loring, so that I would have a point of contact when I got there.  He helped me in-process and took me to Supply right away to get my issue of winter weather gear, and we got a lot of it:  multiple pairs of thermal underwear, socks, facemask, gloves, hats, mukluk boots, a long parka, and on and on!  It was all authorized for wear with the uniform as well as with civilian clothes. Much of it I still have.

George Lechner and Doreen

Again, we are so thankful for our military friends as they are friends for life.  We are seeing George here, and then we will see him again in Ney York on this trip at stop# 27.  While George was here visiting with us in the camper today, Dianne called and invited him to lunch with us tomorrow so hopefully we will see him there too!

So back to this campground.  I cannot give enough accolades to this place.  Everyone is so friendly and helpful.  The owner, George Dionne,  is over the top!  We do have a lot in common.  George joined the military (Army) in 1972.  I joined in 1973.  George served on active duty and then joined the Army National Guard.  I served on active duty and then joined the Air National Guard.  George joined the local fire department and so did I.  We are both history buffs.  So needless to say, we've had a lot of conversations here.  George is always suggesting things we should see while here.  

As I mentioned yesterday, George's wife made us some Whoopie Pies and he brought them over. They are made up of two mound-shaped cake-like cookies, usually chocolate,  with a creamy filling sandwiched in between. Described as a “New England phenomenon and a Pennsylvania Amish tradition,” whoopie pie historians have decided that it has its origins in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country (think Lancaster County).

A pair of homemade Whoopie Pies!

Today George asked if we had ever had a "ploye".  Nope, never heard of it, so his wife made some today and he brought them over!  Ployes are a French-Acadian flatbread that originated in Nova Scotia and are popular in Maine and New Brunswick. They are made from buckwheat flour, wheat flour, baking powder, and water, and are similar to pancakes or crepes but have a lighter consistency. George said they are served rather than dinner rolls in local restaurants.  He likes them with just butter and then rolled and eaten with one hand.  Some like to use syrup or molasses on them. 

 

Ployes with butter and syrup

My first take - delicious!  Like a pancake but lighter.  And as I've mentioned before this is an example of what makes traveling around with our RV so awesome!  Everyplace we go is different - different cultures, different scenery, different foods, different beers!  So awesome.  

So if that wasn't cool enough, George Dionne invited us over to their campground social tent for Karaoke night which they have every Friday.  They have one of their campers who volunteers her time and her equipment to host this.  They winter in Florida and she does the same thing down there.  

Folks started showing up about 1930 hrs

The sun went down as did the temperature so George lit the fireplace.

I think Doreen counted over 30 there!  Again, everyone is so friendly.  They all introduced themselves and made us feel welcome.  Margo, a lady sitting aside of us performed "A Never Ending Song of Love" by Delaney & Bonnie - in French!

So we had another great day and tomorrow will surely be awesome also, with lunch at Greg and Dianne Noskowiak's house!