Highs And Lows Of This Freedom Lifestyle

RV LIFE IS NEVER BORING Newsy portion of Issue 50

Diary published weekly since 2001
Read a different version of this Diary on line
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Hi All: One thing about RVing is no matter how long we are on the road life is not usually boring. This week we have had a wide variety of experiences both good and bad but once the dust settled everything usually turns out 100% on the positive side of things.

One positive that did not have a negative attached to it was good friends Dave and Betty from Nova Scotia and their friends Marilyn and Keith (Prince Edward Island) arrived at Casa del Valle before we left – we didn’t expect to see them until after we had changed parks. Great to touch base again guys. It has been a year or two since our last visit so it was fun to briefly catch up. They are here for a month so our paths will cross again before long.
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POSITIVE PLUSES – NEGATIVE CHALLENGES

POSITIVE 1– We have received a 'SUPERIOR WELCOME' at our new park Alamo Palms, Rio Grande Valley, south Texas including an invite to a ‘Block Party’ this coming Wed. Everyone we have run into has extended us a huge “Glad you are here” greeting from the security gate to the office to our neighbours.

NEGATIVE 1: We chose our site a few weeks ago because it had 2 pretty orange fruit trees and two giant cacti bordering our patio. However these obstacles presented a 'COLOSSAL CHALLENGE WHEN IT CAME TIME TO GET THE DISH SIGNAL IN'. I had moved it about 6 times trying to get around the trees and then John came up with a brainwave that the signal would come in if we set it up at the front end of the patio. Hey, Guess what? It worked.

DETAILS: The sites are narrow but since the park offers so much more in amenities we decided to we would be comfortable with our long patio and limited grassy area – at this point we do not have immediate neighbours so that too is a positive extra. The park rent also includes 'FREE WiFi' that is highly regarded by residents who use the ‘Net occasionally. I had considered using the park system and cancelling my Internet service for three months with my Galaxy server but 'Net access on our arrival was down undergoing maintenance and I cannot take the chance of a system that periodically is out of service. With my wonderful 'DISH', it is always on plus it is secure and only I am using my bandwidth. I can send images to my editors etc. when I need to and I do not feel I am ‘stealing’ access that others may need. Sooooo we decided to keep paying for our Sat Service and set our Dish up.

NEGATVE 2: When we arrived at Alamo Palms, John realized he had left our only awning stick on the grass.

POSITIVE 2: Since the park was only 2 miles away we returned to retrieve that.

NEGATIVE 3: Before we left Casa del Valle, our electric step would not retract and for John to see close up to study fuses he has to take his glasses off. He put them on the trunk of the car while he checked the fuses etc. (He then put his sunglasses on to drive the MH). Somehow the step magically began to work as it should, so he took off in the MH with me driving the car behind him. An hour later John discovered he could not find his glasses – only then realizing where he put them. We called the park and they checked our site but we have no idea as to where they fell off the trunk of the Grand Am.

POSITIVE 3: We always buy our glasses at 'Lenscrafters' in London, ON so early this morning we visited the local store in the McAllen mall and 1.5 hours later John again has new glasses. He was due for a pair last summer covered by our insurance, but since there was no change in his Rx, he had decided to wait until his Retina operation was over next May. One more plus, the frames he chose were on sale, which further saved us some cash.
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POSITIVE IN MEXICO: On Wednesday we spent the morning across the border, checking out the various restaurants for a place to hold the 'DECEMBER EXPLORER RV CLUB DEC LUNCHEON' (Canada’s answer to Good Sam). After careful perusal we decided to book the more spacious Garcia’s.

FYI – DETAILS OF DEC LUNCHEON: Garcia’s Restaurant in Nuevo Progresso, above the Canada House; Dec 27th; TIME 12 Noon until party time is over. They offer 8 decadent meal choices, complete with salad or soup and dessert for $8.45. Other menu options are also available. Drinks too are most reasonable and we will have a corner of the room reserved for us. PLEASE let us know if you plan to join us, so we can have an attendance estimate – email me at info@rvliving.net. Everyone is Welcome but the event is directed towards Cdn RVers. Feel FREE to bring a friend. I will be happy to send you a flyer to post in your park as well. Club T-Shirt will be the door prize. Getting the word out is still our biggest challenge.

NEGATIVE TO OUR MEXICAN VISIT: I LOST MY WALLET in the restaurant – it must have fallen out of my purse and landing under the table. By the time we walked across the border we were so tired after all our walking. However I did not realize until we were almost home that my wallet was not in my purse. Since I had the contact phone number of the restaurant, I called them and sure enough, our waiter had found it and my wallet was locked in the drawer at the cashiers desk. So we again returned to the border a second time, walked across the bridge and the 4 blocks to Garcia’s to retrieve it. The best part is this NEGATIVE is it quickly became another POSITIVE because my cash and cards were still exactly where I had left them.
NOTE: John and I each only carry one Cr Cd in our individual wallets to protect us for times like this. So the loss would not have been a complete disaster.
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POSITIVE REF COACH MAINTENANCE: On Monday all working parts of a new FANTASTIC VENT will be here, at no cost to us. These parts are easy to install but a ¼ hour of labour (if needed) is also included in the exchange.

NEGATIVE DETAILS: The motor in our bathroom 'FANTASTIC VENT' would not completely stop – it sounded like it was constantly cycling on and off. After I called the company I am happy to report their service is still second to none.

POSITIVE ENDING - FANTASTIC VENTS are one of the 'RV GOOD GUYS'. If you have a vent in your RV this company will do anything to keep it working. Simply call them and they will work you through a repair OR send you new parts to make it right. 800-521-0298/ 810-724-3818 or click HERE
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FINAL THOUGHTS:

‘S*** Happens’ in life and the older we become the more stupid things we seem to do. So I relay all the above to advise everyone NOT to panic. When the dust settles most things have a positive ending.

I am closing this week with a quote from…
John – “Live you life in such a way that you'll never be afraid to sell you parrot to the town gossip”. Dennis signs off this way “We started with nothing and have most of it left” Travel safe all P&J