6/25-6/30/2013 Lunch, Shopping, Hangin’ at the Pool

(Arizona City, AZ)

On Tuesday I had much pleasure in having lunch with my friend Helen.  I so enjoy her company and could spend hours and hours talking with her.  We’ve already made a date for when we return in the fall.

As much as I enjoyed the company, the lunch, eh, not so much.  I was always happy as a tornado in a trailer park when we ate at Mimi’s in the past.  I had a favorite dish that I ordered every single time.  Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and lettuce on a croissant with fries on the side.  To. Die. For.  Well, someone decided to take that off the menu.  Mistake.  Big mistake,  as far as I’m concerned that is.  So I tried something new this time.  I had a
Turkey, Brie & Cranberry Croissant.  It’s a
toasted croissant with hand-carved turkey breast, served warm with melted brie and  cranberry, apple & orange relish.  It was ok,  I ate it.  I won’t order it again.

I was able to spend on afternoon at the pool.  It’s too hot.  One hundred and fourteen degrees is not out of the question now.  I took the picture around 5 p.m. and this thermometer is on our shed, in the shade.


 
We’re starting lists of things we have to do before we leave here.  We have things to get like a battery trickle charge thing-y.  Since we’re leaving the truck here we can’t take the chance of the batteries running down.  If they do we lose the computer settings or some such thing.  Yes, we could have asked someone to come over and start the truck for us every couple of days but who wants to put that burden on someone.

Bob has bought a roll of that silver stuff sun shades for front car windows are made of.  He has made patterns for all the truck windows and will cover all our windows to help keep the heat out.  We surely don’t want to come back to a cracked windshield.

I’ve had a few comments and emails asking where things stand on the 5th wheel repairs.

When we return to Arizona around the 22nd of August we will have one week to put all of our belongings back into the 5th wheel and get our park model ready for the couple coming in on December 1st.  You see, on the 30th of August we’re pulling out and heading to Indiana.  We have to go back to the factory to have all of  the Lippert components replaced.  Well, maybe all isn’t the right word.  The tubing which carries the hydraulic fluid will be replaced which is a big job in itself.  Some parts pertaining to our slide out will be replaced and few other things I forget what they are called or what they do,  This work will be done in the Lippert factory.  We’ll also be at the DRV factory to get the slide out tray in our appliance garage replaced as the wood has split.  We also have a few other minor things to get taken care of while we’re there.

Speaking of the 5th wheel and repairs, you’ll never guess who sent me a survey to fill out.  Yep, Lazy Days!  I was shocked to say the least.  So I filled it out, oh boy, did I fill it out!  A lot of it was picking a number from 1 being the least pleased to 10 being totally satisfied.  I gave credit where credit was due.  I gave them an 8 for their waiting lounge.  Other than that?  Ones all the way!  Where I was asked to type out my answer, I answered very thoroughly, tried to be objective as possible, didn’t let my emotions enter into it and even managed not to  use the phrase,,,,,,,you suck!,,,,,or,,,,that sucks!  Nope, not even once!  I don’t know who will read it in the end but I bet don’t hear from anyone.

The countdown is on!  We’re heading home soon!



 

6/21–6/24/2013 Tickets & a Walk Across the Canyon

(Arizona City, AZ)

We’re havin’ a heat wave!  We’re the 112 mark now and it’s hot, Hot, HOT!
 
We researched and researched for the best plane ticket prices we could find and we bought two round trip tickets to Philadelphia and back for $289.00 each.  That’s less than what we paid for one one-way ticket for me last March.  So now that’s out of the way.

I’m spending some afternoons at the pool but not many because its just too darn hot.

On Sunday we gathered with the other residents who are here for a potluck dinner and to watch Nick Wallenda walk the tight-rope over the Grand Canyon.  We sat there and watched and prayed right along with him.  Bob had to get up and walk away a couple of times because he was more nervous for him and than he appeared to be for himself.

We thought about getting the painting of the park model out of the way but our energy is zapped by the heat so that ain’t happenin’!

There isn’t too much goin’ on around here so there really isn’t much to write about.

Since I don’t have anything to share about what we’re doing I thought I’d leave you with this…..

Some questions  to keep those "ageing" grey cells active!

1. Johnny 's mother had three children. The first child was named April. The second child was named May. ...What was the third child 's name?

2. There is a clerk at the butcher shop, he is five feet ten inches tall and he wears size 13 sneakers....What does he weigh?

3. Before Mt. Everest was discovered,...what was the highest mountain in the world?

4. How much dirt is there in a hole ...that measures two feet by three feet by four feet?

5. What word in the English Language...is always spelled incorrectly?

6. Billy was born on December 28th, yet his birthday is always in the summer.....How is this possible?

7. In California , you cannot take a picture of a man with a wooden leg. ...Why not?

8. What was the President 's Name...in 1975?

9. If you were running a race, ...and you passed the person in 2nd place, what place would you be in now?

10. Which is correct to say,... "The yolk of the egg are white" or "The yolk of the egg is white"?

11. If a farmer has 5 haystacks in one field and 4 haystacks in the other field,....how many haystacks would he have if he combined them all in another field?

Here are the Answers

1. Johnny 's mother had three children. Thefirst child was named April The second child was named May. What wasthe third child 's name?
Answer:Johnny of course

2. There is a clerk at the butcher shop, he is five feet ten inches tall, and he wears size 13 sneakers. What does he weigh?
Answer: Meat.

3. Before Mt. Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain in the world?
Answer: Mt. Everest; it just wasn 't discovered yet. [ You 're not very good at this are you?]

4. How much dirt is there in a hole that measures two feet by three feet by four feet?
Answer: There is no dirt in a hole.

5. What word in the English Language is always spelled incorrectly?
Answer: Incorrectly

6. Billy was born on December 28th, yet his birthday is always in the summer. How is this possible?
Answer: Billy lives in the Southern Hemisphere

7. In California , you cannot take a picture of a man with a wooden leg. Why not?
Answer: You can 't take pictures with a wooden leg. You need a camera to take pictures.

8. What was the President 's Name in 1975?
Answer: Same as is it now - Barack Obama [Oh, come on ...]

9. If you were running a race, and you passed the person in 2nd place, what place would you be in now?
Answer: You would be in 2nd. Well, you passed the person in second place, not first.

10. Which is correct to say, "The yolk of the egg are white" or "The yolk of the egg is white"?

Answer: Neither, the yolk of the egg is yellow [Duh]

11. If a farmer has 5 haystacks in one field and 4 haystacks in the other field, how many haystacks would he have if he combined them all in another field?
Answer: One. If he combines all of his haystacks, they all become one big one.

6/20/13 A Final Walk Thru and Into Storage

(Arizona City, AZ)

After a final walk thru of the 5th wheel, grabbing this and that because we might need it, we took the rig to the storage lot.

We had first looked at a place on-line in Casa Grande about 8 miles away.  When we went into town a few days ago we checked it out but evidently we go there during lunch time because no one was around to answer our questions.

On the way back to town we stopped at the storage facility that is close by to us.  Yes, they space under cover, which was most important to us, and they had they room for us.  Even better, they were $20.00 cheaper than the Casa Grande storage lot which, of course, made me very happy.

It was quite hot by the time we got to the facility so I opted to stay in the air conditioning and attend to the paperwork.  When that was done, I still opted to stay in the air conditioning.  I would have only been in the way out there.  Bob has his routine and I would just be in the way.   Yeah, that’s it, I would just be in the way.

It’s a good thing I didn’t go with him because I would have been a nervous wreck.  The space he had to back into only left him inches to spare on either side.  The lot attendant asked him if he wanted help with the backing in but Bob assured him he had it under control. 

When the fellow returned to the office, Bob was getting the rig settled, he raved about how good Bob was at backing it in.  It seems as though he did it in one try.  Somehow that doesn’t surprise me, I’ve seen him do dozens of times.  So our home is now secure, under cover for the next month and a half or so.

Another afternoon at the pool for me and Bob started puttering in the shed.  Pulling things out to see what we had in there, to see what has to go and then he put it all back.  Stuff has to go, just not yet.  Actually, we have an abundance of things that we need to put on EBAY.  In the fall, that’s when we’ll do it.  Of course that’s what we said last fall.

It’s so hot here, we wonder every day why we’re here.

 

6/19/2013 The Unloading Continues

(Arizona City, AZ)

We got an early start today moving our clothing and everything else we wanted into our park model.

By noon we had moved everything.  It didn’t take long for me to get to the pool and for Bob to make himself comfortable in the air conditioning.

Today Bob started the search for flights to Delaware so that we can go home for several weeks to see family and friends.

We had hoped to be able secure a camp host position in Delaware or nearby Maryland for the rest of the summer.  There was one available but they wanted us to come in for an interview first.  Well, that wasn’t going to work.  What if we drove across country and then weren’t picked.  What would we do then?

It’s been decided that we’re going to have a potluck dinner here in the park, for the few of us that are here, on Sunday the 23rd and then afterwards we’ll watch Nick Wallenda walk the tightrope over the Grand Canyon.  Any reason for a potluck dinner will do!

Bob is concerned that we won’t be able to use our rooftop satellite dish.  What do you think?

(Darn birds!)

In the late afternoon the wind kicked up and dust devils were everywhere.

 

6/16–6/18/2013 Packing Up, We’re Outta Here

(Tucson - Arizona City, AZ)

It’s pretty hard to get motivated to start packing up when its 110° plus outside.  So needless to say we moved slowly, very slowly.

We had originally thought that we would pull out of here on Monday morning but there was something Bob wanted to see on TV Monday evening and we knew our park cable wouldn’t carry the channel.  Yes, we could have set the DirecTV dish up but to tell ya the truth, it was just too hot to even think about going through all that.

There aren’t many campers here as you can well imagine.



Sunday evening it looked like we were going to get rain.  We thought the monsoon season would officially start tonight.  It was just a teaser though, not a rain drop fell.



Tuesday morning we finally left the Lazy Days campground.  Ninety seven days.  We never thought in a million years we would still be here.  Yes, we missed the last couple of weeks of our season in Quail Run which we were looking forward to but we met some really special people and got a great one on one week with friends Steve and Bonnie.  Was it aggravating?  For sure!  Is the problem fixed?  Oh, hell no.  One good thing we have to look forward to since we’re going to Indiana in September now is that the fall foliage should be spectacular with all the rain the region has been having!  Yep, ya just gotta look for that silver lining.

An uneventful hour on the road later and we were in Quail Run once again.  We parked the 5th wheel next to our park model so that it would make for easy unloading.  We’re going to stay in the park model for the next month and will put the 5th wheel in storage while we’re here and while we are back on the east coast.


 
Our little cactus, just two leaves when Bob stuck it in the ground two years ago has really grown!



It will be quite a chore taking all that we’ll need out of the 5th wheel so we  have decided to give ourselves three days to get it done.  We can only work at it in the morning hours because of the heat.

With the park model being all closed up since the end of March it still wasn’t too bad inside.  A mere 90°.  First thing we did was uncover the air conditioner and get that fired up,  I imagine it will run non-stop to get the place truly comfortable.

This first day we got all the food moved over and the fridge and freezer cleaned and ready for storage.  Canned goods, boxes and kitchen things I wanted were also moved.  Of course our computers were moved but the rest can wait until tomorrow morning.
 
I took a walk down to see friends Earl and Marilyn to catch up on what’s happening in the park.  With less than twenty in residence right now there wasn’t a whole lot to tell. 
 
It’s good to be back here!

6/15/2013 Century-Decade Mark

(Tucson, AZ)

We hit 110 today!  I went to the pool but lasted a total of one hour and twenty minutes and that was only because I sitting at a table under an umbrella talking with a couple.  Thanks to me they won’t be coming back to Lazy Days for service.  Actually, my story was just the icing on the cake for them.    They are here just for the day for service.  At least they thought so when I was talking with them.  After what she witnessed and what I told them, well who knows if they got out or not. 

They had been sitting in the lounge when they got tired of that and they decided to spend some time poolside.  She went to the service to get their bathing suits and when she went in she found Eduardo working on the closet door.  That  is all well and good, but it was the wrong closet door.  Never again they said, never again.

Bob and I had dinner again at the Florizona Grill here on the property.  We had one more gift certificate for two dinners so we decided to use them.

Our dinner was delicious!  The service was impeccable!  The perfect dinner.  Of course I was taking note of everything like I told the restaurant manager that I would.  I was kind of surprised at the end of dinner when our server said, “How did I do?”  The jig was up, she knew who I was.  I told her that I was surprised the manager told her we there.  She assured me she hadn’t.  I asked her how she knew.  She said that she recognized us from the original night we came in and she put two and two together.  I’m thinking she saw the manager talking with us or perhaps the manager just said something like, “Make sure you take good care of them.”  Anyway, she knew.  She went on to thank me for writing the letter and said they didn’t realize how much they all used the term you guys.  After they were told about the letter I wrote she said that they all listened to each other on the floor and they were all surprised at just how often those two words passed their lips,  Anyway, it turned out for the best because they all make a concentrated effort to use folks, ladies, whatever is called for.

6/14/2013 Euphoria is Short Lived!

(Tucson, AZ)

We felt so good when we went to bed last night.  Our leaks were fixed, our jacks will hold us up, we’re able to move on.  Ninety three days here at Lazy Days and we were finally free!

I was eating my bagel this morning when Bob went outside.  A few minutes later he came back and literally looked sick to his stomach.  He looked at me with this very pained expression and said those four words I never wanted to hear.  “We have a leak.”  I looked at him and all I could say was, ‘No!”  We both went on and on for a few minutes about how confident we were that this was past us.

Once I got over the shock I immediately reached for my phone.  I was calling Bob Tiedge of Lippert.  Of course he wasn’t there he was still in the air flying back to Indiana.  I stressed to the operator on the other end that she was to get a message to him ASAP.  She assured me that as soon as he landed and turned his phone on he would have an email with a message to call us ASAP.  I gave her my number and once again we were waiting.  Two hours later my phone rang.  It was Bob.  He asked what was up and I just said, “We have a leak and the jacks have fallen an eighth of an inch so far.”  He instructed us to keep an eye on it and to measure it again when the sun went down.  If it fell anymore we were to call right away.  If not, keep an eye on the hydraulic fluid and he would call us Monday morning. 

I’m a firm believer in everything happens for a reason.  God wants us here for some reason.  I just wish I knew why.

We had Ronnie over for dinner this evening.  Ronnie works here at Lazy Days and he and Bob have become friends over the past three months.  We had skewered beef and shrimp on the grill with potato salad and a garden  salad.  It was really too hot eat but none of had eaten much of anything through the day and we had to.

It looks like we’ll be here until Monday to see how things stand then.

 

6/13/2013 Service Bay Time Again!

(Tucson, AZ)

Bob Tiedge arrived late afternoon yesterday and stopped by for a few minutes with Dennis the head service tech.  He looked the situation over and seemed very confident that he knew what was wrong and that he could fix it.  We hope so.

We got up early this morning because we had to have the rig ready to roll by 8a.m..  Right on time they came after it.

We have to move to a different site today because Lazy Days is having an RV sale blowout weekend.  Since we are in the front row they want us moved.  You have no idea what restraint it took us not to go up to potential buyers and warn them about Lazy Days service,,,or lack thereof.  But we didn’t, we behaved ourselves.  So we moved our dish and hoses and chairs and everything else over to the new site we picked out.  Luckily we were able to choose our own and we took the time to look for one with a good sized shade tree on the refrigerator side of the rig.  The heat is bad enough but to have the sun shining on the area where the fridge is doesn’t help.

When we finished up with our move we headed towards the air base to keep our ID appointment.  We arrived a bit early but the waiting room was well air conditioned so we didn’t mind waiting a bit.  Right at ten o’clock our names were called.  Fifteen minutes later we were walking out the door, ID’s in hand.  Bob doesn’t have to have his renewed again and I’m good for another four years.

We stopped at the Base Exchange to look around to pass some time.  From there we went to the base FamCamp to check it out. It was ok, nothing to write home about.  We’ve been in nicer….and worse.

A stop at the grocery store was next for the usual beer and Pepsi run.  A hundred dollars later…..

With nowhere else to go and nothing else to do we headed back to the campground.  Much to our surprise they were pulling our 5th wheel out of the service bay when we arrived.  We stopped to let them know that we were changing sites today and to give them our new site number.

A short time later it was delivered and Mr. Tiedge came over to talk with us.  He says we’re fixed!  We’re good to go!  No more leaks!  Hooray!  We can get out of Tucson!  During out talk it came out that not only is he able to work on this system, are you ready for this(?), he is the DESIGNER of the Level Up System on our 5th wheel.  I immediately went back in my mind to my conversation with him on the phone when I asked him if he was a mechanic! 

He explained to us that he has invented many things using hydraulics including one piece of machinery he invented for an orthopedic surgeon friend of his.  The two were having a conversation one day and the doctor was saying that he wished there was such a thing as an underwater treadmill.  The doctor explained that a treadmill is good for his hip replacement patients but not practical because of the pressure on the joints and such, if only they could make one for underwater.  The wheels got to turning in Bob Tiedge’s head and the next thing you know he invents one using hydraulics and not electricity which of course is a no-no in the world of water.  Today, rehab centers across the country have underwater treadmills thanks to this fellow.

When he left us he told me that if we have any problems at all with the Level Up system to call him right away.  I assured him I WOULD!

Bob asked me as soon as he was out of sight, “How old did you think he was?”  I looked at Bob and said, “I would have bet my bottom dollar he was my age or even a year or two younger!”  Bob came back with, “Yep, I would have said late 50’s too.”  Why did this conversation take place?  Because the man is 72 years old!  You'd never know it to look at him!  He told us that he has retired twice already and then someone will call him and tell him that they need this or that and this gets his creative hydraulic juices flowing and the next thing you know he’s working fulltime again.  Such is the case with the Level Up System for Lippert.  He retired once from this company and they called him back for this new system.

Bob and I are feeling confident that our problems with this system are over now.  We feel relieved to say the least.

Remember that I told you we had to move to a new site?  We’re now staying at the corner lot of…..



…..yep, WooHoo and Jazzed!  After today, this is appropriate!
 

6/8/–6/12/2013 In These Five Days….

(Tucson, AZ)

….we had company, spent hours at the pool, went shopping, BBQ’ed and complained how hot it was.

The weekend was like any other, we hung out at our site, I sat at the pool for a couple of hours each day, we cooked our meal on the grill and watched TV in the evenings.
Bob Tiedge from Lippert called first thing this morning and he’ll be here on Thursday.  He is having parts shipped so that they’ll be here when he arrives.  Maybe he is a mechanic…..

Fred arrived on Monday to take care of some things with his motorhome.   I don’t think I ever told you what happened with our friend.  Fred and his wife Cindy were traveling from New Mexico (if I remember correctly) to California.  They developed engine trouble just over the Arizona border and were towed to Lazy Days.  Now it was imperative that Cindy get to California because she had accepted a nursing assignment there.  She had a bit of time so she stayed the first week with Fred in Lazy Days thinking they would be fixed and on the road again.    

HA HA HA!!!

It seems as though their water pump died.  In the process of replacing it the technician broke off two bolts which dropped down into the engine.  To be honest, I don’t know what they dropped into, into what part that is.  I just know that it killed the engine.  Killed, in that the engine will never run again.  Now here is where Fred and Cindy’s problems really start.  Lazy Days/Tucson tells them that the city of Tucson does not require them to carry insurance to cover things like this.  Sorry about your luck Fred and Cindy, but hey, we’ll be glad to replace the engine for $25,000!  Of course Fred strongly objected when told “sorry ‘bout your luck” but it was pointed out on the service agreement he signed that it said Lazy Days/Tucson will not be held responsible for any damage they cause.  My question is, how in the hell do they get away with this?  Fred had numerous meetings with the powers to be here, all to no avail.  Fred and Cindy will now have to go to great expense to hire an attorney and may find out the service agreement he signed is ironclad with no loopholes.  We're hoping not.  I suggested he write to Good Sam’s Highways Magazine and ask for help from their Action Line.  They have helped so many RV’er’s with problems they have with big companies.  The big companies sing a different tune when contacted by Good Sam because they certainly don’t want to gain an unfavorable reputation with the hundreds of thousands of RV’ers out here.  It certainly can’t hurt.  If his letter is chosen for publication and Lazy Days still refuses to budge on fixing the problem they caused, everyone will read it and the word will spread like wild fire.   As it should.  I’ll keep you posted as I hear what happens.

Anyway, we had a great visit with Fred and enjoyed having him join us for dinner.  He left us in the early evening and went to his motor home to get a few hours sleep before getting up to drive through the night to go home.  He'll sleep during the day and drive at night when its much cooler.  Since they are full-timers, like us, they have had to rent an apartment until this issue with their motorhome is resolved.

We’re hitting the century mark every day in the temps.  Here’s some ways that you know you are in Arizona in June!

You no longer associate bridges (or rivers) with water.

You can say 110 degrees without fainting.

You eat hot chilies to cool your mouth off.
  
You can make instant sun tea.

You learn that a seat belt makes a pretty good branding iron.  I can attest to this!

The temperature drops below 95, you feel a bit chilly.

You discover that it takes only 2 fingers to drive your car.  Yes, Bob can do this!

You can get a sunburn through your car window.
You notice the best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance.  Absolutely!

Hot water now comes out of both taps.   YES!

It's noon, kids are on summer vacation, and not one person is out on the streets.

You actually burn your hand opening the car door.

You break a sweat the instant you step outside at 7:30 a.m. to get the newspaper.
No one would dream of putting vinyl upholstery in a car or not having air conditioning.  Actually, we have leather and you can burn the skin off your thighs! 

Your biggest bicycle wreck fear is, "What if I get knocked out and end up lying on the pavement and cook to death?"
   You realize that asphalt has a liquid state.

All of the above are true.  We’re in the 106° to 109° range right now but the weatherman is talking 110°and above in the next week.  WHY are we here????

You know what’s funny?  As hot as it is, we do NOT use the air conditioning in the truck.  As a rule we don’t like air conditioning so I guess that’s why.  I have taken notice that we are the only ones with our windows down.

Our sunset one evening.









 

6/7/2013 The Wait is Over, We’re Getting’ Action

(Tucson, AZ)

We didn’t have to wait long for the phone call to come this morning.  By 8:30 we were talkin’ and feeling good about what we were hearing.

Bob Tiedge (tee-gee) called and introduced himself and wanted to know what was going on.  He made the mistake of saying to me, “Start at the beginning.”  So I did.  Oh boy, did I ever!  I didn’t leave out anything as far as the Lippert problems we had been having. 

He listened patiently and said, “I just got into the office after being gone for a few days and I need to look at my calendar to see when I can fly out to see you next week.’ 

ME: “I appreciate that you want to fly out here, really I do, but are you a mechanic?” 
HIM: “Some people like to think I am.” 

ME;  “Again, I appreciate your help but I would feel a whole lot better if you would send someone out who is a mechanic and knows how to fix this thing.  Enough is enough and we want to get out of here.”

HIM:  “Just give me a chance, that’s all I ask, just give me a chance.”

ME:  “I don’t really have any choice do I?”

HIM”  “I’ll call you Monday morning and let you know my schedule.”

ME:  “Ok, thanks for calling.”

So there we are.  Waiting. Again. Still. Always waiting.

Life went on as usual.  We decided to go to the base and get our ID’s taken care of.  It took us a little while to find the building we wanted and even longer to find a place to park The Beast.  We got inside only to find that we had an hour and a half wait at the very least.  An announcement was made in this very crowded room that anyone who wanted to make an appointment was free to do so and come back on another day.  Bob and I debated on what to do and finally decided on the appointment.  We aren’t good wait-ers.  We went to the desk to see if we could get an appointment for later in the day or even Monday.  Well, were we in for a surprise.  We were given an appointment for next Thursday.  We took it, its not like we’re aren’t going to be here.

We stopped at the store for a few things on the way back to the campground and settled in the for the rest of the day.

Our friend who left a week or so ago, Fred, called and said that he would be back on Monday to take care of some things with his rig.  We told him to plan on dinner with us.  We’ll be glad to see Fred again, we both like him a lot.

So, once again we’re waiting for a phone call.


 

6/6/2013 Silence is NOT Golden

(Tucson, AZ)

I hate to wait.  Bob isn’t too fond of it either.  We first waited to hear from Dennis, the head service tech here at Lazy Days, to find out what he heard from Lippert.
 
Around 8:30 Dennis stopped by to let us know that he had received an email from the fellow at Lippert and that was going to call us.  This was good news.
 
We each kept our phones close by and waited.  And waited.  We went about our day as usual.  Bob puttered around the truck and storage areas and then putted the afternoon away in his golf game on the computer.  I went to the pool.
 
The temps are really rising here now and we’re over a hundred every day.  I only lasted about two hours at the pool and had to go home.  The sun is just too intense.  That said, I’m working a nice tan.
 
At three I called Dennis and left a message that we hadn’t heard anything from Lippert yet.  I called him again at five to let him know that there was no phone call today.  He called me back at six and read the email he received and no actual date or time was given as to when the call would be made.  Oh great!  It could be a month from now!
 
Ronnie, one of the Lazy Day lot guys, came over after his work day was done and sat the shot the breeze with Bob.  These two have struck a nice friendship.  Bob is very careful not to talk “shop” with Ronnie because he doesn’t want to put him in an awkward position.  With Ronnie being from Florida coast, they talk fishing, and also being prior service they talk military stuff.  And RVs, they talk a lot about RV’s since this is Ronnie’s line of work.
 
Will the phone call come tomorrow..….or not?

6/5/2013 Our Big Meeting

(Tucson, AZ)

We had expected our meeting to take place early in the day since the head service guy for Lazy Days was to arrive this morning.  That wasn’t the case.

Time was dragging waiting for him so Bob decided to go to the store for a few things and I headed to the pool.  Finally at 1:30 he called my cell phone.  He was onsite and would be over in ten minutes.  I asked him to give me fifteen because I was at the pool and Bob had run to the store.  He suggested we meet at three giving me time at the pool, Bob to finish up at the store and get home and he had some things he could do.  That worked for all concerned.

Right on time he and Dennis, the head service tech arrived at our camp site.  Now Bob had seen Dennis around before and had a nodding acquaintance with him but I had never seen this guy before.

I was inside the first two minutes they were here so Bob was in the full swing of things explaining our problem when I arrived on the scene.  They patiently listened and then the smoke and mirrors started.  Mr. Tickle, from Tampa, started with how sorry he was we were having these problems but sometimes, try as they might. they just can’t duplicate it.  What????  You don’t have to duplicate the problem.  It’s ongoing.  Every.  Day.  It’s a LEAK for heavens sake.  Just go LOOK,,,FEEL,,,it’s there for you, in living color!  See the reservoir Mr. Tickle?  It’s near empty.  Bob went on to explain that after the last day it was in for service he had to add one and a half quarts of hydraulic fluid.  Dennis spoke for the first time at this point and defensively said, “What are you trying to say?”  We had the feeling he thought Bob was saying it was neglect on their part by not adding the fluid.  That wasn’t the case at all, we knew it was filled because if you know Bob you know that he looked at everything when we got the rig back.  Bob said to Dennis, “I’m not saying anything, I’m asking where did the fluid go?”  They both looked at us blankly.  Actually, they looked like deer caught in the headlights.  They were now between a rock and a hard place and they knew it.  I spoke up at this point and told them that the very first tech we had, Dan, told us that there were two leaks.  Dan quit a few days after we got there so this was never followed up on even though it was brought to the attention of our service writer and our new technician, Eduardo, on several occasions.  No one listened to us.  Yes, there were leaks at the hose connections but that is a slow drip and certainly not a quart and half’s worth in 16 hours!  We kept saying, “Drop the belly, pull the insulation down and you’re going to find wet insulation.  They wouldn’t do it.  We get that no one wants to work with insulation, especially in this heat, laying on your back and working with your arms extended for what could be hours.  We get that.  But darn it, we have a leak and it needs to be fixed!

It was suggested that Lippert, the designer and the manufacturer of this hydraulic system be called for suggestions on what to do next.  WHAT????   All this time you couldn’t fix it and the manufacturer was never called?  Bob and I just looked at each other.  I spoke up again.  “That’s an excellent idea!  In fact, I think a mechanic from Lippert should fly in and work on this now because I no longer have any confidence in the service techs here.”  Well, that didn’t go over very well as you can imagine.  

I wasn’t liking the silent attitude I was getting so I decided to go in for the kill.

“Mr. Tickle, while I have you here, I think there is something else you should know.  Though it wasn’t said directly to us, it was overheard by one of the friends we’ve made here and it got back to us.  Since we have spent considerable time in your parking lot before moving to the campground, Bob and I have been referred to as SQUATTERS by some on staff here”  Need I even tell you that Mr. Tickle’s eyes got as big as saucers?   Bob got a glance in at Dennis and he said the blood just drained from Dennis’ face.   “Oh, Mrs. Quinn, that is totally not acceptable and I can assure you we certainly do not think of our guests that way!  I will be sure to talk to the entire staff about this.  No ma’am, this is NOT acceptable and I apologize on behalf of Lazy Days.”  I went on…..  “Mr. Tickle, its not bad enough that someone, or some people, refer to customers who stay in your parking lot as SQUATTERS, but they said it about someone who writes an RV travel blog!”  I thought we were going to have to call an ambulance.  Dennis’ entire upper body was now devoid of any blood at all and Mr. Tickle looked like,,,,well, he looked like he just wanted to say, “Oh please, just shoot me now.”  Needless to say tunes were changed in an instance.  The next sentence we heard came from Mr. Tickle.  “Mr & Mrs Quinn, you are our top priority!  Dennis, you call Lippert first thing tomorrow morning and if you can’t get anyone call Tampa and we’ll call the higher ups to get the ball rolling.”   My, my, my, how tunes have changed.

Dennis assured us he would call us as soon as he talked with the Lippert Company to let us know what the next step is.

Bob and I thanked them both for their time, waved goodbye, went inside,and high-fived!

Things are gonna change now!

6/4/2013 I’m Mad As Hell and Not Going to Take It Anymore!

(Tucson, AZ)

We spent this morning just letting this latest development sink in.  Another week.  Still leaking.  Starting over.  Probably waiting for parts.  Living on a blacktop parking lot again.  On the bright side, we’ll be right across the street so it won’t be noticed that I’m still frequenting the pool area.  Heck, we’re practically residents here anyway so it will still be normal to see us around!  We’ll have new eyes  looking at the situation.

Around one I just had to get away from the house.  There doesn’t seem to be any bright side for Bob and I needed to get away for awhile so I went to the pool.  I tried to read my book but I just couldn’t get into it.  I sat there and thought about this situation we’re finding ourselves in and the more I thought about it the madder I got!  It’s official….I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!  No siree!  It’s time for action.  It’s time to be heard!

I grabbed my cell phone and called the Lazy Days switchboard.  When the operator answered I told her I wanted to talk to the head honcho, the big cheese, the top dog.  She told me that they were in fact in between general managers, that the one who was there was no longer and the new person had  not arrived as yet.  A brick wall!  She said that I sounded as though maybe I were a bit upset and if I told her if it was a sales or service problem she could put in touch with that particular department manager.  I replied that it was a service problem and she came back with, “I’ll be happy to connect you with our service manager Ed Crowley.”  I told her that I’d enough of him and that wouldn’t do me any good.  She then suggested that she patch me through to the Tampa location and I could talk to the CEO or the head service manager.  Oh heck, I’m not foolin’ around here, I’m going for the CEO!  As it turns out he wasn’t available.  Darn it.  I had to settle for the head service manager.  Turns out I got the 2nd in command but I didn’t know that at the time.  I started my call with, “Don’t say anything, don’t hang up on me, I need to talk and I need you to listen,”  I heard a very nice voice on the other end assuring me that he would be glad to listen if I would just tell him my name.  Oh.  Well, ok,  I gave my name and I started from the beginning.  When I got done, or maybe just out of breath, he told me that Bill Tickle, the Service Manager for Lazy Days would be flying into Tucson the next morning and that he would be meeting with Bob and I at our campsite, which site were we in?  Whoa!  I hung up and just looked at my phone.  OMG, what had I just done?  Then it hit me.  This trip was already planned and he was coming to Tucson regardless.  I have to admit, I felt all powerful there for a few minutes.  Damn reality!  I called Bob and let him know what I had done and who was coming.  His spirits lifted immediately.  Perhaps something could/would
be done now.

It’s a common question here at the pool to ask if you are here for vacation or service.  Most times, this time of year, its because of service.  I mean who comes to Tucson in June?  The next most asked question is, “How many days have you been here?”  I love to be asked this!  Today a new couple was at the pool and of course the why are you here question came up.  They were here for service and would be here 2 or 3 days,,,,tops.   I just smiled.  “And you?'” they asked.  I watched for the look on their faces when I told them that today the magic number was eighty four!  “EIGHTY FOUR DAYS???” they said in unison,  I gave a shortened version of our story and they shook their heads in disbelief. 

It’s too hot to eat a big meal or even a small hot meal, so we did the sandwich thing this evening.   I don't how we are ever going to get used to this heat.

Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

6/3/2013 Oh. NO!

(Tucson, AZ)

While I was getting ready this morning to go to the air force base nearby for ID cards, Bob went outside to start enjoying the day.

He came rushing in and said, “You aren’t going to believe this!”  He startled me to begin with so I didn’t get into the guessing game and just said “What?”  He replied, “The 5th wheel is sitting on the jacks.”  Oh. NO!  The system had failed again.  The hoses were leaking again or maybe I should say ….  still!

We put the idea of the air base out of our minds without even realizing it.

What do we do now?  First things first.  I called the campground office and extended our stay for a few more days.

We have absolutely no confidence in the service techs here.  We put a call into Lippert to find out who they recommended in this area.  They gave us a choice of two, one in Lake Havasu, quite a haul from here and La Mesa RV which is directly across the street.  I called the service department at La Mesa and got an appointment a week from today.  Oh great, another week here.
 
Not only do we have the hot weather to deal with, monsoon season is right around the corner.  Monsoon season, known for its high winds, torrential downpours and lots of lightning strikes, not to mention the flooding, starts on June 15th.  We so did not want to be here during monsoon season.  Much like hurricane season is a big deal where we’re from, here in Arizona June 9th through the 15th is Monsoon Awareness Week.  If something has its own awareness week you know it can’t be a fun time!

So here we are, starting over with a new service department, practically melting when we walk outside due to the 109 degree days and monsoon season is bearing down on us.

Life is good!  Isn’t it?

6/2/2013 We Go to a Lumberjack Festival

(Tucson, AZ)

I get Living Social offers in my email everyday. 

Actually I get two because I get one for Tucson and one for Wilmington/Newark so I can keep up on the offers there.  If I see one for a restaurant in Delaware that I knew I my parents frequented I would buy several offers and send them to them.

On Friday there was a an offer for buy one ticket get one free for a Lumberjack Festival.   We needed something to do, that’s for sure, so we took the offer.

I don’t know what we were thinking this was going to be but we didn’t expect to be in a parking lot of a restaurant on the edge of a large shopping complex.  Only in Arizona.

So we made our way to The Lodge – Sasquatch Kitchen.


 
How they got their name.

 
This Lumberjack Festival was a fundraiser for Jared Allen's Home for Wounded Warriors.  In case the name Jared Allen is familiar to you, he is the All-Star Defensive End of the Minnesota Vikings and has created his own charity to build homes for our wounded Heroes coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan.  All the proceeds today went to this worthy cause.

A local car dealership donated not one but three cars to the event.  I found out later that unless someone, whose ticket was picked from the ones bought for a donation, threw a football from 100 feet through the open window of the car then the car went back to the dealership,  One try to get the football through the window was given.  Needless to say the cars went back to the dealership.

There were games for the kids, there was a DJ, a moon bounce type thing, again for the kids.  Food, a beer stand and of course the Lumberjacks.  The show was put on by Timberworks Lumberjack Shows.



The two lumberjacks performed several lumberjack events.

They sawed on a log to see which one could cut through the log first.


 

After this these lumberjacks tried their hand at axe throwing.

Getting ready to throw…..

 

 

 
Through the air it flew……


 
They always hit the target.


 
Next was chopping down a portion of the log while standing on a board wedged into the bottom part of the tree….if that makes sense.  Look at the picture you’ll understand.

 

 
From here it was onto tree pole climbing.

 
Then came the event that everyone was hoping they’d call for volunteers.  Can you guess?  How about log rolling?  We all wanted to jump in that pool, after all it was…….



……yes, one hundred and nine degrees!  Can you say….hotter than hell?

The log rolling was fun to watch but I would have volunteered in a New York minute!  (I think that’s faster than an Arizona minute)





This event was the final one for this show and we beat feet into the restaurant to get a cold drink and soak up some much needed air conditioning.

The restaurant is a typical sports bar with TV’s everywhere tuned to, well, sports.  This restaurant is known for having the best hamburgers in Tucson.  I know the ones that were walked by us were sure tasty looking.

We’re glad we went as we certainly wanted to support this charity event.  It was an entertaining, albeit hot, way to spend an afternoon.

We didn’t even want to think about cooking so we stopped at the store and bought cold cuts for sandwiches later.  It’s even too hot to eat.

Since we’re only five minutes from the air base we’re going to run over in the morning to get our ID’s and head to Arizona City.  We will be so glad to finally be out of here.

6/1/2013 Washing & Waxing Day

(Tucson, AZ)

We put everything away and got the 5th wheel ready for travel.  We didn’t go far, maybe 300 feet.

Our friends Bonnie & Steve had gotten their rig washed and waxed and it looked beautiful, like it had just come off the showroom floor.  The people here use a swirl free wax. 

We had our 5th wheel washed and waxed when we were still in Quail Run but we weren’t happy with the job.  Steve and Bonnie had also gotten their coach done by the same people and they too were less than satisfied with the job performed.

So we took our filthy, dirty house over for a good cleaning.   We even had the carpets cleaned since Lazy Days comp’ed us the wash part of the work.  Yes, I went and asked for a wash on the house.  It was given with no hesitation.



We dropped it off and went to run some errands.



We returned a few hours later and it was ready.  Kinda, sorta.  As we walked around the rig we noticed these brown splotches and pointed them out to the fella on duty.  He grabbed a rag and ladder and got on with rubbing it out.  The more he did the more we saw.  He finally told us to over to the lounge and he would find us when it was done.  He wasn’t going to fool with a spot here and a spot there, he re-waxed the entire side.  We didn’t see any spots on either end or the other side.  Service with a smile from the detail department.  Forty five minutes later he came to get us and it looked beautiful!  See how shiny it is!



We went inside to look at the carpets and they came out beautifully.  We both vowed to be very careful about walking on them with shoes.  We’ll see.  I wear flip flops most of the time so it won’t be a problem for me.

At the end of the day I heard Bob say, “Oh no, do you know what we didn’t do?”  I couldn’t think of anything and Bob said, We never got our military ID’s renewed.  Oh darn…that’s something we have to get done as mine runs out very soon.

Plan A   Change 98?