Monday, March 31, 2008 Can you believe it? We are finally "on the road again". Here we sit in Baton Rouge, Louisiana visiting with, of all people, our friends from Rainbow Plantation. Yes, we drove around 235 miles just to sit and visit with our neighbors. We are part of the semi-annual Gulf Posse Rally and will be here until Friday. Besides sitting and visiting, we will be going on day trips in and around Baton Rouge. It is certainly starting out well with beautiful weather with temperatures in the high 70's and low 80's. We'll have some pictures and the "rest of the story" in our next travelogue. Now this falls into the category of "Small World Experiences". My internal alarm system went off telling me that we needed to stop at the next rest stop which happened to be the last one in Mississippi. The area was pretty full but there was an open space near the far end of the parking area where we could pull in - right next to another fifthwheel. Judy says, "There's a space right next to that Cypress." As we are pulling in she says, "They got Michigan plates." As we pulled in a little further I said, "That looks like Dick and Jody's rig." Dick and Jody are friends that we met for the first time when we stopped at Rainbow Plantation in October of 2006 and then we were both there again last January. Well, low and behold it was Dick and Jody. They were on their way from Texas to Summerdale, Alabama. Now whoda thunk!!! If my plumbing hadn't needed to be emptied or if there had been a space "earlier" in the parking area we would have never bumped into them. This is, indeed, a "Small World After All". We had a nice little visit with them and then went on our respective ways. They're planning on being at Rainbow Plantation next winter so we will see them then unless we bump into them at another rest stop somewhere along the way. In any event, we arrived safe and sound after taking our time traveling from Summerdale to Baton Rouge. It was a pleasant drive but we were ready to stop by the time we arrived. I'm getting to the point where I don't like driving any more than four hours at a time. The ideal would be to drive four or less hours and then stay put for a few days before having to travel again. Alex says a great big "Meow" to that plan. Katie just sleeps through it all, silly katt. Saturday, March 29, 2008 After yesterday I don't know that I do windows any longer - even my own. What I discovered is that the Blue Coral Wash and Wax that I use between hand waxing leaves a residue on the windows that is very difficult to get off. I tried Windex, that stuff is pretty much useless. I tried Glass Plus, it was a little better but now knowing how well it works on glass makes me question what it does on "plus". Simple Green does an excellent job of cutting through the Wash and Wax but it leaves streaks. That's where white vinegar comes in - it does a wonderful job cleaning the windows without leaving streaks. My grand mother used to use vinegar and newspaper to clean her windows; that was before they had all of the paper products that are available today - but, of course, they had trees back then (that's a subject for another journal entry). You do have to use another product with the vinegar, however, it's called Elbow Grease. What I found is that Elbow Grease is not as easy to find as it used to be when I was younger. It comes in a lot smaller can, well let me rephrase that, it comes in a much larger "can" but in a much smaller quantity. The white vinegar and Elbow Grease mix did a good job on our windows but now the rig smells like an Olive Garden salad - all we need is some bread stixs and a glass of "twine". Well, wouldn't cha know it, once I got the outside of the windows clean it was very obvious that the inside needed some work. Being that I didn't want to live in a perpetual Olive Garden salad I tried the Green Works that I have been using on the shower. Green Works is an all natural product made by Clorox. It smells nice and did a very good job cleaning the windows without streaking; next time I will give it a shot outside as well. In any event, the windows are clean and Katie and Alex have a clear view of the birds. Darn birds!!!! Look what he just did to my nice clean window!!!!! Sic him, Alex, sic him!!!! "If you kill him, I'll grill him!!!!" Friday, March 28, 2008 Yep, the waxing is done, at least on the RV. Today I will wash the windows - yes, I do windows but only my own. Then we will start "packing" for our trip. We're going camping!!! Our trip up the Natchez Trace Parkway will be more like the "camping" trips that we used to take with our first RV. That was a 26 foot travel trailer with no slideouts; can you imagine traveling in something without slideouts? That's roughing it for sure. This time we will be staying in campgrounds with no utilities for several days at a time. That means that we will need to "fire up" the generator to be able to get online - rough. We would hook up and pull out of the driveway on a Friday evening, after a long week at work, heading to a campground within a couple hours of home. Upon arriving we'd check in, "set up camp", and then prepare an evening meal which would be something simple like hamburgers or hot dawgs. Later that evening we would gather ourselves next to a campfire and just enjoy the quietness surrounding us. The daily pressures of living in this world would begin to lift as our senses were filled by the peacefulness of being in nature. The views, the sounds, the smells would fill our being and we would begin to feel as one with our environment. Saturday morning we would sit outside with our coffee in hand (even in 40 degree weather) and enjoy the sun rise. Our day would consist of walking around the campground and, often, we would seek out waterfalls in the area. That would provide us with walks in the woods and some beautiful views that most people never experience. We would prepare a nice dinner later in the afternoon and enjoy another fire on Saturday evening. Sunday we would generally just "hang around the house" and enjoy our camp site. We would "break camp" around noon and be on the road by 1:00 heading back to the hustle bustle. Even though the weekends were short they were an Oasis for us in the midst of the "Routine Jungle". Yes, we are going camping by taking a couple of weeks to travel the 444 mile Natchez Trace Parkway from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee. But first we will be joining with around 24 other couples at the Gulf Posse rally being held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. That will be an opportunity for us to meet some more Rainbow Plantation couples as we gather together and drink some "twine". We will do some sightseeing in Louisiana's capital city as well. Oh well, the windows are calling me, I best get moving. Happy motoring and have fun. Thursday, March 27, 2008 I only drink wine on days that end with a "y" but yesterday I didn't get around to it. Yesterday I continued to wax the RV and have just about all of the "ladder" work completed. Today I should complete waxing the entire rig - that will be that for another six months. I hand wax the rig twice a year, spring and fall. The rest of the year I use Blue Coral's wash and wax and can do everything from the ground using a brush with an extension handle. Washing and waxing an RV is a lot of work but I can't stand a dirty rig and absolutely hate back streaks. Our rig shines just as it did two and a half years ago when we brought it home. Take care of your equipment and it will take care of you. We got together at J. and Hiedi's with Pastor Bill and his wife Kim. He is meeting with all of the Home Groups to lay out the vision for Jubilee Shores over the next few years. The church continues to grow and more staff as well as more room. When we return next fall there will be a new teaching pastor on staff. The selection has been made and he will arrive in June. New buildings are needed on both campuses - a youth center at the Celebration campus and a new worship center at the Jubilee Shores campus. Although there will be a capital fund campaign it will be entirely different from most with no goal, no thermometers, and little mention of it other than reminders of what God is doing in our midst. The church leadership has decided to let God do it His way - whatta a concept!!!! The countdown is on. We only have three days left here at Rainbow Plantation before we "hit the road". We won't be back until October so there are mixed emotions about leaving. All of us have that bitter-sweet feeling in that we hate saying good-bye but we look forward to getting on the road seeing and doing new things. After all, that is why we gave up houses and our personal belongings in the first place. But being social beings makes it awfully easy to "put down roots". I think that the biggest draw back to fulltiming is loosing the connectivity to a home church. But, on the other hand, you do get to experience new worship opportunities as you visit different churches while you travel not to mention that you get to meet new brothers and sisters in the Lord that you would have never met otherwise. Well, it is time to get going. These RVs just don't wax themselves, I don't know why not - they do have self cleaning ovens, don't they? Why not a self cleaning recreational vehicle???? Wednesday, March 26, 2008 Things were slightly improved versus Monday when everything I touched went south. First of all, the computer will not be repaired until we get to New York in mid May so that means that Miss Judy is going to have to learn how to share :-). Oh well! We will be without two computers for a whole six weeks - that could spell disaster, but keep in mind that I am bigger than Judy so I can just take her toys away from her. Yeah, right!! The look, the look!!!! Now for the good news, I got the Pressure Pro reprogrammed and operating properly with help from Mike McFall. I advocate that you not leave home without the Pressure Pro tire monitoring system and I would encourage you to purchase it from Mike and Pat McFall. In today's world it is hard to get any kind of customer satisfaction but you will get excellent service from the McFall's. I purchased my unit from Doran in August of 2006 but Mike never hesitated, even for an instant, to provide me with the help I needed - what a great guy with a wonderful business model. Needless to say, I highly recommend dealing with him at pressureprosystem.com. Thirdly, I had a brain storm regarding the toilet issue and it worked. There are two gaskets that are stacked inside the toilet. The one that leaks is the thin one that interfaces with the flush valve known as the "ball". It is marked with "This Side Up" in order for it to align properly in the toilet but I decided that I had nothing to loose if I put "This Side Up" down. I had to cut a notch out of it so that it would align properly but the toilet holds water again. Now we'll see how long that lasts, hopefully for a year or two. The other thing to know is the proper cleaning procedure. The toilet needs to be cleaned frequently with mild detergent (Sealand recommends white vinegar and/or Bar Keeper's Friend). Do not use Lime Away, bleach, or any other harsh chemicals in a Sealand toilet. There is, also, a special tool to use to clean between the gasket and the ball but Sealand said a plastic knife works just as well (just throw the knife away when you done with it and don't use it to cut your steak with). So, once a week I will make sure that there is no build up between the gasket seal and the ball. The shower gets wiped down everyday but gets a thorough cleaning every Wednesday so I will make that the day to clean the toilet as well. Wow - TMI!!!!! I took my bride out for lunch at L. A. BBQ. Neither of us felt like preparing or eating anything that we had in the house. L. A. BBQ has good lunch plates at reasonable prices. Other than than I got over half of the "ladder" waxing done on the RV. I did manage to fall off the ladder once and scraped my arm in the process but that kinda stuff is just what I do best. Nick Russell refers to it as "Nick Happens" - I guess "Darrell Happens" as well. Tuesday, March 25, 2008 When it comes to getting things done yesterday; I should have just "stood in bed". Our Gateway computer is on the fritz again, this time it is the power switch. I was hoping it would be something simple like the plunger that pushes the switch but no such luck. It looks like we will be traveling with one computer for a while until we either find a place to fix the Gateway or we buy a new one (buy has a big mouth, pay as a little one). Well, it didn't stop there. The toilet has not been holding water again so I decided to take it apart and clean the gaskets and the ball hoping that that would take care of the problem. No such luck. Now the water leaks out faster than it did before. I did call Sealand and they are sending me a new set of gaskets. If you remember right, I was going to change to a Thetford toilet but just before I did I found out that there are more problems with them than there are with the Sealand. Next I decided to "air up" all of my tires and install the Pressure Pro sensors. Guess what? The Pressure Pro wasn't getting the right signal from the sensors. Instead of indicating the pressure of each tire in pounds it was showing "4.3" or "5.6". So, I had to delete all of the settings and today I will need to reprogram the system. Hopefully I will hold my mouth right and won't have any further problems with it. The good news is that the truck and RV have been totally washed and today I will begin waxing the RV. I will start from the top and work my way down since we are not going to take our ladder with us this time. That way if I don't get to finish waxing before we leave I will be able to reach whatever is left from the ground. Last night we had four other couples in for a spaghetti dinner (Norm and Linda, Don and Gloria, Dave and Sharyl, and Tom and Mary Ann). We had originally planned to eat outside and have a fire in the fire pit but it was cool and windy so all ten of us ate inside. Our home is larger than most RVs and accommodated everyone quite comfortably. It was a little tight while we were all getting our food but once everyone found their seat we did just fine. We have four dining room chairs, a sofa for two, and two recliners so we brought in two lawn chairs which worked just fine. Ten people and two katts in one RV - what fun. By the way, the katts decided the bedroom was the safest place for their tails although Alex did come out to investigate once everyone was seated. Today is Miss Judy's birthday. She will be 29 (again) and will celebrate by going to her one of her "basket weaving" classes at the clubhouse this morning and then getting together with Ruth and Linda to do some beading this afternoon. I will do all of the dishes from last night's dinner as well as make the bed and vacuum the house. We have been so busy with all of the "farewell" get togethers that she decided we didn't need to go out to dinner so I will "rustle up some grub" for a birthday dinner later today. Happy Birthday, my Love! You look great for a 29 year old! Monday, March 24, 2008 Busy, busy, busy. We're winding down here in Alabama. In less than a week we will be "on the road again." Friday I somehow managed to squeeze in washing the truck between between the S.O.S breakfast and the Oyster bake. Saturday morning we made a run to the grocery store to stock up on groceries and then Judy went to a beading session while I washed the roof of the RV. Our taxes are done and in the mail, our health insurance application is done and in the mail - hey, I think we are getting close to being ready to roll. Saturday evening was another "farewell" dinner this time with our weekly "Home Group". We went to Bill and Lark's house out on Mobile Bay for a nice Southern Fried Chicken picnic. What a nice home right on the shore with beautiful views out across the bay. We have a large home group with 22 couples descending upon their home for the feast and fun. We ate, we chit chatted, we laughed, and we watched the sun set over the bay - Southern hospitality is alive and well in Lower Alabama. Thank you Bill and Lark, we look forward to seeing you again next fall. Yesterday we celebrated Resurrection Sunday with our church family and later an Easter dinner with our friends at the clubhouse. We shared a table with Bill and Kathy, Norm and Linda, Doug and Anna, Don and Gloria, and Dave and Sharyl. Ham, gravy, and drinks were provided by the clubhouse and each of us brought a "plate to pass". What a delicious Easter dinner!! It is a blessing to have so many friends who are becoming part of our family and it's a comfort knowing that we will be seeing them all again when we return to Rainbow Plantation. He has Risen, He has Risen Indeed! Yes, Jesus, the Son of God, has risen from the grave completing His mission on earth. Through Him we have been reconciled with God and now have eternal life in Heaven with our Father. Thank You, Jesus. Saturday, March, 22, 2008 Revelry played and we gathered around the mess tent. That is we (East Traveler Street residents) gathered at Chuck and Jan's for an S.O.S. breakfast. Chuck prepared the "stuff" and Jan prepared the "shingles" - whatta team! There were two pans of "stuff" to choose from; one was spicy and the other plain. Chuck used both hamburger and sausage as well as red peppers, onions, garlic powder, cumin, and jalapeno peppers for the spicy "stuff" in a white gravy sauce. Breakfast was delicious, thanks Chuck and Jan. Later J., Chuck, and I went to Bon Secor to get oysters for the oyster bake which was scheduled later in the afternoon. We picked up 120 pounds of oysters and around four o'clock fired up the grills. The oysters were shucked and cooked on the grills in a butter and garlic mix. There were about eight couples on hand to help eat the oysters and we all had a good time preparing and eating them. Judy and I wrapped up the day by joining a group around the fire at Ron and Ruth's house. Ron and Ruth live directly behind us and are wonderful loving and giving people. There was a sizable group enjoying the warmth of the fire and swapping stories. Laughter was running rampant as the stories continued to flow. What fun living here at Rainbow Plantation. Friday, March 21, 2008 Yesterday was another fine day with friends. Twelve of us (Norm and Linda, Don and Gloria, Dave and Sharyl, Jerry and Betty, Kim and Doreen, and Judy and I) left the park heading for the Road Kill Cafe where the sign says "You Kill It, We Grill It." They put on a buffet lunch everyday from 11:00 a.m. until the food is gone. Their fried chicken is among some of the best I have ever had. It is nice and tender and not greasey at all. The meal includes everything - two meets, potatoes, vegetables, salad bar, drinks, and desert all for $7.50. Yum, Yum. Afterwards we all headed about a half mile down the road to the Baldwin County Heritage Museum which is dedicated to the agricultural community of Baldwin County. The admission is free and it was an interesting museum with artifacts from the very first settlers of the county. There will be more about the museum in our monthly travelogue. Then we came home and Judy worked on her beading while I finished up our taxes. That concluded the outstanding paperwork that we wanted to get taken care of before hitting the road. Now we'll concentrate on preping the vehicles for travel. I've already had the oil changed and a new fuel filter installed in the truck so it only needs a vacuuming out, washing and waxing. I need to climb up and wash the roof of the RV since we have had a lot of pollen dust and then wash and wax the entire rig. The whole cleaning process takes me about four days for both the truck and the RV. Judy will starting organizing things on the inside of the rig, we pretty much keep things in order so that should go quickly. Being that we have a shed here at Rainbow Plantation we can leave some "stuff" behind, so I will be doing a review of the basement and the front compartment to see what can be taken out to help "lighten the load". Today is Good Friday so please take time to reflect on God's goodness. "For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3.16 Through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Father has provided us with a spotless substitute who took the punishment for our sins so that we may spend eternity with Him. There has never been or never will be a greater gift given for you or me than this one. But in order to have any gift we must accept it. The Bible teaches us that we accpet this gift by confessing that we are sinful, by asking for God's forgiveness, and by believing that Jesus is the Son of God who took our punishment on the cross. But it doesn't stop there, Jesus didn't just die on a cross for our sins; He also arose from the grave three days later giving us victory over death and providing us with eternal life with Him. Therefore this is a great weekend for reflecting on God's love for us and drawing closer to Him. Thank You Jesus and Praise You My Father. Thursday, March 20, 2008 We have now started our farewell get togethers throughout the park. There will be a mad exodus at the end of the month and many of us won't be seeing each other again until next fall when the "Swallows Return to Capistrano". Last night we had Randy and Terry and Dick and Pat over for Lasagna. Randy loves lasagna and we had promised him that Judy would make her world famous lasagna for him. Terry made a wonderful fresh salad with leafy greens, carrots, onions, almonds, etc. and Pat made a tasty garlic bread. Thanks guys, it was a wonderful meal with great socializing - what great friends. They will be parked right behind us next year on Ron and Ruth's new lot (Ron and Ruth have a deeded lot that is directly behind us and they purchased an additional lot to set up a couple of rental sites - they are wonderful neighbors). Alex has been getting excited about the birds. I put up a bird feeder that "suction cups" to the dining room window. He sits there with his nose pressed against the window. Whenever a bird stops buy for a little treat he goes wild. I don't think the birds are getting much to eat because he stands up on his hind legs trying to attack them. A twenty pound katt up on his hind legs probably looks like to a bird what a 500 pound grizzly bear up on his hind legs looks to us. I heard that the humming birds are back so I'll need to get their feeder out and see if we can attract any. Also, I've put the bird book on the table so Alex can look up what kind of birds he is scaring away. The price of diesel fuel is beginning to become a topic around the campground. This time it looks as if it going to start impacting people's travel plans. I know we are going to cut back - we had already eliminated the trip to Betty's RV Park but that was because of our original budget constraints. However, we are now going to cancel the trip around the east coast for this year as well. It's not just the price of fuel because we are only planning to drive around 9000 miles this year which means that an additional 50 cents a gallon comes out to a $375 increase in fuel for the year. The real reason for cutting back is that we are incurring more medical expenses than we had budgeted for so we are going to have cut back in other places. You know how the old saying goes, "a billion here and a billion there and it begins to add up to some serious money." This year we are paying attention to the dollars we are spending and the calories we are eating - there are a bunch of four letter words in the dictionary; w*rk, c*ld, sn*w, di*t, and b*dget. And we are attempting to deal with two of them at the same time. What a challenge. Wednesday, March 19, 2008 This has seemed like the never-ending week because we have had one medical appointment after another since last Friday. We put all of our medical appointments for the year into this week so that we would be up to date before heading out. This way we should be good to go for the rest of the year; emphasis on the word should. When we were stationary we could spread our appointments out over the year so it didn't seem like so many but it is surprising how much you have done each year when you are healthy, of course, that is what helps us to ensure that we stay healthy. Also, we are about to change insurance policies with a higher deductible so we wanted as much paid for by our current insurance as possible. Other than that we have been enjoying getting together with our friends throughout the park. It's nice to visit with people as we walk or bike around the park. Judy has been spending a lot of time with Linda Payne who is helping her to become a beading master. I have been taking care of the little things around the RV so that it will be ready to roll. Yesterday I shampooed the carpets; I used the Resolve Foam and a Rubbermaid hand brush rather than the Rug Doctor. I didn't want to saturate the carpets and flooring with the amount of water that the Rug Doctor dispenses. It was quite a bit of work being that I had to get on my hands and knees but I was very pleased with results. I think that I will do the "high traffic" areas every other month or so which would make the job a whole lot easier next time. The mid section of our country has continued to experience one major storm after another which means lots of wind for us. Yesterday we had wind gusts of up to 35 mph. That lasted into the night and was continuing this morning. We are supposed to get the tail end of the storm system with a severe thunder storm passing sometime this morning and then things should settle down with several days of nice clear warm weather. Yey for our team. Hi, this is Katie. Mom and dad seem to be way too busy for this RVing lifestyle. We (Alex and I) like to stretch, sit back, and enjoy the things that our dear Lord has provided for us. Things like the sun rising over the cedar trees behind us while the birds sing in the background, the green of the trees contrasting the blue of the skies, the sweet smell of spring bursting forward with the flowers beginning to bloom, the sun setting with beautiful colors beaming through the pine trees in the west, and, of course, the bright stars punching holes in the black sky on a clear night . There are so many things to stop, investigate, and enjoy which our humaniods just seem to pass by in all of their busyness. We look forward to our up coming trip on the Natchez Trace Parkway. Mom and dad will slow down and do some hiking, biking, and some canoing (maybe even take a nap or two). They will just sit outside a lot enjoying each other's company while working on their "basket weaving" projects. Maybe dad will find something to sketch for a future watercolor painting, that would be the katt's meow. Anywhoo, if you really want to know how to get the most out of life - look to the katt!!!! Tuesday, March 18, 2008 "And the beat goes on." We're in an economic down turn, no wait, we're in a recession, no wait, we're in the worst economic conditions since the great depression. We'd better crawl into our holes and pull the covers over our heads. "And the beat goes on." The economy is worse than President Bush says it is but it's not as bad as the network news is making it out. We are definitely going to be financially squeezed for awhile until prices stabilize but we will survive. Miss Judy and I had a great linner at Olive Garden. Judy had the shrimp and scallop Alfredo and I had the Italian breaded talapia. Both were very tasty and the service was just outstanding. Rainey, our server, is a young woman who is planning to go to Boston to become a graphic designer. She made great recommendations, kept our drinks full, and was timely in bringing our salad, bread, and dinners. It was a wonderful dining experience - thank you, Rainey, and good luck with your future plans. We visited the "basket weaving" Meccas of Hobby Lobby and Michael's where my significant other found the supplies that she needed to continue on with her beading endeavor. I even picked up a sketching pad that I hope to use in the Adirondacks this summer (yes, I know, I have a "basket weaving" hobby as well). I have just as much money in watercoloring supplies as Judy does in beading supplies and all I have produced to date is a tree - and not a very good one at that. I'm not sure that I have "the eye" to be a landscape artist but one can dream. Judy, however, is going to town with her beading having learned several different stitching techniques and produced several different pieces of jewelery. "Atta boy, girl! Atta way to go." Monday, March 17, 2008 Today is my bride's anniversary. She's put up with me for thirty-five short years (Oh, the burden some people have to bare!). So, basically, anything she wants to do is fine with me - after thirty-five years I've been trained to just say, "Yes Dear". Miss Judy has decided that she would like to go to the Olive Garden for linner (that's lunch and dinner combined) but first we must stop by two of her shrines; that being Hobby Lobby and Micheal's. She is really enjoying her new "basket weaving" hobby of beading and "needs" some more supplies (as most of you know, I refer to all of her crafts as "basket weaving"). With the scrapbooking, quilting, paper embroidery, and, now, beading she has plenty of "basket weaving" projects to work on as we continue our fulltiming lifestyle. We enjoy traveling but we enjoy our "quiet times" as well and these are quiet time activities. Anyway, Happy Anniversary my Love. I'm looking forward to spending another thirty-five years with you. Now for the "Rest of the Story". I called Sprint and finally got transferred to the "Advanced Technical" section where they listened to my story and then told me that Norm was getting EVDO speeds. This didn't make sense to me since there are no Sprint or Alltel EVDO towers in our area. They also told me that the best I could expect in this area was 50 to 60kbps and that there was nothing that could be done to get any faster speeds. Well, I didn't believe a word of it so Norm brought his toys over to our house and we started going through the motions of problem solving once more. When we plugged his card directly into his computer and opened the control manager we discovered that he was in fact getting an EVDO signal which is absolutely strange being that there are no EVDO towers in our area. When we checked both our signal strengths we discovered that he was getting a -60db for the EVDO signal and a -103db for the 1xRTT signal. So we plugged my card into my computer and opened the control manager and found that I was not getting any EVDO signal and was only getting the -103db 1xRTT signal (same as Norm's). The big question is, how is Norm getting an EVDO signal and I'm not? According to Sprint neither of us should be getting an EVDO signal. Bottom line, Norm lucked out and got a card that can pick up an EVDO signal from somewhere somehow. Essentially I have to live with what I have for the next year and then see what is available at that time. I'm sure there will be some new technology by then that will probably enable me to get signals from as far away as Mars or who knows where. Finally, let me say this about that. Sprint, Novatel, and the 3GStore all get high marks for their efforts on my behalf. The Sprint technical people spent close to five hours on the phone with me at various times doing all sorts of "stuff" in an attempt to resolve the problem. Novatel replaced my old card with a new one (under warranty) and the 3GStore technical people gave me their assistance as well as helping me with the RMA request to Novatel. I would still recommend the Sprint Merlin s720 air card, however, Verizon probably has a larger coverage area. But Verizon has a download limit of 5 gigabytes per month after which they charge 49 cents a minute (5g should be more than enough for the average user) whereas Sprint has unlimited downloads. Air Cards are a good alternative to the expensive satellite systems but do have drawbacks such as what I am experiencing here in lower Alabama. So now you know the "Rest of the Story". Saturday, March 15, 2008 There was a wrap on the door; somehow the FedEx truck got around the corner without me seeing it. I must have fallen asleep at the switch. Anyway, the air card arrived and I tore into that package like a kid with a Christmas present. Once I got my grubby little hands on that new card, I shoved it into the side of my computer and was on the phone to Sprint to get it activated. That only took a few minutes but then I had to wait two to four hours for it to activate. TWO to FOUR hours!!!!! My internet withdrawal symptoms were way out of hand and I was pacing the floor like a druggie in need of another fix. TWO to FOUR hours!!!! You gotta be kidding me!! Do you have any idea how long TWO to FOUR hours really is? It's almost an eternity!! After two hours I finally was on line. This is it, now I can zoom across the internet like a guy going across town in a Ferrari. Uh oh, not so fast, that was not to be. After everything thing that I've done, all of the time I have spent waiting, and even with this new air card shoved in the side of my computer the download speed has remained the same. No Improvement!! How can that be? What could possibly be the problem? Who in this world can I scream at??? Frustration has set in at several levels. Aarrrgggghhh!!!! It's back to square one. Norm is going to bring his toys over to my house this morning and we will attempt eliminate variables hopefully landing on the solution. I think we have already eliminated all of the hardware from being the source of the problem, however, I still don't know all there is to know about how the "system" works. I'm sure I will be back on the horn with Sprint before all is said and done. That means I will be limited to the expertise of the tech on the other end of the phone - hopefully he or she will be competent and understandable. Oh well, at least I am back online in the meantime. Signed, Slow in Summerdale Friday, March 14, 2008 "A watched pot never boils." I kept an eye on the corner of Coral Drive and East Traverler Street but no Fed Ex or UPS truck showed up. Where, Oh Where could my air card be? As ya'll know, I was hoping that it would arrive on Thursday afternoon having a pretty good idea that I wouldn't really see it until today. But hope is a good thing and anticipation keeps life interesting, however, this time I came up empty handed. So I get to keep an eye on the corner again today with more hope and anticipation. It had better show up soon because we both are starting to go into internet withdrawal symptoms. We've been sitting in one spot a little too long. The more time we have, the more we keep changing our plans. We have finally decided to join the Gulf Posse for a round-up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at the end of this month and then turn north up the Natchez Trace Highway making our way to Lebanon, Tennessee for another Catia fix. Then it will be onto Michigan to get Judy's teeth sharpened and visit her brother and sister as well as our son Brian before heading east for the summer. You just know that we will be getting another grand daughter fix in New Hampshire with Briana and Lola before showing up for our workamping assignment at Lake George Escape in the Adirondacks. So that's it, it final and cast in putty - no more changes, at least for the next hour or so. We just need to get rolling and quit talking about it. Thursday, March 13, 2008 The time change, since we've sprung ahead, has certainly done a number on Mr. Alex, the feline alarm clock. That means that we get to sleep in a little later each morning - until 6 to 6:30 a.m. instead of 5 to 5:30 a.m.. That seems good and is just the right time for us to arise and face each new day. Now, the big question, how do we calibrate him so that next fall, when we fall back again, he will continue letting us sleep in? We got six months to figure that one out but the odds are not in our favor. Well, that does it. Matt Laurer says the economy is going to some pretty hot places in a hand basket. The stock market is on a "roller coaster" and he is more nervous than a long tailed tom katt in a room full of rocking chairs. Erin Burnett tried to bring some good news to the show but he wasn't buying it. So I guess we had better just resign ourselves to gloom and doom - after all, the Today Show is the pinnacle of prophecy in this age with Matt Laurer being the head prophet in this news shrine. I guess I'll just have to flee to the mountains and eat worms. Of course you know that I am being facetious. The network news organizations love to exaggerate the extremes. It is one thing to report the news but it is entirely another to interpret it as if reading tea leafs. Rather than allowing people to think for themselves the news organizations attempt to project their philosophical beliefs onto the general public. I, for one, don't buy it. I believe the "Lord is my shepherd and I shall not want". That doesn't mean that there won't be hard times or that I will always get my way. What it does mean is that I can take comfort in the fact that God is in control and, therefore, I don't need to worry about things that I have no control over. I've read the book of Revelation and God wins in the end. So, I will trust Him and follow Him rather than letting the prophets of the newsroom have any influence over my life. I will not live in fear but in faith!!!!!!!! Wednesday, March 12, 2008 Yesterday afternoon I got confirmation from Novatel that a new Air Card is on the way. I should have it by Thursday this week (Friday at the very latest). It is nice to work with an company that takes customer service seriously. Normally they wait until they receive the old card before shipping the new one. This way they can ensure that it is a warranty issue and not because the consumer misused the product but they were willing to make an exception and work with me. Once I had shipped my old card and then called them with the tracking number they were willing to ship my new card in order to minimize my down time. Not only that, they gave me names and phone numbers so I could call and actually talk to real live people. So far so good and Novatel gets a five star rating in my book. My bride of almost thirty five years is really enjoying her new "basket weaving" endeavor. She is building an instruction booklet and starting to gather jewelry designs like a squirrel gathering in nuts. A group of beaders have joined together and generated an large order of beading supplies in order to get the largest discount. It will probably cost a couple of hundred dollars to gather up all the required supplies when all is said and done, but it is making her happy and keeping her out of mischief so it will be well worth it. I like it when my baby is happy and contented. Tuesday, March 11, 2008 Hopefully we'll still be financially solvent after we get through with all of our doctor appointments. We are attempting to establish our doctors in Fairhope because we plan to be in and out of this area several times each year. However, we've held off on our appointments until this month so that our prescriptions will be current when we leave here on the thirtieth. That means that we both have doctor appointments and all of our annual lab work done in the next two weeks so we expect our medical expenses for this month to go through the roof. Medical care is probably the biggest headache for fulltimers - you need to be sure that your health insurance plan is at least a PPO (HMO's do not work very well for those of us who travel outside the network). Also, there are a lot of little hidden "land mines" along the way such as attempting to get prescriptions filled from state to state - not all states honor the number of times a prescription can be refilled. Some states will transfer the prescription in and not allow it to be transferred out so the next time you go to get refills the prescription is void. The best way is to get 90 day supply through mail order but be sure to think ahead and be very specific with mailing instructions. Sometimes this requires changing your address in the mail order company's data base which means that the next time you order you had better check your address or else your prescription could very well find its way back to where you were three months ago. Details, details, details. The residents of East Traveler Street a departing faster than a leopard in chase. Paul and Linda left last week, Jonathan and Delores left yesterday, Ed and Madonna left this morning, and Bob and Cleo are leaving tomorrow. The winter season has ended and the March madness has begun. It just seems like only yesterday we were all gathering into our sites for a long winter's nap - now, in the blink of an eye, it is time to roll again. We look forward to seeing ya'll again next fall and/or winter - Happy and Safe Traveling to all of our extended family members. ___________________________
A Tribute to Keith Harvey This morning I received word that one of my Morbark teammates passed away. I must say it was entirely shocking and I just sat there stunned not knowing what to say. I don't know how old Keith was but I do know that he was younger than me and that is just way to young to go. Keith was an invaluable member of Morbark team. He was hard working and always there when he was needed. He could be counted on to tell you the truth even if it wasn't what you wanted to hear. His heart was in doing the very best he could to help the team succeed. He had the "we" attitude, not the "I" attitude. Keith was a dedicated team member and friend. I can say with pride that my life was enriched by having known Keith Harvey. We worked together side by side implementing change to the manufacturing processes. We laughed together, we got frustrated together, and, yes, we even whined together but, all and all, the success of the team was all that mattered in the end. Even though 17 months have passed since I left the company I can still say with full confidence that Keith was just as dedicated to the mission and his teammates as he was when I was part of the team. He was the kind of guy who would do anything for his friends and will be greatly missed by all. Our hearts go out to Keith's wife and his family and our prayers are with them at this time. May God be ever present and help them through this sorrowful time and may they know that we all share in their loss. Keith will be fondly remembered by all who knew him. _____________________________
Monday, March 10, 2008 Whew, what a busy weekend. It flew by like greased lightening. Charles and Ethel Henry arrived Friday morning and once they got set up it was "let the good times roll". We are so honored and humbled that they drove over from Jacksonville, Florida just to get to meet us (and, as Charles says, find a place to dump their black water tank). We have had a great time together and it is absolutely incredible to believe that it is time for them to head back to Jacksonville. As you know from my last journal entry, the four of us went to Big Daddy's with Norm and Linda Payne for dinner and then Charles and I played in the chat room with our cyber friends. On Saturday we visited the Naval Air Museum at Pensacola Naval Air Station. We had a lot of fun looking at the displays (one of Judy's favorites is the "1943 Village" display) and then we watched an I-Max film about the Blue Angels entitled "The Magic of Flight". It was good but not quite as intense as I thought it would be. After leaving the Air Station we took the scenic route home by driving along the coast through Perdido Bay, Florida as well as Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, Alabama. It was a nice sunny day with the beaches sparkling white sand shining like snow as we drove along. That evening we got together at our "house" for dinner. Charles had brought some scallops (one of my "most favorite" seafoods) which he prepared with a garlic and butter sauce along with mushrooms. Judy prepared some long grain rice and asparagus so we feasted like kings. Desert was a strawberry cheese cake which was lovingly prepared for us by our cousin Sara (as in Sara Lee). What a yummy meal. It was in honor of Charles' "natal day" but didn't put any candles on the cheese cake - we didn't want to melt it by starting a bonfire on it :-) . His birthday card read, "They say that with old age you get wisdom. Man, you must have lots of wisdom". Sunday morning we worshiped with Pastor Bill presenting a very pointed message about spiritual blindness which none of us needed to hear - right? Actually the message hit home and rang loud and clear - thanks Pastor Bill, I needed that. I think Charles and Ethel enjoyed the service very much and left feeling "ministered to" by the Lord as well. Yesterday afternoon we attended the Gulf Posse's Annual corn beef pot luck dinner (Gulf Posse is the Escapees local chapter). There were at least a dozen hosted tables and we joined Dave and Sharyl Tholen's table along with Norm and Linda Payne and three other people whom we did not know. The chapter provided the corn beef, breads, and drinks along with all of the eating utensils and decorations for a warping sum of $3.50 each and each member of the table brought a dish to pass. Desert was Pecan and Toll House Chocolate Chip (sin) pies. We left well rounded with all of our wrinkles stretched out. Last night was the Ice Cream Social at the clubhouse. Judy and I just attended the social part and stayed away from the ice cream part - we were still full from the dinner. This morning Judy and I stopped by to say good bye, bon voyage, and hope to see the you again as we continue Wandering America. At this point we wish to say a great big thank you to Ethel. She wasn't feeling well as they left Florida but didn't let that stop her one bit. We hope she didn't over do it and relapse - just know, Ethel, that you're on our daily prayer list and we look forward to hearing that you're feeling better real soon. May God bless both of you; you both brought a lot of sunshine into our lives this past weekend. One final thing, today I will be shipping our air card back to Novatel and will be off line for two or three days. Therefore, you will not hear from us everyday since the only way to get online will be to go to the library. We will most likely need an "online fix" before the new card arrives so we'll probably go to the library on Wednesday morning. Hopefully the new card will take care of the slow speed problem. Saturday, March 8, 2008 Roz safely delivered Charles and Ethel (and company - furry kids) with them arriving around 11:00 a.m.. Unfortunately there were no available sites but Escapee Parks do not turn anyone away and here at Summerdale we have some very nice "dry docking" sites. We found a nice level place along with some units that are in "storage" for them to park where the dawgs can roam and the katt will have plenty of bird watching opportunities. All's well that end's well. As stated yesterday, we went to Big Daddy's to have dinner and celebrate, as Charles refers to it, his natal day. Norm and Linda Payne joined us for dinner and we had a great time. The food was very good, as always, and the fellowship around the table was just great. After dinner we returned to our house to have a glass of "twine" and chit chat awhile before joining the party in the RV-Dreams chat room. Jenny, Dee, Ellie, Sandra, and others had done a wonderful job decorating the place and it was apparent upon arrival that a huge celebration was about to take place. There was, as always, lot's of sound effects and LOL (laughing out loud) taking place as the comments continued to flow. Everything was progressing just fine until Jenny fell asleep under the table spilling her red "twine" on the white carpeting. Oh well, that's how it goes on some days but everyone had a great time anywhoo. When we left the chat room the place was a mess, I wonder who Howard and Linda will get to clean it up? Now for my readers that have no idea what all of that was about, I apologize. It is pretty much an inside "joke" for those who frequent the RV-Dreams chat room. All of you would be welcomed to drop by and meet group at any time - you just need to go to the RV-Dreams journal and enter the chat room from there. The chat room is made up of fulltimer's, wannabees, and everyone in between. Besides the virtual parties that take place there are serious discussions about the RVing lifestyle. It is a good place to make friends and learn about places to visit, technical issues, etc.. Well, the sun has risen and so have I. Now it is time to get moving - we haven't done our exercising yet and need to run to Wally World to pick up some supplies. We will going on an outing with Charles and Ethel and then cook up a meal together later this evening. They are a great couple and we are so glad they drove over from Jacksonville, Florida just to meet us. I just know our trails are going cross many times in the future. Did I ever tell you that the greatest part of this lifestyle is meeting new people ("Only a million times, Darrell!!"). Friday, March 7, 2008 The RV and Truck got power washed again last night. This is a pretty good gig! Rain at night and sunny during the day - not hard to take at all. And, I love to listen to the rain on the roof at night, puts me to sleep like a baby. I have tinnitus and the "white noise" of rain overrides the "ringing" in my ears. Actually tinnitus has nothing to do with the ears. It is some sort of brain/nervous system activity that causes the ringing sensation. Anyway, the rain has passed and it is a nice sunny day with temps in the 60's - hopefully they will make it to the 70's before day's end. We have gotten up and had our quiet time, spent 40 minutes exercising, showered, and now Miss J is off to quilting class while I'm left at home to do the household chores. That was my decision, not mandated from on high - i.e., DOW (Dear Old Wife or Department Of War which can be one in the same at times). We are awaiting the arrival of our special company this afternoon. Charles and Ethel Henry are bringing Roz (the motorhome) over from Jacksonville for a weekend visit however the campground is full. There were several sites available yesterday afternoon but they were all full this morning. Hopefully some of them will vacate before their arrival but there is always room in "dry dock". Today is Charles' birthday so we are going to celebrate it by going to a local restaurant named Big Daddy's. It is a seafood place along the Fish River and has great seafood Po-Boys and Baskets. The food is good and the company will be outstanding. Later tonight we will join the RV Dreams Chat Room to party with some of the regulars. They are a fun group and I haven't be in the Chat Room for awhile so it will be nice to catch up with everyone while enjoying a "virtual" party. I'm sure we'll all be happier than a tornado in a trailer park and there will be plenty of LOL (laughing out loud) going on. Well, that is the state of affairs here on East Traveler Street so until tomorrow - "You can be happy if you have a mind to." Thursday, March 6, 2008 I spent over three hours yesterday on the phone with Sprint and 3GStore trying to resolve the speed issue with our Air Card. The bottom line is that the Air Card from Sprint is bad. Their tech services person spent over two hours on the phone with me trying to reset the card to the original settings among other things and finally gave me an address for the local Sprint dealer so I could take the card to them to either repair or replace it. But the local store is still playing games and resisting giving me a new card while trying to say that it's the way 3GStore configured the router. That just isn't the case since the card is slow regardless of whether it is in the router or the computer. However, I went through the motions anyway and called 3GStore just to appease them and the 3GStore tech agreed that it is either a bad card or something has been changed in my Sprint account. Unfortunately, today is going to have to be "get nasty time". I hate that, why can't people just do the right thing? Why is it necessary to give the customer the run around? What ever happened to "the customer is always right?" It seems that in today's world that mediocre service is now considered good service. By the way, Sprint's tech services was very helpful; it's the local store that's being hard to deal with. Judy is really enjoying her new craft - beading. That woman is amazing, she goes from one thing to another and manages to keep all of the balls in the air at the same time. She is making a baby doll quilt for Lola's birthday (she will be one year old this month), she is also making Easter cards for our grand daughters using paper embroidery, and now she learning the fine art of beading. Keep in mind that she still has her scrapbooking and teneriffe embroidery and a couple other crafts that I have probably forgotten about. A big part of it is the getting together with others who share common interests. They meet at the clubhouse where they work on their projects and share helpful hints with each other. Needless to say, it is a great time of sharing and learning while friendships develop that will last forever. This really is a great place to spend the winter months. Wednesday, March 5, 2008 After we completed our daily routine yesterday I worked on trying to improve our computer download and upload speeds. Norm Payne has the identical system that I have so I took my "toys" over to Norm's house to see if he could come out an play. Linda said he could as long as Judy would bring her beading "toys" over so they could play - done deal. Norm and I swapped out equipment (computers, routers, and air cards) in an attempt to isolate the problem and in the end determined that my air card is the problem. So, it will be off to Sprint and hopefully they will be able to either fix it or replace it as my speeds are only somewhere around 22 kilo bits per second (that's not even half the speed of a phone line) and that's just not acceptable. Norm is getting download speeds around 310kbps and upload speeds around 120kbps which is just about right for this area. When we were in Branson on the Escapees' HOP we met Jim and Lisa who are from Texas (they live literally in the middle of nowhere). Lisa has her own business selling things on E-bay so they were in Foley to pick up some supplies at a discount warehouse. Jim is an instructor at a Police Academy which trains law enforcement personnel for local police departments as well as sheriff deputies for 13 counties. They remembered that we were Summerdale so Lisa emailed us and we made arrangements to spent the evening together. It was great seeing them again as we really enjoy their company and we look forward to future get togethers with them in the coming years. Another surprise was an email from Sally Haskett stating that she and Gary were in the park and would like to meet us. They began fulltiming this year after delaying their plans due to Sally's cancer. Once her treatments were completed they headed out and were returning from Texas where they became residents. They are Christians and volunteer at various Christian facilities along the way. While at Rainbow's End they served for a month at the Care Facility. Great people and we were glad they got in touch with us - you can read more about them on their blog entitled Just Passing Through. Tuesday, March 4, 2008 Well, howzit goin'? Our second day on the "new schedule", iszit working? So far, so good. We haven't exercised yet this morning but are going on a long walk in a few minutes - there's nothing sacred about the order just as long as we get it all in. But the most important item in our daily routine is our quiet time. When we lived in Maine we participated in a discipleship program called "One on One With God". The goal was simply stated (but very difficult to follow through with) - My Determined Purpose Is To Know Him, To Be Like Him, And To Glorify Him. In order to know Him we need to spend time in His Word and with Him in daily communication (prayer). Also, we need to continually reflect on His Word as well as our time with Him (meditation) throughout the day. Once our knowledge of Him begins to grow then we can start to becoming like Him and our daily lives will begin to glorify Him. That is what Judy and I are attempting to accomplish by giving Him the first fruits of our day. I don't want to get to preachy here but there is a new book that Oprah is pushing called "A New Earth". Now I have nothing against feeling good about oneself and having a healthy self image but our purpose on this earth is not to focus on ourselves. Paul put it this way, "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord," (Phil 3.7-8). Rick Warren in his book entitled "The Purpose Driven Life" opens the very first chapter by saying, "It's not about you." Focusing outside of ourselves is the key to real joy and happiness in this life - it is not about us, it is all about God who is the center of all things. If we can focus on that truth then we will feel secure, experience true happiness, and have peace beyond all understanding. I certainly haven't arrived, I'm just a work in process - so please be patient with me. Okay, so now I climb down out of my pulpit. Last night was another one of those windy nights. The prediction was for real severe weather around 3:00 a.m. and, being that the wind was kicking up pretty good when it was time for bed, we decided to pull the slides in. The awnings on the slide outs make a lot of noise when the wind is gusting so it was nice and peaceful once the slides came in. We cuddled up in our nice warm bed and were gently rocked to sleep like a couple of babies (well, maybe not so gently). Around 3:00, just as predicted, the RV got a power wash - with the wind and the rain it sounded like we were going through a car wash. That only lasted about a half hour; "is that all there is" to a storm? We were grateful that there were no tornadoes or any wind damage with this storm. Miss Judy is calling, she has her walking shoes on and my walking stick in her hand so I had better get going before she gives me a "Whack up side the head". Until tomorrow . . . . . . . Monday, March 3, 2008 We made it up to Murfreesboro, picked up a U-Haul, and got it loaded in a little over eight and a half hours. It took us eight hours to return to Summerdale with the U-Haul in tow. Needless to say, when we arrived home we were tired. So,we just parked the truck and trailer in the front yard and went inside and collapsed. Mission accomplished. Now for the fun part. Judy went with Matthew to the day care to pick up Catia. She came running toward her dad to give him a big hug but when she saw Grandma she made a fast turn and ran over and gave her Grandma the big hug instead. Of course, that made Judy's day and gave her a wonderful warm feeling. We picked up some pizza and then spent the rest of the evening with Matthew and Catia (Jackie was visiting her mom and sister in Wisconsin). The next morning Miss Catia and Jingle (her stuffed dog) came bouncing into our bedroom and climbed into bed with Grandpa and Grandma. We had fun in bed before getting up and heading out. Grand Daughters are always fun and make the visits well worth the drive. Yesterday we got up, did our Bible reading, had coffee, went to church, came home and unloaded the U-Haul. Everything fit into the shed but we will still need to do a lot of sorting out. We even managed to get an afternoon nap and visit Norm and Linda for a little while and later we went to the Ice Cream Social at the clubhouse. Judy wanted to get together with Linda because she does beading and, as you all know, a woman cannot have enough crafts. Linda has been teaching the craft at the clubhouse and had a starter kits available so Judy got a one-on-one teaching session with Linda. I'm not sure where we are going to store all of these crafts supplies but at least it keeps Judy J. off the streets and out of trouble. There are going to be some changes in my posting times for the journal. While we were making our journey to Tennessee and back we had time to talk about our hopes, our dreams, and our daily lifestyle. We've decided to put a little structure back into our lives. When we get up in the morning the first thing we are going to do is our Bible study. It has been pretty much hit or miss lately and that is not where we want it to be so we will be dedicating the first half hour or so to the Lord and our spiritual growth. Next, we need a routine for exercise so we've decided that we will spend forty-five minutes to an hour exercising our pudgy little bodies (I know, speak for myself) to see if we can get them back into shape. Once we have finished exercising we are just going to spend some time together relaxing and talking while enjoying our morning cup of coffee. That used to a special time for us before we let our computers dominate it, so we are going to take it back from the computers. On warm mornings, which we are starting to see more of, we will go outside to sit and stare at each other's pointed little heads as we spend our time together. After that we'll take a few minutes to clean up the house and then we will be ready to work on crafts and hobbies, go for a drive, do shopping, etc.. So what that all means is that I am going to be posting the journal later in the day, I had thought about posting at the end of each day but my mind is pretty much mush at that time and I have a hard time writing so it will probably just be later in the morning. Other than that, there's not much more new in the "Life Of Patterson." |