30 September 2009

Woke up to a typical Vermont fall day… 46 degrees and drizzle. My how things have changed in the 10 days I was in the south land. Trees are starting to turn; lots of leaves in the driveway. Took Delores into Middlebury for window repairs and fuel. The garbage bag and cardboard patch over the broken window lasted until I hit 40 mph, about a mile down the road. So we enjoyed some natural air conditioning… the RV needed airing out anyway. Ace repairman Todd Deasabrais at Deasabrais & Sons Glass took a long look at the broken window and recommended I call Ehlers. Seems that if you’re going to break a window, ALWAYS choose one that moves. Fixed glass, though maybe smaller, is MUCH more difficult to replace. Apparently the RV learning curve still has quite a slope to it... the price tag to take the door apart to get a piece of tempered glass back into the hole was likely to be north of $1,000. So then Todd says, “How ‘bout we at least put a temporary piece of Plexiglas over the hole while you decide what to do.” So he does that and I ask him what I owe. “No charge, glad to help”, was the response. Then Todd says, looking at the state of the RV, “Now, I don’t mean to be condescending, but your RV looks like it’s been around the block a few times and if I do such and such, that Plexiglas could be a permanent repair and nobody will ever know the difference.” So $20 changed hands and the deed was done. The amazing thing was that duct tape was NOT involved… though I think Delores’ feelings may have been hurt just a bit! Next stop was Agway for 15 gallons of propane. Then on to the Leicester General Store, who always has the cheapest gas in the area on Wednesdays and Sundays. “Only” took $135 to fill Delores’s tank this time. But considering that that tank-full should last about a year, that’s not that unreasonable, he says, thinking wishfully. After lunch drove down to Brandon Auto South in Pittsford to test drive a 1999 Ford Ranger. For a change, the four wheel drive seemed to work just fine, and other than typical Ford truck rust issues found in Vermont, the pickup seemed to be in okay shape and had all desired features (e.g., cruise control and air conditioning… critical to hauling logs out of the woods). Took the Ranger up to Junction Auto, where Zack Wright confirmed that the A/C wasn’t working, the illuminated check engine light means that the oxygen sensor needs to be replaced, and no matter what we did, we could not get the 4WD to engage. Returned the truck to Pittsford, where the mechanic there thought the solenoid that engages the 4WD may have gone bad. No 4WD, no deal! Back at Fern Lake, while making spaghetti sauce for dinner, found more shards of broken wine glass behind the stove. Also had to clean a bunch of glass out of the hydraulic controls for the RV leveling system…

29 September 2009

Only 8 hours 45 minutes from Springfield to Fern Lake, and that included an unintentional detour through Philadelphia, Trenton, and Princeton. Take a gander at a map to really appreciate the magnitude of that navigational faux pas. At least I missed the New Jersey Turnpike entirely… and found gas for only $2.28 / gallon. No mice (or signs thereof) and no mosquitoes! Disconnecting the coach batteries when leaving the RV unattended for awhile worked as advertised… refrigerator started right up. After stowing food and clothes, removed the remaining glass from the broken window and cleaned up the residual mess using the shop vac. Discovered why you don’t park an RV under a large (and apparently quite virile) oak tree during the nutting season. It may be a long night…

18 September 2009

Drove back to Virginia. Only took 9 hours with just one minor traffic delay in New York.

17 September 2009

Further calculations showed that the shed, as currently designed, would be too small to hold six cords of firewood (guesstimated two year's supply). So back to the drawing board... Moved, by hand, because we don't have either a pickup truck or a tractor, the huge brush pile adjacent to the shed turnaround area to other piles that will be out of the way of the construction site. Cut four more trees to enlarge the turnaround a bit more... and did not get bit by any yellow jackets even though the trees were close to their nest. Leveled the retaining wall footer trench (by hand shovel, because we don't have...)  Took Dolores to Kampersville for a pump out. Sewage hose sprung a leak while dumping the black water tank. Oh, crap... literally and figuratively! Discovered that the bread intended for today's lunch was COMPLETELY moldy... and I'm not real fussy about what I'll eat. Lynne & Perry came for dinner. As they were leaving, SOMEONE threw the safety latch on the RV main cabin door. Consequently, when I went to go back inside after seeing Lynne & Perry off, the door was quite definitely locked. As were ALL of the RV windows and the driver's door. Close inspection showed that whoever designed the RV had security firmly in mind -- NO breach points were apparent. Fortunately, I had just bought a two pound hand sledge. Picking the (hopefully) least expensive window to replace (fortuitously located just above the driver's door lock) one firm swing did the trick. And you thought the wine glasses made a mess?!?! Hah!!!! A bit of cardboard, a black plastic bag, and, of course, you can't call yourself a true Vermonter unless you personally own enough duct tape to hold together the whole State... While cleaning glass shards out of the driver's seat, I found a penny, so this must have been my lucky day...

16 September 2009

Up to South Burlington to do some maintenance and repair work for Alverta. Looked at pickup trucks on the way back to Leicester. Found a 4.0 liter Ford Ranger in Brandon... at a dealer with a not-so-good reputation and for only $7,000...

15 September 2009

Rained on and off all night. Stump fire still smoldering. Spent the day driving to Pittsford, Center Rutland, Junction Auto, and back to Center Rutland looking at pickups. No luck... but did decide that the 3.0 liter engine in a Ford Ranger is just not powerful enough for my needs, e.g., hauling logs out of the woods.

14 September 2009

Did garlic sauce removal laundry and internet search for pickup trucks at Lynne's in the morning. Stump fire still smoldering. Established stakes for shed turnaround retaining wall arc. Again attempted to use Egyptian water level to establish shed elevations and again got very inconsistent results. Stepped on another yellow jacket nest. Amazingly, even though they were buzzing all around, I did not get stung. Unfortunately, a couple of trees close to the nest will have to come down. Should be exciting... Took the first picture of the house site from the tree stand.