Our RV Adventures

This was definitely a very unusual day.

For the first time in quite a few days I didn’t have to be anywhere or do anything away from the rig.

No shopping, no clients, no nothing.

Well, I did get a call from a client, but I was able to take care of his problem over the phone, so no biggie.

But I did have stuff to do around the rig. I started out by replacing several bulbs in the floor lights that we use in the rig at night, Then I started to prepare the cabinet area for the re-installation of the washer later this weekend.

I replaced the old rubber water hoses with new steel mesh ones. The old ones are almost 13 years old, and although they look to be in good condition I would hate to have to pull the washer back out in 6 months to replace a leaky hose.

Better safe than sorry.

Next I got the vacuum out and cleaned all the dryer lint out of the vent hose. There wasn’t a lot since I had cleaned it from the outside about 6 months ago. I also replaced the 16 x 20 air filter that filters the fresh air coming into the coach. It can be replaced from underneath the washer cabinet, but it’s easier to do it now.

While I was puttering, Jan was back in her cookie baking frenzy. This time it was rum balls, walnut chocolate chip cookies, almond crescents rolled in powdered sugar and pumpkin nut cookies.

Hmmmmmm!

And although not cookies, tomorrow she’ll wrap things up with her famous Sausage Balls.

More Hmmmmmm!

On another note, I ordered myself a new toy for Christmas – a new Garmin nuvi 1490LMT GPS for our toad.

We’ve used a Lowrance iWay 500c since we started RV’ing in 2008 and it’s been a real workhorse.

And it’s still working fine, but since it originally came out in late 2005, it’s no longer being updated. We haven’t had a POI update in two years, and though we got a map update this past February, it is the last one they’ll offer.

So when I got an email from Amazon last night with a great deal on this Garmin GPS – Reg. $340, now $170, with free Next Day Shipping, I bit.

The other big selling point is that all updates are free for life. Of course they don’t say whose life they’re talking about. But at least they’re free as long as they’re available, unlike the Lowrance where they were about $75.00.

The only problem I foresee is coming up with a way to transfer all my waypoints from the 500c to the new Garmin. I’ll do it manually if I have to.

I’ll let you know how I like it after I play with it for a while.

About 5pm Jan and I headed up the road to La Brisa for a quick dinner, and then a stop at Kroger’s for a few things before heading home.

After we got back, I installed the new fan motor in the washer, put the cover back on, and then checked it out by plugging it in and setting it to dry. And it works.

Sometime in the next few days I’ll stick it back in the cabinet, though I’m still not quite sure how I’ll get the vent hose connected, but I’ll figure something out.

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Thought for the Day:

Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Nothing!

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One of the packages that came in yesterday was the new fan motor for our Splendide washer/dryer. So before I went to bed last night I pulled the old motor out.

I had been told when I ordered the new motor that I would have to remove the squirrel cage fan from the old motor and install in on the new one.

It also helped that they told me that the nut holding the fan on was reverse threaded. Otherwise I might still be trying to get the fan loose.

It’s reassuring that the new motor is much heavier and better built than the old one.  I mean the old one only lasted 13 years.

What kind of quality is that?

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Here’s the new motor and fan all ready to go.

But Jan says I can’t finish installing it yet. She’s in Christmas Cookie baking mode and really likes having the washer by the kitchen counter for the extra space while she’s baking.

I might have to come up with something similar that I can put up and take down for Jan.

This morning started out with coffee and a call from a client whose computer wouldn’t boot up this morning. Told him I’d be there in the next hour or so.

But after heading out, my first stop was at Brandi and Lowell’s to start a load of laundry since Jan won’t let me fix the washer yet. LOL.

Then I headed over to the client’s. At first I thought his hard drive had died. The computer would start up and then hang at the point where it should start booting from the drive. But the BIOS setup said the computer was still seeing the drive, and I could hear it spinning up.

So while pondering this, I looked down at the bottom of the computer case on the floor and noticed Max had gotten himself an early Christmas present, (or probably a Chanukkah present), an brand new iPod Nano.

Which was plugged into a USB port. I unplugged the iPod, rebooted the machine, and everything was working fine.

Many computers are set up by default to boot from a USB port or the CDROM drive before the hard drive. A thumb drive is usually not enough to trigger this, but a iPod Nano looks enough like a bootable device that the computer tries to access it and then hangs.

Finishing up there I headed back to Brandi’s to put the clothes in the dryer and then it was back over to Lowe’s to pick up some things, including a piece of 3” metal duct to help me reconnect the dryer vent when I reinstall the Splendide.

Then it was back to Brandi’s to pick up the laundry. Lowell was there and we got to spend some time talking and that was good.

Getting back to the rig, I could smell the results of Jan’s labors as I came in the door. Batches of her famous melt-in-your-mouth Candy Cane Cookies were coming out of the oven. There’s nothing like the taste of one of these in your mouth, straight off the cookie sheet, almost too hot to eat, but you don’t care, they’re so good.

Resisting the urge to eat more cookies, Jan and I headed out about 5:15 to meet our long-time friends, Bob and Beth Young, at King Food for a great Chinese meal. We always try to get together several times while we’re back in the area, and enjoy hearing about what’s going on with their big family of five kids. We’re going to try to do this at least once more before we leave town.

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Thought for the Day:

Was learning cursive really necessary?

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