Waxing and Great Visit

Stix n Brix, NC

Hey to our newest followers, Our Fiver Adventures.  I’m not certain what your names are but hopefully our paths will cross, if not on the real road, then at least on the virtual road.

This has been the week that we usually hit the road in the MH, but we tried to be responsible and take care of a few chores.  The MH is washed and only half waxed since the weather has been a bit rainy.  We took the opportunity to join Gin’s folks in their MH Monday while they were in Wilmington, NC.  Their couch sleeps pretty good and we enjoyed some time with them.  We checked out Carolina Beach State Park about 10 miles away but you’d be lucky to get a Class B on one of those small sites.  NC State Parks are very lacking.  We wanted to finish waxing Wanda yesterday, but it was threatening rain.  Gin scraped off a degraded decal and cleaned out some dried caulk.   We decided to wash and wax Suki instead since we could put her in the garage after she dried.  The Rejex goes on pretty good and you only need a thin coat.  It’s still work to wipe it off “effortlessly”.  She sure is shiny.  Gin put some 303 protectant on the new Michelin tires so she’s good for a while.

This afternoon we visited with Jim and Linda at their campsite in Crosswinds CG at Lake Jordan near Apex, NC.  They have a beautiful MH that many of you may be familiar with, Myrddin.  I have followed their blog for a couple of years.  They have been fulltimers since 2001 and are forthcoming with their words of wisdom.  They speak from experience but are quick to point out that what works for them may not work for others.  The weather cleared long enough for us to enjoy a picnic lunch and some delicious brownies from Linda’s oven.  They seem to be very happy on the road.

I go back to work tomorrow night but I hope to put some wax on Wanda in the morning.  We’ll do a little each day and she’ll shine like a mirror when we’re through.  If we’re good to her, she’ll be good to us…we hope.

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.

Aleve Please

Stix n Brix, NC

Welcome to our newest follower, Margie and Roger.  They have a nice Tiffin Phaeton as their condo-on-wheels.  That is a rig that we have on our list as a possible upgrade.

We got Wanda back in the driveway yesterday!  She had been at Gregory Poole for a week to get the brake recall work done.  Three damaged rotors were replaced also.  I decided not to replace the other one after talking with a technician.  It would have cost me $200, but he said that he didn’t think that it would pull to one side much.  If it did, just using the brakes a few times would even it out.  It wasn’t any trouble driving it home.  I’m pleased with their service.  They are quite professional and will definitely return your call.  They work on all MH chassis and specialize in Caterpillar diesel engines.  If you are near Raleigh/Garner and need help, give them a call at 919-755-7050.

This is my week off but we decided that we needed to do things around here more than taking a trip.  Gin put a couple of things on Craigslist last night so it’ll be good for us to be around.  I really wanted to wash and wax the MH this week also since the weather is perfect.  After it warmed up a little this morning, I got the wash bucket out and crawled on the roof.  I’m afraid of heights but have gotten used to doing this.

Wax on…wax off.  (Gin just wanted to get my good side)

I’m using Rejex.  It should last quite a while.  We talked with Ken at the RV-Dreams rally this past April, and he used it on their MH.  It looked real good so we thought that we’d give it a try.  Gin did some things in the garage like fix a taillight and put air in the bike tires.  We had to take a break and take them for a spin through the subdivision.  It’s a bit hilly so the electric motor came in real handy.

Smudge is 13 years old and her hips are starting to bother her, but she spent the day outside as our supervisor.  I think we passed her inspection.  She is dog tired.  :)

I’m pretty tired and sore too.  I took an Aleve with supper.  Thank goodness Gin cooked a good meal.  I can hardly keep my arms up, and I still have the other half to wax later this week.

We plan to join Gin’s parents at the KOA in Wilmington, NC Monday.  We’re just going to spend the night on their couch.  Odie is there to go to tax prep classes and it’ll be nice to spend some time with Judy.  We’ll enjoy a card game later in the evening.

We’ve gotten a couple of responses on the lift chair that is on Craigslist list so it’ll probably sell tomorrow.  Sorry for the long post but I can be chatty at times.

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.

Last Time

Stix n Brix
Clayton, NC

I just got home from my last night qualification at the range.  That feels good.  I had carried my large city-issued flashlight, and one of the range instructors told me that I could bring the smaller light next time.  I grinned and said there won't be a next time.  He was surprised and congratulated me for making it through.  I do still have the spring qualification but that's during the day.  It's a nice outdoor range.  I don't remember my scores, but they were somewhere in the 90's as usual. I've gotten a 100 only once, but I've also made below 70 once so had to redo the course.  I carry a .45 Smith& Wesson M&P.  It's a nice light-weight gun.  I'm glad it's my retirement weapon.  It's the fourth one issued during my career.  I was talking with some of the younger officers there who laughed when I said the first gun was a revolver.  We have better equipment now than we've ever had.

We miss the MH.  She is still at Gregory Poole getting the brake recall work done.  I got a call saying that three of the rotors were damaged and had to be replaced.  Workhorse will pay for it, so that's a good thing.  We may not get it back in time to go anywhere next week during my time off, but I just want them to do a good job so we can enjoy it one more time before winter hits.

I got word this week that my schedule will change probably in February, so I will loose that week off every month.  I've worked that other schedule before and hate it.  You feel like you're working all the time.  Luckily, I would only have to endure it for 6 months or so.  Things don't bother me as much now that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Well 4:30am will be early, so I'm off to bed.

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life's journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.

Sadness

We are all interwoven by the web.  We never met Margie and Bruce but feel that we knew them by checking in on her blog and reading her comments on other blogs.  Here is an article about this senseless tragedy.  Please take the time to give thanks for every day you are alive.  Each day is truly a blessing.

Brake Recall

Stix n Brix
Clayton, NC


I worked my last night shift for a while last night.  As soon as I got home, I changed clothes and cranked up the MH.  Gin and I were going somewhere...Gregory Poole for recall repairs to the brakes.  Wanda has a Workhorse chassis and they acknowledged a problem with the calipers sticking in the brakes of their MHs about a year and a half ago.  If your rig isn't driven every few days, this may lead to problems.  They finally announced that they had a fix and had made the parts to supply to the repair shops only a month or so ago.  It seems odd to have an empty driveway.  The repairs should only take a day if there are no other problems, but since we didn't get a call saying she was ready, I'm sure they ran into other problems.  This doesn't surprise me since we had some work done on the brakes this past winter.  They have over-heated a couple of times since then this season.  When we were in Myrtle Beach, I couldn't go over 45 mph because the steering wheel was shaking so bad.  It was a bit scary.  Our ABS light stays on now so I'm sure the sensor has gone bad or something.  This should all be covered by Workhorse so we'll see how it goes.  If the brakepads have excessive wear, I would have to pay for that but I wouldn't have to pay for the labor.  We'll hear from the shop next week.

After getting a good nap, Gin and I spent the day in the garage.  She was putting an e-bike kit on my bike so that I can keep up with her.  I've ridden hers a few times and it's nice to get a boost up a hill.  I'll still pedal most of the time, but I do have bad knees.  While she was doing this, I was going through several boxes of paperwork that was in the attic.  It felt nice to thin down some things, but it makes me realize how much more we need to get done this winter.  The weather has been so nice around here that it's tempting to just play and relax but we have things to do.

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life's journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.

Treatment and Regionalisms

Stix n Brix
Clayton, NC

Welcome to a whole slew of new followers - Kimberly & Jerry, Margie, Jessica, Msucheermom, and Emery.  The blog family is expanding again.

Today was Gin's last day of the monthly IV treatment, Tysabri.  She has taken it for about 3 years with a one year hiatus.  There really is no information about it's long-term effects.   She has gotten some benefits from it but she is afraid that the odds of serious side effects may catch up with her.  She also is just plain tired of scheduling her life around medications and wants to cut back where she can.  She will of course keep taking oral medications for spasticity and pain which are the main treatable symptoms of her MS.

While she is hooked up to the IV drip, it helps to have something to snack on like a pack of nabs.  I didn't realize that the snack crackers were called anything other than "nabs" until we met some folks from Philly who had no clue what we were talking about.  They can be peanut butter crackers or cheese crackers.  It doesn't matter, they are still "nabs".  Soft drinks are also referred to as "sodas" here in the South.  I'm familiar with the terms "pop" and "cola" but they are usually spoken by transplants to the area.  Raleigh has a lot of them.  I met one today while Gin was in for treatment.  He was a black man from New York and he had no idea what barbeque was.

A brief history about barbeque:  Pigs have always been a staple in the Southern diet.  There are still wild pigs in some rural areas in the South.  The phrase "living high on the hog" has a literal basis.  The good cuts of pork (ham, loins, etc) are located higher on the hog.  The ribs and shoulders and other less desirable cuts of pork were leftovers that the slaves had while the plantation owners would eat "high on the hog" so the slaves developed a way of cooking these cuts to make a very delicious meal.

Anyway... this fella was in the waiting room watching the Travel Channel on tv along with myself and another couple.  The show's topic was Southern barbeque.  After cooking the pig they pulled out some meat and started chopping it with cleavers and this guy was so surprised by that.  He just about shouted "What are they doing to that meat?"  I gently said "That's how you make barbeque.  You're not from here, are you?"  Nope, he's from New York and has lived in the area for about a year.  I told him where a local restaurant is where he can try some.  He said it looked like it would be good on a hoagie with some cheese.  I gave him a strange look and he knew that was not a good combo.  It should be bbq and slaw...nothing else on your sandwich.  I hope he tries it.

I'm looking forward to trying ribs in Memphis and beef brisket in Texas.  There are so many other regional foods to try out there but I do have to watch my weight.  I think the spicy Southwestern foods might be a challenge for my tender belly, but I'll try a milder version of it.

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life's journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.

Sleep and Dinner with Friends

Stix n Brix
Clayton, NC


Hey to Pidge, our newest follower.  It's so nice to expand the RV family by enjoying others blogs.  There are a few that I frequently read even though I haven't signed in as a follower and I don't add a comment that often.  I can be quiet but I do appreciate the blogs.

It's been a busy few days.  After working my last 12 hour night, I took the MH to the dealer to have them work on the jack at 7:00am Wednesday.  No nap.  They got it a little bit better and I got home about 2:00pm.  Since that was 25 hours after my last nap, I laid down for a 3 hour snooze.  Needless to say, that was a wasted day but today wasn't.  Gin had a doctor's appointment that was short and sweet.  Yep she has MS but it doesn't have her.  We stopped at Wally World on the way home and then we went to Lone Star Steakhouse to meet some fellow bloggers and RV-Dreamers, Jim and Dee.  They are in the area for a couple of weeks while they visit family and friends.  We forgot our camera so we don't have any evidence, but that may be a good thing.  We visited with them a little longer in their very nice 5er.  There are pros and cons to rving in a 5er or a MH.  Neither is better than the other but one will generally work better for your personal preferences than the other.  It was a very nice visit but it sure makes us itch even more.  I know our time will come sooner than we think so we need to do a few craigslist things and such to make a smooth transition next summer.  I can hardly wait.

I gotta go to work early tomorrow so I need to get some beauty sleep (I need more than one night for that).  This is the long part of work, 3 days on, 1 off,  then 3 nights(12 hour shifts).  It just gets me closer to the next rv trip so it's all good.

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life's journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.