AH-beetz, AH-beetz

 I love pizza and I cannot lie...

I am sure all you you have had a pizza from the national pizza chains e.g.: Dominos, Pizza Hut, Little Caesar's, Pappa John's, Chuckey-E-Cheese, Black Jack, Dion's et al, and some of you may have had a pizza from my favorite while in High School: Godfather's (which are very hard to find now...)

Connecticut is self-proclaimed as The Pizza State. We spotted a brochure for the Connecticut Pizza Trail where they discuss the five styles of pizzas in Connecticut. Connecticut has the highest density of pizzerias in the country, and nearly 80% of the restaurants, 1,084 out of 1,376, are independently owned compared to a national average of 43%!

While in the US Navy I had the opportunity to visit Naples, Italy, and have a true Neapolitan Pizza from a member of the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana. The pizza was cooked in a 900 degree wood fired oven in 60 to 90 seconds!!!! HOT HOT HOT! This is where I fell in love with wood fired pizza.

While in Connecticut we had the opportunity to dine on two of the Connecticut styles of pizza: Greek and AH-beetz.

We first went to Mystic Pizza.  This Pizzeria was the inspiration for Julia Roberts' breakout movie by the same name. After eating there we had to watch the movie. They make Greek style pies which according to the Pizza Trail are "Born in Connecticut and baked in a shallow pan. Greek pizza features a light, airy crust and a sturdy base that's perfect for piling on bold sauces, cheeses, and inventive topping combos."

Greek Style at Mystic

We then had several opportunities to dine on Ah-Beetz at Frank Pepe and Sally's.  Regrettably we missed out on the triple crown of AH-beetz as Moderna pizza was closed on the only day we had available to visit.

The kitchen at Sally's

Feeding coal to the oven at Frank Pepe's

The most beautiful undercarriage and NO droop from Frank Pepe's

AH-beetz is now my favorite style of pizza due to the lower humidity in the oven than a wood fired oven and a slight taste of burned coal flavor you might get if you are very lucky!!!!

Where Are We Going Next?

Hudson Valley and Mystic, CT

April 29 - May 2, 2026

We left Pennsylvania headed for the New England states. We spent a couple of nights at a KOA in Newburgh, NY. With limited time, we opted for a little exercise at Walkway Over the Hudson Historical State Park. What great views over the river we enjoyed. We imagine the fall colors would be spectacular. 

We passed on the Culinary Institute of America tour in nearby Poughkeepsie. It was spring break week. Perhaps we'll try again someday. West Point is nearby too. 

We then headed to Mystic, CT, where Harold wholeheartedly embraced the CT Pizza Trail. He has a whole separate blog entry for pizza! We walked around Olde Mystic and downtown Mystic, admiring the drawbridge. We missed seeing the bridge in action though. We picked up a couple of monkeyfist knot zipper pulls for unique and practical souvenirs from Mystic Knotworks.  

If you're into gambling, there are two massive tribal casino complexes nearby that easily rival anything we've seen in Las Vegas. 

 Where Are We Going Next?

Clickety-Clack, Clickety Clack

April 24, 2026

Funny how I can still remember bits and pieces of the Song of the Train by David McCord that we read somewhere in elementary school, "clickety clack, clickety clack, clickety, clackety, clickety, clack.

While in the Strasburg, PA, area, we took advantage Strasburg Railroad's behind-the-scenes tours as well as the train ride. Our friends, Glen and Tanna, joined us for the adventure. 

Harold and Glen joined the train crew as they geared up for the day, assisting with firing up the engine and the maintenance checks. After the ride we toured the maintenance shop. No photos allowed in the maintenance shop as they have a number of private contracts for steam engine and railcar refurbishing. Those contracts often run into the millions of dollars. Strasburg Railroad's maintenance shop is one of very few specialized facility with dedicated workers.

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Tick Tock Tick Tock

April 22, 2026

Leaving Virginia after a week with family, we stopped in Elizabethtown, PA, for a week. The idea was to spend time in Amish country, relaxing for a week. Within a day though, we had several activities planned. 

Our first stop was the clock museum. The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors has a museum in Columbia, PA. They have over 13,000 items and currently display about 3% of their collection.

The sound is what strikes you first. The gentle tick tock of the clocks somehow calms. Then you start noticing the different movements. Pendulums, plates, clock hands, and gears all run with precise movements. 

Different and impressive, this museum is definitely worth a stop when you're in the area.

Eberman Tower Clock 1784

Thoughts?

Clock Tower Clocks

Grand Statuary Clock

Rose Engine

Advertising clocks

Machine for making watch screws

Guinness World Record - Most Accurate Mechanical Clock

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Flock of Factory Fresh Filters

I need to conduct annual preventative maintenance on our RVs engine, generator and water heater. To do this, I need to replace a phalanx of filters. I carry all the filters for our next preventative maintenance interval onboard our RV with the exception of the air filter due to its physical size.

 

Fabulous Filter Festivities Follow

 In the front row is the air filter, fuel filter and oil filter for our generator.

Second row serpentine belt, air dehydrator desiccant cartridge and the screw on hydraulic filter.

The ten by two-inch water filters are for our reverse osmosis water filtration system. The white one is a five-micron sediment and the black one is a five-micron carbon block.

To the right is the five-year service kit for our Oasis hydronic heating system which also heats domestic hot water.

On top of the box are the in tank hydraulic filter, fuel filter, fuel water separator and oil filter.

The large steel canister is our engine air filter.

The open bay door is where all of this stows with the exception of the air filter.

RVing is not inexpensive. Sitting on this table is $1,259.95 in parts. I have yet to purchase the oil and hydraulic fluid I need to replace during this service. It is included in our annual budget but UGH that is a challenging pill to swallow.

 

Five 

 

Front row is the fuel nozzle and sintered bronze fuel filter.

The device with the two white wires is the fuel ignitor with the protective shipping cap removed.

The black device with the red, white and black wires is the flame sensor.

There is also the air fitter which is made of sintered bronze attached to steel pipe thread.

Lastly is the Garber type R fuel oil filter.

 

Soon I will need to install all of these…… Wish me luck!!!!!

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Landing on Monopoly's Water Works

Ever since I installed the whole house reverse osmosis system, we have been living off the water in our rig's 105 gallon fresh water tank. Therefore, all of the water we use is pumped using the installed fresh water pump. Our pump was making a lot of noise, and the output was reduced by about 25%. I decided to replace it. This is the second time I have had to replace it....

limited space in the ready service spares locker

As we live full time in our RV I carry some spare parts to include a fresh water pump as I don't want to Elizabeth to have to put up with the loss of fresh water.

Fresh out of the box.

The pump that Newmar installed is a Pentair SHURflo model 4048-153-E75 The pump our rig uses is powered by 12 volts direct current with a max draw or 10 amps (120 watts) and is rated for 4 gallons per minute output.

New pump in the background and old pump partially disassembled.

Note the angle of the swash plate

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