A Fine Visit With RV Pals

I am often chided for my sometimes, uh, uneven posting schedule for this blog. The truth is, there is no schedule; I post something when I feel like it or when some significant event happens having to do with our travels—especially our RV travel.


Well, something significant DID happen last Sunday: A much-anticipated visit with longtime RV chums Ed and Marilyn and a first-time visit with their traveling partners, Bob and Janet. Ed and Marilyn enjoy somewhat of a celebrity status in the RV blog world, due at least partly to Ed’s dedication to their daily journal, “The Happy Wanderers.” The other reason for their popularity, of course, is Marilyn. Sorry, Ed, but I call ‘em like I see ‘em. (Grin)


Typical of many snowbirds, Ed and Marilyn established for several years a migration pattern that took them to the Rio Grande Valley in the fall and back northward in the spring. Located in Fort Worth, Sandy and I have the good fortune of sometimes being on or near their RGV arrival or departure route, and we prevail upon them for a little face time when we can catch up with them. Such was the case on Sunday, when they stopped at Mitchell’s Resort and RV Park near Perrin, Texas, not far from our current digs. We scurried out there for a little frivolity and immensely enjoyed meeting Bob and Janet, their longtime friends—a double treat! These two are relatively new to fulltiming, but they have chosen excellent mentors in Ed and Marilyn and have acquired what appears to be a twin of their friends' beautiful new Mobile Suites fiver.

Janet, Sandy, Marilyn, Bob, Bubba and Ed 

After a few hugs, we piled into our car and motored up to Jacksboro, where we met our longtime friend and RVer, Bubba, at the Casa Grande Mexican restaurant. We all had a great time together, laughing hysterically over our misadventures and just enjoying the fellowship of friends old and new. The highlight of the evening was Marilyn’s sharing of what had to be the funniest—and easily most disgusting—practical joke we have ever heard. It involved new Canadian fulltimers Trent and Teresa during their recent stay in the RGV, and I can’t possibly disclose the details here. It is a story that can only be told in person for ultimate effectiveness, and Ed and Marilyn (and Bob and Janet, who were witnesses) retold it masterfully. What a wonderful bond we all enjoy among these members of this great community of RV vagabonds—they have to be some of the finest folks anywhere!

Mike, Marilyn, Sandy, Ed, Janet and Bob at Casa Grande in Jacksboro

Afterward, we drove back to the park and took a tour of Ed and Marilyn’s and Bob’s and Janet’s new rigs, with Bubba (who’s looking for a new FW) drooling as the proud owners pointed out all the features of the high-end coaches.

Ed Shows Bubba and Bob Features of His New Mobile Suites

Bob, Janet and Marilyn Trading Stories

After much more laughter and talk about our current and future plans, we reluctantly parted, happy to have crossed paths once again with friends old and new.  Bob says Janet is getting ready to start a blog; we hope she does.  We'll be readers for sure.

Stuff I Think I Need

One of the things I find fascinating about RV bloggers is their seemingly limitless imagination and ingenuity in repairing, customizing or just tinkering with their RVs.  Some folks are remarkably gifted in performing their own mechanical repairs, like Clarke of Our Newell Adventure.  Others, like Mui of  2 To Travel’s Phaeton Journeys, do careful research and seem always to acquire just the right thing to fill every need or whim and then perform an expert installation as well.  Sadly, I am nothing like these talented people.  It is my lot in life, I guess, to expend my hard-earned treasure to hire professionals to do what they seem to do easily.


However, since I do have a few very basic mechanical skills, I carry along a fairly rudimentary set of tools, and I have attempted to assemble a small collection of parts, hardware, lubricants and fasteners that might come in handy if something breaks on Phannie which, of course, it will. That is not to say that it would necessarily be me using this stuff, but it might; who knows?


Besides things like spare bulbs, fuses, clamps and fasteners, I also carry spare parts that might not be readily available outside of large cities, like fuel and oil filters and an extra fan belt for the Caterpillar engine.  I also carry a good quality folding ladder and some of those triangular emergency reflector thingies that you set out to warn drivers of a disabled vehicle ahead.

I also carry a few specialized tools like filter wrenches, a voltage tester and even a socket that will fit the large lug nuts on Phannie’s wheels.  I learned that from a blogger who wrote that he had waited for hours in the middle of nowhere waiting for a service truck to change a tire only to be thwarted in the effort when the road service tech discovered he didn’t have a socket of the correct size.

Once frustrated by not having the correct adapter for Phannie’s electrical power cord, I now carry adapters for every conceivable power configuration that I might encounter.

Again, because I learned the hard way, I also carry an extra 50-amp extension cord.


Same is true for a regular extension cord and water hoses; I carry three hoses, again, learning the hard way.  (Yes, I know this doesn’t meet the neatness standards of some folks, but hey, I don’t have ulcers from worrying about it.)

And what could be handier than a good worklight?

I also carry a little label machine, something I’ve found that has a myriad of uses.  It’s amazing how much more organized I feel when boxes and bins are labeled with their contents and when obscure switches, handles, controls and gauges are clearly labeled.  (I defy anyone to tell me immediately which direction is hot on a single-lever faucet.)  They also come in handy to attach placards showing brands and specifications for fluids that might need to be added.  As I get older, I’m aware of needing more of these helpful little reminders; If you find a label on my forehead with “If Lost, Return to Sandy,” you’ll know it’s time for me to hang it up!

So, that’s a peek at just some of the stuff I think I need to take along in Phannie; I would be interested to know what you carry with you that the rest of us may not have considered…

To Protect and To Serve…

Sandy’s eyes were closed, her head nestled in the soft leather of the front passenger seat  as I guided the Escalade swiftly and smoothly toward Dallas from Little Rock on I-30 Tuesday evening.  The cruise control was set at 75 and, having occupied the passing lane for many miles, the big SUV drifted effortlessly past an unending queue of mostly trucks that were growling along in the right lane.  Using the remote control on the steering wheel, I skipped from one favorite preset on the XM radio to the next, not thinking about much of anything except how many bugs had given their lives as they collided with the windshield for the last couple of hundred miles. 

Suddenly, I noticed far ahead a set of flashing red and blue emergency lights in one of the oncoming lanes.  Instinctively, I pressed the cruise cancel button on the left side of the steering wheel and allowed the car to slow slightly.  As the lights drew closer, I was able to discern their attachment to the roof of a black and white state police cruiser with the familiar gold symbol of the state of Texas on the door.  Without warning, the oncoming trooper braked hard and made a skidding left turn onto the grassy median and into my lane, stopping crossways in front of me and the 18-wheeler beside me in the right lane.  Fortunately, the distance was sufficient for me to bring the Escalade to a safe stop, but the Kenworth alongside headed for the right shoulder as he stood on his squalling brakes.  I could see the headlights of other vehicles behind me as they dipped or skewed to either side of the roadway, the drivers in both lanes fighting to avoid collision with the stopped vehicles ahead of them.

I couldn’t imagine what had caused the trooper to execute this dangerous maneuver—that is, until I looked up, horrified, as two headlights suddenly appeared directly ahead, on the other side of the cruiser, coming toward the now motionless lines of vehicles.  The lights quickly grew larger and brighter, indicating the wrong-way driver was closing the distance at a very high rate of speed and in MY LANE!  I glanced over at Sandy, who had awakened by now, and I only heard myself shout, “Look…!”  as the black BMW roared past on my left, missing the police cruiser and our car only by inches as the driver edged over to the shoulder.  I don’t know what I was trying to say to Sandy…maybe “Look Out!”  I still don’t know.


After the BMW passed, the trooper gunned his engine and sped off to our right, across a grassy embankment and onto the service road parallel to the Interstate, flashing his headlights and doing all he could to warn other drivers behind us of the danger.  I noticed in the rear view mirror that he was being joined by other patrol units as another two sets of flashing lights appeared in the distant darkness.


It took a few moments for the Kenworth driver and me to collect our thoughts and slowly begin to drive forward.  We knew that things might have turned out very differently had it not been for the trooper who willingly placed himself in harm’s way between our car and the speeding BMW.  The lawman obviously had no inkling of the wrong-way driver’s mindset; for all he knew, this could be someone too drunk to avoid a collision or a lunatic in a suicide attempt.  Yet, the trooper sat there, motionless, as the glare of the BMW’s headlights outlined ever more starkly his silhouette at the cruiser’s steering wheel.  Had there been a collision, the cruiser would certainly have been totaled and the survival of the trooper definitely in question.  


I don’t know the ultimate outcome of the chase, but I’m pretty sure things got ugly when the BMW was finally stopped.  I hope no one was injured by this madman.  I so wish I could have thanked the trooper for his bravery. Were it not for him, I might not be writing this, and Sandy might not be able to continue spoiling our grandson, as she feels is her calling.  (Not mine, of course.)


This unknown brave trooper is now in our prayers; we’re counting on God to bless him.  Where do we get such heroes?

 
    

 

February…My Least Favorite Month

Yes, I am aware that our posts have been, well, nonexistent for the past few weeks.  The reason is that it was largely February during that time. 


If bad stuff is going to happen to us, it will likely happen in February, you can be sure. And, alas, this February was no different.  The five of us in our immediate family—Son-in law Tyler, daughter Mindy, grandson Mason, Sandy and I—had, at various times, bouts with colds, bronchitis, ear infections and stomach flu.  Besides that, I had to have a couple of steroid injections for arthritis, so we were ready for February to be finished in terms of our health issues.
 
As if that weren’t enough, our good friend Bubba lost his dad, Barry, to cancer.  We have known Bubba and his family for many years, and his mom and dad, Barry and Algene Barker, have been sort of our adopted parents after Sandy and I lost our own parents over the last several years.  Barry was much loved by lots of people, and we will surely miss him.  Sandy and I couldn’t help but think of the sad irony that we both lost our own fathers in the month of February. (See what I mean?) 

Bubba (Brent) and LouAnn

Barry Barker (1927-2011) and wife Algene (Bubba's parents)

Sandy and I drove Phannie out to Lockney, Texas (near Plainview) for the funeral, and we had our first “moochdocking” experience there.  Some neighbors who lived across the street from Barry and Algene insisted that we park in their driveway and hook up to their water and power for the two nights we were in Lockney.  This worked very well, and we’re grateful to the Teeters for their hospitality.  At peace now and with God for the ages, Barry; yours was a life well lived.

New Stuff for Phannie

As I get older, I'm finding that I give a good deal more consideration to those persons, activities and things that make me comfortable or at least that reduce stress and strain.  The last several posts are replete with examples of creature comforts we have added to Phannie, and I've just acquired a couple of new ones.


In terms of relieving stress, my recent acquisition of a TireTracker tire pressure monitor was essential.

This replaces my PressurePro system, with which I've had nothing but trouble.  I know many folks swear by that brand, but I just could never get the thing to work right.  I've made one trip with the new system with the sensors installed only on the wheels of our toad, Mae.  I must say, this thing is a jewel!  Not only is it the least expensive of all the monitors I've seen, it is no larger than an iPhone, easy to operate, wireless, and it requires no booster to display Mae's tire pressures, even though she's WAY back there behind Phannie!  It monitors temperature in addition to pressure, and I'm now going to order six more sensors for Phannie's tires.


This was a great stress reliever, as I had become increasingly worried about pulling Mae with the Pressure Pro system inoperative.  I figured it was only a matter of time until one of her tires would go flat, and it is doubtful that I would know it way up in Phannie's cockpit without a tire monitor alarm.  The rear TV camera was of little help, as Mae's wheels are not visible on the monitor screen in the cockpit.  I knew that Phannie's powerful engine could drag Mae for miles--probably even  with a wheel missing--and I would never know it unless another driver alerted me.   I feel much better now about this.


The other purchase was an LED light fixture to replace the cheaply-constructed one over Phannie's entrance door.  The old fixture was the el cheapo kind with the orange plastic lens that you see on, well, 487,000 other RVs.  These flimsy things have been installed on every RV I've owned and they have been an unending source of irritation.  The model originally installed on Phannie was a slightly heftier metal version, but it was no less cantankerous because of its frequent jettisoning of the stupid plastic lens cover! I had bought a couple of cover spares before it dawned on me that they were probably designed to pop right off any time you run over a bump in the road bigger than an acorn.  I'm sure there's some dude sitting on the beach in Key West right now, watching the sunset and thinking about his good fortune in inventing those pop-out lens covers.


I ordered this fixture from Camping World, and I love the cool light and modern look, and the LEDs will last a very long time.  It was easy to install and, best of all, it has no plastic cover to lose! 

 

Motor Home...Airplane--Same Thing!

One is wise to perform a degree of introspection before entering the world of RV ownership for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the degree of tolerance one may have for annoyances like dealing with mechanical stuff that breaks down. 

RVs--especially motor homes--are, by design, fiendishly complex because of the difficulties in marrying a house and a vehicle. In terms of opportunity for things to go wrong, you get the worst of both worlds. The degree of complexity follows a general formula: The more expensive the RV, the greater its complexity and the number of things that can break.  There is also another irrefutable fact:  Breakdowns will occur at precisely the most inconvenient time and at a location that has been devoid of human beings since the Mesozoic Period.

The fact is, motor homes are marvels of engineering and, in terms of reliability, are much like airplanes, in that there is almost always something wrong with them; and I know a few things about airplanes, having flown them many thousands of hours in my flying life. The difference is that the large passenger-carrying airplanes I flew are built with redundant systems, so that when something critical fails, there is a backup to lessen the likelihood of a catastrophe.  In fact, airlines are permitted to operate their aircraft with certain components inoperative, but these are tightly controlled through the use of a Minimum Equipment List, approved by the FAA, that sets forth those things that are "go" or "no go."  Most passengers would be surprised to learn that the aircraft on which they are flying is more likely than not to have something wrong with it.  This appears to be true of motor homes, as well.


Now, you may be thinking something snarky like, "Well, duh! What exactly did you expect in buying one of these mechanical monstrosities?"  


Actually, I was fully certain there would be more maintenance issues when we traded our fiver for Phannie, and this has proven true.  However, I still think the positives outweigh the negatives if traveling comfort is the primary consideration and, of course, it is, as I was definitely built for comfort and not speed.


Lately, Phannie has suffered a couple of additional mechanical discrepancies (that's aviation industry terminology for mechanical things that are broken; a pilot knows that it's much less alarming to tell passengers there is a "mechanical discrepancy" than to say something is "broken" or "busted" or "crapped out" or "tango uniform"--an impolite pilot term that I probably never used).  It's for that same reason that, as an airline passenger, you may hear an announcement from the cockpit asking if there is a doctor on board, but you will never hear a pilot asking if there is a mechanic on board!  But, I digress.


I'm a little reluctant to chronicle all of Phannie's mechanical issues, lest someone gets the idea I consider her a "shop queen."  Well, I don't but, because she is a 2006 model, it would be unrealistic not to expect some problems to be appearing.  On the positive side, there have been no issues with the high-cost items like the engine, transmission, chassis, appliances, etc.  Besides the one broken wire that affected the engine's computer, most of Phannie's "discrepancies" have been related to convenience items.  


Except for one instance--the broken wire that required a tow--the repair costs have been sufficiently low that they have not reached the level of the insurance deductible. So, I've decided that, by blogging about these hiccups, I'm not complaining, but figure I may provide a little insight that may be useful to someone considering the acquisition of a motor home:  Here's the bottom line:  Mechanical problems are inevitable; it's all about how you deal with them and whether you have a history of being arrested for assault.


I drove Phannie down to Vogt RV in Fort Worth to have the slides inspected (recommended by Tiffin every six months) and a repair done to the electronic brain that controls the coach levelers.  This brain--actually a black box--is located in one of the forward cargo compartments.  The mechanics found that the levelers' control box  had not been properly secured to the ceiling of the cargo bin and it was hanging down, held at a crazy angle by its wiring bundle.  This was creating problems with the levelers, as the electronic gadgetry had no internal reference as to what "level" is because of its cockeyed position.  The Vogt mechanics did a great job securing the box back to its level position, and all the levelers work fine now.


Soon afterward, I found that the power awning would not extend.  At the same time, a faint beeping noise began sounding from inside the cargo bin where, among other electrical components, the black control boxes are located for the levelers and the awning.  I didn't connect the awning failure and the beeping, but I could tell that it was in the general area of all the electrical stuff I mentioned.  Because the beeping was not very loud, I elected to shut the cargo door let it beep until I could get a mechanic to look at it.  By the time I got around to calling Jesse Sees, my favorite mobile RV repair guy, the beeping had sounded for a couple of weeks!  When people came over, they would invariably ask, "Why is your coach beeping?"  Embarrassed to tell them I didnt' know, I made up answers like, "It's the alarm system," or, if it was an older person who asked, I would say, "What beeping?"


When Jesse arrived, he quickly found the problem.  The wind sensor had failed (retracts the awning automatically when its gets windy), and the beeping was a fault alert.  Because the awning's brain was located in a corner, I did not notice the little switch on the outside cover that disables the alarm.  


Since the wind sensor was not something I considered worthy of repair, I told Jesse just to turn off the switch, and he collected eighty bucks for his mighty effort and the service call.

The culprit...see the little switch on the left just above the screw?

These are the little revelations that come my way as I get used to Phannie.  Let's hope the learning phase is done before my cash supply is done. 

Shades of Glory

A couple of posts ago, I vented my frustration with the window shades in Phannie, and I really don't think I wish to revisit that rant except to include a few photos that precipitated our visit to McKinney last week and the acquisition of new custom shades:

We had made an appointment with MCD Innovations after reading about other RVers' experiences with this firm.  Upon our initial telephone inquiry, they gave us an overview of the installation process, and we settled on an appointment that would be available in about a month.  (Apparently, they have plenty of RV business.)  They also mailed us a packet of information about the product and the installation and pricing plans, along with some samples from which we could choose shade textures and colors.


The normal installation scheme involves showing up at MCD's headquarters on a Monday morning with your RV, being prepared to leave it there until 5:00 p.m. the following Friday.  They can easily accommodate fulltimers, as they have 50-amp electric hookups serving about 20 spaces in a large concrete parking lot alongside their factory.  (There is no water or sewer, though; you would need to show up with a full water tank and empty black and grey tanks.)  Although McKinney is only about an hour's drive from our house in  the D/FW mid-cities area, we elected to drive up on Sunday and spend the night in Phannie, to avoid the Monday morning demolition derby that is rush hour in the D/FW Metroplex.  

MCD Offices in McKinney

We arrived late Sunday afternoon and, although MCD's headquarters facility was clearly closed, we were soon met by a friendly gent named Mac, I think, who directed us as we backed into our preassigned spot #11 among perhaps ten other RVs.  Mac lives in a motor home near the entrance to the parking area and apparently serves as a greeter and host.  From his vantage point, he can easily see the flow of RVs into and out of the parking area.

RV Parking Area at MCD

All settled in for the night...

After getting settled, we went to Shogun, a Japanese hibachi restaurant for a nice dinner, then came back to Phannie, where we watched a movie and turned in for the night.  


On Monday morning, the order taker, a pleasant young lady, made her way to every coach to finalize the orders and receive the initial payment, which was for the materials ordered.  The installation fee would be paid on Friday, as it is calculated by the hour and based on the amount of time required for the work involved.  We already had our fabric selections picked out (the really attractive ones are more expensive--imagine that!), so it was only a matter of deciding which windows were to be done.  Because of the large number of orders that day, we were among the last to place our order, so we had some time to kill well beyond the 8:30 a.m.  time that we were told to expect the order-taker's visit.    


After our order was taken, a young man showed up to do the measurements, which took only a few minutes. Then he disappeared into the factory, and soon the order-taker reappeared with an invoice, which we paid by credit card.  She said we would pay for the installation on Friday, at which time the installation charges would be known.  We told her that we were planning to pick up our coach on Saturday, so she said we could do the credit card transaction over the phone on Friday.  We left the keys with her and hopped in Mae for the drive home, but not before stopping for lunch at Baker's Drive-In, a legendary local burger joint.


Upon our return the following Saturday, there were only a few RVs in the parking area, and no one appeared to meet us.  We picked up Phannie's keys from the agreed-upon hiding spot and went inside to inspect the new shades.  We were not disappointed; these are the American Duo models with two rollers, one for the day shade and one for the night shade.  The shades operate much like the old-timey roller window shades in that you pull them down to the desired level, then pull again and the springs in the rollers roll them up.  However, these are much improved in that when you pull down on the shade to retract it, you can release it and it will gently rise to the fully retracted position.  Pretty neat!  A motorized, remote-control version is also available, but Sandy and I thought we would probably not wear ourselves out by raising and lowering the shades manually.  

BEFORE

AFTER

Comparison Night Shade (Left) and Day Shade (Right)

So, everything went just about as planned, and we're very pleased.  The cost?  Well, they are priced according to window sizes, and we had large, medium and small windows to cover which, I suppose, would be the case with most rigs.  For these particular day/night shades (with an upscale fabric choice), you can figure an average of slightly less than $300 per window, including the removal of the old shades and installation of the new ones.  


And the end of my frustration with Phannie's old window shades?  Priceless!

We Meet Boris and Natasha!

This past weekend we had the good fortune to meet fulltimers Paul and Mary, whose exploits appear in two of our must-read blogs, Bullwinkle’s Travels and The Great RV Escape.  These wonderfully friendly folks checked out of the work world at an enviably early point in their lives and are having a fine time traveling the country in their beautiful Winnebago Tour motor home, Bullwinkle, and their trusty Jeep toad, Rocky.  (We like it when people name their vehicles; it makes our own similar habit seem somehow less juvenile.)  

Paul, Mary and Sandy with Bullwinkle

It's always fun to meet fellow bloggers in person after having first become acquainted with them in their words and pictures. We've found that the first meeting in person is generally just a validation of what you think you know about them already and, therefore, something to anticipate with a degree of excitement.  It's much like meeting a personality you've watched on TV for a long time--but one who happens to have watched you, as well!  Because of this, it is a very short and easy step indeed from cyber friend to real friend. There was no awkwardness, just starting a live visit where the last blog entry ended, with the only new thing being the sound of our voices.


Like all the RV bloggers we've met, Paul and Mary are irresistibly nice people with great personalities and very quick wits. From their very well written blogs, we already knew much about their clandestine plans that led up to their retiring and becoming fulltimers.  They blogged about their retirement preparations for months in advance with cloak-and-dagger subterfuge, using the pseudonyms Boris and Natasha so their imminent departure from their small company would not be discovered.  They were key members of the staff, and the foreknowledge of their leaving would have caused all sorts of complications for them.  It was better, they thought, to give the customary notice for the sake of a smoother and shorter transition.  These episodes in their blog were among the most captivating of all we have read, as the expertly written journal was not unlike a good mystery novel that could only be read one chapter at a time. 


Once notice was given and their identity revealed, Paul and Mary launched on their adventure, and who would they run into but other blogger friends we have met like Ed and Marilyn and Gordon and Juanita, along with others we hope to meet as time goes by.  We were totally delighted when we received Paul and Mary's e-mail announcing their plans to visit the D/FW area; we quickly set a time to get together and visit. 

Paul, Mary and Sandy inside the "Moose"

We had a nice brunch at the Blue Mesa Cafe in Southlake and then took a quick tour of our neighborhood and the little house where we keep Phannie and Mae.  They were gracious in their comments, and we talked of perhaps getting together again in the summer, when we might be able finally to meet Sue and Doug and other bloggers we "almost" know.  That would be a hoot, for sure!

Paul makes some yummy selections at Blue Mesa's buffet

Mary and Sandy, doing a little "grazing"

We continue to marvel at the winsome nature of those we meet in the RV world--a winsomeness that is especially prevalent among RV bloggers.  I don't think I can remember encountering  any RVer who was anything but pleasant and helpful.  Well, I take that back...I do remember a certain lady in Kerrville who was gave us pause, but she was actually more eccentric than unpleasant.  You can read about her in this post from 2005, our first year of RV travel when we had a fifth wheel named Homer.  It is, by the way, a post I most enjoyed writing; I hope you enjoy reading it.  I describe this lady under the subheading, "Take-It-Easy RV Park in Kerrville."


After bidding goodbye to Paul and Mary, we fired up Phannie and drove the short distance up to McKinney in order to make good our appointment to have custom shades installed by MCD Innovations on Monday.  More on this adventure next time...

I Give Up!

Because I am a patient man, it has taken me a while to arrive at the conclusion that the day/night shades installed in most RVs—including Phannie—are, well, of the devil.  While I would not want any harm to come to the person who invented these things, I believe he needs to be tied up like a prime rib roast with these little strings that are the source of my frustration.  Where would he have gotten the notion that the guide strings, upon which these shades are totally dependent for operation, could possibly be something that would work for more than four days?  And the pleats--getting those to stay in place absolutely requires cuss words, and I've sworn not to swear.   (Or did I just swear then?  I'm not sure.)

Mind you, I think the idea is a good one:  A shade that can be pulled up and down that will afford either translucence for daytime or opaqueness for night.  But the strings—I have had to repair half of them on Phannie already, and I had similar luck with the ones in Homer, her predecessor.  And, as those of you know who have had to repair them, the fix is not exactly easy.  In fact, it is downright sadistic.  If I am to be punished, and I have a choice between repairing a day/night shade and a public flogging, I would just go to the courthouse square, bend over and say, “Bring it on.” 

Well, I’m throwing in the towel.  I have an appointment at MCD in McKinney, Texas next Monday for a retrofit of all the shades in Phannie’s lounge.  From what I’ve read in the blogs, MCD’s design seems unchallenged as the antidote for the demonic day/night shades with strings.  I talked to the folks at MCD several weeks ago and made the appointment.  They were very friendly and helpful on the phone, and they invited me to drive Phannie to their facility Sunday evening and stay the night to be ready for Monday’s design session, so that’s what we intend to do.   We don’t think we’re going to bother with replacing the shades in the bedroom, as we never open them anyway.  Besides, I’m halfway afraid to touch them for fear they, too, will break.

We’ll keep you posted on the progress.   

Back to Branson

Three years had elapsed since our last visit to Branson, and we thought that would be a good trip to stretch Phannie’s legs a bit and see a few shows.  The Barkers—Bubba, LouAnn and BreAnn decided to join us for this escapade, so we knew we would have a good time.

We had never seen any Christmas shows in Branson, and we got word that this may be the last season for a couple of the longtime stars.  Shoji Tabuchi is retiring, and Andy Williams has been diagnosed with cancer, so we thought this might be the last time we could see these entertainers.  As it turned out, we didn’t get to see Andy Williams, as he was undergoing treatment in California; however, his Christmas show was still terrific.  He left word that he will be performing again next year but, at 84, you have to wonder.  The Lennon Sisters have now joined his show and the Moon River Theatre will be their new home in Branson.  (Yes, they’re still going—well, half of them, after 50 years!  Two of the sisters retired, and one was replaced by a younger sister, Mimi.)

The Lennon Sisters

 Andy Williams’ show was very entertaining and professional, as expected, and I enjoyed seeing the Lennon Sisters again.  These gals are really showing their age, but then, so am I!  They still sound good, though!  I hope Andy’s illness is short-lived and that he is able to do his show as long as he can.  Gotta give him kudos for hanging in there and thumbing his nose at the aging process…pretty inspiring, if you ask me!

I confess to a bit of sadness as I see the aging entertainers with whom I grew up.  I wistfully yearn for a return to the simplicity, innocence, hopefulness and national pride of the fifties and sixties.  Those were great decades, and I’m afraid I don’t fit in very well in many aspects of life in this new century.  While I marvel at the advances in technology, communication, transportation and medicine, I am perplexed at what passes for culture, music, discourse, justice and political leadership.  Never before have I questioned if our country will survive in a form that I will recognize.  But I remain optimistic that at least some of our mistakes will be corrected before long.

I also wonder if Branson will survive after all the old stars die off.  You wouldn’t know it, judging by how the place is growing, but I have a hard time envisioning the next generation of gray-haired folks making the trek there to a "Lady Ga-Ga" Theatre.  There’s just something not right about that.

But I’ve gotten ahead of myself.  Our travel legs from Fort Worth to Texarkana and then to Branson were uneventful, and I was glad to have the chance to drive Phannie through the rather benign Ozark foothills to get comfortable with her power management in an uphill/downhill situation.  I was very pleased with the performance and smoothness of the Caterpillar engine and Allison transmission.  I found that leaving the cruise control engaged, even on moderate inclines, resulted in very comfortable downshifting at the appropriate RPMs.  Soon after acquiring Phannie, I had the Cat techs confirm that the engine computer was set to “soft cruise,” allowing somewhat flexible parameters for holding cruise speed.  This helps to avoid engine lugging, hard shifting and high RPMs to hold an exact speed.  In soft mode, the computer is content to allow cruise speed to vary appreciably when going uphill and downhill.  Neat feature. 

Going downhill required a bit more attention, as I had had the Allison techs reset the transmission to downshift only to 5^th gear instead of 2^nd when the engine brake is applied.  This requires me to control the downshifting manually if the downhill grade is steep and a gear lower than 5^th is needed.  I prefer it that way, however, as I was always alarmed at the huge RPM spike caused by the automatic downshift to 2^nd when the engine brake was applied.  I wondered why this default setting would be used in the first place, but settled on my belief that the coach builders have designed it that way to keep inexperienced drivers out of trouble.  This assumes such a driver would be unable to discern that downshifting might be a good idea when embarking on a steep downhill grade and would mindlessly let the rig achieve escape velocity or burn up the brakes instead.  This is another of those dumbing-down techniques by manufacturers—much like their wholesale reliance on idiot lights—that I often rail against with utter futility.      

We stayed at the Stagecoach RV park in Branson, which was not up to our usual standards and too far from the strip.  We got a good deal with Passport America, but the inconvenience wasn’t worth the 50 percent price reduction.  In fact, it could even be said to be silly, considering what it cost to drive Phannie to Branson and back.  It just shows how much people can be influenced by a bargain, no matter how much irritation they will endure to get it.  Sometimes I wonder about myself.

The girls did some shopping (surprise!) at every conceivable opportunity, and I was relegated to chauffeur’s duty while Bubba watched football to the extent possible.  We got some pretty fair barbeque at Famous Dave’s and a so-so steak at Montana Mike’s.  We had never tried either of these before and the one visit was probably enough.  One favorite eatery was the Dessert Station, where we got a good burger and excellent desserts.

     

Shoji Tabuchi was a very slick and professional production with a good deal of talent variety which was needed, in my opinion.  While Shoji is a talented violinist, it doesn’t take too many violin solos before I begin to yawn.  It was almost worth the price of admission to see the theatre’s bathrooms, which were something to behold.  Imagine a men’s bathroom so large that it has its own billiard room! 

Shoji Tabuchi

On our last day, we toured Big Cedar, a fabulous lodge complex on Table Rock Lake not far from Branson.  We had a wonderful breakfast at the Devil’s Pool restaurant and walked around the beautiful setting.  What a find!  Unfortunately, we will have to return to check out this place further.  Sandy said this discovery was probably the best part of her trip.  Looks like that cinches our return!

The trip back to Fort Worth had to be re-routed due to weather.  Even though we missed most of the thunderstorms, we did encounter some rain in the Tulsa area.  This was the first rain encounter with Phannie, and she did just fine—no leaks anywhere that I could see.

The only indignity suffered was with Mae, who looked much like a mud pie.  The road spray from Phannie definitely took its toll on the usually-pristine little red car. 

Tales From the Front: First Monday Trade Days in Canton

Sandy and our daughter, Mindy, along with Brenda (Sandy’s sister) and LouAnn, formed the group of hens who dreamed this up.  On only one other occasion, years ago, was I forced to attend the shoppers’ monthly feeding frenzy in Canton, Texas.  I told myself then that it would take a team of Clydesdales to drag me there again. It wasn't exactly a team of Clydesdales, but it was a bunch of horses--about 350 of them, that would indeed take me back to Canton.

Phannie's RV Port, with all lights on preparing for next day's departure to Canton

Sandy gives Phannie's wood cabinets a drink

Mason and Sandy, ready for departure 

It’s not that I begrudge my beloved an occasional pilgrimage to this vast assemblage of flea-market Bedouins for reasons that only females, I think, can fully comprehend.  Most guys (with, uh, some exceptions) just don’t get it—the fascination with all things cute and kitschy.  And I can assure you that is an apt description of all of the stuff these gals felt compelled to buy rather than to hold on to the money burning a hole in their purses.  But money just isn't cute, and it is entirely acceptable for them to exchange it for something that is.   Frankly, I would rather have squirreled away the money or spent it on something worthwhile, like the latest electronic gadget I think I might want.  The problem is, I can't really use this as an argument, because I get way more of these than I should.  So, I wisely keep quiet, smile a lot and keep the cash flowing.  Perhaps to demonstrate her annoying selflessness, Sandy limited most of her purchases  to those for our grandson, Mason.  This is fine with me, and I take no small degree of satisfaction in the fact that his parents--and not us--will have to find a place to put all that stuff.  (Sorry, kids!)  

It’s okay, though, that we guys don’t have to understand or appreciate the female mind which, the ladies will probably tell you, has attained a far greater level of sophistication than that of the male.  Male brains, according to them, have either atrophied or even regressed in the eons since we guys emerged from the primordial soup. (Yes, to hear their side of the story, it was only the male of the species who evolved from swamp slime; females, obviously, could only be a Divine creation.  My reaction to this illumination was, predictably, a rather neanderthal-like grunt.)  But I digress.

Main gate at the older section of Canton First Monday park

My role in this Canton escapade, which I happily accepted instead of going into the mosh pit of shoppers at the vendor sheds, was to be (along with Bubba) the bus driver, taxi driver and ATM while they shopped.  No arguments here; parking would have been almost impossible on Saturday, because every piece of Canton's open land was occupied by vehicles for miles around the sellers’ sheds during this weekend and all the rest of the first Mondays.  This was an especially busy weekend, as the sellers had all their Christmas-themed wares available which, for this group of shoppers, was like waving a pork chop in front of a coon hound.  Saturday at the park proved to be a zoo, and our ladies claimed they were unfairly constrained by the crowds from looking at everything they wanted to see.  What a pity, I thought.  

Sandy and LouAnn find bargains!

Sandy with sister Brenda

We had not been able to secure RV space in our desired park—Mill Creek Ranch.  This is a very nice park with beautiful facilities and some very nice park model cabins for those visitors without RVs.  However, bookings are required several months in advance for trade days weekends.  We stayed instead at Canton I-20 RV Park, a very serviceable facility with a friendly and accommodating staff.  Warning:  Reserve your spaces well ahead of time if you’re planning to park anywhere near Canton on trade weekends!

Saturday night’s restaurant selection proved quite successful--

the Red Barn at the Wills Point exit off I-20.  This is a very modest joint, open only on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, serving some fine catfish, shrimp and all the fixins, not to mention some killer cobblers.  We would definitely go there again.  For a great breakfast at a quaint little local dive, try the Bluebird cafe in Wills Point.  A word to the wise: Stay away from Juanita’s Mexican Restaurant in Canton; we’re not sure whose idea of Mexican food this is, but it’s not ours.  Really insipid stuff.  

The ladies’ quest for shopping treasures having remained unrequieted by the constraints of the vast crowd on Saturday, they determined that Bubba and I would return them to the melee on Sunday morning.  This proved to be a much better experience, as the park was far less crowded.  (I have to assume that most folks were in church and not being backsliders like us.) After picking up the girls, we had a nice pizza lunch at Jerry’s on highway 19 and made our way home.  All in all, it was a good weekend trip, and Phannie’s comfortable easy chairs and HD TVs were a perfect place for Bubba and me to kick back until we received the next summons for taxi service.

Sandy, Mason and Mike arrive back at the RV port.  (Mason LOVES RVing!)