Final preparations....

 7:45 am - Monday - January 31st - Newell House, AZ - 40° F, 55% humidity, wind 4 mph out of the northeast.....partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 69° F.  On this date in 2012 we moved our Newell to a water front site at Sunset Isle RV Park in Cedar Key, FL.....↴

.....and on this date in 2012 we departed Rancho Jurupa Regional Park to begin our nomadic journey....first stop was an Escapee park near Temecula, CA where we had our solar panels installed.....↴

Mike Sylvester (The RV Guy) running cable for our new solar system

Sunday, the 10 year anniversary of our nomadic travels, I began to get ready to move the Newell into Newell House where, over the next few days, I will install the new Koni adjustable shocks, and the Firestone airbags I've written about previously.  I have no illusions about the difficulty factor of what I  am attempting to do largely by myself.  I would never have attempted this on my own a few years ago, and I'm even wondering about the wisdom of attempting this now, but I've been here before.  Back in February of 2012, our first month on the road, we pulled into the backyard of TLE's sister's (Phyllis) home near Tyler, TX as the gear driven water pump on the big Detroit Diesel 6v92 failed, and began dumping gallons of coolant on the East Texas earth.  With my friend Tom's help we located a replacement water pump on eBay, and I ordered it.  Ironically, it was coming from SoCal, where we had just left a few weeks prior.  At the time I was certain this was way over my head, but with the advice of Tom, Steve, and Richard (fellow Newell owners) I got it done.  Over the intervening 10 years I've taken on numerous tasks (installed a new refrigerator, installed a tankless water heater, installed a digital tachometer, installed LED headlights, removed and replaced a bad coolant line on the side of the road, removed and replaced our shaft driven alternator, etc.), and completed them successfully.  With each accomplishment my confidence has grown, and now I find myself about to remove and replace part of the suspension system on a 15 ton motorcoach.

Our black tank had reached 'full status' once again Sunday so while TLE went into town to shop, I dumped the tank, and topped off our fresh water tank.  We will not have city water in Newell House so I wanted to be sure we had more than enough.  I know, we should only be inside for a few days, but you never know what might happen to extend our stay in there.  We will have access to one of the several 50 amp plugs inside Newell House, and Tom's man cave  has a full bathroom with a shower we will use to keep from filling our holding tanks too quickly.

Monday morning we'll disconnect our utilities, and move the Newell inside Newell House where we'll set up for 3-4 days of heavy duty labor on my part.  I'll have access to Tom's large inventory of every shop tool imaginable to mankind to complete the task, and the support of Tom and TLE.  So, get ready, here we go!

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Obsessed?

 8:08 am - Sunday - January 30th - Newell House, AZ - 51° F, 34% humidity, wind 3 mph out of the west by northwest.....partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 70° F.  On this date in 2015 it had been raining for 14 hours here in Wittmann, AZ.......↴

Saturday marked the end of our second week at Newell House, and time to cut another piece of Formica to fit the right wall of the microwave cabinet....  

.....I'm really just hitting my stride with cutting, fitting, and shaping Formica to fit a space, and here I am almost done.   All that is left is the ceiling.  When TLE first asked me to take on this task I wondered how difficult it would be, and whether it would look any better than the raw wood.  After completing 3 sides of the space I can now say with certainty that it does look significantly better, and instead of drawing your eye as the space once did due to its state of unfinish, I see it out of my peripheral vision now, but don't turn to look at it.....that was my goal.

Eventually the winds which had plagued us the past two days abated to the point where we dared redeploy the patio awning.  You're probably wondering why we are a little obsessed with keeping the patio awning deployed when we haven't done so, prior to arriving in Wittmann, for about two months.  Here at Newell House the hookups are on the south side of Newell House, meaning we must face to the east to not only use the hookups, but to have a view, which means the passenger side of the Newell is exposed to direct sunlight all day long.  Our Dometic refrigerator is also located on the passenger side of the Newell, and when the sun hits the passenger side of the Newell it makes the fridge work harder to stay cool.  So, those are the reasons we are slightly obsessed with keeping the patio awning deployed here at Newell House.  When we boondock we park facing west so the sun hits the driver side of the Newell where we have multiple window awnings which keep the Newell interior much cooler, and are not affected by the wind to the degree the patio awning is.

A little over two months ago I was introduced to the podcast universe, and subsequently to 'The Joe Rogan Experience' daily podcast on Spotify.  Joe interviews people (the famous, and not so famous)....no, 'interviews' is not really accurate....he talks with people for hours on end, and does NO editing....the entirety of these wide ranging discussions are published.  I've been listening to a discussion he had with Jordan Peterson, which lasts for 4 hours and 13 minutes, over the past 3 days, and am doing so as I finish writing today's missive.  These conversations are amazing!  Do you listen to Joe Rogan?

Well, that was Saturday....soon it will be Monday, and time to move the Newell indoors for a few days....the hard work is almost upon me....lol.

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Deliverance....

 8:18 am - Saturday - January 29th - Newell House, AZ - 47° F, 21% humidity, wind 10 mph out of the northeast (there is no wind at Newell House)......partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 70° F.  On this date in 2012 TLE and I were on the eve of beginning our nomadic adventure......had dinner with my brother Philip and his wife Jeannie.....many hugs, and until next times over the 24 hours with family and friends......↴

My brother Philip and I....there are 14 years between us

Friday began with a beautiful, windblown sunrise.   The winds had blown all Thursday night, and continued into early Friday afternoon before we began to see a decrease in velocity....

.....the high point of the day was the delivery of my 4 new Koni series 90 adjustable shocks (model # 1868).....

....those puppies are heavy, and large....I placed the DirecTV remote next to one of them for perspective.  They must weigh in around 10-12 lbs. each!  Tom picked up the 8 Firestone airbags from Napa for me, so now we are ready to move the Newell into Newell House on Monday to first remove and then replace 8 airbags, and 4 shocks.  Total cost for everything, so far, is around $2,000 and change, but the labor (mine) will be free.  I spent a good portion of the afternoon watching YouTube videos on the adjustment, and installation of the shocks, so I think I'm prepared in that regard.  How difficult will it be to break loose quite large bolts, and nuts that haven't been touched in almost 40 years remains to be seen, and that, my friends, is the great unknown.

So far we are about 36 hours into the post mortem of the 'Last battle?' (ant) analysis, and no ants have been seen, but we have seen that before.  TLE even left a spoon of honey out on the counter and no ants have yet appeared....that is unusual.

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The last battle?

 8:35 am - Friday - January 28th - Newell House, AZ - 53° F, 16% humidity, wind 16 mph out of the northeast......crystal clear, blue skies today with a forecast high of 70° F.  On this date in 2015 TLE and I were at Rock Bottom Brewing Company in Peoria, AZ sampling brews......↴

....which, by the way, is no longer there....I'll write about that in today's post.  The views this morning......↴

.....beautiful, windy blown sunrise, and the after effect of the wind on my wheels covers.....↴

We've been dealing with an on again, off again ant problem for a couple of years.  Several times we thought we had them beat, but within a month, or so they came back.  Finally, a few weeks ago, we decided to 'bomb' the interior of the Newell with an appropriate aerosol to kill the ant colony.  To do that we needed to turn off all our electrical, or gas fired appliances for several hours, which in turn means we needed to empty our freezer, and refrigerator and put that food somewhere else, which in this case, meant utilizing the refrigerator in Tom's man cave in Newell House.  We decided that Thursday would be that day, so around 10 am we began to move the food, and then remove the drawers containing our flatware, and cutlery to the trailer, so we didn't have to wash them later.  TLE put our dishes, etc. in the refrigerator for the same reason.  We finally finished around 11 am, and by 11:30 am we were in our car driving over to Peoria to do some shopping, and have lunch to kill a few hours.

Our lunch destination was Rock Bottom Brewing Company where we have dined numerous times over the years when we are in Wittmann.  TLE had looked them up to be sure they were open, and it seemed they were.  Ironically, as can be noted above, we had lunch at Rock Bottom on virtually the same date in 2015.  Anyway, after a 40 minute drive we arrived to find Rock Bottom was no longer there, but there was now a Mexican restaurant (Barrio Queen) occupying the building.  After a brief discussion we decided to go ahead and try out Barrio Queen.....

....frankly, we were blown away how delicious our menu choices were, and eating them alfresco only added to our satisfaction.  We were there over an hour before moving on to COSTCO to fuel up the VW at $3.69/gallon for premium unleaded.  Our next stop was the Goodwill in Surprise, and then the TJ's right next door was our final stop before we headed home to air out the Newell interior, and reverse the process from the morning.  Now we wait to see if we have finally been successful in our battle.

On our way home I got a call from Tom advising the 8 Firestone airbags were in at the local Napa, so we will go into Wickenburg on Friday to retrieve, and pay for them.  Additionally, I found out my four Koni shocks will also be delivered on Friday, so now the real work is about to begin.

We were treated to a nice sunset followed a few hours later by rising winds.  It was about 10 pm when we realized we would have to stow the patio awning the, or face having to get up at 3 am to stow it.....easy choice.  As I sit here composing today's missive the winds are still howling out of the northeast.

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The ionizer.......

 8:07 am - Thursday - January 27th - Newell House, AZ - 39° F, 39% humidity, wind - CALM.....crystal clear, blue skies today with a forecast high of 68° F.  On this date in 2012 we were watching one of our last sunrises at Rancho Jurupa Regional Park where we had been camphosts for a year....within days we would become vagonbonders supreme, and begin our full time life on the road.....↴

As part of our waste management system we have what is called an 'ionizer' (center of 3rd picture below), which has wires running to three 'through' fittings mounted on the side of the black tank....back in 2013 we had to removed our fresh water tank (picture below) to reattach one of the three through fittings (2nd picture below), which had come loose, and was leaking, on the black water tank....

Removing the fresh water water tank near Glacier National Park back in 2013

One of the three through fittings on the side of the black tank

.....an ionized charge is sent through these wires into the effluent in the black tank which helps abate any odor.  Frankly it has worked quite well over the years, but became one of the Coastal Oregon salt air casualties during our one year stay there.  The problem could be the unit needs replacing, or the ground needs refreshing, or the line supplying power had a short in it.  I was hoping it would be one of the latter two, and it turned out to be the power line was shorted, so I cut out the bad part, and reconnected the wire from the ionizer to the power line, and the ionizer began to work again.....

.....once I had the ionizer back in its place I proceeded to put all those loose wires that run along the bottom of the fresh water tank into a length of 'wire loom' to better protect them from the elements, and to neaten up the water bay.....

You can see the newly installed 'wire loom' running along the bottom of the fresh water tank

......and, using zip ties, rerouted the wires going to the built in gray water macerator pump so they were not hanging loose.....

....on a side note, the newly installed sight tube is doing its job.....the black tank is about 1/2 full as of Wednesday.....

You can see another length of 'wire loom' I installed over the wires running to the gray water macerator pump

......I also spent time cleaning the linoleum on the passenger side of the water bay....before I replaced all that plumbing while we were boondocking in the Anza Borrego Desert, there had been a little leakage.  I wore goggles, and latex gloves while I cleaned the floor.  While everything went smoothly, and no trips to Home Depot, Ace Hardware, or Lowes were necessary, I spent about 3 hours working on the aforementioned tasks before everything was to my satisfaction.

I've got a few more small projects to finish before the new airbags and shocks arrive, and hope to have them completed by this weekend as I expect we'll be moving the Newell inside Newell House early next week to install those airbags and shocks.

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Playing with dollies.....

 8:26 am - Wednesday - January 26th - Newell House, AZ - 45° F, 40% humidity, wind 2 mph out of the north by northeast....crystal clear, blue skies today with a forecast high of 66° F (again). The view out my bedroom window first thing this morning.....↴

A perfect silhouette of the Newell

.....and on this date in 2018 TLE and I were taking a ride on the Grand Canyon Railroad with Meredith, our daughter......↴

Tuesday was another of those days where not much was accomplished.  I did spend time in the morning trying to contact the outfit from which I ordered the 4 Koni adjustable shocks on Friday to confirm that they were about to be, or had been shipped, but was unable to get anyone to answer the phone, or respond to an email.  I tried both their toll free 800 number, and their Ft. Lauderdale phone number 6 times with no success.  The phone would ring about 10 times and then I would hear a recorded message saying "The party you are trying to reach is unavailable, please leave a message at the tone".....hmmm...that doesn't sound like I'm calling a company.....more like someone's cell phone.  It's been 5 days since I placed my online order (I tried to call on Friday to place the order, but it was after 4:30 pm eastern time which is their closing time according to their website), and I have had no communication since then other than the initial email thanking me for my order and $800+ payment with the promise I would have them in 5 business days.....no subsequent email, as promised, providing a shipper name, or tracking number, or anything.  I'm not in a hurry for those shocks, but I don't want to wait 2, or 3 weeks, either, so I cancelled the order via email (no response to that either), and called my credit card company to cancel the still pending transaction.

I took me about 15 minutes to find another source for $20 more out of Centralia, WA, and they actually answered their phone, took my order, and provided a tracking number within 60 minutes.....FedEx picked them up an hour later, and I'll have them by Friday.  Mental note to self.....always call the online source for anything before placing an order to see if they are legitimate.

Years ago I purchased a 'metal dolly' set to repair a dent in the right rear aluminum quarter panel on the Newell which was dented, and torn back in 2012 due to my negligence, and repaired by me in 2014 while we were in South Dakota visiting friends.....

I was able to reshape the corner damage before covering it with a piece of diamond plate....I put a piece of diamond plate on each corner to make it look symmetrical.

.....at any rate, I have not used them since that date, and for several years they sat languishing in my son's warehouse, which we subsequently emptied.  Some of the dollies had some surface rust, so I spent about an hour sitting at my bench grinder cleaning the rust off of them with the wire wheel.....they look much nicer now......

....this was not a very expensive set, and certainly would not stand up to daily commercial use, but they worked perfectly for me.....I hope I never need to use them again, but you never know, right?

There was another solo Jacuzzi experience for me late afternoon, and a subsequent nap.  That was our Tuesday.

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Laugh, cry, think......

 8:12 am - Tuesday - January 25th - Newell House, AZ - 41° F, 56% humidity, wind 3 mph out of the east by northeast.....a few clouds today, but mostly clear with a forecast high of 66° F.  The view first thing this morning.....↴

......and on this day in 2018 we were enjoying a visit by our daughter Meredith at the Grand Canyon....yup....it was very cold.....↴

Let's see....what did I do Monday?  Well, hmmmmmm.......I watched another English Premier (recorded) soccer match in the morning, I walked a mile as fast as I could with TLE, I took a Jacuzzi by myself, I puttered around in the 'garage' for a while, I took a nap, I read for a while, I enjoyed another helping of TLE's pot roast from Sunday dinner (even better the second time around), I rearranged some of my yard lights, I wiped off the lower third of the Newell on the driver side to remove the rain/sand splatter from the rain the other night, I broke down some cardboard boxes, I swept out the entrance of the trailer ( try to remember to take off my flip flops before I enter the trailer, but sometimes I'm in a hurry and forget, and track in sand), I took another nap.....you know, sometimes the fulltime life is not all that fascinating, or interesting....most of the time it's just life.  You perform a lot of tasks.....some necessary, but mostly you just focus on what catches your attention next.....nothing really stands out.....much like a 'sticks and bricks' kind of life.  

I spend most of my nomadic life within earshot of TLE, and visa versa, obviously, but that is all either of us seems to need.  She is the constant in my life, which is what she has been for the 54 years I have known her.  She laughs at ALL my jokes....I know I'm not always that funny, but she has always seemed to genuinely appreciates my odd humor.  I don't think I have ever seen her depressed....she always seems to be smiling, and content.  She has never, ever nagged me....not one time in 54 years.  How am I so lucky to have her in my life, and to share these past 10 years vagabonding all over the country with her by my side?  I often feel like I have won the lottery every single day for the past 54 years.

Contentment

It's on days like Monday that I think of these things, the simple things which make my life worth living.  When I sit down at my laptop to write about the previous day's events, and there seems to be nothing worthy of noting I become introspective, and philosophical.  As I have written on prior occasions......it is a good thing to laugh each day, to cry each day, and to spend time thinking each day...it keeps you mindful of what is really important in life.

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Sunbrella....

8:46 am - Monday - January 24th - Newell House, AZ - 43° F, 57% humidity, wind 3 mph out of the east.....crystal clear, blue skies today with a forecast high of 67° F.  On this date in 2013 TLE and I were watching our 28th Cedar Key sunset......↴

TLE and I have been doing five laps around Newell House a couple of times a day for the past three days for exercise.  If we follow the fence line around the backyard where Newell House is and do just over five laps we hit 1 mile exactly.....

Great power walk!

....in our afternoon fast walk we covered the 1 mile in 15 minutes and 24 seconds at an average pace of 3.9 mph, and consumed around 180 caloric units in the process....our best effort so far.  

In the morning we watched another complete English Premier soccer match, and caught up on a few YouTube channels we follow such as Gone with the Wynns.  Nikki and Jason Wynn (35 and 36 respectively) originally started their YouTube channel in their 20's with video content of their full time RV life/nomadic lifestyle, but transitioned to full time sailors aboard their catamaran 'Curiosity'  four, or five years ago.  With nearly 500,000 followers, and a 6 figure annual income, theirs is one of the more successful YouTube channels out there.  They have been traveling in the South Pacific for several years now, and now find themselves in New Zealand.  The production quality of their channel is very high, and we enjoy their weekly videos about their lives at sea which are released most every Sunday.

Curiosity

After the completion of the soccer match we redeployed the patio awning, and sun shade, and then I spent some time with my silicone caulk gun patching a few seams from which the 40 year old thread had separated.  If only the thread which binds the Sunbrella fabric panels together on these ZipDee awnings was as tough as the Sunbrella fabric itself!  We were first introduced to Sunbrella when we owned a 1973 Columbia 26' sailboat for about 12 years from 1992 to 2004 at which time we sold the Columbia, and transitioned to the RV world.  The sail bags, and main sail covers were made from blue Sunbrella, a silicone based fabric, which never fades, and seems impervious to ultra violet damage.

Other than the ZipDee repair work I took it easy again Sunday.  For dinner we enjoyed interesting conversation, and a pleasant dinner of pot roast with Tom and Darlene prepared by the loving hands of TLE.

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At rest.....

 8:09 am - Sunday - January 23rd - Newell House, AZ - 46° F, 63% humidity, wind 3 mph out of the north.....partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 69° F.  On this date in 2017 we were waking up in Quartzite, AZ.......↴

We've been at Newell House for a week now, and Saturday was the first time we've had to stow the patio awning due to wind.  The wind wasn't that bad, but it was coming directly out of the east, which is a bad angle for the awning, so we decided to stow it before the wind got worse, and the forecast rain came.  As it turned out the forecast rain came whilst we were doing the stowing.  The wind can come up quite suddenly here, and sometimes it can get really ferocious in just a few minutes, so when it begins it behooves one to act without delay.

After a full week of projects we took a rest day Saturday, and actually watched an English Premier soccer match from beginning to end....something we have not done for a long time.  While we watched the game I went online to make an appointment for a haircut at the local Supercuts in Surprise.  My last haircut came on December 9th, and my hair was getting quite unruly, especially in the morning after getting out of bed.  I snagged an appointment for 2:15 pm, and we were on our way into town at 1:30 pm.  While I got my ears lowered TLE did a little shopping.  From there we headed directly to the local In 'N Out Burger for our monthly fix, but instead of eating our #2 Combo orders there (cheeseburger, fries & medium drink) we took them home to enjoy.  We were home around 3:15 pm, and enjoying our burgers shortly thereafter.

One pleasant surprise is that no one was wearing a face mask in Supercuts, however, the sign on the door says mask wearing is optional for employees and customers, but if a customer requests their hair stylist wear a mask, they will, as a courtesy.  How refreshing.  At the In 'N Out Burger no customers were wearing masks, and only two of the dozen employees were so attired, and that has been my experience wherever we have gone since arriving in Arizona.  No masks were being worn at the local Napa, or O'Reillys in Wickenburg the other day, either.

TLE and I continue to be asymptomatic to the Wuhan Flu.  As more information comes out from the CDC and other reputable sources we are finding the various vaccines available to the general public only seem to protect the ones receiving them from a more serious case of COVID-19, or whatever variant is currently in fashion.  They, like the unvaccinated can still get COVID, and can still transmit COVID to others.  The only difference is they (the vax'd) may get a more mild case, but some still get bad cases, and some still die anyway.  98.5% of those who get COVID (vax'd and unvax'd) will survive the experience, while only 16% of the population has actually been diagnosed with COVID.  Those of us with serious, multiple co-morbidities (obesity, diabetes, heart failure, lung disease, etc.) are still the broad majority of those dying from COVID....vax'd, or not.  Those who live in the many rural areas of our country are significantly less likely to contract the Wuhan Flu than those who live in densely populated, urban areas.

Once again, the preceding thoughts are my observations, strictly rhetorical, and are not written to illicit a response, but just to get those who read my missives to engage in a little critical thinking.

I'm currently in a project holding pattern awaiting the arrival of our new shocks, and airbags, so all that remains are smaller projects which I shall report on as they are completed.  Life is good, and continues onward.

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A shocker.....

 8:12 am - Saturday - January 22nd - Newell House, AZ - 51° F, 40% humidity, wind 9 mph out of the northeast....cloudy today with a chance of rain, and a forecast high of 64° F.  On this date in 2012 TLE and I were at Tony's Seafood Restaurant in Cedar Key, FL having a bowl of their amazing, world famous, award winning clam chowder......↴

.....after all these years it is still my #1 favorite clam chowder ever!

I spent part of Friday morning researching shock and airbag sources on the internet for the Newell.  I knew what type, make and model of shock I needed/wanted based on feedback from numerous sources, and I found them at shockwharehouse.com for $196 + tax per shock with free shipping.....the best price I was able to find, so I ordered them.  We should have them here in Wittmann within a week.....

Koni 90C1868 adjustable shocks for motor homes

.....I also found an online source for the Firestone airbags at $126 per bag plus tax, but shipping was not free.....ground shipping, the slowest form of shipping, would cost an extra $130, and they would not get here from Pennsylvania for 2-3 weeks.  Tom suggested we visit the local Napa store in Wickenburg to see what they could do, so around mid afternoon we drove into town.  It turns out Napa's price (discounted) is $135+ tax per bag, but there is no shipping charge, and they can have them within a week. For me it was an easy choice, so we ordered them from Napa....

......I forgot to mention, before we went to town I decided I was not happy with the piece of Formica I had cut for the back wall of the microwave cabinet.  I meant to cut it with the grain running up and down, but mistakenly cut it with the grain running side to side, which conflicted with the piece on the left wall, which I did cut correctly.  It didn't take long to recut it, and install it....I needed to apply pressure to the piece for about an hour to make sure the bond was sure......

....once I removed the bracing, and the put the Breville back in the space I was immediately much happier with the result....first picture is the first attempt, and the next one is the second attempt....I'm much, much happier now.....my OCD brain needs symmetry....

Much better

.....now I just have the right  wall, and ceiling to do, but they will have to wait until I obtain a new aerosol can of the 3M Spray Adhesive.

I haven't reviewed for quite some time how we derive a modest income from our blog, so here goes.  As you know, numerous ads appear on our blog each day, and each time a reader clicks on one of them I get a few cents from Google, which amounts to about $30-40 per month.  Additionally, you have no doubt noticed the notice I place at the bottom of each post speaking about our Amazon affiliate site.  If you click on that link to do your Amazon shopping we will get a few bucks a month from Amazon for what you may buy.  We do not know who is purchasing items, only what is purchased using our link.  There is no cost to you, and you still shop using your personal login information for Amazon.  If you're going to buy something for yourself from Amazon please consider using this link, and you can be sure we will be very appreciative.  The income from these two sources helps us buy a tank of diesel each year.

That was basically our Friday.....hard to believe we're already into the 4th week of 2022....thanks for stopping by!

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More project work.....

 8:40 am - Friday - January 21st - Newell House, AZ - 46° F, 40% humidity, wind 3 mph out of the east......crystal clear, blue skies today with a forecast high of 66° F.  On this date in 2019 TLE and I were watching the sunrise in Amarillo, TX.......↴

I've been spending time since we arrived at Newell House trying to find out what make and model airbags I have on the Newell, and what type of shocks I should buy to replace the four almost 40 year old shocks, so I've been taking care of some smaller projects in the mean time.  Thursday I returned to the task of installing Formica in the former microwave cabinet.  I utilized another cardboard templet to fit a piece of Formica on the back wall.  In all I think I spent around 2 hours measuring, cutting out the templet, then cutting the Formica piece, and finally installing it.....

.....I think it turned out pretty well, so now I've got the ceiling piece, and the right wall piece and I'm done.  I also spent time deploying some yard lights......you knew that was coming eventually, right?.......

Picture taken around 8 pm

.....by 2 pm it was time a nap, and then watch a few more YouTube videos before TLE came back home from playing cards all afternoon with Darlene.  We were treated to a subtle, but beautiful sunset before heading into Tom and Darlene's home for dinner around 6 pm, which is what we do most nights.....

If you live near Surprise and are looking for a good used loader with a scraper Tom is getting ready to sell this Case (background).  Not sure what year it is, but it's in pretty good shape, and Tom has replaced 3 of the four tires, plus several seals in the 'rams'. 

.....by late evening I was able to confirm a Firestone part number for the airbags, and it appears they will cost $125 each plus tax.  On the shock front I also confirmed that a good replacement shock, which will work on our Newell Classic, is a Koni adjustable shock made for motorhomes.....they'll run about $200 per shock.  Once I've completely confirmed that these are the correct parts I'll order them, and once they are received the big projects will begin.  Right now I'm allocating 3-4 days to remove the 8 airbags, and 4 shocks before installing the new ones.....hope it will not take 4 days, but you know how the 'Hockwald Way' works....lol!  Being able to do this myself will probably save $1500, or more, in labor

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Reunited....

 8:22 am - Thursday - January 20th - Newell House, AZ - 48° F, 47% humidity, wind 4 mph out of the north by northeast.....crystal clear, blue skies today with a forecast high of 71° F.  On this date in 2013 I found a 3 pound hand sledge, and an antique spanner at a yard sale in Cedar Key, FL....I still have, and use both 9 years later.....↴

We had a lunch date in Surprise at 12 noon on Wednesday with Phyllis, who is TLE's older sister.  She has been a flight attendant for many years starting with America West which was then purchased by US Air, which was ultimately purchased by American Airlines for whom she now works. She was in Phoenix on an overnighter (she flies out of Dallas/Ft. Worth).  Over 40 years ago she was divorced, but recently she and her ex have reunited much to the surprise, but also joy of their adult children, and, of course, us.  This lunch would be the first time we have been with them together in the same place at the same time in a long, long time....

Left to right: TLE, Phyllis, Charles and moi

.....we met at Rio Mirage Mexican restaurant in Surprise where we have had lunch and/or dinner numerous times over the years....in fact we met Charles there for lunch last February when we were in town.  I've known Charles since junior high school, and we have kept in contact with him over the years.  He has met us at several of our various summer jobs (Tahoe Valley Campground, Ramona Oaks, Smugglers Den, Yellowstone, etc.) over the years.  We've courtesy parked at Phyllis' home near Tyler, TX several times over the years, and hooked up with her several times in Flagstaff when we were at the Grand Canyon, and she was visiting her daughter in Flagstaff, and at a couple of family weddings.  To be able to break bread with both of them at the same time and place after all these years is a true blessing, and we are so happy for them.

We sat eating and talking for over an hour and a half, but soon it was time to bid them adieu, and say our 'until next times', which may not be too long as Phyllis may be returning on another flight in the next few weeks.  We were home in about 25 minutes where I subsequently slipped into a food/beer induced coma for about 2 hours (nice nap) whilst TLE played cards with Darlene.

I didn't get much done Wednesday, but before we went to lunch I did dump our black tank, and I did deploy the four piers from which I had removed the rust on Tuesday so now the trailer doesn't bounce when I walk through it.  After my afternoon nap I cleaned up the last two piers.  Since were still full from lunch we did not join Tom and Darlene for dinner.  Also, our new Newell friends, Dave and Karen, moved on to their next destination Wednesday.....

Dave and Karen hooking up their Ford Lightning pickup before departure

......thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to buy a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!