Making the Best of it….

Well it’s day 3 at Demontrond RV. The approval, from Thor, came through yesterday afternoon and our service tech was supposed to start work on our rig mid afternoon. When there hadn’t been any sign of him by 4:00 I went back in and asked Jeannie what was up. She had been under the impression that he was working on our rig. She went to find Mike, our tech, and Mike told her that he was going to “knock all of the work out” today. I stressed to Jeannie that we still have to go to the Ford dealership to get the safety recall dealt with and we need to be in Bandera on Thursday to start work. She said she understood.

Come 5:00, as supper time was approaching, Linda decided to do some grilling. What better place to do some tailgating than in a big ole parking lot full of RV’s. It sure got the attention of all the workers as the smell of the marinated veggies was wafting through the air. I put Adele’s CD on and cranked up the outside speakers. Linda went over and invited the other couple, who is staying on site, to join us for supper. Marg and Burt are traveling health professionals. He is a home based physical therapist and she is a home hospice nurse. They brought their chairs and plates over and we had a nice meal of veggie burgers, grilled veggies, cottage cheese and cut up pineapple. Their two schnauzers also came along to visit. They have a house in the state of Washington but go out in their motor home, to work, 6 – 9 months out of the year. We had a nice visit with them and stayed outside until it got dark. It was a great way to pass the time while waiting for our rig.
It’s now a little after 8:00 a.m. and I know Mike comes in at 8. Guess it’s time to go see what time he’s going to get hoppin’. Hope all of you have an awesome Leap Year day. Make the best of it !

Waiting….

We left Montgomery, TX this morning and drove about an hour to Demontrond RV to get our warranty items done. We are outside of Houston, just off I-45. The shop has closed for the day and we are in our rig, right outside of the garage door and are here with one other full timer couple….locked in for the night. Our service advisor gave us a key to the gate, in case we need to get out but we’re staying put. We went out earlier and went to Sam’s Club, which is only 3 miles from here. This RV service shop is huge. There must be 8 or 10 rigs parked on either side of us. Jeanie, our service advisor said that 22 rigs came in last week, without appointments. Wow ! She said it gets like that every year as spring break looms near. No one thinks ahead about getting their service work done. Full timers like us, who cover a lot of miles and have tight schedules, know that you have to schedule service work sometimes months out to make it fit in with your schedule. Jeanie said that I was spot on with the three week window I told her we needed for getting the new microwave in. She said she waited several months for a Spartan part cause they had to make it first, then the holidays came and then they had to ship it. the manufacturers are competing their part inventory really tight, which sometimes hurts the consumer who has to wait for a part to arrive. Good thing that we don’t need many parts, although we do need a bracket for the ramp. I hope we don’t have to wait several days for that to come in. She said the approval of the warranty work would be the longest part of all of this. Thor tends to be a little slow with their approvals. She said we might be here several days. Sigh….Good thing we padded in this whole week for the work.
Temps were gorgeous today….supposed to be in the 60’s overnight.

Interior Changes

Linda and I made a couple of changes inside the rig that give us more living space and help keep us organized with our work. Since we have  two entry doors into the rig, we only use the rear door that goes into the garage. That way we can kick off our shoes, in the garage, and leave some of the dirt out there. Having said that, we feel that it’s a huge waste of space to have the entry area in front of the other door so we moved the Euro chair to that area. We went to Lowes and bought some 3/4” plywood and cut that to fit the stairwell. I put cleats on the underside so the board can’t move around. Linda wrapped the edge, that is up against the side of the counter, with some of the non-skid material and attached it with hot glue. It opens up the space so much….we love it ! This is also my favorite chair to sit in. I can set a drink on the edge of the counter and have a perfect view of the TV.
When we moved the printer up to the living area, we didn’t have anything for it to sit on so I used a storage tub that was flipped upside down. We wanted something small and compact but there is an area on the floor where the step motor must be located or something. It protrudes up about 4 or 5 inches so a cabinet had to have sufficient clearance to fit over it or be small enough to just go up to it. We went for the latter option. After narrowing it down to seven different options, we chose this one. We ordered it from Amazon and had it delivered here to the campground. It’s perfect for what we need. It has five drawers that can hold supplies for our job. Linda assembled it, in between our classes and functions this week. There are locking casters on it so if Linda needs to roll it over next to the banquette while she’s breaking down a job, she can do that. It’s going to be very handy to keep organized and keep “stuff” off the table.
Our colleagues are leaving today. They are starting to pack up their rigs to move on down the road. It’s a beautiful day to drive. Sun is shining bright and there’s no wind. It’s also the kick-off for NASCAR, although it’s raining in Daytona so it may not happen today. That’s ok….I don’t think we get it on the TV channels that work here in the park. Might have to watch it at the service center tomorrow. Let the fun begin !

AGS/TXAd Annual Meeting

We arrived in Montgomery, Texas a week ago Friday and have been staying at the Lake Conroe KOA. We have a great site, facing towards the lake. On Sunday, the folks who made it into the $100,000 club had brunch at the local country club. We had gotten an e-mail several weeks ago saying that we had exceeded $100,000 in sales…thus making it into this group. We each got a jacket, with the 100 club insignia on it, and had a great meal. I think I counted nine couples in total that were there.
On Monday, the information sessions began. Lots of great information was shared and I find, with conferences such as this, that you always learn the most from the other people that are there. The networking and sharing of ideas is the best part of events like these. On Monday evening there was a nice dinner and the awards ceremony. In addition to getting certificates for the 100 club, Linda and I also were chosen as Rookies of the Year. Quite an honor, we must say as many teams were hired in 2011. We were really surprised !
Here are the owners of AGS/TXAd – Brian and Debra Shaeffer. If you’re wondering why we are dressed in cowboy attire, it’s because the theme was Denim and Diamonds for the banquet. We got shirts and a hat for Linda…all for $15 at the local thrift store. What a deal !




Look at Brian and Debra’s cowboy boots. They are made out of stingray.

Here is Linda and I with Rick, our scheduler. He has the crazy task of keeping track of all the rep teams and figuring out where they are to go.






On one of the evenings, Linda and I helped Rick with a version of the Newlywed Game…..four couples tried to match answers with their spouses on RV and work related questions. Linda asked the questions and kept the couples in line and I kept score. It came right down to the bonus round to decide the winner. We all laughed so hard at some of the wild answers.Thirty of us went out to eat, at a Mexican restaurant on Thursday night and we had a great time. Some of the reps have started pulling out, for their next destinations, but we are here till Monday morning. We are going to a Thor approved warranty center, outside of Houston to get warranty work done on the rig. One of the major fixes is replacing the microwave that buzzes very loudly whenever you use it. Won’t know what to do if we don’t have to crank up the TV while the microwave is running. As soon as we finish at Demontrond RV, we are going to a nearby Ford center to get a safety recall taken care of on our rig. We’ve allowed plenty of time to get everything done, that is needed, as we will have a busy year ahead. We’ve picked up about nine new parks, gave up three and will be working on the east coast at two parks in Gettysburg, couple in Virginia and one in North Carolina. Gonna be a busy, but fun year ahead. Buckle up your seat belts….Ready, Get Set…..GO !!

Leaving Schertz

It’s 8:30 a.m. and we’re sitting at Blue Bonnet Motors, in New Braunfels waiting for the rig. Ozzie is get her first oil change ! Found out, after checking in here, that there is a safety recall on the rig. Something about a pindle, which has something to do with the gear shifter and apparently there is a sharp edge on it. If it cuts the wire, then the rig would be stuck in whatever gear it’s in at the time and can’t be shifted out of it. Megan is calling to see if they have that part available and how long it will take to fix.
Blue Bonnet Motors is an amazing place and the folks are so nice here. Since we have a Ford chassis, it was handy to stop here on the way out of the area to get the oil changed. They are set up to do different types of work on RV’s. Look at this set-up!
Awesome customer service lounge too…There is a play area for kids and a very comfortable lounge for the adults too. I’ve never seen a gift shop in a car dealership/service center before. Like I said, it’s really quite a place. 




Hoping to get back on the road soon. Headed to Montgomery, TX for our annual picnic. Have about 180 miles to go….looking forward to meeting the other reps. Hard to believe that we are coming up on our one year anniversary working for this company. We started at the end of February last year. We’ve seen so much in the last year, met so many great people and did 25 parks. Just put the last job in the Fed Ex box this morning. Yeeha !! March 1st will start our loop all over again, except we might have some changes to our schedule to change our route a little bit. Have a meeting this weekend with our scheduler to figure out the upcoming year’s schedule. We’ll keep you posted on where our travels will take us in the coming months.

Great Visit with Friends

This past Sunday we drove down to Whitsett to visit with our friends Bobbie and Jim at their new job. Whitsett is about 80 minutes south of where we are in Schertz, TX (we are just outside of San Antonio). It was so cold and damp this weekend. Brrr….We had arranged to meet Bobbie at the little convenience store just off the exit. We arrived a little early so I could have one of their awesome sliced brisket sandwiches. Wow, they are so good and huge that it took Linda and Bobbie to help me polish it off. I think I mentioned that Bobbie and Jim are working as gate guards at the sites where wells are being drilled. Their well is in the early stages so the traffic is slow in and out of the gate right now.
It was so nice to see them and chat about their new job. It’s taken them a little getting used to as far as their sleeping in shifts to make sure that they cover the 24 hours in a day. Bobbie does nights and Jim does the day shift. While talking to them, it reminded me of all the goofy shifts I’ve had over the years, whether getting up at 2 a.m. to make donuts in my bakery or at 4 a.m. to go to Busch Gardens to work on the grounds crew. I’ve also done 11 p.m.-7a.m shifts for Mr. Donut and would go to Eddie’s truck stop when I got off work at 7 to get a cheeseburger and coleslaw. That was my supper time ! Then go home and sleep the day away. The shift I think I’ve disliked the most, over the years, is the 11 a.m – 7 p.m. I’ve had that as a waitress and also as a shift manager, at Cornell University, and don’t care for it. The whole day is shot. Old memories of bygone days….
Here’s a shot of Bobbie and Jim, in front of their gate. Bobbie had made cookies and those lucky truck drivers were getting a treat when they left for the day. What a lucky crew to have Bobbie and Jim working with them ! We enjoyed our time visiting…we won’t see them again till later this summer when we pass through Colorado.
On Monday night, Linda’s cousin Rob and his wife Karen came over for supper. We went out with them last week so it was great to squeeze in one more visit while we’re in the San Antonio area. I didn’t get any pictures….we were too busy talking about RVing and our dogs that I forgot to take any pictures. We had such a good time with them and as Linda pointed out, there are so many things we have in common with them. They had just lost their dog the other night to cancer so we were reminiscing about our pets and their crazy antics. Our pets give us so much joy and losing one is like losing a child. They both loved Boomer and thought he looked a lot like a dog they used to have.
Temps warmed up today into the 60’s. Supposed to warm up even more tomorrow but rain is moving in tonight (yippee…rain !). Wrapping up here tomorrow….getting hitch itch to get on the road once again !

Lake Medina

On Friday Linda and I needed to go meet with four parks that we work in the Lake Medina/Bandera area. We had three of these parks last year so it was great to see the owners/managers and chat about how their year has been. At Lake Medina, the welcome wagon was there to greet us. The owners horse was standing in the middle of the road and I could only get it to move when I rolled down my window and called it. He came over to the car and stuck his head in the window. Then another one came to Linda’s side of the car and stuck his head in Boomer’s window. Boomer wasn’t impressed…he was whining to get out and play with the cows. Apparently, he’s not into horses. The cows weren’t interested in him though.
At the Lake Medina RV Park, we drove down to the boat ramp area to look at the lake. Wow, we were shocked how low the water was. Luckily the rain we had the night before had put a little bit of water into the lake but it’s so sad to see how low it is. I wish I had pictures from last year to show you the difference. We’ve heard that overall the water table is down something like 50’. Crazy, huh !
The town of Bandera was gearing up for their annual Mardi Gras event. The town and rv parks were packed with people. We watched these “cowboy taxis” loading up at one of our parks and heading to one of the watering holes next to another park that we do. Need a designated driver ? They’ve got you covered. Don’t have to worry about parking or getting pulled over for a DUI. What a cute idea.
We’ll be in Bandera in a couple of weeks to start work on the parks there. Anxious to see our advertisers and check out what has changed in the area. On first glance, driving around town, we already saw two new restaurants that have opened.

Is this Texas or Pennsylvania ?

Ok..it’s 8:00 p.m. and it’s 43 degrees outside and supposed to be 33 by morning. What’s with that ? We’re in Texas, land of winter warmth and no snow. I don’t like it. Am now debating what to do about the water supply. Disconnect it….leave it and let it drip. Crap ! We shouldn’t have to make these types of decisions in Texas. Been so chilly and windy that we haven’t even had the trike out since we’ve been here. Hoping that once we get to Montgomery, TX that we’ll have a warm spell and can get the bike out. Keeping our fingers crossed.
On the flip side of that, in the land of warmth…Hawaii…look at these cookies Linda and I have been enjoying. Special cookies that a friend of ours sent us from Hawaii. Some of them were dipped in chocolate. Notice I said “were”…they are all gone now. We practiced restraint as best we could but we love shortbread cookies so it was really tough. Each individually wrapped to maintain freshness. Yummy stuff !
Thursday night Linda and I had dinner with her cousin and his family. She hasn’t seen him since they were kids so we had a great time chatting with them and had a wonderful dinner. Rob and Karen’s two kids, Kyle and Marissa were there and Marissa’s boyfriend. We had a really good time and hope to get together again…perhaps in Bandera.
We are going to drive to Whitsett tomorrow to meet up with our friends, Bobbie and Jim. They are working their first gate guard assignment. Each one takes a shift, since it’s a 24/7 assignment. This will be our last chance to see them till later in the summer so looking forward to spending a little time with them.

Much Needed Rain

The good news from the weekend is ….it rained a lot. The bad news….it rained a lot and we couldn’t get the motorcycle out. It’s raining as I write this. I will gladly trade a weekend of riding for all the rain this part of the country can stand. It’s a blessing to the areas that have been stricken by the drought. It always seems to rain the hardest at the point during the night when I just drift off into the deepest part of sleep (REM perhaps). I don’t know cause about the time the french frying starts on the roof, Boomer makes his way into the loft and across my feet. Such may be the case tonight. Again, I will trade a good nights sleep for much needed rain. Let it rain….
I had a wonderful conversation today with one of our advertisers about all sorts of topics from illegal immigrants, drug cartels in Mexico and the local oil and gas drilling in Texas. All topics native to the Texas region and this gentleman I was speaking to. He told of elderly couples who have owned hundreds of farmland that has become barren and worthless and have now become overnight millionaires. They don’t know how to handle this instantaneous wealth. He told about one guy who gets $500,000 a day in well proceeds ! Amazing, huh ? An elderly couple who sold their mineral rights for $3 million dollars and the wife wept when she had to pay the government $900,000 in taxes, while her accountant consoled her and told her “not to worry…there’s still 2 million left”. How do families like these handle this ? Hard working, “pay-cash-for-everything” kind of folks who now spoil their kids and grandkids with “things” and the kids don’t know what tough knocks their elders went through to get there. The drilling and truck traffic is also upsetting his hunting areas. The constant traffic upsets the deer patterns in the areas around Whitsett where he has some land. I learned a lot that only someone that has lived here their whole life would know from seeing things change over the years and paying attention to things. I love chats like this with my customers !

Landed in Schertz with a “crash”…

We started a new job on Monday in Schertz, Texas which is right outside of San Antonio off of I 35. Our week didn’t get off to a very good start when our laptop crashed Monday night. Seems we somehow got a sneeky Trojan virus that made our computer think that the hard drive was going bad. Most of our desktop icons disappeared, although when I tried to put them back from a flash drive, it said they already existed. Linda’s son, Todd came to the rescue by telling me how to get around the major roadblock it was putting up (the infamous black screen). By downloading a Malware Bytes program, it sought out the virus and quarantined it. Todd logged in and fixed the rest of the stuff to get it back to normal. Viola….all of the icons came back and all is good.
Today, Linda and I came home at mid-day to have lunch. While chewing my veggie burger, I bit on something hard and discovered that a piece of my tooth had broken loose. Oh brother…it’s always something. Gonna drive me crazy to feel that sharp opening with my tongue until I get it fixed or pulled.
On our way up here, we drove right through the area where our friends Bobbie, Jim, Linda and Jim were waiting to get assigned to a job. They are going to be gate guards, for the gas wells that are popping up all over Texas. They are in a waiting pattern to go out to their first site. We had a great time getting caught up with them since we haven’t seen them since Labor Day. It’s always good to see them.
Weather has been awesome….in the 70’s today. Had some much needed rain the other night. Gonna be nice tomorrow too…Isn’t this weather crazy ? On the news, they say that record warm weather is taking place all over the country. I like it !!