Home, But For How Long...

 

Here is Marcia and her long-time friend Gerry.  Gerry is four years older than Marcia, and they have known each other for over 55 years, meeting in Chicago by chance.  Marcia was walking around the block with two of her children, one was in a stroller.  Gerry was out on her front lawn with her daughter Ruth, and Marcia stopped, they started a conversation, and the friendship bloomed from there.  We have met Ruth (whom Gerry lives with along with Ruth's husband, their daughter and son-n-law and their two kids in a very large house) at Cracker Barrels, and at the home they had near St. Augustine, and now at this home outside of Atlanta twice.  What a friendship these two have had...they can go months, even years, not seeing each other, and then when they do, carry on like they had just seen each other yesterday.

I survived the sauna of Tifton, and when we left the Cracker Barrel at 7 am, we were home by noon.  The goal is to NOT have to load and unload too much stuff each trip, but even the amount we do is overwhelming when it is 95 degrees, when it is the hottest September 23rd in Tampa history, and ... well ... you got the picture.  First things first, I needed to take the Cargo Carrier off the back.  Once that was done, and the ADA GoGo Scooter was put in the HHR, I was sweating like a pig.  Then it is a matter of getting some clothes into the condo, all of the toiletries, and our computer stuff.  The perishable foods would wait until Tuesday (which is today, in real life).  

After I parked the Camper Van in the Storage Lot, hooked up the cameras, I came back to get dinner, and then took the longest shower I can remember.  BOY, that sure felt great!  Not sure what time we went to bed...probably before 10, and got up at 8:30 this morning...that felt Great.

So the Camper Van is again back at the condo.  I finished getting a few things, such as dog food (poor Indy had to live off our our food) and laundry soap, and a few other things.  Then, I emptied the Fridge, turned it off, and it is currently in meltdown mode.  Another hour, in this heat, and even the water will have evaporated!  (LOL)

So what is with the title, "Home, But For How Long"...

Well, a storm by the name of Helene is headed our way.  All of the models so far are saying it will hit in what they call the "Big Bend" area.

Above is what Wikipedia shows as the Big Bend area.  The "blue" extends all the way down to where we live near Tampa.  The Red is the Big Bend Region.  The storm is suppose to hit the Region...but the Area, including where we live.  So by Wednesday night we will have to make a decision as to staying or leaving.  All long as it continues to head north, we will stay.  If the prediction shows a turn to the east...well...that is one of the reasons we have an RV.  And with this Camper Van, it makes it that much easier.  

So "IF" we did decide to leave, the Cargo Carrier stays behind, so that does not have to be worried about.  The amount of clothes and the amount of food does not have to be as large.  The toiletries and the drugs and the computers all go.  I figure when we make a decision to leave, if we do, we can be gone in a hours notice.  Chances are...we will be staying put.

Note:  I put Indy's food in her bowl an hour ago...she hasn't touched it, but she did have some Pork, which is part of her daily diet... so no comments about how mean we were to her last night or this morning, she is just fine!

 

Prolong Stays in a Camper Van

 

Our fourth motorhome, this time a Camper Van, in my Sister's backyard.  Our two Class C's needed wooden ramps to get up over the curb as we drove up the driveway, but thank goodness, the Camper Van does not.  The first three needed a "Blue Boy", which is slang for Black and Gray Water Waste tank that is on wheels and can be taken to the nearest dumping outlet (which at Sister's House is on the other side of the house from where we park).  So far we are driving to a dump station every four days as we take care of other business (shopping, visiting mom, laundry, etc).  Which brings up my next point, without a car, the Camper Van becomes our main and only form of transportation for all three of us, but I have borrowed Brother-in-Law Arny's Toyota Truck a few times to get dinner or go to the store.  It would take us about ten minutes to get ready and pull out onto the street if we needed/wanted to hurry...about the same to set up again once we are back.

Here is something I thought of on our way to visit mom in the "Old People's Home".  Put her in her Wheelchair, brought her out next to the sliding door, put out the awning, swung Marcia's chair around so she and Mom could see each other, and I used Marcia's Walker to sit on.  Nice pleasant breeze, and we all have a nice visit without Marcia having to expend energy to get out, and back in, the Camper Van.  Speaking of which, Marcia can get in and out of the Camper Van all on her own, something she has not been able to do since we got rid of our Class A back in 2013.  It still is a bit tiring, but gives her the freedom of not relying on me or others to assist her with getting in and out.

Sister Sandy turned us onto a new Restaurant, it is called Huckleberry's Breakfast & Lunch.  There are a number of them in the general Sacramento Area, and many are located in former Denny's and Perko's Cafes.  At this location in Roseville we are able to park in the ADA slot closest to the door, and I could watch Indy when she was in the front looking out and barking at people who approached.  With our generator going, the AC was on, so she was fine...I made sure to let the cashier know just in case someone complains about a dog in a hot vehicle.

So we have been here for three weeks now, and the only major upgrade we have added is 3" of bed topper and a Fluffy Mattress Cover Quilted Fitted Mattress Pad to put on top.  The beds as they came were very uncomfortable...now we are both sleeping so much better, it is very comfortable, and worth the nearly $200 complete price tag.  We only have the electric connected, and I fill up the water tank as needed.  We have used the dump station at the Chevron Station in Roseville (corner of Eureka and Rocky Ridge), and find that Fridays and especially Sundays are very busy...midweek not so much.  Been stuck behind a newbie one time and that was like sticking pins in your eyes...  Overall, staying for a prolong time period in the Camper Van is doable...not as easy as the past three motorhomes we have owned, but not overly hard.

Of course, I would be amiss if I did not talk about my lovely Granddaughter, who turned 2 last month.  Last time we arrived her and my son Michael were in the front yard and she was so happy to see the Camper Van drive up.  On our previous visit, she was at the window saying goodbye to Grandpa, and Michael said she even cried just a little bit.  Tomorrow we visit with them all again, which will be the last visit until September due to their busy schedules.  There is something about hearing the words "Grandpa" from our Grandchild that just warms your heart...

Got our New "Camper Van" Motorhome

 

Here is our 2024 Thor Sequence.  Not ready to give in-depth pictures yet, but that will come.  I am trying to figure out all the electronics, those that are in the "driving" of it, and those that are in the "living" in it.

General RV Center is the nation's largest family owned RV dealer.  The are a huge seller of Thor RVs, but also brands.  They have five Florida locations in Fort Pierce Jacksonville, Ocala, Orlando, and Tampa.  Also located in Huntley, Illinois, Salisbury, North Carolina, North Canton, Ohio, Elizabethtown and West Chester, Pennsylvania, Salt Lake City and South Weber, Utah and Richmond, Virginia.

Thor Industries, Inc. is an American manufacturer of RVs through its subsidiary brands including Airstream, Heartland RV, Jayco, Livin Lite RV, and many others, along with, of course, the name of Thor.  The Thor Family of companies are the largest manufacturer of RVs.

As with ALL RVs and RV Dealers, there are good reviews and bad reviews.  The key for us was that when we went to visit back in February just to "see" if Marcia could get into a van easier than the Dynamax that we had back then.  Had they not just sold a used Thor Tellaro, made before the pandemic, we probably would have put a down payment on that...but it was sold.  So we stuck to our "just want to get into one and check them out" plan, and left thinking I would come back within a week and drive one and see if we could spring a deal.  They assigned Monique to be our sales representative, and immediately we felt a bit of a connection.  Not pushy, very accommodating, always a straight shooter with us.  Right away we realized that trading our old motorhome in was going to be problematic...and then I saw a new Doctor pertaining to my knees and realized that if we bought one, we would not be able to really go anywhere for half a year...so why buy one and then let it sit around???

Fast forward to June.  We had already donated our old motorhome to help a Veterans Organization...if we were going to give it away as a trade in, might as well give it away and help someone by doing so...a win win for all.  After keeping an eye on many dealers and many Camper Vans, I came upon one being sold in Stanford Florida at an "un-named" dealer that I really did not want to deal with, for $15K less than being sold for in Tampa.  I called Monique and she said, "I think we will match that price..."  And they did.  Had we only financed the Camper Van through them, it all would have gone smoothly...but I had developed a relationship with a Credit Union and they had a Interest Rate a 1/4 percent lower.  Since we are paying it off in 3-5 years (it is a 5 year loan that we got) the 1/4 percent does not amount to much more than $100 per year.  THAT is when the two reputable businesses started standing their ground causing undo hardship on us.  I put much of that blame on General RV Center for 'doubting' that this Credit Union, with over 2 Billion in assets, would not send them a check once all the paper work was in order.  Through all of this, Monique did a wonderful job, going above and beyond what she needed to do as a sales person.  Well, that is all water under the bridge now...it is time to learn all about this one, and deal with any issues that might arise, and enjoy the new Camper Van as we adjust to the smaller space.  We both agree that it is a very smooth ride.

The picture above is the Camper Van parked at the RV Storage next door to our condo.  Last night it stayed in one of the visitor spaces next to our parking space, and it just fit without sticking out in the street at all.