(Arizona City, AZ)
Well. Plans get made. Plans get changed. Indiana is out and I have to tell you I’m not sorry.
The last couple of days, unbeknownst to me, Bob has been mulling over this trip to the factory. He did the route, the stops, found campgrounds/Elks Lodges along the way, calculated the cost of said campgrounds, figured the mileage, estimated the fuel costs and wasn’t happy with total he came up with. Nearly two thousand dollars, round trip.
He explained how he saw things to me and I totally agreed! Our rig is still under warranty, rather than go to the factory on our dime (ten dollars?) he found a dealership in Mesa. I contacted the place, and yes, they could fix our problems they said.
I emailed my buddies at the factory and let them know that weren’t going to be coming after all and that we had found a place locally that says they could take care of us. Of course I made sure that, if in fact, this dealership can’t fix our problem then we still have the option open for a springtime visit if need be. I told then that since the problems we have are ongoing and well documented that it would only be fair to us. They agreed.
So now, we’re staying here, in the heat. We have an appointment to take the rig to Mesa on September 3rd. Keep your fingers crossed that we can get things taken care of once and for all.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
8/23- 8/26/2013 Cleaning Things Out!
(Arizona City, AZ)
(Arizona City, AZ)
We’re finally down to a comfortable seventy six degrees in the house. Its totally unbearable outside. If we say it once a day, we say it a dozen, “How do people live here all the time?” It just baffles us but then we figure they go from an air conditioned house to air conditioned car to air conditioned work back to the car and back to the house. These people must live indoors!
Bob has decided that hot weather or no he had to get the shed cleaned out. He started early morning and emptied it. He sorted as he started putting things back. He found places for everything and started two bins for me. In these bins are things like this.
A desktop lighted water feature. I didn’t even know we had this!
Fishing shoes! Well, that what’s I call them. They go on your shoes so you can stand on the rocks and keep a good footing. Bob doesn’t fish the rocks anymore.
A Euro Chopper! I have no idea where this came from or how long we’ve had it.
How about this brand new, still in the packaging gun caddy.
We found this yard flag that’s all about Mr. Fixit. We bought this with the idea in mind that we would hang it out and let people know that Bob was pretty handy, which is putting it in the simplest term possible, and then he would pick up side jobs. It’s never been out of the plastic bag until now and I truly shudder to think what we paid for this thing! Actually, the price tag is still on it and I wonder, “What the hell were we thinking?”
So why do I have pictures of all these things? One four letter word,,,,,EBAY! We did so well with EBAY when we were preparing to go on the road that we decided to try it again. Sure beats throwing this perfectly good stuff away and I absolutely refuse to give a thing to Goodwill.
So, I’ve taken pictures of all the things we’re going to put on EBAY. Of course this won’t happen until we we get back from Indiana, whenever that may be, but in the meantime I’m writing up the descriptions and getting prepared.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
8/22/2013 It’s Hot in the Desert in August!
(Arizona City, AZ)
Whoo boy is it ever hot here! By morning the house was cooled down to 82 which is downright comfortable compared to the 110 degrees under our carport or the 115 out in the sun.
I pulled the rest of the dust covers off furniture we hadn’t used yet and made a grocery list to get us through the next week that we’ll be here.
While I was doing that Bob took a ride over to the storage facility to check on our 5th wheel and when he came back he said he was glad that he had put the jack stands under the frame because sure enough the hydraulic system failed, yet again, while we were in Delaware. The 5th wheel was resting on them in the front. Other than that everything looked good.
We made a trip into town so I could go to the grocery store and Bob could pick up a few things he needed from Lowe’s.
We’ve got a busy week ahead of us since the park model has to be ready for our friends to come stay in it in December. While we certainly don’t want to be in Indiana much past mid October, and preferably out of there by the beginning of October, well, you just never know. I mean, who ever thought we would be in Lazy Days Tucson for 97 days!
It is our hope that we’ll get in and get out of the factory in a short amount of time because we have several things we’d like to get done to the park model before the season starts. Of course to do this we have to be here.
Neither one of us is looking forward to this trip to Indiana. It’s a long way to go for what hopefully will be a short time and then turn around and come back. It has to be done, we don’t have a choice.
After our errands we just hung around inside rest if the afternoon. It’s even too hot to go to the pool!
Whoo boy is it ever hot here! By morning the house was cooled down to 82 which is downright comfortable compared to the 110 degrees under our carport or the 115 out in the sun.
I pulled the rest of the dust covers off furniture we hadn’t used yet and made a grocery list to get us through the next week that we’ll be here.
While I was doing that Bob took a ride over to the storage facility to check on our 5th wheel and when he came back he said he was glad that he had put the jack stands under the frame because sure enough the hydraulic system failed, yet again, while we were in Delaware. The 5th wheel was resting on them in the front. Other than that everything looked good.
We made a trip into town so I could go to the grocery store and Bob could pick up a few things he needed from Lowe’s.
We’ve got a busy week ahead of us since the park model has to be ready for our friends to come stay in it in December. While we certainly don’t want to be in Indiana much past mid October, and preferably out of there by the beginning of October, well, you just never know. I mean, who ever thought we would be in Lazy Days Tucson for 97 days!
It is our hope that we’ll get in and get out of the factory in a short amount of time because we have several things we’d like to get done to the park model before the season starts. Of course to do this we have to be here.
Neither one of us is looking forward to this trip to Indiana. It’s a long way to go for what hopefully will be a short time and then turn around and come back. It has to be done, we don’t have a choice.
After our errands we just hung around inside rest if the afternoon. It’s even too hot to go to the pool!
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
8/21/2013 We’re Lea-vin’ On a Jet Plane
(Wilmington, DE – Atlanta, GA – Arizona City, AZ)
…and we DO know when we’ll be back again. Next summer or the minute my mom needs me/us.
Our shuttle was supposed to come for us 9:45a.m. but showed up at 9:30 instead. We were ready but I wasn’t happy about losing that 15 minutes more I could have had with my mom.
Bob said his so long’s and once again it was just me and mom. She looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, “Snookie, I’m not going to cry!” I sucked it up and replied, “Neither am I!” We hugged each other tight and I told her that if the winter got to be too much for her alone to call me and I’ll be home for a two week visit anytime she wants me. With that I went out the door. I’m so glad she walked down a few steps and that my last view of her wasn’t framed by the doorway. I would have never left if that was the case.
We made it to Philly airport in record time. Our shuttle driver was just delightful and kept a conversation going all the time so the time just seemed to speed by.
I had booked us aisle seats going back to Arizona and the plane didn’t change so we were comfortable on both legs of our trip back to Arizona.
On our way to Atlanta I sat next to this fellow who was very nice and talkative. On several occasions I made mention of him going back to school or being on summer break. Finally he laughed and said, “Just how old do you think I am?” I looked at him good, taking into consideration his Phillies baseball cap and the T-shirt that said I Grew Up on Tastykakes! Mid-Atlantic state residents will “get that”. I told him that I would guess his age at 21 or 22. He then said, “YOU are my new best friend!” He proceeded to tell me he was 44. I called him a liar. He showed me his driver’s license. I was beyond dumbfounded. This guy came from a family with not good, but GREAT genes! He told me he gets carded all the time when he goes to bars. I have no doubt.
We had an hour and a half layover in Atlanta and my seat buddy went on for his connection to Washington state. Our time in Atlanta was uneventful and passed quickly.
The last leg of our trip, Atlanta to Phoenix, was a smooth flight and had an even smoother landing. When we were in Philadelphia they asked for volunteers to check bags so the overhead storage areas wouldn’t be so crowded. We jumped at that because its really a pain to get your carryon luggage up in the bins, and down again, especially if you have to change planes like we were. Let them worry about our luggage. Little did we know that everyone we were traveling with and who had checked their luggage had black and navy blue luggage with no distinguishing tags or such for easy retrieval….just like us. Baggage finally claimed, I called our shuttle person who was waiting in the cell phone lot for us to call. Within minutes we were on way back to Quail Run.
We let ourselves into the park model and immediately looked at our indoor thermometer. Ninety six degrees! Bob set to task to get our AC uncovered and up and running. We knew the AC wouldn't shut off all night. And it didn’t.
By the time we went to bed it was a cool 88 degrees in our house.
We also didn’t have anything to eat. No bread, nothing in the freezer we could throw in the microwave. Nothing. Oh well, its not like we were going to die if we missed a meal. Unfortunately, we hadn’t eaten anything all day, not since we grabbed a donut and bagel this morning in Philly airport. A trip to the grocery store will be in order tomorrow!
It’s good to be home,,,,I guess
…and we DO know when we’ll be back again. Next summer or the minute my mom needs me/us.
Our shuttle was supposed to come for us 9:45a.m. but showed up at 9:30 instead. We were ready but I wasn’t happy about losing that 15 minutes more I could have had with my mom.
Bob said his so long’s and once again it was just me and mom. She looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, “Snookie, I’m not going to cry!” I sucked it up and replied, “Neither am I!” We hugged each other tight and I told her that if the winter got to be too much for her alone to call me and I’ll be home for a two week visit anytime she wants me. With that I went out the door. I’m so glad she walked down a few steps and that my last view of her wasn’t framed by the doorway. I would have never left if that was the case.
We made it to Philly airport in record time. Our shuttle driver was just delightful and kept a conversation going all the time so the time just seemed to speed by.
I had booked us aisle seats going back to Arizona and the plane didn’t change so we were comfortable on both legs of our trip back to Arizona.
On our way to Atlanta I sat next to this fellow who was very nice and talkative. On several occasions I made mention of him going back to school or being on summer break. Finally he laughed and said, “Just how old do you think I am?” I looked at him good, taking into consideration his Phillies baseball cap and the T-shirt that said I Grew Up on Tastykakes! Mid-Atlantic state residents will “get that”. I told him that I would guess his age at 21 or 22. He then said, “YOU are my new best friend!” He proceeded to tell me he was 44. I called him a liar. He showed me his driver’s license. I was beyond dumbfounded. This guy came from a family with not good, but GREAT genes! He told me he gets carded all the time when he goes to bars. I have no doubt.
We had an hour and a half layover in Atlanta and my seat buddy went on for his connection to Washington state. Our time in Atlanta was uneventful and passed quickly.
The last leg of our trip, Atlanta to Phoenix, was a smooth flight and had an even smoother landing. When we were in Philadelphia they asked for volunteers to check bags so the overhead storage areas wouldn’t be so crowded. We jumped at that because its really a pain to get your carryon luggage up in the bins, and down again, especially if you have to change planes like we were. Let them worry about our luggage. Little did we know that everyone we were traveling with and who had checked their luggage had black and navy blue luggage with no distinguishing tags or such for easy retrieval….just like us. Baggage finally claimed, I called our shuttle person who was waiting in the cell phone lot for us to call. Within minutes we were on way back to Quail Run.
We let ourselves into the park model and immediately looked at our indoor thermometer. Ninety six degrees! Bob set to task to get our AC uncovered and up and running. We knew the AC wouldn't shut off all night. And it didn’t.
By the time we went to bed it was a cool 88 degrees in our house.
We also didn’t have anything to eat. No bread, nothing in the freezer we could throw in the microwave. Nothing. Oh well, its not like we were going to die if we missed a meal. Unfortunately, we hadn’t eaten anything all day, not since we grabbed a donut and bagel this morning in Philly airport. A trip to the grocery store will be in order tomorrow!
It’s good to be home,,,,I guess
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
8/20/2013 Bob’s Birthday Dinner
(Wilmington, DE)
Our last full day here.
We started our day out with a couple of hours with my our great niece Cassidy. She, or her sister Talia, normally come on Thursday’s but with a change in plans of their parents schedules we were able to get one more day in with this little one.
This is the part I don’t like about not living here anymore. I miss out on so much with the youngsters in the family. They grow so much between our visits and the youngest ones have to learn who we are all over again.
This afternoon was consumed by packing, running to the post office to mail off what we couldn’t fit in the suitcases,,,,darn you Boscov’s,,,and soaking up every minute with Mom.
I also firmed up plans for shuttles to take us to the airport and to pick us up on the other end.
Since we aren’t going to be here on Bob’s birthday this year, Mom took us out to dinner to celebrate tonight. As usual the one who is celebrating their birthday gets to pick the restaurant. In years past each of us has always picked Michael’s but this year Bob opted to change his usual pick and we went to Red Lobster for their all you can eat shrimp special. Mom and I both ordered the garlic shrimp and let me tell you, you can only eat just so many garlic shrimp! They were good but the garlic was a tad overbearing. Someone must have been a little heavy handed with the garlic seasoning. I forget how Bob ordered his shrimp but the waitress had to bring three plates before he declared himself full.
After dinner, back at home, Bob settled in for some TV and mom and I settled into jammies and worked on a puzzle we had going. We had started it in the dining room on the table there and just pulled the tablecloth over it when we were done. Mom decided that she wanted the puzzle on her puzzle board that she has so that she can take it to the front porch and work on it there if she wants to. I never gave that a thought when I put all the pieces out on the dining room table and started and getting the outside edges together. So how does one get a partially put together puzzle and its pieces from one area to the next? By spatula of course!
Hey, don’t laugh, it worked for us!
Mom and I stayed up until the wee hours, talking about my dad, what she’ll do this winter to keep busy and how hot its going to be in Arizona in August!
I hate leaving tomorrow!
Our last full day here.
We started our day out with a couple of hours with my our great niece Cassidy. She, or her sister Talia, normally come on Thursday’s but with a change in plans of their parents schedules we were able to get one more day in with this little one.
This is the part I don’t like about not living here anymore. I miss out on so much with the youngsters in the family. They grow so much between our visits and the youngest ones have to learn who we are all over again.
This afternoon was consumed by packing, running to the post office to mail off what we couldn’t fit in the suitcases,,,,darn you Boscov’s,,,and soaking up every minute with Mom.
I also firmed up plans for shuttles to take us to the airport and to pick us up on the other end.
Since we aren’t going to be here on Bob’s birthday this year, Mom took us out to dinner to celebrate tonight. As usual the one who is celebrating their birthday gets to pick the restaurant. In years past each of us has always picked Michael’s but this year Bob opted to change his usual pick and we went to Red Lobster for their all you can eat shrimp special. Mom and I both ordered the garlic shrimp and let me tell you, you can only eat just so many garlic shrimp! They were good but the garlic was a tad overbearing. Someone must have been a little heavy handed with the garlic seasoning. I forget how Bob ordered his shrimp but the waitress had to bring three plates before he declared himself full.
After dinner, back at home, Bob settled in for some TV and mom and I settled into jammies and worked on a puzzle we had going. We had started it in the dining room on the table there and just pulled the tablecloth over it when we were done. Mom decided that she wanted the puzzle on her puzzle board that she has so that she can take it to the front porch and work on it there if she wants to. I never gave that a thought when I put all the pieces out on the dining room table and started and getting the outside edges together. So how does one get a partially put together puzzle and its pieces from one area to the next? By spatula of course!
Hey, don’t laugh, it worked for us!
Mom and I stayed up until the wee hours, talking about my dad, what she’ll do this winter to keep busy and how hot its going to be in Arizona in August!
I hate leaving tomorrow!
Monday, August 19, 2013
8/19/2013 Guinness Comes to Delaware
That’s right, Guinness came to Delaware today. I don’t mean the Ale, that’s been here a long time. I’m talking about Guinness Book of World Records.
Do you know what this is?
This is a close up, a very small portion of this!
Lego brick by Lego brick the students of the Red Clay School District spent the past couple of months building this nearly 113 foot tower. Think an eleven story building, taking into consider room height and the space between ceilings and floors.
It was built in sections and put together by some contractors who volunteered to stack them. The tower is built around a metal cylinder and uses tension wires to keep it from tipping over. The tower in no way leans against the cylinder holding it up.
Picture courtesy of Delaware Online
In all there are over a half million Lego bricks and it weighs about a ton. (no taxpayer dollars were used in this project)
The previous record Lego tower was 106 feet and erected in Prague.
Said District Superintendent, Mervin Daugherty, when asked of the value of such a project, other than the gone too soon fame of a Guinness World Record, “We want kids to get a message out of this. One kid could never put this together. But when we all work together, when we’re all a team, we can do something that people probably thought would be impossible.”
(I don’t know the name of the person who took this picture to give credit to)
Quite an accomplishment for the students I’d say.
The evening brought Monday Night Wrestling, ice cream cones and card games.
Do you know what this is?
This is a close up, a very small portion of this!
I took a ride out to John Dickinson High School to see the tower built by area students.
Lego brick by Lego brick the students of the Red Clay School District spent the past couple of months building this nearly 113 foot tower. Think an eleven story building, taking into consider room height and the space between ceilings and floors.
It was built in sections and put together by some contractors who volunteered to stack them. The tower is built around a metal cylinder and uses tension wires to keep it from tipping over. The tower in no way leans against the cylinder holding it up.
Picture courtesy of Delaware Online
In all there are over a half million Lego bricks and it weighs about a ton. (no taxpayer dollars were used in this project)
The previous record Lego tower was 106 feet and erected in Prague.
Said District Superintendent, Mervin Daugherty, when asked of the value of such a project, other than the gone too soon fame of a Guinness World Record, “We want kids to get a message out of this. One kid could never put this together. But when we all work together, when we’re all a team, we can do something that people probably thought would be impossible.”
(I don’t know the name of the person who took this picture to give credit to)Quite an accomplishment for the students I’d say.
The evening brought Monday Night Wrestling, ice cream cones and card games.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
8/18/2013 I Can’t Help But Stare…..
(Wilmington, DE)
Let me start this with our visit home last year. We were camp hosts at the beach downstate and every other week or so we would come to Wilmington and spend our days off with my parents. The last time we came up before we left for Florida left a picture in my minds eye that I will never, ever forget.
It was our last day there. The truck was packed with our belongings and we were in the house for the last time. I was making a final sweep to make sure we hadn’t left anything behind and Bob was on the front porch with my parents saying his so longs. I always hated this part, I always told myself I’m not going to cry. I always did, always do, probably always will. It was my turn. Try as I might I couldn’t hold the tears back when my mom gave hugged me as tight as she could, told me she loved me and that she would miss me. Then it was my dad with his bear hug, his ‘I love you babe” and “be careful on the road”.
When I got in the truck and went to put my seat belt on I turned to my right saw my dad in the doorway. I hooked my belt and looked back. He put his hand up in a wave and I put mine up in return. And there he stood, my dad, the last time I would ever see him up and about It even went through my mind that day that I could be looking at him like this for the last time. Bob and I both noticed that last summer that he was slowing down and while not in bad health he wasn’t a picture of health either. Besides he was pushing 80, and well, you just never know. So I stared at him. My dad, framed by the doorway, hand raised, staring back at me as if burning this picture of me into his mind as I was of him. When I think of my dad that’s how I see him, standing in the doorway.
Our time is running short here. We only have a few more days before we head back to Arizona. I find myself staring at my mom. I take in every silver strand in her salt and pepper hair. I take notice of the laugh lines at the corners of her eyes and shape of her lips. I look into the brown eyes, the color the same as my own. The cheek, once so smooth has lines I hadn’t noticed before. I’m burning her image into my memory.
My mom can rock herself to sleep in her rocker in a matter or minutes and keep rocking in her sleep. I sit and watch her. Its these times I forget the TV and just stare. How she folds her hand down and rests her head on the back of her hand. I want to remember every detail.
I love the lilt of her laughter. How she leans forward and laughs heartily if something really tickles her funny bone.
This woman, my mom, I love so much and I can’t help but stare.
Let me start this with our visit home last year. We were camp hosts at the beach downstate and every other week or so we would come to Wilmington and spend our days off with my parents. The last time we came up before we left for Florida left a picture in my minds eye that I will never, ever forget.
It was our last day there. The truck was packed with our belongings and we were in the house for the last time. I was making a final sweep to make sure we hadn’t left anything behind and Bob was on the front porch with my parents saying his so longs. I always hated this part, I always told myself I’m not going to cry. I always did, always do, probably always will. It was my turn. Try as I might I couldn’t hold the tears back when my mom gave hugged me as tight as she could, told me she loved me and that she would miss me. Then it was my dad with his bear hug, his ‘I love you babe” and “be careful on the road”.
When I got in the truck and went to put my seat belt on I turned to my right saw my dad in the doorway. I hooked my belt and looked back. He put his hand up in a wave and I put mine up in return. And there he stood, my dad, the last time I would ever see him up and about It even went through my mind that day that I could be looking at him like this for the last time. Bob and I both noticed that last summer that he was slowing down and while not in bad health he wasn’t a picture of health either. Besides he was pushing 80, and well, you just never know. So I stared at him. My dad, framed by the doorway, hand raised, staring back at me as if burning this picture of me into his mind as I was of him. When I think of my dad that’s how I see him, standing in the doorway.
Our time is running short here. We only have a few more days before we head back to Arizona. I find myself staring at my mom. I take in every silver strand in her salt and pepper hair. I take notice of the laugh lines at the corners of her eyes and shape of her lips. I look into the brown eyes, the color the same as my own. The cheek, once so smooth has lines I hadn’t noticed before. I’m burning her image into my memory.
My mom can rock herself to sleep in her rocker in a matter or minutes and keep rocking in her sleep. I sit and watch her. Its these times I forget the TV and just stare. How she folds her hand down and rests her head on the back of her hand. I want to remember every detail.
I love the lilt of her laughter. How she leans forward and laughs heartily if something really tickles her funny bone.
This woman, my mom, I love so much and I can’t help but stare.
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