Home again

Per our original plans we should have been enjoying the warm weather in Gulf Shores Alabama today but reality has set in and here we are ... in cold, blustery Michigan.  The coach is in the shop for a variety of ailments so for the first time in about six years we're going to tough it out in the north country.

We're supposed to be here at Gulf Shores State Park ... But Not!

However just before leaving the South Haven area I must pass along a little lesson that our friends Jerry and Bonna taught us just before camp closing.  Well they really didn't plan on teaching us anything but their misfortune is something all RV'ers can learn from.  Jerry hadn't gotten two miles down the road and his diesel overheated and his journey home halted.  As it turned out his engines serpentine belt gave way and without it he was soon parked roadside.  Finding an engine belt for your particular RV engine nearby turned out to be impossible, as I would suspect most would be, so just to be on the safe side, folks need to buy a set of spare belts (you may have more than one size) and store them away for that day you might really need one.  There's is no guarantee that you'll get back on the road soon as you might not find anyone to install it (if you can't) but at least you have one part of the problem solved.  Also ... if something else caused the belt to break in the first place (bad pulley for instance) you're still hosed but having a replacement belt on hand can't hurt. Now everybody give Jerry a round of applause!

We're having our coach's floor replaced due to the water damage we incurred last July.  Believe it or not it is still wet under the ceramic flooring so I suspect we will have to have the underlayment repaired as well.  In order to accomplish all this we decided to remove everything in the coach so the workers would have less items of ours to work around.  So when we got the coach home we began to empty it.  Six years on the road defied one of the great truths of the world.  Yes you can store 5lbs of stuff in to a 3lb bag. Maybe 6 pounds of stuff!  I had no idea we had accumulated so many 'treasures' and had managed to stuff them into every nook and cranny of the coach.  As bag after bag, box after box and hanger after hanger exited the coach, we quickly noticed how much more room we had in the coach.  Eureka!  Who needs slides now, I'm thinking!

But ... our once neat house now looks as if a bomb had gone off inside.  With all that 'stuff' inside our house now we haven't a clue where we're going to put it all.  We'll get the coach back in April so we've got a whole lot of excuses to dream up for the folks who decide to pay us a visit this winter.

So besides replacing the flooring, we're going to have the couch re-covered, a new refrigerator, new front drapes, new shades for the side windows and refinish the window valances.  Please use my PayPal account to forward any donations.

We're certainly not going to hibernate this winter but may still do a little traveling; this time via my trusty old Trail Blazer.  For instance in a few weeks we'll be visiting our friends Jim and Carol in Iowa and who knows ... maybe even a trip to Carolina's to visits family and friends.  Sharon will certainly steer me into a casino or two and a trip or two back to visit friends and family on the west side of the state will be in order as well.

Home again but still livin' the dream.

Phil

Somebody has got to do it

Now we're talking!  Weather so nice here there is no good reason to be inside.  I know you folks up north, both in the US and Europe are having a cold, cold winter but I think relief is on the way.  Spring has sprung, so the calendar says so keep your fingers crossed.  We'll be headed your way soon enough so we're hoping a warm spell is not far off.

I'm slowly getting the coach ready for travel again ... checking battery condition is one of the more important duties as if there is any one thing that will ruin a trip is problems with batteries.  Along with checking the oil and coolant levels, and tire pressures make up the majority of things I look at before heading out.  The last thing any rv'er wants are coach problems while on the road.

I had a chance to set up my ham radio equipment and a 40m vertical antenna and have enjoyed listening around the bands.  People wander by and ask what that big tall pole in the yard is for and I usually tell them it's for long distance fishing.  I usually get a blank stare from them before telling them it's just an antenna.  They just nod and walk off ... probably wondering why we were let into the park in the first place.

Today was enjoyable as the weather was so nice and just sitting on the patio with my camera taking pictures of anything that came by was appealing.  Since our backyard is mostly jungle-like undergrowth, there is lots of critters out and about. The first thing that scooted by was a little gecko.
He'd hold still for about a second before darting off to find something to eat so I had to be both quick and lucky.  Measuring only about 5 inches, they probably eat their weight in bugs every day so we like to have them around.  My guess their life span is pretty short however as I think a number of birds eat geckos as well.

Face to face with the monster gecko.

Speaking of birds ... here are a couple that landed near my perch in the easy chair.

A Michigan favorite, the Cardinal strikes a colorful pose.

I'm fairly sure this is a Brown Thrasher, but without a name tag I'm not positive

Brown Thrasher II

So there's a little update on what little we've been up to here on the Gulf Coast. The temperature is going to take a nose dive for the next few days thanks to that cold jet stream air finding it's way here.  Not as bad as the Midwest but cold for this place. The winds has been upwards to 25mph so the surf is up and this brings out the wind surfers.  Similar to the shores of South Haven, our summer nesting place, the surfers are a tough lot braving the cold waters and evil rip tides ... but fun to watch.

Still livin' the dream alongside the sugar white sands of the Gulf.

Phil

A random act of kindness

Today we had something special happen.  Something that may be insignificant to others but it was a thoughtful gesture by a group of young Christian college students.

A very small piece of paper was stuck in the door jamb of our coach the other day.  On it were several items that were available, free of charge to the 500 residents of this state park. Listed were a free pancake breakfast, a free RV wash and several other items.  I originally didn't pay much attention to it but Sharon mentioned it again so we stopped at the registration office to find out what was going on. As luck would have, several other folks had asked the same question but none of the office help seemed to know anything about it.  I persisted with one of the clerks and she finally agreed to make a phone call to a supervisor to get the details.  She made the call and found out that a group of young Baptist college students were spending their Spring Break helping out travellers at this RV park.  I asked the clerk to get out a note pad and start a list as I thought getting my dirty coach cleaned was a swell idea.  Though the cost was free, I knew I could make a donation to help their efforts.

A van pulled up to our site promptly at 8:30am this morning and out piled 5 kids ready to tackle washing my coach. I quickly learned that this was their first wash job and none of them had ever washed an RV before and ... I was the first of 20 they had scheduled today.  The supervisor dumped a pile of hoses, buckets and brushes out the back of the van .. gave a few instructions ... asked if I would be staying outside with them (yes ... of course, I said) and off he went to get another crew started.  I helped them get my ladder out, extra hose nozzle, and towels and they went after that dirty old bus like a swarm of bees in a clover patch.  Water was being sprayed everywhere, soap suds were oozing from every corner, and most of all the kids were having a good time and actually doing a pretty good job.

After about an hour they finished up their work and wanted to know if I was pleased with the job they had done.  I said I was most definitely happy but wanted to make a donation to their organization for the fine work they had done.  Very firmly and without a waver, they all said no ... we are doing this because they wanted to do something for others on their time off from college.  Money was not why they were doing this, they said.  I again pressed the offer of a donation and they again said we will not accept any.  In a few moments their supervisor drove up and gathered all the kids around and asked me if there was anything that they could pray with me about.  Completely caught off guard and more than a little embarrassed, I muttered some not-so-clever thing about world peace ... they said they would pray... then moved off to their next rig to wash.  They were all probably wondering if I was off my meds or in the sauce after my little request, but thinking fast on my feet ... or doing anything fast is but a distant memory.

We've been blessed with many good things in our lives but this little gesture of kindness from this unknown group of young Baptist college students was very special and very thoughtful.  It made our day.

My thanks to Caleb, Chris, Hannah, Everett, and Casey from Barefoot Ministries. (www.barefootministries.com)

Here's some real teamwork going on.

Incidentally readers... this is my 300th blog entry.  Thanks for staying with me for these past 7 years.

So another day on the retirement trail and still livin' the dream.

Phil

Headin' east

We've made a quick two day stop at the Hollywood Casino RV Park in Bay St Louis Mississippi and we're now settled some 150 miles East at the Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores Alabama.  We have a great site (pictures next time), weather cool but sunny, the WIFI works great, and best of all ... our RV friends Jim and Carol will be arriving at their condo late this afternoon and we've already made dinner plans.

So you've got it right ... We're still livin' the dream ... Now on the Gulf coast.

Phil