Locked Out, Oh Great!

On Monday we finally left the desert of South Texas and headed towards San Antonio to an RV park that we stayed at once before, called Hidden Valley. It's a nice park mostly with residents but quiet and reasonable.

We arrived mid afternoon and Sherry backed me into our site. I must be getting pretty good at this because I didn't have to re-adjust or anything, just straight back. I better not get too cocky about this. We did our normal set up routine and I finished up by getting the satellite dish pointed and now watching TV.

We met a nice couple who are also full timers and we talked for awhile. I took Gizmo out for a walk and I don't think he likes it too much. He seems very nervous around here.

We decided not to cook for that night and go out to dinner. We put Gizmo into his cage and proceeded out the door. Gizmo started to bark and I went inside to calm him down. Left the house and locked it like always with the dead bolt. He started barking again and Sherry went this time to calm him again and she said that the door would not unlock.

Great, the dead bolt would not completely unlock. Now here we are all three of us outside and no way to get back into the trailer. I went to our new friends to see if they had any ideas but no experience there. I decided to get after the lock with my drill.

I figured what the hell it is not going to unlock so I will demolish the lock. I drilled the tumblers out and continued drilling when I broke a bit. Put in a new bit and continued, broke that bit and now getting upset. I was able to see the two bolts holding the lock together and started to drill them out.

The dead bolt is starting to move some and I was careful drilling for fear of breaking the bit again. I was able to finally get the dead bolt off the door and play around with the bolt slide to where I was able to open the door. Thank you Lord.

Here is what's left of the lock.

It may not look like much but if you look close enough you can see some of my handy work.

I placed white duct tape over the hole and we were able to lock the latch itself and went out to dinner. Needless to say Gizmo never barked anymore. The next day we had some running around to do which included getting a new dead bolt. We came home I put the new dead bolt on but it now won't lock. I think the problem is the strike plate and hole. We still can lock the trailer and the hole is covered.

Well once again something new on the trailer, drilling out a lock. I am just thankful that I had the tools to do this job and not have to call a locksmith.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving...................

Until Next Time...........Be Safe.

The Holiday Season is Upon Us

Well here it is, Friday November 16th and Christmas is only a month and a half away. Where in the world did this year go?? It seems like only a few months ago that we got this new job with this company and in reality it was last December.

Our time at this location will be coming to an end on Monday. We will be heading to San Antonio to a park that we once stayed at back in May. Here we will stay for the Thanksgiving Holiday. We like our Thanksgiving and last year was the first time in our 5ver. Let me see about this.....We went full timing in 2010 and had Thanksgiving with my Mom in Mesa AZ, then 2011 was in Branson, MO, that's when we bought our first turkey or a chicken on steroids and now this year. OK that's right. I like to cook and in years past I would deep fry a bird for lunch and cook another one in the oven. Good times.

Sherry and I enjoy this Holiday when she can snuggle up with a blanket and watch football with me. She also likes when the smell of the turkey cooking in the oven lingers all throughout the house. I better make sure I have enough propane. To cook such a large meal in an RV takes some doing.

We first pick a turkey that we think will fit in the oven, once that is done everything else is done in stages. You may not have all the room that you are used to but you will make room as you go. Improvising helps a lot. Our table is the biggest challenge because it is a catch all. Sherry usually takes care of that and when it is time to sit down we actually can. After going to peoples homes I feel so out of place that I just rather stay home and cook.

After Thanksgiving we will leave this place on Sunday the 25th and head towards Houston. We will make one stop on Sunday night and take off for Spring Creek Park. We like to stay there because you can stay 7 nights on a concrete pad with full hook ups for nothing. That's right FREE!!!! How cool is that. The only draw back is that the park is locked up at 10pm. So you better get in before then or you will be locked out until 7am. We will stay here until December 1st and move to Corral RV park just down the road. We can stay there for the month and come and go as we please. This will be good and we can stay out as late as we want. Great now we won't have to leave early from my daughter's house on Christmas Eve.

Christmas in the 5ver is not too bad. We went from a 4 foot tree down to a table top tree and Santa puts the presents on the table and floor. Sherry and Bri take care of all the decorations for the tree and the house, looks pretty good when they get done. Just like any other Christmas morning Bri will rip and tear into her presents, Mom will be taking pictures and I will be picking up wrapping paper and bows. This year will be our dog's first Christmas, I wonder how he will handle all of this??

You know Holiday time in an RV is not too bad. I guess you have to make the best of it and especially have a good time.

Until Next Time...............Be Safe.

 

Death of a Friend

It is always difficult to find out that someone you know has died. Depending on how close you were to them, may or may not make it harder to handle. I found out yesterday that a good friend, whom I used to work with, took his own life.

I have always had a hard time dealing with death anyways but to commit suicide is a whole other subject. I have never known anybody personally who has committed suicide up until now.

Some questions, which we may never know the answers to; Is it really that bad? Isn't there something that somebody can do for you? Why didn't you contact me? Why are you so selfish? Is this what God wants you to do?

I just don't understand the thought process and I guess I never will. My friend would do anything for you if you just asked. When we got our bumper pull I asked if he would come over and help me with a few things and he did. We spent the afternoon together, had a few beers, even fixed the trailer. Great friend, but not anymore, he's gone. Time can be a terrible thing.

The last time I saw him was about 4 or 5 years ago. Now mind you it wasn't one of those friendships that we always stayed in contact but would have been nice to hear from each other. Plus he said back then he was taking a job that would put him out of the country.

I can only hope that God has taken him in His arms and welcomed him to Heaven. Rest In Peace My Friend.

Until Next Time..................Be Safe.

Full Time RVing With a Child........Holidays

Well Halloween had come and now it's gone. To me this starts the Holiday Season, the stores all ready have all the Christmas stuff out, TV channels are advertising Holiday shows and the decorations for the house start to come out. Sometimes it's hard to get into the spirit of things when you are still using your air conditioner like we are.

The weather here in south Texas is warm in the day time and somewhat comfortable in the evenings. We are still wearing short pants with no intention of getting out the long pants in the near future. Maybe by Thanksgiving, who knows?

This year is the first time that we had to change gears for Halloween when it came to Brianne. For the past two years we were at a campground called Compton Ridge Campground were we worked. They had activities for two weekends in a row that allowed children to go trick or treating. Brianne dressed up and we went to different RVs that were handing out candy. She did pretty good. This year no where to go.

Stuck in the middle of "NO Where" and just outside of "Any Where" in south Texas, we had to come up with a plan for Brianne and Halloween. Brianne picked out her costume and we got some candy and the game plan was to hide the candy around the trailer and she had to say "Trick or Treat" when she found some. She dressed up as a Vampiress and she was scaring all the vehicle occupants as they drove through.

Here she is in her costume, pretty scary, huh?

She had a good time dressing up and scaring people. Brianne was never the one that liked going to people's houses for fear of being scared. So in the trailer she was in control of her surroundings and we think she enjoyed it just fine. The other holidays are not too bad for her.

Easter, no problem there. She gets her Easter basket from the Easter Bunny and we hide eggs for her that she colored the night before. Christmas is the big one for her as it would be for any other child.

We purchased a small table top tree and the girls decorate it. The lights are already on it so I don't have to mess with that. This year we are taking the month of December off so we have plenty of family time. We usually all go over to my eldest daughter's house on Christmas Eve and have some fun. The biggest problem with Brianne is getting her to sleep so Santa Clause can come by and drop off her presents. A few years back she was wondering how Santa was going to get in since we didn't have a fireplace. Sherry found an old key and painted it gold and told her that we would hang it outside so he can get in.

Travelling around with children is not a reason not to do this. You just have to be inventive and think outside of the box. Sherry does most of that kind of thinking. Now where can I put that turkey, the freezer......might be too small! Oh No.....another dilemma in an RV.

Until Next Time......................Be Safe.
 

Full Time RVing With a Child

When we decided to go to this full time RV thing we did have Brianne in mind. At that time she was 7 I think. When we had the "sticks and bricks" she was going to public school like any other child. Boy I remember her first day going to school I had to stay home from work because Sherry was a basket case. We started to develop problems at her school and we even started to talk about pulling her out and home school her.

During the year that we were having our yard sales and prepping the trailer I decided to do some research on homeschooling materials. To my surprise there was a lot of stuff out there and boy it was pricey too! The very first time I ever heard about this was years ago when my two brothers home schooled their children. Sherry and I were so against it that we thought my brothers had lost their minds. Since then we have changed our minds and now I have two aces in the hole for advice. Sherry and I discussed the subjects and went looking for the material. Our first major shopping spree landed us at Barnes and Noble and we bought about everything that we thought was necessary. Now we don't have any set curriculum but have information that pertains to the subject matter.

Brianne is in the fourth grade now. Once Sherry and I decided on the subjects, math, science, history that sort of thing we buy material to suit her. After a few years of doing this we have noticed that Bri is a visual learner. We have purchased some DVDs on math and science and we are giving it a try to see how it works with her.

What we do now is once a year, usually in the summertime we go to a teacher's supply store and get the material needed for the next year.

When we told our other kids that we were going to go full time RVing they were not too happy about us homeschooling Bri. My son-in-law, who is a teacher said "I think you are being selfish." He also was concerned about her socialization with other kids. I told him that I am sure there will be other kids around for her to play with plus she will have so many Grand Parents around her as well. Meaning the people we meet. I asked him will you ever go and take your children to see Mount Rushmore and he said probably not. So the only way your children will see it is in a book. With this lifestyle we will see it.

We have school with Brianne at any time of the day. She may sit at the table or work on a TV tray in the bedroom. She does her work and reading and she is done, all this may take about an hour and a half, maybe longer or maybe shorter. Sometimes there are days where we don't do school because she may be sick or it may be a holiday like Halloween. How we handle the holidays will be in the next post.

Until Next Time......................Be Safe.

Now What??..........The Stove???

It was time to start dinner and Sherry's turn to cook. This means I have dishes afterwards. She is making strogonoff and I am looking forward to it. I usually have two helpings. I am doing something, maybe checking a licence plate, when she yells out, "Hey my two burners went out." Oh crap, really?

I tore out of the trailer to check the propane tanks and sure enough the tank was empty. Here's the problem BOTH TANKS ARE EMPTY!! Needless to say no strogonoff that night. This is the first time in three years living in this trailer that this has happened.

The first tank I knew was empty but thought that I had enough in the second tank to get us by until Friday. This is when I was going to have them filled. Obviously no such luck. This is the only thing that bugs me about the propane tanks, how much do you have in each tank?

Now I know that there are a lot of "do-dads and gadgets" out there that you can put on or attach to that will tell you how much is left. But how accurate are they. Even the regulator has a little "green and red" button that will tell you if there is propane but will only show you red when you are empty. My regulator is so fancy that they tell you to open both tanks and when one is empty then it will start on the other one. Now you have become so complacent that both tanks are empty. Not me I only open one tank at a time and when that one goes dry I switch over to the other one.

What about the weight? What about it? I know that a 30 pound bottle weighs about 30 pounds empty and will weigh about 55 to 60 pounds when full. Takes about 7.5 gallons of propane. So I go outside undo the hold down mechanism and lift the bottles and say, "HHMMM, feels heavy, I must have propane." Yea right, this is about as accurate as those little magnetic gauges you put on the tanks. Maybe I should put bathroom scales under each tank. Would this work, well the idea sounds good until you tighten the hold down and then this throws off your reading.

In this day and age of wonderful electronic wizardry one would think that they would come up with a device that would tell you the level of propane from inside your trailer. Now maybe they have and I just don't know about it and if they do how come there is not a add on kit? Now come on, they have the sensors for all the tanks that contain liquids why not for the propane, its liquid?

Well I guess I better get off my soapbox and let you go, so..............

Until Next Time......................Be Safe.


 

Let's Get Level Headed About This

In all the years that we have been camping, one of the the most dreaded jobs to do is to level our unit. We first started with a pop up which was so small I had no problems leveling that one. The next one was a motor home which was tail heavy so that one took a lot of boards to get it level. Our travel trailer wasn't too bad but still took some doing. Now the fifth wheel that we are in is the largest and most difficult to level but we have a system.

The fifth wheel has been a learning experience from the word get go. Hitching up and unhitching, pulling, making turns, braking, backing in and leveling. On its maiden voyage we went to one of our favorite spots which was the Indian Reservation just outside of Livingston, Texas. We pulled into our spot, leveled the unit and started to unhitch. When I pulled the release it wouldn't move. I pulled real hard and the truck and trailer both moved. I looked at Sherry and she looked at me and we both said, "What the hell was that?"

Since then we have developed a system for leveling and unhooking. But why is it so important to level the RV? Well besides the obvious it comes down to your refrigerator. That's right the fridge. The fridge works partly on gravity so all the liquids and gases can perform efficiently. If the fridge is not level then their is a possibility for damage to happen. How the fridge works in detail is a whole other post. So let's level this puppy!

Once you pull up to your site, what we do, is get out and take a look around. Look and see how level the site is and don't forget to look up for those low lying tree limbs. From this point I will explain how Sherry and I get level. After looking at the site, I will tell Sherry where I want the tires to be. Once I have the trailer where I want it to be, straight, centered that sort of thing, we discuss how many boards or what we use, the orange blocks. Sherry will start to get the set up on the blocks and then she guides me onto them. I always try to backup onto the blocks. The reason is that the trailer hitch pin will be far enough away from the locking jaws and no pressure so I have an easy release. If you pull forward onto the blocks and then try to release the trailer there is pressure from the hitch pin on the locking jaws and this will make for a difficult release. This is what happened to us at the Indian Reservation.

Sherry guides me onto the blocks and stops me just so she has enough room to place the wheel chock on the other side. Then she continues to have me backup into the wheel chock so she can place the other chock in the front. After this I will unlock the jaws to release the trailer and Sherry starts to lower the front legs. I move the truck out of the way and place a x-chock between the tires. When this is done I will lower the stabilizer legs in the back at each corner. Now remember that the stabilizers are for stabilizing the trailer not for leveling, they are not designed for leveling. I have a tool that can be used to lower the legs but instead I use my cordless drill with an adaptor to except a socket. This makes the job easier and faster. Once this is all done I am confident the the trailer is level and secured.

I must stress safety at this point. If you use good common sense and think safety first you won't have any problems. There may be times when you might forget something during your routine. We were in our TT when I started to unhitch from the truck and the trailer started to roll backwards. I quickly lowered the trailer back onto the ball hitch and started to see why it would roll. To my surprise I forgot to place the wheel chocks at the tires. You have all the time in the world so don't forget a major item like I did.

Now that the trailer is level and the fridge will work fine it's time to go fishing.

Until Next Time...............Be Safe.