Updates for June-August
It's been a while for an update. This is Memorial Day weekend and we plan to have a cook out on Monday with some folks from the Rec Center at the campground. Speaking of the campground I guess everyone already had reservations. We had one camper the entire weekend! The weather has been crazy. Yesterday we had wind gusts up to 70mph and a lot of smoke and ash from fires hundreds of miles away. The awning hasn't been out for a week now because of the persistent winds. I'm starting to think this valley is like a wind tunnel and we'll just have to get used to it.
Kathy has found places to volunteer although not as many as in North Carolina. We have found a small church. The Community United Methodist Church has an average Sunday morning attendance of around 45-60 people. Every one is very friendly and we enjoy going there. Unlike Saline and Wilmington there is only one traditional service. It is really like a small family there. It's interesting that in both places, Carbondale and Wilmington both Pastor's are women. We heard all about the Annual UM Conference at the last service. The high points and low points.
Bill is doing good. The pool opened yesterday (Saturday) and attendance was so so with the weather. Bill said they had about 20-25 people. Today they had about 10 although its probably 15 degree's cooler today too, in the low 60's. He's been very busy get personnel hired and getting everything ready. Daisy (Bill's yellow lab) has become a play buddy of Chewie. We usually get Daisy from Bill's apartment in the afternoon and bring her over to the campground. Generally Bill comes over for dinner and then we all go to the dog park to wear both of the dogs out.
Nikki got good news at her job. They are re-aligning her district so she covers the city of Wilmington and area's surrounding. It mean considerable less driving for her and hopefully consistent sales volume. She just got back from ten days in Italy with a customer. It was an all expense paid trip she won due to her sales.
Ah the truck....its a good thing I like it and want to keep it. A new muffler system is in the picture over the next couple of weeks. I swear they have all components built to be replaced in 5-6 years. And nothing is cheap on a heavy duty diesel! But from another perspective, we have another 2-3 years (before it gets traded in) of worry free time...well maybe ;)
Sunday, June 3rd I'm flying to scenic Newark, NJ for a consulting job and will be back late Monday night night June 3rd. Unlike Detroit there is no way out of here timely. Closest airport is Eagle, Co. I'm driving to Denver Sunday morning (3 hrs) to catch a 12:30 p.m. flight :(.
The last weekend in June, Steve and Suzanne are meeting us half way with Bill's furniture (in storage in their basement) in DesMoines, IA. Yup, their crazy too! Who drives 10 hours on Saturday, moves contents from one trailer to another and goes home on Sunday? That would be us!
The following weekend (7/6) we leave Carbondale and will be driving to Grand Island, NE for Saturday and Rock Island, IL on Sunday. We'll stay there until Wednesday 7/11 and then will be driving to Marshall, MI (Turkeyville) to spend the weekend with Steve and Suzanne.
We'll be in Saline, MI Sunday, July 15th through approximately August 15th and then will be off to Massachusetts to see Kathy's family. We plan to be there until September 5th. We'll work our way down to Delaware to visit some friends the following weekend and plan to be back in Wilmington, NC around the middle of September.
Our plan next year is much simpler - September 2012 thru March 2013, North Carolina.
Work our way across the south, up through Arizona and get to Carbondale, CO on May 1st. We plan to be Camp Host at this campground next summer too.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Saturday, May 12, 2012
The 14th Annual Dandelion Festival
Dandelion Day, Carbondale's creative community celebration of sustainability and environmental consciousness.
Nothing to do? Make up a parade and call it your city flower - The Dandelion!
Definitely different, but fun and amusing. Good food, good music. A lot of good information at the vendor's booth on conservation. As one long time local cowboy said....The damn hippies ruined this town years ago :)
All in your point of view I guess.
The pictures say it all -
And for those wondering where we are now?
http://www.gateway-rv-park.com/Home.html
Dandelion Day, Carbondale's creative community celebration of sustainability and environmental consciousness.
Nothing to do? Make up a parade and call it your city flower - The Dandelion!
Definitely different, but fun and amusing. Good food, good music. A lot of good information at the vendor's booth on conservation. As one long time local cowboy said....The damn hippies ruined this town years ago :)
All in your point of view I guess.
The pictures say it all -
And for those wondering where we are now?
http://www.gateway-rv-park.com/Home.html
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Learn about transmissions day
When you tow 12,000 lbs with a stock truck, even if it is a 2500HD Diesel, with 140,000 miles you are bound to wear the tranny. We noticed going through the mountains that it was slipping in 2nd gear. Took it to the local trans shop here (National Transmission) based on recommendations from just about everyone. Joel the owner is great! They dropped the pan and found the adjustment band for 2nd was on by a thread. Any longer and we would have been rebuilding a transmission. They adjusted the band as far as it will go and put in new solenoids and we are good as new, for a while.
I'm going to have them build a new, heavier duty transmission next summer when we are here. That one should hold up to the constant towing! Joel said they build custom transmissions a lot, and he can put together a very strong billet aluminum with a heavier duty torque converter that will look great and last.
Now to save the $$ it will cost :)
When you tow 12,000 lbs with a stock truck, even if it is a 2500HD Diesel, with 140,000 miles you are bound to wear the tranny. We noticed going through the mountains that it was slipping in 2nd gear. Took it to the local trans shop here (National Transmission) based on recommendations from just about everyone. Joel the owner is great! They dropped the pan and found the adjustment band for 2nd was on by a thread. Any longer and we would have been rebuilding a transmission. They adjusted the band as far as it will go and put in new solenoids and we are good as new, for a while.
I'm going to have them build a new, heavier duty transmission next summer when we are here. That one should hold up to the constant towing! Joel said they build custom transmissions a lot, and he can put together a very strong billet aluminum with a heavier duty torque converter that will look great and last.
Now to save the $$ it will cost :)
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Settling in...
We are set up and met our co-camp hosts, Tim and Cheryl. They are long time Carbondale residents of 35+ years. They travel and stay in Mexico in the winter and here at Carbondale in the summer. They took a slightly more conservative approach and rent their home year round in carbondale. They have been fulltiming for about 3 years. We shared many of the same stories related to down sizing :)
Last night was "First Fridays" in Carbondale when the town is basically shutdown for entertainment, dining, games and fun. We enjoyed the evening and had a great meal at the White House restaurant.
We are still working through a few issues at the campground but overall it is going smooth. Next week the city is updating the water system with a chlorinated water filter system and we are re-arranging a few of the sites. We even had our first paying camper last night!
This weekend should be quiet and relaxing. Today is supposed to be 76 and clear skies.Viewing a snow covered Mount Sopris while having morning coffee is great.
We are set up and met our co-camp hosts, Tim and Cheryl. They are long time Carbondale residents of 35+ years. They travel and stay in Mexico in the winter and here at Carbondale in the summer. They took a slightly more conservative approach and rent their home year round in carbondale. They have been fulltiming for about 3 years. We shared many of the same stories related to down sizing :)
Last night was "First Fridays" in Carbondale when the town is basically shutdown for entertainment, dining, games and fun. We enjoyed the evening and had a great meal at the White House restaurant.
We are still working through a few issues at the campground but overall it is going smooth. Next week the city is updating the water system with a chlorinated water filter system and we are re-arranging a few of the sites. We even had our first paying camper last night!
This weekend should be quiet and relaxing. Today is supposed to be 76 and clear skies.Viewing a snow covered Mount Sopris while having morning coffee is great.
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