Say it ain't so...

We've been home about two weeks now and several terrible things have happened. First we experienced our first snow of the winter. Though locals called it a 'light dusting', any snow was too much. Oh how a few months down south changes one perspective. Tonight we're supposed to get a hard freeze (mid-20's) so I had to crank up the heaters in the coach so as it didn't get too cold. I hate burning fuel for the furnace now as diesel prices this morning were $4.30 a gallon. Thankfully I have a full tank but conservation is now becoming more of a necessity.

The other terrible thing that happened is we sprung a very small leak in the coaches black water tank. For those not familiar with that term, it's the tank that serves as the motor home's septic tank. It's a part of your motor home you always want in good working order but never have to actually work on yourself. Though the tank is flushed out with some regularity, they all have a residual aroma that is unmistakable, so working around them is best left to someone else. However, with the thought of saving a few bucks, I decided to tackle this little job myself. Since I thought the tank was empty, removing the dump valve (finally understood how it got its name) should be an easy job. Unfortunately I had not figured the incline of my driveway and soon realized that there were still several gallons of 'honey dippers stew' still in the tank. Well not exactly still in the tank but now rushing out the 3 inch hole I had just opened when I removed the valve. Now moving fast is not one of my strong attributes but I did show a little Olympic burst of movement in an attempt to get away. But, as it quickly turned out, not quite fast enough. Ugly might describe it best but I'm sure all my neighbors within 500 yards heard a different description. I'd had the foresight to put a shop towel under the pipe to catch any drops but that soon was floating out the bay door in this tsunami of sludge. As quickly as it started it soon ended but the deed was done. Looking around in hopes that none of the neighbors were watching, I filled up several buckets of water to at least dilute what had streamed down my driveway. I packed up my tools, closed the bay door where I was working and called it a day. Clean clothes and a long hot shower was in order and another lesson was learned. And... aren't you glad that I don't have any pictures to show for this entry? In spite of this little 'dirty job', we're still 'livin the dream', playing the hand we're dealt and planning our next trip. Stay tuned.