ALL DAYS IN TEXAS AINT BAD... MOVING MOUNTAINS

I was Back in Texas after a wonderful 5 days with Jeanie celebrating the New year 2003 on the Colorado River in Parker, AZ. I didn't know if I was cutting a watermelon or Baking a cake. Jeanie and I had decided we wanted to be together and there were a lot of Mountains to climb, dig through or just plain move. It was a given that Blackie had to go, no way to get Jeanie and a 350 pound electric wheelchair in Blackie.

Blackie had been OK for a Boar's nest for me on the road but I certainly couldn't expect Jeanie to live in it.

After considerable thought and mind changing, I decided a conventional truck( long nose) with a condo sleeper was the way to go. In the mean time I could be remolding the "box" that would be the living quarters and be on the look out for a conventional truck to transfer the "box" to. I had Volvo truck in mind because it had a condo sleeper that was 9 foot high and 5 foot deep.

I decided that I would start with  having a wheelchair lift put in what would be the living quarters and then work around that. I wanted the lift where the side entry door was. It turned out to be a good plan because it took me 10 months to find just the right truck.


Maybe I better stop and "splain" something here. Number 1 is I don't buy new vehicles. The only exception to that was in 1985 when I bought two Yugos. One for one of my Daughters and one for my girlfriend for $2500 each cash. Number 2 is no RV manufacturer can or will, build a unit  as good as I can. They don't plan on living in it or repairing it when things eventually wear out.  This was not my first Rodeo at building an RV and it may not be my last.

Wheelchair lift installed. Wow no more using a step ladder to get in and out. I have an elevator just like up town. How do you like that Prevost Motorcoach INC.?

 Now... as some of you already know and some of you may have figured out. I am an opinionated ole cuss.My opinions are  my reality, it doesn't make them right or wrong, it just makes them my reality.... with that said. 

Being a 4th generation Texan, I think Texas weather generally sucks. The only time of the year that makes it tolerable is when the spring flowers bloom, If the hail or a tornado don't take them out. This is the only thing I was looking forward to about being in Texas for another year, while I worked on building what was to become " Jeanie's Bottle"

 

 

 

I know it is not a Desert Bloom but they are pretty.

Tomorrow: I-35 roadrunner

I plan on having a great day, I hope you will join me.

Rojo

THE CAT IS HAPPY

Looks like we made it again. Jeanie is back up in her wheelchair for the first time since we got home Sunday Morning. It took a little adjustment of medications,a lot of heat packs and some home physical therapy to stretch her muscles but she is a tough lady and is on the way back to professional physical therapy on Friday.
  The 4 worse things for her Dystoina is  cold, stress/drama, being tired and being startled. She had an ample dose of 3 of the 4 on the Douglas trip.
  When we are in Jeanie's bottle on the road or here at the sticks and bricks home I work my schedule around her. While we were at Douglas that kinda got all out of whack. Jeanie does an exceptional job of covering her pain. I was hopping like a frog on the freeway and by the time I realized what was happening we almost had a crisis on our hands.
  Shortly after Jeanie told me that we had to leave soon because the pain was about to get the best of her and she didn't want to go to an ER where they probably had never even heard of Dystonia,  she was hit by a moderately strong Dystonia storm.
  We both realized that we had a serious problem on our hands and started to do all the things we knew that would help. Jeanie started  controlled breathing and pain control techniques that she had been taught and I was getting microwavable heat packs and rubbing and stretching muscles in the opposing direction that they were pulling.
  After about 30 minutes we got the storm under control, Jeanie was exhausted and I was not far behind. Jeanie had a pretty good nights sleep after she took her nighttime meds.
  Saturday mourning  I had to lift her into her wheel chair and she stayed in it until we got to Tuscon. After we ate in Tucson she laid down and stayed in bed until about 7:30 A.M.Sunday, just outside of Indio.She had a somewhat comfortable ride the rest of the way to the Sticks and Bricks.
 The RV KITTY was happy to see us even though he had great care by our nephew while we are gone. He really does not like for us to be out of his sight for to long.

All is well that ends well :-)
  I plan to have a great day, I hope you will join me
  Rojo

 

BACK TO THE BILL CLINTON/ JOHN MC CAIN FACTOR

 You know that Theory dont you?..... The best laid plans of Bill and John Blah Blah Blah.... Well It happen again yesterday TWICE.

Because of the weather in the Midwest and East my UPS shipment was delayed. It was suppose to be here on the 6th and we were gonna be out of here like Seabiscuit out the starting gate.  My Monica and Sarah was a frigid.stinking Blizzard. But the second time it occurred  Monica and Sarah were hotter than a $2 pistol.

We were some what sure when we called the shipper for the Honda generator propane conversion kit, to get a tracking  number, that the kit would not arrive yesterday. UPS tracking system showed that the package was in
HODGKINS, ILLINOIS,  which is basically Chicago. we assumed right , when we got back from Jeanie's Physical Therapy , guess what No package. that means Monday before it will be here which means we will only be 5 days late getting to Douglas.

No use fuming, ranting and raving just makes RV KITTY mad and then I have another problem to deal with.

 I decided to  to fix Supper for Jeanie. Her taste buds were set on scrambled eggs with onion, Jalapeno and maple sausage links.  I decided to surprise her and bake a cherry Twist bread loaf...... Well maybe that one was for me but I knew she would go for it too.  I did my best calculations and figured I could have the Cherry twist bread cooling about the time she finished her supper.

 All was on schedule and working like a fine Swiss watch. I was in the kitchen in my best Betty Crocker apron and Chef hat  with a big grin on my face. This Cherry twist bread was smelling fine and just about ready to come out of the oven when Jeanie came around the corner into the kitchen, closely followed by our Nephew Kevin and a friend Tom. Ima tellin ya this stuff smelled good. I took the Cherry twist,  in my best PYREX baking dish, out of the oven and put it on the front burner of the stove to put the icing on and let it cool.


We were all standing around in the kitchen  salivating  waiting for the Cherry twist to cool....... NUMBER 2 C&M,(short for Clinton and McCain) Factor happened...... I had cooked Jeanie's supper on the front burner of the electric stove, set on medium high, and forgot to turn it off. I set the glass baking dish containing the Cherry twist bread on the same burner, not remembering I had not turned it off.  As we were all Jacking our jaws,KABOOOOOOM, glass, icing, and Cherry twist bread is flying everywhere.


I think Jeanie's wheelchair even cleared the floor by at least 3-4 inches and the other 3 of us a heck of a lot more.No one was hurt ,which is a miracle in it's self......  BUT... we now have glass, icing, and Cherry twist on the ceiling ,on the floor, on the counter, on the side of the fridge and slowly oozing down between the crack of the electric burner, and me standing there in my Best Betty Crocker apron and Chef Hat.  My friends, that picture is front page stuff and NO you aint gonna get to see it because I could not hold the camara still enough to take a picture of that mess.


As for the picture of the little white house in yesterday's blog, I am going to give my Texas friends one more day to come up with an answer. Do you proud Texans really know your Texas History?


I plan on having a great day, I hope you will join me.


Rojo

ARE WE HAVING FUN YET???

You can bet your Granny's best China on it. Getting all the stuff gathered up for this quick little trip down to Douglas AZ.

Here was the original plan. Install the Battery bank on the right side at the very back of the van .Have a custom bed frame frame made for Jeanie so that the porta pota would set inside a handy dandy Home depot cement mixing tub and slide under the bed.Install Cool white Led Rope Lights along the inside of the van just above the windows. !2/120 volt IGLOO  Kool-Tron cooler in the passenger seat, Coleman grill/ single burner camp stove on the floor board passenger side, Air/ water protective cooler( for summer) cause we aint gonna be where there is humidity. and a 3000 BTU Coleman catalytic heater for cool days. a Coleman fold up  cot for me. on the back is a hitch mounted 20x60 cargo rack holding a 7.5 gal propane bottle, a 1000 watt Honda generator and a 30 gallon water barrel. A 12 volt water pump and a tank-less hot water heater and 2 roll up camp tables.and one folding chair.

Well most of it is going to get done, the weather back east has delayed UPS ,so we are running up against the clock... but you know me.. If not today tomorrow will be OK.  Better get started the temp was above the minimum 50 degrees for my short pants when I got up at 7 so there went my excuse to lounge around and drink coffee catch ya latter in the day  maybe with some pics this time.

THE REST OF THE STORY FOR TODAY.



130 Amp Isolater

Battery bank and Inverter

Porta potty                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Anti Jeanie projectile securing device ( bed seatbelt)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Porta potty in shower pan where it will normally be stored under the bed when the permanent bed frame is installed                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   shower pan  AKA Home depot cement mixing tub                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Temporary bed in place with show pan stored under it.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Van with wheelchair lift deployed