Day 255 (Mesa, AZ)

FINALLY, we have our house back!!!! They couldn’t complete the “interior detailing” until Monday, so another week-end of claustrophobia! We have moved into a local RV park to re-set everything and check out the work before we leave Arizona. The “interior detailing” was worthless. They must have power-sawed all of the floor edging because we had saw dust everywhere, every nook and cranny – drawers, closet, on clothes, plates, etc. etc. etc. (EVEN inside the safe, which is inside a bathroom cabinet!)

Flooring looks great but timing and attention to details was poor. There is wood trim on the living room slide and steps leading up to the 2nd level bathroom that wreak havoc on my bare feet. So, we will need to sand/plane or otherwise smooth out those spots.

We are cleaning up and trying to figure out the new floor layout – desk here or there, table turned this way or that, hmm. We didn’t realize how much the carpeting held things in place – i.e., boxes, chairs, etc. Karma is slip sliding around the house. Once Karma is up on the bed, she refuses to jump down because that starts an unpredictable slide into the bathroom and beyond. (In addition to the slipperiness of the flooring, there was a problem with the trap door that she typically lands on when coming off the bed - it was too short for its opening and would also slide forward when she jumped down.) Double Whammy!!!!

We fixed the movement-of-the-door problem and then had to search for a workable attractive rug solution for the entryway to the 3rd floor bedroom and the trapdoor in the 2nd floor hallway outside of the bedroom. That took some time, so it was lifting her off the bed in the mornings and not letting her get up there the rest of the day. The things that we do for our pets!!!
So, we have a solution. Karma is still hesitant to trust us on this particular idea. The rugs look nice and stick to the floor surface even when hit from above by a flying 50 pound dog. We re-trained her to the commands “on” and “off”. The “on” was a given but she wanted a reward anyway. The “off” took a trail of treats out in front of her and a couple of helpful nudges from behind. When she caught on to that, I pushed from her chest and finally a strong shove with her shoulders. That took an afternoon of work and treats. And, working people wonder how we fill our time in retirement.

Day 249 (Casa Grande AZ)

CW is still working on the flooring. The extra glue wasn’t enough because ECOClean sent smaller containers instead of the gallon size. So, more delay. Luckily, ECOClean will pick up the shipping costs on this additional glue.

We have determined our space limits:
RV is 31 by 14 with slides out; that’s about 434 square feet (no slide out in the bathroom)
Motel 6 room is 12 by 16; that’s about 192 square feet

RV space works; Motel 6 does not! Maybe for a night but for 10 days no way! At about Day 3 (remembering we had already had a 7 day stint with Kassie in a Quality Inn Suite – bigger but with 3 people and the dog), we began to get on each other’s nerves. There is absolutely no space to get away from each other or the dog.

Day 244 (Tempe AZ)

Kassie flew home today after a fun filled vacation.
CW found some minor mold spots under the carpeting and is treating/repairing them before setting the underlayment of cork. They have run out of the special GLUE so we had to have it air-freighted from Reno, NV. Another delay! We moved with Karma and her kennel to a Motel 6 - much less space and cheaper to match. Hopefully, we won’t be here long – Famous last words.

Day 240 (Tempe AZ)

We went by Camping World Collision Center (CW) to verify everything had arrived and that they were starting work on the flooring. We really only wanted to be in hotels a week but already there were delays. The roll of flooring didn’t look the right color. It looked more like the original one we had selected. We called ECOClean again and were assured it was the right code and color. We had relied on the computer for the color selection and as we all know sometimes color is distorted. Luckily, we were ok with the new color; lucky close to original.

Since we had to be out of the house anyway, we had CW adjust/repair the living room slides and provide an estimate for re-doing the exterior. A lot of times, RV parks won’t take us because our house is more than 10 years old (1998). There are minor flaws to the exterior and the paint/finish is in need of restoration. We really like our house and floor plan. Our plan to continue full-time RVing supports an improvement to the exterior. With the new flooring, the interior will look great.

Day 237 (Tempe, AZ)

We left Quartzsite and hot footed into Phoenix on Interstate 10. Pretty boring vegetation but a straight road full of other RVs and semis. We dropped off the RV for the flooring work (remove carpet and small section of laminate; replace with Marmoleum). Camping World in Mesa had not received the rolls of material and glue yet. So, we got on the phone to ECO Clean. We really needed to be back in the RV in 6 working days because we were staying in a Quality Inn – a distinct improvement over Motel 6.
Kassie was flying in for a week’s visit to make up for missing the inauguration. (Nate’s week is still in the planning stages). Our Gypsy (GPS) sent us to the back end of Phoenix Airport and not departures and arrivals. So, after a few back tracks we picked her up at the airport with no time to spare.

Day 234 (on the road)

About 60 miles so of Oroville, as we headed back to AZ, truck computer indicated low tire pressure, we called out roadside assistance and were directed to Yuba City, CA. The last time this happened we had a drill bit in tire. They checked the tires and added air but no repair needed. We did need a software upgrade to the computer so they did that. Now the truck cleans Exhaust Filter more frequently (like – very frequently – before it never was cleaned – or, if it was, we never knew it). Our gas mileage is around 20-21 MPG with no hauling – amazing!
We will test hauling mileage after the floor fixed and we head East.

Day 233 (Oroville, CA)

Gramma Mary shared some about her early life in the depression during dinner, which were take-out Thai and another John-prepared dessert (Chocolate Fettuccini). Mary was born+ in 1912 (Which makes her a year younger than my Mother). She was raised in Arkansas but sometime in her teens (??), the family moved to Tulsa Oklahoma. She worked as a secretary/administrative assistant for an Oil company. When she got vacations from work, she travelled across America (St Louis World’s Fair, etc., etc.), and to Mexico, alone or with girl friend(s). We asked about her parents’ opinion on her adventures. She said they never said anything to her about not going. She really was courageous and loved the adventures.

Gramma Mary didn’t marry until she was 35 (1947) to the man (Harold) she had met in Portland, Oregon 7 years earlier. She waited to marry because she was helping support her parents and brothers; and because of World War II. She has 2 sons (Brooks and David). Following the death of Harold, she lived on her own for 15 years (from 80 to 95). She uses a walker and has hearing aids but otherwise is as sharp as a tack. She enjoyed and followed along during the Super Bowl. Gramma Mary rides a stationary bike 30 minutes a day averaging 5MPH – that’s about what we do on our good days. While we had met her at the wedding, this time we really got to know her. John was introducing her to the computer and all the information to be found there. She was working the crosswords and trying to get the hang of Sudoku – with which Ruthi could give no help.

Day 232 (Oroville, CA)

Super Bowl Sunday! The baby is a visual replica of Bodhi. She vocalizes a lot more than he did as a baby. Bodhi is very gentle and loving with her. We took Bodhi on his bike and Karma with her ball down the street from Melody’s parent’s house for exercise and bonding. Karma remembered Bodhi and gave him the ball for throwing. Riding in the truck is boring for Karma and any opportunity for her to chase the ball is taken. It only takes about 20 throws with the “chucker” to wear her out. With 2 throwers (Bodhi and I) it takes a little longer but the effect is the same – Karma will then sleep or rest quietly for about 4 hours.

While visiting the kids, we put Karma out with Nadine/Brooks Henderson’s (Melody’s parents) in tact (un-neutered) male Airedale, Lucky. While the dogs didn’t fight or love for that matter, Karma really wanted to be with us. The challenge was that Melody’s 96 YO Grandmother is there too and an energetic (ok, sometimes obnoxious) dog would be too much. So, Karma stayed in the truck between play sessions.

John was the chief cook, laundryman, shopper, etc. and we all loved the results- snacks for the game and great dinner (Pork Roast) / dessert (Crème Brulee). Boots made applesauce with apples from their trees. So, we know where John got his culinary skills.