A "motor-house-ful"

The last three days afforded "G" and I the opportunity to spend some rare moments with three of our grandchildren. The North Carolina crew, as I lovingly refer to them. They are a smart, imaginative and active trio, aged 9, 8 (and a half), and 5 (and a half).  Those "halves" are quite important to those under the age of 10.

They were quite excited to sleep in Allie and it allowed "G" and I a chance to learn a few more interesting facts about this new RV, like how uncomfortable the pull-out bed was, and the fact that you can't access the fridge once it's "deployed." Future company will need to be accommodated on a regular blow up mattress.

We had a hiccup with our refrigerator the last couple of days too. For some reason, it is not operating on electrical power so we are running it off propane, which is our least desirable power source.

The following pictures are from two of the days "The Crew" spent exploring Croton Point Park with us.  The kids pretended to be horses galloping along the path down to the "point" of Croton Point.  Their horse names were (in age order), Lightening, Tornado and Thunder. I enjoyed explaining just some of the extensive history of this park during our walks. Apparently, Thunder's cowboy boots WERE made for walking, because those little hooves clocked 1.5 miles each day.

The last picture is of Miss Lucy peeking out of the "doggie-window," after the kids left.  She spent her time quietly resting at 223 during the kid's visit.

Thunder and Lightening pausing on the path.

Playing around.

Following Papa "G" to the Oyster Middens

My three thoroughbreds

The crew in front of a rental cabin

After the dust settled and all was quiet in our little world, Little Miss returned. It seems too quiet now, especially when I realize that I won't get to hear all their marvelous noises in person for way too many months.

Deep thought for the day: The days fly by so quickly. They flutter past with a blink of an eye. Beware you don't miss a single, solitary, special moment spent talking with, and listening to, young ones. You would be surprised at what they can teach you about life. For example, when was the last time you remembered how much fun it is to jump over puddles? 

Can you teach an old dog (cat) new tricks????

Caged during trek to Croton

Here we sit, in space 38, down at Croton Point Park, with Miss Lucy Lu aboard. It is our fervent hope that she will find the new "digs" acceptable. We have already had a couple of incidents of her catching a glimpse of her reflection in a mirror, in the fireplace and oven door. She is a work in progress, so an update will follow.

A few photos of the day:

Make-shift reflection deterrent

Feeble attempt to block oven

Her favorite spot!  The "Doggie" window.

It was quite a tiring day with having to load Allie up for the week and a half that we will be down here.  It was just like starting over for the first time. My legs, back and feet are sore as can be.  I'm hoping that a good night's sleep will find me refreshed enough to reorganize everything on board.

Allie in space 38...

Dinner was supposed to be a quick bacon, egg and cheese on toast, but it turned into a momentous undertaking due to only having 30 amps (opposed to the envious 50 amp service). We couldn't run any two of the following at the same time:  the air conditioning, skillet, toaster or microwave. Everything I needed to prepare the meal. I tripped circuits left and right and poor "G" ended up with a  luke-warm sandwich and I ate 20 minutes later.

"G" just ran home to pick up a couple of things, but I have a funny feeling that he just might find his way past the McDonald's drive-thru for a little somethin'-something.'

Tonight will be our first night in Allie and Lucy's re-indoctrination to life on the road.  I'm sitting on the couch, it's quiet, it's peaceful and I'm expecting her to come out of hiding at any moment and begin hissing at shadows. My poor little crazy kat. For now she is happily hiding under the blanket on the bed.

Update:  She came out, sweet as can be, and then the hiss fits started...."G" is covering all reflective surfaces with paper as I complete this entry.

Deep thought for the day:  There are times when a brain is too tired to think of something profound to say, except that I wish my cat would stop fighting with her shadow demons, enjoy the wonderful life we have given her, and revel in all the love that is bestowed upon her.

Running on empty...

Allie with terrible step mats...soon to be history.

Today spawned another day of cleaning and organizing. As promised, "G" brought in all the bins and I emptied them, filled cabinets, emptied the cabinets, put items in different cabinets and then moved them one more time. They shall be rearranged once situated at a campground, because that's when I will find out what is in convenient, vs. inconvenient locations.

There are no food staples or refrigerated items on board yet, so once I shop, I'll find out if the large area I have left empty will suffice for storing all the dry goods. I found that the cabinet (over the TV) will be the perfect spot for canned goods. They fit perfectly. "G's" favorite green beans and my chick peas will be stacked there, among other goodies, like creamed soups, corn, canned fruits, dips and sauces.

My "can cabinet" above TV

This MH has so much more room than Gracie, but the square footage is reconfigured, so much thought needed to go into the organization process. Tomorrow's tasks:

• Try out the washer/dryer to make sure it works
• Practice using the micro/convection oven
• Load Allie up with towels, paper towels, napkins and some clothes
• Buy me some Command picture hangers! 
• Set up a little inside tool box
• Make a box of "office supplies" 
• Fill a box with "gift wrapping/shipping/cards/tape/stamps/scissors/etc.

We hung one up a small canvass print tonight and I was so excited to finally see a "personal touch" appear on the walls.  

"G's" assignment, should he choose to accept it, will be to get the ice maker working, figure out the on-board GPS/Bluetooth/Radio system, and organize the "basement" area. Today, he trouble shooted the hot water heater. There is always something to "futz" with.

We are hoping to get a couple of days down in Croton Point Park this week to give Allie a test-run to make sure she is in perfect working order for when our three NC grandchildren come to stay with us in two weeks. That would be a perfect first anniversary gift to ourselves. In only 3 days, we hit that major milestone.  Personally, I don't know where the time went. Lately, it seems it went to dealing with motorhome life. I'll take it, the work, the tired feet, the endless list of "to do's" and "G," who is also my Saving Grace.

Deep thought for the day: Time flies when you are having fun.

Spiffing up Allie

Allie spent a quiet night out in front of the house last evening while "G" and I got as good a night's sleep as possible. We awoke this morning  with a mission - clean Allie - top to bottom. 

Once we started with the common cleaners, we discovered that we actually needed to break out the disinfectants. After over seven hours in, we can finally look around and see significant progress. The wood is all polished, the baths are sterile, the floor shines and the dust bunnies have all been set free.

Tomorrow, the bed will be made up, bins unloaded, cabinets organized and an assessment of immediate needs and wants.  I have ticked off a bunch of projects that I want to undertake, but will need to address the most important first. Believe it or not, my first purchase will be Velcro.

Our home shower is calling my name, quite loudly. Tomorrow will be another busy day, so the lights will get turned off early tonight.

Deep thought for the day:  "A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work. " Colin Powell

The beginning of a new romance...

July 31, 2014....a long, tiring, yet exciting day for "G" and I. We drove down to Scott RV in Lakewood, NJ and picked up Allie and brought her home.  The ride home, which is normally a 2-hour drive, took us 4 hours, which landed us in front of 223 at 9 pm.  We were quite exhausted and very hungry. Below are "before" photos of Allie, our 2013, Tiffin Allegro Open Road 36 LA. She needs a little TLC, a good cleaning and some color, otherwise, she is our dream come true.  Dolly Parton was pulled behind transporting my little Nissan and making our total length 57 feet!  Holy cow!  "G' handled the pressure behind the wheel with his usual patience and skill.  And, just so everyone knows, just like in an automobile, the brake does not work on the passenger side of an RV.

Dinette

Master bath - washer/dryer is in cabinet under window!

Flat screen TV with fireplace below

He, who hates to have his picture taken....pilot extraordinaire!

"After" photos will most likely appear section-by-section.  I plan to focus on one room at a time. First, I need to decide upon my color palate. Yellow, blue, red or green....pink, orange, purple or cream? Choices, choices.

Deep thought for the night:  "The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”  ― Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

The end of a romance...

Gracie down at Scott RV

This entry is to inform our followers that our love affair with Saving Grace has, unfortunately, turned out to be short-lived and will officially come to an end tomorrow. 

As in so many relationships, sometimes, you discover that the pretty exterior and first impressions are not what make for a long-lasting commitment. You seek dependability and a fulfillment of basic needs that will provide for a comfortable, practical, exciting  and long future together. While Gracie fell short on the basic amenities we needed, she did afford us a luxurious haven in which to enjoy some fun times. 

So, it is with mixed emotions, that we bid farewell to Gorgeous Gracie and welcome in Pretty and Practical, Bigger and Better, "Allie," a 2013 Tiffin Allegro Open Road 36LA. This motorcoach had always been my favorite, boasting a floor plan that contained everything we wanted and needed for extended trips.

Although a year older than Gracie, Allie is 4 feet longer, sits atop larger wheels, brings us an extra half-bath, a recliner, an L-shaped couch, a fireplace, a larger refrigerator, a table with chairs (opposed to the tight dinette booth), a bigger master bath, much more basement storage, and my personal favorite, a combo washer/dryer. As "G" and I can attest, older is oftentimes better and love can be better the second time around. 

As you may have guessed, we did not deal with Wilkins' RV, but rather found Allie at Scott RV in New Jersey. Thus far, our dealings with them have been friendly, professional and pleasant. Tomorrow we sign on the dotted line and follow the double yellow line up the Garden State Parkway to bring our new baby home. Saving Grace will continue to be the name of my blog, but my Saving Grace has been christened, "Allie."

"G's" biggest chore will be to maneuver a bigger rig and my biggest challenge will be to add some color and turn this rig into a home on wheels. Thank goodness for Command Strips.  If anyone is looking to invest in the market, you just might want to grab some 3-M stock, because photos and art will be going up on the walls! The Newmar's interior didn't really lend itself to being "changed" from its elegant, color-coordination.  Look out "G" and Allie, here I come!

Next entry:  "Before" photos of Allie Allegro.

Deep thought for the day:  As Mick Jagger wailed in one of my favorite Rolling Stones tunes, "You can't always get what you want. No, you can't always get what you want. Yeah, you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need."

Picking Gracie Up

Here we sit, in Gracie, at Wilkins' RV Dealership quite disappointedly.  We took the five hour trek up early this morning to finally retrieve Gracie after over a month of her being in for repairs.  Yup....repairs.  We only camped out in her for a month, yet had to return for "fixins" due to a leak in the shower drain,  a replacement of the power inverter (powers the fridge while you are on the road), a strip of trim was falling off, and our tow dolly, aka Ms. Parton, was making an awful sound when braking, once reaching 40 MPH.

We arrived at 1:30 to find that Ms. Parton's issue was never addressed and that the wrong molding was repaired (really?). We will find out soon if the repair to the shower was successful.  Apparently, they tested the drain quite a bit, because when we hooked up for a night's stay here, the grey water tank was full.  That meant in order to shower, we needed to dump the tank.

Poor "G," after the long ride and the long wait in between the re-repairs, had to un-hook and drive Gracie to the dump station.  Thankfully, there was one on the premises.  But, nothing is ever easy when you are tired, so a bit of a mess occurred while dumping and a process that should have taken 10 minutes, turned into a half hour.  Mr. Clean wasn't so clean after the episode, so a shower was definitely in order.  Once I checked out the bathroom, I noticed that quite a dirty mess was left on the shower floor.  A good scrubbing with some Softscrub did the trick, however, Gracie should have been returned in better shape than when she was dropped off, not worse...  An "F" for Wilkins' RV.

Tonight, we spend the night, here in Bath, and the thing we most look forward to is a Shower!  Dinner was prepared last night, so only re-heating is necessary.  I'm so glad I thought to do that.  It is a beautiful evening, cool and breezy.  A nice break from all the humidity we've been experiencing.

Well, tomorrow is another day.  We are hoping for more positive results.  The sun shall set and will rise again to brighten another day.  Some days are brighter than others.  That is my "Deep thought for the day."