When it rains... we'll get wet

Yesterday was a gentle day weather wise. No big storms, not hardly a breeze, yet as we were sitting in the coach, we heard a loud crash and heavy thump on the roof. We ran outside and discovered our awning was half on the roof and half hanging almost straight down, somewhat like a student ballerina who has attempted a leap only to flop twisted grotesquely over a chair.

As if to mock us for not anchoring the awning this one time, a gently breeze ruffled the awning's scalloped trim. We stared at the awning, then at one another, each knowing what the other was thinking: There couldn't have been enough wind to do this... We were just outdoors 5 minutes before!

Off we went to Camping World to check the cost of new supports (Amazingly, nothing else was damaged). Over $550 plus shipping for the parts, labor, of course, would be extra... another $165 or so. We left in shock and headed to a more pleasant activity. I am really getting sick of parts, and repair quote shopping anyway.

Richard, Naomi, Pastor Ralph, Rhonda, iona

We had a lunch date with our old (not in age) friend and Pastor Ralph Sigler and his family and were hosted at the Dothan Country Club by a delightful lady member of his congregation, Harvest Church. It was a birthday celebration for Ralph's mother (and my dear friend) Naomi. What a blessed time we had.

We had such a good time, we decided not to spend $700 or more on the awning. We'll just stow the undamaged main part of it in our "basement" and be on the lookout for an RV salvage place where we can perhaps buy used parts somewhere down the road.

Pastor David, Will, Kiril

Pastor David Pavlik's memorial service was held this evening and, thanks to the miracles in technology, we were able to watch over the internet.

I love this picture of him which shows well his wit and great sense of humor. The two young men were each preparing for his Bar Mitzvah.

I am deeply indebted to this man for guiding me through a period of  spiritual discovery while never once giving me a push or a shove... He was patient and a fount of knowledge and one of the most humble men I have ever met.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

A place to be still

Since home is where ever we are parked, we are happy to be at home here at Shallow Creek RV Park with its quietude and serene setting among the trees. No traffic, no noise of any sort. A small, private pool area and a game room with a pool table... nice place to live for a few days or years, I guess, should you like. A nice place to be still and think on the deeper thoughts of life...

Since we've been here, we've had dinner at the home of old and dear friends and talked of days gone by and plans for days to come. Friday night, we shared a Shabbat meal at the home of a Torah observant couple I met on Facebook. Sunday, yesterday, we attended two services at Harvest Church and ate lunch with old friends afterwards. Tomorrow, we'll join more dear friends for lunch.

Today, we went to a nursing home to visit a long time friend who can no longer speak or control her body. Her mind is alert and she can respond to yes or no questions. The last time we saw her was when she visited us in Florida and we spent most of a week touring Disney World. Seeing her as she is today was a shock to Richard and I and we are reminded once again how fragile life can be... and how easy it is to take it for granted.

The warmth and love our friends show us helps ease the ache of the loss of our Pastor and friend David Pavlik and the sorrow of seeing our sweet friend's alert mind trapped in an inert body. Shallow Creek is a good place to contemplate all that.

Sudden death

Michael found a rebuilt steering box, price over $700... plus there will be the labor. Have I mentioned that RV stuff sure is pricey? Oh my, where are we going to get the money for this?

But all concern over that quickly faded away as we learned later in the morning that Our Pastor David G. Pavlik had suddenly and unexpectedly died... just like that!

Pastor Natalie, Myself, Pastor David

I can't begin to define the sense of loss I feel and the sorrow. Yet I rejoice, for he is with Yeshua (Jesus) now and we will see him again. Meanwhile, though, my heart breaks for myself and all those like me who loved and depended on this genuinely humble man who was so spiritually honest and so unconditionally loving.

I also grieve for my precious friend and sister, Natalie who has lost her life mate... and for their children and grandchildren, indeed for the whole family and the congregation of Beit Yisrael. I know in spite of the ache of missing one so beloved they will all go one with their work of loving and serving YHVH and the people all round them.

Another big breakdown... Really?

The Ladies Bible Study at Harvest Church in Dothan, AL meets on Thursday mornings. When we lived here, I was a member to this blessed group. I had been invited to speak to these dear ones this morning about why I wear a kippa and keep the commandments of Torah.

Richard dropped me off and went to find a local home base for us at the Shallow Creek RV Park in Ashford, AL. After we were both at the park, Richard was repositioning the coach so our electrical cord would reach. I noticed a stream of red fluid draining from the driver's side underbody. It looked like our Safari was bleeding to death. Power steering fluid, oh boy!

Norma Jean who operates the park knew a local truck mechanic and called him for us. Soon Michael from 8M Truck & Diesel LLC gave us the sad news. We needed a steering gear box. Not a seal or a gasket or any little old inexpensive thing, but the whole box! IF he could find one, it would not be here until after the Memorial Day weekend... that would be Tuesday at the earliest.

We spent the rest of the day getting parts for our bay door latches since our only key had broken in one of the locks. It was comforting to buy parts we could afford for a job we could do ourselves. It was also comforting to know that YHVH has us in HIs strong right hand... Just think if the steering had gone out driving at freeway speeds. Ouch!

Sleeping at Wal-Mart

The custom made rubber part of our brake lines didn't arrive until almost closing time, but Brad the friendly mechanic stayed late to get us on our way, and we headed toward Dothan. Hot, tired and dirty since we had no sewer dump and dared not shower at the shop.

There is a big new Flying J truck stop in Dothan, so we planned to fuel up, fill our propane tank, take long, hot showers and park in their truck lot for a good night's rest. That was a pipe dream. We got our fuel and propane just fine, but Flying J no longer bestows free showers on their fueling customers, not unless they have a special card and fuel enough times or gallons, etc. For the rest of us it's $10 a shower! Too high for our frugal ways, we settled for sponge baths in the restrooms.

Flying J's truck lot was full, so we wandered around town looking for a place to plant the rig for the night. Wal-Mart was perfect. The Asst. Manager on duty gave us a gracious welcome and indicated where she wanted us to park. We slept beautifully.

Sitting up on blocks

Yesterday we hiked some of the trails along the Suwannee River. Yes, you read it right, I hiked! Well, my version of it... a slow walk with many stops, but I finished the trail and I am proud! I had a full length abdominal aortic aneurism and had a marvelous stint put in, but in the process both femoral arteries (entry points for the implants) became clogged with scar tissue and, combined with disc disease, it is quite painful to walk. But walk I must and will. My heart needs it on many levels.

We left this morning with a destination in mind. The Seminole RV Repair Shop in Tallahassee was the only RV repair coming up in our online searches. The break pedal still goes further down than we like, but the rig seems to slow and stop well. Driving on a wing and a prayer, many prayers, really, we made it to Brad's shop.

To reduce stress on the brakes, I followed the rig in the Little Green Toad

We needed the flexible part of our brake lines replaced and one caliper was shot while the other had been installed upside down. Brake pads, too, were needing replacement, so we were going to spend some time in this shop. Our friendly host allowed us to stay in the coach during the repairs.

About that time I managed to download all the pictures from my camera which had begun acting wonky... and somehow in the process, I lost a boat load of photos... good ones, too. Now, my camera is making lines in the pictures. I think our mechanical things are conspiring against us.

On a more serious note, we are so very thankful that we made it into a shop and that somehow we had enough money to pay our way back out again. My goodness, RV stuff and repairs are pricey. Have I said that before? Yeah, well, it's getting more true all the time!

Sweet time on the Suwannee River

A longer ride this time. We're getting pretty efficient at setting up "camp" and getting ready to roll again, what with all the practice we had at Lake Louisa.

Everything inside the coach rode well except Jasper who insisted he must be on the dash (passenger side) and perform his full vocal repertoire at varying intervals and volumes. Even Baby Snooks has gotten her coach legs, learning to cautiously make her way around her domain.

The coach handled extremely well according to Richard, the retired school superintendent who has driven buses a bezillion miles for Disney, Dothan, Galt and several school districts, not in that order. The rig handled well, but my man became concerned as it was taking more and more brake pedal to slow and stop the rig. We were almost to the park and could find no repair shops on our trusty Rand McNalley GPS for RV's, so we eased on into our new home at the beautiful Suwannee River state park where we will stay until Tuesday morning. Until then, we will set aside worry and get in touch with the Safari and other RV groups online to learn what we can from the old timers.

Slow start, maybe tomorrow

We are still at our first stop. Well, not exactly. We have been in three spots here at the state park. You see, we thought we would be here four days while we waited for Richard's long overdue partial plate. Alas, the plate was in, but the dentist was not, so we extended our stay another two days but had to switch spots since others had reserved our original place.

At last, the plate came in and so did the dentist, but the cat went out. Lost (to us) and gone from sight. So we extended our stay once more, again having to move to another lot. Since it was close to the Sabbath, we reserved for two nights. Funny thing, though... as soon as I finished making the online reservations, there was Jasper at the door as if he had never been away at all.

Today is the Sabbath, we call it Shabbat (Hebrew for 7th as used in 7th day) and we were thrilled to share yet one more Shabbat service with our congregation http://beityisrael.us/. We lingered longer than usual after oneg (a group meal after services. Oneg means delight). We are going to miss our mishpocha (family).

Tomorrow, we hope to head north a few miles to another state park where the rates are cheap. State parks here are half price for Florida resident seniors. We are paying $12/night including electricity, 50 amp, and full hookups. Gotta love that!http://beityisrael.us/

Life on the road begins

After we finally got The Little Green Toad all hooked up to our used Blue Ox tow bars, we left the campground we had been living in for over two years and hit the open road. Excitement city! I cannot begin to describe how thrilled I was.

Jasper, our grumpy old cat yowled nonstop for the first ten miles and moaned the rest of the 25 mile trip to our first stop, Florida's Lake Louisa State Park. Baby Snooks quickly discovered she couldn't walk well in the moving house and flopped her chubby bulldog body flat out on the tiled floor of the kitchen.

We arrived at the park late in the afternoon and quickly set up, then drove the car into town for gas and fast food. Amazing how tired we both were, and how happy.

A little history....

Finally, we will set off for life on the road. We've dreamed of this soooo long, and tomorrow it becomes a reality. Actually, we became full timers in April, 2009, when we moved out of our stix 'n' bricks house and took up living in a fiver (5th wheel trailer)...

This is our first rig. Pretty and very livable, but by June of 2010 we knew a motorhome would suit our needs better because we, Richard and I and our pets, Baby Snooks and Jasper, could enjoy the living quarters going down the road.

We bought a 40 foot long 1995 Safari Ivory Edition with a 300 Cummins and Allison automatic transmission. It has no slides, and we didn't want any. We wanted it to be fully livable with no adjustments for our stop and go life on the road.

We don't have much of a nest egg for emergencies, and everything we own is loaded in the motorhome and The Little Green Toad, as we have named our bright green Ford Fiesta, but we are trusting our Father to provide and we can always work along the way if our retirement income falls short.