More Red Bay

Day Two

Charlie checked in with the service desk and within minutes the inspection was done at our campsite.

     Wet bay floor - REPLACE - We are in the queue - waiting for an empty bay.  Probably will happen before we have to leave for Alaska.

     Roof rails - REPLACE - We are in the queue, waiting for our turn.  May happen before we have to leave for Alaska.  Probably will schedule for next year.

     Driver's side slide topper - pull into bay #31.   Spent the rest of the day in the service lounge.  Charlie napped.  I played games and read on my Kindle.  The new slide topper replaced was covered by our Good Sam Extended Warranty.

Day Three and Five

We spent the next couple of days at Chris Barry's new shop.  His shop is located a couple of miles off the highway - two very narrow, hilly miles off the highway.  He has 50 amp hook ups (no water or sewage), so we spent the night there.  Chris did lots of neat things for us. 





We now have a 32" LED TV over the front seats and I can watch TV while using my lap top at the factory built-in desk.

The Washer/dryer compartment has a new shelf, and the door now slides conveniently out of the way.  The folding door was always in the way.  I saw it in the 2012 coaches and it was top of my list.

A drawer under the sink.

I think a future modification will be to put the trash can in this drawer and replace the pull out trash can with a drawer for small appliances or pots and pans.

Oh well next year.

Charlies favorite.  Chris built a small cabinet and mounted the TV on the door with a piano hinge.  Now we can hook up the Wii and Xbox and hide all the wires inside the cabinet.  Space on top for the sensors and shelf on bottom for the Xbox.  The Wii will go inside the cabinet.





TO BE CONTINUED  --  Still awaiting deliver of Charlie's desk and the end table/storage for the slides. 

Day Five

Since we have lots of time to kill it was a good time for an oil change and tune up on the RV.  Also got a tune up on the generator.  Delivered the rig to Bay Diesel and went out for breakfast.

Day Six, Seven and Eight

Memorial Day weekend in Red Bay - Ho Hum.   So we set off to see the local tourist spots.

Coon Dog Cemetery 

Troop was the first dog buried

Many more followed

 Cemetery was originally a hunting camp.  The owner buried his champion coon dog, Troop, and marked his grave with a rock carved with a screwdriver and hammer. 

Today there are many coon dogs buried here.  Markers are varied - from wood, sheet metal to standard headstones you would find in any cemetery.  Each site has artificial flowers, many have flags

Standards for burial include:  The owner must claim the deceased is an authentic coon dog and a witness must declare the deceased is an authentic coon dog.

 

 

Rattlesnake Saloon

We had a serious attack of the hungers - so it was off to another local "must do".  This weekend there was something going on - maybe a trail ride?  Anyway lots of RVs and horses.  Parking lot was full but the Saloon Taxi picked us up at our car.

The Taxi shuttles patrons down a steep hill to the restaurant

The Saloon - They serve beer, but only after 6pm with Identification








The Restaurant is a cave.  It has a stage for bands.  By the time we left all of the tables were full.

The restrooms are slightly better than outhouses - but only slightly.

I think they are serious.

Some patrons have their own transport

Red Bay - Day One

We stopped at the Allegro Campground long enough to get a work number and then headed out to Custom RV for the night.  Today Brannon's people were busy little bees.  Got a residential refrigerator, new batteries, sine wave inverter and replaced the king dome with a satellite dish.  Brannon also wired for new TV and fixed the bed (which had separated from the hinge).

Back in the Allegro campground tonight (our pockets considerably lighter) to find that Tiffin Service  people were looking for us today.  I hope that means we will get inspected in the morning.   

First the window came out

Out with the old

In with the new

No more defrosting

Off with the King Dome

On with the Satellite dish

Tunica for my birthday

We are camped at Harrah's (mid-south RV Park) - campground is very nice with a shuttle to the casino that runs on the hour.   Darn I keep missing the hour; guess I have to gamble for another hour.

Charlie surprised me with a day at the spa (massage, facial, manicure and pedicure) and we dined at the Casino steak house.  So I was pampered, wined and dined and got to gamble for my birthday.  The casino did not cooperate and allow me to win but they did give $5 in slot play.

We had dinner on Thursday at the Paula Deen buffet; it was sinful - lots of butter and sweets.  Diet notwithstanding, I ate the bread pudding with a scoop of ice cream.  This buffet is definitely a cut above most casino buffets.

Favorite Casino

Twins

Tomorrow we are off to Red Bay (the birthplace of our coach) for some home modificiations.

I have been advised that it is time to start blogging again.

First of all an update.

We spent six weeks in Lake Jackson so that Charlie could play "the absent-minded Professor" (and he does that well).  He taught 5 classes during the spring semester (adult learning for 50 plusers).  During that time we got through our annual medical screenings, pokes and prods.  Charlie got initiated into the Medicare system.  I think he had an appointment with every specialty (missed psychiatry- probably shoulda).  Oh well now they have baselines for almost everything.  Mostly I think they were determined to find something that would require prescription medication as it goes against the grain to achieve 65 and require only vitamins and supplements.  I should be so lucky.

Then it was on to Arkansas and a week with the grandbabies.

 Fun at the RV Park

Halle and Caitlyn

Caitlyn (Cristie Brinkley, look out)

Halle

 Softball

Halle in action

Caity (could it be a home run)

 

 

 

 

Gymnastics

Caitlyn on the Floor

Balance Beam

Halle on the Floor

Parallel Bars

 

 

The Transition

The house is finally on the market and that makes it official -  we are no longer MOSTtimers; we are now FULLtimers. 

We are however parked in front of the house. 

Yesterday, after a lengthy bathroom visit,  I stepped on the foot peddle of our RV toilet and nothing happened.  Well something happened --the cable snapped; but the toilet did not flush.  So, after much time spent taking apart the toilet, Charlie pulled out of our campsite and headed for the nearest RV repair.  Parts are on order - should be in by Tuesday.  Meanwhile the bathrooms at the house are cleaner and more attractive than those at the RV park which is on the verge of flooding anyway.    Concrete definitely beats mud puddles when running through downpours in the middle of the night.  Either way we get wet.

Goodbye House

Goodbye gourmet kitchen

Goodbye angelfish

Goodbye unshared closet

Polar Bear Migration

Churchill, Manitoba, is a small town on the Hudson Bay.  It is 2 blocks wide and 6 blocks long.  We stayed at the Polar bear Inn.  We spent two days on the Tundra Buggy watching the bears.

We learned a lot about polar bears.  They are very different from black and grizzlies.  For instance, polar bears do not hybernate. They spend much of the summer in a semi sleep mode and are most active in the winter.  The polar bears gather in Churchill to await the freezing of the Hudson Bay.  As soon as the ice freezes they are gone.  They will migrate across the ice to feast on the seals.  Blubber being their favorite food.

Pregnant females give birth in December after a 2 month gestation period.  Cubs are born blind and hairless and very tiny.  They grow fast, however; on mom's milk.   They will join mom in March to migrate on the ices, where mom will  quickly fatten up on seal cubs.  She will continuing nursing the cubs for a year.

Bears found in town are darted and hauled off to jail for 30 days in a cell.    Cubs share a cell with mom.  During the 30 day incarceration they are not fed.  At the end of 30 days they are again darted and placed in a net which is lifted by helicopter to deliver the miscreant back to the wildlife refuge.  Bears are given 3 chances in lock up.  Usually once is enough.

Polar Bear Jail

This was a bucket list trip, and well worth the price.

Ptarmigan

Arctic Hare

The Tundra Buggy Outside

The Tundra Buggy Inside


Our first bear sighting

The video below was taken on our second trip out.  One of us made a comment on how dirty the bear was, when he decided to to roll around on the ground (according to our ranger guide, this is a bear bathing technique).