Friday - 4 Dec/15

There is a brisk breeze this morning making it seem cooler than the temperature. Low 70's for a high. The low will be in the mid-50's tonight. Mostly cloudy with a 20% POP. Compared to most of the continent we aren't really doing too bad.

Checked the UPS tracking while I was waiting for the windshield replacement company to arrive. My Home Depot order is on the UPS truck and out for delivery. I will have to start planning how to make the pull out pantry for the motorhome.

The glass installer called indicating he would arrive between 2 and 3 p.m. today. The message was on my voicemail. The phone did not ring. This is an issue at times. It goes straight to voicemail for some reason. I will have to look into this.

Today is a clear day on our calendar for park activities. This is true for most Fridays. It will be a good day to VEG!

Sorry - we can't VEG! Charlotte continued sewing the handbag she was making using "Canadian" themed fabrics.



I reorganized the fridge shelving after I inserted the replacement shelf that arrived yesterday. Then I placed the interior shelves in a new order. We will see how this arrangement works over the next few weeks.

My Home depot order arrived by UPS. Matt, one of the many friendly staff at OMS,  kindly delivered the two large packages to the RV. This is just another example of why this park is such a nice place to reside.

I was excited to unpack the shipment. Ooops! The trays are made to attach on the sides. I needed the center mount trays. The side mount baskets look like they should fit except that they are too long to fit inside the rails. As a side basket setup the 6 inch baskets are fractionally too wide to fit.

I have choices - re-order everything or modify the opening. The center mount parts, although virtually identical, would double the cost. I think I will modify the opening instead.

On further thought - I will modify the baskets by cutting short pieces out of each end. Then it should fit on the frame and catch on the holder and become a center fit basket. The basket itself now will actually have better support. That way I will not have to modify the opening. The decision was made to try the modification on one basket to see if it would work. Necessity is really the mother of invention!

Success! The basket fit. White Zip Ties on the end will add even more security. They will actually be stronger and better balanced than the original side mount. Next I will have to start planning the enclosure.

The Windshield Tech called to say he was on his way and would arrive in about an hour. I told him to call on arrival and I would meet him at the gate. He did, I did and soon he was at the RV.

Jeff was the consummate professional. He could work quickly and talk at the same time. I always enjoy watching someone who is skilled at what they do. Soon the broken windshield was out.

We talked about many topics. One was cars. Jeff has a "Smokey and the Bandit" (Special Edition) Firebird; however his is red. A true classic - Neat!

As we discussed various parts of the country From Santa Fe to Sun Valley, the new windshield was cleaned and prepped for installation.

Skill, along with strength, soon had the windshield in place. I contributed by stabilizing the ladder. (grin)

Jeff  did a few final touch-ups. A most excellent job! Bonus: Before departing he passed on a few RV tips.

Charlotte made Egg Muffins for supper while I continued working on the Pull-Out Pantry unit. I still have to make the attachment points so it can be securely fastened in place. I will also have to make a matching frontal piece for the unit. Perhaps tomorrow; but for tonight it will rest in the enclosure that will become it's new home.

After supper Charlotte put the final touches on her "Canadian" handbag. She installed a plastic bottom and inside lining for more shape and support. I gladly sacrificed one of my 3-ring binders for the cause. This involved a lot of hand stitching. Soon it was finished.

The inside looks as neat as the outside. As usual a job well done.

What started off as a good day to VEG ended up being pretty productive.

Nothing planned for tonight except Jeopardy and whatever else we can find on TV that might be worth watching. I have a feeling we will be nodding off sooner than usual.

Thursday - 3 Dec/15

I thought we were ending the evening last nigh with Jeopardy; however it was not available due to the coverage of the mass shooting in San Bernardino, CA.

In the USA there have been 355 mass shootings so far this year making these tragedies more than a daily occurrence. Police have killed a couple suspected of shooting dead 14 people and wounding 17, They were armed with AK-47 assault rifles and handguns which were purchased legally.

It has become too routine. Nationwide News covers the shooting incident - often live. The president and politicians denounce the actions of the perpetrators and all say something should be done. The NRA (National Rifle Association) either lays low; quotes their second amendment constitutional right or remarks "Guns don't kill, people do!" Mass shooting garner national headlines. The daily shootings only make the local news.

Being Canadian I find all of this difficult to fathom. In Florida you can buy guns anywhere - even at flea markets.

Nationwide, in the USA, the number of motor vehicle deaths still exceeded gun deaths: 35,543 to 32,351.  But numbers indicate that gun deaths are trending upward as motor vehicle deaths continue on a steady decline, thanks in large measure to serious government safety regulation aimed at reducing fatalities and injuries that is notably missing in the sphere of firearms.

In fact, guns remain the only consumer product not regulated at the federal level for health and safety thanks to the NRA and gun industry lobby. Teddy bears get tested to make sure they can withstand use and abuse by kids, but guns aren't tested to make sure they don’t go off when accidentally dropped,

The often quoted second amendment rights were written at a time when police protection was non-existent for most of the population. The new nation required an armed militia to support their small army in the event of attack. Citizens, living on the vast frontier, needed a means to protect themselves, their families and their livestock from predators including the 2-legged kind. Hunting was not a sport; but a necessity as it provided food for their families. They used muzzle loading, single shot rifles - not AK-47's.

Times have changed. It is about time the politicians change the laws!

RANT OVER: Now for today.

The Wi-Fi is still working decently - Yeah!

The A/C made sleeping comfortable. I left the windows closed this morning to keep out the rising heat and humidity. Without direct sunshine the RV has remained cool and the A/C hasn't come on all morning.

Charlotte made a few more Dreamcatchers last night. The feathers were glued on and they were hung up to dry on the shower door. They get more and more intricate as she learns the technique. Neat!

Today promises to be overcast and cooler with scattered periods of light rain and temps in  the mid-70's F.

I drove Charlotte to the Craft Clubhouse for 9 a.m., carried in the sewing machine,  helped set up an ironing board and then went next door to check our mailbox at the park post office. I will return to pick her up at noon.

The Blue Herons are always so graceful as the slowly strut through the park looking for food.

A number of FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) RV's had already arrived and were parked in the Rally Area of the park. Groups often come for the weekend and participate in both park and local area activities. They may be here for Saturday's OMS Craft Show?

We removed the car cover when we left for the clubhouse. We have the only protected picnic table in the park. (grin) Soon it was back on the car to keep the leaves from infiltrating the heater blower and other parts of the car.

A neighbour was getting their "Park Model" cleaned. Various locals advertise this service. They come with pressure washers, ladders, and everything needed. They do a good job for a reasonable price.

A few more "In House RV" chores. I installed the steering wheel table.

Now Charlotte's plant has a home with plenty of morning sunshine.

I then cleared several items that were on the front dash in preparation for tomorrow's windshield repair.

It was now time to put the Turkey Pot Pies in the Microwave before leaving to pick up Charlotte. This way lunch would be ready on our return.

On our return I had the pleasure of meeting our neighbour on the corner lot who is also named Bill. It is always enjoyable to have a conversation with another RVer. Bill commented on how nice the park is as well as the friendly nature of RVers. Bill worked in the Power Line Service industry in Michigan. He remembers the devastating ice storm we had in Ontario nearly 15 years ago. Power Line crews from all over North American came to help repair the thousands of power lines that were downed by the storm. He will be departing for Texas in less than two weeks to visit with family. Wishing him a safe trip.

I checked the UPS tracking on-line and notice a package had arrived. I popped over to the office to pick it up. It was a replacement tray from Norcold to replace one that had cracked in transit. Sometimes I do things backwards, After picking up the shipment I went to my post office box to pick up the "You Have Mail" card that was inserted to let me know an item was at the office.

I then brought it to Julie so she could clear the office record board. It is the great staff that make this park special.

We rested this afternoon before preparing for this evenings John Ford Coley concert in Mt. Dora  at the Olympia Event Center on West Old Hwy 441.

England Dan and John Ford Coley were an American soft rock duo that were active throughout the 1970s when they had 6 "Top 40" hits in the latter part of the decade. Native Texans, the duo released 11 albums and nine singles in their career and are best known for their 1976 single, " I'd Really Love to See You Tonight", that reached No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary list as well as becoming a No. 2 pop hit. "Love is the Answer" was also one of their hits.

John Colley's last name was re-spelled "Coley" for ease of pronunciation; "Ford" was added as his middle name for flow purposes. Dan, younger brother of Jim Seals of Seals and Crofts fame, had the childhood nickname "England Dan" because he was a fan of  The Beatles, and he occasionally adopted an English accent. Thus, the groups name.

In the 80's they went on to solo careers with John Ford Coley doing television and film appearances. He returned to an active touring schedule in the 1990s and 2000s, and co-produced acts such as Eddie Money (with Vince Gill) and Tom Wurth.

Tonight John is finishing up a busy year (over 30 concert dates) in Florida. After tonight he will move on to North Palm Beach, then Boca Raton, FL to end his 2015 concert tour season.

This show had two options: Meal/Show or Show Only. We decided on the show only and arrived just before the 7 p.m. start.

We enjoyed the show. John played a variety of songs interspersed with anecdotes, humour and song histories. It was easy to recognize his musical talent and appreciate his strong, clear singing voice.

Unfortunately, England Dan passed in 2009 (Lymphoma); however John's many references made him a real part of the show.

It was an entertaining and relaxing two hours.

We made a Burger King stop on the way back to the park sharing 40 chicken nuggets and two senior sodas.

We were back at the RV by 10 p.m. I put the final touches on the blog. We will finish the evening watching news (on timer) in bed until we nod off.

Wednesday - Dec 2/15

Good Morning. The internet is still working - sort of. Sometimes it is fast and other times really slow. I tried a half a dozen more tweaks to see if that would help. Apparently this is not an uncommon problem.judging by the number of help requests on the internet.

Charlotte was off to crafts for 9 a.m. today. She insisted on walking. Today's temp will be 10 degrees above normal at 85 F. The high humidity will make it feel like 90 F. The next few days will have periods of rain which will be mostly in the late afternoon or early evening as the temps drop. The high dew point means that the cooling will cause rain which will be mostly light and sporadic.

After Charlotte left I went out to do a sewage "Dump". What appears to be a spider's web of hoses makes this process quite easy.

I use a Gilmour Full Flow Aluminum Four Way Connector.

I printed out new labels for each of the 4 Valves so I could re-label the connector.

I have been using "The Sewer Solution" since I bought the RV. I have never used a regular sewer hose. I dump and clean the holding tank without getting my hands dirty. A high velocity water jet pulls sewage from the RV sewer pipe and ejects it out the discharge hose which is a little larger than a regular garden house. The water jet liquefies the waste and tissue as it pumps several gallons per minute into the sewer.

I have added a clear extension to the discharge line so I can easily see the progress. Many RVers make the mistake of thinking their tank has been completely emptied when they no longer hear liquid emptying into the sewer line. I have discovered that water takes the easiest path leaving "piles" of solids in the tank. This most often is the last used pieces of toilet paper. When I no longer see liquid I close the valve and run the "Black Tank" (Sewer) flusher that spins and sprays water around the inside of the tank for a few minutes. Re-opening the sewer line most often finds additional solids are flushed out of the tank. I do this 2 or 3 times. These extra flushes usually empty out a surprising amount of toilet paper allowing the tank to be used longer before becoming full.

Neighbours were out doing "odd jobs" around their RV which included roof maintenance,

Blowing leaves off the drive,..

...and gardening tasks were on the agenda.

I had an enjoyable half hour conversation with my next door neighbour. RV parks are like being in a small town community in the 50's and 60's. Everyone is social, friendly and helpful. Many "Snowbirds" are from this era. They instill this way of life into the "Adult (means over 55 - not X rated - grin) RV parks.

Sadly, the "Small Town" way of life began disappearing in the 60's as real estate developers, to be competitive by lowering home costs, made sidewalks, front porches and picket fences disappear. As they did, so did a way of life. Thankfully, it can still be found at Olde Mill Stream RV Resort and other similar snowbird destinations. If you are in the "neighbourhood", stop by. They will be glad to give you a tour.

It was also time to replace the batteries in the clock/temperature units. The large clock shows interior temp on the bottom left. The temp on the bottom right is outside temp sent by an outside unit. The small display shows the refrigerator temp without having to open the door to check it.

Another similar clock on the bedroom wall shows the interior (bedroom) temp and the Freezer temp. This way I can keep track and know if I have to increase the cooling level of the refrigerator.

Being retired we also have a need for a "Day" clock. This was a gift from my daughter Kat. It not only shows the time, it shows the day of the week (Red Hand). When RVing days are so much the same it is easy to forget the day of the week.

Charlotte returned from this morning's craft session. She was busy cutting lots and lots of fabric. Some is for the jewelry bag craft class which she has been asked to teach again this year. There were also numerous squares cut for an upcoming "Christmas Ball project.

For dinner we opened our first bottle of "White Sauce" - it won't last long. It was used liberally on our re-heated (last night's) "take-home".

The remainder of my afternoon was spent on the computer. I am still trying to get the Wi-Fi to be consistent. I also spent time catching up on the blog (yesterday and today).

With the humidity and higher temps today I decided to start the A/C units so it would be cool for Charlotte when she returns. It was also a way to make sure they were working properly. It is good practice to regularly operate A/C units for at least 10 minutes once every week or two. It keeps the seals condition and adds to the longevity of the unit. My home unit and the Del Sol A/C lasted 19 years. The RV units are still working fine after 12 years.

Charlotte left for the afternoon class which involved making "Dreamcatchers" as gifts for the local "Girl's Ranch" which is a home for abandoned youth. This project is still a work in progress.

Dreamcatchers originated with the Ojibwe (Ojibway) people residing in Canada (Quebec to Saskatchewan) and the USA (Michigan to Montana). Later it was adopted by some neighboring nations through intermarriage and trade. In the 1960s and 1970s they were widely adopted by Native Americans of a number of different nations. Some consider the dreamcatcher a symbol of unity among the various Indian Nations, and a general symbol of identification with Native American or First Nation cultures.

Lore says that dreamcatchers would filter out all bad dreams and only allow good thoughts to enter our mind. Once the sun rises, all bad dreams just disappear. The shape of the dreamcatcher is a circle representing the sun (moon and month) as it travels each day across the sky. There is meaning to every part of the dreamcatcher from the hoop to the feathers to the beads embedded in the webbing.

The usual Jeopardy, etc. evening before bed.

Tuesday - Dec 1/15

Major Windows 10 Wi-Fi problems on my computer. I cannot get on the internet. I have entered this through another means. The blog will return as soon as I can get the problem fixed on my computer.

Sometime North of 1 a.m. after trying all the internet suggestions that I could find (using my iPhone) I managed to get it working again. Trying to do the blog on the iPhone would require a ridiculous amount of time. I can't type fast on the screen keypad. Time for bed. I will do today's blog on Wednesday if it is still working on my main computer.

Good Morning (Wednesday). The internet is still working - sort of. Sometimes it is fast and other times really slow. I tried a half a dozen more tweaks to see if that would help. Apparently this is not an uncommon problem.judging by the number of help requests on the internet.

Now for Tuesday's Blog:

Charlotte spent part of the morning working on sewing projects.

Today's work will grace our dinette as Christmas place mats.

Charlotte acquired another craft list so once again we were off to buy craft supplies.

On the way out of the park I stopped to check my remote control for the entry gate. I was wondering if the code had changed. I was clicking the remote as I stood nearby and the gate was not going up.

I had to have Wally (Park manager, along with his wife Linda) help. I didn't think it was working; however I forgot that I had to "Trip" the sensor light first. This smart little feature kept folks from opening the gate from a distance and speeding through the entrance. A nice safety feature.

Next up was getting the required tickets for the park's upcoming Christmas and New Year's Eve events. The staff at the park are always so friendly and helpful. Soon we were on our way for more craft supplies.

Stops include Walmart and Target in Mt. Dora, Still one item still eluded us.

We decided to go first into Mt. Dora to the Chamber of Commerce to purchase tickets for upcoming events. Pat, a volunteer, was so helpful. Soon we had tickets for John Ford Coley, the Christmas Sock Hop with Johnny Dee and the Starlights and Assisted Living the Musical.

We then headed for the JoAnn store in Tavares. There Charlotte found the needed Terra Cotta pots she needed for making her Christmas Santa Family.

All this hard work eventually takes it's toll (grin). Nourishment was needed. I knew just were to go. I surprised Charlotte as I turned into the KIKU Japanese Cuisine parking lot in Eustis.

A meal at a Japanese Steakhouse is always entertaining as well as tasty. The food is cooked, with a flourish, by a Teppan Chef on a grill around which the diners sit.

Charlotte was having the Lobster while I ordered the Filet. Charlotte tasted a piece of my steak and exclaimed: "Oh! That's so good!". She also found her lobster to be excellent and the largest amount she had ever been served at a restaurant.

They had 2 sauces that were "To Die For"! The "White Sauce" was so good when we tasted it we indulged in a few extra spoonfuls. We used it liberally on our rice. The darker sauce was a Ginger Sauce (House Dressing) that was served on our salad. These sauces are so popular they actually prepare, bottle and sell them. We left with 3 "White" and 2 "Ginger".

The food on these plates is not our meal - it is what was left that we took home. They just served so much. All meals include Kiku Onion Soup, Salad w/House Dressing, Fresh Vegetables, Noodles and Fried Rice.

Arrived back in the park too late for Jeopardy. Charlotte watched various TV programs while I wrestled with the computer internet problem to end the evening.