This is the time of year that I usually post my Year in Review blogpost. But since we are kinda busy at the moment that post may have to wait until later. First a status update:
We took off as scheduled at Oh Dark Thirty on Monday morning headed south to New Jersey. The trip started off well with all systems working fine ... until the sun came up. The first thing I noticed after the sun came up was that the slideout cover on the bedroom slide was a bit unfurled and flapping in the breeze as we drove down the road. Nothing serious -- but not right either. So I pulled over on the side of the highway and examined the problem. It seems the cover wasn't rolling up correctly as the slide was pulled back in so I had to get out my ladder and "help" it roll in. The permanent fix would have to wait till later .. but at least we could continue on our way. Several hours and a few hundred miles later I noticed the car brakes were not working when I applied the brakes on the motorhome. Not a big deal since the motorhome brakes will stop the combination with no problems under most circumstances ... but still ... not the way things are supposed to be! I pulled over at the next convenient rest stop to check out the brakes and found that the car battery had died ... and therefore the brake system wouldn't actuate. Well that's not good at all! I knew that towing the Fusion with the key in the Accessory position for several hours at a time might cause the battery to die so I had installed a charge wire from the motorhome to the car to prevent that from happening. Apparently it wasn't doing its job! I tried a bit of troubleshooting at the rest stop but really couldn't accomplish much so we would have to continue our trip with no car brakes.
We made it to NJ without further incident, arriving around 5 PM. Our son Brian and our granddaughters Alyssa and Emily came over to welcome us ... bringing us some "hoagies" from one of the local WAWA stores. Yup ... you know you're in Jersey when you are eating food from the WAWA!
You may have noted that our Daughter-In-Law Nicole was not able to join us for arrival night dinner. Nicky has been in the hospital for the past few weeks recovering from a very bad infection. We spent a few hours on Tuesday visiting with her in the hospital and found out earlier today that it will probably be Saturday before she is released. That being the case ... it looks like we will be staying here in NJ until at least Sunday. We'll have to see how she is doing then before we make any final plans for continuing our trip.
I spent a few hours this morning troubleshooting the car charging problem and found the culprit. When I installed the charge wire to the Fusion I installed a "Battery Maintainer" gadget at the car side connection that contains a fuse and a diode. The fuse protects against a short circuit situation and the diode prevents the car battery from discharging towards the motorhome side. I found the gadget is not allowing current to flow and since the fuse is not blown I suspect the diode has opened for some reason. I removed the "Battery Maintainer" and installed a simple fuse holder/fuse in its place and all seems to be working correctly again. I really do not know why the gadget failed but all seems to be better now.
This afternoon Peggy and I will be heading over to Brian's place to spend New Years Evening with the grandkids while Brian does his thing at his Pizza Business. It seems New Years is a big Pizza night and it's all hands on deck at the store tonight.
So ... now that all ya'll are caught up it's time for us to get busy and head to the store and then over to see the Gang.
The Year in Review for 2014 can wait .... but now it's time to ring in 2015!
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Friday, December 26, 2014
DISHed!
We have survived Christmas 2014! Well almost. The date is behind us, the Christmas Eve service is past, the exchanging of gifts betwixt all us Maine Evringham's is over ... but we still have some celebrating to do with those NJ Evringhams. So we will fire up Santa's WinneSleigh on Monday and carry a bunch of gifts down to the Garden State to spread a little Christmas joy down there!
We spent a few hours on Christmas Day traveling to Richmond to share some time and gifts with Stacy, Kaj, and Taylor ... and then over to Auburn to see Eric, Jen, and Sophie and do the same there. Nothing more fun that watching little ones enjoy Christmas morning!
After our fun morning we traveled back home and got to work. Since it was a balmy 50 degrees outdoors it was a great time to take down those outdoor lights while Peggy started putting away all the inside Christmas decorations ... and also managed to put together a great Christmas rib roast dinner around that work.
Today was more of the same. Off to LL Bean to exchange some gifts for a different size, do some pre-travel shopping at a couple of local stores, and get the cable/internet service cancelled ... then back home to un-trim the tree, re-activate our DISH Satellite TV service, and raise our wireless phone service data limit since our phones will be our connection to the internet for the next several months.
The open items on our pre-travel checklist is getting smaller and smaller! But we still have enough to keep us busy for the next couple of days.
Speaking of DISH Satellite Service ... they are not high on my nomination list for Customer Service Provider of the Year. I should preface the comments below by saying that I used to have DIRECTV Satellite Service and thought they were pretty poor when it comes to Customer Satisfaction and I have had more than my share of frustrations with Comcast Cable Company ... but DISH is rapidly coming into contention for the worst of the bunch. They started off our re-established relationship with one strike against them since they and the Fox News Network can't seem to come to agreement on rates so Fox News is no longer on DISH. But I figure .. this stuff happens all the time and they will soon solve their differences and Fox will be back ... but then I discover that DISH and Comcast Sportsnet New England similarly failed to negotiate a new agreement back in AUGUST and therefore I can no longer watch Boston Celtics games on DISH! So let me review ... No Fox News and No Boston Celtics ... what the heck is there left to watch? I'm down to Alaska based or car restoration reality shows ... or maybe ... just maybe ... a decent old movie! Peggy is in real trouble if we actually have to talk to each other!!
Thank goodness we still have Facebook!
2 and A-Wake-Up.
We spent a few hours on Christmas Day traveling to Richmond to share some time and gifts with Stacy, Kaj, and Taylor ... and then over to Auburn to see Eric, Jen, and Sophie and do the same there. Nothing more fun that watching little ones enjoy Christmas morning!
After our fun morning we traveled back home and got to work. Since it was a balmy 50 degrees outdoors it was a great time to take down those outdoor lights while Peggy started putting away all the inside Christmas decorations ... and also managed to put together a great Christmas rib roast dinner around that work.
Today was more of the same. Off to LL Bean to exchange some gifts for a different size, do some pre-travel shopping at a couple of local stores, and get the cable/internet service cancelled ... then back home to un-trim the tree, re-activate our DISH Satellite TV service, and raise our wireless phone service data limit since our phones will be our connection to the internet for the next several months.
The open items on our pre-travel checklist is getting smaller and smaller! But we still have enough to keep us busy for the next couple of days.
Speaking of DISH Satellite Service ... they are not high on my nomination list for Customer Service Provider of the Year. I should preface the comments below by saying that I used to have DIRECTV Satellite Service and thought they were pretty poor when it comes to Customer Satisfaction and I have had more than my share of frustrations with Comcast Cable Company ... but DISH is rapidly coming into contention for the worst of the bunch. They started off our re-established relationship with one strike against them since they and the Fox News Network can't seem to come to agreement on rates so Fox News is no longer on DISH. But I figure .. this stuff happens all the time and they will soon solve their differences and Fox will be back ... but then I discover that DISH and Comcast Sportsnet New England similarly failed to negotiate a new agreement back in AUGUST and therefore I can no longer watch Boston Celtics games on DISH! So let me review ... No Fox News and No Boston Celtics ... what the heck is there left to watch? I'm down to Alaska based or car restoration reality shows ... or maybe ... just maybe ... a decent old movie! Peggy is in real trouble if we actually have to talk to each other!!
Thank goodness we still have Facebook!
2 and A-Wake-Up.
Monday, December 22, 2014
Six & A Wake Up
We are in full get-ready-to-go as well as Christmas mode now. The presents are under the tree, some of the Christmas Cards (we are calling them New Years cards now) have been mailed, Winne is home, and the days are counting down. We have changed to Plan C since it looks like the NJ Gang will not be able to join us for Christmas. We are sorta back to plan "A" - in that we will be heading for NJ as our first stop on our way south ... but we are leaving a little later than the original plan .. shooting for Monday the 29th now. Kyla will be coming home for Christmas on the 28th and Stacy & family have a Christmas get together/dinner planned for the 28th so we will be attending that first. It will be great to be able to see Kyla before we leave so "it's all good."
We had Sophie for a visit for a few hours on Friday and Taylor visited for a few hours on Saturday and few hours more this morning ... we will miss those two munchkins as well as their parents while we are gone ... but we will be skyping often I hope!
So the last of the house preparation chores are in progress ... the heating oil tank is full, the propane tank is full, the mail forwarding is arranged, and the cable/internet service will be stopped on Friday. We will be busy this weekend getting all the Christmas stuff put away!
Six & A Wake Up to go!
We had Sophie for a visit for a few hours on Friday and Taylor visited for a few hours on Saturday and few hours more this morning ... we will miss those two munchkins as well as their parents while we are gone ... but we will be skyping often I hope!
So the last of the house preparation chores are in progress ... the heating oil tank is full, the propane tank is full, the mail forwarding is arranged, and the cable/internet service will be stopped on Friday. We will be busy this weekend getting all the Christmas stuff put away!
Six & A Wake Up to go!
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Yamaha Project Done (for now)
Since we are now only 2 weeks away from "hitting the road," and only about a week from having company from New Jersey, I figured I better get that "old" Yamaha put back together so I could move it out of Peggy's room and over to the unfinished side of the basement where it can wait until spring for more work.
I put the word "old" in quotes up above since I'm not sure that bike qualifies as "old" anymore. Most of its parts are about 50 years old ... but most of those parts have all been cleaned, plated, painted and made to look like new.
Then there are the "new" parts. Most of the "new" parts were new in 1960-something and then sat around gathering dust for the last 50 years. It has been interesting finding and buying these "New Old Stock" parts. The parts cost about 10 times what they would have cost in the 60s and many of them come in the original packaging, complete with original dust from the 60s!
A few of the replacement parts are in-fact "new" reproductions of the original parts. These parts come from Thailand, Indonesia, or China where I believe these bikes are still in use as daily modes of transportation!
SO ... the Yamaha is mostly back together. In these pictures only the exhaust tailpipe is not re-installed.
There will be more work to be done when I get home. I will probably put the tailpipe back on after I do a little dent repair and repaint it. It will eventually get re-chromed but I may wait for next winter for that. I also still need to put in all the lubricating oils and then get the newly bored engine started and "broken in."
But for now ... that project is done!
Now I need to hope it will fit through the doors and make it out of Peggy's room!?
I put the word "old" in quotes up above since I'm not sure that bike qualifies as "old" anymore. Most of its parts are about 50 years old ... but most of those parts have all been cleaned, plated, painted and made to look like new.
Then there are the "new" parts. Most of the "new" parts were new in 1960-something and then sat around gathering dust for the last 50 years. It has been interesting finding and buying these "New Old Stock" parts. The parts cost about 10 times what they would have cost in the 60s and many of them come in the original packaging, complete with original dust from the 60s!
A few of the replacement parts are in-fact "new" reproductions of the original parts. These parts come from Thailand, Indonesia, or China where I believe these bikes are still in use as daily modes of transportation!
SO ... the Yamaha is mostly back together. In these pictures only the exhaust tailpipe is not re-installed.
There will be more work to be done when I get home. I will probably put the tailpipe back on after I do a little dent repair and repaint it. It will eventually get re-chromed but I may wait for next winter for that. I also still need to put in all the lubricating oils and then get the newly bored engine started and "broken in."
But for now ... that project is done!
Now I need to hope it will fit through the doors and make it out of Peggy's room!?
Thursday, December 11, 2014
The Countdown Continues
We are in full Get Ready For Christmas Mode now. The tree is up, the outside lights are up, Peggy's snowman and angel collections are out, the nativity scene is prominently displayed. The presents are "mostly" acquired and the greeting cards may make it out before Christmas. There is certainly a lotta "stuff" to keep one occupied during this season. But in spite of all the "stuff" I think we are continuing to keep the "reason for the season" in mind ... so "it's all good."
We are under 20 days and A Wake Up to go before we have scheduled ourselves to be heading south and west for a few months so we have started those chores as well. Doctor appointments to get out of the way, prescriptions to get filled, house to get ready for winter layup, vehicles maintenance to care for ... yes indeed it is a busy time of year for us snowbirds. Although we have been "RVing" for about 10 years now this will only be our 6th year of escaping some of winter for warmer climates. And to tell you the truth ... I think we like it more and more each time! Maine is a beautiful place to live ... from mid May to mid October. The other 6 months are also beautiful ... and look really nice on an emailed picture while you are sitting out in the sun sipping margaritas somewhere where nobody knows what a snowblower looks like!
I figure next week it will be time to shift into serious "get ready to roll" mode. Hopefully Winne will awaken with little complaint when I get her out of storage and bring her home for pre-travel system checkouts and loading. Since we used her in early October for our short visit to Bar Harbor I'm expecting (hoping for) no surprises! But there's always something!!
Actually the timing is pretty good. As you can see from the photo below the Yamaha restoration project is pretty much done for now. I will get the newly bored cylinder and new piston installed this weekend and finish up a few details, like installing the front tire, front fender, and rear turn signals early next week .... and then she can sit in the basement --- waiting for spring.
Just like me ... but I'm planning on waiting where it's warmer!
We are under 20 days and A Wake Up to go before we have scheduled ourselves to be heading south and west for a few months so we have started those chores as well. Doctor appointments to get out of the way, prescriptions to get filled, house to get ready for winter layup, vehicles maintenance to care for ... yes indeed it is a busy time of year for us snowbirds. Although we have been "RVing" for about 10 years now this will only be our 6th year of escaping some of winter for warmer climates. And to tell you the truth ... I think we like it more and more each time! Maine is a beautiful place to live ... from mid May to mid October. The other 6 months are also beautiful ... and look really nice on an emailed picture while you are sitting out in the sun sipping margaritas somewhere where nobody knows what a snowblower looks like!
I figure next week it will be time to shift into serious "get ready to roll" mode. Hopefully Winne will awaken with little complaint when I get her out of storage and bring her home for pre-travel system checkouts and loading. Since we used her in early October for our short visit to Bar Harbor I'm expecting (hoping for) no surprises! But there's always something!!
Actually the timing is pretty good. As you can see from the photo below the Yamaha restoration project is pretty much done for now. I will get the newly bored cylinder and new piston installed this weekend and finish up a few details, like installing the front tire, front fender, and rear turn signals early next week .... and then she can sit in the basement --- waiting for spring.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
December Chillin - 27 and A Wake Up
We had a pretty great Thanksgiving Day last Thursday - in spite of the 8" or so of heavy wet snow that fell on Thanksgiving Eve. We awoke on Thursday and spent several hours snowblowing the driveway and shoveling the back deck before coming in for our dose of ibuprofen and nice warm muscle soothing showers. Nothing like a little exercise before preparing for the Thanksgiving feast. The good news -- We were a lot better off than a lot of folks around here that were without power for a good portion of the day!
Stacy, Taylor and the Turkey Frying duo of Kaj and Bailey arrived around noon and immediately went to work getting the oil hot and the turkey cooking ... while the rest of us sat around inside watching them through the window and eating all the snacks that made it out before dinner. Before you knew it (about 45 minutes) the turkey was done and inside getting prepared for serving - along with all the other goodies. Three cooks in our small kitchen is about 2 cooks too many!
So --- we ate our fill (and then some) of a wonderful traditional turkey dinner, watched a little football, and just generally enjoyed the time with the Johansens.
With the Thanksgiving holiday behind us ... we move on to Christmas. Since we will be leaving soon after Christmas Day we decided to get (some of) the Christmas decorations set up early (for us). The tree and its decorations went up between football games on Sunday and the outside lights went up on Monday. It sure was nice getting those lights done in 50 degree weather instead of the sub-freezing wind-blowing conditions I usually choose! Of course it will more than likely be frigid when it is time to take them back down ... but then again Brian will be here ... so all I will need to do is supervise!
I see gas is down to around $2.85 per gallon here in Topsham this morning which means it is less just about everywhere else in the country! What the heck just happened? Did good ol' American knowhow and capitalism increase oil and gas production in spite of the federal government's attempts to stop such a thing from happening? I think so!!! I will not try to get too excited - I know it's only temporary -- but I intend to enjoy it while I can! Look out America - the Blue and White Winne is about to hit the road and burn up some of that non-renewable energy!
Speaking of Winne - it's getting about time to go visit her and see how she is holding up in her storage spot. I don't want her to think she is going to be there too much longer - she might want to sit still up here in the frozen north while I'm wanting to go south and escape the cold. With only 27 and A Wake Up to go now it won't be long before it will be time to wake her up and bring her home for outfitting. Winne should be pretty much ready to go although she still needs new tires. In spite of my best efforts to get those tires while we were home all summer - the local dealer couldn't seem to get any. I've done some calling around and apparently all the RV tires are down south. The warehouse in Lower Alabama has 24 and one in Florida has around 20 more. SO -- my new plan is to drive south and help out the economy down there. I will probably get the tires while we are in Florida ... I'll just have to carry an extra bucket of cash with me!
I have continued to keep out of trouble by putting more and more of the Yamaha back together. I now have all the painted pieces back from my paint guy and they are going back where they belong with the newly cleaned, plated, and polished hardware. I try and do a little each day without rushing the process. After-all ... what's the hurry ... it's not like I plan on riding it anytime soon!
Stacy, Taylor and the Turkey Frying duo of Kaj and Bailey arrived around noon and immediately went to work getting the oil hot and the turkey cooking ... while the rest of us sat around inside watching them through the window and eating all the snacks that made it out before dinner. Before you knew it (about 45 minutes) the turkey was done and inside getting prepared for serving - along with all the other goodies. Three cooks in our small kitchen is about 2 cooks too many!
So --- we ate our fill (and then some) of a wonderful traditional turkey dinner, watched a little football, and just generally enjoyed the time with the Johansens.
With the Thanksgiving holiday behind us ... we move on to Christmas. Since we will be leaving soon after Christmas Day we decided to get (some of) the Christmas decorations set up early (for us). The tree and its decorations went up between football games on Sunday and the outside lights went up on Monday. It sure was nice getting those lights done in 50 degree weather instead of the sub-freezing wind-blowing conditions I usually choose! Of course it will more than likely be frigid when it is time to take them back down ... but then again Brian will be here ... so all I will need to do is supervise!
I see gas is down to around $2.85 per gallon here in Topsham this morning which means it is less just about everywhere else in the country! What the heck just happened? Did good ol' American knowhow and capitalism increase oil and gas production in spite of the federal government's attempts to stop such a thing from happening? I think so!!! I will not try to get too excited - I know it's only temporary -- but I intend to enjoy it while I can! Look out America - the Blue and White Winne is about to hit the road and burn up some of that non-renewable energy!
Speaking of Winne - it's getting about time to go visit her and see how she is holding up in her storage spot. I don't want her to think she is going to be there too much longer - she might want to sit still up here in the frozen north while I'm wanting to go south and escape the cold. With only 27 and A Wake Up to go now it won't be long before it will be time to wake her up and bring her home for outfitting. Winne should be pretty much ready to go although she still needs new tires. In spite of my best efforts to get those tires while we were home all summer - the local dealer couldn't seem to get any. I've done some calling around and apparently all the RV tires are down south. The warehouse in Lower Alabama has 24 and one in Florida has around 20 more. SO -- my new plan is to drive south and help out the economy down there. I will probably get the tires while we are in Florida ... I'll just have to carry an extra bucket of cash with me!
I have continued to keep out of trouble by putting more and more of the Yamaha back together. I now have all the painted pieces back from my paint guy and they are going back where they belong with the newly cleaned, plated, and polished hardware. I try and do a little each day without rushing the process. After-all ... what's the hurry ... it's not like I plan on riding it anytime soon!
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