Rantoul, IL.
68 deg. light rain, SW wind @ 10 mph.
Forecast = Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then partly cloudy during the afternoon hours. High 77F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
The eye doctor's appointments yesterday morning went well. Linda got the injection and Jim got the scan. It took awhile though as the doctor's office was backed up. ;-( By the time they left the doctor's office it was getting close to lunch time, so they stopped at the Urbana Gardens Restaurant in Urbana to eat before coming back here to the park.
Being that it rained in the morning, the humidity was very high yesterday. That, along with a high temp of around 87 made things down right uncomfortable. Then, around 8:00 PM a thunderstorm came through the area and we started Rockin' and Rollin'!!!!
I don't know for sure how strong the wind gusts were, but it sure made Nora move around a lot, and things got pretty scary for a little while!!!! That's one thing that I liked about the big Motor Homes we used to have, (Myrddin and Emrys), they didn't move around much at all in a storm.
We're OK though, and I don't think that there was any damage in the park. Just a few very small branches down.
This morning, Linda has to go to her primary care doctor over in Fisher, IL for her annual check-up and to get new prescriptions for her meds. She'll also be getting a blood test, so she won't be able to eat anything before she and Jim go. That means that they'll be stopping at the Blue Star Restaurant when they leave the doctor's office. ;-)
The weather guessers are saying that we should have very nice weather for the rest of this week. They're saying that it shouldn't rain or even be very humid until Sunday. I hope their forecasts are right as that will give Jim and Linda decent weather to get some shopping done and get everything ready to travel next Monday.
A Point to Ponder : A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.
Woof!!!
Showing posts with label Emrys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emrys. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Jim's Test, Linda's Pre-op and Two Big Boxes
Rantoul, IL.
64 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with isolated showers. Highs around 82°F. East northeast wind to 7 MPH. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.
About 1:30 yesterday afternoon, Big RED took Jim and Linda down to Dr. Anderson's office. Jim had to take a field of vision test, (which he passed with flying colors), and Linda needed to see Dr. Anderson for the pre-op for cataract surgery.
Linda's pre-op went well and she is now scheduled for the procedure to her left eye on the 8th of September.
They dilated Linda's eyes so when Big RED brought her and Jim back here to the CG, she was wearing some large dark glasses to help with the glare.
While they were gone, I had some excitement!!! I was taking a little nap when all of a sudden I hear a noise just outside of the door. I'm not big enough to see out of the window next to the door, so I couldn't see what was happening but I knew someone was out there doing something!!!
I didn't find out what was going on until Jim and Linda returned and Jim brought 2 huge boxes inside.
And, I couldn't tell what was in the boxes until I jumped up on top of the large one and read was it said on the box.
Yep!! A new Sleep Number mattress!!!
I knew that Jim and Linda weren't happy with the original mattress that came with Nora, but I didn't realize that they had ordered a different one. I shouldn't have been surprised though because neither Jim or Linda were sleeping too well on the old one.
Jim and Linda have had Sleep Number mattresses before. They had one when they had a house, before we went full-timing and then purchased another one when they had Myrddin. That mattress was moved into Emrys, but stayed there when Emrys was traded for Bobbie T., because it wouldn't fit in her.
So, , , , , Guess what today's big project will be???? I hope everything goes well, because it just won't work to have these 2 big boxes sitting inside of Nora for any length of time.
Linda seems to be doing pretty well. By the time she went to bed last night, her eyes were feeling much better. She said that her right eye still felt a little scratchy from the injection though.
Did you know that the average blink of an eye lasts for about 1/10th of a second?
Woof!!!
64 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with isolated showers. Highs around 82°F. East northeast wind to 7 MPH. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.
About 1:30 yesterday afternoon, Big RED took Jim and Linda down to Dr. Anderson's office. Jim had to take a field of vision test, (which he passed with flying colors), and Linda needed to see Dr. Anderson for the pre-op for cataract surgery.
Linda's pre-op went well and she is now scheduled for the procedure to her left eye on the 8th of September.
They dilated Linda's eyes so when Big RED brought her and Jim back here to the CG, she was wearing some large dark glasses to help with the glare.
While they were gone, I had some excitement!!! I was taking a little nap when all of a sudden I hear a noise just outside of the door. I'm not big enough to see out of the window next to the door, so I couldn't see what was happening but I knew someone was out there doing something!!!
I didn't find out what was going on until Jim and Linda returned and Jim brought 2 huge boxes inside.
And, I couldn't tell what was in the boxes until I jumped up on top of the large one and read was it said on the box.
Yep!! A new Sleep Number mattress!!!
I knew that Jim and Linda weren't happy with the original mattress that came with Nora, but I didn't realize that they had ordered a different one. I shouldn't have been surprised though because neither Jim or Linda were sleeping too well on the old one.
Jim and Linda have had Sleep Number mattresses before. They had one when they had a house, before we went full-timing and then purchased another one when they had Myrddin. That mattress was moved into Emrys, but stayed there when Emrys was traded for Bobbie T., because it wouldn't fit in her.
So, , , , , Guess what today's big project will be???? I hope everything goes well, because it just won't work to have these 2 big boxes sitting inside of Nora for any length of time.
Linda seems to be doing pretty well. By the time she went to bed last night, her eyes were feeling much better. She said that her right eye still felt a little scratchy from the injection though.
Did you know that the average blink of an eye lasts for about 1/10th of a second?
Woof!!!
Friday, August 22, 2014
Dinner With Mike, Terri, Hank And Selene, Saying Good-Bye and Doctor Appointments
Rantoul, IL.
77 deg. cloudy, humidity 88% NW wind @ 13 mph, thunder in the distance.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Highs around 90°F. Heat index around 104°F. West southwest wind to 10 MPH. Chance of precipitation 60 percent.
The temperatures and humidity have been rising here in Rantoul the last few days and we've also had rain showers at time. This has caused Jim and Linda to pretty much stay inside of Nora. They did go to pick up their mail at the post office and go to ACE Hardware to pick up an item or two on Tuesday and then went to Walgreen's to pick up Linda's prescriptions on Wednesday though.
Also, on Wednesday, they contacted Mike and Terri and Hank and Selene to find out if they'd like to go out to eat Wednesday or Thursday evening. After talking to both, it was determined that yesterday evening would be the best, so plans were made to go to the Blue Start Family Restaurant over in Fisher.
So, About 5:00 Big RED took Jim, Linda, Hank and Selene over there and Mike and Terri followed along in their car.
Once again, everyone enjoyed their meal and the Blue Star came through with flying colors. ;-) The food and service were very good, and the company and conversation were great!!
Hank and Selene are leaving here this morning. It sure has been great getting to know them better and spend time with them. If everything goes according to plan, we'll be seeing them again in NC next spring. :-)
Jim and Linda said their good-bye's yesterday evening because early this morning, both Linda and Jim have eye doctor appointments at Linda's Retinaologist. Linda to see Dr. Gandhi to have her retinas checked and Jim to have scan of his eyes to make sure there is no further damage from Glaucoma. The results of that scan will then be sent to Dr. Anderson's office. (Jim's regular eye doctor).
If Linda's exam goes well and Dr. Gandhi doesn't find any problems with her eyes, those results will also be sent to Dr. Anderson's office and more than likely, Dr. Anderson will schedule appointments to remove Linda's cataracts soon after Labor Day.
Oh, one last thing.
I've changed the "layout" of this blog just a little. If you scroll down and look over on the right side, you'll see the URLs for "Past Blogs For Jim and Linda". I don't know how to make the URLs into links that you can just click on, so if you want to bring up the blogs, you'll have to copy and paste to your browser. The blogs go way back to January 23, 2008 when Myrddin made his first post and follow all of our travels and daily living since then.
For those of you that do decide read the old post by Mryddin and Emrys, I hope you enjoy!!!
Did you know that on this date in 1956 - Elvis began work on his first movie, "Love Me Tender"?
Woof!!!
77 deg. cloudy, humidity 88% NW wind @ 13 mph, thunder in the distance.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Highs around 90°F. Heat index around 104°F. West southwest wind to 10 MPH. Chance of precipitation 60 percent.
The temperatures and humidity have been rising here in Rantoul the last few days and we've also had rain showers at time. This has caused Jim and Linda to pretty much stay inside of Nora. They did go to pick up their mail at the post office and go to ACE Hardware to pick up an item or two on Tuesday and then went to Walgreen's to pick up Linda's prescriptions on Wednesday though.
Also, on Wednesday, they contacted Mike and Terri and Hank and Selene to find out if they'd like to go out to eat Wednesday or Thursday evening. After talking to both, it was determined that yesterday evening would be the best, so plans were made to go to the Blue Start Family Restaurant over in Fisher.
So, About 5:00 Big RED took Jim, Linda, Hank and Selene over there and Mike and Terri followed along in their car.
Once again, everyone enjoyed their meal and the Blue Star came through with flying colors. ;-) The food and service were very good, and the company and conversation were great!!
Hank and Selene are leaving here this morning. It sure has been great getting to know them better and spend time with them. If everything goes according to plan, we'll be seeing them again in NC next spring. :-)
Jim and Linda said their good-bye's yesterday evening because early this morning, both Linda and Jim have eye doctor appointments at Linda's Retinaologist. Linda to see Dr. Gandhi to have her retinas checked and Jim to have scan of his eyes to make sure there is no further damage from Glaucoma. The results of that scan will then be sent to Dr. Anderson's office. (Jim's regular eye doctor).
If Linda's exam goes well and Dr. Gandhi doesn't find any problems with her eyes, those results will also be sent to Dr. Anderson's office and more than likely, Dr. Anderson will schedule appointments to remove Linda's cataracts soon after Labor Day.
Oh, one last thing.
I've changed the "layout" of this blog just a little. If you scroll down and look over on the right side, you'll see the URLs for "Past Blogs For Jim and Linda". I don't know how to make the URLs into links that you can just click on, so if you want to bring up the blogs, you'll have to copy and paste to your browser. The blogs go way back to January 23, 2008 when Myrddin made his first post and follow all of our travels and daily living since then.
For those of you that do decide read the old post by Mryddin and Emrys, I hope you enjoy!!!
Did you know that on this date in 1956 - Elvis began work on his first movie, "Love Me Tender"?
Woof!!!
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Troy AL To Cullman AL and Rough Road And Traffic In Birmingham
Cullman, AL.
69 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 82°F. Heat index around 87°F. South southeast wind 5 to 10 MPH. Chance of rain, 70%.
Linda woke up earlier than usual yesterday morning, so we left the Deer Run RV park about an hour sooner than we normally would have. In fact it was just 8:50 when we pulled back onto US 231 and continued heading NW.
Just before we came to Montgomery, Jim pulled Big RED into a Marathon station and bought him a nice drink of #2 diesel fuel. Big RED wasn't too thirsty, but being that the rest of the trip would be on Interstate Highways and the skies were starting to look threatening, he though it was a good opportunity to stop.
Come to find out, that was a good decision because once we had taken Taylor Rd. to I-85, taken 85 West for a few miles, turned North on I-65 and had traveled just north of Montgomery, it started to sprinkle or rain off and on for the rest of the trip.
I-65 had a lot of traffic which moved along nicely, but it sure wasn't a road that a driver could relax on. Then, when we got up to Birmingham, the traffic got really heavy and the road surface deteriorated badly. :-( There was very little construction this time, (We had construction the whole way through the city when we came down here last August), but the road was very rough!! I know that those of you that have large motor homes might not think so, but I just about fell off of the seat a few times!! :-O
I don't know if there's another route we could take to by-pass Birmingham, but you can bet that Jim will be looking into it before we head down through this area again. Our experiences with traffic and roads through there throughout the years has not been good!!
Once North of Birmingham, I-65 smoothed out again and except for the heavy traffic and some fairly heavy rain at times the rest of the trip up here to Cullman went well.
It was right at 12:20 when we pulled up to the office of the Cullman Campground, so today it took us right at 3 1/2 hours to travel 193 miles and stop for fuel. Not too shabby!!!!
This Campground doesn't get very good reviews on RV Park Reviews but we've been coming here for a long time and have always had a good experience. (Jim didn't take any photos because it was raining.) Yes, it's not a destination park and the road coming from the main Hwy to the park leaves something to be desired, but if you take it slow, even though it's narrow and hilly, it's very do'able. We were at this park with both Myrddin and Emrys, (40' and 45' Motorhomes, both pulling a toad), and had no problems at all. The owner is supper friendly and escorts you to your site and we've never had a problem leveling. In fact, the site we're in right now, (#34), is almost perfectly level and no blocks or anything were needed.
I'm not sure if we'll be leaving here today or not. Right now, it's still raining up in Nashville, so we may stay another night. Jim's watching the radar though, and if it clears up, we'll probably head out.
Did you know that today is "National Hot Dog Day"?
Woof!!!
69 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 82°F. Heat index around 87°F. South southeast wind 5 to 10 MPH. Chance of rain, 70%.
Linda woke up earlier than usual yesterday morning, so we left the Deer Run RV park about an hour sooner than we normally would have. In fact it was just 8:50 when we pulled back onto US 231 and continued heading NW.
Just before we came to Montgomery, Jim pulled Big RED into a Marathon station and bought him a nice drink of #2 diesel fuel. Big RED wasn't too thirsty, but being that the rest of the trip would be on Interstate Highways and the skies were starting to look threatening, he though it was a good opportunity to stop.
Come to find out, that was a good decision because once we had taken Taylor Rd. to I-85, taken 85 West for a few miles, turned North on I-65 and had traveled just north of Montgomery, it started to sprinkle or rain off and on for the rest of the trip.
I-65 had a lot of traffic which moved along nicely, but it sure wasn't a road that a driver could relax on. Then, when we got up to Birmingham, the traffic got really heavy and the road surface deteriorated badly. :-( There was very little construction this time, (We had construction the whole way through the city when we came down here last August), but the road was very rough!! I know that those of you that have large motor homes might not think so, but I just about fell off of the seat a few times!! :-O
I don't know if there's another route we could take to by-pass Birmingham, but you can bet that Jim will be looking into it before we head down through this area again. Our experiences with traffic and roads through there throughout the years has not been good!!
Once North of Birmingham, I-65 smoothed out again and except for the heavy traffic and some fairly heavy rain at times the rest of the trip up here to Cullman went well.
It was right at 12:20 when we pulled up to the office of the Cullman Campground, so today it took us right at 3 1/2 hours to travel 193 miles and stop for fuel. Not too shabby!!!!
This Campground doesn't get very good reviews on RV Park Reviews but we've been coming here for a long time and have always had a good experience. (Jim didn't take any photos because it was raining.) Yes, it's not a destination park and the road coming from the main Hwy to the park leaves something to be desired, but if you take it slow, even though it's narrow and hilly, it's very do'able. We were at this park with both Myrddin and Emrys, (40' and 45' Motorhomes, both pulling a toad), and had no problems at all. The owner is supper friendly and escorts you to your site and we've never had a problem leveling. In fact, the site we're in right now, (#34), is almost perfectly level and no blocks or anything were needed.
I'm not sure if we'll be leaving here today or not. Right now, it's still raining up in Nashville, so we may stay another night. Jim's watching the radar though, and if it clears up, we'll probably head out.
Did you know that today is "National Hot Dog Day"?
Woof!!!
Thursday, April 24, 2014
We're Camping!!!!!
DeBary, FL.
Highbanks Marina and Camp Resort
66 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunny skies this morning. Scattered showers and thunderstorms developing during the afternoon. High 86F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Tuesday morning, Jim and Linda started gathering more things to take over to the trailer at Highbanks. I figured that they were serious about staying for awhile in the trailer when Linda gathered up all her medicine, Jim took the pillows off of the bed, they packed up changes of clothes and they started packing up food, like bread and lunch meat that they need every day.
By early afternoon, they were locking up the house and we were all packed up and on our way. ;-)
Once they had everything put away, Jim opened the awning, got out the lawn chairs and grabbed his camera.
From the vacant site next to us.
He took this photo from the rear. I don't know if you can tell or not, but the slide-out room is quite deep on this RV. it extends about 32". The slides on Bobbie T were only 18" deep and on Emrys 24"
We must be staying awhile, Jim put out his flags. :-)
While he had the camera out, he snapped this photo of Big RED too.
Yesterday, was spent just relaxing and re-organizing some of the "stuff" that they brought to the trailer. Laura stopped by for awhile in the morning to visit. Jim took a nap in the afternoon and then cooked burgers on the grill while Linda put salads together inside.
Today, Linda has an appointment at 1:00 to see to see the chemo doctor, (Dr. Saferali ). At that time she'll find out when she'll start treatments again. :-( After the doctor's visit, they want to stop by the house to pick up the mail and a few items, and then stop by the store to buy milk and a few other things.
I don't know how long we'll be staying here at Highbanks. The site rent is paid until the 14th of May, so the trailer can stay here until then, but we won't be staying out here in it the whole time.
Oh Wow!!!! I just looked outside and it's getting very foggy here by the river. I wonder of it's foggy all over this area?
Haven't heard anything on TV about fog.
Did you know that the "Hamburger hall of fame" is located in Seymour, Wisconsin?
Woof!!!
Highbanks Marina and Camp Resort
66 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunny skies this morning. Scattered showers and thunderstorms developing during the afternoon. High 86F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Tuesday morning, Jim and Linda started gathering more things to take over to the trailer at Highbanks. I figured that they were serious about staying for awhile in the trailer when Linda gathered up all her medicine, Jim took the pillows off of the bed, they packed up changes of clothes and they started packing up food, like bread and lunch meat that they need every day.
By early afternoon, they were locking up the house and we were all packed up and on our way. ;-)
Once they had everything put away, Jim opened the awning, got out the lawn chairs and grabbed his camera.
From the vacant site next to us.
He took this photo from the rear. I don't know if you can tell or not, but the slide-out room is quite deep on this RV. it extends about 32". The slides on Bobbie T were only 18" deep and on Emrys 24"
We must be staying awhile, Jim put out his flags. :-)
While he had the camera out, he snapped this photo of Big RED too.
Yesterday, was spent just relaxing and re-organizing some of the "stuff" that they brought to the trailer. Laura stopped by for awhile in the morning to visit. Jim took a nap in the afternoon and then cooked burgers on the grill while Linda put salads together inside.
Today, Linda has an appointment at 1:00 to see to see the chemo doctor, (Dr. Saferali ). At that time she'll find out when she'll start treatments again. :-( After the doctor's visit, they want to stop by the house to pick up the mail and a few items, and then stop by the store to buy milk and a few other things.
I don't know how long we'll be staying here at Highbanks. The site rent is paid until the 14th of May, so the trailer can stay here until then, but we won't be staying out here in it the whole time.
Oh Wow!!!! I just looked outside and it's getting very foggy here by the river. I wonder of it's foggy all over this area?
Haven't heard anything on TV about fog.
Did you know that the "Hamburger hall of fame" is located in Seymour, Wisconsin?
Woof!!!
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Full-Timing RVs and Trucks
DeBary, FL
.
.
58 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sun and clouds mixed. High 83F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Being that nothing important is happening, I thought I'd create a collage of the RVs and trucks that we've had since we went full-timing back in 2001.
In the top left corner there's Mariah. (You can click on the photo to enlarge it). She was the 1998 35' Winnebago Chieftain gas engine motor home that Jim and Linda had when we started full-timing June 1, 2001. They had purchased her in 1999 and she served us well, taking us all across the lower 48 states many times and even up to Alaska and back in 2002.
The center photo on the left side is TTT a 1992 Nissan pickup truck. (Mariah named him TTT for Tiny Tin Truck). He also was with us right from the start and followed along behind Mariah for many, many miles. He really took a beating from all the gravel on our trip to Alaska and in 2004 developed some major mechanical problems, so in April of 2004, Jim traded him off for CLT, (Lower left in the photo), a 1996 Nissan pickup, (Named Cute Little Truck, also by Mariah). CLT's truck bed was the same as TTT's so it was possible to transfer the bed cap from one truck to the other without any modifications.
In 2005, Mariah developed some major structural problems so Jim and Linda traded her for Myrddin, (a 1992 40' Beaver Marquis diesel pusher). (Top right in above photo)
Myrddin was beautiful inside with a handcrafted cherry wood interior and was probably the motor home with the interior that Jim and Linda liked the best. Myrddin had his problems though, and on the first trip out West in 2005 we had major problems with the engine stopping all of a sudden and doing that, during the whole trip out west and back. Jim and Linda took him to many RV repair shops along the way, but no one could figure out what was wrong.
We finally made it back down to Florida where a mechanic named Lester, at a shop in Lakeland Florida figured it out. Come to find out, it was an intermittent short in a 12 volt electric motor that powered the vacuum pump for the dash heater.
The problem was fixed, but Jim never had faith in Myrddin after that.
In 2011 on our way to the RV Dreams Rally in Sevierville, TN, Myrddin again developed an engine problem. This time it was a misfire condition. We made it to the Rally and then after the rally, Jim tried to find someone who could figure out what was wrong. Every place he called, he was told that they no longer had the diagnostic equipment to check his engine out. Jim finally found a CAT dealer in Bristol TN who had the equipment and repaired the problem, which ended up being a loose wire on cylinders 3 & 4 injectors.
At this same time, there was also a problem with Myrddin's furnace. When they tried to order the needed parts, they found out that they were almost non existent. It was at this time that Jim and Linda started to look for a newer RV.
In May of 2011, Jim and Linda found Emrys, a 45' 2000 Newmar, London Aire diesel pusher motor home at a dealer in central Illinois. (Bottom center in the above photo).
Linda named him Emrys, and he was also very nice inside, but didn't have the fit and finish of the woodwork that Myrddin had. When Jim and Linda purchased him, there were some problems that the dealer said that they would take care of. Well, come to find out, they just patched him together to get him out of the door, and once we were on the road, things started to go wrong. : ( (This dealer has since, gone out of business).
Again, Lester, (the mechanic and his crew down in Florida), came to the rescue and soon most of the problems were repaired and we were on our way. : )
Emrys was huge at 45', great to drive down the Interstates, (steady as a rock), and great to be living in with his 2 slideouts, but neither Jim or Linda had any idea just how much more those extra 5' of length would restrict where we could camp or go. He was no fun at all on hilly, twisty/turny roads, (like U.S. 101 up along the Oregon coast), and we found that many of the campgrounds along the non-Interstate roads could not accommodate such a large RV.
Jim and Linda adjusted our travels though, and soon we were traveling on almost all Interstates and staying in only the larger parks.
I still don't know just what happened to make Jim decide that he thought it was time to stop full-timing and to buy a house again, but during the winter of 2012/2013, he told Linda that he thought it was time to stop. Now, before they started full-timing, they made an agreement that if one of them ever decided that it was time to stop full-timing, they would tell the other, discuss the reasons, and then stop if that person still felt the same after the discussion.
Well, as most of you know, they did buy a double wide manufactured home down in DeBary Florida. It's in a gated community and there is absolutely no place to park a 45' motor home, much less even get it through the entrance. They do however, have a storage lot within the community where a smaller RV could be stored.
So, the search was on for a smaller RV.
It didn't take long before Jim and Linda found Bobbie T., a 27' Class B motorhome, (lower right in the photo), at a nearby RV dealer that would take Emrys in on trade.
During the summer of 2013, we took Bobbie T, with CLT hooked behind, and traveled from FL to IL by way of Virginia Beach, VA and Apex, NC. At Linda's regular Doctor's appointment in August, she was diagnosed with cancer.
At that time, we came down here to Florida and moved into the Double-wide manufactured home so that Linda could have surgery and treatments, thus, officially ending our full-timing lifestyle in August of 2013.
Since we've been here in Florida, Jim and Linda have traded CLT for a 3/4 ton Dodge pickup, and sometime before fall, will be either selling Bobbie T, or trading her in on a trailer of some kind. The reason for this is that Bobbie T. is not doing well over in the storage lot and Jim is worried about what kind of condition her engine and other chassis parts will be in after such a long period of non-use.
So, that's the vehicles that we've had while Full-timing. We've had a great time traveling all over the lower 48 and up into Alaska and would have liked to full-time longer. But, as we all know, things don't always work out the way we wanted them to.
Did you know that American Eddie Eagan is the only person to have won gold medals in both the Summer and Winter Games? He was a boxing champion in the 1920 Antwerp Games, and also won gold at the 1932 Lake Placid Games in the team bobsled event.
Woof!!!
Linda named him Emrys, and he was also very nice inside, but didn't have the fit and finish of the woodwork that Myrddin had. When Jim and Linda purchased him, there were some problems that the dealer said that they would take care of. Well, come to find out, they just patched him together to get him out of the door, and once we were on the road, things started to go wrong. : ( (This dealer has since, gone out of business).
Again, Lester, (the mechanic and his crew down in Florida), came to the rescue and soon most of the problems were repaired and we were on our way. : )
Emrys was huge at 45', great to drive down the Interstates, (steady as a rock), and great to be living in with his 2 slideouts, but neither Jim or Linda had any idea just how much more those extra 5' of length would restrict where we could camp or go. He was no fun at all on hilly, twisty/turny roads, (like U.S. 101 up along the Oregon coast), and we found that many of the campgrounds along the non-Interstate roads could not accommodate such a large RV.
Jim and Linda adjusted our travels though, and soon we were traveling on almost all Interstates and staying in only the larger parks.
I still don't know just what happened to make Jim decide that he thought it was time to stop full-timing and to buy a house again, but during the winter of 2012/2013, he told Linda that he thought it was time to stop. Now, before they started full-timing, they made an agreement that if one of them ever decided that it was time to stop full-timing, they would tell the other, discuss the reasons, and then stop if that person still felt the same after the discussion.
Well, as most of you know, they did buy a double wide manufactured home down in DeBary Florida. It's in a gated community and there is absolutely no place to park a 45' motor home, much less even get it through the entrance. They do however, have a storage lot within the community where a smaller RV could be stored.
So, the search was on for a smaller RV.
It didn't take long before Jim and Linda found Bobbie T., a 27' Class B motorhome, (lower right in the photo), at a nearby RV dealer that would take Emrys in on trade.
During the summer of 2013, we took Bobbie T, with CLT hooked behind, and traveled from FL to IL by way of Virginia Beach, VA and Apex, NC. At Linda's regular Doctor's appointment in August, she was diagnosed with cancer.
At that time, we came down here to Florida and moved into the Double-wide manufactured home so that Linda could have surgery and treatments, thus, officially ending our full-timing lifestyle in August of 2013.
Since we've been here in Florida, Jim and Linda have traded CLT for a 3/4 ton Dodge pickup, and sometime before fall, will be either selling Bobbie T, or trading her in on a trailer of some kind. The reason for this is that Bobbie T. is not doing well over in the storage lot and Jim is worried about what kind of condition her engine and other chassis parts will be in after such a long period of non-use.
So, that's the vehicles that we've had while Full-timing. We've had a great time traveling all over the lower 48 and up into Alaska and would have liked to full-time longer. But, as we all know, things don't always work out the way we wanted them to.
Did you know that American Eddie Eagan is the only person to have won gold medals in both the Summer and Winter Games? He was a boxing champion in the 1920 Antwerp Games, and also won gold at the 1932 Lake Placid Games in the team bobsled event.
Woof!!!
Friday, May 31, 2013
Rockin' And Rollin'
Rantoul, IL.
64 deg.mostly cloudy, S. wind @ 12 mph.
Forecast = Today: Mostly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 82°F. Heat index around 86°F. South wind to 17 MPH, gusting to 28 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 80%. Precipitation amounts between one quarter and one half of an inch possible.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy with thunderstorms. Lows around 70°F. South wind to 17 MPH, gusting to 23 MPH. Precipitation amounts between one inch and one and a half inches possible.
This weather that we're having here in Rantoul is getting old, real fast!!!! It was even windier yesterday than it has been in the past. In fact, for awhile yesterday evening as a front was coming through with wind gusts over 40 mph, I was starting to get a little nervous. I know that Bobbie Ts not near as heavy as Emrys was and she doesn't have any leveling jacks to stabilize her, but she did some serious rockin' and rollin' for awhile!!!! : O
Even though it was very windy yesterday, Jim and Linda needed to get a letter mailed, so they took CLT and headed for the post office. Since they were out and about, after the post office, they decided to stop by a little shop that Linda has been wanting to check out, called Kathy's Needle & I. It turned out to be a neat little shop that has quite a bit of sewing merchandise. They don't have much in the way of embroidery items though but do have quite a lot of quilting and sewing supplies.
By the time they were done there, it was lunchtime so they headed back to that new Family Table Restaurant and had breakfast for lunch. Again, the food and service were very good, so this is starting to look like a restaurant that Jim and Linda will be going to regularly. ; )
The rest of the day was spent inside, trying to wait out the weather.
Did you know that on this date in 1870 - E.J. DeSemdt patented asphalt?
Woof!!!
64 deg.mostly cloudy, S. wind @ 12 mph.
Forecast = Today: Mostly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 82°F. Heat index around 86°F. South wind to 17 MPH, gusting to 28 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 80%. Precipitation amounts between one quarter and one half of an inch possible.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy with thunderstorms. Lows around 70°F. South wind to 17 MPH, gusting to 23 MPH. Precipitation amounts between one inch and one and a half inches possible.
This weather that we're having here in Rantoul is getting old, real fast!!!! It was even windier yesterday than it has been in the past. In fact, for awhile yesterday evening as a front was coming through with wind gusts over 40 mph, I was starting to get a little nervous. I know that Bobbie Ts not near as heavy as Emrys was and she doesn't have any leveling jacks to stabilize her, but she did some serious rockin' and rollin' for awhile!!!! : O
Even though it was very windy yesterday, Jim and Linda needed to get a letter mailed, so they took CLT and headed for the post office. Since they were out and about, after the post office, they decided to stop by a little shop that Linda has been wanting to check out, called Kathy's Needle & I. It turned out to be a neat little shop that has quite a bit of sewing merchandise. They don't have much in the way of embroidery items though but do have quite a lot of quilting and sewing supplies.
By the time they were done there, it was lunchtime so they headed back to that new Family Table Restaurant and had breakfast for lunch. Again, the food and service were very good, so this is starting to look like a restaurant that Jim and Linda will be going to regularly. ; )
The rest of the day was spent inside, trying to wait out the weather.
Did you know that on this date in 1870 - E.J. DeSemdt patented asphalt?
Woof!!!
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Downsizing
Rantoul, IL.
64 deg. overcast, SSW wind @ 13 mph.
Forecast = Today: Partly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 84°F. South wind 13 to 19 MPH, gusting to 28 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 65%. Precipitation amounts up to one quarter inch possible.
Tonight: Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Lows around 68°F. South southwest wind to 16 MPH, gusting to 23 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 45%.
Some of the folks that Jim and Linda know, have asked them what it's like to move from a 45' diesel pusher to a 27' class B motorhome?
Well, it's kind of like when they first went full-timing, selling their house and moving all of your belongings into a RV. Only this time, they didn't have to give away all of the "stuff" that they had in the 45' MH, they just put whatever didn't fit in the 27' MH into the double wide down in Florida.
I think one of the biggest challenges of downsizing RVs has been the reduced space to move around, without being in each other's way. For instance. If Linda is doing anything in the kitchen, whether it be washing dishes or cooking, she has to move before Jim can get to the bathroom or the bedroom, or even get to the refrigerator, for that matter.
Another thing that has changed is the fact that they no longer have all their "stuff" with them. Just the other day, Jim needed to change a fitting on one of the water hoses, but because of outside storage limitations, that container where the replacement fittings are in, is back at the house. So, Jim had to buy a fitting at the store.
Food storage is another big issue. There are fewer cabinets in this RV than in any RV that we've had since we went full-timing almost 12 years ago. That means more trips to the grocery store and buying smaller quantities of food and supplies, like paper products and even snacks. This refrigerator is also smaller than any we've had in the last 6 years or so, and that means less space for meat, frozen vegetables and ice cream.
Also, there's no ice maker in this refrigerator, which is a big minus for Linda. (She likes ice in anything she drinks except coffee). : )
And, of course, everything else is smaller too. Like the bathroom, bedroom and closets.
Oh, and Linda really misses her washer/dryer. : (
But, before you start thinking that Jim and Linda are unhappy with Bobbie T., I want to assure you that they are not!
There are many good things about a smaller RV, such as ease of getting into and out of small campgrounds, not worrying if a CG is going to have a large enough site, less steps to get into and out of the RV, ease of driving through congested areas, handles twisty/turny 2 lane roads better that a large RV, and has much less area to clean, both inside and out.
As far as the lack of storage space, I'm sure that once we get back to Florida, Jim and Linda will make changes of what to bring along on our next trip. There are items that they brought along this time that were not needed, so they can be left at the house and other items brought instead.
It's just going to take some time to figure it all out.
Oh, and one more thing. When we first went full-timing, we traveled mostly on 2 lane roads, avoiding the Interstate highways as much as possible. We stayed in State Parks, COE parks, municipal parks and little "mom and pop" type parks. Through the years, mostly because of purchasing larger and larger RVs, we have not been able to comfortably do that any longer. Both Jim and Linda have missed that type of travel and those type campgrounds and want to get back to that style of traveling again.
Already, when we came from Florida to Virginia this time, we stayed off of the Interstates as much as possible. And, every trip plan that Jim has been working on since we got Bobbie T. has been made utilizing as many non-Interstate highways as possible.
He's even been fooling around with a trip plan for another trip back out to Oregon, that by my estimation, would be on about 90% U.S. and State highways. ; )
If Jim and Linda would not have bought the double wide down in Florida, I think that they would have kept Ermys for at least another year or 2, but then, I'm sure they would have traded him off for something smaller. (Something around 35'). Emrys was just too large for the type of campgrounds and travel that they like.
They would not have gone as small as Bobbie T's 27' though. Both of them agree that for them, she is just too small to live in full-time.
Did you know that on this date in 1955 - "Billboard" reported that "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" was the most popular song in the U.S?
Woof!!!
64 deg. overcast, SSW wind @ 13 mph.
Forecast = Today: Partly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 84°F. South wind 13 to 19 MPH, gusting to 28 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 65%. Precipitation amounts up to one quarter inch possible.
Tonight: Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Lows around 68°F. South southwest wind to 16 MPH, gusting to 23 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 45%.
Some of the folks that Jim and Linda know, have asked them what it's like to move from a 45' diesel pusher to a 27' class B motorhome?
Well, it's kind of like when they first went full-timing, selling their house and moving all of your belongings into a RV. Only this time, they didn't have to give away all of the "stuff" that they had in the 45' MH, they just put whatever didn't fit in the 27' MH into the double wide down in Florida.
I think one of the biggest challenges of downsizing RVs has been the reduced space to move around, without being in each other's way. For instance. If Linda is doing anything in the kitchen, whether it be washing dishes or cooking, she has to move before Jim can get to the bathroom or the bedroom, or even get to the refrigerator, for that matter.
Another thing that has changed is the fact that they no longer have all their "stuff" with them. Just the other day, Jim needed to change a fitting on one of the water hoses, but because of outside storage limitations, that container where the replacement fittings are in, is back at the house. So, Jim had to buy a fitting at the store.
Food storage is another big issue. There are fewer cabinets in this RV than in any RV that we've had since we went full-timing almost 12 years ago. That means more trips to the grocery store and buying smaller quantities of food and supplies, like paper products and even snacks. This refrigerator is also smaller than any we've had in the last 6 years or so, and that means less space for meat, frozen vegetables and ice cream.
Also, there's no ice maker in this refrigerator, which is a big minus for Linda. (She likes ice in anything she drinks except coffee). : )
And, of course, everything else is smaller too. Like the bathroom, bedroom and closets.
Oh, and Linda really misses her washer/dryer. : (
But, before you start thinking that Jim and Linda are unhappy with Bobbie T., I want to assure you that they are not!
There are many good things about a smaller RV, such as ease of getting into and out of small campgrounds, not worrying if a CG is going to have a large enough site, less steps to get into and out of the RV, ease of driving through congested areas, handles twisty/turny 2 lane roads better that a large RV, and has much less area to clean, both inside and out.
As far as the lack of storage space, I'm sure that once we get back to Florida, Jim and Linda will make changes of what to bring along on our next trip. There are items that they brought along this time that were not needed, so they can be left at the house and other items brought instead.
It's just going to take some time to figure it all out.
Oh, and one more thing. When we first went full-timing, we traveled mostly on 2 lane roads, avoiding the Interstate highways as much as possible. We stayed in State Parks, COE parks, municipal parks and little "mom and pop" type parks. Through the years, mostly because of purchasing larger and larger RVs, we have not been able to comfortably do that any longer. Both Jim and Linda have missed that type of travel and those type campgrounds and want to get back to that style of traveling again.
Already, when we came from Florida to Virginia this time, we stayed off of the Interstates as much as possible. And, every trip plan that Jim has been working on since we got Bobbie T. has been made utilizing as many non-Interstate highways as possible.
He's even been fooling around with a trip plan for another trip back out to Oregon, that by my estimation, would be on about 90% U.S. and State highways. ; )
If Jim and Linda would not have bought the double wide down in Florida, I think that they would have kept Ermys for at least another year or 2, but then, I'm sure they would have traded him off for something smaller. (Something around 35'). Emrys was just too large for the type of campgrounds and travel that they like.
They would not have gone as small as Bobbie T's 27' though. Both of them agree that for them, she is just too small to live in full-time.
Did you know that on this date in 1955 - "Billboard" reported that "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" was the most popular song in the U.S?
Woof!!!
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Essentials? TN to KY and Plan "E"?
Henderson, KY
68 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Today: Mostly sunny. Highs around 88°F. Southwest wind 9 to 16 MPH, gusting to 21 MPH.
Tonight: Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Lows around 64°F. Southwest wind 6 to 13 MPH, gusting to 17 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 35%.
Monday morning, Jim went up to the office and paid for another night at the Countryside Resort. If you remember, I told you that they were out of some essential groceries, so about 11:00, they took CLT and headed to a Publix Grocery Store that is about 10 miles from the CG.
Now, I don't know what your definition of "essential groceries" is, but to me, a lot of what they brought back here from the store, didn't fit into that category!! ; ) They found a place for all of it though, and soon, Jim was taking a nap and Linda was doing some crossword puzzles in a new book that she bought.
Yesterday morning, after getting Bobbie T's propane tank topped off, we left the Countryside Resort at 10:00 and continued West on I-40. When we got to Nashville, we went around the downtown area by using the Briley Parkway until we came to I-24. 24 then brought us up into Kentucky and to Alt. 41 where we turned North. Alt. 41 brought us up to the Pennyrile Parkway which brought us up here to Henderson, Ky and to the John James Audubon State Park
As you can see, we're one of only 4 or 5 other campers in the whole park.
We were here years ago and it's a nice park, but it's an older park, so you may want to check before you come here with a larger RV. There are a few large sites, but some of the turns are pretty tight and most of the sites are pretty short. I don't think that there are any full hook-up sites. We have 30 amp electric and water at site #52, which is one of the 2 available pull-through sites.
After we were settled in, Jim called Louise, the CG host, up in Rantoul and told her that we'd be there this Saturday. Then Linda called her cousin, Mike, who lives up in Indianapolis and made sure that he and his wife Sandy would be around Friday, so we could swing by for a visit. Mike said that they'd be home so plans were made to head up there to see them then.
That is, until Jim called the RV Park up there where we normally stay when visiting them.
When Jim called the park, he was told that they were sold out for the Indy 500 qualifying and were sold out until after the race on Memorial Day!!!! Oh Wow!!!! I never thought about the race, and evidently neither did Jim or Linda!!!! The lady at the RV Park said that she doubted if there would be a campsite available anywhere near Indianapolis because every year at this time all the parks were full!!
So, what to do?????
Yep, you guessed it!!! Plan "E"!!!! OK, so here is what is Jim and Linda have come up with so far for the new plan. Jim called Mike and told him about the parks and tentative plans were made to try to get together sometime this summer, or, we will swing by this fall for a visit on our way to the Rally. Mike was disappointed, but he, like Jim and Linda, never even thought about the race. : (
Today, as scheduled, we'll head up to Evansville and to SMI Manufacturing to have a kit put onto Bobbie T and CLT so that CLT's brakes will be applied when stopping. CLT is already set up with a SMI unit, but it's for Emrys' air brakes and not compatible with Bobbie T's hydraulic brakes. SMI has a kit to convert the system though, so the whole thing won't have to be replaced.
After we're finished at SMI we'll stay at one of 2 RV parks near there for the night. I still don't know exactly what's going to happen after that. On Thursday, we could stay at one of those 2 parks for an additional day or we could head up to Rantoul.
Jim and Linda were still discussing the options when they came back from having dinner at a Shoney's Restaurant, and I don't think any decisions were made before they went to bed.
My guess is that we'll head up to Rantoul, but who knows. ; )
I'll let you know what they've decided, as soon as I know. : )
Did you know that today is "National Chocolate Chip Day"?
Woof!!!
68 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Today: Mostly sunny. Highs around 88°F. Southwest wind 9 to 16 MPH, gusting to 21 MPH.
Tonight: Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Lows around 64°F. Southwest wind 6 to 13 MPH, gusting to 17 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 35%.
Monday morning, Jim went up to the office and paid for another night at the Countryside Resort. If you remember, I told you that they were out of some essential groceries, so about 11:00, they took CLT and headed to a Publix Grocery Store that is about 10 miles from the CG.
Now, I don't know what your definition of "essential groceries" is, but to me, a lot of what they brought back here from the store, didn't fit into that category!! ; ) They found a place for all of it though, and soon, Jim was taking a nap and Linda was doing some crossword puzzles in a new book that she bought.
Yesterday morning, after getting Bobbie T's propane tank topped off, we left the Countryside Resort at 10:00 and continued West on I-40. When we got to Nashville, we went around the downtown area by using the Briley Parkway until we came to I-24. 24 then brought us up into Kentucky and to Alt. 41 where we turned North. Alt. 41 brought us up to the Pennyrile Parkway which brought us up here to Henderson, Ky and to the John James Audubon State Park
As you can see, we're one of only 4 or 5 other campers in the whole park.
We were here years ago and it's a nice park, but it's an older park, so you may want to check before you come here with a larger RV. There are a few large sites, but some of the turns are pretty tight and most of the sites are pretty short. I don't think that there are any full hook-up sites. We have 30 amp electric and water at site #52, which is one of the 2 available pull-through sites.
After we were settled in, Jim called Louise, the CG host, up in Rantoul and told her that we'd be there this Saturday. Then Linda called her cousin, Mike, who lives up in Indianapolis and made sure that he and his wife Sandy would be around Friday, so we could swing by for a visit. Mike said that they'd be home so plans were made to head up there to see them then.
That is, until Jim called the RV Park up there where we normally stay when visiting them.
When Jim called the park, he was told that they were sold out for the Indy 500 qualifying and were sold out until after the race on Memorial Day!!!! Oh Wow!!!! I never thought about the race, and evidently neither did Jim or Linda!!!! The lady at the RV Park said that she doubted if there would be a campsite available anywhere near Indianapolis because every year at this time all the parks were full!!
So, what to do?????
Yep, you guessed it!!! Plan "E"!!!! OK, so here is what is Jim and Linda have come up with so far for the new plan. Jim called Mike and told him about the parks and tentative plans were made to try to get together sometime this summer, or, we will swing by this fall for a visit on our way to the Rally. Mike was disappointed, but he, like Jim and Linda, never even thought about the race. : (
Today, as scheduled, we'll head up to Evansville and to SMI Manufacturing to have a kit put onto Bobbie T and CLT so that CLT's brakes will be applied when stopping. CLT is already set up with a SMI unit, but it's for Emrys' air brakes and not compatible with Bobbie T's hydraulic brakes. SMI has a kit to convert the system though, so the whole thing won't have to be replaced.
After we're finished at SMI we'll stay at one of 2 RV parks near there for the night. I still don't know exactly what's going to happen after that. On Thursday, we could stay at one of those 2 parks for an additional day or we could head up to Rantoul.
Jim and Linda were still discussing the options when they came back from having dinner at a Shoney's Restaurant, and I don't think any decisions were made before they went to bed.
My guess is that we'll head up to Rantoul, but who knows. ; )
I'll let you know what they've decided, as soon as I know. : )
Did you know that today is "National Chocolate Chip Day"?
Woof!!!
Friday, April 19, 2013
Busy Busy Busy, Groceries and Reply To A Comment
Virginia Beach, VA.
65 deg. mostly cloudy, SSE wind @ 2 mph.
Forecast = Today: Partly cloudy with isolated showers. Highs around 70°F. Windy, with a south wind to 23 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 30%.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy with scattered storms. Lows around 55°F. Windy, with a south wind 18 to 24 MPH, gusting to 29 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 95%.
Joe, Nancy and the girls were busy most of the day yesterday, so Jim and Linda didn't see much of them. Joe came out here to the MH for a short while to talk and Sami waved as she left for her soccer game, but that was about the extent of it.
Jim and Linda took CLT and headed to the Farm Fresh grocery store near here. They brought back what I thought were too many groceries, but they did manage to find a place for all of them. ; ) Then, since Joe and Nancy were busy at dinner time, they headed to a Hardee's Restaurant for a sandwich.
I have no idea of what's happening today. Hopefully there will be some time to visit for awhile.
One of the comments on yesterday's post was from Retired Rod. One of the things he was curious about was the fuel mileage that Bobbie T is getting. Well, the news is not as good as Jim had hoped. Emrys with his 450 hp Cummins diesel engine was averaging right at 7.8 mpg. So far, Bobbie T. with her Ford V-10 gasoline engine is averaging 8.5. Currently, diesel is running about 40 cents a gallon more than 87 octane gas, so Jim is spending less on fuel, but he was really hoping that Bobbie T would be getting something closer to 10 mpg.
We have been traveling almost completely on non-expressway roads, so we have had a lot of stop and go driving, but I'm sure that if we would have been on Interstate roads instead, we would have been traveling at a higher speed, which probably would have offset the stop and go driving. Also, Jim says that he thinks the wind has more effect on Bobbie T's mileage than it did on Emrys, so that may change the mpg too.
The 7.8 mpg figure that I gave for Emrys was the average mpg for almost the whole time that Jim and Linda owned him. (Many thousands of miles). The 8.5 mph figure for Bobbie T. is only for 840 miles, so time will tell if it gets better or stays near that figure.
Did you know that the Great Dismal Swamp is in Virginia near the North Carolina border?
Woof!!!
65 deg. mostly cloudy, SSE wind @ 2 mph.
Forecast = Today: Partly cloudy with isolated showers. Highs around 70°F. Windy, with a south wind to 23 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 30%.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy with scattered storms. Lows around 55°F. Windy, with a south wind 18 to 24 MPH, gusting to 29 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 95%.
Joe, Nancy and the girls were busy most of the day yesterday, so Jim and Linda didn't see much of them. Joe came out here to the MH for a short while to talk and Sami waved as she left for her soccer game, but that was about the extent of it.
Jim and Linda took CLT and headed to the Farm Fresh grocery store near here. They brought back what I thought were too many groceries, but they did manage to find a place for all of them. ; ) Then, since Joe and Nancy were busy at dinner time, they headed to a Hardee's Restaurant for a sandwich.
I have no idea of what's happening today. Hopefully there will be some time to visit for awhile.
One of the comments on yesterday's post was from Retired Rod. One of the things he was curious about was the fuel mileage that Bobbie T is getting. Well, the news is not as good as Jim had hoped. Emrys with his 450 hp Cummins diesel engine was averaging right at 7.8 mpg. So far, Bobbie T. with her Ford V-10 gasoline engine is averaging 8.5. Currently, diesel is running about 40 cents a gallon more than 87 octane gas, so Jim is spending less on fuel, but he was really hoping that Bobbie T would be getting something closer to 10 mpg.
We have been traveling almost completely on non-expressway roads, so we have had a lot of stop and go driving, but I'm sure that if we would have been on Interstate roads instead, we would have been traveling at a higher speed, which probably would have offset the stop and go driving. Also, Jim says that he thinks the wind has more effect on Bobbie T's mileage than it did on Emrys, so that may change the mpg too.
The 7.8 mpg figure that I gave for Emrys was the average mpg for almost the whole time that Jim and Linda owned him. (Many thousands of miles). The 8.5 mph figure for Bobbie T. is only for 840 miles, so time will tell if it gets better or stays near that figure.
Did you know that the Great Dismal Swamp is in Virginia near the North Carolina border?
Woof!!!
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
North Topsail Beach to Williamston, NC. and Reviews
Williamston, NC
54 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Today: Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Highs around 81°F. Southwest wind to 6 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 25%.
Tonight: Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Lows around 61°F. Southeast wind 3 to 8 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 25%.
After an enjoyable stay at the Surf City Family CG, we left yesterday morning just 5 minutes after 10:00. NC 210 took us NE along the coast and then inland, where we again turned NE on US 17. 17 took us around Jacksonville, NC and continued up to New Bern, where we missed an off ramp and ended up going the wrong way.
It turned out not to be a big problem though as the road we were on was an Interstate type road and we just went to the next exit, went across the road and came back the way we went.
After going around New Bern, 17 took a more Northerly direction and brought us up here to Williamston and the Pierce Mobile Home and RV Park.
As we were entering the park, the owner drove out to the entrance road on his golf cart and waved for us to follow him. Then he led us right to a very nice site, #17 C, and showed Jim where all the utilities were. I think that this was the first time that we have ever been met as we were coming into a CG and led to our site without ever stopping.
It was 12:50 when we pulled into our site, so it took us just 2 hours and 45 minutes to travel 134 miles.
Now, a little about this park. While we were at the Surf City Park, Jim looked on the Internet to find where our next stop would be. He found this park, but on RV Park Reviews the last review of this park was not good at all. But, being that there aren't very many parks in the area, Jim decided that even if it wasn't the greatest, it would be OK for just one night.
Now, I don't know what the last reviewer was talking about, but we didn't encounter any of the problems that he had. The CG is not run down, the roads are not narrow, and even if we still had Emrys (at 45'), I'm sure we could have made it through the park without hitting anything!!!
The above photo is looking to the right from our site. The photo below is looking to the left.
This is from the road, looking back at our site. (Not a weed to be seen). ; )
So, this may be something you want to keep in mind as you're reading park reviews. The owner was very friendly and the cost was only $22 for a full hookup site with Jim's Good Sam discount.
Don't believe everything you read.
Today, we're looking forward to getting to Virginia Beach to see Joe, Nancy Sami and Amber. And, being that Bobbie T is small enough, we'll be able to park in their driveway again! : )
Did you know that in the USA, deaf people have safer driving records than people who can hear?
Woof!!!
54 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Today: Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Highs around 81°F. Southwest wind to 6 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 25%.
Tonight: Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Lows around 61°F. Southeast wind 3 to 8 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 25%.
After an enjoyable stay at the Surf City Family CG, we left yesterday morning just 5 minutes after 10:00. NC 210 took us NE along the coast and then inland, where we again turned NE on US 17. 17 took us around Jacksonville, NC and continued up to New Bern, where we missed an off ramp and ended up going the wrong way.
It turned out not to be a big problem though as the road we were on was an Interstate type road and we just went to the next exit, went across the road and came back the way we went.
After going around New Bern, 17 took a more Northerly direction and brought us up here to Williamston and the Pierce Mobile Home and RV Park.
As we were entering the park, the owner drove out to the entrance road on his golf cart and waved for us to follow him. Then he led us right to a very nice site, #17 C, and showed Jim where all the utilities were. I think that this was the first time that we have ever been met as we were coming into a CG and led to our site without ever stopping.
It was 12:50 when we pulled into our site, so it took us just 2 hours and 45 minutes to travel 134 miles.
Now, a little about this park. While we were at the Surf City Park, Jim looked on the Internet to find where our next stop would be. He found this park, but on RV Park Reviews the last review of this park was not good at all. But, being that there aren't very many parks in the area, Jim decided that even if it wasn't the greatest, it would be OK for just one night.
Now, I don't know what the last reviewer was talking about, but we didn't encounter any of the problems that he had. The CG is not run down, the roads are not narrow, and even if we still had Emrys (at 45'), I'm sure we could have made it through the park without hitting anything!!!
The above photo is looking to the right from our site. The photo below is looking to the left.
This is from the road, looking back at our site. (Not a weed to be seen). ; )
So, this may be something you want to keep in mind as you're reading park reviews. The owner was very friendly and the cost was only $22 for a full hookup site with Jim's Good Sam discount.
Don't believe everything you read.
Today, we're looking forward to getting to Virginia Beach to see Joe, Nancy Sami and Amber. And, being that Bobbie T is small enough, we'll be able to park in their driveway again! : )
Did you know that in the USA, deaf people have safer driving records than people who can hear?
Woof!!!
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Yemassee, SC to Myrtle Beach, With A Little Glitch
Myrtle Beach, SC.
59 deg. fog, no wind.
Forecast = Today: Partly cloudy with isolated showers. Highs around 73°F. Windy, with a south wind 9 to 22 MPH, gusting to 28 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 20%.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy with isolated showers. Lows around 66°F. Windy, with a south wind to 20 MPH, gusting to 26 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 70%.
Don't really know what happened yesterday. I wrote the blog in the morning, just like usual, and thought I posted it, but when Jim went to read it to Linda last night, It wasn't there!!!! : O
After going back to the main Blogger page, and checking, it was determined that it was there and ready to be posted, but for some reason when I hit the "publish" button, it didn't post!! Now, maybe I hit the wrong button, but I don't think so.
Anyway, the morning bog got posted yesterday evening. : )
So, , , , , now for today's post.
We left "The Oaks" campground about 5 minutes after 10:00 and headed East towards Charleston on US 17. As we neared the city, the traffic really started picking up, and by the time we got within 10 miles or so, it was really heavy. In fact, even when we went around the Charleston area on I-526, it was busy almost all the way. Once we joined back up with 17 again, on the North side of the city, it started thinning out though.
Oh, there was a little glitch when we went to get back on US 17. The signs weren't very clear and as we come off of the belt route, we ended up on a wrong road. It really wasn't a big deal as Rosie, (the lady that lives inside of the GPS), re-routed us and got us back on the correct road.
Now, I say it wasn't a big deal, but I can't help wondering what we would have done if we still had Emrys? With Bobbie T, it was easy to make the turns in the residential area, but I'm not so sure we could have made them with a 45' MH.
Anyway, once back on 17, we continued Northeast all the way up here to Myrtle Beach. Again, the traffic got real heavy in the Myrtle Beach area and stayed that way all the way up to the Northeast side of the city on Bypass 17. On the Northeast side of Myrtle beach, we turned off of 17 onto Lake Arrowhead Road and followed SE to the Apache Family Campground.
It was 1:50 when we pulled up to the office, so even with the very heavy traffic and the little glitch, it only took us 3 hours and 45 minutes to travel 125 miles.
When Jim called the CG to make a reservation, he asked for a site with a view of the ocean if possible. The lady told him that there were small sand dunes between the sites and the ocean, but she would see what she could do. Well, she did pretty well!! : ) This is the view out of my dinette window. You definitely can see the water and of course you can easily hear the waves. Our site's not right on the water, but I don't think any of them in Myrtle Beach are!!
Linda's a Happy Camper!!!!! ; )
When you walk up on the little walkway shown in the above photo, this is the view you have.
Pretty nice, I'd say!!!!
Jim took some more photos, but I'll post them in a day or so. We'll be here for a total of 4 nights so I should have plenty time.
Did you know that there are over 250 golf courses in and around Myrtle Beach?
59 deg. fog, no wind.
Forecast = Today: Partly cloudy with isolated showers. Highs around 73°F. Windy, with a south wind 9 to 22 MPH, gusting to 28 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 20%.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy with isolated showers. Lows around 66°F. Windy, with a south wind to 20 MPH, gusting to 26 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 70%.
Don't really know what happened yesterday. I wrote the blog in the morning, just like usual, and thought I posted it, but when Jim went to read it to Linda last night, It wasn't there!!!! : O
After going back to the main Blogger page, and checking, it was determined that it was there and ready to be posted, but for some reason when I hit the "publish" button, it didn't post!! Now, maybe I hit the wrong button, but I don't think so.
Anyway, the morning bog got posted yesterday evening. : )
So, , , , , now for today's post.
We left "The Oaks" campground about 5 minutes after 10:00 and headed East towards Charleston on US 17. As we neared the city, the traffic really started picking up, and by the time we got within 10 miles or so, it was really heavy. In fact, even when we went around the Charleston area on I-526, it was busy almost all the way. Once we joined back up with 17 again, on the North side of the city, it started thinning out though.
Oh, there was a little glitch when we went to get back on US 17. The signs weren't very clear and as we come off of the belt route, we ended up on a wrong road. It really wasn't a big deal as Rosie, (the lady that lives inside of the GPS), re-routed us and got us back on the correct road.
Now, I say it wasn't a big deal, but I can't help wondering what we would have done if we still had Emrys? With Bobbie T, it was easy to make the turns in the residential area, but I'm not so sure we could have made them with a 45' MH.
Anyway, once back on 17, we continued Northeast all the way up here to Myrtle Beach. Again, the traffic got real heavy in the Myrtle Beach area and stayed that way all the way up to the Northeast side of the city on Bypass 17. On the Northeast side of Myrtle beach, we turned off of 17 onto Lake Arrowhead Road and followed SE to the Apache Family Campground.
It was 1:50 when we pulled up to the office, so even with the very heavy traffic and the little glitch, it only took us 3 hours and 45 minutes to travel 125 miles.
When Jim called the CG to make a reservation, he asked for a site with a view of the ocean if possible. The lady told him that there were small sand dunes between the sites and the ocean, but she would see what she could do. Well, she did pretty well!! : ) This is the view out of my dinette window. You definitely can see the water and of course you can easily hear the waves. Our site's not right on the water, but I don't think any of them in Myrtle Beach are!!
Linda's a Happy Camper!!!!! ; )
When you walk up on the little walkway shown in the above photo, this is the view you have.
Pretty nice, I'd say!!!!
Jim took some more photos, but I'll post them in a day or so. We'll be here for a total of 4 nights so I should have plenty time.
Did you know that there are over 250 golf courses in and around Myrtle Beach?
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Bob's Been Busy, The 4 Poster Bed and Getting Ready
DeBary, FL.
deg.
Forecast =
Tuesday, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to the house to do some laundry and to start getting all boxes of food out of the cabinets. It has been suggested by a few different people that any boxes with food in them be removed from the house for the summer because mice and bugs are attracted to them. : ( And, Jim and Linda definitely don't want to come back this fall to find out that the house is infested.
I think I told you Tuesday that Bob, (the man that Jim and Linda hired to do yard work), has been working on the yard already. Well, this is some of what he's done so far.
This is a pink grapefruit tree in the back yard. As you can see, he's done some major trimming on it. Before he started, there was branch right up against the roof of the house on the right, and the rest of the branches were almost touching the ground. You almost couldn't get under the tree, much less mow the grass under there.
Right next to the grapefruit tree, (on the left in this photo), was another citrus tree. It was a scrawny thing with fruit that was so sour that you couldn't eat it. So, Jim had Bob cut it down. You can see the stump in this photo just to the left of the telephone pole.
Oh, and Jim snapped this photo of Linda's "4 poster bed". The photo isn't very good and the colors are off because of the light coming in through the curtains, but you can get the idea of what it looks like. Jim says that if the posts would have been 3" taller, they would have had to cut holes into the ceiling!!! ; )
Yesterday, Jim got busy early, rearranging some stuff inside of Bobbie T. You see, sitting in one place is one thing, but when you're traveling, things have to be packed much more carefully so that they don't move around or worse yet, come crashing out of the cabinets while driving down the road!!!
After it got light outside and it warmed up a little, Jim went outside and did the same in a few of the outside compartments. After that, he got out his green garden hose, washed the awning, and then, after it dried, rolled it up.
There were 3 reasons that he rolled up the awning yesterday morning. First, they were forecasting possible t-storms with gusty winds, and second, we only have a few days left before we leave, (with 2 of them forecasted to be cloudy with rain), and third, it's one more thing to check off of Jim's pre-departure checklist. : )
It was early afternoon, when it started raining, and it rained off and on for the rest of the day. So, after helping Linda with a few things inside, it was time for a nap!!! ; )
After dinner, Jim and Linda took CLT (Cute Little Truck), and headed over to the house. Jim had set the recycle bin out by the street Tuesday and wanted to get that off of the curb, Linda had some papers that needed to go to the house, and Jim wanted to get the printer and bring it back here to Bobbie T.
Originally, Jim and Linda didn't think that there would be room in Bobbie T for the printer, but after repacking items, there was room under one of the dinette seats that would work. It won't be handy, but if Jim and Linda need to print a document or something, it will be possible to get it out from under the seat and set it up somewhere.
Oh, one more thing that Jim did outside, just before it started raining yesterday afternoon, was to install the license plates that were removed from Emrys onto Bobbie T. You see, yesterday morning, he received an e-mail from Karen at Alternative Resources saying that all the paperwork for registration and title had been taken care of and it was now legal to transfer the plates.
He'll get the paperwork in the next mail they receive.
Throughout the years, Alternative Resources has been just great when it come to mail and helping to register vehicles. If there is a problem of any kind, they'll take care of it or contact you and inform you what needs to be done. If you deal directly with SD. and there's a problem, they'll kick the paperwork back to you and you'll have to start all over with the process, possibly taking a very long time. (Which is not convenient when your traveling and need tags on your new vehicle).
It costs a little to have Karen take care of it, but both Jim and Linda think it's worth it.
Don't know what's happening today. It's supposed to rain most of the day, so not much outside will be done. Maybe Jim and Linda will go over to the house and work on getting it ready for summer hibernation.
Did you know that April is "National Kite Month"?
Woof!!!
deg.
Forecast =
Tuesday, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to the house to do some laundry and to start getting all boxes of food out of the cabinets. It has been suggested by a few different people that any boxes with food in them be removed from the house for the summer because mice and bugs are attracted to them. : ( And, Jim and Linda definitely don't want to come back this fall to find out that the house is infested.
I think I told you Tuesday that Bob, (the man that Jim and Linda hired to do yard work), has been working on the yard already. Well, this is some of what he's done so far.
This is a pink grapefruit tree in the back yard. As you can see, he's done some major trimming on it. Before he started, there was branch right up against the roof of the house on the right, and the rest of the branches were almost touching the ground. You almost couldn't get under the tree, much less mow the grass under there.
Right next to the grapefruit tree, (on the left in this photo), was another citrus tree. It was a scrawny thing with fruit that was so sour that you couldn't eat it. So, Jim had Bob cut it down. You can see the stump in this photo just to the left of the telephone pole.
Oh, and Jim snapped this photo of Linda's "4 poster bed". The photo isn't very good and the colors are off because of the light coming in through the curtains, but you can get the idea of what it looks like. Jim says that if the posts would have been 3" taller, they would have had to cut holes into the ceiling!!! ; )
Yesterday, Jim got busy early, rearranging some stuff inside of Bobbie T. You see, sitting in one place is one thing, but when you're traveling, things have to be packed much more carefully so that they don't move around or worse yet, come crashing out of the cabinets while driving down the road!!!
After it got light outside and it warmed up a little, Jim went outside and did the same in a few of the outside compartments. After that, he got out his green garden hose, washed the awning, and then, after it dried, rolled it up.
There were 3 reasons that he rolled up the awning yesterday morning. First, they were forecasting possible t-storms with gusty winds, and second, we only have a few days left before we leave, (with 2 of them forecasted to be cloudy with rain), and third, it's one more thing to check off of Jim's pre-departure checklist. : )
It was early afternoon, when it started raining, and it rained off and on for the rest of the day. So, after helping Linda with a few things inside, it was time for a nap!!! ; )
After dinner, Jim and Linda took CLT (Cute Little Truck), and headed over to the house. Jim had set the recycle bin out by the street Tuesday and wanted to get that off of the curb, Linda had some papers that needed to go to the house, and Jim wanted to get the printer and bring it back here to Bobbie T.
Originally, Jim and Linda didn't think that there would be room in Bobbie T for the printer, but after repacking items, there was room under one of the dinette seats that would work. It won't be handy, but if Jim and Linda need to print a document or something, it will be possible to get it out from under the seat and set it up somewhere.
Oh, one more thing that Jim did outside, just before it started raining yesterday afternoon, was to install the license plates that were removed from Emrys onto Bobbie T. You see, yesterday morning, he received an e-mail from Karen at Alternative Resources saying that all the paperwork for registration and title had been taken care of and it was now legal to transfer the plates.
He'll get the paperwork in the next mail they receive.
Throughout the years, Alternative Resources has been just great when it come to mail and helping to register vehicles. If there is a problem of any kind, they'll take care of it or contact you and inform you what needs to be done. If you deal directly with SD. and there's a problem, they'll kick the paperwork back to you and you'll have to start all over with the process, possibly taking a very long time. (Which is not convenient when your traveling and need tags on your new vehicle).
It costs a little to have Karen take care of it, but both Jim and Linda think it's worth it.
Don't know what's happening today. It's supposed to rain most of the day, so not much outside will be done. Maybe Jim and Linda will go over to the house and work on getting it ready for summer hibernation.
Did you know that April is "National Kite Month"?
Woof!!!
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Happy Easter!! Anna Visits and An Invitation
Happy Easter!!!
57 deg. clear, S. wind @ 3 mph.
Forecast = Today: Partly cloudy. Highs around 82°F. South southwest wind 7 to 13 MPH, gusting to 17 MPH.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows around 64°F. Southwest wind to 9 MPH.
It was about 11:00 when Jim and Linda took CLT and headed out yesterday. They're still looking for some small miscellaneous items for the house, so they hit a couple yard sales and stopped at Good Will and a place called Hospice. All of the aforementioned places had a wide selection of household items at very reasonable prices.
They didn't find a lot, but did find some coasters to use for drinks, some queen sized sheets, a blanket and a neat ceramic bathroom set that included a soap dish and a toothbrush holder.
Linda seems to be getting over her cold, but both she and Jim are still doing a lot of coughing. They also don't seem to have much stamina because by the time they did that small amount of shopping, they both were ready to come back here to relax and take naps. ; )
About 4:30, Anna called and wanted to know if Jim and Linda were going to be around because she wanted to stop by and meet Bobbie T. They weren't doing anything but watching an old movie on TV, so a few minutes later, she and Laura stopped by. I think she liked Bobbie T, but like everyone else, thinks she's really small compared to Emrys.
Today Jim and Linda have been invited over to Marv and Inez/s house, (Lindsey's parents), for Easter dinner. It doesn't sound like Inez is having a real big "spread", but whatever she has, you can be sure it'll be very good. Linda baked some brownies to take and I'm sure, like every other time, other people will be bringing food too.
Did you know that Pysanka is a specific term used for the practice of Easter egg painting?
Woof!!!
Friday, March 22, 2013
Dave And Dee Dee Visit, A Little SNAFU and A Recliner For Linda
DeBary, FL.
42 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Today: Mostly sunny. Highs around 75°F. North wind 4 to 9 MPH.
Tonight: Partly cloudy with isolated showers. Lows around 63°F. East southeast wind to 8 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 20%.
Let's see if I can get all that happened in the last few days posted here in the right order.
Tuesday, Dave and Dee Dee stopped by on their way to visit friends in Orange City. They're part of the "Illinois Bunch" who we usually go to see while they are wintering down in Thonotosassa, FL and who come to see us when we're up in Illinois during the summers. We didn't get to go to Thonotosassa this year because of the house and the new RV, so they were nice enough to stop by here and say "Hi"!!
I'm sure they were curious about Bobbie T, and when Jim and Linda suggested that they go over to the house to see it, they said that they'd like to go to see it too.
So, after visiting for a little while and taking the "tour" of Bobbie T, they headed over to the house. I think that they liked Bobbie T, but thought she was pretty small compared to Emrys, and from all reports, they liked the house and thought it would make a good home for Jim and Linda.
Thanks for stopping by, Dave and Dee Dee, Jim and Linda were very pleased that you came. : )
After Dave and Dee Dee left, Jim and Linda went to a couple furniture stores to look for a recliner, (that would fit), to replace the barrel chair here in the RV. At the second store that they went to, they found just what they were looking for and purchased it. They didn't bring it back here though because Jim wanted to get the old chair out to make room for it first.
So, that was the big project for Wednesday. It seemed like it would be fairly simple to remove the old chair, but it was bolted to the floor with some flat-head bolts that were pretty rusty on the bottom where the nuts were. Needless to say, things didn't go easily and even after spraying WD 40 on the bolts, it was a struggle to get the nuts off. And, of course the bolts turned, so he had to use a vise-grips on the top side to hold them. : (
OH, I almost forgot!!! Before Jim started removing the chair, he called the DMV in South Dakota to see what the status of the license plates for Bobbie T was. Well, they had not received any papers from LaMesa so there were no actions taken. Jim immediately called LaMesa and asked to talk to the person who does the paperwork and sends it to the state. He was put through by the operator but his call went to voice mail because it said that the person was out of the office and would call back. After an hour, Jim called again, got the same voice mail and again was told that the person would call back. : (
So, Jim took CLT and went to LaMesa to talk to them in person!!! When he got there, the receptionist said that the lady was busy and suggested that he go to the "Cafe" for a cup of coffee, but Jim said that he'd just wait at the desk. Jim said that he wan't going anywhere as he had already spent over 2 hours trying to get to talk to this lady to find out what had happened to the paperwork. Well, it didn't take too long and the lady came out to the desk and said that there had been a mix-up and the paperwork had never been sent to S. Dakota!!!! Really????? She apologized, took down some additional information and told Jim that she would personally see that the papers were sent this time.
She also told Jim that if he didn't get the plates or transfer from SD by the time he was ready to leave and head North, she would issue him another temporary plate for an additional 30 days, and then apologized again.
Yesterday morning, Jim took CLT and headed over to the furniture store and picked up the new chair. They loaded it into the back of CLT for Jim, but when he returned here, he knew that he'd need help getting inside, so he called Lindsey to see if he could come over.
Well, Lindsey was sick with stomach like flu symptoms so he couldn't come to help, so Jim asked Marshall (the man who lives in the park model behind our site), if he could help? He said that he'd be glad to and came right over. In no time at all, the new recliner was inside and Jim was thanking Marshall for his help.
Thanks Marshall!!! : )
As soon as Jim got the recliner positioned in just the right spot, Linda sat down in it and after just a little while, fell asleep. I guess it's real comfortable for her. ; )
You know, I just realized that there have not been any pictures taken of the inside of Bobbie T. I'll have to see if I can get Jim to take a few so I can show you what she's like inside.
Did you know that one 75-watt bulb gives more light that 3 25-watt bulbs?
Woof!!
42 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Today: Mostly sunny. Highs around 75°F. North wind 4 to 9 MPH.
Tonight: Partly cloudy with isolated showers. Lows around 63°F. East southeast wind to 8 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 20%.
Let's see if I can get all that happened in the last few days posted here in the right order.
Tuesday, Dave and Dee Dee stopped by on their way to visit friends in Orange City. They're part of the "Illinois Bunch" who we usually go to see while they are wintering down in Thonotosassa, FL and who come to see us when we're up in Illinois during the summers. We didn't get to go to Thonotosassa this year because of the house and the new RV, so they were nice enough to stop by here and say "Hi"!!
I'm sure they were curious about Bobbie T, and when Jim and Linda suggested that they go over to the house to see it, they said that they'd like to go to see it too.
So, after visiting for a little while and taking the "tour" of Bobbie T, they headed over to the house. I think that they liked Bobbie T, but thought she was pretty small compared to Emrys, and from all reports, they liked the house and thought it would make a good home for Jim and Linda.
Thanks for stopping by, Dave and Dee Dee, Jim and Linda were very pleased that you came. : )
After Dave and Dee Dee left, Jim and Linda went to a couple furniture stores to look for a recliner, (that would fit), to replace the barrel chair here in the RV. At the second store that they went to, they found just what they were looking for and purchased it. They didn't bring it back here though because Jim wanted to get the old chair out to make room for it first.
So, that was the big project for Wednesday. It seemed like it would be fairly simple to remove the old chair, but it was bolted to the floor with some flat-head bolts that were pretty rusty on the bottom where the nuts were. Needless to say, things didn't go easily and even after spraying WD 40 on the bolts, it was a struggle to get the nuts off. And, of course the bolts turned, so he had to use a vise-grips on the top side to hold them. : (
OH, I almost forgot!!! Before Jim started removing the chair, he called the DMV in South Dakota to see what the status of the license plates for Bobbie T was. Well, they had not received any papers from LaMesa so there were no actions taken. Jim immediately called LaMesa and asked to talk to the person who does the paperwork and sends it to the state. He was put through by the operator but his call went to voice mail because it said that the person was out of the office and would call back. After an hour, Jim called again, got the same voice mail and again was told that the person would call back. : (
So, Jim took CLT and went to LaMesa to talk to them in person!!! When he got there, the receptionist said that the lady was busy and suggested that he go to the "Cafe" for a cup of coffee, but Jim said that he'd just wait at the desk. Jim said that he wan't going anywhere as he had already spent over 2 hours trying to get to talk to this lady to find out what had happened to the paperwork. Well, it didn't take too long and the lady came out to the desk and said that there had been a mix-up and the paperwork had never been sent to S. Dakota!!!! Really????? She apologized, took down some additional information and told Jim that she would personally see that the papers were sent this time.
She also told Jim that if he didn't get the plates or transfer from SD by the time he was ready to leave and head North, she would issue him another temporary plate for an additional 30 days, and then apologized again.
Yesterday morning, Jim took CLT and headed over to the furniture store and picked up the new chair. They loaded it into the back of CLT for Jim, but when he returned here, he knew that he'd need help getting inside, so he called Lindsey to see if he could come over.
Well, Lindsey was sick with stomach like flu symptoms so he couldn't come to help, so Jim asked Marshall (the man who lives in the park model behind our site), if he could help? He said that he'd be glad to and came right over. In no time at all, the new recliner was inside and Jim was thanking Marshall for his help.
Thanks Marshall!!! : )
As soon as Jim got the recliner positioned in just the right spot, Linda sat down in it and after just a little while, fell asleep. I guess it's real comfortable for her. ; )
You know, I just realized that there have not been any pictures taken of the inside of Bobbie T. I'll have to see if I can get Jim to take a few so I can show you what she's like inside.
Did you know that one 75-watt bulb gives more light that 3 25-watt bulbs?
Woof!!
Monday, March 11, 2013
I've Messed Up Already
DeBary, FL.
54 deg. clear, ESE wind @ 8 mph.
Forecast = Day: Partly cloudy. Highs around 77°F. South southeast wind 6 to 14 MPH, gusting to 19 MPH.
Night: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Lows around 66°F. Southeast wind 7 to 13 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 45%.
Well, that didn't take long. Already I've messed up!
How did I mess up? Well instead of writing about Jim and Linda having problems with space restrictions in their new motor home, I should have told you about how the whole changeover at the dealers went first.
Oh well, better late than never.
On Thursday morning, (the 7th of March), Jim pulled Emrys out of this spot and hooked CLT behind of him. From there, it was only a short drive to LaMesa RV where we pulled up to the office parking area. Jim and Linda both went inside and talked to the salesman, Steve, and then headed to the new motor home for the walk-through and to make sure everything worked. After the walk-through, they headed back into the office and signed all the papers, making the deal final.
Once the papers were all signed, one of their drivers drove the new motor home to the KOA over in Sanford and we followed behind in Emrys. Once there, the driver backed the new motor home into a site and Jim pulled Emrys into the adjoining site so that the entry doors were side-by-side, making it easier to transfer their belongings from the inside.
This was at no cost to Jim and Linda.
It was about 12:25 by the time both motor homes were parked and Jim and Linda started transferring stuff.
They both worked very hard until about 6:00 and then just collapsed. By this time they had moved enough of their belongings to the new motor home that they were able to spend the night there. Then, by 7:00 on Friday morning, they were both up, and after having something to eat, went back to work.
By 10:00 they had everything transferred and were ready to leave the KOA and to head back here to Highbanks. It was at this time, when Jim hooked CLT up to the back of the new motor home that he found out that none of CLT's rear lights worked!!!
Now, being that the lights worked when hooked up to Emrys, it was evident that there was a problem with the light connector on the new motor home. So, Jim called LaMesa and asked if it would be all right if we stopped by there to have them checked out. They agreed and by 10:20 we were on our way back to LaMesa RV.
Once at LaMesa, 2 mechanics came out, checked and rewired the connector and some other wires, and then, after making sure everything was working, we were back on the road, arriving at Highbanks at about 12:30. (Again at no cost to Jim and Linda)
It was about 15 miles from here to the KOA in Sanford and of course another 15 miles back here to Highbanks. The final odometer reading on Emrys was 71304 miles, and the beginning reading on the new motor home when we left the KOA was 8285.
Yesterday, (Sunday), Jim and Linda didn't even go over to the house. Both were tired so they re-organized a few things here in the motor home, took naps and watched the NASCAR race on TV. After the race, Jim cooked a steak on the grill for he and Linda to share, Linda cooked some carrots and heated up some left-over rice inside and then both sat down and had a nice quiet dinner. ; )
Today, I think Laura is coming over to see the new motor home. She called last night and if she has time, she'll come.
Did you know that it's a fact that puppies sleep ninety percent of the day for their first few weeks?
Woof!!
54 deg. clear, ESE wind @ 8 mph.
Forecast = Day: Partly cloudy. Highs around 77°F. South southeast wind 6 to 14 MPH, gusting to 19 MPH.
Night: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Lows around 66°F. Southeast wind 7 to 13 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 45%.
Well, that didn't take long. Already I've messed up!
How did I mess up? Well instead of writing about Jim and Linda having problems with space restrictions in their new motor home, I should have told you about how the whole changeover at the dealers went first.
Oh well, better late than never.
On Thursday morning, (the 7th of March), Jim pulled Emrys out of this spot and hooked CLT behind of him. From there, it was only a short drive to LaMesa RV where we pulled up to the office parking area. Jim and Linda both went inside and talked to the salesman, Steve, and then headed to the new motor home for the walk-through and to make sure everything worked. After the walk-through, they headed back into the office and signed all the papers, making the deal final.
Once the papers were all signed, one of their drivers drove the new motor home to the KOA over in Sanford and we followed behind in Emrys. Once there, the driver backed the new motor home into a site and Jim pulled Emrys into the adjoining site so that the entry doors were side-by-side, making it easier to transfer their belongings from the inside.
It was about 12:25 by the time both motor homes were parked and Jim and Linda started transferring stuff.
They both worked very hard until about 6:00 and then just collapsed. By this time they had moved enough of their belongings to the new motor home that they were able to spend the night there. Then, by 7:00 on Friday morning, they were both up, and after having something to eat, went back to work.
By 10:00 they had everything transferred and were ready to leave the KOA and to head back here to Highbanks. It was at this time, when Jim hooked CLT up to the back of the new motor home that he found out that none of CLT's rear lights worked!!!
Now, being that the lights worked when hooked up to Emrys, it was evident that there was a problem with the light connector on the new motor home. So, Jim called LaMesa and asked if it would be all right if we stopped by there to have them checked out. They agreed and by 10:20 we were on our way back to LaMesa RV.
Once at LaMesa, 2 mechanics came out, checked and rewired the connector and some other wires, and then, after making sure everything was working, we were back on the road, arriving at Highbanks at about 12:30. (Again at no cost to Jim and Linda)
It was about 15 miles from here to the KOA in Sanford and of course another 15 miles back here to Highbanks. The final odometer reading on Emrys was 71304 miles, and the beginning reading on the new motor home when we left the KOA was 8285.
Yesterday, (Sunday), Jim and Linda didn't even go over to the house. Both were tired so they re-organized a few things here in the motor home, took naps and watched the NASCAR race on TV. After the race, Jim cooked a steak on the grill for he and Linda to share, Linda cooked some carrots and heated up some left-over rice inside and then both sat down and had a nice quiet dinner. ; )
Today, I think Laura is coming over to see the new motor home. She called last night and if she has time, she'll come.
Did you know that it's a fact that puppies sleep ninety percent of the day for their first few weeks?
Woof!!
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