Lookin' Good

  We've been busy as usual this week, and as promised, we have pics.

  The temperatures are starting to drop in the evenings and the fall colors are coming out.  This will be the first fall in over 20 years in which I've been able to witness the color changes.  It is spectacular.  Now, we don't have the red maples of the northeast US, but the birch have taken on a beautiful gold hue.  Watching the leaves fall and float down to the earth is fascinating.  John is excited, as he won't have to rake them.  Leaves are permitted to land where they may to decompose and enrich the soil.

  I finished the interior of the arctic entry.   Most people don't finish the interior of their entryways, but it just looked too awful to me seeing studs and insulation.  We didn't want to go into the expense of drywall, or paneling in a room that will be used for storage and as a buffer between the elements and the RV, so what to do?   I just decided to cover in fabrics I had laying around.  It really looks interesting, and at no extra expense to us except for one king size sheet purchased at the local thrift store to have enough to do the ceiling.  So, what do you think?

  A big bonus to the room?  We were finally (after 20 months) able to get the rest of our DVD collection out of the storage totes and onto shelves where we could get to them to watch them.  John and I are big movie buffs.  We sold approximately 50 DVDs when we had our estate sale, and we still have about 400 movies.  We also have around 30 movies that are digital on my iPod, or in our Amazon Cloud account.

  We were also able to bring in the rest of my cooking/baking supplies (bread machine, KitchenAide mixer, dehydrator, and others).  Now I can get to them without too much trouble.  I was also able to bring in my sewing and serger machines so I can use them whenever I want without digging into the cargo trailer. 

 We placed a small ceramic heater on a shelf so we don't freeze our fannies off while removing coats and boots.  A florescent light fixture affords us illumination.  The yellow straps you see around the fixture are a trick John learned in Okinawa to keep bulbs from falling to the floor and breaking during an earthquake. 

 John even built us a bench to sit on while removing boots.  I covered it in some vinyl I had left over.  It's just the right height for me with my bum hip.

  

 Kind of amazing how much a 5 x 8 room can hold and still allow you to maneuver.  Done with the inside, we now will focus outside.

  John was sent to the Home Depot with instructions to get a paint that would coordinate with the colors of the RV.  He did such a good job, he nearly broke his arm patting himself on the back.

  If our weather holds out, tomorrow we will get the skirting painted.  It feels good to be nearly ready for the winter.  I've still been working on putting "storm windows" on the inside to insulate against the cold.

  In other developments, MTA has been busy digging and running cable toward us.  That must mean we will have a telephone (with a local number), digital TV (the 4 channels we get leave a lot to be desired), and high speed internet.  Hope it's done before season 5 of The Walking Dead airs.

  I finally have an appointment with an orthopedist so I can get this danged hip replaced soon.  I got a lot to do and don't feel it's fair for John to have to do so much of the work.

  Got a message from a good friend who was Maid of Honor at our wedding 28 years ago.  She & her hubby plan to come here next summer in their 5th wheel.  How exciting!!!!  Our daughter in law's aunt JoAnne and her hubby Tom may also be coming up next summer.  Another nurse I used to work with in Pasadena will be here in October to visit her daughter and son in law.  She won't be in a RV, but does plan to stop in for coffee while she's here. With all that in mind, John and I are in the process of trying to get an electrician out here to install another 50 amp hook up.  I'm sure they won't be the only friends who will be visiting us here.

  The electrician process is just like every other skilled labor we've tried to hire during our adventure.  One has made 2 appointments with me and didn't show up for either (says he's been very busy).  Another one plans to come out on Monday to give us an estimate.  It isn't just the additional RV hook-up, but we are also looking at outdoor receptacles to plug in the autos this winter.  Eventually, we will have a heated garage, but in the mean time...

  Until next time, keep us in your thoughts, as you are in ours.