EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED Newsy Portion Issue 6

Diary published weekly since 2001
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Greetings All: Life is great in the Rio Grande Valley and the climate this year has been excellent. Yes we have had some wet days and a week or so in the 50’s but the super cold that this area is noted for each winter did not surface this year. It is so great to sit here bug-free with the main door wide open.

One thing in life is certain – things do not always go as planned. When we RVers live and travel on the roads in a wide variety of places - unexpected situations seems to be even more prevalent. In all cases we have to start from scratch deciding what to do and where to go. I relay this info in reference to when we needed to find an after-hour vet clinic when Katie suddenly died after the park office had closed. At that point I called 411 and they patiently walked me through my trauma. By the way we are still receiving condolences – each one is definitely most appreciated. FYI – I sent everyone a Thank You - just in case my email didn’t get through.

Last WEDNESDAY, on the way to spend a day at the beach in South Padre Island, we stopped at Wal*Mart for an oil change and discovered our engine was making a noise we had never heard before – we kind of heard a different sound while parked next to a building the day before, but we thought it was the old truck ahead of us. It also sounded like it may be a vibrating heat shield. Dilemma – where do we go? We really did not want to go to a GM dealer because our Grand Am is a 2002 and we felt they may suggest replacing some unnecessary stuff. But this problem was a bit more serious than an oil change and just stopping at any garage we found was also not an appealing choice.

So where to go for help???? After some discussion, we made a wise choice to ask the park maintenance crew. - they live here, This helpful department came through again – last week it was the battery charger and this week it was guidance. They directed us to a superior repair shop just down the road. ALIGNMENT MASTERS (956-702-1668). When we first took the car in, a talented Tex-Mex mechanic held a piece of water hose to his ear when the car was running so he could listen to where the noise was coming from – these guys do possess talent plus. His first thought was we had a problem with the ‘crankshaft bearing’, but after he could pull the engine, he would know more. Basic cost was $450.00 – additional parts and service will be added from there. He expected to take 3-5 days for the repair.
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RENTAL CAR EDUCATION

Soooo we needed a car, but where was the most economical place to rent? A call to several of our RV Clubs to ask for their rental contract codes and rental phone numbers was a good place to start. We were not in the Luxor when we needed this info from our records but the Explorer RV Club, FMCA, Good Sam and more all shared their great contract rental numbers. Using these codes we rented a car from National for a mere $160.00 per week including taxes and unlimited miles. However at this price, it is only registered to one of us, I gladly left the driving to John this week.

While waiting to pick up the car at our reserved time we stopped at Logan’s Roadhouse in McAllen. What a neat place!!! Visitors can pick out a steak or fish they want cooked and that piece is prepared specifically for them. Buckets of hard shell peanuts on the tables help shorten any delay in waiting for your meal. We opted to enjoy their extraordinary huge tasty salads on that visit rather than a steak.

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EVENTUAL DIAGNOSIS

Thankfully when the dust settled, our problem was a cracked flywheel – not sure how this happened as yet. The engine still had to removed but the resulting repair bill will be much less costly. The new flywheel has been replaced and engine was almost installed as of Sat morning. Total estimated cost – $500.00. We pick the Grand Am up on Monday and until Wed we will be a 2-car family – not bad for us fulltimers. If we take the car back early we would revert to a more costly daily rate – go figure.

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TUESDAY (before all this happened) we enjoyed a great visit and a tasty lunch at Martha’s – the local Mexican hangout with good Cdn friends Margaret and Bob – they winter at nearby Palm Shadows RV Park. This twosome recently bought a park model and sold two others they had. FYI, in many of the Rio Grande Valley parks that assess low monthly fees, Park Models in the 20-year old range are available for sale for the $8,000.- $12,000. (Many new ones begin in the $39,000 range). This twosome just sold two other units they had for $10,000 each. In some cases these units need some upgrades or modifications to the living end of things but the basic structures are sound. Depending on park monthly rates – rentals are also available for approximately $900. - $1200 per month as well. If anyone without an RV just wants a place for an active get-away for a few months, the above may be the answer.
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THURSDAY we went over to Mexico – I needed some dental. The dentist I went to a few weeks ago I was not extremely satisfied with. He treated me good but as an ex-dental assistant I expected more – so I did not share his name. But on the way out that day I found a gem of a dental clinic – it had all new progressive equipment plus they have super low prices. Head dentist/owner is Dr Pablo, but he has 4-other dentists working in this office plus he owns and oversees 2 other clinics in Progresso.

I needed a filling and ‘Doctora Judith’ was assigned to me. She had to be in her mid to late 20’s because of her education level but she looked like she was 20. I have had an abundant of dental work done during my life but no one has ever been SO GENTLE. The best part was all prices in this clinic are on the low side. White fillings are only $25.00 and next Tuesday I return for a $150.00 root canal. A 4-unit bridge to replace one I broke a year ago will follow (estimate at $400.). Both as a patient and as an Ex-dental assistant, I highly recommend this clinic for its appearance, pricing and for my excellent treatment. (Clinic name is Dr Pablo Verastegui, Av. Benito Juarez #221 (on the exit side of Progresso–2 blocks from the bridge – Ph.Tx-956 376 8987, Mx - 011-52-899-937-00-53).

Of course we ended our day with lunch at Garcia’s where we were again treated royally – During this visit, I also paid all my IOU’s of our dinner and previous dental work from a week ago. A stop at the Duty Free Shop and we were back across the border.
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FINAL THOUGHTS

Park wide events keep us super busy each week. Friday, John played some challenging billiard games that he won and this morning we biked to a number of Patio Garage Sales within the park. All in all our extremely busy week held with many surprises. Thankfully we both live with a positive attitude – if we think optimistic, everything usually works out for the best. All is well in the McD’s household – hope in yours too. Maybe those incessant snowstorms in the north will end soon. As my sister Nancy says, “Don’t travel faster than your Guardian Angels can fly” – good advice for everyone. Take care all. P&J