WAIT ! Have I already done that?

You know the more I mess with the camper and realize I don't know how to do this, my normal response would be to back off and let Pat deal with it. I have a certain comfort zone and very rarely do I wander out of it. My comfort zone contains only things or topics that I know absolutely everything about and can not be addressed with I told you so! These topics are football, baseball and just basically sports in general. However, Soccer and Sports are generally not used in the same sentence. I welcome any response, especially with the USA having tied their first two games. TIES JUST SUCK!

Back to the Airstream. I decided to level the Airstream yesterday, a process to actually level the refrigerator so you won't ruin it. After work on Fridays ,Pat and I generally eat out, rewarding ourselves for getting through another work week, the reward being Mexican food. On the drive home I decided the leveling need to be done, NOW. This wouldn't be a bad idea normally, however it was 100 degrees out and Pat wasn't exactly dressed to be working in the heat. But Pat, the trooper that she is after announcing her displeasure said what the HELL, better than an argument.

We had to hook up and raise the support legs, drive forward, then put LEGO BLOCKS underneath the tires. Sounds silly but I think they are really Giant Lego Knockoffs. This process went well and lasted only about 30 minutes. It also gave me an opportunity to try out my new drill, bought solely for the purpose of raising the support legs. I must say it was a complete success. I started putting everything away and realized that I had put the hitch pen in backwards and made it almost impossible to remove, especially since it needed a key. Oh well, I tell myself this is all a learning cycle. Pat's response was well we need to put that on the check list. Okay.

Well I could on and on, however I don't want to lose what following I already have, so I'll stop and just say, I'll do better next time. I may try writing after a couple of Margaretta's . This is what He Said, see what She Said.

Television and Indoor Plumbing "Are they overrated?"

Well, having spent a week-end sitting in the shade when possible and constantly running back and forth to the park bathroom/shower, we have decided to set priorities. Entertainment and the convenience of running water, along with potty privileges came to the top of the list.

Pat and I both watch alot of television and often wonder how we ever survived before TEVO. This is the time of year on HBO for TRUE BLOOD. Also being the end of the season and the end of the series of SAVING GRACE ,we are totally bummed. OOPS!!! I digress .

Our Airstream is a Vintage model, a nice way of saying it is old. Technology has really done a number on our camper. The old antenna is so outdated and parts can't be found. I mean you can't even use the old coaxial, because any television made in this century can't hook to it.

Pat located and ordered a new antenna, and now comes the installation problems. I am intimidated by putting holes in the roof, not knowing if the old holes will line up. Once again we are at the mercy of someone who has experience doing this sort of thing. OUR CASH COW MARCHES ON!! Our way of justifying these expenses is to use up birthdays, anniversaries, and now we are working on Christmas. At least we are still working with special occasion's for 2010.

Pat has figured the water situation out. We have added regulaters to the water hoses. NOTICE, I SAID HOSES. We bought A 25 ft. hose to run the water line at the parks, but got home and it was too short, and Pat said we needed a few more feet, so she got a 10 ft. hose,which when connected was so taunt, you had to step over it to get into the back yard. WELL, I had to get another hose to get a little slack. Instead of taking the small one back and exchanging for another 25 ft., I just bought another 10 ft. Works great, just hope no one notices. I wonder sometime how we ever managed to live as long as we have.

Next comes the advice of the proper technique of finishing your business in the bathroom, Do you flush paper? Do you bag paper to dispose it instead of flushing? Do you buy special toliet paper that is biodegradable? Do you use chemicals in the tank or not? Originally, the idea of the getaway was for relaxation. WAY TO MUCH THINKING!! We are planning another lake trip next weekend, so I should have some good comic relief for you soon. Until then HE SAID, see what SHE SAID !!!

First Time in the Airstream

This is my first post, and to begin with, my daughter, Tomara (who posted earlier today), is a great humorous creative writer, but she stole the "HE SAID, SHE SAID" and "MEN ARE FROM MARS AND WOMAN ARE FROM VENUS" lines from me!!

WELL, the first adventure out with the Airstream was indeed an adventure. We weren't totally prepared, but we said what the hell. Friends from the Airstream community happened to drop by, so we got a nice refresher course on hooking the Airstream to the truck, which I would say is very important in the effort of getting from the house to the campgrounds.

Pat and I had driven through the camp areas the week before, scouting. We looked at hook-ups primarily in the shade at Lake Whitney. We got there, managed to secure one of the spots we had seen the week before, parked, and unhitched without any problems.

The Airstream seemed level, so we turned on the fridge and within 24hrs it cooled down. At this point, we consulted the manual, and it said to turn fridge on the night before you leave. We used the ice cooler for the first day, and I had to make several ice runs. Also, we turned the AC on, and once again Pat referred to the manual. She told me the AC unit would cool the vehicle 20 degrees cooler than outside. You do the math, 100 degrees outside, again several hours later, say after the sun goes down, it is under 80. Well, that was nice, but when sleeping it must have dropped to say 60!!

Another problem we had was decideding not to use the Aistream's bathroom because we didn't want to have to deal with cleaning up on OUR MADIEN VOYAGE, plus we didn't know the proceedure. Luckily, the bathroom and shower on the campgrounds was within a couple 100 yds. No problem for me after dark, if you know what I mean.

We also had to deal with our lab Maggie, who sounded like she was dying, PANT, PANT, all day. She was miserable, but she got through it.

We decided to hitch up sat. night before dark and leave early. I MUST SAY THAT HOOK-UP WENT OFF WITHOUT A HITCH, no pun intended.

We did enjoy ourselves, but realized we need TELEVISION and BOOKS to survive in the wild.

ALL kidding aside, it was fun, and we are looking forward to next our adventure. We will try to be more prepared. He said, see what "she said"

Expect an Adventure

Hi, my name is Tomara, and my parents recently purchased the Airstream pictured above. This home on wheels is the key to seeing foreign lands and unlocking great adventures. My Dad, Bill, is ready to blog about it here; documenting his adventure for all of us. This blog is bound to be filled with humor, wit, and unbound wisdom.

Don't be too quick to believe everything you read though. My Dad is an honest man, but he has been known to "exaggerate". After you're done reading here, maybe you should go check out what my Step-Mom, Pat, is saying over on her blog. After all, they are traveling together.

I very much expect this to be a classic case of "he said, she said," and a prime example of Men are from Mars Women are from Venus.

It's going to be a great adventure, and I can't wait to see where their travels take them.

~2