What's up?

    I've had several friends send me an email asking me what's up because I haven't posted in a week.  I have also missed some major happenings in friends lives in the last week or so.  So congratulations on the new rig, Jim and Sandie, and on the new grandbaby, Julie and Mike!

   One of the problems we've had is internet, or lack thereof.   Staying camped in the manufacturers and repair shop's parking lot has meant no real access to internet.  We're having a problem tethering to my phone, which is our back-up internet, so the only internet we've had is by tethering to Paul's phone which is so slow, it's hardly worth it, so we only do it for short periods for important stuff.   Once our daughter moves in on Sunday, we'll use her Iphone to create a hot spot and hopefully that will solve our issues for now.  I feel amazingly cut off from the world when I can't log on whenever my heart desires.  Meanwhile when we get good download speeds we'll reload the software for my phone and see if we can get that back up and running, but we've been so busy, its a low priority.

   Having our home parked in the repair facilities/manufacturers parking lot really takes a toll on daily life.  At one place, they took the 5th wheel inside and we weren't allowed in the building.  That didn't make Paul very happy.  The cat has had to spend all day, every day, in his carrier, on the bed.  I'd say he hasn't been happy, but really I think he just slept through the day anyway.  Once we got back to DRV, the manufacturer, they pulled the rig in the building but they allowed us to stay in it.  Much better, but we can't do much because they need full access to inside and out.  I read books all day, and Paul followed the workers around, either learning from them, or showing them stuff.  At least he was happier there- felt like he was part of the process, and that the trailer was getting fixed properly.

     This trailer had/has quite a few issues with it.  Most of the important ones have been fixed at this point, and we have an appointment in October to fix the rest.  Paul ended up fixing some things himself, partly for something to do, partly because he wanted it done his way.  It was funny to see that by the time we left DRV,  "they" trusted Paul's knowledge enough that they asked for his opinion and input. 
     After our initial few days at DRV, we moved to the other repair place,which was almost a waste of time.  Several small issues got taken care of, but the two major things they tried to fix, were in worse shape when they were done, causing another two days of work to be needed.  The original caulking on the roof was a "bad batch" and didn't cure, remaining completely wet to the touch.  DRV knew there had been a problem and the caulking was supposed to be completely replaced.  But the repair guys didn't take out all of the old caulking.  In a lot of spots they put the good stuff over the old stuff and in the process tracked the wet stuff all over the roof, creating an absolute mess.  They were also supposed to fix the mechanism that brings the slide room in and out, but they adjusted it in the wrong direction, causing an issue that actually would void our warranty on the slide.  So, DRV had to have the manufacturer of that part come out to look at it and fix it.
     After a few days at the repair place (notice I am not mentioning any names), we decided we were done with them, and went back to DRV first thing Monday morning.  They then spent the next few days fixing and re-fixing the trailer.  The refrigerator has been fixed twice already- we think it's all set now.  The caulking issue has been fixed twice, the slides have been fixed twice and still aren't right.  Our Keyless door entry has had all the parts replaced twice, and finally works (turns out the instructions were wrong?). One of our cabinets couldn't be opened because it hits the light fixture.  They are custom cabinets, so DRV didn't realize that would happen. Paul created a new light fixture, using  parts from 3 different ones.   The rest of the issues were more minor, and for the most part, we are satisfied, or Paul has decided he'll do it himself.


traffic jam!

     So, it hasn't been a ball of fun for the last two weeks, but really, in the scheme of life, it's not that big a deal. We did manage to do some sightseeing.  Not too much since the temperature hovered at 100 during the day.  We went shopping in Shipshewana.  I've never been there so it was new for me.  There are a lot of Amish who live in this area.  I found it interesting the differences between here and Lancaster, PA, another area with a large Amish population.  In the Lancaster area, it seems that the Amish are the tourist attraction, and much is made of things being "Amish made", "Amish grown".  Here, it feels less like a tourist attraction and more like just an area where the Amish and the English both happen to live, somewhat intermingling in their everyday lives.
  We have now left DRV and arrived in Muncie Indiana!  We had dinner with our daughter last night for the first time in 2 months.  Over the next few days we'll move her out of her apartment and into the trailer for the next couple of months.

Strasburg, PA

10-7-09 Strasburg PA Strasburg is in Lancaster county, home of the 2nd largest Amish population in the US. Since its Columbus Day weekend, its mobbed here. We got our feet wet by doing some shopping in downtown Intercourse, PA. There are tons of little shops, with handmade items. Lucky for us we have no where to put anything. We drove around the countryside a little bit, and found a bakery, Bird in Hand Bakery, in Bird in Hand, PA. The food was delicious. One of the favorite pies around here is Shoofly Pie, so we bought one to try it. Its molasses based- very good. Different from anything we have had before. We sat outside on a glider that has a table between 2 benches, and the table glides with the benches. After that stop, we went to a Mennonite Visitors Center to learn more about the Amish and Mennonites. Once upon a time they were of very similar religious beliefs, but they split a long time ago- one of their differences is that Mennonites use modern conveniences, like electricity and cars, and the Amish don’t. Mennonites interact with outsiders (the “English”) and the Amish don’t, at least not very much. A lot of my preconceived ideas of the Amish were changed this weekend. I always thought they didn’t use things like cars because it is “against their religion”, but that isn’t really it. They don’t use modern conveniences if they think it will take away from the quality of the time they spend with their family and community and God, but they use car batteries to run sewing machines because it makes practical sense to do it. We learned a lot about them, and there is obviously so much more we don’t know. . We made it an early day but when we got back there was a “Live Jam session” scheduled in the campground store. Turns out there is a room, like a large living room, off to the side where about 8-12 men were jamming with their guitars, fiddles, bass, etc. What a great time we had! So much fun to hear them play! I am going to try to post a short video. Most places are closed on Sunday around here, so it was off to Hershey for us!!! I admit that I went to Hershey with only one thing in mind. Chocolate. I came away with a much better understanding about who Milton Hershey was (and also, a lot of chocolate!). We did the usual "factory tour" which in this case was more like an amusement park ride at your local travelling carnival- not the same quality as a Disney ride, for sure. It doesn't go through the factory, just a cartoonish version of the factory, but it was short, so thats ok. The real deal here was the trolley tour, and I am so glad we decided to do it.... our tour guide was fabulous, obviously passionate about Milton Hershey and what he has done. The short version is that Milton Hershey started his company at the turn of the 20th century, right around the time Henry Ford started his. The similarities are striking. Both men went bankrupt several times, both were innovators, both ended up making their fortune by creating a way to mass produce their product. Milton and his wife could not have children and decided to help orphans instead. They started the Milton Hershey School to educate those children who had no one looking out for them. Today the school has 1800 students, Kindergarten through high school. Its a boarding school for kids whose parents are either deceased, not available, or who are otherwise incapable of caring for their kids financially and otherwise. All of the children who are successful at the high school level, are awarded an $80,000 grant to attend college.The school is run by a Trust, and the Trust owns over 80% of the Hershey Co. stock, ensuring its longevity. In fact, before his death, Milton Hershey turned over his entire fortune to the trust. Part of the reason our tour guide is so passionate is that he was an administrator at the school for over 30 years before he retired. He gives the tours in his leisure time because he enjoys it so much. Today we went to explore a restored Amish farmhouse. We were going to take a bus tour around the countryside, but decided it wasn’t worth the price and the 2 hours it would take. The farmhouse was interesting, and again, we learned a lot. Our tour guide loves this area and it shows. He is a taxi driver for the Amish, since they can’t drive cars but they can ride in them. Because the Amish population is growing so fast, doubling every 10 years or so, there aren’t enough farms available for them to farm, so some of them have taken jobs as carpenters, plumbers etc. and need rides to get to work, since its too far to travel by horse. We ate dinner tonight at the “Plain and Fancy” restaurant, which is typical Amish food, served family style, to a table of 10 people. So, obviously we sat with people we don’t know, and had great conversations with all of them. One guy is doing something similar to us. He is single and quit his job to go tenting around the country. Turns out the last 3 places where he stopped were places we were at too. Tomorrow we drive. We aren’t sure where we will stop but we are headed towards Muncie (Yay!).