We've moved twice in the last two weeks and it's been a little hectic. First we moved from Carowinds to Cumming, Ga. We thought we'd like that campground, but we didn't. The wifi was weak and rarely available. The water pressure was so low we had to use our own water supply and water pump. What was even more annoying was that we told the office about the weak water pressure and were assured someone would check on it. A week passed w/no evidence of any effort. So, we were glad to leave there.
Now we are in Whitesburg, GA in a much less congested area of the state. Chris found this campground and we like it much better than the last one. This is an interesting location, because the campground is part of a larger property that includes a variety of outdoor activities including climbing walls and zip lines. Here is there website, take a minute to check it out and look at all the pictures.
We're unlikely to do anything too dare-devilish, but there is a long wooden swinging bridge across a gorge that we might tackle. The trick seems to be figuring out how to get back w/o using the bridge twice, but I suppose that after do it once, the second time will be easy. Maybe.
So, Monday we took some tests for work that were more challenging than we expected. That was stressful but we passed. Tuesday we moved. Wednesday-Friday we worked with another technician and learned a lot from him (and probably tested his patience to the limit).
We think we'll be here for about two weeks. We'll see how it actually plays out. Stay tuned.
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Prepping To Move
I've shared pictures of our new interior, but everything is a little different when we travel. It's a little like rushing around your house when unexpected guests call and say they are on their way combined with preparing for an earthquake since we're going to be moving down the road.
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| Turn chairs to the side and put jackets in chair where they are accessible since the closet will be inaccessible once we close the slides. |
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| Turn table to the side and put fruit bowl on the floor. |
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| Laundry hamper, humidifier and space heater in the shower. |
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| Random stuff on the bed. |
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| Plants and flowers (thanks Chris) and gadgets in the sink.
While I'm working on the stuff inside, Chris is buy outside disconnecting hoses and packing up our outside furniture.
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| Then we hook up the tow dolly and car. |
We can do all of this in about an hour...then we hit the road.
Monday, January 18, 2016
Our Trip to the RV Show
A couple weeks ago we, along with our friends Richard and Lamar, went to an RV show at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was on the infield of the track, so as an added bonus we got to see the speedway without dealing with the noise and crowds of an actual race.
None of us are in the market for a new RV, but it's sort of like going to the home show for those whose houses don't have wheels. We wanted to see what was new and maybe get some ideas.
We looked at very high end motor homes (in the $200-300K range) on down to pop up campers.
Afterward we went out to lunch and what was interesting is that all four of us came to the same realization...we're pretty happy with the RV's we have and we'd rather upgrade and work with what we have than switch.
While we were looking at a nice, high end motor home, another couple was looking at it too and when they found out we were all full timers they started asking our advice. Richard, who isn't too shy, basically said, "Don't buy one of these new ones. Get yourself something older and change it to suit yourself." He went on a longer explanation, pointing out the things that weren't so great about the motor home we were all standing in.
The salesman could not shoo us out of there fast enough.
Like a home or car, you need to know what your purpose is. The furniture we removed would have slept 4 people. That would have been great for a large family or grandparents who want to take the grandkids on a trip. But, not for us, particularly since it was all uncomfortable. A bigger priority for us is work space to use computers or tablets. With the large number of people who are living and working from their RV's it's surprising how little work space there is. Apparently we are not their target market.
I've read that most full time RVers change rigs within the first two years and I can understand that. Just like with a home or remodeling, you might think you know what you want, but until you live with it for a while, you don't know for sure. Now that we've been at this for a year and a half, we are more knowledgeable about what works for us and what doesn't.
With the recent changes we've made, we feel like we're on the right track.
None of us are in the market for a new RV, but it's sort of like going to the home show for those whose houses don't have wheels. We wanted to see what was new and maybe get some ideas.
We looked at very high end motor homes (in the $200-300K range) on down to pop up campers.
Afterward we went out to lunch and what was interesting is that all four of us came to the same realization...we're pretty happy with the RV's we have and we'd rather upgrade and work with what we have than switch.
While we were looking at a nice, high end motor home, another couple was looking at it too and when they found out we were all full timers they started asking our advice. Richard, who isn't too shy, basically said, "Don't buy one of these new ones. Get yourself something older and change it to suit yourself." He went on a longer explanation, pointing out the things that weren't so great about the motor home we were all standing in.
The salesman could not shoo us out of there fast enough.
Like a home or car, you need to know what your purpose is. The furniture we removed would have slept 4 people. That would have been great for a large family or grandparents who want to take the grandkids on a trip. But, not for us, particularly since it was all uncomfortable. A bigger priority for us is work space to use computers or tablets. With the large number of people who are living and working from their RV's it's surprising how little work space there is. Apparently we are not their target market.
I've read that most full time RVers change rigs within the first two years and I can understand that. Just like with a home or remodeling, you might think you know what you want, but until you live with it for a while, you don't know for sure. Now that we've been at this for a year and a half, we are more knowledgeable about what works for us and what doesn't.
With the recent changes we've made, we feel like we're on the right track.
Friday, January 15, 2016
Moving On...Finally
We've been anxiously waiting for news of our next assignment. Frankly, it's been a little frustrating. The unknown can be exciting or nerve-wracking and it's been a little of both for us recently. But now we have a bit of a plan for the next few months so we're relieved and anxious to move on.
Where are we going?
Drum roll, please....
Atlanta!
We'll report to the corporate headquarters Monday morning (located in Peachtree Corners, GA) for a week of training, then we'll be working in the Atlanta area for 2-3 months. The good news about this assignment is that the work in the Atlanta area is ongoing and there are several different crews working there, so it's not like we have to stay there until it's all done (like we did here).
After that, it sounds like we'll actually be coming back to this area for a few weeks to train whoever is assigned to the job we just finished. I'm not sure if this is standard procedure, but the customer here is known to be rather picky, but they liked us, so that's the current plan.
That should take us through the end of May. After that, fingers crossed, we'll be heading out west.
Dan and Debbie Green, the people who trained us on our jobs here, are in the Atlanta area now and gave us a recommendation for a campground so we'll their neighbors, more or less.
It's about a four hour drive (which means it'll take us anywhere from 6-15 hours) and we plan to arrive Saturday afternoon, which gives us Sunday to get acclimated before we start training on Monday.
Now that we are finally set with a date to leave here, it's a little bittersweet. We're excited for what's next and ready for a new location, but we've made some good friends here. But, it sounds like we'll be returning in a couple months for a visit, so no need to get too tearful.
Where are we going?
Drum roll, please....
Atlanta!
We'll report to the corporate headquarters Monday morning (located in Peachtree Corners, GA) for a week of training, then we'll be working in the Atlanta area for 2-3 months. The good news about this assignment is that the work in the Atlanta area is ongoing and there are several different crews working there, so it's not like we have to stay there until it's all done (like we did here).
After that, it sounds like we'll actually be coming back to this area for a few weeks to train whoever is assigned to the job we just finished. I'm not sure if this is standard procedure, but the customer here is known to be rather picky, but they liked us, so that's the current plan.
That should take us through the end of May. After that, fingers crossed, we'll be heading out west.
Dan and Debbie Green, the people who trained us on our jobs here, are in the Atlanta area now and gave us a recommendation for a campground so we'll their neighbors, more or less.
It's about a four hour drive (which means it'll take us anywhere from 6-15 hours) and we plan to arrive Saturday afternoon, which gives us Sunday to get acclimated before we start training on Monday.
Now that we are finally set with a date to leave here, it's a little bittersweet. We're excited for what's next and ready for a new location, but we've made some good friends here. But, it sounds like we'll be returning in a couple months for a visit, so no need to get too tearful.
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
But, What About News?
In my last post I talked about our TV options, however Sling TV doesn't include any of the 24 hour news channels. Some might find that a treat, and mostly I do too. But, we have options there as well.
The car has Sirius XM radio. Under normal circumstances I would have just enjoyed the 90 day free trial that came with the car and left it at that. But since the car is our office and we literally spend hours in it each day, we decided to spring for a whole year of satellite radio which includes all the big news outlets. Sometimes in the morning we listen to HLN or Morning Joe on MSNBC...but it tends to make us both cranky. We have to find that fine line between becoming informed and becoming aggravated.
On the weekends I can listen to Forensic Files on HLN while I'm doing errands...you know how I like those shows.
And when the news makes us cranky, we have plenty of other options. More music channels and genres than I could imagine (but no disco...sigh...sometimes you need a little Donna Summer to get going). We've tried listening to some of the classic radio shows, but it turns out that once we start working, we aren't in the car for the entire length of a show.
I feel like this is a good option for us. We aren't inundated with commercials or static and we don't have to worry about decent reception when we are in remote areas. No need to scan through channels when we want to listen to something different.
For those of you who don't understand the power of disco...
The car has Sirius XM radio. Under normal circumstances I would have just enjoyed the 90 day free trial that came with the car and left it at that. But since the car is our office and we literally spend hours in it each day, we decided to spring for a whole year of satellite radio which includes all the big news outlets. Sometimes in the morning we listen to HLN or Morning Joe on MSNBC...but it tends to make us both cranky. We have to find that fine line between becoming informed and becoming aggravated.
On the weekends I can listen to Forensic Files on HLN while I'm doing errands...you know how I like those shows.
And when the news makes us cranky, we have plenty of other options. More music channels and genres than I could imagine (but no disco...sigh...sometimes you need a little Donna Summer to get going). We've tried listening to some of the classic radio shows, but it turns out that once we start working, we aren't in the car for the entire length of a show.
I feel like this is a good option for us. We aren't inundated with commercials or static and we don't have to worry about decent reception when we are in remote areas. No need to scan through channels when we want to listen to something different.
For those of you who don't understand the power of disco...
Monday, January 11, 2016
Non-Cable TV Options
Avid follower(s) of our blog have read about our TV-less months. We're making up for lost time. Now that we have a new digital TV, we get a large number of channels with only an antenna. Admittedly, some of these are weird channels, like the one showing episodes of TV from the 1970s, but still many options with the major networks and PBS.
But...no ESPN. This campground doesn't have cable, so if we want to watch sports that aren't on the major networks (turns out not all of them are any more) we need ESPN.
Many people here have Direct TV dishes on their sites. They are planning to be here for the long haul, so that works for them. You can also get what's called a Tailgater which is a mobile satellite unit to pick up TV stations. For that, you need to purchase the little satellite thing and pay a monthly fee. However, you can turn off the service when you don't need it.
We've gone in a different direction. Since our new TV is a Smart TV, we have signed up for Sling TV. It's $20/month and we can pause our subscription any time. The WiFi here is excellent, so it works well for us. We can watch live TV from ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, TBS, Food Network, HGTV and several other channels.
When we move to another campground, if cable is included with our site fee, then we'll turn off Sling while we are there. If they don't have cable and the WiFi is slow...then we might be back to antenna channels.
If you have cable and good WiFi, you might consider Sling TV instead of your cable channels. The situation we have now is ideal for us because we get local news and network TV via the antenna and then the cable stations we like with Sling.
With the Smart TV we can also access YouTube, so that can be an endless source of time wasting too.
Still...there are many times we click through all our options and say "but there's nothing on."
But...no ESPN. This campground doesn't have cable, so if we want to watch sports that aren't on the major networks (turns out not all of them are any more) we need ESPN.
Many people here have Direct TV dishes on their sites. They are planning to be here for the long haul, so that works for them. You can also get what's called a Tailgater which is a mobile satellite unit to pick up TV stations. For that, you need to purchase the little satellite thing and pay a monthly fee. However, you can turn off the service when you don't need it.
We've gone in a different direction. Since our new TV is a Smart TV, we have signed up for Sling TV. It's $20/month and we can pause our subscription any time. The WiFi here is excellent, so it works well for us. We can watch live TV from ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, TBS, Food Network, HGTV and several other channels.
When we move to another campground, if cable is included with our site fee, then we'll turn off Sling while we are there. If they don't have cable and the WiFi is slow...then we might be back to antenna channels.
If you have cable and good WiFi, you might consider Sling TV instead of your cable channels. The situation we have now is ideal for us because we get local news and network TV via the antenna and then the cable stations we like with Sling.
With the Smart TV we can also access YouTube, so that can be an endless source of time wasting too.
Still...there are many times we click through all our options and say "but there's nothing on."
Saturday, January 9, 2016
Nearly Done With Home Improvements
Good news...we are no longer using lawn furniture in our living room. Yay!
We got one new chair...the burgundy one on the left. We're very happy with it. It reclines but isn't a big giant recliner like most of the chairs we've found while shopping. We also like the color.
We thought about getting two and we still might go back for another one, but it turns out that I like having my feet up, but I don't care for reclining and since the burgundy chair is a push back recliner (vs. the ones w/a lever that pop the foot rest out w/o reclining) I probably wouldn't like it as well as the chair w/the footstool. I'd prefer that the two chairs match or go together a bit better, but I'm hoping that w/some accessories it will fit together.
Next on our shopping list, an end table to replace the TV tray.
Here's a before picture:
After.
We thought about getting two and we still might go back for another one, but it turns out that I like having my feet up, but I don't care for reclining and since the burgundy chair is a push back recliner (vs. the ones w/a lever that pop the foot rest out w/o reclining) I probably wouldn't like it as well as the chair w/the footstool. I'd prefer that the two chairs match or go together a bit better, but I'm hoping that w/some accessories it will fit together.
Next on our shopping list, an end table to replace the TV tray.
Here's a before picture:
After.
Ahhh. So much better.
Friday, January 8, 2016
The Continuing Saga of Our Home Improvements
We had to make a trip to get propane, which meant closing up the slides and hitting the road for a quick trip. I realized I hadn't posted any pictures of what our MH looks like when the slides are in, so I took one. First, I love all the sunshine coming in the windows, even with the shades down. It makes me so happy. That has nothing to do with having the slides in, but I thought I'd mention it.
Anyway, this is what it looks like with the slides closed. As you can see, we've turned the new table to the side, otherwise, it would block our path. See that line of carpet to the right? That's the edge of the slide. The old furniture basically went to that edge. It was wide enough to get through, but it still felt really crowded. More reason for us to be glad we got rid of the furniture.
We spent a fair amount of time shopping for stools to go with the table/desk. We found some we really liked, but they were part of a set and we couldn't buy just two of them. Others we found were either uncomfortable, or more than we wanted to pay. But, good old Amazon came through for us with this nice pair of stools. If you want a more detailed picture, here's the link to Amazon. We were very happy to get them, particularly since we've been eating standing up for the last couple days.
However, we still haven't replaced the couch. Yes, that's a lawn chair. The other chair came w/the MH and we may keep it and just get one other recliner. Or we might get two news ones. We could get a couch or love seat, but with a swiveling chair, it's easier to see out the windows and it gives us more options if we want to move them around. For now, we'll stick with the lawn chair. Stay tuned for further updates on the home remodeling project.
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Our Craigslist Adventure
When we decided to replace the dinette and couch we were left with the question of what to do with them. Frankly, we were both fine with putting them in the dumpster or setting them in front of our RV with a "Free" sign.
A couple of our friends here encouraged us to put them on Craigslist assuring us that they'd had good luck and that RV furniture is actually in high demand. Chris put a listing on Craigslist but didn't include pictures. Right away he heard from someone interested in the couch. Chris sent him photos and measurements and soon a deal was struck. Actually, he agreed to pay the full asking price of $400.
That left the dinette. One person did express interest, more or less. Chris got a message "I will need your full name and address for the check but will gladly pay an additional $50 for holding it in my favor." This seemed a little suspicious, especially since he didn't ask for pictures, so we ignored him.
Chris made arrangements for the buyer of the couch to pick it up. We got all the furniture unbolted from the floor (that was a little challenging, but Chris did a great job) and outside, though we still didn't have a taker on the dinette. I told Chris, "You should tell the guy buying the couch that it's $400 for the couch, but if he takes everything, it's only $350." He was agreeable and said he'd talk to the guy about it when he got here. A few minutes after this conversation, Chris got a text. "If you still have the dinette and are willing to take $600 for everything, I'll take it."
Well, yes. We'd be happy to do that.
The buyer was a very nice guy who came with his two young children and a handful of cash.
So, for us, our first Craigslist experience was awesome.
A couple of our friends here encouraged us to put them on Craigslist assuring us that they'd had good luck and that RV furniture is actually in high demand. Chris put a listing on Craigslist but didn't include pictures. Right away he heard from someone interested in the couch. Chris sent him photos and measurements and soon a deal was struck. Actually, he agreed to pay the full asking price of $400.
That left the dinette. One person did express interest, more or less. Chris got a message "I will need your full name and address for the check but will gladly pay an additional $50 for holding it in my favor." This seemed a little suspicious, especially since he didn't ask for pictures, so we ignored him.
Chris made arrangements for the buyer of the couch to pick it up. We got all the furniture unbolted from the floor (that was a little challenging, but Chris did a great job) and outside, though we still didn't have a taker on the dinette. I told Chris, "You should tell the guy buying the couch that it's $400 for the couch, but if he takes everything, it's only $350." He was agreeable and said he'd talk to the guy about it when he got here. A few minutes after this conversation, Chris got a text. "If you still have the dinette and are willing to take $600 for everything, I'll take it."
Well, yes. We'd be happy to do that.
The buyer was a very nice guy who came with his two young children and a handful of cash.
So, for us, our first Craigslist experience was awesome.
Monday, January 4, 2016
Another Home Improvement Project
One of our least favorite areas of our MH is the dinette. It's uncomfortable---the seats are too low. Plus, the length of the table makes it difficult to get into the storage cupboards above.
In the past we'd talked about getting rid of it, but I was hesitant because I thought that if we wanted to sell the MH it would be better to have the original furniture that goes with the decor and it is also the typical furniture that is found in most MHs.
But, we decided that since we plan to keep this MH for a few years, we might as well make it the way we want it and not worry too much about what happens when we decide to sell or trade it in.
I'd also never considered that we could use furniture that wasn't specifically designed for use in an RV.
Once we worked through all these rather silly beliefs, here is what we came up with:
In the past we'd talked about getting rid of it, but I was hesitant because I thought that if we wanted to sell the MH it would be better to have the original furniture that goes with the decor and it is also the typical furniture that is found in most MHs.But, we decided that since we plan to keep this MH for a few years, we might as well make it the way we want it and not worry too much about what happens when we decide to sell or trade it in.
I'd also never considered that we could use furniture that wasn't specifically designed for use in an RV.
Once we worked through all these rather silly beliefs, here is what we came up with:
It's actually a desk. It's counter height. We have two stools arriving soon. I can't get over how much nicer it looks.
Next to be replaced...the couch. Stay tuned.
Friday, January 1, 2016
More 2015 In Review
I didn't finish the whole post last time. The pictures were acting weird, so I went ahead and posted, but there's more to share!
Weird Things that Happened in 2015:
The weather. It seems that wherever we go, suddenly there are extremes in the weather. This summer it was ridiculously hot and humid for a horrendously long time. Day after day. Hot and humid. That sure sucked away my good humor. Then this fall, we've experienced record breaking rainfall. If it rains for more than two hours, we don't work any more for the day (or at all, if it rains the first two hours). We have not worked a full five day week since the week before Thanksgiving. And before that, we hadn't worked a full five day week for about 4 weeks.
Finding Reliable RV repairmen. Our a/c died (caught fire, actually) in May. We called Mark and he came the same day, ordered parts and came back within a couple days, worked late into the night and got our a/c working. We were thrilled thinking that we'd found a reliable and competent RV repairman. In July our jacks stopped working. We called Mark. He asked how long we were going to be here and we told him several more weeks, so no rush. He certainly took us at our word because it wasn't until Chris called at the end of August and got a little pushy that he finally showed up. The jacks worked twice and then quit. We called Mark again. No response. Repeated calls, unfulfilled promises to show up. Much frustration.
So we stopped by another RV repair place to see if they could help us. There, the guy gave Chris the third degree about who had done the repairs previously and also asked "well, how long are you going to be there?" Apparently they are all procrastinators looking for the deadline and then working back from there. That guy never showed up.
We called Mark again. I tried to be nice, really I did. But finally after a couple of lies and numerous excuses, I told him not to bother. Like he was going to show up anyway. I felt bad because if we couldn't get Mark to show up, how would we get the jacks fixed?
Low and behold, that very night we were out walking Dooley and saw an RV repairman working on another RV...Jason...reliable, professional and reasonably priced. The jacks are fixed, and fixed right (not sure Mark knew what he was doing). Whew.
People who won't talk to us. We're both pretty friendly. In general, people seem to like us. Or so we think. But this year, we've had some weird encounters with people who are determined to ignore us.
I really hit it off with one of my male co-workers. He's funny and smart and Chris and I both enjoy talking to him. He's married so I thought maybe he and his wife would be a nice couple for us to get to know. Apparently not, since the wife has ignored me for months. Not just the "maybe she didn't see me" sort of thing either. Once I realized that she wouldn't acknowledge me, I made a point of waving every time she drove by. Still nothing. Really? I'm big as an effing tank...how can you not see me standing next to the road as you drive by?
Our former neighbors. A few weeks ago we moved to a new site here at Carowinds. We weren't really pals with our former neighbors, but we were cordial. They were a bit weird, but were at least willing to wave. It seems they've taken our move personally because we have seen them, called their names and said hello and they just keep walking.
My family...whatever.
The laziest co-workers ever. Ever. Nearly all of my co-workers at Carowinds campground were likable, team players and fun to work with. Except one couple. They "don't do computers" and had no qualms about the fact that they refused to use the computers, which are a significant part of doing things like making reservations, checking in guests, and answering questions. I could go on, but suffice to say, things came to a head when I called the husband "f*cking lazy". I'm not too proud of that, but I did become a bit of a legend amongst my co-workers. These two also are part of the "people who won't talk to us" category.
The mystery leak. After a night of historical rains, we woke up to find half our couch soaking wet. Surprise! The leak seemed to be coming from one of the lights above it. We put a bowl there to catch the water and headed off to work while the rain continued (see two hour rule above). The bowl filled up and we swapped it for a large stock pot. It seemed weird that there'd be a leak there because it's on the slide and there's an awning over the top, so we couldn't figure out how there could be a leak. There were a few dry days, but the next time it rained, we put out the stock pot. Nothing. We've had days and days of rain since then and no leak. Did it mend itself? We saw the water leaking from the light into the stockpot, so the rain was definitely coming through there at one point, but now it's gone.
The dearth of decent places for lunch. While we were working all around York County, SC we thought we'd try some of the local eateries for lunch. We've usually had good luck with trying new places. Not around here. The parking lots were full, so we figured they must be good. Wrong. We probably tried eight places and only one of them, a pizza place, was worth a second visit. Nothing was awful, but we sure didn't find any gems out there.
On the side. To go along with the paragraph above, one thing we've noticed in the south is that each of these restaurants we visited has a giant chalk board on the wall listing the menu items, including 15 or more side dishes. Not just your basic salad or choice of potato. We've got fried pickles, homemade pickles, cole slaw, potato salad, macaroni salad, pickled beets, deviled eggs and one that is seems to be particular to this area...pimento cheese spread. No crackers, just a scoop of this cheese stuff. Some places make sandwiches out of it. When I mentioned this to a local friend he told us that pimento cheese is a Big Deal and his grandmother makes the best. Who knew?
Weird Things that Happened in 2015:
The weather. It seems that wherever we go, suddenly there are extremes in the weather. This summer it was ridiculously hot and humid for a horrendously long time. Day after day. Hot and humid. That sure sucked away my good humor. Then this fall, we've experienced record breaking rainfall. If it rains for more than two hours, we don't work any more for the day (or at all, if it rains the first two hours). We have not worked a full five day week since the week before Thanksgiving. And before that, we hadn't worked a full five day week for about 4 weeks.
Finding Reliable RV repairmen. Our a/c died (caught fire, actually) in May. We called Mark and he came the same day, ordered parts and came back within a couple days, worked late into the night and got our a/c working. We were thrilled thinking that we'd found a reliable and competent RV repairman. In July our jacks stopped working. We called Mark. He asked how long we were going to be here and we told him several more weeks, so no rush. He certainly took us at our word because it wasn't until Chris called at the end of August and got a little pushy that he finally showed up. The jacks worked twice and then quit. We called Mark again. No response. Repeated calls, unfulfilled promises to show up. Much frustration.
So we stopped by another RV repair place to see if they could help us. There, the guy gave Chris the third degree about who had done the repairs previously and also asked "well, how long are you going to be there?" Apparently they are all procrastinators looking for the deadline and then working back from there. That guy never showed up.
We called Mark again. I tried to be nice, really I did. But finally after a couple of lies and numerous excuses, I told him not to bother. Like he was going to show up anyway. I felt bad because if we couldn't get Mark to show up, how would we get the jacks fixed?
Low and behold, that very night we were out walking Dooley and saw an RV repairman working on another RV...Jason...reliable, professional and reasonably priced. The jacks are fixed, and fixed right (not sure Mark knew what he was doing). Whew.
People who won't talk to us. We're both pretty friendly. In general, people seem to like us. Or so we think. But this year, we've had some weird encounters with people who are determined to ignore us.
I really hit it off with one of my male co-workers. He's funny and smart and Chris and I both enjoy talking to him. He's married so I thought maybe he and his wife would be a nice couple for us to get to know. Apparently not, since the wife has ignored me for months. Not just the "maybe she didn't see me" sort of thing either. Once I realized that she wouldn't acknowledge me, I made a point of waving every time she drove by. Still nothing. Really? I'm big as an effing tank...how can you not see me standing next to the road as you drive by?
Our former neighbors. A few weeks ago we moved to a new site here at Carowinds. We weren't really pals with our former neighbors, but we were cordial. They were a bit weird, but were at least willing to wave. It seems they've taken our move personally because we have seen them, called their names and said hello and they just keep walking.
My family...whatever.
The laziest co-workers ever. Ever. Nearly all of my co-workers at Carowinds campground were likable, team players and fun to work with. Except one couple. They "don't do computers" and had no qualms about the fact that they refused to use the computers, which are a significant part of doing things like making reservations, checking in guests, and answering questions. I could go on, but suffice to say, things came to a head when I called the husband "f*cking lazy". I'm not too proud of that, but I did become a bit of a legend amongst my co-workers. These two also are part of the "people who won't talk to us" category.
The mystery leak. After a night of historical rains, we woke up to find half our couch soaking wet. Surprise! The leak seemed to be coming from one of the lights above it. We put a bowl there to catch the water and headed off to work while the rain continued (see two hour rule above). The bowl filled up and we swapped it for a large stock pot. It seemed weird that there'd be a leak there because it's on the slide and there's an awning over the top, so we couldn't figure out how there could be a leak. There were a few dry days, but the next time it rained, we put out the stock pot. Nothing. We've had days and days of rain since then and no leak. Did it mend itself? We saw the water leaking from the light into the stockpot, so the rain was definitely coming through there at one point, but now it's gone.
The dearth of decent places for lunch. While we were working all around York County, SC we thought we'd try some of the local eateries for lunch. We've usually had good luck with trying new places. Not around here. The parking lots were full, so we figured they must be good. Wrong. We probably tried eight places and only one of them, a pizza place, was worth a second visit. Nothing was awful, but we sure didn't find any gems out there.
On the side. To go along with the paragraph above, one thing we've noticed in the south is that each of these restaurants we visited has a giant chalk board on the wall listing the menu items, including 15 or more side dishes. Not just your basic salad or choice of potato. We've got fried pickles, homemade pickles, cole slaw, potato salad, macaroni salad, pickled beets, deviled eggs and one that is seems to be particular to this area...pimento cheese spread. No crackers, just a scoop of this cheese stuff. Some places make sandwiches out of it. When I mentioned this to a local friend he told us that pimento cheese is a Big Deal and his grandmother makes the best. Who knew?
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