Lesson learned about helping, it can bring laughs

 Lessons Learned about helping:


*When you hear a knock on your door and the lady next to you has locked herself out of her RV, but there is a window open she thinks she can climb through, but her ladder is not tall enough so having our  tall ladder comes in very handy. Now she is a VERY large woman and David says to be ready I may need to get through the window…but she hosted herself up the ladder and like begins to squirm and squirm trying to host herself up without getting stuck (not sure she was not stuck at this point) and David knows he has to help her by pushing, but where does one put the hand to push? He sees the buttocks, looks at me and I am laughing, he then grabs both her feet in her flip flops and pushed with all his might…Plop, she falls in the window and a minute later gets up and opens her door, she looks a bit worse for wear, but she is in her RV and her dogs did not have to bite me or David (they were not friendly and she said if we went in the window most likely they would bite us) to get the door open. She then says, “I got in that window, my trainer will be so proud of me”. OK then a good laugh was had by all.

Lessons Learned in Wyoming, Idaho and places around…

*It is great to need a sweatshirt in the morning
*It is important to know where to look for readings of electrical voltage otherwise you create a problem you don’t have and the dealer tech trouble shoots with you for half an hour on the phone until he says look at the reading on the electrical panel again because everything seems OK, then duh, you realize you had been reading the wrong meter the whole time….there was no issue, but leaned a lot about all the fuses on the coach.
*When you pull out of getting propane you might need to check to make sure the door is closed tightly otherwise you will have the pilot car for the construction zone of the highway speeding up the side of the one lane traffic beside you waving their arms for you to pull over. Thanks to the nice man who stopped the one lane of traffic to get our door closed.
*Learned to play Pétanque with a nice couple Jim & Teresa. Teresa is from France and played since she was little. Amazon will deliver our game balls to our RV park this week.
*Trying to print Application for Absentee Ballot on a printer not used for a couple of years will test patience, but all is well as it printed even though no real idea as to what we did to get it to work, machines are like that sometimes and we will hopefully get our mailed in ballot to the address in New Mexico.
*There is not a more beautiful sight then the Grand Tetons. Just when you think you have seen enough you see them from a different angle and it catches your breath all over again.
*Li’l Red is not the greatest mountain climber…that jeep was on our mind
*Ice Cream even when served square cut in a cone at the Swan Valley, Idaho convenience and gas store is great especially freshly made ice cream. They served over 19,000 square dipped cones over the fourth of July weekend.
*Jackson Hole antler park never changes.
*I can walk away from a great looking pair of turquoise earrings
*In every RV park we have stayed when people know we are from Texas someone will ask us about Ted Cruz. One just does not want to get that conversation going as it is not a vacation topic. But the election is a topic of conversation out here.
*Lutheran churches are hard to find in this part of the world.
*Forest fire smoke travels a long ways and there is no mistaking that smell.
*Motorcyclists are having the best time on the mountain roads.
*Looking forward to Yellowstone Park…

Cowboys and Pioneers Lessons Learned

July 2016
Lessons Learned:
*When you go to Best Buy to get battery for your small camera and of course they don’t make that battery any longer but you can buy it on Amazon but you are not where you can get it sent to you by Amazon because you are on the road…, so you buy a new small camera and next day realize they do not tell you it does not come with a memory card and so you have to go back…urgggg BUT the guy tells you about a really great steakhouse in Greeley and that was worth the trip back.
*When in Greeley, CO eat at Cattlemen’s Steak House.
*When going to the Cheyenne Frontier Days park in the park’n ride and take the school bus and be dropped at the ticket booth…or like us pay the nice lady $10 to park in her front yard and walk 9 blocks to get to the gate to buy your ticket. It was walking back in the heat that made those buses look really good.
*Frontier Days are a lot calmer than they used to be, but wait we were there in the daytime and everyone says it is the nights that get rowdy.
*If you are looking for a great looking cowboy Frontier Days is the place!
*There are two kinds of wagons the pioneers took across the country The Studebaker and the Conestoga  Conestoga was a lot better suited for the trip due to it’s angled sides for better storage and rain repelling with a suspension system that made for a better ride over the very bumpy land. We took a day trip in the Conestoga with a delightful driver Ben (taking a year from college before going to grad school) and two outriders Calista (granddaughter of owner of company who in 4 years hopes to go to Texas A & M to be in the Corp) and her friend Barb (senior in HS who has committed to the Army and will go to boot camp right after graduation). All were very good with the horses and good company. Ben gave a great history lesson along the way.
*If going on a wagon ride remember your pillow for sitting on wood bench. (glad we did)
*The smell of prairie sage was FABULOUS, like really wonderful
*When hauling a wagon up steep incline remember to stop and rest the horses often.
*Our wagon went in the same ruts that were taken by those going on the Oregon trail in the 1800s and as you look over the prairie you can see the trails left by the wagons, livestock and people.
*Did I tell you how wonderful the prairie sage smelled….
*Watching fire report for Wyoming so we don’t head that way. See you down the road with more lessons.

Is It New Tow Car Time?

Living in a Rectangle 2016
Lessons Learned:
*Greenley, Co is a nice simple college town with a lot of car dealerships so when li'l red’s (small truck we tow) ABS light came on and the break lights would not go off, we needed a solution. Options: (1) go to one of the many car dealers and get a new something (2) disconnect the battery every time we stopped (3) get Nissan dealer to look at it even though they had a two week appt wait time.
    **we go to Jeep dealer and there is promise there  **we go back to RV and disconnect the battery so the break lights will at least go off **we call the Nissan dealer and ask about what if we just show up, can they work us in?
    Outcome: **Jeep dealer had the perfect fit **we were still disconnecting the battery **so David goes to Nissan dealer to start a sit in, good news two hours later they work him in and miracle of miracles, the tech guy had they same problem with his truck and new exactly how to fix a very small knob on the break pedal, so $50 later we are not buying a new Jeep or continuing to disconnect the battery. All is good.

More lessons to come, but this one was fun.

Living In A Rectangle continues

Living in a Rectangle 2016
Lessons Learned:

*If you might go to Canada you might need a passport…opps left them at home, no Canada this trip.
*Turkey, Tx is the home of Bob Wills, King of Country Western Swing  and there is a museum of course
*Irrigation lines are longer than we remember and stretch a long path through the crops
*Quitaque, Tx is pronounced Kit-ta-kway and is one of the most mispronounced names ever
*Quitaque is the home of Jimmy Ross, President Lions Club International 2006-2007.
*Looking forward to a burger in Palo Duro Canyon State park, call to see time they close, 7pm get there at 6:35…they stop serving burgers at 6:30, darn, but concession stand at the show had sloppy joe, so all was OK that at least we did not get too hungry.
*Show at Palo Duro Canyon is never cancelled no matter rain, snow or anything they will tell you, well, until we attend and it is cancelled due to a freakish storm that showed up and set the lighting off everywhere, so after an hour delay they cancelled the show. Of course everyone was saying this never happens. Good News we get tickets that are good for life to see the show. Now to decide what to do with them (1) come back next night (2) leave them to someone in our will (3) auction them on eBay (4) give to a charity for a silent auction item….hmmm chose to come back next night. Super show and no rain!
*Headed to Dodge City, more lessons to share later.

Living in a Rectangle starts for 2016

Living in a Rectangle 2016
Lessons Learned:
*No matter if they put in a new electrical converter or not, if the ground wire is not connected it will not work.

*A return trip to dealer this AM put our departure a few hours behind but all is well when it works…we had, at last. a refrigerator that worked.

*Loading The Rectangle is like moving into a tiny house, well actually it is a tiny house.

*When one starts early to pray for someone to house sit, God always delivers. Wonderful person will enjoy our home, feed Miss Kitty and keep the home fires burning.

*Texas Hot is Hot, glad to be heading away from the heat

*When driving and trying to drink from a 20oz Yeti one may have a problem seeing. Just saying.

 *Vernon, Tx is a nice first night stop. Far enough to do the shakedown and then reload what shifted, rocked and rolled.

*Just as we thought Direct TV did not work as they said it would. And of course customer service only answers till 4pm. for the RV division we need. Good thing we have an outstanding antenna so can enjoy TV to relax a bit with watching Doc Martin.

*Never underestimate the power of AC, ahhhh

Living in a Rectangle - Weekend Quickie

Lessons Learned:
*First State rally with Newmar Kountry Klub was a good experience
*I35 RV Park near Waco is great
*Quick weekend trips are very refreshing
*The fixes on the coach seemed to hold, bathroom plumbing did not fall out (always a plus)
*Being on the road makes you get your “sea legs” steady again.
*All groups are the same no matter why they gather - always looking for volunteer leadership
*Newmar owners are very friendly
*Tech talk is always popular
*Tech has their ways, owners have their ways…all could be correct
*If something has happened with the coach, never fear someone else has had it too
*Murder Mystery evenings are fun
*Never believe a murderer
*Trip to Magnolia Silos on the list now checked off (bought nothing)
*Kolaches are yummy (as we all know)
*Leaving the group for a day to see your son get a Master’s degree is worth 6 hours on the road
*There is excellent Italian food in Commerce, Tx
*Hearing door steps dragging on concrete is not what one wants to hear
*Retuning home still feels nice and Miss Kitty was there to welcome us