Customer Service Ain't What It Used To Be

The old gray mare ain’t what she used to be.

I'm willing to bet there hasn't been a huge increase in customer service jobs over the last few years. I would think that many jobs have gone away in that field. Instead they've moved over to software companies coming up with ways to improve our life and make computers more efficient.  In the past people took care of people. Now we program computers to do it. Advancements in technology have certainly made life easier in some ways  but in other ways it's caused a few more hiccups.

It used to be if we called a business, we got a friendly customer service representative.  Now we're usually greeted with a recording. I'm sure everyone has been greeted with the same recording.  It gives instructions on what numbers to punch to get where you want to go.  Computers sort you into a queue and move you along from  one computer to another.  That's not necessarily bad in itself but for us it's not necessarily good either.

Some companies are a little more advanced than just having you punch in numbers.  These companies have provided a voice activated computer to make it easier for you.  We all know voice recognition software is far from perfect.  It seems half the time the computer doesn't understand what's being said and after being told more than once to repeat an answer, frustration sets in.  However, if you're really lucky, the computer gives up and you're eventually transferred to a live person.    I'm sure you've talked to this person.  He lives in India and speaks in broken English..  Now instead of the computer not understanding what you're saying, you're the one who has trouble understanding. Sound familiar? This is just one more advancement in providing you with good customer service.

Ever taken the time to count the screens or menus on a phone call until you finally get where you want to be? Sometimes you can press “0” to get to an English speaking person but many companies have learned that trick too.  They don’t allow it because the person who normally held that position no longer works there..

Since companies don't really want you calling them, finding contact information off their website can at times be challenging.  The good thing though is that if you search long enough you can probably find an email address or a chat line.  Neither of those are really ideal especially when you understand that the person on the chat line helping you also is trying to help a few others at the same time. This may have decreased overhead for the company but it sure changed their customer service too..

If you are lucky enough to find an email to write to, it’s not uncommon to get an automatic email back letting you know your message was received and it's important to them.  As a matter of fact, it's so important that they will have a representative get back to you within 24 hours or maybe it’s 48 hours. I was told by Newegg a representative would get back to me within an hour.  It was about 72 hours later that I received that return call.

Sometimes we don’t need a phone.  Sometimes we just need a person.   How many times have you been in line at a grocery store or any other retail store to discover when it's your turn the cashier is so deep in conversation with someone else that he doesn't even acknowledge you’re there?  How many times have you gone through check-out without the cashier even speaking to you? Sometimes it's just faster to do it yourself.  We've been trained to do the job of a cashier.

What about customer service at a restaurant?  Waitress’ work for tips.  If you get good service, you’re expected to leave a good tip.  You’re actually expected to leave a tip whether the service is good or not.   Good service enhances your dining experience and poor service can ruin it. We know people who leave a standard dollar or two regardless of the service or the cost of the meal and others who will tip well over 20%.  Where do you fit in?

I definitely think “The old gray mare ain’t what she used to be" and neither is customer service.

‘Tis life on the road

Mission Accomplished!

Computers are like Old Testament Gods; lots of rules and no mercy.

It’s been a rough week.  Everything started going downhill on Monday when the crud arrived but now that Friday is finally here, most of it is gone.    By Tuesday I was house bound or should I say RV bound.  Even though we pulled in our son’s driveway, I haven’t spent any time at all visiting.  I warned them not to stop and visit because the last thing I wanted to do was pass the crud to anyone else.  However, I’m hoping Terry won’t be a victim.  I rarely catch anything … rarely but I did.  Terry usually catches everything so I’m hoping he won’t..  He has an appointment for a biopsy on his thyroid this next week.  We need to have that biopsy taken and behind us before we start our trek south.

The good news ----- Mission Accomplished !  Terry is finally the owner of a brand new computer.  It was ordered on Tuesday and FedEx delivered it on Thursday!  I didn’t pay extra for any delivery upgrades and with free shipping it arrived two days later.  Now that’s fast service.

The bad news ----- It has Windows 8 which means there will be a learning curve on this one. 

While we’ve been mooch-docking, I’ve been jumping on my son’s Wi-Fi.  Almost all of my updates have been taken care including the IOS 7 system for my iPhone.  The iPad still needs to be loaded with the new system but Terry has hijacked that for his books so I’m not sure if I’ll ever get it back.

iTunes is probably my least favorite program. In order to sync between the iPhone, the iPad and a computer, it needs to be loaded and working.  With the new release of iTunes loaded, I can no longer sync.  I can’t say this is the first time I’ve had problems with iTunes or even the second time.  I just don’t keep count.   The devices are recognized, a sync starts but it never really happens.   I’ve changed cords, tried Wi-Fi syncing and even loaded the new version of iTunes over and over.  I’m thinking my next phone is definitely not going to be one that needs iTunes. 

I’m also thinking I might spring for a tablet especially since Terry “borrowed” the iPad. However, I know very little about the tablets so research is something I’ll need to do.  I can just say it will either have a Windows OS or an Android system and it won’t have to sync with iTunes. The problem that I’m seeing is that there aren’t a lot of apps out there for tablets with the Windows OS and very few computer programs run on it.  Research, research, research.

Sabrina comes up with all kinds of cute little ideas.  She loves making jewelry and does one heck of a job.  She gets ideas from just about every place.  On this project she uses scrabble tiles and when finished a chain, lace or cord is attached and the tile becomes a necklace.  Most of these pictured aren’t quite finished but I loved them.  They are all glazed.  Some sparkle and some even glow in the dark.

Not all who wander are lost

Life is a journey not a destination.

She has some with well known Bible verses and others with pictures.  The lighting wasn’t really good when I took the pictures but you get the idea.

I’m thinking when you see me I’ll be wearing one of these.  The problem I’m having is deciding which one I want!!  

‘Tis life on the road.

5 Days …. 5 Computers

Why is it that our memory is good enough to retain the least triviality that happens to us, and yet not good enough to recollect how often we have told it to the same person?

The saga continues with our computer ordering.  In five days I’ve purchased five computers and so far had none delivered.  Murphy must have been involved with all these computers.    Three of the charges have finally dropped off my credit card.  Now only two remain.  We thought the problem was solved when we ordered computer number 4.  Not so as we discovered Tuesday that the shipment for computer number 4 had been delayed for at least another ten days. Obviously that won’t work for us.   Who knows where we’ll be at projected delivery time of that one.

We were back on the internet and ordered yet a different one.   I do know my American Express card has been busy and this 5th computer has now been charged.  Projected delivery was supposed to be this Friday but  tracking shows we might actually get it Thursday.  At least it’s on the way and we hope, in perfect condition.

Last Sunday we had another birthday party and celebrated the birthdays of Sabrina and Robert.  I really like getting together with family for special occasions.  Maybe we don’t do much but at least we take the time to share time.  I took a few pictures but they weren’t the best.  Is it the camera or is it me?  Of course, Michael was sick but we still opted to have the party.  Now I’m trying to figure out if I can blame him for this bug or if I picked it up elsewhere.  I guess it really doesn’t matter where I got it.  I just want it to go away.

It’s been raining cats and dogs!

It has been raining and raining and raining since Sunday.  It hasn’t been continuous but it’s certainly been enough to dampen our spirits as well as everything around us.  Tuesday was moving day so we moved items we weren’t going to be using over the next six months into our storage shed.  The items we planned on taking on the road with us were moved and organized into the motorhome.  Did we get wet?  We got soaked.  Am I sick?  Yep but the good thing is I can’t transmit these germs over the internet …. or, can I? I've even been busy cancelling a few things that were in chalk on our calendar.  I certainly don't want to be responsible for getting someone else sick.

Low clouds, wet roads and rain

  

Tuesday afternoon we moved the motorhome down to our mechanic’s shop.  It took three guys about 45 minutes to install the replacement fabric we had ordered for our awning. 

This solution was much better than the bid we had received from an RV repair person.  He estimated 2 hours at a price of $300 for the installation. We ended up paying $100. 

There are no rips and the new one even matches better than the factory coordinated colors.  With all the rain we even get to use it in our new “mooch-docking” location.  That’s right.  We’ll be mooch-docking again in our son’s driveway for about ten days.  Of course, I told his family not to come and visit until I get over this bug I seem to have picked up.  I’d hate for them to get sick too.

‘Tis life on the road.

Eating My Words

If you can't get a compliment any other way, pay yourself one.

My picture of the day. The fellow in black is in his rescue swimming gear. Don’t you think he’s the best looking one on that boat?  They are transporting passengers from one ship to another.  I guess Justin's there just to be sure some of those sailors don't fall in.  Sounds like great duty to me! 

SIL, Robert, had another way of looking at that picture --- "5 guys to escort him.  Awesome!!! "

Remember the fiasco of the other day and the three charges my credit card was carrying for computers that were eventually voided?  Well, I just knew this was going to happen and it did.  I got a call from the American Express Fraud line.  Ever get one of those?  It was only after they declined the fourth computer I tried to order.  It was within seconds that my phone started ringing.  How can they catch it that fast?  The most important and first question they asked was if I had the card in my possession.  It was very unusual activity for me to purchase four large ticket items online within a 24 hour period.  They needed to be sure it was me.  I assured them it was.

Once that stress was over I went back online and ordered the computer again.  This time it went through without the Fraud Department stopping it.  One charge for a previously ordered laptop has finally fallen off my account.  That’s a good thing.  However, the two ordered from Newegg are still there along with the new one I just ordered.  Maybe Newegg’s will fall off tomorrow.  I just know I won’t be paying for them.  The good thing is that the computer I finally ordered is exactly the same as the one we tried to order from Newegg only cheaper.  So, it’s a good thing they didn’t like my billing address. 

The racks we bought in July

Remember how I bragged about the kayak racks we bought?  I believed I said they were perfect.  Well, I have to eat my words and they aren’t tasting very good right now.

Our Jeep is higher than most cars and on top of that it has also been raised another few inches.   When we first started looking at kayaks one of my requirements was that the kayak be under 40 pounds.  Well, when we discovered our current kayaks the weight requirement went out the window.  I’ve been lucky when we’ve been out that others have been handy to relieve me from my duty of helping to load the kayak on top of the Jeep in the Thule J racks.  Loading has not been an easy task for me.

Easier to load without the J Brackets 

Since Friday was forecast to be a nice day and rains were expected after that, we decided to do a little kayak loading practice.  It has definitely been a struggle for me lifting my share of the 50 pounds up and over my head.  We knew if something was this difficult, we would have less of a desire to use the kayaks.  We decided to practice. We didn’t have quite the problem when we were just loading the kayaks upside down on the top rack we had custom made.  The problem was created when we purchased the Thule “J” loaders as those loaders were designed for securing the kayak on its side.

Problem solved.  Off came the “J” loaders and we’re going back to base one.  Now we just need to purchase some new longer tie downs and we’re good to go again.


‘Tis life on the road.

Time for Replacements

Freedom means the opportunity to be what we never thought we would be.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SABRINA.  

(I can't post a picture or make a fuss.  If I do, she'll get mad at me.)

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Nothing stays looking like new forever.  Thus, we all take a turn replacing items we already have.  That’s not really a fun thing to do.  For one thing it costs money and for another it’s certainly not like adding a new gadget to our already growing supply.

On Thursday we ordered a replacement awning fabric from Shadepro.net.  We had great service and by Tuesday it had arrived.   Of course, that was the easy part.  The much harder part is going to be the installation of that replacement fabric.

We also had to replace the coffee pot in the motorhome.  The pot had started leaking and we got a little tired of always having to clean up the leaks.  We replaced it with a single cup dispenser.  First we bought a Keurig Single Cup Machine.  However, we don’t have a lot of room on our counter so we ended up replacing it with a smaller one made by Mr. Coffee instead.  It also uses the same Keurig coffee K-cups.  I’ve been experimenting like crazy with all the flavors.

What else have we been replacing. Well, it sure seems like a lot because when we return from the long drive into town, we have our car loaded with stuff. We picked up a couple small tables, a couple folding chairs, a new bedspread, headphones and even new throw rugs.

We weren't’ finished with replacements even then.  Terry replaced his laptop with a desktop a few months ago.  Now he’s in the market to get another laptop.  He definitely wants to keep the desktop but he wants to keep it at the home base.  The laptop is for travel. So, we went looking.  In addition to local stores we finally went to NewEgg.com. That created all kinds of problems.  They didn't like my billing address and kept voiding my orders.  To keep that long story short, I'll say my credit card now has pending charges on it for three computers and we still have yet to get one actually ordered.  However, I hesitate to get back online with them and try again.  It's definitely been a zoo.

There were other items we still needed to replace.  We were on the lookout for new carry-on bags.  When we did a lot of traveling we used to have a suitcase for every occasion.   We don’t have room for that now. Our rollerboard is an 18” one which is much smaller than the 21" size actually allowed.  However, not all gate agents look at it that way. Such has been the case recently when we were required to gate check the bag. We’ve had rotten luck with lost baggage so everything of value has to come out of a checked bag regardless of whether it’s checked at the ticket agent or gate checked. Face it … we don’t trust them.  Replacing our travel bags was definitely on our list.  The new ones have the necessary wheels and the handle can be hidden so it looks just like a duffle bag and not a rollerboard.  Mission accomplished as we now have two new “personal” items!

From this ... our 18" rollerboard

To this ..  Terry got a black one just like it.

Were we done replacing items?  Nope!  We ended up with a grill cover to use as a tarp for the bikes on the back of the motorhome.  We haven't put it on yet but we hope it works.  Another item we really need to get sooner than later is a new sewer hose.  Remember the Black Tank Mess of a few days ago?  Well, after that hose split, we replaced it with the one we carry in the RV so our motorhome is without. 

We are getting ready for departure.  If we get everything done, we figure we'll be at our first stop on our trip south (Tillamook Cheese Factory) in about 2 1/2 weeks.   Of course, we have to wait for our Canadian escort to get here first.

‘Tis life on the road.

It’s Not Going to Happen

There is only one rule for being a good talker – learn to listen.

Sunday we had birthday celebrations for Terry.  No one gets out of listening to me sing on their birthday.  It’s a punishment all must endure.  We had originally planned to attend the RV show in Portland.  However, there were six of us and considering the cost of getting in and parking, we decided that really wasn’t something we wanted to do.  The party on the other hand was something we put our focus into.  Just think we have two more of these coming up this weekend …. one for Sabrina and one for Robert.  My vocal chords are going to get a workout for sure.

It’s Official …. it isn’t going to happen.  We had a little trip east on our agenda … just a little one but it’s not going to happen.  Well, at least not right now.  We know how to make reservations. We rarely make them because we usually end up having to cancel.  I guess it’s a good thing we write most of our plans in chalk.  This time we didn’t want to erase those plans but we’ve been busy doing just that.  We’ve been busy canceling reservations.   You can call us unhappy campers.

With plans changed our focus turned to trying to figure out exactly what WE want to do.  We still need to get through the next couple of weeks with planned visitors (cousins) and appointments.  Then, we’re going  to get out a little more chalk and a calendar to go to work on planning again.  Our little community has a big meeting on the 28th but after that Terry said he’s ready to start making tracks.  However, who knows how far those tracks will take him …. 5 miles, 50 miles, 500 miles ??

According to our never-wrong weatherman, rain is in the forecast.  Thursday the temperature will jump up to 80 but after that the mid-60’s and intermittent rain seems to fill that forecast.  Our plans are really getting dampened.  Regardless of the weather we do know we are ready to get back into civilization.

Check out this little bench Tammi made out of blocks!

The replacement awning fabric we ordered arrived yesterday.  We haven’t picked it up or made plans yet for the installation of it.  However, when we move the motorhome into town for the installation of it we won’t be bringing the motorhome back to the cabin until next spring.  It will be pointed towards the sunshine.

We discovered a cute little café right in North Portland.  It’s the Island Café.  It was by accident we even discovered it.  The cafe is on Hayden Island and sits on the dock with lots of boats and houseboats all around.  It has great happy hour specials and a super friendly staff.  We’ve had so much rotten luck lately with restaurants that we were pleased to discover this gem.   

‘Tis life on the road.

Birthdays Come in Clumps

You know you’re getting old when the candles cost more than the cake.

Terry is celebrating a birthday on Sunday.  Since I really didn’t have much to blog about I thought I’d look for some kiddie pictures of him and post them.  Yes, he has changed a bit.

SIL Robert has a birthday on Tuesday.  That’s the day my brother is scheduled for a pacemaker implant so I'll be spending most of it at a hospital in Portland.  Then, later in the week we have DIL Sabrina’s birthday too.  It is definitely a birthday week.   Birthdays tend to come in clumps for us.  A two month breather from birthdays follows but the next one is a mighty important one …  It’s MINE and it falls on Thanksgiving Day so now that everyone knows, there’s plenty of time to shop and get a nice gift in the mail to me.

Even though I really don’t have much to blog it doesn’t mean we’ve been doing nothing.  Monday I got back from my first cousin reunion in Texas and we’ve been running ever since.  It’s also been quite warm for September.  Earlier this week we spotted a thermometer reading 101 ! It felt at least that hot so didn’t have a reason to question it.   The temperatures have been in the 90’s this week but the last couple of days we’ve even seen early morning clouds and fog creating quite an eerie feeling.  Regardless of the daily high, fall is definitely on its way.

The order was finally made for our awning's replacement fabric.  We figured out what we needed and got it taken care of.  I’m not sure why I didn’t do it sooner.  If I had we would be installing now. We also feel installation of it could certainly be interesting !!

We’ve been busy on the motorhome with other maintenance items.  Carpets have been scrubbed, basement bins cleaned out and even new towels and bedding added.  In a couple weeks we’ll be closing up the “cabin” by collapsing the canopies, greenhouse and putting the grill and smoker under lock and key.

Our take-off plans keep getting changed.  However, we should be used to that by now.  Mid-October we’ll be on the road again and looking for that winter sunshine but we’re not quite ready yet.  We have one more tentative little trip on the schedule plus we’ve been dealing with health issues of my brother.

I hope as I age I can remember to appreciate those who do for me.  I also hope I can remember what it’s like to be on the end of giving and not of receiving.  Getting old isn’t much fun especially if everything hurts.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TERRY

We’re off to Jordie’s soccer game today.  Tomorrow it’s the RV show. 

‘Tis life on the road.

What Happens in Texas, Stays in Texas

Cousins by chance, friends by choice

I’m sworn to secrecy.   I can’t tell you what we said, what secrets we let out or what we actually did.  I’m sure you’ve all been at similar gatherings.  This was a first cousins’ event.   It definitely wasn’t all of our first cousins.  It’s very interesting how cousins drift apart.  It’s also interesting how genetically close you can be but still be so emotionally apart.  We counted our “firsts” on this side of our family.  We share 16 first cousins. 

My paternal cousins came from a mix of hers, his and ours.  Even though they were full siblings and half siblings, they had a very different upbringing … very different. It’s full cousins, half maternal cousins and half paternal cousins. What a mixture we are.

Five of us ..  missing two others.

On my mother’s side there were only 10 fist cousins there.  There were no halves.  Everyone was a whole,  However, some cousins were more than whole.  Some were actually doubles.  (You know I get a kick out of comparing our DNA similarities with all that mix!)

There were only five of us who had shared several first cousin get togethers.  We have some halves in Nebraska and we knew they wouldn’t be coming.  We had another half in Houston and one in Midland. Both were working this weekend.  With a couple spouses thrown in our reunion included seven people. It was actually a perfect size.

Table side guacamole

We  went to the Iron Cactus at the corner of Trinity and 6th in Austin.    It’s a hopping place in the college town of Austin.  Money wasn’t a problem.  After all at least two ATM machines were on each side of each block.  Bars and hangouts are a necessity and people watching is a popular activity. 

The guacamole dip at Iron Cactus was prepared at the table and it was awesome.  Actually, it was the best I had ever, ever had.   We did more than just eat guacamole though.  It was five cousins here who talked, shared, gossiped and reminisced.  Some cousins connect and others don’t.   Some folks can understand.  Other's can’t. 

One month ago it was a reunion I shared with my maternal cousins.  That one was first cousins, second cousins, third cousins and even fourth cousins.  This one was a small get together with a few cousins on my paternal side.

The rest of Saturday was spent in Austin.  The folks from Kerrville had driven to Austin for the day. Sunday the folks from Austin drove to Kerrville.  I love the Kerrville area. My father was born there and over the years we made many trips to this area with him. I was excited we were heading that way.

Austin on 6th

My cousin, Charlotte, must have been excited too.  Obviously, she was in a hurry.  She was in such a hurry that she failed to reduce the speed in one of the speed traps along the way.  Yes .. we got stopped.  However, she also just got a warning.  We wonder if the trooper took pity on us.  Charles was in the back laying down.  He had recently  had a spinal cord injury when he was thrown off his bike.  The officer took note of that and it was part of our conversation.  Either way, she was relieved that she had escaped the ticket this time.

Driving from Austin to Kerrville you can usually see many fruit stands along the way. We stopped at a couple of them but knew we also had a time limit. We had a couple other stops we wanted to make along the way including the Wild Seed Farm outside of Stonewall and the cemetery where our grandparents were buried. I was disappointed with the Wild Seed Farm. Normally fields and fields of flowers are obvious from the highway. The fields were dry and there were no flowers. It was the wrong time of year for this.

Kerrville had not seen a lot of rain in a very long time.  However, on Sunday it poured.  It cooled the day off and brought in lots of humidity.  Since we weren’t planning on spending much time sitting outside, it didn’t really matter.  We just enjoyed reminiscing and watching the Texas storm. 

One of things we did was look at photo albums filled with reunion pictures from years ago.  I’m going back and taking a scanner with me very soon.

Can you guess who most of these people might be?  1978 is when the picture was taken.

Here is a picture of my dad with four of his siblings at the same reunion.  (He’s the tallest.)

A stop was required in Fredericksburg.  We always stopped at Clear River Ice Cream store when we made the trips with my dad.  Needless to say, that’s where we stopped again.  .

Monday morning it was time to head back to the airport.  Flights were uneventful and I was back in Portland as planned later that day.  I’m going back soon ..  real soon (I haven’t told Terry yet).

Terry’s ready to shut down Pacific Northwest activities and get on the road again.  So, over the next couple weeks that’ll be the plan.  We have a couple birthdays coming up and will start giving some thoughts to getting on the road again.

Yes, same picture … but here it is until Justin’s ship leaves Syria!

‘Tis life on the road.

San

It's Hot in Texas

"Some family trees have beautiful leaves, and some have just a bunch of nuts. Remember, it is the nuts that make the tree worth shaking."

Friday morning started early.  It started really early.  Now I may be a morning person but morning hadn’t even come yet.  However, I still managed to wake up before my alarm started screaming at me at 3:00 AM.  That’s right at 3:00 AM.  I had a plane to catch and quite a drive to catch that plane.

It was dark … very, very dark.  It was raining, the roads were curvy and a downright nasty drive.  It took a lot longer than I had calculated.  The good thing was I was in the Wrangler with a double set of big headlights.  There was no parking in the “economy lot” because I didn’t have time to wait for a bus to carry me to the terminal so it was long-term at the terminal.  Maybe that was just an excuse I used to pay the extra $10 a day to park there.  At least this way I didn’t have to stand out all by myself waiting for that bus.

Even though I wasn’t lucky enough to sit up front on the long flight to Dallas, I had a great aisle seat close to the front with no one on this trip in the middle.  I’m not a fan of middle seats on an airplane but then again, who is?  I’ve been in those seats more than enough times.  I’ve also sat next to neighbors who overflowed into my seat.  That’s not fun at all.  It can be a fight for your own space.

Arrival in Dallas was right on time but I only had about a 35 minute connection between flights.  Thank goodness it was in the same terminal even though at opposite ends. After a brisk walk I arrived at my new gate just in time to pick up my first class ticket for my short flight to Austin.  Yippee!  I know it doesn’t help the bottom line of the airline, but I really like it when all the first class seats aren’t sold out and there’s one left for me.  I like that lots.

Not my picture

I didn’t need a rental car in Austin but felt it would give me a little independence.  Hertz was right across the roadway and before long I was on my way out of the airport and heading to cousin #1’s place.  One thing I really noticed is that it is HOT HOT HOT in Texas.

We spent hours chatting about this and about that.  We even spent a bit of time at La Mancha’s Mexican restaurant with Cousin #2 and Cousin #3.  Today other cousins are heading to Austin from Kerrville and then the next day we’re all heading to Kerrville for a barbecue.  The Kerrville and Leakey area is where our parents were born and lived as children.

This will definitely be a busy and fun reunion weekend.  I tried to get Terry to come down on Monday so we could mess around.  He wasn’t interested.  I guess I’ll head back then …. or will I?  That I have to think about … maybe not.

(PS:    I have screaming internet at my cousin’s house … screaming!)




‘Tis life on the road.

Black Tank Mess

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

I wasn’t necessarily going to blog about this and I certainly had no plans to take pictures of it.  However, Mr. Dahl recently mentioned he thought he had a grey tank leak.  I wanted to let him know we did have a leak and it wasn’t a grey tank leak either.   It also wasn’t on the motorhome.  It was at the cabin.  The hose to our black tank had a leak and we’re not exactly sure how long it had been leaking.  The only thing we know …. it was too long.  Yes … let your imagination run away with that picture!!

We got the call we expected Tuesday afternoon.  It was actually the call I was dreading.  It was from our mechanic.  I walked out of the room while Terry talked to him.  All I could think about was the cash register calculating.  However, it was actually good news.  Well, not just good news but great news.  There had been no damage to the engine on our Jeep Wrangler.  There had been no damage to the valves.  The timing belt along with all the other hoses and belts were replaced including the water pump for about $550.  Needless to say we were both very much relieved.  Yippee!  Yahoo!!

Wednesday was a busy day.  I started it off by getting the smoker ready to go with water in the water bowl, wood chips for flavoring and a nice even heat.  Next I added a brisket, chicken and a pork roast.  Nummy!

Next out came the hoses.  We scrubbed the motorhome and both vehicles.  That’s always an invitation to rain.  We had a few little sprinkles in the morning but by mid-morning it was really a nice day.  However, considering that we had just washed everything, we knew it would probably rain overnight.  It didn’t but it’s heading this way or at least that’s what the weatherman is telling us.

While we were on a roll we also cleaned up our two Weber’s and had two propane tanks filled.  We have one set we leave at the cabin and one we take on the road.  Our traveling Weber was then put into one of our recently cleaned out basement bins in the motorhome.  It’s ready to take south.

In the evening we had time to attend Jordie’s soccer game.  She played high school soccer and now she’s playing college soccer.  I guess she has no choice but to play since she also received a soccer scholarship. Besides that … she loves it.

Best news of all  …. we even heard from Justin.  He is well and I'm a happy camper.  'Nuff said.

This will be a busy weekend.  I’m off to Texas tomorrow for another reunion so I’ll catch up later. (Yes, Marsha, a first cousin’s reunion – it’s an excuse, of course!)  It’s always tough to try to pack when the temperatures you’re in are much different than where you’re going.  The only time I’ll need a jacket is just while I’m sitting on a plane.

‘Tis life on the road.
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