Our RV Adventures

Stopped by the Costco this afternoon on my way home from my client’s to fill up before I pick up Jan on Monday.

And the price has now dropped to $1.84. And then on the way home, the HEB that was $2.12 this morning, is now down to $2.01 to match the WalMart right across the Interstate. But as before, still not any real change in the diesel price.

I did stop at the Denny’s down here to have breakfast, just so I wouldn’t have to fix anything myself. Besides breakfast sounded good.

Tomorrow I’m going to get back on looking for the oil leak on our rig’s Cummins 360 ISC diesel engine. To recap, the leak first appeared on our trip up to Illinois back in June. Since it occurred during our first trip after having the engine serviced and the oil filter replaced, and that the leak seemed to be coming from the vicinity of the filter, I called RV Mobile Lube to come back out and replace the filter. And several engine tests, and even a 2 hour test drive seem to show the leak had been fixed. However, when we headed down to Florida this past October, the leak was back.

Coming back to Houston I tried to use my WiFi Endoscope Inspection Camera to see what was happening.

But there was so much vibration that the picture was just too blurry to see anything. So tomorrow I’m going to lift the bed up again, remove the Endoscope, and then use one of my Wyze cameras

mounted on the end of a long rod to just take a look at the area where the leak seems to be originating and see what’s what’s.

It only leaks when the engine is running, and except for needing to add oil, a couple of gallons every 400 miles or so, the engine runs perfectly. So hopefully I’ll see something tomorrow that will shed some light on things.

Looks like things have warmed up down at Disney World.

Where it was in the 50’s a couple of days ago, it’s shirt sleeve weather now for Brandi, Lowell,and Landon. Looks like they’re still having a blast.

Only two more days until Jan’s back home. Karma and I are both giddy.

And lonely.

Thought for the Day: 

Is there anything so permanent as a “temporary” government program?

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I met the beautiful Miss Piper this morning about 10 for breakfast at Snooze, her first time, my second there. There were tables available outside where Jan and I sat last time, but it was just in the high 60’s and windy, so I waited about 10 minutes for one inside

And as it worked out Piper showed up just a couple of minutes after I got seated. Actually I was surprised to see how busy they were on a weekday morning, but it may just be the ‘new restaurant ‘ syndrome. We’ll see in a couple of months.

Miss Piper had the Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Tomato Soup,

while I again went with the Shrimp & Grits and fruit.

My Shrimp & Grits was as good as last time, with just perfect spicing. And Piper said hers was really delicious. I guess so, since she ate every bite.

I really enjoyed getting together with Piper, since it’s been a good while since I had her all to myself.

The gas war continues. Costco and Sam’s are now at $1.89, while yesterday our local HEB dropped from $2.12 to $2.01, to match the WalMart across the street.

Unfortunately diesel doesn’t seem to be enjoying this drop. It’s pretty much at the same price it was back in October when we were last traveling in the rig.

And of course if the price of oil goes too low, then it starts to hurt the drillers/producers. Supply and demand.

Landon got his first ride on the Space Mountain roller coaster today and LOVED it.

Brandi also remembered that Space Mountain was her very FIRST roller coaster ride back when she was a little girl visiting her grandparents in Titusville.

Finishing up, don’t know if this guy disconnected his airbags, or they got used and not replaced, but he definitely doesn’t like them.

What’s kind of funny is how the whole airbag thing came about. First up were seatbelts in the late 60’s/early 70’s. But people weren’t using them enough to satisfy the government.

So they required auto makers to install seatbelt interlocks, where the car wouldn’t start if there was weight in the seat and the seatbelt wasn’t fastened. So you had to belt in bags of groceries or suitcases. Or even to back the car our of the garage to wash it.

So people started just fastening the belts and tucking them into the seat, or just disconnection the interlock all together.

So then the government had a better idea. Let’s set off an explosion in your steering wheel or glove compartment to inflate a canvas bag at 200mph, and hope it won’t kill you.

But it did kill people, in many cases by decapitation, especially children and small adults. So now we’re back to airbags AND seatbelts, so you can’t end up too close to the airbag when it goes off.

And just in case, all small children (in fact under the age of 13) are supposed to be in the back seat. But this causes problems too, especially with mothers of babies. They find it almost impossible to not keep checking the rearview mirror, or even turning around to look at them. So more accidents.

And it’s also maybe what’s led to the recent increase of babies in the backseat left in hot cars to die. In many cases this seems to be a parent who normally doesn’t drop the baby off at daycare, going in to work and literally forgetting that the sleeping baby is back there. And this is possibly acerbated by the high/wide headrests that many cars now have, again for safety reasons.

I know on the 2018 Chevy Impala we recently rented that it was very difficult to see any thing in the back seat due to the width of both headrests. And it was also a problem when I would look back over my left shoulder to double-check the blind spot before I  changed lanes. The headrest was wide enough that It showed up in my peripheral vision, making me think for a second or so that there was a car there.

Such is the Law of Unintended Consequences.

And don’t even get me started on the ‘safety features’ that the government has now required on new gas cans.

Thought for the Day: 

“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.” – Samuel Adams

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