Two Down, One to Go.  We’ll get to that.  But first, man oh man it was cold this morning.  I know, nothing like those in the Northeast are suffering through.  I feel your pain.  Understand, though, my blood has already begun to thin and anything under 60 degrees is now winter to me!  Tomorrow morning it appears is going to be even colder.  Ah well, a couple of more layers and I should be fine.  As for tonight, I won’t tell if you don’t but when I walked the dog I actually had a knit hat and gloves on!

Fortified with a couple of cups of coffee and breakfast in the RV finished we were ready to head out.  Where you say?  Why to a very familiar place for us by now.  We were going back to

Dade Battlefield for something neither of us had ever thought of doing in the past.  Hats off to Barbara for discovering this one.   It was a class in pine needle basket making.

Pine needle basket class is for beginner basket makers. It was held at the lodge and led by an experienced instructor working with several knowledgeable assistants.

This is our class gathering together.

These are the materials that you use which are provided to each class participant.  You receive a supply of pine needles, a needle for sewing them together, and raffia straw which is the material that binds it all together.

Here is Barbara diligently working on her basket

Here are some of the previous baskets that were made by our instructor

And here is what we were able to accomplish in the few hours that we were there.  Want to guess which one is mine?

Yup, mine is the coaster for a shot glass on the left!  Barbara’s is, of course, on the right and she brought it home to continue working on it.  I guess we all know who has the pine needle basket weaving talent in this family!

It was a really great way to spend several hours.  To think that I did what I did.  Never in a million years would I have ever thought that I would be doing something like this.  Yet, I really enjoyed it.  Do I have the patience to make another one?  Perhaps.  I can’t wait to see how Barbara’s is going to turn out.

During the class, we happened to get into a discussion on volunteering at the park next winter in exchange for a full hook up site on the premises.  We were given a tour and shown where Graybeard would be parked.  Below are the 30 amp sites and

here are the two 50 amp sites that are currently vacant  because they are short two work campers at this time

We accepted an application but need time to think it over before making a 2 to 3 month commitment.  Whatever decision we make, we’ll let you know when we do.

So back home we went.  After lunch, we sort of just puttered around for a while.  I did some bookkeeping and firmed up some campground reservations.  Barbara began getting things ready for supper, tonight it is going to be eggplant Parmesan.  Though I’m getting ahead of myself, I can tell you it was great!  My wife is a really great cook.  Among many other things.

Ok, two down and one to go.  Jason, our RV tech, was out tonight to take care of the solenoid for the hydraulic pump for the leveling jacks and to replace the missing sway bar bushings.  He started out by telling me “you know they don’t make the solenoid for your pump anymore” and then with a big smile on his face he went on to say “but don’t worry, I have you covered.”  That he did.  He is truly one remarkable tech, easy to work with, always positive, knowledgeable, and has a great can-do attitude.  In short order, the jacks were working again.  Then he tackled the sway bar bushings and quickly had them replaced.

That leaves us with just the original problem, the leaking hydraulic hose.   This, remember, is where it all started and went from there.  The  mobile tech for the hydraulic hose is coming back out tomorrow to finish that up.  That should tidy everything up.

Now to some dominoes and maybe some cut-up strawberries with cream?  We will see what Barb has whipped up this time.

Once again day is done, night is upon us and the temperature is falling like a rock rolling down a hill.  Another great day, one in which we discovered we had talents we never knew of.  Great too in the fact that we had a chance to do something we had never done before.  That is always a lot of fun.  We hope you had a great day as well.  That you had the opportunity to enjoy each moment of the day that God had given you.  If perhaps, however, today was not quite the way you wanted it to be, remember, tomorrow gives you the opportunity to make a new start.  Make the most of it.

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.  Thanks again for sharing our day with us.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before. 

 

 

 

The Domino Effect:  also known as the ripple effect, a cumulative effect produced when one event initiates a succession of similar events.  Little did I know upon waking this morning that it was going to be one of those days!  But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The day dawned slightly overcast but warmer than the past few mornings.  No need for the heater during the evening hours or early morning.  It was a great day once again to be alive.  Cup of coffee in hand, I settled in to watch the early morning news.  That task finished it was time to make a phone call.  They were coming to check and replace any hydraulic hoses for the leveling jacks that were leaking.

That is where it all began.  It began with a fluid leak from one of the hydraulic hoses, going to one of the self leveling jacks.  Now you have to know a leak is never a good thing in an RV – any kind of leak!

So once all the hoses were unwrapped and down the inspection process began.  At first it appeared that the culprit was the short line going to the front left jack.  Great.  Wait!  I spoke too soon.  It turned out to be the looooooooooong line going to the back left jack.  We think.  Here is where the domino effect began.

We needed to cycle all the jacks up and down in order to check each line.  What?  Now the jacks would not budge.  Neither up nor down.  What in the world was going on?  After a bit of investigation and head scratching the culprit was found, namely the solenoid on the actual hydraulic pump for the jacks.  At this point, I actually breathed

a really big sigh of relief.  It could have been the actual pump (let’s not talk about the price of that puppy), or it could have been the control board (another high price item), or within the controls in the dash (no fun to rip apart).  Furthermore, when I think back of when it could have gone bad, can you say our last day in New Jersey in the freezing cold?  Or how about at any stop on the way down to Florida?  Oh yea, thank you good Lord for the fact that it happened now where it would be easy to repair and for the fact that it is the simple replacement of an inexpensive solenoid.

Wait, though, we’re not done.  Oh no!  While they were crawling around under the back of Graybeard checking the jacks they found this, or what is left to it.  Where all that rust

is (next to the gray circle) there is supposed to be a rubber bushing to hold the rear sway bar in place.  But it is gone, ripped up, no more.  Now I know what the clunk is that I was hearing every now and then on the final stretch coming down here.  Again, I breathed a big sigh of relief.  It could have been much worse, the whole thing could have let go.  I could have been in a location where it would have been difficult to replace.  Once again, thank you good Lord!

So within the next two or three days all will be put right.  Am I upset?  Disappointed with Graybeard?  Absolutely not!  We are talking about a 7 year old motor home and things like this are to be expected.  We are so grateful that all of this is getting taken care of now before we hit the road for the summer.  We’ll leave with a renewed sense of self confidence in Graybeard and it’s road worthiness.

On another note.  I discovered this motor home that just came into the park, can you guess what it is?  I had no idea at first.

This is a 1993 ForeTravel 40 footer.  These are the motor homes that today cost in the range of a million dollars!  This one is an oldie but a goodie and in good condition as this one appears to be still go for around $30,000 plus.  I’m going to walk over again tomorrow and hopefully get to meet the owner and maybe get a peak at the inside.

Well, that was my day.  Barb had a busy day cooking, cleaning and just catching up on a lot of things.  She said she had 10 chores to do listed on the board and she is down to one, the income taxes.  She is saying even though it was slightly stressful because of all the repairs that have to be done, she feels good about getting her chores accomplished.

So our day has come to an end and night is upon us.  I suppose you’re wondering am I going to call this another great day?  You bet!  For all the reasons I already stated.  Surely the good Lord is watching over us and keeping us safe.  We hope you had a great day as well.

Now a story, if you will, that I just came across on a blog I follow:  Seems a couple planned of becoming full time RVer’s.  They planned for it.  Attended all the RV shows.  Finally bought their dream RV.  Guess what?   They never left their home state, never went more than 200 miles from their home location in the two years they owned it.  Why not?  According to them they were afraid that they might break down where they would not be able to get help!  So why bother to own an RV?  Instead of having this kind of an attitude, I offer you our slogan as a terrific way to approach life and RVing:

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before. 

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.  Thanks again for sharing our day with us.

Remember that song the chorus of which went like this

And I think it’s gonna be all right Yeah, the worst is over now The mornin’ sun is shinin’ like a red rubber ball 

that’s exactly what the sun looked like when I threw open the solarium shades this morning – a big rubber ball.  It was magnificent,  big, bright, and such a welcoming sight first thing in the morning.  Coffee cup in hand I sat and basked in its warmth and beauty for, really I don’t know how long.  What a wonderful way to begin a new day.  I knew immediately the day was going to be a great one.

Today we were going to be running the roads.  I had an appointment at the VA hospital in Tampa. Now, the way these appointments go is something like this – you drive for say

30 to 60 minutes to the clinic or hospital, get in line for parking, go inside and wander around for 10 or 15 minutes until you find out where you are supposed to be, then your name is called and your appointment is over just like that!  This time, though, we got smart.  If we were going to be in Tampa for the VA appointment then we figured we might as well discover something else to do either before or after the appointment.  What’s the old saying  Let’s kill two birds with one stone?

So after a bit of research Barbara discovered an attraction to visit and tour before my appointment.  And the winner was………………………………………………………………

the Yuengling Brewery in Tampa that offered free tours during the day.  Below is Barbara and myself with our tour guide

and here is yours truly with Mr. Yuengling (his cardboard likeness that is!)

D. G. Yuengling & Son is the oldest operating brewing company in the United States, established in 1829. It is one of the largest breweries by volume in the country. Based on volume sold in 2016, Yuengling was the top craft beer company in the U.S .Its headquarters are in Pottisville, Pennsylvania.  Yuengling produces about 2.8 million barrels annually, operating two Pennsylvania facilities and the brewery which we toured in Tampa

During the Phrobition era Yuengling survived by producing “near-beers” (beverages with a 0.5% alcohol content) called “Yuengling Special”, “Yuengling Por-Tor”, and “Yuengling Juvo”. The company also ran a dairy which produced ice cream and opened dance halls in Philadelphia and New York City.  In 1933, when the nation’s breweries and disgruntled beer lovers finally won the fight against Prohibition, Yuengling introduced its symbolic Winner Beer, celebrating Prohibition’s repeal, and the brewery shipped a truck load of its popular brew to the White House to show their appreciation.

In February 2014, Yuengling Ice Cream returned to the market after a near 30-year absence. Although operated by the Yuengling family, it is operated by David Yuengling, a cousin of Dick Yuengling. It is legally a separate company from the brewery, as was the case since 1935.

This is the start of our tour, our fearless guide leading our group of about 20 or 30

Rail cars in the distant that bring in the barley.  Water is imported from England.

Below is the actual brewing room.  Beer is made from four basic ingredients: Barley, water, hops and yeast. The basic idea is to extract the sugars from grains (usually barley) so that the yeast can turn it into alcohol and CO2, creating beer.

After all is said and done – it takes, we were told, 23 days from start to finish – the finished product ends up here in the bottling and canning room.  The machine below is used to fill the bottles.  There is another machine to the left that then caps them and then they are sent on their way to

The pasturing machine where they are gradually heated and then cooled again

then the bottles are gathered together after which they are sent to the labeling machine.  There is a separate production line for cans but it basically follows the same steps.

This bring us to the end of the tour and the favorite stop for just about all who take it – you guessed it the tasting room!  Barbara and I both quickly determined our favorites!

It really is a great tour and lasts only about 40 minutes.  If you are ever in the Tampa area I encourage you to take the tour.  You’ll be glad you did.  Oh yea, almost forgot this

I guess whoever made this up assumed they were going, which could be a dangerous assumption!

After the brewery, I knew exactly where I wanted to go for lunch.  Wawa.  We passed the store on our way to the brewery and, of course, I got my roast beef and horseradish sandwich.  Yum!  And of course Barbara spoiled me and got me a bag of Frito’s.

So today, it was indeed Two Birds with One Stone.  Back to the appointment at the VA Hospital – another test successfully passed and I’m cleared to go run around this great country of ours by the Infectious Disease department!  Yippee! (Orthopedics is another story).

After our appointment, we headed home for an afternoon of wine and relaxation.

So our day is now over and night is nigh.  We once again enjoyed every minute of the new day that God had given us.  We hope you enjoyed yours as well and that you were likewise able to enjoy it to the fullest.  Now I want to leave you with this thought that a friend shared with me:

If you’re looking for a happy ending and can’t find it, maybe it’s time to look for a new beginning.

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.  Thanks again for sharing our day with us.

 

Another cold morning.  And from the looks of things this is going to be the norm for several more days.

Ah well, into every life a chill or two must come.  Like that?  I just made it up!  Really, it’s still a whole lot warmer than the weather my friends are having in our former state of New Jersey.  So I’ll stay here and suffer.

Today, I guess you could say I was stuck in neutral for most of the day.  There are things that have to be done before we leave by the end of March and I know it.  I also know they are not going to get done on their own.  The hydraulic lines to the leveling jacks have to be checked.  The chassis battery needs a load test.  The roof needs to be washed as do the slide toppers.  The waste gate valves need to be replaced.  All typical of an 11 year old coach.  I want Graybeard in its prime when we start rolling north this summer.

This is not to say we didn’t accomplish anything today.  We got to do some needed shopping.  I replaced the weird acting tow switch in the car (sometimes I believe Harvey, our ghost, spends equal time in the car as well as the RV!).

I was finally able to get the access panel for the front TV back in place.  The rugs got a good vacuuming.  Our records for campgrounds, routes, maintenance tasks done and projects yet to be accomplished were updated.

Barbara was busy as well.  She spent the afternoon at the camp wishy washy doing our laundry.  While she was there she also made some new friends who are full time RVer’s.

Less I forget we also got to visit our resident donkey’s who live, were else,  on a farm adjacent to Donkey Lane.  These guys absolutely love apples and will take them from your hand at any time.

Yea, I was stuck for the most part idling in neutral all day.  However, I did accomplish a few things.  Tomorrow we’ll be running the roads since I have a doctor’s appointment at the VA Hospital in Tampa.  But that’s tomorrow.

So the day is coming to a close and night is once again enveloping us.  It’s been another great day, one full of laughter and life.  We lived each moment to the fullest.  We hope you did as well.  We hope you likewise enjoyed your day and made the most of it in a positive way.  Here’s a thought for you

Faith makes life possible, not necessarily easy

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.  Thanks again for sharing our day with us.