Hello everyone!
We were extremely busy, as usual, upon the end of Trip #5. This is an update as to what happened during our time at home before beginning the next RV adventure. People often ask us, “Are you glad to be home?” Here’s why we have trouble answering that question:
We arrived home the afternoon of April 9th & spent the rest of that day unpacking the RV, doing laundry, getting the house back up & running, etc. It’s always a bit of an adjustment for all of us & lots of work. The girls did well & it was no time at all before they were running around like maniacs or nestling together in the warm, clean laundry.
We’d already planned ahead (guess which one of us did that, LOL) and made our appointments in advance. The next morning I had a dental appointment to get checked for a problem I’d been having with a sensitive tooth. Turned out an old filling was cracked. They fitted me for a crown & put in a temporary. We already had booked appointments for our dental cleanings, so I’d get my final crown then. The next day, April 11, Rob left for CA to visit his mother. While at home catsitting, I had acupuncture appointments for knee pain (thank you, Stephanie!); lots more laundry; shopping & ordering of supplies for our next trip; and plenty of trips back & forth from the house to the RV to restock. I saw friends on two occasions (great seeing you, Kathy and Carol & Duane!); and in CA, Rob visited with his mom & with his brother’s family (thank you Virginia, Ron, Sophie, Maple, Carol & Sofia!); and Rob returned home the evening of April 16th. He had a good visit and was lucky to be there when southern California was ablaze with color from blooming yellow ground cover. They’d had some rain at just the right time causing this rare show of spring color. Just beautiful!
Click any picture below to see a slideshow.
We had decided to try to visit Atlantic Canada for Trip #6, with stops before & after at our land in Maine. We wanted to leave as soon as possible while the weather was cool (to beat the bugs and when doing some research on the internet, we’d found that you may still see icebergs and/or polar bears the earlier you go north!) The preparation for this trip was in full swing with Rob’s return from California. We were happy to visit with friends together once he returned on two separate occasions (thank you Carol & Ted and thank you Ann, Cathie, Alison, and Suzanne! It was great seeing you all, and it was great talking with you, Katie!)
In addition to our annual eye exams, we had appointments with the orthopaedic surgeon as a follow-up on my knee, more acupuncture for me, the cat’s annual physical (where we got paperwork for crossing the border into Canada), a dermatologist follow-up appointment for Rob, out annual physicals with blood work, dental cleanings & my new crown, and the RV was due for its annual safety inspection. In between all these appointments we continued to prepare for the upcoming trip and then there’s the maintenance of the Honda, RV, and the house.
When Rob was up on the roof cleaning out the gutters, he attemped to remove the large tree branch which was on the roof of the porch near the skylight. We’d noticed this when we first got home. No easy task, he discovered the branch was embedded in the roof and upon forcing its removal, he discovered a decent-sized hole in the roof (which luckily had plugged up the roof, preventing leakage while we were gone, but once removed there was this hole to be repaired). After one of many trips to Lowe’s during our time at home, he repaired the roof. This unexpected episode delayed us somewhat.
Roof damage from fallen branch, Home, Highland, NY
When we went to the orthopaedic surgeon follow-up (this drive is 1 ¼ hour each way), he checked me out & gave me another cortisone shot. This time it worked very well – YAAAA – and he also decided to get me fitted for a heavy-duty knee brace that would hopefully help align my knee. They would call us to come back when the brace was ready. Another visit, another delay in leaving. A little over a week later, they called that the knee brace was ready & we drove back down for a fitting & a lesson on how to use it. I was to break it in slowly, but in the short time I wore it that day, the pain in my knee was almost completely alleviated. Worth the time & money, I’d say!
The RV passed inspection. The girls had a great check-up. Everyone was doing fine, knock on wood. Except the Honda. When Rob was checking the brakes, he saw that the rear tires were getting bald and wearing oddly. He thought that maybe towing it behind the RV for all those miles & maybe the load that the Honda was carrying in the rear, might be the reason. We’d only had the 4 tires for about 2 years, but technically, even though towed, we still were putting miles on the tires (50,000 total). An appointment at the Honda dealership followed. Turned out the wheels in the rear were out of alignment. While getting the alignment done, we also had the transmission fluid flushed. New tires were ordered for the rear. Another appointment was made for their installation. Then we decided to replace the front tires, too. Two more tires were ordered and another appointment was made for their installation. Would we ever leave? We were beginning to wonder.
So, long story, but this is why we have a difficult time answering if we’re glad to be home. Everything we’d normally do in a year has to be done in short timeframes when we’re home. But on the other hand, the time spent on the road is so wonderful. We are NOT complaining! There are things we look forward to at home – and one advantage this time was being there when spring arrived in full force.
We were finally ready to depart towards the end of April, and we hope that the icebergs, beluga whales, puffins, and polar bears are still around when we arrive in Newfoundland and Labrador.
While we were home and not blogging:
April 9 – Happy Anniversary, Carol & Ted.
April 11 – Happy Birthday, Judy.
April 19 – Happy Birthday, Pam.
Happy Easter & Happy Earth Day.