I'm Mad As H...!! - Part 2 - Whew

So we left Chanute, KS Sat am, windy but able to drive ok, across MO, stopped in Bowling Green. Sunday am, temp 35, furnace won't work! Ok, hit the road, stop for breakfast. Half way accross Ill, stop to check things out, tires on right side only 1/4 inch apart. Short story, stopped at Sears, one tire has a cut on the inside, should have blown out, but for some reason didn't, WHEW! Put spare tire on, and continue, arriving in Monticello, IN that evening. So now we are in our membership park, White Oaks, and seeing several people that we met in Benson, AZ. They are volunters at White Oaks for the summer. BTW, did I mention, the furnace worked this morning just fine, go figure!!!! Going to just relax for a few days before heading up to Michigan. Gee, only been 2 1/2 years since we have been there. :-)

I'm Mad As H...!! - Part II - Update

Repairs are done! Visited the factory in Chanute, KS early Wed, put on waiting list for drop-in repairs. "No guarantee, maybe Friday". Sure enough, call late Thurs, be here at 7:00am. Picked trailer up around 1:00, repairs done, but with 20-30 mph winds, higher gusts, went back to campground for another night. The campground here is part of the city park, electric & water hook-ups, dump station, restrooms. Cost - first 48 hours FREE, $10/nite thereafter!! Several ball fields, lake, playground, golf course next door.

We got to meet several of our neighbors last night, huddled in the Men's bathroom for some 2+ hours, as tornado sirens kept going on & off. At least 3 tornado warnings issued for the county during that time. As far as we know, only 1 confirmed tornado just west of town. We were lucky, Arkansas had 7 deaths from the same storm system. Another front came through around 2 am, lightning, thunder, RAIN, wind. Today, neighbors reported seeing a couple of cars in town with fresh HAIL damage. Soooo, tell me again why I am in Kansas Tornado Alley!

Tomorrow, we will head for Indiana, try to stay between storm systems. More later.

Memories of Texas

We have enjoyed our week + in Texas, but tomorrow we leave for Chanute, KS to see if we can get the repairs done on our trailer at the factory. Some of our memories of Texas include: Soccer games (cold, windy); lots of good eating - thanks John for some great meals; time spent with the family, especially Sara & Cami; the trip we made to downtown Dallas with Deb on her birthday, riding the train, the trolley, visiting the 6th floor museum & the JFK memorial, and other neat things (first time for Deb too); & Dallas traffic - glad to be leaving it.

We did take a 4 generation picture.

We all took a quick trip to Waxahachie to see sister-in-law Pattie's new house, and also visit with her, Mack, Domenica, and friend Jason. Here are a couple of pictures in case you forget what they look like.

Flower Mound, Texas

Rising 50 feet above its surroundings, The Mound is a nod to the town's formative years and comprises nearly 13 acres of uninterrupted, beautiful countryside populated by wildflowers. Because early pioneer settlers never plowed the land, more than 175 species of wildflowers flourish throughout the year including the Tall Bluestem, bluebonnet, Field Pansy, Indian Blanket, and Wild Foxglove. Visitors can enjoy the various species of wildflowers and catch a glimpse of downtown Dallas on the horizon.









Of course, the MAIN attraction in Flower Mound is our Great-granddaughter, Cami, shown here bouncing on Great Grandpa's knee and helping Great Grandma pet Tigger.

I'm Mad As H...!! - Part 2

Let me tell you a little story:

On Wed, Feb 13, an estimate was made by Beaudry RV Body Shop for damage to a 5th Wheel from a tire blowout. “Might take up to 4 weeks to receive the parts”. Feb 19th, insurance co said to go ahead, call made to Beaudry authorizing ordering the parts. After 4 weeks, contact made with Beaudry weekly, “Are our parts in?”, “No, not yet”. Around Apr 1st, “let me check with parts, have them follow up”. No, not yet. Apr 8th, “being shipped Thursday (Apr 10), should take 3 or 4 days.” Apr 10, “parts shipped?”, “ETA Apr 17”.

Monday, Apr 14, “shipped on Apr 11, ETA still Apr 17”. This from Allen, parts person. Now comes the good part! Thursday, Apr 17, Allen: “Shipped the 11th, let me check with receiving”. “What about a tracking #?” “I’ll call HitchHiker and get it, check with trucking Co, and call you back.” An hour later, a call to HitchHiker Parts Dept., “Just talked with Allen, he wanted a tracking #. Parts were shipped Tues., Apr 15!” “Why 8 weeks from order date?” “Oh, these are stock parts, let me check. Jerry, we got the order from Allen on Apr 10!” Oops!

Another hour later, call from Allen at Beaudry, “Parts left OK City today, trucking co says can’t get them to Tucson before Mon.” “Let me talk to Mark. Mark, I’ve been LIED to, suggest you send the parts back when they arrive, and also return the check to Insurance Co. They have been told to stop payment on it. My trailer WILL NOT be in for service at Beaudry!”

Gee, I think my blood pressure is up a little. But, now we know, and are leaving for TX tomorrow. Will need to get repairs done sometime. May stop at the plant in KS, or wait and have them done in Michigan. Insurance adjuster says whatever works.

We have had a GREAT time in AZ, in spite of this little problem, but now are looking forward to seeing family in TX and MI. Sooo, ready or not, here we come!

Cindy, Joe, & Rich Visit

What a week we have had! Sat, the 5th, Cindy, Joe & Rich all flew into Tucson to spend a few days. Rich had to leave Mon, Cindy & Joe left today, the 11th. And boy, did we have FUN! I will suggest you check Rich's blog for the first 2 days, visits to Tombstone, Fairbank, the Chiricahua National Monument, & the Triple T Guest Ranch. Climbing up Sugerloaf was the start of our week's exercise, these pictures prove we all made it up to the fire lookout station.

Tuesday, we visited Fort Bowie, the army fort on the Butterfield Stage Route in the 1880's, made famous in the stories of Geronimo & Cochise. The 3+ mile round trip got us ready for the next day. Since Laura & I had visited Fort Bowie 5 years ago, I really didn't take any pictures, hopefully Joe or Cindy will post some.

Wednesday saw us visiting Cochise's Stronghold, the winter home for Cochise & his tribe. It certainly is a "stronghold", after climbing through part of it, you can see why the soldiers could not locate or capture any of the indians. As you can see from these pictures, it is steep, rocky, with lots of cover to hide in. This time, Laura & I made the 2 mile mark (all uphill) before returning, Cindy & Joe continued to the 3 mile "divide" before coming back down. And of course, Joe had to show off his rock climbing skills.


After resting for a while, we visited Joe's Uncle Richard & Aunt Marie who live nearby. Joe's Uncle John, cousin Kathy & her 2 children were there as well, and we all enjoyed a delicious dinner. Ymmm.

Thursday saw us head for Tucson and the Desert Museum. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a world-renowned zoo, natural history museum and botanical garden, all in one place! Exhibits re-create the natural landscape of the Sonoran Desert Region so realistically you find yourself eye-to-eye with mountain lions, prairie dogs, Gila monsters, and more. Within the Museum grounds, you will see more than 300 animal species and 1,200 kinds of plants. There are almost 2 miles of paths traversing 21 acres of beautiful desert. We especially enjoyed the Raptor Free Flight show, and the Hummingbird Aviary. And Joe enjoyed the Rattlesnake show. Again, I hope Cindy or Joe will post some pictures.

All in all, a GREAT week, sorry they had to leave. But, after doing some laundry, (& playing pool) WE NEED A REST!

My Turn !!

So 2 weeks ago, we began to really get "active". Over a period of 2 days (thanks to good partners), I won 1st in Bean Bag Toss, 2nd in Shuffleboard, and 2nd in Scotch Doubles in Pool. Then, last night, I won (all by myself), 1st in 9 Ball Pool, and this afternoon, my partner & I won 1st in Shuffleboard! Boy, I'm on a roll. !! :-) Oh, 2nd place in Shuffleboard went to Laura/Mom/Grandma & her partner. Tonight, we are pooped, all this activity is going to wear us out!

Our friends John, Jan, Dave & Nell came out of Mexico Sunday, it is sooo good to see them again. We will spend a few days together, and then Sat, Cindy, Joe & Rich arrive. Really looking forward to that.