RVW Convention 2

So far, so good. I've volunteered at the Volunteer table, signing people up. I've tooled a golf cart around and around. I've been a door guard. And I'm almost peopled out.

Lyn Rogers lent me her car today and I went off to Wal-Mart. One of my fluorescent bulbs burned out so I wanted a replacement. Two of the three supercenters listed in my GPS turned out to be Neighborhood Markets! I asked at the 2nd one WTF??? She said all the listing were wrong in the phone books and on all GPS lists, too. So I trundled off to the real supercenter, forgot to bring the bad bulb in with me, and therefore bought the wrong size replacement. By this time, my feet and knees and hips hurt bad enough I decided I'd do the return some other time.

All this walking on concrete and paved roads is killing me. And a front is moving through, with some wind. We're still going to have high 80s to low 90s till the weekend. Up in Eagar, the high is in the 50s. And Chuck is going to have cataract surgery in Nov. (one eye) and Dec. (other eye), so I'll be his driver etc, some recompense for his help to me.

We had block parties this evening. I did security from 3-5, then the block parties started about 5.30. I managed to wander up to the one on my street (they call them "lanes" here), over to the one on 5400 and the one on 5300. Lasted about a half hour, then called it a night and came home, took aspirin, and holed up.

I did treat myself to some ice cream, now waiting for me in the freezer. It'll be 90 tomorrow, I'll do security for two hours, then I'll come home and indulge. Ah.

23 Oct RVW #3

23 Oct Sat

Has a nice quiet morning. Sat out with coffee and crossword. Ate a salad lunch about 12.30. Then took myself up to the pool with a book. Swam about a bit but the heavy chlorine smell didn't make it particualrly pleasant, even though the pool is very nice.

Set up some volunteer times to woman the volunteer table for a couple of hours, to do "security" at various times at one of the ballroom doors (mostly to make sure everyone who comes in has their RVW badge on), and to drive a shuttle cart a few times. It's a good way to meet folk and get to know the area.

At 6pm we had the Solos dinner and then the annual meeting. All the officers were elected by acclamation, as all but the president were the same as this past year. The new president is a woman who's been on the national board for the past three years and who volunteered to be pres. of Solos. Hooray for people like that.

It was all over at 8pm and I was peopled out so have come home, changed into a caftan, poured a glass of tea, and turned on the tv

It'll be crazy by Tuesday and the convention officially starts on Wed.

TTFN

22 Oct RVW #2

Lyn Rogers hauled me off with her to Costco to get supplies for the Solo Chapter's meet and greet later today. I womanfully managed to sail right past the book table.

Unhooked totally and repositioned the rig up on the concrete patio instead of down on the gravel pad, which was totally unlevel, especially side to side. The patio got me level side to side but then I was about a half-bubble off front to back, so I let the rear duallies off the back end of the slab, and now I'm level all over. Hooray.

Also managed to get the cable into the right box (because it was daylight and I could see properly) so now I have about 40 channels, though I'm only interested in about half of them. Even better, HGTV is one of the channels so I get to watch Holmes on Homes.

WhenI sign up for internet on Monday, Lyn wants to pay half and get the password, so we'll both have internet for $5 for a week. Fine with me. I think a place as big as this (and as "upscale") should have free wifi.

We had the Solo meet & greet at 4pm today. About 55 women showed up, lots of new members. We had crackers & cheese and crudites. Some discussion of extra tours we could on, but I'm not doing any tours because of cost.

I will be signing up to volunteer for security and maybe for golf-cart driver. Am thinking about going swimming tomorrow mid-day and then lounging around the pool and game room and socializing.

Tomorrow evening is the Solos annual meeting with dinner.

More later.

22 Oct RVW #1

22 Oct Fri (RVW Convention #1)

Arrived at View Point RV Resort yestereve, an enormous place in Mesa. My site number is 5306, which will give some idea of how big this place is. Acres and acres. There are many park models (like small mobile homes) so snowbirds can just drive here, with or without an rv. It has its own golf course. We're scattered all over so it'll be hard to just stroll around and visit.

There's a huge building, two stories, where most of the scheduled activities will take place. And I believe there's a fabulous swimming pool. Of course, not everything about my site is fabulous -- it isn't level so I'm going to have to drag out my blocks and see what I can do (it's more than a bubble off so it's very noticeable). The electric tower is way back and up a little rise (sort of like a berm) and off to the left, so I had to buy a 30 amp power cord, double-ended, to plug in my cord and then plug to the tower. Others have had to do the same, or have backed way up just to make it reach.

The water spigot is also up on that rise but off to the right, so now there's a big black cord snaking off one way and a bright white hose snaking off the other way. Then the sewer drain is so close in and low down that it's real easy to park on top of it. The next thing to connect is the cable TV. Fortunately, my cable is long enough to reach all the way to the electric tower. So I screwed in that end and then screwed in the rig end (it was dark by then so I was doing this by feel) -- but when I programmed the remote, it didn't pick up any of the 30+ channels I should be getting. So I reprogrammed it for antenna and it picked up several network channels. I need to have some tv to watch because wifi here is not free -- it's $10 for a week so I'll sign up on Monday.

Lyn Rogers is parked three down from me and saw me right away. This is her last convention as she's hanging up her keys. She about 12 years older than I am and a very upbeat person. I met her at the 08 Charleston convention. We're both in the Solos Chapter and in the Fulltimers Chapter.

The Solos are having a meet & greet this evening so I'll be going to that. No other plans for today, other than leveling, so I'll just hang around and maybe walk a little.

Projects & Plans

Okay, the tires are done. I've also acquired an 8' piece of (really green) sewer pipe that lives under the storage rack out back -- this is to carry my sewer hoses with fittings attached. We took off the spare tire and the weird holder it was attached to. I'll try to remember to take a picture. Chuck got up on the roof and the a/c gasket seems okay. There's nothing to be done about the antenna extension that hits the a/c shroud on its way down.

Tomorrow am I'm off to Mesa to attend the RVW convention. I'll be there until 1 Nov. I'm assuming I'll have wifi but won't know until I get there.

It's cooling off up here in the mountains (63 deg today) but leaf turning has been delayed. It's about 20 deg warmer down in the Phoenix valley where Mesa is, so I haven't put the shorts away yet. And I'll be back in Eagar after the convention so that Chuck and I can do some more projects on the rig. Don't know how long I'll stay but at least two weeks.

TTFN

Ongoing Projects

Today we're going to put on the last two new tires.

Between now and Thursday morning, we're going to fix the itty bitty black tank leak with a quick and dirty repair that, Chuck says, ought to last about six months. Then I need to have a new black tank installed. Great. Another chunk of change. Let's hope there's lots of product recalls in the SF Bay area so I can pile up some dough.

We took off the spare tire (a C-load) as it no longer works for the rig. I'm donating it to Chuck for one of his many vehicles around here. The bumper had a piece of angle-iron supporting a chair rack which held the tire with many bungee cords wrapped around, most of which had frayed or busted. I was using the tire/rack as support for my sewer hose, but we're going to get a large piece of pipe to run along the bumper under the storage rack, and that will be the new place for the hose and its fittings.

Off to Mesa on Thursday morning for the RVW convention.

Livorno H.S. Reunion

I realized that I hadn't said anything at all about the reunion. Perhaps some background first. In 1957-58 I was a freshman at the army school on Camp Darby, near Livorno Italy. I also spent the summers of both 58 and 59 there, and then we came back to the States for good.

There is an organization for all those who ever attended this school, which opened in 1955 (I think) and closed in 2007 (I think). It holds all-class reunions. But there is also the Gray-Haired Teenagers subgroup for classes 1955-1965, and this is my group.

There were about 30 classmates there, many with spouses. It was held in Scottsdale at the Chaparral Suites Hotel (very nice). I parked my rig way in the back and slept in it Sat. night. I enjoyed seeing all the people and hearing familiar names, even if the faces weren't the same anymore. Some people remembered me, some didn't. Of course, most of these people have been coming to these reunions for 20 years, and this was my first one.

As usual, there were the snobs, the blowhards, the politicians, the wimps, the eternal teenagers -- in short, the standard mix. There were a few I enjoyed meeting again, and I think I'll go to the next one, which is to be on the east coast next fall, maybe even in Asheville.

We'll see how it goes.

High Country Views

The first picture is in the Tonto Natl. Forest on the way up here from Phoenix. This is the Salt River as outflow from Saguaro Lake.
When I got up around Greer, about 25 miles from Eagar, I started seeing aspen trees going gold in the sun. So yesterday Chuck and I drove back up there (8900 ft) to A-1 Lake. The light wasn't as good because of some clouds but here's two pretty pics:
We're going to start changing out the tires today. Ought to be lots of fun (sarcasm).

Safely in Eagar

And hooked up at Chuck's, electric, water, sewer, use of his bathroom, laundry, dish TV. Could be a whole lot worse. Will be here now until 21 Oct.

Took the whole day to get here from Mesa. Left out of the campground at 9:30, mostly because the power went out. Stopped twice for gas and once for lunch in the rig on a layby. It's all uphill from the Phoenix area at 1500 ft to 7000 ft at Eagar. There was a really long grade I took in 2nd gear at 20mph. Anyhow, finally got here at 4:30.

We figure to change out two tires a day, but then I'll have nice new tires in the proper load range.

More later.

Breakdown on Hwy 87

Was on my way from Scottsdale to Payson when the rig quit. Found a rainfall of transmission fluid underneath. And could also smell that faint gasoline odor. Called the ERS which sent a tow truck from Mesa. Got back to town about 7pm and boondocked in the parking lot. Finally done at 3pm and took myself to the park in Apache Junction I stayed in last week.

That asshole mechanic in Abq didn't replace the transmission gasket like he was supposed to, so that's what gave way last night. And he didn't replace the brake cable, either, just adjusted it, so now it's totally broken and will need fixing. The fuel line had just begun to work its way around the hose clamp, so that's where the smell was coming from.

And the tow truck driver took out the driveshaft to tow the rig, said it was "policy," but it cost me $50 bucks to have it reinstalled, which they don't do because of "liability."

An expensive day. Aaaargh.

All Caught Up

It's 8.30pm on Fri and the wifi has just kicked in, so I'll try to get everything done this evening. Haven't done anything today except loll around, read, sleep, etc. Will leave here about 11am tomorrow, and may not have wifi until I get to Chuck's late on Monday. Will be there until early on the 21st.

TTFN

7 Oct Thu catchup

I'm in Carefree Manor RV Resort, Apache Junction AZ, for two nights (Sat. am will be off to the reunion). Had a haircut at 9am at Margie's favorite place -- the cutter did a good job, really nice for a change after fuzzy cue balls the last two times.

Funny things noticed in the last few days--

Street names in and around Yuma are odd -- Ave 3E, Ave 8-1/2 E

Saw a billboard for the Tier Drop RV Park (near Yuma). Don't know whether they're doing a clever topographical play on words, or just can't spell.

Closer to Apache Junction, I saw the Superstition Funeral Home. Now I know that's in reference to the mountain range, but how appropriate is that name!

There was a big storm that came through the Phoenix area a day or so ago, including three tornados, so there was lots of damage. The wifi service here at the park is down, as are their phones. Hope the wifi gets going before I leave.

Took an hour to putter in an antique mall, to avoid getting to the park too early. Amazing what people think is valuable. And the books! There was one booth of all books, very obviously from a dealer, some really good stuff, properly priced, etc. But the books in the rest of the booths were mostly junk.

I did pick up four soup spoons, silver, from a basket of jumbled silverware. Managed to get the same pattern, even. My two vermeil spoons are wearing away and starting to taste funny, so I've now tossed them (it's real gold plating so I should probably sell them to a gold place, but for two spoons it's not worth it).

Misc. RIPs

Kage Baker, fantasy writer

Louise Cooper, fantasy writer

Donald M. Grant, publisher

Thomas Dietz, sf writer

David Eddings, fantasy writer

Jennifer Rardin, fantasy writer

Edwin Newman, journalist, writer on language

Oh yeah. I just found out that Keith Richards is short! I mean, he's max 5'9". I always had the idea that he was taller, but I saw a pic of him standing next to Johnny Depp and KR was shorter! I was appalled!

Okay, I'm over it.

5 Oct Tue catchup

Nothing to do all day but loll around. That storm we had last night left us with windy but much cooler air -- didn't even turn on the a/c today. Nice.

Decided to turn the rig around so I could get the sewer hose connected. The power box is one side of the site and the water and sewer is on the other side. So if I nose in (like i did at first), the power cord on the driver side goes straight to the box and the water on the offside goes straight to the spigot, but the sewer outlet is on the driver side so the hose would go under the rig, making it hard to drain it.

I turned the rig and backed in so now the water line goes under the rig, as does the power line, but the sewer line is straight. I did a dump/flush. And now I've packed up everything but the power cord.

My appointment at the dentist is at 8:50am tomorrow morning. I should be back here by 10am, unhook the power, stow the cord, and be on the road by 10:30. I've got about 250 miles to go to get to Casa Grande/Arizona City to Margie & Bob's. So I should get there in the early evening.

That's assuming the faint gasoline smell doesn't portend anything dire. I may have to stop in Yuma to have somebody look under the hood and see whether there's any dripping going on, like the fuel line. Or the fuel filter fell over against the manifold and the heat burned a hole in it (I had that happen once).

About 30 minutes ago (9pm) I heard a bang/crash out on the road. Looked out and saw two cars in a tangle. Two women and a girl child got out of one, and a young man got out of the other. No injuries. His car hit the rear of theirs but couldn't tell why. I was heading out to see if help was needed but the rv park security arrived quickly. Then cops, tow trucks, etc etc. The border is open until 10pm so traffic is edging around.

I really need a haircut -- the hair is fine until it suddenly isn't and becomes a bushy mess. I'll try to get it trimmed somewhere tomorrow.

TTFN

4 Oct Monday catchup

Naturally, things didn't go as smoothly as they could have at the dentist's. But it wasn't her fault. Really. It's a long story.

Finally got back to the rig about 2.30, not having had any lunch. So I grabbed the fastest thing I could find (cheerios) and ate that, then wolfed down an egg and some potato chips.

And it's now almost 4pm and we just had a sudden rainstorm, fast and furious. Hope it's not raining on Wed. because I'm walking back and forth over the border.

If all goes well, I'll be on the road by noon, heading for Casa Grande to spend the night at Margie & Bob's. They're the couple who was parked next to me at Springerville. They have hookups right at their place so it'll be a good stopover. Then I'll move on to an Escapees park for two nights and then up to Scottsdale for the h.s. reunion.

Don't know yet whether I'll be able to park overnight in the hotel lot. May just be very discreet -- it'll only be for Sat. night.

Casa Grande

Walked across the border this morning for my 8:50 appnt with the dentist -- she was late. But got done and walked back to the rv park about 10am. Pulled out about 10:30. Drove to the east side of Yuma, got gas and breakfast. With the engine warmed up and running, I opened the hood and stuck my head carefully down and in and around, looking for gasoline and checking smells.

Nothing. Hmmm.

Came on to Casa Grande where I'm spending the night in the yard at Margie & Bob's. That's the couple parked next to me in Springerville. They took me out to dinner at the Moose Lodge because they were all excited about the menu of chicken-fried steak.

Of course, now, I want you all to know that's just one of my all-time favorite things to eat, especially since it came with mashed potatoes covered in white gravy. And each person got a whole loaf of white bread. And chocolate cake w/frosting for dessert. Yes, indeedy, y'all.

Gah.

I may not eat again for days.

Tomorrow I'm getting my hair trimmed at 9am. Then I'll be moving on to an Escapees park in Apache Junction (I think) -- well, nearer Scottsdale, anyhow. Sat. is the reunion.

Slight cool-down

So I had the a/c on until about 9:30. I kept checking outside. There was a stiff wind blowing but it wasn't even close to being cool. Finally, it got cool enough to turn off the a/c and open the windows. The wind has died down, too. So I think I'll open the door, too, and get a nice cross-ventilation going.

Tucson was predicted to set a heat record today of over 100 and it sure felt like it. Later this week it's supposed to cool off to the high 80s, which will be a major relief to both Tucson and to Phoenix.

Am thinking about bed. It's been a long hot day.

7000 ft to 700 ft

Left Springerville Friday after Chuck aired up the tires and airbags. Went up 1000 ft to Alpine AZ and down the mountain to Safford and along I-10 to Benson. Stayed at the Escapees Co-op there. Pages of restrictions for owners (who are all white, of course, though this isn't mandatory).

Started off for Tucson (45 mi) about 8am and had breakfast at the Triple T Truckstop on the eastern edge of town about 9:30. Went over to Bookman's and trade in some books. One acquisition was a DVD entitled "Kung Fu Mahjong #2" with a lot of the same people who were in "Kung Fu Hustle," a really fun flick. Then up to the north end of town to the B&N Bookstore for a few new things.

One new book I got is an anthology edited by Charlaine Harris (Diana, pay attention now) entitled "Wolfsbane and Mistletoe." It's holiday stories with werewolves. Now, I'm now a big fan of werewolves, but just listen to the author list:

Donna Andrews, Keri Arthur, Patricia Briggs, Dana Cameron, Karen Chance, Alan Gordon, Simon R. Green, Charlaine Harris, Toni L.P. Kelner, j.A. Konrath, Nancy Pickard, Kat Richardson, Dana Stabenow, Rob Thurman, and Carrie Vaughn.

Now you know why I bought it.

Then I trundled up the frontage road to the Picacho Plaza store to see my old Bowlin boss, Chuck Steinmetz. He's the one I worked for the grand total of two weeks before they yanked me out to go to Akela Flats. He was really pleased to see me. And so was Travis, another co-worker. Chuck and I went in the office and had a good time bitching about the Bowlin management. He's about burned out dealing with them and may be gone soon.

After that I went on to Casa Grande and ate an early dinner, then wound up at Augie's Quail Trail RV Park near Gila Bend (700 ft). Really hot. Ran the a/c until it started the temp climb. By this time it was 5pm and just beginning to cool off a degree or two. Better i should sweat than the rig overheat. So I turned off the a/c and opened the window. Now that I'm hooked up, the cabin a/c is on and beginning to make a dent in my personal hotness (heh).

As you can tell, I have wifi, but there doesn't seem to be any kind of tv here. No mention of cable in the rules brochrue. That's one of the reasons I'm being long-winded -- nothing to distract me.

Off to the border tomorrow. TTFN