Thursday, September 8, 2011

September 08 2011





            Ella and I spent the morning looking at RVs.  We’ve been looking on various RV dealer web-sites as well as on Craig’s List.  Well today we decided to go into Des Moines and do some walk throughs.  Our first stop was Autorama RV.  We went their because they have such a crappy website.  Thee is so little information posted on the site about their units (no prices, no pictures of interiors, and very little technical information).  So, I guess, they have found a unique way for their website to drive customers to the lot!
            We went into the sales office and talked to Dennis (he called himself ‘the menace’ which was good for name recall).  We told him the parameters of what we were looking for: 2000 or newer, $10,000 or less, rear kitchen, travel trailer, at least one slideout and less than 30 foot.
            So, he showed us 2002 Sierra, rear kitchen, single slide for $10,000 and a 5th wheel.  I really liked it.  Ella liked it.  Oh oh! We both liked it.  Then he showed us a 33 foot, travel trailer, rear kitchen, single slide and $15,400.  Then we looked at a Hitch Hiker II, 1997, 5th wheel, single slide, side kitchen, four season package for $11,500.  Ella really liked it!  I liked it – but not as much as the Sierra.  So, back to the Sierra to look at it again.  I liked the rear kitchen with more counter space than the Hitch Hiker.  I liked the layout of the Sierra.  Ella really liked the Hitch Hiker!  I took a bunch of pictures of the Sierra and then back to the Hitch Hiker.  I took a bunch of pictures of the Hitch Hiker.  I really liked the pantry slideout shelving in the HH,  I really liked the mattress in the HH.  The HH had new tires (no small expense on a 5th wheel).  I liked the table and chairs in the HH over the booth and table in the Sierra.  The HH had huge storage in the underbelly garage. The HH was four season with heated and enclosed holding tanks where the Sierra was a 3 season with enclosed but unheated holding tanks.  I really liked the HH!
            We put a down payment on the HH.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

September 07 2011



            Up early (5:45) this morning to head into Ankeny to babysit with great-granddaughters.  After dropping Ella off at grandson N’s place, I went on into Des Moines for the Wednesday Men’s Bible Study. 
            We normally meet in the fellowship hall.  However, our bi-annual church rummage sale will take place this coming Thursday, Friday and Saturday and the fellowship hall is full of tables of rummage.  Ella and I only donated a few items this year and hopefully we can avoid bring anything home from the sale.  We should rename it from ‘sale’ to ‘exchange’ to be more accurate.
            So, as I was saying before wandering off the subject, we (the Men’s Bible Study) were unable to use the fellowship hall so we moved on into the sanctuary.  Instead of showing clips from a DVD on a TV, we projected it to the big screen in the chancel area.  The clip was from “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” and started our discussion of anger and forgiveness.  There is a lot of accumulated wisdom in this group of men.  I always come away with something new to think about.
            After the meeting, I returned to N’s to help watch over L. who doesn’t have preschool on Wednesdays.  Usually, she and I get to spend some good play time together where she teaches me something new about life.  Today she just wanted to watch Dora the Explorer all day.  If you aren’t familiar with the series, they are aimed right at her 3-4 year-old age group.  The DVD’s are “interactive” in that the kids are given things to do or say and then Dora and friends wait for them to do it.  Frankly, other than picking up some words in Spanish, I think L. has gone beyond the skill set they are trying to build.  Anyway, I’m a little disappointed that she chose the TV over the great-grandpa today.
            Oh yes, it has been another gorgeous day with a high of 73, full sun and a slight breeze.  I almost feel guilty about having such nice weather when other parts of the country are having EXTREME weather.  I guess when I look back at the crappy weather we experienced throughout spring and summer; this good weather is just a taste of what we missed earlier.  Now I feel better.
            Pray for the people in Texas who have lost so much to the fires. 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

September 6 2011 Later that same day



            I said that the day started off great.  My that was an understatement! The high today was 71 degrees with full sun and no breeze.  God could link as many of these days together as He wants. 
            I worked around outside doing some minor miscellaneous things to the trailer.  Then Ella and I went to Imperial RV Center to look at a trailer she had seen online.  It was real close to what we’re looking for – except – it had water damage that has cause wood rot around the slideout.
            We stopped at a Chinese buffet for lunch.  I love pot stickers way too much.  I may not eat again until tomorrow afternoon.

Labor Day and the 6th


September 5 2011 Labor Day

            Ella worked this morning 8-2.  While she was working, I did some house work and worked on a sermon for the 17th.  Lee has asked me to preach at that Saturday service.  I have the major parts of the service laid out.  Tomorrow I’ll get a list of music that our Praise Band can play/sing.  Once I’ve selected the music, it’ll be 99% done.  Between now and then, I’ll continue to tweak the message.
            It has been a beautiful day, bright and sunny, no wind to speak of and a high of barely 80.  This is a good day to be outside.  The resort seems peaceful and quiet today.  There are a lot of people here enjoying the holiday.  However, after all the activities on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (concert, auction, carnival, hayrack rides, breakfasts and etc), it seems that people are just enjoying grilling, fishing and sitting in the sunshine.  As I said, “a good day to be outside.”
            It was also a good day to fashion a new storm door.  Last year I cut a sheet of Plexiglas to cover the screen door.  It worked very well.  On sunny but chilly days I could have the door open and enjoy the sun and the heat that came through the Plexiglas.  However on sunny and warm days, I wished that the storm door wasn’t in place and the breeze could come through.  This year I used some sheets of flexible, clear vinyl attached with Velcro.  That way I can easily attach or remove in accordance with the weather conditions.
            After Ella got off work at 2 p.m. we went to visit Teresa W. at her camping spot here at Cutty’s.  She has been our guitar player/music leader at our worship services.  We got her a ‘Thank You” card and let her know how much we appreciated her addition to the services.  She shared that it was a real time of growth for her.  She is basically a shy person and had previously only played her guitar in front of other people around a campfire; and even then it was reluctantly.  Because of her experience or playing for our group, she felt emboldened enough to volunteer to participate as a presenter at a church retreat that her home church was sponsoring.
            Tomorrow we would normally be babysitting with the ‘greats’.  However, it is oldest daughter L. B’s birthday and Great-grandma thought L. B. might like to spend it with her granddaughters and suggested it to them.  So, we will not see C. and L. until Wednesday.  That was a real sacrifice to give up our time with the girls.

September 6 2011
            Yesterday was a picture perfect day and today appears to be a full-color copy.  It is about 9:30 a.m. and we’ve just finished breakfast.  For some unknown reason I was feeling very sleepy yesterday afternoon.  Must have been the peacefulness of the day!  At any rate, along about 5 p.m. sleepiness attacked me.  I fought it off until 7 and then said, “I surrender” and went to bed.  I didn’t even watch TV in bed.  I think I passed out as soon as I lay down. 
            I woke at about midnight and realized I hadn’t taken my ‘supper’ meds.  So I took them and went back to sleep.  Around 3 a.m. I awoke again and took the pills that I should have taken at bed time.  Then I slept until 7:30 this morning.  12 ½ hours!  So strange to sleep that long because I seldom sleep about ½ of that!
            As I said yesterday, we will not be babysitting today.  That means that we have absolutely no plans for today other than Ella working from 5 to 8 this evening.  What to do?  What to do?  Maybe go look at RVs.  That is one of our favorite things to do.  And we are even seriously in the market for an additional trailer for our time in Texas.  I’ll have to talk to Ella and see what she wants to do.
            Since I didn’t get yesterday’s post published, I’ get this posted now and try to write more later.