For Some of You....

In regards to last night's post....You have to see Avatar in 3D, not in the regular format. I'm sure it would be GOOD that way but it's AMAZING in 3D and how often do you get to wear those goofy glasses.I must admit though that they weren't the cheesy type glasses I've gotten for 3D events in the past. These are much nicer and they fit rather well over regular glasses.

Some of you receive our blog through the Google groups format where you get an e-mail. In case you don't come to the actual blog site very often, you're missing out on a bunch of cool features there. Linda and I love the "Useless Knowledge" section. You learn the weirdest things there. You can also watch your favorite TV shows in the HULU section. All the recent broadcasts of popular shows are there for your viewing enjoyment. I also added some other trivia gadgets that might be rather fun. So if you haven't come around in a while, check it out. Oh yeah...the other thing that we use as a barometer for us is the National Fuel prices gadget. It lets us know when prices are on the rise overall for diesel. Good to know....Last night's post also had a preview of Avatar that you could watch. In the e-mail, it shows as a link but not as a video screen...ready to watch. Just sayin'....

Today started out dreary. Temps in the high 60's and quite humid. Around mid-day it started raining and kept it up for most of the afternoon. Tonight we went to Wal-Mart with Carol so she could return something she bought and fill up with fuel, before she heads out tomorrow. We also had dinner at the Mexican restaurant that opened up across from Wal-Mart. They've only been open for two months but it seemed to be pretty busy there tonight. I had seafood enchiladas and Linda had nachos. Carol had a grilled chicken burrito that she said was really good. Mine was OK but wouldn't get it again. Carol pulls out tomorrow to head to Tallahassee. We'll miss Carol's company and we'll miss her dog Lillie....she's such a cutie. We wish her safe travels and hope that we'll meet up again somewhere on down the road.

Avatar

Official Avatar Movie

Today Linda, our neighbor Carol and I went to see Avatar. Everyone we've asked about it said how great it was so we wanted to see it. In a word, "WOW" ! I sat for almost three hours with a smile on my face, totally in awe of not only the story but the magnificent special effects. James Cameron has really raised the bar in the department of creativity as far as special effects goes.

I read somewhere that some people are saying it's anti-military and anti-religion. It's entertainment folks ! Don't read into it.....just take the 160 minutes that are given to you to experience this movie as escapism. Spread your wings and fly to Pandora!

Catchin' Up.....

It's only been 20 days since we left Rahway, NJ and our previous assignment but the days have sure flown by. We've been busy squeezing in things that we've wanted to see and do, visit with our friends in the area and get some things done on the rig before returning to work.

On Monday we went to Fort Myers to go to a women's resort there that I had visited many years ago, when it was just being developed. My...how it has changed since I last saw it ! When I last visited, there were a couple of houses there.....a clubhouse and lots of streets. Now 13 years after it was started, it is almost full. There are just a handful of lots that are still empty. The neat thing is that out of 278 total lots, about 70 them are RV lots. Some lots have RV ports on them or are just the concrete drive and pad. If someone buys an RV lot, they can choose at some point to have a small house built on it. The facilities are gorgeous and we had a great time looking around. It looks like a great place to retire to :)

Our friend, Jan has had a really bad cold for the last week and a half so we have been helping her with errands and took her to the doctor on Tuesday. She is now on an antibiotic so we're hoping that she will be on the mend very shortly.

Yesterday we hung out here, around the campground, and waited for the RV tech to arrive. He came mid afternoon. The good news is that he resolved two of our issues in pretty short order....The bad news is the other two issues are things he couldn't tackle here so we need to take the rig elsewhere to get them fixed. When he was diagnosing the grey valve, he discovered that there are still problems with the black tank. If you recall we spent a fortune, in July, having a new tank put in by Settle's RV in Virginia. Total botch job from the beginning.....don't know why this dealership even has a service dept. They had to call in a plumber to help them with the piping to the tank and based on what the RV tech found, there is a leak around the top of the tank....probably in the area that had difficulty. Gives us a warm fuzzy feeling to revisit this same issue AGAIN ! This time it needs to be resolved cause when you're a full-timer, your RV is your house and there can't be major problems with it while traveling. We went to an RV repair shop today that a friend of ours recommended. She takes her rig there and wouldn't trust it to anyone else. They seemed very knowledgeable and accommodating. We can stay on-site while the repair is being done. We'll take it in next Wednesday to "Git R Done"....

Today we got together with our Amazon buddies, Carolyn and Roy. They are staying nearby, in Crystal River, and it was great to sit and chat about work at Amazon, family and future plans. We want to get together again with them before we leave the area. I hope we'll make it our "January tradition"....go south for some W & R (warmth and relaxation), see our RV'ing friends and rejevenate before returning to work. Sounds like a wonderful prescription to me and just what the doctor ordered !

Boomer..

Today started out very sunny and warm so I dropped Linda off at the laundry room, here at the park, and I went to an area near our rig where you can wash your vehicles. Boomer went with me to supervise the washing of Bertha. He's grown to be irritated and quite bothered by loud (and even not so loud) noises. If I holler "Go Go Go" during a football game he heads for the bedroom to hide or tries to climb into my lap. Any increase in the pitch of our voices or a gasp from Linda, during a scary movie, and he is beside himself. Apparently the sound of the water beating on the roof of the truck, while rinsing the soapy water off of it, was a sound he did not like cause this is where I found him when I got in the truck. Pretty pathetic, eh ? He was draped over the cup holder/arm rest that I made for the front seat. Hmmmm....

Good football games today....We were able to watch the first game between the Jets and the Colts in our rig since we get CBS but we don't get FOX so for that game we had to go over to our neighbor, Carol's place. That was a super game, touch and go all the way. During the first game, Carol and her little dog Lillie came over and watched much of the game with us. Boomer watched Lillie climb onto Carol's lap and get all sorts of attention. When the two of them left, he apparently forgot that he weighs close to 50 pounds which does not constitute being a "lap dog". He thought he'd try anyway. This is his attempt at fitting on Linda's lap. First he'd sit facing her, one paw on each side of her neck. Then he'd turn around and try facing the other way. It just wasn't working for him so he got down.

There is a rooster near the park that needs some serious calibration of his clock. He crows incessantly during mid-day and into the afternoon. His idea of daybreak and my idea of daybreak are clearly not the same. Perhaps he is "young at heart" and his day starts at noon....kind of like teenagers.

Tomorrow we are off to Fort Myers for the day. We have located a theater where they are playingn Avatar in 3D so might do that on Tuesday. We shall see...

Visiting....

The last day or so has been pretty low key. Thursday I washed the rig, from the top down, which took until lunchtime. Seems good to get the grime off the rig and get it shiny again. In the afternoon we went to visit our friend Jan, who's recuperating from a bad cold. She has a bad cough and congestion. In the evening we went to Sonny's BBQ for dinner. I had the "Gone Fishin" platter which was fried shrimp and catfish. It was good. Linda had a pulled pork sandwich. After dinner we drove down to The Oaks RV resort, the campground where we stayed last winter when we came down here. We went to visit our neighbors there, who were on either side of us. Kiddy was surprised to see us and showed off her new dog to us. What a sweetie he is ! His name is Pepe', after Pepe' Le Pew the skunk in the Warner Bros. cartoon. A fitting name since he's black all over except for his chin, forehead and belly. He's a Pekingese and what a great companion for her...he is adorable. He laid on his back on Linda's lap, just like a baby. Kiddy said that she bundles him up in a blanket after her evening shower, holds him on his back like a baby...pats his butt and he falls fast asleep and snores. That must be a real sight to behold !

We also got to see our other neighbor, Jim. Seems Jim has had a rough year since we last saw him. Last year when we were down here, his wife had told him that she wanted a divorce....that was sad. Since then he has lost several people close to him and he has had back surgery. Poor guy has gone through a lot but looked great and was in wonderful spirits. It was wonderful to see both of them and the old neighborhood.

Today we enjoyed the sunshine and warmth of the day...just hung around for a while and then we went to the movies to see Avatar. We've heard great things about the movie and wanted to see it. We drove to Inverness to the theater but the version they were running wasn't in 3-D. We didn't want to see it in regular form...didn't think it would be as good. Instead we went to see "It's Complicated". It was hilarious ! If you want to laugh (a full belly laugh and not just a chuckle), go see it. A wonderful cast and a great story. Our neighbor, Carol, went with us. It was great to chat with her and learn more about her. She started full-timing the same time year that we did, having retired as a postmaster of 34 years. We had alot of fun hanging out and laughing like idiots at the theater.

Weather has been great....temps are in the mid 70's. Lots of sunshine. We're walking here in the park several times a day. Forecast calls for some rain on Monday. I will still take rain but warmth over COLD TEMPS. My mom said it was 5 degrees, this morning when she got up in Pennsylvania. Eekkk!! No thanks...

Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary

The second half of yesterday's adventure took us to Indian Shores, Fl to the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary. It is the largest non-profit wild bird hospital in the U.S. They take in 20-40 birds per day. Like the other place, their hope is to rehab the birds so that they can be released back into the wild. They have been at the same location for 38 years now and it's comical to see all the condos and hotels that have built up around them and here they are with their pens and low structures amongst "civilization". There are all types of birds there but my favorite was the pelicans and there are alot of them. We were there at an opportune time as it is nesting time and there were two nests where the baby pelicans have hatched out and we were able to see them.If you look real close at this picture, you can see the little heads in the nest under the mommy pelican. How neat ! The birds that we were able to see (like these parent pelicans) are ones that will never be released back to the wild because they have a physical problem that would hamper their being able to survive if they went back into the wild. Some are blind and some have a injured wing or leg. These birds become permanent residents. The recuperation release rate is 85%; sadly 90% of the injuries these birds sustain are directly related to humans.

This facility is open 365 days a year and the hospital is open, on average, 12 hours a day to tend to birds that are brought into the facility. The facility is supported 100% by private donations. They receive no government funding whatsoever so contributions from private citizens are critical to sustain them. They do an amazing job helping these wild birds to recuperate and go back into the wild. As we walked onto the sand dunes out back of the facility, some of the former residents were "hanging around". We could tell because they had bands on their legs. All birds, that have been admitted to the sanctuary, are banded to track their illnesses and overall health. That is except for one type....our tour guide told us that the turkey vulture can't be banded because they poop on their legs to "stay cool". If they were banded, bacteria would develop from the build-up and risk the health of the birds....Good info to know, doncha think ?
It takes 600 pounds of fish to feed all the birds on a daily basis......it costs 1.2 million a year to save the birds. Holy mackerel !

It's a great place to visit so if you get to the Clearwater area, be sure to look them up. Tours are only given twice a week but well worth it to learn lots of neat info you wouldn't ordinarily hear about.

Full Day....

Today Linda and I drove to Clearwater to go to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium
. This is a Rescue, Rehab and Release aquarium for dolphins, turtles, otters and other marine animals. I had found this facility many years ago when I researched animal rescue facilities throughout the US and marked the locations of the facilities on a US atlas. Linda saw my notation and decided it was a good place to go for a day trip, while in Florida...she was right. One of the residents at CMA is "Winter", a bottlenose dolphin who came to the facility when she was very young and was found entangled in a crab trap. Hear about Winter's story here. What an amazing animal and a true inspiration to everyone. Linda and I took the behind the scenes tour of the facility so we got to see where they prep the food for the animals, where they do surgery on them, the new holding tank area that is under construction and we went inside the vehicle used for strandings to see what they do when they go to rescue a turtle or dolphin. It was very interesting to hear and see what goes on behind the scenes.

This turtle was put in the tank with the first dolphin brought to CMA
for art therapy. "Sunset Sam" did a great job painting this guy !


Today's menu for the residents...sounds yummy !


This little guy is blind so he has to be hand fed....he also likes the body rubs.


Time to play and exercise..


Saying hello....


View from the aquariums' parking lot....

As if that wasn't great enough, we also went to the bird sanctuary a little ways from the aquarium....more on that tomorrow.

Spa Day.....

Yesterday was a leisurely day for us. Linda had researched on-line and discovered that there was a Massage Envy spa in nearby Wesley Chapel. This is a national chain for massage but we haven't had a chance to try them out. We called yesterday morning and booked an appointment for both of us at noon. They have a great introductory rate of $39 for an hour or $57 for a ninety minute massage. Well, we couldn't resist the ninety minute deal so that's what we got. Can you say "butta"...that is what Linda and I felt like when we left there. Each of the therapists found little knots that we weren't aware even existed. Got the kinks out and today I feel like my momma had taken her "board of education" to my back. No pain - no gain, right ? Well worth it. Great environment and a great deal if you like massages.

Ruckus Among Residents...

There's a pair of whooping cranes in the park that tend to hang out over in the middle of the park. Linda, Boomer and I went for a walk and as we got back to our rig, I noticed that the "klackers" (my name for the cranes based on the noise they make)were hanging out near our rig. I went out with the camera to get some pics and followed them as they walked over between a couple of rigs. It was then that the pair of cranes started going crazy. At first I couldn't figure out what was agitating them but then it hit me. They were standing in front of a Class C with a really shiny chrome bumper and they could see their reflections in it. Thought they had some competition and it took them quite a while to figure out that they were just looking at themselves. It was pretty comical (and noisy)!

Posh Pad....

There was an interesting article in yesterday's newspaper about the new estate that Lazy Days' founder Don Wallace is having built in a nearby community. Just a small abode...27,008 square feet. Two pools, sauna and steam rooms, elevator, bar, billiard room, bowling alley, gym, game room , men's lounge, etc. In total, 40,000 sq. feet....the 27,000 number is just the heated portion. Their current home, of 13,000 sq ft. doesn't give them enough space for their young children to play...hence the need for a new house.

What a great rag to riches story Mr. Wallace's is. He started Lazy Days in 1976 with $500, a mobile home and two travel trailers. The business grew to a company with annual sales of $800 million and its 126 acre complex in Seffner became the largest single site RV center in the country. The economy has put a hurting on the company though. The company laid off more than 200 employees (maybe Mr. Wallace would like to invite them to his new house for a BBQ). In September the CEO of the company struck a deal with bondholders to eliminate its $137 million debt through a prepackaged Chapter 11 reorganization. Mr Wallace sold portions of the company inn 1999 and 2004 but remains a primary stockholder.

Construction is expected to continue another 2.5 to 3 years before the project is complete.

Quiet Day...

Storms overnight gave the campground a good dousing. By the time I got up, the sun was peeking through and it started out as a pretty day. Wasn't quite as warm as yesterday but still shorts and tank top weather. I organized the basement of the rig as it tends to get a bit messy when I'm shoving items in and hauling them out while we are working at a site. Many times a particular location won't have the tools I need to get the job done so I go out to the truck or rig and get my tools out. Thus starts the disorganization and mess....Linda worked inside the rig, sorting through things and setting some items aside to put in this weekend's yard sale that will take place here in the Escapees park.

Speaking of organization.....just before we left New Jersey we bought a cupboard that would fit in our washer/dryer area. We did have a 5 drawer storage unit in there but the drawers would sometimes fall down onto the drawer below it if you put too much weight in the drawer plus it didn't organize all of the space in the closet to the fullest potential. I looked on-line for something that would fit inside the closet and utilize the space to its fullest but it seemed that either cupboards were either too wide or too tall. Then I found a Sterilite 5 shelf unit that we had planned on having sent to a Wal-Mart once we got down here. Just before leaving NJ we went down to Linda's brother's house to drop off our car and we stopped at the Target store near their house. We found that they had the shelf in stock so we got one. It is perfect !! A perfect fit for the space - no side to side movement. We were concerned about how we'd get it inside the closet once we put it together; not sure if we could get it squared up once inside the door frame but the whole thing could be assembled inside the closet. It was just what we'd been looking for. It utilizes every square inch of the closet for storage and we were still able to use the closet rod and put two coats next to the cupboard since there is a couple inches where the side wall of the closet is offset. We put non-skid liner on the shelves and not an item moved during our trip from NJ to Florida....doesn't get any better than that ! The shelves are adjustable too and the doors latch tightly. We are really pleased with this little project.

Tomorrow we're off to the Webster Flea Market It's listed as one of the "Top Ten" attractions in Florida and covers 40 acres...Can't wait to see what fruits and veggies we can get.

Tampa RV Show....

Yesterday Linda and I went to the Tampa RV show, which is supposed to be the country's largest display of RV's. We wanted to see the vendors, as there are a couple of products that I use that I was hoping to find. One item I was hoping to find is Envy, a waterless wax for the rig. I had never heard of this item but when we were at the Escapees park in Livingston, Texas a couple years ago Linda won a whole bunch of these items at a get together they had. There is a metal polish, wet look for tires, etc. I love the wax....quick and easy for touching up the rig, without hauling out a bucket and brush. Didn't find it at the show...

The other item is 303. I use this on all the rubber gaskets around the lights on the RV, on the door handles, plastic recept. covers, tires, dashboards, RV decals, etc. I think it does a great job of protecting these items from yellowing, fading, etc. Helps this three year old rig keep her youthful look ! Didn't see this anywhere either...Was hoping to save the shipping/handling by buying it there but no cigar....time to do some on-line shopping.

We looked at Class A motorhomes at the show. Not the multi-million rigs that required "no shoes" and a hands off approach to going through their rigs. There were many of them....we walked by several that displayed a 2 million dollar+ price tag but they are are so glitzy that they appear to be more of a showplace than a "home", which is what ours would need to be. We looked at all the major manufacturers and initially I liked the looks of a Four Winds Magellan motorhome Seems to be the big thing is 1.5 baths to 2 baths now. This one had a 1/2 bath behind the kitchen and then a full bath in the rear of the coach. I liked the modern styling of the cabinets with contemporary door handles but on my second trip through the coach noticed things that seemed a little on the chintzy side. The friese style carpeting is too much like "shag" carpeting. I installed this type of carpeting in my house when I had it on the market and it was all the rage but don't want it in our traveling house. I did like the other flooring though...was a totally different look from anything else I've seen in other motorhomes.

After looking at everything there and pondering on it, we both came to the conclusion that we like our 5th wheel and there wasn't anything else out there that would serve us any better than what we currently have. We've gotten all the major things fixed or "tweaked" and as long as we can get in or out of a work location, we're OK. We want to wait to see how long we keep doing this type of work before we decide on anything different. It's fun (and exhausting) to look but in the end we are both very practical about our needs.

Tomorrow we'll relax around here...do some laundry....Watch some football. Still waiting to hear from the RV doctor for our appt. Will call Monday if they don't call first. Was 70 degrees today...supposed to be warmer tomorrow but with thunderstorms. I think tomorrow might be a good day to check out the indoor heated pool.... :)

Warming Up.....

We arrived at the campground around 2:45 yesterday (Tuesday). They assigned a site to us but after looking/attempting to back in we decided on another site just down a few that we could easily pull in to. Got set up and had a relaxing evening. The setting sun was warm on our open door and Boomer was having a ball watching out the screen door until it came time to close it. It did get cold overnight....woke up to a light frost on the ground.

Today we headed out to the flea market....for some reason we thought it was on Wednesdays and couldn't figure out why there wasn't the usual stream of traffic going to/from the site until we got there and realized that it clearly must not be on Wednesdays. It's on Mondays and as luck would have it we don't have any plans on Monday.

From there we headed out to see our friend Jan, in Inverness. Was so great to see her ! We took her to an appointment, to Wal-Mart for some groceries and then had a great lunch. It was a wonderful day with our friend. On our way back to the campground we stopped at Par-Gas and got our propane tank filled. $17 to fill our tank....compare that to the $33 we've been paying the last four months in New Jersey. The guy told me the price had been $15 up until last week and then they needed to raise the price. Thank goodness we got reimbursed for the fill-ups the last four months by our employer. We didn't realize how exorbitant the price was, even though it was really convenient being that it was only a couple blocks away.

Temps have been slowly warming up each day. Today it got to 60 degrees. Tomorrow it's forecasted to be upper 60's....70's on Friday. Possible thunderstorms this weekend. Tomorrow we are going to the Tampa RV show....we're excited to check that out.

Oh yeah, we called the RV doctor this morning to schedule the work on the rig. Seems the cold snap has bombarded them with furnace problems so they are really backed up right now. Won't be able to get to us for a week to week and a half. Hmmmm...good thing we're not in any hurry.

Walterboro,SC

We covered about 400 miles today...from Virgina Beach, VA to Walterboro, SC. We're staying at a campground that is right off I-95. We're plugged in, tanks dumped, furnace running. Ahhh...the simple pleasures. The sites here at Green Acres RV park are big pull throughs and the price was right at $28. We are even watching HGTV right now....a treat after only having limited antennae channels for the last four months. We'll get on the road in the morning so we can get to the Escapees park in Bushnell before dark. Temps have steadily gotten warmer the further south we've driven. Not warm by any stretch but warmer than NJ. Can't wait till the end of the week when the temps in Florida will be back to normal.

Driving....

We're on the road....left Virginia Beach around 7:30. Decided to stay at Linda's daughter's house because our batteries just can't keep up with needing to run the furnace so much and we get the "low DC" message. Took all the juice in the batteries I could muster last night to pull in the slideout in the kitchen so I shut everything off, put some windshield washer fluid down the drains and we went to sleep in a warm bed for the night. We are currently in North Carolina. Will find a campground when we're ready to stop for the night so we can plug in and keep everything charged up and more importantly...keep us warm. Will post more info and pictures later..

The Best View...

The Best View is the one in your rear view mirror when you have hitch itch and can't wait to git goin'. That is how we felt at 6:30 when the new managers finished closing and we hit the road. It got so cold this afternoon. Made it challenging to be outside for long...gathering up hoses, etc. to get ready to leave. We had the slides all pulled in and the truck hooked on around 4:30. Then at 5:30 we started the truck so all the fluids would be warmed up and ready to go when it came time to leave....plus the cab got nice and toasty too. It was so easy getting out of there. Linda drove straight out the back gate...across the street and into the church parking lot and then out the other side onto the street leading to Route 1. We'd been fretting about how we were going to get out...could we make it around the corner of the building to go that way or could we turn left onto the street outside of rear gate. I scoped it out and decided we'd go out and through the church lot...it was a piece of cake ! No fuss, no muss. We are now at a service area, down by the Delaware Memorial bridge...off the turnpike. Just had something to eat....getting ready for bed and then up at at 'em bright and early to drive to Virginia Beach. Still sounding like it's going to be cold for another day of so of driving and then look out....60 and 70 degree days ! Yeeha !!
Anyways, after 4 months+1 day in Rahway...the best view was the one out our rear view mirror as we left town !!

Little Bit Crazy......

I don't think we'll ever try and train three people at the same time again. It is too crazy. I worked with the new assistant manager today while Linda started with the new managers. I think she'll be good ONCE she catches on to things and stops overthinking everything..just go with it, will ya. Don't ask why it couldn't be done a different way and blah blah....just do it the way we show you to do it and when you get really good, if you want to re-invent the mouse trap, be our guest. LOL...Oh brother....

The new managers did great. They have common sense.... a trait that is necessary for this work. When all else fails and you aren't quite sure what you should do, if you have a smidgen of common sense, you probably can figure out the next step. They both have it. Hallelujah !! Tomorrow is the assistant's last day of training....make it or break it day. Linda told her she has to "run the site" by herself...Linda will be there but will take a hands off approach and only intervene if she has to. We'll see how long before that happens.

Tomorrow will be one of the warmest days this week....projected to be 36. Wow ! By the weekend, temps will fall into the 20's again. Luckily I got our fresh water tank filled yesterday on the second attempt. Seems the copper water line, coming from inside the building didn't want to thaw out until in the afternoon, after soaking in some of the sun's rays. And that's even with the water lines wrapped in foam insulation. I think the wind has just been too brutal around here lately and the line froze where it passes through the cinder black wall. Luckily I was able to get the tank filled up so we'll have enough for the remainder of the week and our trip south.

Saturday will be the last day of training for the new managers and their "make it or break it" day. We'll get the rig put together to pull out (slides put in, etc.)while they work the site. That way we'll be right outside the door where they can call us if they need to or just holler out the door. They will be fine. They are so excited to get this job and are really looking forward to moving here. During this week of training they are driving from home (Cherry Hill, NJ) which takes them 1 hr- 45 min each way. Makes for a very long day !! They will be happy to see Sunday arrive when they can move into the apartment and call it "home" and we'll be happy to be outa here.

New Managers Starting...

Linda has been training a new assistant manager since Saturday. She's a little slower at digesting things than she came across in her interview. During five days of training, with all there is to learn, it's not feasible to totally digest every single detail of something. A person has to take the info in and process it in its totality, otherwise it will drive you crazy. There is so much to learn and only five days with us, as her trainers, to take most of it in. I think she'll be alright in end. Tomorrow I will work with her on the outside stuff while starts the first day of training with the new managers. Tuesday and Wednesday will be a little awkward due to the overlap in trying to train three people at once. Luckily, Jason has been in this business before so I think he will be a quick study and will probably be ready to work on his own in a couple of days so it will give us more time to "solidify" some points with the assistant manager. We want them all to be on solid footing by the time we leave here Sunday. Busy days ahead....

3 Yr. Anniversary For Our Home...

Yep, it was 3 year's ago today that our rig rolled into the campground where we were renting a small camper and our adventure began. Our Excel came from Guthrie Center, Iowa and was delivered to us because we didn't have our truck outfitted yet with a bed or hitch (were still researching it). Since the RV dealership guys had to bring it through an ice storm in the mid-west, we felt the $1000 delivery fee was well earned.

I think she's holding up pretty well for 3 years of full-time living. As our full-time friends know, a whole different level of construction is needed for a rig called "home" on a day to day basis. There have been some issues over the years but I think it still looks as good as new on the outside and inside. Our rig is hunkered down, on the day of its birthday, in 17 degree temps (although with the wind chill it feels zero) with 30-40 m.p.h. winds outside. We appreciate the heavy weight of our rig on nights like this....very little sway.

When we had the closing on the sale of our house, end of October 2007, we rented a small camper in the campground near us until our rig could be built and delivered to us. Two adults and two large dogs in a small camper for nine weeks. Wow ! You had to go outside just to change your mind. Then our rig came and we started moving in....we thought we had downsized all we needed to from having two houses... well we had to downsize even more. Then the fun (and learning) began....On Valentine's day, 2007 we had over a foot of snow in a big snow storm, then another foot on St. Patrick's day...then a 10 day period of wind chills of -10 to -20. Wow, did we get initiated by fire (or ice) ? That was some winter in PA. For those of you not following our blog in those days, go to our older posts at the bottom of the page and you can relive those days. Ones I'd sooner forget...at least the ones with lots of snow and cold.

We are looking forward to going to a warmer climate for a while. Let our rig warm up along with us.....Happy Birthday to Destiny !! We wish her many more years of safe travels with us at the helm.

Who Needs a Clock ?

In our usual boring, tired fashion Linda and I were in bed around 10:30 last night. Could only get her to play two games of Skippo and then she was whipped and ready for sleep. With us having New Years day off from work, we had the luxury of not needing to set the alarm clock either. But we didn't need a clock to tell us when midnight arrived. Apparently Rahway celebrates the New Year's arrival with fireworks. Boomer was trying to climb into bed on my side and me with my earplugs in was totally oblivious to what was going on. I pulled them out of my ears, trying to comprehend why all the covers were going towards the floor on my side of the bed. Linda said..."Fireworks" and I knew that Boomer was petrified. I got him calmed down and willing to lay next to the bed as opposed to IN IT and then the cell phones started in.

We had taken our phones to bed in case the snow plow contractor called to ask if we wanted him to come plow. They were calling for another batch of snow last night and when we went to bed it was only icy and rainy...no snow. But just in case he called, we took the phones to bed with us. The texts from friends and family began, with well wishes for the New Year. So, I got up and turned on TV at 12:30 to see the garbage left by the revelers in Time Square (looked like our property the other day after the 40 m.p.h. wind storm). Lots of hoopla building towards the big ball drop and then as soon as the clock struck midnight, everyone starts heading home. Seems a little anticlimactic to me.

This morning has already been very interesting. I got up about 7:30 and could hear the Penske truck running outside. One of our tenants, that has two units here, rents a space for their truck and they put it right in front of our car. I asked Linda about it running and she said it had been running since 6:30. I thought that odd. I looked outside, thought it looked icy and decided I better put ice melt down. I went out and loaded up the spreader and noticed that there was a guy sleeping in the running truck. That worried me....I was worried that one of the Penske employees was sleeping off a wild night of partying and had gotten carbon monoxide poisoning. I tapped on the window and finally the guy opened one eye and looked at me (his head still leaning against the door of the truck). I said "Are you OK ?"... "HUH?" I repeated myself. He said yes and proceeded to go back to sleep. I resumed spreading ice melt around the property. After I went inside, I told Linda of my exchange with this guy and we thought we better call the tenant to see if he's aware one of his employees has had his truck running since 6:30 this morning. Linda went to the office and called him. She described the guy and the tenant said no one by that description worked for him and for us to call the cops. We did....they responded within two minutes and took him away. Seems he has several outstanding warrants and now will have a nice warm place where he can take a nap.