At last some RV activity!

This afternoon, I went over to our local Freightliner dealership to check on an appointment for an oil change for the motorhome.  I did this work last year, before we headed out in late October.  But with the surgery and recuperation time, I think it would be wise if I wasn't  laying on my back trying to reach up into a diesel engine changing an oil filter.

Since it is not optional, I didn't even ask the price for the work.  Perhaps once I take it there next week, I will inquire, but there is nothing that I can do about it, even if it is way too high!  They seem to know what needs checked and the fellow was nice enough to let me bring it in early and they will keep it in their fenced lot overnight.

So with that done, I went over to the storage lot to make sure that it will start.  Wouldn't that be bad, if it wouldn't go when it needed to be over there for an appointment.  It hasn't been started since mid September, and I would have to look back in the blog to see what day we washed it and drove it back to storage.

It did fire right up, and the generator started as well.  But once the main engine is running, I think the genny gets power from it, so starting the second engine is not much of a stretch.  Perhaps I should do that in the other order, allowing the generator to charge the truck batteries, but have never had advice on that matter.

I was happy to report that my mouse traps did not have a single customer.  They were still set in their armed position, and had not been messed with.  So so far so good on the critter report.  It has been really close to freezing here at night, so if we were going to get them, they would have already moved in.  But I left the traps armed just the same.

After allowing the engines to run for 30 minutes, I shut it all down and locked stuff back up.  I try to let it run every 30 days, but this time it has been more like 55 days or so.  I was over there when I put the mouse traps in, but didn't think I could sit in the seat to start the engine that time.

I am amazingly much better now, as the seat and climbing into the side door was no problem at all.  I still have a bunch of gas and bloating pain as the night comes along, but the incision pain is not as sharp now.  Every day is slow, but I am coming along. Yea!

I went to our discount grocery store here in the Midwest, Aldi.  They are a German company and have stores here in the Midwest.  They only take cash and Debit cards.  So after picking out about $15 worth of stuff, I checked out.

Of course they wouldn't take my Debit card.  Declined!  I tried twice, before handing over the cash.  The bank is right across the street, so I drove right over and asked why!  Well they couldn't see that there was ever a request for a transaction from Aldi.  Ya gota love discount stores!

So that is the excitement for today.  But it does relieve me to have the appointment for the service on the motorhome, by a real franchised Freightliner dealer.  Now to go rob a bank to pay for it!

Retired Rod

Election Night

I am sitting here watching the election returns tonight.  The big news is that we will now change to another make up of government here in the US.  But with the House of Reps being Republican, and the Senate being Democrat, and a Democratic president, I think we will now have gridlock, and nothing will be accomplished.

Folks will more than likely forget in two years (2012) that they went for the conservatives in 2010, and we will not get much change then either.  In other words, Obama could still be reelected with an opposing congress, so I do not look for a bunch of big changes in policies anytime in the future.

So that is all I'm going to say about that since this is not a political blog, and I realize that I have readers on both sides of the fence.


We sat here and had a leisurely breakfast, and talked of plans to load the motorhome.   We cast some thought about the new RV park that we selected last year.  I think I have explained that we are going to the Valle del Oro RV resort in the very Eastern part of Mesa.  This is right on the intersection of US 60 and the 202 freeway.

These are both 4 lane interstate like highways.  There will be a bunch more traffic noise.  It is a much newer park, and is 1,800 sites.  But that makes it a small city in itself.  We will have our same lot that we had last year for all intents, even though in the different park.  Our lot last year, however, was almost all concrete, as it was an old park model spot.  Where as this year it is mostly a gravel spot.  It only has a small patio of concrete outside the rig door.

We will park the coach on the gravel, but also the car will park on gravel as well.  Last year we had a concrete driveway. And some landscaping. 

So why make this change?  Mainly it is because the Mesa Spirit park is 50 blocks West of the new location, and closer to the run down center of the old town.  The neighborhoods are more inside the redline areas of town.  We are beginning to not feel as safe in the old park as we have before.

Last year for the first time, the park did not have security on the front gate at all during the night, and we saw several instances where we had undesirables driving thru casing belongings that were unsecured at the wee hours of the day.  This is not worth a couple of hundred bucks a month in saved rent.  Or a concrete driveway either.

We tend to be night owls, walking around the park, after others have gone to bed.  So if we encounter cars that do not have US origin license plates  (other than Canadians LOL), driving around at 11 PM, or 1AM  its time to move on!

Arizona is trying desperately to get a hold of the crime problems in its major cities, and has voted for Sheriff Joe Arpia over and over, but here I go getting political again.  But we think this move to the newest part of the trailer villages part of town is in our best interest.  There are newer parts of town than where we are going, but they don't allow us trailer folks around there!

There are a lot more organized activities in this new park as well, but we are mostly loner folks that do not get really involved with our neighbors.  We are very gracious and congenial, but to date have not been involved to the point of sharing meals and such.  We won't go hide in the boondock desert, but we won't be over to see what's for dinner at the neighbor's either.

Now one of the things that I will be involved with, is the Country Store that they have on Thursdays.  They were on Fridays at Mesa Spirit.  This is the flea market in the community center.  It is a very big deal in Del Oro, with about 4 times the vendors.  We will only be about three miles from the Mesa Swap meet which runs Friday, thru Sunday, and I am told that many of the Thursday vendors come from there.  I have had a good time with these in past years.  Loyce tends to hang back from these events, so we will see if this attracts her.

Well I'm rattling on here, and have probably bored you to death, so lets quit right here, as I watch Harry Reid point at me with his index finger, in order to drive home the point that he was re elected to be the Senate majority leader!

Perhaps I need to turn off the election coverage!!!

Retired Rod

Medical again

We spent the day with medical stuff again today!  I thought we did that last week!  Oh, we did!

This morning Loyce went in for treatments on her legs, and I was just the driver.  I sat for several hours in the waiting room, but managed to be there for her.

Then in the afternoon, I went in to see yet another specialist for more, Ahem!  personal type problems.  Damn its hard to be an old male!  That ended up with a CAT scan of my mid section mid afternoon.

They wanted me to lay down on my belly face down in the machine!   On a brand new incision?  Yes!  I don't think so!!!!!

So they had to do what they had to do, and I got the he!! out of there.  Didn't get home until the evening drive time, so I ended up battling the morning traffic up the Interstate to get Loyce to her appointment, and then battling the 5 PM traffic back home.

I was killed, but spent most of the day away from home which is a vast improvement from sitting around the house.  Now as long as these tests don't end up with some nasty drawn out care plan........

Will we ever get on the road to the Southwest?????


Retired Rod

Trick or Treat

Tonight was trick or treat night here at Grandma's house!  This is the night that all of the kids come over and go trick or treating here in our neighborhood.

We had the evening meal her with big treat pudding deserts with lots of whipped cream on top!  And big candy treats too.     Ooooo!

Well I helped somewhat, by going over to Wal Mart and picking up the forgotten stuff to save the day at the last minute.

At the chance of really making my DL's mad, I am going to post a couple of pictures that were taken on the fly tonight.  Sorry in advance girls.

Getting them to stand still when there are 5 of them running around here was a really big challenge, but then they aren't all that scary anyway.    Perhaps just cute!

Grandpa's biased don't you think?

Retired Rod