Today was " Errand Day " as we had several places to "find " to complete the errands. I should mentioned that it rained during the night but the Sun showed its' shinny face in the morning and it was a nice sunny day. Temp reached 75 F.
First we had to go to Freightliner to pick up an Ignition switch that I ordered last week. We knew where the Freightliner garage is located because we wasted or better yet, spend several hours trying to find it last week. The part was due in on Tuesday so I will just pick it ... right. Once I got there it took to people to check the computer only to tell me that the part was just sent today so they advised me to call on Monday. Ok , not much I can do!!!
Our next job was to try to find a Micro chip for our Garmin ( GPS ) because when I went to run an update it said there was not enough room. I had previously check at Wal-Mart and they do not stock them. My first stop was Staples , no luck; my next stop was Best Buy, No Luck... Ok so we gave up on that item and went to Home Depot to find a space heater and a indoor/ outdoor Thermometer but no luck. We decided to try Lowe's ( again ) and they had a Thermometer but no space heater . We are now batting 500 % , not bad.
We now decided to try to find a Mexican style restaurant called " Wille B's"
who serves the biggest Potato you have ever seen. Of course we have not been in TX for about 4 years so we weren't sure it was still in business. Not only is Wille still in business , he has expanded. Believe me you only dine there for the food not for the ambiance because there is none. And because it is good food at a reasonable price it was full of seniors, mostly winter Texans.
Our next stop was at Victoria Palms to find some friends from Ont that we have seen off and on over the past 10 or so years. We knew the street but not the site number but as I drove by Herman seen the AB plate and said it must be the Eslers. We had a short visit as they were involved with a Poker Run that their park has every Wed afternoon.
That's how we wasted another day. We did find out that we can get a chip for the GPS at Office Depot. cheers
Thursday, 26 February 2015
Rain Rain go Away; Southern Comfort Feb 2015
We are staying at an RV park called Southern Comfort and the sister Park next door is called Country Sunshine. My question is, where the hell did they get those names as it has rained off and on for 3 days and it has been cold. Those " early risers " who walk there dogs ( yes dogs )between 6 and 7 AM are wearing winter coats, winter hats and gloves. There is something wrong with this picture.
23 Feb : Yes it is raining so we decided to go shopping for a new a Faux wood blind to replace the " day / nighter " one that we "massacred" while trying to restring it while in MX. We found the levolor blind we ( mainly Carroll ) wanted in Lowe's but had to have it cut to size.
24 Feb: We ( mainly Tom ) had to make this Faux blind fit into a MH that it was not compatible. However, if there is a "will there is a way" and it did work out fine with a few modifications. The downside is that Carroll will eventually want all the blinds changed. It is amazing how long it takes to install a blind.
About 2:30 PM our friends dropped in for a visit ( what else can you do when it is raining ) so the blind installation got delayed for a couple of hours while we had an afternoon drink. But we managed to complete the task before supper. Actually it looks good. cheers
23 Feb : Yes it is raining so we decided to go shopping for a new a Faux wood blind to replace the " day / nighter " one that we "massacred" while trying to restring it while in MX. We found the levolor blind we ( mainly Carroll ) wanted in Lowe's but had to have it cut to size.
24 Feb: We ( mainly Tom ) had to make this Faux blind fit into a MH that it was not compatible. However, if there is a "will there is a way" and it did work out fine with a few modifications. The downside is that Carroll will eventually want all the blinds changed. It is amazing how long it takes to install a blind.
About 2:30 PM our friends dropped in for a visit ( what else can you do when it is raining ) so the blind installation got delayed for a couple of hours while we had an afternoon drink. But we managed to complete the task before supper. Actually it looks good. cheers
Tuesday, 24 February 2015
Wind , Rain and Cold Feb 2015
Saturday 21 Feb: Since it was only windy today I decided to try to fix our steps on the MH. Jut before we left MX the steps did not retract properly so I kind of push them with my foot. Apparently I pushed them past the point of no return as the stopped functioning. Now I have to fix them. Since I am now "stumped" on the problem, and the manual does offer a solution therefore I will now call the MH company with the hope that they have the solution. I spotted a Mobile RV repairs service truck in the park yesterday so I got his card and I may have to call him if all else fails.
Since the Scotties curling was only one game on Saturday, we had the after free so we went to our sister RV park which is right next door and visited with friends who we met in Shilo from 77 to 81. They were both teachers on the Base and I believe Holly actually taught Todd in grade 6. I coached both their sons in hockey so we had lot of family talk. Both their boys are teachers so you would think that since I coached Hockey then our boys should have been in the NHL. I'm not sure what happen there. haha. We also had mutual friends from Shilo so they brought us up to speed on those happenings.
I was asking our neighbors' about this dam wind and when it might stop. They said, the weather news is bad because we are going to get rain on Sunday and Monday along with a cold front. I know what you are thinking; " why the hell did we come here". We are asking ourselves the same question.
Most of the residents are walking around with heavy coats, toques and gloves. Sunny TX my ass !!!!!!
We were planning to go to Austin , TX when we head home but we seen on the news yesterday, that they have plenty of snow and a very cold winter... so much for that idea. cheers
Sunday 22 Feb: Our neighbor was right about the weather as it started to rain during the night and the temperature dropped considerably and the wind was still blowing about 20 MPH. Luckily curling was on so we had something to do. Also Carroll decided to do some laundry and if the rained stopped the wind would dry the clothes as we do have clothes lines. However, you are not allowed to hang out underwear because it does look good. Can you imagine anything so foolish or better yet, stupid. I told Carroll to hang it out anyway because I doubt that the "Underwear Police " work on Sunday. You probably know that Seniors are just Older Kids who have gone senile.
The rain did stop for a while but the clothes did not dry before the rain started again so the neighbor came over to offer the use of their dryer so we took the clothes across to their place. I really think they wanted someone to talk with because they didn't seem to want us to leave. At least they are nice neighbors.
Our friend Terry , whose husband died on Monday called me to ask if I would replace the battery in her smoke detector as the beeping was annoying. So we invited her over supper as the less she is alone is probably better for her. Cheers
Since the Scotties curling was only one game on Saturday, we had the after free so we went to our sister RV park which is right next door and visited with friends who we met in Shilo from 77 to 81. They were both teachers on the Base and I believe Holly actually taught Todd in grade 6. I coached both their sons in hockey so we had lot of family talk. Both their boys are teachers so you would think that since I coached Hockey then our boys should have been in the NHL. I'm not sure what happen there. haha. We also had mutual friends from Shilo so they brought us up to speed on those happenings.
I was asking our neighbors' about this dam wind and when it might stop. They said, the weather news is bad because we are going to get rain on Sunday and Monday along with a cold front. I know what you are thinking; " why the hell did we come here". We are asking ourselves the same question.
Most of the residents are walking around with heavy coats, toques and gloves. Sunny TX my ass !!!!!!
We were planning to go to Austin , TX when we head home but we seen on the news yesterday, that they have plenty of snow and a very cold winter... so much for that idea. cheers
Sunday 22 Feb: Our neighbor was right about the weather as it started to rain during the night and the temperature dropped considerably and the wind was still blowing about 20 MPH. Luckily curling was on so we had something to do. Also Carroll decided to do some laundry and if the rained stopped the wind would dry the clothes as we do have clothes lines. However, you are not allowed to hang out underwear because it does look good. Can you imagine anything so foolish or better yet, stupid. I told Carroll to hang it out anyway because I doubt that the "Underwear Police " work on Sunday. You probably know that Seniors are just Older Kids who have gone senile.
The rain did stop for a while but the clothes did not dry before the rain started again so the neighbor came over to offer the use of their dryer so we took the clothes across to their place. I really think they wanted someone to talk with because they didn't seem to want us to leave. At least they are nice neighbors.
Our friend Terry , whose husband died on Monday called me to ask if I would replace the battery in her smoke detector as the beeping was annoying. So we invited her over supper as the less she is alone is probably better for her. Cheers
Monday, 23 February 2015
Weslaco,TX 20 Feb 2015
Weslaco is the city is where our RV park is located. It got its' name from the West Land Company hence Weslaco; kind of original. I can't believe it can be so dam windy even though it has been blowing since Thursday. At least it is warm which makes it bearable as the temperature is around 80 F. Believe it or not I don't have a thermometer, another thing I left a home.
We started to watch curling when the "Welcome " lady came to the door so we had to invite her in. Then she realized that we have been here several times so there wasn't much info that she could give us as we know where to shop, ie Wal-Mart, the Outlet maul and HEB ( groceries) and how to get to MX. We have probably been across the border to Progresso, MX more times than she has and she has been coming here for 18 years. She spends 10 months of the year here. We left the curling game on but turned the volume down but she still stayed to talk for about an hour.
As you know, I have been having a slight problem with the intermittent power supply to the Slide Outs so I decided to replace the ignition switch. I called the MH company ( Tiffin ) and they gave me a part number but suggested that I get it from Freightliner, who built the chassis. They also gave me the address for Freightliner in he area, which was about 10 miles away. First we couldn't find the street and our GPS somehow lost the Data ( whatever the hell that means) so we wandered aimlessly, even stopping for directions until we stumbled over the street only to find out that this street actually became Hwy 183 and Freightliner is about 5 miles out of town. Anyhow I had to order the part and it should here on Tuesday however it is coming for Tennessee and they are " snowbound" so there is no promise for delivery. I'm sure the young Parts man doesn't even know what snow really looks or feels like. This is a huge Freightliner Service Center and they had 6 counter Parts men and they were all Hispanic and of course spoke both languages.
On the way home we stopped at HEB for groceries and this is a Supper Store. We never seen one Caucasus person working in he store and most of the shoppers where Hispanic. I'm just trying to point out that this area is really populated by Hispanic. The Time Warner Tech whom connected us to the internet says his wife's family lives in the border town a few miles away and they have not been there for a visit for 6 years and he has no plans to go there. Mexicans and most Americans are terrified to cross into MX.
That's how we spent this Saturday so now it's back to curling and hockey for the evening. cheers
We started to watch curling when the "Welcome " lady came to the door so we had to invite her in. Then she realized that we have been here several times so there wasn't much info that she could give us as we know where to shop, ie Wal-Mart, the Outlet maul and HEB ( groceries) and how to get to MX. We have probably been across the border to Progresso, MX more times than she has and she has been coming here for 18 years. She spends 10 months of the year here. We left the curling game on but turned the volume down but she still stayed to talk for about an hour.
As you know, I have been having a slight problem with the intermittent power supply to the Slide Outs so I decided to replace the ignition switch. I called the MH company ( Tiffin ) and they gave me a part number but suggested that I get it from Freightliner, who built the chassis. They also gave me the address for Freightliner in he area, which was about 10 miles away. First we couldn't find the street and our GPS somehow lost the Data ( whatever the hell that means) so we wandered aimlessly, even stopping for directions until we stumbled over the street only to find out that this street actually became Hwy 183 and Freightliner is about 5 miles out of town. Anyhow I had to order the part and it should here on Tuesday however it is coming for Tennessee and they are " snowbound" so there is no promise for delivery. I'm sure the young Parts man doesn't even know what snow really looks or feels like. This is a huge Freightliner Service Center and they had 6 counter Parts men and they were all Hispanic and of course spoke both languages.
On the way home we stopped at HEB for groceries and this is a Supper Store. We never seen one Caucasus person working in he store and most of the shoppers where Hispanic. I'm just trying to point out that this area is really populated by Hispanic. The Time Warner Tech whom connected us to the internet says his wife's family lives in the border town a few miles away and they have not been there for a visit for 6 years and he has no plans to go there. Mexicans and most Americans are terrified to cross into MX.
That's how we spent this Saturday so now it's back to curling and hockey for the evening. cheers
Sunday, 22 February 2015
Southern Comfort 19 Feb 2015
The Southern Comfort RV Resort will be our home for another month if we get there today. We left the Cracker Barrel parking lot in Kerrville around 7 AM and we are about one hour out of San Antonia on I- 10, so we know we are going to have to fight some earlier morning traffic on the way into the city. Our plan was/is to take a Beltway/Bypass assuming we don't miss it as we have done in the pass. The navigator was doing an excellent job ( without the use of our GPS as it lost its' Data ) and got me into the Beltway lane right up until we had to make a choice of "East" or "West". Hell, we need to go due South ( there is no south ) but since I had about 2 seconds to make a decision I chose East which in fact sent me North but the navigator put me back on I-10 and then right back on the Bypass going West ( eventually south ) so the disaster was averted and now we were clear sailing and expected to arrive in Mercedes, TX around 2PM.
We like to top up the fuel before we get to the RV park so when we leave we don't have to spend travel time looking for a gas station where we can get the cheapest fuel and if we can get in and more important, how we can get out.
All of the prices we noticed along our route was 2.85 and up until we came to a small city which had a new H.E.B grocery store with a Gas Bar and the price for diesel was 2.59. At that price I'll fill up; thank you. H.E.B is a chain store much like the Super Stores in Canada but at first glance it did not look like I could get into the pumps until Carroll noticed that an 18 wheeler was just pulling out. I said if he can get in so can I so in we went. It was a little " squishy " but we made it and this is a farming area so the other users made sure I had room to get out. A Cattle Trucker even blocked traffic until I got out.
We arrive at our RV park around 2 PM and we called The Meakins to say we had arrived and since they had previously invited us for supper we needed to qualify our timings. We got to meet Terry and pass our condolence as she too was at Meakins. Shirley had a great supper for us as she always does and Don poured me a Crown Royal which I needed, ha ha.
Since we have been to this Southern Comfort Resort several times over the years, some residence recognized us so they had to drop over say hello.
When we checked in at the office we reminded the clerk that we had put down a 200.00 deposit 2 years ago and we wondered if it could be applied to our rent. She told us to go and setup and come back later and she would see if she could do it. This park is owned by a big corporation ( not a Mom and Pop operation) so we did not think they would apply the deposit but since it was still on the books she applied it. Sometimes things just go your way. Cheers
We like to top up the fuel before we get to the RV park so when we leave we don't have to spend travel time looking for a gas station where we can get the cheapest fuel and if we can get in and more important, how we can get out.
All of the prices we noticed along our route was 2.85 and up until we came to a small city which had a new H.E.B grocery store with a Gas Bar and the price for diesel was 2.59. At that price I'll fill up; thank you. H.E.B is a chain store much like the Super Stores in Canada but at first glance it did not look like I could get into the pumps until Carroll noticed that an 18 wheeler was just pulling out. I said if he can get in so can I so in we went. It was a little " squishy " but we made it and this is a farming area so the other users made sure I had room to get out. A Cattle Trucker even blocked traffic until I got out.
We arrive at our RV park around 2 PM and we called The Meakins to say we had arrived and since they had previously invited us for supper we needed to qualify our timings. We got to meet Terry and pass our condolence as she too was at Meakins. Shirley had a great supper for us as she always does and Don poured me a Crown Royal which I needed, ha ha.
Since we have been to this Southern Comfort Resort several times over the years, some residence recognized us so they had to drop over say hello.
When we checked in at the office we reminded the clerk that we had put down a 200.00 deposit 2 years ago and we wondered if it could be applied to our rent. She told us to go and setup and come back later and she would see if she could do it. This park is owned by a big corporation ( not a Mom and Pop operation) so we did not think they would apply the deposit but since it was still on the books she applied it. Sometimes things just go your way. Cheers
Friday, 20 February 2015
Overnight in Kerriville 18 Feb 2015
When we woke at the Rest Stop we still had no battery power to close the slide. Therefore I had to bring the slide in manually.
All slides do have a manual over-ride' it was just that I never thought to read the manual as I did not expect I would have to use the manual over-ride. After removing some of the cargo I crawl into the cargo space to address the problem. The manual says there is a 3/4 inch nut on the end of the shaft in which to retrieve the slide. I guess the guy responsible for installing that nut was on days off when they built our MH because it was not there. Move to Plan B; a 12 inch pipe wrench would do the trick except I left that wrench at home. I didn't think I would need it but I have since change my mind. Move to Plan C; I do have a 6 inch pipe wrench in my tool kit but is asking a lot from such a small wrench but I must give it a try and Bingo it worked and the slide came in and this procedure took about 1/2 an hour.
So now we headed for Kerriville and we expect to arrive there between 5 and 6 PM, and to stay at the Cracker Barrel overnight. After driving down the road for some time Carroll notice that the interior lights came so for some reason the lost power is back. I'm confused but I still think it has some thing to do with the ignition switch, so I'll call Tiffin when I get to TX.
The trip was pretty much uneventful except for the crosswinds that blew most of the day. By the afternoon, we kept looking for diesel fuel prices that were around the 2.55 price range but most of the Truck Stops where at least 2.85 or more. I did pass one Truck stop that was 2.56 but I was past it before I notice it. Finally, I was down to a 1/4 tank so I had to refuel at 2.99 a gallon.
We arrived at the Cracker Barrel in Kerriville at 5:30 PM so after driving for 10 hours I decided I was overdue for a sip of Crown Royal. After supper we checked our email and there was a message from our friends in Southern Comfort, TX that read "Please call me ASP". I knew right away it was not good so we called on Face Time only to be told our friend Joe , who has ALS and was wintering in Southern Comfort, TX had passed away late Sunday evening. We knew Joe was not well but his death was certainly unexpected. We knew Joe's wife Terry would be helped through this ordeal with Shirley and Don Meakin and hopefully we could be of some comfort when we get there tomorrow. It was another sad night for us. cheers
All slides do have a manual over-ride' it was just that I never thought to read the manual as I did not expect I would have to use the manual over-ride. After removing some of the cargo I crawl into the cargo space to address the problem. The manual says there is a 3/4 inch nut on the end of the shaft in which to retrieve the slide. I guess the guy responsible for installing that nut was on days off when they built our MH because it was not there. Move to Plan B; a 12 inch pipe wrench would do the trick except I left that wrench at home. I didn't think I would need it but I have since change my mind. Move to Plan C; I do have a 6 inch pipe wrench in my tool kit but is asking a lot from such a small wrench but I must give it a try and Bingo it worked and the slide came in and this procedure took about 1/2 an hour.
So now we headed for Kerriville and we expect to arrive there between 5 and 6 PM, and to stay at the Cracker Barrel overnight. After driving down the road for some time Carroll notice that the interior lights came so for some reason the lost power is back. I'm confused but I still think it has some thing to do with the ignition switch, so I'll call Tiffin when I get to TX.
The trip was pretty much uneventful except for the crosswinds that blew most of the day. By the afternoon, we kept looking for diesel fuel prices that were around the 2.55 price range but most of the Truck Stops where at least 2.85 or more. I did pass one Truck stop that was 2.56 but I was past it before I notice it. Finally, I was down to a 1/4 tank so I had to refuel at 2.99 a gallon.
We arrived at the Cracker Barrel in Kerriville at 5:30 PM so after driving for 10 hours I decided I was overdue for a sip of Crown Royal. After supper we checked our email and there was a message from our friends in Southern Comfort, TX that read "Please call me ASP". I knew right away it was not good so we called on Face Time only to be told our friend Joe , who has ALS and was wintering in Southern Comfort, TX had passed away late Sunday evening. We knew Joe was not well but his death was certainly unexpected. We knew Joe's wife Terry would be helped through this ordeal with Shirley and Don Meakin and hopefully we could be of some comfort when we get there tomorrow. It was another sad night for us. cheers
Leaving for TX 17 Feb 2015
Tuesday in this RV park is "Sticky Bun Day " or if you prefer " Cinnamon Buns. Every Tuesday, a few people get up real early to make Sticky Buns and by 8 AM they open the doors and serve Buns, coffee and Juice for 2.00. These are a real big seller so to speak so most park residence take advance of this offer. What would you expect, we are Seniors.
Our friends, Bob and Karen knew about "Sticky Bun " Tuesday so they came over to join us for breakfast and to say farewell.
By 9:30 AM we were on our way, with our first stop to fuel up. We buy our groceries at Fry's and we had enough points to get a 20 cent discount per gallon up to 35 gallons. Fry's do not have their own pumps at this store so you can use your Fry's card at a Shell or Circle K. I went to the Shell station but the Fry's card does not work at the Pump so you have to have the clerk activate the card; she said I could only get 62.00 of fuel on that card but she could not explain why I could not get my 35 gal discount. I wasn't about to debate the issue as long as I got some discount. However, when I got to the pump I got the 35 gallons with the 20 cent discount.
So off we go for our trip to TX. Somewhere in New Mexico we stopped at a rest stop for lunch. We also picked up some maps and they also have free wifi so we checked the emails. Our plan for the night was to get thru El Paso, TX which is right on the border with NM. I did not want to fight the morning traffic in El Paso. We stopped at the TX Welcome centre and picked up a map and a few brochures. We ask the attendant about a Rest Stop where we plan to spend the night. You are allowed to stay at a Rest Stop for 8 hours but there are no " Rest Stop Ploice ". It was about 37 miles ahead so we stopped for the evening. When we pulled to the Rest Stop there was 1 truck. By 9 PM the place was full with trucks, RVs and pickups parked in any space available. A pickup parked so close to us I had to back up just to get out.
Since we have the MiFi we checked out email and we rec an email from a friend in TX which read; if you rec this email by 9 PM please call me. I had a bad feeling and I said to Carroll that we should call because I think it might be about our friend Joe who is in TX but has ALS but Carroll said we can call tomorrow as they probably want to know when we are arriving in TX.
We had another slight problem with the MH. We moved the slide out a few inches so we could access a cupboard. Then later that evening I tried to move the bedroom slide and "Bingo" we lost all battery power so the slide out would not move. This is a problem to be overcome in the morning so we played cards with our flashlight and went to bed. Cheers
Our friends, Bob and Karen knew about "Sticky Bun " Tuesday so they came over to join us for breakfast and to say farewell.
By 9:30 AM we were on our way, with our first stop to fuel up. We buy our groceries at Fry's and we had enough points to get a 20 cent discount per gallon up to 35 gallons. Fry's do not have their own pumps at this store so you can use your Fry's card at a Shell or Circle K. I went to the Shell station but the Fry's card does not work at the Pump so you have to have the clerk activate the card; she said I could only get 62.00 of fuel on that card but she could not explain why I could not get my 35 gal discount. I wasn't about to debate the issue as long as I got some discount. However, when I got to the pump I got the 35 gallons with the 20 cent discount.
So off we go for our trip to TX. Somewhere in New Mexico we stopped at a rest stop for lunch. We also picked up some maps and they also have free wifi so we checked the emails. Our plan for the night was to get thru El Paso, TX which is right on the border with NM. I did not want to fight the morning traffic in El Paso. We stopped at the TX Welcome centre and picked up a map and a few brochures. We ask the attendant about a Rest Stop where we plan to spend the night. You are allowed to stay at a Rest Stop for 8 hours but there are no " Rest Stop Ploice ". It was about 37 miles ahead so we stopped for the evening. When we pulled to the Rest Stop there was 1 truck. By 9 PM the place was full with trucks, RVs and pickups parked in any space available. A pickup parked so close to us I had to back up just to get out.
Since we have the MiFi we checked out email and we rec an email from a friend in TX which read; if you rec this email by 9 PM please call me. I had a bad feeling and I said to Carroll that we should call because I think it might be about our friend Joe who is in TX but has ALS but Carroll said we can call tomorrow as they probably want to know when we are arriving in TX.
We had another slight problem with the MH. We moved the slide out a few inches so we could access a cupboard. Then later that evening I tried to move the bedroom slide and "Bingo" we lost all battery power so the slide out would not move. This is a problem to be overcome in the morning so we played cards with our flashlight and went to bed. Cheers
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