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| "From Darrell's Chair" Archives |
| This page will be used to share my thoughts
with you as I sit in my chair and contemplate the daily events that take place during our fulltiming journey.
Hopefully
you will enjoy the entries, learn a thing or two, and have some
chuckles along the way as Judy and I continue "Wandering America". |
| Sunday, February 28, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama Yesterday morning Mike, Peggy, and I took Judy to Mecca; that is, a huge fabric store in Pensacola. They were having a Huge sale, so huge in fact that a whole bus load of women from Mobile showed up. Unbelievable!!! It was a sea of bodies roaming up and down the isles - you could hardly move. Mike and I barely escaped with our lives and headed out to the nearest Whattaburger for some coffee and conversation while Judy and Peggy slayed the fabric dragon. With that mission accomplished hunger sat in so we made a bee line for Stacy's Drugstore in Foley for some hot dawgs, Polish sausages, sundaes, and mike shakes (the girls had the hot dawgs; Mike and Peggy had the sundaes). By the way, Mike and Peggy's last name is Evringham; I knew that but with my dyslexia I have been typing it Ervingham, sorry guys - isn't old age fun? We now had a fulfilled mission and full bellies so it was time to head home for a nap. On the way home an idea was conceived for another dinner engagement. The exodus begins. Today Mike and Gerri head out for their old home town in Georgia for some doctors appointments so last night we had them over for dinner along with Randy and Terry and Mike and Peggy. I prepared spaghetti with meatballs, Peggy prepared garlic bread, and Judy prepared some chocolate frosted brownies. We had wine to get ourselves fine tuned and then we ate, we talked, and we laughed, and we laughed, and we laughed (any one need more wine?)!!! It's sad to see them go but, we did buy homes with wheels on them so that we could travel this great land of ours. We've just become such social gad-abouts that we tend to loose sight of the main purpose of this lifestyle. Over the next few weeks we will be saying, "See Ya Down The Road" a lot, after all, we are "free to move about the country." Hopefully this winter has come to an end, the temperatures will warm up, and the snow up north will melt so our northern travels can begin once again. Then as the winter begins to return we'll return to Rainbow Plantation with some new travel stories to share but, we don't want to think about winter anymore right now. Tomorrow is March and it's time for "spring to sprung". I'll ignore the current temperatures and say, "Happy Spring, Everyone!!!" Saturday, February 27, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama Jesse and Ginger, Kram A Lot Inn, stopped by Rainbow Plantation yesterday, we haven't seen them since we departed Lake George Escape way back in September. They are only able to spend one night here as they are pushing to get back to Maryland to visit family. We spent a little time with them in the afternoon and gave them the nickel tour of the Plantation. Then a bunch of us went to Big Daddy's for dinner - whadicha 'spect? The theme continues. It was nice to see them again; we only wish they could have stayed a few more days. Oh well, maybe next time. Check out the following blogs for more details and pictures of our evening together: Avery's Wanderings, Guiler Travels, Kram A Lot Inn, and Freedom 2 Roll. Judy J. is feeling much better and has been studying her new toy instruction book really hard. We should see something happening real soon. I'm sure glad that she was able to get her toy, it is making her happy and it will keep her busy for a long, long time. I'm pushing her toward her corner to tell ya all about it - it should be good for several entries from her as she learns how everything works. Judy and I have decided to accept a volunteer opportunity in the visitor's center at Tallulah Gorge State Park in Northeastern Georgia for six or seven weeks after our daughter's wedding and daughter-in-law's college graduation in May. Then we will return to Tennessee for the birth of grand child number six. After that we will be making tracks for New England and the Maine Event. In August it will be off to New Hampshire to gather up our oldest grand daughter for a couple of weeks of traveling. Then we'll be going to spend a little time with my Aunt Marge on the Cape followed by the Escapade in Goshen, Indiana. It is certainly going to be a busy but fun summer - we're looking forward to it!!! Friday, February 26, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama So, let's see! What did we do yesterday? Well, ummm, ah? I think yesterday just happened. Can't say for sure what we did but we were busy all day. Here are the highlights:
Thursday, February 25, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama This is the winter that won't quit. We had below freezing temperatures again this morning and forecasted again for tomorrow morning - this is the Sun Belt for Pete's sake!!! I guess we had better get out and buy some winter clothes. You'd think with all the hot air coming out of our Nation's capitol that we would have be having a heat wave (I think that's why Al Gore thinks there's global warming). Oh well, I guess we had better just pull up our boot straps and move on. Miss Judy has been fighting off a flu bug the past couple of days. We went to the Baldwin Pops concert on Tuesday night and managed to sit under an air conditioner duck that was blowing cold air directly on us. She came home with a sore throat and later that night the fever sat in so yesterday she was pretty much out of it. Last night the fever broke and she is now feeling better (must have been that homemade chicken soup that Peggy brought over yesterday afternoon - thanks Peggy). The game plan this morning is to muster up enough energy to go to Quilting Class today as they are presenting a class on paper quilting which is something that she really (really, really, really) wants to learn. We'll see it that comes to pass but, for the time being, she is doing much better. Alex was being his normal katt self this morning. Getting up at 5:00 and getting into things, howling, and just plain being a PITA until someone got up and tended to his needs. That someone was me this morning as I wanted Miss Judy to sleep in. Even though he's been tended to he is still acting up and getting into mischief; picking on his sister, knocking things off the desk, running through the house, and scattering his toys all over the livingroom. He sure has been one rambunctious little kitty this morning. We have spent the last few days looking at possible volunteer opportunities for mid May through July 6th. We may have a couple of opportunities in areas where we would like to visit - one in North Carolina and one in Georgia. We've got a positive response from both and are waiting for them to contact us via phone to discuss the possibilities. No promises at this time as they are looking for a longer time commitment but, at least, are willing to consider us. The truck is home, finally. It's smoking habit has been cured, however, it costs us $4,500. They gave us a break on parts and labor (charging us wholesale prices for the parts and $55 per hour on labor) otherwise the cost would have been closer to six grand. It runs great and is a lot less noisy with the new injectors. Hopefully we'll not have to throw anymore serious money into it for the next couple of years. The original plan was to have traded the truck last September but the Wall Street Bandits ran off with our money so now we'll just have to trudge along with it until some of the value returns to our portfolio (that could be several years from now!!). We are fortunate to have an emergency fund set aside but this is a major hit to it; now to figure out how to replenish that money - that's why we are looking at short term volunteer opportunities. Oh well, it is what it is. Enough rambling for today; take care and be sure to give your katt a hug - even if he is being a PITA. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama The Maine Event!!! Several of us have agreed to meet together in Maine at the end of July. Now Maine is not one of those states that you generally just pass through (unless you're on your way to Nova Scotia); you go there on purpose. It is a beautiful state with some of the world's best seafood; lobstah, clams, scallops, and haddock. Another thing that Maine is famous for is wild blueberries - ah, there's nothing like a nice hot homemade blueberry muffin made with fresh Maine blueberries. Although Maine is not known for raising corn they do have some nice varieties that go nicely with a clam bake right on the shores along the coast and it should be coming to harvest right when we are in Maine. So, we have the group and we have the date; now we need a place to happen. Some of the group will need hook-ups which means finding a camping area that can accommodate a half dozen rigs during their peak season. I've contacted (or should I say, attempted to contact) a couple of campgrounds. One may have gone out of business after last year's season since their phone number has been disconnected and my email was returned as undeliverable. The other one has not returned my phone call or answered my emails - what's up with that? Therefore, we are a party looking for a place to happen. Not to worry, we'll find one!!!! Mike and Peggy and Judy and I will work as "tour guides" to make sure everybody has a great time getting a "Taste of Maine" both through chowing down on Maine seafood and seeing some places that most tourists never encounter in and around the Freeport to Booth Bay Harbor corridor. Of course, there will have to be a trip to L. L. Bean, a place where just about every tourist does visit and a stop by Fat Boys diner where "Kah Hops" still serve you. There is so much to see and do around the area that it will be difficult to decide what to do first but, none the less, we'll have a wonderful time enjoying the great state of Maine together. Our days will most likely begin with us leisurely getting going followed by a day trip to somewhere and then having a meal together either at a local eatery or at home. The evenings will be spent sitting around a campfire with appetizers, wine, and conversation. Yep, it will be a tremendous week together enjoying the Fun, Food, and Fellowship; as you can see, "the trend goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dreams shall never die!" Tuesday, February 23, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama Well, the verdict is in!!! But first, we woke up at oh dark thirty yesterday morning and the first thing that Judy did was go wake up Alex. It's really something when we wake up before the alarm katt goes off. Then we stumbled our way through a cup of coffee and the shower. Now here is a tip to the wise, don't take your coffee into the shower with you because it dilutes it and you get shampoo in it - absolutely tastes horrible after that even if you add more creamer. Okay, so we got that out of the way and headed for Pensacola to see the Retina Specialists (these guys lack all imagination because they actually named their practice Retina Specialists). After getting the initial paperwork out of the way (not an easy task at the wee hours of the day with only a diluted cup of coffee in you) we, me and the technician that is - Judy stayed behind in the waiting room, made our way to cell number one where I was to partake in the obligatory eye drops to dilate my eyes. Next it was off to cell number two where she did imagining of my eyes (I have to admit that these people have some real neat toys to play with). After that I was lead into a dark room to let the dilating eye drops take full effect. Those things are potent; I could see to drive a car down a dark and lonely back road at mid night without any head lights and would be able to point out all of the things that go bump in the night to you. Then I was retrieved and lead to cell number three where the Doctor promptly showed up. He started out by looking into my eyes (no this is not a romance story) with some of his toys and then he dug out a light that was five times brighter than the sun. While he held my eyelids opened stating, "Don't blink", (how on earth could I blink when he was holding my eyelids open?) he shined that million watt light into my eye and said, "Look straight ahead, look up, look right, look left, look down!" We went through this little charade about a dozen times and then he picked on the other eye. So the result is that I had a PVD (not be be confused with a BVD). A PVD is where the gel inside the eye detaches from the retina where as, a BVD is where your under garment inside your britches is separated from the rectum - so it is best not to get them confused. Anywhoo, Posterior Vitreous Detachment happens in about 75% of everyone living long enough to become a keenager. In most cases it is harmless, however, it leaves traces of gel on the retina (which we refer to as floaters) that takes several weeks to dissipate and may never totally disappear. The bottom line is that I will see to live another day!!! After we got home from that ordeal we decided to resume our sleep mode in order to catch up on our DSL (daily saturation limit). We only slept for about a half hour, got up and et lunch, and Judy went to basket weaving while I did a little house work. Rainbow Plantation has some of the greatest people in the whole wide world and yesterday afternoon we celebrated one of RP's notorious character's birthday - it was Mr. Purple's Big Birthday Bash. Probably 70% of all Escapees know who Mr. Purple is but, for the rest who have not yet met him, your life is not complete. Mr. Purple dresses in purple from head to toe everyday, 365 days a year. He drives a purple car and even his motorhome has a shade of purple on it. He hasn't died the dawg purple but it does have a purple collar and a purple leash. Mr. Purple has been dressing that way for over 20 years. It all began because he hated the color purple and everyone kept giving him purple gifts so he said, "If that's the way you want it, then I can be a royal pain"; he's worn purple ever since. Rumor has it that he even wears purple underwear - I know, TMI, TMI. Anyway, many of us showed up at the clubhouse wearing purple to celebrated his 78th birthday with him while being served up a piece of, what else, purple cake. What a blast!!! What's really amazing is that we have this much fun with no alcohol involved. Last night we joined up with Mike and Peggy at Mike and Gerri's Dutch Star motorhome for, what would you think? For a Chat and Chew, Fun, Food, and Fellowship - there's that trend again. It was a good evening with lots of laughs and good conversation. We had BBQ'd meatballs and BBQ'd mini hot dawgs along with some health food made up of a veggie platter and other appetizers followed by a nice chocolate frosted brownie. We just keep on keeping on - did Mardi Gras end already? If so, we haven't noticed. Sunday, February 21, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama Here it is Sunday night, we just got home from the Ice Cream Social which was followed by a couple hours of good music that was performed by fellow Skips from the Plantation. There was the acoustic band and the dulcimer group; they took turns playing and both were a real joy to listen to. Prior to the Ice Cream Social was the Flatulence Fest with at least 25 different bean dishes being served up. The proceeds ($539) from the festival will be donated to the Marlow Fire Department. What an active group of people we have at the Plantation this year. It just makes you wonder what these people will be like when they reach old age. Now, I got up late and had to get going in order to get ready for church; therefore, I didn't do an entry this morning. This will have to serve as the entry for tomorrow (Monday) morning as well since we have to leave at around 6:30 in order for me to make my eight o'clock appointment with the Retina Specialist in Pensacola. Here I sit with a ringing ear, floaters in my right eye making it hard to read, pain in both of my knees, and my left shoulder aching - by the way, my nick name in Lucky. Anyway, it beats the alternative, that is, looking at the brown side of grass. I don't think that there's anything serious with my eye but, at least I will know for sure when the R.S. gets done poking around in it tomorrow morning. Saturday was finally the kind of day that we have been looking for for a long time now. We began the day with our coffee and computers and then went for a walk about the park to get a little exercise. When we returned from our walk I began hand washing the rig. I'll wash a section at a time over a period of several days; I washed about a quarter of the RV. I like to hand wash and wax it at least once a year that way I can find any issues that need to be addressed. The rest of the time I wash the coach with a brush. In the afternoon we dug the bikes out of the shed and rode over to visit Mike and Peggy's followed by a short visit with Mike and Gerri. When we came home we sat outside in the lawn chairs for a while just sucking up the sun and the warm weather. Yes, we were actually able to wear our shorts, finally!! Alex came out and joined us for while; he loves to come outside and lay in my lap while enjoying the sunshine (katts love to stretch out in the sunshine, ya know?). Saturday evening Peggy prepared us an excellent Chicken Marsala dinner with smashed taters, broccoli, and a garden salad. Judy had made some banana bread so we took some along to have for a desert. We spent the evening at their place talking, eating, and enjoying each other's company (there's that trend again) before coming home to finish the day by watching the Olympics. So, that pretty much sums up our weekend. Hope yours was as eventful. See ya tomorrow evening. Saturday, February 20, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama Yesterday I spent over five hours at the VA Outpatient Clinic in Pensacola. Last Wednesday morning I started getting "Floaters" in my right eye; then on Thursday I got a few "Flashes" in the eye as well. That could be indicative of a detached retina so I drove over to the VA Clinic and they were able to squeeze me in to the Eye Clinic. The doctor didn't find any sign of a detached retina, however, he found just enough evidence that something was going on and referred me to a local (local as in Pensacola) Retina Specialist. I will see him the first thing on Monday morning. In the meantime, I still have the "Floaters" right in the center of my field of vision (how annoying is that?) - no more "Flashes" though which is a good sign. If it ain't one thing, then it's another!!! Old age is not for sissys!!! Last night we had Mike and Gerri over for a visit as well as a "show and tell" of the new inverter system. We really enjoy this couple; they make a great addition to our long, and growing, list of family members. We sat together and watched the Olympics (muted) as we chatted away the evening. This is definitely the lifestyle for us. We look forward to our summer traveling but, we look forward to all our future gatherings here at Rainbow Plantation as well. It's a great balance!!! Friday, February 19, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama Today I want to thank a few people who have helped me work through the decision making process in selecting the inverter for our home. Norm Payne and Don Martin taught me a whole lot about inverters and batteries. Through them I learned that it wasn't necessary to have a 3,000 watt pure sine inverter with four deep cell six volt batteries. Both of them have used modified sine wave inverters for over ten years with no problems what so ever. Also, I gained a lot of information about batteries from them as well. Thanks guys for patiently sharing your information with me - it certainly sent me in the right direction. Further, thanks to Mike Evringham who took time to listen to all my dreams, check out our rig, and provide a reality check. Once he challenged my thinking a few times I was able to settled on exactly what it was I was attempting to do. After that selecting an inverter was much easier. At this point, I want to extend a special thanks to Mike for installing the entire inverter system for us. I worked as Mike's helper but he was the brains and the brawns behind the project. It certainly was a challenge since I kept coming up with revisions to the project as it progressed. The system works like a dream, all we have to do is turn on the inverter and flip a switch to swap from shore power to inverter power. We ran the system another six hours last night (watching the Olympics) and it works just as we had hoped it would - actually better than I thought it would due to the batteries being five years old. So, again, a great big THANK YOU, Mikee. Yesterday's outing was with adopted family members to Roadkill Cafe in Elberta, Alabama. Mike, Peggy, Mike, Gerri, Judy, and I rode together and joined up with Don, Gloria, Norm, Linda, Larry, Glenn, and Sylvia. The meal was good, as always, featuring Southern fried chicken along with smoked beef brisket, corn, baked beans, green beans, smashed taters, and warm rolls. There is a salad bar and the desserts were cake and ice cream. Yum, yum, yum!!! When you go pay your buffet bill of eight bucks per meal you get to reach into a cloth bag and draw a poker chip. If you get a red one then your meal is free - we don't have the "Luck of the Irish" so we had to pony up the entire sixteen bucks. Still, not bad for the meal we just eaten; Roadkill Cafe has some of the best Southern Fried Chicken I've ever tasted. Mike, Gerri, Mike, Peggy, Judy, and I ventured over to the Baldwin County Heritage Museum for a visit. The Museum displays items depicting life in the early days of Baldwin County which was primarily a farming lifestyle. There's a "little red schoolhouse" and an old wooden church on the premises as well. With the sun shining and little to no wind, it was a nice warm day to walk around outside. Thar ya go, we continue to maintain the theme of the day - good friends, good food, and good times. Life is good!!! Thursday, February 18, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama Maybe, just maybe, we'll start getting dried out and start warming up. The blond girl tells us that the temperatures will be in the mid sixties beginning tomorrow. It will be in the high 50's today with a bright shining sun. What she didn't tell us was whether the wind would be settled down (or not). The wind makes a big difference in how comfortable it is outside. Hopefully this will be the end of the frigid winter weather here in the south. I know, you folks in the north want to know what I'm talking about - "frigid weather in the south, my foot!!!" Well, we have been almost as cold as it has been in the north and some days it has been a few degrees colder. So there, whine, whine, snivel, snivel. The inverter installation is complete and it works like a charm (no calls to 911 or the fire department). We began with a simple system that would require me to go through a lot of unplugging and moving things around in order to use the inverter. Being the lazy sort that I am, I began coming up with ideas that would make life real easy so now all I have to do is turn on the inverter and flip a switch; then the televisions and computers work with no need to move things around. The coach even contributed to the effort, the way "they" wired the coach when we installed the switch to change from shore power to inverter power we picked up an additional half dozen outlets with one being in the kitchen and two in the livingroom. I just love it when a plan comes together! We ran the inverter for around six hours yesterday using it just as we would in a boondocking situation. We drew up to 230 watts at times and it only depleted the batteries to 11.8 volts which isn't bad considering that the batteries are five years old. Hopefully we can squeeze another year out of the batteries before we have to replace them. That way we will be able to see how much we use the system and be able to decide how much battery power we need. Right now I am leaning toward two 12 volt group 29 deep cycle batteries but, if our usage demands it, we could go to two 6 volt deep cycle batteries which are larger, heavier, and "expensivier". Okay, the inverter project has been completed, however, the truck problem is still ongoing. The truck is going to need new injectors and Mike Van Chevrolet finally received the new injectors yesterday, however, they have a contract with the city to maintain the city's ambulances and, you guessed it, they now have an ambulance that needs repairs so Darrell and Judy's truck is being put off until tomorrow which means that the job won't be completed until Monday or Tuesday. Sheesh, what next? It's hard to get good cheap help these days. A great big THANK YOU to Ron and Ruth for the use of their second car while the truck is on its vacation trip sightseeing Mike Van's parking lot. The next project in the hopper is rebuilding the cabinets under the sink and the under the computer desk. We want an additional door on the livingroom side of the kitchen cabinet as well as the new counter extension installed. Also, there are a few modifications that we want in the cabinet itself. As for the cabinet under the computer desk, we want to have a shelf that slides out for the printer to sit on and I need to rebuild the shelf above the printer (it was cheaply done and has broken). There are a few things on the agenda for today and you just know that one of those items will involve eating. Tune in tomorrow to see what Miss Judy has been up to. I'm thinking that she will be writing something about her quilting endeavors in Judy's Corner shortly - she will have some exciting news to share with you regarding her latest acquisition. So, ta ta for now!!! Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama That's a wrap!! Mardi Gras 2010 is now in the history books. The King and Queen have been exiled and the theme for next year's celebration has been announced - Wacky Sports. Each year the celebration here at the Plantation just gets better and people are already marking their calendars for next year's celebration. The evening began with dinner (meat loaf, smashed 'taters, green beans, and coconut cake) followed by the costume contest. Once the judging was complete for the four different categories, the King and Queen were rounded up and banished from the kingdom. Different sports figures made their debut introducing next year's theme. The band, Northwind, took the stage to finish the evening. It is said that all good things must come to an end (I don't know why) thus Mardi Gras at Rainbow Plantation came to its conclusion. We've had a great time with all our friends and, being that we aren't about to give up yet, a group of us are going to descend upon Road Kill Cafe before the week ends. Then, as I mentioned yesterday, the Plantation will celebrate its annual Flatulence Festival - we just go from one party to another. It's a rough job keeping up with these keenagers but, someone has to do it!!! Our inverter arrived yesterday just as we were headed out the door for dinner. All the wiring has been completed so it will just be a quick installation before firing it up. Norm suggest that we (Mike and I) get our cell phone, punch in 911, and have our finger on the button. Don offered to bring his fire extinguisher over. Oh ye of little faith. It will work like a charm. Well, it's closing in on 7:15 and I had better go get my shower if I'm going to be dressed by eight o'clock - "all dressed up and no place to go!" See ya tomorrow. Tuesday, February 16, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama We woke up to Brrrrrrrr again this morning. Judy announced that, "I think the water has frozen!" "Oh shucks!" (or something like that) I exclaimed. I turned the water on in the vanity and it just trickled out for about a half of a minute and then the water began gushing out. We caught it just in time and dodged a bullet this time. The good news is that at least it will be sunny today - cold but sunny. Another couple of days and then the temperatures will begin becoming more seasonal. By Friday I should be able to start washing the RV; that is, if the rain holds off. Yesterday the Mardi Gras celebration continued with a parade, a luncheon, and entertainment here at the Plantation. Mike and Gerri have posted some really neat photographs of the activities in their blog - check 'em out. We sure know how to have fun and laugh a lot when hanging around with all of these "young at heart" folks. Today is Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday); all of the days leading up to Fat Tuesday are known as Carnival. This is the grand finale with everything coming to an abrupt end this evening. Tomorrow will be Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of forty days of fasting (Lent) which will end at Resurrection Sunday (Easter). So, tomorrow we here at Rainbow Plantation have to find something else to celebrate - hey, I got an idea!!! Why don't we celebrate beans? And guess what's coming up? Our annual Flatulence Festival!! Yep, you heard it right, we are going to have a festival for preparing (and eating) many different bean dishes - no open fire, please. There is no stopping these keenagers. We'll invent something, anything, to celebrate in order to keep the party going. That's what makes this park a great place to spend the winter months (beginning in November and continuing through March). Be sure to mark your calendar and plan on joining us next winter. I can guarantee that you'll have a great time and be glad you did. Monday, February 15, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama You've heard it sooooo many times before that I almost hesitate to say it again but, here it is. This lifestyle is filled with the most wonderful people you would ever want to meet. We have so many friends that it's very difficult to get around to visit all of them. Thankfully we have the clubhouse where we can all congregate to spend time together while participating in an assortment of activities. Everyday is filled with the joy and the enchantment of being surrounded by close friends - actually, a family!!! If you are at Rainbow Plantation and feel lonely it's your own fault because there are absolutely "tons" of people here that will befriend you. (I mean tons in numbers, however, if we don't stop all of this eating it could easily take on its actual meaning). Yesterday was a typical Sunday; that is, getting ready and going to church, then coming home to fiddle around the house, work on projects, and/or visit with friends. Of course, Sunday evening is the Ice Cream Social at the clubhouse. This week it was special because of the ongoing Mardi Gras celebration - ya just gotta love a party that goes on for days, even weeks!! After congregating around a table with chit chat and laughter, it was time to partake in some ice cream. There are a multitude of flavors to choose from; even sugar free ice cream for those watching their weight or dealing with sugar problems (yeah, we're watching our weight alright; watching it go up, up, up, and away). Anywhoo, last night's ice cream was followed by another Mardi Gras celebration event. The King and Queen made their entrance prior to the ice cream being served and after we licked our dish for the last time the activities began. It started with the line dancers dancing to three different songs. Line dancing is one of 45+ activities that take place each week here at Rainbow Plantation and, I must say, they have gotten pretty darned good. Dancing was followed by Karaoke and we have some very good talent here at the Plantation as well. Terry Guiler sang a couple of songs for us and blew me away. I knew she could laugh (laugh loud and long) but I never realized that she had such a great singing voice. Others were very good as well, it was good enough that it almost inspired me to go up and see if I had a hidden talent, however, I was assured that I didn't so I just remained in my seat. Another great day with great people at a great place. Who knew retirement could be so much fun? I haven't had time to sit in my rocking chair out on the porch since I quit w*rking; as a matter of fact, I'm totally amazed that I ever had time to w*rk in the first place. Just didn't realize there was this much fun to be had and, keep in mind, it's with little to no booze added. Sunday, February 14, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum", well, in this case, on the way to the parade. We all (not to be confused with "all y'all") decided to take in the tremendous Foley Mardi Gras promenade. Knowing full well that the streets would be packed with hardly any standing room at all (being sarcastic here), we headed out an hour early for the parade which was scheduled to start promptly at ten o'clock. When we rode into town it looked as if an announcement had gone out that the Dalton gang was descending on the township with the streets being very much empty. That was our first clue that something wasn't exactly right. We double checked our calendar, yep it was Saturday, so we checked our watches and sho' nuf it was nine o'clock. So, we pulled up into one of the many parking spaces in front of Stacey's Drugstore while I went inside to ask some questions. I was informed that there had been a misprint in the newspaper and that the ten o'clock parade would start promptly at twelve o'clock. Hmmm, my math being what it is, I quickly ascertained that that would be three hours from that particular point in time. I approached the parked vehicles with some bad news / good news; the bad news is that we have three hours to wait for the grandee march and the good news is that Stacey's Drugstore still offers a ten cents per cup of freshly squeezed coffee. Mike and Gerri, Mike and Peggy, and Judy bailed out of the cars post haste to partake in the said brew. The six of us occupied a couple of tables at Stacey's Drugstore sipping our java, chatting, and laughing (do you, after following these daily journal entries, begin to see any pattern here?) - that was good for killing about an hour. During the discussion, we learned that Mike and Gerri hadn't been to the Foley Railroad Museum yet so that event was quickly squeezed into our otherwise tight agenda. Upon departing Stacey's, heading for the museum, we saw Glen and Sylvia having a hard time deciding where to stand to watch the parade (the streets still being pretty much empty awaiting the Dalton gang's arrival). We told them that the purple, gold, and green floats didn't begin flowing through the streets of Laredo until high noon but, knowing us as they do, they didn't believe it. Well, they caught up with us at the Railroad Museum a few minutes later after encountering a more trustworthy soul. Engineer Paul was busy giving his talk when we arrived at the Railroad Museum so we were able to kill another hour hanging around the train tracks. Then it was back to Main Street to "pick our seat". The word must have gotten out that the Dalton gang thang was just a rumor because cars and people were beginning to line the Streets of Laredo (or Foley in this case). We grabbed our lawn chairs, staked our claim, and awaited the the flying beads, moon pies, and other trinkets. There always has to be one in the crowd. Mikee began to whine that it was time for his morning feeding and, as it turned out, Peggy hadn't brought her purse so there was nothing for him to munch on. Stacey's Drugstore, which was across the street, was waaay too busy for us to partake in any milk shakes or sundaes so Mikee donned his best hunting gear and began foraging for food. He bagged some Freetos which managed to quell his hunger pangs until the procession passed by, however, just before the parade began Gerri's belly starting acting up so a plan was hatched to make a beeline for L. A. BBQ right after the fire truck rolled through town. Now, the Foley parade is certainly nothing to write home about. The colors and the band, yes you heard me right - one band, marched past us at just a little after noon and the "no show" fire truck rolled past us at around twelve twenty five (no show because there wasn't any fire truck in the parade). Now, how in h--- do you end a parade with no firetruck? People just stood around gawking at each other wondering what was going to happen next. Finally, one brave soul announced "th-th, th-th, th-th that's all folks" and we all scurried off to our awaiting chariots with our hard won treasures in hand. I guess the fire department hadn't gotten the word that the Dalton gang rumor was just a hoax. We were in our cars and heading out of town by 12:45 - that's right, we waited around for over three hours for a twenty minute parade, less than two dozen beads, and a half dozen moon pies. It's a good thing we're all retired 'cause that wasn't exactly the most productive use of our time but, we made the best of it and had a lot of fun which just what us keenage wandering pack of gypsies do best. Glen and Sylvia, Mike and Gerri, Mike and Peggy, and Darrell and Judy all pointed our sights in the direction of L. A. BBQ and joined together once again for fun, food, and fellowship (there's that trend again). Mardi Gras maybe the season for revelry and merriment for people in the south but, with us fulltime RVers everyday is the season for revelry and merriment. It was a great day with great people - who could ask for anything more!!! This is the day for lovers, Happy Valentine's Day everyone!! Saturday, February 13, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama And the rains came down. It rained and it rained and it rained; we have waterfront property (waterback and waterside property as well - yes, we are pretty much an island). I never even bothered to get out of my PJ's until around three o'clock. At least we aren't shoveling any of the rain off our front walk, however, as cold as it is I might have liked to see a little snow (what am I a saying, have I lost my mind?). Last night was Rainbow Plantation's Mardi Gras kick off. We had dinner with about 160 other Skips (SKPs - Escapees) and then the revelry began. First was the eating of the King cake; in our case it was cup cakes. There are small plastic babies hidden in two of the cup cakes and whoever finds the baby in their cake will be King and Queen. The King and Queen preside over all of the events that take place over the next four days. There were skits that were presented at the pleasure of our monarchs and, needless to say, there were laughs-a-plenty. Following the skits, the Vintage Vagabonds (an "smooth jazz" group) took the stage and presented a great program of music with dancing. Judy and I quickstepped around the floor a few times ourselves. It was most definitely a great evening with friends having fun; talking, laughing, dancing, and enjoying the music. All good things must to come to an end so before we knew it it was time to head home for the rest of the evening. We got home in time to watch the last of the athletes march into the stadium in Vancouver during the opening ceremonies. Once they were seated the ceremonies began but, Mr. Sandman made his stop by our house so sleepiness soon set in and it was off to beddy-bye. A slow easy day with a quick fun ending - it was all good. Friday, February 12, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama The rain/snow storm rolled in yesterday afternoon bringing us sleet. Yuck!!! We may very well see snow today as the temperatures plummet - yes, plummet. It's currently in the high 30's but over the course of the day it is supposed to drop into the high 20's. This ain't fun folks but, one thing that has come out of this inclement weather is pictures of Al Gore's book on Global Warming being buried by the snow. Also, some one in Washington, D.C. built Al Gore an igloo. Now if that doesn't muzzle the ol' dawg nothing will. His credability is quickly disappearing. The "doctor" called and it seems that the truck is having a hard time giving up the smoking habit. It looks as if we are going to have to replace all eight injectors at a cost of around $4000. That's right, four grand to replace injectors!! Gulp!!! I called my friends who are the Service Managers (husband/wive team) of a GMC dealership in Michigan and talked to them at length. They told me that in the past they have tried to replace one or two injectors to only have to come back a replace the others a few months later. They recommend replacing all the injectors to save on future labor costs. Also, they gave me a couple of numbers to call GM and whine as they are receptive to whining at this point in time and may help out with the costs. We only have 70,000 miles on the injectors that were installed back in September of 2005 and certainly should have gotten a lot more miles than that out of them. We can only hope that GM will pick up some of the costs. Mike, Peggy, Judy, and I visited the Model Train Display at the Foley Railroad Museum. There was a tour group going through at the time so we got to join in and listen to an interesting talk given by Engineer Paul. As he gave the talk he pointed out various details in the display. Hours and hours have been spent setting up this display and it's a "must see" if you are in L.A. (Lower Alabama). While we were in Foley we picked up the fuse and fuse holder for the new inverter system so, just as soon as the inverter arrives, we can complete that project. The four of us went to Big Daddy's for lupper and it was fabulous as always. I had the oysters basket, Judy had the grilled shrimp basket (our favorite dish), Mike had a combo shrimp basket with fried and grilled shrimp, and Peggy also had the grilled shrimp. Judy and I share our meals so we get to have a little of both (actually a lot of both as the portions are more than enough). I've never tried it, but, Norm Payne tells me that the fried catfish is some of the best he has ever eaten. Several of our friends have had the Big Daddy's burger and rave about it - I doubt that there's a bad meal on the menu at Big Daddy's. Mellow Mushroom Wednesday night, Big Daddy's Thursday afternoon - by the way, how's that diet coming? NOT!!! After the four o'clock social we came home and listened to the pitter patter of tiny rain drops on our roof. It was a gentle rain (cold but gentle) all night long. There's just something about laying in bed listening to rain on the roof. It puts you to sleep in short order. Today will be a play inside day. It'll be just too darned wet and cold be outside, however, tonight kicks off the Mardi Gras celebration in the park so we'll venture out later. We just may have to shovel some snow in order to make our way to the clubhouse. Whattawinter!!!! #@$%#@&## cold weather!!!!!!! Thursday, February 11, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama The cabling is all done for the new inverter and an outlet is installed in the wall next to the dresser to plug in our laptops (or other things). We still need to install the fuse block and fuse into the positive cable - I had to order the fuse block and it will be available for pick up this morning. I plan to keep an extension cord in the house so that we can power things in the kitchen and livingroom should the need arise. Mikee went on line and printed off the manual for the inverter for me. He, also, made me a chart showing various wattage draws and how many hours of run time would be supplied by the batteries. I'm pretty sure that we will need to upgrade the batteries within the next year (if not sooner) as they are now five years old. A nap crept into our early afternoon agenda. Later we attended the 4:00 social and then joined with 21 other hungry souls for a trip to Mellow Mushroom Pizza. As always, the discussion was lively and the laughs were plenty - this has got to be a better way of life than the lifestyles of the rich and famous. We may not be rich in money but we are sure rich in friends and that's what counts most in the end. Wednesday, February 10. 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama I'm slowly crossing things off the "Ta Do List" - yesterday I ordered a Cobra 1000 watt inverter. Don Rowe had it on sale for $109 but, Amazon.com had it listed for $84 so I ordered it from Amazon (well, duh). Yesterday afternoon Mike and I went shopping for the needed "stuff" to install it with. Plus, the airheads that installed our second battery used spaghetti wire to link the two batteries so we picked up some #2 AWG cable and connectors to replace that. The one thing that we've had a hard time finding is the correct fuse block and fuse. We tried Home Depot, Advanced Auto Parts, Radio Shack, and a local marine store - I may have to order one online. Today, if it is warm enough outside we can start running the cable and wire up the outlet. We received a message from Amazon stating that the inverter has been shipped which means it will be here by week's end or early next week. In any event by the end of next week that task will be behind us (hopefully the truck will be cured of its smoking habit by then as well). That will be two tasks down, and 999,998 left to go!!! I know, you've told me a million times not to exaggerate. As indicated in the above paragraph, the cold continues. This winter has a grasp on our Nation and isn't letting go easily. The predictions are for below freezing temperatures during the nights until at least Friday. They are even talking about the possibility of snow in Alabama (north of I-10 and Mobile). Brrrrrrr! We're chopping at the bit for warm weather where we can sit outside in our short sleeved shirts, shorts, and sandals. Alex is pacing and meowing to get outside and sit in my lap as well while Katie just curls up and continues to sleep though this winter weather hoping that it is just a bad dream. Judy J is working on a secret scrapbooking project as well as her other basket weaving endeavors. She and Peggy visited yesterday afternoon while Mike and I were out shopping for inverter "stuff". They are planning a wedding dress hunting trip in the near future and are sighting in their credit cards. Before we know it it will be wedding day in Tennessee - It's only about 10 weeks away. You have to remain diligent because these things have a tendency of sneaking up on you and before you know it, there you are - face to face with it!!! Well, I guess it's off to see the Wizard so catch you on the flip side (tomorrow, that is). Tuesday, February 9, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama We dropped the truck off at the repair shop and made our way to Camping World where we purchased a set of scissor jacks to use on the coach for side to side leveling. It was a good idea but, it doesn't work as well as I thought it might so we'll be returning the jacks. Now it's onto plan B which is to purchase a set of LevelEase Mega Level Blocks and a level that can be mounted on the front of the coach and read from the truck. This will make set up a little easier but won't do anything for readjusting the level should the coach settle while we are parked on soft ground. Next project is the installation of an inverter. I'm about ready to order a Cobra 1000 watt inverter from from Don Rowe.com. After much thought about what we want from an inverter we have decided that the ability to use our router, to use our computers, to charge our cell phones, and to watch some television during overnight stops is what we are really after. Therefore, we will install the inverter in the television cabinet in the bedroom along with an additional outlet next to the dresser for the router and computers. I liked the Cobra because it comes with an electronic display so we can monitor the battery status. This will be a simple system and cabling will be a piece of cake. Yesterday afternoon we had the Teddy Bear parade during our social hour at the clubhouse. There were eleven Teddy Bears that were born last Friday. Miss Judy's bear, whom I've named Teddy (real original, I know) got to meet all of his brothers and sisters. They were all made "from scratch" and just as cute as they could be. There's another Teddy Bear building class starting up real soon. That's just one of the 45 events on the weekly calendar here at Rainbow Plantation. You can view the weekly Rainbow Plantation schedule on Jerry Christie's website. Also, yesterday (and Sunday as well) Miss Judy has gotten me back to walking again each day. We need to pick up the pace and extend our walk to three miles. Somehow, and it is extremely difficult here at Rainbow Plantation, to loose any weight and I need to shed a half a dozen pounds (that's an understatement, folks). Skips just eat their way through each day with one eating event followed by another. When we are not eating at the clubhouse we're going out to dinner somewhere. It isn't the food that we seek as much as it is the socializing but, we keep on eating anyway. Judy and I have been discussing our summer travel plans; that is, the travel in between major family events that will be taking place this spring and summer. There is sooooo much to see and so little time. We have about a six week window of time for travel from mid May to the end of June. Here we sit like a couple of kids in a candy store having a hard time making up our minds as to what we want to do. It sure seems nice, though, to know that we will be free from a workamping stint this coming summer. Last night's rain event seems to have passed by; at least it's not pouring anymore. By noon time we should be able to play outside again. Not sure what today will bring - you'll need to come back tomorrow to see if we did anything exciting. Take care until then. Monday, February 8, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama "And the beat goes on!" Our social life remains in tact. Mike and Peggy joined us for church (actually they drove since they have a real car). After church Mike came over and installed the fuse in Mr. Vornado so that it is now safe to be around. Yesterday afternoon we went for a walk about - that's something that the Missus and I have to get into the habit of doing on a daily basis. Along the way we stopped off to return Phil's screw driver and sat and visited with Cindy and him. When we left there we did manage to finish our walk, however, we did bump into Gloria along the way and stopped to chat. We will need to plan our walk for earlier in the morning before people get out and about so we can do a real power walk rather than a stroll and visit. At around 5:00 we headed over to the clubhouse for the Super Bowl Party. The Plantation has purchased a new video projector for the clubhouse and a nice screen was donated so now we can have presentations, movies, and watch television events such as the Super Bowl. There were plenty of snacks; no Super Bowl would be complete without snacks and plenty of rivalry with the crowd being evenly divided between Colts fans, Saints fans, and I don't give a care fans. We left at half time to return home and watch the remainder of the game from the comfort of our Lazy Boy recliners. Congrats to the Saints for their first Super Bowl win. We sat with Mike and Peggy, Mike and Gerri, and Randy and Terry. Terry, Gerri, Mike and Judy had their own little party at the other end of the table. Terry has a such a unique laugh that whenever she's laughing the whole park knows that Terry is happy. It's, also, very contagious; the more she laughs the more people start joining in. I don't know what they were laughing about but, tears were rolling down their cheeks. People were thinking they they all had had one too many wine coolers but, they were having a wonderful time in their own little world. This morning Miss Judy and I are putting the truck into a 12 step smoking cessation plan. Our neighbor, Ron, has graciously loaned us the use of his second car - thanks Ron. On our way home we're gonna stop off at CW and pick up a set of leveling jacks which I will install on the RV just in front of the wheels. That should preclude the use of boards under the tires for leveling the coach. It will take the guess work out of how thick of a board to use and, also, allow us to level the coach after it settles without hooking up again. Next I will start working on the water hose solution - just gotta make life easier whenever possible. Other than that, I wonder what's on the agenda for today. Not really sure, we'll make up the rules as the day plays out. I'm sure that it will involve getting together with friends. There are still several day trips that we would like to accomplish in this area. Being that Mike and Peggy are in town we want to get out and do some of the Mardi Gras events - they have never participated in Mardi Gras and look forward taking in some of the celebrations. Sunday, February 7, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama Yesterday was a day laden with visitation. We began immediately after I changed into some real clothes at 8:00 with breakfast at the Biscuit King Barn with Randy and Terry. After we returned from breakfast and a trip to Uncle Wally's grocery, hardware, eye glasses, haircare and lube center we visited with Mike and Peggy for the rest of the morning. In the afternoon we doddled over to Norm and Linda's where we visited with Don and Gloria for a while and then visited with Norm and Linda. Don is Norm's workamper and is provided a free site for many hours of work (I must admit, he is handy to have around). We ended the day with a dinner with Mike, Gerri, Mike, Peggy, Judy, and I. We had planned to go to the Fairhope parade but it was just waaaaaay too cold and windy to stand outside for a couple of hours - there goes that global warming thang again. So has you can see, we had a full and busy day; it's a great job if you can get it. One thing that I forgot to mention, a couple of days ago (Friday morning to be exact) there was a knock on our door. I opened the door and said yey-yes (Maine is the only state where yes is a two syllable word). It was Phil Devonshire who was inquiring about the recent departure of our beloved Vornado heater. Upon learning that we had not yet buried the dearly departed in the local appliance cemetery (commonly referred to as the dumpster) he claimed that he had special powers to resurrect Vornados from the dead so I gave him ours and off he went. Within twenty minutes he was back telling me not to order a new unit because with some laying on of hands ours would soon being returning from the dead. Thank you Phil, that little gesture of kindness saved us between fifty to one hundred dollars. It seems that there is a line fuse in the unit which had burned out. This is what I assume the manufacturer refers to as an overheat switch which isn't really a switch at all. Once this fuse "burns out" the only way to repair it is to solder in a new one (you can't just change it by unplugging one fuse and putting in a new one in). Phil repaired the unit by by-passing the line fuse altogether that way ensuring the heater was still functional, however, he recommended replacing the fuse. So Mike and I made our pilgrimage to the local Radio Shack to get the necessary "stuff". We are going to install a fuse holder with a 15 amp fuse; therefore, should the fuse burn out again then all I have to do is replace it. I can put in a 20 amp fuse if necessary but, that would be the maximum. If the fuse still kept burning out then I would lay Mr. Vornado to rest in the appliance cemetery (aka, the dumpster) and purchase a new heater. The Vornado has been a great little heater and would be high on my list, however, they no longer make my heater and the equivalent replacement is now $169 (a little out of the realm of reality don'tcha think?). In all of my research I found that just about every space heater has a four star rating. That's most likely because most people write a review on the product within two weeks of ownership. Once the darned thing breaks down after three months use very few write another review. In any event, it came down to application - we wanted a heater that heats the room which basically means convection heat. Now there are all types of convection heaters; there's ceramic (which is probably the most popular), there's oil filled radiators, and there are micathermic heaters. The micathermic heaters intrigued me as they can be mounted on a wall. Micathermic heaters are heating panels that range from 400 watt all the way up to 1500 watt models. They have no fans or any other moving parts so it will take them a little longer to raise the room temperature but, once the room temperature has been attained they do a good job of maintaining it (we're talking about a room of approximately 150 square feet with an eight foot ceiling). The one draw back that I bumped into is that some (a low per centage) of the reviews talked about sparks and melt downs of these units. Again, it was only a small number of reviews but enough to have concerns about installing these in our home. Had we had to replace Mr. Vornado we most likely would have gone with an oil filled unit by Delonghi. Again, these units have no fans and would take a while to bring the room temperature up but would do a good job of maintaining the room temperature. We have our propane furnace that we could use to get the room temperature up to 70* so that really wouldn't be a problem. By the way, there are two things that makes the Vornado more appealing than a ceramic heater with a fan in it. One is that ceramic heaters with fans are generally noisy while the Vornado is very quiet and secondly is that Vornado uses a vortex design that disburses the air more globally throughout the room (ceramic heaters just force the air out in one direction). All 1500 watt electric heaters are 100% efficient but not all are effective in heating a room. Also, 1500 watt heaters will generally only heat a space of about 150 square feet per unit. I don't advocate using more than one unit in an RV. One last tid bit - a 1500 watt heater running at full bore for 24 hours will use 36 kilowatts of power so you can figure how much money it will cost to run by multiplying that times the per hour charge - at 12 cents per kilo watt hour it will cost you $4.32 per day to heat a full power. That's why it's a good idea to buy a unit with a thermostat and multiple heating levels. Well, enough about heaters. It's almost eight o'clock so I had better go get on my glad rags. Saturday, February 6, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama I remember waaaaay back when I was a w*rking stiff and I had a friend who was retired. He once told me that he made it his purpose to be up and dressed by eight o'clock every morning. At the time, I thought that that was pretty sound advice; it gives one a purpose in life and keeps one from becoming the type of person who retires to just sit on the front porch in his rocker while watching the world pass by. Well, now that I have been retired for over three years now I think that that is the dumbest thing that I have ever heard. Why would anyone have a stupid rule like that? That's one of the reasons why you retire in the first place, to do away with stupid rules. Be up and dressed by eight o'clock, how utterly ridiculous!!! I like to roll out of bed somewhere between six and seven each morning, savor the sweet sweet flavor of a cup of freshly squeezed burnt umber (coffee), read the electronic rag ('puter) focusing on the gossip section (travel blogs), listen to the weather report (blond weather girl), and do my daily babbling (journal entry). I should take time to read my Bible, spend time with the Lord, and exercise my cute chubby little body but, alas, I've become a slave to my own routine and being dressed by eight o'clock in the morning isn't part of that routine. The only reason to get up and put on some threads (other than PJ's) by eight o'clock is if you have something that you want to do such as going outside to watch the sunset (did I say sunset? I meant sunrise; it must have been a Freudian slip!) and actually I can do that in my PJs if it is warm enough. Sometimes we have things scheduled like a doctor's appointment, mens Bible group, or an outing but, generally it's "get going when you feel like getting going" which doesn't require putting on any garments before the "getting going" time. Besides, what is so special about having your apparel on by eight o'clock. Pajamas are much more comfortable and relaxing and that's exactly what you need to be doing after a good night's sleep - relaxing. You need to comfortably ease into the day without the pressure of a silly rule saying that you need your glad rags on by a certain time. Heck, retirement means that you're free to stay in your jammies until mid afternoon (or later) if you want. Well, it's getting close to 7:30, I had better go get a shower and get some clothes on shortly before someone shows up and catches me in my pajamas - wouldn't want that to happen. They might think that I have nothing better to do than sit on the front porch in my rocker and watch the world pass me by. Friday, February 5, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama Needless to say, we didn't exactly hunker down. Judy went to her quilting group and I went to the library in Fairhope. Other than that we did work on "stuff" inside the house. Last evening we went to the clubhouse for the Valentine Day's dinner but didn't stay for the dance. It was rainy and damp and our PJ's were calling us so we came home to work on a teddy bear, read, and watch television (yes, all at the same time). This morning the rain continues to fall but it is clearing so I'll spend some time doing a few household chores and reading while Miss Judy goes to teddy bear making class and rug making class. This afternoon is hair cut day (Judy) and propane day (RV). Oh yes, Judy is making me some nice homemade oatmeal/peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips, raisins, and nuts in them - a new addiction (thanks Judi). I will be a good boy and share so Randy, Norm, and Don may get to sample a few if they are good boys (needless to say their wives will get a sample as well). Mike and Peggy are on the way and Mikee says he "wil werk fer fude" so I will share with them also. Well, that is the state of the union here in Summedale, Alabama. Good Day!!! Thursday, February 4, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama We're getting ready to hunker down for the day since rain is on it's way. We should start seeing moisture coming down from the sky around 9:00 and will last for about 24 hours. So, today will be a "stay inside, pajamas kind of day". Tonight is the Valentine's Day dinner and dance so we'll put on some glad rags to go out and shake a leg. I still have had no success in finding a diesel mechanic in this area to replace the injector in the truck. It looks like I will have to take it to a GMC dealership and pay the high price to get the work done. They quoted me $900 dollars for a new injector and $300 to install it, however, I found that NAPA sells the part for $335 - too bad they didn't install it too. Today I'm going to call Coach-net and see where they would take the truck if I had to have it towed. Just maybe I can find a less expensive solution but, in any event, we have to get the darned thing fixed before it does more damage and/or leaves us stranded somewhere along the side of the road. Our faithful friend, the Vornado heater, has given up the ghost. I attempted to revive it yesterday but ended up pronouncing it DOA. So I have spent a little time on the internet researching electric space heaters. One thing that I have learned is that most of them get four stars on various customer reviews. I guess they have been pretty much perfected over the past few years. Most of them have a 1500 watt rating which means they eat electricity like a dawg eating a Beggin's Strip. Also, electric heaters are all 100% efficient so all that really remains is to decide which one is the most effective for our application. I know that we want one with a thermostat, an over temperature cut off, and a tip over cut off switch. One heater that caught my eye was an Envi heater panel that attaches to the wall. However, even though they claim it will heat a 150 square foot room, it is only a 450 watt unit. It would most likely help to keep a room comfortable when the outside temperature is 40* or higher but wouldn't be very effective in colder weather. Tomorrow, when Miss Judy is getting her hair cut. I will stop by the Foley Library and see what Consumer Reports has to say about the various units. We liked the Vornado so that one remains number one on our replacement list. After I get my daily chores done today, I'm going to take some measurements in the cabinet under the desk so I can start rebuilding it. Judy wants the printer to be on a shelf that pulls out from the cabinet. I'm planning on using the same type of roller rails that are used on drawers. We, also, want a shelf above the printer and I need to plan something to hold all the excess cables that hang down from the router, amplifier, and booster antenna. While I'm at it, I might as well get the dimensions for rebuilding the kitchen cabinet under the sink. That should be pretty much straight forward as all I want to do is add a door to the livingroom side, add the new counter extension on the end of the cabinet, and install a "wall" that isolates the trash bucket from the cookware. Emphasis on the word "should"! Other future enhancements for this spring are the addition of an inverter, installing a garden hose reel, and installing two side to side leveling jacks. Maintenance tasks are replacing the bath water tank dump valve and washing / waxing the entire coach and truck. That should keep me busy for the next few days; don't know what I'll do after that. Maybe weave a pine needle basket or something. Oops, I forgot that I have to organize all of our pictures - now there's a real job to look forward to. That will pretty much take me the rest of my life!! Wednesday, February 3, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama It seems as though there are a lot of things to do once we first return to the Plantation. Groceries is generally on the top of the list, a stop by the library to pick up some books, Judy usually has a hair appointment, sometimes there's a doctor's appointment, etc., etc. This time it didn't take us long to get the "essentials" out of the way and it's a good thing because things are busy, busy, busy here at Rainbow Plantation. Norm Payne did a count of the number of scheduled activities that are taking place here at the Plantation just this week and found that there were 45 of them. On top of that, the Mardi Gras celebration is getting kicked off in this area that adds all sorts of activities throughout the local communities as well. If you are the kind of person who hates to sit still for even one minute, then this is the place for you. This year Mardi Gras falls right on top of Ground Hog day and Valentine's day so last night we celebrated Ground Hog day with a movie at the clubhouse (what else? Ground Hog Day) and Thursday evening we will be celebrating Valentine's day early with a dinner and a dance. Mardi Gras takes about two weeks to run it's course ending on the Tuesday prior to Ash Wednesday (the beginning of lent). It's a big event here in the south with the schools closing for the last week of the celebration. There are parades, parties, feasts, and other activities going on all over the place. The Plantation has it's own week long celebration with dinners, dances, and a parade - it's a fun time for everyone just before entering 40 days of fasting. The past couple of days have been absolutely fantastic when it comes to the weather. There has been bright sunny days with seasonable temperatures which makes it very pleasant for us fulltime RVers who enjoy spending large amounts of time outside. Hopefully Punxsutawney Phil is wrong and spring will start early this year. After the freezing weather that we have been enduring it would be nice to have an extended spring. Spring time is beautiful here in the south with the azaleas blooming as the leaves return to the trees along with warmer days that are well suited for all the s's (short sleeved shirts, shorts, and sandals). This morning Miss Judy will be working on her teddy bear at the clubhouse and then will be going to her women's Bible study group. I have some yard work to do and need to take apart our Vorando heater to clean it. It quit working and I have a sneaking suspicion that the fan is clogged with kitty hair (how could that be?) . If I can't get it working again then we'll need to buy a new heater - electricity is cheaper than propane and more efficient than RV furnaces. Next I have to start developing a material list for the cabinet upgrades (cabinet under the desk and cabinet under the kitchen sink). I want to finish those projects before we hit the road again. Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama Is spring on it's way? Or, do we have to face another six weeks of winter? It's all up to Phil from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to call the shot when he waltzes out of his burrow on Gobbler's Knob at the crack of dawn this morning. The local weather forecaster just broke in with a News Bulletin and reported that the furry Marmota monax did in fact see his shadow so it's Brrrrrrr for the rest of us for the next six weeks - boo, hiss!!! We are still getting settled in, I guess by the look of things, for a long winter's stay. Yesterday I got the fire pit out of the shed, set up the picnic table, and put out the solar lights. I, also, got some black streaks washed off the rig, shampooed some soiled spots out of the carpet, and worked on the next Travelogue. Judy did the routine cleaning up in the rig, went to a Teddy Bear building class, and attended her crocheting group. We both attended the four o'clock social time at the clubhouse. Katie took a katt nap on the sofa while Alex meowed at the door to sit outside with dad for a little while - he got his wish. It didn't take us long to get back into the routine. We checked out the YMCA and almost joined, however, when we stopped to consider all that we've got going over the next couple of months we decided that we just didn't have time to make the twelve mile trip into the Y and spend a couple of hours there each day. I have a lot to get accomplished on the rig and Judy has a lot of basket weaving to get done. Basket weaving is not just a hobby, it is a way to produce Christmas and birthday gifts as well, so don't think that Judy is playing while Darrell is working - we both enjoy our endeavors. It's time for me to get going, my men's bible group meets this morning at 7:30 and I still need a shower so see ya tomorrow, same time, same station. I think we need to kill the ground hog, though!!!! See his shadow, my foot!!!! Six more weeks of winter, right!!!! Thank God for global warming or else we would have froze to death this winter. Monday, February 1, 2010 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama Are we just the socialites or what? With no plans for yesterday we still ran out of day well before we ran out of the socializing to be done. The day began with us getting ready for church, attending church, and returning "home" to get caught up on what has been taking place around the Plantation. First was a visit with Bill and Kathy then Gil and Orma dropped by to say "welcome back". Next we headed over to Ray and Pat's with a stop at Larry and Cindy's on the way (we got to tour their new Winnebago Journey - nice wheels!!!). Ray and Pat weren't home and we saw Randy and Terry pulling in so headed their direction where we bumped into Ron and Ruth. We finally made it to Randy and Terry's for a nice long visit with lots of chatting and laughter (some things never change). We headed home to catch our breath and have dinner but, stopped by to meet our new ERPU neighbor (Paul). Before we knew it, it was time for the ice cream social where we sat with Glenn and Sylvia, Mike and Gerri, Randy and Terry, Dick and Pat, and Ron. We lingered after the Social talking with Mike, Gerri, Randy, and Terry; before we knew it Mike, Gerri, Judy, and I were the only ones left in the building. Being that Mike and Gerri were going to be up for a while, waiting the arrival of their son, we invited them over to continue our conversation. It was a great evening getting to know these very special people. I keep repeating myself over and over again that the best part of this lifestyle is the people you meet and the friends you make. Here is a line taken from Norm Payne's "Statistics for Eight Years of Fulltiming" on his website See Ya Down the Road. It pretty well sums it all up!
Yep, life doesn't get any better than this!!! |
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