I went right outside and ran the power washer first thing this morning. Before I got tied up doing other stuff. The neighbors had left for the morning, so while they were gone, I started the Motorhome and the generator.
The engine in the MH hadn't been started since I parked here in mid November. It fired right up without a hitch. The generator took a lot more time to warm up before the starter engaged, but it too ran for most of an hour.
I think it is good and necessary to warm these engines up to their full operating temperature to cook out the moisture from the oil and crankcase. The problem with diesel engines is that they do not ever reach full operational temperature unless you use them to do work. As in drive. I did switch off the electric post, so that the generator was carrying the load of the heater and water heater and the fridge. But the only thing I could do with the truck engine was to rev it every now and then.
So with the washing complete and the engines warmed up as much as possible, we will be good for another month of sitting still. We are slated to check out in the middle of February, but time will need to pass before we make that decision.
The day here was quite warm, as we reached about 74 on the thermometer on the side of the coach. Even late in the afternoon, as I went over to Wal Mart, the car dash said 70. Our neighbors were out in their shorts and T shirts sunning themselves. I rode the motorcycle around in the park. We have 9 miles of interior roads without leaving the complex.
I'm not sure what else we did other than read and read the blogs. But sitting outside and reading in the sun or shade on a nice winters day was great fun.
Retired Rod
Monday, January 4, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
No football today!
I promised I was going to do something constructive today! Well only half of a constructive job. LoL!
I went outside and began to putter around in the trailer, and put away the church roaster that we keep in the lockers underneath the coach. Once in there, I noticed the chamois that I use on the windows when I wash the MH.
Well that caused me to think I should wash the front window so we could see out better, which led to hooking up the power washer, which led to washing off the muddy rain spots all over the rig. But that's where the half a job came in.
In order to wash the driver's side which is up against the carport on our neighbors park model to the South, it was necessary to put in the big slide. Loyce was using the inside table (in the slide) for her sewing, and it is a big pain in the back side. So I washed around to the slide on the front and the back, but never finished the job. Rather I began to use that chamois to clean the water spots from the windows.
Chamoising a motorhome is a big undertaking, so I gave up and sat in the lawn chair about mid afternoon. You know we don't want to get all carried away with work now! Perhaps tomorrow I will put the slide in and wash the driver's side. And then again maybe not.
It was 72 for a little while this afternoon, but fell back into the 60's as the sun faded away. Tonight we are back down in the 50's, but we are only using the electric heaters. We have never started the propane burners, as it hasn't been that cold. We will be around 44 or so by morning. But then as soon as the sun pops out we start all over again.
My neighbors claim it got down to 30 for a couple of hours while we were gone, but I have never seen it below freezing here in Phoenix. We have been here three out of the last four years during the winter, missing 07/08 which we spent in the RGV in Texas.
It got really damp, rainy and cold down in South Texas for about 2 weeks in late January that year. Mid 30's with overcast rainy foggy days. We burned a bunch of propane and had the electric heaters going too. We were trapped inside for about two weeks. So that's how we started coming back here.
When its warm in Texas, it is warmer than here, but we do not have humidity or no see ums here and the sun always shines. Well almost everyday anyway!
Retired Rod
I went outside and began to putter around in the trailer, and put away the church roaster that we keep in the lockers underneath the coach. Once in there, I noticed the chamois that I use on the windows when I wash the MH.
Well that caused me to think I should wash the front window so we could see out better, which led to hooking up the power washer, which led to washing off the muddy rain spots all over the rig. But that's where the half a job came in.
In order to wash the driver's side which is up against the carport on our neighbors park model to the South, it was necessary to put in the big slide. Loyce was using the inside table (in the slide) for her sewing, and it is a big pain in the back side. So I washed around to the slide on the front and the back, but never finished the job. Rather I began to use that chamois to clean the water spots from the windows.
Chamoising a motorhome is a big undertaking, so I gave up and sat in the lawn chair about mid afternoon. You know we don't want to get all carried away with work now! Perhaps tomorrow I will put the slide in and wash the driver's side. And then again maybe not.
It was 72 for a little while this afternoon, but fell back into the 60's as the sun faded away. Tonight we are back down in the 50's, but we are only using the electric heaters. We have never started the propane burners, as it hasn't been that cold. We will be around 44 or so by morning. But then as soon as the sun pops out we start all over again.
My neighbors claim it got down to 30 for a couple of hours while we were gone, but I have never seen it below freezing here in Phoenix. We have been here three out of the last four years during the winter, missing 07/08 which we spent in the RGV in Texas.
It got really damp, rainy and cold down in South Texas for about 2 weeks in late January that year. Mid 30's with overcast rainy foggy days. We burned a bunch of propane and had the electric heaters going too. We were trapped inside for about two weeks. So that's how we started coming back here.
When its warm in Texas, it is warmer than here, but we do not have humidity or no see ums here and the sun always shines. Well almost everyday anyway!
Retired Rod
Saturday, January 2, 2010
New Years day!
Happy New Year!
I have sat here and watched the Football games all day. Starting with the Rose Parade, until the end. Did the sun shine? Well I kind of snoozed thru the Florida Cincinnati game. We had a high temperature in the early 70's and the door was open all afternoon.
Perhaps I'll do something constructive tomorrow!
Retired Rod
I have sat here and watched the Football games all day. Starting with the Rose Parade, until the end. Did the sun shine? Well I kind of snoozed thru the Florida Cincinnati game. We had a high temperature in the early 70's and the door was open all afternoon.
Perhaps I'll do something constructive tomorrow!
Retired Rod
Friday, January 1, 2010
New Years Happenings!
The only place I went today was Fry's Electronics. Wow! I knew this was a big place, but I wasn't really prepared to find all the electronic parts and tools and hobby equipment. Robotic stuff and in general almost anything electronic. Except Ham Radio stuff. Bummer! Oh well.
I was in need of a cable to replace the one on my digital voice outboard decoder. They call it a dv dongle. The cable that came with the box had given up completely. I had wiggled it just so, for it to make connection, for the last time. They had several cables that would work, but I purchased a retractable that was on a window shade roll up spool. It will most likely break right at the connectors, but at least I now have a new start on breaking this one.
As I was driving back from the far West side of Tempe, on the superstition highway, it was about 4 PM on New Years Eve. Everyone was off work and heading home for the holiday. Traffic was heavy. Not completely bumper to bumper, but about as bad as it gets here in the valley. I have read several blogs about how folks hate the traffic here in Phoenix. But I was amazed that we were moving right along at the speed limit without ever slowing down much. I drove right back to the park without incident. Perhaps it is because I know where we are going, that it doesn't bother us much.
We made a pork roast in our small church roaster tonight. Complete with mashed and broccoli cheese casserole. It was really good, and comfort type food. Again it wasn't the most diet type of meal, but then again it is New Years Eve.
I'm sure 2009 had several firsts for us, but concentrating on the really positive stuff, we became grandparents for the fifth time this summer. Nothing can top an addition to the family. And then turning a negative into a positive, we were so blessed to not have been injured when we had the car accident here in the desert last February.
We were lucky enough to find a Motor Home that we felt we could afford, and sell the travel trailer on the first day it was listed. So, 2009 was not a bad year. I realize that many folks are out of work, and the economy is not the best, which effected us in the same fashion that it did everyone else. But perhaps all of our financial futures will look up in the next few years.
So Happy New Year!!!! I hope this year will be much better for all of us! And thank you for taking your precious time to stop by this blog and check out how we are getting along. I appreciate each and every one of you!
Retired Rod
I was in need of a cable to replace the one on my digital voice outboard decoder. They call it a dv dongle. The cable that came with the box had given up completely. I had wiggled it just so, for it to make connection, for the last time. They had several cables that would work, but I purchased a retractable that was on a window shade roll up spool. It will most likely break right at the connectors, but at least I now have a new start on breaking this one.
As I was driving back from the far West side of Tempe, on the superstition highway, it was about 4 PM on New Years Eve. Everyone was off work and heading home for the holiday. Traffic was heavy. Not completely bumper to bumper, but about as bad as it gets here in the valley. I have read several blogs about how folks hate the traffic here in Phoenix. But I was amazed that we were moving right along at the speed limit without ever slowing down much. I drove right back to the park without incident. Perhaps it is because I know where we are going, that it doesn't bother us much.
We made a pork roast in our small church roaster tonight. Complete with mashed and broccoli cheese casserole. It was really good, and comfort type food. Again it wasn't the most diet type of meal, but then again it is New Years Eve.
I'm sure 2009 had several firsts for us, but concentrating on the really positive stuff, we became grandparents for the fifth time this summer. Nothing can top an addition to the family. And then turning a negative into a positive, we were so blessed to not have been injured when we had the car accident here in the desert last February.
We were lucky enough to find a Motor Home that we felt we could afford, and sell the travel trailer on the first day it was listed. So, 2009 was not a bad year. I realize that many folks are out of work, and the economy is not the best, which effected us in the same fashion that it did everyone else. But perhaps all of our financial futures will look up in the next few years.
So Happy New Year!!!! I hope this year will be much better for all of us! And thank you for taking your precious time to stop by this blog and check out how we are getting along. I appreciate each and every one of you!
Retired Rod
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