Yes we are alive!!

 Happy 4th of July to one and all.

July 4th 2023

   We are in Reading Pa and have spent the last 2 days having breakfast with Shari, her new grandbaby and the rest of the crew who are in for a visit with the Weirs. Diane and I went out last night to the Coastal Grille.  It was very good, I had the broiled seafood platter, and she had the Seafood Fra Diavolo.  The service was quick, we were seated, ordered and done within a hour.  A little rushed for us but the food was great.

A little tight, but
we did just fine!!

               

They had a decent
supplied store!!

  We made it to our volunteer spot the beginning of May and to our surprise internet service is actually worse than it was last year. We have been working our shifts and settled back into the routine. It started off very warm and dry for most of May and that produced the worst outbreak of Gypsie moths ever. The moths have completely defoliated the campground.  And the caterpillar poop rained down on our camp site for weeks, to the point we will probably have to throw our canopies away. They are just so gross.
   Diane has made it out kayaking twice and down to visit Chase once.  I've been mowing the yard at Ben's camp and trying to get my tree stand and camera set up on Norman's hill without much luck.  I did get the roadway cleared out just a bit and will continue to work on that.
   We are heading back up to Tompkin's campground tomorrow the 5th July, Diane will be heading back down to visit Chase on the 10th. The second half of the season is filling up fast. Besides working, I have 3 dentist appointments, we want to get up to Vermont to visit Ashley sometime in August, we have to get the Moho inspected and finally another visit with Chase and the new baby in late August.

   I will try to keep the blog updated at least monthly if I get anywhere that has service. We already are planning our winter trip south.  I cant believe how fast the summer has gone. We are planning a trip to Maine right after Labor Day then hunting and then headed south and hopefully back to some fun adventures.

  Next big hurdle is getting the Moho inspected.

  Check back in often.

Diane goes shopping, shopping and shopping.

 Tuesday 25 April 2023

   Frost again this morning, what the heck.  Last week everyone was talking about how warm it has been in PA.  So, we come home and poof, it's down in the 30's.  Time to get busy visiting everyone.  Diane

A trip to the park.

went to hang out with Chase, picked up mail (new coffee pot) from Lynne's and back to Chase's. She didn't get back until after 4pm.  I made a trip to the storage unit sorted some things then back to the Moho cleaned and did the dishes. Had ham steak for dinner and got the new coffee pot ready for morning.

Wednesday 26 April 2023

   Well, no frost this morning but still cool.  We had to dig in the closet for jeans and sweatshirts.  We spent the morning sorting through a months' worth of mail/bills. Always an unpleasant and unrewarding task. Diane was right back to visiting Chase who was about half sick and couldn't go to day care, so she jumped right in there to help watch him. I did dishes and cleaned up the Moho before heading over to visit Bev. 
   We went to Shane's for dinner, Diane's now famous mac and cheese and to visit, but he (Chase not Shane) was grouchy, so we left right after eating and a short visit.

Thursday 27 April 2023

    Diane made breakfast and headed back to visit with Chase for another day. She took a break for lunch and met Keisha for lunch at First Watch, the food and visit were great.  Then back to visit Chase. Her and Collette took him for nice long walk. 

The things you find
walking through
Mechanicsburg!!

   Meanwhile back at the Moho I sorted more containers to take to storage. Off to the storage unit, down to visit Pat but she wasn't home, headed to the cemetery (Filey's) when I passed a homeless man walking down Chestnut Grove Rd. I pulled over to give him some money.....turns out to be brother Paul😁 I got to keep my money anyway. 
   Back to the Moho did dishes, cleaned up the place, vacuumed the rugs (both sides). Then we dropped her car off at Larwence Chevrolet didn't get home until 5pm or so. We were late for happy hour but survived.  Grilled steaks and mushrooms for dinner.

Friday 28 April 2023

    Scrapple sandwiches for breakfast. Oh, it is good to be home.  The temps are warming up, but now it is rain, rain, rain and more rain.  Diane spent the whole day with Lynne shopping, Home Goods, BBB, Marshals, Target, At Home and a few others and of course you can't shop without a break at Starbucks. She scored big, new towels, sheets, bathmat just to mention a few. Lynne dropped her off to get the car.  While Diane was out shopping, I cleaned up the Moho, did dishes and looked after Rudy.  Anyone else see a pattern emerging here.
   She pulled in and we headed right back out and over to the Shirks for dinner. It was crab cakes from Nick's always good food.  We stayed for a couple games of Euker. It has been a long time since we played cards.  The girls were happy they won! 😕 We were out until after 11pm. Just sayin'.

Saturday 29 April 2023

   A nice today. Yea!  Diane made us a spam sandwich before heading out to wrap up grocery shopping B.J.'s, Giant, and butcher shop. She had to come back to unload the car after each stop to keep the cold stuff from spoiling. We had been depleting our food supplies in anticipation of the refrigerator swap and now she had to replenish. 
   You know how this has been going. Diane goes out.  I hung out laundry, did dishes and vacuumed the entire Moho, again. 😐
   Diane gets back to the Moho we unload, filled up the freezer and cupboards. One glass of wine before heading over to Shane's for pizza and a visit with his in-laws. Yes, Chase is feeling so much better. We had a good evening.

Sunday 30 April 2023

   As the weatherman promised it rained all dayyyyy. Rudy made it until after 10 before he wanted out. I didn't even leash him just opened the door he did his business and came right back in. Diane made breakfast.  We worked on computer stuff, budget etc. Not long after lunch she remembered we needed a few more things from BJ's, like getting her glasses fixed, so out the door she goes.
   I did dishes, cleaned up the Moho and worked around inside the Moho.  I'm starting to think she is working me on this one. 😏

Heading to PA

Tuesday 18 April 2023

    CCW was to call as soon as they got the refrigerator pulled out so I could go look at the flooring and opening before the new unit went in.  I was up, had yogurt, dressed and waiting for the call and waiting and waiting.  Bored to tears we finally went out drove over to the beach checked it out. I stopped at a Auto Zone had the guy read the code on the engine and he gave us a printout.  It was number 6-cylinder misfiring. 😕 Oh Great. That will just half to wait!

    By now it was time to get some lunch.  Diane found a little restaurant Peach Valley Cafe' in Ormond

What a hole.

Beach that had a patio so Rudy could join us.  I had shrimp and Diane had fish tacos, no surprise there. Rudy got spoiled by the waitress who thought he was the cutest and best-behaved 😂 dog she ever saw. We all know better. Just as the food was on the table CCW called, refrigerator was out and the new one was to go in shortly.  We finished lunch, it was good.  Rudy said goodbye to his waitress. Back to the hotel dropped off Diane and Rudy then over to CCW.

   The new refrigerator was in, the credenza was not, and the driver's window was on a skid on the ground in front of the Moho.  I figured they would never be done tomorrow.  Sad and depressed I head back to the hotel.  I called CCW and they assured us the coach would be done tomorrow.  We had left over lasagna played a game or two of Farkle before going to bed.

Wednesday 19 April 2023

    Here in Ormond beach the temperature is 10-15 degrees cooler than Bushnell I guess the ocean breeze keeps it cooler.  All we packed were shorts and t-shirts, luckily Diane grabbed a sweater for each of us went as we left to Moho.  We don't know if the Moho will be done or not.  Diane checked with hotel office in case we had to stay another day then walked over and got us breakfast from Cracker Barrell. When we finished breakfast, and I called CCW and to my surprise they said they would be done by 2-2:30. 😏 We hurried to pack and be out of the room by 11.  I was still carrying stuff out to the truck and when I returned to the room the key card didn't work.  Apparently, they deactivate them at 11 am sharp. Diane stayed in the room to let me back in as I took the remaining bags to the truck.  We were out by 11:30 not all that late.  And just a side note the room was $85 not bad for a new/clean hotel, but they charge $25 a day for Rudy, and he didn't bring his credit card😁we had to pay for him too. 

Nice lunch View.

    Back to the beach.  Diane found us Crabby's Bar and Grill with outdoor seating to have lunch. It was right on the ocean front we could hear the waves breaking.  We were all excited lunch, then get the Moho and back to Bushnell to pack.  And as you can guess, as we finished lunch they called said it would be closer to 4 until they finished. We killed some time stopped at a huge wine shop.  Stocked up on wine and went to get the Moho. .....It was 5:30 until we were done.  A two plus hour drive back to Bushnell, a stopped for fuel and it was 8pm.

   After we parked and were plugged in, I went to Len's picked up our freezer food and mail. The good news is when I got back to the Moho I noticed the check engine light was off on the truck. Oh Yea!  We put about half the refrigerator items back leaving the big cooler for morning.  It was almost 11pm till we went to bed.

A stroll beside
Daytona Beach!

Thursday 20 April 2023 (On the Road)

    Big day today!  We wanted to be on the road by 9 or so this morning but that didn't happen! Got up and started loading the remaining items into the frig.  As soon as we finished, I went to Len's pick up the big items kayak, ladder, bike and bike rack. Diane started packing the inside, I rearranged the truck,

All packed up and
ready to hit the road!!

got the rachet straps on the stuff, drained the tanks and we were on the road at 1pm.  Tired, wore out, stressed out, but on the road.  We were about 20 miles from the campground when I heard a unmistakable DING.  I looked down the check engine light was on in the Moho. 😕 Just can't win I guess anyway we made it to Brunswick Georga to the Southern Retreat RV Resort and parked at 5pm.  Lucked out, they had a restaurant at the campground.  I had the pound of shrimp and Diane had bang-bang shrimp it surprisingly good and reasonably priced. The guy camped beside us didn't have a long enough sewer pipe, so I lent him a section.  He came over and invited us over for wine.  We feel like we just had to oblige him. 😆 They were really nice couple they didn't start RVing until they were 73 years old, now 85 or 86 he didn't know how much longer they would be at it. We talked for bit before the bugs ran us inside.

Friday 21 April 2023

  We are running on behind our schedule, so today will be a 300-mile day.  On the road by 9:30 drove 1 mile stopped for fuel and breakfast.  Back on the road at 10:30, with under 299 miles to go I noticed the braking device for the truck didn't seem to be working, but we kept on going. The miles went by fairly quick in the beginning, then we got into to South Carlina. OMG, I 95 is almost undriveable in the right lane.  We were bouncing and banging something awful.  Somewhere and around 2:00 pm I saw a piece of tail pipe come off the car ahead of us. It hit the road, bounced in the air about 4 feet or so, I thought it was coming in the windshield.  It missed the front but hit at Dianes side, then back under the dual wheels hit and bent the mud flap before rolling on the berm. 😡 What else can happen.  We stopped at the next exit and checked it out, decided were fine and could keep going. After stopping at Buckee's for fuel, we just love that place $3.68 for diesel.  We arrived at South of The Border by 4:30.

  We decided to get dinner from the restaurant next door.  Diane walked over to place the order and the waitress says they don't do take out! 😕 I never heard of that. A restaurant beside a campground (that is full) and they don't do take out.  So, it was salad for dinner.

   With all that went on today, Diane did manage to make us a reservation at a winery just outside of Ashland for tomorrow night. That will be a nice break.

   What a day 300 miles, 4 stops in under 7 hours.  A very long day for us.  Even Rudy wouldn't go back into the Moho after his evening walk.  And another 300-mile day tomorrow.

Saturday 22 April 2023

   Up and rolling by 9am heading to the winery outside of Ashland.  As we drove heavy thunderstorm were predicted for Ashland, so we changed our plan shorting the trip to avoid the storms. We decided to stop in Roanoke Rapid at the Carolina Crossroad CG.  We stopped for fuel so we are ready for tomorrow, the dreaded I95/Washington.  Diane had to cancel the winery and was not happy at all. Sometimes you just have to suffer, but we were safe!

   Getting off the road early gave us a change to recoup a bit. Diane went into town to the grocery store. I checked the Moho again for damage and found a panel loose but not broken behind the entry door. 

  Oh well, Diane browned some burger and we had tacos for dinner.  We played Farkle again and went to bed early. 

Sunday 23 April 2023 (Still on the road)

   Today we pay the price for the short day yesterday. We have 305 miles to get to Dillsburg and that is on I95 around Washington.  We got a good start on the road at 9:30 did the first 120 miles without a stop and the check engine light is not on anymore. Oh yea!  We had lunch took a decent break stretched our legs but three days of driving everyone is wore out.  Shortly after we were back on the road traffic started backing up. The normal stop, go 65mph stop and so on.  We decided to go up route 17 to route 15 knowing it is all towns traffic lights etc.  And it was slow with lots of little towns, but it was slow and that was much more bearable. After a stop in Thurmont for we started the final stretch. No one talked, ok very little conversation as we struggle through the last 65 miles.  We did talk enough to decide we will get wings from the VFW for an easy meal.

   We pull into Walmar Manor at 5pm, what a day/trip. Glad to be parked for a week. The only problem Diane can't reach the camp host to get our site number. She called, texted and then walked to her site no one home.  We handled it ourselves and just parked in a site we liked.  Done!  I hooked up electric Diane called the VFW for wings, and they are not cooking wings today. Really!  The Legion is closed Sunday and Monday, so it was burgers on the grill for dinner.

Monday 24 April 2023 (Not on the road)

    Had frost this morning so not liking that.  

We slept in for a bit, then I made run to storage unit this morning. I had to rearrange enough bins so we could both get into the truck.  Then over to get Diane's car and visit Karen a bit.  Had lunch at the 230 Cafe, it was ok.  I came back to Moho to find Rudy had puked and pooped in the camper. 😒 So I cleaned and scrubbed while Diane went shopping. Seems just a little unfair to me! Just as I finished hanging the rug up to dry Diane pulls in all smiles and giggles.  We sorted one container of stuff that we just put in the truck for the ride up. Although we are parked there is a lot of things that need to find a home before next week.  Nice enough day so we did burgers on the grill.

The stress builds

 Sunday 9 April 2023    Happy Easter

   Cool and windy this Easter morning.  We went to the cemetery this morning, there were a lot of flowers decorating the place.  Back to the Moho then up to the recreation bldg. for an Easter dinner. Owners supplied the turkey and ham, and everyone brought a covered dish.  The food was great, we met some new friends.  A lot of the seasonal campers are leaving soon, and this was like the last hoo-rah.

Monday 10 April 2023

   I got right at the demolition job of removing the old booth dinette.  As I got more and more debris scattered around the Moho I could see the OMG look on Diane's face.  She went for several walks but eventually couldn't stand the mess and headed to the store to escape the stress.  Like most of my home projects it seemed easy enough on Utube.  By lunch time there was nowhere to sit so we ate standing by the kitchen sink. By 3:30 most of the mess was outside scattered along the side of the Moho. I was happy the place was cleaned up enough to eat, Diane not so much, still said the place looks like crap. We brought the lawn chairs in and enjoyed tacos for dinner.

   As we were finishing dinner Greg from CCW called to say, due to the supply shortage they would not be able to replace the stove top. Something to think about for next winter.

Tuesday 11 April 2023

   Up to the Recreation Hall again, for breakfast this time. Nothing special but free.  After breakfast I tried to make another cup of coffee and water started running down the side of pot. We continued packing and organizing for the journey next week. We are slowly and carefully (when no one around) have been putting parts of the old dinette in the trash.  I headed over to Len's, picked up the mail and dropped off a load of junk at the county recycle.   I got back and Diane went to the post office and quick stop at Dollar General for a new coffee pot.   We spent the rest of the day sorting mail and paying bills. Yuck! 

 Wednesday 12 April 2023.

   Bad morning.  I am fumbling around trying to turn on the (new) coffee pot.  Half asleep trying different buttons I finally got it cooking. Sat down to my morning games.  About the time I figured it

Our new Chairs.

should be done I heard that terrible sound of coffee sizzling under the pot.  I jumped and ran to turn it off.  Apparently, while fumbling with the buttons I dislodged the craft from the burner.  How I have to clean up the mess, wash the pot and basket, make another pot and then wait for it to cook. 😓😡

   Diane got up and started searching the internet and making phone calls to find a replacement for the Keurig. 

   To make the day worse, we went to Catfish Johnny's for dinner.  One of those places we can't remember why we don't go there....then when we look at the menu we know why.  fried! fried! fried!

   Better days ahead.

Thursday 13 April 2023

   A much better day today.  Coffee went well!😁  A nice sunny day and we took advantage. Diane went for kayak trip, however forgot her lifevest and had to cut the trip short.  We washed the truck and mapped our trip back to PA.  And to top off the day we when to The Fishermans Cove restaurant for dinner.  Started off with fresh steamed clams delivered from Cedar Key this morning then the prime rib special. OMG it was all good! We were stuffed.

Friday 14 April 2023

   Diane went for another kayaking trip, this time with her life jacket. 😏 Enjoying the trip without the

worry, she got a few pictures as well.  Another win for the day, we finally got a hold of Keurig and they agreed to send us a new coffee pot, under warranty. We spent the remaining time packing and trying to figure out how we will make it home on time.

   Baked fish for dinner.....with wine.

Saturday 15 April 2023

   Diane's entire day was spent cooking, doing dishes then repeating.  She cooked breakfast cleaned up, made lasagna noodles cleaned up and then made ribs for dinner and cleaned up. Yes she did point out (several times) that I owed her big time.

   I took a load of big stuff to Len's (kayak and bike). I'm starting to get worried about the trip to PA and how it will all fit into the Moho and truck. Tomorrow, we have to have everything ready to go, heading to the shop, then as soon as we are done, we have to hit the road.

Sunday 16 April 2023

   Well, I didn't get done yesterday.  We started off with the last trip to the cemetery for this season.

Apparently they have fenced the deer out of the grounds.  The flowers from Easter were still there they never last more than a day or two unless there were so many the deer couldn't eat them all.😏 

   Another trip to Len's. Nothing left now except for refrigerator food.  

Monday 17 April 2023

   Well today is the big day.  We packed, cleaned, organized and rearranged most everything.  I started with a trip to Len's with our freezer food. Diane packed up the bedroom and brought in the slides.  Then we had to remove everything from above the refrigerator, piling everything on the bed. We stayed at it steady until lunchtime.  Lunch was the last of the leftovers that wouldn't fit in the coolers. Diane had a roast beef sandwich with a bit of left over tuna, I had the remaining salad, last of the feta, last of the blueberries and small piece of fish. There were two items with expiration dates three years ago that didn't make the trip.

  We were done!!! On the road by 1pm and arrived at the hotel in Ormond Beach at 3:30pm.  I unhooked the truck and when I move it, I noticed the check engine light was on. Oh great! 😡 No time to worry now.  Diane went to check in and found out our room won't be ready for at least a hour. We swapped Rudy from the Moho to the truck and took the Moho over to CCW.  Dropped off the Moho and headed back to the hotel. The room still was not ready, and it is well after 5pm.  Making the best of it we did a little tailgating.  I backed the truck up next to the door, opened the tailgate and the wine bottle. 😁 

A mess in the 
bedroom.

   Moho in the shop, truck with a check engine light on but happy hour goes on!!

Winding down in Sumterville

 Sunday 2 April 2023

   While I was working on the awning yesterday, I noticed it doesn't seem to be adjusted right.  When it stops going out the material is fastened to the roller halfway up.  It allows the water the pool and then drain either front or back. It just didn't look right. I'll have to call Dometic tomorrow.

   We have this big comforter we bought from a thrift store to put around the refrigerator when we took it to Classic Coach Works.  We hoped to donate it back, but we have been hauling it around for days. I take it out of the truck during the day and but it back in every night.  It has got to go.

Monday 3 April 2023

   Today was the normal Monday for us.  Phone calls, banking, pay bills and planning for another week. Made a few purchases from amazon including a portable water softener. The water here is hard as rock.  Diane made her shopping trip: dropped the comforter at the donation center, grocery shopped and of course refilled our wine supply. One of my calls was to Dometic to ask about the awning. Believe it or not I got to talk to very knowledgeable and helpful person. After I explained the awning, she agreed something was amiss.  She suggested I get their field rep to come service it and they happen to have one not to far away. Oh Yea😀 I called a couple different numbers finally someone called back just to let me know they retired. 😒 But, gave me a name and number of the guy replacing them. 😀 I call, the guy answers, welcome to Camping World. 😠 I hung up just not dealing with camping world.

   That is kind of the way the day went, busy all day but don't get much done.  Wine was good!

Tuesday 4 April 2023

   Temperatures in the mid 90's almost every day. I got up had some coffee and went for a bike ride.  It was mighty warm but bearable. As soon as I got back and parked, Diane went for her walk, gotta do

Its hard to read but a
new Splenda/Stevia Farm.

what it takes to beat the heat. We stopped for lunch at the local diner on our way to the cemetery with flowers. The guys (8 of them) were weed whacking Shawna's section.  As we walked up they quit and sat under a tree until we left. That was so respectful!  

Beautiful flowers
for Shawna.

   Back to the Moho. Diane had a roast in the crock pot that smelled wonderful when we walked in and it was delicious. 

Wednesday 5 April 2023

   Had a nice breakfast today, cooked outside before it got to awfully hot. We started working (slowly) cleaning out under the booth seats so the guys can measure and do what they need to do tomorrow.  I know we only had the coach two months, but we packed every square inch.  Now we have to unpack and find a place to move the stuff to. Hello Len's garage! If we have to we can use Len's place but that means we have to return to pick it up.  We are still working on that part.

   Diane went to the office told them we are leaving tomorrow then coming back, then leaving next week for two days. then coming back don't know for how long. They told to come back when she knows what we are doing.😁

Thursday 6 April 2023

   We were up packed and headed to CCW by 9:30. We had just one stop on the way over, and traffic was terrible and extra slow for construction areas. Arrived a about at 11:45 the guys were right out

Castaways!!

measured, checked and we were done in 45 minutes.  I had to back the whole way out past all the motorhomes and around Porsches parked in front.  Made it. 😓 By now I was starved, and Diane had found us a restaurant 'The Castaways' about 30 miles out. Naturally the restaurant was in the middle of a construction zone had to dodge the orange cones and heavy equipment, but we made it. Food was great, I had the shrimp trio (fried, broiled and scampi) Diane had the grouper dinner. Yum!  And with the temperature still in the 90's we had to leave the generator and A/C running for Rudy.

   Back to the campsite by 4:30. Hooked up electric, turned on the A/C and waited for the temperature to drop a little to finish hooking up. Diane pulled the window blind down on her side and the whole shade fell right down.  She blamed it on my driving, 😏 I'm not sure about that, but anyway something else to fix before happy hour. We worked together and finished just in time for wine.

    We were to hot and to full to grill burgers, so just leftovers and called it a day.

Friday 7 April 2023   GOOD FRIDAY

   I forgot about it being Good Friday and made sausages for breakfast. I'll have to make up for that one.  Still recovering from yesterday I had a slow time organizing the day.  We were supposed to go get a new kayak paddle today, but after breakfast but I went to get our packages at Len's, and it was too late to drive to the kayak shop.

   Diane went to the big grocery store over in Okahumpka, they have a much better selection and fresher

The view from where
we ate...Beautiful!!

vegetables. 

   To make up for cooking sausages for breakfast we went back to the Big Bass Grill for seafood and a meat free meal.  Worked out well, we sat outside with view of the lake (Diane did). They had a DJ playing; it was very good evening. They started the karaoke singing, the first guy was really good, but I had to get Diane out of there before she could go on stage to sing! 😁😂 

Back in Sumterville

 Monday 27 March 2023

   As planned, I headed over to Len's after breakfast to borrow some coolers so we can unload the refrigerator so I can work on it.  First thing I did was turn off the water.  Just my luck the shut off valve started leaking when I shut it off.  I spent the rest of the day searching for a new valve.  The only one we (Diane) found was on Amazon with a week delivery. I went to the hardware store in town they didn't have what I wanted but fixed me up with a new valve and reducer to get to the size I needed. I got home new valve didn't fit.  So off to another hardware store for another valve.  Finally had enough parts to fix it.  It was after 3:00 by the time I finished.  Decided to wait until tomorrow to pull the refrigerator.  Looked under the sink and the new valve was dripping. Oh crap, I tightened it, checked later still dripping ever so slow but dripping.  I continued checking and tightening and eventually got it stopped.

   Meanwhile we have been shopping (online) for hours almost everyday for a new refrigerator that fits our spot. It is so difficult some to tall, some to wide, some to deep and some we just didn't like.  We are getting tired of checking so many things and to make matters worse the internet keeps going out. I call Diane over to check one out and poof "sorry you lost your internet connection" please try later.

Nice deck
on the water

   That did not ruin our day.  We went to the Big Bass bar and grill for dinner.  The place has been bought and sold many times over the past few years and finally has been remolded and updated all the way around.  It was a lovely evening we sat outside to enjoy the view of lake Panasoffkee.  Diane ordered a wine at a bar previously known for bikers and fisherman.... wine was sour.  They were nice and offered her another drink, she says a margarita, (fill-in) bartender doesn't know how to make one.  After several choices Diane finally says, "what can you make?" bartender says just one thing, cranberry juice and vodka, so that was her choice😏.  But the food was good and my beer was cold.

   When we got back to the Moho we had a quote from Classic Coach, oh yea.  Looked at it and they had the wrong refrigerator, oh crap.  Sent then an email.....he will requote tomorrow.

Tuesday 28 March 2023

   As planned, I was ready to start on the refrigerator when the new quote came in. The cost for the frig went up $500 to $2200 and Diane really didn't like it. We spent all day shopping, calling Lowes, Home Depot and several different Best Buy locations. I think I spent hours listening to press one for this, two for that and getting nowhere each time.  We finally found one at a Best Buy Outlet (didn't even know there was such a place) by early evening. They have three conditions of items: Excellent, Satisfactory and it works. They had one of the one we wanted in excellant condition....so we bought it.   I called CC (Classic Coach) to let them know and to see if they can store it until we get the work done. We were so happy.  Diane shut down the computers, threw out the lists we had made and got ready to go to the VFW with friends.

   As afternoon turned to evening, we kept getting updates on the purchase.  First was, thanks for your order, a hour or so later another saying there is a problem with your order and finally one saying your order is cancelled. Too late to do anything today.

   We had a great time with our friends, it was taco Tuesday and at the VFW, the food was good, beer cold (Diane didn't even ask for wine) the price was good.

Wednesday 29 March 2023

   Well despite the emails cancelling our order we drove to the outlet store.  We got there early at 11:30 so we had lunch at a Thai place across the street. We go in and the place is just wall to wall appliances. There was no order other than by appliance.  We start walking up and down each row looking for our model number. I finally walk over to a salesperson to see if there is some way to know where our model is located.  She looks at me, took her ear bud out, put her phone down and ask if she could help. I ask

Brad thought I 
should buy it for him!

the question she says no, picks up her phone and starts talking again. We walked around some more there were probably 500 or more refrigerators. Finally, another salesperson came over and helped us out.  Turns out the order was cancelled because they are not allowed to list them as "excellent".  We found the best of the ones they had, paid, loaded up and headed to CCW to drop it off.

   With the refrigerator in the bed off the truck we stayed off the highways. After stopping three times to tighten the tiedown straps we pull into the CCW parking lot just before 4pm.  They were really nice unloaded the frig and we talked about when they could do the work, but with Rudy waiting we had to keep moving. Take note of the picture.  There was a Porshe racing shop beside their building 15 or so sitting around I was half afraid to pull in beside them.  Back in truck we headed straight home. Got there at 6:30, some 8 1/2 hours after we left.  Rudy barely made it onto grass to pee. Exhausted it was wine and sausages for dinner.

Thursday 30 March 2023

   Diane has been living with two large cooler in the living room of the camper as well as all the things from under the sink sitting all around the kitchen. I thought I would make her day by cleaning up a bit.  I put one big cooler in the truck bed and was working on putting the things under the sink.  I picked up Rudy's food container and was walking toward the sink when the lid came off I dropped it and it went all over the floor under the slide out etc.😒 We picked, scooped and swept up the mess.  Just as we finished I went to stand up and kicked it over again.😕  We laughed. Rudy was happy he had extra breakfast food.

   After that I took Len's dolly back, picked up a package, loaded the other big cooler in the truck all without making another mess.

  We are now just waiting on CCW to call with a scheduled time for the work.

  Off to check out another campground just a few miles away.  It used to be a dump but supposedly has been cleaned up.  The campground is Idlewild Lodge and Campground and wow has it changed. It is really nice, free laundry, pool, clubhouse and even free beer for happy hour.  Of course, the price has gone from $25 a night to $85. We liked it, it even has a food truck on site.

   Off to the Fishermans Cove restaurant for lunch. We have been there many times the food was great blackened Mahi and a catfish sandwich for Diane.

  After Diane returned from getting a haircut, we were still to full for a big dinner so it was just dogs and beans.

Friday 31 March 2023

  It has been hot and getting a little hotter with each passing day.  Today we are looking at almost 90 degrees.  Still haven't heard anything from CCW as far as getting the Moho scheduled.  Today is yard sale day in the campground, so we took advantage of it. I put out the 30lb propane tank we don't anymore and a few other things I don't need anymore. No buyers this morning.

   I don't know if I mentioned it but the first refrigerator we bought and then cancelled never had the credit processed.  We have called the credit union and Lowes many times and still no credit. Today we were back on the phone and again we got the let's wait one more day, which makes it the weekend so we will be waiting until at least Monday.

   By the time Diane returned from getting a pedicure it was up to 85 degrees outside and warmer yet inside.  We had to close up and run the A/C's.

Saturday 1 April 2023 - April Fool's Days

   Hot, Hot and Hotter.  90 degrees and higher over the next seven days. Diane went to the grocery store this morning while I attached the sunshade and tied down the awning.  It was a bit breezy but needed to do something to keep the sun off of the side of the Moho. I wanted to start washing the truck and Moho but you just can't touch any metal.  We unloaded the groceries went for a drive to check out some real estate, get a lotto ticket and just sit in the A/C for a while we needed to get out of the moho.  Around 4 it was cool enough to sit motionless under the awning and sip a glass of cool white wine.  By 5:30 I manage to fire up the grill and cook us up some chicken.  This is two whole days with no seafood. I guess we will survive, Diane is already planning a trip to Crystal River area to get a new kayak paddle.  The area is full of good seafood restaurants and a kayak store, I can smell a broiled seafood platter already. Just plan HOT can't do much of anything outside.  

Week in Steinhatchee Fl

 Monday 20 March 2023

   Day one with full hook ups. 😊 We went into town just to check it out, stopped at Roy's seafood restaurant for lunch. It was very good, I had grilled salmon and Diane had the grouper sandwich.  Kind of a slow day so the waitress brought us some hush puppies with Guava jelly to put on them, oh my, was that ever good.  The place had a lovely view of the water and is known for the best place to watch the 

The few from Roy's.

sunset. It was quite chilly with a stiff breeze, so we had to sit inside but still had a nice view.  We drove around town found a laundromat (well of sorts) I guess the place was still recovering from the hurricane 3 years ago. Diane talked to the owner who was working on several washers, and he says of the 40 or so washers only 5 worked.  We go back to the Moho Diane takes two big loads of laundry to town and puts another load in at home. After 8 days of dry camping, we had a ton of laundry. And another long showers 🚿.

Tuesday 21 March 2023

   What an interesting day this turned out to be.  I went to Grandpa's cafe for breakfast sandwiches. When I returned the neighbor lady came over to tell us their side wasn't working on their "Thor" motorhome and the repair guys were coming back for the fourth time to finally fix it this afternoon. We headed over to Cross City the nearest grocery store.  Of course, we stopped for lunch.  We walk into the Cypress Inn restaurant and there nowhere to sit.  A couple sitting at a table for six said we could sit with them, so we did.  You talk about a local hangout, everyone and I mean everyone in or out stopped to talk to the couple.  We learned more about the neighborhood in a hour there than days at the campground, including the best restaurants to go to.  Next was the grocery store.  It was so small the only thing Diane bought were spinach wraps. What a disappointment. Back the 20 miles to the Moho just in time for the workers to get started on the neighbor's motorhome.
   The work was well underway, they had put one bottle jack under the slide out to support it while they changed the motors.  I would have used two one on each end, but what do I know.  After about a hour they realized they only had the parts for one motor.  The helper left to go get parts the other guy kept working and that is when we heard the loud bang. The jack dislodged and the slide fell out being held precariously by the slide topper. We all ran out to help the best we could.  This guy got under the slide out to reinstall the jack with the thing literally hanging buy the threads.  See the pics.  He worked under there for some time alone but now using two jacks. His helper returned with parts, and they worked until 8:30 or 9 pm.  Check out the number of screws they used and the torn gasket and that is when they were done. Moral of the story, in my opinion, never buy "Thor".

A Glass of Merlot!!

Wednesday 22 March 2023

   The rest of the days not near that exciting.  We had breakfast and headed to Perry FL to another grocery store, about 30 miles up the road.  Now this will surprise you, we did NOT get lunch. I really mean it we had a breakfast bar and came right home. Now we had good reason, we were going to Kathy's Krab Shack for dinner.  We headed into town early so we could check out a Kayaking spot for Diane. It turned out to be a nice kayaking spot but is in tidal waters, so we need to keep a eye on the tides.
   We got to the restaurant sat outside to enjoy the now much warmer weather.  I had broiled shrimp Diane had blackened scallops. The best food we have had in a while. The scallops were the small bay scallops, but they were the best, shrimp was good too.
   I guess you can tell after eating all the junk food at the rally we thought we should change our diet and suffer with the broiled or blackened seafood for a week or so.  So far, we've been sticking with it. 😁😁

Thursday 23 March 2023

   Diane got another day of kayaking.  Only a couple hours but she enjoyed it.  Sticking with our diet we went to Grabby Daddy's Seafood bar and grill.  We opened the door and were hit with that smoky bar

A cute little village
up the creek!!

room smell. At least half the people at the bar were smoking...we left.  Went across the street to a restaurant on the water that looked great.  We ordered drinks and the waitress brought us drinks and a menu, you won't believe this.......no seafood, not even fried seafood.  So, we settled for wings, they were OK not very hot, we went home a little disappointed.  But we are still enjoying long showers. 🚿

Friday 24 March 2023   Happy Birthday Shari

   The weather has been warming up a little each day and today we get to the high 80's. Into town to the hardware store for a cordless drill and a few other things.   I am going to work on the refrigerator since

Waiting for our food!

we haven't heard from Classic Coach.  By the time we were done stopping and hitting all three stores in town, the hardware, dollar general and gas station, it was lunch time.  I know it just happens like that.  Stopped at a lunch truck, the Coastal Cantina, Diane had shrimp tacos I had shrimp burrito.  All healthy except for the wraps, I'll call it a tie. Back to the Moho, Diane did laundry while I started packing up the outside, they are calling for rain most of the day Sunday. As I packed things back into the truck, I realized we were missing the kayak paddles. Oh Crap,&*$#  To late now I'll have to check tomorrow.

Saturday 25 March 2023

   Today our last day in Steinhatchee.  We packed, cleaned, and putz around the Moho until three or so in the afternoon.  I had more things to put away than I thought but finished up around 4pm.  Diane

A Margarita? 

poured us some wine and we took the long way to town, stopping to look for her kayak paddle. No luck. On into town to the Who Dat Restaurant, another one on the water. We stuck with our seafood menu and the food was OK, nothing to write home about.
   Back to the Moho.  A tent camper (Vance Lee), Diane met the other day was playing/singing on the pool side deck.  Turns out this guy is biking (as in bicycling) across the flat lands from Texas to Florida and entertaining at

Most of the Campers 
came to the show.  

campgrounds.  The owners had put out a nice spread of meats, cheeses, dips and even a couple bottles of wine. I headed in after an hour or so Diane stayed for the whole show. The guy was pretty good.

Sunday 26 March 2023

   Travel day today.  We were packed and ready for an all-day rain (so they said) never did rain I guess we were lucky.  Diane was backing the truck up, parked jumps out and is pointing up in the air, I put the Moho back in park, it appears I forgot to bring in the door awning.  Phew. 😮 I pulled out went across the street for fuel and to hook up.  As we were pulling out I looked in the mirror and there on the concrete laid the electric cord for the tow bar. Stopped in the middle of the gas station blocking most of the pumps while I hooked that up and we were rolling again.  We drove nonstop, the whole way without stopping, all 110 miles in just under 3 hours.  Mighty good for us. 😊 We arrived at the Countryside RV Park in Sumterville at 2:40. We had burgers on the grill for dinner.  I am getting things ready to pull the refrigerator out tomorrow.