More details to take care of....

Still going over lists and finding things needed to be packed. 

Cathy is busy checking off all the things she needs to do.

Kids are studying for finals.  Some are taking the SAT.  Graduations are approaching.  Class camping trip to Yosemite are happening.

I washed Lucy and waxed where the map is going.....but then I remember telling  you that!

I've managed to jettison a few items. 

Our weather has decided to give us a little taste of what is coming...pretty warm today, tomorrow it will probably reach 90.  I know, we are wimps, yes we are, but we usually have just mild Mediterranean temperatures and it nearly always cools off in the evening.  It is supposed to cool down for the weekend.  Nothing at all like the Iowa/S.Dakota/Nebraska weather I knew as a small child.  See, aren't we spoiled.

Just thinking of Georgia Peaches!

California has peaches rather near us in the Brentwood area but somehow Georgia Peaches just sound sweeter and juicier!

From http://www.eatlikenoone.com

Their season is supposed to go from early May to early August!  I just had to look it up because we are really looking forward to them as we go through Georgia.

We are trying to sample some foods we have never tried too....that will be interesting!

Ready to paint the map!

My arms are really tired, but...I did it.  I got the oxidation off where the map will go and then waxed it.  Couldn't do the whole motorhome, I would have died.



The maps will be painted on the van and on Lucy on June 7th!  It will be exciting!  Pics will be posted then!


This is the paint we use.  It won't come off even with water UNLESS you rub it off.  It comes off easily if wiped off.

We are getting close!

Cathy and George put the "attic" on the van this weekend....that is their luggage carrier.

Tomorrow is my last "free" day this week.  That is not obligated to do anything.

So, on my list is:
Finish finding places for all the little things
Ck and see if there are things to jettison before leaving
Wax the area where the map is to be painted.  Just that is a big job!  But just what till you see the map!

At least the IEP meeting went well.  And Timmy was sooo happy to see me when I picked him up from school. My little cutie!  And Cathy got her temp on after her root canal!  And it was so good to see Jen today!  And I took Louis up to SFO.  He is off to Washington DC to address a Veteran's Conference on Veteran Homelessness.  And I'm going to bed "to sleep, perchance to dream"!

Our Loyal Followers :-)

Figured I would give you all a hint on where we will be traveling based on the location of those who have been following our blog.

Oxford, Maine-My son really really wanted us to go into Maine since we will be so close but we couldn't fit it in.  If we could have I think I would have love to soak in the beauty of the land.

Moultrie, Georgia- What a pretty place but nope we will not be in your area of Georgia.  If we were the first things that I would love to see would be the beautiful steam engine and Colquitt County Courthouse! 

San Leandro, California- Yup we will be going through San Leandro

Pittsburg, California- Close but no go.  Love you Jen and Rob!

Yorba Linda, California-Close but nope.  If we would have, I would love to visit the Richard Nixon Museum.

Vacaville, California- Yes!  But it will be a very fast blur as we fly by on day 40!

Wells, Maine-Nope but I sure would love to visit your beaches, bummer we will miss it on this trip.

Augusta, Maine- Nope, not going to get to visit Maine on this trip :-(

Winter Park, Florida - Nope but wow Winter Park looks magical!

Ms. Lucy is Happy!

She has a full tank of gas and one of propane!  And her generator got some exercise too!



Ardenwood was free to the public today for Memorial Day and it was BUSY!  But it was a beautiful day and there were a lot of great people on the tours toay.  I think the count was about 500 through the house in 2 hours.

I will miss 4th of July at Ardenwood but will think of it even though I will be on the totally opposite side of the country!

Caution, Crazy Week Ahead!

Of course things get really crazy as we are waiting for Take-Off Day.  This coming week is nuts for all of us.

Highlights of the week:

Thursday is Weight Watchers and I am hoping to meet my 5% goal....we'll see!  With me and the scale you can never be sure ahead of time.

I will be enjoying staying with a couple of our grandchildren while their parents are out of town.  We will be going to college info meetings, track meets, shopping trips, etc.

Tomorrow will be my last tours at Ardenwood before we leave.  It is a FREE day at Ardenwood and it has always been busy on these days.  The weather is going to be georgeous so it will be a beautiful day at the park!

Cathy and family will be extra busy too.  School is coming to an end and all that it entails.  Luke is graduating June 8th and he has his graduation ball this week.

We have an IEP meeting for Ben Tues. They are never fun.  

George will be busy getting all the honey harvested from his many hives around our area.  It is a lot of work for him.  And after the honey is harvested the caps must be all cut off from the comb and the honey drained out and the put in jars.  There is a lot of call for George's honey so he will have to deliver it to the places that sell it.  People are really dependent on it for allergies.

Little things done....anxiousness setting in!

Ok, all of Lucy's keys have been copied for all drivers.
Cathy's HEAVY sleeping bag has been patched!  Just teasing, Cathy!
I packed most of Cathy's family's stuff that is going in Lucy.
I hemmed Amanda's trip flag.
I found a piece of styrafoam for George's tent.
Finished the new bag for Luke's tent.
I finished my fancy dancy little purse.

Look closely, I beaded the wings on the main butterfly.

We have 15 days to go and we are all getting excited and trying to get all those little things done.  Then there are all those things we can't do till the very last minute.......eeek!
This is the dangerous time, when we start throwing everything possible in...JUST IN CASE.....  It is a little weird having Lucy with us, even though we will have tents too we don't need some of that camping stuff we usually throw in.

Cathy is busy choosing music for the trip and for her videos.... and backgrounds for the blog!!  Well, variety IS the spice of life!!  And the kids are getting excited!  So fun!!!!

Thank you, HowDoesShe.com

Oooo getting excited!!!  15 day till blast off!  Today, George is taking on the mission of fixing our sprinklers so that our front yard doesn't die off while we are gone.  I think my mission will be media.  I am going to down load music for our trip to listen in the van and to have preloaded and set up for our infamous trip videos.  I am also going to take on the mission of finishing Amanda's flag for the trip.  That should keep me busy today. 

Weather Update!

Just talked to Baltimore Maryland - 90 degrees and HIGH humidity!

Come on East Coast, be nice to these wimpy California poppies!  At least bring down the humidity when we visit you in July!!

A Fun Little Project!

I have been thinking for awhile now that I need to make a little purse to hold my Weight Watchers 3-month tracker.  I will need to keep my tracker close on this trip.

 When I was at the fabric store getting the elastic for yesterdays project when I spotted just the fabric for my little purse.  So I just thought I would share it with you.



It is just an envelope-type purse with a couple of dividers inside. 














You can see a bit of the dividers here.  I slipped the Tracker book in the bottom area, the middle area is divided to hold an Ipod on one side and phone on the other.  The front section can hold lipstick, money, etc.


I haven't added the cord for hanging it yet.


I decided to add a few sparkles to the front for fun.  Will add a photo when I am done.


17 days till take-off!!

Holding Mail

The US Postal Service has a very easy website where you put in your address and the time that you will need your mail to be held and press enter.  Done!  Nice!  On the end date the postal carrier will deliver all of the mail to the home.  Once again...NICE!  Thank you US Postal Service!
https://holdmail.usps.com/holdmail/

Fixing the Map Holders in Lucy's Doors

Before

 Lucy has these pouches in each door of her cab.  After 20 years the elastic is shot so today's job is to replace the elastic.

After

Much better!

Water Tank & Holding Tanks Ready

The Fresh Water tank is sanitized and rinsed and the Grey Water tank is empty.  The Black Water tank was already to go.





The previous owner added a little spigot on the outside of Lucy for washing hands, etc before going in.  The spigot had broken so I replaced it with this one.  It is smaller but there wasn't really a choice.  Might be nice with the kids.









I painted the awning pole white so if it gets dropped in the dirt it will be easier to see it.  The pole is what you use to pull the awning out to set it up.  It also comes in handy to pull things out of the deep luggage area!

Lucy's Electrical System

Lucy actually has 3 electrical systems:  The cab of the truck section has a 12 volt DC system, a 12-volt DC system in the coach section (the living area) and a 120 volt AC system in the coach. 


The truck cab section gets it's electricity from the truck battery, 12 volts that runs all the outside truck lights, the truck interior light, windshield wipers, cab air conditioner, etc. and the radio, camera system, the cigarette lighter.   We will have a gps running from the cigarette lighter.  Basically all the same as regular truck.


The Motorhome Coach has a 120 volt AC system.  The air conditioner, microwave, refrigerator (it also runs on propane), and all the 120 plugs use this system.  The 120 is powered two ways:
     1) Shore power (external 120v power system like plugged into a home or rv park). 
     2) Generator - Lucy has an on-board generator that generates 120v.  The generator is somewhat noisy but necessary for that refrigerator and roof air conditioner. 


The Motorhome Coach also has a 12 volt DC system.  This system is powered by a deep cycle battery.  It is kept topped off by an inverter in the front of the cab and a solar panel on Lucy's roof.  Some motorhomes have lots of deep cycle batteries so they can "boondock" or live without shore power and city water faucets for a long time.


We are going to have to get used to keeping tabs on the power we are using both the 120 and 12 volt!

120 Volt AC Amp Ratings
Air conditioner (x number of a/c)	13.5 amps
Blender	12-16 amps
Coffee Maker	5-8.3 amps
Compact Disc Player	1 amp
Computer (laptop)	2-3 Amps
Curling Iron
Electric Blanket	.5 – 1.5 amps
Electric Fan	1 amp
Electric Skillet	6 – 12 amps
Electric Water Heater	9 – 13 amps
Hair Dryer	9 – 12 amps
Microwave	8 – 13 amps
Refrigerator in AC mode	5 – 8 amps
Television	1.5 – 4 amps
Toaster	8-12 amps
Lights (60 watts)	<1 amp
12 v system
CO Detector	1 amp
LP Gas Leak Detector	1 amp
Overehead lights (per bulb)	1 amp
Porch Light	1 amp
Range Hood (Fan & Light)	2 – 3amps
Refrigerator (LP Gas Mode)	1.5 – 2 .8 amps
TV Antenna Booster	up to 8 amps
Bathroom Fan	4 amps
Water Pump	4 amps
Television (12 volts)	4 – 5 amps
Converter	8 amps

Paying all the Bills Ahead of time!

All our home bills will be paid ahead and that has started already.

All our reservations and some of our "Events" have been paid and tickets will be waiting for us at will-call.

I do have to get copies of Lucy's keys to all drivers....don't want to lose keys!

Amazing how the calendar just fills up before leaving on a trip.... Cathy sure has been finding that.  She has gone to more doc appts in the last 7 days than I have in the past year.  Well, ok, most of those have been for the kids.

I'm gathering all the little things in a paper bag in the bedroom so they will get packed.

I still haven't done the water sanitation yet.  But I'm counting on tomorrow.

I need to replace the elastic in the "map holders" of the cab doors and the one on the engine housing.  Also I need to get velcro to secure the GPS and Walkie Talkies, Ipod and it's small speakers in the cab.

Today we went to C.P.R. class.....

I needed to be certified for CPR so Cathy and I went up to take the class.  Wow, a lot different from the class on-line.  We used dummies today which is a LOT different than pillows!

Cathy had a session in emergency with Timmy at 4 this morning but was still game to go to the class.  But she had a lot more stamina than me on the last go around with the AED machine.  Anyhow, we are both pooped and need to take naps.  I am going to the Bay to Breakers run in SF (to watch) tomorrow so I need energy!

At least we have 2 people certified with CPR and a great First Aid Kit (put together by Cathy) for the trip!

Getting the Little Bee Girls Ready for Us Leaving!

We have a hive of bees in our back yard that are (generally) the sweetest little bees.  They are definitely "Valley Girls".  They sleep in until the sun hits their home (it doesn't matter what time it is), then they all have a little meeting on the bottom inside of their hive deciding on the work for the day.  And they all line up and take off to do their work.  They have the most wonderful tasting honey.  I think a lot of the special flavor is from the Ironwood Eucalyptus tree in our front yard.

The honey is prized for flavor and for allergy relief.  

 See all that beautiful honey in the frame!

Anyhow,  Father Bee is AKA George.  He has quite of few hives in our area.  He is visiting all the hives before the trip to make sure the little girls have lots of room to make honey while we are gone on our journey.

George will probably visit them one more time before we leave.

The white on the frame are the wax caps that my little girls use to cover the honey cells.

Lucy's Water System

When I first bought Lucy I had NO idea of how an rv really works.  I never had a clue how many systems there are to keep a mini version of our modern life.  First thing I did was start to figure out how everything worked.  And I still come across things to know about Lucy.

Fresh Water System:

If someone that knew about rvs had been watching me the first time I tried to fill the water tank they would have been rolling on the ground with laughter.  I hooked up my new "fresh water hose" to my front yard faucet,  hooked up the water regulator (left by the previous owner) at the other end of the hose, hooked up that end of the hose to the attachment on Lucy.  Turned on the water low, checked the water tank level, it read empty.  Let it run for a while, I could tell it was getting water because there was some dripping going on at the attachment.  Went back in Lucy, checked the water tank level, still empty.  Turned on the water pump, could hear it working, turned on faucets, and they worked just fine.....but water tank level still reading empty.  Let me tell you, it took me all morning trying to figure out what I was doing wrong, until I went in and read the rv forums on the internet.


I felt SO STUPID on that one!  So, from the internet I now know:


Lucy has 2 fresh water inlets.  One inlet is a pressure inlet and it is the one I hooked up the hose to that day.  The water is from a pressurized water source like a city water faucet.  So damage isn't done to rv pipes if the water pressure is really high a water regulator is used when hooking up the hose to the rv.  With this source the water pump is not needed obviously because the incoming water is under pressure.  The water comes in, bypassing the water tank (therefore it's level doesn't change) and going directly to the water heater and faucets.

 The water inlet for "city water".

The 2nd water inlet is behind a little door.  This is where the water tank is filled.  Lucy's water tank is under the front bench seat of the dinette.  Water is added by inserting the hose (with a filter attached) in the inlet opening, it is not screwed on to the inlet.  If the tank gets full it just starts flowing back outside Lucy at the inlet.


The water system supplies water to the kitchen sink, shower, bathroom sink and toilet.


This fresh water tank uses the water pump to create pressure to the faucets.  This tank is monitored on the centralized monitoring station above the stove.  This is where it kept saying the tank was empty...which it was since I had to hose attached to the inlet bypassing the fresh water tank!











Because the tank was winterized I will be sanitizing it, draining it out again and then adding several gallons to it.  Then I will be draining the gray water tanks where this water will go as I empty the water tank through the faucets.  Since water weighs approx. 8 lbs per gallon we do not want to start with much water in the waste tanks or the fresh water tank because of gas mileage issues.


It really made a difference once I figured out what I was doing wrong!!  Those RV forums were a lot of help.

Water Drainage system - 

The sinks and shower drain into a tank under Lucy called the GREY WATER TANK.  The central monitor system monitors the level of the Grey Water Tank.  There are enzymes to keep the tank nice and sweet.


The water from flushing and the waste from the toilet go into a tank under Lucy called the BLACK WATER TANK.  Special toilet paper that dissolves quickly are recommended in an rv toilet.  There should always be some water in this tank to keep everything dissolved and moving (so to speak!).  There are special chemicals to add to this tank through the toilet.


Both the Grey Water and Black Water are drained through pipes leading to the underside of Lucy.  A corrigated pipe is attached to the main drainage pipe, then draining out to a sewage tank in the ground.  The Black Water is released by a lever on the black water pipe and is released first.  The Grey Water is released by a lever on the grey water pipe second, that way the grey water washes any waste left the pipe.

And that is the whole path of water through Lucy!

Packing - Part 6: Cathy's Packing Inventory

Packed in Lucy already:
The Cabella Tent
The Ground Cover for Cabella Tent
2 sleeping bags
1 sleeping pad
1 chair (from last trip)


Cathy's Packing for van:
2 air mattresses and container

Packing - Part 5 - Bedroom Closets

 The bedroom has two closets, 3 drawers and cupboards all along the wall above the bed.


Both closets were made for hanging clothes.  We use folded clothes on our trips so I installed shelves in both closets.  The hooks holding the shelves did not work when moving down the road.   The shelves would move off the hooks.  The walls of the closets are very thin and will not hold the hooks well either.....so I reinforced them with gorrilla tape.  Not the prettiest but it seems to work.  The cabinets above the bed are hard to get to so will be used for items that are not used often, like jackets which we will need when we are visiting places like caves, etc.

One closet will be mine the other is larger and Coletta and Amanda will share it.  I am short so on my top shelf will be 2 blankets for picnics and my backpack.  The backpack is for when we will be spending the whole day sightseeing.  We will be each carrying lunch, snacks, drinks, sunscreen, jackets, etc.
The rest of the closet will hold my clothes, etc.


The top drawer under my closet will hold electronic charging cords, cameras, shuffles, etc.
The bottom drawer will hold paint supplies, binoculars.


Below this closet is a cloth box that holds 2 fans.  I figure these may become very welcome in hot humid nights!















In the larger closet will be clothes and supplies for my sister, Coletta and her daughter, Amanda.

The lowest shelf will be a "kitchen closet".  I wanted to get pots and pans away from the riding area up front, they may make a lot of rattling noise.  So this shelf holds pots and pans in their little sound proofing "pillows".  Also kitchen towels will be in here.

There is a drawer below this large closet.  Coletta and Amanda will be using it.

Amanda will be bringing her keyboard and it will ride on the bed when she is not using it.




In one corner of the bedroom is a corner shelf.  The shelf used to hold the old heavy tv that came with Lucy.  I have replaced the tv with a small lightweight one in the dining area.  On the shelf I have attached a plastic drawer which will hold a few toys for the little ones along the trip.  Sometimes there may be boring landscape for them so anything new is welcome.


Because this will be such a long trip and Lucy is wall to wall carpet I had looked into how to keep the floors respectable.  I didn't want to haul around a vacuum so I settled on a small carpet sweeper, broom and "Carpet Mask".


The Carpet Mask is a plastic carpet cover to cover carpets for a time to preserve them while painting, moving furniture, etc.  It is on a roll and is sticky on one side.  It just rolls on and does its protection job then you take it off.  It is only supposed to be used for a month, then discarded or replaced.  I figure if we hit campgrounds with rain/mud it will come very handy.  Not that Lucy's 20 yr old carpets are in perfect condition but it would be nice not to have to replace them when we get home.  There is enough in that roll to replace it every 10 days of the trip.

New Shoulder Seat Belts Installed

 When Lucy was manufactured in 1990 it evidently not required that shoulder seat belts be installed.  It seems it was an option.  The first owners evidently decided they weren't necessary so didn't choose that option.  She did have lap seat belts.



But we believe seat belts with shoulder straps be installed.  My dear hubby bought a shoulder strap seat belt kit and we went to work.  Taking off the trim around the door was dicey because I was worried the plastic was so old it would be really brittle.  Luckily it went fine.


It turns out Ford had installed a plate receiver when the truck part of Lucy was built.  Thank heavens because there was no way we could screw the parts on to the wall without going all the way to the outside.  So that worked out great, then the problem was we had to make shims because it we didn't the trim would be sucked in as we tightened the bolts.  No problem for my dear hubby..... he found nice thick aluminum we had used to make a bike rack about 40 years ago.  And Voila, with custom made holes for the bolts it was perfect for a shim.









Then after having to get longer screws and a few other details the trim was put back on and the holes for the bolts were drilled into the trim.

Then the seat belts were assembled!   Another project done!




I know a lot of people had asked about installing shoulder straps in their older rvs on RV Forums.  I never saw any hope for them so I was very surprised when we found the threaded holds behind the trim.


And by the way, I made some seat covers for the trip out of towels to help keep the seats in better shape.

Surprise!

Packing & inventory put off

I didn't post yesterday because I went up to be with our daughter, Jen when she took Otis, her great big fluffy dog into a vet specialist yesterday.  He went through an acl operation 3 months ago and it didn't fix the problem, actually made it worse so we went to see what happens now.  Well, he needs another operation which will fix the angle where the bone rests at the knee to keep it from going out.  I hate to see him and Jen go through it again but he does need it fixed.

And Cathy is going in for a root canal this morning and may need transportation both ways, so I am on standby. Cathy with our wagon train leader on this trip so we need her in good shape.   In between time I will be packing everything that can be packed early in the bedroom area.  I will be posting this later today.

How do you catch a squirrel

You climb a tree and act like a nut!


That was my dear hubby's joke for breakfast!


Have a GOOD DAY!

Packing: Part 4 - The Kitchen

I think I have everything gathered.....Inventory after I get back from our walk.


KITCHEN INVENTORY:
paper plates
paper plate holders
bowls
glasses
cups
plastic silverware
2 mixing bowls
serving spoons
ladle
salad tongs
basting brush
scewers
measuring spoons
measuring cups
wire whip
kitchen knives
hot dog tongs
spatulas
2 pots
frying pan
electric skillet
griddle
coffee pot
toaster
blender
can opener
bottle opener
paper towels
napkins
toothpics
food storage containers
zip lock bags
plastic wrap
aluminum foil
trash bags, kitchen size
funnel
coffee filters
mico egg cookers -2
ice cream scoop
xtra ice cube tray
Brita pitcher and filter
flame lighter
scotchbrite pads
wooden matches
oven thermometer
dish soap
dish cloths
dish towels
tablecloth
kitchen trash can (popup)
plastic bag dispenser


409 spray
squeegy-inside
windex
comet (besides cleaning, it is supposed to be good for keeping ants away if you sprinkle it around Lucy's tires.  I hope I remember to do that when necessary!)


I have everything but the pitcher.  I'd like a plastic rectangular one for fitting well in the fridge.  Haven't found one yet.

Happy Mothers Day!!

To all that have or will mother another being!  It sometimes takes a lot to give all the caring another needs.    Have a good one, I did!

Our trip is called Slice of America 2.  Our group is call "The Crusade of the Tree Huggers".  Why? Because our goal is to huge a tree from every state we visit!. The Tree Huggers have their own camping shirts. Ya!

30 Days Before Take-Off

Ok, we are getting serious now! 

What a View!

Happy Anniversary, Transcontinental Railroad!

Did you notice on History.com's This Day in History that 143years ago the Transcontinental railroad was completed!  Just think back at how remote most of the route was and all the hard work was done by so many people to complete this huge project.  It goes to show that if people work together big things are accomplished!

We really enjoyed visiting the Golden Spike Tower in North Platte, Nebraska.  The tower overlooks Union Pacific's 2,850-acre Bailey Yard, the world's largest train yard.  In fact we enjoyed it soooo much we will be visiting it agail!

The tower is 8 stories high, which I know is nothing compared the the buildings in NYC, but on the plains where the land is flat and less populated you can get a great view.  The tower also has all sorts of information on "The Orphan Trains".  And they have a great little gift shop!  And as an added attraction they have a corn field planted next door with a picture carved in it so if you visit at the right time of the year you will be surprised with art from an arial view!

A Love Lock!

 I will be adding this love lock to all the other lovers' locks in July!  It will help us celebrate our 50th anniversary!     XXXOOOXXX, Dearest Hubby!

Where do you think I will lock it???



Did you guess?  Go here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/auvet/2970121280/in/photostream/
Thank you Jimmy Emerson for posting your photo on flicker!

The lock has now joined hundreds of others!

Packing, Part 3 The Loft

We will be storing the tents' sleeping bags and pillows up in Lucy's loft.  We installed a net across the opening just to make sure it all stays up there while traveling.  The nets came with our cars to hold groceries in the trunks.....who uses them?  We never have.

The yellow you can see is a cover on the outside of Lucy's windshield.  We will be leaving the cover home.....and that will bring us to today's project.  I discovered there is velcro installed all along the the top edge of the cab.  I will be making a curtain to attach to that velcro for privacy at night.  The outside cover is heavy and a pain to put on.  An inside curtain will be light in weight and for security we will be able to see out the front at night, if needed.

Anybody know what this is for??

I am still finding things about Lucy I never knew.  I found this switch below the mattress of the bed on the little aisle side.  It looks like "off" is in the center and the other two choices are "shore" power cord or generator.  I haven't really used the shore power at all because the power cord is a configuration like 220 or something.  I did get an adapter so I am going to have to try it out.  I am assuming I have to have it switched to use shore or in my case "house" power. I would have never known if I hadn't found this switch when I was running wire for the rear camera.


(I figured out this switch.  It allows you to completely turn off all 120v electricity sources, or to choose120v from between shore power and the in house generator.  Having it located where it is and what it is for was a very good thing!)

On the RV Roof

Today's project - painting Lucy's bumper and the vents.




When Lucy was in the shop being checked out for the trip her back bumper received 2 scratches.  Also there were a few little areas where tiny spots of rust were starting.  All those are now painted.




And, I have been trying to do everything I can to help ward off the heat as we travel.  The latest thought was painting the vent covers white.  The vents are made of dull aluminum and so I figured if they were white it might help them reflect some of that heat we will be experiencing.  So this morning I painted them.

While I was on Lucy's roof I wiped down her solar panel and checked the roof.


When I bought Lucy her 20 year old rubber roof needed repair.  It wasn't as bad as I have seen some and it had been repaired with silicone in places.  As I did research I found that Silicone does not do a thing for a repair on a rubber roof.  It basically just sits on the top and lets moisture in along the sides.  This is what was happening with Lucy.  Luckily she hadn't had much damage inside.

After more research I found that rubber roofs react with the air and sun leaving a powder that should be cleaned as often as every 3 months.  You are supposed to wash it off with water and a broom.  Washing and rain creates a run off which leaves this residue down the sides of the rv.  What a pain.

I  washed down the roof with soap and water, a brush and a squeegy.  That powder gunked up and there was a lot of it.  After washing it down twice,  I used Eternabond tape to repair the really damaged areas.  This all took weeks to complete.

This photo shows when the roof is only half cleaned and some of the eternabond tape has been applied


 I ordered Liquid Roof which I am so thankful exists!  My grandson Luke and son-in-law George were so sweet to help me apply the Liquid Roof.  It only took an afternoon.

And, no more of that goopy rubber residue, no more cleaning the roof.

In the top photo you can see the pattern on the "liquid roof" made by dust and dew running off the roof.   

Packing, part 2 - the Bathroom

The Bathroom in Lucy is very tiny but very important for those of us that usually need to get up at least once in the middle of the night.  I will be especially happy about it when we are in alligator country!!!!  Wow, seems like my fears are coming out!!  Alligators and tornados....well, they are both sneaky.  Anyhow, I read you need to check under your vehicles because they like to crawl under them!  I don't mind that, it is the crawling out that I wouldn't like!

 Anyhow, back to packing the bathroom.  There is very little space for storage in there.  There is a cabinet above the window,  toilet paper and some toiletries can go in there.  The vanity has a shelf in it and there is some room in there (not counting where the plumbing is) and there is a smaller area under that shelf (the bottle of toilet chemicals will also be stored there).

There is a towel rack on the door.

Packing list for Bathroom:

Toilet paper

Kleenex

Black water chemicals

2 towels each

Wash clothes each

Toothbrushes

toothpaste

meds

razors

shampoo

conditioner

moisturizer

brush, comb

makeup

deodorant

sun screen

bug repellent

bath soap

blow dryer

curling iron

scale

 Yes, I did say scale.  I bought a skinny, light scale so I can keep an eye on how things are going.  I am not planning on loosing weight but I sure don't want to go up!!  It's been such a fight to loose 10 lbs!

Items in bold have yet to be packed and other passengers may have more needs.

Today's project, greasing side door latch

 The door latch was getting stuck inside instead of bouncing back out after passing the striking plate.

 After taking the cover off it was evident that there was grease needed.

 Dearest Hubby had the prettiest red grease!

Done!