Euphemism 1 - Flushing money down the toilet - We bought this stuff to clean the toilet, it doesn't hurt the enzymes in the black water tank, it won't harm the finish, and it was supposed to be easy peasy fresh and squeezy. You just... squeeze it into the toilet bowl, let it sit for 15 minutes, and it does allllll the work. Ha. You've heard of flushing money down the toilet? It can happen. That stuff didn't do anything other than keep us out of the bathroom for 15 minutes and it smelled like a urinal cake.
Euphemism 2 - Adding insult to injury (but not necessarily in that order) - Yesterday afternoon after Mike got home, we were going to move the satellite onto the roof of the 5'er in an attempt to gain southern exposure. After assessing the situation, Mike determined that, even on the roof, we're screwed because of the beautiful tree next to us. I almost cried... But before he came to that conclusion, I began to disconnect the cables and the cord that powers the satellite dish. I don't really know if there's an easy way to do that... I just pulled on it, and in the process, my thumb flew up and smacked the rim of the case. Almost immediately the joint of my thumb began to get puffy and it hurt. Another reason to cry... So I wrapped it in my shirt to keep pressure on it. It began to hurt and throb and I went to the special place I go when I'm trying not to freak out... I have this phobia about fingers and pain. All last night I kept it wrapped in a paper tower... life is hard without opposable thumbs...
My tomato plant is growing like a weed! Pretty soon I'm going to run out of holes to raise the grow lights. The basil is also doing well. I used some the other day in a salad with some cherry tomatoes I cut into small disks, kalamata olives also cut into small disks. 'Tis tasty. The jalapeno plant is small and not growing very quickly, but it's still very much alive. Nothing else is really growing. I didn't mention that the first time I attempted to raise the grow lights, the whole mechanism came off and amputated my tomato plant... Talk about upset... But I thought, what the hell, and I took the pieces and put them in the grow medium where the spinach and arugula used to be... since they didn't sprout... now I have two tomato plants, maybe three... the original plant looks dead, but the stalks are still green so maybe they'll put out shoots. Never underestimate a plant's determination to live... I thought my plum tree and the ficus were dead at various times, and they are thriving.
Need to start putting things away in preparation for departure tomorrow. The thing that sucks is I never thought I'd have to pack again... but since we'll be leaving the RV at the shop, we'll need clothes, linens, towels, cat stuff, toiletries... dammit... I know we're going to forget something. I also need to make reservations for a cottage... Okay... gonna get on that...
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
0055 - Picture Page
I attempted to set up the satellite this afternoon, but south is blocked by a ginormous tree, so I have to wait until Mike gets home so I can climb up the ladder and try it on the roof. If I have to suffer through one more day of retirement television, I'm going to go batshit crazy.
There is Spanish moss everywhere around here. Sometimes, depending on how many trees are around, it's like it's raining moss. It just doesn't transfer well to film... I tried... So I ended up snapping this because it sort of looks like a wedding bouquet. Use your imagination... think harder... harder... squint... Okay, you got it!
I worked most of the day, so not much to tell, but I did get out and about this afternoon to explore a bit with my camera. I wish I had snapped the butterfly... but I got greedy and wanted a closeup; in the meantime it flew away. Heard a hawk, saw a hawk, no good shots. There's always tomorrow.
This is what I did get (if you click on them they get much, much bigger and you can see details that maybe make some sense of my rambling):
Hello there Mr. Squirrel. Flattening yourself is a nice tactic, but I do still see you.
...still see you...
There is Spanish moss everywhere around here. Sometimes, depending on how many trees are around, it's like it's raining moss. It just doesn't transfer well to film... I tried... So I ended up snapping this because it sort of looks like a wedding bouquet. Use your imagination... think harder... harder... squint... Okay, you got it!
Birdie! And it has something in its mouth... a bug? A leaf? I don't know. I couldn't get any closer and every time I zoomed in more, he went out of focus.
Yep. More dragonflies. I like 'em. Live with it.
Flower... there wasn't a lot to take pics of. Bear with me.
Just thought this was pretty.
This was also kinda pretty. Their garden could really use some maintenance. There are quite a few vines covering everything, and did you notice the Spanish moss? Did you? I wasn't sure.
Something about these clouds reminds me of a Disney movie, they're so perfect and fluffy. Anyway, it's a cool mirror image I got when I was trying to capture a bunch of pink dragonflies that were flying around along the water line.
This is a cool stripey dragonfly on the branch of a tree. Luckily he posed for me as it took me quite a while to find him and get him in focus. That's why dragonflies are so cool... butterflies are flighty (pardon the pun) and won't stick around.
Got a pink dragonfly... not a very good pic, but an interesting one. Something about it reminds me of the 60's... not really, I wasn't alive in the 60's, but you know...
So this is the best I could do to capture the way the moss looks... soft and wispy. Ignore that it's full of chiggers, that takes the romance out of it. We're focusing on soft and wispy.
Was going to get a closeup of the flower, but there was a rather large spiderweb spanning the covered bridge that led up to it. Now... I could have taken a stick and removed the web... but I didn't think it was a nice thing to do. I used my zoom instead. Maybe in the morning I can get a picture of the web if there is dew on it, it's rather impressive. Thank goodness I didn't see a spider... web that big... probably made by a pret-ty big spider. Eep.
The way the light played across the bark was purdy.
Bark. Yes. I like trees... roots... bark... leaves... trees. I like 'em... shut up.
Mike would call this an itty bitty baby frog. You'd have to hear it from him to appreciate how adorable that would make this frog, but since you can't... look - there's a leaf for perspective. It was tiny.
Vines covering a tree. It was interesting.
Radioactive flowers! hahaha This is where the butterfly taunted me. Cruelness. Nobody likes it.
Cool seed. I made it sepia because that makes it artistic. Go with it. It's Friday and I don't feel like arguing. :) Happy Friday!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
0054 - RV parks are like bathrooms
You're probably wondering how the hell the two could possibly be similar... allow me to explain...
Say you go into a bathroom. There are five stalls. Usually you skip a stall, sometimes you get as far away from the occupied stall as you can. In no case, except all other stalls being out of working order, would you choose the stall right next to the occupied stall. People want space. They like privacy.
This park is EMPTY. In Florida, RV parks don't fill up until September... snowbirds, you know. Imagine my chagrin when I woke up to find a Class A parked right next to us... Not in the empty field-o-poles I've been told is far superior to our location, but RIGHT NEXT TO US. I want them to go away.
If the park were full it would be a different story... but it's not. I feel like my privacy is being invaded. I like to open the shades all the way if I can, but not if someone is next to me... so now I have to leave the day shades down. Not my favorite thing. There was another RV here when we pulled up, but at least we put a space in between us... tried to put two but it wasn't level enough.
Anyway...
Yesterday I accomplished a lot. I spent most of the day on the phone... with the insurance company, with the RV manufacturer, with the repair facility, and with the timeshare. Today I worked. Money is not stellar, but it kept me occupied. That, coupled with the fact that they didn't run the siren this morning (which allowed me to sleep in) meant my day went rather quickly. I wake up to say goodbye to Mike, but then I go back to sleep.
It's not that way for Mike... Mike gets up around 5:00 or 6:00 in the morning so he can get to the worksite, and he doesn't come home until 5:00 or 6:00 in the evening. His arms are maroon. His muscles are sore. I pamper him as much as I can... dinner is ready when he gets home, I try to let him stay off his feet. The first day was bad, he got dehydrated and came home a bit early, the last two days he's fared better. He's just really, really uncomfortable. I've been trying to pack snacks for him, and we got water and sports drinks last night to keep him hydrated and keep his electrolytes up. I'm trying to make dinner more healthy too. Tonight was pasta salad (something cool since he's been in the sun all day), a salad of tomatoes, kalamata olives and basil, some hoppin' john (delicious), avocado, and roasted broccoli.
Daytime television still sucks... but today I did transcription work so I didn't have the volume up since I need to hear. Supposedly they have cable here, but I haven't been able to tune it in. Tomorrow I might pull the satellite out, I dunno... we're only here for a few more days. But I want to see Walking Dead... new season is on now right? I don't even know anymore. I also need to get out and walk around again. I get intimidated by the fact that this place is a small city, and even though it seems empty, there are people roaming around doing maintenance. I don't like going out by myself. Plus, the last couple of times I've had to go to the office, I've gotten caught in the rain.
So... I guess that's kind of it for the day. Here are some pics I took yesterday.
Pretty Airstream. This park was actually founded by Airstream owners so there are quite a few around here. The guy at the front desk gave me a 64-page manifesto on the history of the park, and initially I chuckled to myself... but... I skimmed through it, and it's actually an interesting story. Guy envisioned the park, asked for investors from his Airstream club, bought a farm and started converting it. Now it's like a miniature city - I kid you not - they have their own voting precinct. Not to mention the fire station.
This is pretty awesome, an Airstream next to a park trailer so you have the best of both worlds.
This tree is HUGE. You can't tell from the photo, but it is HUGE. I would guess the trunk is about five or six feet across.
Say you go into a bathroom. There are five stalls. Usually you skip a stall, sometimes you get as far away from the occupied stall as you can. In no case, except all other stalls being out of working order, would you choose the stall right next to the occupied stall. People want space. They like privacy.
This park is EMPTY. In Florida, RV parks don't fill up until September... snowbirds, you know. Imagine my chagrin when I woke up to find a Class A parked right next to us... Not in the empty field-o-poles I've been told is far superior to our location, but RIGHT NEXT TO US. I want them to go away.
If the park were full it would be a different story... but it's not. I feel like my privacy is being invaded. I like to open the shades all the way if I can, but not if someone is next to me... so now I have to leave the day shades down. Not my favorite thing. There was another RV here when we pulled up, but at least we put a space in between us... tried to put two but it wasn't level enough.
Anyway...
Yesterday I accomplished a lot. I spent most of the day on the phone... with the insurance company, with the RV manufacturer, with the repair facility, and with the timeshare. Today I worked. Money is not stellar, but it kept me occupied. That, coupled with the fact that they didn't run the siren this morning (which allowed me to sleep in) meant my day went rather quickly. I wake up to say goodbye to Mike, but then I go back to sleep.
It's not that way for Mike... Mike gets up around 5:00 or 6:00 in the morning so he can get to the worksite, and he doesn't come home until 5:00 or 6:00 in the evening. His arms are maroon. His muscles are sore. I pamper him as much as I can... dinner is ready when he gets home, I try to let him stay off his feet. The first day was bad, he got dehydrated and came home a bit early, the last two days he's fared better. He's just really, really uncomfortable. I've been trying to pack snacks for him, and we got water and sports drinks last night to keep him hydrated and keep his electrolytes up. I'm trying to make dinner more healthy too. Tonight was pasta salad (something cool since he's been in the sun all day), a salad of tomatoes, kalamata olives and basil, some hoppin' john (delicious), avocado, and roasted broccoli.
Daytime television still sucks... but today I did transcription work so I didn't have the volume up since I need to hear. Supposedly they have cable here, but I haven't been able to tune it in. Tomorrow I might pull the satellite out, I dunno... we're only here for a few more days. But I want to see Walking Dead... new season is on now right? I don't even know anymore. I also need to get out and walk around again. I get intimidated by the fact that this place is a small city, and even though it seems empty, there are people roaming around doing maintenance. I don't like going out by myself. Plus, the last couple of times I've had to go to the office, I've gotten caught in the rain.
So... I guess that's kind of it for the day. Here are some pics I took yesterday.
Pretty Airstream. This park was actually founded by Airstream owners so there are quite a few around here. The guy at the front desk gave me a 64-page manifesto on the history of the park, and initially I chuckled to myself... but... I skimmed through it, and it's actually an interesting story. Guy envisioned the park, asked for investors from his Airstream club, bought a farm and started converting it. Now it's like a miniature city - I kid you not - they have their own voting precinct. Not to mention the fire station.
This is pretty awesome, an Airstream next to a park trailer so you have the best of both worlds.
Awesome truck that makes Mike drool. Hell, I like it, too.
Bane of my existence...
They have their own golf course, too... and this is on the fringes of it. I just thought it was pretty. And the other day I was eyeing it as potential cover if the rain started in earnest. Florida has lots of random swampy areas, so last night as we went to the grocery store I thought we were passing some of those, Mike said it was just flooded fields from all the rain. You can see a little of that on the sidewalk. There's a little creek that runs under a bridge and it was going pretty fast. It didn't rain today so maybe it'll dry up a little.
If we could put this on our property, we'd be golden.
This tree is HUGE. You can't tell from the photo, but it is HUGE. I would guess the trunk is about five or six feet across.
Well hello there Mr. Lizard.
Story of our life.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
0053 - Florida
We hit the road early yesterday to make our way to the New Port Richey area. At first we thought we were going to have to break the trip up into two days, but it ended up being a ten hour trip, so we bit the bullet and drove all the way through. Poor Mike. Ten hours in a car is a lot different than ten hours in a truck that's towing a 39-ft fifth wheel... a lot different. Toss a cat into the mix and it's just not relaxing and enjoyable, because Gracie hates being in the cage and is very vocal about that... she's kind of been spoiled since we started letting her out while we're rolling, but even when she's out she has her moments.
Things were going okay, Atlanta was a little tense with all the traffic, but for most of the trip there wasn't a lot of clutter on the roads. The GPS seems to route us through a lot of backroads and small towns, and we can't figure out if it's because we programmed the length and height of the rig and it's accommodating that, or if they're getting kickbacks from the state parks... because we pass a lot of state parks.
Gas stations are another stressful thing about traveling like this. Not all stations carry diesel. Not all stations that carry diesel are accessible. Not all accessible stations that carry diesel have a pump available, because people in cars that don't use diesel will go for any pump that's available. Yes - this is all relevant to my story in case you're wondering.
So... we attempt to go to a BP... no diesel. We try an Exxon... no diesel. A Shell... first the asshat in front of us turned in and stopped in front of us, leaving us hanging out in the road. They had a place to go... it's not like they were blocked and couldn't move. Finally they pulled forward, and in the meantime we realized that they didn't carry diesel either. There was no place to turn around because there were too many cars, and honestly I can't remember how high the carport was, we might not have been able to fit underneath anyway (or maybe they had diesel but we couldn't fit... anyhoo). The only way available was forward. Forward ended in a very steep concrete ramp that scared the shit out of me. I thought, 'if we couldn't make it down something less steep than this on our property... how are we supposed to make it down this?' But down we went, and at first it seemed as if we'd made it unscathed...
Then Mike stops the truck, starts cursing like a sailor, and hops out. He saw the hook fly off the strap that keeps the generator tethered to the tow basket. I put Gracie in the cage and hopped out, too. Turns out, we dragged our ass down the majority of the ramp, and we damaged the back end of the 5'er. It was not a good moment. During times like that, if I focus on the damage I will become overwhelmed and just lose it. I have to start thinking of how it can be fixed. My first thought was that insurance might cover the damage, and if they did, this wasn't so bad...
The upside is that Allstate considers it a collision, and they will cover it, so at most we're out $500 - and I think it's going to be significantly more than that because the back is all one giant piece. The ladder also got scraped and probably needs to be replaced. Also good is that it didn't damage a slide or a window, and the cracked portion is not something that allows access to the interior of the 5'er, so no worrying about water damage from rain, letting heat get in, or bugs using it as a revolving door. And we have some warranty work that we've been putting off, so this is a good time to get the couch, the bed, the stairs, the closet shelf, the trim pieces, and the motor that levels the jacks repaired. See? We needed this...
On Wednesday we should be able to activate our timeshare membership, so we can take the 5'er in for service and get a cabin... it will cost us, but Mike gets a per diem that should cover it at the reduced rate (or if there is a home park nearby it will be free). That way we still have a place to ourselves, we don't have to worry about finding a hotel that takes pets... it'll be alright. I am being honest here - I fell in love with the cabin at Mountain Lakes... I want to build one that we can live in. After we get the RV in for service we also need to take the truck in for service. The transmission seemed to be struggling a lot on this trip and the fluids need to be changed out, the map sensor needs to be replaced, the lights need to be changed out... we just need to do a lot of maintenance. The truck is good otherwise, we're really happy with it.
We also ran into a nasty thunderstorm on the way in. It was another one of those times that I couldn't see very well and that makes me nervous, especially with slick roads and swamps on the side of the road. It didn't last too long, but it was long enough.
Then we get to the campsite, it's probably 8:30 or 9:00 pm so it's dark and the office is closed. I don't know who laid this place out, but it is confusing as hell. First there is a rather large residential area, and after we consulted the map we figured out where our slips were; they're basically in a field with poles sticking up and we didn't know which way to orient ourselves and the ground is not level AT ALL so the first space we tried... the RV just threw up its hands and said 'I can't do this y'all'. So we left the RV where it was and drove over to the other parking area to see what that was like - it is worse... it's more level, but it's like a pole graveyard, completely empty so there are no cues to help us figure it out. We decided to stay where we were but moved over a spot. It was a little better. Then the motor that runs the jacks started smoking... it wouldn't level the RV, it wouldn't retract the jacks. The mosquitos were sucking us dry, the ground was wet. It was not fun in any way, shape, form, or fashion. But we finally got everything situated... Mike dealt with the jacks and I tried to get everything hooked up. It was a long day and a long night.
Today is Mike's first day of work, and my first day in the trailer by myself. I have been keeping busy... I have a load of laundry going, I reorganized some storage items, took pics of the damage, did tribbles... I mean, dishes... put more water and beer in the fridge, and now I'm catching up on emails and blogging. It's only 10 am... I'm running out of busy work. I'm watching crap Mike wouldn't tolerate... mostly because I haven't decided if I want to attempt to hook up the cable or not (for one thing I don't know where the connections are out here... not loving the way this park is set up at all, have I mentioned?), and network tv doesn't give me a lot of options. I need noise... I can't help it... I still need to check in with the RV park, and then I need to call around to see who can get us in for repairs. We have a warranty company and they gave us three names to try out, and they all do Forest River warranty work which covers all our bases.
And now, the picture portion of our show...
Hard to see but this is underneath the passenger's side corner of the fifth wheel. The fiberglass is all cracked and crumpled and pulled away from the frame.
Me and my cousin Jason... haven't seen him in about five years. It was good to catch up. Yes, he's tall. Yes, he knows he's tall. :)
Things were going okay, Atlanta was a little tense with all the traffic, but for most of the trip there wasn't a lot of clutter on the roads. The GPS seems to route us through a lot of backroads and small towns, and we can't figure out if it's because we programmed the length and height of the rig and it's accommodating that, or if they're getting kickbacks from the state parks... because we pass a lot of state parks.
Gas stations are another stressful thing about traveling like this. Not all stations carry diesel. Not all stations that carry diesel are accessible. Not all accessible stations that carry diesel have a pump available, because people in cars that don't use diesel will go for any pump that's available. Yes - this is all relevant to my story in case you're wondering.
So... we attempt to go to a BP... no diesel. We try an Exxon... no diesel. A Shell... first the asshat in front of us turned in and stopped in front of us, leaving us hanging out in the road. They had a place to go... it's not like they were blocked and couldn't move. Finally they pulled forward, and in the meantime we realized that they didn't carry diesel either. There was no place to turn around because there were too many cars, and honestly I can't remember how high the carport was, we might not have been able to fit underneath anyway (or maybe they had diesel but we couldn't fit... anyhoo). The only way available was forward. Forward ended in a very steep concrete ramp that scared the shit out of me. I thought, 'if we couldn't make it down something less steep than this on our property... how are we supposed to make it down this?' But down we went, and at first it seemed as if we'd made it unscathed...
Then Mike stops the truck, starts cursing like a sailor, and hops out. He saw the hook fly off the strap that keeps the generator tethered to the tow basket. I put Gracie in the cage and hopped out, too. Turns out, we dragged our ass down the majority of the ramp, and we damaged the back end of the 5'er. It was not a good moment. During times like that, if I focus on the damage I will become overwhelmed and just lose it. I have to start thinking of how it can be fixed. My first thought was that insurance might cover the damage, and if they did, this wasn't so bad...
The upside is that Allstate considers it a collision, and they will cover it, so at most we're out $500 - and I think it's going to be significantly more than that because the back is all one giant piece. The ladder also got scraped and probably needs to be replaced. Also good is that it didn't damage a slide or a window, and the cracked portion is not something that allows access to the interior of the 5'er, so no worrying about water damage from rain, letting heat get in, or bugs using it as a revolving door. And we have some warranty work that we've been putting off, so this is a good time to get the couch, the bed, the stairs, the closet shelf, the trim pieces, and the motor that levels the jacks repaired. See? We needed this...
On Wednesday we should be able to activate our timeshare membership, so we can take the 5'er in for service and get a cabin... it will cost us, but Mike gets a per diem that should cover it at the reduced rate (or if there is a home park nearby it will be free). That way we still have a place to ourselves, we don't have to worry about finding a hotel that takes pets... it'll be alright. I am being honest here - I fell in love with the cabin at Mountain Lakes... I want to build one that we can live in. After we get the RV in for service we also need to take the truck in for service. The transmission seemed to be struggling a lot on this trip and the fluids need to be changed out, the map sensor needs to be replaced, the lights need to be changed out... we just need to do a lot of maintenance. The truck is good otherwise, we're really happy with it.
We also ran into a nasty thunderstorm on the way in. It was another one of those times that I couldn't see very well and that makes me nervous, especially with slick roads and swamps on the side of the road. It didn't last too long, but it was long enough.
Then we get to the campsite, it's probably 8:30 or 9:00 pm so it's dark and the office is closed. I don't know who laid this place out, but it is confusing as hell. First there is a rather large residential area, and after we consulted the map we figured out where our slips were; they're basically in a field with poles sticking up and we didn't know which way to orient ourselves and the ground is not level AT ALL so the first space we tried... the RV just threw up its hands and said 'I can't do this y'all'. So we left the RV where it was and drove over to the other parking area to see what that was like - it is worse... it's more level, but it's like a pole graveyard, completely empty so there are no cues to help us figure it out. We decided to stay where we were but moved over a spot. It was a little better. Then the motor that runs the jacks started smoking... it wouldn't level the RV, it wouldn't retract the jacks. The mosquitos were sucking us dry, the ground was wet. It was not fun in any way, shape, form, or fashion. But we finally got everything situated... Mike dealt with the jacks and I tried to get everything hooked up. It was a long day and a long night.
Today is Mike's first day of work, and my first day in the trailer by myself. I have been keeping busy... I have a load of laundry going, I reorganized some storage items, took pics of the damage, did tribbles... I mean, dishes... put more water and beer in the fridge, and now I'm catching up on emails and blogging. It's only 10 am... I'm running out of busy work. I'm watching crap Mike wouldn't tolerate... mostly because I haven't decided if I want to attempt to hook up the cable or not (for one thing I don't know where the connections are out here... not loving the way this park is set up at all, have I mentioned?), and network tv doesn't give me a lot of options. I need noise... I can't help it... I still need to check in with the RV park, and then I need to call around to see who can get us in for repairs. We have a warranty company and they gave us three names to try out, and they all do Forest River warranty work which covers all our bases.
And now, the picture portion of our show...
Hard to see but this is underneath the passenger's side corner of the fifth wheel. The fiberglass is all cracked and crumpled and pulled away from the frame.
This is a better shot to show that it's cracked above that reflector, and the back end is pulled away from the frame.
Going back in time a day or two... Davidson Center for Space Exploration in Huntsville, AL, since I didn't get around to posting any of those pics.
Me and my cousin Jason... haven't seen him in about five years. It was good to catch up. Yes, he's tall. Yes, he knows he's tall. :)
Guntersville Lake
Sunday, July 22, 2012
0052 - Let the good times roll
We hit the road yesterday. It was a little sad to leave the familiar surroundings of Made in the Shade, Ron is a great guy and we loved the area, but life does have the tendency to bring new adventures and off to Huntsville, AL we went.
Last night we helped welcome one of Mike's buddies home from another deployment. It was good to meet Joe, Liz and their family. I'd heard a lot about them and they were every bit as cool as Mike made them sound. We talked for a few hours, then watched the new Underworld movie on their HUGE television, it was almost like being at a movie theater... awesome. It was kind of a unique film in that it was primarily action with very little dialogue, yet the story was clearly told. Unfortunately we were all a little worn out and didn't make it to the end. Since it was 65 miles back to the RV park we stayed with them, got up early this morning and went to IHOP for breakfast... IHOP gives you too much food, seriously, I didn't even make it halfway through my stack of red velvet pancakes and I was full.
After that we came home and took a nap before our presentation at noon. If you remember, we 'won' a 3-night stay at a members-only RV park. It's very crowded here, and since it's an older park it has smaller spaces and we feel like sardines because it seems like everyone in the south decided to come here this weekend. We don't like crowds... They are starting to build new sites that are bigger and plan to start closing rows and tearing things out to rebuild, so it will get better... that's good to hear. It's on Guntersville Lake, which is huge and absolutely gorgeous, we seem to find ourselves near water everywhere we go - not complaining, mind you... not complaining at all - just an observation. Anyway, Mike and I both decided ahead of time that we were absolutely not interested in the sales pitch, and pretty much went in with that mindset.
The saleslady started to give her spiel, we let her know up front that neither of us had jobs at the moment, and she mentioned workamping... which is doing odd jobs at an RV park in exchange for a free stay, or money. She told us her story and she can relate to where we are in life (and then some), she went through some hard and uncertain times herself... part of it might have been sales pitch, but for the most part she seemed like a pretty genuine person and didn't give us a hard sell. I think, had we gotten one of the other two reps... it would have turned out differently. She also mentioned that they are looking for site managers and things like that, I like that she gave us options to explore, because if Mike ends up doing the tower work, it gives me the opportunity to get out and do something if I want to, and I don't have to worry about how to get to work or sharing a vehicle, and there would be a variety of things to do, not just one thing all the time. And in his downtime, if there is something Mike can do (and wants to), he could do the same.
But the part that sold us was that for about $120/mo, we could spend 21 nights a month 'free' at about 600 different parks all over the US, they're adding sites and upgrading all the time, we would get 30-50% off the rates at several more campsites, we get 50% off hotel rates if we ever needed that (think Westin and the like), 50% off of cruises, and one week's free cabin rental at a 'home park' - plus we can choose five family members to share our benefits with. Not only that, we can sometimes book cruises or hotels for friends as well. I'm starting to see destination vacations and family reunions in our future. For example, if my parents go through with it and purchase an RV and they want to stay at a campsite with us, we stay free as members, they only pay $6/night. Or we can meet them in Branson and get them a cabin that normally goes for $70/night for $35/night (the cabins here are NICE, we seriously want to build one to live in), or if they stay a week it is even less, Mike's mom is a Branson fan, too. This could be a great way to spend time with people and it's affordable.
After doing the math, we spent about $550 for a month at MitS, and that rate was actually a VERY good deal with our discount - it just adds up over time. Given that we don't know where we'll be at any given time, this could save us a lot of money in the longrun and bring our monthly outlay to something more like $330, so it would cut it in half or more. The other nice thing is that after seven years (or less if we pay more), it's paid off and we only pay $385/yr in membership dues but we keep the same benefits forever (yes, we can sell the membership if we want to). We like being mobile, and even if we get to the point where we seldom use the RV, we still come out ahead because we have all kinds of options, and we can share the savings. Being able to share it with people was a nice surprise.
All in all we surprised ourselves and did a complete 180... but given the fact that we are going to be traveling as much as we are, it tuned out to be a good deal for us. I can see how it wouldn't be for everyone... if you don't travel a lot it would be a waste. Before we knew how many parks are in their network, or found out about all the additional perks, we thought it would be a waste for us too. Sometimes things come your way and throw you for a loop... this time it was a good loop.
After all that, we met my cousin Jason and his family for dinner at Wintzell's Oyster House. It was good to see him, we've been talking a lot lately but I haven't actually seen him in probably five years or so. We were going to try to meet up and go canoeing, but our time here was cut short because...
Tomorrow we are headed for Florida. Mike got a temporary gig helping out a tower install in New Port Richey and it will last for about two weeks. So... that's good. AND it means I get to hang out with my friends Sandy and Renee, because they're about three hours away. They have a sailboat, so Mike is salivating over that, he used to crew racing boats and misses being in the water... I just love me some Sandy (and like being on boats, too). I also want to go to The Wonderful Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but I don't know if it will happen... Sandy has no interest, Mike isn't keen on the idea, and it kind of sucks that we'll be there at the height of tourist season... but I really want to go... the first time I was in Florida (for a launch) it was opening weekend, but it got pushed back a month or two... the second time I was in Florida (for Sandy's wedding), time was short and I couldn't go... so the third time is a charm? We'll see.
Oh, and I leave you with... bricktorian... a modern Victorian house made of brick. You're welcome. :)
Last night we helped welcome one of Mike's buddies home from another deployment. It was good to meet Joe, Liz and their family. I'd heard a lot about them and they were every bit as cool as Mike made them sound. We talked for a few hours, then watched the new Underworld movie on their HUGE television, it was almost like being at a movie theater... awesome. It was kind of a unique film in that it was primarily action with very little dialogue, yet the story was clearly told. Unfortunately we were all a little worn out and didn't make it to the end. Since it was 65 miles back to the RV park we stayed with them, got up early this morning and went to IHOP for breakfast... IHOP gives you too much food, seriously, I didn't even make it halfway through my stack of red velvet pancakes and I was full.
After that we came home and took a nap before our presentation at noon. If you remember, we 'won' a 3-night stay at a members-only RV park. It's very crowded here, and since it's an older park it has smaller spaces and we feel like sardines because it seems like everyone in the south decided to come here this weekend. We don't like crowds... They are starting to build new sites that are bigger and plan to start closing rows and tearing things out to rebuild, so it will get better... that's good to hear. It's on Guntersville Lake, which is huge and absolutely gorgeous, we seem to find ourselves near water everywhere we go - not complaining, mind you... not complaining at all - just an observation. Anyway, Mike and I both decided ahead of time that we were absolutely not interested in the sales pitch, and pretty much went in with that mindset.
The saleslady started to give her spiel, we let her know up front that neither of us had jobs at the moment, and she mentioned workamping... which is doing odd jobs at an RV park in exchange for a free stay, or money. She told us her story and she can relate to where we are in life (and then some), she went through some hard and uncertain times herself... part of it might have been sales pitch, but for the most part she seemed like a pretty genuine person and didn't give us a hard sell. I think, had we gotten one of the other two reps... it would have turned out differently. She also mentioned that they are looking for site managers and things like that, I like that she gave us options to explore, because if Mike ends up doing the tower work, it gives me the opportunity to get out and do something if I want to, and I don't have to worry about how to get to work or sharing a vehicle, and there would be a variety of things to do, not just one thing all the time. And in his downtime, if there is something Mike can do (and wants to), he could do the same.
But the part that sold us was that for about $120/mo, we could spend 21 nights a month 'free' at about 600 different parks all over the US, they're adding sites and upgrading all the time, we would get 30-50% off the rates at several more campsites, we get 50% off hotel rates if we ever needed that (think Westin and the like), 50% off of cruises, and one week's free cabin rental at a 'home park' - plus we can choose five family members to share our benefits with. Not only that, we can sometimes book cruises or hotels for friends as well. I'm starting to see destination vacations and family reunions in our future. For example, if my parents go through with it and purchase an RV and they want to stay at a campsite with us, we stay free as members, they only pay $6/night. Or we can meet them in Branson and get them a cabin that normally goes for $70/night for $35/night (the cabins here are NICE, we seriously want to build one to live in), or if they stay a week it is even less, Mike's mom is a Branson fan, too. This could be a great way to spend time with people and it's affordable.
After doing the math, we spent about $550 for a month at MitS, and that rate was actually a VERY good deal with our discount - it just adds up over time. Given that we don't know where we'll be at any given time, this could save us a lot of money in the longrun and bring our monthly outlay to something more like $330, so it would cut it in half or more. The other nice thing is that after seven years (or less if we pay more), it's paid off and we only pay $385/yr in membership dues but we keep the same benefits forever (yes, we can sell the membership if we want to). We like being mobile, and even if we get to the point where we seldom use the RV, we still come out ahead because we have all kinds of options, and we can share the savings. Being able to share it with people was a nice surprise.
All in all we surprised ourselves and did a complete 180... but given the fact that we are going to be traveling as much as we are, it tuned out to be a good deal for us. I can see how it wouldn't be for everyone... if you don't travel a lot it would be a waste. Before we knew how many parks are in their network, or found out about all the additional perks, we thought it would be a waste for us too. Sometimes things come your way and throw you for a loop... this time it was a good loop.
After all that, we met my cousin Jason and his family for dinner at Wintzell's Oyster House. It was good to see him, we've been talking a lot lately but I haven't actually seen him in probably five years or so. We were going to try to meet up and go canoeing, but our time here was cut short because...
Tomorrow we are headed for Florida. Mike got a temporary gig helping out a tower install in New Port Richey and it will last for about two weeks. So... that's good. AND it means I get to hang out with my friends Sandy and Renee, because they're about three hours away. They have a sailboat, so Mike is salivating over that, he used to crew racing boats and misses being in the water... I just love me some Sandy (and like being on boats, too). I also want to go to The Wonderful Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but I don't know if it will happen... Sandy has no interest, Mike isn't keen on the idea, and it kind of sucks that we'll be there at the height of tourist season... but I really want to go... the first time I was in Florida (for a launch) it was opening weekend, but it got pushed back a month or two... the second time I was in Florida (for Sandy's wedding), time was short and I couldn't go... so the third time is a charm? We'll see.
Oh, and I leave you with... bricktorian... a modern Victorian house made of brick. You're welcome. :)
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