Tuesday, June 26, 2012 Goshen Indiana

Today is Tuesday and we have relocated to Goshen at the Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds.  We are here for the Fleetwood owners national rally which opens tomorrow.  We moved in here on Monday and have had yesterday and today to just sit and relax which we are getting good at.  Actually, yesterday we went trailer shopping.  No, not a camper trailer, rather an enclosed car hauler trailer.  Ever since we started RVing, we have always towed our jeep behind the RV and this has been a simple and easy method to get our car to where we are camping.  However, a couple of years ago, we spent the winter in Florida and it was, to say the least, traumatic, due primarily to the weather.  Apparently the winter of 2009 was one of the worst in Florida with temperatures in the 30s, and high winds most days.

Now, we love our motorhome and all the conveniences it provides, but for what ever reason, I really like to get out and do "something" during the day.  Some of you know that I like to make pens on my lathe and the plan that winter was to do just that.  However, it is the nature of wood turning that it produces a lot of dust, something that is not really compatible with the inside of a motorhome.  During the 4-5 months we were in Florida, I attempted to set up an outdoor work shop on our patio where I could spend time doing my pens.  To say the least, the weather did not cooperate.  Between cold, wind, and rain, it was just about impossible to do anything outside.  I tried sitting and reading a couple of times but finally gave that up too.  About the only outdoor activity we could engage in was taking the pups for walks around the lake.  By the time we left Florida, I was traumatized and hesitant to ever return for another winter.

Fast forward to today, and we are now considering an enclosed trailer which would serve two purposes.  First, we can haul the car in the trailer, but more importantly, when we arrive at our destination, and unload the car, the trailer can serve as a climate resistant workshop that doesn't mind having a bit of dust around.  At least that is the theory.  We don't know how that will work out, but we see a lot of RVers doing just that, and it seems to have some possibilities.  As a result of this line of thinking, we have been looking around for a suitable trailer.

  The first thing that we realize is that there are no used ones anywhere.  For whatever reason, people who buy these things hang onto them.  This is encouraging and gives us confidence that we are moving in the right direction.  The other thing we realize is that it is possible to order these things with just about every imaginable option including 42" plasma TV, surround sound, etc.  I mean, you could live in it if properly spec'd out.  Of interest to us, are the various options that affect the utility of the trailer such as torsion axles, lights, etc.  To this end, we visited 3 trailer dealers yesterday on our day off to help in the education process, and we did learn a lot, including that we want an extended tongue!

Today we are talking with a trailer dealer in Georgia about pricing and options as we begin to zero in on what we want.  I will also add this comment, if President Obama is looking for a bright spot in US manufacturing, he should hitch his wagon to the cargo trailer industry.  These folks, by their own admission, are booming!  Most are selling 6-8 trailers a day, and if you want to custom order one, you will wait 6-8 weeks!  Add to that the fact that nobody is selling their used ones and you have an amazing success story.

There is more to tell on this story and we will try to keep you all posted as it unfolds.  Until then, have a great day.

Sunday, June 24, 2012 Getting ready to move on

I started writing this on Sunday when the quiltfest was over.  Our friends Orlando and Sally left for home early that morning and we were just being lazy that day.  On Mondaymorning we packed up and moved about 20 miles down the road to Goshen Indiana for the Fleetwood RV national rally which is being held at the Elkhart county fairgrounds.  Not sure what to expect because this will be our first Fleetwood rally.  We don't have any expectations so it would be difficult to be disappointed.  :)

One thing that deserves comment is the weather here in the midwest.  Most of last week the temps were in the 90s, with clear skies and sun.  Today is no different and the forecast for the coming week is for the high to reach up to over 100!!!!  Remember, we are in Indiana, in June!  To my way of thinking, this is not normal.  Along with the high temps, there has been virtually no rain for some time.  Although we did have some spotty rain one day last week, it lasted about 10 minutes max.  Obviously the farmers, of which there are many, are not happy.  Many fields have irrigation systems running in the hope of saving the crop.

June 20,2012 Catching up......again

Since we have been spending a few weeks at home, I have been busy with other matters and have not been posting on the blog.  Now that we are out on the road again, I am hoping to get caught up a bit starting with where we are and what we are currently doing.  First, a bit of history.  Last year we attended a rally with the American Coach Association at Shipshewana South Campground, in Shipshewana Indiana.  While at the rally, Linda became aware that the town holds an annual quilt fest during the month of June.  At that point, the die was struck, and reservations were made to return this year during the fest.  We made these arrangements with our friends Orlando and Sally because Sally is also a quilter, and I needed someone to watch over me while the girls attend daily seminars to learn how to quilt.  (Silly me, I guess I just thought they already knew how!)   We arrived here last night, checked in, and went to dinner at Blue Gate Restaurant.

This is what you might call a typical Amish style restaurant with lots of "comfort food" such as chicken and noodles, fried chicken, etc. as well as lots of home made pies.  Needless to say, we did not come home

hungry. 

Unfortunately, while getting ready to leave yesterday, our front air conditioner decided to let the smoke get out which generally means it won't work anymore.  Add to this the fact that we are experiencing mid August weather with temps in the 90s, and you can begin to see our problem.  Today, the girls were "shop hopping" so the boys decided to attempt to fix the broken air conditioner.  This involved a trip to South Bend Indiana to visit W.W. Grainger to pick up a new compressor start capacitor, and then back home to install the new part.  Unfortunately, while the capacitor was bad, it turns out there is a PTCR in series with the offending capacitor and the PTCR is also bad.  End result: the new capacitor immediately smoked.  YIKES!!  Fortunately I remembered some spare electrical parts I had in the basement compartment and was able to get the thing going temporarily.  Now I have to locate the right parts and get the permanent fix installed.

It has been a busy time here in metro Shipshewana Indiana and while I started this post on Wednesday, it is now Friday morning.  I am going to finish here and post this and try to start another post later.  This retirement thing sure does take up a lot of my time!